USA > Illinois > Menard County > Past and present of Menard County, Illinois > Part 8
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
whom are still living. One son lives in Tal- Inla. John Q. Spears; and one daughter. Mrs. George (. Spears, lives in Tallula ; and another daughter, Mrs. William T. Beekman, lives in Petersburg.
Absalom Mounts came to the grove in 1820 or 1821 and remained for a time. lle built a mill here: perhaps this was the first mill in the county. but it was a most primitivo affair in pattern, dimensions and capacity. Whence he came no one seemed to know, and after awhile he removed to Mason county and was "lost in the shuffle." James White and Robert Conover were brothers-in-law to George Spears and came from Green county. Kentucky. White settled here in 1820 and Conover in 1821. Their wives were sisters of Mr. Spears, and they. having opened farms in the grove. reared large families, whose descendants are scattered all over this country. The old peo- ple. of course. have been dead for many years ; in fact their second generation are now all gone. Rev. James and John G. White. noted Cumberland Presbyterian preachers in this state years ago, were sons of the pioneer James White. Solomon Matthews. from Tennessee. was another of the carly immigrants of this part of the country. coming in 1821 or 1822. but he was one of those transient settlers to be found in new countries, who. as game thins out and becomes scarce, follow it to other fields. Matthews left in a few years, and where he went. no one seems to know or care. Anoth- er of the very early comers was Bannister Bond, who came from Tennessee and remained for over twenty years and then sold out and re- moved to lowa. Corn- Kirby came in 182. and located in the grove, where he became a permanent citizen. He was originally from Kentucky, but first settled in Madison county. near Alton, somewhere about 1516 or 1817. Ile was rather poor and, having no team to plow his land. he took a matter and actually dug up two deres of prairie and planted it in corn. Think of this. Je "silk-stockingod" farmers, as you ride over your broad fields in your sulky plow- and watch with pride your golden grain, and remember that eighty years Os. perhaps, some hard run. In honest far-
mer like Cyrus Kirby was toiling upon the samme spot to make bread for his children. When Mr. Kirby died, some years ago, this same memorable mattor was sold at his sale and was bought by his son and it is sull treas- ured in the family as a relie of pioneer days. Mr. Kirby died here many years back. His son George Kirby died in 1901. at the great age of ninety-two years. Two of Cyrus Kir- by's daughters still live in this country: Mrs. Samuel Watkins, far up in the eighties: and Mrs. Lewis Watkins, now in her ninety-seventh year. Mr. Kirby has a large posterity in this section of country. all of whom are well-to-do and respected citizens. Another of the carly comers to this grove was Solomon Speer. who came in 1820, with Mr. White. He and White were brother-in-law, and he located here, but after a few years he removed to Cass county, where he died many years ago. Jacob and Jesse Gum came out from Kentucky, where most of the carly settlers of this section came from. in 1821 or 1822. and took claims. desse died where he settled many years ago. and Jacob moved to Knox county. where he died. William Clary came from Tonnesser in 1592 or 1823 and in 1521 sold his claim to George Spears and removed to Arkansas. Andrew Beard came about the same time and took a claim-the same that John Q. Spears after- ward lived on and sold it to George Spears in 1821. After selling out to Spears Beard settled on the west side of the grove. where he remained several years, and then sold and started to Oregon, but died on the way on the Gulf of Mexico. Burton Lytion. al-o from Kentucky, was an early settler, but sold his claim to George Spears in 1821 and re- moved to Ca- county. William Revis came in 1822, but sold his claim to Conover in a Year or two and went west. Mrs. Jane Vaughn. a widow lady. came about 1822. It in a few years sold her claim and moved to Knox conn- Is: Joseph Watkins was here as early as 1520 or 1821. but in a short time he removed 10 Little Grove, where he lived many years, and died on the farm he had improved. John Gum. Sr .. came to the grove from Kentucky in 1822 and settled on a claim, but later he removed to Knox county, where he spent the
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
remainder of his life. The pioneers named above came to the grove prior to 1821-the year that George Spears settled there. Sev- eral had already moved away before that time, for they were of that class who squat in the wilderness where game is plenty, and when that begins to fail they, like the Arabs, "fold their lents and silently steal away."
Mr. Spears came here from Kentucky in 1821 and. as already noted. bought the claims of a number of parties whose settlement in the grove has been mentioned above. this father and mother came with him. far ad- vanced in years at the time, and died there at a ripe old age. He bought the claims of there squatters, for they were only claims, and entered the land after it came into market. After coming in 1824 he entered and opened up over three thousand acres of land and set- ded his children around him on good farms. lle saw the wilderness transformed until it does indeed blossom as the rose, When he came here the few scattering settlers who were here had to go to Springfield to vote. He built the second brick house that was created in Sangamon county, which then embraced Me- nard, Cass, Mason and parts of two or more counties. He lived the remainder of his days in that house, dying only a short time ago at more than eighty years of age, and the house is still ( 1905) standing and in a good state of repair, still being occupied. The brick for the house were made on the farm. the mud for them bring tramped with oxen, and the finishing lumber, which was all walnut, was sawed by hand with a whipsaw. He was an earnest Christian man, belonging to the Bap- tist church, and contributed, perhaps, more lib- erally than any other man to the church in Tallula and as liberal to all the general enter- prises of the church.
Elias Conover was the first man who settled out on the prairie and, as his house was four miles from the timber, many of the people thought that he was demented. Conover was from- New Jersey and had an idea that he would always have inexhaustible pasture for hi- stock on nature's blooming meadows, for the early immigrants all thought that the
prairies Would never be settled, at least for many generations. How far they missed their guess the present state of the country shows. Thomas Arnold came from Tennessee in 1826 or 1822 and, being very poor. he lived on Mr. Spears' land till able to secure a home of luis own. He lived on Spears' land till able to buy a piece of his own and finally accumulated a fair property. John Sewell. a brother-in- law of Amold, and William Tippett came at the same time with Arnold and they also lived on Spears' land. They were ever after spoken of a> honest. hard-working men and finally secured comfortable homes. Samuel B. Neely came from Tennessee in 182% and settled in the grove. Some years later he went to Ma- son county, where he died. Abraham Burgin came from New Jersey in 1825 or 1826 and was a man of considerable prominence. but after a time he went to Galesburg, where he later died. Abraham B. Bell came from Ken- tucky in 1826 and settled in the grove and died there many years ago. John Kinner carie from Virginia at the same time that Bell came and located here. He reared a family and has been dead many years, but his descend- ants still live in that vicinity. William T. Beckman came from New Jersey at a some- what later date and married a daughter of George Spears. He was a man of fine char- acter and of considerable prominence in the county. He died recently in Petersburg. Other settlers, coming at a little later date. Were George, Jacob and Jesse Greene. William Smedley. Samuel Colwell. Joseph Coddington. Theodore Baker, Isaac N. Reding and William G. Greene. Mr. Greeno was a native of Kon- tueky, and he and his parents came here at a very early day and they settled near "New Salem." where the old people died in the carly history of the settlement. William G. Greene was one of the most prominent figures, in his day. in this part of the state. He was an intimate friend of Abraham Lincoln and at one time was associated with him in business at Salem. He accumulated a large fortune which he left to his children. A fuller account of him is given in another place in this vol- mme. From this period it is impossible to trace the settlements of this section. because
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
of the vast tide which was in constant ebb and Now.
The trials and inconveniences of these set- tlers were the same as in other new countries. .Is other white people flocked to the grove with undaunted courage they met the ancient possessors of the soil. whether savage beasts or savage men. and despite their strongly con- tested right to it, succeeded in gaining a fool- hold, which has developed into the state of civilization and material wealth that we see around us today. These people knew nothing of railroads. had never heard of a locomotive. and if anyone had prophesied the railroads. telegraphs. telephones, etc., of the present. he would have been put under guard as a con- tirmed and dangerous lunatic. Steam thresh- ers, sulky plows, mowers and reapers were alike unknown to these carly pioneers and are in- ventions that had never entered into their wild- est dreams. The old sod. cary or bar-shear plow, drawn by three or four yoke of oxen. was the only means known to them of subdu- ing the soil. Their nearest trading point was Springfield, and the stock of goods kept there was limited and often the funds were not at hand to pay the price. Springfield was also their nearest postoffice and a letter from the old home cost "two bits" or twenty-five cents. and often the letter would lie in the office for a month for want of the "quarter" to pay the little bill. as Uncle Sam had a way of refusing credit to all alike. Milling was an- other great annoyance as mills were very scarce, and often the very early settlers had to go twenty-live. lifty or even one hundred miles for bread stuff: in fact. the Athens people in an early day had to go to St. Louis, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, for meal and four. Often for weeks, and even months together they were compelled to depend upon the mortar to pound the corn, or the "gritter." as they called the grater, or upon "be-hominy." a- the only substitute for broad. And then the prairie fites, the prairie wolves, the deep snow, the sudden cold snap, and other troubles "too numerous to mention" beset their way. Of these trials the present generation know nothing, only as they sit by the fire and hear some grandfather or grandmother tell the story.
and then they often think that it must be all exaggerated story. But eighty-five years have passed and lo! the change that has taken place. Upon the face of nature these rolling years have written their record and the wilderness has been transformed into a veritable Garden of Eden. The railroad has supplanted the ox wagon: in fact, the country is a network of railroads: the power of the ox and horse is superseded by that of steam and electricity: and brain is now doing what brawn did in their day. What a change has been brought about in the last eighty-five years! And what will the next eighty-live years do? Judging the future by the past we conclude that no imagination can paint a picture too extravagant to represent the changes of the coming period of that length. To the pioneer- of that day the achievements of today would have been as chimerical as anything that Jules Verne's for- tile brain could devise. What will it be? In eighty-five years we will sail through the air as securely and comfortably as we now glide over these prairies in the cars. We really he- lieve this will be the case. What a day that will be. Instead of buggies or autos or steam or electric turnouts, we will have double back- action. electric-automatic repeating sky-scrap- The church entrance will then be down the spire: and on Sunday morning the sky will be full of gaily adorned turn-outs. or turn-ups. on the way to church. It's funny, but it's com- ing. No more strange to us than the prosent achievements would have been to our grand- fathers.
The first practicing physician in this section of country was Dr. Allen. of Petersburg: and Dr. Renier was the first disciple of Aesculapius to settle in Clary's Grove. When he first came he was a bachelor and he boarded with George Spears. This was in 1828 or 1829. In a little while he took unto himself a wife and went to housekeeping. The conditions in those days were such that people could not afford to get sick and hence doctors were far less im- portam personages than they are now. A man who owned a mill or a blacksmith shop was a bigger man than any doctor. It was generally believed then that the women could do all the "doctoring" needed with catnip tea and bone-
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
-et. Robert Armstrong was the first justice of the peace in the grove and, as we are informal. had but little legal knowledge. flis familiar- ity with legal technicalities was limited in the extreme and his courts were the theater of many humorous scones as one illustration will serve to show: A case came before him one day in which a couple of lawyers were em- ployed. After the case had been decided the defeated lawyer gave notice that he appealed the case from his decision, when the other law- ver undged him and whispered in his ear : "Don't allow him to appeal." The justice drew himself up with all the dignity embodied in the ponderons form of David Davis, and re- plied : "There is no appeal: I allow no ap- peal from this court, sir."
The first school taught in Clary's Grove was taught by James Fletcher in a house on the land of George Spears about 1825. Fletcher could not have gotten a first grade certificate at the present day. but we are informed that he could spel words of two syllables and read fairly well by skipping the hard words. He was the hest. however, to be secured in those times and the people were obliged to be satis- lied with him. This log temple of learning served the citizens of the grove for a number of years. in fact till it was burned down. The community then erected a howed log house, which served them for a number of years as a schoolhonse as well as a church.
The first church organization in the grove was Clary's Grove Baptist church, which many claim was the first organization of a religious character in what is now Menard county. But some most strenuously deny this, affirming that the Methodist class at Athens was prior to it. This dispute can never be settled now. The records show that the Clary's Grove Baptist church was organized on the 25th day of lo- comber (Christmas day) 1821. the ordaining presbytery consisting of William P. Crow. William Rollin and James Bradley. The con- stituent members were thirteen in number. namely : George Spears, St. Mary Spears. Rev. Jacob Gum. Samuel Combs. Sr. Jane Comts, Ezekiel Harrison and wife, M. Hongh- ton and wife. Elijah Houghton. Robert C'on- mer and Hannah Whits. The first pastor of
this now venerable church was Rev. Jacob Gum, with Robert Conover as clerk of the s- sion. The first church book was made of Tool- cap paper and bound with parteboard. The early meetings of the society were held ( for the most part alternately) at the homes of George Spears and Robert Conover. From a period a Few years after the organization till 1515 a log schoolhouse (the one spoken of above) was used by the society as a place of worship. Dur- ing the year last mentioned the society erected a substantial frame building, thirty by forty feet in dimensions, which was used as a church building until 1821. This building is thought to have cost about two thousand dollars and was built under a contract with William T. Beekman, who did the principal part of the carpenter work. After this last date the so- ciety removed to the village of Tallula, where they erected a splendid house of worship. See further account of this under the hell "Churches." Rev. John M. Berry, a Cumber- land Presbyterian minister who lived on Rock ereck, was also one of the carly preachers in the grove. In his day but low church houses had been erected in this part of the state and he was an itinerant in the fullest sense of the word. But he preached everywhere and all the time. A Christian church was organized in the grove in 1834 with the following mem- bers: John Wilson. William G. White. Jane White. Jesse L. Trailor. Obedience Trailor and Lydia A. Caldwell. Services were held in pri- vate residences till i812. when a comfortable little church was built on the farm of William Smedley. In this house they worshipped until 1861, when they sold it and corrected another house in the village of Tallula as noticed in another place. The inevitable Methodist cir- cuit rider used to pass this way as they go into every place with the old. old story. but they seem never to have gotten a hold in any part of this entire territory. No Methodist Episcopal church house has ever been built or society organiza within the limits of this entire settlement so far as we can learn. We believe that of late years the "Sanctified" Meth- odist- have formed a society and built a house in the village of Tallula, but we have no re- liable data to give concerning them.
PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
Tallula, a real little gem of a village, is or ISE and it has been worked almost con- situated on the southwest side of Clary's Grove -tantly since In one and another. This coal is about two hundred feet below the surface and the vein is a little over six feet thick. The first school taught in the village was by Miss Sarah Brockman in 1859 in the district schoolhouse, which stood just outside the corporate limits. This may seem an Irish bull. but it was termed the village school and was patronized by the children of the town. The German Reformed church was afterward used as a schoolhouse. The present school building was created in 1868-9 at a cost of from eight to ten thousand dollars, beside three acres of land, on which it stands, donated by Mr. Greene. The original building contained four elegant rooms, with closets. cloak-room, etc. During the summer of 1901 two more elegant room-up to date in every respect-were added. Tallula has always striven to have the best schools in the county and has often succeeded. (See under head "Education.") on the Jacksonville division of the Chicago & Alton Railroad and is surrounded by as line a section of farming country was lies out of doors." In the latter part of 1852 the town was laid out by William G. Greene. J. G. Greene, Richard Yates. Theodore Baker and W. G. Spears. The name was given by the last named gentleman and it is said to be an Indian word meaning "dropping water," but if the existence of the town depended on the meaning of the word there would never be any Tallula except when it rained. for there is no other water near there to "drop." Nevertheless it is a pretty name. whether it is appropriate or not. and it- sound is as musical as the country around it is beautiful. The first house was erected soon after the town was laid out by W. G. Spent- and was afterward owned by R. B. Thrapp. The next building was put up by Robert M. Ewing and so nearly at the same time with Spears' that it is hard to say which was really the first. The first store was opened in January. 1858, by Thrapp & Spears, which firm continued about eight months. when Spears retired, and Thrapp continued to run the business alone. The postoffice was estah- lished there in 1858 with F. S. Thrapp as postmaster. Hugh Hicks opened the first blacksmith shop in 1859. Dr. J. F. Wilson was the first practicing physician to hang out his shingle in the new village. As soon as the railroad began operation F. S. Thrapp began the business of buying grain. He bought and shipped at first from wagons, but later he built a grain warehouse. About 1876 or 1811 A. T. Gaylord built an elevator at a cost of about four thousand dollar- and ran the business for some time. At present Mr. Hushman is run- ning the elevator. In the past Thrapp. Gay- lord. Bell Brothers and C. B. Laning & Cone- pany have run this Isiness here. The first hotel was run by Mrs. Brooks, but the first building put up for the purpose was built by Frank Spears and run by him for some time Mrs. Zalman at one time kept the Rovere House. .. F. Wathen has been the veteran host for Tallula. Charles Groene and a man by the name of Real sunk a coal shaft here in ITS
Tallula wa- incorporated as a village under the general law in 1822 with the following as the first board of trustees : J. F. Wilson. R. 11. Bean. J. T. Bush. J. F. Wathen and F. S. Thrapp, who organized for business by electing 1. 11. Bean president of the board. At present the population is about a thousand and the the business of the town is all that could be expected of a place of its size. It has a number of good general stores, a bank. drug store. hotel. lumberyard. with shops of various kinds and the inevitable saloon, but in justice it may be said that Tallula has had saloons but a very small portion of the time since it began. (For churches. cemetery and schools, see under their appropriate heads. )
The village of "Rushaway." once a thriving business place, almost equal to what Tallola is now. has "rushed away" and is now among the things that were. It was laid out by d. T. Rush and William Workman sometime in the early fifties, but the exact date is not known. The first store was kept by J. T. Bush and a man by the name of Way. These two names connected in business combined together make the name Rushaway, which was given to the vil- lage. F. S. Thrapp had a store there also. . \ puestolice was also established, with Rush as
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MENARD COUNTY
postmaster. When the Chicago & Alton Rail- road was built it missed the town a mile or two and on the laying out of Tallula a part of the town rushed there and the rest rushed to Ashland. The postoffice was removed to Tal- lula and the name changed. The proprietors of the railroad. it is said, would have run the road through the village if they had received the proper encouragement. but the people of Rushaway, believing that the road would be obliged to go that way, stood upon their dig- nity and even refused to grant the right of way. only at the highest market price. As a conse- quence, the road was located elsewhere and Rushaway was left out in the cold. The com- pletion of the road sealed their doom and. as already stated. part of the town went to Tallula and a part to Ashland. At prosent there is nothing to show that such a town over existed. The site is now a flourishing farm and orchard and the passing stranger would be surprised to learn that a thriving village had once stood where now the "yellow harvest. wave."
SUGAR GROVE.
If we did not know that the Garden of Eden was somewhere on the eastern continent. some one would have arisen long ago with the proofs that it must have been located somewhere in the vicinity of Sugar Grove, but only two of the four rivers can be located in the Grove. and these are Grove creek and Pike creek, near by. so this settles it, but the early comers must have thought of Eden when they behold around them
"Earth's unnumbered flowers
All turning up their gentle eyes to heaven : The birds, with bright wings glancing in the sun,
Filling the air with rainbow miniatures." and combining to restore, in all its lovelines ;. "lost Eden's faded glory." No finer division of country could mortal crave than is found in this portion of Menard county. Fine rolling prairie, with as rich a soil as exists anywhere. with here and there a grove of timber, scattered over the undulating plain like islands slumber- ing in the ocean, is no overdrawn picture of this
section of country. especially as the first settlers saw it. But the hand of civilization did not come to mar but to adorn and under its magic touch its virgin beanty has been enhanced tu- til it is, indeed, a veritable Eden. It has im- proved under the sway of man, as the fields of waving grain, the blooming orchards and countless herds of thriving stock abundantly testify. We do not speak of this section now as a political division. but rather as a center of an carly settlement. One of the first settle- ments made in Menard county was made in Sugar Grove. In the year 181%, the same year that Clary settled in Clary's Grove, Janes Meadows settled on the cast side of Sugar Grove, perhaps on the land now owned hy Mr. Jones. Meadows came from Ohio and located near Allon in the year 1818, but the following spring he came to this place. In the spring of 1823 he sold his claim to Leonard Alkire, and removed to the west side of Sugar Grove and took a claim there, on which he lived till a few years before his death. He died in Greenview in the year 1869. at an ad- vanced age. llis last claim that he made is now owned by H. H. Marbold, of Greenview. lle built the "tread-wheel mill" described in another place. Mrs. Perry Bracken. now living at an advanced age, with her son-in-law. John Blane, of Greenview, is a daughter of Mr. Meadows, the only member of his family now living. Jacob Boyer came to the Grove with Mr. Meadows and they camped the first night at a spring on the farm that was afterward the home of Milem Alkire. The Sugar Grove cemetery is near that spring. The next morn- ing, being struck by the beauty of the sur- roundings and the abundance of pure water afforded by the spring. Mr. Boyer said, "This is my future home." and at once staked off his claim and settled there. Meadows settled, as noticed above, on what has for many years been known as "the Jack Alkire place." Boyer also sold out to Leonard Alkire in the spring of 1823. Only a few days after the settlement of Boyer and Meadows, the Blanes came to the Grove. The Blane family consisted of four brothers. Robert. William, John and George, and their mother and one sister. They were from the Emerald Isle, the gom of the
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