USA > Illinois > McHenry County > History of McHenry County, Illinois : together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns : educational, religious, civil, military, and political history : portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, also a condensed History of Illinois > Part 16
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* * * To the president, marshal, officers of the day and members of the association I have a few words to say at parting. We came to this country many years ago, all nearly at the same time, and the paths we have trod have all lain nearly in the same direction; and notwithstanding the many trials we have en- countered, the tribulations we have passed through, the gloom that has at times enveloped us, I feel that we have reason to re- joice that we staked our fortunes here. When I look around upon the bright, intelligent faces of these, our children, and realize that they have all been nurtured, fed and educated from the products of this land of our adoption, matured and developed into manhood and womanhood, with capacity for filling and adorning the highest positions in life, I feel that we have not labored in vain, nor spent our strength for naught, but that when we shall be called from this sphere of existence we shall go hence leaving a proud, im perish- able record.
Finally, to all, let me say, let the glad greetings of friends here to-day be indelibly impressed upon the memory. May joy and gladness pervade every heart and go with you to your several homes, and a spirit of true love and affection permeate every soul, and flow out in kind words and deeds through all the ramifications of society.
THE PRAIRIE-FIRE.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Blazing bright as vivid lightning in sheeted wreaths of fire- Rushing onward like the tempest, like a demon in its ire- Loud as the roaring cataract, or breakers on the strand, The flaming billows brightly roll across the fated land.
In matchless waves of brilliancy it flashes on the night Bright as the red volcano, a sparkling sea of light- Wildly drifting like the whirlwind o'er vale, and fen, and brake- Consuming every vestige of verdure in its wake.
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
Fierce as the crested billows upon the surging main, It sweeps in fiery grandeur across the fertile plain, Lapping up all vegetation with red tongues sharp and lithe- Nature's automatic mower, cutting cleaner than a scythe.
Like the sand-storm of the desert, the scorching dread simoom, It makes the land a wilderness though clothed in summer-bloom, Marring everything it touches, leaving in each tread a stain- Scathing, shrivelling, and destroying in its devastating train.
The swift-winged grouse in terror fly before its torrid breath ; The startled deer bounds nimbly on to 'scape a fiery death ; The gray wolf knows its fateful sound, and fears its fatal glare, And hurries from its baleful light to seek a cooler lair.
The Indian from his wigwam surveys the gleaming flood, And mounts his mettled pony to reach some sheltered wood; How often have the restless flames his simple lodge cousumed, And all his earthly treasures in one red grave entombed!
The hunter in his lonely camp dreads its infernal roar, As does the mariner the storm upon the leeward shore; Yet in its flames he can discern the pillar, cloud, and hand By which Jehovah leads the way toward the Promised Land.
Each grand fire of the prairie is Nature's mirror-stone, Young Freedom's glowing oriflam to light the squatter's throne; Hail! glorious waves of fire and cloud upon the Western lea, The beacons of the wilderness, the watchfires of the free.
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CHAPTER III.
CIVIL HISTORY.
ORIGIN OF THE COUNTY'S NAME .- ESTABLISHMENT OF MOHENRY COUNTY FROM COOK .- LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION .- SELECTION OF THE COUNTY SEAT .- FIRST ELECTION .- COMMISSIONERS' COURT .- FORMATION OF PRECINCTS AND ROAD DISTRICTS. - TAX AND TOLL RATES .- LAKE COUNTY ORGANIZED .- PRECINCTS RE-FORMED .- TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION .- THE CIRCUIT COURT .- FIRST COUNTY BUILDINGS. - REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT .- NEW COUNTY BUILDINGS .- THE PRESENT COURT-HOUSE AND JAIL .- PROVISIONS FOR PAUPERS .- THE COUNTY FARM .- ITEMS OF INTEREST.
The county of McHenry was named in honor of Colonel William McHenry, an officer in the Black Hawk war, who marched with his forces through the territory that now comprises McHenry County. He joined his forces with General Atkinson's at Fort Atkinson, Wis., and subsequently fought with General Dodge. He participated in the battle of Bad Axe, which resulted in defeat- ing Black Hawk and driving him west of the Mississippi River.
The territory now comprising McHenry and Lake counties was formed into McHenry County by an act of the Legislature approved Jan. 16, 1836. The title of the bill was "An act to establish cer- tain counties," and section 1 reads as follows :
"Be it enacted, etc., That all that tract of country within the following boundaries, to-wit: Beginning at a point on Lake Michi- gan where the township line dividing townships 42 and 43 strikes said lake and running thence west along said line to the east line of range number 4, east of the third principal meridian, thence north to the boundary line of the State, thence east to Lake Michi- gan, thence along the shore of said lake to the place of beginning, shall constitute a new county to be called McHenry."
The territory constituting the new county was taken from the county of Cook." Section 16 of the above mentioned act contains a provision that
*Cook County was organized in March, 1831, and embraced, in addition to its present territory, what is now included in the counties of Lake, McHenry Du Page and Will.
(184)
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
"The county of MeHenry shall continue to form a part of Cook until it shall be organized; shall vote with the county of Cook in all general elections, until otherwise provided by law."
Winnebago, Jo Daviess, Kane, Ogle and Whiteside counties were established by other sections of the same act.
Subsequently the Legislature provided for the organization of the county, appointed a commission to locate the county-seat, and set apart the first day of June, 1837, as an election day, for the choosing of county officers. The commissioners appointed to locate the county-seat were: M. L. Coville, of McLean County; Peter Cohen, of Will County, and Daniel Dunham, of Kane County. Of course every important settlement in the county desired to have the seat of justice for its possession. Therefore Independence Grove (now Libertyville), Half Day, McHenry, Crystal Lake and Fort Hill each urged its claims to the honor. The commis- sioners, after examining the various competing points, on the 10th of May, 1837, fixed upon McHenry. as the county seat, it being near the geographical center of the county as then constituted. McHenry County then contained thirty congressional townships, and a small population, most of which was east of Fox River.
THE FIRST ELECTION.
The first public record of an official character in McHenry County is as follows:
"Mc Henry County Record. "June 1, 1837.
" At an election held at the house of Hiram Kennecott,* in McHenry County and State of Illinois, on the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, which was ordered by the Legislature for the organization of said county of McHenry, the following named persons were duly elected for the following described offices, to-wit:
"Charles H. Bartlett, Matthias Mason, Solomon Norton, County Commissioners; Henry B. Steele, Sheriff; Michael C. McGuire Coroner; Seth Washburn, Recorder; Charles E. Moore, Surveyor."
Sept. 9, 1837, a general election was ordered in the several pre- cincts of the county on Oct. 9, 1837, for one county commissioner, one commissioner's clerk; and also to fill all vacancies in the pre- cinets with magistrates and constables.
*Near Half Day, in the present county of Lake.
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSIONERS' COURT.
From the organization of the county until the adoption of the township system, in 1850, the duties now devolving upon the Board of Supervisors were discharged by three commissioners, who fixed the rates of taxation, granted mercantile, tavern and ferry licenses, established rates of toll and prices for entertainment, ordered roads, formed election precincts, appointed county and municipal officers, and exercised general supervision over all county matters. The record of their first meeting, or court, begins as follows:
" At a meeting of the Commissioner's Court of McHenry County, begun and held in said county on the fifth day of June, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, it being the first session of said court after the organization of said county of McHenry: Present, The Hon. Charles H. Bartlett, Matthias Mason, and Sol- omon Norton, Commissioners; Hamilton Dennison, Clerk.
"Hamilton Dennison was appointed Clerk, came forward and gave bail bond, with Seth Washburn and Henry B. Steele, his sureties, and took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Illinois, and the oath of office," etc.
The next act was the appointment of Andrew S. Wells as County Treasurer, who gave bonds, with Starr Titus and Seth Washburn as sureties, and was duly sworn into office. This done, the court proceeded to divide the county into election precincts.
Fox PRECINCT .- "Ordered by the court, That the following de- scribed district of country-viz .: Commencing at a point two miles east of Fox River on the south boundary line of McHenry County; thence west, following the south line of said county to the southwest corner of said county; thence north, following the west line of said county; thence east, on the north line of said county to a point two miles east of Fox River; thence south, fol lowing the course of said river, to the place of beginning-shall constitute a general precinct and magistrate's district, to be called Fox Precinct and Magistrate's District."
For this extensive precinct-comprising more territory than the whole of the present county of McHenry-Christy G. Wheeler, Wm. L. Way and John V. McLean were appointed judges of elec- tion. The place of holding elections was ordered to be at the house of Christy G. Wheeler, and an election for two justices of the peace and two constables was ordered on the third day of July, 1837.
After the transaction of a little further business "court ad-
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
journed until Saturday next, at the house of Charles H. Bartlett, on the Desplaines River, at one o'clock P. M." In the foregoing entries no attempts liave been made to follow the original spelling as it appears upon the records. There district appears as "des- trict ;" magistrate, as "magestrate;" place, as "plase;" meeting, as "meting," together with many other departures from modern orthographical standards, showing that the writer was probably better accustomed to holding the plow than to guiding the pen.
Saturday, June 10, 1837, the court met, pursuant to adjourn- ment, and procecded to divide the remainder of the county into precincts. These were named Oak, Lake, Indian Creek and Ab- ington precincts. As these divisions belonged to the territory now included in Lake County, we omit any description of them. The fact that but one precinct was deemed necessary for all the people living in what now comprises McHenry County, while four election districts were provided for the people of Lake, shows that the latter territory must have been much more populous than the former.
ROAD DISTRIOTS. - At the first term of Commissioners' Court, June 10, 1837, McHenry County was divided into eight road dis- tricts, described as follows:
No. 1 .- "That part of the Lake road commencing at line of McHenry County and extending to the north line of Oak Precinct." A. C. Ellis was appointed Supervisor of this district for one year from the first day of March, 1837.
No. 2 .- "That part of the Lake road commencing at the north line of Oak Precinct and extending to the north line of McHenry County." Thomas W. Nichols was appointed Supervisor.
No. 3 .- "That part of the road in Oak Precinct west of the north branch of the Chicago River, commencing on the south line of said county, and extending to the north line of Oak Precinct." Supervisor appointed, Samuel Sherman.
No. 4 .- "That part of the Desplaines road leading from Chicago to Milwaukee, commencing at the south boundary line of said county, and extending to the north line of Ferry Hubbard's claim." Seth Washburn was appointed Supervisor.
No. 5 .- " That part of the Desplaines road commencing at the north side of Ferry Hubbard's claim, and extending to the north side of Wynkoop's claim." Ransom Steele, Supervisor.
No. 6. "That part of the Desplaines road commencing at the 12
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north line of Wynkoop's claim, and extending north to where said road crosses the Desplaines River." Phineas Sherman, Supervisor.
No. 7 .- "The road commencing near Washburn's, on Indian Creek, and extending west to Bang's Lake." David P. Foot, Supervisor.
No. 8 .- Fox Precinct; John Chandler, Supervisor.
TAX RATES .- June 10, 1837, "Ordered by the court, That the following descriptions of property be taxable one per cent. on the dollar for this year, viz .: On slaves and indentured or registered negro or mulatto servants; on pleasure carriages; on distilleries; on stock in trade; on all horses, mares, mules, asses and neat cattle above three years of age; on swine; on lumber and one-horse wagons; on clocks and on watches with their appendages."
At the March term, 1838, all of the kinds of property above de- scribed, as well as " sheep and all ferrys," were declared taxable at one-half per cent. on the dollar.
FIRST ROADS. - At the September term of court, begun Sept. 4, 1837, the subject of roads first enlisted the attention of the com- missioners. Daniel Newcomb, John McCullom and Doctor Hale were appointed Viewers, "to view, survey and lay off a road to commence at McHenry Village and running north to the State line. The same date, Chauncey Beckwith, Abijah Barnum and John V. McLean were appointed to survey a road " commencing at or near Doctor A. Cornish's, thence running to McHenry, crossing English Prairie to the north line of said county of McHenry." Another road was ordered to be surveyed by Wmn. Sponable, Rob- ert G. White and David Bay, to commence "at the east line of Winnebago County, west of Belden's Grove; thence east to Joseph Belden's; thence east along the edge of the timber to the Kish- waukee, near Robert G. White's; thence across the Kishwaukee; then on the nearest and best route to the bridge on Fox River, near Samuel Gillon's." John McClure, John C. Gibson and William Bay were appointed to view a road " from McHenry Village, run- ning a southwest course across Wm. M. Holenback's claim, near his house, to William Hartman's in Virginia settlement; thence through the Bay settlement to the Kishwaukee, at or near Mr. White's" (Robert G. White's).
VIRGINIA PRECINCT .-- In the Commissioners' Court, September term, 1837, ordered by the court, "That that tract of country-viz. : Commencing at a point two miles east of Fox River, thence west following the south line of said county a distance of twelve miles,
J. C. Button
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
thence north twelve miles, thence east to a point two miles east of Fox River, thence south following two miles from the river to the place of beginning-shall constitute a general precinct and magis trate's district to be called Virginia Precinct and Magistrate's Dis- trict."
For the above precinct, Berman Crandall, Andrew Cornish and Abner W. Beardsley were appointed judges of election. The house of Berman Crandall was designated as the voting place.
June 1, 1840, " all that part of Virginia Precinct lying north of the north line of township 43, east of Fox River, was attached to McHenry Precinct." In December, 1842, the place of holding elec- tions was changed to the house of Lyman King.
MCHENRY PRECINOT .- Sept. 4, 1837, the Commissioners' Court ordered: "That the following tract of country-viz .: Commencing at a point two miles east of Fox River, thence west following the north line of the Virginia Precinct twelve miles, thence north to the State line, thence east following said State line to a point two miles east of Fox River, thence south following said river to the place of beginning-shall constitute a general precinct and magis- trate's district to be called McHenry Precinct and Magistrate's District." For this precinct, elections were ordered to be held at the house of Christy G. Wheeler, and Christy G. Wheeler, John V. McLean and Wm. Way were appointed judges of election.
NEPERSINK PREOINOT .- Sept. 4, 1837: "Ordered by the court, That the following tract of country-viz .: Commencing at the north corner of McHenry Precinct on the State line, thence south follow- ing the west line of McHenry Precinct to the southwest corner, thence west to the county line, thence north to the State line, thence east along said State line to the place of beginning-shall constitute a general precinct and magistrate's district to be called Nepersink Precinct and Magistrate's District." Samuel Conlogne, John D. Cone and John Diggins were appointed judges of election of the above district; and elections were to be held at the house of Samuel Conlogne. In December, 1838, the place of elections was changed to the house of Robert Metcalf. June 20, 1839, it was changed to the school-liouse on section 1, township 45, range 5 east.
KISHWAUKEE PRECINCT .- Under the same date, " Ordered by the court, That the following tract of country-viz .: Commencing at the southwest corner of Virginia Precinct, thence west following the south line of said county of McHenry to the west line of said county, thence north following said county line to the southwest
G
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
corner of Nepersink Precinct, thence east to the northwest corner of Virginia Precinct, thence south to the county line to the place of beginning-shall constitute a general precinct and magistrate's district to be called the Kishwaukee Precinct and Magistrate's District."
For Kiskwaukee Precinct, Robert G. White, Whiteman Cobb and William Sponable were appointed judges of election; and elections were ordered to be held at the house of William Spon- able. In June, 1838, the house of J. Rodgers was made the voting place. Two years later the election place was changed to the "Block School-house"; and in October, 1840, to Calvin Spencer's.
COOK COUNTY LINE .- Dec. 11, 1837: "Ordered by the court, That McHenry County, in conjunction with Cook County, furnish a sur- veyor and necessary help to survey the county line between Cook and McHenry, commencing at the northwest corner of Cook County." The report of the survey was accepted at the March meeting following.
TAVERN RATES .- In the Commissioner's. Court, Dec. 11, 1837, " Ordered by the court, That the several landlords of McHenry County shall receive the following fees and compensations for the years 1837-'8:
For brandy, gin and rum, per half pint, 12} cents; per pint, 25 cents; for wine, per half pint, 182 cents; per pint, 37} cents; for whisky, per half pint, 62 cents; per pint, 12} cents; for cider or beer, per half pint, 62 cents; per pint, 12} cents; for breakfast, dinner or supper, 372 cents; for lodging, per night, 122 cents; for horses to hay, per night, per span, 25 cents.
LICENSES .- Among early licenses granted by the Commissioners' Court were the following: Andrew Cornish, ferry on Fox River, one year from Sept. 4, 1837, $5. B. B. Brown, ferry license. Dec. 4, 1837, C. G. Wheeler, mercantile license for one year from June 1, 1837. David Goff, for $5, granted a tavern license for one year from Jan. 1, 1838; Emery B. Johnson, ditto, $10; Seth Washburn, ditto, $10; John King, ditto, $5; J. G. Cary, Lake Pre- cinct, tavern license for one year from Jan. 1, 1838; J. H. Fos- ter and Rufus Soules, tavern licenses. -Sawyer, mercantile license, Independence Grove, June term, 1838. The tavern.keep- ing industry seems to have flourished, the forms of the law not al- ways being complied with, as the following order bears witness:
July 16, 1838: "Ordered by the court, That Henry B. Steele, Sheriff, be, and he is hereby, authorized to inquire into all persons
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HISTORY OF MC HENRY COUNTY.
that are keeping public houses in this county, and those who have got no license are to get them, or take their signs down, or be fined according to law."
Brown & Johnson, McHenry, were granted a ferry license at the September term, 1838. Wm. Luce, mercantile license in McHenry for ninety days, $5; September term, 1838. Dr. Wm. Crane, mer- cantile license, Independence Grove, one year, $8; George Thomp- son, mercantile license, one year, $5. In December, 1838, Erastus Haughton, of Indian Creek Precinct, was granted a tavern license for $7. At the January term, 1839, the following licenses were granted: B. Simons, peddler, $6; John Easton, merchant, $7; Wm. Crane, tavern-keeper, $10; Swain & Storrs, merchants, $5. At the March term, 1839, licenses were granted as follows: David Goff, tavern, $7; Stanton M. Thomas, ferry. $7; Solomon D. Belden, mercantile, $8; Christy G. Wheeler, tavern, $5; Wm. Easton, tav- ern, $10; J. H. Foster, tavern, $10; Asahel Disbrow, tavern, $5; Andrew Donnelly, tavern, $7; Wm. Dwyer, tavern, $10; Abner W. Beardsley, tavern, $5; Christopher Walkup, "temperance house," $5; Proctor Smith, tavern, $8; Joseph Wood, " temperance house," $5; Ezra Newell, tavern, $7. In June, 1839, Isaac Daney (Dana?) was granted a license to keep a ferry on Fox River, for $5. By an order of the court passed at the June terin, 1842, merchants, ped- dlers and auctioneers were required to pay a license fee of $5 per year; grocers who sold liquors,' $25 per year.
BOUNTY ON WOLVES .- At the June term of the Commissioners' Court, 1838, the following bounty upon wolves was fixed: "For each wolfknown and denominated as the big wolf, of six months old and upward, $10; for each wolf of the same kind under the age of six months, and for each wolf known and denominated as the prairie wolf, of any age, the sum of $5 to be paid out of the county treasury on the certificate of the clerk of the County Commission- ers' Court. The person claiming such reward shall produce the scalp or scalps with the ears thereon within thirty days after the same was taken and killed; also to comply with all of the act en- titled ' An act for the encouragement of killing wolves,' passed by the Legislature of this State March 2, 1837." This order was re- pealed at the September term following.
FERRY RATES .- The following ferry rates for the county were fixed by the commissioners in March, 1839:
For each wagon and span of horses or yoke of oxen, 372 cents; for each one horse wagon and horse, 37} cents; for each horse and
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HISTORY OF MO HENRY COUNTY.
rider, 25 cents; for each extra or led horse or ox, 62 cents; for each foot passenger, 12} cents; for neat cattle, per head, 62 cents; for each hog, slicep, goat or calf, 4 cents; for horse and sulky or horse and gig, 37} cents; for cart and oxen or horse and cart, 372 cents;
LAKE COUNTY FORMED .- By act of the Legislature approved March 1, 1839, it was enacted that " all that portion of McHenry County east of a range or sectional line not less than three miles nor more than four miles east of the present county seat of Mc- Henry County shall constitute a new county to be called the county of Lake."
June 20, 1839. At a special meeting of the Board of Commis- sioners of McHenry County it was ordered, "That an election be held in Lake County on the first Monday in August next, in each precinct as now organized in McHenry County, for three commis- sioners, one commissioners' clerk, one coroner, one probate justice of the peace, one treasurer, one recorder, one school commissioner, two justices of the peace and two constables in each precinct." It was further ordered, "That the portions of Indian Creek, Abing- don, McHenry and Virginia precincts which lie east and west of the division line between Lake and McHenry counties be at- tached to the opposite precincts."
June 25, 1839. " Ordered by the court, That the poll books be opened at the Au rust elections to vote for and against a division of the county of McHenry, the line thereof to be the center of Fox River from north to south, and that the east end be called Lake County."
Instead of the "center of the river," as the dividing line, Lake County took all east of the section line running north and south three miles east of the river at McHenry; in other words, two-thirds of range 9, east, together with all lying e ist of the line mentioned.
LAKE COUNTY LINE .- March 2, 1840, Abijah S. Barnum, Sur- veyor of McHenry County, was appointed to act in conjunction with an agent to be appointed from Lake County, to establish the line between McHenry and Lake counties. Barnum was author- ized to select a disinterested third person, not living in either of the two counties, in conjunction with whom the two surveyors were to proceed to establish the line. The report of the survey does not appear upon the records, but it is probable that it was satisfactory, as no further mention of the subject is inade.
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