History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 6

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 6
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 6

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).

Mr. Miller doubtless had in his soul real genius, and though he could not imitate Drury's flourish, has, left evidences of his invention and artistic skill upon the records. In one of the records we find the title page decorated with red, black and yellow colors, the artist's hand revealing itself in gaudy colors and finely displayed printing, of which the following is as nearly a copy as our type will represent :

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

COUNT

Y, COMI

SSIONERS

RECORD

VOL. I

ORGANIZATION OF MERCER COUNTY.

In another record, Mr. Miller makes a further display of his skill in the use of the brush. The law required that the owners of stock should mark the same by a cut of.some kind in one of the ears of the animal. Some chose as their mark a slit in the right, some a crop from the left ear, and the crops, slits and quarters of either ear were varied to suit the taste of the owner. To make these distinctions legal, it was neces- sary to have a description of the same recorded in a book used for the "recording of marks of animals." The common method with record- ers is to write the description, appending the name of the owner, with date of entry, but Mr. Miller, finding this a good opportunity for the display of his genius, paints in the margin of the record the whole animal, with the particular ear, minus the crop, pointing directly to the name of the man who mutilated it.

The first business transacted at this term of court was the granting of a license to Eli Reynolds to vend groceries in New Boston, for which privilege he had to pay into the treasury of the county 872 cents. The first road established by authority of the county was ordered at this term. The road was from New Boston toward Rock Island, and was designated by stakes driven in the prairie and trees blazed through the timber. The road was viewed by Ephraim Gilmore, Harrison W. Riggs and Lewis Noble, for which services they received in the aggre- gate the sum of $8. Of course it is not a profane pun, but simply a coincidence of euphony, that at this meeting the board ordered that a writ of ad quod dam-num be granted to Silas B. Hubbard to enquire and ascertain what damages may be sustained by building a mill and dam on Edwards river. An ad quod dam-num was also granted to Charles Jack in regard to damages for a mill dam on same river.

The county at this session was laid off into two justice .districts. The New Boston district embraced all that part of the county lying west of the middle of township 4, and the balance of the county embraced the Sugar Grove district.

The state road from Knoxville to New Boston was at this session endorsed.

For a number of terms the most of the business of the court con- sisted in authorizing roads, and the surveyor was the officer of greatest importance.

The first report by the commissioners made March 9, 1837, is interesting, as compared with similar reports at present. It is given entire :

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

1836.

RECEIPTS. $ cts.

Mar. 7, Remaining in the treasury 4 473

Revenue from the state. 400 00

Tax on personal property 58 61

Road tax

922 38

Received for licenses. 35 00

Interest on notes. 12 25

1,432 71}

To amount paid on county orders for county purposes, 439 513

Balance in treasury . 993 20

The above balance included notes for $950, leaving $43.20 cash on hand.

The regular election of county officers occurred August 3, 1835 .. At this election William Drury was elected recorder, Ephriam Gilmore, surveyor, E. Creswell and Abner Arrasmith were elected justices of the peace, and John Miller and Wesley Arrasmith, constables. The elec- tion of justices and constables was found to be illegal, and a special election was held October 5, for the purpose of electing two justices and two constables for New Boston and one justice and one constable for Sugar Grove precinct. To these offices Joshua Willits and Lewis. Noble were elected justices, and Newton I. Willits and William B. Wilson constables, for New Boston, and Abraham Miller, Jun., and John Miller were elected justice and constable, respectively, for Sugar Grove.

An idea of some of the difficulties that our primitive officers had to. contend with in administering justice, may be easily gained from the following, in Mr. Abraham Miller's own words: "The first lawsuit ever instituted in the Sugar Grove precinct was by an old Yankee plaintiff (B. Lloyd), who from that time onward kept his neighbors warmed up to more than fever heat with vexatious lawsuits, as far as his neighbor- . hood dealings or business transactions were extended. An excuse for a lawsuit was a sufficient warrant for a 'pitch in.' Sometimes they were civil, sometimes criminal, and sometimes for a supposed trespass. .This first suit was the first ever tried before me, and the court was without practice, precedent or law. There was then but one copy of the statutes of Illinois in Mercer county, and that was in the hands of the county clerk (Wm. Drury) at New Boston, and could not be loaned. The justice begged time to get up the papers till law could be procured, but our plaintiff was so rampant for litigation that but little or no time could be given. The poor justice was therefore doomed to saddle 'old gray,' throw a bed quilt around him, and ride some twelve miles. over the prairie on a cold, snowy day, with a bleak northwest wind on the side of the court's face, to Dan Edgington's, a justice of the peace in Rock Island county, to borrow a statute. The loan of this.

ORGANIZATION OF MERCER COUNTY.

could only be procured for three days, and it would be needless to say that the homestretch of that day's travel was speedily performed. For the three days' grace allowed in the loan, this backwoods justice, now a law-student, plied all his powers, manual and mental. Day and night were spent in poring over this precions volume to discover the dnties enjoined upon a justice of the peace, and short notes were taken for future reference. Being rather expert with the pen, a summary statute of Abe's own was compiled, published and issued from the press (not, bless you, reader, from a printing press, but from the com- pulsory press of necessity), and fit for use in the short space of three days and nights. This backwoods edition, comprised of the general duties of justice and constable, was destined to become as useful and familiar as household words in a family. During the night part of his labor, the second or third night, the court, becoming very drowsy, upset an inkstand, emptying its sable contents upon a good part of a page of the borrowed statutes. Seizing the book, the obliterated part was saved from entire ruin by licking the ink from the same with the tongue. The book was returned within the specified time, with many backwoods thanks and humble apologies for the accident of the old ink horn, all of which were most courteously accepted by Dan, who was every inch of him a backwoods gentleman, and a full pardon granted 'and gra- ciously accepted." It is needless to add that the Yankee plaintiff got ample justice, as did many others who brought their grievances to this court; for, whatever may have been his peculiarities, he is not accused of any of the peculiar methods that obtain in some high and low courts of a later day.

August 1, 1836, the first election for members of congress and leg- islature in which the voters of Mercer county took part was held. Of the sixty-seven votes cast for congressman, John T. Stuart received fifty-three and William L. May fourteen. Elijah Charles and James Craig received the highest number of votes for representatives in the state legislature. At that election James H. Bane, Hiram Hardie and James Burleigh were elected county commissioners, and Daniel Pinck- ley sheriff.

As we have seen, the county was divided into two precincts, or dis- tricts, but soon settlements made in the eastern part of the county, far up the Edwards river, called for further division. At the regular meeting of the newly elected commissioners, September 5, 1836, that portion of the county east of a line running due north and south, one mile east of the line dividing ranges two and three west, was erected into a new precinct. This, it will be seen, embraced all of what are now known as Richland Grove, Rivoli and North Henderson town-

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

ships, and nearly all of Preemption, Green and Suez. The name of Richland was given to this district. One of the commissioners, Hiram Hardie, was a citizen of the district. Besides him there were about. one dozen voters.

A year later, 'September 5, 1837, Richland precinct was divided, forming a new election and justice's district out of all that portion of Richland lying south of the line, separating townships 14 and 15, and leaving Richland with a little less than two congressional townships. The settlements to be provided for were mostly those along Pope creek and the new precinct was called by that name.

Pope creek was now settling rapidly. A year later a new district was found necessary in the southern middle part of the county, and so at the meeting of the board, March 9, 1838, it was ordered that all that part of Sugar Grove lying south of an east and west line equally dividing township 14 be organized and called Ohio precinct. Edwards precinct was formed March 9, 1839, from what are now all of Preemp- tion, the north half of Green, the northeast quarter of Mercer, and the east half of Perryton. At the same meeting Eliza precinct was estab- lished, and was composed of the territory which now lies within Eliza township. Keithsburg precinct was formed by the commissioners June 1, 1840, and comprised the territory now embraced in Abington and Keithsburg townships. This provided, as was supposed, all parts of the county with convenient polling places, and with local offices for the government of the different neighborhoods, and these divisions thus remained intact until the adoption of township organization, after which each congressional township, with the exception of the fractional town- ships of the western portions of Eliza and New Boston, were organized separately. The convenience of this method is apparent. Congres- sional townships, by act of congress, are separate school townships, and cannot be changed to suit any other boundaries by any state or local enactment.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN MERCER COUNTY.

Prior to the passage of what is known as the "Kansas and Nebras- ka Act of 1854," Mercer county was a whig county in politics. The democratic party was in a minority of some two or three hundred.

The anti-slavery feeling was strong in both of the old parties, and there were quite a number of voters who were abolitionists or free- soilers, and who would vote for the abolition or free-soil candidates when an opportunity occurred ; but the most of these, in all except presidential elections, voted and acted with the other political parties.

When the "Kansas and Nebraska Act" was passed in May, 1854,

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN MERCER COUNTY.

it created such an excitement and alarm, that a large number of the people, of both of the old parties, were ready to unite with the free- soilers and abolitionists in the formation of a new party, to resist the aggressive policy of the pro-slavery party, which controlled the two dominant political parties of the United States. Meetings were called as early as June 9, 1854, in two at least of the townships of the county, and resolutions passed in opposition to the "Kansas-Nebraska Act," and calling for a united effort of all persons opposed to the extension of slavery in the territories, to form a political party to stay the aggress- ive pro-slavery legislation.

Leading citizens of the county conferred with each other; and a convention of all persons in the county, of all political parties, who were opposed to the "Kansas-Nebraska Act" and the extension of slav- ery in the territories, to meet at Millersburg for the purpose of organ- izing a new political anti-slavery party.

The convention assembled in Millersburg pursuant to the call, in the summer of 1854, and was represented by delegates from all parts of the county, and from all of the old political parties. John Collins, an old settler, and life-long democrat, was elected president of the conven- tion. A committee of nine was appointed to draft resolutions and arti- cles of organization. The committee was composed of Judge E. Gil- more, a whig and old resident of the county, who had filled many important offices, and who is now (1882) residing in Aledo ; James H. Reed, a whig, who was afterward successively editor of the "Oquaw- ka Plaindealer," the " Aledo Weekly Record " and the "Monmouth Atlas," and who died in Monmouth ; L. W. Myers, an abolitionist, then a young man, who is now and has been for a number of years, editor of the " Wappello Republican," Iowa ; Isaac N. Bassett, a whig, who is still living, a lawyer in Aledo ; John W. Miles, a whig, after- ward quartermaster of the 17th reg. Ill. Vol. Inf., who died in 1863 ; Harvey S. Senter, a whig, who filled various offices in the county, and has since died in Aledo ; Tyler McWhorter, a democrat, now resident near Aledo ; Samuel Miller, an abolitionist, who has been dead several years ; J. R. Whitham, abolitionist, now residing near Aledo.

There was an animated controversy in the committee room, and at one time it seemed impossible for the committee to agree ; but finally resolutions and a platform were agreed upon that was satisfactory to all, and a unanimous report made to the convention, which was adopted, and the organization of the republican party of Mercer county was completed. The exact date of this convention cannot now be ascer- tained, but it is believed to have been the first county convention of the kind held in the state.

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

There had not at least been any convention called for a similar pur- pose in any of the adjoining counties, and Mercer county is properly entitled to the credit of being the pioneer county in the formation of the republican party. The greater part of the whigs in the county approved of the platform, and at once became active members of the new party. Some of the political leaders in the whig party, however, approved the formation of the new party. John S. Thompson and Lewis W. Thompson (both lawyers, and one clerk of the county court in Keithsburg), were at first violently opposed to the new party organi- zation, but another year gave the party such recognition throughout the state and United States that they, with other opponents, ceased their opposition, and became warm supporters of the party.

The abolitionists and free-soilers, with a considerable number of the democrats, were incorporated into the new party, which was, from the commencement, strong in numbers. In the presidential election in 1856, Fremont received 1,141 votes ; Buchanan, 769 ; and Filmore, 140. The Filmore vote doubtless represented the whigs who refused to act. with the republican party. In 1860, Lincoln received 1,808 votes, and all the democratic candidates received 1,193 votes, the majority being 615, and the majority has never been less than that since, at any presi- dential election. I. N. BASSETT.

THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAILROAD.

As stated on another page, the first settlements of this region were. made along the water-courses, and narrow belts of timber skirting the. same, and to the fact of the existence of these natural features can be traced nearly every improvement in the whole State of Illinois prior to about 1850. Even as early as 1840 almost all the timber tracts were occupied by settlers, and it was then supposed by many, that further development of the country, if made at all, would be by a poorer class of herdsmen and other employes of the more fortunate inhabitants of better favored portions of the country. The Mississippi was of course the great thoroughfare of business and travel on the west, and the Illi- nois river on the east, and between these was a barren, trackless waste. Whole townships, and indeed almost whole counties, were without a. single inhabitant, and though the soil was known to be excellent, every- body supposed that a century would elapse before it could be made available for any purpose. Indeed, it was difficult to see that with the lack of fuel and building timber it could ever be more than a grand herding ground for stock owned by those who had been so fortunate as to secure homes and strips of woodland along the courses of the streams of water.

63.

THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY RAILROAD.

It will not do to say that railroads, which eventually redeemed the best country that lay under the sun from absolute uselessness, had not been dreamed of, for from 1835 until 1840 they had been the dream of politicians, speculators and emigrants, but, as all supposed, they had all been awakened by a crash in financial matters in 1838-40 to the reality that such enterprises were a luxury not to be enjoyed by this portion of the world. For now they began to argue that the country was about settled up, and the small traffic that would come to such an enterprise would not be sufficient to sustain it, and that population must necessa- rily precede such improvement. The more modern idea of such roads as the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy is, to make the improvement. first, and the population and the traffic immediately follow, and it is now well understood that nothing in the natural features of the country have ever tended so much to its development as the opening up of these means of travel and commerce.

At the risk of seeming to write in the interest of railroads, or for the purpose of manufacturing sentiment, we venture the remark that, as far as can now be seen, the opinions of the early settlers that the great prairies of this section, only for the advent of the railroad, were sound, and that improvement of Illinois to-day would have been but little in advance of what might have been seen in 1850. The water- courses had exerted all their influence in settling and developing the country, and as has been noted, that influence extended back but a few miles, and now the railroads begin and complete their work where the other left it unfinished.

It is interesting to note the changes that have come to this portion of the country since the advent of the railroad system which now pre- vails so universally, and while it is not claimed that railroads have done everything, it is doubtless true that much of the present prosperity and greatness of the country are due to their influence.

The railroads have brought better prices for grain, and reliable markets for it ; consequently, these surplus profits in agriculture have brought to the farmer hundreds of comforts of which the pioneers knew but little by experience, and scarcely hoped to make their own. The railroads themselves have been a miracle of growth and improvement. A notable example of this is to be found in the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, which passes through the entire length of both Mercer and Henderson counties. From a small, unimportant line of thirteen miles, a little more than twenty-five years ago, it has grown to include in its organization lines amounting to 3,500 miles, its facilities for transit in the meantime increasing in proportion.

The nucleus for this great enterprise was a line extending from

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

Aurora to a point now known as Turner Junction, thirteen miles nearly northeast. Aurora was a small village then, and the other end of the line was nothing, so it will be seen how insignificant this beginning was. However, a charter had been granted to what was known as the Aurora Branch company for a line from Aurora to Mendota, a distance of fifty-eight miles. These two lines were consolidated under the name of the Chicago & Aurora railroad, their connection with Chicago being by way of the Galena branch from Turner Junction. Another charter had been granted to what was styled the Central Military Tract road, extending from Mendota to Galesburg, in about the center of the northern part of the Bounty lands. On July 9, 1856, this last named, with the Chicago & Aurora road, consolidated under the name of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, thus giving a line of 151 miles. The company had taken a lease of the Peoria & Oquawka road and had advanced considerable money to aid in completing the line from Galesburg to Burlington. This gave them a through line to the last named place. The Peoria & Oquawka company failed to pay the indebtedness, the mortgage securing the money loaned was foreclosed, and thus another line was added to the already fast growing enterprise. The company then built a track of their own from Aurora to Chicago and made running arrangements with a line then in operation from Galesburg to Quincy, 100 miles distant. In 1864 the Quincy road came into possession of the company, thus making the three termini indicated in the name of the corporation. From that time to the pres- ent, branches have been built or bought in quick succession, until a map of the same looks like a picture of a great occiput, with its long arms stretching out in all directions over the vast plains of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. By the time this will be in print a di- rect line will have been completed to Denver in Colorado. When we take into consideration the wonderful growth of these states, and the great probability of still greater development, we are led to wonder what the future of this enterprise is to be.

The branch that most interests our readers, however; is that now known as the Galva and Keithsburg extension, from Galva to Glad- stone. Originally this was three distinct enterprises, the main one from Galva to New Boston being called the American Central railroad. This road was built by the company named, but equipped by the Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy, and finally passed, with the short branches between Gladstone and Keithsburg and New Boston and. Keithsburg, into the possession of the present owners.

The road enters Mercer county on the east at Windsor, and takes a nearly direct westerly course through the townships of Rivoli, Green,

ROCK ISLAND AND MERCER COUNTY RAILROAD.

Mercer and Millersburg, and then deflecting somewhat toward the south, it reaches the town of New Boston, in the southwest corner of the township by the same name. From thence it follows the course of the Mississippi river south, through the townships of Keithsburg, Bald Bluff and Oquawka, to Oquawka, finally reaching the main line at Gladstone. The main line passes through the townships of Biggsville, South Henderson and Warren, in a westerly direction. The direct branch from Burlington to Quincy passes through three townships of Henderson : Warren, Honey Creek and Dallas. The local enterprises complete and in prospect will be noticed on another page.

THE ROCK ISLAND AND MERCER COUNTY RAILROAD.

A line of railroad of a good deal of local importance is the one indicated by the above title, extending front Rock Island in a southerly direction to the town of Cable, in Richland township. The road is twenty-six miles in length, including a run of four miles of the Chicago & Rock Island road, from Milan to Rock Island. The line was pro- jected by R. R. Cable (vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific), P. L. and Ben. T. Cable, for the purpose of reaching the great coal fields of Richland township, and by these gentlemen built and made ready for the use of the coal company organized and owned by the same parties. The cost of the road, including grading, ties, iron, etc., was about $18,000 per mile, or about $300,000.

The coal company mentioned has furnished the rolling stock and put the line in operation, not only for carrying coal but for the trans- portation of merchandise and grain from and to the little towns that have since sprung up all along the line. Passenger coaches are attached to all the trains for the accommodation of the traveling public. The mails and express matter are also sent over this line, so that this enterprise has not only been the means of bringing the coal deposits to market, but has also given a considerable section of country through which it lies postal, commercial, telegraphic and traveling facilities.

The road passes through the town of Preemption, and nearly through that of Richland Grove, in this county, and is highly appre- ciated by the citizens of the northeastern part of the county.

The coal company, 'of which an extended notice is given in the his- tory of Richland township, mines and transports from 90,000 to 100,000 tons of coal yearly.

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

MERCER COUNTY SCIENTIFIC AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Mr. Tyler McWhorter and James H. Connell, Esq., furnish us data for the following :

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 6

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