History of Mercer County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc., gathered from mattter furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, interviews with old settlers, county, township and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources as have been available : containing also a short history of Henderson County, Part 63

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 904

USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc., gathered from mattter furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, interviews with old settlers, county, township and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources as have been available : containing also a short history of Henderson County > Part 63

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Potters' Clay .- A test of some of the whitish or pale blue clay found above coal No. 1. proves it to possess excellent qualities for the manufacture of stoneware. Several barrels of it were shipped, a few years ago, to a firm in Iowa who pronounced it, after a thorough trial, worthy of the attempt to erect a factory near by it. Some negotiations were entered into with the manufacturer alluded to and parties here, but the enterprise was finally abandoned.

A superior deposit of clay, suitable for the manufacture of sewer tile and fire-brick has been developed within the past few years. This deposit is just below coal No. 2. and the heaviest body of it is found

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on the S. W. 4 of Sec. 35. The Monmouth Manufacturing Company, of Monmouth Illinois, purchased forty acres of this land and have shipped, for several years past, as high as 150 tons per year of their clay. the greater portion of which they use in making fire-brick and in heavy sewer tile. They claim it to be the best clay in the west for their purposes.

Lime .- Some of the blue limestone found above coal No. 1 has been burned for and yielded a fair quality of lime, but on account of impurities needs to be sorted and screened before using, and the amount so obtained is comparatively small, rendering its manufacture scarcely profitable.

Building Stone .- The sandstone lying just above Coal No. 2, Illi- nois section, is of a light color, varying from a dull white to yellow, and soft when first quarried, but hardens on exposure. There are several quarries of this rock in the township, some of which are yield- ing a fine quality of building stone. In some of the quarries it can be taken out in blocks of almost any desired size. This stone is found on section 33, near F. MeGanghey's house ; on the N. W. } of Sec. 26; on the N. E. { of Sec. 34; and inferior qualities at other places. The best and most extensive quarry is that of H. Gilbert on section 34, from which has been taken a large portion of all the sandstone for cutting and use in heavy masonry about Viola and the surrounding country.

The limestone which overlies Coal No. 1, of the Illinois section, is a drab-colored, impure limestone, varying from eight to fifteen feet in depth, with about two feet of a very solid blue limestone just below. In some localities we find a flinty limestone interposed between the blue and gray. The blue limestone is of small value for building material, as it soon falls to pieces on exposure to the atmosphere. This drab- colored rock is extensively quarried on sections 3, 4, and 5, and is held in high esteem for building purposes, many hundreds of tons having been hauled out into other portions of the county for economic uses. The rock is found mostly in layers from two to eight inches in thick- ness, the layers growing thicker gradually from above downward. Some of the lower layers can be broken into almost any desired sizes, up to ten or twelve feet square. The large slabs that form the floors and roofs of the cells in the county jail were quarried on section +, as also the large slabs lining and covering the vaults of the Aledo bank.

From the shale above the coals of Greene township and the over- laying limestones are gathered nearly every species of our Mercer ceunty coal measures fossils ; in fact, the fossils found in this township

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are the typical fossils of the coal measures in the county. It would be tedious and uninteresting for many of your readers were we to name a tenth part of these interesting relics of a by-gone period of our earth's growth, which have only in recent years possessed anything of interest or significance to human understandings ; but we will say. in general terms. that in addition to those already noted above. we find some species of the nautilus, the goniatite, the straparolus, murchisonia. pleurotomaria. bellerophon, productus, and several varities of cren- oidiæ. more or less broken and fragmentary.

Of fossil ferns, some of them very well preserved, we have several species. while fragments of the rhododenden and sigillaria, with the roots of the latter (stigmaria). are common trophies of our amateur collectors.

That inany of the monster mammals of the quarternary period once had a home in our neighborhood and roamed over the then marshy and fern-clad plains, which now constitute the high rolling prairie and grass-covered valleys of Greene township, there can be but small doubt. Their bones, which were buried here in that distant age, are now and then recovered from their unmarked burial grounds, and stand as witnesses of their former occupancy of the soil. In my cabi- net are a part of a tooth of the mastodon, and a large and well-pre- served tooth of the elephas primogeneous (?) found on section 3 in this township. The locality where found bore evidence of having been in former times a marsh or swamp, and the evidences from the place and its surroundings are strongly suggestive that the monsters whose teeth now grace my cabinet died where the teeth were found.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The first actual settler in what is now known as T. 14, R. 2. west - of the 4th P.M., was David Williams, who came in 1836 and entered a claim on the S. W. { of Sec. 14. In the following year came Nathan McChesney, who located in the eastern part of the township, and Thomas Weir, who located in section 9. In the spring of 1839 John Collins, formerly a resident of Columbiana county. Ohio, came from the eastern part of the county, where he had located in 1837 near the present site of Joy. Mr. Collins located on the W. ¿ of N. E. } of Sec. 15. He erected a log cabin about twenty rods east and on the opposite side of the road from the present residence of his son. William P. The last vestige of this rude habitation has disappeared, and immediately over the spot daily passes the "iron steed. swifter than eagles fly."

In the same year came John Cowden, who located on the N. W. }

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of Sec. 17; William Brownlee, who located on the N. E. + of Sec. 17: John Linn, who located on S. E. } of Sec. 14; and Elijah Stewart. who bought the claim of David Williams. John Carnahan. Sr., for- merly of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, came and located on section 18. His sons, William and David, and his son-in-law. Frank Anderson. took claims in the same section.

William Pinkerton, Sr., came in 1840, and also settled on section 18. John Walker also came at a very early day. The Park family came in 1839. George McFerren, Matthew Doak, and Henry Griffin were also among the early settlers of the township. Charles Durston was the first white child born in the township.

Although the strong armed pioneer experienced many hardships. privations and difficulties, his life was not destitute of sunshine. His rude log cabin. with its inmates, was as dear to him as though it had been a palace. After a hard day's work in the "clearing, " he would retire to rest with his loved ones about him, and was rewarded for his toil by a night of sound sleep

" Unbroken by the wolf's long howl, Or the panther springing by."

Being neighbors and companions in a wilderness cut off from civil- ization, a genial spirit of friendship generally existed among the set- tlers, and a neighbor was as welcome to share the rude comforts of the pioneer's cabin as a brother. Nor did the settlers lack for amusement. "Corn huskings." "spelling schools." "taffy pullings, " and "shooting matches," were frequent, young and old participating, and on the "puncheon Hoor" the young men and blushing maidens tripped the "light fantastic toe" as merrily, if not as gracefully, as the more accomplished dancers of the present day. While the traditional "back woods' fiddler" patted the floor with his number ten "cow- hides." and made the log cabin ring with such melodies as the "fisher's horn-pipe, " and the "devil's dream."

If a "new-comer" desired to build a house, he had the services of all the settlers in the surrounding neighborhood at his disposal. Car- pentering was then in its simplicity, a broad-ax. an auger, and a cross-ent saw constituted a set of carpenter's tools, and out of a pile of logs of various sizes a cabin was soon constructed, the cracks "chunk and dobbed." with a kind of mortar made of elay and prairie grass. A chimney and fire-place made of the same material, and the house was ready for its occupants.

One of the worst enemies the settlers had to contend with was the prairie fire. Hunters would frequently set fire to the tall grass, which.

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

in the fall, would readily ignite; the prairie would soon be a sea of flame, and woe unto the unlucky farmer who had not taken the proper precautions to protect his property. These fires were sometimes arrested in their flight by the settlers, who would turn out and "fight them." Mr. W. P. Collins states that he, in company with his father, brother, and several neighbors once fought a fire from Saturday until Sunday night, without food, water or sleep. The manner in which this was done was to plow a furrow in front of the fire, and then burn the grass between, being careful in the beginning to prevent the grass on the opposite side from igniting.

The people also experienced great difficulty in getting breadstuff. Mills being scarce, they were frequently, in case of bad weather, com- pelled to manufacture their own meal, which was done by grating the corn while on the ear. Corn bread and pork constituted the bill of fare.

William Terry was also one of the earliest settlers in Greene town- ship, having came in 1836, from New York state. He entered in all about 440 acres of land, 160 of which was entered in his son's name. Mr. Terry is now nearly eighty-four, and is apparently as rugged as when the writer first saw him a score of years ago. His mind is as clear and his memory as retentive as in his boyhood. He is familiarly spoken of as "Uncle Billy." During an interview with this venerable gentleman, the writer listened to many amusing incidents illustrative of pioneer life. When Mr. Terry came to Mercer county, there was but one other settler in Greene township. Game of all kinds abounded He states that he has seen as many as fifty deer in a drove, browsing on Pope creek bottom. Lynx and wolves were also very plentiful. One evening, while driving his cows down to the creek bottom, he heard a rustling in the bushes near at hand, and on walking up nearer to ascertain the cause, a huge black wolf sprang at him, with glaring eyes and open jaws. Uncle Billy sprang across a little stream that ran near by, and started homeward at a rate which he thinks was the fast- est on record at that time. He arrived safely at home, minus his hat. On the following morning he went back to the scene of the fright and found from its tracks, that the wolf had pursued him as far as the water and stopped. He was returning home one evening from Bridger's corners, where he had been transacting some business which had not gone to suit him. This rendered his feelings very unamiable, and as he was passing through Pope creek timber, his mind was very sud- denly diverted from his financial affairs by the appearance of a large gray wolf, immediately in front of him and right in his path. He stopped for a moment, and the wolf raised himself on his haunches,

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and sat glaring at him in a very threatening manner. But Uncle Billy's combativeness would not allow him to flee, nor to turn from the path. Ile seized a club, started toward the animal, and it politely stepped aside, allowing him to pass, but he states that he kept one eye on his wolfship until he disappeared in the distance. Mr. Terry states that the settlers in that part of the county did their trading at Hender- sonville, Knox county, where they paid as high as twenty dollars per barrel for flour, and other commodities in proportion. His family once subsisted for several weeks on bread made from wheat ground in a coffee mill. The first religious services Mr. Terry attended in Illinois were held in the cabin of Mr. James Mann, in North Hender- son township. People then drove to church with ox teams.

Hopkins Boone, now a resident of Viola, was the second settler in Preemption township, having located on Edwards river in the fall of 1835. Mr. Boone first made a trip to Illinois in 1830 and had decided to make his home in the southern part of the state. But on returning after the close of the Black Hawk war he found that locality too thickly settled to suit his ideas of a new country, and he accordingly came farther north. At that time and for several years subsequent the county was divided into three voting precincts, his being called the Richland Grove precinct. The polling place was then at the residence of a Mr. Parker in what is now Richland Grove township. On election day in 1836 Mr. Boone, in company with a neighbor, walked to Mr. Parker's to cast their votes. On their arrival they found fifteen or twenty settlers from other parts of the precinct who had congregated there for the same purpose. They had no printed tickets, and as not a soul of them knew the names of the electors, it was impossible for them to vote, and after laughing and joking considerably over their predicament they returned to their respective homes.

Mr. Boone states that at that time there was no road leading north and south except an Indian trail, which could be traveled only on horseback, and which lay between Monmouth and Rock Island. He states that there had been a state road laid ont from Beardstown to Rock Island, but as there had been no work done on it through Mer- cer county it could not be traveled by wagon.

Until after they had raised a crop the settlers were obliged to get their provisions from Knox and Warren counties. In order to reach Monmouth by wagon they were obliged to go west to the Mississippi and there take a road running from New Boston to that place, which made a roundabout journey.

For several years after locating at Farlow's Grove their nearest mill was one situated on the Cedar fork of Henderson creek in Warren

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county. As there was but little wheat raised the settlers were obliged to subsist principally on corn bread, and occasionally on "hog and hominy." As game was plentiful a piece of venison or a wild turkey frequently broke the monotony. Mr. Boone states that a drove of wild hogs was seen along the river in 1836 and some of them were shot by the settlers.

Mr. Boone erected the first saw-mill built on Edwards river and did work for settlers for many miles around:

He is one of the four remaining pioneers of Mercer county. He is a distant relative of the famous Daniel Boone, and like him, in his younger days, excessively fond of life in a wild country. He says the happiest days of his life were spent in a log cabin. In early times he could stand in the door of his rude habitation and look far up and down the river and across the country for miles, seeing nothing but prairie, with here and there a belt of timber; hills adorned with flowers of every hue, between which glided the silvery waters of the river, and here and there herds of deer feeding on the plain.

But what a change time has wrought. Civilization in its onward march has blotted out all traces of the cabin, and where the bounding deer dwelt and the wild flowers bloomed, are school-houses, dwellings and fields of grain.

The canoe of the swarthy savage is seen no more darting up and down the stream, while in the distance can be heard the shriek of the locomotive and the clanging of the church bells.

He like many others has stepped out of the busy whirlpool of life, aud is living in quiet retirement. He has the satisfaction of knowing that he assisted in paving the way for civilization and for progress, and in his later years his memory loves to dwell on the past, which for him has been marked by many hardships and dangers, yet has not been without its pleasures.

ORGANIZATION.

Greene township assumed organization in 1854. The name of Greene was suggested by John Collins, with whom General Greene of revolutionary fame was a great favorite. The first town meeting was held in a school-house that stood on a hill in what is now the eastern part of the village of Viola. John Collins was chosen chairman by acclamation, after which Uri Smith was chosen moderator, and Henry Hoagland, clerk pro tem. The polls being opened the following officers were chosen by ballott : Elisha Miles, supervisor ; Henry Hoag- land, town clerk ; William P. Collins, assessor ; Alexander McGauhey, collector ; John Frazier, overseer of the poor ; Samual E. Russell, John

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H. Park and David Somerville, Jr., commissioners of highways; John Griffin and Henry Hoagland, justices of the peace ; William T. McGauhey and W. P. Collins, constables ; Jeremiah Boyer, and David Somerville, Jr., pound masters ; Alexander M. Stewart, Van R. Har- riott, and C. Doty, overseers of highways.

VIOLA.

The village of Viola was laid out by Ford, Shepard and Perkins in 1856. As that time the old Air Line railroad was being surveyed through the country, and Viola was one of the points selected for a station. The name was conferred upon the infant village by Judge Perkins, and is said to have been suggested to him by one of his dauglı- ters. In 1856-7 the judge erected the large brick hotel, supposing that a prosperous town would soon surround it. But owing to the collapse of the railroad scheme the great building stood almost alone in its glory for several years after, and proved to have been a very unprotitabte investment to the builder.

The first business house erected after the laying out of the village was that of Dyer Ford, father of M. M. Ford, one of the proprietors of the town. Soon after, the Crosby brothers erected a building and opened up a stock of general merchandise. The first drug store was opened by Mr. Balkam. The postoffice was established in the village in 1856 at the residence of Samuel Perry, Mr. Perry officiating as postmaster for a short time, resigned, and was succeeded by Dyer Ford. The names of the successive postmasters down to the present time in the order of their appointment are as follows : B. F. Warner, resigned, E. S. Fugate, resigned, N. H. Pond, resigned, E. T. Crosby, resigned, E. L. MeKinnie, removed, and V. R. Harriott. The latter named gentleman was appointed in 1880, and has discharged his duties faithfully and satisfactorily.

For a period of nearly twelve years after the laying out of the village, but little growth or progress was made, but after the comple- tion of the branch of the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy railroad in 1869, it began to show some signs of life, and entered upon an era of prosperity and growth which surprised the most sanguine. In 1869 Park & McKinnie erected a handsome drug store. In 1870 Crosby & Phares erected a building in the same block. In 1871 H. B. Frazier built a handsome two-story store building 22×60 feet, and has since added twenty feet in length. In the winter of 1869-70 John G. Gilbert erected a store building and masonic hall on the corner of Shepard and Eighth streets. Since that time he has added two other handsome store-rooms, making the entire building 64×64 feet. The

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

first stock of hardware was put in by V. R. Harriott, in the old hotel building. In 1869 an elevator was built by Mack, Reynolds & Co., of Galesburg, which was operated by the Manning brothers. In 1880 E. J. Morgan also erected a large grain elevator west of the former one, which is now owned by Pinkterton Brothers. The capacity of this building is 20,000 bushels.

During the winter of 1880-81, 400,000 bushels of corn were shipped from Viola, which we presume was not exceeded at any point in the county. The village was incorporated March 19. 1870, Dr. J. V. Frazier, E. J. Morgan, Henry Allen, P. L. McKinnie, and W. K. Garwood being the first trustees. During the twelve years of her in- corporated existence Viola has had a licensed saloon within its limits but two years. During that time king alcohol held undisputed sway, and with his polluting breath sent misery and wretchedness, want and despair into many households. With his subtle power he tore the dimpled arms of the laughing child from about its father's neck, and "changed him from a loving father to a demon. Thanks to the unceas- ing labors of the temperance people, he was checked in his devilish career. They declared, through the ballot, that the saloonkeeper must go, and he has gone. let us hope, forever.

NIGGER RIDGE.

For several years previous to and during the war, the people in the western part of the township are said to have been large stockholders in the underground railway. A depot or station was established in the neighborhood, and many a dusky slave, fleeing from the cruelty of the master's lash, was by those kind-hearted people assisted on his way toward the star in the north, and owing to such humane acts, to- gether with the fact that the people in the vicinity were almost unani- mous in the most radical abolition principles, the neighborhood won the name of Nigger Ridge. Rather an uncouth nickname it is, yet one of which they may justly be proud. With it are mingled the recollections of the child being torn from the arms of its dark-skinned mother and sold at the auction block, of the cruel lash, of the savage bloodhound, of the four long years of war that struck the shackles from the arms of millions of slaves.

FIRES.

In June, 1865, the residence of Dr. J. V. Frazier took fire from a defective flue, and was burned to the ground ; loss, $1,500.

In 1866 the drug store of E. S. Fugate took fire, burning the north- west corner of the building, and destroying his books and papers ;

JOHN LAFFERTY

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loss, about $800. Owing to the timely assistance of the citizens, the building was saved from entire destruction.

In 1878 the residence of B. N. Peck took fire, and, with almost its entire contents, totally destroyed. The dwelling was insured, and Mr. Peck received the entire amount.

EPISODES.

In February, 1881, the postoffice was entered, and stamps and reg- istered letters, amounting to $100, taken. The perpetrator was never captured.

July 3, 1875, a large crowd assembled at Viola for the purpose of celebrating the Fourth, that day coming on Sunday. During the after- noon a crowd of miners got into a melee with the police, and a general row ensued, in which some bravery and a great deal of cowardice was manifested. Titus Snyder, Samuel Park, and one or two others having been authorized to act as policemen, contended for a time with a howl- ing mob of infuriated drunkards, and, although severely handled, they succeeded in leveling half a dozen of the ruffians to the earth, after which quiet was restored.

In the fall of 1876 George Parrot, a traveling salesman stopping at the village hotel, committed suicide by taking morphine.

On the night of November 17, 1878, a burglar named Lothringer tried to effect an entrance into the dry goods store of H. B. Frazier & Co. George Goding, a brother of one of the firm, was sleeping in the store at the time, and was suddenly awakened by the cracking of glass in the rear end of the building. He seized his revolver and crept quietly back until he felt the cold air coming through the hole that had been made in the glass in the panel door. The head and shoulders of the burglar soon appeared, and he was in the act of crawling in, when Goding fired, the ball taking effect in his breast. He turned and ran. across the street, where he fell and was captured. He was afterward sent to the state prison.

ORGANIZATIONS.

The United Presbyterian Church-Was organized in 1855 by the Rev. Matthew Bigger, and was at that time known as the Twin Grove congregation. The names of the first trustees elected are as follows : John Mitchell, chairman; W. P. Collins, secretary ; trustees, S. E. Russell, J. B. Mitchell, and W. P. Collins. The membership then numbered twenty-eight, and was organized under the care of the Associate Reform Presbytery at Monmouth. John Collins, John Mitchell, Sr., and Samuel Ross were members of the session. The

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

first regular pastor was the Rev. D. C. Cochran, who was installed in the spring of 1857. There has been since the organization of the society about 325 members united with them. The present member- ship is 110. The largest number of members attending services at any one time was 130. The present pastor is the Rev. W. S. McClan- nahan. The present session is composed of the following-named members : Richard Gardner, J. C. Pinkerton, Leonard Hogg, Richard Aitkin, James Stewart, and S. E. Russell. The present trustees are : W. C. Breckenridge, John Ashenhurst and S. E. Russell. The Sabbath school in connection is in a very flourishing condition and numbers about 100 members. This congregation is one of the largest and most prosperous in the county. The church building was erected in 1857; in 1876 additional improvements were made. The entire cost of the building was about $4,500.

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Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co. Number of Pages: 904

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 904