USA > Illinois > Christian County > Past and present of Christian County, Illinois > Part 4
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Nicholas Sanders was a native of Rhode Island; born April 7, 1805; emigrated to Christian county in the spring of 1837, and improved a farm on Flat Branch; he opened a store of general merchandise at this point in March, 1852, and remained in business for 16 years; his store formed the nucleus of the town called Sandersville in Stoning- ton township.
Among others who came to this county this year, were Elijah Behymer, a native of Virginia; Presley Peak, born in Ken- tucky; Rev. Paris Pray of Connecticut ; John Hill, Sr., from Kentucky, with his sons, James H., Terry and Gabriel; and Thomas S. Leachman, also from Kentucky.
Among others who came to this county in 1838 were Joseph A. Hailey of Kentucky, S. B. Sheldon of Massachusetts, Frank Haines and James Ferguson of Virginia.
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During the year 1839 the county was organ- ized and there was a great influx of popu- lation. Prominent among those who ar- rived. at this date were Morgan Goode, at one time County Treasurer; Wm. Hargis, a Kentuckian; Joel Traylor, a native of South Carolina, and Levi W. Gooden.
David Rutlidge, the "deer slayer" and "Nimrod" of the Flat Branch, was a native of Tennessee, born in Dickinson County in 1813. He emigrated to Christian County in 1840; was married to Miss Anna Harris, a daughter of Silas Harris, in 1844; he was a resident of May township; was very fond of the chase and devoted much time to hunt- ing; it is said that he killed in one winter 48 deer, besides a large amount of smaller game.
John W. Wheat was born in New York. Sept. 25, 1819, and came to this county in 1840. In that year he taught the first school in Taylorville; was by profession a lawyer and was elected the second school commis- sioner of the county.
Daniel DeCamp settled in the county in June, 1843; was born in Virginia in 1821. For several years he was connected with Allen's Great Eastern Stage Line, which passed through the county. Was married, Oct. 7, 1847, to Miss Pernecy Langley, a daughter of Jesse Langley. He purchased the Blue Point farm and "stage stand" in February, 1851, and moved there the March! following. Ilis farm embraced over 200 acres of choice land, on which the town of Edinburg is now located. Mr. DeCamp is said to have been fond of hunting in his younger days ; has been Justice of the Peace and held other offices of trust in his town and township. He served as Captain of Company D of the 130th Regiment Illinois Volunteers in the late rebellion.
Mr. DeCamp was highly respected by his
people and was of that peculiar type that at. tracted men to him ; made warm friends and strong enemies. Hle died in Edinburg a few years ago at a ripe old age.
In recording the names of those men who have been connected with the history and development of Christian County among its carlier days, that of the late Major D. D. Shumway must not be forgotten. Though he did not become a resident until 1843, he made an honorable record, but like many others, did not live long afterwards to en joy it; he was born in Massachusetts Sept. 28. 1813, where he resided until he reached the years of manhood. In 1834 he came west and settled first in Zanesville, Ohio. where he remained until 1837 when he came to Montgomery county, Illinois. While there, was elected and served a term as one of the County Commissioners' Court of Montgomery County: was also appointed Major of the State Militia. June 3, 1841 he was married to Miss Emily R. Roun- tree, daughter of the late Hon. Hiram Roun- tree of Hillsboro, Ill. In the spring of 1843, he removed to Christian County, first set- tling on wild prairie land about four miles east of Taylorville, where he improved a farm of several hundred acres. In 1851. he became a resident of Taylorville, where he engaged in merchandise, this being his occupation in former years, which he con- tinued with success until 1858. He then retired from active business life, having ac- cumulated considerable wealth. He was a member of the legal profession, and for many years held the office of Master in Chancery of the county. The Major was a gentleman of culture and taste, possessing a noble, generous disposition, and was highly esteemed among his fellow citizens. In politics he was a Democrat. During his residence in the county he was elected in
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
1845 a member of the legislature from the counties of Christian and Shelby, and at the following session was elected Clerk of the State Senate. In 1848 he was a member of the State Constitutional convention, and took an active part in its deliberations ; was elected County Judge in November, 1857. for a term of four years ; he was also inter- ested in both the County and State Agricul- tural societies and one of the incorporators and directors of the Springfield & South- eastern R. R., and discharged the duties of many minor offices. Much credit is due him while in the legislature for the location of the Terre Haute & St. Louis R. R. through the southern part of this county. where have sprung into existence the flour- ishing towns of Pana and Rosemond. He was a prominent Mason, and in fact held the positions of W. M .. of Mound Lodge and High Priest of Royal Arch Chapter at Tay- lorville for many years, and is said to have been a very bright Mason. While the writer had no personal acquaintance with him, he is informed that Major Shumway was a bright and intelligent man, a fluent speaker, good conversationalist and was very popu- lar and much loved by those with whom he associated. He died in 1870, and was buried at the old homestead in Taylorville, where his body remained until a few years ago, when it was removed to the Taylorville cem- etery.
Dr. Calvin Goudy was a native of Ohio; born June 2, 1814; emigrated with his parents to Indiana in 1826, thence to Illinois : in 1832 locating at Vandalia. He graduated at the St. Louis Medical College in the spring of 1844. Soon thereafter, in May, 1844, he located in Taylorville, where he acquired a lucrative practice and con- tinued to reside until his death. Dr. Goudy was a very scholarly man and the people
of this county are indebted to him for pre- serving in the forin of notes and manu- script the names and other biographical sketches of the carlier settlers of this county, together with the incidents connected with the early settlement. Had it not been for the foresight of Dr. Goudy in preserving these matters, it would be impossible at this day to give the citizens any accurate idea of many of the early settlements or of the hardships they endured.
The writer of this article feels more than grateful to the forethought and wisdom of Dr. Goudy for preserving such facts and incidents as makes it possible to give the generations of the present day an insight into the character and history of the early settlers of this county.
Dr. Goudy was the publisher of the J. N. Picks Gazeteer of Illinois in 1834: also Wakefield's History of the Black Hawk war and Goudy's Almanac for several years, and issued a journal known as the Common School Advocate, which is said to have been the first journal devoted exclusively to the cause of education in the Great North-west.
In 1847 he was elected Probate Judge of this county; in 1856, was elected to the legislature from Christian and Montgomery counties, and it is said that great credit is due him for having obtained the passage of the bill creating the "Normal University" and the Chicago Times of 1860 in speak- ing of that bill gives much credit to Dr. Goudy of Christian county. He, at one time, was Professor of Chemistry in the Rock Island Medical College and delivered a course of lectures on Chemistry before a class of some eighty students. He erected the first steam mill in Taylorville in the year 1850, which was a great public benefit and added largely to the improvement of the town; he served the county in many official
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PAST AND PRESENT
capacities, and is said to have been an effi- cient officer and a man of integrity. He took a great interest in church work, and espe- cially in Sabbath schools, and represented the Presbyterian church at its General As- sembly in New York. In May, 1876, he was married to Miss Martha A. Mayhood of Codaz, Ohio, to whom were born eight children, and it has been said of him, "the record of his life is complete. It is that of one who amidst the toils and hardships of our early history held fast his integrity and manhood, and moulded upon his asso- ciates the virtues of his character. This is the reward of the righteous, and many arise to call him blessed."
Dr. J. H. Clark, a Kentuckian, settled first in Johnson township in the spring of 1844, and was a member of the County Court when the second courthouse was built. He moved to Taylorville and there engaged in the practice of medicine for a great many years prior to his death.
Joseph Edwards, a native of Ireland, set- tled on Coal Creek in this county March 26, 1845. He was one of the noted eighteen voters of "Stone Coal Precinct"; was a man known for his candor and integrity and ex- ercised a commanding influence in that sec- tion of the county.
Another early and prominent settler in Stone Coal, now Pana, was Wm. Pryce; born in England in 1817; came to this coun- ty in 1845; taught the first school in that part of the county; was deputy tax collector in 1845 and held other offices of trust.
Elijah Duncan, a native of North Caro- lina, settled on the west side of Bear Creek in 1847; there was born to him sixteen children. Wm. A. Welsh, a native of Ten- nessee, settled on South Fork in 1849; Wm. S. Berry settled four miles south of Tay- lorville in 1849.
In the foregoing we have attempted to . give the names of the early settlers of this county, together with the date of their ar- rival in the county, and the characteristics and public positions held by them; and in giving these facts or sketches of the lives of these people, we have been compelled to rely largely upon the notes of Dr. Goudy. We have found some whom he had failed to mention, and it may be that there are others that we have failed to learn of, but the writer has done the best he could to ascer- tain the names and date of the coming of the early settlers. It is certainly gratifying to those who are friends and descendants of the early settlers to have due credit given to them for their participation in the early events of the county.
The writer feels that great credit is due to these noble men who were willing to make the sacrifices they did for the purpose of set- tling up a wild country, barren of comforts and even the necessaries of life; these people were brave and courageous; they saw in the character of the country the fertility of the soil the probable outgrowth of the county and the prospect for making their children and their descendants comfortable and happy homes, and in the subduing of this country from a wild and almost uninhab- itable waste. they builded better than they knew, and we have for them the profoundest respect and admiration, and take pleasure in expressing it.
THE ORGANIZATION AND GROWTHI OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
In the year 1839. the legislature of the State of Illinois, then in session at Vandalia. created Dane County under an act entitled "An act to establish the County of Dane," and this act gave the boundaries of the
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
county as "all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to-wit: Beginning where the third principal merid- ian crosses the north fork of the Sangamon river; thence down said river to the line between Sections Nine and Ten, in Town- ship Fifteen (15), North of Range Threc West; thence south to the southeast corner of Section Four in Township Fourteen North, Range last aforesaid; thence West three miles by the surveys; thence south . three miles by the surveys; thence west three miles by the surveys; thence south to the southern boundary of Township Eleven (II), Range last aforesaid; thence east with the surveys to the Third Principal Me- ridian; thence north to the place of begin- ning, shall constitute the County of Dane." "Approved Feb. 15, 1839. Thos. Carlin, Governor."
It will be observed that the County of Dane, as created by this act of the legisla- ture, did not include that territory now known as towns of Pana, Assumption, and Prairieton. The first petition was entrusted to Colonel Bond to present to the legisla- ture, and when the act was passed. making the Third Principal Meridian the eastern boundary of the newly formed county, the inhabitants of the district, especially those residing east of the boundary, were not well pleased. It was expected that the county would extend six miles further and take in the towns above enumerated, but for some cause this part of the petition was ignored, and this left the east tier of townships now belonging to Christian county still a part of Shelby county. By the efforts of Judge Fink, William B. Hall and Aaron McKen- zie petitions were circulated over Shelby county favoring the annexing of these townships to Christian.
Proper certificates were obtained from
Jesse Oliver, County Clerk of Shelby county, showing the willingness of the people of that county to make this tier of townships a part of Dane county, and thereupon a law was enacted adding to the County of Dane, Townships Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen and the south half (1/2) of Fourteen, North of Range One, East of the Third Principal Meridian, thus extending the County of Dane to the present bounda- ries of the County of Christian, and added thereto 80,640 acres more than was allotted to it by the original act. This was indeed a wise provision as it made Christian (then Dane) of better proportions and of sufficient size to properly maintain its organization, buildings and other expenses incident to the carrying on of county government without burdening the people with taxation.
We are pleased to. note that the addition of these townships proved a very valuable acquisition to Christian county, upon which are now located some of the most important cities and villages in the county-many rail- road facilities, and the lands are very fer- tile; besides it has been demonstrated that they contain a very valuable coal deposit, and no part of the county can be said to be any richer, more productive or enterprising than this acquisition. The act creating the County of Dane also provided for the ap- pointment of commissioners to locate the county seat, and in pursuance of such act, Benjamin Mitchell of Tazewell county, John Henry of Morgan county and New- ton Walker of Fulton county were ap- pointed commissioners to locate the county seat of Dane.
The town of Allenton, then located about a mile and a half northeast of the present county seat, and on what was recently known as the David Hall farm, and the town of Edinburg, then located about a mile
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PAST AND PRESENT
and a half northwest of the present county seat on what is now known as part of the George W. Vollentine farm, were both com- petitors for the county seat. The commis- sioners met at the town of AAllenton on the 20th day of May. 1839, were sworn by Squire Ketcham to faithfully and impar- tially discharge the duties imposed upon them and proceeded to locate the seat of Justice. They at last determined upon the West Half (12) of the Northeast Quarter (14) of Section Twenty-seven (27). Town- ship Thirteen (13) North, Range Two (2) West of the Third Principal Meridian as the most eligible place. A man by the name of M. Eastham, then being the proprietor of said land. was required to give bond and security conditional for the conveyance of a public square of not less than two acres of said land to said county, on which to locate a courthouse, and for the payment of Three Thousand Dollars in cash. This record was filed by the said commissioners in the office of C. R. Matheny (Clerk of Sangamon county ) on May 24, 1839. This fixed the county seat in its present location, and the town was shortly thereafter named Taylor- ville: the land upon which it was located was entered by Daniel C. Goode, a former citizen of this county, in the year 1835, and conveyed by him to Marvellous Eastham and others. This deed was acknowledged before Eli Matthews, J. P., on May 24, 1839, and was witnessed by the Hon. Ste- phen A. Douglas.
The county seat was surveyed and platted by T. M. Neal, County Surveyor of Sanga- mon county, by a company composed of Dr. Richard F. Barrett. Hon, John Taylor, Marvellous Eastham and Robert Allen, citi- zens of Springfield, Ill.
.As the county seat was located upon pri- vate property, it became necessary under the
law for the owners of such private property to pay a bonus of Three Thousand Dollars, to be used in public improvements, and this company agreed to pay said amount and executed their obligations therefor. The obligations were not paid at maturity, and suit was instituted thereon and settlement was made. By the terms of the settlement the company agreed to convey to the county "the public square and seventy-eight town lots in Taylorville": it is said that these lots were afterwards soll at merely nominal prices by the county authorities to persons agreeing to improve them, and we are in- formed from the pen of an old settler that "the location of the seat of justice was looked upon by the old settlers as an impor- tant event in the history of the county. It was determined to honor the occasion in a suitable manner : therefore a sumptuous din- ner was given to the proprietors at the house of Daniel C. Goode, the former owner of the land. The dinner was supplemented with an ample supply of 'old Mononga- hela.' Some of the guests, feeling its ex- hilarating effects, proceeded to name the new county seat, and that in so doing, it should be in honor of one of the notable guests present. The proposition was re- ceived with hearty eclat. In response to a toast it was named 'Taylorville,' in honor of Hon. John Taylor of Springfield. Ill., one of its proprietors."
It is said by some that there is nothing in a name; by others, that the name is every- thing. In this case, however, it must ap- pear to have been unfortunate that the "old Monongahela" caused the guests of that oc- casion to have conceived the idea that Tay- lorville would always remain a small vil- lage; they did not understand the capacity of the country surrounding it. and if the City of Taylorville should grow to a popu-
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
lation of 100,000 or more, the word "ville" would still carry with it the idea of a small village and keep the inhabitants constantly explaining that it is not such, but has grown to be a city.
The location of the county seat at Tay- lorville undoubtedly created considerable comment and more or less dissatisfaction. as it is said by the Springfield Journal of the date of Sept. 20, 1839, which seemed to be in touch with matters in this county at that time, "that the county seat was not lo- cated in accordance with the implied wish of nine-tenths of the citizens, is a proposition which has never been denied by any person residing therein, but on the contrary, was located in opposition to their wishes. The citizens held a meeting (and there was quite a respectable collection of people before the location was made), expressing a desire to have Allenton or Edinburg selected. There was not a dissenting voice in the meeting. Yet the commissioners wholly disregarded this expression of the citizens."
It may be that as the population of the county at that time was mostly in the west- ern part thereof that the location of the county seat at Taylorville created some dis- satisfaction, but it certainly was not an 1111- just act of the commissioners.
The commissioners doubtless realized that sooner or later other parts of the county would be fully populated, and in view of the possibilities of a settlement of the county in all its parts at some future period, and the centrality of the location of Taylorville. that the choice was a wise one. By reason of the county seat being centrally located Christian county has avoided the bitter county seat contest that has grown up in other counties where the county seat had been located to one side or the other.
We are told by Dr. Goudy that this
county was called Dane "in compliment to Nathan Dane," who had been a member of Congress and rendered prominent as the author of that celebrated Northwestern Or- dinance by which that large territory was forever consecrated to freedom.
The act was passed by Congress on the 13th of July, 1787. In a speech at Boston shortly after the nullification times of 1832 Daniel Webster, in referring to Hayne's speech in an ironical manner of "one Nathan Dane," exclaimed scornfully, "Mr. Hayne calls him 'one Nathan Dane!' . I tell you, my fellow citizens, that Nathan Dane was no Federalist, and, that as author of the Northwestern Ordinance, his name is as im- mortal as if it were written on yonder firma- ment, blazing forever between Orion and Pleiades."
This statement is made, as on it hinged the changing of the name Dane to that of Christian. It was rumored that Dane was a rank old "Federalist," and effectually used by those seeking the change. The county at that time, as now, was Democratic, and the term "Federalist" was distasteful-often used as a term of opprobrium towards their opponents in those partisan days.
The name Dane was suggested and first put in the original petition, asking for the new county, by William S. Frink, a promi- nent "Whig" politician at that period, who took an active part in the formation of the county. This fact gave coloring to the charge. At the time he thought little about the political proclivities of the author of the celebrated ordinance, but selected the name from his known national reputation; and from the fact that in the great Northwest there was no county by that name, thus avoiding a too frequent use of names com- mon in counties and towns in this and other states. Since, however, a county in Wis-
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PAST AND PRESENT
consin has been called Dane. Daniel C. Goode, an old settler and an uncompromis- ing Democrat, circulated petitions to have the name changed. In aid of the movement a mass meeting of the citizens of the county was held on the open prairie where the court-house now stands: Thomas P. Bond addressed the meeting; made the motion which was adopted, substituting the name "Christian" for that of "Dane." This name was suggested from the fact that many of the inhabitants at that time were from Christian county. Ky. The change was ef- fected and legalized by an act of the legisla- ture passed Feb. 1, 1840. Hon. Thomas J. Nance was the representative of the district in the legislature, and it was through his efforts that the prayer of the petitioners was granted, and the bill became a law. The records and proceedings of the county for the first year after its organization appear under the name "Dane." There was no particular notation of the change of the name of the county upon the records. It does appear upon the records of the County Commissioners' Court that on Dec. II, 1839. the County Commissioners' Court con- vened as commissioners of the County of Dane, and on that day adjourned until court in course; then on March 2. 1840, the County Commissioners' Court again coll- vened as the County Commissioners' Court for the County of Christian, and no men- tion or other record is made of the change from Dane to Christian.
At a later term, however, several reports of commissioners appointed as road view- ers, and several orders for services of the different officers of the court were allowed. and in these it is recited that they were for the "County of Christian alias Dane." And this is the only mention that is made of the change.
It seems strange that a matter of so much importance, and in which so much interest was being taken by the inhabitants, that the change from Dane to Christian county was not particularly noted upon the records. No one man has any particular claim over oth- ers in the organization of the county.
Many of the inhabitants then residing in all parts of the county took an active part, and were very much interested in this or- ganization, and it is said that prominent among them was Col. Thomas P. Bond, Judge W. S. Frink, Daniel Miller, Gabriel R. Jernigan, Jesse Murphy, William S. Ricks, Aaron McKinzie, A. D. Northcut, Amos Richardson, William B. Hall and others.
After the county seat had been located it then became necessary to arrange the courts and offices for the transaction of the busi- ness of the county.
The first election for county officers was held on the first Monday of April, 1839. The county was divided into three pre- cincts, the north precinct. with the voting place at Buckhart Grove: centre precinct, with voting place at Allenton, and the south precinct, with voting place at the house of John Z. Durbin.
The judges of this election for Buckhart were James Fletcher, George D. Pearson and John George: clerks, Samuel Virden and Gustavus A. Kilbourn. For Allenton judges were John Estes, Joshua Brents and Isaac Harris; clerks, Thomas S. Leachman and Jesse Murphy. At Durbins the judges were Richard Simpson, Isaac Logston and Thomas Durbin; clerks, William Durbin and Christ K. Durbin.
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