History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 132

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 132

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).

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

connection with his practice. He was married to Miss Clayton, of Virden; she was born in 1848. They have one child, Oscar, born March 14, 1868.

Daniel Wadsworth was born of a Quaker family in Winthrop, Kennebec county, Maine, May 15, 1799; married in December, 1823, Margaret F. Goodwin, a native of Freeport, Maine, and set- tled in Hallowell, in the same State. They have raised one son and three daughters, all of whom are yet living. Several children died in infancy. Mr. Wadsworth spent the winter of 1839-40 in Mobile, Alabama, working at his trade of car- penter, and in the following spring he came up the river to Sangamon county, Illinois, stopping at Auburn, where the family of an old Maine friend, David Eastman, lived. He bought a small piece of land, worked through the sum- mer, returned home in the fall, sold his Maine property, packed up, and started in October for the far West, as Illinois was then called. The goods were sent by ship around to New Orleans, and thence to Alton. The family were a little over three weeks en route, much of the journey (through the Middle States) having to be made by canal.

Mr. Wadsworth built him a home on South street, Auburn (old town), into which he moved in 1843, and still resides there-the only build- ing left within the limits of the town. The ven- erable pair, one eighty-two, and the other eighty, with an unmarried daughter, constitute the household.

Mr. Wadsworth is one of the oldest Masons in Illinois, having taken the Chapter degrees about sixty years ago. He has ever been a very active and zealous member of this Order, and generally an officer. From his early manhood, he has been a faithful and consistent member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. He was postmaster at Auburn for ten years; has repeatedly held school offices, and has been Notary Public for several years.

William A. Wallace, merchant, Auburn, Illi- nois, was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the 31st day of December, 1858. Received a good business education in Springfield. When four- teen years of age he commenced driving a delivery wagon for J. W. Bittenger, of Spring- field, and remained in that position for six months, when he was called into the office as book-keeper, where he remained two years, when Mr. B. sold out and he was employed by his suc- cessor for a short time. Ile afterwards went to Mechanicsburg, where he was employed in a store for an uncle for three years. Then came

to Auburn, where he was employed as an agent a short time, when he embarked in his present business. Mr. Wallace commenced a poor boy, and by his own exertions has accumulated a fine property, and is one of the enterprising business men of the town.

William M. West, farmer and stock raiser, section thirty, post office Virden, was born in Nicholas county, Kentucky, on the 30th day of April, 1828; son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Hen- derson) West; father of English descent and na- tive of Delaware, and mother of Maryland. They were married in Maryland, and emigrated to Kentucky in an early day. There was a family of ten children, nine of whom lived to be men and women. In 1833, with a four horse team, they started for Morgan county, Illinois, where they arrived in due course of time; camping on the prairies and cooking by the way. The first winter was spent in a log cabin, eighteen by twenty feet. The following spring they moved to Macoupin Point, where he kept a stage stand, being twelve miles from any other habitation; and in the spring following, came to Auburn, Sangamon county, Illinois, and located near Sugar creek, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land of a man named Abells. The improvements consisted of a log cabin and twelve acres which were under the plow; where he made a farm and lived until his death, which occurred July 8, 1840. His mother, surviving him some years, died in 1863. They were mem- Lers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and sincere Christians, and left a large family to mourn their loss. William M. was married in 1855, to Miss Hannah Landes, a daughter of David Landes, of Kentucky. She was born in Sangamon county, April 22, 1838. They have six living children, Cornelia, Flora, William II., Annie Lucretia and Mary. In 1852, he bought his present place of one hundred and sixty acres, which was in its wild state, and through his own exertion has brought it under a high state of cultivation, and it is valued at $75 per acre.

Mr. West has held several local offices of trust in the township, and is at present justice of the peace. Mr. West has lived in the county for nearly fifty years; has seen the county from its infancy and wild state to one of the best counties in the State.

M. S Wheeler, M. D, Auburn, Ill., was born in Belfontaine, Ohio, on the 29th day of Sep- tember, 1838; son of John and Margaret (Donald) Wheeler; father of English descent and mother of American; father by trade wasa ship-builder, which he followed for many years; afterwards

91-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

embarked in merchandizing, and owned and controlled a line of stages running from Cinco to Sandusky City. In 1852, came to Illinois, and located at Greenville, Ill., where he purchased a farm, where M. S., received a liberal educa- tion. At the age of twenty-two, commenced the reading of medicine with Dr. Wm. P. Brown at Greenville, Ill., where he remained three years in the time attended lectures at the Rush Medical College, Chicago. In the spring of 1864, com- menced the practice of his profession at Tren- ton, Clinton county, Ill., where he remained until the fall of 1866, when he came to Auburn, and after practicing one year, when he attended Rush Medical College and graduated with honors, since which time he has prosecuted his profession here. By close attention to his busi- ness, has secured a large and lucrative practice, and is the oldest resident physician in the village. In 1869, married Miss Kate B. Harney, a daughter of Alfred Harney, an early settler of Auburn township; she was born in Morgan coun- ty. There are three children-John A., Thorn- ton R., and Frank, members of the Masonic Lodge, No. 354, of Auburn.

Sylvanus J. Wineman, deceased, Auburn, Illinois, was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, on the 23d day of March 1823. Son of Philip and Jane Wineman, of this county, where he was reared on a farm, and received a common school education ; June 11, 1862, married Mrs. Margaret Kessler, who was born December 22, 1833, widow of George Kessler, who died August 12, 1859, leaving a family of two children -- John W. and Florence Bell-who died January 22, 1860. Mrs. Wineman is the daughter of Eddin and Winfield Lewis, who emigrated from Kentucky in 1818, and located on Sugar creek, where he lived until his death, which occurred January 29, 1850, leaving a family of nine children to mourn his loss. Mr. Lewis was an energetic business man, coming to the county with nothing but his hands, accumulated a large property, and at his death owned 1,000 acres of land. Mrs. Lewis died previously in 1843. Mr. Wineman was father of two children, one of whom is still living-Mary A .. born September 22, 1865. Mr. Wineman died July 23, 1875. At his death, he left a property of three hundred and twenty acres, since which time Mrs. W. has added eighty, making a farm of four hundred acres, being located near the village of Auburn, and valued at $75 per acre. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church, having been connected with that church since she was sixteen years of age.

Joel B. Woolsey, farmer and stock raiser, sec- tion seven, post office, Auburn, was born in On- ondaga county, New York, on the 25th day of May, 1834; son of Joseph and Percilla A. ( Bar- ber) Woolsey, who were married in Onondaga county, New York, May 4, 1831. There was a family of eight children, of whom six are living, Edward P., James D., George W., Simeon L., Amos H., and Joel B .; two died in infancy. In 1836, left his home in Onondaga county, New York, with his family and started then for the Far West, and located near Jerseyville, where he entered eighty acres of land, where he has resided since. Joel B. was reared on his father's farm where he received a limited education, re- maining at home until he was twenty-one. When twenty-three he married Miss Martha Fitzgeralds, a daughter of Jessie and Elizabeth Fitzgeralds, natives of Kentucky, who came to Jersey county in an early day, where she was born, April 28, 1839. By this union there were nine children, five of whom are living, Ella V., born September 18, 1858; Elizabeth, A. born November 26, 1866; Clara Z., born April 25, 1870; Frances S., born March 11, 1873; Daisy E., born March 7, 1876. Mr. W. is a member of the Masonic and I. O. O. F. lodges of Auburn; has a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land, all of which is under a high state of cultivation, valued at $65 per acre. He came to the county in 1859 a poor man, and rented for some years but finally bought his present place, where he is comfortably located.

James M. Wyatt, (deceased), Auburn town- ship, was born in Morgan county, Illinois, near Jacksonville, on the 8th day of April, 1829. Son of John and Rebecca Wyatt, who came to that county in an early day. James M. was reared on a farm, and received a good business educa- tion. When seventeen years of age embarked in the mercantile business, which he followed for twelve years. In 1856, married Miss Martha J. Lutrell, daughter of John R. and Margaret (Duncan) Lutrell. She was born in Morgan county, Illinois, in 1836. There was a family of six children, all of which are living. Chas. E., John W., Ella M., Frederick S., Maggie A. and James M. In August, 1860, came to Sangamon county, and located six miles west of Auburn, on a farm, where he remained a few years, when he came to where the family now reside and re- mained until his death, which occurred July 27, 1875. Mr. Wyatt was a man that was highly respected by all who knew him. He was the embodiment of honesty and morality. The loss was severely felt by his death. He was buried

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

by Auburn Lodge I. O. O. F., (assisted by the Auburn Lodges) of which he was a member. There was an appropriate address delivered by Dr. W. D. Wheeler, in an impressive manner. Mr. W. was a kind and indulgent father and husband. He died leaving a fine property of one hundred and eighty-five acres of valuable land, worth $75 per acre.

Mrs. Wyatt resides on the farm, is a member of the Christian Church, and has been since she was nineteen years old.

In the history of Auburn township, we have given short personal histories of a large number of the pioneers, and the best and most enterpris- ing men and women in the township. In mak-

ing selections of subjects for these brief memoirs we are not ignorant of the fact that we have omitted some-indeed, many-who are worthy an honorable mention in these pages. An end- less amount of historical matter found in Sanga- mon county, has swelled this volume to propor- tions much larger than was at first contemplated by the publishers, and space would not, there- fore, admit of a more extended biographical mention of the titizens of this township. In the notices given, we were compelled, for reasons given above, to confine ourselves to mere fact, leaving unwritten much that is really due the strong- hearted, hardy first settlers, and those who followed to round up and polish the work.

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXIX.

BALL TOWNSHIP.

To Ball township belongs the honor of the first settlement in Sangamon county. In the fall of 1816, Robert Pulliam erected a cabin on Sugar creek, on section twenty-one, being the first building in all the territory now comprising the county of Sangamon. Mr. Pulliam brought with him a herd of cattle for the purpose of wintering them in this favored region. During the fall he cut a large quantity of grass and pea vines, with which he fed them during the win- ter. Power, in his history of the early settlers, says: "Robert Pulliam was born April 12, 1776, in Henry county, Virginia. His father, Jolın Pulliam, emigrated to Kentucky when Robert was a boy, and the family moved from there to Illinois, arriving in 1796, in what was then called the New Design settlement, now a part of Mon- roe county. The next year they moved into a settlement in the District of St. Louis, in what was then locally known as 'New Spain.' They moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and a few years later to Randolph county, Illinois, near where the town of Red Bud now stands. In 1802, Robert Pulliam improved a farm a few miles east of Belleville, St. Clair county, and abont 1803 he settled in the American Bottom, near the Bluff, six or seven miles below the pres- ent city of Alton. Mary Stout was born April 9, 1776, but the locality is not known. Robert Pulliam and Mary Stout were married Septem- ber 13, 1804. In 1815 they moved to St. Clair county, and in the fall of 1817, leaving bis fam- ily in St. Clair county, he, with two or three hired men, and a woman by the name of Strick- land-sister of one of the hired men -- to cook for them, he came to Sugar creek and built a cabin in the timber, on the east side of the creek. The land is now owned by James Scott, and is situated three-fourths of a mile west of a point ten and a half miles due south of Spring- field, on a line with Sixth street. The cabiu

was built in a forest composed principally of sugar trees. As the spring approached, Mr. Pul- liam put his men to work and made sugar. As the season advanced, causing the grass to grow, he collected his horses and cattle and returned to his family in St. Clair county, in the spring of 1818."

Mr. Pulliam did not return to Sangamon county until the Spring of 1819. When he did so he found Zachariah Peter in possession of his cabin. Mr. Peter at once vacated and Mr. Pulliam and family took possession. This was the home of Mr. Pulliam until his death, which occurred July 31, 1838.

A paper was prepared by Governor John Rey- nolds, to be read at the first old settlers' meeting in Sangamon county, in 1859. In that paper Governor Reynolds related some incidents in the life of Robert Pulliam. It is known to all the old settlers that Mr. Pulliam wore an artific- ial leg. Governor Reynolds says that one of Mr. Pulliam's legs became diseased, and in the summer of 1808 it was found to be absolutely necessary to amputate it in order to save his life. Dr. Tuthill, of Cahokia, performed the opera- tion. The Governor says : "I resided with my father in the neighborhood of Mr. Pulliam, and knew the circumstances of the amputation. The patient possessed such courage that he 'held his body as firm as a rock, without assistance, during the operation. I presume this was the first amputation of a limb that occurred in Illi- nois, and at that time was considered a surgical operation almost superhuman." Governor Rey- nolds describes Mr. Pulliam as a man of fine pro- portions and perfect physical development. He says the circumstances of his life prevented his obtaining an education from books, to any con- siderable extent, but his natural good sense and opportunities for studying men, enabled him to hold a place in the front rank of business men of

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

that time. He was fond of the rude sports of the times; such as horse racing, hunting, and games of various kinds, but later in life he felt that the example was injurious, and changed his course. He first united with the Baptist church, and then, for greater convenience, connected himself with the Methodist church, and his wife did the same. They continued in this commun- ion to the end of their lives. Mr. Pulliam un- derstood the advantages of improved machinery, and endeavored to introduce it into the settle- ment whenever it was practicable. He was one of the earliest to build a mill in the county. It was run by tread-wheel, and the motive power was either horses or oxen. All the early settlers raised cotton quite extensively, and he was one of the first, if not the first, to introduce a cotton gin into the settlement.

The first meeting of the Old Settlers' Society was held on the site of the first cabin, an account of which is given in the chapter on the Pioneer Society.

In the spring of 1818, William Drennan and his half brother, Joseph Drennan, his son-in-law, Joseph Dodds, and George Cox, left their families near Altor, and, with their teams, farming im- plements, provisions, and all the young men and boys belonging to the families who were able to assist in making a home, started, piloted by a white man named William Moore, who had be- longed to a company that had been over the country before, in fighting the Indians. He was called an Indian Ranger. Arriving at Sugar creek, they took a day or two for exploring, and on March 10, 1818, drove to the spot on which William Drennan built his cabin, and which proved to be section thirty-two, town fourteen, range five west, when the government made its survey, It is on the northwest side of Sugar creek, and about twelve miles nearly due south of Springfield, and near where the Sugar Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church now stands. Immediately after their arrival they built two cabins. One was occupied by George Cox alone. The other was occupied for the summer by Wil- liam and Joseph Drennan and Joseph Dodds. That was the one spoken of as belonging to William Drennan. As they had not the slight- est idea of cultivating the prairie, these three men agreed to clear all the land they could in one body, and have a crop from it that year in common, with the understanding that before another year they were all to work together until an equal sized piece was cleared for the other two. They cleared the timber from about fifteen acres, fenced it, plowed as well as they could

among the roots and stumps with a little short wooden mould-board plow, and planted it in corn and pumpkins. The soil in the timber was very light-so much so that in some places they would almost sink in over their shoes. In fencing this land they inclosed about three-fourths of an acre of prairie. After they had plowed and planted their erop, one of the men suggested that it was quite a waste to have that under fence and noth- ing growing on it, and proposed that they break it up and plant something on it. In order to make sure work, they uncoupled one of their wagons, hitched four horses to the forward wheels, and fastened their wooden mould-board p'ow to the axle. They soon found this was a failure.

Try as they would, the plow would not enter the sod, and they reluctantly gave it up. While they were taking off the team and plow, one of the boys, full of fun and mischief, took up a hoe, and began to shave the grass off, saying he could break the prairie with his hoe. That sug- gested an idea to one of the men, and he, also, took a hoe and began shaving the grass. It was the work of but a few minutes to remove the sod from a spot several feet in diameter. He then called one of the other men, and proposed that, as they were well advanced with their work, and there were seven or eight of them, and all had hoes, that they call all hands to- gether and shave the grass from the whole piece, plant something on it, and see what would be. the result. The man spoken to first laughed at the idea as ridiculous, but after studying a moment, he fell in with it, and the men and boys were all called up, and the grass shaved off, holes dug, and corn and pumpkin seed planted. They did not touch it any more; that killed the grass. The crop was fully twice as much, in proportion to the area, as that planted among the stumps, and the next spring it broke up the nicest of any land they had ever seen. This taught them an important lesson, and caused them to make greater exertions to induce some one to invent a plow that would break the prairie. I have this account from the venerable William Drennan, who was one of the young men that assisted in doing the work, and who has lived in sight of the spot to the present time. Several years elapsed before a plow was invented that would do good work at breaking. In the meantime, the early settlers continued clearing their land, that they might have it to cultivate, and were always uneasy for fear their timber would be ex- hausted.

In the fall of 1818, the Drennans, with Cox and Dodds, brought their families. The Dren-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

nans and Cox had their cabins built on arrival, but Dodds was not so fortunate, and therefore moved into a rail pen, where he lived until a cabin could be erected.

While the men were gone after their families, they left the boys in charge of their growing crops. On one occasion an Indian came along and offered the boys twenty-five cents for as many pumpkins as he could carry. His offer was accepted by the boys and he was allowed to take his pumpkins. He took his blanket and gathered the corners, filled it, then taking up one and placing the stem in his mouth gave a grunt and started off. This was probably the first cash sale of produce in the county.

William Drennan lived to a good old age, and was " gathered to his fathers" in 1847, while his wife survived him many years. Joseph Dren- nan died October 22, 1865, and his widow, Mrs. Rebecca Drennan in 1866. George Cox died November, 1819. Joseph Dodds died January 21, 1869, and his wife, Martha Dodds, January 10, 1853.

Ball township was settled quite rapidly after the arrival of the parties above mentioned.

Louis Laughlin came in 1821, with his family, and settled on section twenty-nine, where he re- mained about fifteen years, when he moved to Wisconsin, and died since the war. Mr. Laugh- lin was one of the first persons in Sangamon county to advocate the abolition of slavery, and lived to see it accomplished.

James Anderson came in 1820. He was born in Virginia, moved from there to Kentucky, thence to Indiana, and then to Illinois. He set- tled on section thirty-three, but afterwards moved to the north fork of the Sangamon river, and died in 1828.

Thomas Black came in 1819, and settled near the Auburn line. He soon built a distillery and horse mill, which were extensively patronized by the sun rounding country.

Alexander Richie settled on section thirty- three in 1822, from which place he moved to Texas, and died about 1844.

John Richie also came in 1822, and settled on the same section. Ile afterwards removed to Iowa where he died.

Job Fletcher, Sr., was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, from whence be moved to Kentucky, and from there to Illinois, settling in this township in 1819. On the very night of his arrival in the settlement, Mr. Fletcher was called to write the will of George Cox, who came the year before with the Drennan and Dodds fami- lies. That was the first will from what is now

Sangamon county, ever put on record, and was registered at Edwardsville.

Mr. F. had to buy corn for bread and to feed his stock until he could raise a crop. The nearest point at which he found any for sale was three miles south of Edwardsville. Mr. Fletcher bought of Major Iles the first window glass ever sold in Springfield, and the first ever put in a window in Sangamon county. He also believed that he taught the first school in the county, in a log cabin built for that purpose, in 1820 or '21, south of Sugar creek. A Sunday school was organized near where he lived in 1825, by Rev. J. M. Peck, and Mr. Fletcher taught in that school also. It was near where the Sugar Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church now stands. Mr. Fletcher occupied a prominent position in the county at an early day, and was one of the famous "Long Nine." He died in 1872.

Joseph Dodds was born in Abbeville District, South Carolina, in the year 1785 on the 28th of May. He was taken by his mother to Caldwell county, Kentucky, in 1797, or '8. He was there married, May 3, 1810, to Mattie Drennan. They had three children in Kentucky, and in October, 1817, he accompanied his father-in-law, William Drennan to Iilinois. In November, they stopped on Wood river, in Madison county, two miles north of Alton, and remained there until the next March, when the men and boys connected with four families started for Sugar creek, San- gamon county, piloted by William Moore, an Indian ranger. They reached their destination on the first of March, 1818, stopping in what is now Ball township, northwest of Sugar creek. There had not been any survey made, but the spot selected by Mr. Dodds, and on which he built his cabin, is now section twenty-nine, town fourteen, range five west, and that of William Drennan is section thirty-two, same town and range. Mr. Dodds had been too busy with his crop to build anything better than a double rail pen for the protection of his family. Mr. Dodds brought his family to their new home November 3, 1818. Mrs. Martha Dodds died Jauuary 10, 1853, and Joseph Dodds died January 21, 1868, both on the farm where they settled in 1818. Joseph Dodds became very much dissatisfied soon after coming to Sangamon county, and determined to return to Kentucky. He sold all the property he could spare to obtain money to defray the expense, and loaded his wagon; but his horses strayed away the night previous to the time he intended starting, and before he could find them his money was gone. He was

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History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 132

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084