USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume I > Part 14
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Coop's Mound, eight miles east of Carlinville, was another noted place, as it rose in height to about forty feet above the surface of the adjoin- ing land. It was covered by a magnificent forest, one tree of which became so noted that persons would travel several miles to examine it. It was a large, branching elm, and many and many a time have George Holliday and myself visited it to enjoy its magnificent shade and beauty. Along the west side of the mound ran the old Indian trail, from the head waters of the Wabash river to Cahokia, which was then the Indian trading post for all of the Illini tribe of Indians, who formerly resided in the territory that finally became the state of Illinois.
At one time, after my father had moved to Carlinville and erected his cabin, there came following that trail down the Macoupin creek, twelve Indian "bucks," wearing their war garb, and were painted, as they painted themselves when going to war. They came to my father's cabin where my mother was with her small children, and as the pioneers in that day feared the Indians more than they did the wild beasts of the wilderness, of course she was greatly frightened, as were the other pioneer women and children of the town. The men, also, felt as though it became their duty to notify all the pioneers within reach of them, of the Indians being in that neighborhood.
I had forgotten to say that at Wolf Mound there was a large spring of pure, cold water, that I presume still gives forth that beverage to the thirsty Bunker Hillites.
There were many other noted places of interest to the early pioneers of our county that space will not permit me to name. In regard to our early hotels, the first one that I remember was a log cabin just across the street from Walker & Woods' law office, in the old Dubois building-on the corner where Meyer's music store is located. This hostelry was kept by Lev. English, who had a fam- ily of boys that were never backward in any of the little broils coming up among the pioneers. One of them especially, High English, was a rough speci- men of the backwoodsman. I remember on one occasion there was to be a puppet show in the hotel that I attended. And it being the first place of the kind that I had ever visited or heard of, I was greatly amused by the move- ments of the little men and women and animals that were made to act by wires, under control of the operator who was hidden from view.
The most noted hotel keeper of those early days was a man from New Jersey-Robert Hankins. He kept not only the City Hotel, but a number
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, STAUNTON
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, PALMYRA
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of others for many years during his life in Carlinville, and died regarded by the citizens of the county as one of the best landlords that ever engaged in the hotel business in the city. There were many other noted hotel keepers during the days of stage stands, and one of them was Dan Anderson, a Yankee, who kept the Green Tree Hotel. It was located in the south part of the village and was a stage stand for many years. A part of that old frame building yet remains on the lot where it was erected.
There has been but one judicial hanging in our county. Aaron Todd was hung on the 2d day of June, 1840, for the killing of his cousin, Larkin Scott. As the details of that murder, trial and hanging, is given in another place in this history, I refer to that for information in regard thereto.
During the fall of 1831 it commenced snowing in December and continued up to about the middle of March, 1832, covering the ground with from four to five feet of snow on a level. So great was the depth of the snow that very few of the wild animals, or feathered tribe, escaped, but starved to death for the want of food. Deer were killed by the pioneers, supposedly for food. They could not move with any speed, unless they were in a beaten path. Up to that time there had been thousands and thousands of wild turkeys in the forests of. our state which perished during that deep snow, and, since then that grand bird has been very, very scarce in Macoupin county.
During the early '30s there resided in Carlinville a man by the name of Holton, who had a wife that had a voice she used on all occasions. My father lived just across the street from Holton's. One night during the fall of 1833 everybody in town was awakened by the loud prayers of Mrs. Holton, in which she beseeched the Lord to forgive her all her sins (and she had many), and shouting that the world was coming to an end. I was but a small boy at that time but being awakened by my father (or mother), I got up, went to the door and saw the grandest sight that was ever viewed by mankind in this world. It so impressed itself upon my memory that at this moment, in my mind's eye, I can see the heavens and the earth lit up by the falling or shooting of meteors, or stars, as we called them at that day. They created a light which was brighter than that ever made by the sun on a clear day and lasted for about four'hours. The heavens were being bombarded, seemingly, by great streams of fire, follow- ing the shooting stars, and the sky, in all parts, was literally covered with those shooting meteors. There was no space in the heavens that was not being filled by what looked like great streams of fire, that followed the rapidly moving me- teor. They were moving in all directions and seemingly, to the onlooker, would come in contact with each other. We were awakened about two o'clock in the morning and of course, there was no more sleep that night for any one who had witnessed that wonderful panorama in the heavens.
During the first part of January, 1836, we had been having a very warm, open spell of weather. During the morning the sun shone bright and clear, with- out any indication that a storm was brewing. So pleasant was the morning that many of the pioneers who lived in the country came into town on business, and among them was Colonel William C. Anderson. The colonel lived four miles northeast of our town and when coming to town would always ride a bay, bald- faced pony. He was a large, strong healthy man and usually upon Vol. I-8
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visiting the county seat would remain until the middle of the afternoon or later. About two o'clock in the afternoon a cloud came up that was not apparently, dangerous; but it rapidly grew black and threatening. The air then commenced turning cold and it commenced raining and continued until the streams and low places were filled with water. Colonel Anderson was fixing to start home. His road would be over an open prairie. His friends in the village tried to persuade him not to venture on his journey until the storm passed away, but he refused to listen to their solicitations and started for his home. It grew so rapidly cold that within less than one-half hour the streams and prairies, which had been filled with water, froze over, and a heavy sleet was falling. . Col- onel Anderson had not proceeded more than a mile from the village until his road was obliterated, he found his pony refusing to go in the face of the wind and discovered that he was lost on the prairie. He became chilled and at one time, before the darkness set in, had discussed in his own mind whether or not he had better get off his pony, cut its throat, open its body and crawl in to keep himself from freezing. But finally, he came across a place in the prairie that he thought he recognized, and taking new courage, rode less than a hundred yards toward where he thought his house was located and in a few minutes saw a light that he knew was shining from his home. He rode up to the gate, tried to dismount, but utterly failed to do so, as he was tightly frozen to the saddle. As best he could he called for help. Some of the family came out, helped him off the horse and into the house, where he found that his feet had been frozen and that he was very nearly chilled to death. He recovered from the injury and died during the cholera epidemic in our county in 1851.
Another excitement that occurred in Macoupin county was that of the kill- ing of a Mr. Lockerman by Andrew J. Nash. This occurred at Zanesville dur- ing the early '50s. . Nash escaped and kept himself hidden from the officers for 'about one year, when he was arrested, brought back and placed in jail. At the first term of court following he was indicted for murder, and placed in the lower cell of the old log jail, to await his sentence after having been convicted. John M. Palmer, then a practicing lawyer of our county, defended him and being a friend of Nash, sought every means within his skill as a lawyer and an influ- ential citizen to prevent the hanging. Failing to get a new trial, Palmer cir- culated petitions asking the governor to reprieve or commute Nash's sentence, but they were not acted upon until the afternoon of the day before he was to be hung. During the morning of the day that he was to mount the scaffold a mes- senger from Springfield landed in'Carlinville about daylight, bringing a reprieve to Nash reducing his sentence to imprisonment in the penitentiary for life. Nash was a vindictive, bad-tempered man, who had declared that Lockerman's broth- ers and other relatives should never see him hung. A great crowd of persons, not only from this county but from the surrounding counties, flocked to our town to see the hanging, and as it was not known to them that Nash's sentence had been commuted, when informed of the fact, the crowd became very boister- ous and threatening. David McDaniel was then deputy sheriff and jailer. The citizens of the town became excited and raised a body of about sixty men to guard the jail to prevent the Lockermans and their friends from breaking in and taking Nash out and hanging him. During the excitement around the jail
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the prisoner had torn up some of the bedclothing and had hung himself until he was dead, but this was not known to anyone while the excitement was going on, nor was the suicide discovered until the crowd had dispersed from the town. On opening the jail door Sheriff McDaniel on looking down into the dungeon after the crowd had dispersed, discovered Nash hanging to a beam of the upper floor of that part of the prison.
These items would not be complete without giving the history of some of the leading men and women that were living in and organizing the county, which occurred in 1829. The greater number of the persons to whom I shall refer had emigrated to the county, were pioneers previous to that time and aided in its organization. Robert Wallace, with a large family of boys and girls, had 'emigrated, I think, from Tennessee, and as he was a man of some capital that he had brought with him, entered the land on which the northern part of our city is located. He was a man of great industry, prudent in his dealings, and soon accumulated money sufficient, aside from that which he had brought with him, to "enter up" many acres of the then virgin soil surrounding the vil- lage. And as he had much help in his boys Mr. Wallace's farming interests were pushed and from that source he accumulated property faster than did most of the pioneers. He built a log cabin on the land that he had first entered that is now within the city limits, on North Broad street, where John Brown's residence is located. Soon after Wallace's coming, I think, in 1829 or 1830, David McDaniels, a young man, landed here, and was very soon on social terms with the Wallace family, and within a short time married the eldest daughter, Rebecca. From that day until the day of his death, which occurred some time in the 'zos, he was a very active, energetic, good citizen, and reared a family of boys and girls that have taken their places in our county as worthy citizens and who greatly aided in the building up of the county to its present high position. McDaniel was often elected to positions of trust; was deputy sheriff and jailer during the terms of Sheriffs John Harris, Jeff Weatherford, Beatty T. Burke, Sr., and others. He was also elected justice of the peace, acting in that capac- ity for more than thirty years and giving perfect satisfaction to persons who had business in connection with that office. At his death his funeral was largely attended and the death of no man who ever resided in our county was more deeply regretted.
In regard to Robert Wallace, one of his occupations was the raising of hogs. He entered many acres of timber land south of our city in the Macoupin bot- tom, and as there were always a great amount of mast, consisting of acorns, hickorynuts, walnuts, and other growths, that gave food for the wild animals before the pioneers had taken possession, those lands afforded an abundance of mast and Wallace, taking advantage of this fact, bought all the hogs that he could find in the . county and turned them loose in that bottom. Of course the "porkers" accumulated very fast and well do I remember of often being "treed" by them on hunting and fishing trips in that part of the county when I had taken a dog with me. On one occasion my father had bought up and driven to Alton a bunch of fat cattle, and I had gone along to help drive them to that market. My father had secured a very fine bay horse for me to ride, from Mr. Wallace. After selling the cattle he started me for home on the horse.
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It was during the fall of the year and the roads were good. I was a boy anxious to get home before some furious (?) wild beast or robber should stop me on the road. That is what I thought then. There were not very many wild beasts and but few robbers that would stop a boy at that early day for the purpose of rob- bing him. I started from middle Alton at ten o'clock in the morning and landed in Carlinville, thirty-five miles distant, at one o'clock in the afternoon, having made the trip in three hours, by putting the horse to his best galt when on level ground. That was regarded as a feat that only a thoroughbred horse could ac- complish.
Another man of note was Major P. H. Winchester, who came here with his family from Edwardsville during the year 1829 or 1830. He was a lawyer of much repute at that time, but had killed a man in Edwardsville, for which he was acquitted by the eloquence of Felix Grundy, the celebrated criminal law- yer of Tennessee. The Major brought with him a family of intelligent and edu- cated persons, who took high rank at once with our people. Soon after his arrival Major Ben Stevenson came to Carlinville, for the purpose of settling, bringing with him some of his family. He took an active part in the affairs of the pioneers in aiding to build up and secure immigration into the county. Soon after Stevenson's coming, a very worthy man, Nicholas Boice, came to our village and opened a store. He was here but a few months when he married the eldest daughter of Major Winchester, and their home became the mecca of all the social gatherings that frequently occurred in the town. The Winchester and Stevenson families were always regarded and esteemed as worthy and.good citizens.
The name of John Harris is so indelibly fixed as a benefactor in the records of our county that no lapse of memory will ever cause the coming generations to forget him. He came here and discovered that those who had preceded him needed a mill to grind the grain that was being pounded into meal in Indian mortars, and at once (1830) built a water mill on the Macoupin creek, one, and one half miles east of Carlinville, on what is now known as Sunny Home Stock Farm. A portion of the logs that formed the dam now remain on the rocks at the bottom of the creek where it was built. He was the first sheriff of the county, was state senator and honorably filled those and other positions of trust and responsibility.
Judge Thomas B. Rice, who settled at what was afterwards known as Rice's Point, in the western part of the county, filled satisfactorily the office of assist- ant county judge and other positions of trust, and died leaving a family, who have followed in his footsteps, in making the county one of the very best in the state.
Joseph Phelps and Sallie Ainslee, his wife, my maternal grandparents, came to the county in 1826,. from Tennessee. They settled on what was afterwards known as the Phelps Hill, bringing with them a family of boys and girls, who married and settled in and near Staunton. Nathan Phelps, a son, soon after his majority, became well-to-do and left quite a fortune for that day to be distributed between his parents and four sisters, namely: Clarissa, who married Robert Weeks; Cassie, who married Robert Page; Charlotte, who married Abram Smith; and my mother, who had married Abram S. Walker. The latter couple had followed the Phelpses to the new country in the year 1828,
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and all of those to whom I here refer, except my mother and father, now lie buried at the Phelps cemetery, three miles south and west of Staunton. My mother and father on their arrival built a temporary cabin near the Phelps Hill, remaining there until the spring of 1830, when they removed to Carlinville. At that time there were but two dwelling houses (log cabins) in the young village. They reared a family of two boys and two girls : Caroline, who married William Phelps; myself, who married Permelia A. Dick; Tennessee, who married Fer- dinand Taggart; and a son, James L., who died in August, 1851, during the epidemic of cholera, in his twentieth year. All except my wife, Permelia A., and I, have passed away, and lie buried in the Carlinville cemetery.
Telemachus Camp was a very early settler in our county. He located two miles south of Staunton, and the first thing that he did was to plant an apple and peach orchard. It was the first orchard planted on what afterwards be- came the soil of Macoupin county. Soon after my father arrived in the new country my mother took me on a visit to Mrs. Camp, the wife of Telemachus Camp. They were friends in Tennessee before moving to the new Eldorado. Of course, the apple orchard was the attraction to me. Peter Camp, a son, now owns and lives on the old farm. He is a worthy son of a worthy father.
Judge Alva Cloud, a resident of what is now North Otter township, was an early pioneer and was frequently elected to the position of assistant county judge and justice of the peace. He died without blot or stain on his name.
Thomas D. Moore, an early pioneer, settled on a farm four miles east of Carlinville. He reared an honorable family, the members of which have done their part in the making of Macoupin county one of the richest of the state.
Daniel Anderson was "mine host" of the Green Tree "tavern" in Carlinville, it being the stage stand. His name will ever remain fresh in my memory, from the fact that when a boy, he paid my way into the first circus that I ever at- tended.
The Weatherfords emigrated to the county before its organization and soon became leaders in politics and 'the bettering of the condition of the pioneers. Jeff Weatherford succeeded John Harris as sheriff in 1834, but was defeated by Beatty T. Burke, Sr.,' for that office in 1836, Burke having been deputy under Weatherford for the two previous years. Harbird Weatherford was the work- ing man of all the Weatherfords that I ever knew. He erected an ox mill at an early day, three miles southeast of Carlinville.
The Tennis family, John, "Bill" and Alex were pioneers and were worthy citizens.
Dr. Levi J. Woods came from Morgan county, Illinois, and located in Car- linville when a young man for the practice of his profession. Soon after his arrival he married Miss Martha McClure, a sister of James A. McClure, Sr., of our county. He was a very promising young man and soon became the leading physician of the county. He belonged to a popular family, pioneers of Morgan county, Illinois. Joseph and George, his brothers, soon after followed him to Carlinville and became leading merchants and honorable citizens of the town. I have always claimed, and had a right to claim, the Doctor as a firm friend of mine. He was cut off in early life during the cholera epidemic here. in July. 1851. He was but thirty-four years of age at the time of his death, and at that
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early period of his life had secured a large and paying practice in his profession. He was of a genial disposition, had gained the confidence and esteem of our people and was greatly missed by the community.
At an early day there came into the county, about 1827, a large, portly man, known as "King" Solomon, with his wife and a large family of boys. He set- tled on a creek in the northern part of the county, near where Scottville now stands. That creek is now and ever has been since that time, known as Solo- mon's creek. No family in our county has exerted a greater influence for good, or has made itself felt to a greater extent in all the affairs of the county, than "King" Solomon and his seven boys. They took a leading position in the county and maintained it up to the time of their death, having all lived and died in Ma- coupin.
The Rev. Stith M. Otwell, a Methodist minister, settled in Carlinville during the early '30s and was the first minister of that church who preached a sermon in our town. He was an able man and left a family of intelligent and cultured boys and girls, having occupied an honorable position in the history of our county. (A more extended sketch of Mr. Otwell will be found on anothier page of this volume.)
Colonel James C. Anderson emigrated to this county from Kentucky during the year 1834, bringing a family of girls and boys with him. He was a large, portly, fine looking man, that attracted attention wherever he went and, being of bold and independent disposition, soon became a leading force in all the move- ments of the pioneers to induce a good class of emigration to this county. And as he was a typical Kentuckian his influence and efforts brought from that and other southern states many of the better class of emigrants who were then seek- ing homes for themselves and descendants in the free states. . His name will always be honored by the old pioneers of our county. He was the father of a family of boys and girls that inherited his open, generous disposition, and they have well maintained and kept to the front this man's great and generous qual- ities of mind and business ability. His grandson, John C. Anderson, owns and is the president of the oldest bank in the city and is regarded as one of the wealthiest men in the county of Macoupin. A goodly number of other descend- ants of this broad-minded man are now living in the county, honorable, upright and intelligent men and women. One of his sons, C. H. C. Anderson, was the husband of Mrs. Mary C. Anderson, who was a daughter of Marshall H. Strat- ton. Having survived her husband, she is now living in Carlinville, occupying a social position that gives her much prominence.
Uncle "Dickey" Chapman, one of the early pioneers, settled on Cahokia Creek, during the year 1817 or 1818. He died leaving a family of boys and girls, among whom was our old friend, Major Fletcher H. Chapman of Carlinville, whom we knew as one of the very best of our citizens. He often held positions of re- sponsibility and, having served in the Union army during the rebellion, came home with a record for bravery and efficiency that was not excelled by any other officer of that army. He died but a few years ago, leaving a small family, who have since resided in Chicago.
Seth T. Hodges settled in the western part of the county on what has since been known as Hodges' creek, before the organization of the county. He was
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one of the commissioners that assisted in the organization of the county in 1829. He did his duty in life as he saw it and gained from the pioneers the encomium of "well done, good and faithful servant." The people of our county will not forget his well performed services in their behalf. He died many years ago, leaving a large family of girls and boys.
One of the best known families of early days was that of Uncle "Jimmy" Hall, who emigrated from North Carolina. He came during the year 1817. He was a small, slim-made, active, energetic, quick-spoken man, with courage enough for that early day. He settled on the "ridge," near where Hurricane creek emp- ties into the Macoupin, near the C. & A. railroad station, known as "Macoupin station." Uncle "Jimmy" and all his family were splendid musicians and often enlivened the cabins of other pioneers with sweet strains of the violin. Oliver W., a son, was peculiarly gifted in that most entertaining accomplishment. Ter- rell Hall, another son, I have often thought was the most active man I ever met. He was not a large or robust man; on the contrary he was slim in his make-up, but well-muscled. On one occasion a stranger came into the town, who proved to be an expert wrestler from St. Louis, boasting of his ability to throw down any man in the village, and especially, Terrell Hall. It did not require many hours until Terrell's friends were on hand, jibing the St. Louis man, telling him that he was too big and "beefy" to throw anybody down and that Terrell Hall could wipe the earth with him. A wager of fifty dollars on the side was made and the contest was to take place the next day. When the time arrived the parties met and arranged "holds" to be taken in each one of three falls. The first was to be "catch-as-catch-can," the second "arm-and-elbow" hold, and the third "back-holds." The contestants selected judges and stripped to pantaloons for the test of skill. The first "catch-as-catch-can" was ended in quicker time than it has taken me to write the above sentence, as Terrell, although the smaller man, was as active as a cat. He caught Davidson and with one effort landed him upon his back, it was said, before Davidson got a hold on Hall. There was to be a half-hour intermission between the falls. The second fall was to be arm-and- elbow holds. This was Hall's favorite and, as he had never been thrown when wrestling this hold, his friends thought that he would end the contest with ease, as the rule was, two best in three of the falls. On coming together for this fall, Terrell tried his favorite "trip" to throw Davidson; but it failed, as Davidson was too heavy to be handled by the smaller man, with sufficient strength to throw him. But Hall's wind enabled him to wear down Davidson until, in a lucky moment, he got a twist on Davidson and with a "trip" threw him and won the fifty dollars. The next day the boys made up a "pony" purse for Davidson to pay his way back to St. Louis on the stage. Another feat that I witnessed when a small boy, of Terrell Hall's gave me a lesson in hunting large game that has been of great advantage to me in my outings. A number of men were helping a little "Yankee" to build a store house on the west side of the square, where Steinmeyer's drug store is now located. One of them, who was on the top log of the building, discovered three deer feeding on the prairie, a quar- ter of a mile from the store house, and notified the men below him that there were three deer feeding on the prairie west of where they were at work. Terrell Hall was noted as a skilful hunter of that animal. Some one in the crowd of-
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