History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens, Part 70

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Illinois > McDonough County > History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens > Part 70

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Pearson post No. 408, Grand Army

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

of the Republic, was organized Febru- ary 23, 1884, with the following charter members: William H. Potter, J. C. Vest, Thomas Kipling, John Sullivan, James Keppenstall, John Terrill, Robert Young, Robert Barber, Milton Eakle, George W. Creasey, W. H. Wayland, H. T. Tandy, Walter Tones, James Garbet, Michael Nolan, John Baglin, William H. Atkinson, Otto Yaap, Clark Harder, George W. Ellis, J. D. Fletcher, Simon Tunsell, Walter Enness, J. J. Eighmey, Fred Feuring. The first officers of the post were as follows: H. T. Tandy, commander; James Garbet, S. V .; Wil- liam Atkinson, J. V .; Otto Yaap, O. D .; Robert Barber, O. G .; M. H. Champ, adjutant; S. D. Mills, chaplain; W. H. Potter, surgeon. At the last installation the following officers were chosen: R. McMullen, commander; J. C. Vest, S. V .; J. D. Fletcher, J. V .; Otto Yaap, O. D .; William Atkinson, O. G .; H. G. Tandy, adjutant; S. D. Mills, chaplain; Samuel Moss, surgeon. The society meets every second and fourth Saturday evening of each month. The member- ship has at times been less and some- times more than the original number. At present, however, a good feeling ex- ists among among the old soldiers, and and applications for membership are being received more rapidly than in the past.

MUNICIPAL.

The town of Colchester was organized on the 1st of May, 1857. under the gen- eral laws of the state. The following were the first officers: William Cowan, J. E. Jackson, John Patrick, W. J. Whit- son and Thomas N. Hunt, trustees-the

latter gentleman being the president; I. L. Bailey, clerk; James Bond, constable; A. Cherry, assessor and collector; Anson Underhill, treasurer; Abraham Pearson, police magistrate; and D. W. Campbell, road supervisor.

On the 16th of February, 1867, the town was again incorporated under a special charter. Under this incorpora- tion the officers were: George Hilliard, Travis Miller, William Egerton, Isaac B. Hunt and William Smith, trustees. These were elected under the old organi- zation, and held over under the charter. This special charter was drawn up by A. M. Champ, who was the clerk at the time. The balance of the officers at this time were: J. L. Bailey, assessor and collector; William Egerton, treasurer; and D. W. Campbell, constable and street supervisor.

Colchester was incorporated as a city under the general laws of the state, on the 5th of May, 1884. The first officers of the newly made city held over from the last administration, and were as fol- lows: Charles Webster, mayor; John Hoar, T. J. Bowman, Abram Underhill and Isaac Newland, aldermen. The first election, under the new administration, was held June 12, 1884, when the follow- ing officers were elected: Arthur B. Lightner, mayor; A. L. Musson, W. H. Stevens, Eli Hilliard, S. D. Mills, C. P. Whitten, aldermen; J. C. Arundel, clerk; A. M. Champ, city attorney; E. D. Stevens, treasurer; George W. Milli- ken, marshal; Thomas Cornelius, street commissioner and pound-master; George Hilliard, sexton. Mr. Milliken resigned the office of marshal, and Rees Gregory was appointed to the vacancy.

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

The officers for 1885 are as follows: A. B. Lightner, mayor; J. C. Arundel, clerk; E. A. Stevens, treasurer; A. M. Champ, city attorney.

CORNET BAND.

This band was organized August 25, 1879, by W. R. Hampton, The original members were as follows: John Harper, Lee Park and H. O. Arundel, Eb cornet; Thomas Arundel, Walter Smith and John Arundel, Bb; O. E. Wold, Eb clarinet; Martin Johnston and Samuel Rundell, Bb clarinet; William Tompkins, solo alto; Ralph Hall, David Hall and Wil- liam Arundel, altos; Joseph Winship and Samuel Park, tenors; William Fos- ter, trombone; Edward Tompkins, bari- tone; F. S. White, double bass; Isaac Newland, tuba; John Park, snare drum; and S. D. Mills, bass drum. The band has met with deserved success, and is composed as follows, at the present: H. O. Arundel and George Penman, Eb cornets; Walter Smith, Walter Arundel and Samuel Park, Bb cornets; O. E. Wold and George Thompson, clarinets; John Harper, J. C. Arundel and Wil- liam Arundel, altos; West Tandy and Robert Terrill, tenors; G. T. Trull, bari- tone and leader: F. S. White, bass; Isaac Newland and Richard Laitz, tubas; Ar- thur Huston, snare drum; and Ralph Hall, bass drum.

IMPORTANT COAL INTERESTS.

Until the year 1855 but little had been done in this field of labor. A little coal had been taken out of the drifts, but no systematic work had been undertaken. The first coal ever taken out and used for fuel, is said to have been by the Mor-

mons, between the years 1840-46. In 1853, James Roberts, afterwards presi- dent and superintendent of the Colches- ter coal company, came to this country, bought land in the Welch settlement, and began mining on a small scale, con- tinuing the same until the neigh of the iron horse was heard in the distance, when he enlarged his works, and by the time the road was completed, in the spring of 1855, to Camp Point, he was ready for active operations. Securing about a dozen teams he began to ship to Quincy, hauling to Camp Point, and from thence by rail. This was the begin- ning of what has since developed into a great enterprise, bringing into the county annually thousands of dollars. From the time he first struck a pick in 1853, Mr. Roberts has continued in the busi- ness of mining.

About the year 1855 a partnership was formed under the firm name of Rob- erts & Company, soon changing to Rob- erts & Brothers, then Morris & Roberts, then Morris & Company, then back to Roberts & Company, and then Morris & Spencer, and finally the company dis- solved, its members forming two sepa- rate organizations under the names of Quincy Coal company and Colchester Coal company. These two companies do an immense business. As a general thing matters have always run smoothly between the various companies and their employees, the latter receiving good wages at all times, probably better than could be obtained at many other trades. At present all seems prosperous and contented. An impression seems to have gained credence among many that min- ing is unhealthy, but investigation re-

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

veals the fact that no class of persons enjoy better health than the coal miners, the farming community not excepted.

William Egerton, engaged in mining coal at Colchester in 1856, and has been in that business continuously ever since. His trade being steadily on the increase from that date, until at present he owns and operates one of the leading coal in- dustries in the county. There is mined from thirty to fifty thousand bushels per month, which is shipped mostly to Quincy, although at many local points in this and adjoining counties there is found a ready market for large quantities of the product of the mine. The coal is all mined by shaft at a depth of about seventy feet, two shafts being in active operation, which furnishes employment to fifty or sixty men, at an average of two dollars per day for each miner.

William Egerton, the owner and pro- prietor of the Egerton mines, came to Colchester in January, 1856, and soon after became a member of the St. Louis coal company. This firm was composed of Thomas Wilson, William Hopkins, John Merrett, Thomas Hunn, John Sla- ter, William Egerton, and others, and conducted operations on section 13, tak- ing out only drift coal. The company finally dissolved, and William Egerton received a one-half interest in the lands, and continued in the business, with Hopkins and Garbett as partners, they sinking shafts as they would get hold of the land. In 1879, Mr. Egerton bought out the interests of his partners, and has conducted the business alone ever since. He now has three shafts in oper- ation on section 13, and mines 1,300 bushels per day, having in his employ

sixty men. He now owns 130 acres of good coal land in and about Colchester. Mr. Egerton is a native of England, and was born June 22, 1814. He started to work in the mines in his native country when he was seven years old, and con- tinued the same there up to the time of his coming to America, in 1842. He located in Wisconsin, where he worked at mining for some five months, and then removed to St. Louis, Missouri. In the spring of 1843 he went to Caseyville, Ohio, and three months later to Mary- land, where he remained some two years. He then removed to Pennsylvania, and worked in that state some 33 months. In the spring of 1849 he went overland to California, and mined there for nearly two years, then returning to New Castle, Pennsylvania. In 1851 he attended the London (England) exposition for four months, after which he returned to New Castle. A year or so later he went to St. Louis, Missouri, and remained there until coming to Colchester, in January, 1856. William Egerton and Mrs. Bar- bara Hall, nee Thornhill, were united in marriage on the 12th day of October, 1864. By this marriage there are three children-William T., Mary E. and John O. Mrs. Egerton has two children by her former marriage-Ralph and Anna Belle. Mr. Egerton is one of Colches- ter's prominent citizens, and has been a member of both the school board and the town council.

The Quincy coal company is an organ- ization composed principally of Boston capitalists, although some Quincy men also have interests therein. The general office is located at Boston, but the work- ing headquarters are at Quincy. They

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

1 operate five shafts in Colchester, all the mining of the company being done here, and have a capital stock of $75,000. The shafts number 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, the latter one being lately opened. The average depth to the seams worked is from 85 to 90 feet, the seam being known as a 30-inch vein. The coal is of an ex- cellent quality and is well adopted for both blacksmith use and gas making, and is known as seam No. 2, of the Illinois section. The seam is worked by the men while laying on their sides, the coal being mined by pick, sledge and wedge. All their shafts are operated by steam power and are all connected with each other, except No. 20, thus giving ample air pas- sages and perfect means of escape in case of accident or fire. All their cages are provided with safety catches and covers, and the company comply with every re- quirement of the law, thereby providing amply for the comfort, convenience and safety of the miners. They have good top men and use five-eighth screens, giving the workmen the benefit of all the coal they mine. They have on their pay roll between two and three hundred men. The coal is wheeled from the rooms through the entries in reaching the shaft proper, before raising, which are three and a half feet in height and six feet in width. The company own about 400 acres of land, with reserved mining rights under all land which they sell. Their principal market is Quincy, a regular coal train running from the mines to that place daily, the number of cars to the train varying from 12 to 24. They also have a large transient and general trade. The annual production of the mines, as taken from the report of the Bureau of

labor statistics, is 71,718 tons, with a ca- pacity of 100,000 tons, the mines being worked the year around. They also have ample sidetrack facilities, with a line of road to every shaft. H. S. Osborn of Quincy, is president of the company, and Charles C. Osborn of the same place, is superintendent. Henry Arundel is the representative of the company at Col- chester, and Thomas Terrill is mine boss, with John Terrill as assistant.

Isaac N. Wright, the agent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad at Colchester, was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, December 14, 1852. His father, William Wright, was born in Ireland, but came to Illinois in an early day, and his death occurred in January, 1865. Isaac N., was reared and educated in his native county, attending school at Plymouth, where, in 1870, he began learning telegraphy, and followed the same there for some two and and a half years. He was then employed for a short time in Tennessee, McDonough county, and from there went to Quincy. He served as an extra man in different offices until April, 1877, when he served as night operator. In March, 1880, he was appointed to fill the position he now occupies. He is one of the most popu- lar agents on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. In the month of Aug- ust, 1877, Isaac N. Wright and Cora Straub, a native of Adams county, were married. They are the parents of one child-Edna, a bright winsome lassie. Mr. Wright is a member of the Knights of Pythias.

· Frank S. White, stock dealer and pro- prietor of the stock yards and scales, commenced business in the city of Col-

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

chester in 1876, and in 1881 inaugurated his present business, to which he gives his personal attention. He is a native of McDonough county and was born in Tennessee township on the 9th day of March, 1854, and is a son of Stephen A. White, an old settler of the county. Frank was reared on a farm in his native township and followed the occupation of a farmer until 1872, at which time he engaged in the lumber business at Ten- nessee, and so continued until 1872, when he removed to Colchester and engaged in business. He was elected to the office of township clerk in 1882, and filled the office with entire satisfaction to the peo- ple of the township. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen lodges of this city claim him as an honored member. The marriage ceremony which united in the holy bonds of matrimony, Frank S. White and Dora B. Hooton, a native of Tennessee township, was performed on the 3d day of September, 1874. Mr. and Mrs. White are the parents of three children-Grace W., Daisy A. and Ber- tram L. Mr. White is a noble, whole- souled gentleman, and his friends are legion.

THE COLCHESTER COAL COMPANY

was organized by James Roberts & Sons in September, 1873, with Henry as the active business manager. They con- tinued to work the mine in this way till September, 1877, when the old gentle- man retired from the firm, which was changed to H. Roberts & Brother. In April, 1879, H. Roberts & Brother leased the mine to A. Newland for a term of five years. During Mr. Newland's lease

the works continued under the name of Colchester Coal Company. At the ex- piration of Mr. Newland's lease, James Roberts again came into the company, together with his son Henry, and the name and style of the firm was James Roberts & Son. It was owned and oper- ated by them until March 3, 1885, when it was incorporated as a joint stock com- pany according to the laws of the state. The incorporators were C. H. Castle, F. Rupp, Rod Lambert, C. H. Whitney, C. H. Trowbridge, James Roberts and Henry Roberts, with a capital stock of $20,000.

In 1881, Louis Atkinson opened a coal bank on section 6, Colchester township, leasing the land of William Neece. During the winter of 1884-85 about 400 tons of coal were taken from the bank, much more than formerly. He employs from two to ten men, at five cents per bushel, disposing of the product of the mine at seven cents per bushel. It is some twenty yards in to the vein, which averages about two feet in thickness.

John Terrill, a resident of Colchester, is a native of Cornwall, England, born June 17, 1828. When 19 years old, he emigrated to America, landing in New York city in September of that year. He proceeded to Pittsburg, thence to New Castle, Pennsylvania, where he fol- lowed mining till 1851. In that year he moved to Wisconsin, and in 1852, crossed the plains to California, where he en- gaged in mining gold until 1854. He then returned to Pennsylvania. The following spring he went to West Vir- ginia, and there spent two months in mining, after which he came to Illinois and spent a few months at Rock Island,

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

coming in the fall of the same year to Colchester, where he has since resided, with the exception of three years spent in the army. He enlisted in the fall of 1862, in company D of the 124th Illinois infantry, and served until August, 1865, when he was mustered out of the service at Chicago. During his residence in Colchester, Mr. Terrill has followed coal mining, in which he is still engaged. He was married on the 16th day of October, 1856, to Elizabeth Pearson, by whom he has had seven children-Eliza J., who was married to Charles Milligan, and died in 1884; John and Thomas, .who are now engaged in mining ; Isabel, living with her parents ; Thomas and Johanna, who are deceased. The first mentioned Thomas was born after the death of the latter, and received his name. One child died in infancy. Mrs. Terrill was born in Durham, England, March 27, 1837. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Ter- rill is a member of the G. A. R. post at Colchester, also of the Miners' Friendly Society. He is a republican in politics.

James Hickey, third son of Cornelius and Johanna (Burk) Hickey, was born in Tipperary, Ireland, January 26, 1842. Cornelius Hickey and his wife were both natives of the county Tipperary, the for- mer born March 12, 1800, and the latter

in May, 1803. They were married by the Rev. Father Cachrew in the year 1829. Mr. Hickey, Sr., was a civil en- gineer by profession, and the owner of 25 acres of land in Ireland. They emi- grated to America in September, 1848, and located in Massachusetts. Two years later they removed to the state of Indiana, where they remained also, two years, thence to Kentucky, thence, in July, 1856, to Colchester, McDonough county, where Cornelius Hickey died, August 28, 1875. He was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at Macomb. His widow survived until January 9, 1880. They were the parents of seven children -Dennis, Mary, John, James, Cornelius, Johanna and Ellen. The subject of this sketch, James Hickey, came with his parents to America, and resided with them until the death of his father. He is a coal miner by occupation, and has fol- lowed that business for a number of years. He is a member of the Catholic church, and a worthy and respected citi- zen. He is politically a democrat.

HISTORIC CRUMBS.

The first family to locate at Colchester was that of D. W. Campbell.

The first death which occurred in the village was a 13 months' old child of D. W. Campbell and wife.

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXIV.

HIRE TOWNSHIP.

This sub-division of McDonough county derived its name from George W. Hire, although the territory was originally organized as Rock Creek. It lies in the western tier of townships, and is bounded on the north by Blan. dinville township, on the east by Emmet, with Tennessee on the south and Han- cock county on the west. It is composed principally of prairie land, the only timber appearing in the two western tiers of sections, with the exception of groves here and there. There is no stream of water of any importance in the town- ship, but several small creeks find their source within its boundaries, furnishing water for stock, to which industry con- siderable attention is given. The soil is of good quality, and the farms rank among the foremost of the county. There are about 23,000 acres of improved land in the township, valued at about $600,000, while there is about 800 acres of timbered land. The township was constituted in accordance with a vote of the citizens of the county at the general election in 1856, and was christened Rock Creek, as before stated, but at the first meeting of the board of supervis- ors in the spring of 1857, the name was changed to Hire. The railroad facili- ties are good, having competing lines of road to eastern markets within a few miles of the township.

EARLY SETTLERS.

Richard Dunn was undoubtedly the first settler of Hire. When William Job came with his family to the county in the spring of 1826, they stopped at the cabin of Mr. Dunn, in the northern part of the township, about three weeks, while the former was constructing a cabin for his family in Blandinville township. Mr. Dunn had been here and raised four acres of corn the season be- fore. He afterward left and the cabin was occupied for a while by a man by the name of John Wilson.

Lewis Walters settled where Peter Reiser now lives, on the northeast quar- ter of section 3, as early as the spring of 1829, but left some time during the year 1830.

In the spring of 1830 Nathaniel Her- ron came, entering a farm on the north- west quarter of section 3. He came from Sangamon here, and about the year 1855 removed to Nodaway county, Mis- souri, where he has since died.

In the fall of 1830 Robert Seybold came. A sketch of this early family is appended.

James Seybold was one of the earliest settlers, coming to the county in 1830, settling four miles north of Blandins- ville, on what is termed a squatter's claim, where he staid two years. Rob- ert Seybold was the father of James,

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

and came to the state in 1830. He lived on section 4, Hire township, at first, and in 1860, removed to Blandinsville, where he died in 1869. He was born in Vir- ginia August 10, 1793, but was reared in Kentucky, having gone there when but four years old.

On the father's side the ancestors were German, and on the mother's side English. At the time of the elder Sey- bold's death, the property was divided among the children, and being quite suc- cessful, there was considerable property to fall to each one. James, the subject of this sketch, owns now 345 acres of land in Hire township. He has had some bad luck, burning out at two differ- ent times. He has had two wives, the first being Susan Logan, a daughter of John Logan, the ceremony taking place August 3, 1837. She died in 1842, leaving one child, Robert T. His second wife was Cynthia A. Monarch, a native of Indiana, and daughter of George and Sarah (Bishop) Monarch, and they also came to the county early, being in 1842, but in the state in 1835. They had seven children, two of whom live in the county-Mrs. Seybold and George H. Monarch. James Seybold came to his present place in 1874, hav- ing lived in different places, near by, from 1835. The family by the latter marriage was large, consisting of 14 chil- dren, seven of whom are living, and be- low will be found their names-Sarah, Margaret, Marietta, Almira, James L .. Charles D., and John B.

Evan Martin,one of the pioneers of Hire township, came to McDonough county in 1831,and entered 93 acres of land on sec- tion 31. He shortly afterward purchased

80 acres of timber land of the government, which he still owns. Mr. Martin was born in Clarke county, Kentucky, Mar. 7, 1796, and soon after went with his parents to Green county, Ohio. They afterward removed to Indiana, where his father died. After a residence in Sangamon and Morgan counties, he located at his present place of residence. He was mar- ried March 23, 1818, in Ohio, to Susan Steel, a native of Virginia. They have seven children who are living. Mr. Mar- tin has been a hard worker in his time, and although considerably advanced in years, still enjoys good health, and is the oldest settler now living in the township. He was for 12 months in the service of the war of 1812, and participated in the Nauvoo and Winnebago troubles. He has affiliated with the republican party since its organization. When lie first came to the county, deer, wild turkeys and game of all kinds were abundant. Mrs. Martin's death occurred in 1875.

William H. Hays, one of McDon- ough's 1832 settlers, was a native of Springfield, Washington county, Ken- tucky, and was born 1802. He was united in marriage with Mary Funk, and resided in his native state until coming to Illinois, and settled in Hire township, McDonough county. Mr. and Mrs. Hays reared seven children-Julia, who mar- ried William Ruddell, now of Missouri; Levi S., a carpenter and resident of St. Joseph, Missouri; Martha, died in child- hood; Joseph W., a resident of Macomb; Sarah, married John N. Carroll, moved to Missouri, and afterward died; Louisa, married William Pine, removed to Mis- souri, and has since died; Susan, the third child, married William Barger, and

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

now resides near Muscatine, Iowa. Upon coming to the county, W. H. Hays was accompanied by his wife and three child- ren, Hillary Hays (his father), and two brothers, Thomas and Jefferson. Each brought their families with them, with the exception of Jefferson, who was a single man. The religious complexion of all these early settlers was Methodist Episcopal. In 1858, Thomas Hays re- moved to Missouri, where he died about 1884, and his widow still survives him.

Hillary Hays resided in this county until his death, which occurred in 1845, his widow surviving him some 10 or 15 years. A daughter, Frances, married Jacob Hutchinson, and now resides in Missouri.

Jefferson Hays afterward married and was engaged in farming until his death. His widow now resides in Sciota town- ship.

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History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens, Part 70

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1150