History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > History of La Salle County, Illinois > Part 7

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The vessel arrived safe at Chicago. The captain told Mr. Galloway to get a place to store his goods, but as soon as he was out of sight the captain handed the letter to Jean Baptist Beaubien, the agent of the fur company. He set about at once to secure help to unload the goods and place them in the fur company's store- house as per instructions. Mr. Galloway went to the fort under control of the United States government but was refused room for his goods though there was no lack of room. He was

even refused shelter for his family. The com- mandant was secretly in league with the fur com- pany. Word came to him of the treachery of

PAST AND PRESENT OF LA SALLE COUNTY.

the captain and he returned at once to the vessel. The arrival of the vessel had brought about all the inhabitants to the landing, a mixed crowd of Americans, French, half breeds and Indians. During his previous visit Mr. Galloway had be- come acquainted with nearly every one and was well liked. Now that he was being imposed upon, the crowd took sides with him against the fur company. Mr. Galloway's friends out- numbered the friends of the company, so the agent had to allow him to take his goods. There would have been a fight and there was no doubt who would have been the victor.

There was a rival settlement up the river called Hard Scrabble, where Bridgeport now stands. A half-breed, Alexander Robinson, chief among the Pottawatomies, said to Mr. Gal- loway, "I have a cabin at Hard Scrabble to which my friend is welcome if he wants it." This was most acceptable. The goods were loaded on a flat boat and polled up the river four miles and landed near the cabin. The Galloways and Arthurs occupied the cabin during the winter of 1826-7. It was a cold winter and they suf- fered much and being on the Indian trail they were frequently visited by the red men, who, when they had gotten whiskey at the fort, were not the most agreeable. Mr. Galloway was away most of the winter working on his cabin on the Illinois. The crowded condition of the cabin, the bitter cold winter, and the dread of drunken Indians caused intense suffering.

Spring was most welcome. Mr. Galloway and Mr. Arthur constructed a double boat out of a walnut tree. On this they loaded their goods and started for their new home. The boat was polled up the river into a slough called Mud Lake and from this into the Des Plaines and down the Illinois. It was a glad day when they arrived at the cabin at the grand rapids.

Mr. Galloway loved to fish and hunt. The river was full of fish, the prairie and timber abound- ed in all kinds of game except buffaloes, the last of which had disappeared a few years be- fore. This was indeed a hunter's paradise. To- day we can scarcely realize what such a life was, hundreds of miles in the wilderness with no ex- pectation of returning, knowing that whatever they needed they must make with their own hands. Like Robinson Crusoe on his island, so these pioneers expected to be dependent only upon themselves. They were not moved as the man going west today with the expectation of making a fortune. They expected to build a home which would be the scene of all their sor- rows, the fields of their struggles and the source of all their joys. It was not a life of privations only. Man ever loves nature and here they

· were close to her very heart. The joys of their simple lives were of a higher order than those of our artificial surroundings. The freedom of self-reliance begotten of the struggle for a liveli- hood sweetened their toil.

. THE WINNEBAGO SCARE.

In 1827 the Winnebago Indians in Wisconsin showed signs of hostility. The miners about Galena trespassed on their lands and they attacked some boats on the Mississippi. The few settlers became alarmed. General Cass, the Indian agent, made a journey through Wisconsin, down the Mississippi and up the Illinois to Chicago. He brought the news of the probable hostility of the Winnebagoes. It was altogether likely that the Pottowatomies would join them. The few settlers in La Salle County gathered at Ottawa and began building a stockade. This was located on the south bluff near the residence of the late Col. Hitt. Seeing no signs of trouble with the Indians in the vicinity, the scare was soon over and the settlers returned to their several locations.

Few people came to the country in the years 1827-8 owing to the rumors of Indian trouble. But the years 1829-30-31 brought a company from Licking county, Ohio, whose descendants have been prominent in the affairs of the county.

THE GREEN PARTY.

On the 27th day of August, 1829, four men, John Green, William Green, Joseph Grove, Wil- liam Lambert, left Newark, Ohio, on horse- back for a tour of exploration of the west. They went by way of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Chicago. Before the end of September they reached Holderman's Grove on the Fox River at the point where Millington now stands. They passed on down the river and came to the cabin of William Clark on the N. E. 1-4 of section 24, 34, range 4E. Clark showed them the rapids in the Fox. John Green was looking for a mill site and this seemed a very good one indeed. The surveyors were at work at the feeder for the canal at the time. Green bought Clark's claim and cabin and started to Vandalia, the state cap- ital, to buy the mill site. He stopped at Ottawa and also at Bailey's Point. He reached Vandalia, bought 80 acres for his mill site and arrived at home in Ohio on October 15th. He begun im- mediately to get ready to remove to his new home in Illinois.

Fortunately, we have the narrative of Jesse and David Green, sons of John Green, which gives a vivid account of the journey. There were

PAST AND PRESENT OF LA SALLE COUNTY.

twenty-four in the company. Of these only seven. died in forty-one years. A large number followed the Green party in the next two years. These were the Groves, Staddens, Trumbos, Dunnavans, Armstrongs, Letts, Millikins, Sanders, Kleibers, Daniels and Booths.

NARRATIVE BY JESSE AND DAVID GREEN.

On the 2d of November, 1829, the following named persons left Newark, Licking County, Ohio, for what is now La Salle County, Illinois : John Green, David Grove, Henry Brumback, and Reason Debolt, with their families, and the fol- lowing named young men: Samuel Grove, Jo- seph Grove, Jacob Kite, Alexander McKee, and Harvey Shaver. Their outfit was one four-yoke ox team, three two-horse wagons and one car- riage. Found the roads passable till we got into Indiana, where we lay by three days for bad weather. The streams were high, but we were bound for the West, and pressed forward. Found about forty teams weather-bound at Boxby's, on the Whitewater, where we were told it would be impossible to proceed unless we traveled on top of wagons and teams already swamped. From there we cut our way through heavy timber for sixty miles, averaging about ten miles per day. One of the party with a child in his arms was thrown from the carriage, breaking three of his ribs. and the carriage wheel passed over the child without injuring it. The wounded man pursued the journey, never complaining ; so readily did those hardy pioneers adapt them- selves to circumstances, and heroically face the inevitable. The streams were so high we had to head them, or, as the saying is, go around them.

We traveled five days by the compass, when we arrived at Parish's Grove, Iroquois County, Illinois. From there we followed an Indian trail to Hubbard's trading post on the Iroquois River. Here we bought all the corn we could get-about eight bushels-and a pirogue, or canoe. Load- ing it with about thirty hundred weight of our goods, we put Jacob Kite, Joseph Grove, and Samuel Grove on for our crew, with directions to work down the Iroquois to the Kankakee, and through that to the Illinois, where they were to meet the teams. This was necessary, as our teams were worn, feed scarce, and roads very bad, or, rather, none at all. On the trip, Joseph Grove became so chilled that he contracted a disease from which he never fully recovered.

Our teams crossed a prairie which had no bottom-at least, we did not find any. The sec- ond day, found a stream too deep to cross ; felled trees from either side till they formed a tem- porary bridge over which we conveyed our goods

and people, which was barely accomplished when the accumulated waters swept our bridge away. The teams were made to swim, one horse barely escaping drowning. One of the women became nervous and could not be induced to walk the bridge. John Green took her on his back, and made his way over on his hands and knees. The exact position in which the lady rode is not recorded.

A heavy rain came on, and we encamped in a small grove, and were obliged to cut up some of our boxes to make a fire. That night we shall never forget ; most of us sat up all night. Mother lay down in the wagon, and tried to sleep, and was frozen fast so she could not rise in the morning. It took us over three days to reach the mouth of the Kankakee, a distance of thirty miles, while the pirogue had to go seventy miles by water. The crew had about given up in despair of meeting us, when they fortunately heard a well known voice calling to a favorite horse, by which they were directed to our camp. We ferried most of our goods over the Illinois on the pirogue, when a friendly Indian showed us a ford where we took our teams over without difficulty. Our corn being exhausted, our teams had nothing to eat but browse or dry prairie grass, and very little of that. as the prairie had nearly all been burned over. In the afternoon of the 5th of December we came in sight of a grove of timber and John Green, believing it to be Hawley's (now Holderman's) Grove, started on horseback to ascertain. His expectations were realized, and he found Messrs. Hawley and Beresford butchering a beef. He harnessed Beresford's horse, a large gray one, to a light wagon of Beresford's, and taking a quarter of a beef, and filling the wagon with corn, started for Nettle Creek timber, where he supposed the party would stop.

The company had ordered a halt and prepared to camp, but with the expectation of going sup- perless to bed, as their provisions were exhausted, when Mr. Green drove up, to the great joy of the whole party, both man and beast. From the time the corn gave out and the provisions were run- ning short, one young man refused to eat, con- tending that as they were bound to starve, the provisions should be reserved for the women and children.

The next day being the 6th of December, 1829, about four o'clock p. m. we reached our destina- tion-except the three young men in charge of the pirogue, whom we expected would reach here before us; and when night came on we were all cast down with fearful forebodings, as we thought they must have met with some serious accident. But our anxiety was soon relieved. On

MUWNAN'Y

OTTAWA

W. E. BOWMAN VIEWING LA SALLE COUNTY IN 1866.

PAST AND PRESENT OF LA SALLE COUNTY.

the same day they had made their pirogue fast at the grand rapids of the Illinois, now Marseilles, and crossing the prairie without any knowledge of the country, became benighted, but seeing the light from our cabin, joined us about eight o'clock, and we had a great time of rejoicing, the lost having been found. The self-sacrificing brother joined us in a hearty meal, and his appe- tite never failed him afterward.

Our next object was to secure some pro- visions, as we had a large family and good appe- tites. We bought twenty-four hogs of Markly, on the Des Plaines ; then went south to Tazewell County, bought thirty bushels of wheat at four shillings, eighty bushels of corn at two shillings, and took it to a horse mill where Washington now is ; spent several days in putting the mill in order, having to dress the boulder mill stones, and furnish the motive power. Provisions were scarce before we had produced a crop ; we fre- quently lived on beef, potatoes and pound cake, so called, being made of corn pounded in a mortar.

We went to work improving in the spring, and by July 4th we had 240 acres fenced, and nearly all broken, and had built a saw mill, dam and race, and had a run of boulder mill stones in one corner of the saw mill grinding wheat, the first ground on Fox River. The stones were made from boulders or hard heads, found here, by Christo- pher Payne, brother of the Dunkard preacher who was killed by Indians on the prairie between Holderman's Grove and Marseilles, in 1832.

SETTLEMENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BLACK HAWK WAR.

At the time of the Black Hawk war there were settlements in a few places in the county. These were at

OTTAWA: Thomas R. Covell, George and Joseph Brown, Wilbur F., Dr. David and George E. Walker, Horace and George Sprague and Col. Sayers.

SOUTH OTTAWA: Enos Pembroke, Jo- siah E. Shaw, Reuben Reed, Henry Hibbard, Charles Brown, John, Richard and Abel Hoga- boom, John McKernan, Moses Booth and Henry Allen.

DAYTON: John Green, Jacob Kite, William Stadden, James McFadden, Thomas Parr.

RUTLAND: David Grove, Reason DeBolt, Henry Brumback, Samuel Grove, Joseph Grove, William L. Dunnavan, Edward Keves, Christo- pher Long, Mathias Trumbo, David Shaver, William Parr, Samuel Milliken, Widow Anna Pitzer, Edward Sanders and Aaron Daniels.

VERMILLION : Lewis Bailey, William See- ley, Mr. Enos, Mr. Pate, Jacob Moon, John Bailey, Daniel Warren, John Leonard, Levi Jones, John Slater.

MANLIUS: William Richey.

DEER PARK : Martin Reynolds, Mr. Smith, Milton and Newton Reynolds, Mrs. Elsa Arm- strong, Daniel F. Hitt.

BRUCE: George Basore.

EDEN : Nathaniel Richey, Dr. David Richey, Daniel Letts, George M. Dunnavan.

UTICA: Simon Crosiar.

LA SALLE: Amzi Crosiar, Samuel Lapsley, Burton Avers, Mrs. Swanson.

PERU : John Hays.

FALL RIVER: James Galloway, Abraham Trumbo, John Brown.

FREEDOM: William Hall, William Davis, William Pettigrew, John H. Henderson and Allen Howard.

TROY GROVE: Hiram Thornton.

OPHIR: Joseph Reynolds, Elias Cory.

MISSION: William Schermerhorn, Mr. Ha- zleton and Peter Miller.

SERENA: Robert Beresford, D. Ezekial, and Samuel Warren.

EAGLE: John Coleman, Henry Cramer, John Holderman, Daniel Barrackman.

These with their families may have numbered one hundred and fifty people.

THE BLACK HAWK WAR.

The Pottowatomie Indians lived in the country east of the Rock River, but had ceded their lands to the government on condition that they might remain on the lands until they were wanted for settlement. The Sacs and Foxes had been re- moved from west of the Rock River. The Potto- watomies were friendly, but an Indian has little conception of title in land. Land with them was not owned individually but in common. The chiefs may have understood what was meant by ceding their hunting grounds, but the young men little understood it.

Black Hawk returned to the east side of the Mississippi in 1831, and there was quite an Indian scare then. He soon returned west of the Missis- sippi. In the spring of 1832 he again came into Illinois. This greatly excited the frontier and the state sent the militia against him. Shabbona, the chief of the Pottowatomies, warned the set- tlers in Bureau and La Salle counties that some of the young Pottowatomies might not be con- trolled and might take to the war path to avenge personal grievances.

PAST AND PRESENT OF LA SALLE COUNTY.

The state troops overtook Black Hawk and the battle of Stillman's Run occurred May 14, 1832. The state troops were panic stricken and the most alarming rumors spread over the country and the scattered settlers rushed to points of greatest safety. They fled across the Illinois river, placing that stream between them and the hostiles. Defenses were thrown up at Ottawa called Fort Johnston, across the river from Peru called Fort Wilbourn, and at Hennepin. To these the settlers fled.

True to Shabbona's prediction the Sac Indians came and gathered together unruly Pottowatto- mies to attack the settlers.

INDIAN CREEK MASSACRE.

William Davis came from Kentucky to La Salle County in the spring of 1830 and took up a claim on the north bank of Indian creek north of the present village of Freedom. He was a black- smith and a man of powerful physique. Coming from Kentucky, where his ancestors no doubt suffered from the cruelty of the red man, he had no love for them and took little pains to con- ceal his contempt.

He erected his cabin, a blacksmith shop and began building a dam for water power for a mill. There came to the same locality J. H. Henderson, Allen Howard, William Pettigrew and William Hall and their families forming as large a settlement as any in the county. About six miles above on the creek was the Indian vil- lage of which Meau-eus was chief. When Davis built his dam the fish could no longer go up the stream and the Indians' supply of food was cut off. This angered the Indians. Their protests met only with expressions of contempt from Davis. One night the Indians were caught in trying to destroy the dam. Davis caught one, Keewassee, and gave him an unmerciful beating with a stick. To be whipped like a dog was more than the Indian could bear without seeking re- venge. Through the influence of Shabbona and Waubansee the Indians were induced to fish be- low the dam. When Black Hawk crossed over into Illinois the Indians no longer fished although . this was the season for them to lay in a supply. Davis and Henderson began to investigate for this looked suspicious. They found that the village of Meau-eus as well as that of Waubansee at Paw Paw Grove was deserted.

Immediately after Stillman's defeat on the 14th of May Shabbona entered upon his hazardous ride to warn the settlers. He knew Davis's es- pecial danger and advised him to go to Ottawa. But Davis had been taunted for going to Ottawa the year before and would not go again. He

tried to dissuade the others, saying that there were enough of them to defend themselves. Howard and the Hendersons and Pettigrew took their families to Ottawa and returned themselves to their work. There being no further signs of Indian trouble the families, except Henderson's and Howard's, returned in a few days.

On the evening of the 19th of May, Pyps, nephew of Shabbona, was returning from his trip warning the settlers to Shabbona's village at his grove. In the timber above the Indian Creek Settlement he saw a band of about seventy war- riors. This he reported to Shabbona. Early on the morning of the 20th Shabbona came to the settlement to plead with them to go to a place of safety. The refugees to Ottawa re- turned to the settlement about noon of the same day.

About four o'clock in the afternoon the people at the settlement were thus occupied : J. H. Hen- derson, Edward and Greenbury Hall, Howard and son, and two of Davis's sons were at work in the field about half a mile south of the cabins planting corn. Mr. Hall and son, J. W. Hall, were at work in a shed at the blacksmith shop. Mr. Davis and Mr. Norris were at work in the shop. Henry George and William Davis, Jr., were at work at the mill dam. Mr. Pettigrew and the women and children were in the house. Some one brought a bucket of water from the spring to the shop and all the men at work ex- cept those in the field gathered there to get a drink and rest a short time.

The Indians had been secreted in the timber and at this moment rushed into the dooryard when the whole settlement except those in the field were together in the house and shop wholly unprepared to defend themselves and began the slaughter. Below will be found the statement of eye witnesses.

Shabbona afterward related that after Still- man's defeat three Sac Indians enlisted all of Meau-eus' band. This was easily done because of the bad feeling over the mill dam and the flogging which Davis gave one of them. The Indians camped near the head of the timber, sent out reconnoitering parties to learn the exact lo- cation of the settlers. So well had they man- aged that the whole band was upon them at the very moment when the settlers least expected them and were least prepared to resist.

Why the two young women, and they only, were spared and taken at so great risk is not definitely known. It is thought it was to secure a large price for ransom. But this does not ex- plain why these particular ones should be sought out. To-qua-mee and Comee are said to have confessed their share to Louis Ouilmette after

PAST AND PRESENT OF LA SALLE COUNTY.

they had been tried and acquitted. They said it was agreed before they would take part in the massacre that these two should be spared because they were infatuated with the girls. They had frequently called at Mr. Hall's home and tried to buy them for squaws. It is altogether likely that indulging in this to him a joke by the fa- ther saved the lives of the girls.

The people slain were William Hall and his wife Mary, their daughter Elizabeth, William Pettigrew, his wife and two children, William Davis, his wife and five children, Robert Norris and Emery George, sixteen in all.

While the massacre was taking place Capt. George McFadden, Wilbur F. Walker and others were returning from Dixon and passing about two miles from the point heard shots fired. But being anxious to reach Ottawa did not inves- tigate.

Those who escaped to Ottawa organized a company and next morning went out and buried the dead. The body of little Jimmie Davis was afterwards found when the bones had been stripped of their flesh by wolves and birds of prey. The little fellow could not keep up with the fleeing band of Indians. An Indian had him by each outstretched hand while an other shot him. All were buried in one grave without coffins.

STATEMENT OF J. W. HALL.

September, 1867.

"I, John W. Hall, being requested by my sis- ters, Sylvia Horn and Rachel Munson, to state what I recollect in reference to the massacre of my father's family, and the captivity of my two sisters, Rachel and Sylvia, would most gladly comply with their request, so far as I can; but after thirty-five years of toil have passed over . my head since that memorable occasion, my memory is in some things rather dim; yet there are some things that I do remember most dis- tinctly and shall as long as I have a being (I think).

"It was in 1832, as near as I now recollect, on or about the 15th or 16th of May, Old Shabbona, Chief of the Pottowatomies, notified my father and other neighbors that the Sac and Fox In- dians were hostile, and would in all probability make a raid on the settlement where we lived and murder us and destroy our property, and advised him to leave that part of the county (La Salle County, Illinois) and seek a place of safety ; but Indian rumors were so common, and some of our neighbors did not sufficiently credit this old Indian, and we were advised by them, in connection with others, to collect together as

many as possible and stand our ground and de- fend each other; so after spending the night and consulting together and hiding all heavy prop- erty that we could, my father loaded up his wagon and we started for Ottawa, and meeting Mr. Davis who lived about two and a half miles west, who had been at Ottawa the day before and had learned that a company had gone out in a northerly direction to see what they could learn about the Indian movement, who were to report on their return to Mr. Davis, in case of danger, he, my dear father, was prevailed on by Davis to abandon his retreat and stop at Davis', where Mr. Pettigrew and family, Mr. Howard and son, Mr. John H. Henderson and two men that were hired by Mr. Davis, Robert Norris and Henry George, were all stopping. On or about the 20th day of May myself and my dear father were working under a shed adjoining a blacksmith shop, and on the west side, next to the dwelling house, Mr. Davis and Norris were at work in the shop, Henry George and William Davis, Jr., were at work on a mill dam a little south of the shop. It being a very warm day in the afternoon, someone brought a bucket of cool water from the spring to the shop, and we all went into the shop to rest a few minutes and quench our thirst.

"Brother Edward Hall, Greenbury Hall and Mr. Howard and son, Henderson, and two of Mr. Davis' sons were at this time in the field, on the south side of the creek, and in full view of the house, and about one-half mile from the house, planting corn. While we were sitting resting ourselves in the shop, we heard a scream at the house. I immediately said, 'There are the In- dians now!' and jumped out of the door of the shop, it being on the opposite side from the house, and the others followed as fast as they could, and as we turned the corner of the shop, I dis- covered the dooryard full of Indians. I next saw the Indians jerk Mr. Pettigrew's child, four or five months old, taking it by the feet and dash- ing its brains out against a stump. Seeing Mr. Pettigrew back in the house, I heard two guns, seemingly in the house, and then the tomahawk soon ended the cries of those in the house, and as near this moment as possible they fired about twenty shots at our party of five, neither of us being hurt that I know of. The next motion of the Indians was to pour some powder down their guns and drop a bullet out of their mouths and raise their guns and fire; this time I heard a short sentence of prayer to my right and a lit- tle behind. On turning my eyes to the right I saw that my dear father was lying on the ground shot in the left breast and expiring in death. On looking around I saw the last one of the

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History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855 Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286