History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 98

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 98
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 98

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1019

TWENTY-EIGHTII ILLINOIS INFANTRY.

Morgan's Veteran Brigade. The regiment entered on the Atlanta campaign June 1st, and fought in most of the battles. It served con- tinuously with Sherman, marched to the sea, campaigned through the Carolinas, went on to Washington, participated in the grand review, and then was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out of service July 8, 1865. It reached Camp Butler the 10th and received final payment and discharge.

TWENTY-EIGHTH (CONSOLIDATED) ILLINOIS INFANTRY.

The original 28th Illinois was raised in that region lying between Springfield and the Mississippi river, and was partly formed at Camp Butler in August, 1861, by Lient .- Col. L. H. Waters, afterward colonel of the 84th, and while vet an inchoate regiment was ordered to Thebes, Illinois, on duty. It greatly distinguished itself at Fort Heiman, Little Bethel, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Jackson, Mississippi. At the latter place on July 12, 1863, in a hopeless and bloody charge, out of 128 men engaged it lost 73 killed and wounded and 16 taken prisoners, more than two-thirds. It re-enlisted in the veteran service at Natchez, January 4, 1864. In October it was so redneed in num- bers that it was found advisable to consolidate it into four companies, and in November it received 200 recruits, who were organized into two companies. In January, 1865, the substitutes and drafted men assigned to it were formed into two more companies. While in the trenches before Spanish Fort, in Mobile bay, the regiment was joined April 7th by companies G and H from Camp Butler. Company H was raised chiefly in Henderson and Macoupin counties, the former fur- nishing about thirty, mostly from around Olena, Terre Haute, Warren, and Dallas. This number consisted largely of veteran discharged sol- diers, and was recruited in February and March, 1865, by Capt. James Fritz, formerly of Co. F, 16th Ill. Inf., assisted by James O. Ander- son, present sheriff of Henderson county, and others. Early in March this squad was taken to Quincy, thence to Springfield, where it was joined by the men from Macoupin county, and the company organized with Benjamin F. Cowell, of Macoupin, for captain ; John E. Hendry, of Terre Haute, first lieutenant ; and Philip F. Wagner, of Macoupin, second lieutenant. The company proceeded immediately by rail to Cairo ; thence by river transport to New Orleans ; from there by gulf steamer to Fort Gaines, at the mouth of Mobile bay, and disembarking there, marched to the regiment, which belonged to the third brigade,

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

third division, Thirteenth Army Corps. Next day the fort was evacu- ated. On the 10th the regiment moved up to Fort Blakely ; on the 12th entered Mobile; on the 13th marched to Whistler's station and skirmished with the enemy. Chief Justice Chase reviewed the regi- ment at Mobile, June 3d. In the beginning of July it was embarked for Brazos Santiago, Texas, to join the army of observation under Gen. Weitzel, and marched to Clarksville; thence in August it went to Brownsville, where it was mustered out March 16, 1866. It was disbanded at New Orleans.

OLENA TOWNSHIP.

To be a pioneer in any enterprise required a great deal of courage, and, especially if successful, entitles one to be enrolled among the benefactors of the race. The broad prairies of Illinois were opened up by just such a race ; and royally have these prairies responded to the pioneer's courageous and intelligent enterprise, with harvests so unfailingly abundant that to-day Illinois ranks first among the agricul- tural states. Henderson county is a good illustration of this truth. Settled by a good class of pioneers, possessed of soil unusually well adapted to agricultural pursuits, she contains to-day a class of success- ful farmers, less easily discouraged than is ordinarily the case. In the most unfavorable years the crops have been sufficiently abundant to be profitable, and taking it years together, scarcely any one has failed to make money. Of the general characteristics of the country, the township of which we write is an excellent illustration. Not so rich as some townships, not so poor as others, it is still characterized by such constantly assured abundance as guarantees steady prosperity and steadily increasing wealth. One cannot but remark the number of prosperous farmers about its only considerable village, Olena, and the absence of the poor and shiftless. The lack of an easily accessible railway makes this peculiarity the more noticable; or does the railway bring the willingly dependent class with it? At all events the com- munity is a desirable one to locate in, and awaits only a railroad to give it business importance. It is able to maintain both, by its central location in the county and by the wealth it possesses.

The settlement of this township dates back to the arrival of John Gibson and family in the year 1833. His dwelling for the first sum- mer. was a rail pen. In the fall, after getting his land broken and seeded, he built a log hut. Until the next spring his was the only family in township 9, range 5. He was originally from Tennessee,

M.Davidson

OLENA TOWNSIIIP. 1023

whence he had removed to Greene county, Ohio. He buried his first wife, and married Ann MeNary, May 21, 1829. In 1831 he came to Illinois, and settled successively in Sangamon and Warren counties, remaining in each county one year. He then came to Henderson county, and located on the S. E. { of Sec. 11, T. 9 N., 5 W., in the midst of an unbroken wilderness, inhabited by Indians and wolves, both, however, very neighborly. . Moreover the necessities of life were not easily obtainable. Mills were so distant and difficult to reach that grain pounded np in a mortar constructed of a hollow stump, was their only meal. As in ancient temples, so in this rail pen tlie fire was never allowed to go out, but once, and the penalty paid was a ride to Biggsville to borrow fire. Mr. Gibson died September 30, 1858. IFis son, Andrew, the first white child born in this township, still occupies the home farm.

During the spring and summer of 1834 there came into this sec- tion Jolin H. Dunn, Jacob Mendenhall, Robert Kendall, John Shull, T. J. Fort, J. B. Fort, John Houchin, and James and David Laswell. John H. Dunn settled on the S. W. } of Sec. 10, and lived there until his death in 1840. His was the first burial in the Watson ceme- tery. Jacob Mendenhall settled on the S. W. ¿ of Sec. 3. He came from North Carolina, stopping for a short time in Indiana, and at Peoria, Illinois. In 1835 he returned to his native home, accom- panied by his wife, to obtain a legacy left him by his father; making the entire trip in a buggy. The following year he removed to Dallas City, Illinois. Here he died, and here his sons still reside. John Houchin built a mill on the east side of Ellison creek, opposite the present mill at Warren. This he sold to Hopper and Watson, and removed to Texas in 1836. He died there prior to 1860. Thomas Jefferson Fort came from Warren county, Kentucky, where he was born January 20, 1809. At the age of nineteen he left home, and, after a few years spent in farming near his native place, came to Illinois, settling successively in Warren, Fulton, and Henderson coun- ties. He had been married before leaving Kentucky to Sarah Brown, daughter of Andrew Brown, a soldier in the British army at the time of its capture at Yorktown. Principally self-taught, Mr. Fort has been a friend of education, and to his intelligent observations and clear memory, we owe most of the early history of the county, here pre- sented.

Of the Laswells and John Shull nothing was learned. The other first settlers will be mentioned elsewhere.

From this time on the township filled up steadily, but not very rapidly until after 1855. It is noticeable that up to this year the immi-

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

gration was into Iowa, but from 1855 to 1860 there came a reaction; the tide turned and this section rapidly filled. The township contains two villages, Olena and Warren. The former was laid out by Robert Kendall. It was located at first somewhat south of its present site, and was moved where it now stands to adapt itself to the road when it was finally located. Julius Porter laid out an addition on the north side of the road, which bears his name. Robert Kendall opened the first store in the village, and, indeed, was foremost in developing it. He was from near Xenia, Ohio. He came to Henderson county in 1835, bringing with him considerable capital. He entered the land on which Olena stands, and built a double log cabin on the site of Mr. George Curry's present residence. The town laid out, he set about building cabins and getting settlers into them. His store was opened where the store of Mr. J. A. Stevens now stands. In 1843 he put up a two- story brick building, which was used alternately as a dwelling and as a store until it came into the possession of Ira Putney, Sr. It was then taken down and the brick put into the foundation of Mr. Stevens' store, then owned by Putney & Curry. Mr. Kendall died February 5, 1848, and his family removed to Washington, Iowa. There is little of general interest in the history of this village aside from the men who at different times have lived here, and plied their various trades. Among these men, not mentioned elsewhere, is Ira Putney, Sr. He was born in Vermont in 1802. Here he married Sarah, daughter of Moses Copp, and afterward removed to Canada. In 1842 he again removed to Bloomington, McLean county, Illinois, where for a number of years he pursued his trade as a hatter. In 1'S51 he removed to Burlington, Iowa, and opened a provision store. Thence, in 1856, he came to Olena, and bought the general store of Marks & Porter. He continued in business until his son, Ira Putney, Jr., returned from the army, when he retired, retaining only the office of postmaster, which position he still filled at the time of his death, April 25, 1872. His early advantages were very small, but he possessed such force and worth as made him successful in business, and gave him a positive influence in the community and in the church (Methodist Episcopal) of which he was a member.

Julius Porter came from near Chillicothe, Ohio, in the fall of 1847. He followed a variety of occupations in Olena, until his removal to DesMoines, Iowa, about 1859. Since 1880 his residence has been in Kansas.

William Marks, business partner of the above, left Olena about the same time as Porter. Since leaving he has been engaged in the min- istry of the Methodist Episcopal church.

1025

OLENA TOWNSHIP.

Barton Davids came to Olena from Burlington, Iowa, in 1850 or 1851, and returned thither a year later. He built a large frame store and dwelling, on the site of Dr. I. P. Cowden's residence. The build- ing passed into various hands, and in 1877 was burned to the ground.

Among the oddities of the village for many years was an eccentric but well educated Frenchman, Felix Longchampt, general merchant. He is chiefly remembered for his political prejudices. His distaste for the sable hue of anti-slavery politics was so great that black pig's and black kittens falling to his estate paid the penalty of their criminal color by immediate drowning, "not shriving time allowed," on the ground that they were "da(h) mned bla (h)ck repooblicans." Long- champt died near Kirkwood, Illinois, in 1873.

Other merchants, Messrs. Randall, Putney, Curry, and Stevens, have full biographies in their appropriate places. For churches, schools, societies, etc., see the appropriate headings. Though small, its central position and the wealthy farming community about it, give Olena good hope that the advent of a railroad is not in the distant future, and with that it will be the important place of first town in the county. It was for a number of years the political center of the county. Its ambition is revived by the proposed change of the county seat, and it hopes yet to secure the prize.

Warren is a somewhat older village than Olena, and was at one time more important. The first store was opened there by George Kelly, of Burlington, Iowa, the first in this township, anticipating Kendall's store at Olena by a year or more. The principal store, however, was opened by Lambert Hopper, in the building erected by Adams & Mckinney, in 1837 or 1838, as a packing house. Mr. Hopper also laid out the town, inducing settling by giving lots to such parties as erected cabins upon them. In the village, as in all his busi- ness relations, Mr. Hopper was a very enterprising, generous, public spirited man. He gave unstinted support to religion and education. We regret that inability to obtain sufficient information prevents giving a suitable sketch of this most worthy man.

Township 9, range 5, is, however, chiefly given over for farmers and farming, and for this occupation it is admirably adapted. The surface is rolling and well drained by Ellison creek and its tributaries. This creek takes its name from a stranger named Ellison found dead upon its banks. Its principal tributary in this township is Wolf creek, so called from the great number of wolves that frequented the timber through which this stream flows. There are, however, various other important streams flowing into the Ellison, fed by living springs.

About one-fifth of township 9, range 5, is covered by timber. For-

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

merly there was a large quantity of walnut, of burr, white and Spanish oak, and of hard maple timber. Little but oak remains, so completely have the mills worked up the large timber. The soil is for the chief part a sandy loam, with a porous clay subsoil, equally adapted to en- dure either a wet or a dry season. The exception to this nature of soil is found in the western tier of townships. Through these run a chain of sandy bluffs about one-quarter of a mile wide, covered with a seant growth of scrub-oak. At the foot of these bluffs, on the western side, is a narrow strip of black sand very fertile, but beyond this the soil is not productive. The land in this township came into the market in 1835. No trouble was experienced from claim-jumping and specula- tors. Land increased in value but slowly, the best selling for $10 to $15 per acre up to about 1860, while the present value of improved land is from $40 to $65 per acre ; of timber from $20 to $30 per acre.

The chief products here as elsewhere in Illinois are hogs and corn. Considerable attention is given to fine cattle and horses. Mr. J. W. Brook has a herd of eighty shorthorn Durhams and some fine Clydes- dale horses. Mr. George Curry also has shorthorn cattle and an ex- cellent flock of sheep. Mr. Curry has also given attention to the intro- duction of a better grade of roadster horses. Not much care is given to fruit since the death of Mr. Joseph Watson closed his nursery. Mr. W. had been very active and successful in introducing various sorts of fruits, especially apples. Mr. William Ingerson is at present cultivat- ing Snyder blackberries and hopes to establish a quite extensive gar- den and fruit farm.

As has been remarked, the course of farming in this township has run very smoothly, and only at long intervals have the crops suffered seriously from storms and floods. The years 1851 and 1882 are the especially exceptional years. Both years were marked by constant and very heavy rainfalls and by frequent disastrous floods. Two of these storms will serve as illustrations. On June 2, 1882, there was a tremendous rainfall, lasting nearly all day ; the creeks overflowed their banks, covered the roads and undermined the bridges ; the fields were fairly inundated and crops seriously injured. Eight days later the heavens were again opened, the rain descended and the floods came, higher and more destructive than before known. The rain fell for an hour with the greatest violence. Two hours after the rain ceased the creeks had risen above all previous marks. Again fields were deluged, and many bridges were washed out or carried away bodily.

Milling in a community such as we have described could hardly fail to be a profitable business. Very early in the history of this town-

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OLENA TOWNSHIP.

ship, in the year 1835, John Houchin put up what was intended for both a saw-mill and a grist-mill on section S, opposite Hopper's mill. He sold the year following to Lambert Hopper and Joseph Watson, who ran the mill only for sawing purposes. Mr. Watson retired a year later, leaving the entire business to Mr. Hopper. It was not until 1840 that a good grist-mill was put up by Mr. Hopper. Prior to this time settlers had been obliged to go to various points. They went principally to Ellisville, a distance of forty miles. The trip took from five to eight days, and not infrequently two weeks. By sending to- gether the task of going to mill was greatly lessened. Mr. Hopper continued to run the mill up to the time of his death. His widow bought the mill of the heirs and immediately sold it to Charles Rogers and Daniel Sweeney. In 1878 they in turn sold to Mr. J. II. Shrae- der, who still owns it.

Woolen manufacturing has been attempted at Warren, but unsuc- cessfully. In 1843 Lambert Hopper established a carding machine on Ellison creek, a little down the stream from the mill, and ran it up to the year 1859. In this year he entered into partnership with William Baldwin to build a woolen factory, Mr. Hopper to furnish the site and the building, and Mr. Baldwin the machinery. The mill was located yet farther down. the stream than the earding machine, and the latter was removed to the mill. The machinery for the woolen factory came on, but Mr. Baldwin proved unable to set it up properly. Mr. J. M. Frill becoming interested, bought a half interest in the machinery, Wesley Hopper, son of Lambert, at the same time taking part of his father's, share. Mr. Frill's experience enabled him to promptly get the factory into running order, but the work was not completed until July, too late to secure that year's clip. The following year, 1861, the mill was very successful, clearing several thousand dollars. But a dispute arose as to the relative value of Mr. Frill's labor as compared with that of the other partners. Unable to reach an agreement, Mr. Frill withdrew after about eighteen months' connection with the firm. Mr. Lambert Hopper had died prior to this disruption, and the business fell into the hands of Wesley Hopper and William Baldwin. They continued together but a year, when Baldwin withdrew and removed from the village. The factory was rented for a time to J. M. & G. W. Davis, now of Carman, but for several years has not been run at all. These mills had been the life of Warren; consequently, with their decadence, the village has also sunk to a low point.

Of saw-mills there have been several, which have naturally fallen into decay as the timber has been used up. The first one established was built by John Houehin in 1835, as has been remarked heretofore.

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IIISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

Wilson Kendall, brother to Robert, built a saw-mill on the Ellison, in section 14; it went into disuse about 1848. The last saw-mill in oper- ation in township 9, range 5, was a steam mill, located on the west edge of Olena, on the farm of Cyrus W. Steele, Esq. Mr. Steele sold the pro- prietors, Nichols & Hurst, four acres of land to secure the mill, and, though he never owned it, he ran it most of the time. The mill passed successively into the hands of John F. Woodsides, George W. Cowden, John Oglesby, J. L. Green, Abraham Carress, John Long, and Curtis Mofford, and last, Robert Martin. He removed the mill to Gladstone, ten years after its first establishment. For eight years, until timber became scant, the mill did a profitable business.

A less commendable enterprise was started in 1842 or 1843 by Alexander and Samuel Strahan, namely, a distillery. They built a log building, covering it with split clapboards. Their still continued in successful operation for about three years, when both brothers removed to Iowa.

The early mails were much the same here as elsewhere, the route extending from Monmonth to Appanoose. The first office opened in this township was established at the house of Wm. Cowden. After the laying out of Olena, Robert Kendall became postmaster, and removed the office to his store. The office has changed hands as stores have changed owners; at present it is under the charge of Ira Putney, Jr.

The Honey creek postoffice was opened at the residence of Mr. Abner Davis, about 1842 or 1843, on the route from Burlington to Macomb. It was discontinued after a few years, and the mail taken to Warren.

The first hotel was opened by Wm. W. Kendall, only son of Robert Kendall. He also built the first frame buildings, a store and a dwell- ing, in Olena. These in 1841 were considered extraordinarily fine. The store is still standing, but long since fallen into disuse. The dwelling was used as a hotel ; it was about 16×24 feet, one and a half stories high. It was owned by various parties until in 1857 it came into the hands of Mr. Geo. Curry. He remodeled the house, and kept it till 1862, when he exchanged residences with his father. The latter occupied it until his death, in 1878. Mr. Lukins then kept hotel for a time, when the building passed into the hands of its present occupant, Mrs. Clark, who for several years before this had kept hotel in various buildings in the village.

Churches date their organization back to the earliest years of the settlement of this region. They have grown and strengthened as the country has filled up, and wealth and culture have increased. Material

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OLENA TOWNSHIP.

growth is referred to here, of course. The first church organization was the Associate (Seceder) Presbyterian Congregation of Bethel. It was organized on the second day of August, 1836, by Rev. James C. Bruce, then under the care of the Presbytery of Miami. Joseph W. Kendall and Joseph Rankin were installed as ruling elders of the con- gregation. Among the constituent members of this church were the Rankins, Kendalls, Whites, Andrews, Gibsons, Bests, Lauts, and others. The first pastor was the Rev. Wm. Bruce, who was settled over the church about a year after its organization, or in 1837.

The first house of worship was erected in the same year that the church was organized. It was a log building, located near the Ellison creek, opposite the residence of John Gibson. The congrega- tion worshiped in this house about 1850 or 1851, when they built a frame church on the northeast corner of Mr. Gibson's farm.

In the meantime a second pastor had been installed in the person of Rev. N. McDowal, settled in 1848. He presided over the congre- gation for eight years, and then resigned. He was succeeded by Rev. Elijah McCoy. He continued as pastor until the union of the Asso- ciate and Associate Reformed churches, in 1858. That he might leave the way open for the union of the Associate Reformed con- gregation of Ellison with the Associate congregation of Bethel, he resigned. The fusion of these congregations was consummated October 18, 1858, at the Bethel church, Rev. James MeArthur officiating. The elders at the time of the union were Alexander Spears, Stephen White, Robert Kirkpatrick, and Joseph Rankin. The church thus constituted enrolled seventy members, and was desig- nated as the United Presbyterian congregation of Ellison. About a year later a number of this congregation separated themselves from this organization, and, uniting with others at Olena, were organized into the United Presbyterian congregation of Olena, September 8, 1859, by Rev. David McDill, D.D., and Rev. J. C. MeKnight. The original membership numbered thirty. Since the organization of the congregation 209 persons have been admitted by profession and certifi- cate to its membership. It numbers ninety-one at the present. Six pastors have been installed over this people, three of whom were removed by death. Rev. Charles Thompson was installed June 17, 1862, and died December 31, 1865, at the age of thirty-four years. Rev. Andrew McMillen succeeded to the place thus made vacant. He was installed in June, 1869, and was released August 28, 1871, and is now pastor of the Oelwein and Putnam congregations, Fayette county, Iowa: Rev. William Lorimer followed, his installation taking place July 1, 1872. After a brief but successful pastorate, he met a painful

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HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

death by a railway train, January 30, 1873. For more than a year the church was pastorless ; but April 1, 1874, Rev. William R. Erskine was settled. His death occurring the 5th of the next February, in the fifty-seventh year of his age, and the twenty-fifth of his ministry, the congregation was for another year without a pastor. May 26, 1876, Rev. John K. Martin, was settled and continued in this office until November 1, 1878, at which time he was released. He is at present over the congregation of Lexington, Ohio. The present pastor is Rev. Robert W. McBride. He is of Irish descent. He was born in the city of Philadelphia, October 22, 1848, but was brought to Illinois in 1849 by his parents. He received his general education at Mon- mouth College, graduating June 17, 1875. He pursued his theological studies at the United Presbyterian Seminary, at Xenia, Ohio, com- pleting the course with the class of 1879. He was ordained and installed over the Olena congregation on the 5th of the following Sep- tember. March 15, 1882, he was married to Miss Kate Ę. Wilkin, daughter of. William Wilkin (now deceased) and Jane McKitrick (still living at Keota, Keokuk, Iowa). For some time after its organiza- tion this congregation worshiped in the barn of Mr. John Andrews, a little south of Olena, at the school-house, and in the Methodist Episcopal house of worship, the Bethel church having been sold and torn down shortly after the formation of the Ellison United Presby- terian congregation. In 1862 they erected a church building in the northern part of the village of Olena, at a cost of $1,500. This congregation includes many of the leading men of the community, and is an intelligent, progressive people. No better word can be spoken for it than to mention the beautiful monuments erected by the congre- gation to the memory of its deceased pastors.

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History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 98

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