USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > History of Stephenson County, Illinois : a record of its settlement, organization, and three-quarters of a century of progress > Part 19
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tling when a farmer picked up a sheaf of oats and found a rattlesnake in it.
With his family and friends a man in Rock Run one day started fishing. One of the lads suddenly cried out with great pain, thinking he had stubbed his toe. An investigation showed plainly that the boy had been bitten by a venomous snake. The father hurried the boy home as fast as possible while another summoned a physician, but it was too late. The poison spread through the boy's system, and he died before night.
Another incident related is in regard to an Irishman near Rock City. He was plowing in a field and was bitten in the calf of the leg by a rattlesnake. Being far away from any medicinal remedy, he "whipped out his knife and cutting a piece out of that portion of his leg, continued his plowing." It was a radical remedy but saved his life.
FRONTIER LIFE.
Mr. Franklin Reed of Pontiac, Illinois, wrote in 1877 as follows: "April 29, 1831, I arrived with my father's family at Buffalo Grove (Polo, Illinois). May 2 we had our cabin ready to move into. It was the typical log cabin cut out of the green trees. The floor was laid of bark with the smooth side down. Large flat stones were set up against a side of the house in which we could build a fire till we had time to make a chimney.
About the cabin was a wild wilderness of grass-burned prairie as far as the eye could see. We made a garden and broke 14 acres and planted it in corn. The Indians were lingering around their old hunting grounds. Once we fled by way of Kellog's Grove to Apple River Fort for safety. Game was plentiful. I have seen twenty or thirty deer in a grove at once. In the spring of 1832 we fled again, this time to Dixon on account of the Black Hawk War. In 1833 we we forted again.
Mrs. Jacob Burbridge of Lena, a daughter of William Waddams, who was the first permanent settler in Stephenson County, told the following in regard to frontier life, in 1891 at the age of 75: "I was born in 1816. My father was William Waddams, the founder of Waddams Grove. Our family numbered 13, but I don't know as we had any particular bad luck because of that. We moved to Indiana when I was a year and a half old. There my father owned a grist mill and a distillery. Those two went together in early days, for when with him some good old rye. The people then always believed in keeping it in the farmer brought his maize and wheat to be ground he must needs take back the house in case of sickness, you know.
"Of course we had to move with the tide. I believe some of the people never got tired of going West. We settled next near Peoria, Illinois. On our journey west, we came across an Indian camp, ran them all out and scared them to death. We stayed at Peoria a twelvemonth, and then came northward. I rode a horse during the journey and with my brother, who walked, drove the family cow towards the promised land. They claimed that milk and honey flowed there and I guess they were about right.
"I went to school at Galena for a time. There were about fifty scholars and the Presbyterian minister, a goodly sort of man, instructed us in 'reading', ritin'
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and 'rithmetic' and licking. Being a minister of the Gospel, he thought it not becoming for him to do the whipping, so he had someone do it for him. It al- ways seemed to me that he picked out the biggest, stoutest, most terrible man in the settlement. It appeared, too, that, being paid for his work, he would not have it said that he was not worthy of his hire. I always escaped the terrible ordeal, but I saw others go through it and that satisfied me.
"Father dug lead ore in Galena for awhile, and then moved out of town and had a vegetable garden and kept bees. One night the Indians came and stole all our garden stuff and honey. Then we went to Shullsburg, Wisconsin, where father worked in the mines. We lived there two years. We also lived at Apple River and at White Oak Springs, keeping a hotel at the latter place. It was twelve miles to the nearest neighbor. Mother and I were in the fort when Sylvia and Rachel Hall were brought in from the Indian camp, during the Black Hawk War. They had no clothes fit to wear and we went to work and made them some clothes. During the war people crowded into the fort till about all of them were sick. We stayed only one night, as father said he would just as soon be killed by the Indians as to go there and get sick and die. My father had some exciting encounters with the redskins previous to the war. At one time there were three of them in the house. They became angry at him and were going to strike him down. He grabbed up a rolling pin and struck three of them to the floor.
"My father built the first cabin at Waddams Grove. He had seven hundred acres of ground where he settled. Our neighbors were all Indians and we learned to talk their language as well as our own. I wish I could talk German as well as I can Winnebago.
"One day a party of Indians came to our door-yard and demanded of father that we surrender or they would kill us. He made reply that they should come on, and that he would pay them well in lead for every step they took. They soon after filed off without as much as firing at us.
"One evening father called us to the door. When we looked out we were surprised to see everything as light as day. The heavens were so light you could pick up a pin from the ground. From the east and west there arose two balls of fire and slowly moved across the heavens towards each other. When they had come together the sky darkened as before. This was in the closing days of the war and father said it was a sign that the war was over and we would have peace.
"I remember a terrible storm that occurred while we lived in Galena. One fellow living near us was flooded out and came over to our house. We had no bed for him so he climbed up in the cone of the roof and slept on the cross pieces. When morning dawned, he spread out his arms and crowed like a rooster. This goes to show that we took things as we found them in those days.
"The keel boat that brought vegetables up to us from St. Louis was attacked at one time by the redskins and all but one man was killed. He took up the dead men's gun and kept shooting till he routed the Indians. He reached our settle- ment in safety but his hat and coat were riddled with bullets.
"In the early days we found the skeletons of Indians scattered over the prai- ries. You see, they never buried their dead in the ground, but put them on plat-
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Old French Hotel Where Mackay Building Now Stands
The Hunt Home-an Old Stage Tavern
Stage Tavern at Eleroy
Stage Barn at Waddams
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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forms supported by poles, which in the course of time would decay, topple down and leave the bones bleaching in the sun.
"The children used to take the skulls of Indians, and using the jaw-bones for runners, make sleds of them. In winter time it was a peculiar sight to see the children spinning down the hillside, sitting triumphantly on the skulls of departed braves."
Mrs. Matilda Boyle, in a letter read at a meeting of the survivors of the Black Hawk war says she was born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1802, and came to Illi- nois in 1825. She married Mr. Boyle and settled in the northern part of the state. They lived in a one room log cabin, the only light of which came through a greased paper. She often left the bread-dough unbaked and rushed to a near by fort at the alarm of marauding Indians. "I once remember when alone in our cabin in 1831, an armed Indian with hideously painted face, bounded in at the open door. So stealthily had he come, that the dog which was asleep at the door sill never awakened. The Indian warmed his hands at the fire, stared around but said nothing. His face was painted red, striped with black, with white about the eyes. We supposed he belonged to Black Hawk's band."
LARGE FAMILIES OF THE PIONEER TIMES.
Seventy-seven years have wrought a wonderful change in Stephenson County. Conditions that surrounded the people of the first generation afford many sharp contrasts with conditions as they are today. One of the character- istics of the early day was the large family. Small families were the exception. It was not uncommon before 1860 to find families of ten to fifteen children. From six to eight was an average family. Four children were called a small family.
There are many reasons, no doubt, that explains the marked contrast with the present tendencies toward "race suicide." The early settlers who came from the older States or from Europe were a vigorous lot of people. The weaker element had not the courage or the initiative to face the dangers and trials of frontier travel and settlement. The people here lived largely the out- door life. Fortunately they lived in a day in which insipid breakfast foods, cold storage eatables, and destructive delicacies were unknown. Their clothing was as simple and plain as their log cabin life. The cost of rearing children was not great. There was an abundance of work at hand and children were a good investment. Besides, land was plentiful and cheap and the chances for children to acquire farms and a competence were good. Industrial/ life was developed only along a few lines, and the intricate and complicated specialization of today was unknown. In fact, parents could look forward to the rearing of large families with far less anxiety than in such a social and industrial system as now prevails. But generalization is too easy, and too indefinite. A few in- stances of large families of the pioneer times, with the observation at hand today, will enable the reader to arrive at his own conclusion. Whether the old system of large families is a better means of building up a progressive civilization, as Mr. Roosevelt seems to think, or whether a smaller family, with
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more attention paid to the education and training of the children, is the panacea, each individual must judge for himself.
Mr. Frederick Baker, whose father was the first settler in Freeport, had eight children. Fred Bauch, florist, a native of Prussia, had ten children; Charles Baumgarten's family consisted of six children; W. L. Beebe, eight chil- dren, six boys and two girls; Robert Bell, five children; M. D. Chamberlain, six children; Powell Colby, six children; Albertus Collman, six; C. O. Collman, nine; John Erfert, seven; E. C. Fitch, six; D. Franz, five sons and four daugh- ters; S. B. Harris, seven; E. Heller, six; C. M. Hillebrand, six; Jacob Hime, eight; C. M. Hineline, nine; John Hoebel, seven; Daniel Hoover, seven; M. Huber, six; I. Klein, nine; Dexter A. Knowlton, six; John Koehler, six; Jacob Krohn, eight; D. Kuehner, five; Michael Lawver, eleven, five sons and six daughters; Henry Lichtenberger, six; John Loos, eight; M. Marvin, seven; James Mitchell, seven; Jacob Molter, seven; Edwin Perkins, ten; Elias Per- kins, five ; J. J. Piersol, seven; Henry Rohkar, eight ; C. H. Rosentiel, five; D. B. Schulte, five; John Snich, six; Charles P. Snow, nine; J. H. Snyder, six; J. H. Stover, six; Valentine Stoskoff, eight; Oscar Taylor, six; John M. Walz, seven; L. A. Warner, five; George Wolf, six; Charles Berhenke, Kent, eleven chil- dren, four sons and seven daughters; Bryan Duffy, seven; Henry Faringer, six sons; Jacob Gable, eleven ; William Heyer, six; James A. Hughes, seven ; Peter Kleckner, nine; O. H. Phillips, six; J. W. Rush, seven; David Shearer, ten, three daughters and seven sons.
In Winslow Township, Henry Chawgo had five children; LeGrand M. Cox, six ; Silas Gage, eleven ; Barnabus Hinds, six; George M. Kennedy, seven; D. B Packer, six; Jeptha Pronty, ten, seven sons and three daughters; Thomas Rode- baugh, six ; Charles Sheard, eight; J. M. Staver, six; Thomas P. Steere, seven ; Orrin Vaughn, eight; John Wales, seven.
James Ault, of Waddams Township, had eight children, five boys and three girls; W. K. Bechtold, seven; L. B. Churchill, five; J. C. Conaby, five; Trumon Cross, six; Martin Fogel, eight; Hiram Fuller, five; J. B. Gates, ten; Hubbard Graves, first county sheriff, eleven children; S. W. Grissinger, seven; Charles P. Guenther, seven; W. H. Holmes, five; Thomas Jonas, ten, four sons and six daughters ; B. Kleckner, eight; Alonzo Lush, eleven, six boys and five girls ; John Price, six; James Price, five; Levi Robey, five; Sanford S. Sherman, six ; William Shippee, thirteen, six sons and seven daughters; Robert Sisson, six sons and five daughters; Andrew St. John, six; Henry Wohlford, ten, four sons and six daughters.
In Florence Township John Q. Adams' family consisted of eight children, four boys and four girls; John Aspinwall, seven children; Patrick Barron, five; Michael Bastian, five; Andrew Black, seven; John Burchhardt, eight; August Froning, seven; George Hamm, ten, fire boys and five girls; Jacob Hoffman, seven; Christopher Mayer, eight; Geo. A. Moore, eleven, three girls and eight boys; Jacob Pfeil, six; Nathan Sheetz, ten; Conrad VanBrocklyn, eight; Wil- helm Wilhelms, five.
In the township of Silver Creek, Michael Bangasser had eight children, four boys and four girls; Christopher Bennett, fourteen children ; Fred Brock- maier, six; William Brockhausen, ten, five boys and five girls; Henry C. Brown,
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eight ; Henry Dubbert, ten, four sons and six daughters; Andrew Fiest, seven ; John Fosha, eight; Johann Fuls, five; S. M. Grier, five; Jacob Hoebel, six; M. W. Hollingsworth, five; F. P. Koehler, eleven; Henry Kruse, six; Joseph Lamm, six; J. S. Reisinger, seven; Charles Schoettle, eight; S. J. Stebbins, seven; Nicholas Steffen, ten, four boys and six girls; George Stoenzhorn, five; Mene Vanloh, six; William Young, six.
In Harlem Township, Charles W. Barber, six; George J. Bentley, eight ; E. Bennett, five; Ludwig Broend, six; Henry Burkard, six; Thomas Ewing, six; C. H. Furry, six; Phillip Herrbrick, nine; Joseph Hutmacher, twelve chil- dren, six boys and six girls; Aaron Kostenbader, eight; Levi Law, six; Martin Lawless, six; Oliver P. McCool, eight; Joseph McCool, nine; Edward Mar- tin, eleven, nine girls and two boys; John Martin, nine; William Meads, seven; Thomas Metz, five; Lewis Meyers, seven ; E. R. Mulnix, six ; A. B. Munn, six ; Joseph Murdock, ten; Frank Pickard, six; R. C. Shofield, seven; George Seyler, six; John Steffen, five; John H. Stout, five; Frederick Watson, fifteen, six girls and nine boys; Rezin Wilcoxin, six. ยข
In Loran Township, John Apgar, eleven children, six girls and five boys; Reuben Babb, five; H. M. Barnes, six; Jacob Behringer, eleven; Ira S. Bying- ton, seven ; John C. Ditzer, six; Mathias J. Ditzler, eleven; Ira Kinman, twelve; Charles Kloepping, five; D. C. Lamm, ten; William Lahre, nine; Jacob S. Studebaker, fourteen, seven boys and seven girls; Levi Thomas, eleven.
Isaac Bogenrief, of Jefferson Township, had nine children, six sons and three daughters; Samuel Hayes, six; Peter Herch, six; John Koch, six; G. D. Babbit, five; Charles Boeke, five; Francis Boeke, six; Conrad Fautzmeier, ten; Conrad Fye, ten; Valentine Gilman, seven; Charles Grossman, five; H. S. Jones, six; Herman Klass, six; Card Terica, five; Ludwig Niemeier, five; Dr. E. H. Plasch, eight; August Raders, eleven; John M. Rees, seven; Henry Rosenstiel, seven; Frank R. Tower, nine; John Winters had a family of seven children and his father a family of fourteen.
D. L. Bear, Oneco Township, had six children; Willoughby Bear, six; B. P. Belknap, eight; Franklin Bolender, five; Aaron Bower, five; John Bower, eight; W. H. Clarno, nine; J. C. Dorn, eight; George Erb, twelve; David Fye, eight; Jacob Fye, nine; Lewis Gibler, thirteen children; Charles Lestikow, five; Daniel Moore, nine; E. T. Moore, six; Emanuel Musser, five; Hiram Shons, six ; E. S. Wagner, five; Ira Winchell, eight; Daniel Woodring, twelve children.
Jacob Acker, of West Point Township, nine children; H. W. Allen, six ; C. T. Barnes, seven; Allen Boyer, eleven; Jacob Burbridge, eleven; William, Corning, five; Daniel Davis, seven; Thomas Davis, thirteen; Samuel J. Dodds, five; J. T. H. Dobler, eight ; Anthony Doll, six; A. M. Durkie, five; J. D. Fow- ler, eight; Thomas S. French, eight; W. W. Hall, five; John Herrington, eleven ; Andrew Hinds, eleven, six sons and five daughters; G. L. Howard, six; Martin Howard, five; George Hoyman, six; J. T. Leaman, ten; Jacob Leckington, ten ; J. C. Lohr, five; John McCullough, seven ; John Mahon, seven ; John Metz, five; J. H. Ozburn, five; John Reeder, eight; William A. Rice, seven; Spencer Ris- ing, six; J. M. Schermerhorn, five; A. H. Stahl, ten; A. Weaver, five; Moses Weaver, seven; Miles White, six.
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N. J. Barrimore, of Rock Grove Township, had nine children ; Hugh Benne- hoff, seven; H. H. Bolender, eleven; Samuel Chambers, eight; C. J. Cooper, eight; W. L. Cooper, seven; Jacob Fisher, ten; H. O. Frankeberger, twelve; Solomon Fisher, eight; Ole O. Gardner, eight; Lemuel Goodrich, nine; George Hassenger, ten; Solomon Hoy, nine; Harvey Kiester, six; Levi Kiester, six; Dr. D. H. Kleckner, six; L. L. Marsh, seven; George Maurer, five; Frederich Pothast, six; Edward Pratt, six; Calvin Preston, nine; David Zimmerman, eight; J. H. Zimmerman, five.
James H. Adams, of Buckeye Township, had ten children ; J. B. Angle, six ; John F. Bender, eight; John Boals, twelve; Frederick Bolender, six; Dr. Chas. Brundage, seven; J. B. Clingman, eleven; Josiah Clingman, ten; Rev. George J. Donmeyer, nine; John Epley, five; Jacob Folgate, five; John Fox, six ; Daniel Grimm, seven; William D. Hartman, six; John Hartzell, six; William Herman, five; Solomon Hixson, six; William Hoff, five; Thomas Hutchinson, nine; Joseph F. Jackson, seven; Jacob Jones, nine; Robert Jones, seven ; Daniel Keck, six; William K. Kryder, seven; Edwin Lied, seven; John Pollock, eight; Thomas Pollock, ten; William Ritzman, twenty-two; Ensebius Schadle, five; William Stewart, five; George Trotter, eleven; Phillip Windecker, nine; Jerit Wohlford, six.
In Lancaster Township, Rudolph K. Brubaker's family consisted of nine children, seven boys and two girls; Conrad Dambman, five; Samuel Daughen- baugh, ten; Tobias Engle, eleven; D. G. Fager, eight; Levi Fahs, nine; William Glasser, eight; George W. Lattig, seventeen, five sons and twelve daughters; J. T. McKibbin, eight; I. N. Mallory, eleven; Reuben Meyers, six; Jacob P. Mitchel, six; William B. Mitchell, eight; Joseph Myers, five; Jacob W. Rut- ter, eleven ; R. F. Rezner, seven; William W. Smith, four; Benjamin Snyder, thirteen ; C. Yarger, five sons and five daughters.
Joseph Afflerbaugh of Rock Run Township, a blacksmith, had twelve chil- dren, six sons and six daughters; A. O. Anderson, eight; D. Bellman, eleven; Joseph Binker, seven; Michael Blimm, thirteen; David Cable, twelve, five daugh- ters and seven sons; Jacob Cable, eight; H. D. Cole, nine; John S. Daughen- baugh, six ; Christ Feeney, nine; S. R. Foster, five; Louis Germain, nine; Mar- tin Gillen, nine; John Glynn, eight children; Aaron Gold, ten; J. H. Graham, eleven; John Hoag, nine; C. B. Johnson, six; John F. Kaufman, six; Jacob. Keehan, five; Halleck Kundson, seven; Thurston Kundson, nine; M. W. Kurtz, seven; J. Lanek, eighteen ; S. B. Leach, nine; Henry Maeir, eleven; Alexander Niblo, ten; S. Olsen, seventeen ; Jacob Orth, six; Henry Schleiter, nine; Samuel Strong, eight; John Weber, eleven; Joseph H. Weir, eight; Michael Wolf, twelve; Peter Wolf, twelve; Luther Angle, of Dakota township, had nine chil- dren; John Brown, eleven; William E. Ilgen, fifteen; John Kryder, nine; Mar- tin S. Lapp, ten; Robert Nelson, ten; Samuel Otto, five; John S. Smith, eight; James A. Templeton, ten; George Walker, eight; O. D. Weaver, eight; John Wirth, eight; Solomon Wise, seven.
Daniel Brick, in the township of Ridott, had a family of twelve children, six boys and six girls; Ulrich Boomgarten, eight; Michael Bardell, seven; Asa Carey, seven; Christian Clay, eleven; H. H. De Groot, eleven; L. S. Freeman, six; Philo Hammond, five; John Heeren, nine; Thomas Hunt, twelve; Neil
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Johnson, six; Wesley John, six; Jacob Molter, six; A. J. Niles, eight; Henry Scheffner, eight; Michael Von Osterloo, ten, four daughters and six sons; H. P. Waters, eight; Edward Weik, six; David J. Witter, five; Samuel Moyer, seventeen.
LARGE FAMILIES.
The above meagre sketch of a few of the large families of pioneer times is ample evidence that there were then no strong tendencies towards "race suicide." That there has been a remarkable change since the early days is also very evi- dent. In 1862 the number of children of school age enumerated in the county was 10,609; in 1872, 11,229; in 1882, 10,483; in 1890, 9,867; in 1910, 9,039. There were thirty less enumerated in Freeport in 1910 than in 1906. A large increase in the population of both Freeport and Stephenson County is accom- panied by a decline in the number of children of school age. This chapter sets forth some facts that afford food for speculation.
INDIANS-THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN.
The annihilation of Black Hawk's army, August 2, 1832, was the end of serious Indian troubles. When the first white settlers came into the county in 1833, 1834 and 1835, a few bands of disorganized Indians still roamed about. They were remnants of the Winnebagoes and the fight had all been taken out of them. Small hunting parties roamed about and occasionally annoyed the settlers by carrying off the garden truck or by rifling an unguarded house. Petty thefts and trespassing were the more common misdemeanors of the red men.
A small party at one time drove away an entire drove of hogs belonging to William Waddams. Another squad entered the bachelor cabin of Robert Jones and Levi Lucas near Cedarville and among other things carried away razors, game, wild honey and tobacco. The owners returned as the redskins were sneaking away from the cabin. The men followed the Indian's trail and over- took him in the act of shooting a wild turkey. Jones rushed upon him, seized his gun and threatened instant death unless he immediately restored the stolen property. After some demurring and pleas in confession and avoidance, the Indian offered to restore the articles if the men would go with him to his wig- wam. Consenting to do this, they were led through the wilderness and were brought suddenly into the presence of about thirty braves who, with their wo- men at once realized their danger, but put up a bold front, entered the circle of savages and sat down. There followed a prolonged parley without anger, after which the Indian who had stolen the property disappeared in the wilderness. Not long after he returned with the tobacco, but assured the men that the razors and provisions were in the possession of a band of Winnebagoes on Yellow Creek. The old Indian then told his people how Jones and Lucas had assaulted him in the forest, how they had taken his rifle away and had prevented him from shooting a wild turkey. There were vigorous grunts of displeasure from the circle of braves and they became loud and threatening. But Jones was a diplomat. He was not prepared to fight thirty armed Indians. He became suddenly generous and courteous. He succeeded in calming the enraged redskins
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by dividing his tobacco among the braves and restored tranquility by "tickling the Indian maidens under the chin and indulging in other harmless pleasantries with them," Jones afterwards said his gallantry was severely taxed in making love to the greasy beauties of the Winnebagoes, but he was willing to make the sacrifice rather than to take a chance of losing his scalp.
Jones and Lucas spent the night at the home of Benjamin Goddard, south of Cedarville. The next morning they and Mr. Goddard went to the claim of Wil- liam Baker and aided the latter in raising his house. While at work here, a party of Yellow Creek Indians came up, to hang around and get some of the "fire water" usually an article to be found at "raisings" in these days. Jones at once accosted the Indians and demanded the return of his stolen property, and threatened death if his demands were not complied with. This argument was convincing and the Indians pointed to the sky, indicating that at noon they would turn over the stolen goods. Promptly at twelve, the band returned and gave the razors to the rightful owners.
Indians were still around the county and subjected the settlers to many petty annoyances. On a blustering winter day five redskins came to the cabin of F. D. Bulkley and sought shelter. "Wigwams all gone; Indian got no wigwam," they said, as they pointed to the naked poles that marked the site of the old Winnebago village. They were permitted to dry their clothes about the fireside of the paleface and as a mark of gratitude offered Mr. Bulkley some whiskey .. In the absence of a funnel they had an, Indian boy transfer it from a large jug to a small one by means of his mouth.
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