USA > Illinois > Clay County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 51
USA > Illinois > Wayne County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 51
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The Ohio & Mississippi Railroad passes
through the township, and although there has been no town in the township, yet it has been the means of developing its resources by bringing its rich farming lands into easy communication with towns both on the east and west. The chief stream of the township is the Little Wabash, which enters its con- fines near the northwest corner in Section 6, and flows in an easterly course about two miles. Then making considerable of a turn, continues its course in a southeasterly direc- tion, until it reaches the farm of Mr. Trim- ble in Section 12, where it makes a horse- shoe bend. It flows from there in a north- easterly course, and crosses the eastern boundary in Section 12. It is a running stream all the year, and during certain sea- sons it becomes a raging torrent, frequently overflowing its banks for considerable dis- tances, on either side, and sometimes does a great deal of damage. The chief tributary of the Little Wabash is Buck Creek. It is the third stream in size in the township, flowing in a general easterly direction, and empties into the Little Wabash in Section 10. Elm Creek, the second stream in size in the town- ship, traverses the territory in a general south- ern direction. It enters the township in Sec- tion 19, and continues southeasterly until it reaches the center of Section 30. From that point it continues almost due south until it crosses the county. Its main branch is Seminary Creek, which empties into it from the west. Little Muddy, in the extreme northeast, and Raccoon Creek, in the extreme southwest, are the other streams in the town- ship worthy of mention.
The early roads through the woods and over the hills and prairies of this township were mere paths and Indian trails, and after- ward improved by the people and made into highways. The first road that was legally surveyed and established in the county,
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
passed through the central portion of the township in an easterly direction. It was known as the old State road, and now as the Clay City & Flora road. As early as 1810 it was an old Indian trace. Surveyed by the State about 1818, it has been in use ever since. Although the original route has been changed some since, it is still about the same road that over which, in a very early day, the tide of emigration poured toward the West.
The first white man who broke the solitude of nature within the present limits of Stan- ford was Moses Berry, one of the oldest pioneers of Clay County. He settled a lit- tle north of the central part of the township, near the Little Wabash, about the year 1820, and made a small improvement in Section 14, the land where he lived now forming part of the Joe Beard farm. He came from Vir- ginia. After living a short time by himself, his two brothers, Isaac and William, arrived. They only lived a short time in this town- ship. and then William went to Wayne County, where he lived until his death. A son of his, C. R. Berry, is now living in the southeast part of the township. Isaac emi- grated to the northwest part of the State. Moses was again left alone, and resided by himself until abont 1828, when William Duff, N. H. Duff and Richard Apperson came to this county. Duif bought the im- provement of Berry's and settled there. The latter went West and was soon after lost track of. The life and character of this pioneer (Duff) deserves more than a passing notice. He was born in Washington County, Va., in about 1800, and his youth and early manhood was spent in his native State. Marrying a Miss MeSpadden, he soon after came to this county, accompanied by his cousins, David D. and N. H. Duff. The two latter settled in old Maysville, where they turned their atten- tion to mercantile pursuits. William, how-
ever, being fitted more for the life of a hunter and trapper, came to this township. A large amount of his time was spent in fish- ing in the Little Wabash, and hunting in the surrounding forests. In later years, however, he turned his attention to farming. and finally entered eighty acres of land on which he resided until his death in 1851. He was a man of sterling integrity, although not a professed Christian, and was well and favorably known throughout the county during the earlier days of its history. 'He left a wife and some seven children, who, a short time after his death, removed to Northern Alabama. Two of the sons subse- quently perished in the rebellion, but the remainder of the family are still living there.
N. H. Duff, or as he is more commonly known Judge Duff, first came to this county in 1820 with his brother David; but in 1822 he moved into Stanford Township and settled on the farm now owned by J. M. Chaffin. As this man afterward made a very important figure in the history of this county, we deem it best to insert a brief sketch of his life at this point: Judge N. H. Duff was born in Washington County, Va., on March 25, 1808. He was a son of John and Mary (Dryden) Duff. The father was a son of Samnel Duff, who came from Ireland to this country some time prior to the Revolu- tion. He brought with him his wife, Bar- bara, who was also a native of Ireland, and settled first in Pennsylvania. There his sons John and William were born, and when John was quite young the father moved to Washington County, Va. There the grandmother died in 1812, and the grand- father in 1818. John grew to manliood, and there married. His wife was a native of England. To them were born nine children, of whom Nathaniel H. was the seventh.
Judge Duff remained at home with his
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
father until twenty-one, having in that time received but a limited education. He then commenced to learn the trade of a black- smith. He then came to this county with his brother David, on whose farm he worked for some time. After remaining here a year, he returned again to Virginia, and worked a year on his father's farm. In 1830. he, with his cousin William. came to this county. William. as stated above, immediately set- tled in Stanford. But Judge Duff settled in Maysville, and worked at his trade. His health finally failed him and he was com- pelled to quit the business. He next farmed near Maysville for two years, and then moved into what is now this township. He first entered eighty acres of land. This he after- ward increased to 120 acres. On this farm he remained until 1843, and then sold to John L. Apperson. From there he removed to a farm abont two miles northwest, now owned by R. F. Duff. On this farm he re- mained until 1848. and then came to Mays- ville, and purchased the store of David Duff, which he continued for seven years. He then came to the new town of Clay City and went into partnership with Robert E. Duff. He merchandized here for some little time, and then turned his attention to stock-raising. For some years he has been living a retired life, and is now making his home with his daughter, Mrs. J. B. Figg.
In the political history of this county, Judge Duff has been a prominent figure. In 1851, he was elected to the office of County Judge, his associates being Loofboro and Davis. He served in this capacity nutil 1862, when the township organization came into effect. He was next elected the first Justice of the Peace of Clay City Township, and served in that capacity three terms. He was also a member of the Board of Super- visors for two or three years. A more ex-
tended mention of the Judge's private life will be found in the sketch of his son, R. F. Duff. of Clay City Township.
Apperson pre-empted land adjoining the farm of Duff in Section 14. The land thus entered now also forms part of the Joe Beard farm. He resided there until his death in 1860. One of his daughters was the first wife of Judge N. H. Duff, of Clay City. Another married Thomas Ausbrook, who af- terward settled on an adjoining farm.
The first settlement to be made on the prairie was that of James L. Wickersham. He came from Kentucky about 1830, and made an improvement in Section 23. This man was an odd genius. After building a rude cabin, he turned his attention to hunt- ing, from which he derived most of his sub- sistence, and many are the stories told of his encounters with the beasts of the forest. He professed to understand the curative proper- ties of the different herbs, and was a true specimen of what Eggleston calls a " corn doctor." He was also somewhat of a petti- fogger, and later on in the history of the county he practiced in the Justices' courts. At present, there are none of his descendants now living here. He finally sold out his im- provement to Elisha Weller, who came from Kentucky about 1835. The latter lived on that place for some time, and then purchased the farm that Duff had been living on. From there he finally moved to Winterset, Iowa, and from there to California, where he is still living.
About 1838, John Baylor and Jonas Bis- sey, two Pennsylvania Dutchmen, came to this township and settled in the southeast part. Baylor settled in Section 1 of Town- \ ship 2 north, and finally became one of the foremost farmers of the township. He finally died in 1879. Two of his sons, J. M. and David, are still living in the township. Bis-
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
sey settled in the adjoining section. He was a carpenter by trade, but did not follow it after his arrival here. He built a cabin, but died a year or two after his arrival here. A son of his, H. J. Bissey, is living on a farm adjoining the one on which his father settled.
Some time in the same year, Aaron Finch came from Indiana to this township and set- tled in Section 35. There he lived until his death in 1860. A son of his, John R. Finch, lived on the farm until about 1878. when he also died. The son's widow is now the wife of John Blacklidge of Clay City.
Probably the most important family of pioneers in this section of the country was that of the Stanfords, after whom the town- ship is now named. The first of the family came here in 1838, and the name continues to hold a respectable place in the county.
The family consisted of six brothers -- Sam- nel, David, William, Mordecai, Isaac and Abraham-and the mother. The first to come here was Samuel, in 1838, followed by David and Isaac; then in 1839 by the widow with the two younger children, Mordecai and Will- jam. and in 1841 by Abraham. The father, John Stanford, and the mother, Bessie Austin, were both natives of Maryland. The grand- father Stanford came from England in a very early day, and settled in that State, and there the father and mother were married. From there they went to Armstrong County, Penn., and there the three older brothers were born -Abraham, in 18OS; Samuel, in 1810; and Isaae, in 1812. In the early part of 1817, the family came to Pike County, Ohio, where they settled, and there David was born in 1817; William, in 1821; and Mordecai, in 1823. In 1826, the father died in Ohio, and in 1830 the mother removed with her family to Tippecanoe County, Ind., there making a pioneer settlement. In 1838, Samuel, being
the most adventurous spirit, started out in search of another pioneer country. He eame to this county and made a settlement in this township in Section 22, on the old State road. He then returned to Indiana, and told to the rest of the family the news of the new land farther West. And accordingly all the fam- ily except Abraham made arrangements to start. Their journey to the new territory was typical of the journeys of other pioneers to this region. They came in wagons, and their trip was fraught with much danger. Samuel, as mentioned above, settled down in Seetion 22, and soon became the most opu- lent of the family. In 1863, he went to Flora and began merchandising. He re- mained there till 1875, and then returned to his farm in this township, where he died in January, 1879. He was twice married, and his second wife, Rachel Stanford, is still liv- ing with her children-Hannah, Newton, Samuel, Orpha and Jane. Three children by his first wife are also living -. Mrs. Barshe- bah Ewing, in Kansas, and Charles and Milton in this township. David settled in Section 27, and was the best known of all the brothers. He was an ordained Elder and local preacher in the Methodist Church, and preached from when he was eighteen until he was fifty-seven. He preached in different places in this county, and was one of the first preachers of the Methodist denomination that held services in this county. His death occurred on April 1. 1870. His widow, Mary Stanford, and five younger children are still living on the old home place. Of the older children, Austin is now in Clay City Township; Lloyd, in Northern Illinois; and Rosman, in this town- ship. The mother, with her two sons, Will- iam and Mordecai, settled in Section 23, where she died in 1866. William, upon reaching manhood, settled down near the home farm, and is still living there. Mor-
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
decai remained at home with his mother un- til abont twenty-three years of age, and then settled down in Section 25, where he resided until his death in 1872. His widow, Mrs. Rebecca Stanford, and two children are still living on the home farm. Of the older chil- dren, Mrs. Mary Jane Baylor is in this town- ship, Mrs. Nancy Lamp, also in this town- ship, and Mrs. Leonard is in Champaign County. Isaac settled down in Section 8, of Town 2, in the southwest part of the town- ship, and is still residing there. Abraham, the last one of the brothers to come, arrived in this township in 1841, and settled down in Section 22. He is still living on the same place that he entered over forty years ago, at the hale old age of seventy five. One of his children, Mrs. Eliza Jane Williams, is still living on the home farm, and another, Lewis, is in Clay City Township.
Among other pioneer settlers of an early day might be mentioned the following per- sons: Rosman Long came here in 1839 with the Stanfords. This gentleman was born in Western Ohio in 1804; grew to manhood there, and then came to Indiana, where he married Miss Hannah Stanford, a sister of the brothers just mentioned. Long settled first in Section 16, near the seminary school- house, and afterward moved into the Baylor settlement, where he died in 1868, and his wife in 1879. Quite a large family of chil- dren are still living-Rachel Bissey in this township, Benjamin in Xenia, Daniel in Harter Township, and Mrs. Rachel Furger- son in Mitchell, Ind. Two other pioneers accompanied Abraham Stanford to this town- ship in 1841. They were Noble Conkling and David Bates. Both were born in Carroll County. Ind. Conkling settled down in Sec- tion 16, and lived there for a number of years, but finally moved back to Indiana, where he died. Bates settled in Section 8,
of Town 2. There he resided until 1849, and then went to California, where he finally died. His widow finally returned to this county, and is now living with her son Albert in Clay City Township. John Riley settled here in 1838, in Section 8, and resided there some years, but finally moved to Missouri, where he was lost sight of.
One of the earliest settlers of the county now living in the township is J. T. Both well, who came to this county in 1840. This gen- tleman was born in Athens County, Ohio, September 16, 1816. His father was a na- tive of Scotland, and came to this country when eight years old with his parents, who settled in Greensburg, Va. Mr. Bothwell received an education in the subscription schools of Ohio, and afterward learned the trade of a journeyman tailor. This vocation he followed for some years in different parts of Ohio, and in November, 1840, he came to Maysville and followed his trade there for some time. He then opened a stock of mer- chandise, and was soon after appointed sta- tion agent for the stage company at that point, and also Postmaster. He remained in Maysville following different occupations until April, 1851, when he came to his pres- ent farm. He first purchased 120 acres, and to-day he is one of the leading farmers of the county. One of his sons, J. C., is an enter- prising farmer of Wayne County; a daugh- ter, Alice, is the wife of Dr. T. N. Lownsdale, of Clay City Township, but the remainder of a largo family of children are living in the West.
This comprises the early settlement of Stanford, as far as we have been able to learn, though there may be other names equally entitled to mention in these pages. Their early struggles and hardships and trials incident to the pioneer's life are but a repetition of those experienced by all settlers
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
in a new and uninhabited region. Many daring deeds by those unknown heroes have passed into oblivion, and many of tho fore- going list who labored hard to introduce civilization into this part of the country now lie in obscure graves, unmarked by the sim - ple epitaph. Those of the number who still live little thought as they first gazed upon the broad waste of prairie, the unmolested grove tangled with brush and brier, that all this wilderness in their own day would be made to blossom as a garden. Little thought had they of seeing beautiful homes, waving fields of grain, green pastures and grazing herds, where the bounding deer and crouch- ing wolf then held unmolested sway.
" All honor to these gray old men,
For they've conquered stubborn soil."
As already has been mentioned, that part of Stanford Township lying east of Elm Creek was originally a part of old Maysville Pre- cinet, and the early pioneers of this section of the county assisted the people of the coun- ty seat in the administration of the govern- ment. In an early day, especially from 1830 to 1840, a gang of horse thieves and desperadoes committed many depredations here. In fact, farmers found that even their lives were not safe at times, and no one could keep a horse unless the animal was blind or lame. It was thought and also charged that some of the most influential people of the county were in leagne with them. When any arrests were made, the prisoners were imme- diately let loose on straw bail and made good their escape; or, if tried. the court on many occasions found them innocent. Finally, hav- ing seen justice thwarted in so many cases, a number of the best citizens organized a vigi- lance committee and undertook to put down the gang. It was their custom as soon as a man had been arrested to take him from the jail, strip him to the waist and whip him
with hickory withes. One Sunday, a man who was known to be a horse-thief, was seen in the town, and some of the committee started in pursuit. Ile ran out to the west edge of Clay City Township, and finally disappeared in one of the many little groves that at that time stood southwest of the town. The crowd, which by this time had been considerable augmented, followed him and soon surrounded the grove. A search in the woods, however, did not reveal the eul- prit, and the crowd were about to return to town when one of the men noticed the thief perched securely in the top of an oak tree. One of the vigilantes ordered him to come down. The summons being refused, a man was dispatched to a neighboring cabin for a couple of axes. These being brought, two of the most prominent of the committee (one of them is still a leading citizen of this town- ship), each took an axe, and commenced to chop down the tree. The horse-stealer stood it for some time, thinking they would not persevere, but as the tree began to waver, the man climbed down tho tree and gave himself np to the officers. The prisoner was taken to jail and his captors refused to allow him to be bailed. They formed a body guard, and watched the jail for nearly three months for fear that some one would reseue him. How- over, his trial finally camo off and he was cleared, the court being held at Lonisville. This disgusted the people with the work of a vigilance committee.
Hunting in an early day formed one of the main occupations of the pioneers of the county. Deer, foxes, wolves and many other kind of wild animals were found in abund- ance. And the farmers were ready to leave everything else if any hunting was known to be on foot. After a price had been set on a wolf's scalp, the hunting of this animal was participated in by both young and old,
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IHISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
and whenever a wolf was found a perfect furor was created. One Sunday in an early day, when Rev. Rickersham was holding serv- ices in the old schoolhouse that used to stand in Section 25, an old gray wolf with a trap attached to its foot came passing by. Some one in the church saw the animal, and immediately the services were over, and every one went in pursuit of the animal.
The first improvement that a pioneer looks after, having procured a habitation for him- self and family, is a mill, a piece of machin- ery that always accompanies civilization. Meal was first obtained by crushing the corn when dry in a kind of rude mortar made by chiseling out a hollow in the top of an oak stump. The pestle was an iron block made fast to a sweep, and with this simple con- trivance a coarse article of meal could be manufactured. A still simpler means was re- sorted to before the corn had become hard enough to shell, namely, the common grater. The first mill that was probably patronized by the early residents of Stanford was an old water mill that stood in the northwest portion of the township on the Little Wa- bash. It was first built and operated by Dr. Peter Green as early as 1840. It was both a grist and saw mill, and was very generously patronized by the people of this region. Dr. Green ran it for a number of years, and afterward sold it to other parties, who con- tinued to operate it. The structure was finally destroyed or torn down, but another rebuilt, and at present a mill still stands near the same place. This is the only mill in the township of which any record has been kept.
The subject of education has from an early day received a good deal of attention in this township. Long before the law authorizing a system of public schools was in force, the pioneers of Stanford Township took steps toward the education of their youth in the
primary branches of learning. Comparative- ly few of the early settlers were men of let- ters, most of them having been but children when the matter of book learning in the States where they were brought up was yet considered a matter of minor importance. And yet these people seem to fully realize the losses they had sustained in the neglect of their own schooling, and were therefore anxious to do the next best thing by making amends in the case of their own children. The first settlers here, especially those in the eastern part of the township, sent their chil- dren to the subscription schools in old Mays- ville, that were tanght by William Gash and others.
The first school that was taught in what is now Stanford Township was in an old log cabin that used to stand in Section 25, on land that is now owned by Eli Hawk. It was made of poles, and had been used prior to this time as a habitation by some squatter who had stopped there, and who had cleared a small patch near it. Among the teachers that taught here was David Stanford.
This building was used as a school until about 1852, when it was torn down and a log structure erected in the same place. Among the teachers that tanght there were Joseph Godd, Miss Julia Perkins, Isaac Meek and Green Keiser. At that time the attendance in the district was about twenty. School was taught here until about 1869, when the district was divided, and the districts now known as Districts 1, 6 and 5 were organ. ized. Schoolhouse No. 1, or the Bothwell School, is a frame, and now stands in Sec- tion 23. Among the teachers who have taught there are C. M. Pitner, R. T. Fry, J. S. Peak and Will E. Pruett. The present enrollment is about thirty, enumeration about thirty, and average attendance is about eighteen. The Center Schoolhouse in Dis-
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
trict 6 is a brick, and was built in 1869, in Section 22, through the instrumentality of Samuel Stanford, at a cost about $700. Among the teachers who have taught there are Charles Pitner, James Ewing. Charles Stanford, Caroline Robenson, William Rob- . enson, and the present teacher is J. S. Peak. The present enrollment of the district is thirty-three; males nineteen, females four-
teen. Average attendance, twenty-eight. The school in District 5 is known as Fair- view School. This building is also brick, and was built in about 1864, at a cost of about $800. At present the township of Stanford is divided into eight districts. In each district a commodious building has been erected for school purposes, and the schools are all presided over by competent teachers. Taken as a whole, the position of Stanford as regards education is one of the foremost in the county, and one of which her people may be well proud.
Among the early pioneers of Stanford were many pious men and women, and its religious history dates almost from the period of its settlement. The first preachers were Methodists, and came as one crying in the wilderness, and wherever they could collect a few together they proclaimed the glad tid- ings of salvation, "without money and with- out price." The first religious services held within the present limits of the township were conducted at the residence of David Stanford, who, as we have already mentioned, was a local preacher in this church. A class was organized in 1842; Samuel Stanford was appointed class leader and held the position for over thirty years. The class at one time comprised in its membership many of the leading spirits of this township and Clay City. Among them were Robert Duff and his mother, Polly Duff. Richard Apperson, Samuel and David Stanford, and many others.
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