USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Past and present of DeKalb County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 42
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surveyor. In 1884 H. M. Boardman was elected a member of the legislature and Henry Wood was re-elected for the same position. Henry Wood was succeeded by William M. Byers of South Grove, who served from 1876 to 1880. In 1884 the presidential campaign which landed Grover (leveland in the presidential chair was opened with great activity. General Dustin was nomi- nated for circuit clerk without opposition ; Charles F. Greenwood of Clinton was nominated for county treasurer. In 1886 C. M. Conrad was a candidate for the fourth term and was opposed by C. F. Greenwood and A. S. Kinsloe, county clerk. 0. S. Holcomb, sheriff. Luther Lowell was a candidate for re-election and opposed by Charles A. Bishop. George I. Talbot was a candidate for county superintend- ent of schools without opposition. After a close contest in the canenses C. M. Conrad was nomi- nated for county clerk and Luther Lowell for county judge. Judge Bishop and his friends ap- pealed from the decision of the county convention and he became an independent candidate, the democrats making no nominations. This was one of the bitterest political contests in the history of the county. Judge Bishop succeeded in defeating the regular nominee by about two hundred and fifty majority. This was the second time in the history of the county when regular nominations of a republican county convention had been defeated at the polls. The presidential election again saw General Dustin a candidate without opposition for circuit elerk and recorder. D. D. Hunt was candidate for representative. Regular nominees from Benjamin Harrison to county surveyor were elected by large majorities. The off year of 1890 showed the democrat pendulum swinging again toward the descendeney. After a bitter contest D. D. Hunt was nominated for sheriff: A. S. Kinsloe nominated without opposition for county clerk : John T. Becker, after strong opposition, became a nominee for county treasurer: A. M. Ostrander nominee for sheriff. Judge Bishop was nominated without opposition : Lewis M. Gross nominated for county superintendent of schools after a close contest with the incumbent in the office, George 1. Talbot. M. L. Oleson of De Kalb, of Swedish birth, was defeated in the convention for county treasurer, There was much dissatisfaction in republican circles and the demo- erats, independents and Scandinavians formed a
political coalition and nominated the following ticket : John MeNamara was a candidate for cir- euit clerk against S. T. Armstrong, who was nomi- nated to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of General Dustin, who had been appointed by his comrade-in-arms, Benjamin Harrison, to the position of sub-treasurer. Fred Brown of Water- man was a candidate for county clerk against A. S. Kinsloe. Mr. Weeks was candidate of the coali- tion for treasurer: Charles Peterson, for sheriff ; Mr. Randall, of Sandwich, for county judge; and George I. Talbot for county superintendent of schools. The campaign was carried on amid much excitement and a great deal of political bitterness was engendered. The regular ticket, however, proved a winner at the polls by reduced ma- jorities. In 1892 S. T. Armstrong was unopposed for county clerk. H. S. Early was nominated for state's attorney and M. Hines nominated for coro- ner. In this contest Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison, but the remainder of the republican ticket was elected. C. F. Meyer was elected member of the honse. In 1894 the repub- lican nominees for county offices were nominated practically without opposition: A. S. Kinsloe. county clerk : A. L. Wells, county treasurer ; J. M. Shafter, sheriff: C. A. Bishop, county judge; Lewis M. Gross, county superintendent of schools. D. D. Hunt was elected state senator. The panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, again caused a tidal wave in favor of republicanism, and William Mc Kinley was elected, carrying some of the south- ern states, while S. T. Armstrong was elected for county clerk; H. S. Early. for state's attorney : J. D. Morris, coroner.
INVENTION OF THE MARSH HARVESTER.
One of the inventions of a De Kalb county man deserves special mention, as it was one of those inventions that revolutionized the harvesting of grain. Some time in 1858 Mr. W. W. Marsh, who was then a resident of Clinton township, while binding in the field, found that if the gavels of grain were near him so that time was saved in passing from one gavel to the other he could bind a bundle in the time it took for a reaping machine to gather one and deliver it on the ground. This matter was discussed at the table and the next day the experiment continued until this fact was assured. The Marsh brothers, W. W. and C. W., then attempted to construct
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a machine that would cut the grain and carry it to a place where men standing on the machine could bind the grain. This apparatus was at tirst put on behind the reaper, which lost the Marsh Brothers' lawsuit with McCormicks, and the binding tables were afterward put on the side of the machine. The elevator which carried the grain from the platform to the binding table was an idea originated wholly by the Marsh Brothers. When the first machine was ready it was started in timothy, which went up the ele- vator heads first and soon clogged the machine. They then secured some bolting, nailed it on the elevator pulleys, which were of wood, and ex- perimented until the elevator ran without any trouble and delivered the grain to the binding table in horizontal position. They then cut an eight acre piece almost without stopping. two men bind- ing the grain on the machine, where heretofore six men were required to bind the same amount while on the ground in the gavel. They soon found themselves able to bind four hundred bundles per hour from a five foot machine. After the ex- periment- were carried on to a successful termina- tion. they built a factory at Plano, and for a time manufactured their machines at that point. In 1869 the March Harvester factory was built in Sycamore and continued with great success until the invention of the Appleby binder. All the binders at present use the same principle for the elevation of the grain as was invented by Marsh, and had the Marsh Brothers put the Ap- pleby binder on their machine. the splendid repu- tation of the Marsh harvester would have brought success to this company.
The Marsh Brothers have invented and manu- factured wind mills, plows. cultivators. wire stretchers, corn cutters, corn huskers, etc. One incident which was a memorable one to Mr. W. W. Marsh is worthy of special note. as it was a momentous occasion for De Kalb county. as well as a central figure therein. The test of the Marsh harvester took place on the Clark Barber farm. north of De Kalb, in the presence of thousands of spectators. Nearly every reaping machine known was in the contest. among which were the pioneer wire and cord binders. both of which at that time proved failures. The Marsh machine asserted the value of the principles upon which it is based and achieved a complete triumph. Mr.
Marsh occupied the platform alone and in fifty minutes bound the grain eut on an acre, aecom- plishing the work with utmost ease. All binders have used this principle to the present time, and this invention with the invention of barb wire by Joseph Glidden were events of world interest. De Kalb county claims the honor of being the home of the Marsh brothers and Joseph Glidden. Sketches of the lives of these men and details of their work along mechanical and industrial lines are given in the biographical part of this work.
THE HISTORY OF THE BARB WIRE INDUSTRY AS TOLD BY COL. I. L. ELLWOOD.
In 18:3 we had a little county fair down here about where the Normal school now stands and a man by the name of Rose that lived in Clinton exhibited at that fair a strip of wood about an inch square and about sixteen feet long and drove into this wood some sharp brads leaving the points stick out for the purpose of hanging it on a smooth wire which was the principal fonc- ing material at that time. This strip of wood so armed to hang on the wire was to stop the cattle from crawling through. Mr. Glidden. Mr. Haish and myself were at that fair and all three of us stood looking at this invention of Mr. Rose's. and I think that each one of us at that hour con- ceived the idea that barbs could be placed on the wire in some way instead of being driven into the strip of wood. Mr. Glidden. Mr. Haish and my- self. each one returned to our places of business with an idea of constructing a barb wire. Mr. Haish made what is known as the Haish barb. and Mr. Glidden what is known as the Glidden barb. I did not succeed in attaching barbs to wire. but conceived the idea of putting barbs into hoop iron. a thin hoop iron having a twist in it. and then entting out with a die a sort of a star shaped barb which I slipped into this hoop iron so it would not ship out. The public did not seem to appreciate it as much as I did and I soon abandoned that, and the principal reason for aban- doning it in its early stage. although I sold quite a good deal of it and shipped some to Iowa and other states. is that my wife and myself were out riding one Sunday afternoon and Mr. Glidden had succeeded in putting up some feneing. his style of foneing. by the side of the road where we were riding. I think it was about the first
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that was ever put up. I got out of the buggy and was looking at this when my wife remarked to me that she thought it was a better invention than mine because it would not rust out quick. I was somewhat offended by the remark that she had made that any one had a better invention for barb wire than I did and during the rest of the drive home there was very little conversation. But it set me to thinking and I did not sleep much that night. I came to the conclusion that I had better have an interest with Mr. Glidden. Next morning he came into my place where I was keeping a re- tail hardware store, and he wanted to know of me what I thought about his invention. I told him I wanted to buy an interest in it. The proposition was, if I would pay one-half the expense that he had been to and I would agree to take the man- agement of the business he would sell me one- half interest. We tigured up and the one-half interest came to $265. I paid him the $265 and without the assistance of a lawyer or any one drew up the assigmnent to me for one-half in- terest. The next morning I had him at the depot ready to go to Washington to secure the patents. At this time the patent had been rejected. When we got to Washington Mr. Haish did not appear. Now there is one can tell how elose those two men were in their inventions, but the energy that was shown by Mr. Glidden and myself and per- sonal explanations to the Commissioner of Pat- ents we succeeded in getting the Glidden Patent after it was once rejected. We returned to our offices. Mr. Glidden went home and went into his tool shop. such as most farmers have, and took an old coffee mill and by using the shaft in that, and the crank on the shaft, and him taking a piece of wire and putting it through this shaft and his wife turning the crank he made wire barbs, which afterward be slipped on to the wire and then placed another wire along the side and twisted it and made what substantially is today the Glidden barb wire. Of course at that time it was very rude wire with barbs perhaps an inch or inch and a half long, a number nine wire, weigh- ing three or four pounds per rod and such as had been used in the ordinary smooth wire fence.
Mr. Glidden manufactured a few spools of wire by making the barbs as stated above by hand and then some boys climbing a ladder or tree, and slipping those barbs on to the wire in bunches
and then stretching the wire out and placing an- other one by the side of it. and placing the barbs six inches apart and twisting it by hand. About this time I entered into partnership with Mr. Glidden and we rented a little building upon Main street. In the summer of '74, I think, the number of boys employed in the manufacture of the wire was six, and those boys were obliged to grease this wire in order to have the barbs slip on it. I remember one day that there were five of these boys passing by the bank of Jim Lott, who was banker here, and I made the remark to him, "There goes the factory hands of De Kalb." He laughed at them, as they were all covered with grease. I said, "Some day De Kalb will be like Gloverville, New York, a Barb City or City of Barb Wire." and that has been carried out pretty thoroughly from that day to this. The building we were in belonged to Mr. Wagner and was lo- cated about where Home's livery barn is now.
Now as to the future of barb wire from that time to this it is pretty well known. We built a factory the next year, in '75, opposite the Glidden House next to the railroad and I think we built that 160 feet long and put in an engine. Mr. Glidden and Mr. Phin Vaughn planned and built all the machinery. They made a frame to put a spool in and twist the wire by a belt from the pulley, and at that time we were probably manu- facturing a carload a day-ten tons. The winter of '75 we built an addition on to this, which was about 160 feet long, forty feet wide, two stories. All barbs at that time were put on by hand, ma- chinery pulling a lever and twisting the barb on the wire. In '76 we were using so much wire that it attracted the attention of the wire mills. Mr. Washburn of the firm of Washburn and Moen came to De Kalb to see what we were do- ing with all this wire and at once commenced negotiating to buy Mr. Glidden and myself out. Mr. Glidden sold his interest. I did not. Mr. Glidden sold for $60,000 cash. I gave him $20,- 000 for his interest in the book accounts at that time, and in the sale he received a royalty of twenty-five cents per hundred pounds on all wire that Washburn & Moen or myself or any licensee might manufacture. This, of course, for a num- her of years was a very large income to Mr. Glid- den. But in the meantime litigation was com- menced against the infringements, and there was
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probably spent, well at least. $600,000 to $200,000 on each side in that great law suit. It lasted for three years.
Q. Mr. Glidden had protected this patent from infringement all this time?
A. Yes, that is, Washburn & Moen had bought Mr. Glidden ont and they had the patent to pro- toet.
After we got into this litigation we found an old patent called the Thorn Wire Hedge Pat- ont that had some eight or ten years to run, but had never been used to any extent. The nearest we could get to this patent was a piece of metal with a hole punched through it. two sharp points, and then slipped on to the wire. a small wire, was called the Kelly Patent and patented by a man by the name of Kelly. He made it simply for the purpose of keeping cats from off his roof. but never used it as fencing. It was an impor- tant patent and Washburn & Moen bought it. and bought a great many other patents and we got a great many patents ourselves. I remember one patent we purchased was one of the best that was ever issued. I employed a man by the name of Stover. He was a bright. energetic man. a skilled mechanic. I made a contract with him to the effect if he would manufacture a machine that would put barhs on wire automatically and wire on spools 1 would pay him a certain royalty on what was made on his machine. He got up a machine : I was only paying him two and a half cents per hundred pounds, but I found that I was mak- ing Stover a wealthy man fast and the result was I bought him out of the contract. in fact, that purchase made Mr. Stover rich, but everything that he had done for us was strictly in accord- ance with the contract and his machine gave per- feet satisfaction.
The litigation mentioned previously contin- med. I think. three or four years, and was finally decided in favor of Washburn & Moen by the Federal court. then the parties having infringe- ments came in and settled, and took license. and barb wire went on and has increased in tonnage. I may say from that day to this.
In regard to the prosperity of De Kalb owing to the manufacture of barb wire Mr. Glidden and Mr. Haish are the two men. to put it comparative- ly. who planted the acorn that made the oak of De Kalb. A settlement was made by Washburn
& Moen and myself with Mr. Haish that was satisfactory to Mr. Haish and ourselves, and well understood by the licensees, but later by techni- calities in the law the licensees took an advantage of ceasing to pay the future amount of royalty owing to the settlement with Mr. Haish, conse- (mently royalties were reduced year after year until finally they were reduced to. I think, two and one-half cents per hundred pounds and after this reduction the licensees founded what they called The Columbia Patent Company and pro- tected the patent from Washburn & Moen and my- -elf and paid royalty into the Patent Company.
About 1884 or 1885 we built large factories nearer the North Western depot and in about 1887 we Imilt the wire mill. In building the wire mill Mr. Glidden and my brother Hiram each took a quarter interest in the wire and nail mill. About 1895 I bought Mr. Glidden and my brother both out in the wire mill. Originally Washburn & Moen of Worcester conducted the wire business of the east and I had control of the western states and territories, the profit of each concern to be di- vided. About the year 1890 Washburn & Moen and myself dissolved partnership, I taking the western plants and they keeping the eastern plants. In the year 1898 the American Steel & Wire Com- pany was formed. They took in then about 60 of 65 per cent of the leading manufacturers at that time. In the year 1899 the American Steel & Wire of New Jersey was organized and took in practically all of the wire manufactures all over the United States. This company was merged into the United States steel cor- poration, and became one of its subsidiary com- panies April 1, 1901. The De Kalb plants be- long to the American Steel & Wire Company. lis employes at this time number :50 men. The pay roll during 1906 was $525,000. Shipping dur- ing 1906, the largest during its organization, was 82.223 tons. Of this tonnage there were shipped nails. 29,000 tons, and barb wire 24.000 tons, the balance what is called Ellwood fence and kindred products.
The total tonnage of barb wire of United States, including the product of the independent manufacturers, during 1906 was 266.000 tons. This is the largest year's production of barb wire of United States. Fifty to sixty thousand tons of this product was exported. The total number
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of employes of United States corporations dur- ing 1906 was 202.457 men. The number of men employed in the different subsidiary companies of the corporation who are employed in the manu- facture of material for export are about 10,000 men. The total value of exports for the year 1906 was fifty million dollars. The total tonnage of wire products in the United States in 1906 was 1,900,000 tons. Of this amount the American Steel & Wire Company produced 1,500,000 tons.
This tonnage is given as an illustration of the increase in demand from year to year as regard- ing the price that it was sold at. Mr. Glidden and myself and Mr. Haish in the early times were selling barb wire at eighteen cents per pound. When the American Steel & Wire was formed. capital $40,000,000, of accumulative seven per cent preferred stock and $40,000,000 of common stock, when this company was formed we were selling at about $2.00. the private concerns at about $2.00 per hundred pounds. After the forma- tion of the American Steel & Wire it was reduced to $5.00 per hundred. When the United States Steel Company bought the American Steel & Wire the price was about $4.00 per hundred. The United States Steel Co. has reduced the price, I think. to about $3.00 per hundred. Now this is accounted for by the concentration of capital and being able thereby to produce wire and nails from the ore beds to the consumer, and to mo it seems strange that the public should have so much feel- ing against corporations and trusts and the con- centration of capital. that is the greatest power on earth of developing the country and reducing the price to the consumer.
With the above statements we think it is com- mendable to the consolidation and to the trusts that since they were formed they have increased wages for labor over 30 per cent and have also reduced prices to consumers to the amount of 500 per cent.
All the barb wire that has been produced would put a fence around the earth seventeen wires high.
SCHOOLS.
Soon after the first settlers arrived in De Kalb county they began to look after the educational as well as the religions welfare of their children. Public schools at the time of settlement in this
county were not thoroughly established throughout the Union. We are informed that about this time the chaplain of the Pennsylvania legislature arose in his place one morning during the heated discus- sion on the establishment of the public schools in that state and used the following startling lan- gnage in his prayer: "I pray God that he will deliver the commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the damning influence of the public schools," and it was then that Thad Stevens, one of the younger members and advocates of the public school sys- tom. arose in his place and said "that this was God's day but not the chaplain's." and made a fiery address, which carried conviction and carried the measure through the legislature, which pro- moted the public school system of the state of Pennsylvania. The subscription schools were com- mon in all parts of the Union outside of New Eng- land and the thinly settled portions of the west as early established the subscription schools in Illi- nois. The settlers who came into Ilinois from the southern states were not strong advocates of pub- lie schools like the people from New England and the middle states. After the advent of the settlers from New England and the middle and central states schools were rapidly established.
The first one of which we have any definite rec- ord was taught in the house of Thomas Brook. on section 22, Somonank township, and the first school house was of logs and ererted in 1832. on the same section. Charles Eastabrook taught the school in this house the following winter. Others were established this year in Sycamore and was taught by Mary Wood and later by Jesse C. Kel- logg. The wages received were about five dollars a month. and from what we can learn by tradition we understand that Mary Wood received two dol- lars and a half a month for her labor. In some in- stances if a teacher were a man of a family he re- ceived perhaps ten dollars a month, but took part of his pas in supplies for the family. Money at this time was scarce and schools were taught for a few months during the year, the summer term lasting generally two months and the winter term three and in some instances four months. As the settlers came in and the population increased schools were generally removed from private houses into buildings built by the public. In the history of South Grove township we have given a vivid picture of one of these early school build-
.
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ings and its arrangement for the accommodation of the pupil -. The transition from the log school house to the present school house of briek, stone and plate glass indicates in a material way the changes three-quarters of a century have brought in the educational interests of the county. Most of the families who settled here in the early days were young people or couples who had not reached the prime of life, for the wealth of the fertile plains of Illinois brought with it too many hard- ships to make it attractive to the older people and lure them away from their eastern homes of com- fort. Thus it was in pioneer days large families of children brought to the attention of their par- ents the serious question of schools.
I'pon the organization of the county Frederick Love was appointed first school commissioner. lle served from 1838 to 1812. He received about twenty-five dollars for his services per year. and his main duty was to look after the sale of the school lands. The office of school commissioner had largely to do with the sale of public lands and handle the public money for school purposes, and they bore that title under the administration of Marshall Stark, James Harrington, Sheldon Cros- sett. J. R. Crossett, and N. S. Greenwood.
Dr. James Harrington was a man of consider- able ability, had educational advantages and pat- terned largely after the school system of New York, where he had taught previous to studying medicine in that state. Some of the questions propounded to the teachers at this time will give some idea of the educational situation of those earlier times. One question that was asked a teacher upon examination was "Will you be con- fined to a text-book in teaching any branch. or. in other words. do you think a class has been well conducted when nothing has been done but to ask and answer the questions of a text-book?" In most of the schools reading, writing. arithmetic and spelling were taught. In very few schools of the carly days did pupils pursue such branches as grammar, geography, history and the studies of the present time. It is not beyond the memory of the writer to hear people argue that as their chil- dren were not expecting to be teachers that the grammar, history, geography, physiology and stu- dies of modern schools were wholly unnecessary. In some of the schools as late as the ":Os grammar, arithmetic and geography had not been taught, In
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