USA > Illinois > White County > History of White County Illinois > Part 5
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In 1810 John Hanna, a Pennsylvanian, who had resided some time in Kentucky, settled upon the southwest corner of the Big Prairie, where, during the war of 1812, he built and resided in a block house. He was a Methodist, and at his house was the first preaching in the county. His house was a preaching place as long as he lived. During the war men went to church equipped with gun, tomahawk and knife, so as to be ready for Indian assaults.
Benjamin Mobley came from Kentucky in the summer of 1810, and settled on the quarter section adjoining east of Mr. Land's. Two or three years afterward he sold out to Joseph Pumroy and moved to the Pond settlement below New Haven, where he died. In immigrating to Illinois he came down Green River and the Ohio and up the Wabash, to what is now New Haven, in a pi- roque, a large dug-out, or canoe. At this time a Mr. Lisenby lived at the Falls of the Little Wabash, in an Indian hut covered with bark.
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HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY.
Daniel Boultinghouse settled near William's Ferry in 1810, and the next year he moved to what was after him called " Boulting- house Prairie."
In the spring of 1811 James Merideth settled upon the place since owned by Samuel Potter, and in the spring of 1812 Messrs. Davis, Dunlap and others located in the same neighborhood; but when the war with Britain commenced they moved down to the prairie for safety. Among those in this latter place was a Mr. Seaborn, who was killed by an Indian. For the particulars of this affair see " War of 1812" in the military chapter.
The first school-honse built in the neighborhood was located about 300 yards west of Hanna's, in 1811, and the first school was taught by George Crab. The house had no floor, and the fire was kept in the middle of house area, the smoke passing out through the whole clapboard roof, as there was no chimney or flue. One day, while a little "chap " who wore leather " breeches " was "saying " his lesson, standing between the teacher and the fire, he burnt his leg, whereupon he jumped comically forward, which cansed another little urchin to laugh immoderately, and the teacher "took after " him and chased him through the fire barefooted!
In the fall of 1811 Richard Davis and Mr. Dunlap came to what is now White County, and during the following winter gath- ered a crop of corn for Robert Land, the latter being an invalid. Mr. Davis was originally from Virginia.
In the fall of 1811 Hugh Collins and Joseph and Nowlin Lane, natives of Tennessee, settled the place since known as the Oliver Wilson farm. Five or six years afterward he sold to Walter Garner. During the war of 1812 he, with others, moved their families into Mr. Land's block-house, for safety. During the day he would go out to hoe his corn, keeping his gun near by on a stump. One day he thought he espied an Indian aiming a gun at him, and he began to run with all his might, but the thought - soon occured to him that it might be his own gun he was running away from, which he directly found to be the fact! Mr. Collins, however, was as true a soldier as ever shouldered a gun.
William Shipley settled near where Concord now is, in 1812, and died Feb. 26, 1882, in Carmi. A further sketch of this man is given in the chapter on "Carmi."
James S. Graham, father of Richard S. Graham, settled in Carmi in 1815, and started the first ferry at this point, which he kept up for many years. He also started the first hotel (still
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HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY.
standing near the west end of the bridge), and, being a black - smith, started the first blacksmith shop.
John and Moses Hart were hunters, and built the first log cabins on the Skillet Fork.
Among the odd specimens of humanity which have attracted public attention in this county was a colored man, named Free- man Jenkins, whose mother had belonged as a slave to James Ratcliff in Kentucky. Poor "Freeman " was scarcely compos mentis, almost devoid of speech except in the use of certain stereotyped phrases of profanity, wore long and misfitted clothes, and was eccentric in many other and undescribable ways. His 80- journ was mainly in Carmi, where he settled as early as 1817, or thereabouts, and died in 1867.
Hezekiah Hargrave, brother of Willis Hargrave, was born in Logan County, Ky., in 1798. In 1813 the family removed to Indi- ana Territory, and in 1817 the subject of this paragraph came to Carmi, where he went to school until 1820. He then went back to Indiana, but returned to Illinois in 1830, locating in Gallatin County. Most of his active life was spent on a farm, but he has kept store in Carmi, and was superintendent of salt works two or three years. Feb. 29, 1820, he married Caroline Findley, a native of Pennsyl- vania, and their children who are at present living are-Margaret, living in Saline County, Ill .; James, in Gallatin County; Leonard W., in Saline County; Sallie, in Gallatin ; L. D., in Saline; and Lucy, in Eldorado, Saline County. Mr. Hargrave now spends a portion of his time at Robert Stewart's residence.
Jeheil H. Reeves was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., April 19, 1799, and moved to this county in 1818, residing nearly the entire time at Liberty; was the father of thirteen children. He died Feb. 17, 1881.
Jarvis Pierce came to Carmi in 1818, but afterward removed to the vicinity of New Haven, in Gallatin County, where he ulti- mately died, leaving a fine farm. In Carmi he was a painter, and a handy man at various occupations. Some of his children are well known in White and Gallatin counties, as the late Jarvis Pierce, Mrs. John Storms, etc. One son, Joseph Pierce by name, died many years ago, on the old farm.
Robert Summers came from Butler County, Ky., in 1818, at the age of nineteen, and settled in Carmi, where he ran a small distil- lery on the bank of the river southeast of town, and also assisted
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R. S. Graham in running the ferry. In 1835 he moved to Fulton County, this State, where he died in 1849.
In the spring of 1819 Captain John Haynes settled on section 34, Burnt Prairie Township, where his son, John P., now resides. He was a native of Virginia, but was brought up in Tennessee. In 1882 he raised a company in this county for the Black Hawk war, was elected Captain, and was at the capture of old Black Hawk himself. The Captain was quite a hunter, and in this and Hamil- ton counties during his life he killed a total of seventy-nine bears. He raised a family of five sons and six daughters, all of whom have lived to raise families of their own. He died in 1839 and his wife in 1850.
Besides those already mentioned, the most prominent settlers of early day were James Ratcliff, Judge William Wilson, Hon. John M. Robinson, John E. Whiting, William and James Richardson. Daniel Hay, Lowry Hay, B. F. Spilman, Dr. Thomas Shannon, and others, a sketch of whose lives will be found in the chapter on the "Eminent Dead." Also, the various township histories in this vol- ume carry the early settlement down to a later period.
1833 found quite an increase in the population of White County. The greater portion of the new comers were from the State of Ten- nessee. In nine cases out of ten these new settlers located on Gov- ernment land, not being able to purchase a home when the land was subject to entry at $1.25 per acre. The same land to-day is the most valuable in the country.
THE INDIANS.
When these hardy pioneers settled' in this wilderness, infested by savage beasts and treacherous Indians, no person now living can scarcely imagine the tedious lonesomeness that reigned about them for many, many long years. The Indians in this vicinity, however, who were of the Shawnee, Piankeshaw and Pottawato. mie tribes, were not troublesome until the war of 1812, when they committed such depredations as are elsewhere related in this vol- ume. They left after that war, for points further west, and after- ward returned only occasionally to their old hunting grounds in this region, for a number of years, and then ceased altogether to appear.
FIRST LAND ENTRIES.
In the following list we give all the land entries from the first to the close of the year 1817. Many of the parties whose names
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here appear were never residents of this county. On the other hand, the list probably does include all the settlers during that period.
The citizens of White County scarcely know what troubles have been experienced with "patents " and land titles elsewhere in the West, especially in military tracts, where many a " squatter " would settle and make a comfortable home and enjoy it for ten or twenty years, and then lose it all, or nearly all, when the old " patent " came along! original land titles have been kept clear in this section, and very little land, if any, has been improved under a mistake by squatters.
3 SOUTH, 8 EAST.
David W. Ridgeway, w 12 of 19, Sept. 3, 1817.
Morgan Wallace, sw t of 23, Oct. 7, 1817.
George Borah, n w + of 22, Oct. 2, 1817.
5 SOUTH, 8 BAST.
Joel Harrell, s w + of 2, Nov. 25, 1817.
William P. Cain, w + of 4.
David Calvert, nwt of 8, Feb. 17, 1817.
Robert Goudy, n e t of 9, Aug. 18, 1817.
James Mayer, s w + of 15, July 25, 1816.
Samuel Craig, s w + of 16, Feb. 11, 1816.
Thomas Rutledge, n e t of 21, Sept. 13, 1816.
Daniel W. McLinn, nw t of 22, Feb. 12. 1817.
William Hosick, e }% of n e t of 25. Oct. 3, 1816.
James F. Hosick, e 1% of n wt of 36, Nov. 27, 1817.
6 BOUTE, 8 EAST.
Walter McCoy, n w t of 27, Nov. 20, 1817.
7 SOUTH, 8 EAST.
Alexander Trousdale, n e 14 of 11, June 6, 1815.
James Trousdale, w 16 of 12, Dec. 7, 1816.
Moses Pearce, w 12 of 12, .Jan. 13, 1817.
Reuben Walden, w $ of ne 24 of n w X4 of 13, Sept. 30, 1816.
3 SOUTH, 9 EAST.
Joseph Patton, n e 14 of 19, Sept. 1, 1819.
John Gillison, n w 34 of 19, Nov. 7, 1817. F. Williams, 8 w 14 of 19, Sept. 25, 1817.
John Gillison, w 1% of 30, Nov. 7, 1817.
4 SOUTH, 9 EAST.
Adam Dasher, Sr., n e 14 of 33, Oct. 18, 1817.
William McHenry, s e >4 of 33, Feb. 1,1816.
5 SOUTH, 9 EAST.
Adam Dasher, e 12 of ne 14 of 4, Oct. 18, 1817.
James Shipley, w 14 of 4, April 11, 1816.
Daniel Hay, e 12 of s w 14 of 4, July 27. 1816.
Thomas Shannon, se 14 of 4, June 25, 1816.
George Berry, n e 14 of 8, Apr. 26, 1816. White & Hay, w 1% of 12, Aug. 22, 1816.
Walter White, s e 14 of 10, May 16, 1816.
John Hay, ne 14 of 13, Oct. 16, 1814. Walter White, n w 14 of 13, May 7, 1816.
Willis Hargrave, 8 w 1/4 of 13, Nov. 29, 1815.
James Radcliff, ne 24 of 14, Jan. 2, 1816.
Willis Hargrave, n e 14 of 23, Nov. 29, 1815.
Alexander Mayham, e 1/2 of A w 1/4 of 17, Nov. 26, 1817.
Benjamin White, s w 14 of 19, Sept. 20, 1817.
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George B. Hargrave, w 1/2 of 19, Jan. 9, 1817.
Willis Hargrave, s e 14 of 14, Nov. 29, 1815. William Wilson, s w >4 of 23, Sept. 16, 1816.
Adrian Wenhoop, w 7% of 24, Nov. 30, 1816.
Moses Carlock, n w t of 26, Aug. 3, 1816.
Jeremiah Vincent, w 1/2 of 30, Sept. 24, 1817.
Jeremiah Vincent, n w 14 of 30, Feb. 27, 1816.
6 BOUTH, 9 RAST.
John Snider, 8 w 14 of 7, Dec. 80, 1817.
John Gott, s e 14 of 7, Apr. 11, 1817. Benjamin Spilman, s w 24 of 8, Sept. 6, 1817.
Samuel Slocumb, n w 24 of 26, May 14, 1816.
William Tombs, e 12 of s e 14 of 26, Nov. 27, 1817.
Hezekiah O'Neil, w 1/2 of 28, Oct. 20, 1817.
S. Chapman and G. Satterfield, ne 14 of 31, Jan. 29, 1817.
Simon Leaky, s e 14 of 31, Jan. 22, 1817.
7 SOUTH, 9 EAST.
Samuel Dagley, e 12 of n e 14 of 11, Nov. 4, 1816.
Samuel Dagley, s e 24 of 11, Sept. 30, 1814.
.James Hobbs, s w 14 of 12, Oct. 24, 1814.
Isaac Allen, se 14 of 12, Feb. 2, 1815.
3 8OUTH, 10 EAST.
Ormsby & Hite, s w X4 of 21, Nov. 14, 1816.
4 SOUTH, 10 EAST.
E. Randolph and W. Cross, w >% of 24, Aug. 18, 1817.
Jonathan Stewart, n w 14 of 25, Oct. 6, 1817.
Isaac Haker, s w 14 of 25, Sept. 29 1815.
5 SOUTH, 10 EAST.
John Chism, n w >4 of 4, Dec. 11, 1816.
John Chism, n e X of 5, Dec. 16, 1816. James S. Gorham, 8 w 24 of 6, Apr. 19, 1816.
John Craw, s w >4 of 8, May 3, 1815.
Daniel McHenry, s e )4 of 8, Aug. 3, 1814.
Henry Jones, s w >4 of 9, Aug. 3, 1814.
Henry Jones, s e 14 of 9, Feb. 7, 1815. Thomas Randolph, e }{ of s w 14 of 13, Jan. 18, 1815.
Thomas Randolph, n w 14 of 14, Aug. 4, 1814.
Nathaniel Blackford, & # 14 of 14, Aug. 4, 1814.
Noah Kuykendall, n w 24 of 15, Aug. 3, 1814. E. and J. Randolph, s w >4 of 5, Aug. 16, 1814.
Daniel McHenry, ne 24 of 17, Jan. 13, 1815.
James Gray, n w 1 of 17, Nov. 4, 1814.
Hugh Collins, s e 14 of 18, March 10, 1815. Allison Wilcox, w >% of 19, Aug. 11, 1815.
Ethanuel Enninger, w >2 of 20, Jan 2, 1816.
Lowry Hay, n e 14 of 21, Jan. 4, 1815. Benjamin R. Smith, s e 14 of 21, Oct. 14, 1814.
Peter Kuykendall, n e }{ of 22, Aug. 4, 1814.
Jesse Kuykendall, n w }{ of 22, Sept. 13, 1814.
l'homas Williams, s w X4 *of 22, Sept. 13, 1814.
Aaron Williams, s e 14 of 22, Aug. 4, 1814.
Nathaniel Blackford, w >% of 23, Sept. 2, 1817
Francis Leech, n e 1% of 27, Dec. 26, 1814. Francis Leech, n w >4 of 27, Dec. 22, 1814.
James Hannah, s w >4 of 27, Dec. 1, 1814.
Susannah McClury, s e >4 of 27, Sept. 12, 1814.
Daniel McHenry, w 1/2 of 28, Nov. 21, 1814.
Michael Jones, n w 24 of 28, June 2, 1815.
Moses Sweeten, s w >4 of 28, Sept. 4, 1814.
John Hannah, s w >4 of 28, Aug. 3, 1814.
John Hannah, se }4 of 30, Dec. 24, 1816.
Aaron Williams. n e }{ of 82, Dec. 3, 1814.
John R. Caldwell, .e >% of n w 24 of 32, Nov. 26, 1817.
James McWilliams, s e X4 of 32, Sept. 5, 1814.
John Mobley, ne 14 of 33, Sept. 3, 1814.
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HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY.
Jonah Hannah, n w >4 of 33, Oct. 14, 1814.
Robert Land, s w X4 of 33, Aug. 3, 1814. Joseph Purnay, s e >4 of 83, Sept. 8, 1814.
John B. Wilson, n e 14 of 34, Sept. 30, 1814.
6 SOUTH, 10 EAST.
Charles Mobly, n w 14 of 4, Aug. 1, 1815.
James McCoy, s e 24 of 8, Dec. 9, 1816.
Samuel Logan, s w 14 of 8, Sept. 27, 1817.
George R. Logan, s e 24 of 8, Dec. 2, 1814.
Balam May, n w >4 of 17, Nov. 10, 1814.
John Bradbury, w 1/2 of 17, Oct. 5, 1814.
Adam R. Meek, s e 14 of 18, Sept. 29, 1817-
Samuel Slocumb, w 12 of 20, Sept. 2, 1814.
Samuel Slocumb, se 24 of 20, Sept. 2, 1814.
William Nasb, n e 14 of 21, Aug. 18, 1814.
George Robertson, n w 14 of 21, Oct. 13, 1814.
Regin Hall, s w 14 of 21, Oct. 26, 1814.
Robert Shipley, s e 14 of 21, Sept. 3, 1814.
A. Wilson, n e 14 of 24, Aug. 24, 1815.
Peter Kuykendall, n w 14 of 25, Sept. 2, 1814.
Charles Slocumb, n e 14 of 29, Sept. 2, 1814.
Thomas McAllister, n e 14 of 33, May 16, 1817.
William Nash, e 1% of n w 14 of 3, Oct. 23, 1816.
David Haney, s w 24 of 33, Nov. 28, 1814.
Edward McCallister, s e 14 of 83, July 3, 1815.
Josiah Stewart, e 12 of s e 14 of 35, April 11, 1816.
H. Hargrave, w 12 of 86, Dec. 4, 1815.
7 SOUTH, 10 EAST.
John Wilson, n e 14 of 1, Jan. 3, 1815.
Simon McCallister, n e 24 of 4, Dec. 2, 1816. Carter Smith, n w 34 of 4, July 26, 1816.
Drury Farley, w 12 of 4, Dec. 7, 1816.
Thomas Thornberry, n e Jf of 5, Oct. 14, 1816.
Abner Wilkes, se 24 of 5, Jan. 16, 1815. Absalom E. Hark, w 1% of 8, April 17, 1817. Edward Farley, se 14 of 11, Nov. 7, 1816.
Joseph Boon, se )4 of 17, Aug. 24, 1814.
4 BOUTH, 11 EAST.
G. Hoover and R. Grages, fraction of
e 1% of 30, Oct. 30, 1815.
G. Hoover and R. Grages, s w 24 and
n w >4 of 30, Oct. 30, 1815.
H. Stewart and J. Warren, sw M and e 1% of n w 4 and fraction of e }% of 31, Nov. 21, 1816.
5 80UTH, 11 EAST.
John Caldwell, fraction of 80 and fraction of 31, Feb. 21, 1816.
6 SOUTH, 11 EART.
William T. Codd, fraction of 17, Oct. 13, 1814.
William T. Codd, s e 14 and s w 14 of 18, Oct. 13, 1814.
William T. Codd, e 12 of n e 14 of' 19, Oct. 14, 1814.
7 SOUTH, 11 EAST.
John Wilson, n w 24 of 6, Aug. 7, 1816.
3 SOUTH, 14 EAST.
Hugh Ronalds, n e 14 of 20, Nov 2, 1816.
William Whitford, s e 14 of 20, Jan. 15, 1816.
William Jones, w 12 of 21, Oct. 15, 1814.
James Gray, fraction of 28, Nov. 20, 1816.
James Bryant, n e 14 of 20, Aug. 5, 1816.
Michael Dickinson, s w 14 of 29, Oct. 21, 1817.
James Dunlap, e 7% of n e 14 of 31, Sept. 22, 1817.
Richard Davis, n w >4 of 22, Dec. 12, 1816.
4 SOUTH, 14 EAST.
James Bryant, fraction of 4, April 3, 1816.
Stephen Stanley, e 12 of s w 14 of n w 14 of 5, Jan. 10, 1815.
James Merideth, n e 34 of 6, Jan. 28, 1815.
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John Kennedy, s .e 14 of 6, Oct. 18, '1815.
Edmund . Covington, n'e 14 of 7, Jan. 28, 1815. Julius Driggers, w 1% of 7, Dec. 15,
1817. Henry Black, n e }{ of 9, Sept. 5, 1816.
Henry Charles, n w >% of 9, July 12, 1816.
W. and M. Stanley, n e 14 of 18, Aug. 16, 1816.
David Daniel, w 1% of 19, Sept. 7, 1817.
Daniel Boultinghouse, w 1% of 20, Feb. 1, 1816.
John Lucas, s w >4 of 20, Jan. 23, 1817.
Geo. Rapp and others, s e 14 of 21, Nov. 14, 1815.
George Jameson, w 12 of 29, Dec. 30, 1816. -
Jonathan Stewart, s w }{ of 30, July 17, 1815.
James Philips, w 3 of 31, Jan. 11, 1817. John Lucas, s e }{ of 81, Dec. 9, 1814.
Thomas Poole, B W X of 33, Sept. 4, 1817.
5 SOUTH, 14 RAST.
George Stum, n w }{ of 4, Dec. 3, 1816.
John Fulton, fraction of w }{ of 8, Oct. 21, 1817.
George Rapp and associates, frac- tion of 11, Oct. 2, 1814.
John Grayson, n w 14 and ne 14 of 21, March 10, 1815.
Henry Stum, w 12 of 22, Sept. 12, 1816.
OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.
The resident pioneers of White County are much older than ' their association. It is as late as the present year (1882), when the first move was made for the organization of the old settlers into a society, for the preservation of early history and the pleasure of · rehearsing the scenes of pioneer life in this Western wilderness. The lively Thomas L. Joy, of the Carmi Times, was especially. active in stirring np this noble movement. He prepared and distributed the following circular :
OLD SETTLERS' REUNION.
CARMI, ILL., June 12, 1882.
Dear Sir :- As many of the old settlers of this county have ex- pressed a desire for the organization of an "Old Settlers' Associa- tion," to the end that the old people may at a stated period each year meet together, compare notes and talk over old times, it has been thought best that a meeting to perfect such organization should be called to meet in this city on the fourth day of July, 1882.
The managers of the proposed celebration on that day have gen- erousl'y offered us the use of the amphitheater at the fair grounds, in which to meet; and the undersigned have been appointed a com- mittee of arrangements to issue call, etc.
You are respectfully invited to be present and bring your family and friends, and are requested to invite all other old settlers to nse their efforts to make our first meeting a success.
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HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY.
The meeting will be called to order at 1 P. M., immediately after dinner, when the necessary officers will be chosen to perfect an organization.
Bring along your baskets well filled, and let us have a grand old- fashioned reunion.
Hoping to see you on hand that day, we are,
Very respectfully,
BERRY CREBS, Y. LAND,
WILLIAM ODELL, JOHN MILLS,
B. L. PATRICK,
PHILIP HIGDON.
THOS. W. HAY,
A large number of old settlers responded to the call to come for- ward on the Fourth and assist in the organization of a society. It was not expected that much more would be done than to enter into a preliminary arrangement by which a more complete reunion would take place next year, and each succeeding year. All that was necessary to set the ball in motion was done on Tuesday. Next year the society will hold its first regular anniversary, after which there will be no difficulty in keeping up the organization. The meeting on Tuesday was addressed by Dr. Daniel Berry in the splendid speech of welcome which we publish below. After he had concluded, the following officers were elected : President, R. S. Graham; Vice-President, J. M. Pomeroy; Secretary, S. Cochran. Executive Committee: Gray Township, George Pope; Philips, Solomon Charles; Hawthorne, Arthur Harsha; Emma, Joseph Garrison; Heralds Prairie, Jonathan Dagley; Indian Creek, Cap. tain Porter; Enfield, Patrick Dolan; Mill Shoals, J. H. Fraser; Burnt Prairie, Adam Hunsinger; Carmi, F. J. Foster.
ADDRESS OF DANIEL BERRY.
"Friends and Fellow Citizens-Old Settlers of White County :- It falls to my lot to have the pleasant duty of greeting you here to- day. In behalf of the citizens of the city of Carmi, I therefore ex- tend to you a cordial, heartfelt welcome to your lot and share in this celebration. We welcome you as the advance guard of the vast crowd of contented, good-natured people you see here on this occasion. We welcome you as the pioneers who made possible the thousands of pleasant happy homes of to-day. We welcome you as the brawny, muscular men, who first let in the light on the tens
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of thousands of acres now groaning under the heavy load of a boun- tiful harvest. We welcome you as the men of brains, whose influ- ence caused this county to be dotted over with churches and school- houses. We welcome you as the lovers of law and order, whose example has made our county the abiding place of peace-loving citizens. We welcome you in the name of that grand, free-hearted, open-handed, old-time hospitality which you so generously ex- tended to the wayfarer and the stranger, thus causing the name of your county to be spoken with joy and gladness by people living far beyond your borders. We welcome you in the name of your children, who thank you for all these blessings, and are proud of you as fathers and mothers.
"On such an occasion as this, that deals almost wholly with the past-with all our present joy, there is a tinge of sad- ness. There are many well-remembered faces, many genial souls who infused life wherever they went, many strong natures whose marked individuality impressed the neighbor- hood where they lived. You all know them; they are not with us to-day. They have passed over to the grand majority of the dead. But their influence still lives with us. I often think we do not fully realize and weigh the value of the estimation that is to be placed upon us after we are dead-whether it is to be good or bad, whether we are to be spoken of with blame or praise, whether we are to be thought of as men who did some good in our lives, or as men who had better not have lived at all. In my acquaint- ance of twenty-five years in this county, I can mention men and women in every neighborhood, who, to-day, though dead and gone, are still thought of, and pointed to as beacon lights of good influ- ence. And, though oftentimes not book learned, yet were they ' wise as serpents, and harmless as doves,' when it came to a ques- tion of the right or wrong of things. Their strong common sense, their honest purpose, their straightforwardness, their unshaken faith in the good of others, whom they regarded as honest as them- selves, acted with a peculiar magnetism on the people around them. These men and women were the friends and promoters of churches and schools in the community in which they lived. Go to those places to-day and you shall find that 'their works do fol- low them.' The mantle of their influence has, perhaps, fallen on other shoulders, but it is still there. Happy is that community in which such men and women live. On the other hand, there are some places in the county where the leading men have always been
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on the side of wrong, disorder and ignorance. Their examples are still felt to-day. I do not care, on such an occasion as this, to speak further about this evil influence; and only allude to it in or- der to impress our young men as to the lasting value of a good life now.
"It is a matter of regret that these meetings of the old settlers were not started long ago. Apart from the pleasure it might have given us, there is another reason-we want your histories; we want to know of the incidents and accidents of your lives; we want the story of your labors and your pleasures; we want you to tell ns of your trials and triumphs. We want all these as matters of interest for ourselves and for our children. It seems to me it will only make us and our children better contented with our lots, if we could only have a realizing sense of what yours liave been.
" With all the hardships you have suffered, with all the priva- tions you have endured, with all the labor you have undergone, it has been your great good fortune to live in the golden age of this country. The golden age is always in the past. It is the 'good old times.' With you it was a time of self-reliance. . Your wants were limited by your means to gratify them; and you man- aged to live an independent life, untaxed of all save labor. You built your own houses and barns. You raised your own wool, cotton and flax. You spun and wove them, and I have no doubt felt just as proud in the garments you made as we do in our 'store clothes.' Yon tanned your own leather and made your own boots and shoes. You made your own hominy, and gritted your own corn. You thrashed your own wheat, and then ground it with a horse mill, and you felt proud and content, and thought you were ' living high' if you could have a wheaten flour biscuit for Sunday morning, or when a visitor called to see you. You fatted your hogs in the woods, and when you killed them, you dug a hole in the ground, filled it with water and heated it up with hot rocks to give the hogs a good scald. You killed venison and cured the hams. You lived on the fat of the land so far as game was con- cerned, and whatever could be done you did cheerfully and well.
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