USA > Illinois > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 11
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In 1813 there settled at Kaskaskia, a man of far more than ordinary force of mind named Conrad Will. He had visited this country and bought a lot of cattle which he drove to Pennsylvania. The exuberance of vegeta- tion, the great depth and fertility of the soil, the energetic character of the inhabitants engaged his attention, and lured him from his eastern home to the valley of the Mississippi. He moved his family to the then seat of government, Kaskaskia, in 1813. While at this place he leased from the government the Big Muddy Saline, near the site of old Brownsville, for a period of ten years. The next year he journeyed to Pennsylvania, to pur- chase the necessary kettles and apparatus for the manufacture of salt.
It was in the year 1815 that this useful, energetic, and jovial man became a citizen of the county so soon to be organized, and known as Jackson Couuty. He built a double log house for the reception of his family, which he moved from Kaskaskia to their future dwelling-place. Conrad Will was low in stature and stoutly built, weighing near 200 pounds. His was the profession of a physician. His complexion was fair, and he possessed great
control of countenance. He was fond of playing practical jokes upon his friends and associates.
Many anecdotes, illustrative of his humorous disposition, are still related by his friends who survive him. A few only will suffice. When he de- sired to impress a truth on the mind of the boys of the neighborhood, he did it in his own peculiar way. He would say to them: "Boys, you know I am a doctor. Now, for certain kinds of diseases, the very best medicine is the gall of a deer. As I am in need of this kind of medicine, I make you this offer and you may be able to make some money out of it. I will give you one dollar for every deer-gall you will deliver to me in good condition. The boys would organize a hunt at once, and soon-as they were pleutiful in those days-bring down a deer, but, of course, their search for a gall was vain. The boys would never forget the fact that the deer has no such organ. On other occasions he would offer a reward for eachı eagle's gizzard furnished him. After killing the uatioual bird, and making diligent search the fact would be discovered, never to be forgotteu, that the eagle is gizzard- less. He held high offices at the hand of his fellow-citizeus, and his name will be found occupying a prominent place in the civil record of the county. One other anecdote will be given. After the admission of Illinois into the sisterhood of states iu 1818, Mr. Will, member of the legislature from Jack- son, together with Mr. Umblevany, member from Pope County, and a cer- tain Roberts of Jonesboro, traveled on horseback towards Vandalia, at that time the Capital of the State. Dr. Brooks was not a member of the body, but usually atteuded tlie sessions of the legislature. Roberts was well-knowu along the route, having often been over it. Mr. Will fouud a dead opossum in a rather advanced stage of decompositiou, aud slyly picked it up aud slipped it in his saddle bags, after which he rode ou and overtook his com- panions. The settlements were unfrequent and Dr. Roberts' services were often solicited by the iuhabitants who ueedled medical assistance. On this occasiou, when the next cleariug was reached, a woman called Dr. Roberts to come in and see a sick child. The doctor promptly acceded to her request, and weut into the house. As soon as lie vanished throughi tlie doorway, Mr. Will changed the defunct opossum to the doctor's saddlebags, and then awaited developments. The doctor sent out a boy for his mediciue case, and Uniblevauy and Will followed him into the house. The expres- sion of disgust which overspread the worthy doctor's counteuauce, when on reaching for his medicine he drew forth the decayed marsupial, is said to have been most iuteuse, and worthy of any delineator of emotion. Leaving the honorable member from Pope to laugh at the doctor, who at once had accused Will of playing the joke on him, Will proceeded to the place where the horses were tied, and raising the saddle of Mr. Umblevauy's lioree slightly, inserted between it and the horse's back a sharp-edged pebble. Mr. Umble- vany was a very pompous gentleman, though not a superior horseman. Soou the two gentlemen came from the house, and mounted their horses, to con- tinue their journey. To Mr. Umblevany's surprise, his usually quiet nag seemed possessed of a devil. He reared, and plunged, and curvetted, and cavorted, in a mauuer that would have done credit to a Mexican mustang, while his terrified master frantically clung to his seat. Notwithstanding his efforts, he was iguomiuiously unhorsed and rolled in the dust. Mr. Will's impassive features betrayed only the greatest concern, but Mr. Umblevany, suspecting the trick, raised the saddle, as soon as he regained his feet and steed, and drew forth the cause of the strange conduct of his horse.
After his family had been settled, near the Saliue, Mr. Will dug a well, placed the kettles in furnaces, and began to make salt. It was found im- possible to procure hands among the settlers to do the work, so he went to Kentucky and hired as many negro slaves as were necessary. These, owiug to the laws of the territory, had to be taken to Kentucky cvcry thirty days and recognized, or the ordinance would declare them free. Prior to this, salt was brought from the Ohio on pack horses. These works produced one bushel of salt to one hundred and twenty-five gallons of water. The works have long been unused, but there is no doubt it would pay well if worked properly. Conrad Will sleeps at old Brownsville. Perry Wilson says " he deserves the title of Father of Jackson County." His daughter, who is the relict of Wm. Worthen, has reached a great age, and is in possession of a very fine portrait of Mr. Will, painted in oil, which was presented to him by his fellows in the Legislature. The citizens of Jackson County should see to it that a copy is made of this by some good artist, to be hung up in the new and elegant court-house.
36
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
CHAPTER VII.
TOWNSHIP SURVEYS IN 1806.
ROM the very able article by Judge M. F. Swartzcope, which will be found under the heading of " Grand Tower Township," q. v., it will be seen that the hitherto published accounts of township surveys are erroneous, so far as dates are concerned. Judge Swartzcope is a practical surveyor, and for many years served the county as such. He has had access to the original Field Notes at Springfield, in charge of the custodian, and speaks ex-cathedra on this subject. These notes furnish the earliest reliable data to be found in our county's history. From these notes it is certain that the portion of Illinois now within the limits of Jackson County, as well as that comprised within the boundaries of adjacent counties, was laid off into townships, by William Rector and his subordi- nates, in the year 1806. Mr. Rector also had a contract at the same time to survey a portion of what is now Missouri, but which at that time was sub- ject to France. The next year, in 1807, the work of laying off the townships into sections began. In the performance of this task Mr. Rector had the assistance of several deputies. In 1808 no work was done, for some reason not now known; but in 1809 the work was contiuned, and rcached comple- tion in December of the year 1810. It has been stated in some published recollections of the county that Elias Barcroft sectionized the townships in 1814. Mr. Barcroft was one of Mr. Rector's deputies, as the writer of the recollections states ; but the work was completed four years prior to the period named by him, as Judge Swartzcope clearly shows.
The families noticed constituted nearly, if not quite, all who inhabited this county up to the year 1808. It is impossible at this late day, possessing as we do so little authentic data, but being entirely dependent upon the recollec- tions of aged men and women, to determine whether the above list is com- plete or not.
The settlements were isolated. There were a few settlers in the vicinity of the present capital of Union County, Jonesboro', and at Huggins' Creek, who had been there but a short time. There were also a few families living near Fort Massac, on the Ohio River. In Braseau Bottom, in Miss ouri, existed at this time a small colony of Americans, which was founded as far back as 1797. Among these were the widows Ferrick and Hamilton, and several other large families who were from the State of Maryland. They were Roman Catholics in faith, and were known by our fathers as a very in- dustrious, moral, and religious people. They possessed considerable wealth, and owned a number of slaves, which they had brought with them from their native State. Another family called Fenwick lived at the upper end of the bottom. Granny Fenwick, as the old lady was familiarly called, was the mother of Mrs. Hamilton, who lived at the month of Brasaw, or more properly Braseau, Creek. Another daughter, Mrs. Manning, was located between. They had opened good farms, and were a friendly people. Dr. Leo. Fenwick, who was killed in a duel about the first of the century, was a warm friend of William Boon, and had gratuitously instructed him in the elements of knowledge, and first awakened in his mind a desire for an edu- cation.
In the year 1807-a year which will ever be memorable in the annals of time as that in which the Clermont, the first steamboat, made her famous trip from New York to Albany up the Hudson-Allen Henson and son, with their families, started for Illinois from Tennessee. Green W. G. Hen- son, who had been married but a short time, reached Big Hill in the autumn of the same year ; but Allen, his father, stopped over winter on the way, and arrived at Big Hill in the summer or fall of 1808. Green located finally near the month of Big Muddy. Allen chose as his future home the north- east quarter of section eighteen, township ten, range three. Thesc men were first-class farmers, industrious and enterprising. Allen Henson was a man of fine mental powers, and of upright conduct. He had fought gallantly in the Indian wars of the Carolinas, and in one of the battles had been toma- hawked and scalped, and left for dead by the bloodthirsty, cruel foe. He was found by his friends, who, discovering that life was not extinct, had him placed under the care of a surgeon, and carefully nursed and treated. Life and death for a long time hung in the balance ; but a vigorous constitution and excellent care finally restored him to health. A portion of the cranial bone had been removed, and the pulsations of the brain could plainly be seen. This terrible injury at times affected his mind. At first he would be flighty, or delirious for only a week or so in a year ; but as he advanced In life the crazy spell increased in frequency and length. At these times he was harmless, but was a source of anxiety to his family and friends. He
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would go among his acquaintances and sing funny songs, and act in a very childish and foolish way. There is no kind of doubt but that this queerness of action was the result of the blow of the Indian's tomahawk. Green's Creek gets its name from Green Henson, who settled on it when he first came to Big Hill.
Mr. Benjamin Patter located at the Bluffs in the latter part of 1807.
The next year brought more immigrants, with strong arms and fearless hearts, to aid in the reclamation of the inhospitable wilderness. James Davis and Joseph French located near Muddy River, where the Capital, Murphys- boro', now stands. John Byars and his large family, about the same time, selected a home south of the same river. Nathan Davis, a prominent and public-spirited citizen, who was afterward a member of the first county court, and his brother Clement, also, at this time, joined their fortunes with that of the other settlers on Muddy River, as did, also, Hezekiah Davis, a black- smith, who is spoken of as a man who was master of his trade. John Robin- son settled on Beaucoup Creek, and about this time was married to a daugh- ter of Joseph French. James Worthen, Sr., many of whose descendants now live in the county, settled on Big Muddy in 1809, a year rendered his- torical as being the one in which the Territory of Illinois was organized. Hitherto for some years the country of Illinois had formed a part of Indiana Territory. This year also came Charles and Frank Garners, Samuel Davis, John Phelps, Hugh McMillan, John Bittle Braxton and Thomas Parrish. These men were all skilled in woodcraft, and some were famed as Indian fighters. " All the lore of the woods they knew." Another welcome addi- tion was made to their numbers by the arrival of Col. Geo. Creath and his family. He came with a portion of his family by boat and landed at Sheep Island. The rest of the family had been sent with the horses across by land from Shawneetown. The whole country was then a dense wilderness desti- tute of a single cabin.
Some other settlers are yet to mention, who during the year 1809 came to this county in search of a home. Robert Glenn, with his family, established themselves at the foot of the bluffs on the Muddy. He had two grown sons, by a former marriage, Ewing, who had married before his arrival, and Isaac. The latter was soon after being captivated by the maidenly charms of Miss Byars, a daughter of John Byars, proposed and was accepted. They were married and lived happily near the bluff, and had born to them several children. His wife died, when, we are unable to say, and Isaac was again married, and more children were granted him. In 1814, old Mrs. Glenn died of a disease, very deadly in its nature, then known as the " Cold Plagne." Old Mr. Glenn died in 1826, at the age of 80 years. Mrs. Boon, Mrs. Creath, Polly Taylor, and Mrs. Gill, all died with disease.
Ewing lived for awhile in the " Bluff settlement," as it was called, but in 1817 moved out of the country. Robin Glenn had four children by his second wife, James being the youngest. He was born in 1807, probably, and died in 1813. There seems for some reason to have been no immigra- tion, or very little, during the year 1810, but in the year 1811 there came to settle on Green's Creek, at Big Hill, Alexander Gaston and his son, also named Alexander. The old man brought slaves with him, and sold some of these to William Boon. In 1815 or 1816 Mr. Gaston's house caught fire, and he perished in the flames of his own dwelling. In 1810 there settled on section 6, in Big Hill township, a man named Flemmings. The same year also came Jacob Thompson, who married a daughter of Jacob Lonzadder. He opened the farm now owned by the heirs of Aaron Easterly.
James Roberts, Sr., became, in 1812, a resident of the bottom, ncar to the farm of Zephna Brooks. His family was large, and Mr. Brooks, probably thinking it hard fate for one man to have so many depending on him, married his daughter Pollie. Adolphus Brooks, actuated by similar motives, offered his hand to Nancy, and was married to her.
Down the river settled a man and family named Peter Gollaher. Then, too, came Mr. Stephen Jones, from Tennessee, to form the settlement " upon Muddy," locating on Sand Ridge. Thomas Whitson, a native of North Carolina, came with the former. Hc went to Missouri, but in 1813, returned to Illinois territory, and settling his family at the upper end of Big Hill, joined the rangers under Captain Boon.
Then, also, in 1812, arrived James Hall, Jr.
In the year 1811, an event took place, which is worthy of more than pass- ing notice, one which attracted the attention of every lone dweller in the wilderness, no less than that of the populous city. Commerce, throughout the period of which we have been speaking, was in a state of helpless infancy. All foreign products used by inhabitants of Jackson-and we shall hereafter see that they were few-were brought to Illinois from New Orleans, in what
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT CRAND TOWER FROM THE MISSOURI SHORE LOOKING NORTH
VIEW FROM THE
TOWER-ROCK, OF THE CITY OF GRAND TOWER. JACKSON COUNTY ILLINOIS.
37
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
were called keel-boats, pushed at great labor with long poles, and towed at points with long ropes, a process called " cordelling " against the strong cur- rent of the mystic Mississippi, by the hardy boatmen, or brought over the Allegheny mountains by wagon, to Wheeling or Pittsburg, thence floated down the Ohio to convenient points, in flat-boats, thence to be taken in wagons to their final destination. But a great revelation was at hand. The expansive [power of steam had been utilized for the service of man, and by Robert Fulton, successfully applied to the propulsion of vesels. A new era had been inaugurated. The settler who had, by unremitting toil, cleared out his farm, hereafter was to have a market for his produce. As has been noticed hefore, it was in 1807 that Robert Fulton, amidst the jeers and low jests of enemies, and polite silence of friends, carried out his grand idea to a glorious consummation. But it was destined to be several years before steam- boats were to be launched upon the broad hosoms of our western rivers. The first steam-boat to float upon the Ohio, was the "New Orleans," launched at Pittsburg in the summer of 1811. It is related that " The novel appearance of the vessel, and the fearful rapidity with which the passage was made over the broad reaches of the river, excited a mixture of terror and surprise among many of the settlers on the banks, whom the rumor of such an in- vention had never reached ; and it is related that on the unexpected arrival of the hoat before Louisville, in the course of a fine, still, moonlight night, the extraordinary sound which filled the air as the pent-up steam was allowed to escape from the valves, on rounding to, produced a general alarm, and multitudes in the town rose from their beds to ascertain the cause. The general impression among the good Kentuckians was, that the comet (of 1811, visible at the time, with its immense fiery tail, and by the superstitious be- lieved to be the harbinger of war, and all' sorts of dire evils) had fallen into the Ohio.
"She walked the waters like a thing of life,
And seemed to dare the elements of strife."
At Louisville, owing to the small depth of water on the falls, the boat was detained three 'weeks, during which time several trips were made by her, between that place and Cincinnati. The waters finally rose, and the trip to New Orleans was resumed. On reaching the lower Mississippi, the boat was nearly overwhelmed by the earthquakes, which rocked the waters of the great river to and fro, and which continued several days, commencing on the morning of the 16th of December, 1811. They were severest in the vicinity of New Madrid, where, on the Tennessee side, a few miles back of the river, the earthi sank in many places 50 and 60 feet, carrying with it, great trees, left standing erect, producing what is known as the "Reel-foot Lake." (Rambles in North America). Old settlers in Jackson, have a very vivid recollection of the great earthquakes. Mr. Benningsen Boon says, that though only four years old, he remembers them distinctly. William Boon had, some time before, together with Zepnah Brooks, and Peter, his black- man, built a flat-boat on the Big Muddy, below the mouth of Kinkaid, and loaded it with produce for New Orleans. The three persons above named, were on the boat floating down the river, but a short distance above New Madrid, when they occurred. Peter never got tired describing the terrible effects of them, and his own terrible fright.
CHAPTER VIII.
GEOGRAPHY.
NUMBER OF SQUARE MILES-NUMBER OF ACRES-DRAINAGE-SOIL-TIMBER.
ACKSON County lies in about latitude 37 degrees and 45 minutes north, and in longitude west from Greenwich, England, about 89 degrees and 30 minutes. It is 24 miles from north to south, and 30 miles from east to west. It touches on the Mississippi for over 30 miles, being about 60 miles from its junction with the Ohio river, at Cairo. Its distance from the chain of the great lakes at Chicago is not far from 300 miles. The distance from St. Louis, Missouri, is less than 100 miles, and from Cincinnati it is nearly 350 miles. It is just on the northern border of the great cotton-field of the world, and in some seasons, when the spring is not wet and the late summer not dry, its soil is capable of raising fair crops of that staple. Nothing but lack of skill and applica- tion of proper manures hinders it from producing profitable crops of excellent
tobacco. But its fertile acres are best adapted to the raising of wheat, maize, clover, grasses and the various small fruits. It has not the deep vegetable molds of the great prairies of the middle of the State, but careful rotation of crops and manuring, readily cause most of its acres to yield bountiful harvests. The bottoms are among the richest in the West, and only need drainage and a very slight system of levees to make them the most productive in the State. And they lie in such situation to the adjacent hills or bluffs as to invite these levees and favor this drainage. They are, indeed, heavily timbered and cumbered with undergrowth; but energy and industry have overcome too many more formidable obstacles to make these seem even worth mentioning.
The number of square miles within its limits is not far from 580, and its acres are about 370,000 ; but at present fully one-half these are not only un- productive, but useless. Parts are rocky and steep, and will never become available for cultivation, though this portion is comparatively small. Other parts are too often covered with water, but these are really capable of the most efficient culture under a system which should prevent overflows. At present large, shallow lakes afford only feeding-ground for immense flocks of ducks, geese and other aquatic birds of passage.
The soil on the hill-tops and sides is loam strongly mixed with clay, though occasionally sand is found. It is soon exhausted however by unskil- ful tillage; but with scientific care as to manuring and change of crops, scarcely any section of the country is better adapted to farming, or yields to the owner larger profits. Clover seems almost a native growth, and both the white, for pasturage, and the red, for hay, thrive wonderfully, and serve at the same time to enrich the soil and prepare for corn or wheat. No better crops of wheat are grown anywhere than on the soil of our county.
There has been a difficulty experienced in stock raising by reason of a want of water during the months of August and September. This might be easily removed by making reservoirs in the ravines and near the bottoms. Every forty acres almost in the whole county affords a place where such a reservoir of half an acre or an acre might be formed in a couple of days, by a man with a pair of horses, and it would not be dry during the whole year. In a soil which dissolves so readily under moisture, great care would he needed to arrange properly for overflows; but when this was done, and the dam or embankment had been set in blue-grass, no great attention would be required to keep a supply of good water ; and fish could be bred, not only to supply food, but to be a luxury. It would, however, be necessary to make these reservoirs not less than twelve feet deep in order to have pure water, and to see to it that they shall not fill with the earth brought down with the rain-water from the hills. They would aid materially in making dews at night which might greatly benefit vegetation.
Another great drawback to Jackson County is the want of good roads. The people seem to have given themselves up to the belief that in a country so hilly in parts, and with such low bottoms in others, excellent roads are impossible, unless they are Macadamized. Hence very little is done to make the roads permanent or hard and smooth. But if observations are made by any one, he will find that wherever the falling water is turned off the road, and ruts are not allowed to grow deep, our roads are good. Such a fact in- dicates that all we need in order to secure fine facilities for travel, is to guard against the water standing on our roads. A raised bed not above a foot high, well rounded in the middle, and so watched weekly, and worked as never to be allowed to make ruts will not cost, to put it at the highest, more than is now annually spent on our roadways, and will afford ample facilities for social travel and marketing. Let this be donc and our farm in- terests-the really important ones to a nation or a community-will thrive in a degree equal to any part of the state. Our industry can be so varied, that a failure of crops can never happen in every case, and when crops shall fail, our fine timber, our quarries, and our mines, will afford an ample occa- sion for labor and most abundant remuneration for energetic industry. In these directions the county offers great inducements to the employment of capital and labor.
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