History of Vermilion County, together with historic notes on the Northwest, gleaned from early authors, old maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources, Part 113

Author: Beckwith, H. W. (Hiram Williams), 1833-1903
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : H. H. Hill and Company
Number of Pages: 1164

USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, together with historic notes on the Northwest, gleaned from early authors, old maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources > Part 113

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).

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HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY.

was built in 1835, and thirty years later was to have been moved to Fairmount, but was burned the night before it was to have started on its journey. Henry Hunter took up a claim in 1828, on section 33, just north of Fairmount. He sold to Jennings in 1833, and after liv- ing awhile here, died. His family are gone, some still living in Mis- souri. Jennings, a few years after, sold and went to the vicinity of Jacksonville, where his widow still resides. He was a peculiar man, and difficult to get along with ; was not, in fact, a popular neighbor, or a very agreeable man. The Catletts now own the land. Win. Steward the same year (1828) took up land near by, and died in 1833. His was the second grave in the Dougherty grave-yard. He is spoken of as being a man of excellent character. His land also belongs to the Cat- lett farm. Near by were several old cabins of those who had been here for a short time. Thomas Redmond and Joseph Yount came the same year from Ohio, and took up claims in section 3, near Homer. They remained here until they died. Some members of the Yount family live on the place yet.

The next year James Smith commenced a farm on section 2, near by. He died there, and his family are all gone except William, who lives on a portion of the land which is in section 1. John Cordts owns and occupies the old homestead. A little farther east W. H. Lee set- tled in 1829. He died there, and most of his family are dead also. Such as are living are in the neighborhood. Wm. Hardin settled here at the same time. He was a prosperous and influential man in the community. He died about 1864. One son, Wm. M. Hardin, lives near by, and one resides in Iowa. These people, as far as known, com- prise the first settlers, and were all from Ohio.

Wm. O'Neal came here in 1829, and three years later sold to Fran- cis Dougherty and moved farther north. His place was on section 34, just northeast of Fairmount. W. Fielder settled near there the next year, and W. H. Butler settled on the same section. He afterward went farther east, and made his home in Catlin township. James Buoy purchased his place, which is now owned by James M. Dougher- ty. Wm. Reynolds had a claim just north of these, in section 27, and also went to Catlin, where he was long an influential citizen, and a prominent local preacher of the Methodist church. B. M. Dougherty bought his claim. Mr. Nicholas Van Duzen also settled in this section in 1832, and lived here until 1840. The same year Peter Frazier set- tled on section 28, where he still resides. He is now more than ninety years old, and is nearly blind. His daughter, Mrs. Smith, lives on the farm, taking care of her aged father in his declining years. In 1831 Aaron Dabley came to the same section to live. He sold to Henry

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Hunter and removed farther north into Oakwood township, where he died. His family are nearly all dead, though some still reside there. Harvey Stearns took up a claim on section 5 in 1832. His widow lives on the farm yet, and his sons, Alvin, Calvin and Alonzo, live on farms near by. Luther Stearns had a farm in section 1, west of Har- vey's. He went to Texas. His son resides in Homer. Geo. Custar bought, and Mr. Saladay owns, the land. Pretty much all these set- tlements were on what was the old road, before it was straightened in conformity to the plan to make it the State Road.

Francis Dougherty came here from Brown county, Ohio, in Septem ber, 1832, with teams to bring his family and worldly effects. His family then consisted of three daughters and one son, Samuel. His son Alexander came with his family at the same time, and another son, B. M., had come a year before. His son James and family, and daughter, Mrs. Ferrior, and family, came the next year. He purchased land of Mr. O'Neal, and afterward entered considerable, amounting in all to nine hundred acres. He was a man of enlarged views and strict business habits, industrious and frugal. When he came he had means enough to commence in a new country comfortably, and his boys had been brought up to work. It was not long before they got into easy circumstances, and were well enough fixed so that the revulsion of 1837, which ruined so many, did not affect them much. He died in 1860, at the advanced age of ninety-one, leaving to his children and grandchildren - who still live in the neighborhood, and have been among the most energetic business men-an honored name, and the memory of a well-spent life. Mrs. Dougherty died in 1851. Alex- ander, who was then just commencing life, still lives in Fairmount. Though now past his three-score and ten, and apparently feeble in physical strength, his mind is as clear and his recollection as accurate as need be. The writer has been placed under very many obligations to him for the facts for this sketch. He was a member of the first Methodist class ever formed in the township-by Father Anderson, at Henry Hunter's, in 1833,-and it may be added that, so far as known, he has never fallen from grace. It is a real pleasure to spend an hour or two with such old citizens, whose minds are stored with the pleasant reminiscences of early days, especially now that so few are left who do really know any thing which the gleaner for historical statistics needs. Dr. Thomas Deacon had a residence in the part of this township which lies north of the Fork, as early as 1830. He acquired considerable land, and was a prosperous man and an excellent citizen. He has recently died, leaving behind him an honored memory for honesty, in- dustry and thrift. His family still reside there.

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HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY.

That portion of the township which lies south of the railroad did not come into general cultivation until about 1855 or 1860. About 1850 it became known that the railroad which had been graded four- teen years before, would be built. Senator Douglas had secured an assurance of the passage through congress of the Illinois Central Rail- road bill, and it was readily seen that the building of that would force the completion of the lines already begun. This ealled attention to land lying within a few miles of these lines, and soon every acre of it was taken up. Josiah Sandusky, who lived at Catlin, a prosperous and driving man, took the occasion to enter the land which he had long had his eye upon, for his son Jacob, just south of where Fairmount now is, and known as the " Big Spring" farm. The springs, bubbling up out of the ledge of lime-stone, way out on the prairie, was so notice- able that it had long attracted attention. Everybody in this part of the county knew the "big spring," and everybody thought "what a nice place that would be for a milk-house if this prairie ever gets set- tled up," and everybody thought they would like to own that farm some- time. What others thought, Josiah Sandusky, with his eye as usual on the main chance, did. Putting $450 into his pockets, he went to Danville and entered nine "forties" around this famous spring, making a square farm three-fourths of a mile each way, which thirty times that amount of money could not buy to-day. He soon brought it into culti- vation, and put on it the old Butler house, which stood so long the mon- ument of the pioneer of Butler's Point. This was, aside from its asso- ciations, a famous house. The logs were of black walnut, hewn, and so large that they would now, if sawed into inch boards, bring almost enough, at market rates, to build a good-sized farm residence. While everything about is good, the chief attraction is the magnificent spring, or really a series of springs, which furnish water enough for the stock, and has been utilized at the milk-house, and can be in many other ways. Isaac made his home at Catlin, and with his sons, a portion of whom lived there, became possessed of large landed property, buying np all the farms that were for sale around the mound. They are a remarkable family. In the history of Vermilion county no family has cut so important a figure in its business, social and agricultural con- cerns.

FAIRMOUNT.

Fairmount was platted and recorded December, 1856, by Capt. Josiah Hunt. He was chief engineer of the Great Western railroad, as it was then called, and bought this tract of Mr. Cornelius, after he knew there was to be a station here. The plat included thirty-seven blocks, several of which were mere fractions, owing to the fact that the

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streets were made to run parallel with, and perpendicular to, the rail- road, instead of running with the points of compass. The town was first ealled Salina. R. Q. Cornelius, Joseph Reese, John Allen, John H. Folks platted additions at various times since. The name of the town was changed to Fairmount, but on the record it remains Salina. The first building put up on the site of this town was built by Parish & Bow- man, in 1836. They had a "job on the railway " to do grading in that ancient time, and John Dougherty relates that he used to come here to sell potatoes, onions and cabbages in their season, to the railroad men. It stood just east of the hill, nearly opposite the mill. The station- house was first put up on Main street in 1857, and served all the pur- poses of railroad station, residence for Mr. Michael Dunn, tool-house, hotel, and in fact everything but church. Mr. Dunn, who is the pio- neer, and who still lives here doing the railroad work, was by far the most important personage in the business. He had great difficulty at first in getting a supply of water. The building was 16 x 24, and made a very sightly appearance as it was seen from a distance across the prai- ries. There was not a tree or a bush growing on the present site of the village, and young mothers who moved there to live had to provide themselves with switches for family use, and bring them along with the household goods. Mr. Dunn says that there was the same lack of switch for railroad purposes. The side-track was not long enough to side-track a train if trains happened to meet here. The first residenee was built where the residence of Mr. Aams now stands.

John Allen, who owned a farm east of town three miles, where Thomas Sandusky now lives, was employed by W. P. Chandler to negotiate the sale of lots in the new town for Capt. Hunt. He sold a good many of the lots. J. W. Booker, Andrew Howden, Allen, and others, purchased. He built a residenee upon the site where he now lives, and bought several acres adjoining. Wm. Goodwin built on Main street, where Bradway's drug store now is. Mr. Booker built a dwelling east of Main street; John Haney, a residence on the corner near the railroad. Allen & Booker built the store now occupied by Gibson, and Booker lived in it. Mr. Allen kept a boarding-house, having eight or ten boarders. Allen & Booker put in a general stock of goods, very general, too, as is remembered, containing everything from tin pans to patent medicines. After two years, W. A. Lowery, of Danville, purchased it, and put Charles Tilton in charge of it, a youth of some experience in mercantile pursuits, and a keen taste for the business, and who is still selling goods here. He ran it successfully for nearly two years, when Caleb Vredenberg, an old citizen of Dan- ville, bought it, and came here and sold goods for a time, then removed

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HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY.

it to Homer. John R. Witherspoon came from Indiana in the spring 1869, bringing a store already framed with him, and the carpenters to put it up. He erected it on the corner next to Tilton's present store, and stocked it with goods. He was a successful and experienced busi- ness man. He died after about ten years' business here .. His widow and family still reside here, engaged in the hotel business. John Corts commenced to build the hotel in 1860, when Mr. Hall bought it and finished it; afterward enlarging and materially improving it. He con- tinues to occupy it. Mr. Witherspoon occupied the house for a resi- dence which Wm. Woods resides in for one year, after which he lived in the building where Mr. Stalons now is. This residence had no fence around it, and, during "fly-time," the cattle and sheep from a thousand acres used to collect around to find the grateful shade, and pick up whatever they could find. If Mrs. W. left the door open for a minute, the chances were that the calves would make a raid into her pantry, or chase the frightened children, of whom she had a goodly number, through the house. Many a time she longed to be back among the Hoosiers, where at least the cattle were compelled to recognize the fact that white folks had some rights which horned-cattle were bound to respect. For weeks at a time she had to throw out pickets of young Witherspoons and dogs to keep the cattle from eating up her "starched clothes" out on the line. A " boiled shirt " seemed to be the particular delight of the half-grown calves which collected around her castle. This house has been enlarged and rebuilt by Mr. Ellis Adams, who still owns it. John B. Turner built the house on the north side of the railroad, where his widow still lives. The house now occupied by Lewis E. Booker was built by his father as a residence when he first came here. F. L. Dougherty built the first elevator in 1859, which was burned in 1862, and he then built the present one. Joseph Dougherty's residence was burned in 1867. Another fire, probably in 1866, burned the entire wooden row on the east side of Main street. It burned Aldridge's and Heistenel's buildings, New's drug store, and some other small buildings.

A fellow by the name of Crawford conceived the idea that here would be a "right smart chance " to sell whisky, so he supplied him- self with a little stock of choice native and foreign "forty rod," "in- stant death," "linger long" and other choice brands. Messrs. Allen and Catlett, thinking to convert the chap from the evil of his ways, made a bargain with him to buy his stock, provided he would discon- tinne business permanently. Mrs. Crawford, however, when being in terviewed, "separate and aside from her husband," would not consent to the bargain, and Allen had to make the best of so one-sided a bar-

FiTetens DECO. DANVILLE.

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gain, and when he found he could not make a bargain with the woman of the house, crawled under the bed to get the keg, while the old lady went for him with the rolling-pin " in a way he despised." Allen, who was never known to show the white feather, retreated with the keg through the back window, while Catlett covered his retreat in a mas- terly manner. The Crawfords were not conquered, however, and with the money the citizens had given them, went to Danville and laid in a fresh supply. This was a little too much for the mild temper of John Allen, even. A meeting was held in the upper story of the warehouse, the only public hall in town, and the situation was discussed in all its bearings. Seventy citizens at this council of war decided, first, that liquor should not be sold in Fairmount; and second, - well, we will see. The next morning the committee called on the Crawfords and made known their first resolve, and gave them their choice, to load it into a wagon which they had in readiness, and take it, with the re- mainder of their plunder, out of town, or be dealt with more harshly. Mrs. C. again armed herself with the rolling-pin, but Crawford craw- fished, and consented to roll the stuff ont, and when it was loaded, an "infuriated citizen " mounted the wagon and cut every hoop off the barrel in a minute. Since that no attempts have been made to run a saloon in Fairmount, - except the proposition "Uncle John Mills" made.

Mr. John Dougherty built the grist-mill in 1868. It is 40× 50, sup- plied with three run of stone, and does excellent work. It cost $15,000, and has run now eleven years without being shut a half day from any cause, Sundays excepted. He built the elevator in 1877, since which time he has connected the grain trade with that of milling. The mill, under his management, has been a great success.

Rev. James Ashmore, the veteran minister of the Cumberland Pres- byterians, who now resides in Fairmount, has given an energetic life to gospel work, most of which has been spent in this county. His parents were of Roman Catholic birth, and when he was a small child a priest of that church offered to take him to Rome and educate him for the priesthood. His parents assented to the plan, but when the time came for parting with him they changed their minds and decided to keep him with them. In 1840 he came to Vermilion county and commenced his life's work. He organized Mt. Pisgah church, in Georgetown, that year; the Mt. Vernon church, in Catlin, the same year ; the Liberty church, in Elwood, in 1843; the Yankee Point church, in Elwood, in 1853; the Miller church, in Carroll, in 1866; and Olive Branch church the same year. Several others, which are now flourishing churches in this county, have been largely the off-

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HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY.

shoots of his early ministerial labors here. A more extended notice of this honored pioneer, and his son, Henry, will be found on a future page.

Uncle John Hoobler, as he is familiarly called, an honored preacher of the United Brethren church, settled on the Wabash in 1826. From that time his active life has been given to preaching, and to the manual labors which a large business calls for. He came to live in this county in 1846, and purchased the old Ross mill at Rossville. He was presiding elder of his church the first year, and then located, still continuing to preach as occasion called for. While there, for five years he carried on the mill and worked a farm. William Morgan stole all his horses and took them to La Salle county to work a farm with. After this loss Mr. Hoobler again took a circuit, his brethren in the conference taking up a collection to buy him a horse, which he declined to receive. He then went to Livingston county, where he lived thirteen years, preaching and acting as presiding elder while there. He came to Fairmount to live four years ago. He has been greatly prospered in worldly affairs, as well as in the ministry, and has made good use of his opportunities. Though now past seventy, he is a brave, hearty, well-preserved old man. He has in his possession now a picture of Owen Lovejoy, which that gentleman gave him in 1860, and which he prizes for its associations beyond price, and which he will hand down to his children as a reminder of one of the brave men of his day and generation. He has now sixty grandchildren, and thirty-three great-grandchildren, with one precinct to hear from.

John P. Mills came from Kentucky to where his brother-in-law, John Johns, was living, in Blount township, in 1836. He bought a piece of land on what was then called the barrens, and proceeded to make a farm. This land was not in any sense barren, but it was desti- tute of timber. He thought at that day that he could make a farm easier on such land than on the prairie-a very common opinion then. He made a farm there, and remained on it fifteen years, and then went to Bean Creek, farther north, and made a farm there, and remained there fourteen years. He was licensed to preach by Presiding Elder Hooper Crews, on the 15th of August, 1840, and ordained a deacon by Bishop Hamline, in 1846. He engaged largely in the work of a local preacher, and helped materially to build up the church. He was one of the first in the county to espouse the abolition cause, and feels proud now of telling that his vote was one of the eleven which were cast in this county in favor of the clause, which was submitted separately, to permit free persons of color to come into the state. He does not know who the others were, but is very sure Rev. Enoch Kingsbury was one,

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and some members of the Gilbert family were among the eleven. Mr. Kingsbury, though belonging to a different denomination, was always a warm personal friend of Mr. Mills. His son Eli died in the service of his country. While very low, and apparently near his end, Mr. D. L. Moody, who was near by, ministering spiritually to the sick and wounded on the boat, raised him up in bed, and he expired in his arms. His wife died soon after this, and a few years since, he came to Fair- mount to live, hoping to find a healthy and pleasant location. While here he solemnized a marriage which made the two married couples who were the first ones married in the county one, by marrying Mr. Douglass to Mrs. Snow. Mr. Mills is a jovial and pleasant gentleman, rather fond of a joke or a surprise, as the case may be. When he came to Fairmount to see whether he would decide to come here to live, he gave out that he was looking out for some good place to start a saloon. It is proper to add that the "sign" which he carried would hardly in- duce strangers to doubt his sincerity when talking about the saloon business, and he was soon given to understand that he would be served as Crawford was if he undertook that business here.

The name of Cyrus Douglass has often appeared in these pages. At the time of this writing he still lives at Fairmount, though evi- dently his eventful life is near its end. In Catlin township a correct account is given of his marriage, the facts of which were furnished the writer by a lady who knew the circumstances well. After his marriage, fifty-five years ago, he went to Georgetown township, and afterward into Elwood township, where he spent his life in farming, and in doing whatever good he could in his humble way.

Hiram Hickman came from Brown county, Ohio, to this state, in 1828. He went to Old Town timber, in McLean county, and bought a piece of land, but returned to this county the next season. There were no settlements between the Vermilion timber and the Kickapoo at that time. In traveling, he had to go on horse-back, and was nearly eaten np by the fierce prairie-flies of that day. In trying to make the Georgetown timber on his way back, he found the big spring on Jacob Sandusky's farm, and believes he is the first white man who ever tasted its waters; but it did not give him perpetual youth or great riches. His father, who was born in Tennessee, crossed the Ohio River in 1813, and came here to this county in 1831. Hiram made his home in Georgetown in 1835, and in 1837 commenced keeping tavern there. He was early drawn into political life, being a strong democrat politi- cally. He was the candidate of that party in 1844, for sheriff, and thinks he was elected; though in the contest with Capt. Frazier he resigned, to get a better hold, but he did not get it. Again, in 1846,

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he was elected, and did not resign; he was elected again in 1848. The duties of sheriff under the old system were very important and pre- carious. In addition to all the court business, he had the county revenue to collect, and necessarily required many assistants, who were not always the class of men who were the safest to trust. In traveling over the state in those days by stage, he frequently had to walk, and deemed it fortunate if he did not have to carry a rail to help pry the old wagons-which by courtesy were called stages-ont of the sloughs. During the time he was in office the country was full of horse-thieves. He had little trouble in catching them, but they had so many friends outside that he seldom had the pleasure of transporting them to the penitentiary.

CHURCHES.

The Goshen Baptist Church was organized abont 1832, and services were held in the Davis school-house and the Stearns school-house, at private houses, and wherever most convenient, until 1835, when a church edifice was built, as before stated, on the ground occupied by Samuel Beaver's house. Elder Freeman Smalley and Elder G. W. Riley, as in nearly all the other churches of this denomination in the county, were the leaders in this, and Benjamin Smalley preached here with more or less regularity for some years. The building was frame, 30×40. Harvey and Luther Stearns, William Lee and James Elliott, were the leading men in this organization, and it was largely through their instrumentality that the church was built. It stood here until 1862, when arrangements were perfected to move it to Fairmount, when suddenly it burned down in the night. It was thought to be a dispensation of Providence, for the Bible and hymn-book were found out in the bushes, several rods away from the burnt edifice. Services were usually kept up with considerable irregularity, and the church was prospered in members and spiritual growth. Elder G. W. Riley continued to act as pastor for some time, and was followed by his brother, J. W. Riley, who was ordained here. Rev. David French, Elder Lackey, Rev. Thomas Reese and Elder Yarnell acted as pastors. During the pastorate of the latter the present church was built. It is 36×54, and cost $7,000. The membership has usually numbered from one hundred to two hundred. Rev. Alexander Cunning was pastor ten years, and Rev. Mr. Coffman is at present. The good ser- vices of William Davis, Ellis Adams, V. M. Davis, E. Bennett, D. Gunder, and the Messrs. Catlett, are recognized by the membership for their labors in behalf of the interests of the church, and especially in the building of the fine edifice. A Sabbath-school of one hundred members and eight teachers is conducted by E. Holladay, superintend-

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History of Vermilion County, together with historic notes on the Northwest, gleaned from early authors, old maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources, Part 113

Author: Beckwith, H. W. (Hiram Williams), 1833-1903 Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : H. H. Hill and Company Number of Pages: 1164

Author: Beckwith, H. W. (Hiram Williams), 1833-1903
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : H. H. Hill and Company
Number of Pages: 1164