USA > Illinois > Iroquois County > History of Iroquois County, together with Historic notes on the Northwest, gleaned from early authors, old maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources > Part 75
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W. B. Simonds, justice of the peace and insurance agent, was born in Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, December 3, 1841, and lived there until 1864, when he moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, and worked in a wire factory. In the winter of 1865 lie moved to Man- teno, Kankakee county, Illinois, and farined. In 1871 he came to Iroquois county and farmed until 1873, when he moved to the village and has lived there since. He has held the office of town clerk a number of years, justice of the peace since 1873, and supervisor since 1878. December 29, 1870, he married Miss Ellen Young, who was born in Indiana. They had three children, one living, Clarence W. His parents, Asa and Emily (Knight) Simonds, were natives of New
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Hampshire. They were married there and always lived there. Mr. Simonds served as representative of his district to the state legislature in 1861 and 1862, and is now living on. the old homestead. His wife, Mrs. Simonds, died July 10, 1854.
J. B. Strickler, farmer and stock-raiser, Iroquois, is a native of Con- cord township. He was born March 28, 1841, and lived with his parents until November 10, 1872, when he married Miss Josie Mc- Kinstry, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts. After his marriage he moved to his present residence, and a year later, on completion of the improvement, his parents came and have lived with him since. He has four children : Henry E., Joseph, Edna and Arthur. In June, 1859, he went to Missouri and returned in November, 1860. He enlisted in the 155th Ill. Vol., and remained in service eight months. He was corporal in Company F, and was mustered out at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He owns 303 acres of land in this county. His father, Henry, was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, July 12, 1796. He married Miss Catharine Brubaker, May 13, 1819, in Hagerstown, Maryland. She was born in Virginia. They came to Iroquois county, Illinois, in 1835, and settled on the present farm and have lived here since. Of their fifteen children, nine are living.
W. H. McClain, druggist, Iroquois, is a native of Fountain county, Indiana. He was born April 6, 1850, and lived there until 1859, when with his parents he came to Iroquois county, Illinois, and settled near Milford. In 1861 they moved to Iroquois and in 1865 to Newton county, Indiana, where he lived until the spring of 1874, when he came to Iroquois and engaged in his present business, the firm being Warren & McClain; and in 1875 Mr. Warren sold out to Mr. McClain, who has since conducted the business. January 20, 1876, he married Miss Victoria Hawley, who was born in Kankakee county, Illinois. They have one child, W. H., Jr. In 1871 and 1872, while in Newton county, Indiana, he served as deputy sheriff.
M. W. Jones, dealer in general merchandise, Iroquois, is a native of Marshall county, Illinois. He was born October 9, 1850, and lived there twenty-five years. Twenty-two years of this time he spent on his father's farm, and the remaining three years clerked in a general merchandise store in the village of Henry, in his native county. He then moved to Iroquois county, Illinois, and engaged in farmning near . Gilman, and lived there four years, when he moved to Loda ; and March 15, 1879, he came to Iroquois and engaged in his present business. December 13, 1875, he married Miss Hettie B. Culver, who was born in Henry, Illinois. They have one child, Alice M. The business of the new firm is by no means small, and the large stock of goods they
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display is second to none in the county, invoicing as high as $10,000. They occupy two store-rooms equal to 35×50, and have a large and increasing trade.
James H. Smith, dealer in general merchandise, Iroquois, was born in Cass county, Indiana, May 16, 1844. His father died when he was but two years of age, and he lived in the neighborhood until 1861, when he enlisted in the 46th reg. Ind. Inf. He was in service three years and three months. He was slightly wounded at the battle of Champion Hill. He also took part in the battles of Vicksburg, Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and most of the engagements of the regiment. June 5, 1869, he married Miss Rebecca McClain, of Fountain county, Indiana. They had four children, three living: Samuel, Kitty and Leroy. In 1875 Mr. Smith came to Iroquois county, Illinois, and in 1877 lie engaged in his present business, where he has constantly on hand all goods pertaining to a general store.
DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.
Douglas township received its name from the great senator, who was the originator of the plan, so far as official action was concerned, by which the grand prairie was made habitable. It has become popular to decry the system of land grants to railroads, and there is no doubt the system has been overdone, and has given rise to much official corruption ; but it was only through some such plan as the one Senator Douglas urged through congress that this vast prairie region could be profitably farmed.
The township lies in the western part of the center of the county, and as originally constituted, and up to 1878, embraced twice the amount of territory that it does now. It now embraces a tier and a half of sections off the north end of townships 26 north, range 10 and 11 east of the 3d principal meridian, and 14 west of the 2d principal meridian, and two tiers of sections off the south end of town 27, same ranges, being nearly thirteen miles long east and west, by three and a half miles wide north and south. The division seems an inconvenient one, but is really one which accommodates the peo- ple very well. The Illinois Central railroad divides it exactly in the center, and the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw railroad runs almost through the center from east to west. The Springfield division of the Illinois Central starts here, and for twenty years all the trains which belong to the Central road (passing over the Peoria road) from its main line to its Chicago branch have been transferred here.
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Spring creek runs across the southeastern corner of the township, having on it a fine growth of timber. The surface of the land is generally level, with sufficient fall for good drainage. Early in its history the township suffered greatly rainy years in consequence of surface water, but the system of drainage which has been more recently perfected offers sufficient exit for the water in any ordinary year.
There were very few early settlers in this town. Mrs. Harwood, now a resident of Gilman, a sketch of whose pioneer life on Sugar creek and on Spring creek will be found in the sketch of Iroquois township, was one of the very first in the county, but did not reside in this township. Jacob O'Feather came from Indiana, and settled on section 25, near Spring creek, in 1836. He was a man of fair education, and was, according to Mr. Flesher's remembrance, the first one who taught school in the lower Spring creek settlement. The Darby family, who joined in that neighborhood, liad land, if Mr. Kirby's recollection is correct, in both townships. David Wright lived in the same neighborhood in 1836. Henry Alexander, who came from Vermilion county in 1851, took up about half a section in section 1 (26-14), and remained there until his death, which occurred soon after his return from service in the army during the rebellion. His step-son, Mr. A. C. Cast, who resides at Crescent City, has thie place yet, and has devoted a great deal of attention to raising fruit, having one of the finest apple orchards in the county. Mr. Alex- ander had a "breaking team," according to the parlance of the time, which was in those days four or five yoke of oxen. It was supposed at that time that the prairie could not be broken with a horse-team, and men who were handy with ox-teams were in great demand in the decade between 1850 and 1860 for breaking prairie. Along the tim- ber, Daniel Wright, Elijah Barton, William Scott, Lewis Hunt, Mr. Graves, Thomas and S. R. Clinkinbeard settled; George and Edward Clark and Mr. McCormick lived near by. Mrs. Eoff lived on the east side of the creek. Martin Wright came in a few years later. Mr. Moyer lived south of the railroad, near Mr. Alexander's, and Mr. Noyes in the same vicinity. C. C. Wells and R. S. Johnson lived early on farms west of Gilman, and south of the railroad, and Lewis J. Bennett on a farm in the southwest corner of the township, and Mr. Baldwin near hin. Mr. Parker lived north of the railroad, in the western part of the township, and Sherman Dayton lived near there, north of La Hogue. Andrew Bradner took up a farm in the same vicinity in the spring of 1857. Joseph Robinson lived just west of them, and Mr. Baldruff and John Kuhn near by. In the
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spring of 1858, W. E. Knibloe and E. Silver, brothers-in-law, came to the farm now owned by John Shule, three miles northwest of Gilman. Two brothers Hartley lived west of Knibloe's that spring, and two brothers named Cook had farms farther east. Mr. Seary lived one mile northeast of Gilman. Peter, Joseph, Edwin and Abraham La Bounty lived farther east. There was fine hunting in those days, and in fact, as late as 1867 deer hunting was, though not common, an occasional sport. In the fall of that year three deer were driven out of the rush slough in Mr. Danforth's corn-field, and "the boys" followed them three days before they brought them down, and it is believed would have been after them yet rather than to have given up the job. Such a chance as that was not to be lightly esteemed.
The Sturgis farm, which is just southwest of Gilman, was one of the first brought into cultivation in this part of. the township. It embraces a section of land, and a great deal of money has been expended on it by the owner to make it one of the best farms in the county. The buildings have been erected with a view to carrying on dairying. The brick milk-house is supplied with artesian water, which keeps the milk at nearly a uniform temperature winter and summer. Mr. Knibloe has had charge of the farm for several years, and is running a butter dairy of about forty cows, finding market for the product in Chicago. When the reader recalls the fact that during the summer months butter has the widest range of quotation of any known article of manufacture, ranging from four to forty cents, he will readily see what such dairymen as Mr. Knibloe have known all the while,- that for a good article there is always a good paying price.
The Gilman nursery was put into operation by Capt. W. H. Mann about 1866. For some years the hedge-plant branch of the business largely occupied his attention, while the stock in other branches of trade was becoming ready for the trade. To Mr. Mann is largely due the popularizing of hedging in this portion of the state. As the demand in that direction became well supplied, he gave his attention more to the tree raising. Bringing to his aid a thorough knowledge of the business, and great energy and care in the manage- ment of it, the Gilman nursery, with its branches at Chenoa and Fair- bury, became one of the important interests of the county. It embraces 500 acres of land just east of Gilman.
Though Douglas has from the beginning been alive to the polit- ical strifes and partisan combats of the day, and has, by caucus and election, aided to shake the political bush, few of her citizens have
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gathered the fruits of victory. Mr. George Wilson, one of her citi- zens, served this district in the state legislature, and after his very acceptable service removed to Hyde Park, where he now resides. Mr. David Kerr has served one term as county superintendent of schools, and is now serving a second term. He is a gentleman of excellent attainments, and has by general consent faithfully and energetically strengthened the cause of common-school education in the county, though continually hampered by limited regulations, which have restrained him from doing all that a superintendent in so large a county should do. The time allowed him has varied from fifty to one hundred days each year. Hon. Almen S. Palmer, long a resident of the township, and for many years its efficient supervisor, was, after his removal to Onarga, elected in 1872 to rep- resent the sixteenth senatorial district, composed of Iroquois and Kankakee counties, in the state senate. He was a strong temper- ance man, never using either strong drink or tobacco in any form, and is still an honored resident of Onarga.
CITY OF GILMAN.
The town of Gilman, eighty-one miles from Chicago, was not laid out until the railroad, then known as the eastern extension of the Peoria and Oquaka road, was built to the crossing of the Illinois Central in 1857. Onarga had been the point of trade for this region of the country for some years, but the railroad junction here made it evident that this must be a point of considerable importance. E. E. Hundley, a resident of Virginia, owned the S.E. ¿ of S.E. ¿ of Sec. 31, T. 27, 11 E. 3d principal meridian ; John Chamberlain, the S.W. 4 of S. W. 4 of Sec. 31, T. 27, R. 14 W. 2d principal meridian, and three Methodist ministers (Walter C. Palmer, John Dempster and Joseph Hartwell) had, through the good will of Mr. Cassady, of Danville, then a large land speculator in this part of the state, become joint proprietors of the forty acres next east of Chamberlain's, the S.E. ¿ of the S. W. ¿ of this section. Judge Chamberlain took Joseph Thomas, of Onarga, as a partner, and all these proprietors gave Cruger, Secor & Co. (one of whose partners was Mr. Gilman), a half interest in their various lands, in consideration of their running their road to this point and making their town here, they having the right also to name the town. Mr. Thomas came on with Mr. Doolittle, and with the assistance of Mr. Edward Rumley, a young inan whom Gilman will always hold in remembrance, surveyed out the town and began the work of making a city. By this Mr. Rumley became one of the fathers of this place, and has continued, after all the
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others have either passed away or have long since disposed of their interests here, to be one of the most active in promoting all that is of permanent interest to the place, or encourage a healthy public sentiment. The sudden death of Mr. Thomas, who was in charge of the interests of the different proprietors, was a severe blow to the vital interests of Gilman, and with the financial storm which struck the country at about the time the town was laid out, retarded for nearly ten years the active growth of the new town. Cruger, Secor & Co. gave a trust-deed to Octave Chanute, the engineer of the Peoria road, of all their interest, and he soon after sold the property on the trust, and Col. A. J. Cropsey, then of Fairbury, but more recently of Lincoln, Nebraska, became the purchaser, but soon after sold his interest to Chanute. Mr. Cassady had entered all of this eastern section 31 but that forty which Chamberlain owned. He was a man of large business enterprises, and many are the stories, which are well remembered by old residents of this and Vermilion counties, in regard to his smartness in land speculations, some of which probably were not strictly true; but this is remembered of him, that he always remembered the clergy with kindness. It was this trait which induced him to give the three ministers above alluded to, who were poor as the ordinary run of their co-laborers in that ministry, a deed of that forty acres at little if anything be- yond what it cost him. To follow the history of the proprietary interests of Gilman further: Cyrus R. Brown took an assignment of the interest of Mr. Thomas just previous to his (Thomas') death, and continued to act in the capacity of proprietor until 1864, when Dr. Wenger purchased the entire interests of Chamberlain & Brown. In 1865 Dr. Wenger and E. S. Caughey purchased all of Chanute's interest up to Fifth street, and the following year A. W. Beery pur- chased the remainder of Chanute's interest. Mr. Hundley sold his interest to Mr. Feagin, taking a mortgage to secure the deferred payments, and returned to Virginia about the breaking out of armed rebellion, and, as Gen. Lane would say, "in common with the rest of the South, seseshed." He neglected to put his mortgage on record, a fact which seems to have been unknown to the mortgagor, so that there appeared to be no way to convey title of the lots in question except to permit them to be sold for taxes and then perfect the title under the revenue laws. After the cruel war was over, Mr. Hundley came back here and found for the first time that his mortgage was not on record, but hunted around and found it, and proceeded to foreclose with all that that word implies. There were sundry addi- tions of out-lots around the original town. About 1867 or 1868,
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Messrs. Dent, Mosher and Baker laid out the N. ¿ of N. W. ¿ of Sec. 6 (26-14); Scott's addition is west of the original town; Mann's 1st, 2d and 3d additions are east and southeast of the town; Comp- ton's southwest. The original town-plat embraced seventy-seven blocks, and all lay north of the Peoria railroad.
W. P. Gardner came here from Pennsylvania in the fall of 1857, and had to wait several days for the survey to be made before lie could secure lots to build on. There was no house here then but the section house. There was a shanty half a mile west where the hands who were working on the railroad were boarded. Matthew Lyons was proprietor of the boarding house. C. C. Wells was living on the Sturgis farm, and was entertaining a lot of boarders. Thither Mr. Gardner went to secure the necessaries for healthy digestion, and found that Mrs. Wells was sick, and that the two hired girls had been that day called home by sickness in their re- spective families. Mr. Wells submitted the question. to the good judgment of Mr. Gardner, whether he could, under the existing cir- cumstances, contract to take any more boarders. Gardner, with the proverbial characteristic of a "Philadelphia lawyer," calculated that it could not be done. By the first of September the survey had been completed, and Mr. Gardner commenced to build the first residence in Gilman, the one now occupied by Dr. Wenger. He got it com- pleted, and on the first. of January went east to bring his family here, arriving with them on the twentieth. The same fall, James Wright built the house which Mr. Cross lives in. Daniel Dugan built the house north of Mr. Gardner's, and Matthew Lynch built the one just opposite the old hotel, which was burned last fall. The three brothers Esty (George, Moses and Warren E.), built the. hotel that same fall. It was a magnificent building for the time, 35×44, three stories and basement, and must have cost at least $4,000. The upper story was, following the custom of the times, a ball-room, and thither, on the twenty-second of February, all the elite of the various grand prairie settlements, at least those who were not under good religious restraint, went to celebrate the birthday of the Father of his Country, and inaugurate the grand hotel by a grand ball. The Esty boys were at that time all unmarried, and they secured the services of Mr. and Mrs. Cross to manage their hotel. The ball was a great success, but "certain fellows of the baser sort" considered the affair rather "high toned," and being filled with something rather stronger than new wine, made night hideous outside, with a determination to flax out the ladies, who were engaged in frivolous amusement. There was no system of police in Gilman at that time, and the Estys were not
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very forehanded in physical traits, but they had for a backer one Lawrence, who was the builder of the house, and as such undertook to defend it. He secured a " shillalah," which brought down one of the enemy every swing right and left. Victory rested with the de- fenders, and on went the dance. The hotel was a great success for a time. Trains from the west ran up on the Y just in front of it, and out-going trains made up at its door. Later the hotels at the crossing of the two roads were built, and this fell into disuse. Its windows are now boarded up, and its days as a hotel are numbered.
The first train over the Peoria road, from Gilman, was made up here to run to the state fair in Peoria, the latter part of September, 1857. Mr. Thomas had interested the people along down the Illinois Central railroad in this route. They came here at an early hour, and stood out on the prairie in the piercing west wind three hours wait- ing for the train, and many were the curses loud and deep front those who had been induced to take the Gilman route.
John Mulvaney built his house early in 1858; and in May of the same year the Roman Catholic church was commenced. The frame was blown down in the terrible tornado which swept over this part of the country, May 13. This storm was the most severe ever known in this vicinity. It swept across the state from west to east, blowing down buildings, unroofing houses, uprooting trees and doing great havoc.
The Peoria and Oquaka railroad was extended east during the next two years, and then became known as the Peoria & Logansport, and afterwards, when it was extended to the Mississippi, became known as the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw. In 1880 it was sold out, and again the name was changed. The Gilman, Clinton & Springfield road was built in 1870 and 1871, largely by the system of local aid voted by townships along the line. In 1868 it became a part of the Illinois Central, and is known as the Springfield division.
During 1858 a good many houses and buildings were put up, and business was fairly active, but the depression in business, followed closely by the war, kept back the growth, and Gilman was almost at a stand for several years.
CHURCHES.
The first service of the Roman Catholics was held in the railroad house, in December, 1857. The work on the railroad had called to- gether a number of families of that faith, and Father Lambert came here to look after their welfare, and urge on them the importance of providing a house of worship. There were present at the first meet-
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ing, John Mulvaney, Daniel Dugan, Patrick Dobbins, John Gleason, Michael Egan, Matthew Lynch, James Matthews, Thomas Querk, Patrick Dorsey and Thomas Soran, and members of the families of most of them. The first five are still residing here. At that meet- ing it was determined to raise a subscription for a church, and $150 was pledged that day, those giving pledging more when the building should be completed. Messrs. Thomas & Chamberlain donated a lot to build on, and the railroad companies granted liberal assistance. Citizens of all denominations here and at Onarga gave liberally of their means, and May 1 work was commenced on the first house of worship in Gilman. The frame was up and was destroyed by the tornado, May 13. The work was again commenced, and the build- ing was completed in 1869. . The building was 24×40, and cost about $2,000. The mission was in charge of the resident priest at Champaign at first, and afterward services were conducted by the resident priests at L'Erable : Fathers Buzard, Coute, Vanderpool and Perner. In 1870 Father Fanning, of Fairbury, had charge of this mission, and found it necessary to build a new church, owing to the crowded condition of the congregation. The old house was sold to Mr. D. Dailey, and a new frame house built, 40×80, at a cost of $6,000. This fine edifice was burned, October, 1878. It was sup- posed to have been fired by an incendiary. The present beautiful brick edifice was begun in three weeks after the other was burned, services being in the mean time conducted in Wenger's hall. The church is incomplete, and has cost $3,500. Father Bloome was the first resident priest, having charge also of the missions at Crescent and Loda, in addition to the work here. Father Van Schwadler followed him. The present priest is Father McGar. The priest's residence was purchased several years since. About 120 families worship here.
The Presbyterian church was organized May 9, 1858, by a com- mittee of the Peoria presbytery. The original members were: C. C. Wells and wife, R. S. Johnson, Miss Mary Johnson, Sherman Dayton, Mrs. R. L. Beyea, Mrs. P. A. M. Dickerson, J. A. Cultra, E. W. Burrows and Mrs. Ada Cross. C. C. Wells was elected elder. In 1860 R. S. Johnson and Sherman Dayton were elected elders. Meetings were held occasionally in the school-house. Rev. Isaac B. Moore was pastor in 1860, J. A. E. Simpson in 1863, P. D. Young in 1868, S. V. McKee in 1872 for four years. Rev. Mr. Magner supplied the church half a day each Sabbath in 1877, and Mr. Fahs, of the seminary, a portion of the year 1878. The present pastor, Rev. M. Noer, commenced his labors December, 1878. In 1866 R.
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S. Johnson, A. Dickerson and Dr. E. Wenger were chosen trustees, and under their administration the present church was built. It is 32 ×46, and cost about $1,500. The present membership is forty-seven. The first Sabbath school was held a portion of the time in W. B. Flagg's blacksmith shop, and a portion of the time in the depot. C. C. Wells, R. S. Johnson and S. Dayton were interested in carrying on the work. David Kerr acted as superintendent for one year, about 1870, and Mr. Joseph Armstrong one year, Rev. Mr. McKee during the time of his pastorate, and Mr. A. Crooks since that time, for four years. These gentlemen, together with Mr. Harris, Thomas A. Crooks, Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Snyder, Mrs. West and Miss Jennie Kerr, have been active in Sabbath school work. The school averages about seventy-five.
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