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 77
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86
In 1880 this township built a town-hall 24×42×14 feet, at a cost of $785.
On the farm of G. W. Higgins in section 14 is the only artesian well in this county. Mr. Higgins began this well in 1874, but it was not completed until 1876. The first company failed with its drill fast in a strata of magnetic rock, so the second company employed had to begin at the surface. The well attained a depth of 1,209 feet. The last surface water was passed at a depth of 127 feet. At 915 feet water was struck that rises to within eighty feet of the surface, and an inexhaustible supply. A ten-horse-power engine, running to its full capacity four hours, throwing a four-inch stream, failed to perceptibly lower the water line in the well. The water is soft and contains a
802
HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.
small percentage of iron ; temperature, sixty-two degrees F. In boring this well the first coal was struck at seventy-five feet, without roof; coal was struck again detween 440 and 485 feet. Magnetic rock was found at 405 feet.
The following list gives the different strata passed through, with the thickness of each, beginning at the surface :
Yellow Clay.
30
Dark Clay and Gravel.
75
Coal and Shale.
40
115
Limestone and Water.
12
127
Shale.
10
137
Black Slate.
18
155
Dark Shale.
123
278
Shale.
15
296
Limestone
1
300
Shale, with Sulphate of Iron.
27
327
Bastard Limestone.
18
345
Limestone .
95
440
Limestone and Coal
45
485
Limestone .
25
510
Blue Shale.
65
575
Limestone
17
592
Alternate Strata of Shale and Limestone, two to three feet.
670
Blue Shale
30
700
Limestone
412
1.112
Sandstone.
SS
1,200
Black Shale
9
1,209
Besides the Mann cemetery mentioned above, there was a cemetery laid out in 1860 in the N. E. } of Sec. 35, called Mount Vernon ceme- tery, which has been quite extensively patronized since that time by the people of the southeast corner of the county.
In introducing the history of some of the pioneers of this town- ship it is fitting that Govert S. Fleharty should be the first one men- tioned, as he was its first white inhabitant. This cannot be better done than by quoting from the pen of one who knew the family well, and wrote of its history as follows :
THE FLEHARTY FAMILY.
Among others who came to Mercer county in those far off and romantic days, ere the Indian war-whoop had died away from the prairies of northern Illinois, were. the four brothers, Stephen W., Gov- ert S., Bennett E., and Henry Fleharty, and their respective families. They were accompanied by their aged father and mother, William and
Feet. 30
Feet.
281
Limestone
803
NORTH HENDERSON TOWNSHIP.
Margaret (Withgot) Fleharty, who were natives of Maryland, and dur- ing the early years of their married life had a delightful home on the far-famed Eastern Shore, near Coptauk river. Grandfather Fleharty, as he was called in later years, was, in his younger days, a slaveholder, and although not imbued with anti-slavery sentiments to any great extent, he removed with his family to Ohio in 1810, mainly for the purpose of escaping from the demoralizing influences of slavery. The four brothers above-named were typical western pioneers; athletic, courageous, and possessed of great physical endurance. They located in Mercer county, at different periods between the years 1833 and 1835. This portion of the state was then a primitive paradise. Many hard- ships were to be endured by the early settlers, but there was grand inspiration in their surroundings. Not far away was the great father of waters, with shores bordered with dark, dense forests. Here and there were lovely groves, which in the summer season appeared like islands in an emerald sea. Nimble footed deer frequented the woods and streams or bounded over the prairies in herds, scarcely realizing the presence of the few and scattered pioneers. The prairies were nature's own flower gardens. There the wild bees gathered their win- ter stores and thence they were followed by the wary bee hunters to the knarled oaks which contained their hoarded wealth. £ Looking across the years that have intervened since those days, and realizing the value of the work that was accomplished by all of the pioneer settlers of Illinois, it seems fitting that for those who have gone to their long home. pioneers now in the land beyond the river, there should be a memorial decoration day, and that their graves should be annually strewn with fairest flowers. Illinois had a grand army of these pioneer settlers, grand in character if not in numbers. In this army the brothers above-named held an honorable rank. It is related of Henry, the younger of the four, that in the sports of muster day, as the militia meetings for drill were styled, he was only equaled in feats of strength and agility by one person, Mr. Notley Scott, who was one of the most athletic men in that part of the state. Henry Fleharty died before he had reached the prime of manhood.
Stephen W. Fleharty, the elder of the four brothers, was born in the state of Maryland on the 28th day of December, 1799. He removed with the family to Ohio in 1810, and to Springfield, Illinois, in 1825. He was married three times during his life of eighty-two years. A daughter, Margaret, by his first wife, married Mr. James T. Jones and now resides at Mount Hecla, Texas. Her mother died while yet very young. Mr. Fleharty's second wife, Amelia W., was the daughter of Rev. John Kirkpatrick, one of the pioneer Methodist ministers of
804
HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.
Illinois. The union proved to be a happy one and they raised a large family of children. The family settled in Mercer county in 1834, on a handsome tract of land, composed of timber and prairie, one and a half miles east of what was then known as "Bridger's Corners," now Suez. Mr. Fleharty was a cabinet-maker by trade and was a thorough workman. Articles of furniture made by him are still in use among some of the older families of Mercer county. When not employed on the farm he worked industriously at his trade, and in this way finally secured a comfortable home. He was a strong man intellectually, a great reader; a whig in politics, then a republican, and always a patriot. The partner of his joys and sorrows during those early years, Mrs. Amelia W. Fleharty, was a true christian woman, and her life, so gentle and affectionate in the midst of many trials, illustrated the most winning graces of christianity. She was the mother of ten chil- dren, including two pairs of twins. Only four of the ten are now liv- ing. George Washington and Marquis Lafayette (twins), Amelia, Sarah E., and Fletcher A. all died young. Mrs. Fleharty passed away to the land of the blessed in the year 1865. Mr. Fleharty married a third time, and a son was born to him when he was nearly seventy years old. He died on April 10, 1882, in his eighty-third year. The following is an extract from a notice of his death that was published in the Galesburg "Republican Register": "A good man, whose life reaches back into the last century and forward so late in the present century ; a man whom every one calls honest and honorable ; having a record of eighty-three years unstained and unchallenged, is one of the choicest treasures of a commonwealth. Sueli was Stephen W. Fleharty, as every one who knew and respected him will allow." His widow, Mrs. Julia B. Fleharty, and her son Eddie are living near Galesburg.
William L. Fleharty, the oldest of the family excepting the half- sister above mentioned, possessed all of the sterling qualities of his father and the gentleness of his mother. He married young, worked industriously and provided for himself and family a pleasant home near Galesburg. His wife's maiden name was Elizabeth Terrill. He died in the prime of life, aged forty-six, and Mrs. Fleharty survived him only a few years. They left a family of six children, two of whom are married.
J. Q. A. Fleharty (twin brother of H. C.), is a traveling minister in the North Nebraska Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has been very successful in his vocation.
H. C. Fleharty is engaged in farming near Fullerton, Nebraska. He was married when young to Miss Margery E. Cullison, of Knox county, Illinois. They have an interesting family of bright, promising children.
805
NORTH HENDERSON TOWNSHIP.
Rev. J. J. Fleharty, the next in order of birth, entered the minis- terial profession when very young, and was for many years a member of the Central Illinois Conference. He has been eminently successful as a minister. Was married, when young, to Miss Anna B. Brace, of Stark county, Illinois. They have had only one child, Clara, now a charming young lady. Rev. Fleharty is now president of the Nebraska Wesleyan University, located at Fullerton, an institution that is young in years but full of promise. He also continues in the work of the ministry.
S. F. Fleharty, the youngest of the four brothers who are living, was born September 6, 1836, and was either the first or second child born within the limits of Suez township. He was a member of the 102d Ill. Vol. Inf. during the late war, and was sergeant-major of the regiment. Was a member of the Illinois legislature in 1870-72, representing Mercer county. Removed to Nebraska in 1875, where he engaged successfully in the newspaper business, and is now private secretary of the governor of Nebraska.
GOVERT S. FLEHARTY .- Returning to the "old stock," it is a pleas- ure to sketch the career of another of Mercer county's honored pioneers. Govert S. Fleharty was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Feb- ruary 22, 1804, a patriotic beginning of a life that was marked by the strongest impulses of patriotism, and of devotion to the inalienable rights of man. He removed with the family to Ross county, Ohio, in 1810, and to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1825, where he was married in 1828 to Margaret L. Harmon. They remained in that county some five years, during which time Martha C., Stephen W., and Mary A. Fleharty were born. In 1833 the family removed to Mercer county, selecting a home on the S. E. { of Sec. 1, North Henderson township, and there William D. and Margaret were born, the latter being the youngest and last of the family. In 1838 the family removed to Henry county, where they lived for many years, in a pleasant home near the village of Oxford. Govert S. Fleharty was physically and mentally a strong man, earnest in his convictions, and adhering to them with unswerving fidelity in the face of the most bitter persecu- tions. He was an old-time abolitionist, and, to his honor be it said, that he aided more than one fugitive slave that was fleeing from the bloodhounds and the lash of the southern slaveholder. He died Octo- ber 20, 1876, and it is written of him that he was born on Washing- ton's birthday, and died during the centennial year of American inde- pendence. His wife, Margaret L. Fleharty, was a faithful, devoted, and affectionate christian woman, whose good example and kindly nature has left an enduring impression upon the surviving members of
.
806
HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.
the family. She died December 10, 1880. The children are all living. Martha C. married Mr. W. T. Bridger. They have a family of four children, and a pleasant home, one mile north of Oxford and just across the line from Mercer county.
S. W. Fleharty, the elder of the two sons, was born October 24, 1830, and was married in 1856 to Miss Elizabeth Watson, of Mercer county. They reside on their beautiful farm, a short distance east of New Windsor, and by their industry have made a happy home for themselves and their children. Wesley, as he is commonly called, is a man of the strictest integrity, an original and independent thinker, bold and direct in expressing his views on all subjects, uncompro- mising, yet kind at heart, and worthy of the respect which he univer- sally receives.
The second son, William D. Fleharty, was born October 4, 1834, and was the first white child that was born in North Henderson town- ship. He was married in 1860 to Miss Mary C. Petrie, daughter of William F. Petrie, and sister of Hon. A. P. Petrie. Mr. and Mrs. F. have only one child, Annie, now twelve years old, and very natarally, as well as deservedly, their only.darling is the sunlight of their happy home. Mr. Fleharty has been engaged in business as a grain buyer at New Windsor for many years, and has been remarkably successful. During all of that period he has maintained a character that is above reproach, and all classess have implicit confidence in his business in- tegrity. He has been twice elected to the office of supervisor for Rivoli township, and has discharged the duties of the office with credit to himself and to his constituents. Mr. and Mrs. Fleharty have an elegant home in New Windsor.
Mary A. Fleharty, the second daughter, married Mr. Peter Stevens a substantial and well-to-do farmer, who resides in Ohio Grove town- ship. They have seven children. The youngest daughter, Margaret, married Mr. David MeLanghlin, and their home near Oxford is the old home of Govert S. and Margaret Fleharty, the father and mother of five children, who have all been successful in life and an honor to their parents.
Another brother, William Fleharty, next in age to Stephen, was a minister, and at the time the family settled here he went into the lead region of southwestern Wisconsin, where he married and settled and died. He has one son residing in Wisconsin and one in Kansas. A sister Ann married Joseph Holiday, in Sangamon county, before the family came to this county, afterward removing to Knox county, and settling near Bennett. When William Fleharty settled in what is now Suez township, it became known that he had served as justice of the
809
NORTHI HENDERSON TOWNSHIP.
peace in Ohio for some years, so he was elected to the same office here. At that time the state was too poor to furnish more than three or four copies of the statutes for the use of the legislature, and Mercer county was not the possessor of a single copy. Mr. F. had a copy of the Ohio statutes so he administered justice according to the statutes of Ohio, and no one could question his decisions as they could produce no Illinois law in his court.
BENNETT E. FLEHARTY .- The early history of Mercer county would be incomplete without a sketch of Bennett E. Fleharty, one of the four brothers named at the beginning of this article. Old settlers remem- ber him as one of the most conscientious men that ever lived. He was a mild mannered man, very quiet, and ever faithful to his duties as a christian. It is related of him that after working hard during the week, he often walked from seven to ten miles for the purpose of attending the Methodist class meeting of those days. His home was on the south side of Pope creek, near the eastern line of the county. His wife's maiden name was Charlotte Cook. They raised a family of four children : William, John, Sarah, and Jane. The family removed to Kansas, some years ago, and soon afterward Uncle Bennett, as he was familiarly called, passed away to that land from which no traveler returns. The news of his death was heard with great sorrow by old neighbors and relatives here, and his exemplary life will not soon be forgotten. The surviving members of the family are living in the state of Kansas.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Among the earliest settlers of this township was BENJAMIN F. BROWN, who was born in Nelson county, Kentucky, April 7, 1810, the son of Samuel and Henrietta (Hobbs) Brown. His father died in Ken- tucky, but his mother came to Knox county, Illinois, with the family. in 1831. The family consisted of nine children, seven of whom lived to have families. Alfred, now deceased, left several children : Har- mon lives in Knox county ; Sallie (wife of Peter Frantz), lives in Knox county ; Harrison and Benjamin F. live in this county ; Joshua H. in Knox county ; Samuel W. in Washington Territory, has had a position in a United States land office there for a number of years ; Margaret (deceased), was the wife of Mr. Freeman, of Knox county ; and John (deceased), lived in this county at the time of his death. Benjamin F. came to Knox county, Illinois, in the spring of 1831. In the spring of 1832 he joined Capt. William McMurtry's company of rangers, which formed part of Maj. Bogard's regiment, enlisted in the counties of Schuyler, MeDonough, Warren and Knox, for the defense of the
46
810
HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.
frontier against the bands of Black Hawk, who had taken the war-path again that spring. In one of the scouts made that season by a detach- ment of his company he proceeded to the present site of the city of Rock Island, which was marked at that time by the presence of one log cabin. The years 1833 and 1834 he spent in the lead mines about Galena. The spring of 1835 he began to improve a claim with his brother Harison, on sections 18 and 19. Selling out his claim to his brother Harison in 1836, he returned to Knox county. February 18, 1838, he married Miss Lucinda Mann, daughter of James Mann. whose early settlement is spoken of elsewhere. She was a native of Ohio, born near Cincinatti. That spring he began to improve a claim on sections 6 and 7, which now forms part of his farm, which consists at present of 324 acres on the southwest section 6, northwest section 7, and E. ¿ N. E. Sec. 12, in Suez township. He has a fine residence on the southwest section 6, built in 1861, where the latch-string is always out, in true pioneer style, and no more hospitable welcome is to be found than beneath his roof. Mr. B. was fond of the chase and in the days when game was plenty his trusty rifle brought many a deer to the dust. He was also fond of luring the finny denizens of the rivers from their native element, and acquired so great a reputation in this line that he is commonly spoken of now by the old pioneers as " Fisher Ben." He and his wife are active members of the Universalist church, to which they have been attached for many years. They have a parish organized now in Suez township and a half interest in a church with the United Brethren on section 10 in that township. Mr. B. was for- merly a whig, but upon the demise of that party and the organization of the republican party, he has been a zealous and active adherent of that party. Their children were : Susan E., born November 17, 1838, married Ira G. Bridger July 24, 1864, and died. without any children, May 15, 1877 ; Joshua H., born July 6, 1841. enlisted in Capt. Pep- per's company, 84th reg. Ill. Vol. Inf., in 1862, and served his country faithfully until the close of the war ; January 1, 1867, he married Mrs. Mary (Dilley) Rodgers and now resides on the southeast of section 10, in Suez township; Samuel M., born in March 10, 1844, married Feb- rnary 6, 1868, Miss Almira Allen, daughter of Henry H. and Amanda (Abbott) Allen, she being a daughter of Johnson Abbott; (Mrs. A. was a native of Kentucky, and Mr. A. of this state; they have three children : Benjamin A., born September 19, 1870 ; Ida Olive, March 20, 1873, and Cora May, January 12, 1881. They reside in this town- ship, having a farm of 140 acres on the southwest of section 9); Vachel H. (born October 7, 1846, died November 24, 1850) ; Hen- rietta H. (born November 10, 1851, married John Allen, brother of
S11
NORTH HENDERSON TOWNSHIP.
Samuel M.'s wife, October S. 1874, now reside in Wyoming Terri- tory) ; Olive (born April 24, 1857, died May 31. 1875) ; Margaret (born November 2. 1860), is the only one now at home with her parents.
Another pioneer was ALLEN S. BROWN, who traces his genealogy from John Brown and his wife (Elizabeth Crossly), who emigrated from New Jersey to Kentucky in the days of Daniel Boone; emigrating thence to Ohio in 1786. Mrs. B. finally died in Indiana when 101 years old. These were his grandparents." His father, Samuel Brown, was born in Kentucky in 1782, and married, in Butler county, Ohio, March 12. 1807, Miss Jane Bell, who was of Irish descent. Hle received a bounty and pension from the government for his services in the war of 1812. He moved from Ohio to Indiana, and thence to Knox county, Illinois, with his family in 1834. He died in Warren county, Illinois, September 10. 1856, and Mrs. Brown survived him until May 12, 1869. There were nine children in the family: Eliza- beth, Hester, Mary, Benjamin, AAllen S., Nancy, Jane, Samuel. and John. Hester was the wife of Timothy Mecker, and survives him. living upon the old homestead. Allen S. was born near Connelsville. Wayne county, Indiana, November 7, 1818. December 31, 1837, he married Miss Polly MeMurtry, of Knox county, who was in her eight- eenth year at that time. She was the oldest daughter of John and Mary (Williamson) McMurtry. Mr. McMurtry was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, in 1797, his ancestors coming from Ireland before revolutionary times ; his grandfather falling a victim to the Indians in the carly settlement of Kentucky. He removed to Indiana in 1813. and was married in Crawford county, that state, September, 1819. Ilis wife was a native of South Carolina. Their family consisted of six girls: Polly, Loviey, Martha, Harriet, Sarah, and Eliza, all born near Leavenworth, Indiana. In 1830 he hired a team to bring his family through to Illinois, he following with a few head of cattle. He located on section 33, Rio township, Knox county, building a rail pen and covering it with canvas, in which they sheltered themselves for three weeks while erecting a log cabin. In 1831 all the settlers north of Henderson Grove were warned away on account of threatened depre- dations by the Indians. Some who left their claims did not stop until they reached the friendly shelter of Indiana's wooded plains. Mr. MeMurtry removed his family to a block-house on the south side of the grove near James Gumm's, known as the Gumm fort. After remain- ing there two or three months, they returned to their claim. In the spring of 1832 they were driven into a fort near Paul Hahn's, on the north side of the grove, that had been built by the settlers during the
812
HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.
previons winter for their better protection. Here they remained four weeks and then returned to their home. This fort was not far from their claim ; so when danger threatened, they would go to the fort at night and return to the claim to work during the day. On some occa- sions, after a period of fancied security, when remaining in their cabin nights, they would be warned by a courier of the approach of Indians. and, thinking they had not time to reach the fort, they would conceal tliemselves in the shadows of the neighboring woods, or in the tall grass that bordered all the sloughs on the prairies, remaining in their hiding places until daylight revealed to them that the alarm had been a groundless one. But to return to the subject of this sketch. Mr. Brown, after his marriage, rented a farm one year, but in April, 1839, he settled on the W. 3 of S. E. of Sec. 25, which he afterward entered. Here they began life, with a log cabin having one room in it, one yoke of oxen, and a two-year-old filly. From this small beginning they accumulated a handsome property, owning some 800 acres of land before Mr. Brown's death, which occurred June 19, 1871. Their chil- dren are: Sarah J. (wife of A. N. Tate, deceased), Eliza A. (wife of L. F. Gentry, deceased), Mary E. (wife of William Brown), William H., Martha E. (wife of Isaac Stevens, deceased), James N. (died in infancy). John T. (now married and living on the old homestead), Amanda M. (died in her sixth year). Charles W., Annette (wife of L. J. Smith). Allen Douglas, Levi F., and Fred A. Mr. Brown was a man of more than the average native ability. Though never united with any society, Mr. Brown was a Universalist in his religious belief. Aunt Polly Brown, as she is familiarly called by a wide circle of friends, has endeared herself to all with whom she has come in contact by her many acts of kindness to the old, and her rare motherly interest in and solicitude for the welfare of the young. She now resides in the village, keeping house for her son, Allen Douglas, who recently lost his wife after a brief season of wedded happiness. William H., the oldest son, was born February 29, 1844. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. A, 102d reg. Ill. Vol. Inf., and was made a sergeant on the organization of the company, but was mustered out with the rank of first lieutenant. He was wounded in the battle of Resacca, May 15, 1864, but continued in the service until the close of the war. October 3, 1866, he married Miss Maria Heflin, youngest daughter of Reuben Heflin, one of the pioneers of Knox county. She died March 15, 1875, leaving two children : Claud I. and Mand. In May, 1880, he was married to Miss Belle Watson, a native of Canada. He was four years supervisor of this town, and has always taken an active interest in political matters, being a democrat. Since the death of his first wife he has studied
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.