USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > History of the city of Quincy, Illinois > Part 25
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The first to start from Quiney was a party of nineteen, made up mostly of well-known eiti- zens, who left on the 1st of February. going by the sea route and across the Panama isthmus, some two months before the land emigration across the plains began. The nineteen Avant Coureurs were: John Wood, D. C. Wood, John Wood, Ir .. Dr. S. W. Rogers, George Rog- ers, 1. 11. Miller. D. M. Jourdan. Aaron Nash, W. B. Matlock, David Wood, John Mcclintock, John Mikesell, George Burns. J. Dorman, J. J. Kendrick, O. M. Sheldon, C. G. Ammon and Charles Brown. These familiar names are given, as they illustrate the varied character of these emigrators, some almost boys and led, or rather headed. as they were, by two of the veteran pioneers of the place. John Wood, its oldest settler, and Rogers, its oldest physician, who had both grown gray in Quiney, would seem to have been among the last to thus shake off the settled comforts of home, and assured position, won by so mmich of past toil, to, once more, in after-meridian age. venture upon a wandering more wild than that of their early days. But as an experienced "Sucker" dame pithily expressed it. "They've tuk the fever like onto the boys and the old uns allers catch it the wnst."
A special interest attached to this party as being the earliest to depart ; an interest height- ened by the rumor of their shipwreck in the Mexican gulf, and their perilous adventures be- fore they reached the Golden Gate, and be- canse in their letters home, came their first per- sonal reports of experiences in California. All but three of this party returned within the next two years.
By far the greater portion, nearly all, in- deed, of the "Californians," as they were called, took the route across the plains. Their outfit and appearance was thus described by a local journal at the time "being usually com- posed of a train of half a dozen or more wag- ons with three or four persons to a wagon.
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Several of the wagons were drawn by four mules, though the majority of them were drawn by three or four yoke of oxen. All of them were fitted out in a substantial manner, with every necessary required for the trip, and take the men as a body, they are all of the go- ahead class, and will go thro' or 'break a trace.' as the saying is."
Quite a number of those who left, with this complete equipment for the journey. met with misfortune by the way. from wagons breaking down. cattle dying, etc., and finally reached California, some on foot and some, a little bet- ter off, riding an ox or mule. How many went from here and about here, cannot be told, but the number was large. Over 200 were reported as having gone from Quincy. which is none too high a figure. From the Mill creek section a party of 26 formed a train: about 40 went from the Lima neighborhood and from all see- tions around there was the same proportionate umber. Among these, both from the city and county, were many people of prominence. Singly and in small parties the greater portion of them gradually returned, and but a few adopted California as a permanent home.
Of those publiely known here who remained were D. G. Whitney, who for many years had been the leading merchant of Quiney ; Dr. Wm. II. Taylor, one of the earliest and most sue- cessful physicians ; JJohn L. Cochrane. a prom- inent teacher and former city clerk and sur- veyor, and others who found fortune or attrac- tion in the new country which most of the ad- venturers failed to realize. The interest that attended the departure of these Californians did not cease with their going. but long con- tinned. general and intense, not unlike, though in a less degree. to that which attached to the movements of our soldiers during the Civil war, when the pulse quickened with every tele- graph tiek that told of news from the front. Every item of information was now canght at with avidity. each personal piece of news from the west was presumed to have some word for all. and a Californian's private letter to family or friend was considered to be and apt to be- come publie property.
The winter of 1848-9 was uncommonly snowy and cold : the 17th of February being recorded as the coldest day remembered for many years. The river opened on the 4th of March and closed again on the 25th of December.
The resumption of navigation in the spring in those days. before the advent of the "iron horse," was the commencement of trade and the event of the year, and coming as it did at this time on the 4th of March. the same day that the whig administration stepped into power, it afforded a good deal of pleasant chaf-
fing among the politicians over this coincident date of improvement and prosperity. It opened booming high, and the great flood eon- tinued until late in the summer, giving a good boating stage of water until nearly the close of the year.
Old steamboatmen state that never in their recollection had the Mississippi opened at such a high stage of water, and at the same time so Full of running ice. Owing to the long con- tinned overflow of the banks, the ferryboat was compelled to make its landing across the river at LaGrange, and for many weeks was kept running night and day to that point, eon- veying the hundreds of California teams that went from or passed through Quincy on their westward journey.
The running out of the ice with such an un- usual "full banked" river was a peculiar and attractive sight, such as is not often seen, and brought with it two eurions accidents. The steamer American Eagle. a Quincy boat, since it was owned and commanded by Louis Cosson, an old-time resident. had, with two or three other boats, just arrived from St. Louis and lay at the landing with "steam down." One of the other boats ran up the river. struck into the great gorge of ice which fettered the stream about four miles above, and having broken it. turned about and came back post haste, followed by the avenging iee, and rounded up into the bay for safety. The move- ment of the ice as it steadily swept along after the flying steamer, was witnessed by many, and was very imposing. It stretched in an un- broken sheet from shore to shore, advancing at a pace so gradual, still and slow. that it seemed as if a touch of the hand might check or turn it, and yet with momentum that was irresistible. Creeping on and on, it canght the Inekless Eagle at the landing and lifted the large steamer as though it were a toy. shoving it high upon the bank with its onter side broken in. Pushing on yet farther down, the relentless ice found a small stern-wheel steam- boat. the Champion, lying at the foot of Floyd's Island. just above the month of the Fabins. The captain, on seeing the ice on the way towards him, had moored his vessel at the south point of the island with a cable on each bow so as to draw up the boat on whichever side of the island the ice did not come. Unfortimate. it divided and came on both sides, erushing in the sides of his vessel and sinking her to the boiler deck.
A good story was told in this connection, of Capt. Lonis Cosson. a jovial Frenchman. He was not on board of his boat at the time, hav- iny gone up the hill to see his old friends and have a good time generally. John Martin
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Holmes, clerk of the boat, was asked why they happened to be caught in such a fix all unpre- pared, with steam down, his answer was that the captain was up town and had taken all the steam that the boat was allowed to carry.
These names of Cosson and Holmes suggest some pleasant memories of the personnel of our people in the past; of the individuality of those who composed the community; and whose daily doings shaped and colored social and publie action. Each man, however he may be placed. is more or less a factor and feature in the general movement of all; contributing his portion of what furnishes the material of history, his seeming unimportant nothings ag- gregate "the sweeping surge of history." The life of the many individuals constitute the life of society itself. The life of an individual is often attractive and interesting in retrospeet, and worthy of a place in loeal annals.
John Martin Holmes was one of the men who was, in his own way, an institution in Quincy from 1838 to 1850. He was a genius of high type : of infinite wit and humor, gifted with a rare poetic faculty. Ile was the soul of enjoy- ment in every social circle, and the brilliancies that he constantly uttered were the repeated quotations everywhere, as what "John Holmes said." He was of a name and stock of genins, "kith and kin" to the famed Senator John Ilolmes of Maine; to Oliver Wendell Holmes: to the South Carolina Holmes, and to all of the name, who carry, wherever it is borne, the same brilliant characteristics of refined intel- lect and unsurpassed humor. Their ancestry all hinges back to a gifted Scotch clergyman. one among the pilgrim fathers, and who is traditioned as having in his time startled the staid puritan consciences by his unseemly wag- geries, as well as impressed them by his un- questioned piety.
Volumes could not record all of the ready brilliancies of John Holmes, but we call up one "yarn." suggested by the allusions to the chol- era and to the accident of the Eagle, and, moreover, as it brings to mind the name of another patriarchal landmark, who now past the age of 90, still preserves the bright racy geniality of spirit and fun that has happily at- tached to his long consistent Christian career.
Mr. Foote was in Cincinnati in the summer or fall of 1849. and he met John Holmes, who offered him a free trip to Quiney on the Eagle, which Mr. Foote declined. Two years after this we saw a meeting of Mr. Foote and Mr. Holmes here in Quincy. Mr. Foote saluted the other with, "I am glad to meet you. Have you got any of that 'Moral Medicine' left that you recommended to me at Cincinnati?" Holmes' answer was in keeping, and after they
parted we drew from him what was meant by the "Moral Medicine." He said that he had offered Mr. Foote a free pass from Cincinnati to Quincy on the Eagle, but that the parson said, "No, it's Saturday now, and I never travel on the Sabbath: I shall wait here until Monday." "Why," said Holmes. "I can fix all that : we've got left over a lot of cholera medicine that we used in the spring when we were down about New Orleans. It's got every ingredient necessary. It's as stringent as the Saybrook platform and can put you to sleep better than a Congregational sermon. I can give you a dose of that to-night and put yon and your conscience asleep until the middle of next week-clear past Sunday." Mr. Foote, however, declined, and it was this proposed prescription which he afterward referred to as the "moral medicine."
The population of the place, so far as na- tionalities were represented, had by this time, in 1849, undergone a most marked change. Already the foreign born, by reason of the rapid immigration of the ten preceding years, had become in number at least equal to those who were "to the manor born." Among the earlier settlers there were more from Massa- chusetts, Connectieut and Kentucky, than from any other states or sections; the Kentuckians being more prominent. politically, as they were then and had been all over the state and the west, politics being the specialty of the Ken- tuekian, wherein he is only surpassed by the Irishman. Prior to the town organization. in 1834, there were scarcely a score of citizens of foreign birth. About that period a few Ger- man families made the place their home, and this immigration continued. Shortly after. with the commencement of work upon the state railroads, there was a very large influx of Irish, who permanently remained. For some years the Irish element of population outnum- bered any of the other alien stock, but the steady flow since 1838, directly hither from the "faderland." had by this time made the Germans to ontnumber those of all the other nationalities. Still, however, as before stated, notwithstanding the predominanee of the alien element in the mingled population, the eondi- tions had as yet been but little changed or affected. The eity did not at all, as it now does, present the picture of a population more than half foreign in appearanee and an owner- ship of property and transaction of business in a much larger ratio represented by citizens of foreign birth or extraction. This fact is evi- dent not only from casual observation, but it is shown by the eensus statistics, which report Quincy as having in 1880, with a population of 27,268. 20,706 native born, and nearly one-
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fourth, 6,562, foreign born; and also, in 1870, 7.733 foreign out of a total population of 24,052.
Such is the picture of Quiney as now (1886) exists. its dominating inthenees of sentiment, wealth and numbers. It was not thus thirty- seven years ago, although the popular ele- ments were relatively almost the same. The home-born or native portion of the people re- mained in rule: foremost in social, in busi- ness representation and in all else except poli- ties. That power had been taken away as early as 1840, and it has since been held by the naturalized citizens. This control was easily obtained for the reason that, until changed by the new constitution in 1848, a residence in the state of six months sufficed to give to any one, whether native born, or naturalized. or neither, the full exercise right of the elective franchise. And we know that there is no privilege for which men grasp more eagerly and cling to more pertinaciously than this.
At this time the people all know each other: the interests of each were the interests of all : men mingled more together. Secluded during a large portion of the year, while frost fet- tered their communications with the outer world, hibernated. as it were. they were thrown upon their own resources for occupation and enjoyment. The winters had to be passed through, and there were then no opera houses, dime museums. skating rinks. traveling shows ; nothing from outside. for they couldn't get here, and hence society had to fall back on itself. and there was then brought out. of course. "all the fun there was." The social assemblings. parties, tea drinkings. church gatherings, sleighrides, ete .. passed away the time. Business was not as crowding and any- body could "shut up shop" for the day and go a-fishing or somewhere else. There had been, a few years before. a quite popular and sue- eessful Thespian Society, whose semi-month- ly exhibits furnished entertainment to the good people. It comprised among its mem- bers nearly all the then young sparks of the place. nearly all now dead. Chicker- ing. Taylor. Sam Seger. Hoffman. Grant, Dell Milnor and Pickett (the two last boys. who played the female parts). the later. Pickett, afterward the famed Condederate General. These were gay gatherings, at- tracting the attendance of all and vastly the more entertaining because of the intimate mutual acquaintance between the audience and actors. Of the buskined stars who paraded on the stage of mimic life and forced either ap- plause or amusement from their friendly au- ditors, we believe, now remain Fes lunt. T. H. Brougham and J. T. Baker. Wouldn't it be
a rare occasion if these veteran relies of Quin- ey's former dramatic genius would once more consent to tread the histrionic stage?
But the chief and periodical attraction of the winters were the library lectures.
Brief mention may here again be made of these weekly lectures, since they present a picture of what was going on and being done during the days of winter seclusion forty years ago, and also on account of the contribution they gave to the construction and support of what has now become a fixed and valued in- stitution of the city. They constituted almost the sole sonree of available revenue to the pub- lie library. The lectures were home-made, pre- pared by our own citizens, with an occasional, though very rare, addition by some neighbor- ing clergyman or by one of the Illinois Col- lege professors. They were given gratis, and upon such subjects as the writers chose. Some of them were of much merit, and if all were not so, yet all were attractive and well at- tended, and they fully served a pleasant. so- cial purpose, as also the financial need, which they were chiefly designed to meet. The ex- penses were next to nothing. The use of the court house was free, and only lights and fire had to be provided, so that the winter course usually netted two or three hundred dollars, about the amount that in later years has been often paid for a single address from some eminent professional lecturer. As a part of this reminiscence. herewith is given the lecture programme for the season of which we write, 1848-9. the list of lecturers and their themes. which will convey an idea of the character of the mental food provided and recall also some familiar names. These were: John C. Cox, subject. "Progress of Civilization Since the Christian Era ": A. Jonas. "The Future Exem- plified by the Past": Rev. Rollin Mears. "En- glish Poets and Poetry in the 19th Century"; Dr. S. Willard. "Pneumaties": Dr. R. Seeds. "Anatomy of the Eye": T. Bronson, "Early Settlement of the Mississippi Valley": Rev. J. J. Marks, "Earth as Made for Man"; John Tillson. Jr., "The Saracens in Spain"; O. H. Browning, "Our Duties and Obligations in Reference to American Slavery": Rev. II. Foote. "Yankee Character": Peter Lott. "The Upper Ten Thousand." All of these, except Dr. Seeds, a skilled Scotch physician. who spent an occasional season here, were well- known residents. The prices of tickets were as follows: For a gentleman. $1.00; a gentle- man and lady. $1.50: for a family of four per- sons. $2.00; of six persons, $3.00; and from this was usually netted a few hundred dollars, which was devoted to the purchase of new books, and withont which the library would
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have stood still. This is shown by its ninth annual report on the 3rd of December. There were then, eight years after its establishment, but 86 shares sold, 78 stockholders, 1,574 vol- umes (of which 80 were circulating), valued at $2.123. Founded on donations and with a choice selection of books to begin with, it se- cured but little after-aid of this kind. Two hundred and fifty volumes were added during this year. almost all purchased with the net proceeds derived from the winter course of lectures. The slow, struggling growth of the Quiney Library has been the same as that of nearly every similar organization elsewhere. Of all the beneficent institutions which appeal to publie spirit and generous philanthropy for their creation and maintenance the publie li- brary is that which labors under the most dif- fieulty and has its claims last and least consid- ered. Churches. colleges, hospitals, schools of science and art, seenre benefactions from lib- eral living patrons, whose names are duly chronicled. or great bequests from departed millionaires, many of whom hope thus to atone for a life of greed by giving away that which they can no longer keep, but among these many objects of philanthropy the library prof- its the least. The reason for this is obvious. Interest, personal sympathies, conscience, eus- tom and many another influence operates to point the direction of donations and bequests. But the library is exceptional. The lover of books, if his wealth will warrant, prefers to perfect his own home collection, while the great mass of those who use and benefit by the public library has not usually the means to contribute towards its increase. The Quincy Library has now passed through a forty-five- year career of this natural indifference, and only now, within the past year, has it reeog- mized and assured position. by the provision of a tax levy, devoted to its support. The insti- tution was projected at a meeting of some ten or a dozen persons on the 5th of March, 1841. a constitution was adopted on the 13th and organization perfected on the 20th of the same month. It was opened to subscribers on the 18th of April and incorporated on the 4th of October of the same year. At its first annual meeting. December 6, 1841, there was reported to be 735 volumes on the shelves. one-half of what it had now. eight and one-half years later.
Another weekly newspaper, the People's Journal, made its appearance during the sum- mer of this year. It was published by Louis MI. Booth, a veteran editor now residing in California, who had made several ventures of this kind, but never very successfully. The paper was short lived. It professed to be "in-
dependent in politics" and, of course, followed the usual fate of such journals. To be "of in- dependent thought" is very apt to be consid- ered independent of thought, and very uncer- tain is the career of that newspaper which has not a political influence in canenses and con- ventions and reaching its limbs and blossoms towards the public offices.
Much interest existed during this season over the temperance cause, with nearly as mueh excitement as that which aceompanied the Washingtonian movement of several years before. This last had gradually subsided, but was now successfully succeeded by the organ- ization of the Sons of Temperance. Weekly and largely attended meetings were held, and the accessions were immerons. The cause be- eame customary and popular, so much so that most of the politicians joined for awhile. The universal apprehension of the coming cholera condueed to the advance of this movement. The year was marked also by an unusual de- gree of religious feeling and revival. stimu- lated probably by the same cause as above named. It is a notable fact that men are more nearly ripe for reformation, most ready to abandon the follies and temptations of the visible world when within the threatening shadows of the unseen. Either a tendency like this or to the other extreme of despairing. nn- bridled recklessness has been the attendant moral feature of all the great plagues of the past.
The season was singularly backward; as much so as had ever been known. As late as the middle and latter part of April there were severe frosts and the ground was frozen for several days. Rather odd it was, however. that this late rasp of unreasonable cold left slight injury upon vegetation in contrast with what was naturally apprehended. Spring showed up slowly for several seasons. Plant- ing was late and the acreage of the county fell off from that of former years. Not only was this caused partially by the varying weather in the early portion of the year, but labor was less plenty and the work on many farms was curtailed in extent by the California emigra- tion. The withdrawal of so much of the agri- «ultural force of the community could have no other result than this, since the larger portion of these emigrants were the young farmers of the country, and in some cases all the grown males of a family, father and sons alike, took the fever and went. Up to the first of June 4,350 California wagons had passed through St. Joseph, bound westward; and this was but one of the half dozen crossing places of the Missouri river, and was but single file in the broad column of travel that from the lakes to
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the gulf was centering for the long march over the westward plains.
It may perhaps be best portrayed how things looked during this eventful year. chilled in its natural progress by the early and intermittent vold. dispirited by widespread sickness and death in high places, by quoting the lament of a veteran editor who blends his story of the season's slowness and the business depression. with his own personal mournings over the loss of all the pleasure that was "going to waste." He was one of the best of the good men of Quiney (now gone, all honor to his memory), and withal a most devoted disciple of Izaak Walton. having done as much in his way to- ward the capture of the "tinny tribe" as his son. S. P. Bartlett. now armed with a state commission. is striving to do. to "balance the seales" and to restock our depleted streams and ponds, which the father so enthusiastically "went for."'
Thus moralizes the veteran Editor and Pis- cator in his paper on the first of May: "The weather the past week has been anything but pleasant and agreeable." The season, indeed. has been very backward, cold, sickly, gloomy and without any fun. Last year at this time the trees were out in their full foliage, and we had participated in one or two fishing parties. But this spring, the "Father of Waters" con- tinues to run out brim full and a little over. He is on an awful high: seems to have swal- lowed up all the bars between Galena and St. Louis. Well! so be it. It can't be helped, but we do long to make a visit to one of our old fishing haunts, where. with a choice friend or two. we may while away the day in "just nat 'rally" coaxing the finny tribe. Talk of the enjoyments of the town! what are they com- pared with the pleasure when sitting on a shady bank, with well-baited hook and line. and rod in hand, and not a sound to disturb the stillness of the scene. save the "wood- peeker tap ning the hollow tree" or the chat- tering of the solitary king-fisher. to suddenly hear the quick sound of the cork as it plumps below the surface with a pop! as the minnow is seized by a voracious Pike, or Bass or Dog- fish (the sneaking rascal). We imagine we feel him as we give him play ! Now here-now there-down into deeper water: and as the "iron enters deeper into his" jaw. he lashes the water into foam with pain and vexation! Exhausted at last. he is drawn ashore!
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