USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois > Part 69
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The first land entries were made by Seth Hodges on the E. S. W. quarter section 28, December 23d, 1823 ; he had lived in the township some years before as a squatter. The next entry was made by Felix Hoover, April 10th, 1829, on the N. N. E. of section 3.
Among the old residents of Macoupin county now living in the township of South Palmyra, we find D. N. Solomon, a Kentuckian by birth, who came in 1827 to North Palmyra, and subsequently moved to this township. W. G. Ross, now living on section 18, came in 1829; he is a native of Ten-
* See chapter on Pioneers, in which Hodges and Love are spoken of at some length.
nessee. Baxter M. Skeen, from that state, came in 1832, and lives on sec- tion 20. B. F. Bivin arrived in this county in 1834, and lives on section 1. Henry Etter, a native of Tennessee, came in 1836. James S. Duncan, is a native of Macoupin county ; he lives on section 23, and is the coroner of the county. M. C. Tongate resides on section 4; he came here in 1837 ; he is a Kentuckian by birth. Achilles Tongate, a retired farmer, lives on section 4; he is a native of Amherst county, Virginia, and came here in 1837; he has reached the advanced age of ninety-two years, and is hale and hearty. C. P. Tongate is a farmer, on section 9; he is a native of Kentucky, and came in 1837. The late Jesse Simpson came with his family from Sanga- mon county about 1838.
Drainage .- The land of South Palmyra is drained on the west side by Solomon's creek ; through the middle by Massey creek (sometimes known as Nassa creek ), running almost in a south-west direction ; and from the south- east by Otter creek, running almost in the same direction as Massey creek. The creek derived its name from Isaac Massey, an early settler of the town- ship. The land along the banks of the creeks is quite rolling, and in some places very broken. There is a heavy growth of timber near the banks, and in some cases it extends out a mile in width. The prairie portion of the township is fine, and under a high state of cultivation. The oldest culti- vated farms are near the creeks, and were once covered with timber.
There is quite an extensive rock-quarry on the farm of C. P. Tongate. Limestone-rock and good stone for building purposes are found in different parts of the township.
The first school-house was built of logs, in the southern part of the town- ship, and the first school was taught by James Howard, about 1831.
The first church was erected one mile south of the present town of Pal- myra. It was built of hewed logs, and covered with split boards. The first regular preacher was John Howerton, of the Baptist faith.
The first child born in the township was in Mr. Love's family in 1824.
The first marriage was that of Theodorus Davis and Jane Burleson in August, 1828.
The first mill was built by Andrew Russell. It was a very simple arrange- ment, consisting of two burrs with a vertical shaft attached to the burrs and a crank at the top which was turned by hand. During the severe winter of 1829 and '30 the settlers gathered around this little mill with their corn and waited for their turn to grind. The next mill was erected near the present town of Palmyra, by James Cave, in 1835; it was run by horses or oxen, and was called the sweep mill. It certainly was a great improvement over the hand mill.
The game consisted of deer, turkey, and occasionally a bear was seen. The turkey was often seen in the poultry yards of the settlers. They were killed in great numbers and afforded excellent food.
A small band of Indians, belonging to the Pottawattamie tribe, continued to live in the township for a short time after the settlement of the whites. They were peaceable and quiet, giving the settler no trouble, except they claimed a small tract of land and objected to white people settling on it.
The settlers were very social. It was not uncommon for them to visit their neighbors who lived twenty or thirty miles distant, and spend from one to three days with them, having a general good time. They did not manifest much disposition to make money, and never envied a neighbor on account of his success in any honest undertaking.
The village of Palmyra is built on the township line, between North and South Palmyra. The portion in South Palmyra stands on the north-west quarter of section 4. The part in North Palmyra on the south-west quarter
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
of section 33. The portion of town on section 4 was laid out by D. N. Solo. mon, in the year 1855. The north portion, on section 33, was laid out by J. F. Nifong and H. Berry, in 1855. The old town of Newburg was situated on section 4, and was laid out in 1835, by James Cave. The first house was built by William Owens, in 1835; it was a log building. The first hotel was kept by W. B. Gardiner. Scott & Bosworth kept the first store. The first post office was kept by Oakes Shaw, in the year 1841. The first blacksmith shop was started by James L. Warfield. The first church was built by the Cumberland Presbyterians, in the year 1857. The first sermon was preached in the house of Oakes Shaw, by the Rev. L. S. Williams, a Presbyterian, in 1838. The first school was taught by Miss Eliza Hersey, in the fall of 1836. The first physician was Dr. Thornton, who located here in the spring of 1840. Another early physician was Dr. H. J. Vanwinkle.
About the year 1842 the town had its name changed from that of Newburg to Cummington, and continued by that name for about thirteen years, at which time new buildings were erected a little west of the old town and on a more desirable site. The ground was higher and afforded some shade. Busi- ness was changed to the new part of the town. A new name was given to the village, and from that time it has been called " Palmyra." After the survey and laying out of the town, in 1855, it received a fresh impulse. Shops, stores, &c., were put up in rapid succession. A hotel was built on the north side by R. F. Bracken, in 1855.
The first church edifice was erected by the Christians, in 1867. The first preacher was G. M. Goode.
The first mill was built by A. C. Farmer, F. E. Shaw and J. F. Nifong, in the year 1856. Subsequently Nifong & Solomon built a saw mill.
Some of the present business houses and buildings in the village are :
Dry Goods and Groceries Solomon and Martin, T. W. Chiles & Son. Blacksmiths-A. C. Hulse, Barron & McFarland, and H. Meyer. Flour, Carding, and Saw Mill-Farmer, Young & John. Hotel Proprietors-Z. C. Ridgway ; P. S. Drake. Drugs and Groceries-Robert Bramley. Physi- cians-R. J. Allmond, W. A. Allen, Sprinkle & Carlile, Charles E. Smith. Agricultural Implements-Richie & Gardner. Churches-Christian, built 1867; Methodist, 1868; Cumberland Presbyterian, 1878. School building 24x36 feet, two stories high. The people are energetic, social and intellec- tual.
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES OF THE VILLAGE OF PALMYRA.
Palmyra Lodge No. 463 A. F. A. M .* The first officers were installed October A. D., 1866, by Past Grand Master W. C. Shirley.
Thornton G. Capps, W. M .; Caleb Capps, S. W .; W. B. Searcy, J. W .; D. N. Solomon, Treas .; R. J. Allmond, Secy .; A. C. Hulse, S. D .; J. I. Hollingsworth, J. D .; Joseph H. Crouch, S. S. ; J. O. Norris, J. S. ; Thomas Barron, Tyler.
Charter Members-George W. Atwood, E. W. Cheek, W. C. Day, J. L. Day, W. Dotey, Robert Foster, A. C. Farmer, W. B. Gardner, C. Y. Pad- gett, W. C. Howard, J. B. Liston, J. F. Nifong, A. P. Hoyt, Israel Pierce, W. H. Ross, T. B. Ross, W. G. Ross, E. W. Richey, Geo. O. Solomon, S. J. Steidley, C. G. Simonds, Byron Thompson, W. A. Vancil, with above officers, making in all thirty-three, of whom sixteen have demitted or died. There are now forty-five master masons belonging to this lodge, with the fol- lowing installed officers :
* For the above data we are indebted to Dr. R. J. Allmond.
John F. Chiles, W. M .; W. C. Alford, S. W .; John Crum, J. W .; D. N. Solomon, Treas. ; R. J. Allmond, Sec'y. ; A. C. Farmer, S. D .; John P. Butcher, J. D. ; James S. Drake, Tyler.
Palmyra Lodge,* No. 348 I. O. O. F., was organized June 7th, 1867. The first officers were :
R. J. Allmond, N. G .; I. B. Vancel, V. G. ; C. T. Hanshaw, Sec'y. ; T. W. Chiles, Treas.
The following were charter members : I. B. Vancel, R. J. Allmond, T. W. Chiles, C. T. Hanshaw, Cyrus Ruff, J. F. Chiles, J. B. Rice, J. C. Maddy, A. C. Gardner, and T. M. Ledbrook .*
Supervisors-Dempsey N. Solomon, elected in 1871; re-elected in 1872 and 1873; not represented in 1874; elected in 1875; reelected in 1876, and 1877. (Chairman), Wm. G. Ross elected in 1878 ; re-elected in 1879.
Town Clerks-Allen C. Gardner, elected in 1871; G. M. Goode, elected in 1872; E. W. Ross, elected in 1873, and re-elected in 1874; J. Etter, elected in 1875. W. E. West, elected in 1876, and re-elected in 1877. G. M. Hess, elected 1878. E. E. McFarlin, elected in 1879.
Assessors-T. H. L. Evans, elected in 1871. F. M. Ragan, elected in 1872. G. Etter, elected in 1873, and re-elected in 1874. J. H. Richard- son, elected in 1875. I. V. Lee, elected in 1876. E. Tongate, elected in 1877. Mr. C. Malon, elected in 1878. B. McManus, elected in 1879.
Collectors-W. C. Crum, elected in 1871. E. Tongate, elected in 1872. W. C. Crum, elected in 1873, and re-elected in 1874 and 1875. C. Y. Pad- gett elected in 1876, and re-elected in 1877. W. T. Conlee, elected in 1878. A. D. Weller, elected in 1879.
The following are the justices of the peace since township organization :- W. O. Clevenger and Mr. Pockington, elected in 1871. J. Duncan and Mr. Clevenger, elected in 1873. M. Loran, elected in 1876. W. E. Vaughn and E. R. Gardner, elected in 1877. R. R. Ragan, elected in 1878.
Constables since township organization :- James Scott and James Etter, elected in 1871. J. H. Cherry and G. W. Wiggins, elected in 1873. M. V. Crouch and E. R. Gardner, elected in 1877. Mr. Conlee and J. T. Gardner, elected in 1878.
Commissioners of Highways .- 1871, James C. Galloway, John C. Holloway, Mr. Pockington ; 1872, John C. Holloway, Joseph N. Ross; 1873, Joseph N Ross, James S. Thompson, James W. Duncan ; 1875, William E. Vaughn; 1876, William G. Ross, Peter L. Denby; 1877,' Thomas Sissons ; 1878, A. J. Wiser ; 1879, B. T. Scott.
To give the valuation of the property of the township we copy the follow- ing from the assessor's books of 1879 : Acres of improved lands, 12,860; value, 856,506; unimproved lands, 9,526; value, $17,915; total value of lands $74,421; value of lots, 84,420; Horses, 638; value, 89,568; cattle, 1,016; value, $6,998 ; mules, 143, value, 82,450; sheep, 1,073; 8874 ; hogs, 1,648; value, $1,365; 3 steam engines; carriages and wagons, 215; value, $2,019; 173 clocks and watches, 63 sewing machines, 1 piano, and 13 organs. Total value of personal property, $29,471.
* For the above data we are indebted to Dr. W. A. Allen.
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Dempsey N. Voloman
WAS born in Muhlenburgh county, Kentucky, January 11, 1821, and is the eighth son and thirteenth child of a family of fourteen children of the late Judge Lewis Solomon and Sarah Bowden, his wife. Mr. Solomon and wife were both natives of Franklin county, North Carolina. Lewis Solomon was descended from a long line of English and French ancestry. Mrs. Solomon's father's name was John Bowden. He was of English parentage, and his ances- tors were among the earliest pioneer settlers of the sunny land of the Caro- linas. Lewis Solomon, the father of Lewis, and the grandfather of Demp- sey, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and was one of the brave and patriotic men who went forth to do battle in the cause of universal freedom, and shed his blood, if need be, in order to wrest the liberties of the colonies from the iron grasp of British despotism. When the war was over and peace declared, he returned to the peaceful pursuits of a planter's life, which he continued engaged in until his death.
Lewis Solomon, the father of Dempsey, was born in the year 1778, and grew to manhood in North Carolina, where he married, and subsequently moved to Kentucky, and afterwards came to Ilinois with his family in 1825, and lived for a time in Morgan county, and in March, 1827, removed to and settled at Eagles' Point, at the head of Solomon's Creek, in what is now known as North Palmyra township. Here, assisted by his sons, he reared his humble cabin and began improving a farm. He soon after was elected to the office of justice of the peace, and on the organization of the county of Macoupin, he was appointed one of the county commissioners, and about the first legal documents of the county are countersigned and attested by his hand.
He was a man of rare good judgment and common sense, and at that early period in the history of the county, few men possessed more business ability than he ; his integrity and honesty of purpose was never questioned. A short time after he became a citizen of Macoupin, he joined the Baptist church under the ministration of that noble man and eminent pioneer and divine, Elder Peck. Mr. Solomon occasionally preached the gospel to his neighbors. In February, 1849, he was called upon to part with his wife, the companion of his early joys, trials and sorrows. The stroke bore heavily upon him, and he survived her death only a few months, when, on the 28th of July, 1849, he passed from life to the realms of eternal rest, full of years and honor, leaving behind the affectionate love of his family and friends.
Having written at some length of the ancestors of Dempsey N. Solomon, we now turn to a contemplation of that which relates more particularly to his own life. His opportunities for acquiring an education were very limited ; his attendance at school is all embraced within a period of four months. However, the love of study was an innate principle with him, and during the long winter nights of his boyhood days, he would sit in the light of the fire burning on the hearth, or beside the tallow-dip, with book in hand, reading or solving difficult mathematical problems. He is a man pos- sessed of good judgment and much information upon the more important subbjects of the day ; he has stored his mind with the requisite knowledge to fit him for the business transactions of life, and this, too, without the aid of schools or teachers. The early years of his life were spent largely in assisting his father in farming.
On the 4th of June, 1846, Mr. Solomon was married to Miss Elizabeth C.
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Newell, the daughter of James and Ann Newell. They were then residents of this county, though natives of Kentucky. Mrs. Solomon was born in Simpson county, Ky., September 10, 1823. Mr. Solomon and wife have had born to them twelve children, eight daughters and four sons; five daughters and two sons are now living, as follows : Mary J., wife of Z. C. Ridgway, residents of Palmyra; Sarah A., wife of W. C. Martin, residents of the same place, (Mr. Martin is a partner with Mr. Solomon in mer- chandizing); Salome F., the wife of Dr. R. M. Wilson, now residents of Lincoln, Illinois, where the doctor enjoys an extensive and lucrative prac- tice. The unmarried ones are as follows: George W., now a commercial salesman ; Charles D., engaged in farming ; Minnie F. and Carrie J., who reside at home. Of those deceased may be mentioned, Jemima D., died March 21, 1851 ; Harriet E., August 26, 1852 ; William Franklin, October 7, 1854; James L., December 13, 1854, and an infant daughter unnamed, December 3, 1855.
1
After his marriage Mr. Solomon continued farming for some time, and on account of ill health engaged in merchandizing, in Old Cummington, in 1854. In June, 1855, he laid out the town of Palmyra and erected a store- room, and began merchandizing in that place, and in addition carrying on quite large farming operations. At present he has about 800 acres of land in cultivation.
Mr. Solomon, wife and daughter, Mrs. Ridgway, are members of the Christian church ; he is one of its generous patrons, giving liberally for the aid of the gospel; besides, he has warmly espoused the cause of education, and has given his children the benefits of good instruction; all except the two younger have had the advantages of academic and collegiate instruction.
In politics Mr. S. is and always has been a democrat. During the late civil war he was a staunch supporter and advocate of the Union cause. He assisted Capt. Hulse, of his town, in raising his company, and in his neigh- borhood made patriotic and eloquent speeches advocating prompt and vigorous measures for the suppression of the rebellion. In 1843 he was appointed county assessor by the county court, and filled the office for one year. In 1845 he assessed the county as deputy, under James McLarning, county treasurer. In 1846 he was a candidate for sheriff-defeated by Major Burke. He has been school director several times, and township school treasurer since October, 1870. In the spring of 1871 he was elected super- visor of South Palmyra township, and by re-election held the office until 1878. (For a specific reason he resigned in 1874.) In 1877 he was elected chairman of the board. When his term of office expired he declined being a candidate again. In 1873, while a member of the board of super- visors, he voted against levying any tax which was ordered to be made by the United States district court, and was among the supervisors summoned to Springfield, and fined a thousand dollars each and costs for disobeying the order of the court. In reference to the court-house question, he was opposed to the erection of so costly an edifice, and opposed to paying any- thing until the courts decided the paper legal, after which he was in favor of the best compromise that could be obtained.
And thus we lay before our thousands of readers the record of one of the industrious and honorable pioneers of Macoupin county-a man with more than ordinary endowments and energies, and the possessor of an honorable ambition to excel in all commendable efforts. His social success is the result of a genial nature; the prosperity that has attended him is the result of integrity and industry rather than a love of worldly gain. What he has is the result of his own labor, the cumulative interest upon the earnings of a lifetime. He is in the largest sense of the word a self-made man, and as such we present him to the youth of the county. He has ever been an efficient worker in every enterprise that was calculated to benefit his town and county, and every needed improvement has enlisted his earliest and most active interest. He shared, in common with many of his. fellow- citizens, the privations incident to life in a new country, and with them has lived to bask in the sunshine of our enlightened civilization, and enjoy com- parative prosperity and its attendant blessings, nearly upon the very spot where, more than half a century ago, he appeared upon the arena an un- known and obscure youth.
HENRY ETTER,
ONE of the old citizens of South Palmyra township, is a native of Tennes- see, and was born in Andrew county, May 14th, 1820. His father's name was also Henry Etter; he was born in Wythe county, Virginia, and came to East Tennessee when in his twenty-third year, and there married Eliza-
beth Parks; she was a native of that state. The Parks' family emigrated into the state of Tennessee from the New England states. By this marriage there were twelve children, of whom Henry Etter was the seventh. When he was six years old his father emigrated with the family from Tennessee to Illinois, and settled in Greene county, three miles south-east of Greenfield. His father was one of the pioneer settlers of that part of Greene county. There were a few scattering settlements in the vicinity, but their settlement was one of the earliest in that neighborhood. The family lived there ten years. The settlements were so few that schools had scarcely been estab- lished ; occasionally a subscription school was started for a few months, but the county was so thinly settled and the schools consequently so inconveni- ent of access to a great many, Mr. Etter had little advantages in attending them, and only went to school about two months in Greene county. In 1836 his father moved with his family to Macoupin county, and settled in what is now Western Mound township, on section nine, where George Etter, Mr. Etter's son, now resides. There were few settlers in that neighborhood at that time. His father bought one hundred and twenty acres second-handed, and entered two hundred and eighty additional acres. Mr. Etter only went to school there about five months, and all the education he afterward ob- tained was mostly by his own efforts after he had grown up. He lived at home with his father until his marriage, which occurred November 14th, 1844, to Asbereen Elizabeth Davidson. Mrs. Etter was born in Barren county, Kentucky, May 12th, 1824. Her grandfather, John Davidson, emigrated from Scotland to America. Her father, E. Davidson, was born in Kentucky, and married Margaret Wright, who was also a Ken- tuckian by birth. Both families had lived in Barren county, or counties adjoining, in that part of the state. Mrs. Etter was the oldest of eleven children. After Mr. Etter's marriage he went to farming for himself in Western Mound township on land adjoining his father's, and in 1845 moved to his present farm on section 16, South Palmyra township, and has since resided there engaged in farming. He owned four hundred and eighty acres of land, but has given it all to his children, with the exception of one hun- dred and sixty acres, comprising the old homestead farm. He has been content to lead the life of a quiet, private citizen, and has never aspired to hold office or public position, and is a man who enjoys the respect and esteem of the citizens of this part of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Etter have had four children, all of whom are living. George Etter, who is farming in Western Mound township; James Etter, who lives in South Palmyra township; Smith Etter, also farming in South Palmyra township ; Elijah Etter, a resident of Palmyra. Mr. Etter in his politics has always been a member of the democratic party, as was his father before him. He is a strong believer in the principles of that time-honored organization, and believes they are best calculated to advance the interests of a free government and perpetuate republican institutions. His first vote for president was cast for James K. Polk in 1844; on the same day he procured his marriage license. His vote was cast at Carrollton, in Greene county ; the law there being that a citizen of the state could vote for president any where within the limits of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Etter have now been married thirty-five years, and have raised a family of four children without a death. He has been a man of industry and energy, and all he has accumulated has been the re- sult of his own labor. When he and his wife embarked in their married life they had nothing on which to rely except their own industry. They possessed nothing in the shape of this world's goods ; but started out with bright hopes for the future, and a determination to succeed if it could be done by hard work. Mrs. Etter has been obliged to attend closely to home duties, having no daughters to assist her in the labors of the household ; and both have the satisfaction of knowing that they have raised a family, and have their children settled in life around them, and occupy a good position among the citizens of South Palmyra township.
WILLIAM G. ROSS
WAS the son of Robert and Elizabeth Ross. He was born in the state of Tennessee, December 26th, 1827. Robert Ross was a native of North Caro- lina, and his father, Reuben Ross, was a native of Maryland, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The family are of Scotch-Irish descent, but settled in America at a very early date. Reuben Ross emigrated to Tennessee from North Carolina in a very early day, where he lived some time, and became a farmer. Robert Ross emigrated to Morgan county, Illinois ; in the spring of 1829 he raised one crop in that county, and in the fall
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
of the same year he came down into Macoupin county, and settled in what is now North Palmyra township. He lived in Macoupin county until his death in 1870, and followed the avocation of farming. The subject of our sketch was about eighteen months old when his father moved into this county, con- sequently he has been a resident of Macoupin county just one half a century. He has witnessed a great change in this county. His advantages for receiving an education were very limited at so early a day. During his minority he as- sisted his father on the farm, and made himself generally useful. September 4th, 1862, he was married to Miss Mary C. Proffitt, also a native of Tennessee. They have had born to them a family of ten children ; nine living, namely, Sarah Frances, Robert T., John A., Mary E., James W., Joseph E., Charles A., Abigail J., and Julia A. The occupation of Mr. Ross has been that of a farmer. In politics he is a democrat; in 1878 he was nominated on the democratic ticket for Supervisor and elected; re-elected in 1879, and now represents South Palmyra township in the county board. Mr. Ross is a man whose life has been one of industry and integrity, in conse- quence of which he enjoys the unbounded confidence and respect of his friends and neighbors.
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