USA > Illinois > Lee County > History of Lee County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 38
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"So it came about that in less than a year he was riding all about the county, over the trackless prairies, fording streams, or getting 'sloughed,' in a practice far more extended and difficult than that of the city had been. Sometimes in a sickly season he got scarcely any rest, except in his buggy, and his faithful horse learned to go from place to place with the reins lying loose on his back or to find his way home in storms with umerring fidelity, when, as father said, he could not 'see his own hands, or tell which way they were going.'
"He often had to be not only physician, but mirse, cook, sur- geon, dentist, lawyer, or even housemaid when he found families all siek and needing these varied services. The enduring regard of the friends of those days proves beyond question that he filled all the offices acceptably, though his rewards were often of a very nnsubstantial character.
"Mother often supplemented his work, going with him, or taking his place in milder cases or on alternate days, but some- times she had to sacrifice personal comfort or even more that he might minister to those in greater need."
Hle went northward as far as Buffalo Grove and to the east into DeKalb county; going, coming, nights and days, without meals and almost always without pay for his services. Such a man was Dr. Charles Gardner, the old pioneer physician of
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Nachusa township. Many years he has been gone. The old home- stead has changed hands but I doubt if the solitary thoughtful person ever passes the old homestead but he says to himself, "There is the old Doctor Gardner place." Children are taught to reverence it and I verily believe that so long as memories of the glories of the old Chicago road shall endure, so long shall mem- ories of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Gardner endure.
Among the children who attended Sunday school at the home of Mrs. De Wolf were the Leake children and we are told that Sun- day school drew children from many miles of circuit.
The handsome brick house on the Chicago road which to this day is the admiration of the countryside, was built by Daniel Leake. The other members of the Leake family already named but not nicknamed were Butcher John Leake, Miller John Leake, and John Leake, Jr .; all Johns. Then there was Daniel and his children.
I have just learned that Miss Nancy Teal was one of the very early teachers of the stone school built by Mr. Cyrus Chamber- lain. She was sixteen years old at the time. She was fortunate in her salary, receiving one dollar and fifty cents a week instead of the current stipend, one dollar and twenty-five cents. Mr. Chamberlain gave her a tin horn and requested her to blow it whenever she required assistance. One day the horn was blown and Mr. Chamberlain responded promptly. An unruly pupil was sent home. His irate father returned to school at once prepared and resolved to thrash the teacher. But a few well timed remarks from Mr. Chamberlain sent him back home and not very long afterwards the pupil apologized. Mr. Chamberlain was always do- ing services for others; many of them of great value, and if not too late I should like to add that over in Grand Detour he built in 1852 a Methodist church costing $2,500 and donated it to the society. About 1850 the "Red" schoolhouse was built substan- tially on the county line.
Elias Teal came to this neighborhood in 1836. He was a Gov- ernment surveyor. He built a log house and lived on the place the rest of his long life. His place is known today as Teal's corner.
On the northeast quarter of section 19 and over into the south half of section 18, the old trading house of LaSallier and the big Indian burying grounds were located and there in 1822 as will be found in another chapter, a large business was done with the Indians in furs. Only a little distance from there was the big
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Indian village in which Andrew Mack dwelt in the very early days and there too was built the fur press used in pressing furs for the Indians and the traders indiscriminately. So far as is known Nachnsa township contained the first settlements or at least the first white settlers that ever set foot in Lee county. Traces of the LaSallier cabin, the fur press and of the Indian village are to be found easily at the present day.
The LaSallier place was on the farm of Eugene Harrington, whose father was another of the very oldest of the old pioneer set- thers of Nachusa. In Nachusa too is located the Kingdom, known far and wide almost from the beginning of things. Just now the first part of the name has been forgotten by the present genera- tion. But it is a fact that because that section of the river country was so naughty in the early day, it was called "The Devil's King- dom. "
All is changed now. Within its confines will be found the very best we have of citizenship. Beautiful homes; substantial out- buildings, macadam roads, automobiles; verily a land flowing with milk and honey.
The German Baptist (or Dunkard) church on section 5 was organized by Rev. Jacob Emmert and the church was built about the year 1850. This strneture was superseded by the later one, 34x54, with basement and kitchen and sleeping room above the audience room. The society organized with about twenty mem- bers, among who were Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Lahman; Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Riddlesbarger; Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Riddles- barger: Oliver Edmonds and wife: Benjamin Kesler and family, with others.
The name of the first preacher who can be recalled, was Benja- min. He preached around at the different houses. Another min- ister named Reed, an Englishman, preached to the early settlers at the stone schoolhouse near Joseph Brierton's.
James A. Heaton, came to this township in 1844: Jonathan Depny arrived in this township JJume 2, 1842; William W. Darker came in 1845; Sammel Crawford, 1848; William H. Fiscel, 1848; John P. Brubaker, 1849; the Keslers in 1850: Col. A. P. Dysart. located in 1845 and settled permanently in 1847: John Leake landed at Dixon's Ferry with Isaac Means and William Moody ; Daniel Leake, and Thomas Leake, sons of John Leake, brought the rest of the Leake family in 1841, and John C. Leake came with the last named in 1841 : Daniel Leake who came in 1841: Calvin Bur- kett. 1849: John M. Crawford. 1849: John R. Merrill, 1839; Wil-
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liam Garrison, 1845; the Hausen family, 1840; George Pahner, 1846; Jacob Wertman, 1838: Benjamin F. Brandon, 1837; Jacob Emmert, 1841 ; Marshall McNeel, 1847; Jacob Hittle, 1841; Ches- ter Harrington or as sometimes spelled Herrington, came to the Kingdom in 1837. He married Miss Zerina, daughter of Cyrus Chamberlain. It is on his farm that the old LaSallier trading station was located. John Garrison came in 1845; Alexander Depuy came in 1846.
This closes the chapter of Nachusa, the first settled township of the county according to its present boundaries. Of course for some time it was in Dixon precinet. But most of the time it was a part of China township and while the Harrington farm during that period was in China township, China then might claim the right to be styled the oldest town in the county. We are dealing with the year 1914 however. Nachusa in this year, contains the Harrington farm ; consequently in dealing with things as they are today, Nachusa is the oldest township in point of settlement by a white man in Lee county.
CHAPTER XXXI
NELSON TOWNSHIP.
Superficially, Nelson is a small township; but in everything - that makes for progress, good citizenship and home making, Nel- son is of the largest. Always intensely loyal to its neighbor, Dixon, much of its history is so closely identified with Dixon's that I fear. - one must look into Dixon's history to get Nelson's history.
While referring to Nelson's loyalty to Dixon, I should say that when it became necessary to enlarge the old first courthouse and make it over into our second courthouse, the burden as usual fell upon Dixon to meet the expense. The county board refused to con- sider the proposal of enlargement. Amboy always awake to its opportunity to wrest from Dixon that county seat opposed and so it became necessary for Dixon to shoulder the expense. The burden was heavy and in a manner superbly generous, Nelson township cheerfully consented to assume responsibility for part of the debt incurred in the enterprise. Accordingly a tax was vol- untarily spread and collected. The Northwestern road passes through Nelson township in a southwesterly course, entering see- tion twelve and leaving through section nineteen. On section twenty the village of Nelson was platted. For years it remained contented with the ordinary routine of village life. No aspirations for big things ever appealed to its few substantial citizens, but when the cut off was made between Nelson and Nachusa, Nelson took on considerable commercial importance, because before that time a few years, the branch southward from Nelson to Peoria had been built and the two roads made of Nelson a center of impor- tance. Recently when the Northwestern pushed its road farther into the coal fields. Nelson as a railroad center was placed in a commanding position. Into Nelson there come for distribution over the entire system, over 800 carloads of coal per day to say nothing of the other cars of general merchandise.
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The first settler of Nelson township was Luther Stone who came in 1836 from Erie county, New York, and made his claim on section 29. His sons, Burrill and Samuel Stone came with their father and shared all his hardships. Abner Coggswell settled there in 1843. Charles F. Hubbard came there in 1837. Lewis Brauer, Nathan Morehouse and Charles Noble, father of Charles H. and Col. Henry T. Noble were among the other early settlers of Nelson. Mr. Charles F. Hubbard, one of the most conspicuous, like many others came to Lee county through an accident.
In company with his brother-in-law, William Graham, he started for the Rocky mountains. These two young men went from New York to Pittsburg, thence down the Ohio river to Cairo; thence up the Mississippi to St. Louis which was to be their point of debarkation for the mountains. But upon reaching there they found the Sante Fe wagon train had gone and no other train would depart for a long while. The Rock river country had a great repu- tation at the time and so they turned their course northward and - came to Dixon. Buying a claim from John Dixon, they settled on the south bank of Rock river and there Mr. Hubbard lived until the day of his death, on the northeast quarter of section 11, the bluff of which overlooks the river for a long distance.
The Hubbards and the Grahams and the Bayleys and the Law- rences, living on opposite sides of the river were people of rare in- telligence and education. They all were people of means. I sup- pose one might not offend the truth to style them aristocrats. In point of breeding, gentility, refinement and culture, they certainly wore citizens of the very first rank. No better ever entered the confines of Lee county. Nelson being originally a part of Dixon precinet, I must ask the reader to consult Dixon history to secure very much of Nelson's history.
Luther Stone erected on his claim a large log house and in that he kept tavern for many years.
The first supervisor of the township was Abner Cogswell. The first justices of the peace were Daniel Uhl and George Jones. The first assessor was Michael Troutman. The first collector was R. Henry Heaton, all of whom were elected in 1860 the year the town- ship was set off and organized.
Nelson was the home of Grandma Weed, who while alive en- joyed the distinction of being the oldest of the five generations of Heatons, living at one time. She was 105 years old. Following came Grandfather Heaton: his son, Judge William W. ITeaton: his son, Dwight Heaton and his son, Charles.
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The leading and I may say the only church in Nelson township is Zion's Evangelical church, Lutheran, which was organized Feb. 23, 1867, with fifty-eight members. The first elders were Conrad Hartman and Daniel Uhl: the first deacons were Lewis F. Long and Gerhart Missman. The first pastor was Rev. A. A. Trimper, the Dixon Lutheran minister. The second pastor was Ephraim Miller, who assumed his duties there in 1871. In 1875, Rev. J. P. Sanderson followed. In the year 1877, Rev. J. W. Henderson as- sumed charge and in 1879, Rev. J. B. Kast became pastor.
In 1880 a new building was erected costing $3,500 on the land of Conrad Hartman.
The Sunday school of Zion's church always has been a grati- fying success.
CHAPTER XXXII
PALMYRA TOWNSHIP
The proximity of this township to Dixon and the warm social and political friendships always existing for Dixon, makes the township almost a common community with Dixon, and to speak of Dixon one seems in duty bound to include this large and wealthy and patriotic township of Pahyra. To this day Dixon contains more sons and daughters of Pahnyra than she holds of her own children. The home loving tendency always has been strong with the old settler there and with his children. Few of the old settlers ever moved westward. They set their stakes in Palmyra and there nine-tenths of them remained until loving friends followed them to their final resting place in the beautiful cemetery near by.
The drainage towards Rock river, which is Palmyra's south boundary, could not be ordered better. Its numerous park-like groves furnished timber in abundance to the early settler. Its first settlers were sturdy homeseekers, able and more than willing to meet the struggle with frontier hardships. Sugar Grove, covering over two thousand acres, in the northwest part of the township, was the largest of the groves. In partial compensation, those settlers found fish in the river, and game in the timber and on the prairies in abundance. Maple sugar was easily supplied; nuts for the winter, berries for the summer and for winter preserves were sup- plied lavishly ; and in the roar of crackling winter fires, in the glow of great fireplaces, the pioneer of Palmyra enjoyed all the creature comforts man could honestly crave. And who shall say the showier civilization of today affords a greater enjoyment ?
Like the sister settlements of Inlet and Melugin's Grove, those of Palmyra began in 1834. Members of the Morgan family, John and Harvey, the father, and Benjamin Stewart, with them, came first.
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The Winnebago Indians from the Freeport and Prophetstown villages were numerous, but friendly. On the south side of Sugar Grove, the Morgans and Stewart settled. In November of 1834 John HI. Page and wife and Stephen Fellows; in the spring of 1835 a large number of settlers came along and took up claims in Pal- myra. The number included Smith Gilbraith. Wright, Tomlin, Capt. Oliver Hubbard, James Power and sons, Thomas and Jephtha ; Michael Fellows, Absalom Fender with his large family. William W. Bethea, Daniel Obrist, Anson Thummel, Jefferson Harris, Keplinger, Nathan Morehouse, Sales, Thomas and his sons, Enoch and Noah; Sandy ( William T.) Bush, Elkanah B. Bush, Martin Richardson, William W. Tilton. Other early settlers were: Hiram P. Parks, William Miller, 1841; Walter L. Rogers, 1839; Oliver A. Hubbard, 1836; Franklin Wilson, 1856; Simeon T. Martin, 1837; Harvey E. Johnson, 1845; Charles Lawton, 1854; Charles A. Guyot, 1852; David A. Holly, settled in Chinatown in 1835 and in Palmyra, 1845; Eben H. Johnson, 1838; Charles A. Martin, 1836; Amos Goodwin, 1852; Jacob Martin, 1836; Matthias Schick, 1842; John L. Lord, 1838 in Dixon, and 1841, Palmyra ; Charles A. Becker, 1839 in Dixon, then in Palmyra in '40s; William Myers, 1836; George L. Klosterman, 1845; John Tharp Lawrence and cousin, Alexander Campbell, Ang. 9, 1839; Charles B. Thummel, 1845; Anson E. Thinmiel, 1841 ; Alfred A. Beede, 1836; Anton Harms, 1848; Ralph E. Johnson, 1847, born there ; Henry Miller, 1838; Becker Miller, 1838; Winthrop Seavey, 1839; T. A. Butler, 1839; John Morse, 1838: Daniel Beardsley, 1835; John C. Oliver; Abijah Powers; Henry Coe, 1836; Walter Rogers; Reuben Eastwood : Timothy Butler ; Hugh Graham ; John Lawrence; Abner Moon; John, father of John L. Lord; Jarvin N. Holly : James, Jacob and Tyler Martin; Capt. Jonas M. John- son: William Y. and Morris Johnson ; Joshua Seavey and sons, Jesse and Winthrop; JJoshua Marden and son, William; Albert and John Jenness: Harvey E. Johnson ; Charles and Dana Colum- bia ; Levi Briggs and father; Thomas Monk; William and John Benjamin: Truxton and Lemuel Sweeney; John and Joseph Thompson ; JJohn Norris; William and Lockwood Harris; William Burger: William Stackpole; Rev. William Gates; James Gates; William and Thomas Ayres; L. and E. Devo; Col. Leman Mason and sons, Sterne, Volney and Rodney; Moses Warner and sons, Henry, Moses and George: Major Sterling: Henry and Gustavus Sartorius; Nehemiah, William, Fletcher and Morris Hutton: Abram Obrist: Martin Blair; Wesley Atkinson; Thomas and
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Moses Scallion; John Carley; Hardin; Beach; Benjamin Gates; Charles A. Becker; Becker Miller; Curtis; Martin and William Brauer and William Miller.
It was W. W. Bethea who remarked that he was attracted to these parts because John Dixon was reputed to be the only man who had any money and who always gave employment to him who asked for it. The first dollar earned in Lee county by Mr. Bethea was his wage from Mr. Dixon.
Mrs. Hubbard did the first teaching in Palmyra in her own house. A private school taught at the Fender place by William Y. Johnson in 1841, was next. At Prairieville in the upper room of a house Levi Gaston taught a private school. A rough building half way between Gap Grove and the old Fender homestead was used during winter months for two winters for school purposes. William W. Bethea was the teacher. But if I am correctly informed the true historic building was the old log schoolhouse standing on the southwest corner of John H. Page's field : it was near the forks of the road and was surrounded by a locust grove. This old school in 1845 numbered fifty pupils. Among the teachers were William Y. Johnson in 1844, subsequently an Episcopal clergyman; John Norris; Emeline Dodd, subsequently his wife; Abigail Norris, a sister, who married Noah Thomas; Sarah Badger, a sister of the Amboy Badgers, and Calista Mason, daughter of Col. Leman Mason, and subsequently wife of Morris Johnson.
Afterwards, a frame school building was built at Gap Grove, across the road from Mrs. Hutton's house. The Sugar Grove frame building was built about 1847, near the site of the later church and school building. Following is a description of it : " It was severely plain, unpainted, unfenced and destitute of shade. Simplicity also reigned within. The high-backed benches, with their ungainly desks, separated by aisles, were elevated from one to two feet or more above the floor, sloping down an inclined plane, and were marvels of ugliness. Not a map adorned the walls, nor was any apparatus furnished, with the exception of a blackboard. There was not even a bell to summon the pupils from their play, the teacher having to rap on a window with a book or ferrule. In the year 1857-58, a brick church, with basement for school purposes was built near the old site."
A phonetie school was taught at Gap Grove in early days by Rev. A. B. Pickard, a Methodist minister from Mount Morris. His son taught the same system at the same time in the little log school- house standing near Jolm Lord's residence.
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Another school was taught by the Judd brothers in the old town hall at Gap Grove. Advanced students only were taught; many from a distance attended.
Not to be lacking in variety, Gap and Sugar Groves each had a singing school taught by a party named Durgeon. Spelling schools, too, were a source of winter pleasures and profit. These contests excited township-wide interest. Families were expected to furnish tallow dips, which were arranged in sockets at intervals upon the walls, and many times their drippings would drop below on the head of some unleky speller. In 1857 illuminating lamps for school use at Sugar Grove, first appeared. Camphene was the fluid used in them.
Annual Sunday school celebrations were held, generally on July 4th, and at the Gap. Sometimes the Palmyra people united with the Buffalo Grove people and to the latter place they went in a grand procession ; many times with banners and flying streamers.
Travel through Palmyra township was almost continuous during the early days, and hand in hand with blacksmith shops the taverns for men and women and stables for horses were a neces- sity. Consequently along the big highway, taverns were scattered.
In Palmyra Captain Fellows kept one and John C. Oliver kept another.
Farmers generally found it necessary to make three or four trips to Chicago yearly. Provisions were taken along many times for man to eat. and horse feed, always. Tripp's tavern at Inlet was a favorite stopping place. It was the first stop.
Corduroy roads over swampy grounds many times were worse than the swamps they were presumed to bridge.
After loading for the return voyage, it was found generally that there were waiting many horseless people in Chicago, wanting to come out into Lee county, and never was there a load so great or so heavy but that a trunk and a passenger or two could be accommo- dated.
The first church in Palmyra was built jointly by the Methodists and Congregationalists and occupied by them on alternate Sun- days. It was located on the present site of the Gap Grove school- house. Its dimensions were 24x36: painted white without and within. A wood stove heated it: tall-backed benches provided seating capacity; tin sockets for candles were arranged on the walls, with reflectors on the back. Congregational singing was the vogne and Jolm H. Page and his tuning fork provided the momen-
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tum. Rev. Barton Cartwright preached at times for the Methodists and Reverend Copelin for the Congregationalists.
The first church services were held in the home of Capt. Stephen Fellows and later at a little log schoolhouse standing near the present Horace Gilbert home at Gap Grove. In 1839, Mrs. Martha Parks and her husband attended church there and at their first service listened to Rev. Arrion Gaston. This Mrs. Parks was the last survivor of the old Dixon and Buffalo Grove Baptist church.
While speaking of Mrs. Parks, I should state that her daughter, Mrs. Thomas Ayres, was named by " Mother" Dixon after herself, Rebecca Dixon Parks, and for a name present gave the child a deed for a lot in Dixon. Mr. Parks never thought it would amount to anything and never got the deed recorded. The lot today is covered by the building of the E. N. Howell Hardware Company.
E. B. Bush was first postmaster. After county organization, William W. Bethea and Levi Gaston became the first justices of the peace.
On Nov. 18, 1838, Mr. and Mrs. Eben H. Johnson wrote letters ยท back to York state. Therein Mr. Johnson says, "wheat is worth $1.25 per bushel and corn 50 cents."
Six years later he wrote and stated that Chicago and St. Louis, with sometimes the Galena mines were their markets. St. Louis was reached by Rock and the Mississippi rivers. Wheat then was 75 cents to $1 per bushel, 80 cents at Galena : corn, 25 cents; oats, 20 and 25 cents ; butter, 12 to 18 cents : cheese, 6 to 8 cents; dressed pork, $3 to $4; horses, $100 to $150 a span ; cows, $8 to $12; sheep, $1.50 to $2 ; wool, 31 cents ; timber land, $10 to $12 per acre ; prairie land, one mile and further from timber, $1.25 per acre. Wooden axle wagons were sold from $60 to $70 each. In the same letter Mr. Johnson declares money was plenty. Mr. Johnson when he wrote the letter, was a good Palmyra booster.
Rev. Stephen N. Fellows, son of Stephen Fellows, in a lengthy letter has done much for preserving Palmyra history to us, by writing it down for "Recollections of the Pioneers." His father, with his family, settled in Sugar Grove, in November, 1834; they moved into a 14x14 log cabin in the Grove, just west of the Myers place, and fourteen people made it their home. In the spring of 1835, he built a log house on the "old place," later Peck farm. In 1836 an addition of two stories was built, with a room between. The upper story was used for a school room and for church pur- poses. Until 1837, it was the only place used for meetings. Some- times quarterly meetings were held here. In 1839 Stephen Fel-
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lows, William Martin and Ambrose Hubbard united and with such help as could be got, they built the old Gap Grove church, 2x36. Stephen Fellows died Feb. 8, 1840, and was the first to be buried from that church. Mr. Fellows thinks his sister Margaret and his brother Samuel were the first teachers in the township. Samuel taught in the house in the winter of 1835-36. The first Sunday school was held in the first schoolhouse mentioned, and William Martin was superintendent and only teacher.
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