USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Past and present of DeKalb County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 46
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Today Chicago has more than thirty great trunk lines of railway. extending to all parts of our great country and the State of Illinois, instead of its then ninety miles of strap railroad, and single track at that, has more than 16.000 miles of rail- road, mostly double track and built of the heaviest "T" rails. and with a total population then of 851,000. our state has now reached the astonish- ing number of more than 4,000,000 of people, with a still larger percentage of increase in wealth and all material resources.
But to resume my history: After a short stay in ('hieago, where I missed the chance of becom- ing a millionaire by not knowing just what corner lots contained gold mines, and not having the money to buy them if they had been pointed out to me by the unselfish land agent. I found myself the owner of 80 acres of land in the county of Kendall. three miles north of the site where now
C. W. BRANCH. JUDGE GEORGE H. HILL.
JOSEPH ARBUCKLE. PHILIP HECKMAN.
NEW YORK! CLIBRARY
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VIATIONS.
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stands the beautiful town of Plano, but Plano had not then been thought of. Instead of that, Marens Steward, with his strong sons, Lewis and George, and Cornelius Henning and his stalwart sons were cultivating their fruitful aeres, little dreaming that they would ere long be in demand for a town site. But in the summer of 1853 the engineers and track builders came upon the ground for the construction of an extension of the railroad from Aurora westward. In a short time the road was completed to Mendota, and such an impetus was given by it to business of all kinds, that in the spring of 1856, I was able to sell the little farm for which I had paid $6 an acre, for $30 per acre, and a similar increase in values had taken place all along the line. I never acquired much of a reputation as a farmer while living on this eighty acres, which I carried on for four years, but in the summer of 1853, when the railroad track had reached Big Rock creek east of Plano, before the bridge was completed, I shipped 1,000 bushels of oats to Chicago, which was the first grain shipped to Chicago from Kendall county by the C., B. & Q. railroad, and realized a nice profit by having it in the market before the new erop began to move. 1 was able to do this by arranging for the threshing very early.
In the summer of 1856 I removed to Sandwich, which had then just got fairly under way as a lit- the village, having been delayed in starting by the fact that the railroad company had made no pro- vision for a town between Plano and Somonauk But by the efforts of the business men at Newark. and the farmers in that region, aided by the per- severing labors of Wm. Patten, Washington Walk- er, Lindsay Carr, Jas. 11. Furman, Almon Gage, Capt. Wm. Davis and other farmers living in the vicinity, the railroad authorities were indneed to establish a flag station here. After a time they became satisfied that the business at this point would justify establishing a regular station, which they did, calling it "Newark Station," the village of Newark across the river then being the largest and best business town in all this region, and the main business of the new railroad at this point coming from that town.
But the idea of being a tail to Newark's kite did not quite suit the enterprising people who had se- cured the station, and they cast about for a name to please them better.
When the first village plat was made by the county surveyor, Horace Fay, whom many here will remember as an excellent surveyor and a very worthy man, the name "Almon" was given to the embryo village, in honor of Ahnon Gage, who owned the farm upon which was located the prin- cipal part of the first survey. Mr. Gage, how- ever, was too modest to allow this, and there being some delay in placing the plat on record, the re- sult was the substitution of the name of Sand- wich, but in the meantime a deed had been given by Jacob Hall to the Baptist church for the two lots now occupied by them, in which the lots were described as in the village of "Almon," and the county records show the deed thus at the pres- ent time.
The adoption of the name Sandwich has been a matter of considerable discussion and explanation, and I will venture to give the facts as I learned them from those most active in selecting the name.
It appears that during the year 1850 it came into the mind of Dr. A. L. Merriam, who had been practicing as a physician for some years in this region, with his residence on the Dr. Arnold place, and who was a man of large intelligence and great force of character, as well as an exe.l- lent physician, that the settlers in this vicinity were not sufficiently appreciated and accommo- dated by the Post Office Department, it being nec- essary for them at that time to go to what is now known as Freeland Corners for their mail, and having a slight personal acquaintance with Long John Wentworth, as he was familiarly known and who was then the Member of Congress from this District, which by the way then took in the north- ern part of the State, as far sonth as Blooming- ton, and even beyond, the doctor secured the requi- site number of names on his petition for the es- tablishment of a postoffice, and adroitly suggested that it was the unanimons wish of those who would be the patrons of the postoffice that the name of the office should be Sandwich, in honor of the town of that name in New Hampshire where Mr. Wentworth was born. Mr. Wentworth, very nat- urally feeling flattered by the compliment, and desiring also to serve his esteemed constituents, very readily secured the location of the office in the vicinity of the Little Red School House, which was then the chief mark of civilization on the site of the future city.
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A mail route was established and a postmaster appointed. and the Sandwich postoffice fully in- stalled. But like many other "well laid schemes o' mice and men," the project soon failed, the new postoffice languished for want of patrons, and after a career of about six months. during which time the total receipts of the office amounted to the munificent sum of seventy-five cents, an extin- guisher came in the shape of an order from the Post Office Department, which I now hold in my hand. directing the discontinuance of the office. You see the paper is yellow with age. Subse- quently and in the year 1855, when the railroad station had been established and there began to be a mieleus of population requiring postoffice fa- cilities, on application to the Department the de- funet postoffice was revived under the former name and Robt. Patten was appointed postmas- ter. This in brief is the history of the name of our little city.
A few years ago I stood on the top of Red Hill. near the head of Lake Winnipiseogee. in New Hampshire. at an elevation of 2.000 feet. and looked down upon the old town of Sandwich, with its three pretty villages nestling among the hills. and remarked to iny wife, who stood by my side. that I thought neither mother nor danghter need be ashamed of each other.
So far as it is now possible to determine, the first permanent settler in the township of Somo- nank and probably in what is now De Kalb county. was Reuben Root. who came from the State of New York originally and located on what is now known as the Capt. Davis farin. in February, 1835. At this time, and for several years later, no sur- veys of the land had been made by the govern- ment. and Mr. Root held what was then known. in the parlance of the settlers, as a "claim which was usually made by blazing a line through the timber, of chipping off the bark of trees along the course. and running a furrow or two around $0 mich of the adjoining prairie land as the claim- ant thought he wanted. it being the common idea among the first settlers that only so much of the prairie land as lay near to the timber would ever be taken up or cultivated, and that the remainder would always lie open as a range for cattle. Dur- ing the summer of 1835 Capt. Wm. Davis caine into the vicinity and taking a fancy to Mr. Root's claim succeeded in negotiating a purchase of it.
and went into possession, where he continued to reside for nearly sixty years, or until his death a few years since. Mr. Root. who seems to have been of a roving disposition, moved up the creek to the claim which wa- afterwards known as the George Beveridge farm. and a few years later re- moved from the state to seek a still newer settle- ment in the far west. He was the first postmaster as well as the first settler in the township. Next to Mr. Root in the order of time and probably only a month or two later came Win. Poplin and his wife, who took up their claim on the west side of the Somonank creek in March. 1835, and are still living upon the same premises. at present the old- est in point of residence of the "old settlers" of the township. Their danghter Harriet. who be- came the wife of Il. C. Cotton and is now deceased, was the first white child born in the township. January 25th. 1836, and George W. Davis, son of Captain Win. Davis, now residing in Sandwich. was the first male child born in the township. un- less a son of Barrage Hough, who lived on the place now owned by John J. Armstrong. north of the Fraser farm, coull dispute the claim with him. but the most of the evidence seems to be rather in favor of George. During the same season of 1835 a considerable number of settlers came into the township. among them Amos Harmon and wife, with quite a number of girls and boys, whose danghter Fannie was the first one to die in the township. September 11. 1836, and whose son. David E. Harmon, is still living with us on the old farm, hale and hearty, in the seventy-second year of his age. It is claimed and probably with truth that Amos Harmon broke up the first prairie sod. but that Simon Price and William and Joseph Sly were the only ones to raise a crop that year. the crop consisting of course of sod corn, as no other was possible in the tough prairie
In addition to those already named. William and Thos. Brook. Major Dennis, and probably some others came in the same year. Elizabeth Brook. daughter of Tho -. Brook. and Israel Potter were the first persons to be married in the township. that interesting event occurring in the fall of 1836. Major Dennis, who was then a single man. his sis- ter. now Mrs. Jacob M. Hall, who is still living in Sandwich at the age of eighty-two years. Ma- jor Dennis, Sr .. came in two years later from
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Massachusetts with the rest of his family, inelnd- ing Avery Townsend and family, Mrs. Townsend being his daughter, and now living with her daughter. Mrs. James Warner, at the very ad- vanced age of ninety-four years, being as i sup- pose the oldest person now living in the township. Mrs. Townsend and Mrs. Brook both draw pen- sions, their husbands having been in the war of 1812. Another daughter of Major Dennis, Sr., the wife of Capt. Wmn. Davis, died three years ago at the age of ninety-two years. This family of six sisters is a remarkable instance of longevity, the combined ages of the six (reckoning Mrs. Davis at the age when she died and the five sisters now living in our midst, Mrs. Nancy Townsend, Mrs. Charlotte Brook, Mrs. Enrana Hall. Mrs. Mary Perry and Miss Ruth Dennis, at their present ages ) being 509 years, or an average of nearly 85 years, an instance of longevity which it would be difficult to parallel in any family in the state.
Major Dennis, Jr .. not long after making his claim and erecting his humble cabin, married Mary Harmon, a daughter of Amos and sister of David E. Harmon, who still survives as his widow, and has continued to reside with her son, Wm. A. Dennis, on the farm which her husband pre-empt- ed, and where she has resided for about sixty years.
It is related of Major Dennis, while yet a young man (and, by the way, "Major" was his name and not a title) that he said he should never marry until he found a young woman "who combed her hair before breakfast." While working for Amos Harmon he noticed that the daughter Mary filled this requirement, and soon after the young people made it up between them and a wedding followed as stated. There may be nowadays young men who are thinking what Major Dennis spoke aloud. Girls, allow me to whisper in your ears: "It's a good thing to comb your hair before breakfast."
Jacob M. Hall came in at a very early day, but for a time lived as a single man with Isaac Pot- ter, just over the line of our township in the pres- ont town of Northville, and afterwards in the fam- ily of Capt. Davis, and in the year 1842 married Imrana Dennis, a sister of Mrs. Davis, as already indicated, and settled upon the farm where he re- sided at the time of his death a few years ago, although most of the farm, inchiing his resi- dence, had become a part of the city of Sandwich. Albert Grover came in about the same time and
took up the farm afterwards owned by Ahnon Gage. Mr. Grover and family removing from this section. but his widow, now Grandma Burt, after- wards returned and still has her home among us and is, I believe, on the grounds with us today.
The first settlement in the north part of the township was made on what has been known as the George Beveridge farm, and probably the first cabin erected in the township was near where the Galena road crosses Somonauk creek and was oe- cupied by one Robinson in the winter of 1834-35, who disappeared soon after and the claim became the property of Reuben Root in the summer of 1835, as before stated. This claim was purchased in 1838 by George Beveridge, who came from Washington county, New York, and was a man of sterling principles and stalwart character. Mrs. Beveridge was also a woman of superior intelli- gence and great decision of character, and much . of the high mental and moral qualities and honor- able position in life of their sons. Gov. John L. Beveridge and Hon. James H. Beveridge, who be- came State Treasurer of Illinois, may be traced to the influence and training received from their mother. The eldest daughter, Jeannette, the wife of James Henry, is still living in our vicinity. quite advanced in years, whilst the youngest daughter. Agnes, widow of Alex. R. Patten, whose early death was greatly lamented by all who knew him, is enjoying her gracefully declining years in the home of one of her sons. in the great metropolis, which has attracted and absorbed into its busy life so many of the bright and active sons of the carly settlers.
It is not unsuitable in this connection to recall the fact that the humble home of George Bever- idge near the ford on Somonauk creek was one of the stations on the "Underground Railroad" from the South to Canada, where many a panting fugi- tive from bondage was safely conducted to a place of freedom. The story is told. and with all the marks of truth, that one evening during the period of intense agitation on the subject of slavery a gentlemanly stranger called at the house and re- quested shelter for the night. Something led the family to suspect that he was a detective searching for evidence of their connection with the crime of aiding slaves to their freedom. Finally, seeking an opportunity of privacy. he asked directly of Mrs. Beveridge if she had not at times secreted
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fugitive negroes. "Yes," said she, "and in spite of your oppressive laws I will do it again whenever I have an opportunity." Instead of immediately arresting her, as she had expected, the stranger laughed. It turned out that he was an eminent physician from Quincy, just across the river from Missouri, engaged in establishing stations on the line of the Underground Railroad, and during the subsequent years there was a frequent stoppage of trains at this station.
During the first year of the settlement in 1835, or very soon thereafter. all the claims along the creek, which were especially sought on account of the timber and water. were taken up, and in 1839 there were thirty families settled in the township. Those on the east side of the ereek were Burrage Hough, Frank Dale, Joseph Slye. Frederick With- erspoon, Hubbard Latham and his brothers, Jo- seph and Thomas Latham, Harvey Joles, George Pierson, Capt. Wmn. Davis, Alvin Hyatt, David Merritt, Stephen Arnold, Francis Devine and Pe- ter Hummel, whose widow still lives upon the old farm at the age of 86 years, and possibly a few others. On the west side of the creek were Mr. Burchim, Simon and Owen Priee, Thos. Brook, Wm. Poplin, Conway B. Rhodes, Amos Harmon, Lucius Frisbee, Avery Townsend and Otis Bliss, of whom only Wm. Poplin and Thomas Latham are now living, but a considerable number of their children and grandchildren are now living in our midst and are with us here today to do honor to the memory of the first settlers. During the same year, 1839, Robert Sterritt built a saw mill upon the creek, on premises now owned by S. D. Cole- man, which was the only mill run by water power ever operated in the township and long since went to decay. Up to this time the settlers drew their logs mostly to Steward's mill on Big Rock. Many of the first frame houses were covered with black walnut siding and had battened doors of the same material. This was the ease with the house first ocenpied by myself and family in Little Rock township in 1852.
At this time, 1839, there were two Publie Houses on the Galena road. one of them kept by Peter Hummel, the father of J. M. Hummel. "our Jule." who in his earlier years contributed so much to the amusement of the devotees of Terpsichore and in later years has done so much to render easy and agreeable the otherwise hard and exhausting
labors of the farm, by the distribution of labor- saving machinery and implements among the toiling farmers.
Speaking of labor-saving machinery, by the way, I think I will give a little of my experience in the early day along this line. Coming west as 1 did in June. 1851, out of a law office, after three years of student life, and going within a few days into a corn field to trudge eight or ten hours a day be- hind a double-shovel plow, you will not think it strange that when, during the following winter, I learned that there was a man by the name of Dun- das on Big Rock who was making a corn culti- vator to be mounted on wheels, with a seat for the driver and a canvas overhead to keep off the sun, I was not slow in getting over to Big Rock and interviewing the maker of that wonderful ma- chine. The long and short of it is that I bar- gained for one of those machines for the coming season, not knowing, however, where I was to get the $18 to pay for it, and I became the envy of the lazy portion of my neighbors, and the pity of the others, who in derision called my machine the "Dundas Aggravator." And in truth it was a most outlandish looking affair, with its outer shovels firmly bolted to the axletree and its inner ones at- tached to a pair of wabbling uprights and having about as much resemblance to the beautiful and perfectly working riding cultivator of today as the ox cart in which the future Judge Caton used to ride to church in the early days over in Ken- dall county had to the elegant carriages in which most of you who are here came to this Old Settlers' Pienic.
Resuming, however, the thread of this brief history of the early settlement of our goodly town- ship. it has been ascertained that the first post- office was established in 1837 under the name of Somonauk, with Reuben Root as postmaster, the office being at his cabin near the ford of Somonauk creek on the Galena road, up to this time the set- tlers being obliged to go for their mail to Holder- man's Grove. a distance of about twelve miles, on the south side of Fox river. The name of Somo- nauk was adopted by the settlers for the postoffice, it being the Indian name of the creek, which bi- sects the township, and when that came to be or- ganized a few years later the same name was wisely retained. Whilst not an especially elegant word in form and sound. it is yet unique and not uneupho-
DE ANLO.
SOLDIERS LEAVING DE KALB FOR SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
THE NEW ' PUBLIC LIBHAR.
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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nic, and our sister town of Sycamore, in the north part of the county, has shown its good taste, as well as kindly feeling, by naming its most beauti- ful street after our town, and this town and that street are doubtless the only portions of the green earth that bear this name, and possibly this area may become even less in the near future, if some things happen that may happen.
The first school in the township appears to have been taught by Lucius Frisbee in the winter of 1836-37 at the house of Thos. Brook, on the west side of the creek. with about a dozen scholars. The first school house was of logs and was built in the timber on the claim of Mr. Witherspoon, as near as I can learn, and was used also for religious meetings.
The first religious service probably was held by a transient Methodist minister at the house of Simon Price in the winter of 1835-36, and a Meth- odist elass was organized in 1836 by Rev. Wm. Royal, a half dozen or more good women com- posing it. the men apparently being too much oc-
To add to their discomfort, the season was siek- ly, and in many of the little cabins the puncheon Hoor was at times covered with the beds of the sick, leaving hardly enough well persons to care cupied by their labors to give suitable attention to . for the sick. Almost all suffered with ague and this matter at that time. I have not been able to to most of the settlers, accustomed as they had been ascertain with certainty when the first church at least to the comforts of life, their lot seemed building was ereeted in the township. It may . hard indeed. Nothing they produced was saleable have been that of the United Presbyterian church, which was erected in 1849, on the site of their present beautiful edifice, but it is probable that the building now occupied for school purposes in the Coleman district and which was originally a Wes- leyan church, was built a few years earlier. For the first few years religious services here, as in all new settlements, were held in the school houses.
The first store seems to have been started in 1847 by Win. H. Beavers at the cross roads now known as Freeland Corners, and after passing through several hands into those of Alex R. Pat- ten, was removed to Sandwich in 1854, soon after which George and James H. Culver became the owners and conducted it successfully for many years.
Joseph Hamlin was the first blacksmith to start a shop in the town, which he did also at the Cor. ners, at an early day.
The first physician to locate in the township was Stephen Arnokl, in 1836, a good man, who combined with his labors as a farmer and as a physician those also of a local preacher. His
farm of 320 aeres comprised a large part of what is now the north part of the city of Sandwich.
Many more details in regard to the early settle- ment of the town might be given did time allow, and it would be of especial interest to many pres- ent were there time to speak at length in regard to the early days of Sandwich, in addition to what I have said in another part of this paper, but all that must be reserved for some other occasion, or may be spoken of by others present who are famil- iar with the facts.
I cannot dismiss the old settlers of Somonauk without a further brief tribute to their memory, and cannot better express it than by using the words of another in part : The settlers were poor. Their dwellings were nearly all of logs, roofed with shakes and floored with puncheons. Many of them were ill-constructed, cold and comfortless.
for money except winter wheat, and although their crops of this were good it yiekled them little after the heavy expense of drawing to the Chicago mar- ket, 60 miles distant over the almost trackless prai- rie, and through unbridged streams and sloughs, and when the government land sale came on in 1843, and the claims must be paid for or lost. the settlers were completely drained of their small savings, and many of them were compelled to bor- row at excessive rates of interest or arrange with their somewhat more fortunate neighbors or a Chi- cago capitalist to enter their land for them, taking contracts for deeds when they should be able to pay. But during all these trials and difficulties the set- tlers maintained kindly feelings with each other, the well ones caring for the sick, and those having a little means assisting those who laeked ; and not- withstanding their privations and hardships the survivors of those times almost uniformly tell us that those were the happiest days of their lives. As a rule they were men of sturdy honesty, of fru- gal and industrious habits, leaving to their de- scendants the priceless legacy of a good name, as well as the broad acres, which by their persevering
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