USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement and progress for nearly a century, Volume I > Part 12
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
Mr. Harbaugh goes on to tell his eagerness to leave Danville to the extent that he continued his walk two miles along the North Fork to Denmark, a town up that stream which ten years before this time had been a competitor of Danville in determining the location of the county seat. It was a promising town at the time of the fight for the honor, but had not grown much during the interim, and now was found to be the resort of rowdies. The public house which yet carried the sign of good food was nothing but a bar, and its patronage was a set of rowdies. Mr. Harbaugh's experience at this place was such that
94
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
he found that flight was the better part of valor, and he hastily took himself on toward the prospective town of "Vermilion Rapids," afterward the better known town of Higginsville.
At that time the town was only in prospect built, as it proposed to be on a great scale, but its fame had spread abroad and here Mr. Harbaugh located and spent his life.
Denmark had its beginning as a town in about 1823 or 4, when Seymour Treat built a mill at that place. The exact time of building this mill is not known, but record is made that in 1826, the mill had been running for several years. This was a saw-mill and a corn-cracker combined. Treat was also a blacksmith at Denmark. The prosperity of Denmark did not ontlast the first decade of life in Vermilion County.
It was in 1828 that the first settlement was made in the northwest part of the county. This settlement was made by Mr. Partlow, with his son-in-law, Asa Brown, who came from Kentucky. There were four sons, all of whom were married, who came with their father. These sons were Samuel, James, Reuben and John. They built a cabin at what was afterward known as Merrills Point and the sons took up land to the south at where Armstrong was located. John and James were licensed preachers. They brought a number of cattle with them and every thing looked promising when the second year was a most severe winter. This was the winter of the deep snow when one snow was not melted until another came, until the amount on the ground was a matter of record.
Mr. and Mrs. Partlow, the father and mother, both died and the others be- came discouraged. The snow was so deep that the cattle died from lack of food and care, there was no way to reach a market, and the sons all went back to Kentucky as soon as the weather permitted. 'A'sa Brown, the son-in-law, alone remained in this first settlement. They returned later, however.
In 1827, the Juvinalls and Morgan Rees settled just south of the Partlows and with others coming, partly, at least, settled this part of the country. Among these new comers were the McGees and Stephen Griffith. Samuel Bloomfield, who had come into the county in 1823, and settled at Quakers Point, moved to this neighborhood on the Middle Fork, in 1829. He had entered a farm in this more newly settled part of the county and left the older farm to improve the new one. In 1828, Absolom Collison came into this neighborhood. He was a friend of the Juvinalls, coming from their old home in Ohio. Mr. Chenoweth came into this neighborhood the same year and the following one, his daughter Mary became Absolom Collison's wife. The Atwoods came to a point further down the river, in 1829. Although no permanent settlement was made nor any town established, these families coming into the northeast part of the county gave impetus to its growth.
Samuel Copeland came to the Middle Fork in 1828, and settled further to the south than did the Atwoods when they came the following year. When he came he found Ware Long living to the east of him in the timber. Soon Amos Howard, Mr. Shoky and Mr. Priest came and settled to the south of Copeland, forming what was long called the Howard neighborhood. John Johns settled
95
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
about three-fourths of a mile northeast of Copelands. Later Copeland's son married John Johns' oldest daughter. In 1828, Daniel Fairchild and his five sons, Timothy, Zenas, Orman, Lyman and Daniel, together with his married daughter, Mrs. Blevens, came to the Middle Fork and located two miles north- west of Samuel Copeland. The father was very old, nearly blind, and lived but a short time after moving into this neighborhood. The sons and daughter, however, were all married with young families, and they took their place mak- ing a lasting impress on the community. The waning interest in the produc- tion of salt was the reason that newcomers were not attracted to the region of the salt works, which had been the source of employment to a large number in the early twenties. Mr. Lander and Mr. Shearer were in the neighborhood of the later well-known J. R. Thompson farm, some time previous to the coming of William Smith, in 1830. A Mr. Progue settled about this time further to the west, near the county line. Mr. Brewer lived further down the creek and close to what was later Conkey town, Stephen Crane had settled. About the year 1827, Jesse Ventres and James Howell came from Kentucky into the neighborhood which was afterward Newtown. Mr. Ventres bought a piece of land half a mile southeast of Newtown from Mr. Indicut, who is supposed to have come to this locality at perhaps a time not far distant from the discovery of the salt springs. The year after Jesse Vantres came, John Cox from Big Sandy made him a visit. He left his son with Mr. Ventres.
A ferry was established across the Big Vermilion, in 1828, the court granted license for the same and fixed the following lawful rates :- "For crossing man and horse, 121/2 cents; wagon and horse, 183/4 cents; wagon and two horses or oxen, 25 cents. Persons going to mill, one-half rate." Solomon Gilbert built the mill this same year. He built the log tavern in 1827.
John Payne came from Indiana to Butler's Point, in 1827. His son-in-law, John Thompson, came with him and settled one mile northeast of Catlin. Charles Caraway came from Virginia in 1824. Noah Guyman, with his wife, who became the best known and best loved woman in this section of the country, for years, came on foot from Ohio, in 1830.
James Stevens came to Brooks' Point, in 1826. Isaac Gone had come a year previous to this time. John L. Sconce came from Kentucky, in 1828. John Cage and James Graves with his two sons, O. S. and L. H. came about this time. Daniel Darby set up a wagon shop near here about this time. The post office was established in Georgetown, in 1828. The mail route ran from here by way of Carroll, an office in the McDonald neighborhood, to Paris.
William Swank took up his residence in Vermilion County in 1823. He came from Putnam County, Ohio. His farm occupied the present site of Indianola. Aaron Mendenhall came from Greene County, Ohio, to Vermilion County, Illi- nois, in 1824. He brought his fifteen year old son John with him. The Com- munity of Friends which settled early about Vermilion, was strengthened and increased in numbers in the years immediately following the establishing of Vermilion County, by others of this faith coming from North Carolina and Tennessee. Their life was calculated to form a high standard of living and their influence was long a strong factor in the development of Vermilion County.
xx
Endicatt
Joinge :
96
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
Dr. Thomas Madden and Dr. Thomas Heyward were practicing physicians in this county prior to 1828. J. B. Alexander, together with his son-in-laws, Alex- ander McDonald and I. R. Moores, entered land which afterward was known as the McDonald neighborhood, in 1822. Mr. Alexander, himself, did not make this section, which was then Edgar County, his home, until after it became Ver- milion County. He was very prominent in the early affairs of the new county. The settlement in the southern part of the county was strengthened in 1824 by the coming of Abel Williams. He was a most remarkable man and one who would be a help to any neighborhood. He came from Tennessee. The same year brought Robert Dickson from Kentucky with his four sons. Silas Waters and George Barnett came from Kentucky the same year. Thye Makem- son and family first came to Vermilion County in the fall of 1828 and located one and a half miles north of what is now Oakwood. The family consisted of x y Thos. Makemson, a revolutionary soldier, and his five sons, Andrew, David, Samuel, John and James. They lived together until after the death of the father, when they were scattered. William Craig became a resident of this neighborhood in 1829. The first attempt at settlement on the North Fork was made in 1824. In the fall of 1823, Obediah LeNeve came through this part of Edgar County on a trip he was making on horseback to select a location of a home. The land in the region now known as Newell township, took his fancy and before he returned to his home he took the number of the tracts he desired with an idea of buying them. At a public sale soon afterward he bought them and before Christmas of that year he and his brother, John LeNeve, came over- land from Vincennes to this new home. Reaching here in safety, they found the Indians friendly and soon had a cabin built on the land. Soon Ben Butterfield came and occupied the cabin until the following fall. It must be remembered that this was the year before Danville was contemplated. This location became a popular one and a large number of people came, mostly from Kentucky and Virginia.
Joseph Gundy began improvement in what was afterward Myersville, in 1827, but did not fetch his family until the following year. Luke Wiles settled on the other side of the river the same year. He came from Indiana. John Woods, a native of New York state, came to this part of Vermilion county as early as 1828. His father-in-law, Supply Butterfield, came about this time.
The first settler in the western part of the county south of the salt works was Thomas Osborn, who, in 1825, built himself a little cabin a mile or two northwest of what is now Fairmount. There he fished and hunted until the game began to grow scarce when he moved further west. A year or two later, James Elliott, James French and Samuel Beaver came to the same neighbor- hood. Beaver was a tanner and owned and worked a small tanyard for some time.
Henry Hunter took up a claim in 1828, just north of what is now Fair- mount, but sold it in 1833 to Jennings. Mr. Stewart took up land nearby in the same year but died in 1833. He was buried in the Dougherty burying ground, his being the second grave. Thomas Redman and Joseph Yount came to this neighborhood in 1828, from Ohio. The next year John Smith opened a farm near by. W. H. Lee settled a little further to the east in 1829, and Wil-
X
97
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
liam Hardin settled here at the same time. These people are all supposed to have come from Ohio. In taking a survey of the growth of Vermilion County in the decade immediately following the first settlement within its borders, it must not be forgotten that these years included but three years of its official life as a county separate from Edgar. So it is that a survey of conditions in the last days of the twenties, while the section has been attracting settlement for ten years, yet the county has counted its existence but since 1826.
CHAPTER XV.
SOME OF THE MAKERS OF VERMILION COUNTY.
SEYMOUR TREAT-DAN BECKWITH-FRANCIS WHITCOMB-1820-HENRY JOHN- SON-JAMES D. BUTLER-HENRY JOHNSON-1821-ABSOLOM STARR-JOTHAM LYONS-JOHN JORDON-WILLIAM SWANK-JOHN MYERS-HENRY CANADAY- BENJAMIN BROOKS-THOMAS O'NEAL-JOHN HAWORTH-ACHILLES MORGAN -HENRY MARTIN-1822-ROBERT COTTON-STEVEN DUKES-ASA ELLIOTT- JOHN MILLS-ALEXANDER MCDONALD-I. R. MOORES-1823-JOHN LE NEVE- WILLIAM M'DOWELL-1824-AARON MENDENHALL-CYRUS DOUGLASS-ROBERT DICKSON-JOHN SNIDER-DR. ASA PALMER-HEZEKIAH CUNNINGHAM-ELI HENDERSON-1825-AMOS WILLIAMS-LEVI B. BABB-1826-WILLIAM WATSON -MICHAEL WEAVER-ABEL WILLIAMS-SAMUEL GILBERT AND SONS-SAMUEL BAUM-JOHN LARRANCE-WILLIAM CURRENT-ANDREW PATTERSON-SAM- UEL COPELAND-LARKIN COOK- ANDREW JUVINALL-SAMUEL SCONE-WIL- LIAM JONES-WILLIAM WRIGHT-JAMES GRAVES-JAMES BARNETT-JOHN CHANDLER-ABSOLOM COLLISON-JOSEPH SMITH-SAMUEL CAMPBELL-OTHO ALLISON-JAMES DONOVAN-WILLIAM BANDY-JAMES SMITH-WILLIAM BLAKENEY-CHARLES S. YOUNG-CHARLES CARAWAY-LATHAM FOLGER-WIL- LIAM CUNNINGHAM-WILLIAM CURRENT-JAMES ELLIOTT-JOHN D. G. CLINE -JOHN JOHNS-JOHN COX-EPHRIM ACREE-ADAM PATE.
SEYMOUR TREAT.
It seems impossible to learn much of Seymour Treat's life. The first thing known of him is that he lived at Fort Harrison, in 1819. When Blackman re- turned from his trial to the Vermilion Salt Springs, in company with Barron, and formed another company to return and claim the discovery of them, there- by betraying the trust of Barron, Seymour Treat was one of the men who re- turned with him.
No record was kept throwing any light on the reason for selecting this party so that little idea of the character of these men can be had, at least as to whether they knew of the previous discovery by John Barron. The only real knowledge that is to be obtained now is of his residence at Fort Harrison.
Seymour Treat came to the Salt Springs, a mile and a half above the old Kickapoo town, the latter part of November, 18$. He with his wife and chil- dren, made the trip up the Wabash and Vermilion rivers in a pirogue, bringing tools and what goods they could not do without, and provisions to last them
98
99
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
during the winter. One at the present day can hardly imagine the privations they endured. A hastily built cabin kept them from the cold, but that was all. The men of this first settlement included the two Beckwith brothers, Peter Allen, and Francis Whitcomb. They could hunt and find pleasure in the free life of the wilderness, but wife and small children having none of these diver- sions found much to regret in the change from life at Fort Harrison. Their nearest neighbors were at the North Arm prairie, fully forty miles away. The old Indian town miles below their cabin was deserted and weeds grew in the fields where the squaws had planted the corn, and hoed the squashes. The loneli- ness of the life, and the effect of the absence of the comforts they had before enjoyed, is voiced in the words of Treat to the governor a year later :- "My fam- ily remained on the ground ever since their arrival, except one who fell a vic- tim to the suffering and privations which they have had to endure in a situation so remote from a settled country without the means of procuring the ordinary comforts of life." This letter was written because of the fact that the treachery of Blackman had left even his followers without valid claim to the salt springs.
After the different claims to the salt springs were settled, Treat, with Dan Beckwith, went to Denmark. Here Treat built a mill which he operated for some time. Seymour Treat was justice of the peace for a time while this ter- ritory was a part of the unorganized territory attached to Edgar County and while in this office he married Cyrus Douglas and also Marquis Snow. He later came to Danville where it is presumed he died and was probably buried in the Williams burying ground.
DAN BECKWITH.
Dan Beckwith deserves the record as among the first settlers of Vermilion County since his coming antedates the organization of the county itself. Dan Beckwith was a native of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He was born there in 1795. He was one of a family of six brothers and two sisters, who went with their parents into New York state, while Dan was but a lad. Three of these brothers came west and were residents of Vermilion County at one time.
George Beckwith and Dan Beckwith left New York state together, and came to Fort Harrison in the summer of 1816, the year Dan was twenty-one years old. Two years later they went on to the North Arm Prairie, and lived with Jonathan Mayo's family. Here they made their home until 1819, when they went to the Vermilion Salines.
Dan Beckwith was a man of pleasing appearance. He was tall-full six feet, two inches. He had broad square shoulders; was straight, muscular and spare of flesh, weighing, when in health, about 190 pounds. He was an expert axe-man and a shrewd Indian trader. Within two years after he came to the Vermilion he was to be found with an armful of goods such as the red man would fancy, in a place partly excavated in the side of a hill at Denmark, trading for furs with the Indian.
Later, through his efforts mainly, Danville had been selected as the County Seat, he built a cabin on the brow of the bluff, near the end of west Main street, and continued his trading. This cabin was not far from the present-day Gil-
100
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
bert street bridge. Later he had a cabin further west on Main street and formed a partnership with James Clymer and together they traded to their profit.
When the chosen site of the County Seat of the newly organized Vermilion County at the Saltworks was found to be impossible on account of the lease to Major Vance, and Denmark the already settled town had nearly secured the prize, Dan Beckwith, together with Guy Smith offered land at the present site and determined its location.
Dan Beckwith died while yet a young man. He did not live beyond the days of pioneer Vermilion County. His death occurred at Danville, Decem- ber, 1835. He was buried in the old Williams burying ground. The city bought the privilege of opening a street through this cemetery of the heirs of Amos Williams and Dan Beckwith's remains were moved to Springhill.
Both the children of Dan Beckwith are now dead. Hiram Beckwith was the father of two sons. His oldest son married Linne Williams, the daughter of Smith Williams, and granddaughter of Amos Williams. They were the parents of two children, Grace and Dan. Hiram's younger son, Clarence, mar- ried Grace Dickman and is the father of one son, Hiram William. Mrs. Lemon was the mother of two daughters, May Lemon and Laura Lemon Bird, whose first husband's name was Mott.
FRANCIS WHITCOMB.
Francis Whitcomb, the third of the first settlers of Vermilion County, who made any impress upon its affairs, was identified with two sections-the salt- works and Butler's Point. He came to the salt springs with the Blackman com- pany and was one of the three with whom Blackman made the agreement to make partners in the profits of the saltworks. That he did not stand by his word has already been recorded. While the matter was being adjusted Francis Whitcomb continued working at the saltworks. It is during his stay here that a story is told of him which shows a kind heart and refined nature that expressed itself in unusual degree. It was after Seymour Treat had gone to Denmark, and there were no women at the saltworks, other than Baily's wife. This family of Baily's consisted of himself, his wife and two or three small children. Baily sold out to Mr. Luddington, and left his family, to go to the "Illinois River Country." Soon the children became ill and Mrs. Baily herself was taken ill. The men working at the saltworks were all unmarried. There was no one to give the women and children the needed care.
Francis Whitcomb took as good care of them as a woman could. He pro- vided their food as well as possible where there was nothing to be had fit for ill people to eat. He did their washing, attended their wants, and rendered all assistance possible under the circumstances, with no doctors, and no drug stores near where aid or medicine could be procured. In spite of the care this young man could give the children, one by one wasted away, and died. No lumber or plank was to be had with which to make their coffins, but the men split
101
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
rough boards from a walnut tree that grew a short distance from Butler's branch, and made rude caskets. These strong men inured to hardships, silently and with sad faces buried the children, with no minister to say a prayer nor relatives to mourn as the graves were filled.
Francis Whitcomb went to Butler's Point from the saltworks, and took up the farm afterwards known as the one Richard Jones lived on. The house he built is yet standing. He lived here a number of years and sold the farm to Henry Jones himself going to McLean County, where he died and was buried.
Francis Whitcomb was the father of six children. His wife's maiden name was Jane Irwin. His children's names were Ira, Francis, John, Jeremiah, Ruth Ann and Temperance.
Ira Whitcomb married Cynthia Wooden, the daughter of his nearest neigh- bor, whose house yet stands across the road from the old Whitcomb house. Ira Whitcomb moved to Minnesota, where he lived until he died.
JAMES D. BUTLER.
With the exception of those coming to the saltworks, probably James D. Butler was the first settler in his section of the country. Mr. Butler came directly from Clark County, Ohio, but he had lived in that state only six years so that he really came here a Vermonter in sentiment and habits. He was a native of Vermont, coming west from Chittenden County, Vermont, to Clark County, Ohio, in 1814. He left Ohio in the spring of 1820, and came to the point of timber which ran out into the prairie west of Catlin, and took up a claim. The land had not yet been surveyed by the government and put upon the market. Mr. Butler had friends come with him, neighbors from Ohio. They all put in crops and returned to Ohio in the fall, expecting to come back in the spring. Mr. Butler did come and brought his family with him, but the neighbors re- fused to come. They thought they had enough of the inconvenience of the new country. It took courage on the part of Mrs. Butler to come to her new home under circumstances such as these. True her husband was satisfied with con- ditions in the new country, but on the other hand the stories told by the others were very discouraging. But in the due course of time Mr. Butler and his family reached their new home and took possession of the cabin he had built for them the previous summer. His cabin was erected on the east side of the brook which is even yet known as Butler's branch and on the right hand side of the road going from Catlin to the old Fair Grounds. When Butler's family moved in they had as their nearest neighbors, Treat's family at the Salt Springs and to the south the newcomers since his return to Ohio, a man well known late in the county whose name was Henry Johnson. He had moved on the Little Vermilion in the early spring. Within a few years several families came to this neighborhood and Butler's Point became an important settlement and re- mained so for some time after the organization of Vermilion County. Near Butler's house there was a large oak tree, which had defied the prairie fires and all threats of wind and weather, which became a landmark and sentinel
102
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
which guided travelers crossing the trackless plains to the south and west. It was called "Butler's Lone Tree."
Later Mr. Butler prospered and built him a fine house, locating it near the corner of the old Fair Grounds, at the northeast corner. This house was almost a mansion as compared with all the other cabins. The logs were square-hewn and the corners of the building cut even with the line of the wall. It was in this house that the first court of Vermilion County sat. Mr. Butler was a man of good business, possessed a practical mind and was conspicuous in the affairs of Vermilion County at an early day. He had the thrift and energy char- acteristic of one born and reared in Vermont, as well as possessing their cour- age. He spent the remainder of his life in Vermilion County at Butler's Point and when he died was buried in the enclosure since known as the Butler Bury- ing Grounds. His wife was buried in the same burying grounds. James Butler and wife were the parents of four children, one son and three daughters. The son moved to Kansas, one daughter became the wife of her cousin by name of Butler, the second daughter became the wife of Marcus Snow and later of Cyrus Douglas, and the third daughter became the wife of a Mr. Fielder and after the death of Mr. Coleman, and went west. The two daughters first mentioned were buried in the Butler burying ground.
HENRY JOHNSON.
The year James Butler came to the place afterward called Butler's Point with his family, the first settlement on the Little Vermilion was made by Henry Johnson. Some doubt is expressed on the matter of date, however, and there is good reason to think that he came in the fall after Butler returned to Ohio. A letter written by Henry Johnson addressed to William Lowery, the mem- ber in the Illinois legislature from Clark County at that time, and dated No- vember 22, 1822, is also dated at Achilles township, and from what is written in the letter it is evident that "Achilles township at that time embraced the entire of Clark County, watered by two Vermilion rivers and extended as far north as the Kankakee river." In this letter Henry Johnson states that "he had a knowledge of the affairs of this (Achilles) township since October, 1820." With that evidence it is fair to assume that Henry Johnson came to the Little Vermilion, some two miles west of Georgetown in the fall of the year that James Butler came in the spring and put in a crop and in the fall about the time Johnson came, went back to Ohio for the winter.
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.