USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > History of the city of Quincy, Illinois > Part 5
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The county commissioners this year were Levi Wells, John A. Wakefield and Luther Whit- ney .- the last named, a resident of what is now Hancock county. Whitney and Wakefield sue- ceeded Keyes and Journey. Wakefield was a quaint character; he left Adams county soon after his term of office expired, and many years after came to the surface during the "Border Ruffian" times of Kansas. His title to im- mortality rests on his "History of the Black llawk War." (written some forty-five or more years ago) ; an amusing publication, made up of the narration of some valiable facts, inter- spersed with whimsical expressions that Josh Billings or Mark Twain might envy. One of these we recall. He describes the army as mov- ing "at a left angle.'
Frequent meetings of the commissioners' court were necessarily held to provide for and protect the growing wants and interests of the new community. At their March meeting they appointed Levi Hadley county assessor, and at the same meeting, a sale (the second one) of town lots, was ordered to be held on the 18th of the following May. This sale. advertised, as had been the preceding one. in the St. Lonis and Edwardsville papers, did not attraet, as was hoped, purehasers from abroad, and the scale of prices does not appear to have material- ly changed. There was then, as now, much more land than money in Illinois, and the dis- tanee between the two factors was infinitely greater than at present. A portion of the sup- posed most desirable lots which had been re- served from the first sale, were now placed on the market, with what result we shall see. These priees may prove a enrions study to speculators of the present day.
The corner of Fourth and Hampshire. run- ning south on Fourth 196 feet, half way to Maine, sold for $35.50. On the north side of Hampshire, between Fourth and Fifth, the four
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
lots. Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, comprising all on the north side of the public square, sold respectively for $14.25. $18, $18.25 and $13; total $65.50. Lot S. at the corner of Hampshire and Fifth. it will be seen brought the lowest figure. The reason was that it was ent by a ravine, and the front lay some feet lower than the street. West of Fourth street. on the north side of lamp- shire, the entire frontage of three lots, Nos. 6, 7 and 8, 297 feet. running west to lot No. 5. which was reserved as the market lot. sold for $24. East of the square, speculation went more wild. 198 feet along the south side of lamp- shire street. embracing the property afterward ocenpied by the Adamy, Peine and Dutcher buildings, was sold for $14.25. The entire front of Hampshire street on the north side between Fifth and Sixth streets, was knocked off at $28.25: the corner lot (northeast corner of Hampshire and Fifth (1886). 99 feet being a deep ravine), sold for $3.25. Corresponding prices ruled elsewhere, but the above were the choice lots. It will be noticed that most of these sales were of lots on or fonching on Ilamp- shire street. The reason for this was that there- on was almost the only level land. Fourth street was broken near Maine by a ravine which ran diagonally across the block. west of the square from southeast to northwest. Maine street on Sixth was impassible on account of a broad ravine some thirty feet in depth. South- east of Maine and the square, the ground was greatly broken, north of Hampshire the same, while Ilampshire street itself from Sixth to Eighth street, ran for some distance on an al- most even ridge and gave the easiest access to the surrounding country.
At the same meeting the county commis- sioners issued the first tavern license to Rufus Brown, at the rate of $10 per annum, and estab- lished tavern rates also.
Brown opened his cabin hotel at the corner of Fourth and Maine streets. where the QUINCY (Newcomb) House now stands. Later in the year, George W. Hight opened a tavern under the hill. on Front street. This building still stands. The tavern rates as established by the commissioners were for
Single meal of vietnals $ .25
Lodging .1216
15 pt. whiskey .121
15 pt. rum 1834
16 pt. gin .1834
15 pt. French brandy .3716
16 pt. wine .3715
Bottle of wine 1.00
Horse feed for night. fodder and grain. .25
Horse feed, single
1216
On June 6th the ferry franchise was granted to Ira Pierce for ten years for the sum of $55. The courthouse was so far completed as to be ready for use during the spring of this year. It was occupied until its destruction by fire in the winter of 1835. At the 5th of September meet- ing a pound or stray pen was ordered to be built, near the courthouse, and at a later meet- ing the contract was assigned to James B. Petit for $51.
As stated in the preceding chapter at the meeting of the commissioners, on Deeember 4th, it was ordered that the south half of block one (1) should be set off for a burial ground for the people of Adams County. This is the south half of what is now Jefferson Square, on which the courthouse now stands. It was used as a burying ground for about nine years, when the ground at the southeast corner of Maine and Twenty-fourth streets was purchased for that purpose, and no interments were afterwards made in the old cemetery. Many bodies were removed to the new grounds, but many graves could not be identified, and their contents were not disturbed. The remains of the ancestors of many of our present people, are there, along with the many transient and unknown travelers, who here died. Governor Hubbard, the second governor of the state, was there interred, but his place of burial can not be found.
Many years later, the north half of this bloek. which was a deep ravine, originally considered as almost worthless, was purchased from pri- vate parties. The ground was used for school purposes for some years. After much discus- sion and question of title between the city. county, ete., the imposing conrthouse, alike our county convenience and pride, was ereeted thereon in 1876.
Sometime in the summer or fall of this year (1826) Asher Anderson, to whom belongs the distinction of having been the first merchant to locate in Quincy, opened a small stock of goods in the bar room of Rufus Brown's tavern. This was a pleasing event to the people and vicinity. One can scareely conceive the thrill that ran through the little settlement when it was an- nonneed that "a store" was about to be started. Up to this time all trading had been done with and purchases made from transient trading boats.
These were either keel or Hat or "mackinaw" boats, freighted at St. Louis with a miseel- laneous assortment of such articles as were the most in demand and essential to the wants of new communities, cotton goods, shoes. hard- ware, crockery. tin utensils, groceries. etc. Laden with these, they would periodically ap- pear at the various landings on the river. lying
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
at each for a week or two, and after satisfying the needs of the several localities by disposing of their stock at fabulous profits, drop down to St. Louis to replenish. They usually made three or four trips in a season. Sometimes, though rarely, one settler abler than the rest, would go to St. Louis, Louisiana or Palmyra, where pur- chases could be made at better rates.
It should be known that northwestern Miss- ouri was much advaneed beyond the adjacent section of linois in its period of settlement, owing to the fact that the public lands there were thrown early into market. Louisiana was, up to about the time of the location of QUINCY as the county seat, the general mail depot for the surrounding country. Each week a squad of soldiers from Fort Edwards (now Warsaw) were sent down the river to Louisiana to bring up the military mail that came to that point from St. Louis, Palmyra. from the government aid that it had received, was like its classic prototype of old, a minature "Queen of the Wilderness." Mr. Wood, relates that during this year, the day before his marriage. he walked down to opposite the month of the Fabius, vanoed over the river, thenee footed it to Palmyra to purchase a pair of shoes for his "bride to wear" at the ceremony of the follow- ing day, returning the same way that he went. It was a long, hard tramp, but undoubtedly the good man felt, especially on his return, that he was faithfully walking into his lady-love's affections.
It is pleasant to imagine the visions of painted calieves, strong brogans, brilliant blue table-dishes. many-colored ribbons, household articles and all the shopping delights ready to hand, that filled the minds of the people of the little hamlet when Anderson announced and opened his budget of goods, and they felt that at last they had a store of their own. The stock, of course, was small, of less than one thousand dollars in value, of a miscellaneous nature. but suited to the simple needs of the plain people.
For the two following years Anderson re- tained the monopoly of trade. He was enter- prising, generous in his dealings and prospered, except that at one time, almost his entire ar- cumulation of profits was stolen by a runaway and defaulting county official. Soon after he vame, he established his store on the northeast corner of Third and Maine streets, where he continued his business until his death from cholora in 1833.
An amusing and truthful story is told of a piece of hick that hefell him. and which at first. seemed to be a sad disaster. The second year after his removal, encouraged by his sneeess
and desirous of enjoying his monopoly while the day lasted, he purchased a stock amounting to over $3,000. The steamboat on which he had shipped his goods, sunk some distance below. but after being under water for some time. was raised, and came with the damaged freight to QUINCY. A large portion of the goods con- sisted of colored prints, muslins, shawls, hand- kerchiefs, ribbons, etc., the hues of which, after so long soaking in the water. had all "run to- gether, " making a most brilliant blending of indechipherable figures and designs. Anderson was in dismay. but, with a wild hope of saving something from his wrecked fortune. he offered the goods at publie anetions, and to his great surprise, and satisfaction, so strongly did these hotch-pot-colored goods catch the faney of the settlers, that he realized a profit from their sale which enabled him to lay in a larger stock than before. This demonstrates that in crude, as in more pretentious communities, an absurdity most easily becomes a fashion, and that auction fevers were then as epidemie as now.
These times contrast strangely with the ap- pearanees of to-day. It is not easy to imagine. looking from within our present surroundings. our queen-like city, proud. active, solid. planted with massive structures,-abiding tokens of in- dustry and wealth : and the full-peopled county, with the well reaped rewards of toil and thrift treasures gathered from its willing soil. these past scenes of but little over fifty years ago; when every habitation was built of logs, every Hoor ( where floor there was) made from puncheons, every chimney and fire-place either raised with rongh stones "chinked" with mud. or constructed of sticks and mud. when not a brick had been moulded or laid in the county. and mortar, laths, shingles, and paint, and all snch articles were as yet unknown.
Still, all these deprivations of that which belongs to higher social comfort were scarcely then felt. because they were universal. The course of life in those days was enjoyable and good. Most of the people were young and the novel, wild life, suited their careless adven- turons natures. Their needs were few and were easily provided for. Food came almost spon- taneously. The forests were full of game: the ponds and rivers swarmed with fish : their cattle had unlimited pasture ; in their little farm en- closures, the rich, ripe soil returned a generous vield of domestic vegetables, grain and fruits. But little surplus was raised as there was no market of consequence. JJeans and linsey woolsey answered for outer clothing. Those who could, indulged in calico and shoes. those who could not did withont.
The people were all alike ; they all knew each
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
other: they were as social as distances would permit. and their abundant leisure allowed the cultivation of this socjality. Their partial se- clusion from the busier world promoted social habits, thrown as they were upon their own ro- sources and each other's aid. No dress dis- tinetions existed : no "society sets"' were known. Hospitality was the universal rule. Every man's house was a free resort for the neighbor or traveler, though the latter be a stranger. News from abroad was common prop- erty. Newspapers passed from hand to hand, and their fortunate recipient was generally re- quired to read to a surrounding company. Each traveler or new settler. must unfold his budget of news, all that he had seen or known or had "hear'n tell" in his distant former home, or learned on his way to the West.
The week days were periods of steady, but easy labor. Sundays were hours of quiet rest for some, of whole family visits for others. where a natural exchange was made of all that either had learned during the week. and for others less reverential or less social, they were good days for hunting and fishing. The monotony was varied by the arrival of the scant weekly mail or the occasional landing of steamers, which passed rarely. at irregular times, and sometimes did not stop, and again by the advent of the new settler, which was always a sensation either the "mover," as the better to do immigrant was called, who came with his family and household goods in a covered one or two horse wagon, or the poorer " packer." who trudged along with his worldly possessions strapped upon a horse's back, each of the travelers being accompanied by a few cattle and one or two dogs. They would stay at the village a few days. while the head of the house- hokl. if a land-owner, would, under the guid- anee of some earlier settler, seek out the cor- ners of his land, marked as they would be by blazed trees in the timber and small earth mounds, stone piles or half-charred stakes set up on the prairies. Almost any of the okier settlers were thoroughly posted in the finding of those survey marks. The land found, the settler would select and clear off his building spot, usually near a brook or spring, if possible, then with the aid of a few of his nearest neigh- bors, ereet his humble cabin. plant his family therein and settle down to the development and improvement of his future home.
The poor packer, usually having no land of his own to look up, would disappear after a few days, and might later be seen or heard of as having "squatted" in the brush near a spring. on some vacant land belonging either to Unele Sam or to some eastern non-resident. Most of
this class, as civilization advanced and settle- ments thickened, pulled up their stakes (usually they had little else to pull up) and struck out l'or a still farther West, where they could find "more room."
There was occasional preaching by itinerant preachers of various seets and all shades of character. Some of these were good and earnest men, others, and most of them. however. were men whose toughness of cheek and volume of voice were the only atonements for their lack of mental capacity. The coming of these clergy- men was generally known well in advance throughout the community. and as a general rule. everybody attended.
Election day, county court meetings and cir- enit court week, of course, brought quite a general attendance of the country folks, and the village was then well enlivened by horse and foot races, jumping matches and target shooting for turkeys or beef, the day almost in- variably ending off with more than one "rongh and tumble" fight.
There were often pleasant social gatherings, the pienie, the quilting, the wedding, and if at these, dress, polish or manner and fashion were missing, substantial profusion and innocent, hearty jollity and zest more than made amends. But these primitive times, with their wild fas- einations and easily endured toils and cares have gone, like the clouds of their accompany- ing years, and have left no like, and never can there be their like again. The footprints made and the lines then drawn have been swept away by the resistless wave of change, and no similar fiehl now awaits the entrance of young and eager adventurers. Pioneerism and civilization now move side by side. As was well said by an old pioneer who thirty years ago visited the El Dorado of the Pacific Coast (then just open to the wondrous rush of the gold seekersi and again, twenty years later, repeated his trip. "I have seen three great Wests in my life time : one in western New York, one in Dlinois and one in California, but there is not now and can never be a West like the past.
CHAPTER IN.
1827.
SLOW GROWTIL. FIRST SCHOOL. FIRST PREACII- ING. SCARCITY OF SCHOOL BOOKS, ILLINOIS- IANS CALLED "SUCKERS."
Quiney was two years old in 1827. but little oreurred during the year worthy of record. The eye teeth of the future "Gem City" ent
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
very slowly. It had very few people, none with capital, and the inducements to settle here were not tempting. It had not many enterprising men, such as usually take the lead in enter- prising cities. Quiney, like Topsy, had to "come to herself." and "just grow.'
Trade was trifling; money was a curiosity. Beeswax and coonskins were the readiest and most general circulating media; the limited agricultural production from the country ad- jacent. utterly failing as yet to make it, even incipiently, the generons and well known mart, for which it was so well fitted by situation, and which it has since become.
True, it would boast at the commencement of the year, of a courthouse, hotel and store, sad- dle, shoemaker and blacksmith shop, in or just on the edge of town, and a doctor only a mile or two away. Its morals were presumably good, as neither preacher nor lawyer had settled within it. It has some half dozen "first settlers" in the country about it, yet there were only about a dozen families in the town, and most of these had but just begun to be established, and were as new as the town. There were, however, during the year, added to the above, a school house and a grocery; at one or the other of which, mental or physical satisfaction could be imbibed, though the inhibitions of the latter institution were the more favorite and general.
The school was opened late in the year in the recently finished courthouse, the teacher being Rev. Jabez Porter, a Presbyterian clergyman, from Abingdon, Mass., a man of much more than ordinary culture, a graduate of a New England college. He was in feeble health, and came West in hope of restoration. He lived for several years, and in the year 1828, commeneed the first regular preaching known in Quiney (at the courthouse). lle died in 1831 or '32. His school was very select as to quantity, if not as to quality. Among the half score of new fam- ilies in Quiney and the vicinity. children were a rare and somewhat enrions luxury, and a few of the scholars were as old as himself, young men and women who had had no educational opportunities and sought this opportunity to learn how to read and write.
It is tonching to think of the difficulties in the way of those who desired education in those days. Of course, spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic were the four corner stones, but the trouble was. that no text books could be ob- tained. and pupils had to furnish their own. Spelling was comparatively the easiest, because there were spelling books and primers. Gram- mar was ruled by the way the school master talked. True, an occasional Lindley Murray
might turn up. and there was no great difficulty as to writing, that, of course was a mechanical study, which could take care of itself. Geography was somewhat easily taught, as maps will find their way everywhere, and more or less of geographical information is in all families; but when it came to reading, which, is instinctively and properly, the first thought and desire of all. there were no "Readers" to be obtained ; each one must furnish his or her own reading book.
The writer recalls the scene, when but a year or two later than the date of this chapter. a school was started by Mr. "Pedagogue Sey- mour." as he was called, we, the writer and his relatives, presented ourselves with Olney's geography. Kirkham's grammar, and Wor- cester's readers. Of some forty scholars, all but, say half a dozen, were equipped with read- ers, most of them Testaments, two or three the old Methodist green, paper covered little hymn book, one or two with an old novel or history, and three of the boys had an outfit unique. One had a French volume of Voltaire's life of Charles the XII, which neither he. nor his parents, nor perhaps the teacher could read, another had a congressional pamphlet, which probably had been sent to his father on the "propriety of running the mails on the Sab- bath." The last one, who, by the way, figured afterward briefly in congress, had a huge book (as a reader) nearly as big as himself, which in some way had fallen into his family's hands. It was the translation of an enormous volume of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. We can never forget his reading of the first lines of the book, "Napoleon Bonaparte was born August 15th, 1779, at Ajacio, in Corsica." His voice always cracked at Ajacio, and broke at "Cor- seeker," as he could not help calling it.
The school business was neither very exten- sive, nor profitable during these days. for the reason, that, there were but few "young ideas to shoot," and also that the older ideas shot mostly after another fashion. For some years the log cabin court house was the only build- ing where "school was kept." It was also the "church" and was made nse of for all general purposes, since it was the only structure in the place big enough for sneh nses, or that could be spared. As has been before said, the business and social features of the place exhibited but little noticeable change sinee 1826, but there did. during this year. sweep over the West a most memorable wave of excitement, which, while it retarded rather than advanced the pros- pects of Quiney for a time, is worthy of a pass- ing mention.
This was the "lead fever" at Galena. eqnal
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
(taking into account the difference in the con- ditions of the country) to that later furore which, in 1848. spurred westward that count- less swarm of eager seekers. erazed by the glitter of California's yellow treasures. Strange it is with what an universal and electric grasp, the mining mania will take possession of a peo- ple. Let but the rumor start that there has been found in a "hole in the ground." some- thing shining and new, and there is at once. "down with the shovel and the hoe, " away with the yardstick and pen, sell off the stock, shut up the shop, and all coat tails point horizon- tally, straight backwards as men frantically rush to where they hope to get rich in a min- ute. For one leky bhinderer who returns with a better suit of clothes than he wore away, there are a thousand who do not.
Ont of the hundreds who left Quiney in 1848 for the Pacific Coast. we cannot remember one who came back with fortunes bettered. They had. however, acquired "experience."
This "lead fever " was a hot-yes a melting one. The tide of northern travel was wonder- fully increased in volume. Why it should then have become so, one cannot divine. Lead had been known to exist, and had been worked for in that seetion for many years. by the Indians long ago, but this year on a sudden, all "went for it." The creeping keel boat which until this time. had controlled almost the entire transportation of the river, was now ontdone by rapid steamers. These, the Shamrock, and Indiana. and perhaps another which heretofore had two or three times during the season. made trips from St. Louis to "the mines." were now in constant motion. their decks swarming with people. One-third, probably of the residents of Quiney, (many of them with their families) moved up "ter Galeny." as the expression went. and made temporary settlement there.
It was from this streaming northwest of southern and central Illinoisians (soon to re- turn) that our State patronymie "Sucker." came. There is a elumsy. hubberly fish in our Mississippi waters, shaped much like the cat- fish and occasionally nearly as large, known as the "Sucker" or "Round-month," which swims mostly in the deep water near the bot- tom and rarely takes the hook.
It was once quite numerous, but now is rarely seen. Its habit was to migrate northward early in the spring. there spawn, and descend in the fall. It was remarked that many of the fam- ilies went up at the same time and returned at the same time, with an increased family. like the "Suckers." Hence the name. Most of the emigrants from one section. soon discovered that a surer source of substantial wealth. with
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