History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 26

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424

USA > Illinois > Mercer County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 26
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 26

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).

county, Ireland, born in 1837, and came to America with his parents, Daniel and Ellen Noonan, both of Tipperary county, Ireland, in 1859. They first located for a time in Massachusetts; then came to Mercer county. . Both were members of the Roman Catholic church. The former died in 1878, aged ninety-five years; the latter, his wife, lives. in the village of Millersburg, and is ninety-two years old, hale and hearty for one twenty years her junior. Timothy Noonan learned the trade of his father, which was that of shoemaker. He and his father carried on a shoe shop for a time in the village of Millersburg. In 1859 he made a trip to the Rocky Mountains, and was gone nearly one year, when he returned to Millersburg and opened a shoe shop, but soon left the shop for the farm where he now resides, some three miles west of Aledo. He was married in 1860 to Sarah McGinnis, born in 1839, and daughter of Thomas and Mary McGinnis, both of Ireland. They first located in Pennsylvania ; then moved to Keithsburg, Mercer county, when their daughter Sarah was seven years old. The former died in 1863; the latter in 1872. Both were of the Roman Catholic faith. By this marriage Mr. Noonan has six children : Thomas F., William, John L., Eddy H., Mary J., and an infant. He and wife are members of the same church as their parents. He has a fine farm of 240 acres, well improved and well stocked.

P. D. SHINGLEDECKER, Aledo, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1852, son of John and Sarah Shingledecker, both of Pennsylvania. They emigrated to Mercer county in 1852, remained one year, and returned to their native state, where they spent the remainder of their days. The former died in 1858, at the age of fifty-two; the latter in 1872, aged fifty-one years. They were members of the Presbyterian faith. P. D.'s early education was that of the common school. He came to Illinois in 1862, staid five years and returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained seven years, when he came again to Mercer county, where he now resides. He was married in 1872 to Rachel Richards, of Whitesides county, Illinois, born in 1858, danghter of George and Eliza Richards, both of Illinois. The latter died in 1864, and was a member of the Presbyterian church ; the former is now living in Colo- rado. Mr. Shingledecker is a man of steady habits and industrions turn. He keeps a good grade of farm stock, but raises grain to sell rather than to feed.

JOHN BELL, farmer and stock raiser, Aledo, was born in 1805, is a native of Ireland. and came to America in 1841. His parents were Benjamin and Ann Bell, both of whom were Presbyterians. Mr. Bell first landed at Philadelphia, and proceeded to Ohio, where he remained till 1863, when he came and settled in Millersburg township, on the

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

farm of 360 acres where he now resides. He was married to Margaret Clifford, native of Ireland. and daughter of John and Mary Clifford, of Ireland, both of whom came to America in 1841. They were farmers and members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Bell by this 'marriage has six children : Mary, John C., Easter, George, Ann, and Jane. His wife is of the Presbyterian faith. In politics he is strictly a democrat. He keeps on his farm a. good grade of farm stock. His farm is the result of his own labor, economy and business ability.

ZACHARIAH JEWEL, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Harrison county. Ohio, born in 1824. He was reared on the farm in his native state, where he resided till 1873 when he came to Mercer county where he now resides. During the late war he was a member of the Harrison County Home Guards, and was called out to drive Morgan from the state. He was married in 1847 to Mary Dool, native of Ohio, daughter of Robert and Margaret Dool. By this marriage he has seven chil- dren : Margaret A .. Nancy E., James W., Rebecca J., Hannah L., Mary O., John W. He and wife are members of the Presbyterian church at Peniel. Mr. Jewel's parents were James and Nancy (Spring) Jewel, both of whom came to' Harrison county, Ohio, from their native state, Virginia. They were pioneer settlers of Harrison county, and still reside in Ohio. They are farmers and members of the Baptist church.

Dr. JOHN P. CHOWNING, Millersburg, was born January 21, 1843, in the town of Payson, Adams county, Illinois. His parents, Thomas J. and Louisa (Holman) Chowning, were natives of Tennessee, of Scotch descent. They emigrated to Adams county in 1840, and located on a farm near Payson. In 1850 they removed to Adair county, Mis- souri. but returned to Adams county, after an absence of three years, where they remained till the close of the rebellion. They are at present living in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Chowning was the oldest of nine children, eight of whom are still living. After completing the common school studies he spent two years in the academy of his native town. The rebellion having broken out he enlisted August 7, 1862, in Company E. 84th Ill. Vol., in which he served till the close of the second days' fight at Chickamauga, when he was taken prisoner. He was taken to Richmond, Virginia, and confined in what was known as "Castle Pemberton," for one and one-half months. after which he was removed to Danville, Virginia, where he remained four and one- half months, from thence to Andersonville. Georgia, where for seven months he was subjected to scenes of cruelty and suffering that beggar description. On the night of October 1, 1864, while being transferred from Andersonville to Charleston, South Carolina, he escaped with one

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of his fellow prisoners, by jumping from the train while in motion. Reduced by starvation and disease to a mere skeleton, the tendons of of his limbs contracted till he was literally compelled to walk on tip toe by the aid of a "walking stick." After a perilous journey of eighteen days, through an enemy's country, subsisting on sweet pota- toes and such other edibles as were obtainable, he at last reached the Union lines, then at Atlanta, Georgia. Through the kindness of Gen. Stanley he was at once detailed as a clerk in the division hospital, where he remained till the close of the war. In the fall of 1864 he entered the Iowa Wesleyan University, from which he graduated in 1869, defraying his expenses by teaching during the winter months and working at the carpenter's trade during the summer vacations. In the spring of 1870 he commenced the study of medicine, with Dr. E. L. Marshall, of Keithsburg, Illinois, as preceptor. He con- tinued his medical studies, teaching in the meantime ; was principal of the schools in Keithsburg and Barry, Illinois, respectively. During the winter of 1872-3 he attended lectures at Rush medical college. Locating at Millersburg, he practiced two years and six months, when he again attended lectures at Bellvue hospital medical college, New York, from which he received the degree. of M.D. Dr. Chowning was married to Florence, daughter of A. B. and Anna Sheriff, in 1871; her father a native of Pennsylvania, her mother of Ohio. By this marriage they have four children : Florence M., William M., Josephine, and Eva. They are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The doctor is a member of the masonie fraternity ; is also a member of military traet medical society.

JOHN DOWNING, Aledo, is a native of Belmont county, Ohio, born in 1840, son of John and Ellen Downing; former, native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Ohio. They came to Mercer county in 1864, and located one and a half miles east of where their son John now resides, and where they both died ; the former in 1873, at the age of seventy-two; the latter in 1874, at the age of sixty-eight years. They were members of the Presbyterian church, and their remains repose in the cemetery of the Peniel church. John Downing came to Mercer county with his parents. He was married in 1863 to Rachel J. Campbell, native of Belmont county, Ohio, daughter of John and Jane Campbell, both of Ohio, and are now residents of their native state. Mr. Downing has by this union five children : Jane E., Maggie L., Robert L., Birdie S., and John C. IIe and wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He served in company K, 102d Ill. Vol., was mustered into the service in 1862, served six months, and was discharged because of ill health. He moved upon the farm where he now lives in 1877. His farm con-

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tains 150 acres, which cost $50 per acre. It is fairly improved and stocked with a good grade of cattle, hogs and horses.

W. R. LEMON, Aledo, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1837, son of John and Eliza Lemon, both of Pennsylvania. They came to Mercer county in 1867, and located in Aledo, where they resided till 1871, when they moved upon a farm, where the latter died in 1874, at the age of fifty-seven years, when the former returned to Aledo, where he now resides. Having sold his farm he now lives a retired life. He and wife were Presbyterians. W. R. was reared on the farm. His educational training was such as he could get in the district school. During the war he was a member of the home guards in his native state, and was ordered out once. He was married in 1868 to Alice Lair, native of Indiana, and came to Mercer when she was a girl with her parents. She died in 1870, at the age of thirty years. He was married a second time to Julia A. Barcroft, of Ohio, daughter of William and Anna Barcroft, both of Ohio. By this last marriage he has three children : Frank, Lena, and Earl. Mr. Lemon has a fine stock farm of 120 acres, lying upon both sides of the railroad, three and a half miles west of Aledo. He keeps a high grade of cattle, sheep, hogs and horses, the latter of the Clidesdale and Norman stock. His sheep are of the Merino breed. He is a member of the Presby- terian church at Aledo.

S. A. OLIVER was born in 1855 in Henry county, Illinois, and is the son of Robert R. and Mary E. Oliver, both of Ohio, now citizens of Henry county. By vocation they are farmers. S. A. was reared and educated to the farm, which pursuit he has always followed. His early educational training was such as the common schools of his neighborhood could furnish. He was married in 1874 to Maggie Lyle, native of Henry county, Illinois, born in 1855, daughter of William and Margaret Lyle, both of Scotland. They came to Henry county with its early settlers. By this marriage Mr. Oliver has two children, twins : Marian and Mary. He came to Mercer county and located in 1879, where he now resides. He has a farm of eighty acres, fairly improved and stocked with a good grade of cattle, sheep, hogs and horses.

G. W. PICKUP, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Iowa, born in 1848, and came with his parents, John and Mary E. Pickup, to Burlington, Iowa. They were natives of England, and emigrated to America in 1838. They both died during the cholera scourge of 1849, the former before G. W. was born. G. W.'s mother was a member of the Episcopal church. In 1861 he enlisted in company D, 7th Ill. Vol., ninety days' men, then re-enlisted in company G, 10th Ill. Vol., and served till July 4, 1865. He was in the siege of New Madrid ; then

John Givits

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went to Memphis ; was in the battles of Shiloh and Corinth ; with Gen. E. A. Payne, who was sent to reinforce Nashville; in 1863 was placed in Rosecrans' division ; was in the battles of Stone river, Chickamauga, and was with Sherman's division in his march to the sea, at Golds- borough, and then went to Richmond, Washington and Louisville, where he was mnstered out of the service July 4, 1865. Ile was married in 1871 to Mary E. Griffith, of Mercer county, born in 1853, and daughter of Charles and Martha Griffith ; the former of Indiana, the latter of Ireland. They came with the early settlers to Mercer county, and located in Millersburg township, where the former now resides, his wife having died in 1879, aged sixty-seven years. Mr. Pickup by this marriage has one child, George A. Ile resides two miles south of Millersburg, on a farm of eighty acres, which is nicely improved and well stocked. In politics he is a republican.

ELIZA TOWNSHIP.

This is No. 15, in range 5, of the fourth principal meridian. Rock Island county bounds it on the north, and the Mississippi river on the west. A chain of irregular and abrupt bluff's extends from north to south, through the center of the township, from the south line of section 32 to the northern boundary line between Eliza township and Rock Island county, at the northwest corner of section 6. Three creeks run in a southwesterly direction through the town, the principal one of which is Eliza creek, whose source is in the N. E. } of Sec. 12, of Duncan township. Fed by small tributaries on both sides, it runs southwest through that township, crossing the eastern boundary line between the two townships in the N. E. } of Sec. 24; runs southwest to the center of section 23; thence northwest to the north section line between sections 15 and 22; thence southwest, crossing the west section line between sections 21 and 22, through sections 21, 29, 30, 25, and 36, and emptying into the head of lower Eliza lake. Winters creek enters the township in the N. E. ¿ of Sec. 25 ; flows southwest through sections 25 and 35. Glancy branch enters the township at the north- ern boundary line between Eliza township and Rock Island county, in section 5, and runs southwest through sections 5 and 7. These streams and their tributaries furnish ample supplies of water for stock at all seasons of the year.

In the western part of the township, below the bluffs and between the river, are nestled numerous small lakes and ponds. The most prominent of the lakes are Upper Eliza, Glancy, and Swan, the largest

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being Swan, part of which extends south into New Boston township; this lake is two and a half miles long and a half mile wide, and, like all the rest, the water in this lake is clear and from four to five feet in depth. Upper Eliza is one mile long and a quarter mile wide, and from three to eight feet deep. Glancy extends north into Rock Island county, and is about two miles long, one-eighth mile in width, and from five to twenty feet in depth. These lakes and their tributaries are mostly skirted with timber and a species of willow commonly called buck brush. The timber consists of the various oaks, hickory, maple, sycamore, hockberry, buckeye, wild honey-locust, ash, walnut, and pecan, of which a fine young growth is now growing. Grape and other wild climbers also abound along the banks of creeks and lakes. These lakes and tributaries abound in game and fish of fine flavor, and the business of fishing is carried on to some extent by parties who lease the grounds for that purpose. Wild ducks and geese are also plentiful in seasons when they migrate from north to south, and vice versa.

The soil of Eliza township is admirably adapted to agricultural purposes. The land lying on the southeast side of Eliza creek is mostly prairie, and is composed of rich black loam, with yellow and brown clay subsoil in places, which produces heavy crops of corn and other agricultural staples. The land lying north of the creek is undu- lating, and, near the bluff, quite hilly; is mostly covered with timber, and is used for pasture, for which it supplies a fine growth of blue grass.

The land on the bluff and in the vicinity of the river seems to have been the favorite abode of the ancient mound builders, of which race of people we know but little at the present day. All along below and on the summit of these bluff's can be seen these mounds, the most noted of which are on sections 28 and 29, north of Jay Wilson's farm, Martin Bear place, on section 16, now occupied by Edwin Bishop's house, and on the east part of sections 19 and 30, the most prominent of which are on sections 19 and 30. All through the timber on these lands can be seen what appears to have been at one time a line of earth-works, thrown up for a defense, inside of which are hundreds of these mounds. Some of them measure forty feet at the base, and on top large oak trees, four feet in diameter, have grown. Many of these mounds have been opened by scientifie men and curiosity seekers. In some of them have been found specimens of several grades of pottery. from the common clay to some artistically decorated and apparently glazed. Some curiously shaped pipes and axes have also been found, among which was a double edged one, having a round hole in the

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center for an eye. The most important thing found in these mounds was a skeleton measuring nine feet in length. The bones taken from the mounds are all well preserved.

All that portion of land extending westward and nearest the river is of the finest quality, but owing to the exposure to overflow and the damp nature of the soil in seasons for planting, is not farmed. It is covered with a heavy growth of tall coarse grass which makes fine pasture for cattle, hundreds of which are grazed upon it annually and hundreds of tons of hay are made and stacked for winter use. The land nearer the bluff is of the finest grade, the soil being from five to ten feet deep, and susceptible of the highest state of cultivation, and in favorable seasons unaccompanied by overflow, has produced more corn per acre than any other land in the country; but in seasons of extreme rainy weather in the northern states, it is subject to overflow, as was too truly the experience in that locality in the spring and fall of . 1881. After the farmers had planted their corn and it had grown a foot or more the land began to overflow, and in the course of a few days crops were completely submerged in a vast sea of water extending from the bluff to the Mississippi. Crops of all kinds were completely destroyed. Many cattle, horses and hogs were drowned and those only were saved that could be brought out on flat-boats. The sudden and unexpected appearance of this flood was without a parallel to the oldest inhabitants. The water reached a height equal to that of 1851, soon subsided and disappeared. The inhabitants were at first discour- aged at the prospect for a crop that season, but they went to work replanting their corn hoping to be favored by a long season to mature the second crop ; the second planting germinated and grew and soon looked better than the first. The season of 1881 being unfavorable for corn throughout the state, proved the best in this locality on account of the peculiar adaptability of the soil. The crop raised that season was the best in the county, but when harvest time came and the farmers were about to realize the results of their labor, with corn at sixty cents per bushel, a repetition of what had taken place in the spring ensued ruining the crops and sweeping away horses, cattle, hay and fences. No portion of land could be seen anywhere. Unlike the previous overflow in the spring, the water was slow to pass off and covered the land for two months, during which time, drawn there by the excellent feeding, the wild ducks swarmed in by the thousands, completely stripping the corn that was standing out in the water. Sportsmen came from all parts of the state, the reports of whose guns sounded to the old soldier like a distant skirmish line. It has been estimated that during that season forty thousand dueks were killed and shipped from that place to the large cities.

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

FIRST SETTLEMENTS.

The first early settlers of Eliza, with but few exceptions, came from Indiana and, in most instances, brought their families with them, making the journey through the open prairie and enduring all the hardships incident to the times. There being at that time a few trad- ing places at New Boston, that point was mostly aimed for on account of the freight and commercial advantages it then afforded. Another attraction was the timber along the bluff. The majority of these people having been raised in and adjacent to timber in the former state, looked upon farming without the use of timber as impracticable, and without which they were unable to construct their rude log cabins and fence their farms.

J. H. Witter was the first settler in Eliza township. He came from Indiana to Eliza in the spring of 1833 and settled on Witter's creek, then named for him, but afterward changed to Winter, who was the next man to settle near the same place. Witter did not stay long in Eliza, but sold out and moved to Iowa.

In the fall of that year David Shaunce and family, accompanied by his son, John Shaunce, arrived. They entered the E. } of the S. E. } of Sec. 29, but by mistake settled on a quarter of land in the W. ₺ of the S. W. ¿ of Sec. 29, soon after which William Wilson and John Hill came. Wilson was from Indiana and Hill from Kentucky. Hill took a claim and built the best house then in the township, on the E. ¿ of the S. E. } of Sec. 29, which land by right belonged to Shaunce. As soon as the mistake was discovered a difficulty between the parties ensued, causing a bitter enmity in both men. After considerable quarreling over the disputed land, Shaunce sold it to Mr. D. F. Noble on condition that he (Shaunce) should take possession of the place. Shaunce first tried to get Hill off the place by legal process, but failing in that he then undertook it by force, which was the cause of some heavy fist battles in the neighborhood. Hill, however, relin- quished his right to the property by moving off the premises, of which Noble took possession. Hill then bonghit a piece of land on section 31, where he lived for a short time, and sold out to Samuel Elliott and moved to Iowa. Shaunce's name is familiarly remembered by all the old settlers of the present time. His house was the radiating point. A traveler inquiring the way to a place was invariably told that the place inquired for was so far to or from Shaunce's. Shaunce was one of the first grand jurors chosen in the county, and also one of the first parties in a law suit.

In the spring of 1834 Silas Drury and father, accompanied by a cousin, Charles Drury, and J. P. Reynolds, arrived. Silas Drury

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entered a piece of land, where he built a cabin and lived until he sold out to Daniel Noble, when he moved to Rock Island county, town of Drury, which bears his name. He then built a large mill on Copperas creek, familiarly known to all the old settlers as Drury's mill. Mr. Drury's father, Charles Drury, and J. P. Reynolds did not remain long in Illinois, but took passage on board a steamboat at New Boston on their way back to Indiana by way of Cincinnati. Reynolds return- ing the same season lived with Dr. Reynolds until the following spring of 1835, when he was married to Miss Hettie Elliott, formerly from Morgan county, Indiana. This was the first marriage in the township, which event is distinctly remembered from the circumstance that followed. Reynolds died in just four weeks after the wedding day, and was buried in Eliza cemetery. Charles Drury, returning in the fall of 1835, was also married to Miss Nancy Prentice, who died eleven months after. He then moved to Rock Island county and studied medicine with Dr. Reynolds, after which he married Mrs. Eliza McGreer, moved back and practiced medicine throughout the township, living upon what is known as the E. W. Mardock farm. He quit the practice of medicine in 1851 and moved to Oregon.

In the fall of 1834 Jesse Willits and family, also from Indiana, settled on section 32, the place now owned by Frank Willits. Willits was the first probate judge, and one of the first justices of the peace ; also one of the first grand jurors chosen in 1835. IIe lived on the place where he first settled until the time of his death in 1843. Dr. Mark Willits settled on the same piece of land with Jesse Willits, on section 32, which he sold after living upon the place one year. Dr. Mark Willits was also one of the first grand jurors chosen from the township that year. Dr. Willits was a native of Indiana. Mark Mullen and family arrived late in the fall of that year and settled on section 7, where he built a cabin and small blacksmith shop, near the bluff, which is still standing. Mullen was the first blacksmith in the township, and it is presumed he was not troubled much with compe- tition, as the nearest shop to him was at North Henderson, some thirty miles distant. Mullen lived but a short time on the place where he settled. and selling his place to Samuel Elliott he moved to Iowa. Isaac Dawson and William Jackson came next. Dawson settled on land now the August Schrader place, which he sold to Martin A. Cook in 1851, and moved to Iowa. Both men were from Montgomery county, Indiana. Jackson settled on Pope creek, near Keithsburg. Lewis Noble and family settled on section 32, where he built a house and improved a farin, which he afterward sold, and moved to Decatur county, Iowa.

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 26

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co. Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424