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 75

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 75

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Giger, George Green, L. Ridgeway, S. R. San- ders, Rev. A. Hale, Abner Knotts, Henry John- son, A. Barber, Daniel Wadsworth, M. G. Wads- worth, Harness Trumbo, Samuel Williams, Dr. Able, Dr. Babcock, J. M. Morse, Moreau Phil- lips, L. P. Matthews, J. E. McCoy, M. D. Mc- Coy, John Lock, Strother Jones, William Shu- mate, C. W. Van Deren, Isaac Watts, Uriah Mann, J. Palmer, Henry Converse, John De Camp, Philemon Stout, and last, but not least, the venerable John T. Benham, bending beneath the weight of ninety-one years, and who was doubtless the oldest man on the ground.

"The exercises at the stand commenced at about half-past ten or eleven o'clock. M. D. Mc- Coy called the assemblage to order, and a choir, led by Mr. McCoy, sang, with fine effect, 'All hail the power of Jesus' name.' Then Rev. G. W. Dungan, pastor of the Rochester Methodist Episcopal Church, invoked the blessings of Almighty God upon those present, and upon the occasion, after which the choir sang 'Rock of Ages;' then Dr. E. R. Babcock, of Rochester, delivered a neat address of welcome. Alex. B. Irwin, of Pleasant Plains, one of the vice presi- dents of the society, then took charge of the meeting, having been requested to do so by President Campbell, who was absent. After a few preliminary remarks, he introduced Hon. Milton Hay as the orator of the day, and that gentlemen proceeded to deliver a highly inter- esting and instructive address, of which we can present but a brief synopsis.

" The speaker said the printed programme ad- vertising an 'oration' from him, on this occasion, was all wrong. He had promised only to make a short talk. Judge Matheny should be called upon personally to make good the promise set out in the programme, as he was abundantly able to do it. Addressing himself to the occa- sion, he said: 'The Old Settlers' Society of Sangamon had now become one of the perina- nent institutions of the county, as it rightfully should be. It might have been the idea of the founders of the society that it was to be kept up only as long as the few pioneers who began our earliest settlements should survive, but we have outgrown that idea. As one generation succeeds another, the elder generation yet upon the stage of life would always constitute and bear the re- lation of 'old settlers' to the new growth of pop- ulation. In that sense we should always have old settlers amongst us, and hence we would have the elements and material for an old set- tlers' society. In the process of time the society, it is true, would lose its characteristic of being

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

composed of the first settlers, but it could still retain its characteristic of being old settlers. The old as well as the poor, we shall always have with us.

"In this comparatively early history of the society, however, we had the advantage of hav- ing amongst us as yet, so that we meet them, face to face, a few of the very earliest pioneers; men and women who had stood, as it were, upon Mount Pisgah, and gazed upon the trackless prairies and forests of these regions; men who saw that the land was fair and who were the first to enter upon it and take possession. The experience of these old settlers was an experi- ence that no other generation of settlers could possibly have. At that early day these regions were not considered so inviting as to cause any rush or haste in their settlement. A few located doubtingly and cautiously, and these at consid- erable intervals of time. It was no part of the expectation of these pioneers that they would realize suddenly great wealth or great success of any kind by being the first upon the ground. But little information had been disseminated as to the character of the country, but there was a general impress.on that its characteristics were those of a desert.

"There was doubt and question then as to whether a prairie country was inhabitable. The means and modes of access to the country were slow and difficult, and only those were tempted to come who were already frontier men, or who for some exceptional reason preferred the free life of a wilderness to the comforts of the older settled parts of the country. There was at that day no rushing tide of emigration from all parts of the world. There were no speculators, land grant railroad companies, and newspapers en- gaged in 'whooping up' the country. There were many discomforts and deprivations which the early settler had to undergo; but there were compensations also. The early settler was al- most 'monarch of all he surveyed.' He could enjoy the great natural beauty of the primitive scenery of the country, before it was broken and profaned by roads, buildings and fences. He had no disagreeable neighbors to fret or annoy him. With his gun and faithful dog for com- pany, and the wild game all around him, he cared nothing for the society of men. Of course only a class of men who had long habituated themselves to a life on the outer borders of civ- ilization could enjoy such a life in its full per- fection.

" In process of time came a class who desired progress in improvements and civilization, and

these men began the work. Not content with building for themselves the cabin to live in, they built the early log school houses and churches. They began the work of cultivating the soil for something more than their own personal wants; of opening farms and laying out roads. Then began the location of trading points and towns, and traders and mechanics came in to supply the wants of population. And so, step by step, pop- nlation and improvement slowly increased. All this, however, had progressed under circumstan- ces in which the primitive condition, habits and usages still largely prevailed. Our trading was mostly a system of barter; an exchange of one article of produce for another; of corn for cat- tle, or cattle for horses, and of the produce of the farm for labor, manufactures or merchandise. Money as a medium of exchange was scarcely to be had, and hence but little was used. All this belonged to the period anterior to the introduc- tion of railroads. With the facilities afforded by railroads for reaching quickly the great mark- ets, came cash buyers and ready sales. These iron rails not only connected us with the com- mercial world, but along them came the quick- ened pulsations of a more commercial life. This quick and ready intercourse with the commercial world, soon affected our old habits and usages, our fashions and modes of doing business. We set about to adapt ourselves to a changed condi- tion of affairs.

" We were somewhat unconscious of the ex- tent of these changes as they occurred, but in the course of a few years, we opened our eyes widely to the fact. Then we began sadly to re- call the old days and the old times. Then we began to look around for the remnant of that pioneer band of 'early settlers,' whose exper- ience and memory of a far different condition of things would prove interesting to a genera- tion which knew nothing of that by-gone time, but from tradition. It was then the idea was conceived of bringing those 'old settlers' to- gether once a year, to talk over the old times, and refresh each others' memories with the old time experiences and incidents.

" As before remarked, our changed life and habits was the result of many causes operating through a space of years; yet some of these causes were so powerful and direct in their oper- ation as work material changes in a very short period.

"If the speaker were going to fix a period or dividing line in point of time between the new and the old, so far as this region of the country was concerned, it would be at the introduction

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

of railroads. Undoubtedly to this was attribut- able the greatest changes in the material condi- tion and usages of this part of the country.

"The effect was marked and direct upon al- most every pursuit and calling of life. Old habits and old industries to a great extent dis- appeared on the appearance of the locomotive. Some were dropped and lost sight of; others greatly changed in the manner of pursuit or performance. Not only our home-made manu- factures, but our home-made life and habits in a great measure disappeared. The ox and the Carey plow, the spinning wheel and the loom, disappeared together. We began to build houses of a different style and with different materials. We farmed not only with different implements but in a different mode. Then we began to in- quire what the markets were, and what product of the farm we could raise and sell to the best advantage. The farmer enlarged his farm, and no longer contented himself with the land that himself or his boys could cultivate, but he must have hired hands and hired help to cultivate his enlarged possessions.

"Then it was our families discovered their inability to do the housework of the family, and required hired assistance. Customs in religious exercises even underwent a change. The 'forty- minute' sermon began to be preached; men and women no longer divided off on each side of the church; the minister ceased to line off the hymn for the congregation, and the congrega- tion quit singing. 'Choirs' and fiddles made their first appearance in the churches.

" Almost concurrently with the introduction of railroads, it was discovered that the school- master was abroad in the land. Our free com- mon school system had its origin about the same period. Along with the new impetus given to the material condition of the country, and, as it were, hand in hand with it, came the free com- mon school system, to give new development and growth to the mental and intellectual life of the country.

"The old schoolmaster and the old school books were either discarded or put under new regulations, so that a new generation was rap- idly growing up that had learned to scout at Webster's spelling book and Daboll's arith- metic.

"Very few of the boys of this generation know anything of that bad boy who was found in the apple tree stealing apples, as told in Web- ster, and none of them would pay any attention to the excellent 'moral' with which the story concluded.

"But the common school system, enlisting, as it did, in its organization and machinery, a large portion of the adult population, as well as teach- ers and children, wonderfully increased the mental activity of the country.

"Turning to the characteristics of the early settlers, the speaker said it was a mistake to characterize them as containing all the virtues enjoined in the decalogue. There were good men and bad men amongst them. So far as morals were concerned, they might be described as an average lot of humanity, but they were mostly men of strong and marked traits of character. They had the vices and virtues pecu- liar to men whose lives had been spent upon the frontiers. Self-reliance, bravery, fortitude and shrewdness of judgment were striking character- istics. With these there was a general kindli- ness of disposition, which the necessities of their situation called into frequent exercise. Notwith- standing all this, however, the inherent mean- ness and vice of the human character frequently manifested itself. Some were given to brawls and violence; some were malicious, and would vent their malice in slandering a neighbor or in- juring his property. The early records of our courts show that much of the litigation of that early period arose from these causes. This was the character of litigation in which our early lawyers won their renown. In case of victory the fee was not great, but the glory was. Still it was true that there were better types of old settlers-men whose lives were blameless, and who furnished no grists to the lawyers or the courts unless in self protection. These were the men who were laying well the foundations of a future orderly and peaceable community; whilst others might be engaged in brawls, these were engaged in founding the church and the school house. In any reflections cast upon any portion of the carly settlers, it must be understood that this did not include the women of that day. There is great concurrence in all the testimony we have of that period that the patient, untiring devotion of the women of that day, to all the duties of their situation, was without exception; and that the failings and shortcomings of many a trifling husband were more than supplied by a patient and industrious wife and mother.

"The speaker discussed the useful as well as pleasureable purposes that the Old Settlers' So- ciety could accomplish, and argued that the so- ciety should perpetuate itself and become perma- nent.

" However this might be, he hoped that so long as any of those entitled to be considered genu-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

ine 'early settlers' were living, these annual meetings should be held, and be the occasion for the meeting and commingling of all those men and women, yet upon the stage, whose bravery, fortitude, patience and industry, and whose trials, hardships and virtues, had laid firmly the foun- dations of society here. Let those who have come after, meet with them on these occasions, and let this latter generation see with their own eyes these early pioneers, and hear with their own ears the experiences of these men and women, to the end that the memory of those early days might be handed down to posterity." "At the conclusion of Mr. Hay's address, which was listened to with the closest attention by a large proportion of the assembly, Acting Presi- dent Irwin announced that a recess would be taken for dinner, and then the contents of sun- dry huge baskets and boxes were dragged to light, a number of tables were improvised, and these were filled with almost everything that good Sangamon county farmers' wives could prepare with which to tempt the human appe- tite. At one of these, that prepared by the family of Uncle Pres. Breckinridge, of Cotton Hill, the Register representative and his 'better half' were fortunate enough to be entertained. It was a right royal feast and no mistake- chickens, sliced ham, choice bread and butter, jellies, preserves, pickles, everything, in fact, that could be desired, and while the ladies were preparing the feast the jovial, whole-souled Uncle Pres. was scouring the grounds in search of hungry people to feed. Nobody declined an in- vitation from such a source, of course, and his spread was speedily surrounded. His daughter, Mrs. Lucy D. Hunter, and his daughters-in-law, Mesdames Lillie and Hugh Breckenridge, as- sisted by other members of the family, grace- fully dispensed the hospitalities, and succeeded admirably in their very evident determination to make their guests feel 'at home.' Uncle Pres. presided with his usual urbanity, and all satisfied the cravings of their appetites to the fullest ex- tent. There were at the table Mrs. Louisa Stokes, Mrs. Bashaw, Mrs. Sophia Thomas, Miss Elizabeth Evert, two daughters of Mr. Samuel Johnson, Mr. Will Berry, Mr. Ben Waters, Mr. I. Stokes, Mr. William Stoneberger, Mr. Samuel Williams, Mr. S. P. Mathews, Mr. William D. Hunter, Dr. Abel, Roland Thomas, Alex. Breck- inridge, Harder Breckinridge, Cleophus Breck- inridge, Masters Arthur Abel, Taylorville, Bur- tie Breckinidge, Ida and Inez Breckinridge, and other grandchildren too numerous to men- tion. There were many other fine spreads by

hospitable people. Mesdames Neal and St. Clair, of Rochester, had a fine table, and entertained largely in splendid style."

THIRTEENTII ANNUAL RE-UNION .*

"The place selected for this year's meeting was the grove back of the residence of Mr. Daniel Jones, in Cotton Hill township, five miles south- east of Crow's Mill. Mr. Jones and his family had done all that was possible to provide for the comfort and convenience of those attending, and they are deserving of the highest praise for the generous hospitality extended to all comers. But it was impossible to render the place se- lected a satisfactory one, in such a dry season and upon such a hot day. It must be admitted that the old settlers are relieved of many annoy- ances by holding their re-unions at some distance away from town and from a railroad, so that no one ought to grumble at the inconvenience ne- cessitated in reaching the location chosen. Of course, all the roads were terribly dusty, but a refreshing breeze afforded compensation for all annoyances. Upon the roads leading to and through the grounds, however, the dust was much worse than upon any of the roads outside, and, the grove being situated down in a hollow, the heat was insufferable. Owing to the unns- ual drouth, the water supply was cut off, and the management were only able, by making great exertions, to supply the throng of suffering hu- manity with an occasional drink of water. As a result, everybody was decidedly uncomfortable throughout the day, and. felt much more as if they had become for the time being veritable pioneers than as if they were enjoying a social holiday. But it must not be imagined from what has been said that the affair was not a suc- cess, for it certainly was a decided success, de- spite all these drawbacks and others that could be mentioned. The attendance was very large, but there was no opportunity of fairly estimat- ing the number present. The woods were liter- ally full of horses and vehicles of every descrip- tion, and this made it very evident that a very large number of persons were present. But at no time was the crowd about the speaking stand particularly large, the visitors being scattered all over the grounds, wherever shady nooks could be found, enjoying themselves socially. As usual, the affair partook largely of a social character, although the programme at the stand was carried out successfully and very satisfac- torily. But the real attraction of the gathering,

* From the Illinois State Journal.

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

to most of the attendants, was the opportuni- ties it afforded of renewing old acquaintances, and of rehearsing again and again with them the oft-told, but ever interesting, stories of trials encountered and difficulties overcome by the sturdy pioneers of Sangamon county. Hot as it was in the shady grove, the veterans could re- member almost innumerable occasions when they suffered much more, and the frequent men- tion of the ever-memorable 'deep snow' seemed to occasionally impart a rather refreshing frig- idity to the atmosphere.

"Springfield was not as well represented as usual, though quite a good delegation was pres- ent. The gathering was largely composed of the farmers of the county, who were accom- panied by their families, to whom the occasion afforded a well-earned and well-deserved day of recreation. Among the old settlers in attend- ance, were noticed the following, the figures in- dicating the time of their arrival.

R. W. Diller, 1844.

W. V. Greenwood, 1826. W. W. Meader, 1839.

Thompson Spicer, 1833.

Joshua Porter, 1826,

D. J. Drennan.

Win. J. Wheeler, 1852.

Thos. B. Shepherd, 1836.

M. A. James, 1827.

A. Breckenridge, 1834.

J. H. Herman, 1831. Wilson Brownell, 1825. J. W. Shake, 1829.

Mary Ann Williams, 1835. Philomon Stout, 1836. Anna Salisch, 1836.

W. W. Crow1, 1845. H. W. Walker, 1828. Joseph Bean, 1828.

Garred Young, 1837.

Robert L. Pirkins, 1825.

Jacob Henkle, 1825.

Joseph Dodds, 1824. Caroline Plummer, 1834. Z. Burile, 1826. M. R. Thayer, 18.3. Robert Blue, 1842.

Win. H. Vigal, 1832. John White, 1840. W. H. Boyd, 1837. Horace Wells, 1850.

John Harnett, 1854. Joseph Ledlie, 1846. Robert E. Berry, 1840. James L. Norris, 1835.

George H. Miller, 1838. J. W. Haines, 1826. Alex. B. Irwin, 1820.

J. M. Martin, 1835.

Daniel Jones, 1825. Noah Mason. 1824.

F. M. Neal, 1832.

A. T. Thompson, 1836.

G. W. Poffenberger, 1839.

J. C, Bone, 1824.

J. M. Millslegle, 1838.

J. H. Matheny, 1821.

"The public exercises took place at the stand constructed for the purpose, which had been placed in a good position in a shady grove. This temporary structure was occupied by the band, the singers and several of the older per- sons present. At the back was displayed a ban- ner bearing the words, 'Welcome Old Settlers.' Evergreens were wreathed above and about the stand, and the whole was surmounted by a large flag. This platform was surrounded during the exercises by an intensely interested gathering, conspicuous among whom were a number of the oldest settlers in the county.

" The exercises of the day began with music by the band, after which Mr. John B. Weber of Pawnee, delivered the reception address, appro- priately welcoming the members of the society, their families and friends, and members present. 'Brookfield' was well rendered by the choir, and prayer was offered by Rev. Josiah Porter.

"The exercises were conducted under the ef- ficient management of the President of the so- ciety, Mr. R. W. Diller, of this city, who next delivered the President's address. A synopsis would fail to do justice to this address, which was given in happy, conversational style, and was replete with entertaining reminiscences and sensible suggestions.

" After singing by the choir, Mr. John Harri- son, of Pleasant Plains, made a brief address. Mr. Harrison has lived upon the same farm for fifty-seven years, and knows all about the trials and experiences of Sangamon county's early pioneers. The county was almost a wilderness when he first arrived, and six months before that time those residing in his neighborhood were obliged to go eighty miles to mill. Ile related several interesting stories about the mills of those early days, and told how the pioneers were obliged to carry scythes, with which to cnt grass for temporary bridges across the numerous sloughs that were not bridged. Mr. Harrison concluded by extolling the advantages now pos- sessed by Illinois and especially by Sangamon county, saying that he was unable to see why any farmer should desire to go West after gold, because the products of the farms of this conn- try were much more valuable than all the gold and silver in all the hills of the Rocky Moun- tains, and were easier to get at.

"Judge H. M. Vandever, of Christian county, then gave the audience one of the most unique specimens of oratory, if such it can be called, which the writer has ever listened to. He speaks forcibly, though with considerable effort, and seemed determined to convince his hearers that he was an ardent admirer of the 'good old times,' and customs of the past. In fact, he seemed to be rather indignant because people lived more comfortably in these days than did the early pioneers. The object of his remarks, so far as they could be understood, seemed to be to impress his hearers with the thought that the early pioneers went forth animated by a deter- mination to conquer all the earth, fearing neither man, flesh or the devil; and that their descend- ents ought to be inspired by the same feelings. They heard too much of the great achievements of great men which were not possible to ordi-

John H. Pauline, 1855. N. J. Insley, 1832. Jacob Ensinger, 1850. Alexander Jones, 1849. M. A. Davis, 1854.

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

uary people, and thought too little of the prac- tical benefits to be derived from the early expe- riences of their own ancestors. The Judge's address seemed to please the audience.

" The election of officers being next in order, was disposed of by re-electing the present efficient President and Secretary, Mr. Diller and Judge Matheny, on motion of Mr. Weber. After more music, 'the best of all,' the dinner hour, was an- nouneed, and soon all were engaged in supplying the wants of the inner man. None were allowed to go hungry, and those who had not provided themselves with baskets were hospitably and bountifully cared for by the generous farmers, whose picnic dinners are always remembered with pleasant recollections by those who partake of them. At two o'clock a larger audience than before assembled to listen to Hon. Jas. C. Rob- inson, of this city.

" After the usual musical introductory, Mr. Robinson made a rather brief address, which proved very entertaining, being interspersed with characteristic anecdotes. He reviewed the great changes that had taken place since the day when the early pioneers settled in the county, and enlogized the moral character, integrity and industry of the early settlers, in whose footsteps the rising generation could follow with profit.

" Mr. Robinson's remarks closed the regular programme, but the audience were not ready to disperse, and willingly listened to brief recitals of their early experiences by Mr. Van Deren, of Chatham, and Mr. Baker, of Christian county. The choir was then called upon for several songs, which were enjoyed more than any other feature of the programme, and President Diller was at last reluctantly compelled to declare the exer- cises of the day ended.

"Many of those in attendance immediately made a break for their homes, while others re- mained to indulge in social converse with neigh- bors and friends, preferring to drive home after sundown, by which time the grove was deserted, and the hundreds who had participated in the re- union had separated, to await the coming of the next reunion."

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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 75

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