USA > Illinois > Washington County > History of Washington County, Illinois > Part 4
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The picture here drawn of the pioneers and first settlers, their modes of living, their customs and amusements, while lacking entire completeness, we feel is not inaccurate or untruthful.
While engaged in the agreeable work of preparing these annals, we have been conscious only of a desire to perform our task with fidelity to facts; to sketch life-like portraits of the bold men and brave women, who, in the morning twilight of our history, played their parts so well upon life's stage.
A record of those to whom we of this generation are so greatly indebted, while falling short of that fullness and accuracy which so greatly enhance a work of this kind, cannot fail to prove at once highly interesting and greatly instructive. It would have been far better had this work sooner appeared ; with a full record of the first immigrants and founders of this county, of their heavy sorrows and simple joys, of their free-hearted hospitality, of their courage and daring in day and hour of danger, of the prophetic hope that stimulated them always, and together with their trust in Providence, enabled them to successfully combat the dark throng of dangers that cruelly beset them, been written years ago.
Many of their number have passed from among us to the narrow house appointed for all the living, and the silent tomb which received their worn frames received also the host of recollection, anecdote, and reminiscence, which was of priceless value. The remorseless grave keeps well the secrets committed to its bosom. But it is fit that the work of gathering together the meagre and scattered records of the past, for the instruction of those who are to inhabit this land, and for the benefit of the student of history, has now been attempted, before the gray-haired actors of an earlier day are called to travel into God's presence, there to be re-united to the friends of their youth and companions of their toils and dangers. We are heirs of the past, but we are also debtors of the past. And we are too apt to forget how great is our obligation to the hardy men and noble women, who, a half century ago bade farewell to the familiar scenes of their youth, and traveled westward to the great valley, to lay broad, deep, and strong, the foundations of a mighty State, under whose protection a prosperous and happy people should enjoy, without stint, the blessings of liberty and peace.
A majority of them brought with them little we call wealth, but they brought what to the settler in an unbroken wilderness is of more value, in. dustrious and frugal habits, stout and enduring muscles, and contented and brave hearts.
Since first their eyes beheld the county how changed is the scene! The
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
physical features of the landscape indeed are unchanged. The same sky, not less blue, not less bright, arches above them as of yore, the same streams flow onward to the sea, the same rich soil is beneath their feet, but the mighty and virgin prairie which spread out before their gaze like a congealed ocean, has been subdued and made to yield grain for the service of man, while walled farm-houses, the abodes of happiness, are seen wherever the eye is turned,
"And forest, and field, and meadow, As a carpet checker the land."
Fair towns and pleasant villages have gathered their happy populations and resound with the "hum of men;" railroads run as great arteries where once the treacherous Indian followed untiring the trail of his enemy, while telegraph wires have woven a net-work over the land. Temples of knowl- ledge, where children gather with earnest, inquiring eyes, to learn the way of wisdom, are multiplied till there is room for all; and temples of religion, where all ages gather to learn the way of holiness, point, with burnished spires, toward the utter peace and solemnity of the skies.
The early settlers, through unremitting toil and great hardship, through great sacrifice and manifold dangers, have made possible the degree of lei- sure and culture we enjoy to-day, and the progress of science and art, of let- ters and high philosophy, in the great valley of the West. The germ of the beneficent school system, on which the hope of the Republic rests, and which unfolds the ample page of knowledge, "rich with the spoils of time," alike to the child from the mansion and the hovel, was planted by their hands and watered by their care. They brought with them the cheering ceremonies of a pure religion which to-day elevates and consoles the hearts of the children of earth. They laid the foundations of the grand State of Illinois, which to- day presses closely on towards her predestined place as first of all the sister- hood. We say, then, all honor to those
" Who travailed in pain with the birth of God, And planted a State with prayers."
A few who are well-nigh worn out with the battle and toil of life linger among us. They deserve well of their country, and of the younger genera- tion that has grown up around them. They should be made to feel that we are not ungrateful to them for their unselfish devotion to liberty, for their sacrifice and toil; and while we reap the grand harvest their hands have sown, let us cause them to feel that we honor them and that their deeds will be held in grateful remembrance by us and by our children.
In the midst of the beautiful and fertile land they wrested from the wild beast and from the fiercer red man, who contended desperately for the inheri- tance of his fathers, they shall sweetly sleep, while ages glide away, leaving behind them a race that will read, with never-flagging interest, the record of their lives, which furnishes so many rich examples of manly daring and womanly heroism; examples of fortitude under trial, and patience in affliction, which commend themselves to our hearts
A contemplation of the integrity of the fathers can but be productive of good at this time. We need more of that austerity of virtue and simplicity of taste, which characterized the people of that earlier day. And as we dwell upon the pages made glorious by their deeds, let us resolve to emulate their virtues.
The pioneer is " one who goes before to clear the way." He is the skirmisher of the vanguard of civilization, and never goes into permanent quarters. His is the voice crying in the wilderness, "Prepare! for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" He sows the seed, but leaves the harvest to be reaped by other hands. He is never truly happy except when upon the frontier. When the advancing hosts of civilization appear, he glances at their columns, and then, as if dismayed at their approach, plunges deeper into the western wilderness. He loves the profound solitude of the primeval forest and the silence that broods like a calm over the unbroken prairie.
Let no one despise the pioneer. He is a man with a mission, and nobly fulfills it. It is his to "spy out the land" and direct the footsteps of the coming myriads.
"A frame of adamant, a soul of fire, No dangers fright him, and no labors tire."
Europe was a thousand years in passing through the pioneer stage of her existence. America has nearly finished hers in two hundred and fifty. The hardy pioneer will soon have finished his explorations and then will live only in story and in song.
They were rough in personal appearance, yet kind, social and generous. They were hunters and stock growers, and confined their agricultural opera-
Itions chiefly to corn, and a small amount of wheat. They were brave, prompt, and decided in war, yet liberal and magnanimous to a subdued foe. They showed great energy and a just spirit of enterprise, in removing from five to fifteen hundred miles into a wilderness country, and pioneering the way for the future prosperity of their descendants. They were hospitable, generous, and ready to share with their neighbors, or newly arrived strangers, their last loaf. They were guided by Providence, preserved amidst dangers, sickness and savage assaults, and thus became the pioneers of civilization, the founders of a free government, and the instruments for extension of pure Christianity. They turned the wilderness into a fruitful field, and prepared the country to sustain a more dense-population, and to increase in wealth and prosperity."*
First Settlers .- Two brothers-in-law, John Lively and David Huggins, hardy, brave, pioneers, in the year 1810 were residing in the north-east part of Randolph, on the south-east part of St. Clair County. They were men of industrious, economical habits, and had acquired considerable property, con- sisting mainly of live stock, cattle, horses, etc. Their herds increased, and it soon became apparent that they must seek "wider fields and pastures new" for their stock. They finally selected as the place of their future home a place on the west side of the timber along Crooked Creek, on the east side of the Kaskaskia River, about two miles above where Crooked Creek empties into the river, and about the same distance south-east of where the town of Old Covington was afterwards founded. This was in the year 1810 or 1811.
Here they lived and prospered, with happiness and contentment, until the restless savages began to show unmistakable symptoms that they meditated warlike intentions. In the spring of 1813, it became evident that troubles with the Indians were inevitable. For a time they were afforded protection by the Rangers, but after a time this proved to be inadequate, and Lively and Huggins began to seriously discuss the subject of leaving their homes, and seeking protection at the fort at Hill's Station in Randolph County. At this time these men and their families were the only settlers as well as the first, of Washington County.
The discussions about leaving their homes and going to the fort were frequent, Huggins advocating leaving and Lively desiring to stay. Finally Huggins took his family and removed to the settlement, near the present site of the town of Fayetteville. Lively with his family, consisting of a wife, two sons, two daughters-one about grown, and a hired man, remained at home. At this time there were no "settlements" nearer than Shoal Creek on the north-west, and Hill's Station on the south, either of which was twenty-five or thirty miles away.
Lively was a brave man, and was considered reckless. He told Huggins that he had no fear of the Indians. That with his rifle and his dogs he could whip twenty Indians. After the departure of Huggins the family of Lively enjoyed quiet and peace, having nothing to excite their fears except the continued anxiety and uneasiness incident to their exposed condition.
Lively himself did not suffer from the fear of the Indians, but his wife seemed to have a presentiment of the terrible scenes that were soon to be enacted by the merciless savages.
The Massacre .- Lively had an enclosure into which he had his stock driven at night to protect them from the marauding bands of Indians. For several nights previous to the night that witnessed the fearful tragedy that was enacted in July 1813, Lively and his family were greatly disturbed. The stock gave evidence of alarm by their unusual conduct; the dogs barked continuously, and Lively began to realize the imminent danger of himself and family. He frequently, with rifle in hand, would go out and search for the cause of the alarm, but his efforts to discover the source were una- vailing. He endeavored to calm his wife's fears by telling her it was nothing but wolves or other wild animals that created the disturbance. This, how- ever, did not suffice to quiet her feelings, and she labored more assiduously to convince her husband that their safety depended on their immediate removal to the fort.
The last night before the massacre was so exceedingly noisy that Lively began to lose his composure, and agreed to accede to the oft-repeated request of his wife to leave and go to a place of safety.
He began the preparations for removing about two hours before sundown He directed his son and hired hand, his nephew, to get up the horses, while his wife and daughters milked the cows, and got things in readiness to start for the settlements. The young man and boy started in quest of the horses, leaving the old gentleman in the cow-pen with his wife and daughters, who were milking the cows. He was on the stump of a fallen tree with his loaded
* Reynolds.
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
rifle across his knees ready for use, chatting to his wife and daughters, whose spirits were buoyant in anticipation of leaving the dreaded place.
But alas! their fond hopes were never to he realized! The young man and boy had proceeded but a short distance in the direction of the horses when they were alarmed at the report of fire-arms in the direction of the house. They hurried to the scene of the firing, and when they had come in sight of the house a scene met their gaze that was calculated to freeze their young hearts! The premises were covered with Indians; the death-dealing tomahawk and scalping-knife were doing their work of destruction. The piteous wail of the dying as they begged in vain for their lives ; the demo- niac yells of the merciless savages as they accomplished their terrible work of death, was sufficient to freeze the blood in their youthful veins!
All were found where they were slain, on the premises, scalped, and their bodies horribly mutilated except one boy, who was found by a party that followed the Indians, a few miles distant from the premises.
He was carried off a captive, but the savage heart it seems was not satisfied with gore, and he too was despatched. His head was cut off, a hole cut in his body and his buckskin hunting shirt drawn through the wound, to be sure that their work was well done.
The young man and boy were powerless to avert the tragedy, or arrest the murderers.
To add to their horrible situation, the horses had become frightened, and ran from them, and by no means could they get hold of them. There was no alternative other than to make the perilous and arduous journey to the nearest Post, which was situated near the present site of Fayetteville. With bleeding hearts they left the old homestead, and the mangled remains of the members of their family, and traveled the greater part of the night, arriving at a grove in the southwest part of the county at a late hour in the night, when they found that fatigue had overcome them and they could proceed no further. The lad had, long before they reached this place, become so tired, that he could not walk, and the young man had carried him upon his back.
There is a tradition, that the boy, was hidden away under a log, and in- structed not to leave his hiding place until the young man's return. This however, is not well authenticated. Upon their arrival at the Post they re- lated the scene of the atrocious massacre of the Lively family ; obtained help and returned to the sad scene at the Lively homestead.
The dead were buried, and pursuit was given to the Indians. They were overtaken by the Rangers, and some of them killed. A part of Lively's stock was recaptured and brought back.
From the circumstance of the young man and boy being the first white persons to stay over night in this grove, it is supposed that it took its name of Lively grove; a name now applied to the whole precinct.
David Huggins remained in St. Clair County, for a little more than a year after the massacre of the family of his brother-in-law Lively, when he re- moved to Perry County, where his brother, Robert Huggins, then resided. He remained there until 1816, when he again returned to the place in Wash- ington County that he had left in the spring of 1813. He remained on this place until his death.
He left quite a family surviving him, and many of his descendants are now residents of Washington County.
FRANCIS BERRY, was doubtless, next to Lively and Huggins as a "settler" in Washington County. The date of his coming is not authenticated by any record, but like almost everything else connected with the history of the pi- oneer settlement, depends on tradition. From the very best authority obtain- able it may be located in the year 1815. He erected a primitive, and rude dwelling, on the north of the Fayetteville road, east of where the bridge over Elkhorn creek is now located. He remained but a short time, and gave way to a man by the name of Evans, who had an unusually dark complexion, and was believed to be a Portuguese. Evans soon after died, and nothing is left to tell of where they lived and labored, save an old field overgrown with brush and brambles.
WILLIAM AYERS. In 1816, William Ayers came to the county, and set- tled on a piece of land east of where Evans lived. He remained here but a short time, when he removed to Ayers' Point, now Oakdale, where he lived in the enjoyment of a well-spent life to the ripe old age of ninety-six years, when he was gathered to his fathers.
In 1815, Major Herrin settled near Plum Hill, and is said to have pur- chased the first tract of land from the government, for actual settlement and cultivation, that was purchased in Washington County.
The years 1817 and 1818, witnessed a large immigration to Washington County.
JOHN RAINY, located, and built a house on what is now known as the old "Archy Hood" farm, west of Pilot Knob.
JOSEPH KINYON, settled ou or near the site of the present village of Venedy. REUBEN WHEELIS, settled on the east side of the Elkhorn timber, or north and a little east of the Henry Scheocring place.
DAVID WELLS, a preacher of the Baptist church, came to the county and settled, between 1815 and 1817. About the same time, Abraham Minson, Charles McCord, Cyrus, and James B. Sawyer, settled in the county. Many of their descendants are yet living in the county. James Ratcliff, settled on what is known as the Sawyer place in 1818. The Circuit Court records show that he was a grand juror at the May term in the year 1819.
In 1818 or 1819, Cyrus Sawyer bought out Ratcliff, and removed to the point since known as "Sawyer's Point. In 1822 George Brown, came into the county and settled, on what is called the "Nicholas Walker farm."
WILLIAM ROUNTREE, senior, moved from Shoal Creek, now Clinton County, to the timber on the west side of Elkhorn creek, a little south-east of the present site of the village of Elkton, in 1818. The circumstances of his re- moval are as follows :
Mr. Rountree had emigrated from Kentucky, and settled at the time above- mentioned on Shoal creek. He was unfortunate, in this, that his family had a great deal of sickness, three members of it having died in a short time after. his location; and this bereavement, together with the loss of nearly all his live stock from the disease known as "milk sickness," discouraged him so much that he concluded to return to the "blue grass" regions of his native state.
He had proceeded on his return journey but a short distance, viz., to the place near the present site of Elkton, when, sickness in his family compelled him to stop. Here he erected a rude log house, to protect him from the chilling blasts of winter, expecting to proceed to Kentucky on the approach of warm weather. The house was raised by the help of one white man-David Wells, and a half dozen Shawnee Indians. Mr. Rountree gave up his contemplated return to Kentucky, and lived on this place until the year 1831, when he sold the improvement to Matthew Forrest, and removed to a place about a mile north, where he resided continuously until his death,
COLONEL JOHN PHILLIPS settled on Beaucoup in 1819, and in the same year, James Gordon settled on the William Rainey place.
The Williams', Weavers, Birds' and Rayland families came to the county and settled along the country from Ayer's Point, to the confluence of Elkhorn creek with the Kaskaskia River, in the period embraced between the dates, 1818 and 1829.
The first notice of white inhabitants in Washington County, was brought to the Legislature at Kaskaskia in 1817. At the session of 1818, the settle- ments above referred to, and those on Shoal creek, received legislative sanction, by an enactment of the General Assembly, creating the County of Washington and prescribing its boundaries. This gave an increased impetus to immigration, and from this dates a steady increase in the population and settlement of the county.
The Beaucoup Settlement .- In 1818, some authorities say at an earlier date, John Dees, Alexander White, and John Laird, from Tennessee, settled where the old Mud Prairie road enters the Beaucoup timber. Then or soon there- after came the Whittenbergs, Whites, Livisays, Lyons, Henrys, Carters, Nathan Davis, Anderson, Jack, Rev. James Walker, and numerous others ; making the Beaucoup settlement numerically the strongest in the county.
The " Rock Chimney," was settled by John Dees, who, in 1827, sold it to Captain James Burns, who afterwards sold it to Rev. James Walker.
Covington Settlement .- In 1818, William H. Bradsby, and others, whose names are now unknown, settled on the Kaskaskia River, at the crossing of the old "trace " between Kaskaskia and Peoria. H. White soon after established and maintained a ferry across the river at this point. The town of Coving- ton was laid out and became the county seat soon after, and continued to remain the capital until the county was divided, and the County of Clinton was formed of a part of the territory.
JESSE MOORE settled in what is now North Prairie, north of New Minden. He was soon after joined by some of his sons, and finally others came, until quite a settlement had been formed. In 1821, John and David Locke, and Abraham Severs, settled on Grand Point Creek, near the old John Faulkner place. About the same time Dr. Glover settled in the same neighborhood.
In 1825, John, Jackson and Joel Woodrum settled on "Little Muddy Creek," west of the town of Ashley. In a short time they were joined by the Mckenzie family-William Nichols settled a little east of north of them, at about the same time, and to distinguish his settlement from theirs it was
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
called "Big Muddy." He was joined soon after by Elijah Smith and others. About the same time, or soon afterwards, John Jackson settled the place known as the old "James Lucus farm," on which was afterwards built a part of the town of Ashley.
In 1828, a widow Smith, mother of James Smith, Esq., moved in, and set- tled in the Woodrum neighborhood. She brought with her the first wagon with spoke wheels and iron tire, that was ever introduced into the settle- ment.
The following families settled in the vicinity of Dubois in 1827-8: Geo. Palmer, in 1827, was the first. The others were : John Vaughn, Robert Mc- Cord, Peter Teel, Levander Waters, S. W. Anderson and Laz. Stewart.
In 1819 a man named Afflack settled in Three Mile Prairie; he remained but little more than a year.
BENJAMIN BRUTON settled in Three Mile Prairie about the same time. The prairie took its name from him, and was for a long time known as Bruton's Prairie. Wm. Minson settled there about the same time. This was all the settlement that was made in that vicinity for a long time. In 1832, Robert Burns settled north of "Locust creek point," and in this year came also James Jordan, John Lane, James Mitchell and John Stephens.
In 1830 the McElhanon family removed to this county from Randolph. In 1830, John Morgan, father of H. P. H. and Sol. Morgan, resided on the hill at the crossing of the creek, on the road leading from Nashville to Ashley.
In 1830 there was not a house in the town of Nashville. The proprietors, Wm. G. Brown and Robert Middleton, deed about one-half of the lots to the county. They also offered to give a lot free to the wife of the man who would build the first house in the town. Orcenith Fisher, a minister of the gospel, and Sam. K. Anderson, both began to build, and each strained every nerve to be the winner; Anderson purchased an old log cabin from Robert Burns, and hauled it in and soon had it in position, but it was a poor speci- men of a house. He claimed the victory, but the proprietors decided that his " little old log cabin " was not a house in the purview of the offer. Fisher erected a substantial two story frame house, which might be claimed as the first house that was built in Nashville. A more detailed account of the set- tlement of Nashville will be found in the history of Nashville Precinct, else- where in this book.
Mrs. John D. Wood came to Washington county in 1821. Was also one of the first settlers of Nashville. She is still living hale and hearty, for one of her advanced years. Her memory is vivid with the recollections of the scenes of early life in the settlement of the county. She has a distinct recol- lection of the leading men of those times-lawyers, judges and politicians- Reynolds, Kinney, Shields, Breeze and others.
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