USA > Illinois > Stark County > History of Stark County, Illinois, and its people : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 27
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Some time in the winter of 1865-66 a few members of the Masonic fraternity living at Wyoming began to diseuss the question of organ- izing a lodge. Informal meetings were held, but no one could be found who felt "suitable proficieney" to do the work of worshipful master and the subject was dropped for the time. Rev. John W. Agard. who had formerly lived in Wyoming. returned about this time, and in him the Masons found a man who could "do the work." A petition. signed by Mr. Agard. Henry A. IFolst, Isaae Thomas. W. F. Thomas, T. W. Bloomer, S. K. Conover, G. W. Scott and J. H. Cox. was sent to the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, asking for a dis- pensation to organize a lodge.
The dispensation was granted and on February 28, 1866. the first meeting of the lodge at Wyoming was eonvened, with John W. Agard.
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worshipful master; W. F. Thomas, senior warden: George W. Scott, junior warden; Henry A. Holst, secretary; S. K. Conover, senior deaeon; Thomas W. Bloomer, junior deacon: William N. Brown, tiler.
On October 3, 1866, the Illinois Grand Lodge granted a charter to this lodge, under the title and designation of "Wyoming Lodge No. 479, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons." The first place of meeting was over Holst's drug store. From there it removed to a hall in the Thomas building, next to a building on the corner of Seventh and William streets, which was erceted by John W. Agard principally for a Masonic hall. In January, 1882, the lodge again moved its quarters, this time to a hall over Hammond & Walters' store. The membership in 1915 was 125, with F. E. Wiekwire, worshipful master, and G. F. Earhart, secretary. Regular meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month.
Stark Lodge No. 501. located at Lafayette, was organized early in the year 1866 and was granted a charter the following October. W. B. Smith was the first worshipful master; Dr. Joseph H. Nichols. senior warden: Austin Smith, junior warden. These three officers and the following constituted the charter members: J. S. Atherton, Isaac Grant, H. P. Grant, E. G. Hill, J. M. Jones, William T. Dick- inson. E. J. McClenahan, G. IL. McClenahan, Thomas W. Ross and John B. Smith. On April 26, 1881, the lodge room, records, furniture and charter were destroyed by fire, and in May a copy of the original charter was issued by the Illinois Grand Lodge. Stark Lodge now has about forty members. The worshipful master for 1915 was Howard Pierce, and the secretary was J. H. White. Regular meetings are on Saturday evening "on or before the full moon."
On the evening of August 16, 1866. the first meeting of the Masonic Lodge at Bradford was held "under dispensation," with James B. Doyle, worshipful master: B. F. Thompson, senior warden; Harmon Phenix, junior warden. Later in the same year a charter was granted by the Illinois Grand Lodge to "Bradford Lodge No. 314, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons." The master and war- dens appointed under the dispensation continued to serve until the time for the first regular election according to Masonic usage, and the other officers under the charter were as follows: S. A. Davidson, secretary: George W. Longmire, treasurer: William H. Doyle, senior deaeon: Charles B. Foster, junior deacon; John Winslow. tiler. In 1915 this lodge numbered about fifty members, with Dr. W. C. Mitchell, worshipful master, and Thaddeus Ash, secretary.
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Wyoming Chapter No. 133, Royal Arch Masons, was first organ- ized in 1866, but no charter was obtained until October 9, 1868. The first officers of the chapter were: John W. Agard, high priest; Wil- liam Lowman, king; J. M. Rogers, principal sojourner; Charles Wes- ton. captain of the host; M. S. Curtiss, royal arch captain; Alvin Abbott, master of the first veil: S. A. Davis, master of the second veil; Charles Kerr, master of the third veil: George W. Seott, seribe. On October 1. 1915. the chapter numbered over one hundred members, with H. C. Cox, high priest, and Albert W. King, secretary. This is the only Royal Arch chapter in the county and includes among its members several Masons who belong to the blue lodges at Toulon, Lafayette, Speer and Bradford.
ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR
The Order of the Eastern Star is a "side degree" of the Masonie fraternity, to which the wives, daughters or other near female relatives of Master Masons are eligible. The local bodies are called chapters. The oldest Eastern Star body in Stark County is the chapter at Wyoming, which was first organized on May 29, 1868, under the name of the "Family of the Eastern Star No. 134," with twelve members, to-wit: Rev. John W. Agard. George W. Seott, S. K. Conover. John Wrigley, J. M. Rogers, H. A. Holst. Martha P. Agard, Mary C. Scott, Margaret A. Conover. Ann Wrigley, Harriet Rogers and Rebecca Butler. Mrs. Margaret A. Conover was the first worthy matron and John W. Agard the first worthy patron.
On February 18, 1871, the "family" was reorganized under a charter granted by the Supreme Grand Chapter of New York as Wyoming Chapter No. 52. When the Grand Chapter of Illinois was established. the Wyoming organization was the first to apply for a charter under the new jurisdiction. Strictly speaking, therefore, it should have been No. 1, but by some means other Eastern Star bodies received their charters before this one, which was reorganized under a charter dated October 16, 1877. as Wyoming Chapter No. 8. Order of the Eastern Star.
One ineident in the history of Wyoming Chapter of which the members have just cause to feel proud was the visit of Robert Morris, author of the ritual and founder of the Eastern Star degree, who eame to Wyoming early in the '70s and instructed the officers and members in the work. This is an honor that few chapters ean elaim. The membership in 1915 was 162, with Mrs. Alma L. Wead worthy matron and A. J. Adams worthy patron.
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Toulon Chapter No. 10 was first organized under a charter dated February 17, 1871, issued by the Supreme Grand Lodge of New York, whenee all the early Eastern Star chapters received their author- ity. The charter and records of the chapter were burned in the fire of May 17, 1877, which destroyed the Masonic Hall, and on October 2, 1877, a new charter was obtained from the Grand Chapter of Illi- nois. Owing to the burning of the charter and records it is impossible to give a correet list of the charter members. In 1915 the chapter numbered over one hundred members, with Mrs. H. C. Smith, worthy matron; II. C. Smith, worthy patron, and Mrs. Ella Johnston, seeretary.
The Eastern Star chapter at Lafayette was instituted on Febru- ary 1, 1886, with the following charter members: I. G. Foster, A. II. White, T. D. Church, T. W. Ross, J. H. White, Daniel White, An- drew Jackson and their wives. The chapter is still in existence and has a strong membership. There is also an Eastern Star chapter at Bradford.
INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOW'S
The modern order of Odd Fellows owes its origin to a society or- ganized in England in the latter part of the eighteenth century under the name of the "Ancient and Most Noble Order of Bueks," the principal emblem of which was a stag's head with spreading antlers. About 1773 this order declined, but it was revived in a slightly differ- ent form, and some four or five years later the words "Odd Fellow" first occurred in the ritual. In 1813 several lodges sent delegates to Manchester and organized the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, which was the first effort to establish anything like a grand lodge. Soon after this Shakspere Lodge, No. 1, was organized in New York, but it did not last long. The first permanent lodge in the United States was organized by Thomas H. Wildey, of Baltimore, in 1819. From that parent lodge Odd Fellowship has spread to all parts of the country and it is now one of the strongest and most in- fluential of the American fraternal orders.
Stark Lodge, No. 96, located at Toulon, was the first Odd Fel- lows' lodge to be established in Stark County. It was organized on November 8, 1851, with the following charter members: Amos P. Gill, Alexander Monerief, Oliver Whitaker, Thomas J. Wright and William Clark. The charter bears date of October 17, 1851. For more than ten years the lodge grew steadily in numbers and influenee. but with the breaking out of the Civil war in'1861 so many of the
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members enlisted in the army that it was suspended by order of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 1862. Its charter was not taken up, how- ever, and in April, 1866, regular meetings and work were resumed. In 1875 the lodge fitted up a hall in the second story of the bank build- ing of Burge & Company at an expense of over two thousand dollars, which included the cost of the second story of the building. Subse- quently the lodge sold its interest in this building to the banking firm and joined with Mr. Sundquist in the erection of the two-story briek structure at the northwest corner of Main and Franklin streets, the south end of the second story being built by the Odd Fellows for a lodge room.
At one time this lodge numbered about one hundred members, but some withdrew to assist in the formation of other lodges in the county. others died and still others moved away, so that in 1915 the member- ship was but little over sixty. At that time James McCulloch held the office of noble grand and E. B. Redfield that of secretary.
The second Odd Fellows' lodge in the county was organized at Wyoming, under a charter dated October 15, 1857, and officially designated as Wyoming Lodge, No. 244. The charter members of this lodge were: Henry A. Holst, John Hawks, Isaac N. Tidd, U. M. Whiffen, C. W. Brown and W. B. Armstrong. After a some- what precarious career of six years the lodge surrendered its eharter in October, 1863. It was afterward reinstated under the original name and number and the reorganized lodge was held on February 6. 1871. with Henry A. Holst as noble grand.
This is now the strongest Odd Fellows' lodge in the county, having in October, 1915, over one hundred members. In 1913 the lodge erected one of the handsomest business buildings in Wyoming at a cost of $10,000. The lower floor is devoted to mercantile purposes, while on the second floor is fitted up one of the best appointed lodge halls in this section of the state. C. P. Pratt held the office of noble grand in 1915 and J. M. Earhart was seeretary.
Bradford Lodge, No. 579, was organized under a charter dated June 4, 1875. The original members were Cyrus Boeoek, Joshua Prouty, A. J. Sturm, J. D. Woods. A. M. Hutchinson, H. J. Cos- grove, E. F. Lyman, Edmund Ewing. W. H. Hall and W. A. Hol- man. Joshua Prouty was the first noble grand. In October. 1915, the lodge numbered 115 members, with William Ribley, noble grand, and J. N. Kitterman. secretary. Regular meetings are held on Friday evening of each week.
On November 20, 1878, a charter was issued by the Grand Lodge
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of Illinois to Upton H. Brown, Joseph A. Cisney, David B. Cragin, R. O. Phillips and W. J. Hamilton to organize an Odd Fellows' lodge at Lafayette, to be known as Lafayette Lodge, No. 657. At one time this lodge had about eighty members, but death, removals and withdrawals had reduced the membership in 1915 to about fifty. Alexander Mortison was then noble grand and A. H. White was secretary. Meetings are held on Saturday evening's in the hall over the postoffice.
In December, 1885, S. J. Fox and a few other Odd Fellows living at West Jersey and in the immediate vicinity held a meeting and prepared a petition to the Grand Lodge of Illinois asking for a char- ter. The petition was granted and West Jersey Lodge was instituted on March 29. 1886, as No. 234, the lodge formerly holding that num- ber having passed out of existenee. The charter members were: S. J. Fox. J. H. Emery, W. M. Grey. C. B. Vansickle, N. E. Pomeroy, J. W. Wiek and Alexander Ingles. The first meeting place was the hall over Doetor Perry's store. In 1915 this lodge numbered about forty members.
Wyoming Encampment, No. 205, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was first organized on March 24. 1876, as No. 174, with C. F. I!amilton as the first patriarch and the following charter members: J. M. Brown. J. M. Cox. H. J. Cosgrove. I. P. Carpenter, Dennis Guyre. J. D. Woods. T. B. Wall. J. L. Moffitt, John Hawks, D. S. Hewitt and C. F. Hamilton. Meetings are held in the Odd Fellows' new building on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The membership in October, 1915, was about fifty.
DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH
This is the ladies' degree of Odd Fellowship. It was founded some years after the original order for the wives, daughters, sisters and mothers of Odd Fellows. The members are generally referred to as "Rebekahs." and the lodges as "Rebekah Degree Lodges." The first Rebekah lodge in Stark County was organized at Lafayette on November 17. 1880, as Stark, No. 110. For some reason this number was afterward given to the Rebekah lodge at Toulon and the Lafay- ette organization was rechristened Merry Rebekah Lodge, No. 139. The lodge is still in existence and is in a fairly prosperous condition.
Star Rebekah Lodge. No. 110, was instituted at Toulon on Febru- ary 16. 1882. by Grand Secretary N. C. Nason, of Peoria. assisted by members of the Rebekah lodges at Lafayette and Peoria. After the Vol. I-18
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ceremony of institution was completed, D. S. Hewitt was installed as noble grand: Mrs. V. B. Thornton, vice grand; J. M. Brown, seere- tary; Mrs. Howard Stanley, financial secretary, and Mrs. D. Cham- berlain, treasurer. In 1915 this lodge numbered about ninety members.
Wyoming Rebekah Lodge, No. 333, although not organized until some years after the lodges at Lafayette and Toulon, is the strongest in the county, reporting 120 members on October 1. 1915. Regular meetings are held by this lodge on the first and third Wednesdays of each month in the Odd Fellows' new building. Nearly every Odd Fellows' lodge in the state has its auxiliary Rebekah Degree.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Shortly after the close of the Civil war the survivors of the Union army organized the Grand Army of the Republie, membership in which was limited to those who had served in the army or navy during the war. Local organizations are called posts. Each state eonsti- tutes a "department." in which the highest offieer is called the state commander, or department commander. The objects of the Grand Army have been to collect and preserve historie relies and documents pertaining to the war; to mark the location of troops upon the great battlefields, and to aid and assist sick and disabled comrades and their families.
Probably the first Grand Army post in Stark County was the one organized at Elmira under a charter dated March 11, 1867, and was known as No. 244. The original members were Orlando Braee. Robert Turnbull, John Styers, David and William Jackson, Frank Hudson, James Cinnamon, Asa Clark, Marshall Leeox and John MeLean. William Jaekson was the first commander.
About 1875 the order underwent a reorganization and the Elmira post received a new charter dated Mareh 6, 1876, under which it took the name of James Jackson Post, No. 37. with William Jackson again the first commander. Very few of the original members are left.
De Wolf Post, No. 371, located at Wyoming, was organized some time in the winter of 1867-68. A short time before that Dr. J. C. Copestake was mustered into the Grand Army by Colonel Ford, de- partment adjutant, and upon returning to Wyoming ealled a meeting of veterans to diseuss the question of organizing a post. Doetor Copestake was elected the first commander and the post started off with about thirty charter members. After a few months the organ-
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ization was disbanded, but was afterward reorganized with the original name and mmber. At one time this post numbered over seventy members, but death and removals have weakened it until only a few are left. Regular meetings are no longer held, though the organiza- tion is kept up. The membership in October, 1915, was sixteen, with William Holgate commander and Charles F. Hamilton, adjutant.
Dickinson Post, No. 90, was organized at Bradford on February 9. 1881, with Mordecai Bevier as commander. A few years after it was chartered it boasted a membership of seventy-three, but like other posts it has gradually decreased in numbers until there is but a "cor- poral's guard" left. In 1915 J. N. Kitterman was commander.
W. W. Wright Post, No. 327. was organized at Toulon under a charter dated Angust 20, 1883, with twenty-five charter members. The first commander was Capt. JJohn M. Brown of Company K. Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry. At one time this was the strongest Grand Army post in the county, having elose to one hundred members. The few that are left hold meetings in the Masonic Ilall. The com- mander in 1915 was Levi Silliman.
There is a pathos in the history of the Grand Army of the Republic that is not to be found in that of any other fraternal order. In their young and vigorous manhood the members left their homes and shops to do battle for the preservation of the Union. The membership be- ing limited to those who served in the army makes it impossible to recruit new members from a succeeding generation and each year on Memorial Day, when these old veterans turn out to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades, the most casual observer cannot help but note that the "line of bhie" is growing thinner and more feeble. A few years more and the last of the Grand Army will have answered the last roll eall and the patriotie order will be no more.
Nearly every Grand Army post has its auxiliary known as the Women's Relief Corps, which has been a great factor in the charitable work of the order in earing for the poor and disabled soldiers, their widows and orphans. It is composed of the wives and daughters of old soldiers.
TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES
As a rule the people of Stark County have always been believers in temperance and the saloon has never done a profitable business any- where in the county for any continued length of time. The Wash- ington Temperance Society was organized in 1845 and in February. 1848, received a charter from the national organization. It numbered
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among its members such men as John W. and Thomas J. Henderson, W. W. Drummond, John A. Williams, Oliver Whitaker, Benjamin Turner, Patrick M. Blair, Martin Shallenberger, Ira Ward, Sr. and Sanmel G. Butler. For a time the society was active in advocating the cause of temperance. In 1848 it built a hall, which was afterward owned and occupied by the Masonic lodge until it was destroyed by fire in May, 1877. Politics finally crept into the ranks, brought about dissensions and the society disbanded.
Division No. 3, Sons of Temperance, was organized at Toulon on March 17, 1875, with Levi Silliman as president. Among the members were several who had been members of the Washington Society.
In the early '80s the Independent Order of Good Templars be- came prominent in the county. Lodges were organized at Toulon, Osceola, Lafayette, Bradford, Castleton and Wyoming. This order appealed to many because it was "secret," though its influence was widely felt while it existed.
The Wyoming Band of Hope, a temperance society, was organ- ized in the spring of 1882, with ten members, among whom were John Hawks. Dr. J. C. Copestake, W. H. Barrett and a number of women who were in favor of keeping saloons out of the town. Its influence was chiefly exerted for that purpose.
MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES
Scattered over the county there are, or have been in the past, a number of societies and organizations, some of which formed a part of some great order or movement, and others purely local in their ehar- acter. In the beginning of the preparation of this work, letters were sent to the secretaries of the societies now in existence, but unfortu- nately for the historian only a few replied. It is therefore impossible to give a detailed history of such organizations.
In the early '70s an order called the Patrons of Husbandry spread over the nation and for a time threatened to become an important influence in political affairs. The principal objects of the organiza- tion were to secure a better price for farm products and a lower price for merchandise of all kinds. To this end cooperative stores were started in numerous cities of the country to eliminate the "middleman" by buying direct from the manufacturer and selling direct to the con- sumer. The local bodies were called "Granges," several of which were formed in Stark County. But, like all such movements, its useful- ness was short-lived, owing to the fact that its members could not
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agree on the question of whether the order should "go into politics" or not.
The Modern Woodmen of America, an order of which fraternal insurance is the leading feature, has lodges at Wyoming, Toulon. Bradford and Lafayette. The Wyoming Camp, as the local lodges are called. is probably the oldest in the county. It was organized in July, 1886, with E. A. Trimmer, venerable counsel, and J. M. Thomas, Jr., clerk. The eamp now occupies the hall formerly occupied by the Odd Fellows and owns the building in which it is located.
Bradford Camp. No. 1156. Modern Woodmen of America, was organized about the same time as the Wyoming Camp and in 1915 numbered 138 members, with C. A. Austin, venerable counsel, and Walter Scholes, clerk. Connected with the Modern Woodmen is a ladies' degree ealled the Royal Neighbors, an organization of which is auxiliary to every eamp in the county.
The Knights of the Maccabees. another fraternal insurance so- eiety, have several "tents" in the county; the Mystie Workers, the Court of Honor, the Sons of Veterans, and a few other fraternal societies are also represented by organizations in most of the leading towns.
CHAPTER XVII MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
PURPOSE OF THIS CHAPTER-FIRST THINGS-PRICES AND WAGES-LIN- COLN AND DOUGLAS AT TOULON-THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD- FOUNTAIN WATKINS TELLS A STORY-A RESOLUTION-THE FIRST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN-INDIAN RETALIATION-HUNTING IN EARLY DAYS-THE MORMON PROPHET-A POLITICAL ECHO.
In the early days on the frontier, when the dwelling usually con- sisted of one room and every inch of space had to be utilized to the best possible advantage, it was a common occurrence for the prudent housewife to provide some sort of receptacle for such small articles as were not required for daily use. Such a receptacle was called a "catch all," for the reason that it contained a varied assortment of little things that were likely to be in the way elsewhere. This chapter on Mis- cellaneons History is somewhat like the pioneer housewife's "catch all." inasmuch as it is made up of events that do not properly belong to the subjects treated in the other chapters and yet are of historic interest. In presenting these miscellaneous events some repetitions may occur, but this cannot well be avoided, and in many instances this repeated reference to some incident of early days will help to refresh the memory of the reader.
FIRST THINGS
The first white man to settle in Stark County was Isaac B. Essex. Ilis cabin, built in April, 1829, was the first civilized habitation, and his son, born in 1829, was the first white child born in the county. Wilson Smith was born in what is now West Jersey Township the same year. a little after the Essex child.
The first death was that of a little child of David Gregory, and the first marriage was that of Harris W. Miner and Miss Nancy Gross, which was solemnized some time in the winter of 1831-32, while Stark was still a part of Putnam County.
The first land entries were made at the land offices at Quincy or Galena, until a land office was opened at Dixon. about 1840. The first
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frame house was the store room of Whitney Smith at Wyoming, which was built in the fall of 1837. A small frame building or two were built at Lafayette either that fall or the following spring.
The first mill was built by Harmon Leek in 1833 or 1834 on the Spoon River, near the road from Wyoming to Toulon. The first bridge in the county was built over the Spoon River in the fall of 1839. not far from Leek's Mill.
The first postoffice was established at the house of Isaac B. Essex in 1833, but was later removed to Wyoming, and the first schoolhouse was raised on July 4, 1834, in Essex Township.
Jesse W. Heath, who opened a small store at Wyoming, was probably the first merchant, Dr. Eliphalet Ellsworth was the first resident physician, and W. W. Drummond the first lawyer to locate in the county.
The first railroads were built through the county in 1871 and the first ear load of grain was shipped from Toulon by Charles Myers, who built the first grain warehouse.
The first newspaper was published in January, 1836; the first religious organization was Adam Perry's Methodist elass, which was formed in 1835: the first eamp meeting was held in the summer of 1840, and the first coal was mined in 1855.
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