USA > Illinois > Piatt County > History of Piatt County; together with a brief history of Illinois from the discovery of the upper Mississippi to the present time > Part 32
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"Other railroads were projected and built, and new homes were established at a rate of increase unknown in the older states. The brothers Bodman, of Massachusetts, four of them, were of the first settlers and largest land owners; men of enterprise, wealth and influ- ence. The brothers Scott, from Lexington, Kentucky, Joseph and Isaac, honored by all who ever knew them, did their full share in the development of this county.
"There are many immigrants from old Licking, that have dropped in here at various dates. The Hon. Francis E. Bryant, who built the first warehouse in Bement, though a native of New Hampshire, was educated at Granville, and still remembers his college associates and teachers with a lively interest. Then in different parts of the county are, Gardner, Gregory, Mitchell, Fristoe, Orr, Caughenbaugh, Dickin-
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son, Dyarman, Somers, Tippett, Wright, Wetherell, Beck, Reese, Partridge, and others whose names I do not now recall.
"I desire, in closing, to bear witness in one thing more, to the credit of the settlers. It came to me with great force, on a summer day, while lying in dreamy reverie upon the same slope from which so long ago I first saw this broad prairie. The spires, the shaded dwell- ings, the shops and stores of Bement, a mile or two away, now obstruct the range of vision. Hedges and orchards, farm-houses, distant moving trains of cars, and things of life arrest the eye. But the transforma- tion in all this is not greater than that which has come to this very spot. Now, hundreds of silver maples and groups of evergreen shelter and adorn this ridge of ground, and attest the good taste and civilization of the people. Their 'city of the dead' is here laid out in no stinted measure, as though they grudged 'God's acre,' but with broad, well-kept avenues and walks, with shrubs and flowers, they have made it a spot worthy of the dust it is to receive, and the associations with which their children will regard it. Already rising monuments tell of the mother, the child, the village favorite, the soldier brought from southern battle-field, of strong men fallen by the way, and mark the spot where the hardy pioneers of the county-
' The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.'"
Early settlements .- From all accounts we consider that the first settlement in Bement township was made by William Bailey, not long previous to 1854, in section 5. Another early settler was John Hughes, who lived near the head of Lake Fork timber. The first elec- tion in the township was held in his log house. There were not more than six voters in the entire township, and Jos. Moore was one of the judges. Mr. Smith Quick bought out Jno. Hughes, and Mr. Joseph Moore bought land of Mr. Bailey. Both Mr. Moore and Mr. Quick are yet living in the township.
These settlements were made previous to the building of the present Wabash railroad through the township. After the building of the said road settlements began to be made quite rapidly.
Bement .- Bement is situated seven miles south of Monticello, the county seat, and is a village of about 1,500 inhabitants. The land upon which Bement is located was purchased in 1854 by Joseph Bod- man, who bought about 6,000 acres of land, which are now owned by himself, L. B. Wing and Lewis and Luther Bodman. It was through Joseph Bodman's influence that Bement was located on its present
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site. L. B. Wing, Joseph Bodman and Henry P. Little donated ground upon which the original town was laid ont. L. B. Wing sold in 1854 to Hunt & Carter, agents for the Great Western railroad, thirty-three acres of land in section 19 for $1. The railroad buildings and some of the business houses of the town were located on this land. In fact Joseph Bodman is connected with every link of Bement's history. He assisted in laying out the town, as did also Joseph Mal- lory, Sullivan Burgess and James Bryden, and made an addition to the town of Bement. The Wabash railroad crossing is on his addi- tion. Bement was surveyed during the summer of 1854 and recorded by Josialı Hunt in January 1855.
Joseph Bodman, J. H. and J. M. Camp, William Ellis, and Thomp- son and Marion Pettit were the first settlers of Bement. Mr. Joseph Alvord moved into a log house on Dr. Bodman's farm, which belongs to the estate of the late Chris Kesner, and boarded the men who built the first house in Bement. Mr. Alvord also hauled lumber from Champaign for the first house which was built in the town. In April, 1855, this first house, which stood just west of the present Christian church and was owned by Joseph Bodman, was erected under the supervision of T. T. Pettit and J. M. Camp. Joseph Nye and wife kept boarders in this house. They were succeeded by Mr. Crip- pen. Mr. Bodman also erected the second house in town, which stood just west of the first one. Soon after he erected a small office build- ing, which was the first business house of the town. It served for various purposes, and until the Wabash depot was moved from Decatur was used as a depot until the winter of 1856.
Mr. and Mrs. Force came to Bement in 1855-56, Mrs. Force reaching the place in January, 1856. In the spring of 1856, after boarding in Monticello for a time, they moved into the third house in Bement. About this time Joseph Alvord, who had been living for a time in the second house of the town, moved into a house built on his farm, now.owned by Mr. Martin. Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Yost came to Bement April 29, 1856. Mr. Yost built on the ground now owned by Mr. J. C. Evans, but ere a great while moved on to his farm north of Bement which is still owned by his family.
Near the time the first settlements were made in Bement Mr. B. G. Hopkins moved onto a farm since known as the Elihu Fisher farmn. He only remained a few years. Mr. F. E. Bryant moved to Bement in 1856, and his family made the seventh in the place. He started the first store, bought Joseph Bodman's warehouse, and began handling
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grain. Mr. Bryant's building, where Mr. Cooper has his store, was the first brick building of the town, and probably the first public entertain- ment was a dance held in Mr. Bryant's old warehouse. For several years each new building was dedicated by a dancing party.
Before the establishment of a postoffice in Bement the mail, thougli brought first to Bement, was distributed in Monticello. Mr. Joseph Bodman was the first postmaster of the town. The present one, Mr. S. K. Bodman, has ably filled his position for a number of years.
Mrs. Yost reports the following : The first couple married in Bement were Mr. Thomas W. Bane and Martha W. Hadsall, who were married at Aaron Yost's in June, 1856. Mr. Charles Evans is now living in the house where the ceremony was performed.
A Methodist minister preached the first sermon in the town at Mr. Crippen's.
The first birth and death in the town was that of Mr. James' child. The child was buried in 1856 near Mr. Haldeman's mill.
The first Sabbath-school, a union one, was organized in May, 1856.
Mrs. Yost says that the first she knew of the public square, Mr. Alvord took his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Booth, Mr. and Mrs. Force, and Mr. and Mrs. Yost, saying, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will take you a drive around the public square," and they, with laughter and jokes, went around the present public square, which then was but staked out.
Mr. T. T. Pettit thinks that the first sermon in the town was preached by Mr. Samuel Harshbarger, in the depot, and that Mr. Huston was the first stationary minister.
The first hotel of the place, the Sherman House, was built in 1857, and until the erection of the elegant masonic building, stood on the main business street of the town. It now stands to the rear of the masonic building. John Townsend built and kept the hotel for a time, until his death, when his widow undertook the supervision of the same.
In the spring of 1858 James McDowell came to Bement, and witlı Mr. Tho. Postlethwaite erected the hotel known as the Pennsylvania House. This building is still standing, and, under the name of Bement House, is kept by its worthy proprietor, Mr. Royal Thomas.
Mr. C. F. Tenney moved to Bement in 1859, and says that at that time Mr. Bryant's was the only dry goods store in the place. There were no sidewalks, the streets were not graded, and there was not a tree in the town. There were just enoughi ladies in the town who
William Ho. Piatt.
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danced to form one set. School, and sometimes church, was held in a house built by Mr. Harper.
Milmine & Bodman had the first bank of the town ; Freese & Co., tlie second ; Fisher & Gregory, the third ; and Bryant & Bodman, the fourth. The first three of these were in a building in which the "Bement Gazette " office is now located, but the building then stood on the present site of D. S. Cole's shoe store. The only bank of the town is now known as the Bank of Bement.
In 1861 or 1862 some of the old settlers of the town, Messrs. Bryant, Bodman, and others, made preparations for and held the first fourth of July celebratiom of Bement in the school yard. Mr. C. D. Moore made the first speech, and was succeeded by Dr. Mitchell. Bement has held a number of celebrations since, and is surpassed by none as a patriotic town.
The names of a number of early settlers, not mentioned so far in this article, will be found among the biographies.
Bement of to-day .- A traveler on the Great Western road twenty- five years ago could find no point of resemblance in the present busy, energetic town as compared with the little station of a quarter of a century ago. To-day it has more beautiful trees than any town in the county ; tlien not one could be seen within three miles of the depot. Well built and substantial sidewalks have taken the place of the cob- walks of the early days. A number of quite elegant residences have taken the place of the first modest little cottages. The business houses have increased in size and number.
Since the Wabash railroad took possession of the Chicago and Paducah railroad an exceeding rapid improvement has been going on. Near a hundred new houses have been erected since then, and the population has made an increase of about four hundred. The Wabash company built an elegant new depot, by far the best in the county, in addition to a number of other railroad buildings near the crossing of the two roads.
Bement is "booming" just now, and persons desiring to locate in a thriving, energetic place cannot find a better one of its size in central Illinois.
THE CHURCHES.
In speaking of the churches of this town, as well as those in other parts of the county, we have endeavored to mention the most impor- tant items that have been furnished us. In some cases more items have been given than in others, and we thus have made more
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extended notice of such. We were disappointed in several instances in regard to the small amount of facts we could collect relating to the churches.
Methodist Episcopal church .- The Methodist church was organ- ized in 1858, under the pastorate of Rev. Edward Rutledge, and Mr. C. D. Moore, C. Schoolcraft, Thomas Postletliwaite, William Stillwell, Robert McDowell and James McDowell were among the most promi- nent members. Their meetings were first held in the school-house, and afterward in Bryant's Hall. In 1863 a subscription was taken up for the purpose of building a church, and in 1864 the building was begun. In October of the same year Rev. H. Buck dedicated the church. During the period from the opening of the subscription to the dedication of the church, Rev. I. Groves, and D. P. Lyon were pastors. Until the conference of 1865. Bement was included in the Monti- cello circuit, but at this date it was detached from Monticello, and with Milmine and Cerro Gordo formed a new circuit. Rev. C. McKaskill was placed in charge. He soon was compelled to resign on account of ill health, and Rev. J. C. Lewis supplied his place.
In the fall of 1867 Bement was formed into a station, and Rev. H. S. Tryon was put in charge. About this time a belfry was built on the church, and a $150 bell was purchased. In 1876 a commodious par- sonage, worth $1,600, was erected for the use of the pastor.
The following are the names of some of the ministers : Rev. N. S. Buckner, 1868; Rev. J. Montgomery, 1870 and 1871; Rev. Geo. M. Fortune, 1872; Rev. I. Villars, 1874; Rev. G. E. Ackerman, 1874 ; Rev. Jos. Winterbottom, 1875, and Rev. T. M. Dillon.
Protestant Episcopal church .- The first Episcopal preaching in Bement was done by Rev. J. W. Osborne, who was in the town in September, 1861. Soon it was planned that a parish should be formed and a meeting for the same was called; the name, the Church of the Atonement, was chosen and the following persons were elected to office : George Milmine and Tho. Cooper, senior and junior wardens respectively, and Frank M. Speed, F. E. Bryant, C. F. Tenney, Robert D. Niles, Jos. Bodman, Chas. Fisher and Edward Bod- man, vestrymen. J. W. Osborne was made president, and Frank M. Speed, secretary. Judge Spear gives the names of about twenty- five communicants. The growth of this church has been some- what slow, but of late the society has been making a good deal of advancement. Their church fairs are very interesting and suc- cessful. Preparations are being made for the building of a church
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there. This church has had an interest in the Christian church build- ing, and their meetings have been held there.
Christian church .- The organization of this church dates in January, 1862, and according to Judge Spear, James Connor, jr., was the organizer, and the meeting was held at William Monroe's. The following names show the membership at the above date : B. G. Hop- kins, Mary B. Hopkins, Samuel J. Hopkins, Sarah J. Hopkins, William Monroe, Jane Monroe, John J. Gosney, America S. Gosney, Martin R. Ruble, Johnathan Ruble, Joseph Shelton, Thomas Dunn, Elizabeth Evans, Caroline Yost, Ann E. and Susan Gosney. The following were the officers: William Monroe and S. Ruble, elders, and Thomas Dunn and Samuel Hopkins, deacons. The names of some of the ministers of the church are James Conner,. A. J. North- cut, Elder Osborne, J. W. Perkins, S. M. Conner, Americus Conner, E. J. Hart, and Messrs. McFadden, Matthews, Carter, Munser, Rice, McCorkle, Johnson, Frame, Speer, Pointer, Hodson and others.
The church building was erected in 1867, and cost about $800. Lately a bell has been purchased, and the new belfry adds much to the appearance of the church. Since the organization of the church there has been a total of over two hundred names enrolled, and the member- ship the present year is about ninety-six. The Sunday-school has an attendance of one hundred and twenty-five persons, with thirteen teachers. W. A. Godwin is superintendent. The trustees of the church are G. C. Evans, B. G. Hopkins and J. J. Gosney. The elders are G. W. Thompson, H. Martin and William McGaffey. Calvin Boake is deacon.
Presbyterian church .- The following extracts from a sermon by Rev. A. W. Ringland will tell the story of the Bement Presbyterian church better than can be told with other material which we have collected:
"August 29, 1868, this church was organized in the Methodist Episcopal church, Bement, by Revs. Thomas A. Chestnut and T. P. Emerson, with eight members, whose names are as follows : E. C. Camp, Elizabetli J. Camp, Mary E. Camp, Wm. Newton, Margaret Newton, Sarah E. Bryant, Emily F. Swaney and Mrs. Scott, with E. C. Camp and Wm. Newton as elders. January 30, 1870, six trustees were elected, as follows : Jos. Bodman, president, with F. E. Bryant, Warren A. Pierce, A. G. Gregory, Jos. M. Scott, and Wm. M. Camp, who, the records tell us, with the congregation began to consider the expediency of building a house of worship. Financial energy marks
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the very first pages of the records. The salary, though very modest, is paid. Within three months of the time when the church was organized there is a record of a contribution of $7 to the board of home missions, and within seven months of its organization another contribution of $13 to the board of church erection. A church which might have put on beggars' airs - a church without a building, worshiping in a town hall, giving to other churches that they may have buildings. These were two of the best days' work this church could possibly have done. It may not be business, but it is decidedly christian, to esteem others better than ourselves. And there is more danger of churches dying outright from supreme selfishness than from prodigality in benevolence.
" For convenience let me speak of matters, first, ecclesiastical, and second, secular.
"1. Ecclesiastical .- (1) Pastors. The first supply of the pulpit, Rev. Thos. M. Chestnut, seems not to have remained to exceed ten months, probably only seven. Rev. S. A. Hummer occupied the pulpit for about fifteen months, Rev. B. F. Sharp beginning October 1, 1871, ending his engagement with the churchi April 1, 1878. July 18, the present pastorate began, in the same year, which has just reached its fourth anniversary. In the strict construction of terms, the church was under a system of stated supplies until 1880, when your present pastor was regularly installed. '(2) Elders. The church has had, in all its history, eight elders, as follows : E. C. Camp, Wm. Newton, Geo. Sandford, W. M. Camp, Jno. H. Murphy, L. W. Bodman, Geo. F. Miller and T. W. Scott. E. C. Camp alone remains of the original bench, after fourteen years of uninterrupted service. Two have removed from the bonds of the congregation, four are active, and one, at present, is inactive. (3) Deacons. On April 6, of present year, this office was filled for the first time by the election of Louis H. Alvord and Henry M. Hays. (4) Members. The whole number of members received from the foundation of the church has been 154. One has been excommunicated, six have been placed on the "retired list" because their whereabouts are not known to the session, ten have died, thirty-one have been dismissed to other churches, while 108 still remain upon the roll of membership. (5) The Sabbath school has been one of unwavering prosperity. It was organized about 1871, with L. W. Bodman as superintendent. His energy and zeal are notably linked with its organization and early success. After two years' service Jno. H. Murphy became his successor for one year, who
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in turn was succeeded by Win. M. Camp, who now holds and has since held the position with favor and capability, combining enough of the military with the christian to give symmetry to the movement of the school. The maximum enrollment is 255 for any year. (6) The Ladies' Missionary Society, originally 'Foreign,' but latterly 'Home and Foreign,' has been one of marked activity, both in gifts and mis- sionary spirit. Under its tuition a children's band, known as 'The Sunbeams,' with about eighty names on its roll, has been kept in active operation for a number of years. Beyond the monthly meetings of each of these, there has been kept up a ladies' society for general work, and since January, 1879, a ladies' prayer meeting, with varying numbers and interest. Intermittent instruction has been given by the pastor in the shorter catechism to primary pupils, and in historical portions of the Old Testament.by the pastor's wife, at the parsonage, on Tuesday evenings, to academic youtlı.
"2. The Secular .- (1) The trustees. The original bench of trustees was Joseph Bodman, F. E. Bryant, Warren A. Pierce, A. G. Gregory, Joseph M. Scott, Wm. M. Camp and L. W. Bodman. The only changes ever made in this board have been suggested by vacancies occasioned by removals from the bounds of the congregation. Warren A. Pierce, Jos. M. Scott, A. G. Gregory and L. W. Bodman having removed to other places, their seats were filled by the election of C. F. Tenney, Abram Hays, A. D. Newton and J. C. Miller. The same president holds office to-day who was called to the chair at its first election. Three of the original six members remain. Two who were elected when the organization was very young are still there. All are living except Mr. Gregory. . This board, which has been its own successor very largely, has piloted the finances of the church through, all kinds of weather, to the present outlook of permanency which we now witness. This board was no mere honorary body. At its first meeting, as soon as officers were elected, we find the ‘subscription book accepted with its conditions.' Immediately following this it is "' Resolved, That we take immediate measures to erect a church building, and obtain such additional subscriptions as can be obtained.'
" A committee was appointed to receive proposals for locating church, and report to the board at its next meeting. It was at once
"'Resolved, That the trustees will expend $6,000 in erecting a church and purchasing ground.'"
In speaking of the building era, Rev. Ringland divides it into three divisions. During the first over $6,000 was subscribed, less than
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$250 of which was given by actual members of the church. and the church building built and the basement completed. The audience room was next completed, and the church was dedicated. Under the third division Rev. Ringland mentions April 18, 1880, as the time when the wind lifted seventy-five feet of the church spire during church service. Ere noon the next day $200 was subscribed for its repair. In this period, too, was mentioned the building of a $1,700 parsonage.
" Summing up in rude outline what has been accomplished by this church and congregation, it may be said :
"1. That for purposes of building and repairs alone, the trustees of this church, first and last, have given from their own private funds $5,275. This includes nothing given by them on salaries or for benevolence. It includes no amount given by other members of their families. You know me too well to charge me with catering to senti- ment when I say that their record as officers, taking the burden of care on their own hearts, for the completion of a very generous building for a town like this,-giving their time, and leading every one in the matter of generosity,-deserves to be noted beyond the limits of this congregation. It deserves to be held up as a chapter of unwritten church history, that others may take knowledge of how a consecrated zeal can clear away difficulties of a very grave character. They have been leaders to you, not drivers. They have shouldered the heavy end of the beam and then said, come. And I believe that if you read their motives by their past acts, if they ever say 'come' again, you will be more ready than ever to heed their bidding.
"2. The grand total given by this clinrch and congregation with such foreign help as has been given you, is more than $32,000. I have traced withi case $31,598.21. The benevolence of this church, from its beginning up to 1877, is not included, for want of sources of information. But it will add a considerable sum to the amount really audited. It has been a giving church and congregation from the beginning. It has paid its debts. It has sought to carry honor unto the sanctuary, as the records show. Nor has it grown poor, but rather ' increased in goods.' It would be an omission not to speak of aid granted by the ladies of this church and congregation. Their labors liave been so diversified as to elude detail. They put themselves on record first with $200 aid toward the construction of the church. Aside from their matronly oversight, their contributions rose, first and last, to a sum exceeding $1,000."
The Catholic church .- Rev. A. Voght, of Decatur, was the first
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Catholic minister in Bement. He visited the town occasionally until 1866, when the present church building, costing about $2,100, was erected. About this time Rev. P. Toner was stationed in Champaign county, and Bement came under his charge. He came to the town once a month until a- church was built at Ivesdale, when the resident minister of that place took charge of this station. The church at Ives- dale was organized in 1865, as a mission of Champaign, by Rev. P. Toner. Rev. P. Burmingham then became the resident priest in 1868. The Rev. Burmingham died, and about seven years ago the Rev. Tho. Shanley, the present priest, succeeded him. Rev. Shanley is reported as being a finely-educated man and a gentleman in every respect. His congregations, botlı at Ivesdale and Bement, have all confidence in him. The membership at Ivesdale includes over one thousand persons. . A number of these people reside in Piatt county and are good workers and earnest citizens. The original church at Ivesdale was built about 1865, but in 1876 an addition was made to the same.
SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS.
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