USA > Illinois > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Illinois > Part 44
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Village of Rome .- Rome, not the mistress of the world, seated upon her seven hills, but the little, unpretentious village in this township, was laid out March 14, 1849, by Arba Andrews, and the survey made by L. F. Casey. It is situated on the east part of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 13, and comprised four blocks of five lots each. Andrews afterward made an addition (December 15, 1857) on the west, nearly equal in extent to the original towu. The first house was put up by or for John
64
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Bostwick for a grocery, as saloons were then called. He occupied it about three years, and then went to Mount Vernon, and while absent from Rome John Caldwell sold goods in his house. He afterward returned and occupied it again himself. Since his day, Dr. Hart, Lakin & Branson, Swain, Thomas Pace, Harlow and others have used it as a business house, but it is now the reception parlor of a stable. The next house erected was a hotel, built by Andrew Harmon, and the third was put up by J. R. Brown, a me- chanic. William Parker was the village blacksmith. Hiram Milburn built a store- house in 1853, and the next year built a hotel. It is related of this house, or the frame of it, that it blew down with two men on the joists, and fell all in a pile, but no- body was hurt. Milburn and West bought Lewty's Mill, which stood about a mile from Rome, and moved it into the town. Isaac Pierson added a carding machine to it. James Sursa opened a grocery store, and in 1854- 55, Henry Blalock built a house at the south end of town, and opened a stock of goods, but in a few years later sold out to Dr. Jones. A schoolhouse was built in 1854, and some years later (during the war) a church, and in 1869 the brick church was built, and thus the village became quite a moral little place. The Doctors of Rome have been Jones, Booth, Murphy, Darter & Burns, Burns & Ayres, Ayres & Darter, Skillings, Young, Nichols, Mabry, Clark, Bradford, et al.
The town was named for Rome, N. Y., and not for the capital of the Roman Em- pire. Mr. Andrews, the father of the place, came from near Rome, N. Y., and named it in honor of that place. When the post office was established at Andrews' house in 1830, it was called Jordan's Prairie Post Office. But when Rome was laid out, it was moved to town, and it was then found that there was oanther Rome in the State, and some other
name must be selected. Dr. Jones, who be- lieved in "shooting on the spot " any man who would " haul down the American flag," named the post office for Gen. Dix, the author of that patriotic injunction, and Dix Post Office it has since remained. Rome became the voting place of Jordan's Prairie in 1852, and when the township was formed in 1869, it remained the polling place.
Rome was incorporated in 1866, and S. W. Carpenter, Hiram Milburn, -- Hay- worth, J. J. Maxey and Dr. Nichols were the Trustees. An Odd Fellows Lodge was in- stituted June 12, 1869, and the following were the first officers: James Robinson, N. G .; L. Leflingwell, V. G .; J. N. Maxey, Sec- retary, and C. Douchet. Treasurer. The membership at present is twenty-three, and the officers are George Watson, N. G .: S. Davis, V. G .; ---- Hays, Secretary, and J. D. McMeens, Treasurer.
A Masonic lodge was organized October 4, 1874, and the first officers were John F. Robb, W. M .; Robert F. Casey, S. W .; G. L. Cummings, J. W .: John C. McConnell, Treasurer; Thomas W. McNeeley, Secretary' The present roll of officers are as follows: R. F. Casey, Master; F. M. Purcell, Senior Warden; S. B. Bogan, Junior Warden; H. H. Hutchison, Treasurer: G. W. Lee, Secretary. and the records show thirty six members.
The present business of Rome is: R. F. Casey, dry goods; Dr. W. E. Bradford, drugs and dry goods; H. Williams, groceries; S. W. Carpenter & Son, grist mill; David Thompson, wood-shop; Miller & Shinning, blacksmith shop; Rachel Bruce and daugh- ter, millinery store; William Kyser, furni- ture store; James Fields, boot and shoe shop; one schoolhouse, in which two teachers are employed; two churches, and Drs. Tucker, Bogan and Bradford, physicians. The town, though old in years, has never grown to very large proportions, and never will, but it is quite a business little place.
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
365
CHAPTER XI .*
SPRING GARDEN TOWNSHIP-GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY-SETTLEMENT OF THE WHITES-THEIR EARLY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS-ROADS, MILLS, ETC .- SCHOOLS
AND CHURCHES-TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS -SPRING GARDEN VILLAGE-
ITS GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, ETC., ETC.
" This cannot last;
For I am of the mould that loathes to breathe
The air of multitudes."-Daniel Boone.
Nº TO age fully understands itself or the place it occupies in the great secular movement of human history. If we would catch the "increasing purposes " which run through the ages, we must learn to look at them in the widely separated epochs which mark the decline and fall, the rise and growth of political empire. Though to-day be a yesterday and though the morrow shall be as to-day, it still remains to be seen that the subtle elements of historical ehange and development are constantly at work with a transforming power which is the more or less efficient in its results because it is invis- ible in its operation. If we would clearly discern the fact of human progress in knowl- edge and virtue, we must look at the file leaders of humanity not as they mark time in the pauses and breathing spells of the daily mareh, but as they set up the trophies which signalize the turning points of human destiny, whether it be some decisive battle which saves Europe from the domination of the Persian civilization, as at Marathon, or a transfer of the world's scepter from Pagan to Christian hands, as typified by the con- version of Constantine. And in like manner, if we would clearly perceive the progress
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that has been made by the separate nations of the world now competing with each other for the prizes of place and power, we must contemplate their history in its periodic times and not in its daily revolutions.
At this distance of time from the feeble beginning of the progress and development of this county, a point has been reached from which a survey may be made of the steps that have so far been taken. Although we may look back with pride at the progress we have made, yet our retrospection must neces- sarily be tempered with some grief for the loss of those who bore an honorable part in the great work of subduing the wilderness and transforming it into the "spring gar- den " of loveliness. They made history, little recking who might come after them to write and read it. The greatest honor that we can pay them is to perpetuate their names upon the pages of the history they themselves made.
Spring Garden Township is situated in the south tier of townships in the county, and takes in quite a little corner of Moore's Prairie, as fine a body of land as lies out of doors. Many excellent farms are seen in this section, and corn, oats and wheat are the principal crops. Some fruit is raised and if more attention was paid to it than there is, it would be much better for the farming community. It has been very satisfactorily
* By W. Il. Perrin.
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
demonstrated in late years that wheat in Southern Illinois is an uncertain crop, and the farmers sooner or later must see the ad- vantage of stock-raising and fruit-growing in this region. Spring Garden is bounded on the north by Dodds Township, on the east by Moore's Prairie Township, on the south by Franklin County, on the west by Elk Prairie Township, and is designated in the Govern- ment survey as Township 4 south, Range 3 east, of the Third Principal Meridian. In the woodland portion the timber is that sim- ilar to other portions of the county. The streams are Casey's Fork of Big Muddy, Atchison's Creek, Gun Creek, Poplar Branch, etc. Casey's Fork runs south and touches the west side of the township; Atchison's Creek flows west through the west part and empties into Casey's Fork, while Gun Creek and Poplar Branch have their source in the northeast and east portions of the township and pass out through Section 33 on the south line.
The settlement of Spring Garden Town- ship dates back sixty-five years or more. Among the early settlers we may mention the Smiths, some of the Atchisons, James Pritchett, Thomas Hopper, John D. Vaughn, Wiley Prigmore, Uriah Compton, John Hull, Nathaniel Wyatt, E. Crane, James McCann, Nathaniel Morgan, Thomas Softly,- --- Armstrong, Matthew Kirk, William Harmon, Richard and Reuben Sweeton, Daniel Parrett, etc., etc.
1
The Smiths and Hopper are supposed to have settled here as early as 1816, but they were probably not here quite so early as that. Of the Smiths there was Isaac Smith and one or two sons, one of whom was named Abram. Hopper was the father of Abram Smith's wife, and they were all from Ten- nessee. He settled on Section 1 and died there. Abram Smith had a large family of
children, some of whom are still living. His father, Isaac Smith, was an Old-School Bap- tist preacher. He organized a church of that faith very early in a log cabin on Ben- jamin Smith's farm. Solomon Goddard and Noble Anderson were also preachers. The latter was quite an eccentric character.
Uriah Compton settled at the old springs called the Compton Springs, and from which the township finally received its name. He was a very early settler and improved the springs, making them quite a resort. Wiley Prig- more was an early hatter, when hats were manufactured at home instead of being bought at the stores. Pritchett settled on Section 1 and was from Tennessee. He was a carpenter, and has a son, George Pritchett, still living here. Two of Barton Atchison's sons were among the early settlers. Wyatt settled near the Compton Springs, and is represented as a very excellent man. Mor- gan was a good farmer and died in the town- ship. Hull settled near Crane's mill and acted in the capacity of miller for Crane, who owned a horse mill. Hull was a large man and an Irishman, and, like the majority of his race, was extremely fond of a " dhrap of the craythur," and when a little "tight," was quite as fond of a fight. McCann was from Tennessee, and came first to Montgom- ery County, and from there went to Madison County; then came here and settled in this township. Softly came early. He was a plain but successful farmer: was a candidate once for the Legislature, but an unsuccess- ful one. He was as strong as Sampson, somewhat addicted to drink. and when un- der the influence of liquor was quarrelsome and always ready for a fight. Alexander was a very early settler; he was a cripple and went on crutches. Finally he moved into Franklin County. Kirk had a large family, aud many of them are still living.
369
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
The Sweetons and Harmon were early settlers, but of them we know little beyond the fact of their settlement. Parrett settled about one mile from Spring Garden. He was a strict, close, but bonest man, and a mem- ber of the old " Hardshell " Baptist Church. William Davis and William Braden were early ministers of the Baptist Church, as well as early settlers of the township.
Of a little later date came a number of settlers, among whom we may mention John D. Vaughn, who came abont 1830 or 1832. He came from Madison County here, but was originally from Tennessee, and settled on Section 22. He died eventually in Dodds Township, and is buried at the Arnold Graveyard in that township. He had twelve children. and ten of them grew up and raised families of their own. Many descend- ants are still living here. Mr. Vaughn was a a liberal-spirited man, full of energy and enterprise, and did much to better the con- dition of the neighborhood in which he lived.
He engaged in a general mercantile busi- ness, and would exchange goods for peits and venison hams. These he would haul to St. Louis by wagon. bringing back goods in re- turn. He was also a carpenter, and built many houses in the township. But finally he was unfortunate in becoming surety for friends, through which means he lost heav- ily and died a comparatively poor man. He was over ready to take hold of anything to make money. On one occasion he and his son Christopher G. hired to some cattle dealers to drive cattle from this section up into Michigan, a distance of about 600 miles, for which he received 75 cents per day and his son 50 cents per day. Returning home, they walked the entire distance, often walk- ing forty miles a day.
The struggles, the hard times and dangers
to which the pioneers were exposed in the early history of this division of the county is but the same as noticed in other chapters of this volume. One of the most trying diffi- culties was the procuring of bread, which sometimes could not be obtained at all. The mortar and pestle was the usual resort until horse mills made their appearance. One of the first horse mills in this section was Craue's, which was liberally patronized by the people. But, as the country settled up, other and better mills were built, and this trouble passed away, as did all the difficul- ties of the early settlers.
Who taught the first school in what is now Spring Garden Township we cannot say, nor can we give the exact location of the first schoolhouse in the towuship. The early schools and schoolhouses were of the usual primitive kind. The township now has six comfortable schoolhouses, situated in Sec- tions 11, 16, 21, 29, 31, and at Spring Gar den Village, in which good schools are taught each year.
The church history of the township is somewhat limited, at least so far as church edifices go. But religious meetings were held early, and a number of the early settlers were ministers of the Old-School Baptist Church. Among these were William Davis, William Braden, Solomon Goddard, Isaac Smith and Noble Anderson. Of these. the latter, perhaps, was the leader. He preached the Gospel to the simple pioneers pure and unadulterated as he understood it, not for pelf, but solely for the good of mankind, and because, as some of his ueighbors used to say, he was too lazy to do anything else. There was within him the smoldering tires of a rough eloquence, that, when once in his pulpit and warmed to his work, were soon fanned into fierce flames, as he drew fright- ful pictures of an angry God or the horrors
16
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
of a literal hell of fire and brimstone. A favorite expression of his was, " my brether- ing and sistering, the world is as round as a horse's head and ten times rounder." What meaning he intended to convey by the phrase no one seems to know-or care. Such was Elder Anderson, and such as he was, he never seemed to tire of proclaiming to the world that he was not " ashamed to own his Lord and Master." Whether this compliment was returned or not is wholly immaterial to this narrative. Elder Anderson was no band-box preacher. He was not a Beecher, a Talmage, a monkey, nor a fool. He was a humble, sincere, great pioneer preacher, with fists like a maul and a voice like the roar of a Numidian lion, and thus arrayed and equipped with the two-edged sword of faith, he went forth upon his mission and waked the echoes of the primeval forests as he proclaimed in his rude, wild eloquence the promises of the Gospel.
Elder Smith organized a church of the Hardshell Baptist persuasion in the neigh- borhood, and among its early members were many of the pioneer families of Spring Gar- den Township. Church buildings are scarce in the township, but religious meetings are held in many of the schoolhouses and the morals of the community are looked after by the ministers of the neighboring churches.
Spring Garden Township is untouched by railroads, but its citizens live in hope that some of the projected roads will strike them. The wagon roads of the township are equal in quality and quantity to other portions of the county, and bridges span the streams where many of the more important roads cross them.
Originally this township was included in Elk Prairie and Moore's Prairie Election Precincts, but when the county adopted township organization, some fifteen years
ago, this became Spring Garden Township. Since then the following is a complete list of township officers:
Supervisors .- W. S. Bunessus, 1870; C. M. Brown, 1871-72; J. F. Carroll, 1873 to 1875; T. Anglen, 1876-77; Benjamin Smith, 1878; J. F. Carroll, 1879-80; C. M. Brown, 1881; J. W. Peavler, 1882; C. M. Brown, 1883, the present incumbent.
Town Clerks .- T. S. Vaughn, 1872; T. S. Vaughn, 1873; G. M. Kirk, 1874; G. M. Kirk, 1875; R. J. Prince, 1876; R. J. Prince, 1877; R. J. Prince, 1878; W. P. Davis, 1879; W. P. Davis, 1880; W. P. Davis, 1881; E. P. Bevis, 1882; E. P. Bevis, 1883, the present incumbent.
Assessors .- T. Anglen, 1872 to 1875; W. A. Clark, 1876; T. W. Davis, 1877; A. Pas- ley, 1878 to 1880; T. Anglen, 1881; A. Pas- ley, 1883; W. A. Clark, 1883, now in office.
Collectors .- J. W. Peavler, 1872; J. W. Peavler, 1873; F. M. Carroll, 1874; J. W. Marshall, 1875; F. M. Carroll, 1876; T. J. Bevis, 1877; F. M. Carroll, 1878; J. W. Peavler, 1879; R. N. Prigmore, 1880; J. W. Peavler, 1881; L. E. Lloyd, 1882; F. M. Carroll, 1883, now in office.
School Treasurers. -- Anderson Clark, 1874; Anderson Clark, 1875; J. W. Marshall, 1876; J. W. Marshall, 1877; T. H. Bernard, 1878; Joseph Jones, 1879; Joseph Jones, 1880 to 1882; T. H. Bernard, 1883, present incumbent.
Highway Commissioners. - G. Peavler, J. M. Duncan, S. L. Dunbar, Benjamin Smith, T. A. Stringer. C. H. Howard, J. E. Hopper, T. A. Stringer, C. H. Howard, S. L. Dunbar, Benjamin Smith, G. W. Page, etc.
Justices of the Peace .- J. W. Marshall. R. G. Cook. J. M. Mckinney, Charles How- ard, J. M. Mckinney, J. Johnson, J. M Mckinney, J. Johnson and A. P. Clark.
Constables .- Silas J. Arlow, W. A. Clark,
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
J. W. Clinton, R. N. Prigmore, C. A. Mc- Cullough, L. Harmon, C. A. Mccullough and L. Harmon.
^ The village of Spring Garden is one of the old towns of Jefferson County. It was surveyed and laid out by L. F. Casey for James F. Duncan and John S. Lucas, Octo- ber 24, 1848, and is situated about twelve miles nearly south of Mount Vernon, on Sec- tion 22 of this township. W. W. Creek put up a house on the site of the town and com- menced business the year before the place was laid out. Creek was a brother-in-law to Michael Fitzgerrell and bought land from him. In the winter of 1850-51, James E. Cox put up a house in which he kept grocer- ies and furniture. About this time Duncan sold out and left, and John H. Wyatt went in with Lucas in the mercantile business. He remained with him a while; was then with Hawkins, then with Prigmore, and then -died. The first hotel was built by James M. Williams. He owned a farm in the neighborhood, which he traded to Creek for his interest in the village, put up a house. and succeeded well. He built the brick hotel in 1859-60. Joseph Williams built a house in 1853, and the next year his brother Henry went into business with him.
In 1854, W. B. Anderson laid out an addi- tion to the town, comprising six blocks of two lots each, and two of four lots each. The first mill in the place was built by Driver & Pollock, and was a steam mill. This was a great curiosity here in those early days to the people, who had been used mostly to horse mills. Many came miles to see this modern wonder. The fol- lowing incident is related of this mill: One night soon after its completion, when quite a number of people had come in to see it,
the proprietors, somewhat elated at their snecess in the mill business, and to celebrate their growing propserity, drank deeply, and the miller, who was a green hand, crowded on steam until the speed was so great that the mill stones burst into fragments, scaring the proprietors, spectators and employes half to death and making a grand " scatterment" of all present. James R. Combs came to the town in 1854, and finally got an interest in the mill. He was an enterprising man; mar- ried Mrs. Compton, engaged in merchandis- ing and finally died. Wiley Prigmore moved into the town in 1856. One Joshna Kilabrew opened a store, and some time later was suc. ceeded by Thomas Williams, and he by John Clinton. Driver & Pollock's mill finally went . down and Harvey Williams built one some distance from town. Among the physicians of the place are Drs. Bernard, Reed, Cox and Hughey. The two latter left in a few years. Drs. Bernard and Reed were both from Tennessee. An excellent schoolhouse was built in 1857, which is still doing duty. Carroll and Scott have carried on blacksmith- ing here for many years, sometimes in part- nership and sometimes each for himself.
Upon the building of the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad (now the Louisville & Nashville Railroad), and the springing np of the towns of Opdyke and Belle Rive, they have drawn heavily on Spring Garden. Sev- eral of the stanch citizens and business men of Spring Garden moving to those places on account of the railroad facilities. Spring Garden, perhaps, has passed the zenith of its glory and prosperity, and is now on the down grade to desolation and ob- scurity, unless some of the railroads now in contemplation pass it. Then its properous days may return.
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
CHAPTER XII.
WEBBER TOWNSHIP-INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION - BOUNDARIES, TOPOGRAPHY, ETC .- EARLY SETTLEMENT-PIONEER LIFE AND TRIALS-PIGEON POST OFFICE-A LAW SUIT-
TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS-SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES-MARLOW, BLUFORD, ETC., ETC.
"And he shakes his feeble head, That it seems as if he said- 'They are gone.'"'-Holmes.
T THAT impulse which forces each genera- tion to do something, however small, to make the world wiser, better and happier than they found it, the struggles aud sor- rows through which each generation passes in the accomplishment of the self-imposed yet imperative task. are the sublimest trag- edies of history. Upon this theme Carlyle has said. "Generation after generation takes to itself the form of a body and, issuing forth from the Cimmerian night, appears Heaven's mission. What force and fire is in each he expends. One grinding in the mill of in- dustry, one, hunter-like, climbing the Alpine heights of science, one madly dashed to pieces on the rocks of strife, warring with his fellow -- and then the heaven-sent is re- called; his earthly vesture falls away, and soon, even to sense, becomes a shadow. Thus, like a God-created, fire-breathing spirit, we emerge from the Inane. Earth's mountains are leveled, her seas are filled up in our passage. Can the earth, which is but dead and a vision, resist spirits, which are reality and are alive? On the hardest adamant some footprint of us is stamped in The last rear of the host will read traces of the earliest van. But whence? Oh Heaven, whither? Sense knows not; faith knows not; only that it is through mystery into mystery, from God to God." When we remember how nn.
certain is life at best, and that its average duration is not more than forty years, nearly half of which is spent in preparing to live, the wonder is that man is not content to stay where he finds himself, " to let well enough alone," and do as little for posterity as pos- sible. But spurred up and on by the divine impulse, he can neither explain nor resist, he labors as if life were to last a thousand years; as if his eyes were to see the harvest from the seed he plants, his soul rejoices at the onward and upward march he aids.
Webber comprises one of the east tier of townships of the county and lies east of Mount Vernon. It is bounded north by Far- rington Township, east by Wayne County, south by Pendleton Township, west by Mount Vernon Township, and according to the Congressional survey is Township 2 sonth, Range 4 east, of the Third Principal Meridian. The surface of the township is somewhat rough and broken, and is mostly timbered land, but takes in a small portion of Long Prairie. The timber growth is sev- eral kinds of oak, black hickory, wild cher- ry, sassafras, hazel, etc. The streams are Puncheon Camp Creek, which received its peculiar name from the puncheon camps erected along its banks by the early hunters; Bear Creek, Four Mile Creek and Two Mile Creek. Puncheon Camp Creek rises north- east of Mount Vernon and empties into Horse Creek; Bear Creek has its source in a sulphur spring on Pope's farm and runs east
*By W. H. Perrin.
373
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
and north into the Puncheon Camp Creek. Four Mile Creek empties into the Skillet Fork of the Little Wabash. Black Oak Ridge, running nearly through the center of the township, forms a water-shed, the waters on the east side flowing into the Skillet Fork, finally reach the Ohio River, while those on the west side flow into Big Muddy, and thence through it to the Mississippi. The products of the township are grain, stock and fruit. The latter of late years is receiving considerable attention, apples being mostly grown, and to which the township seems well adapted.
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