USA > Illinois > Will County > History of Will County, Illinois, Volume One > Part 15
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dren with her by a former marriage-all grown. Their name was Grey.
My father, mother and four children and a young man named Steve Hartwell comprised our family.
I recollect very little of that trip from Buffalo to Chicago as I was a child only three years old. Some few things im- pressed me. I remember Aunt Rowley and mother complain- ing about those hard sea biscuits and wished for a piece of good bread. I had a bowl of molasses and water to dip my biscuit in and thought it delicious. Just then the schooner gave a lurch and away went their cups of tea and biscuits to the floor.
When the big boom of the schooner used to swing around I learned to drop down on the deck and let it swing over me. Then, too, I remember the boat sometimes refused to move. I think we made a stop at Detroit and the young people went on shore and picked strawberries.
My father was fortunate in finding a log house built that some one had deserted. It was on the farm that Hall Reed lives on.
My people suffered many hardships. The first winter the house wasn't properly "chinked" and mother used to tack up quilts and blankets to keep out the cold. The chimney was poor. The lower part was built of stones and then topped out with sticks and clay. It was built outside of the house and sometimes it used to catch fire and how it used to smoke. It was the case of a chimney that would not draw. Father had another built as soon as he could get it done and a great black log was rolled on every morning. Mother did the cooking a number of years in that old fire place. The baking was done in a tin set up in front of the fire and also in a bake kettle, that was a kettle set on hot coals with a cover and hot coals on it. My father made the crane and pot hooks. With what pleasure
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I remember that old fire place and now imagine I can see every stone in the hearth we all used to sit around.
We had no matches in those days. The fire must be covered at bed time to keep and if it burned out we had to go to the nearest neighbor's to borrow some coals. That was fun for us children.
The door of the house was hung on wooden hinges and had a wooden latch with a string attached. Father replaced them by hand forged hinges and latch.
At that time there were no trees, road or any improvements, nothing but the wild prairie grass and flowers of every kind and waving in the wind like the ocean.
In the next two years, 1834 and 1835 a great many young men came from the East. They were rail splitters and found plenty of work to do as many farms were taken up and all had to be crossed so corduroy roads must be built, that is, logs cut and laid together over the swamps.
All our supplies came from Chicago, even if it was no more than a spool of thread or a broom. At one time we were six weeks without flour.
Then a prairie schooner came from Kankakee with a load and it was worth $16 a barrel. The first apples were brought in the same way from the southern part of the state.
When we first came to Illinois, Indians were very numerous. I very distinctly remember the first ones that came to the house. It happened that the men folks were away, mother and the four children were alone. There were two beds in the room with a narrow space between them. Mother put the chil- dren into this space, then took her arm chair and sat just be- tween the beds, as she afterwards expressed, "she would go first." The Indians left their tomahawks sticking in the cor- ner of the house, came to the door, looked in then went on. After that they used to come in frequently. They were always friendly to us and used to give me beads. I never remember
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of an Indian asking for anything to eat. My sister gave a squaw a biscuit one day and she spun it on the floor like a top. One squaw brought in her papoose tied to a board which she carried on her back. I felt very sorry for one, she came to the door crying and sat down and made a little grave in the dust to make us understand that her papoose was dead.
In a few years a school house was built. It was made of logs with benches made of split logs hewn off, some holes bored in and legs driven in them. Along the wall was a very rudely constructed desk. When I started for the school I had but one book and that was an elementary spelling book. I was called out on the floor once in the forenoon and once in the afternoon to read and spell. I spent several years with only that book. I went through it from cover to cover, abreviations and all. In the back were three stories; The Lawyer and Farmer, The Old Man and Rude Boy and the Country Maid and Her Milk Pail.
I had no slate, pencil or tablet, just the spelling book. I often think how different it is now with such interesting books with the beautiful illustrations, how happy children ought to be. When I was about ten years old a new book was introduced into the school called, "The National Preceptor." Oh, how I wished to have one of those books. At last my mother made a trip to Joliet and I became the happy possessor of the long wished for book. I have it yet as one of my most precious treasures. As I look back I can only recall one of my old school- mates, that is Mrs. Frank Collins of your city.
We had no papers or magazines in those days. The Bible, English reader, spelling book, and almanac, were about all the books we had to read. I was about 9 years of age when my father had in his employ a man with literary turn of mind. He heard of a place where he could get books to read. Among those he got were Burn's poems. I used to read it over and over, and committed many of the poems to memory.
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My people brought from York state, peach pits and apple seeds which they planted the fall they came and in three years we had a few peaches and the apple trees did nicely.
My oldest sister was thoughtful enough to bring flower seeds and soon had the side of the house covered with morning glories.
The first religious services were held in private houses. I very well remember the first minister I ever saw. It must have been 1834 or 35. His name was Asbur Chenwith. He was a Methodist and my idea was that he was a being to be afraid of.
I have a very vivid recollection of the riot on the I. & M. canal. One morning at daybreak a man came to the door and warned every able bodied man to appear forthwith, armed and equipped to quell a riot. My father immediately put his flint- lock musket in order and went to the scene of bloodshed but all was quiet when he arrived. One man by the name of Lona- gon was killed. He was chopping some pumps to pieces or something of that sort.
In those early days there were few amusements for the young people in comparison with those of the present time.
My father in Pittsford, N. Y., was a member of the choir in the Presbyterian church where he sang and played bass viol for many years.
Every Sunday evening the music book was brought out and we all sang and often the young people for miles around would come in.
As I look back at the seventy-five years that have passed and think of the great change that has taken place in the country, it seems more like a beautiful panorama than reality and it is a wonderful thing to have seen the old prairie schooner and an automobile, the spinning wheel and the modern sewing machine, the old flail to thresh the grain and the up-to-date threshing machine.
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Surely truth is more wonderful than fiction. Signed-Mrs. J. D. Frazer, (Sept. 17, 1906.)
Jackson Township .- Jackson is one of the earliest settled townships in the county, the date of its first settlement being almost coincident with that of Chicago. Chicago was laid out August 4, 1830, and the first settlement was made at Reed's Grove six months later. This grove being situated at the cor- ners of Jackson, Channahon, Wilmington and Florence Town- ships, has given rise to no little misunderstanding as to the location of some of the early settlers of this vicinity; and we shall not be surprised if some of our statements do not receive immediate indorsement. Several parties, or colonies, who set- tled in the Grove, though in the immediate neighborhood, since townships lines have been established have proved to be in different townships. This fact also makes the narration of events in one township, without at the same time bringing in the history of other townships, quite difficult; and a small amount of repetition will therefore be necessary.
Reed's Grove received its earliest white settler in 1831. At that time, Indians were plenty in this part of the State, and the Grove was one of their favorite resorts and dwelling places. The territory now embraced in these townships was occupied by the tribe or nation called Pottawatomies. The relations be- tween these people and their early white neighbors were of the most friendly character. They hunted, visited and drank to- gether, as peaceably as the more modern occupants of the county.
To Charles Reed belongs the credit of being the first settler, not only of Jackson Township, but of the grove which still bears his name. Reed was a man of energy and spirit. He had a family of grown up children, some of whom were al- ready married; and, being desirous of seeing them settled in homes of their own, such as he was unable to provide for them
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in the older settled States-he resolved to emigrate to this place.
Accordingly, he with his two sons-in-law, Charles Koons and Eli Shoemaker, and Joseph Shoemaker (brother of Eli), set out for this place in the early Spring of 1831, and reached the grove March 2, of that year. At that time, but few families had settled in the whole section now embraced in Will County. Dwellers at a distance of twenty-five miles were considered neighbors. Joseph Shoemaker, though mentioned here as a member of this settlement or colony, did not in reality settle in Jackson Township. He is usually accredited as the first set- tler of Wilmington Township; but this, too, seems to be an error, as his cabin was just on the north side of the line sub- sequently located between Wilmington and Channahon. Reed, with the balance of his family, removed from the township more than twenty-five years ago, and while the country was yet indeed new. George Kirkpatrick and brother and James Hemphill lacked but a few months of being the first. They came from Ohio, and settled here in May following the advent of Reed. Of these, George Kirkpatrick still resides in the town- ship, but the other two are dead. James Hemphill died in 1863.
During the Spring of the next year, 1832, two new com- panies settled in the township. Wesley Jenkins, Thomas Un- derwood-brother-in-law of Jenkins-and Jefferson Ragsdale were from North Carolina. Of the "Jenkins Colony," as it was called, none are left, all having removed to other parts.
The Linebarger colony arrived here from Indiana in the spring with Jenkins. The company consisted of Henry, John, George and Lewis. The last named, however, settled in the town of Florence, a short distance from the others. They were Carolininas, and had left there years before and had resided for a time in Indiana, near the Wabash. Of these, Henry Line- barger lived here but four years, dying here in 1836. George
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Linebarger was a resident of the village of Elwood. He was a very useful citizen, a leader in the Methodist Church, and one of its most pious members.
John Linebarger as has been stated, came into the township in the spring of 1832. The Indian uprising of 1832 and 1833, caused unrest and John Linebarger, with some others, returned to Indiana where he resided until 1850. In that year, he re- turned to Illinois and Will County and bought a farm near Wilmington. In 1868, he moved to Elwood where he engaged in the grain business for many years. In the later years of his life he moved to a farm near Bonfield and resided there until 1886, when he passed away.
Peter Eib, with his three sons, George, Levi and Augustus, was from the State of Virginia. The elder Eib was very fond of his gun, and an excellent marksman. He found here plenty of game on which to practice his skill. It was not an uncom- mon thing to see from fifty to one hundred deer in a single drove. Turkeys, wolves and other game were so plenty as to make them almost a nuisance. Mr. Eib passed away years ago, but his sons remained amongst the best citizens of the com- munity.
In 1832, emigration to these parts, and indeed to all North- ern and Western Illinois, received a very severe check. Pre- viously, the whites and red men had been on the best of terms; and specially in this region there seemed to be no jealousies existing between the two races. Land and game were so plenty, and the white settlers were so few, that the Indians here did not feel as though their rights were being encroached upon. And then again, the tribes dwelling in this part of the State were of a more civilized character than some others. In- deed, some of the leaders or chiefs were so much so that when the proposition to build the Michigan & Illinois Canal was be- ing agitated, they were not only willing to have the improve- ment made, but gave it all the encouragement they could; and
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it is said that among the first acts of Congress relating to the project there is a clause permitting the free use of the Canal forever to these people. However, before the completion of the work, the stealthy stroke of the Indian's paddle, propelling his canoe, had ceased. The causes which led to their removal were just beginning to take shape, when the emigrants whose names have been given, had barely completed their journey. Black Hawk, of whom mention is made in a former chapter, his fol- lowers and allies had become restless and jealous of the white people, who were in that part of the country steadily encroach- ing on both the real and fancied rights of their red brethren. These jealousies eventually broke out into actual conflict, and the State and national military were called out to quell the deadly trouble that seemed to be rising. Of course, great excitement prevailed everywhere, and in sparsely-settled neighborhoods like this, with no commensurate means of resist- ance at hand, and with a people in their midst who, though professing friendship, were yet known to be of a treacherous nature, the most serious apprehensions were entertained. In this state of fear and anxiety the inhabitants of this vicinity were living when, about the latter part of May, 1832, news was brought to the neighborhood of the massacre of several fami- lies and the capture and abduction of two young ladies near Ottawa. In those days, this was considered only an adjacent neighborhood, and very naturally the alarm created in this place was intense. A meeting of all the citizens was immedi- ately called, and it was quickly resolved that, in consideration of their utter inability to repel an attack, it was best to remove to the more thickly settled country on the Wabash, whence many of them had formerly emigrated. Accordingly, on the following night at 10 o'clock, there were found nearly twenty wagons and teams gathered at Five-Mile Grove prepared to start. At about the time fixed for their departure they were joined by some parties who reported the Indians approaching.
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This precipitated their flight, and great confusion prevailed. One man had loaned his ox-yoke, and had sent for it, as he could not harness his cattle without it; but when the announce- ment was made that the enemy were near, he snatched a rail from the fence, and with a half-dozen strokes of the ax fash- ioned it into a substitute, which in a moment more was bound on the necks of his oxen with withes of hickory, as quickly cut from the brush, and he was one of the first to start for the Wabash.
It had been intended to take the cattle and all of their house- hold goods; but so great was their hurry that everything of the kind was left behind. The gads were applied to the hides of the oxen, and the flight was as rapid as possible. Their way lay through the townships of Manhattan, Wilton and Rock- ville, crossing the Kankakee at one of its fords. After travel- ing some miles, finding that they were not pursued, two of the men determined to return and bring forward the stock which had been left behind. However, when they came to the settlement no stock could be found, having wandered off into the woods. One of the men then bethought him of a bag of maple sugar which had but recently been manufactured from the sap of trees which grew here. Throwing this across his horse, he, with his companion, set out to overtake the main party. They had traveled but a few miles when they perceived, at a distance, two real Indians rapidly following them. They very naturally conjectured that these were only scouts of a large party of human butchers and put spurs to their horses. On looking back, they found that the Indians were pursuing them rapidly. The bag of sugar was a real burden and difficult to carry, so it was allowed to slip to the ground. Thus relieved, horses and riders dashed forward with increased rapidity. In- dians are notoriously fond of sugar, and this was quite a prize, and, as they stopped to examine, taste and eat, the pursued parties left their would-be captors far behind. As they came
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up with their friends, they were just crossing the Kankakee. As soon as the report that they were being pursued had spread to the company, confusion was worse than confounded, and the alarm vented itself in the shrieks of the women, the cries of the children and the curses of the men, mingled with the bellow- ing of the sharply goaded oxen. One team seemed to partake of the excitement, but instead of rushing for the other side, stood stock still, unable to move. The driver, in his despera- tion, believing the wagon mired, hastily unhitched the oxen from the load, and placing his wife, who was the other occup- ant of the wagon, on one ox, he bestrode the other, and, apply- ing the lash with renewed vigor, they gained the other shore and soon overtook the train. The relation of such incidents, at this date, causes no little merriment, but at the time of their occurrence were very serious indeed. Even those who were participants tell the story of "Five-Mile Massacre," and laugh heartily; though it is said that the hero of the bag of sugar was ever afterward quite sensitive on that point, and, al- though a man of piety, no man could say "sugar" to him with- out runing great risk of being knocked down. On the evening of the second day, having found that the last incident related was only a scare from some friendly Pottawatomies, the party halted, and it was proposed to have supper and a night's rest. But here, again, were enacted the scenes of the crossing of the Kankakee. Just as the fires had begun to blaze, preparatory to cooking the much-needed meal, a horseman galloped into camp and stopped just long enough to say that the Indians were after them in earnest. Thus, their supper and sleep were dis- pensed with, and not until three nights and days had passed did they stop long enough to take a nap, or eat, except as they fled. After several days more of travel, during which they received no further alarms they reached Danville, whence they learned troops had been sent to take care of the savages, and all fear and anxiety were at an end. Soon after, Black Hawk
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and his people were removed to the other side of the Mississippi River; and, all fear of molestation having passed, most of the former residents of this neighborhood returned. They found the most of their cattle and hogs, and their crops were un- molested. The cows, however, "had gone dry", and the corn was sadly in need of cultivation. The wagon was recovered from the bed of the Kankakee, and even the greater part of the bag of sugar was restored by the hand of one of the friend- ly red men, who had only pursued them to inform them that there was not the least danger. In the Fall of 1832, arrived Jacob and Joseph Zumalt. The Zumalts removed to California some years ago. They were natives of Ohio.
The most systematic and extensive, and at the same time one of the most important, settlements of this part of the county was made in 1834. This colony consisted of R. J. Boy- lan, Peter Brown and two sons-John and Ara-and Smith Johnson. These parties were from New Jersey, and came well prepared, and with a full understanding of the enterprise in in which they were embarking. Most pioneers in those days "pulled up stakes," as the saying was, and moved with but little previous knowledge of the country to which they were going. In many cases they were guided by unreliable reports, sometimes seemingly by instinct and sometimes entirely by accident. But in the case of Boylan and his company, the greatest care was taken. Maps were consulted, the most reli- able reports were procured and read, and all of the informa- tion obtainable was procured and used. R. J. Boylan, a pract- ical surveyor and a man of excellent judgment, was sent for- ward to select, survey and locate the land. He came to this neighborhood, and having located twenty-one eighties, or 1,680 acres, notified the balance of the colony, who came on at once, and occupied the land. Hardly a finer selection could be made than this, consisting of land on, and in the vicinity of. Jackson Creek. Of the original colonists, Mr. Boylan was the last to
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pass away. He was a very active man, having been identified with almost every enterprise of any consequence in this section of the country. His house is the only stone dwelling in the township, and is situated on the bank of the fine little stream named in honor of the "Hero of New Orleans." Though the original Browns and Johnson have passed away, they have left behind numerous descendants and kindred, who occupy the old and original selections, as made in 1834.
Henry Watkins and sons, Henry, Jr., Benjamin and Peter, arrived from New York in 1834. None of this family now reside here, all having moved away. About the last-named date, a schoolhouse was built at Reed's Grove, and Henry Wat- kins was employed to teach the first school therein.
Edward Kirk was also one of the oldest settlers in this part of the county. He had come to the county a year or two pre- vious to his settling in Jackson in 1835.
As early as 1833, an organization for religious purposes was effected. This consisted of a Methodist class, of which William Thornburg was appointed First Leader. This little organization was what has since developed into the Elwood M. E. Church. From a paper prepared and read before the Elwood Church, by Rev. G. J. Kinne, we are permitted to lay before our readers a complete though brief history of this old- est Church in the township and one of the oldest in the county.
Soon after the establishing of the class alluded to, a school- house was built in the vicinity, and in this services were held for a number of years. Among the old pioneer preachers who visited the place and preached to the people, are mentioned the names of Jesse Walker, John Sinclair, S. R. Beggs, S. H. Stock- ing. Under their preaching, the Church prospered and grew in numbers, influence and wealth until, in 1852, they found themselves able to build a house of worship. The site selected was nearly a mile west of the village and of its present loca- tion. The cost of the building was $1,800. In 1866, it was deter-
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mined to remove the building to the village. It was thought that the location at the Grove, on account of the growing vill- age at so short a distance, was not the most suitable site for an increasing membership. During the migration of the house which so many had learned to love, meetings were held in it daily.
The Baptist Church of Elwood was built in 1859, at a cost of about $2,000. Rev. Mr. Renfrew was the first preacher. This church never flourished. It was soon closed and the mem- bership affiliated with other denominations. The building was remodeled about 1912 and made into quarters for the Masonic Lodge of Elwood which is a flourishing institution.
In 1863, the Reformed Lutherans of this township living in the vicinity of Jackson Creek organized and built a neat little church on the southwest corner of Section 15, at a cost of $1,200. Rev. Rufus Smith, Edward Loomis, S. Bosley, Henry and Christopher Lichtenwater and Christopher Faut were amongst the leading projectors of the work. Rev. Smith was the first preacher, and for a time labored in this corner of the Lord's vineyard with good acceptance; but, by and by, his opin- ions in regard to the subject of religion underwent a change, and with him coincided many of his flock, and it was decided to abandon the organization. Accordingly, about five years after the house was built, the congregation assembled and a motion was made and carried that the house be "deeded to the Lord," and that He look after its interest in the future. The instrument was drawn up in due form and regularly signed, but whether delivered or recorded we are not permitted to know. Since that event, the house has been occupied irregul- arly by different denominations.
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