USA > Illinois > Tazewell County > History of Tazewell 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. History of Illinois Digest of state laws > Part 16
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76
A heavy fog prevailed on the following morning; however, the army took up its line of march for the Indian town. Capt. Judy with his spies were in advance. They came up to an Indian and his squaw, both mounted. The tall grass concealed them until within a few paces. The Indian wanted to surrender, but Capt. Judy said
199
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
he " did not leave home to take prisoners," and instantly shot him. With the blood streaming from his mouth and nose, and in his agony "singing the death song," the dying Indian raised his gun, shot and mortally wounded one of the soldiers, and expired. The rest of the spies, who had incautiously approached the wounded Indian, when they saw him seize his gun, quickly dismounted on the far side of their horses. Many guns were immediately discharged at the other Indian, not then known to be a squaw, all of which missed her. Badly scared, and her husband killed by her side, the agonizing wails of the squaw were heart-rending. She was taken prisoner and subsequently restored to her nation.
THE ATTACK.
Owing to the dense fog which prevailed the army was misled and found itself in the spongy bottom just below the town, with the miry creek to cross. This, of course, deranged the plan of attack, and thus the village escaped a surprise. While a halt was made, preparatory to crossing, the Indians were observed running from the town. An attack from the Indians while crossing the treacherous stream was momentarily expected. However, no attack was made or attempted, but the Indians were fleeing from their village and impending death. Pell-mell they went, men, women and children, some on horseback, some on foot, into the swamp among the tall grass, and toward a point of timber in which the Governor judged they intended to make a stand for battle. " I immediately changed my course," he writes, "ordered and led on a general charge upon them ;" but owing to the unsoundness of the ground, the pursuers, horses, riders, arms and baggage all shared in the common catastro- phe alike, and were unhorsed and overwhelmed in the morass.
A pursuit on foot was ordered. This was both difficult and dan- gerous on account of the tall grass in which the Indians were lurk- ing. Several squads thus pursued the retreating foe for two or three miles across the saturated bottom to the river, killing some of the enemy while attempting to cross to the western shore. To such a pitch of excitement were the men wrought that three of them, find- ing some Indian canoes, in the fury of the chase crossed the river in full view of the Indians, but without molestation.
CHEQUENEBOC BURNED.
The Indian village, called by Gov. Edwards Chequeneboc, after
200
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
a chief, was burned. The Indians who had not retreated over the river, fled to the interior wilderness. Here some of them were pur- sued, but the Indians, making a stand in considerable numbers, forced the rangers to retreat. Being reinforced, they returned and routed the savages. Some of the troops were wounded in this action, but none killed.
During these engagements the place was pillaged and burned by the main body of the troops. The Indians in their flight had left behind all their winter's store of provision, which was destroyed or taken away. Hiding about the burning embers of the ruins were found some Indian children, forgotten by the frightened fugitives. There were also found some disabled adults, one of whom was in a starving condition, and with a voracious appetite partook of the bread given him. He is said to have been killed by a cowardly soldier straggling behind, after the main army had resumed its ret- rograde march, who wanted to be able to boast that he had killed an Indian.
To show the reckless daring of the Indian character, it is men- tioned that a warrior walked calmly down the bluff some 200 yards distant from the town, deliberately raised his gun and fired upon the troops in the village, then turned and strode slowly away amid a shower of bullets.
THE ARMY RETREATS.
Gov. Edwards failed to hear from the larger force under Gen .. Hopkins, and fearing the Indians would concentrate and make an attack upon him, concluded to make a hasty retreat. This he began the same day of the attack, and though a heavy and continuous rain prevailed the men were in such dread of a pursuit that they kept up their march until overtaken by darkness, when, greatly exhausted and wet, without fire to dry their clothing or food to nourish their bodies, they sank into sleep upon the wet ground. Soon the little army had passed the limits of this county on their homeward march, where we will leave it.
THE PIONEERS.
Leaving the history of the French and Indians, having given all of interest we have been able to gather, we come now to the time the first pioneer erected his cabin here and established for himself and family a home in the wilderness. So fertile was the soil and
201
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
beautiful the flowers, so sparkling were the streams and shady the groves that, in advance of all the surrounding country, the pioneers sought and settled the timber land and prairie of Tazewell county.
The thrilling scenes through which the pioneer settlers passed in the settlement of this portion of Illinois must ever awaken emotions of warmest regard for them. To pave the way for those who fol- lowed after them, to make their settlement in the West a pleasure, they bore the flood tide wave of civilization ; they endured all, suffered all. But few of these spirits now survive; they have passed away full of years and honors, leaving their children, and children's children and strangers to succeed them, and enjoy the fruits of the toil, privations and savings of their long and eventful lives.
Life with them is o'er, their labors all are done, And others now reap the harvest that they won.
Too great honor cannot be accorded them, and we regret that we have not the data to speak more fully and definitely of them, their personal experiences, their lives and characters.
THE FIRST SETTLER.
When, in 1826-7, the Legislature formed Tazewell county it extended over a vast region of country. Its boundaries then em- braced many of the neighboring counties, and its jurisdiction extend- ed as far north as Chicago. In giving the history of the settlement of the county, however, we will speak only of the territory within its present limits.
The first to cast his fortune here,-to "locate" in Tazewell coun- ty,-was Nathan Dillon. He came in the year 1823, and lived, labored and died in the county of his adoption an honorable, hon- ored eitizen. Fortunately we have been able to obtain a very full narrative of his coming from his own pen. We give it in his own language just as he has left it to posterity.
NATHAN DILLON'S REMINISCENCE.
It was in the year 1821 that we set our faces westward, with heavy hearts at the thought of leaving near friends and relatives behind, with a view of taking up our abode on the broad prairies of the West, and among strangers and savages. At that early day, our way was in a manner through a wilderness to our journey's end, the destination of which was eight miles south of Springfield, on Sugar creek.
202
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
Although we were well outfitted with good horses and wagons, many hardships awaited us of which we had not dreamed. We had a terrible trip through Indiana through mud, over logs and brush, often swamped down to the hubs of the wagon. We could procure but little feed for our horses but new corn, and part of the time could not obtain that ; and when at last we struck the Grand Prairie, west of Clinton, on the Wabash, we found ourselves with broken- down horses and only three days' provisions, our company consisting of my brother Absalom's family and my own, with six horses and seventy head of cattle and twenty sheep. The country before us was wild, new, almost untrodden by man ; but our hearts were brave. The second day out some were attacked with the chills and fever, and as we advanced others were taken with the same disease. Then did we wish ourselves back again to the home we had left in Ohio. Not half way across the prairie and out of provisions, and not able to drive our team, let alone our stock, what to do we did not know ; but at this juncture we were overtaken by three young men, who had set out on our trail with the hope of safely walking through ; but when they overtook us were already out of provisions.
To remedy our scarcity we slaughtered one of our cows, thereby obtaining what would subsist us till we could reach the forks of the Sangamon, where resided Jacob Seraggs, and where we rested. The next day we reached our destination. We were among strangers, but they were kind, generous and hospitable. Winter was drawing near, and we had no shelter of any kind in which to stay, no feed for our stock, and my wife the only person among us who had not been sick on the road, and yet we succeeded in passing our first winter in Illinois, as best we could, and without losing much stock. In passing, I will note that at the time of our arrival there was in Springfield a very low, one-story court-house, twenty feet square ; a jail, not so large, built of round logs; a tavern, kept by a Mr. Price, and a store, kept by John Taylor, who was also sheriff of the county.
The summer following much sickness prevailed, and in the fall we lost two children, which discouraged us very much,-made us home-siek, and almost induced us to return to Ohio. Hearing, how- ever, a good account of the Mackinaw country to the north of us, we determined to visit it; and accordingly, accompanied by my brothers Jesse and Walter, and William Hays, we set out on a jour- ney to explore it. We struck the stream at Mackinaw Town, and
203
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
after visiting Deer Creek, Walnut Grove, White Oak and Stout's Groves, our provisions failed us, and we went over to Fort Clarke (as Peoria was then called), but on arrival found neither provisions nor people, except Abner Eads and Jesse Ogee. But we managed to catch some fish, and on them, with some prairie chickens we killed, we subsisted until we returned to Elkhart Grove.
On our return we passed through Pleasant Grove and Delavan Prairie. We made selections for future homes near Dillon Creek, and the next fall, having put up cabins, we prepared to remove to our new home, got ready, and set out. On our journey, when a short distance from where the village of Delavan now stands, we were overtaken by a heavy thunder storm. We hurried along as fast as possible until sundown, when the wind changed to the north- west, and in fifteen minutes' time our clothes were frozen hard, our horses mired down, and my wife and children had to get out of the wagon into the bleak wind. Then we unloaded the wagon and moved it out of the slough by hand, the water half-leg deep, and reloading, hitched up the horse and moved on about a quarter of a mile fur- ther, when the same accident occurred again. It was now quite dark, the wind blowing, the weather freezing cold, wolves howling in every direction. We concluded to start for the timber, which was about three miles off; so, packing wife and children on horse- back, we started against the wind : it was to do that or freeze on the prairie. We were in a truly desperate condition,- no fire, and all of us wet, cold and hungry. We had to have fire or perish ; so on our arrival at the timber it devolved on me to strike a fire, for my broth- er was so near chilled through he could do nothing, as he had been riding and driving a four-horse team. In those days we had no matches, and were compelled to strike a fire by a flint-lock rifle, which was a bad job, as the whole ground was flooded and nothing could be found dry. I at length succeeded in getting a fire, and we piled high the wood and stood around and thawed out and dried our clothes; and when my wife went to look for the provisions to get some supper, the dogs had found where it lay, and eaten it all up; and we went supperless to our wet beds.
The next morning we started by sunrise for the wagon. It was frozen fast, and we had to cut it out and take it back the way it came in. We had left our cattle on the previous night, and they had started off. I took their trail and followed them several miles, when the ground became so frozen that their hoofs made no impres-
204
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
sion ; so I gave them up as lost and returned to camp. By this time I was very hungry; and wife, with provisions brought from the wagon, had prepared a good meal, and we all did it ample justice, as we had not eaten anything for nearly two days. At the beginning of the second day we mustered all force, determined to reach our destination that day. When we arrived at the Mackinaw the ice was running in large quantities, and the stream hardly fordable ; but with much labor and difficulty we got across, and that evening ar- rived at our cabin. There was no door or chimney to it; not a crack stopped, and situated so the north wind came through at a sweeping rate; but having plenty of bed-clothes, we kept ourselves comfortable, and opened a place in the roof to let the smoke escape, prepared a good supper, slept in the cabin, and felt ourselves at home. We went to work on the cabin, and in a few days had it warm and comfortable.
Brother Walter returned to Sangamon county for a load of corn and meal. While he was gone it rained a great deal, and he was twelve days in coming from Springfield. Wm. Davis came with him with a drove of hogs. When they arrived at Mackinaw the water overflowed the banks, so they left the team on the other side, and with the men with them, made a raft and crossed over, and ar- rived at home late the same night. The next morning we started for the teams, prepared to make a raft large enough to bring across wagon, provisions and horses. The weather was extremely cold, and the work occupied two days. We got our wagons and pro- visions across, but were compelled to swim the horses. Brother John was mounted on one of them, and in plunging round in the mud and water he got dismounted and thrown in the water, and when he got out had to ride near three miles with frozen clothes on, and almost perished ; but a good fire and hearty supper made us all feel comfortable. But the horses had a hard time of it, as they had to stand out in a cold wind tied with a halter all through the cold freezing night.
So passed the winter at our cabin with wife and children. Occa- sionally my brother was with us, but my wife never saw a white woman from the month of December to the following March ; but there were plenty of Indians, and they were quite troublesome, and could not be trusted. In the month of May following (1824) I was compelled to go to the settlements after provisions, and John Dillon accompanied me. The night we arrived it commenced rain-
205
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
ing, and continued, so that on our return the streams had raised to a fearful height. When we came to Salt Creek it was a sea of water from hill to hill, and we were compelled to cross as best we could, by ferrying our load in a small boat, and swimming our horses. Kickapoo was in the same condition, and we erossed in a small ca- noe, taking our wagons apart in order to get them over. The next was Sugar Creek, where Robert Musick then lived. Here we were one whole day in crossing. The night after we lay out on the big prairie, without fire and but little to eat. If such toils and priva- tions would not try men's souls, what would? We had no more ferrying until we reached Mackinaw, but our team broke away, and we had to follow them some eight miles before we overtook them. On our return we found Benj. Briggs, who was on his way to Peoria : had been as far as Mackinaw and could not eross, and was returning. We returned to that stream and spent a lonesome night on its banks, and in the morning found an Indian canoe, and with its aid swam our horses over and reached home. Brothers Walter, Absalom, and others started for the stream and brought our wagons over.
In concluding this narrative I will speak of the other first settlers that came to this section of country (Dillon Grove, Tazewell Co.). In the month of March, 1824, brother Absalom moved here; soon after John Summers, William Woodrow, and Peter Scott came and made improvements. My brothers Jesse and Thomas eame out the fall following, and the year after my father and brother William came, and from that time the country settled very fast with an industrious population.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
In 1824 Nathan Dillon was followed by his brothers with their families, who settled on the creek around him. Then came George and Isham Wright to Hittle's Grove, Esau and William Orendorff to Sugar Creek, Isaac Perkins, Hugh Woodrow, William Woodrow, Samuel Woodrow, John Summers, Jacob and Jonathan Tharp, Peter Scott and others, came into Sand Prairie in 1824. In the northern part of the county came William Blanchard, L. Andress, Elias Avery, John Parker, Thomas Camlin, and William Holland. Mr. Holland came from Peoria in the spring of 1825 and located on the site of the present city of Washington, of which he was the founder. He was formerly from North Carolina, and was employed by the
14
206
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
United States Government as a blacksmith for the Indians who in- habited this portion of our State at that time. For several years after settling here Mr. Holland continued to work for the natives. He was also a gunsmith, and as such his services were in great de- mand by both the white and red men. His was the only house, and his the only family living in the vicinity of Washington until 1826. At the time he came to Washington his nearest neighbor was Thos. Camlin, who lived on Farm Creek, some three miles east of Peoria, in Fond du Lac township. Canlin was a genial, elever pioneer, and always ready to entertain his guests with spicy stories and thrilling incidents of his personal adventures with the Indians, whom, he would claim, he used to shoot at a distance of one-half to three- quarters of a mile,-a second Daniel Boone.
Holland often visited at Camlin's, and passed many pleasant eve- nings in his society. Had we a pioneer of this type in our midst to-day, living as he then lived, with his experiences of frontier life, what a curiosity he would be! What a thrilling, blood-curdling story would the simple narrative of his life make.
WILLIAM DAVIS.
One of the earliest settlers of the county was William Davis. He came in the year 1823 with the Dillons. He brought his family the following year, and located on section 27, Elm Grove township. The widow of Mr. Davis lives at the old homestead, the land never having been transferred since first entered by her husband. Previ- ous to his coming to this county Mr. Davis had been in the employ of Major Langley, who had the contract from the United States Government to survey the southern part of the State. Mr. Davis was a noted hunter, and with his faithful and unerring rifle supplied the surveying party with abundance of the choicest game the coun- try afforded.
In this connection we will relate an incident in Mr. Davis' life worthy of commemoration. To him belongs the honor of buying the first article of merchandise ever sold in Springfield, the State capital. It was under the following circumstances that the purchase was made: When the surveying party reached the site of the city of Springfield his shoes had completely given out, leaving him bare- foot. Some parties by the name of Isles were putting up a place in which to open a stock of goods at that point. The building was made of bark and was simply intended as temporary quarters. At
207
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
Mr. Davis' solicitation they opened a box of shoes and sold him a pair, being the first sale they had made.
Thomas Davis, a son of William Davis, and who now resides in Tremont township, has in his possession the rifle his father carried while connected with the surveying expedition. This gun was also the property of William Davis' father, and is over one hundred years old.
OTHER SETTLERS.
The same year that Mr. Holland came to Holland's Grove, Amasa Stout and Matthew Stout came to Stout's Grove, and Daniel Seward, Benjamin Briggs, Alexander MeKnight, and James Scott, to Plum Grove. Jesse, Absalom and Jacob Funk, Jacob Wilson, Jacob Hepperly, Morgan Buckingham, Horace Crocker, Abraham Brown and Jefferson Huscham came and settled on the river bottom above and opposite Fort Clarke.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
Tazewell county was organized by an act of the Legislature Jan- uary 31st, 1827, with the following boundaries : Beginning at the northeast corner of township twenty, north of the base line, and range three east of the third principal meridian, thence north on said line to the north line of township twenty-eight north, thence west to the middle of the Illinois river, thence down said river to the north line of township twenty north, thence cast to the place of beginning.
In the act organizing the county January 31, 1827, an error oc- curred in describing the boundaries. This error was corrected by an act re-establishing the boundaries, passed January 22, 1829.
The territory comprising the county of Tazewell formed part of the counties at the dates named in the several subdivisions of the State prior to the organization of the county, as follows :
1809- At this date Illinois Territory was organized, and was subdivided into the counties of Randolph and St. Clair. Tazewell was included in the county of St. Clair.
1812-Tazewell formed part of the county of Madison.
1814-Tazewell was included in the counties of Madison and Edwards : west of the third principal meridian in Madison, east of the meridian in Edwards.
1816-Tazewell was included within the boundaries of Madison
208
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
and Crawford counties : east of the meridian in Crawford, west in Madison.
1817-Tazewell formed part of the counties of Bond and Craw- ford : west of the meridian in Bond, east in Crawford.
1819-Tazewell was included in Clark and Bond counties: west of the meridian in Bond, east in Clark.
1821 -Tazewell formed part of Fayette and Sangamon counties : west of the meridian in Sangamon, east in Fayette.
1827-Tazewell organized January 31st : boundary defective.
1829-Tazewell boundaries defined, and error in law of 1827 corrected as above given. . County originally created from territory then comprising part of the counties of Sangamon and Fayette : west of the third principal meridian taken from Sangamon, east of the meridian, comprising 24 townships, taken from Fayette.
1830-McLean county was formed by taking off the three ranges east of the meridian and range one west of the meridian.
1839-Logan county was created, taking off three townships on the south.
1841-The counties of Mason and Woodford were organized, and Tazewell reduced to its present boundaries.
The commissioners to locate the county seat were Thos. M. Ncale, Wm. L. D. Ewing and Job Fletcher. They were by the act of or- ganization required to meet on the third Monday of March, 1827, or within five days thereafter, at the house of Wm. Orendorff, for the purpose of locating the county scat, which, when ,located, was to be called "Mackinaw." Until county buildings were crected the courts were required to be held at the house of Wm. Orendorff. Election for county officers at the house of said Wm. Orendorff on the second Monday of April, 1827.
All that part of Fayette lying east and north of Tazewell was attached to Tazewell for county purposes.
In the year 1825 the Legislature created Peoria county, and at- tached to it for all county purposes all of the territory north of town 20 and west of the third principal meridian, thus including all the present county of Tazewell. Nathan Dillon, William Holland and Joseph Smith were chosen County Commissioners for the new county. The former two resided in this county. They held their first meeting at Peoria March 8, 1825.
When the population of Tazewell was thought to be sufficiently large to regularly organize, an election was held in April, 1827, and
209
HISTORY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY.
Benjamin Briggs, George Hittle, and James Lotta were chosen County Commissioners. The Commissioners at once proceeded to hold a meeting and consummate the organization. This they did at the house of William Orendorff, April 10, 1827. For an account of the labors of the Commissioners we refer the reader to the follow- ing chapter.
The county at this time was very large; even in 1829, when a new boundary was formed, it contained 79 townships. It has been divided for the formation of other counties so often that it has finally been reduced to 19 townships.
The county was named in honor of Hon. John Tazewell, United States Senator from the State of Virginia. There is a county in that State which also bears the same name, these being the only two in the United States.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.