USA > Illinois > Clay County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 49
USA > Illinois > Wayne County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 49
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
394
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
sotto roce, to some one inside, " There must be a jail built for these rowdies." Riley, hearing the remark, jumped up and said, " I'll be d-d if I am going to hold the prisoner here until the jail is built." Bash- ford, being freed, also sprang to his feet, and remarked that " I'll be d-d if I will lay there until the jail is built either." Another good story is told on this same Riley. One day when he was pretty full, Judge Wilson ordered him to summon " Jim Tate " at the door, and, as Riley started to obey, Judge Wilson noticed that Bill Tate had also been summoned, and said, "and Bill, too." Riley, however, commenced-" Jim Tate and Bill, too," "Jim Tate and Bill, too "-as if the whole expression was one name. Judge Wilson, seeing the mistake, "Call one at a time, Mr. Sheriff." Riley was, however, too drunk to comprehend, and began. " One at a time!" "One at a time !! " "One at a time !!! " It is needless to say that neither of the witnesses called responded. Still another good story is told of early justice in this county under the administration of the same Judge Wilson. The incident hap- pened some little time after, and was when the jail was an old stable near the court house. A man by the name of Henry Phil- lips was serving at this time as Sheriff. A genus homo by the name of Bill Colwell was a frequenter of the bar of justice. He was a fearful object to look at, a dog having bitten his nose off close to his face when he was a child. He was a hard drinker, and often- times went on a spree. It was while on one of these tears that he came into court, and commenced asserting that he "was a hoss." After he had disturbed the court a good deal, Judge Wilson said, "Mr. Sheriff, please take the horse out, and put him in the sta- ble," and as Phillips was leading Colwell out he remarked, "and please give the horse its
supper." The first road in the township was the old State road, that runs at present through the southern part of Clay City in an almost due east and west direction. As ear- ly as 1810, when Mr. McCawley first came to the county, there was an old Indian trace extending through the county from Vincennes west to St. Louis and Kaskaskia. About 1820, the State ordered it surveyed, and made it a legally established road. The next road was one from old Maysville to Al- bion, and thence to Mount Carmel. It was surveyed under the supervision of the State about 1825, and was the last road that the State ran through this part of the State. The road from old Maysville to Mount Erie was established in 1840 by the county, and the road from Maysville to Fairfield was laid out about the same time. The road from Maysville to Ingraham was surveyed about 1850.
Schools. - Some early families had a teach- er employed probably in au early day, but they have been lost sight of. The first teacher that there is any knowledge of was William L. Gash, who taught in old Mays- ville about 1830. He was a resident of Wayne County, and was finally elected Clerk of that county. He taught in private houses in the old town, and was considered one of the best disciplinarians of the day. About 1831, a man by the name of Dogan taught for a short time in an old tenement house about a mile east of Maysville. In 1835, the first schoolhouse was built in the township. It was on Government land, and was erected by John McCawley. James Rusk taught the first school here. This man was an early settler, and was well thought of in his day. His death finally occurred in Louisville. This schoolhouse was not used very long, and gave way to one erected about a mile east of Maysville, on land owned by Mr. McCawley.
395
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
It was built about 1838, and stood until about 1841. James Rusk was also a teacher there, and a man by the name of Stores also taught there. Some subscription schools were also taught in private honses. Among the teach- ers were Mrs. Ridgeway and Mrs. Pitner.
At present the schools of the township out- side of Clay City present the following show- ing: Number of houses (out of Clay City), five; number of pupils, 574; number en- rolled, 406.
Teachers-District 2, W. B. Martindale; District 3, H. A. Gilkinson; District 4, --; District 5, A. G. Brown; District 6, John Leavitt.
Trustees-H. J. Daggitt, E. Nagle, John Creech.
Directors-District 2, J. Brissenden, P. Lormer, J. Travis; District 3, J. H. Nelson, John Martin, John Pride; District 4, Thom- as T. Taylor, Allen Williams, John Fitzger- rell; District 5, L. Williams, S. Frank, L. Metcalf; District 6, J. Hance, F. Glascow, L. Cokeley.
The first mill in the township was erected about 1833. It was a horse grist mill, and was put up by J. L. Rickersham. It stood about one mile east of Maysville, and it was an old landmark for many a day. In 1838, a firm by the name of Ochiltree & Coates erected a steam saw mill on the east side of the Little Wabash, on the old State road. It finally fell into the hands of John McCawley, and was used for a number of years by the people of this region. The next mill was erected in 1851 near the same place by Rude & Freeman. It was run until about 1857, and was finally pulled down, and the ma- chinery carried to another place. The first mills of Maysville and Clay City receive attention in another place.
The first child born in the township was probably Mary Ann McCawley, a daughter of
John McCawley, the child being born Sep- tember 5, 1813, and the first person that died here was an infant son of the same man named Daniel, who died some time in IS20.
Township Organization and List of Offi- cers .- At the spring meeting of the County Board of Supervisors in 1862, it was decided to adopt the township organization, and set off as Clay City Township all of Congres- sional Township 2 north, and half of Town- ship 3 north, of Range 8 east, lying west of Big Muddy Creek and Little Wabash River. The first annual town meeting in the town- ship accordingly was held in the school- house in Clay City on April 1, 1862. The meeting being called to order, Joseph Dawes was chosen Moderator, and S. B. Munger, Clerk, and both being qualified, the polls were opened for the election of the first offi- cers in the township, with the following results: T. P. Vandever, Supervisor; R. E. Duff, Town Clerk; I. M. Farr, Assessor; F. R. Pitner, William Brissenden, Overseers of Poor; Joseph Teatrick, C. C. McCallister and Charles Peshall, Commissioners of High- ways; Joseph Teatrick and N. H. Duff, Jus- tices of the Peace; W. B. Shepherd and Eli Thomas, Constables; and Morris Brissenden, J. D. Perkey and S. M. Tilley, Poundmasters. On the 10th, the Commissioners of Highways met and drew lots as the law then directed to see which would sorve one year, which two, and which three, with the following result: Joseph Teatrick, three years, Charles Peshall, two, and C. C. McCallister, one. They then proceeded to appoint Charles Peshall Treasurer of the board. The board subsequently divided the township into two districts, and appointed Dennis Handley, Overseer for the First District, and R. J. Carter for the Second District. It was also decided by the board that a tax be levied for highways on each male inhabitant in the
396
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
township. Said tax to consist of two days' highway labor. The following statement shows the officers elected at the subsequent town meetings:
1863-Supervisor, N. H. Duff; Town Clerk, R. E. Duff; Assessor, D. L. McCawley; Col- lector, F. R. Pitner; Commissioners of High- ways, J. Dowles, J. D. Perkey; Overseers of Highways, D. Curtis, D. Handley.
1864-Supervisor, M. Brissenden; Town Clerk, E. W. Boyles; Assessor, D. L. McCaw- ley; Collector, F. R. Pitner; Commissioner of Highways, J. Manker; Overseer of High- ways, J. Myers.
1865-Supervisor, M. Brissenden; Town Clerk, E. W. Boyles; Assesssor, D. L. Mc- Cawley; Collector, F. R. Pitner; Commis- sioners of Highways, J. Dawes, C. McCallister; Overseer of Highways, W. B. Shepherd.
1866-Supervisor, R. Marley; Town Clerk, S. Holman; Assessor, J. B. Finnell; Collec- tor, Thomas Bouls; Commissioners of High- ways, J. B. Figg; Overseer of Highways, J. C. Johnson.
1867-Supervisor, D. L. McCawley; Town Clerk, J. E. West; Assessor, O. D. Schooley; Collector, M. Brissenden; Commissioners of Highways, J. Manker, I. Lytton; Overseers of Highways, W. Hopkins, R. Roberts.
1868-Supervisor, D. L. McCawley; Town Clerk, W. H. Morrow; Assessor, F. Bisniski; Collector, S. M. Tilley; Commissioners of Highways, D. Curtis, I. Lytton; Overseers of Highways, L. J. Travis, F. R. Pitner.
1869-Supervisor, D. L. McCawley; Town Clerk, P. C. Kuykendall; Assessor, W. H. Hance; Collector, E. W. Boyles; Commis- sioner of Highways, A. Welty; Overseers of Highways, J. T. Wells, John Berry.
1870-Supervisor, D. L. McCawley; Town Clerk, J. W. Manker; Assessor, S. M. Tilley; Collector, E. W. Boyles; Commissioner of Highways, W. W. Apperson; Overseers of Highways, A. Elliott, J. Dunn.
1871-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, C. Peshall (resigned), E. McJilton; Assessor, S. M. Tilley; Collector, W. L. Sperry; Commissioner of Highways, William Holman; Overseers of Highways, W. Kerr, G. D. Thomas.
1872-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, C. Buser; Assessor, S. M. Tilley; Col- lector, P. Kuykendall; Commissioner of Highways, A. Welty; Overseers of High- ways, P. Larimore, J. Holman.
1873-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, S. Holman; Assessor, S. M. Tilley; Collector, I. Mills; Commissioner of High- ways, J. Nogle.
1874-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, J. Ansbrook; Assessor, M. Brissenden; Collector, J. Manker; Commissioner of High- ways, W. Holman; Overseers of Highways, W. C. Prather, W. Rubens, A. Elliott.
1875-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, J. Ausbrook; Assessor, M. Brissenden; Collector, J. Manker.
1876-Supervisor, R. E. Duff; Town Clerk, R. O. Harris; Assessor, J. M. Ans- brook; Collector, Isaac Creek; Commissioner of Highways, J. D. Mosley; Overseers of Highways, John Creek, William Rubens, G. Sernghan.
1877-Supervisor, C. McCallister; Town Clerk, R. O. Harris; Assessor, W. W. Apper- son; Collector, Isaac Creek; Commissioner of Highways, W. Holman; Overseers of Highways, C. Prather, W. Rubens, L. Wells, D. Barnes.
1878-Supervisor, L. Wells; Town Clerk, E. McGilton; Assessor, D. L. McCawley; Collector, J. Quertermous; Commissioner of Highways, A. Hunley.
1879-Supervisor, I. Mills; Town Clerk. R. T. Fry; Assessor, D. L. McCawley; Col- lector, J. Quertermous; Commissioner of Highways, E. Nagle.
397
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
1880-Supervisor, C. D Duff; Town Clerk, R. T. Fry; Assesscr, D. L. McCawley; Col- lector, H. C. Bothwell; Commissioner of Highways, J. Holman; Overseers of High- ways, J. Creech, W. Rubens.
1881-Supervisor, I. Mills; Town Clerk, T. Doherty; Assessor, P. Larimare; Collector, O. D. Schooley; Commissioner of Highway, A. Hunley; Overseers of Highways, J. Creech, J. Travis, J. Sunday.
1882-Supervisor, J. L. McQuown; Town Clerk, T. Doherty; Assessor, H. Larimare; Collector, J. Quertermous; Commissioner of Highways, J. E. McIlvain; Overseers of High- way, J. Creech, William Rubens, G. Sharp.
1883-Supervisor, R. F. Duff; Town Clerk, S. S. Doherty; Assessor, George Ru- bens; Collector, E. W. Boyles; Commis- sioner of Highways, W. H. Loy; Overseers of Highways, J. S. Gilliland, J. Travis, M. Marshall.
Maysville. - The original plat of the town. of Maysville was laid out by Daniel May about 1818, and consisted originally of forty acres, and contained 164 lots. The town ex- tended along the old State road originally, and did not go any farther north than Morris Brissenden's house. The only other addition to the town was made in 1850 by R. A. Mead. It consisted of only about ten acres.
As early as 1816, some one or two families had formod a little settlement, and to it gave the name of Hubbardsville. In 1818, Daniel May came, and, as we have already intimated, bought land and finally laid out the town, which he named after himself. He kept an inn, and carried on quite a business. A year or two after he had secured the location of the county seat at this point, he became dis- heartened with the prospects, and finally went West. Another early settler was Dr. Peter Green. He came about the same time that May did, and was one of the foremost citi-
zens in the place. Besides practicing his profession, he also ran a hotel, and finally opened a general store. When the county seat was moved to Louisville, he went there, and subsequently represented the county for a number of years in the Legislature. HA finally died in that town in 1870. T. P. Henson was another old settler. He came here about the timo the county seat was first located. He was more of a politician than anything else, and was considered a very public-spirited man. Among the first mer- chants in the town was David Duff, who came about 1820. For a number of years, he was one of the leading citizens of the place. He finally died in Clay City about 1867. An- other early merchant in the town was John L. Ridgeway, and still another was a man by the name of Ellston.
As we have remarked before, the location of the county seat at this point was secured in 1826, through the instrumentality of Daniel May. The first sessions of the court were held in the old hotel, and it was not until 1830 that the court house was built. Soon after the court house was built, May went West, and the tavern was run by T. P. Henson. Afterward, Dr. Green built a hotel, and finally sold to a man by the name of Treat. Henson also sold his hotel to Caleb Ridgeway, who ran it for a long time. About the time tho court house was built, James M. Hoag opened a store at this point. Dr. Green, who had been running a hotel, opened a store also, and G. Harris also ran a store there. In 1842, the county seat was moved to Louisville, but the town still managed to hold its own. At this time, it contained about 200 inhabitants, and although a num- ber of the citizens followed the court to Louisville, others came, so that the town con- tinued to have about as many people in its confines. About 1842, Thomas J. Bagwell
398
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
came to this place and bought one of the hotels. Here he kept an excellent hostelry until the town of Clay City sprang into ex- istence. About this time, John Brissenden also moved to this point and opened a store, which he ran for a number of years. He finally took in J. K. Bothwell as partner, who in time assumed entire control of the store, and sold goods there until 1862, when he finally moved to Clay City. In 1845, Bag- well put up a horse mill. It was on the Fairfield road, and was run for a number of years. He also served as Postmaster from 1842 to 1851. In 1853, J. I. McCawley opened a saloon in the village, which he finally ran into a general store, and about the same time D. L. McCawley also opened a store there. No charter was ever granted the peo- ple of Maysville, and the town was always under the old precinct government. The town's death knell was sounded in the pro- jection of the Ohio & Mississippi road. It had been the intention of the contractors at first to run the road through the town. But having some trouble in securing the right of way, the town finally lost the road, and it was at last surveyed to the north some dis- tance, where the town of Clay City was laid ont. And the running of the first train of cars on this road closed the door of prosperity against Maysville, and one by one the mer- chants in that town came to the new place. The last store was finally closed in 1862, and its proprietor came to the more fortunate burg of Clay City.
"At a meeting of the School Directors of this district July 12, 1855, T. J. Bag- well was appointed President, and John K. Duff, Secretary." The above is the record of the first meeting, under the free school system, ever held in this township, of which any record has been kept, and is probably the very first held. The newly elected board of
Directors met on the 22d day of September for the purpose of hiring a suitable school teacher, and it was ordered that Joseph C. Godd be hired to teach in said district for a term of three months, at the rate of $20 a month and board. This term of school was not taught in any schoolhouse, for we find that on the 8th day of October the Directors met and decided to build a school house in the district. In order to defray expenses, it was also decided that a tax of $1 on every hundred dollars of taxable property be levied. On the 22d day of January, 1856, F. R. Pitner was elected to the board, in place of J. K. Duff, deceased. On this date, two lots (Nos. 94 and 95), were purchased from Brissenden and Bothwell. The price paid was $25, and the contract for building the house was let to Dennis Hanley, for the sum of $529.48. The building was a frame, and was completed on May 22, 1856. The following statement shows the Directors and teachers for the years following:
1856 - Directors, J. Bagwell, Joseph Crockle, F. R. Pitner (resigned), N. H. Duff. Teachers, Miss Eliza A. Batherton, Miss A. A. Farnsworth, T. J. Gaskell
1857-Teacher, Miss Phoebe Dunn.
1859-Directors, B. Harris, J. K. Both- well, R. E. Duff. Teacher, J. S. Gray.
1860-Director, S. B Munger. Teacher, Miss Mary Crundwell.
1861-Director, J. I. McCawley. Teacher, Mrs. Mary A. Covert.
On April the 2d, 1861, an election was held in the schoolhouse in old Maysville, for the purpose of deciding upon the removal of the building to the new town of Clay City. There were forty-four votes cast, and of these thirty were for removal, and fourteen against. In October of that year, the building was accordingly removed to Lots 2 and 3, of Block No. 11, in Wilson & Cochran's
401
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
Addition to Clay City. With this removal, the history of the schools of Maysville closed and that of Clay City began.
Early Churches and Preachers. -- The first religious services of any kind ever held in the county were held at the residence of John McCawley. In 1820-21. Lorenzo Dow preached there twice or three times, in his travels through this and other States. In the early days of Maysville, a circuit preacher came once in awhile and preached in a grove that used to stand on part of the farm now owned by Mr. Brown. The grove was com- posed of locust trees, and was the property of Caleb Ridgeway. Old David Stanford was living in this neighborhood at the time; he would hold services in the grove on pleasant Sundays. David Duff finally built a ware- house, and there preaching was held for some time. There was in an early day a man by the name of Schooley held services there. He was a minister of the Christian Church, and was the first pastor of that de- nomination who ever held services in this county. J. K. Bothwell built a packing house about 1845, and that was used for a church by tho Methodists for some time. In 1854, the Methodist Church of Maysville was built on ground formerly owned by Mr. Mi- senheimer. After the building of the church a society was organized. Among the early members were D. Stanford, Dr. Pitner and wife. Thomas J. Bagwell and wife, Thomp- son Bothwell and wife, and a family of Chaneys.
Among the ministers that preached there at different times were Revs. Stanford, Lam- bert, Thatcher, Roberts and Westman. The latter gentleman was pastor of the congrega- tion when it was finally decided to move the church to Clay City, from which time the history of this church is found in that of the Methodist Episcopal Church of that place.
1
About the time of the building of this church, the first Sunday school in the county was organized under the supervision of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and it was continned in operation until the removal of the church to Clay City. Among the Superintendents were Thomas J. Bagwell and Dr. Pitner, and, later on, Jenkins Manker.
The old town of Maysville fared better than many places, in that it had a daily mail, it being on the State road, and over that thoroughfare a mail was run every day bo- tween St. Louis and Cincinnati. The village also boasted of two good hotels, and it was the only place, in a distance of fifty miles, where anything could be found that was eat- able, and in the palmy days of emigration to the far West, the town was always full of strangers. A part of the old court house is still standing, and is now part of the resi- cence of D. Soules.
Clay City .-- As already has been stated, it was the original intention of the projectors of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad torun the rail- road through the old town of Maysville. If that had been done, it is probable that the town of Clay City would have never existed even on paper. But the proprietors of the land through which the company wanted the right of way put their price too high, and as a consequence the contractors were compelled to seek another route, and in the end the present line was surveyed. This was in 1852, and on July 4, 1855, the first train was run over the road. The first man to foresee the present town of Clay City was Mr. J. D. Perkey, who at that time was a resident of Maysville. In the latter part of 1855, he purchased part of the farm of Francis Ap- person, lying immediately north of the rail- road, and laid out a plat of thirty acres to which he gave the name of Clay City, name- ing it after the county. A short account of
23
402
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
the founder of this village we think will prove acceptable at this point: Mr. J. D. Perkey was born in New Harmony, Ind., and there grew to manhood. At the time of the discovery of gold, he went to California, and in the fever of speculation that followed he lost and made two or three fortunes. Finally, in 1853, having amassed some means, he came East, and reaching this point on the old Government road, he decided to locate here. He purchased the old Joe Beard farm, near the village of Maysville, but only made one crop, and then came into the town and started a grocery store, which stood where Morris Brissenden's house stands now. He did business there for a short time, but being of an unsettled nature, finally again turned his attention to farming, and purchased land in Hoosier Prairie. In the latter part of 1855, as stated above, he bought land and laid out a town to which he gave the name of Clay City. Wishing to insure success to his new venture, he immediately erected a hotel. This building was the first in the present village and is still standing as part of the Mound House. After running the hotel for a short time, he purchased an interest in the store adjoining the hotel. and in connection with Robert Duff ran a grocery store. After doing business for some time, Perkey again becoming dissatisfied, sold out his interests to Duff, and again went to farming. The farm he purchased first was north of town, but selling that out after a year or two. he bought another southeast of Clay City, and ran that for two years. Still unsettled, he next came to this village and opened a harness shop. He carried on this for a number of years, as it had been his trade in an earlier day. But fate seemed to be against him, and he was finally burned out. Becoming disheartened here, he next moved to Robin- son, Ill., where he died in 1877. He was
twice married, but only one child is now liv- ing in the person of Homer Perkey, who is now living on a farm in the south part of the township.
The first addition to the original plat was that of Wilson & Cochran's Addition. It was a tract of fifty acres, and lay imme- diately south of the railroad. Next, D. D. Duff laid out an addition of ten acres to the west of the original plat and on the same side of the railroad. Next, C. H. Sperry laid out a ten-acre addition to the south of Wilson & Cockran's Addition, and J. I. McCawley an addition comprising twenty acres to the east of Sperry's Addition. The last of the addi- tions to the town was that of T. P. Vandever. It was small, and extended east and north of the original plat. In 1869, the limits of the town was fiually extended so as to take in the old town of Maysville.
Perkey's hotel was the first building erected in the village. The next building was a saloon, put up on the south side of the railroad, by Andrew Moore and George Gill. This building is still standing, and is now used as a meat market. Robert E. Duff moved over from Maysville and erected a small building where the Feldweg brick now stands. This he used as a residence, and he also built a frame next the hotel, where he opened a store, which he ran for some time. J. I. McCawley having been appointed station agent at this point, put up a small frame, where Figg & Wills' livery stable now stands, and also in partnership with R. E. Duff, next. The next building was put up by Daniel McCawley, on a part of the ground now occupied by his residence property. He brought his stock from Maysville over with him, and sold goods there for some time. Harrison Vandever, now a resident of Flora, came here next from Wayne County, and putting up a small frame to the east
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.