USA > Illinois > Morgan County > History of Morgan county, Illinois : its past and present, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; a biographical directory of its volunteers in the late rebellion; portraits of its early settlers and prominent men [etc., etc.] > Part 30
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" Such is the wife and mother of the pioneer, and, with such influen- ces about him, how could he be otherwise than honest, straightforward, and manly ?"
Rev. Joseph Doddridge, D.D., whose early life was spent amid the scenes and habits of the West, especially in Kentucky, has well described the manners and customs. He says: " For a long time after the first settlement of this country, the inhabitants in general married young. There was no distinction of rank, and very little of fortune. On these accounts the first impression of love resulted in marriage ; and a family establishment cost but a little labor, and nothing else.
" In the first years in the settlement of this country, a wedding en- gaged the attention of a whole neighborhood, and the frolic was antici- pated by old and young with eager expectation. This is not to be won- dered at, when it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering which was not accompanied by the labor of reaping, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some scout or campaign.
"On the morning of the wedding-day, the groom and his attendants assembled at the house of his father, for the purpose of reaching the man- sion of his bride by noon, which was the usual time for celebrating the nuptials ; which for certain must take place before dinner.
" Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, without a store, tailor, or mantua-maker within a hundred miles; and an assemblage of horses, without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentlemen dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather breeches, leggings, linsey hunting shirts, and all home-made.
" The ladies dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bed gowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs, and buckskin gloves, if any. If there were any buckles, rings, buttons, or ruffles, they were the relics of olden times-family pieces from parents or grandparents.
" The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, with a bag or blan-
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ket thrown over them. A rope or string as often constituted the girth' as a piece of leather.
"The march, in double file, was often interrupted by the narrowness and obstruction of our horse-paths, as they were called, for we had no roads, and these difficulties were often increased, sometimes by the good, and sometimes by the ill-will of neighbors, by falling trees and tying grapevines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by the way-side, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding party with smoke.
" Let the reader imagine the scene which followed this discharge .: the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the chivalric bustle of their partners to save them from falling. Sometimes, in spite of all that could be done to prevent it, some were thrown to the ground. If a wrist, elbow, or ankle happened to be sprained, it was tied with a handkerchief, and little more was thought or said about it.
" Another ceremony commonly took place before the party reached the house of the bride, after the practice of making whisky began, which was at an early period ; when the party were about a mile from the place of their destination, two young men would single out to run for the bot- tle ; the worse the path, the more logs, brush, and deep hollows, the bet- ter, as these obstacles afforded an opportunity for the greater display of intrepidity and horsemanship.
" The English fox chase, in point of danger to the riders and their horses, is nothing to this race for the bottle. The start was announced by an Indian yell; logs, brush, muddy hollows, hill, and glen, were speedily passed by the rival ponies. The bottle was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no use for judges, for the first that reached the door was presented with the prize, with which he returned in triumph to the company.
" On approaching them he announced his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop. At the head of the troop, he gave the bottle first to the groom and his attendants, and then to each pair in succession to the rear of the line, giving each a dram; and then, putting the bottle in the bosom of his hunting-shirt, took his station in the company.
" The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls, sometimes venison and bear meat, roasted and boiled, with plenty of potato, cabbage, and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always prevailed ; although the table might be a large slab of timber, hewed out with a broadax, supported by four sticks set in auger holes, and the furniture some old pewter dishes and plates, the rest wooden bowls and trenchers ; a few pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were to be seen at some tables, the rest were made of horns. If the knives were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping knives, which were carried in sheaths suspended to the belt of the hunting shirt.
" After dinner the dancing commenced, and generally lasted until the' next morning. The figures of the dances were three and four-handed reels, or square sets, and jigs. The commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what is called jigging it off; that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often accompanied with what was called cutting F
1
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out ; that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation the place was supplied by some one of the company, without any interruption of the dance.
" In this way a dance was often continued till the musician was hearti- ly tired of his situation. Toward the latter part of the night, if any of the company, through weariness, attempted to conceal themselves for the purpose of sleeping, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor, and the fiddler ordered to ' Hang on till to-morrow morning.'
" About nine or ten o'clock a deputation of the young ladies stole off the bride, and put her to bed. In doing this, it frequently happened that they had to ascend a ladder instead of a pair of stairs, leading from the dining and ball room to the loft, the floor of which was made of clap- boards lying loose and without nails. This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her attendants to the blush, but as the foot of the ladder was commonly behind the door, which was purposely opened for the occasion, and its rounds at the inner ends were well hung with hunting shirts, petticoats, and other articles of clothing, the candles being on the opposite side of the house, the exit of the bride was noticed but by few. Sometimes the ladder was on the outside of the house, and these precautions were unnecessary.
" This done, a deputation of young men in like manner stole off the groom, and placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The dance still continued ; and if seats happened to be scarce, which was often the case, every young man, when not engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls ; and the offer was sure to be accepted.
" In the midst of this hilarity, the bride and groom were not forgotten. Pretty late in the night, some one would remind the company that the new couple must stand in need of some refreshments ; black Betty, which was the name of the bottle, was called for, and sent up the ladder ; but sometimes black Betty did not go alone. I have many times seen as much bread, beef, pork, and cabbage, sent along with her as would afford a good meal for half a dozen hungry men. The young couple were com- pelled to eat and drink, more or less, of whatever was offered them.
" It often happened that some neighbors or relations, not being asked to the wedding, took offense ; and the mode of revenge adopted by them on such occasions, was that of cutting off the manes, foretops, and tails of the horses of the wedding company.
" The custom of serenading newly married couples, or giving them a charivari, as it was called, prevailed to some extent in the pioneer days of Illinois. This custom originated among the French, who introduced it among the early American settlers in the Mississippi Valley. The old French charivaris were innocent. 'It was,' says 'Governor Reynolds,' in his ' Pioneer History of Illinois,' 'a merry, rural serenade, sustained by all sorts of loud and discordant noises.' The charivari party was composed of old and young, and generally conducted by some orderly and aged man. They enlisted into their service all sorts of things that could by any means be forced to make a noise. They used bells, horns, drums, pans, tin kettles, whistles, and all such articles as would make loud, harsh sounds. This French organized charivari was such a merry, noisy uproar, that it would make a monk laugh if he heard it.
"The proper French custom was, that if persons married, of the same
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condition, there was no charivari ; but when discordant materials were tied together with that delicious silken cord, which is so dazzling to the female eye, then a similar discordant noise attended the celebration. For example, when neither of the parties ever before tasted the delicacies of matrimony, there was no grounds for a serenade ; but when a widower,' who had before worshiped at the shrine of Venus, married a lady who was never before bound in wedlock, then in such cases the charivari was invoked with all its merriment. And the same with a widow, who had before feasted on the sweet viands of love, and married a man whose lot. had heretofore been celibacy, in such cases the charivari was in order."
Generally among the Frenchi the married parties were as willing as the others for the sport, and were prepared to extend some civilities to the good-humored crowd. Thus frequently the case ended in the best of feeling. But when the married folks were refractory, the charivari was kept up for a succession of nights, until they yielded to the custom. As the farce proceeded, if the married parties were sour, the. serenading crowd had the privilege to hint, in a inild inanner, first at the character of the bride, and then at that of the bridegroom. These hints generally closed the scene in good humor. When the noise was made in the crowd, some one would cry out at the top of voice, "Charivari ! charivari !" and some other in the party would sing out, " per qui?"-" for whom ?" The answer to this question gave rise to hint at the female and her character. At times the bridegroom, also, was charged with things he would not like. This was the dernier resort. When this, or other means, produced some kindness or civility, then the whole farce ended in the best of feelings, among the French. But with the Americans this charivari is sometimes attended with disagreeable consequences. And, in fact, the serenading party is sometimes indicted for a " breach of the peace." The charivari were common affairs in the early days of Morgan County, and have been continued to some extent to the present day.
In pure pioneer times the crops of corn were never husked on the stalk, as is done at the present day; but were hauled home in the husk, and thrown in a heap, generally by the side of the crib, so that the ears. when husked could be thrown directly into the crib. This practice was commonly followed by the early settlers of Morgan County, and was the occasion of the frolics known as "shuckings," or " husking bees."
" The corn house filled, The invited neighbors to the husking come ; A frolic scene, where work, and mirth, and play, Unite their charms to chase the hours away."
The whole neighborhood, male and female - says an old writer - were invited to these " shuckings." The girls, and many of the married ladies, generally engaged in this amusing work. In the first place, two leading, expert huskers were chosen as captains, and the heap of corn divided as nearly equal as possible. Rails were laid across the pile, so as to designate the division ; and then each captain chose, alternately, his corps of huskers, male and female. The whole number of working hands present were selected on one side or the other, and then each party commenced a contest to beat the other, which was, in many instances, truly exciting. One other rule was, that whenever a gentleman husked
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a red ear of corn, he was entitled to a kiss from the ladies. This frequently excited much fuss and scuffling, intended by both parties to end in a kiss.
In some parts of the West it was the practice to use taffia, or Monongahela whisky, which they drank out of a bottle, each one, male and female, taking the bottle and drinking out of it, and then handing it to his or her next neighbor, without using any glass or cnp whatever. This custom was common, and not considered rude. The bread used at these frolics was baked generally on jonny, or journey-cake boards, and is the best corn bread ever made. A board is made smooth, about two feet long, and eight inches wide- the ends are generally rounded. The dough is spread out on this board, and placed leaning before the fire. One :side is baked, and then the dough is changed on the board, so the other side is presented, in its turn, to the fire. This is jonny-cake, and is good, if the proper materials are put in the dough, and it is properly baked. Almost always these corn shuckings ended in a dance. To prepare for this amusement, fiddles and fiddlers were in great demand, and it often required much fast riding to obtain them. One violin, and a performer, were all that was contemplated, at these innocent rural dances.
Toward dark, and the supper half over ; then it was that a bustle and confusion began, which fully equalled the confusion of tongues at Babel. The young folks hurriedly cleared the table, while the old folks contended for time and order. It was the case, nine times out of ten, . that but one dwelling house was on the premises, and that used for eating as well as dancing. But when the fiddler commenced tuning his instrument, the music always gained the victory for the younger side. Then, the dishes, victuals, tables, and all, disappeared in a few minutes, and the room was cleared, the dogs driven out, and the floor swept off, ready for action. The floors of these houses were sometimes the natural earth beaten solid, sometimes the earth with puncheons in the middle, over the potato hole, and at times, the whole floor was made of puncheons. Sawed plank, or boards, were not at all common in early times.
The music at these country dances excited the young folks to imme- diate activity, and the dance which followed was similar in character to that which followed the wedding festivities. The pioneers of Morgan County, who are yet living, doubtless remember these early frolics, and it was at these, that "many a sweet love story was told over in a laugh- ing manner, by the young hunters, or farmers, to their sweet-hearts, during these nights of innocent amusements. The young man of . eighteen, would choke, cough, and spit, look pale, and sweat when he was about to tell his girl the secret movements of his heart in her favor, while his heart thumped with almost as loud a noise as a pheasant beating on a log. The girl received these outpourings of her lover's heart, with such sparkling eyes and such a bright countenance, that spoke volumes of love to her beau. These love contracts, that ended in marriage, were frequently made at these dances. In the morning, all went home on horse-back, or on foot. No carriages, wagons, or other wheeled vehicles, were used on these occasions, for the best of reasons- they had none."
The skillful use of the rifle, was an accomplishment essential to frontier life. This led to " shooting matches," which were eagerly par-
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ticipated in by all the men old enough to hold a rifle. The prize shot for, was generally a fat beef, although a rifle, a turkey, or some other. piece of property would be contended for. When the owner of a fat. beef, proposed to dispose of it that way, he sent word of the coming " match," over the settlement, fixing the day and place. . The hunters. would gather in, at the time appointed, with their rifles and hunting accoutrements. Being provided with the inevitable jug of whisky, they would select a shaded spot, under the trees, and prepare for the match. The beef was valned at an amount agreed upon, which had to be made up at a certain sum per shot, generally fifty cents, each one invest- ing in as many as he liked until the amount was made up.
Two judges were then chosen to decide the match, one of them to attend to setting up the targets, and the other to check off the shots as they were fired. The marksmen provided themselves with targets, which they made by blackening one side of a clapboard, over the fire. A small cross was then made, by drawing a knife-blade up and down through the blackened spot, and at the center of the cross a small piece of white paper was fastened, and the target was ready. Each one shot. at his own target, and when. all the shots were fired, the targets were examined by the judges, and the winners announced. The distance was usually forty yards off hand, or sixty yards with a rest ; the latter mode being considered the best way of testing the accuracy of a gun's shoot- ing. By established custom, the beef was divided into five choices, each quarter of the animal being a choice, and the hide and tallow the fifth choice. Thus the five best shots took the choices in their order, and the sixth best shot was entitled to cut the bullets out of the tree, against which the targets had been placed, and retain them. If a turkey, a rifle, or any like article, was the prize, the mode of disposing of it, was the same as the beef, save that the best shot secured the prize, undivided. The frontiersman was generally very skillful in the use of the rifle. Sometimes a nail would be driven about two-thirds its length into a board, which was placed at a proper distance from the marks- man, whose object it was to " drive the nail " fully into the board by hitting the nail squarely on the head. This mode of shooting, gave rise to a familiar expression, and any one who could not successfully perform this feat was considered an inferior marksman.
" Barking squirrels " is delightful sport, and in the opinion of many, required a greater degree of accuracy than any mode used to kill them .. . It was done by the ball striking the bark immediately underneath the squirrel, as he paused in his flight up or down the side of a tree. The concussion would instantly kill the little animal, and sometimes throw him several feet from the tree.
The snuffing of a candle with a ball, was another feat indulged in by the frontiersmen, as a mark of skill. Still another feat, which was. sometimes performed by the most skillful, was to fill a tin cup with water, and place it on the head of some one, and shoot a ball through it. The prize was generally a bottle of whisky, and it required nearly as much nerve on the part of the target holder, as it did for the marks- man.
Deer hunting was, among many early settlers, another popular source of amusement. The habits of these animals were well known and
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carefully studied by the pioneer, and it was often a test of skill on his part to be able to successfully thwart this wily game. In the pioneer days of Morgan County, large herds of this animal became a common sight to the settler. Old residents relate wonderful stories about their deer-hunts, as they gather with their children about their fireside in the long winter evenings.
The hunter, did he decide on a day's hunt, arose early on the morn- ing of the appointed day, and accompanied by his dogs-several of which he kept-would set forth for a day's sport. The deer possesses an ex- ceedingly keen power of scent, and can detect the hunter at a great dis- tance, hence it was necessary on the part of the latter, to decide first the direction of the wind before leaving his house or camp. Various devices were used by him to determine this, should the wind be at rest; the common one was to place one of his fingers in his mouth until it became warm, raising this hand above his liead, he noted carefully which side of the finger became cold first, and this decided the question. As soon as a deer was seen, the hunter slyly approached until within gun-shot ; almost always the first shot proved effectual, and the prize was secured. The carcass was at once hung on a sapling out of the reach of the wolves, and the chase continued.
At the time of the " deep snow," deer perished by hundreds. They could not escape the voracious wolves, nor run from the dogs. Many persons, with a reckless regard for the future, destroyed them out of sheer cruelty. Among the earliest settlers, venison was a common article of food, and full of nutrition. It was prepared in various ways ; was often "jerked "-that is, cut into long strips, which were hung in the sun to dry, and being prepared in this manner, would keep many days in an excellent condition. It was commonly prepared in this manner by emi- grants. As the deer became scarce by the encroachments of the white man, their places were supplied by wild hogs. These fed on the mast found in the woods, and often became very fat. The meat, when prop- erly cured and cooked, was quite palatable, and supplied very well, the place of the venison.
We left the thread of the history with the close of the Black Hawk war. Reverting to it and continuing the narrative, we find the next event worthy of notice was the scourge of the cholera in 1833. Of its ravages in the South and West, the reader is no doubt, well aware. It was probably brought to Jacksonville by two men named Conn and Coddington. The former recovered from the attack, but the latter died in a house on the west side of the Public Square. One of these men being a relative of Mrs. Ellis, wife of Rev. Ellis, made her house his home, and from him Mrs. Ellis and her family were stricken with the dreadful disease and all died.
The citizens of the town and country became thoroughly alarmed, and many left for other places. The plague stopped all business for a time, and prevented intercourse between the town and country people, the latter fearing to come to town, or to receive town people into their houses. About one hundred persons died from this disease. Many from only a few hours sickness. It checked emigration, however, but a short time. The next year all traces of it had disappeared, and people came pouring into the county at a rapid rate.
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The Fall of 1836, is made memorable by the day known as the
"SUDDEN FREEZE."
This was occasioned by a remarkable current of cold air passing from the northwest to the southeast, directly over Morgan County. Its width extended over the entire central portion of the State. Its velocity was, as near as can now be determined, about thirty miles per hour. It was felt in Jacksonville about noon, and was in Leb- anon, Ohio, just above Cincinnati, at nine o'clock that evening. Mr. Washington Crowder, a resident of Sangamon County, was married on the 21st of December, 1836, and distinctly remembers going for his license the day before. This event fixes the date beyond a doubt. He was on his way to Springfield on the afternoon of the 20th, and when a few miles below the city had a fair view of the landscape for several miles in every direction. He saw in the northwest a heavy black cloud rapidly approaching him, accompanied with a terrific, deep, bellowing sound. Closing the umbrella he was carrying over him to protect himself from the falling rain, he was in the act of drawing his reins taut, when the wave came over him. At that instant the snow and slush under his horse's feet turned to ice, while his coat, wet with the rain, became in- stantly as stiff as a board. He went on to Springfield, where he found his clothing frozen to the saddle, and was unable to dismount, and he was compelled to call help, who carried man and saddle to the fire to thaw them apart. He obtained his license, returned the same day, and was married the next.
The wave passed over Morgan County between one and two o'clock, and came so suddenly that chickens and small animals were frozen in their tracks. Several inches of snow had fallen a short time before and on that day it was quite warm, with light spring-like showers, and the whole earth was covered with slush and water.
The change was so sudden and the wind so strong that the water in the ponds in the road froze in waves, sharp-edged and pointed, as the gale had blown it. Judge Samuel Woods says he was nearly a mile from home, in the prairie, when the wave struck him. The slush and water were several inches thick, and before he could get home he could walk upon the top, as they had frozen hard.
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