USA > Illinois > Menard County > Past and present of Menard County, Illinois > Part 10
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
frame barn m 1825 or 1826 and this is said to be the first frame building created in the state north of the Sangamon river. Mr. Rogers reared a family who performed an important part in the future development of Menard county. Henry C. Rogers, his eldest son. lived a useful and honored life and died some years ago on the old homestead near Athens. One of his daughters was the wife of Amberry Rankin, of Athens, and another the wife of Harry Rig- gin. of whom we will speak further on. Mr. Rogers established the first nursery in this part of the state, and he was the first postmaster at Athens. When Abraham Lincoln kept the postotlice at New Salem he used to walk across the country. through the woods, to Athens to get the mail for Salem, which he carried in his pocket.
In the fall of 1>19 Thomas Primm came from St. Clair county and laid a claim south- east of where Athens now stands. After taking the preliminary stops necessary to secure his claim he returned to his family. In the spring of 1×20 he returned and raised a crop, but did not remove his family here till in the fall. On his first trip he traded the horse he rode to Stephen England, in payment for which En- gland was to build him a log cabin and make for him a stipulated number of rails. The rabin was built and the rails made in 1819, but. as said above. Primm did not move till the fall of 1820.
John Primm. a brother of the above, came in 1820. The advent of the Primum family in Illinois dates back to a very early day. John Prinun, the father of Thomas and John. above mentioned, came from Virginia to St. Clair county in 1802, and the date of the coming of their mother's family mums still farther back. Mrs. Primm was a daughter of Abram Stal- lings, who came down the Ohio river in a boat from Virginia and settled in the bound- of what is now St. Clair county in 1296. John Prinun. the father of the Thomas and John above named, and his three brothers, William. James and Thomas, were all soldiers in the Revolutionary war and fought in Washington's command. Thomas Primm, who came here in 1519. died at his home near Athens in 1856 at the age of seventy-four year- He had a large
family of sons, several of whom died years ago. These were Daniel. Ninian. James and John. while William. Dr. Thomas L. and Abraham lived to be old men. Some of the third genera- tion still live in this vicinity. Among them we may mention Ninian O .. one of the sheer --- ful farmers of that part of Menard county. The settlement- thus far named were the very earliest in this part of the county.
In 1820 Orimal Clark laid claim to the tract of land which Athens now stands upon, but he did not remain on it long. but soon sold it to Res. John Overstreet. of whom the romantic story is told in another place. Clark removed from Athens to Fancy Creek. below Williams- ville, and later to Springfield, where he died many years ago. The year 1820 brought a large number of recruits to the population of this section. Martin Higgins, son-in-law of Mat- thew Rogers, spoken of above, John Moore. a Mr. Terry, William Armstrong. James Haynes and John Good, all came this year. Higgins was from New York and settled what is known as the William Primm farm, but he sold it in a few years to Thomas Primum and located south of Indian creek, where he lived and died. Moore and Terry were both from Vermont and -et- tled at Indian Point. Moore was a cabinet- maker by trade and had the first cabinet shop in this county. Terry and wife were both highly educated and accomplished and found them- selves ill at ease among their rustic neighbors. so they soon sold out to Martin Higgins and re- moved to Springfield, where they remained for a few years and then returned to their native "Green Mountain state." Moore left in a few years and returned no more. William Arm- -trong at first settled on Indian creek, but after a few years be sold out to Eli Branson and moved to the vicinity of what is now Oakford and settled there, and there he lived and died. Many of his descendants are around Oakford vet. Pleasant Armstrong, a single brother. lived with William and he was one of the carly justices of the peace of this section. Haynes and Good were both from Ohio. The former settled on Indian creek and afterward sold to Martin Higgins and moved to Tovas. Good went farther west and settled on the prairie between the Indian creek and Oak Bridge tim-
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
ber. He after a few years, sold to old man Tire. the father of the late Judge John Ties. and in company with Haynes went to Texas. James Gardner also came in 1520 and settled on the farm on which old Harry Riggin lived and died. Gardner was from New York and his aged father came with him. Later he went to Fulton county. In 1521 Walter Turner came and laid a claim on the south side of the Indian Point timber, which be improved and. being a tanner by trade, he later opened a tan- vard, which he run for a number of years 10 the great benefit of the community. He lived and died on the same farm and his youngest son. William, now owns it. Harry Riggin came that same year, bought a claim and engaged in tilling the soil. His ancestors came from Iro- land and there the name was not Riggin, but O'Regan. When his ancestors came to America, having renounced Romanism and espoused Protestantism, they changed the name to what it now is and they have horne it ever since. Hlo was often heard to express regret that the change was ever made. Harry Riggin was one of the most enterprising and useful citizens in his time in the county. His name was often before the public for positions of trust and honor. He was a member of the board of con- missioners for Sangamon county who located the county seat. He was at different times a candidate for office, hut was defeated. his com- petitor- being such men at Stephen T. Logan. Ninian Edward- and Abraham Lincoln -- men who later achieved fame in a much wider field. His long, useful and public-spirited life closed in 1:21. after he had attained the ripe age of eighty-one years and six months.
Elisha, Abner and James Hall, brothers, came from Ohio and settled in the vicinity of Athens in 1822. Some of their descendants mie living in and around Athens still. Philip Smith. also from Ohio, came this year and made improvements where Theophilus Turner afterward lived. Smith was a blacksmith and followed his trade in connection with farming. In 1823 William JJohnson and James Williams came from Bath county, Kentucky, and began improving claims north of Indian creek. Mr. Jolson died in 1813. His wife survived him a great many years and at an advanced age she
died where they had settled so long before. Their son, Jefferson Johnson, owns the old home farm and just in front of his modern farm house may still be seen signs of where the house stood in which the family was reared. Jeff Johnson is well on toward eighty years of age and still lives on the very spot where he was born. His brother. John Johnson, is still living in the same comumity.
Williams located west of Johnson and farther down the creek and. being a tanner, be run a tanyard in connection with his farming. Ile reared a large family and amassed quite a large fortune. He died in 1832 and was buried on the farm where he had lived. The late Colonel John Williams was the son of James Williams and died here a few years ago. Colonel Wil- liams was one of the most successful financiers in this part of the state. To him more than to any other man are we indebted for the com- piction of the railroad which connect- us with the capital. His son George now lives on the old homestead of his father and grandfather. John N. Moore came from Kentucky as carly as 1823 and possibly a year carlier. Included among those who came prior to 1830 we lind the names of John Turner. William Stanley. Scott Rawlins, Jonathan Dunn, Asa Canter- berry, John S. Alexander, William Me Dougall. Theophilas Bracken. Allen Turner. Amberry Rankin and Fleming HaHl. Nearly all of these wore from Kentucky and Ohio and settled on Indian creek and in the vicinity of Athens. or where Athens now stands. Fleming Hall had gone from Virginia to Missouri in Ises and in 1829 be came to Menard and prompted land on which part of Athens now stands. Ile lived on this land two years and then entered it and soon after he sold it to Abmer Hall and Mr. C'atterlin. Canterberry and Alexander were both from Kentucky and they settled south of Athens. Some of the descendants of Canter- berry are still in the neighborhood where he at first settled. Scott Rawlins settled on and im- proved the farm that W. T. Bankin owned and lived on for a number of years. Rawlins was it kind of horse doctor and horse jockey and not in first-class odor with his neighbors. Indeed. hi- sudden accumulation of large numbers of horses at different times warranted the sus-
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
melon that they were not always gotten by agitimate means, so that his increasing un- popularity led him to dispose of his land at an early day and he removed to an island in the Illinois river near Bath, where he died many years in the past. MeDougall. Bracken and the Rankins are dead, but have a number of repre- sentatives left in the community.
During the years 1830, 1831 and 1532 but few recruits were added to the population of this vicinity on account of the excitement inci- dent to the Black Hawk war, which occurred at this time. However, in the spring of 1832 .1 Kennedy Kmeand. then a young man. came from Bath county. Kentucky, and located in the neighborhood. He was a carpenter by trade and found here a very inviting field for displaying his mechanical skill. He landed at Beard-town. from the steamboat on which he had found passage, and walked to Springfield in order to husband his scanty means so as to be able to buy a kit of tools at the latter town. Mr. Kincaid worked at his trade and also taught school part of the time, and by dint of industry and economy he soon had means enough to enter a small tract of land. In the fall of 1833 his father. Andrew Kincaid, came out from Kentucky on horseback to visit his -on and to prospect the country. He returned well pleased and in the fall of 1831 he came with his family and settled on the farm where his son Thomas Kincaid afterward lived and died: After a long and useful career he closed his life in 1822 at the ripe old age of eighty- seven years. His wife lingered on the shores of time till in March. 18;9, when she followed the reckoning hand of her husband and died at the more advanced age of ninety-one. They left a large family and their son- were among the most wealthy and successful farmers in central Ilinois. Their grandchildren have now taken the places of their parents and grandparents and are among the reliable and successful men in the various callings of life. James Rankin came from Kentucky and settled here in 1935. Later on. in 1839 and Isto, perhaps. further settlement- were made In Jesse G. Hurt. David and James K. Hurt. A. -. Preston, Josiah France's, Thomas Hargue. William Striw- bridge. Charles Robinson. R. L. Wilson. Noal
and Archibald Johnson and others doubtless whose name- have passed from memory. But space forbids us to give the detail of settlements of later years, as the task would be endless. These were all good and true men, as the in- heritance that they worked out and left to their posterity abundantly proves.
The carly pioneer, knew nothing of the com- forts and conveniences that we are surrounded with at the present time. Naught was here but the wild unbroken forest and prairie. the soil rich and generous, it is true, but it was un- subdued and was still the hunting ground of the red man. Without roads, without bridges and far removed from the marts of trade, the incentive to agricultural pursuits was very werk. Yet while confronted with all these man- ifold annoyance- and threatening obstacles. the love of liberty for themselves and children and the fond hope of one day acquiring a com- potency and owning these broad and fertile fields. they bravely erected their cabins and un- flinchingly entered into the long and arduous battle. In many new countries there is one obstacle to overcome that the people of this section did not have to meet. In most now countries the first settlers are a class of roving adventurer- who stop for a time and then move on to other sernes, but the great element of success in the first-comers to this part of Illi- nois was that unyielding inflexibility of pur- post in which they say about making homes for themselves and families. Though most of them were men of but limited means, set with their determination. the aid. encouragement and help of the wives and daughter-, and the health and buoyancy produced by the'r -im- ple mode of life. they entered upon the task to win. At least ninety-five per cent of them came to make homes and subsequent events have fully proved this to be true. There are many here to-day an abstract of whose title is simply the patent from the government and the deed from the father to the son. Some of them hold their title direct from the gov- ernment over the signature of John Quincy Adams. The inconveniences and difficulties endured by these pioneers were of such a char- after as would appall the heart of the bravest of the present generation. Often their milling
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
had to be done at points one hundred miles ity to make them the agents of enlightened in- away and the necessary supplies for the fam- ily were only secured at a like distance. Mr. Primm told the writer that his father used to go to St. Louis to mill. a distance of no less than one hundred and twenty miles, and part of the was there was no road whatever.
The first postoffice established north of the Sangamon was at the house of Matthew Rog- ers and was known as Rogers' postoffice. The exact date of its establishment is not known. but it was not earlier than 1826 or 1821. The mail was carried on this line on horseback from Springfield to Lewiston by way of Rogers. Walker's Grove and Havana and was known as the Spoon river route. John Renfro was the mail carrier on this route for a number of vars. At that time it took four weeks for a letter to go to or from New York=two months to get an answer from there. When the town of Athens was laid out the office was removed to that place and the name changed to Athens postoffice. Henry C. Rogers sie- creded his father as postmaster and hold the position for many years. The first school in this vicinity was "kept" by J. A. Mendall, in a cabin near the residence of Henry 1. Rogers. Mendall was an eastern man, finely educated and a successful teacher, but he had one draw- back, that was that he was too fond of the flowing howl. and his occasional sprees were a great annoyance to his patrons. The last known of him was that he went to Peoria to engage in the study of law, and if he did not succeed in the law he would. at least. be able to satisfy the cravings of his appetite. Henry (. Rogers was himself an early pédagogue in this section and taught in the days when it was the fashion for the "master" to "board around." and when greased paper served in place of window glass. But those days of "subscription" schools and teachers "boarding around" were doomed to have an end. This "new world" was not held in reserve for thousands of years for no purpose, Is soil of inexhaustible for- tility. its deep and almost unlimited forests. its ummeasured wealth of base and precious metals, its untold fields of coal-all these were not hidden away here for naught. but infinite wisdom stored them here for modern Christian-
ilization to illume and bless the world. And every step in the line of education is a part of this plan and every donor of means and every teacher. in short, all who lend their aid or in- fluence to the work of education is an agent in this work. AAway back in 1856 the Indian Point people felt the need of better facilitus for the education of their children and to the end of bettering their opportunities they got up a private subscription in order to build a house and organize a school suited to their needs. lu this way three thousand dollars were raised and North Sangamon Academy was created. The building is a substantial brick of two sto- ries and stand- in the edge of Indian creek tim- ber. Located as it is in a grove of native forest trees and where there are
"Books in the running brooks. sermons in stones. And good in everything."
one would naturally infer that the enterprise would meet with merited success, for surely there is no place anywhere that could surpass this in the natural influences of the surround- ings to contribute to thought and meditation As this school is spoken of elsewhere, we will only say in this connection that the school ran for years as an academy to the entire satisfac- tion of all concerned and did a vast amount of good. A number of years ago it ceased to be run as an academy, but is conducted under the school law of the state. having two rooms and the school graded.
Harry Biggin was the first merchant in this part of the county. As far back as 1825 or 1826 he opened a small stock of goods on his farm, and he had a considerable trade. It was a great accommodation to the community, as before this store was opened the citizens were obliged to go to Springfield or Beardstown for whatever in this line they might want. But a- the years glided by and population increased village sprang up here and there, and many of the trials that the earlier settlers experienced became a thing of the past. When the village of Athens was opened up Mr. Riggin moved his stock of goods to that place.
Religion was one of the first interest- that
tili
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
claimed the attention of the first settlers of this section and the first religions society formed wa- upon a voluntary basis to meet the spiritual wants of the period. As early as 1820 Joseph Smith and wife, James Haynes and wife and William Holland and wife organ- ized themselves into a class of the Methodist order under the leadership of Mr. Holland. This was the first religious society in this whole section and was the basis of the first Methodist Episcopal church in the county. Soon after this organization the Rev. James Simms took charge of its interests. The Cumberland Pres- Isterians were in this field in a very early day. The first church building erected in this whole Athens territory was the Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian church in the northwest part of the Indian creek timber. This was indeed a primi- tive affair. It was built of logs and the archi- fecture and all of it- furniture and appoint- ments were rude and primitive in the extreme. This house was put up near the close of 1824 or in the beginning of 1s25. Having. in a few Vous served its day and generation. it was re- moved and a better building, one of frame. was put in its place, and after some years a very neat and commodi ous frame church was Pected. This house served all the purpose of the congregation till the year 1866. At that time R. D. Miller was pastor of the church and under his leadership they agitated the question of building a house of worship. This agitation began in 1866. but the honse was not built till ING. It is a brick building. on a stone founda- tion, and the work and material are all first class. It is of ample size and it stands to-day as good as when first erected. so far as the foundation, wall, etc. are concerned. The Ben. John M. Berry, the great apostle of C'um- berland Presbyterianism in central Illinois, was the first preacher for this congregation and he Served them several years. Rovs. Thomas Campbell and Gilbert Dodd- served them also. Among the early communicants of this congre- gation were the families of Robert White, Wil- liam B. Short. Francis Rayburn, James Wil- liams. Harry Riggin and Martin Higgins and many others. For the history of the Presby- terian church at Indian Point the reader is
referred to another place, where a full account is given.
Of the town of Athen- but little will be san here a- a fuller detail will be found in another place. The town occupies a very eligible posi- tion. being surrounded by a country peculiarly adapted to agricultural and horticultural pur- suit> The prairie- adjacent to it are as rich as any under the sun. while near by are vast bodies of splendid timber. But her wealth is not confined to her agriculture or her horti- culture, but the very earth upon which the town stands is underlaid with vast fields of coal, a source of inexhaustible wealth. and that coal lies only one hundred feet below the sur- face. In the year 1831 James Stephenson. county surveyor for Sangamon county. sur- vyed and played the town for the owner, the Rev. John Overstreet. The original plat con- tained about forty acres, to which four addi- tions have since been made. Two log cabins, one for a residence and the other for a blacksmith shop, had been erected In Orimal Clark, who had laid a claim here a year or two previous to the laying out of the town and from whom Overstreet purchased the orig- inal town site. A small "band mill." operated by horsepower, was also here at the laying-out of the village. About 1832 or 1833 Colonel Matthew Rogers became a citizen of the place and made the first permanent improvement>. building a large and commodious store-room. which was for many years occupied by L. Sal- zonstein. John Overstreet purchased the rom- pant of the stock that Harry Riggin had had on his farm and. making some additions to this stock. he opened up in the town. Jonathan Dann was the second to enter the list- as a mer- chant, but his life in this line was short and he retired in favor of some more lucky adventurer. In the latter part of 1832 or the beginning of 1833 Harry Riggin and Amberry AA. Rankin opened a store in the place and after two years -old their stock to Martin M. Morgan. During the same year James D. Allen and Simcon Clark became merchants of the village, as did Almer and Elisha Hall. In 1836 Sebastian Stone became a partner with Allen and this firm continued for a number of years. All the goods that came to Athens for a number of
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
years had to be brought from St. Louis, a dis- taner of one hundred and twenty miles, and when we take into consideration the fact that the roads were poor, where there were any at all, and that the goods were invariably trans- ported by ox teams, it is not to be wondered at that on the day that a consignment of goods arrived and were to be opened there was com- motion among "the natives." Such a day was like a day in our time when Barnum's own and only show on earth comes into town. The bustle and noise that was seen and heard on such a day belokened a bright and glorious future for the young city. But. alas for human prospects and calculations! The dark tidal wave of adversity and broken hopes was soon to break over the town. In 1839 Menard county was organized and. of course, a county seat was to be selected, and Athens, the oldest and then the largest village in the limits of the new county. entered the lists of competition. Athens played her hand with the greatest skill, but Petersburg won the prize and left Athens to weep over blighted hopes and blasted expecta- tions. Though time and space are limited, we must give, as briefly as we can, the story of the "first mill in Athens." About 1826 Elijah Estep had created a band mill on the present site of Petersburg. Mills were so scarce and it was so difficult to secure "breadstuff" that the Athenians decided that they must have a mill and. learning that the Estep mill could be bought. they got up a public subscription to buy it. The subscriptions were taken for money or labor: the cash subscribers were to have certain privileges and the subscribers of labor were to have certain rights. The mill was bought and in 1829 it was moved and put in running order, with John Overstreet a- manager. He was to run the mill. koop it in repair. charge a just and equitable toll, and at the expiration of four years it was to belong to him. There was some trouble between the "cash" subscribers and the "labor" subscribers. Imt the mill "cracked the corn" for them all alike, and at the end of four years the mill belonged to Overstreet. About the year 1831 Overstreet ground a flathoat load of flour in this mill and, in company with Jesse G. and David Hurt. took it to the New
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