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 93
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Samuel P. Donovan, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 27th of August, 1829. His father died when he was about sixteen years of age. He continued to live with his mother until the 17th of March, 1860, when he went to Colorado, and took up a claim and worked it three months, clearing $700. He then went prospecting. At one time he was one of a party of fifty-two commanded by Kit Carson, and for one year of the time he did not see a white woman. They traveled in Colorado, Arizona,
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New Mexico, Utah, California, and at the end of two years he returned to Central City, and worked by the day for one year, receiving eight dollars per day, thus saving $2,000. He then went in partnership with Mr. Charles Jones, of Brandon, Vermont. They worked thirty hands two years, then sold out for $25,000. Mr. Donovan then came home and bought his present place. On the 28th of September, 1865, he married Miss Lydia A. Stunkard. She was born in Indiana, and died on the 10th of November, 1872. On the 8th of February, 1874, he married Miss Sarah Jane Pollard, who was born in England. They have two children : Martha L. and William O. Mr. Donovan owns two hundred and eighty-eight acres of land in this county.
Silas Dickson, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Ver- milion county, Illinois. He was born on his father's farm in Carroll township, on the 25th of May, 1830, and lived here until he was thirty-five years of age, when he moved to Edgar county, and lived there seven years. He then came to Indianola, and has lived here since. On the 13th of October, 1864, he married Miss Frances Foos, who was born in Ohio, and came to Vermilion county, Illinois, with her parents. They have three children : Evalena, Robert and Alburtus. Mr. Dickson is no office-seeker, and has held no offices except those connected with the schools. He owns six hundred acres of land in this and Edgar counties, part of which adjoins the village of Indianola.
James S. Sconce, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Vermilion county, Illinois, born on the 14th of November, 1831, and has always made his home in this county. He lived with his parents until he was twenty-four years of age, during which time he received a liberal education, and at the age of twenty-three he took a drove of cattle to Wisconsin, and sold out the same during the summer. In 1855 he took a position as clerk in the store of Bailey & Sconce, at Indianola, Illinois, and remained in this until 1859, when he went to Kansas, and preëmpted one hundred and sixty acres of land in Lyon county. At the end of three months he returned to Illinois, and traded his Kansas farm for land here in Illinois. He then engaged in stock business - buying, selling and shipping - which he continued until fall of 1860, when he married Miss Emma, daughter of Harvey Sodowsky. She was born in this county. After his marriage he lived one year with his father-in-law, and then came to his present place, and has lived here since. They had three children, two of whom are living: Anna and Harvey J. The farm contains twenty-one hundred acres, well located, and upon which is a very elegant brick residence. His parents, Samuel and Nancy (Waters) Sconce, were natives of . Bourbon county, Kentucky, and were born on the 29th of October,
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1802, and on the 2d of September, 1808, respectively. He came to Illinois in 1828, and settled in this county in 1829. Mrs. Sconce came here in 1829 with her parents. The marriage took place at Brooks' Point in this county, in 1830, at the residence of Mr. Waters. They engaged in farming, and continued this until 1852, during which time he was very successful, and was one of the prominent and well-known farmers of this section of the county. In 1852 he engaged in the general merchandise business in Indianola, the firm being Bailey & Sconce, which continued until 1858. Mr. Sconce continued until the big fire in the village, since which time he lived a retired life until his death, on the 9th of January, 1874. Mr. Sconce was one of the early settlers of this township, in which he served, a number of years as assessor and collector. In 1849 he drove about two hundred fat cattle to Philadelphia, where he sold about half the lot, and drove the balance to New York, going afoot the entire trip. He also hauled produce to Chicago in early days. Mrs. Sconce is living here with her son.
Abraham Sandusky, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, born on the 24th of March, 1833. In the fall of the same year he with his parents came to Vermilion county, Illinois, where he lived with them until he was thirty-five years of age. On the 16th of December, 1869, he married Miss Ella Baird, who was born in this county. After his marriage he began improving his present place, and in 1871 he settled on the same, and has lived here since. He owns seven hundred and seventy acres here in one body, located fourteen miles southwest of Danville, and three and one half miles from Georgetown or Indianola. It is well adapted to stock- raising, in which he is largely interested.
David P. Fisher, Indianola, retired, was born in Brown county, Ohio, in 1809, and lived there until he was eighteen years of age. He then moved to Indiana. He lived there seven years, and in 1834 he came to Vermilion county, Illinois, and settled on his present place. In 1833 he worked in Chicago. On the 22d of April, 1834, he mar- ried Miss Jane Weaver. She was born in Clermont county, Ohio, and was raised in Brown county, of the same state. In 1828 she came west with her parents, who settled in Vermilion county. Mr. Fisher owns thirteen hundred and twenty-five acres of land in this county. They had five children, four living: Michael, John, George and Lu- cinda. Mr. Fisher knows Chicago from the very earliest periods. for, in addition to having worked there in 1833, he has hauled produce there, having made his first trip as early as 1835.
The parents of Mr. J. M. Ross, of Fairmount, came to Vermilion county in 1830. Here he was born on the 19th of June, 1834, and
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this has been his home since. On the 22d of March, 1861, he was married to Rebecca Carter, daughter of Harvey and Charlotte (Clark) Carter. She was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1839. They have a family of four sons and five daughters : James T., Will- iam C., Victor L., Frank, Vea A., Dolie M., Minervia, Lottie C., Lydia. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are members of the C. P. church, and own a fine stock farm of four hundred acres, with good improvements.
James A. Dickson, Fairmount, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 5th of December, 1834. His father died in 1837, and he lived with his mother until he was twenty years of age. He then moved near his present place and improved a farm. Afterward he moved about three miles south, thence to his present place. In November, 1860, he married Miss , Amanda J. Sheppard. She was born in this county. They had four children, three living: John W., Simon A. and Charles E. Mr. Dickson owns four hundred and forty acres in this county, which he has principally earned by his own labor. He hauled apples to Chieago as early as 1857. He is no office seeker, his only office being connected with the school and road. His parents, John and Elizabeth Doyle Dickson, were natives of Ken- tucky. They were married in Kentucky, and came to Illinois in the spring of 1824, and settled in Vermilion county, where they lived until their death.
Josiah Sandusky, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, on his present place in Carroll township, on the 11th of September, 1837, and has always lived on this place. At the age of twenty-two he began doing business on his own account, farming and raising stock, and has followed the same since. By the death of his parents his present, the old homestead, farm became his property. On the 18th of December, 1873, he married Miss Margaret Moreland. She was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky. They had two children, one living: Pearl. He owns one thousand acres in this county. He is largely interested in stock-raising, and confines his business to the finest breeds. At the present time he has eight trotting horses, among which is Denmark, with a record of 2.40, and promises 2.20 at no distant day. The group also includes Black Cloud, who has made 2.40.
E. B. Willison, Sr., Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Alleghany county, Maryland, on the 15th of December, 1804, and lived there nntil 1831, living on the farm twenty-one years. He then learned the carpenter's trade. In 1831 he moved to Ohio and engaged at his trade. In 1835 he married Miss Deborah Bryan. She was born in Ohio, and died on the 17th of April, 1849. In 1839 they came to
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Vermilion county, Illinois, and settled near Indianola. On the 4th of November, 1849, he married Mrs. Briggs, formerly Miss Ruth Davis. She was born in Ohio. By his first marriage there were six children, three living : James B., John C. and Mary E .; and by the second mar- riage six children, five living : E. B., jr., Joseph A., Elmar A., Nancy M. and Deborah R. He owns two hundred and ninety-eight acres of land in this county, which he has earned by his own labor. He has held the offices of justice of the peace, road commissioner and school trustee and director. He is a well known and highly respected citizen.
W. H. Adams, Indianola, tile manufacturer and farmer, was born in Carroll township, Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 17th of January, 1840, and lived with his parents twenty years. He then learned the wagon manufacturing trade, and in 1862 enlisted in the 25th Ill. Reg., Co. D, and remained in service over three years. He was in the bat- tles of Chickamanga, Nashville, Atlanta campaign, etc. etc. He was wounded at Murfreesborough ; again at Chickamauga and Mission Ridge. After his discharge he returned to Vermilion county, and fol- lowed his trade for four years. On the 1st of February, 1866, he mar- ried Miss Lydia Mendenhall. She was born in this county. In 1869 he engaged in farming, and has continued the same since. In 1878 he erected a kiln and a 200 x 20 shed and 40-foot drain mill, and engaged in the manufacture of tile, and has now facilities for making five thou- sand 4-inch per day.
J. A. McDowell, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Ver- milion county, Illinois. He was born in Carroll township, on the 16th of November, 1841, and has here always made his home. He lived with his parents until 1863, when he took charge of his sister's farm, and in 1864 he moved to a place of his own. On the 25th of April, 1865, he mar ried Miss Mary Ramsey. She was born in this county, and died on the 26th of November, 1866. On the 18th of November, 1869, he married Miss Emma C. Porter. She was born in this county, on the 3d of April, 1849. They had six children, five living : Gracie P., Jennie E., Carrie, Freddie W., and Ray W. In November, 1869, he came to his present farm, and in 1875 he occupied his present elegant brick resi- dence. He owns six hundred acres of land in this county, located in the southwest part of Carroll township and the southeast part of Sidell township.
John B. Hildreth, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 19th of March, 1842, and has always lived in this county. At the age of twenty-one he began working for himself, farming part of his father's farm until 1870, when he got con- trol of two hundred acres. On the 10th of October, 1869, he married
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Miss Philette Ross, who was born in Indiana, and died here on the 20th of March, 1875. They had four children, three living : Carrie A., Alice and Philette. On the 26th of August, 1875, he married Miss Eliza Barnett, who was born in this county near their present place. They had two children, one living, Daisy. Mr. Hildreth owns five hundred and thirty-three acres of land in this and Edgar counties. His parents, Alvin K. and Sarah E. (Ritter) Hildreth, were natives of Bour- bon county, Kentucky. They came to this county about 1832, and lived here until their deaths, on the 19th of July, 1874, and on the 4th of July, 1877, respectively.
M. L. Hill, Catlin, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Wayne county, Kentucky, on the 15th of October, 1828, and lived there two years. He then, with his parents, moved to Crawford county, Illi- nois, where he lived until he was twelve years of age. They then moved to Clark county, where his mother died. He next moved to Owen county, Indiana, thence to York, Illinois, where he learned the carpenter's trade, and in 1848 he went to Danville. Illinois, and lived there until 1853. He then moved to Georgetown, where, in the spring of 1854, he married Miss Nancy E. Hewitt, who was born in this county. They have seven children : James W., M. L., jr., Charles W., Eli E., George, Oscar W. and Archie H. In 1859 Mr. Hill en- gaged in farming on his present place. In 1862 he enlisted in the 125th Ill. Reg., Co. D, and remained in the service till the close of the war. He was in the battles of Perryville, Chickamauga, the Atlanta cam- paign and the march to the sea. He owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of land in this county. He returned to his farm after the war, and has lived here since.
Dr. J. W. Ralston, Indianola, physician, was born in Williamson county, Tennessee, on the 12th of February, 1834, and lived there twelve years, when, with his parents, he moved to Indiana, and settled in Rockville, where he lived until 1855. In 1852 he began reading medicine under Drs. Rice and Allen and Dr. Stricker. He next at- tended the Ohio Medical College, of Cincinnati, for about six months. He then attended the Rush Medical College, of Chicago, and then came to Indianola. He began practice on the 1st of June, 1855, and has practiced here since. In the winter of 1867-S he graduated at the Rush Medical College. On the 15th of October, 1856, he married Miss Permelia, daughter of Mr. David Dickson, one of the early pio- neers of this county. She was born in Vermilion county, Illinois.
Johnathan Gaines, Indianola, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Greene county, Ohio, on the 23d of May, 1827, and lived there nine- teen years. He then came to Illinois, and settled in Edgar county,
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where he lived until 1856, when he came to Vermilion county, and settled on his present place. In September, 1854, he married Miss Lucinda Gilkey. She was born in this county. They had twelve chil- dren, ten living : Laura A., William, James S., Ralph, Eva, Charles, Walter, Ernest, Fred, and Gracie G. In 1848 Mr. Gaines drove cattle to Philadelphia, going on horseback, and made the trip each of the following eight years, and has shipped cattle every year since. He took cattle to Chicago in 1852, and has been in that city every year since. He owns eight hundred acres of land, which he has earned by his own labor and management.
MIDDLE FORK TOWNSHIP.
The town of Middle Fork, as its name indicates, lies in that part of the county where the three main branches unite and form the stream of that name. It is bounded on the north by Butler, east by Ross, south by Blount and Pilot, and west by the county line; is parallelo- gram in form, and geographically embraces the north half of town 21, range 13; the southern four tiers of sections of town 22, range 13; the northeast quarter of town 21, range 14, and the southern four tiers of the east half of town 22, range 14.
At the time of township organization it included not only all of Butler township, but all of what is now Ford county, running up to the Kankakee River. and was more than sixty miles long. At that time (1851) there was not an inhabitant north of what is known as Blue Grass Grove, until you reached the vicinity of the Kankakee River, where a few families had collected around Horse Creek, who, in their pioneer independence, were unwilling to recognize the authority which held its seat of justice at Danville, seventy-five miles to the south. Uncle Richard Courtney, who, by the untrammeled and virtuous suf- frages of the honest veomen of Middle Fork, in the year 1852, was elected to the lucrative office of assessor, relates a little incident which occurred to him in the official discharge of his duties, with these "Horse Creek" denizens, which is laughable enough, but which did not strike Richard as at all funny when it happened. With a due regard for the sanctity of his oath, and determined to leave no property unassessed, after he had carefully noted down all the wealth which lay scattered between Blue Grass and Higginsville, he bestrode the best horse he had, and, taking three days' rations of dried venison and cold corn-cake, he took his lonely way across the grand prairie to search out
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the tangible property, moneys and credits of these few families whose vast accumulations of filthy lucre and hidden treasure were proble- matical, to say the very least. Courtney was no novice at this business of hunting out
" Things that were palpable to sight and touch, That he could measure by the test, 'how much,' And grasp securely in his mental clutch."
Indeed he was a man of large experience in financial affairs, having early, when even yet a boy, engaged in trade, and had bought and sold a great deal of land. A hard day's drive brought him to the cabins on Horse Creek, and, taking a night's rest, at the first he proceeded to unfold to the inhabitants, in "a few well-chosen remarks," the objects of his mission. They theoretically placed their thumbs on their noses and wagged the extended fingers of their hands, which was pioneer parlance for "you can't come it." He expostulated, reasoned of the righteousness of his cause, the temperance of his manner, and the judgment which was sure to come upon them if they resisted his meek measures ; but, unlike Felix, they did not tremble worth a cent. They told him they never heard of Middle Fork; had never attended her town meetings, and utterly repudiated her authority ; that the year before a Kankakee assessor had come prowling around nosing into their affairs, wanting to assess them, and that they would bring to grief any Vermilion assessor who undertook to do what the Kankakee chap found he could not do. To make matters worse, a Protestant Methodist preacher, whose name is forgotten, or he certainly should have the benefit of a first-class notice, fell on poor Richard, who was only a Methodist Episcopal christian, and brother of a preacher of that per- suasion, and told him he did not expect anything better from such as he ; that his entire church was a priest-ridden, bishop-ruled, elder-dictated, poor, despised, crushed community, and poured a flood of light into the benighted mental vision of the publican, which an entire course in a Methodist theological seminary could hardly have equaled. He pointed to Courtney in fiery language, highly touched off with a flavor of sulphurous smoke, what a religion which pinned its faith to the surplices of a bench of bishops must inevitably lead to, and plainly intimated to the crowd that this assessor was a minion of the Episcopacy thinly hid behind the gauzy veil of township organization. Assert- ing that it was what he had long expected, and slapping his hands to- gether, said that this expectation was the very thing which had in- duced him to break with the priest-ridden M. E. church. To make the matter short, they set the women on him with brooms and mop- sticks to drive him from their midst. Ile was not in the habit of
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HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY.
giving up at trifles, but the array of armed women was no trifle in Courtney's estimation, and he betook himself to contemplative study. There stood his oath, recorded in heaven, that he would assess the value of these people's property. What was he to do ? A bright thought struck him. There resided in their midst a sort of backwoods lawyer, whom they called 'squire, whose words and opinions had come to be considered law in the settlement. As he had no property of his own, he could well afford to offer his services to help Courtney out. His kind offer was thankfully accepted, and " Richard was him- self again." So it was arranged that the heads of the dozen families living there should come to the "'squire's" cabin that night, and he would make known their duty under the law. "Law is law!" sen- tentionsly said the accommodating "'squire," "and I cannot let these neighbors of mine be dragged away from their families a hundred miles by your sheriff in Danville, if I can be the happy means under Divine Providence of preventing it." The convocation was held, and, in an orderly manner, Courtney explained the situation. He had a fair share of eloquence for a young man of limited word power, and presented his side of the case in a masterly manner. After long dis- cussion the 'squire decided that their little property was liable to assess- ment, and the faithful assessor felt as a great general does when a great victory is won. He felt different, however, a few moments later, when the kind 'squire charged him $2.50 for his friendly counsel. It was not safe to leave that county without paying the bill, and it took all the money he had. He got back to Blue Grass, however, without losing his horse or throwing up his commission. The board of town auditors allowed and paid him $3 for that part of his services. It was several long years before he was induced, by "the urgent request of his friends," to accept the office of assessor again, and for many years he has held to the opinion, pretty strongly, that until the unwelcomed advent of that horde of Chinese barbarians npon our Pacific slope there was not in America a class of people who had darker ways or vainer tricks than the lawyers. When the collector went there the following winter to make collections, he found a few parties who would not pay their tax, and he levied upon the only articles he could transport ; and, thinking he could not find any bidders in that neighborhood, he carried a shot- gun and a log-chain all the way to Danville, out of which to make the tax.
The township contained, originally, about twelve sections of timber land, which was more in the form of pretty well defined groves, with little of undergrowth, and hazel-brush patches which have since grown into timber land, than of what is generally called timber. The main
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branch of the Middle Fork, which comes into the township from the direction of Oliver's Grove, passes nearly through the town till its junction with Bean Creek, when it turns southwest and passes ont. Along this, after leaving the main body of timber on the south, were Collison's Point, Colwell Timber, Partlow's Timber, Douglass Moore Timber and Buck Grove. The Blue Grass branch, which comes from the north, joining the main branch near Marysville, had on it Bob Courtney's Grove and Blue Grass Grove. Bean Creek, which, so far as its name is concerned, has a history. It had Merritt's Point, and numerous clumps, which were early the homes of those who, like Al- bright, wanted the advantages which shade and shelter gave to grow- ing herds and fatting cattle. Of all the localities in northern Vermilion none offered a finer opportunity than the town of Middle Fork for early settlement and comfortable homes. In truth of this, the fine farms, the nice residences, the general prosperity, and the uncommon prosperity of a few, all show the town in the best possible light. There were drawbacks, however, that some other localities did not have. Many of the first settlers made their homes along the creek bottoms, seeking protection from the real or imaginary prairie blasts, and trying to use the water of the streams. Without one known exception, such families were the subjects of frequent, severe and fatal sickness. In the light of the present it seems strange that they should have selected such places for their homes. The families which made their homes on the edge of the prairies were not more troubled by sickness than others in new countries. An early settler, when asked why the rich prairies were so long left vacant, replied : " Why ! if we had known that any- body could live out there, we would have saved ourselves a great deal of trouble." It was really believed that they would only be of use as pastures for the great herds of cattle that would roam over them, as the herds do over the vast pampas of South America.
The streams through the pieces of timber were peculiar in one re- spect. When first found they seemed to have worn no channels for the water-courses. Every little rain spread them out into great ponds. Whether it was owing to the peculiar nature of the soil, or whatever may have been the cause or causes, they did not wear channels deep in the soil. Wherever there was an obstruction, as a fallen tree, the water poured over and made a deep pond-hole, which remained deep the year around. In these deep places large fish were caught. A gentleman, whose word is entitled to the utmost credit, says that he has known of the catching of a pike in the township fully four feet long. This might be set down by some as a "fish story," but the writer believes it to be true.
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