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 151

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 151

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).

Isaac L. Ewell, farmer, was born in Pecham, Vermont, April 29, 1819; son of Isaac W., and Lileous (Sanderland) Ewell. His father was a native of New Hampshire, and born June 10, 1763; mother of New York, born August 22, 1794, and of Scotch descent. His father was a miller by occupation, which he followed until his death, April 11, 1863. His mother still resides on the old homestead, at which place Isaac L., was born. His education was obtained in the common schools of Vermont, and he was brought up as a miller. He resided with his father until he was twenty-one years of age, after which he started out to do for himself, and secure a new home in the West. He traveled

through Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, thence back to Illinois, where he located in Springfield in 1837. He engaged in a mill as miller, which place he continued in for two years, after which he returned to his native home in Vermont, where he again took charge of his father's mill, and for five years remained with him, when he returned to Sangamon county, Illinois, in the winter of 1845, where he again worked at the milling business, and in September 3, 1846, of same year, he married Louise E. Kelley, with whom he had previously formed an acquaintance on his first settling in the county in 1837. She was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, December 4, 1824, was the daughter of Elisha and Nancy (Sims) Kelley, who came to Sangamon county in 1819, both of whom are now deceased. Immediately after their marriage, they moved to Vermont, where he again entered the mill with his father, in which he continued for three years, when he sold out and returned to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1851, and located on the present place, and erected a mill on the creek, in which he made use of water power to.do his grinding and sawing, and for twenty years he carried on both branches of the same. At the present time he only does sawing. For the last few years he has been engaged in farming. He is now the owner of one hundred and thirty acres of land, which is under a fair state of cultiva- tion, and worth $75 per acre. His family con- sisted of three children, two of whom are now living, Charles, and Emma, now Mrs. Dr. Fos- ter; one deceased, Horace. In politics, he is and always has been a Republican.

John Foster, farmer, was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, January 29, 1833, son of Ivins Foster, who was born November 23, 1794. in Harrison county, Kentucky. Margaret McKee was born January 24, 1796, in the same county. They were there married, February 26, 1819, in Harrison county, and then moved to Gallatin county. They then moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in November, 1829, in what is now Curran township, north of Lick creek, where they continued to reside. His father died Janu- ary 4, 1866, and his mother, April, 1880. The subject of this sketch received his education in the common schools of Sangamon county, and has always followed farming. He is now the owner of four hundred acres of land, which is under a fair state of cultivation, and worth $60 per acre. Politically, he is a Republican.

Armer T. Gunnett, farmer, was born at Frank- fort Springs, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

June 3, 1850, first son of Joseph and Caroline (Harford) Gunnett, who were natives of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he resided on a farm previous to moving to Sangamon county, in 1872, and located in Buffalo Hart township, where they now reside. Armer G. received his education in the common schools of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and afterwards spent two years in the Pikerton Normal school of Ohio. He came to Sangamon county in the spring of 1872, and engaged in farming; was married December 25, 1878, to Nannie E. Riddle, who was born in Sangamon county, Febuary 20, 1852, and the daughter of John and Martha (Archer) Riddle. Her father was a native of Ohio. Previous to coming to this county he died, November 6, 1878; her mother was born in Bond county, Illi- nois; she now resides with them on the farm. They own two hundred acres of land in Curran and Gardner townships, which is under a fair state of cultivation, and worth $60 per acre. His wife was educated in the common schools of this county; she attended the Female Semi- nary at Jacksonville two terms. They are both members of the M. E. Church at New Salem, and politically he is Republican.

O. S. Hotchkins, merchant, postmaster, sta- tion agent, Curran, was born in Madison county, New York, June 9, 1849, son of Herman and Mary (Hitchcock) Hotchkins, who were natives of New York. He was a farmer by occupation. His mother died in 1869, and his father still lives in Niagara county, New York. The sub- ject of this sketch was raised on a farm and edu- cated in the common schools of Madison county, New York; remained on the farm with his father until twenty-one years of age, after which he came to Sangamon county in 1876, where he first engaged in farming, which occupation he continued in for four years. He then sold out and engaged in merchandising in Curran. He was married in February, 1876, to Clara C. Brad- ley, who was born in Sangamon county in 1852, and was the daughter of Louis and Amanda (Ransom) Bradley. His family consists of one child, Albert L. He received his appointment as postmaster, in 1880, and also ticket agent and express agent, which offices he holds in connec- tion with his store.

James Parkinson .- An interesting reminis- cence of James Parkinson, including a sketch of his life, will be found in the history of this township.

Alexander A. Patteson, M. D., was born in what now is Appomatox county, Virginia, April 13, 1818. He was the second son of Alexander

and Mary (Jarrett) Patteson. His father was a native of Campbell county, Virginia, and his mother a native of Goochland county, Virginia. His father's occupation was that of staging and United States mail contractor, which business he followed for twenty-five years. He died June 23, 1836. After his father's death his mother removed to Franklin county, Kentucky, where she resided until her death, which occurred Oc- tober 23, 1845. The subject of this sketch re- ceived his early education in the common schools of his native county; later he attended the Academy of Buckingham county, Virginia, for three years, and the State University of Vir- ginia, one year. In 1835 he began the study of medicine with William D. Christian as his pre- ceptor. Ile afterwards attended the Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, during the years of '36, '37, '38. Upon leaving this school he im- mediately began his practice in Kentucky. In 1839 and 1840 he attended the University of Transylvania, at Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated from the same, March 14, 1840. After which he commenced practicing at the Forks of Elkhorn, Franklin county, Kentucky. While there he was married to Jean Wood Lewis, Feb- ruary 24, 1841. Mrs. Patteson was born in Spottsylvania county, Virginia, September 22, 1822. She was a descendant of Jean Louis, of a protestant family who fled from France to England about the time of the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1665, Jean Louis at this time joined the English army, and for his gallantry and valued services was made Field Marshal, Earl Lizonier and Baron Inniskillen. He was with Marlborough in all his campaigns, and at Fontenoy the chief honor was due to him for the intrepidity with which he led the British in- fantry. He was in nineteen pitched battles, and twenty-three sieges. Jean Louis was a lawyer, and had three sons who followed that profession. The youngest son settled in Wales and after- ward came to Virginia. Mrs. Patteson has in her possession a complete genealogical and historical record of her family, and has a just pride in their record. Dr. Patteson continued his practice at the Fork of Elkhorn, for three years; after which he moved to Fayette county, Kentucky. He remained here until 1858, then removed to Curran township, Sangamon county, Illinois, where he practiced twenty years. He has now given up the practice of medicine and turned his attention to farming. He owns a farm of one hundred and twenty acres of land, under a fair state of cultivation. His family consists of nine children, viz: Augusta, now Mrs. Park-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

inson; Jean Frances, now Mrs. Dr. J. L. Wilcox; Alexander Lilbourn, who married Helen Robin- son; Susan Archer, now Mrs. Hampton Gibson; Marion Elizabeth, now Mrs, R. P. Smith; Lucy Devereaux, Walter Lewis, Robert Mills, and Richmond Cadwallader. Dr. Patteson and wite are members of the Presbyterian church at Bates.

Nicholas Power, grain dealer and merchant, Curran, was born in Kilkenny county, Ireland, and is the son of William and Fanny (Gorman) Power, both of whom are deceased. They came to America in 1849, and located in St. Louis, where they soon after died.

Nicholas Power came to America with his parents. His education was received in the common schools of Ireland, and he was raised on a farm. He came to Sangamon county in 1854, and engaged as a farm hand for four years; he was then employed on the old Wabash Railroad, in which place he soon obtained the confidence of the company, and remained in their employ a number of years. He then came to Curran, and engaged in the grocery and grain business, which occupation he has continued to carry on ever since. He was married, in 1851, to Bessie O'Brien, who was born in Cork county, Ireland, and is the daughter of Dennis O'Brien. His family consists of two children, James and Maggie. He shipped, during 1880, seventeen thousand four hundred bushels corn, twenty-one thousand three hundred and forty-one bushels of wheat, two thousand one hundred bushels of oats, and nine hundred bushels of rye. He has a splen- did elevator, with capacity of shelling two thous- and five hundred bushels per day.

Mather Redmond, farmer, was born May 1, 1828, in Wexford county, Ireland. He came to Sangamon county in 1859, and married in 1868, Mrs. Mary (Archer) Penney, who was born May 24, 1822, and daughter of William and Elizabeth (Holt) Archer. She had by her first marriage one child-William-born November 3, 1844. He enlisted August 14, 1862, for three years, in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-fourth Illi- nois Infantry ; was captured at the battle of Gun- town, Mississippi, June, 1864, and died in Ander- sonville prison, February 24, 1865. Alex. Penny died in 1868. They are the owners of one hun- dred and forty acres of land, on which they re- side, and which is under a good state of cultiva- tion, and worth $50 per acre.

They now have in their possession a dress of their mother's, which she made with her own hands more than sixty years before. The family

of her uncle, with whom she moved from Georgia to St. Clair county, Illinois, in 1811, brought some cotton in the bolls, for the purpose of using the seed in growing cotton in their new home. Miss Holt, as her name then was, obtained the consent of her uncle to apply the cotton to her own use. She picked it from the boll- and sep- arated the cotton from the seed with her fingers, and spun it on a wheel, borrowed from a neigh- bor more than thirty miles distant. She had a rude loom constructed for the purpose, and had just commenced weaving, when the first assas- sination among the white settlers by Indians took place, as the beginning there of the war with England. That occurred in June, 1812. She, with her uncle's family, fled to Fort Bradsby, a rude, wooden fortification near by. Appealing to the Lieutenant in command for protection, he reported the case to Governor Edward, who authorized him to grant her request. A guard was accordingly placed around the cabin, and kept there until the weaving was completed. The design was unique and beautiful. The cloth was carefully preserved, some of it bleached to snowy whiteness, and made into a dress. She wore it the first time to a quarterly meeting, in 1815, just after the close of the war, and attracted universal attention as the finest dressed lady in all that region of country.

Geo. Trimble, one of Sangamon county's early pioneers, was born April 22, 1812, in Montgomery county, Kentucky, and emigrated to this State with his father in the year 1835, locating in Morgan county, where Mr. Trimble resided a few years and then moved to Adams county, where he resided until his death. George returned to Kentucky after a few months stay, and married Miss Nettie Shumake, August 23, 1836. Miss S. was born in Bath county, Ken- tucky. Mr. T. started for this State the next morning after their marriage, and located in Morgan county, where they lived two years, and then located in this county, where he has resided since, except five years. He has been a resident of this township twenty-six years. Mr. T. has by his own exertions acquired considerable prop- erty. He now owns three hundred and fifty acres of good lands. They had six children, namely: Ilughey T., born December 31, 1839, was married October, 1864, to Nancy A. Gibson. They had two children, one of whom survives. Eliza F., born March 28, 1840; Elizabeth, born April 27, 1842; James A., born July 27, 1846; George C., born September 28, 1849. Mrs. Lydia Trimble died December 3, 1866, and Mr. Trimble was again married December 5, 1867,

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to Rebecca Drennan. They reside two miles south-east of Curran, Sangamon county, Illi- nois.

Wm. H. Trimble, farmer, was born in Sanga- mon county, January 1, 1838; son of George and Lydia (Sumat) Trimble, whose sketch appears in this book. Wm. H., was raised on a farm and educated in the common schools, and has never yet been farther west than Jacksonville or east than Decatur, north or south, always re- mained on the farm with his father, until twenty-five years of age, in 1864. He was first married to Nancy Gibson, who was born in Sangamon county, and the daughter of Preston

H., and Anna Gibson, who were natives of Ken- tucky, and came to Sangamon county, Illinois, in an early day. They had one child. Anna E., his wife, died February 19, 1866. He married for his second wife, October 14, 1869, Helen J. McGraw, who was also born in Sanga- mon county, September 24, 1847. By this marriage they have two children, Dora Bell and Harry. His farm consists of one hundred and thirty-six and one-half acres of land, which is under a fair state of improvement, and worth $50 per acre. He and wife are members of the Christian Church, and politically he is a Demo- crat.

HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

897

CHAPTER XXXVII.

TOWNSHIP OF FANCY CREEK.

This township when originally organized in 1861, was named Power township, in honor of George Power, one of the oldest and most in- fluential citizens residing in it. Objections were raised to its being thus named for one who was still living, and a petition was circulated pray- ing the Board of Supervisors to change the name and suggesting Fancy Creek as a proper name, after its principal creek. The name was thus given it.

The soil of the township is & deep black loam, especially along the banks of the Sangamon river, Fancy and French creeks, by which it is watered. The surface of the country is gener- ally rolling, and timber in large quantities can be found on the banks of the streams. Origi- nally the township was one-half timber, much of which has been cleared away, though the quanti- ty is as great as ever.

EARLY SETTLERS.

The date of the first settlement in what is now Fancy Creek township, was 1819. Among the earliest settlers were Stephen England and his son David, William Higgins, John Cline, Robert McClelland, Levi, Wyatt and William G. Cantrall, Thomas Constant, John Strode, George Power, Eliphalet Hawley, John Branson, Aquilla Davis, Thomas Hargis, Thomas Straw- bridge, Garrett Elkin, William F. Elkin, Thomas Brown and Andrew Clamo.

Stephen England was born June 12, 1773, in Virginia. His parents removed to Bath county, Kentucky. Stephen was there married abont 1791, to Anna Harper. In 1813, the family moved to Ohio, and in the fall of 1818, to Madi- son county, Illinois. The following winter Stephen England, with two of his sons-in-law, came up to the San-ga-ma country to explore it. The nearest habitation to where Springfield now stands, was on the south bank of the San-

gamon river, near where the Chicago and Alton railroad crosses. They found a man named William Higgins living in a cabin there, which he had built in January, 1819. They remained over night with Mr. Higgins, and crossed to the north side of the river, each selecting a spot on which to make a home. In order to prevent others who might come after from choosing the same ground, they ent a few logs, laid them across each other in three piles, and each man cut his initials on a tree near by, as evidence that the land was claimed. That was near what was soon called Higgins' creek, but is now called Cantrall's creek. They returned to their fami- lies, and early in March, 1819, Stephen England, his son David, his sons-in-law, Andrew Cline and Wyatt Cantrall, returned to their claims for the purpose of commencing improvements. The night after their arrival snow, fell about one foot deep, and the weather was colder than it had been at any time during the winter. They com- menced work, and Mr. England and his son soon had their house up, roofed, and the door and chimney place cut out. The other two men had their materials on the ground. By that time the melting snow warned them that they must cross the river at once, or they might be delayed several weeks. They returned to their families, and attempted to move them, but the ground was so soft from melting snow that their teams were unequal to the task of drawing the wagons with their heavy loads, and they again left their families. The same men returned, accompanied by two of the daughters of Mr. England. They then completed their houses, cleared land, planted their crops, and returned to Madison county for their families, bringing them to their new homes about the first of June, 1819.

Stephen England died September 26, 1823. He preached the Gospel as long as he could stand, and delivered his last sermon sitting. He

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

solemnized quite a number of marriages in that early day, one of whom was Philo Beers and Martha Stillman, November 2, 1820, which was for a long time supposed to have been the first in Sangamon county. A couple once came to him from Fort Clark, now Peoria, to get mar- ried, and as they did not care to go to Edwards- ville for a license, their intentions were adver- tised for ten days, when Mr. England performed the ceremony.

William Higgins was born in Barren county, Kentucky, in 1774, and in 1817, moved with his family to St. Clair county, Illinois. He started with his family, in the fall of 1818, to the San- ga-ma country. They stopped on Sugar creek, with the Drennans, until January or February, 1819, when they moved about fifteen miles north, and built a cabin on the south side of the Sangamon river, above where the Chicago & Alton rail- road now crosses. While he was living in camp, before his cabin was completed, himself and wife crossed to the north side of the river on horseback. They were belated, and spent one night in the river bottom, near the mouth of Fancy creek. A few days later, Mr. Higgins went to the north side alone, found five bee trees, and killed a panther which measured nine feet from tip to tip. He went over soon after, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, one of whom is now (1876) the wife of David Eng- land. These three are believed to have been the first white women who ever crossed to the north of the river, in what is now Sangamon county. Stephen England and his two sons-in- law came on their exploring expedition, and stopped with Mr. Higgins, who accompanied them to the north side, and led the way to the vicinity of where Cantrall now stands, and all four selected sites for improvement.

John Cline was from Ohio, though a Virginian by birth. In 1819, he prepared to visit the western country on horseback. Levi Cantrall was about moving to Illinois, and Mr. Cline engaged to drive his four-horse team, 'and they arrived in the American bottom in November. Mr. Cantrall purchased a supply of corn there, and moved to what became Sangamon county, arriving in December, 1819, in what is now Fancy Creek township. Mr. Cline drove the team, and arrived at the same time. He intended returning to Ohio in the spring, but when the time came he decided to raise a crop, and while thus engaged he was married, July 20, 1820, to Mrs. Lucy Scott, whose maiden name was Eng- land.

Levi Cantrall was born October 1, 1787, in Botetourt county, Virginia. He was taken by his parents in 1789 to that part of Mercer which afterwards became Bath county, Ken- tucky. He was there married November 30, 1809, to Fanny England. They moved to Madi- son county, Illinois, in October, 1819; moved on and arrived where Springfield now stands, De- cember 4, 1819, and reached the north side of the river, in what is now Fancy Creek township, on the fifth, made the selection of a location on the seventh, and commenced building a cabin December 8, 1819.

Thomas Constant, a Virginian by birth, resided in Kentucky for many years, and was there mar- ried to Margery Edmonson. They subsequently moved to Ohio, and in the fall of 1820, to what is now Fancy Creek township.

Jerry Smith came in the spring of 1819, but subsequently left for some point in the Military Tract, and there died.

Jonathan Hodge settled on section twenty-two, and soon after sold out, moved north, and there died.

James Sayles came in the spring of 1819, set- tled near the present village of Sherman, and died on the place.

Alex. Crawford lived here for a time at an early day, moved to Petersburg, and there died.

The first winter that any white men spent in the township was unusually severe. Levi Can- trall, before his death, stated that the cabin he commenced December 8, 1819, about half a mile west of the present town of Cantrall, the mortar froze so that he could not plaster it. December 24, 1819, snow began to fall, and continued one snow after another until it was two feet deep on a level. The weather continued intensely cold, and a company of seven men started to the American Bottom, for provisions. They were Levi and Wyatt Cantrall, Alexander and Henry Crawford, M. Holland, a Mr. Kellogg and John Dixon, who afterward founded the city of Dixon, Illinois. They loaded their wagons with flour and meal, and started home on the 18th, and on the 20th rain commenced falling. The rain and melting snow set the whole country afloat, and when they reached the Sangamon river it was too full to cross. They sent back to Kelly's- where Springfield now stands-for tools, and obtained an axe and grubbing hoe. With these they made a canoe, and reached home twenty-one days from the time of starting. On the 6th of May, 1820, the frost killed the growing corn. The settlers thought of moving back south, but

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they hauled up provisions before the next winter and lived through it.

EDUCATIONAL.

The early settlers of Fancy Creek did not wait long before they secured the services of a schoolmaster. In the winter of 1820-21, the men living within a radius of several miles gathered together and erected a log school house. It required but little time to finish the building, as the cracks only required to be " chinked," greased paper being used for window lights, and no plastering was required. James Bellows was the first teacher. The house was located on section sixteen, a short distance east of the graveyard known as Britton's. Sixty years have since passed and improvements have been made in the educational facilities of the settlers in Fancy Creek township. The old log school house has long since given place to the modern frame building, and the subscription school where the teacher "boarded 'round" among the scholars is now unknown. The present free school system now furnishes a good English education to rich and poor alike-to all who will avail themselves of its advantages. There are now in the township seven school houses, valued at $5,800.

RELIGIOUS.

The religious element in the life of a pioneer has often been commented upon by the historian and essayist. There is something grand about it. The great, rough man, who feared no one save his God, with simple, child-like faith, toil- ing early and late, making many and great sac- rifices for the sake of his family, and yet trust- ing implicitly in the promise of an all-wise God. Stephen England was a Baptist minister in Ken- tucky, and when he brought his family to the new settlement, the people having planted their crops, wished to have religions services, so Mr. England announced that he would preach at his own house late in June, or early in July, 1819. Everybody in the entire settlement came. Two women walked five miles through the grass, wnich was almost as high as their heads. The husband of one of them walked and carried their babe. That was the first sermon ever preached north of the Sangamon river in this county, and probably in Central Illinois. Mr. England organized a church May 15, 1820, at his own house. There were eight members be- sides himself. The names of the persons con stituting the church were Stephen England and Anna, his wife; Jechoniah Langston and Nancy,

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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 151

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