USA > Illinois > Jersey County > History of Jersey County, Illinois > Part 8
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A TEST OF THE BLACK LAW
During the heat and virulence engendered in this campaign, a suit was instituted in the Circuit Court of Madison County against Governor Coles for $2,000.00 penalty, under the "black laws" for neglect to exe- cute the bond required upon the emancipation of ten negro slaves. A verdict was rendered by the jury for the $2,000,00 penalty, and the case was taken under advisement. It was continued to the September term, 1825, on a motion for a new trial. In January, 1825, the Legislature re- pealed the law giving the penalty sued for, and at the September term, the defendant plead this statute a bar to a judgment upon the verdict.
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A demurrer was sustained to this plea, and judgment was rendered against the defendant for $2,000.00, which was taken on writ of error to the Supreme Court, when it was held that Madison County had no vested interest in the penalty, and the repeal of the statute, prior to the entry of judgment, was a bar to the pending suit, and reversed the judgment. This was the end of the suit, and Governor Coles eseaped the penalty. Chief Justice Wilson wrote the opinion in the case, which is very clear, and has been sustained by the courts of this state from that time to this. The case was entitled Edward Coles vs. the County of Madison, reported in Breese Illinois Reports, page 154. These blaek laws were later re-enacted with some modifications, and remained in force for many years. There were a number of eases involving the laws concerning indentured slaves and their children, taken to the Supreme Court sinee that of Governor Coles, but as these indentures expired by lapse of time more than seventy years ago, no referenee will be made to them here.
EDWARD COLES
Edward Coles, second governor of Illinois, was born in Albemarle County, Va., December 15, 1786. His father was a planter, owning many slaves. Upon his father's death, Edward Coles inherited 1,000 aercs of land and twenty-five slaves. He was graduated from William and Mary College. At his father's home he met and made the acquaintance of many of the leading statesmen of those days, and on the inauguration of James Madison as president, Edward Coles became his secretary. In 1816, he was sent on a special mission to Russia, as the bearer of im- portant dispatches to the American minister at St. Petersburg. After his return, he determined to remove to Illinois, which he did, in the spring of 1819, bringing with him ten slaves, which he emancipated, giving each head of a family 160 acres of land near Edwardsville, Madi- son County. He aided them with money and exercised a paternal care over them for several years. This was the basis of the suit above men- tioned. He was appointed receiver of the land offiee at Edwardsville. During the period between 1822 and 1836, he was governor of Illinois. In 1833, he removed to Philadelphia, Pa., where he was married to Miss Sallie Logan Roberts, by whom he had one daughter and two sons. He died at Philadelphia, July 4, 1868, in his eighty-second year. While living at Edwardsville, he boarded with James Mason, whose wife, Sarah Von Phul Mason, was a sister of Henry Von Phul, a leading
WALTER E. CARLIN
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merchant of St. Louis, Mo. The Von Phuls were natives of Phila- delphia, and will be mentioned further on in this history, in con- nection with Grafton and Jersey County.
ATTITUDE OF PRESIDENTS
In this connection it may be noted that all of the presidents of the United States, from Washington to Harrison (1840), with the exception of Jackson, were opposed to the extension of slavery to Northwestern Territory, and that the secretaries of state of these administrations, to wit : Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren, all succeeded to the presidency. The last named was the final secretary of state to be so honored.
CHAPTER IX INDIAN TROUBLES
INCITEMENT OF INDIANS-BLOCKHOUSES-CONDITION AT FORT RUSSEL- INDIAN MASSACRES
INCITEMENT OF INDIANS
During the brewing of the troubles which led to the second war between the United States and Great Britain, the Indians were incited to cause considerable trouble. Not only did they steal anything of value upon which they could lay their hands but they killed and made captives of settlers of Illinois. To protect the settlers blockhouses and stockades were erected in all of the settlements.
BLOCKHOUSES
These blockhouses for the protection of the lives and property of the settlers, were built of logs, the second story crossing the first story at the corners, with loopholes for rifles. The stockades were made of logs or poles, set close together in the ground, and twelve to fifteen feet in height, with gates of heavy puncheon plank, securely fastened on the - inside, and wide enough for the passage of carts either in or out. These were built so as to include a well or spring. When there was only one family, or a small number of persons to protect, only one blockhouse would be built in the stockade, but frequently there was one at each corner of the stockade, and the size of the stockade varied according to the number of these blockhouses. The largest and most pretentious of the blockhouse forts was erected one and one-half miles north of the present site of Edwardsville, and was named Fort Russel, after Col. William Russel. The cannon from the ruins of old Fort Chartres were removed and installed in the new fort, making it the strongest and best ap- pointed, as it was the largest, of any of the forts in the territory. During the Indian troubles of 1812-14, Governor Edwards, as commander-in-
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chief of the Illinois troops, made this fort his headquarters, and spent here most of his time when he was not actually engaged in the field on expeditions against the Indians. He made three of these expedi- tions, from each one of which his army returned from its campaign of perils and hardships without finding the enemy, and without suffer- ing loss, to headquarters at Fort Russel.
CONDITIONS AT FORT RUSSEL
Here at Fort Russel, were gathered about the governor, within the protecting walls of the stockade, much of the talent, fashion and wealth of the territory, and here his excellency presided with all of the courtly grace and dignity befitting his exalted office of governor of the vast territory of Illinois, and commander-in-chief of its armies. Dress parades and balls, his excellency, with his most beautiful and accom- plished guests, leading the festivities, were of frequent occurrence. These were the safety valves, relieving the pressure of the burdens of state, and the fear and anxicty caused by the Indian depredations throughout the territory.
INDIAN MASSACRES
The massacre at Fort Dearborn, Chicago, occurred August 15, 1812, when the whole American force, and women and children were killed or captured. On July 10, 1814, at Woodriver, six miles cast of the present site of Alton, Mrs. Reagan, her two children, two sons of Wil- liam Moore, and two sons of Abel Moore, were brutally murdered, while passing through the woods from the cabin of William Moore to the Reagan home, by a band of Indians. The details of this horrible occurrence were given in an address delivered by Hon. Thomas J. Selby of Hardin, Calhoun County, at the anniversary celebration of the establishment of Jersey County, August 5, 1914, from facts gathered from persons who were present at the burial of the victims of this brutal outrage. This massacre made a profound impression throughout this part of the country; the Indians were followed by Capt. Samuel Whitesides and his company of rangers, to the Sangamon River, where the leader was shot in a tree top, and in his belt was found the scalp of Mrs. Reagan. The rest of the band scattered and escaped in the woods.
CHAPTER X
LAND ENTRIES AND EARLY TITLES : 1
FIRST RECORDS -- OTHER EARLY ENTRIES-JOHN WILKINS-H. & J. HEWITT- JEHU BROWN-JOHN EVANS-JOHN THORNTON- GERSIIOM PATTERSON -JOHN GUNTERMAN-JOHN MEDFORD-SAMUEL GATES-MOSES SEEDS -WILLIAM DAVIDSON-FRANCIS COLEMAN-JOHN WILKINS-MARTIN BOWMAN-DAVID EVELAND-MATHEW DARR-WILLIAM BATES-JOHN G. GILLHAM-THOMAS J. LOFTON-JOAB WHITE-ISAAC CUMMINGS-JOSEPH WHITE-JOHN VAUGHN-JOHN FALKNER-ORMAND BEEMAN-JOHN MC- DOW-DR. SILAS HAMILTON-JOSEPH RUSSELL.
FIRST RECORDS
The first records we have pertaining to the title to land are transcript entries of land at the land office and the original patents therefor, signed by the President of the United States at the date of entry, which vest the fee simple title in the person in whose name the entry was made. Therefore resort must be made to the transcript of records of land entries at the land office for dates of settlements, where they are not otherwise obtainable. Doubtless for this reason the names of many transient settlers cannot now be obtained. Investigation of all of the earlier maps, atlases and histories has been made, information solicited among the descend- ants of the earliest settlers, the data collected by the Old Settlers' So- ciety, the Jersey County Historical Society, the county records, the county press, and all other available means, that a fair and just con- sideration may be given to all persons and localities in the county. The first entries of land were made in 1820, and were as follows: John Wil- kins, 31-7-10, October 13; H. & J. Hewitt, 31-9-10, October 23.
OTHER EARLY ENTRIES
In 1821 there were entries in the town of English, 8-12, as follows : On January 5 by Jehu Brown, John Evans, John Thornton, Gershom
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Patterson. On January 13, 1821, John Brown entered land in the same town; on the 22, Silas Crane entered land; on the 23, Philip Grimes. In Quarry Township, 6-13, John Evans also entered land on February 5, 1821; and George Finney on February 26. In Richwoods Township, 8-13, on January 10, 1821, John Gunterman, John Medford, Samuel Gates entered land; and on January 18, of that same year, Moses Seeds entered land in that township. In Otter Creek Township, 7-12, on June 29, 1821, William Davidson entered land. There were several fractional tracts entered along the Jersey County shore of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in 1821, but they were mostly of small area. The total of the acrcage was greater than in any one year prior to 1830, English Township, 8-12, which was two-thirds timber and one-third prairie, receiving the most of the entries. Jchu Brown took 880 acres.
In 1822, there were but three entries, to wit : April 2, Francis Colean, English Township: June 13, John Wilkins, Piasa Township, 7-10; and December 20; Martin Bowman, Jersey Township, 9-11.
In 1823, the entries, seven in number, were as follows: David Eve- land, March 11, Richwoods Township; Mathew Darr, April 15, Rich- woods Township; William Bates, October 6, Elsah Township; John D. Gillham, October 7, Mississippi Township; Thomas J. Lofton, October 6, Mississippi Township; Joab White, October 20, Mississippi Township ; Isaac Cummings, December 1, Mississippi Township; and Joseph White, October 10, English Township.
In 1824, the entries were as follows : John Vaughn, February 2, Eng- lish Township ; John Falkner, March 1, Jersey Township ; Ormand Bee- man, July 26, Mississippi Township; John McDow, August 3, Mississippi Township; Thomas Cummings, August 18, Mississippi Township; John Brown, October 5, English Township.
From 1824 to 1829, there were scattering entries in the vicinity of those already noted.
On April 9, 1830, Dr. Silas Hamilton entered W1% SE14, 12-7-12. In the fall of 1830, Joseph Russell, of Tennessee, an old acquaintance of Dr. Silas Hamilton, entered a large amount of land in 8-12, west of the Carrollton and Grafton road, and in later years added thercto by entries in 8-10, and 8-11 and 8-12. Doctor Hamilton entered a large amount of land in this county, in addition to that in Otter Creek colony, and was instrumental in bringing many others to Jersey County.
CHAPTER XI
EARLY SETTLERS
PRE-EMPTION LAW-LOFTON'S PRAIRIE-EARLIEST SETTLERS-PIONEER CON- DITIONS-HOUSE RAISING-SOCIAL DIVERSIONS-PIONEER LIFE-PIONEER SCHOOLS-FOODSTUFFS-PRAIRIE FIRES-UNUSUAL EMERGENCIES-EARLY MILLS-PRIMITIVE METHODS-NO CONVENIENCES-LACK OF PHYSICIANS -NO SHOPPING FACILITIES-FIRST SETTLEMENTS-JEHU BROWN-JOHN GUNTERMAN -- DR. SILAS HAMILTON-OTTER CREEK PRAIRIE-GRAFTON- MARRIAGE LICENSES.
PRE-EMPTION LAW
During the term of Shadrach Bond as territorial representative in Congress, the pre-emption law was enacted. This statute secured to the settler on public lands, the right to enter his lands at $1.25 per acre within three years from date filing thereon, and thereby secure his home and all of the improvements he had made since his settlement thereon. Many of the early settlers were poor; money was scarce, and prior to the passage of this law, speculators and others with money had entered the settler's lands getting all his improvements, and turning him and his family out of their home; but through it he was made secure against such treatment. This security furnished a strong incentive for those desiring to secure homes to move further north of the settled part of Madison County, into that portion thereof, which in 1821 became Greene County. That part of Greene County which is now Jersey County received the greater portion of these settlers for a natural reason. Those going north from Madison County, had to pass over the present Jersey County in order to reach what is now Greene County.
LOFTON'S PRAIRIE
John G. Lofton, who had been a member of the Territorial House of Representatives, and was at the time of the state's admission to the
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Union, a member of the Territorial Council from Madison County, was in 1822 a candidate for lieutenant governor on the ticket with Governor Coles. He was defeated for that office by Adolphus F. Hubbard, al- though he carried Greene County over Hubbard who was elected by 224 majority. He, with his brothers-in-law, John D. and Ezekiel Gillham, in 1818, settled in what is now Mississippi Township, in what was hence- forth known as Lofton's Prairie, so named in honor of its most eminent citizen. For a number of years this settlement was the center of the most intelligent, enterprising and progressive people of the county, and it was the most closely settled. Mr. Lofton was the first judge of probate in the new county of Greene. Under the administration of President John Quincy Adams, Mr. Lofton was appointed receiver of the land office at Lewiston, Fulton County, Ill., which office he held for two years, and then resigned it, and returned to his home in Lofton's Prairie, where he remained until his decease in 1837, leaving his widow and three sons, Thomas C., Samuel A. and John W. Lofton.
THE EARLIEST SETTLERS
Thomas McDow, Robert McDow, and Joab White all married sisters of John G. Lofton, and all settled in the vicinity of Lofton's Prairie. In fact this settlement was largely made by the Loftons, Gillhams, Mc- Dows, Lurtons, Whites, Beemans, Cummings, Carrolls, Waggoners, Slatens, Cockrells, Darlingtons, Swains, Utts, Piggotts, Chappells, Briggs, Spauldings, Browns and their relatives, either of blood or marriage.
PIONEER CONDITIONS
This period was the day of large families, and intermarriage between the children of the settlers naturally cemented the pioneers into a more compact body, and greater unity and contentment prevailed in their home relations, social enjoyments and religious observances.
HOUSE RAISING
Their first dwellings were log cabins, and to construct them required help from the neighbors and more distant friends, who upon invitation to the house raising, all turned out, both men and women, the men, who were all expert woodsmen, to cut, haul, raise and notch the logs at the
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corners, on the building, put on the poles for the gable roof, saw down the logs for door and windows, and put in the joists ready for the puncheon or plank floors. Some of the eabins were made double, with one side open between the other two. The women who came to these gatherings, all assisted in the cooking for the men and themselves, and in the evening, after supper, the young folks had a social dance, played games or participated in other amusements as best suited their tastes.
SOCIAL DIVERSIONS
At their log rollings, chopping bees, eorn huskings, apple parings, wool pickings and quiltings and other gatherings, there were similar social entertainments and evening festivities as those of the house rais- ings. There was always some available person to play the fiddle or lead in the games and amusements. If any person was in need of help, by reason of sickness, or other misfortune, the neighbors would get together, chop, haul and prepare wood, husk corn, harvest the wheat or oats, furnish provisions, or to do anything to relieve and comfort those in need. These actions flowed from a natural kindliness of heart and a common feeling of mutual dependence the one upon the other. They were pioneers, way out in the wilds of Illinois, and entirely dependent upon their own resources.
PIONEER LIFE
Husbands and wives were partners in the highest sense of the word, and each voluntarily and cheerfully assumed the responsibilities per- taining to his or her part of the work of establishing and maintaining the new home. The men cleared the land, built their houses, fences. planted crops, and orchards, provided the live stock, including horses, if any, cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, wagons or carts, wooden mould plows, wooden harrows. The harness for horses was woven straw collars, wooden hames, rawhide tugs, ox yokes for the oxen. No carriages, buggies or other spring vehicles were in use then. Hand looms, spin- ning wheels and crude cooking' utensils were possessed by all. Cooking or heating stoves were unknown in those days. The cooking was all done in the fireplace, either with the coals, or in pots and kettles hanging upon the crane which was attached to one side of the fireplace, and which swung in or out as necessary. The women eared for the eabins, made garden, milked the cows, made butter and cheese, picked the burrs
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from the fleece of the sheep, carded the wool into rolls, spun the rolls into yarn, wove the yarn into cloth, from which they made clothing for themselves and the men. They also wove blankets and other bed clothing, and carpets, when they had any, knit socks and stockings all by hand. They made quilts at home, or at quilting parties. The daughters of the household were all trained in all of this work, and those who were the best skilled in all of these duties were regarded as the most desirable wives by the young men of the neighborhood.
PIONEER SCHOOLS
. There were no free schools, and what education the children received, was acquired in their own homes, or at subscription schools. The neighbors would club together and employ a teacher who boarded around, a weck with cach patron, and received fifty eents to one dollar a week for his or her services, which pay was regarded as very good wages in those days. There were no schoolhouses, and the schools were taught in the homes of the patrons of the schools, as arranged by mutual consent, or in cabins crected for that purpose. There were very few books, and reading, writing and arithmetie in its elementary rules, only were taught. In those days many of the heads of families could neither read or write, although the people of Lofton's Prairie were an exception to that rule, as the leaders were mostly fairly well educated for that period.
FOODSTUFFS
There was an abundance of wild game such as deer, turkey, pheasant, prairie chicken, quail, and in the spring and fall seasons, goose, brant, duck and pigeon. The streams were well stocked with fish. In the forest, oak trees supplied acorns called mast, upon which hogs were fed and fattened: and there were hickory nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazel- nuts, cherries, plums, grapes, persimmons, red and black haws, paw paws, blackberries, raspberries, dewberries, strawberries, erabapples, mayapples. The hazelnuts and smaller berries grew in the open prairies, or on the skirts of the forests.
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PRAIRIE FIRES
While there were springs of clear, cool water, the prairie land was covered with a blue stem grass that grew to great height, the burning off
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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY
of which in the fall of the year made an intense heat and often destroyed everything in its course, the young timber, settlers' improvements, and all animals or persons in its way. The only safety was in backfiring as it was called, that is, the person in danger, before the fire reached him, had to start a fire where he was, and after it had burned a sufficient distance, he would go over the burned tract, and thus escape from the main fire. Then there was also danger from the forest fires, started by hunters, campers or other careless persons, among the forest leaves, and in case of a heavy wind, or even a strong breeze, the fire would spread, and be as dangerous as the prairie fires. Whole neighborhoods of settlers, men, women and children of sufficient size, would be called out to fight the fire, and continue the contest day and night until it was headed off, usually by clearing the ground of its coat of leaves, and backfiring, and then watching for flying branches or burning leaves which would be carried by the wind beyond this backfire barrier. These would be attacked with wet sacks, or other means would be taken to extinguish the fire before it could get another start.
UNUSUAL EMERGENCIES
These were strenuous and dangerous emergencies, taxing the courage and physical endurance of the early settlers, whose farms were along the skirt of timber, and extending out into the prairie, where this was possible. Many of the pioneers went into the timber because they had to get wood for their buildings, all of their other improvements, and for their fires. Many were born and bred woodsmen, and found security and safety in the timber, and were afraid of the open prairie with its annual fires, insecurity from attacks from the Indians, and supposed hardships and impossibility of hauling sufficient timber to improve and maintain the rude appliances then possessed by them. There in the timberland, which skirted the streams, springs were to be found which supplied them with cool water for both the family and live stock.
EARLY MILLS
The nearest mill during pioneer days, for grinding wheat or corn was at Woodriver, near Upper Alton, about twenty miles from Lofton's Prairie. It was a horse-mill, with a large platform wheel, upon which horses or oxen were hitched to a beam and traveled up an incline and
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thus forced the platform to revolve for the motive power. This was a slow process, and as it was the only means of supplying a large territory, the patrons had to wait for their turns, which sometimes took several days to make the trip, get the grist and return home. There was no bolting apparatus, and customers were compelled to have sieves to sep- arate the bran from the flour or meal. Another means of obtaining flour or meal was to make a crude appliance by punching holes in a sheet of tin, nailing it to a board, over which the ears were rubbed. The mortar and pestle were also used.
PRIMITIVE METHODS
There were no percussion matches, and in case the fire was extin- guished, the settlers had to go to a neighbor, sometimes a mile or more away, and get live coals, or rub sticks together until the friction created fire. If there were powder in the house, and punk on hand, a blaze could be started, or one could also be obtained with a flint and steel and punk. Punk was a fungus growth from dead trees, much used by the pioneers, and it was regarded as very important that each family keep a supply of the punk on hand at all times.
NO CONVENIENCES
There were no roads, except those for convenience between neighbors, and these were made upon the most direct routes without reference to congressional lines or surveys, and farm improvements were made with reference to these primitive roads. The live stock was marked with the owner's mark, and ran at large. Sheep, cows and horses usually were belled, the bell being fastened around their necks by thongs, or straps. Each settler was familiar with the sound of his bells, and thus could trace and find his stock, no matter how far strayed away from home. There were no butchers, or fresh meat markets, and if a settler wanted some fresh meat, he killed an animal, reserved what he desired for his own use, and distributed the rest among his neighbors, and they in turn did likewise when they butchered. If a visit was to be made with relatives or friends at a distance, the calves were turned out with the cows, the family loaded themselves into the wagon or cart, the cabin door was shut, and one, two or three weeks were occupied with the trip. The neighbors looked after the live stock, and there was no need to hurry back.
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