USA > Illinois > Mercer County > Past and present of Mercer County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 47
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In 1900 the following were the business concerns in Sherrard : Bank, Sherrard Banking Company; boots and shoes, R. L. Peterson ; blacksmiths, Thomas Dawson, A. Mongerson; barber, L. T. Had- dick; contractor and builder, William Sarginson; dry goods and notions, A. L. Lawson, The Leader ; furniture and undertaking, E. G. Danielson; groceries, William Schaarman; hardware and imple- ments, Robert Davison, A. F. Mongerson ; harness, C. W. Nixdorff ; hotels, D. E. Evans, Hotel Sherrard; jeweler, Ed Berggren; lumber and building material, Hebbeln & Dunkelgoth, C. A. Samuelson ; livery and feed barn, Shull & Ralston; meat market, A. Haigh & Son; merchant tailor, Nels Nelson; painter, Thomas Bowers; phy- sicians and surgeons, James A. Mannon, W. B. Martin.
Since 1900 the village has done well, is prosperous and will con- tinue to be so as long as the coal beds hold out. The temperance question has been an important one in recent years. Four citizens were indicted for selling liquor against the law in 1909. The vil- lage has made many improvements and is now one of the most pro- gressive and active in western Illinois.
In 1910 a new bank was established there, with a capital of $25,000. C. A. Samuelson became president and Fred N. Settdahl cashier. It was organized under the state law and the stockholders generally were farmers in that neighborhood.
Sherrard in 1914 had a population of 906. The business con- cerns were: Clark Brothers, livery; Robert Davison, hardware and stoves; Thomas Davison, blacksmith; Mrs. E. Greer, restaurant; Home Mutual Telephone Company; Johnson & Carlson, general store ; A. Mueller & Son, general store ; H. O. Mumma, furniture and undertaker; Nels Nelson, tailor; Charles E. Peterson, printer; J. G.
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Peterson, poultry; E. J. Quaintance, meat ; C. A. Samuelson, hard- ware and lumber; Sherrard Lumber & Grain Company, lumber and grain; V. S. Sherrard & Son, harness; H. K. Skyles, drugs; S. F. Trego, restaurant.
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CHAPTER XXV
SUEZ TOWNSHIP
Suez Township is watered principally by North Henderson Creek and its branches. Pope Creek drains a small portion of the extreme northern part. The soil is excellent and large crops of grain have been grown since the earliest date. The township has been crossed in recent years by the interurban line and the new station of Burgess has been established on section 8. This township seems to have been settled more slowly than any other, although in the end all the Gov- ernment land was taken up by actual settlers. Among the first set- tlers to arrive here were David, William and George Blake, who came in 1835, the former locating on section 22, and the latter on section 21. They took claims along the creek, so as to secure timber on a portion of their tracts. The same year James Stewart came with his family and also located on section 21. Robert Pollock arrived about the same time and secured a claim on section 27. William Moore came from Ohio the same year and took up a claim on section 5. The same year Harrison Brown came from Kentucky and located in the extreme northwest corner on section 1. William Martin also arrived this year and secured a home on section 5. It is probable that James Baine was the first permanent settler in this township. It is clear that he secured a claim and erected a cabin on section 29, in 1834. In 1837 Asa Ransom, a native of New York, established a home on section 3 and the next year John Mauk located a claim a half mile north of Suez postoffice. The Pease family arrived in 1837 and established their home on section 20, near North Henderson Creek. In 1840 John and William Lafferty came from Ohio, and the former took up a claim on section 21, and the latter on section 22. They likewise secured tracts of timber. Henry B. Fle- harty came at an early day and secured a permanent home. A little later he sold out to John Greenwood, who located permanently on the place. The Bridger family arrived about 1840, or perhaps a little earlier, and became prominent settlers. The famous Bridger's Corners were named for this family.
William Moore was probably the first blacksmith in the town- ship and William Martin the first carpenter. These men had all
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they could do in early years, because when the settlement commenced it was rapid and houses went up in all directions. At first there were no roads, but a little later the one running from Macomb to Galena, which passes diagonally through this township, served as an outlet. The first schoolhouse was built in 1837, as told elsewhere. The first church was organized by the Associate Reformed Society and its building was erected in 1841 on section 31. In later years a cemetery was started there. The first postoffice was established at the residence of Moses Decker, on section 3, and was started about 1840. The second was called North Henderson and was located on section 22 at the house of Robert Pollock, who was appointed post- master. At a later date this office became known as Norwood. Pelatiah Pease started a sawmill on the banks of North Henderson Creek, on section 21, in 1839. The power was water and the mill had a large patronage in those days. Many years afterwards a steam grist mill was built by C. S. Hart in the little settlement of Norwood. Coal has been mined in this township almost from the earliest date. A quantity was taken out on section 21 by Mr. Ditto as early as 1837. The township is well supplied with stone, which comes to the surface on sections 19, 21, 22 and 29. Along all the streams in early times grew an abundance of timber, but as time passed much of it was cut away and converted into buildings of various kinds. Here also were made the rails out of which were constructed the first fences. The first bridge across North Henderson Creek was built in 1838-9, and was located on the old Macomb and Galena Highway. This served to unite the different sections of the town- ship. In early times there were many wild animals, such as deer, wolves, and the hunters were numerous with shotguns, rifles, pistols, muskets or any other sort of shooting iron. Wolf hunts occurred in the early times, but usually the animals were sly enough to escape; but on those occasions many deer were usually rounded up and killed.
The early settlers did much of their trading at Oquawka and Peoria. Sometimes grain was hauled to Chicago and sold at a low price. Early settlers declared that dressed pork sold as low as from $ I to $1.50 a hundred. Money was extremely scarce, prices for farm products very low and farmers had difficulty in securing money enough to pay for their claims.
In 1851 a terrible storm of wind and rain swept across this town- ship. For many hours the rain fell in torrents and every brook and rivulet went high above its banks. It is stated that the waters of North Henderson Creek rose fifteen feet over the normal height.
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Every bridge on that stream was swept away by the floods. Many buildings were wrecked and considerable live stock destroyed.
Suez Township was organized early in the '50s at the time the township law came into operation. This portion of the county was known before 1854 as Palmyra Township. At the time of the organ- ization it was learned that there was another Palmyra Township in the state, whereupon the name was changed to Suez. At the town- ship meeting held in the residence of Henry Bridger, the first township officials were chosen as follows: Thomas Likely, super- visor ; John B. Hoag, town clerk; William Lafferty, assessor; F. M. Postlewaite, collector; James E. Ray, overseer of the poor ; Harison Brown, John Lafferty and William McGreenwood, commissioners of highways; Robert Pollock and J. A. Edwards, justices of the peace; David Molar and A. Trask, constables. These men put the township machinery in operation.
SUEZ POSTOFFICE
The first postoffice established here was in 1842 and Henry Bridger became the first postmaster. The postoffice was called Suez, but the location was the crossing which became famous as Bridger's Corners and for certain reasons during the Civil war became known throughout Western Illinois. There was much contention between rival opinions and factions as the war progressed and frequently per- sonal encounters disturbed the quiet and peace of the neighborhood. It was simply a clash of opinion and not by reason of any rude or unlawful acts of the citizens. In a short time after the postoffice was established a store was started. Asa Ransom started a hotel there as early as 1851, and, owing to its location on the Galena Highway, it did a thriving business and contributed not a little to the promi- nence of Bridger's Corners. Hundreds of emigrants stopped there on their way to different places in the West. Samuel Shove was probably the first storekeeper. The date when he commenced busi- ness is not known, but must have been not far from the time the first postoffice was established in 1842. The second man to keep store was Mr. Turner, who soon sold out and was succeeded by Mr. Nourse. Afterwards storekeepers there were Shaw, Mauk and Sedwick, and finally James Page. These men usually in later years became in suc- cession postmasters of the place. The Corners from the early times have had a school, church, store, blacksmith shop and perhaps other institutions which were required by the neighborhood. The school- house there was usually known as White Lily. Miss Stuart, of Greene
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Township, taught there in 1851. A cornet band was organized there in 1881 and acquired much prominence by the excellence of its per- formances. Its services were called into requisition on nearly all public occasions in that portion of the county. Churches were estab- lished at a very early day, but the buildings were not erected until later. The cemetery was started about 1846 in the vicinity of Nor- wood. It was under the management of the Presbyterian Church. It is no doubt an association that was chartered in 1881. The grounds are kept in excellent condition by the owners.
NORWOOD
Norwood was started at an early date and there has been there usually a postoffice, and a store was established. Nearby are a church and school. In 1914 Norwood had a population of sixty-eight. The business houses were conducted by U. G. Brownlee, general store; W. A. Fraser & Company, general stock; W. H. Litzenberger, blacksmith; and R. J. Miller, restaurant.
BURGESS
In July, 1910, the Town of Burgess came into existence on section 8. Its origin was due to the construction of the interurban railway. Nine local men bought eighty acres there and gave twenty acres to the Rock Island Southern for a depot, etc. Part of the remainder they platted and in the fall of 1910 advertised a public sale of lots. The railway under contract was not permitted to throw its lots into market until after the expiration of five years. The sale occurred on October 15th and there was present a large number of purchasers. The lots were sold at auction. There were twelve blocks offered for sale, all divided into lots, with streets and alleys as usual. There were eight lots to each block, the lots being 60x120 feet for resi- dences and 30x120 feet for business houses. At the time of the sale a store was already in existence there, conducted by John Fahey, who served lunch to the crowd present. At the same time there was projected and on the way an elevator and lumberyard and other business establishments. The place was named Burgess for County Judge H. E. Burgess. At first it was planned to call the place Center- ville, but sufficient reasons arose for a change in the name. The Burgess Center Lumber Company began operations as early as August that year and on that date began to buy grain and ship live stock. It is said that 1,000 men attended the first sale of lots. Forty-four
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were sold at auction to the highest bidders. The remainder of the sales were mostly in blocks. The latter sold as high as $205 each. The lots sold were mostly those for business establishments, although a few were purchased by men who planned to erect residences. The blocks purchased were usually for speculative purposes.
In the spring of 1911 George Atkinson started a store there and kept a general assortment. By the latter part of 1911 other business houses were by Rowe Brothers, who bought chickens in large numbers and shipped them to Chicago and elsewhere; O. H. Johnson con- ducted a restaurant; the Center Lumber Company was doing a large business and meeting the wants of the farmers; Will Sharer had built and was conducting a stockyards. He purchased live stock in con- siderable quantity from the farmers and shipped to Chicago. A schoolhouse was started this year. E. W. Rowe established a livery stable here at this time.
In 1912 an additional sale of twenty-five lots took place. It was provided that no lot could be purchased at this sale unless the pur- chasers should agree to erect a building thereon. By the spring of 1912 the bank came into existence in a new building erected espe- cially for it. It was called the Bank of Burgess and was under the management of John B. Bradford. At this time among the business men were the following: Dr. J. A. Dilley, merchant; Fred B. Peter- son, hardware store; L. C. Swartz, restaurant; Ed Hayedelksuch, a small store; Kennicutt Brothers, restaurant; E. L. Hines, livery. The village was prosperous and full of enterprise at this time.
In 1913 the business establishments were as follows: W. J. Sharer, purchaser and shipper of farm products; the Center Lumber Company, the same; and many others. This year there were built in the village ten modern houses, which cost an average of $3,000 each. The real owners of Burgess from the start were an organization which called itself the Burgess Town Site Company, the members of which were John B. Morford, Frank Whan, B. L. Christy, W. J. Sharer, Albert Maberg, F. N. Morford, W. C. Olin and Grant A. Brown. They purchased the eighty acres from Phil Sebert and laid out the south forty in lots. At the first sale B. L. Christy paid $205 for a lot. This was the highest price paid.
In 1914 the population of Burgess was fixed at 100. It was already a money order postoffice. Thompson & Brooks kept a hard- ware store.
Dan W. Sedwick settled in Suez Township in 1854 and was mar- ried to Henry Bridger's daughter, and has resided in the county until the present time. He is a very prominent citizen and an excel-
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lent farmer. He was a volunteer in the One Hundred and Second Illinois Regiment in the Civil war and when dismissed from the service had the rank of major. He has been supervisor of the town- ship for a number of years, and has been in every way prominently connected with the interests of the township of the county, and has been quite successful in his business career.
CHAPTER XXVI OHIO GROVE TOWNSHIP
Ohio Grove Township is one of the richest in the county from an agricultural standpoint. It is well drained and at the same time is not too rolling, and an abundance of fresh, pure water is reached at a comparatively shallow depth. The township originally was mostly prairie, and hence the groves were given names as Ohio Grove, Hickory Grove, etc. The soil is a rich black loam with an average depth of one foot. Coal and stone are found in small quan- tities. The first settlers located near Pope Creek in the northern part of the township. They came from Ohio and hence the grove there was named Ohio Grove and later the township took the same name. The first cabin built by white people was erected prior to 1835 and stood on the northwest corner of section 3. Its builder is unknown. This was used by the first few families who came to the township. In it was kept the first small store about 1835 by William Mackey. In September, 1835, George McPherren's family con- sisted of nine or ten children. Benjamin Decker, who married one of the McPherren girls, and John Walker, who married another McPherren girl, left Ohio, but on the way here they were detained, whereupon John Long and Mathew Finley, who had joined them, went on in advance, reached Little York, where the Indians a short time before had killed Hugh Martin, and later, accompanied by McPherren, Walker, Decker and Daniel McPherren, came on to Mercer County, where McPherren built a log cabin on the northeast quarter of section 4. The building was about 16 by 18 feet, one story and one room. The few boards used in its construction were hauled from Creswell's sawmill on Eliza Creek, fifteen miles distant. They were used for the floor and probably the door. The roof was of clapboards. During the winter of 1835-6 this cabin was occupied by eight persons. This building stood a quarter of a mile from the north township line. About a mile east stood the log cabin which had previously been erected. It was occupied in order to hold a claim in that district. In the same year, probably, George Smith, Richard Rice, James Moore and William Moore arrived and took up claims. Late in the same year John Morehead settled in the Vol. I-31
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McPherren neighborhood on section 2. In 1836 among others who arrived were Ashford Hardy, who located on section 1; James McBride, on section 4. At first he occupied a small log cabin which had been thrown together by some squatters. The family came by ox teams. Samuel Cabeen, with his wife and six children, arrived here in 1836, coming overland in a 4-horse wagon. He located on section 6 and erected a cabin 18 by 22 feet. Often this cabin gave shelter to fifteen or twenty people. It had a low loft where the boys slept. The sons, Josh W. and Samuel P., improved large farms in this township. William Dilley arrived here in 1836 and brought along a carding machine. The next summer he erected a cabin in Greene Township and there he followed wool carding until 1848, when he returned to Ohio Grove. John Wall occupied a cabin on Pope Creek at an early date. John H. Brown came the same year. He lived the first year near New Boston, but in 1838 secured a tract of land in this township. He had nothing when he came here, but at the time of his death owned about one thousand acres and was rich. In 1837 many settlers arrived. Thomas Candor and his son, Robert, came that year. They changed location at a later date, but Thomas Candor erected a log cabin 18 by 18 feet in the northwest part of the township. William I. Nevius came to Warren County, Illi- nois, in 1832. In 1835 he moved to New Boston and was there at the time Mercer County was organized. In 1837 he located in Ohio Grove Township and improved a large farm. He purchased a tract where Sunbeam now stands. He became one of the prominent men of the township and was loyal and active during the Civil war. He was handy at all the trades, carpentering, blacksmithing, shoemaking and harnessmaking. It is said that he hauled the first apple trees to this county from Hennepin, Bureau County, Illinois. This stock he divided with the Cabeens and McPherrens and very likely a few of the older trees may yet be in existence. They were planted in 1837. He built the first house on the prairie, the others being con- structed along the streams where there was timber. In 1838 William C. Brownlee located on North Henderson Creek. The Burnetts arrived about the same time and located in the southern part of the township. John Stevens purchased the Vernon interest in the mill and also secured a large tract of land. William T. Patterson arrived in 1840. He farmed for four or five years where Norwood now stands. In 1847 he located permanently on section 24. In 1842 Joseph Robinson arrived, and in 1843 Hammond Webster came. In 1843 James Calhoun arrived and also James Emery came about the same time. Nathaniel Partridge, a carpenter, and Levi Butterfield
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reached the township about the same time. James Graham came in 1845 and located on section 35. In 1848 John Seaton secured a claim on section 19. This farm afterward passed to George Seaton. In 1849 William Pepper and Samuel Lafferty came to the township. The latter had arrived in the county in 1842. In 1850 Thomas Francis and John McClellan made their arrival in the township. Jesse Mounts and John Smith arrived about the same time. In 1849-50 several of the first settlers joined the forty-niners and went to Cali- fornia. In 1851 James Robb, Jacob and Barnett Unganst came to the township and settled on section 13. William R. McCreight came about 1851. William M. Hays settled about this time in the township.
Other settlers before 1860 were Samuel Dihel, who had two sons, John and Frank; William Henderson, Thomas Robb, Alexander Gourley and his brothers, Robert and James; David R. Harris, John C. Ward, William Garrett, Robert Woods, Charles Litzenberger, George W. Werts, Andrew Welliver, Leander D. Thomason, Cor- nelius S. Richey, William S. McCormick, Henry Kimmel, Elijah Forsythe, Jonathan Duncan, who had sons, William and Thomas, and a daughter Sarah; James Feather, the Hamilton family, of which there were Robert and James S .; Robert Speer, Peter Edwards and William Stephens, Samuel and Robert Miller, Thomas Abercrombie, who had a son, Joseph, afterwards a resident of Aledo; Samuel M. Creighton, the Kellogg and Torbet families. Other early settlers here were Findleys, Gilmores, McIntires, McCutcheons, Sprowls, Gar- retts, Chandlers, Shoemakers, Dittos, Nolands, Gustins, Cross, the Browns, Milligans and a few others.
The people of this township went to mill at Creswells & Jack's, and sometimes hauled their grain as far as Moline. George Mc- Pherren and James McBride went twenty-eight miles above Moline to Cox's grist mill. Occasionally the farmers hauled their wheat as far as Chicago. In the fall and winter of 1836 James McBride and Joseph Vernon built a sawmill on Pope Creek. This served the neighbors for many years. Later Vernon sold out to John Stevens, who later sold to Van Scook. The land there passed to Henry Kim- mel and he erected a good flour mill. A school was taught in the township as early as 1839. The first election was held at the house of John McPherren in 1836. The first township officers elected in 1854 were elected under the new township law. James Burnett became supervisor; T. S. Robb, clerk; John W. Dihel, assessor; and Horace Williams, collector. Among the early justices of the peace were T. S. Robb, Levi Butterfield, John W. Dihel, Andrew Carnes, C. S. Richey and others. In 1870 the township voted $7,000 in aid of the American
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Central Railroad. Bonds were issued and in the end were duly paid.
The first religious services in the township were held in the cabin of George McPherren by Rev. John Wallace. There are three ceme- teries in the township and all date back to early times. The McClure cemetery was formerly called McPherren's. Another is named for the Candor family because the ground was set apart by Thomas Candor. The other cemetery is owned by the United Presbyterians and was named for William Miller, who donated the ground.
Early in the '40s the best land in the township was worth about $200 per quarter section ; by 1855 it had gone up to $1,600 per quarter section. It is now worth about $32,000 per quarter section. In 1855 from the Mississippi bluffs eastward for twenty miles there was almost a continuous line of fence on the south side of Pope Creek. The road there extended from Keithsburg to Henderson. In 1863 Mr. Kimmel still conducted the Ohio Grove Mill.
SUNBEAM
As before stated, William Mackey kept the first store in 1836. John Stevens was a merchant in 1839. Later storekeepers were C. S. Richey, James Feather, McCreight & Company and others. The first postmaster at Sunbeam was Samuel M. Dihel. Mary J. Wil- liams kept the office for many years. Moses McIntire was the post- master at the office on Duck Creek at an early day. James S. Hamil- ton succeeded Mr. Williams as postmaster at Sunbeam in 1863. Moses M. Warren, an attorney, lived in this township, two miles east of Kimmel's Mill, and there practiced his profession after the war. Gourley Brothers & Paxton conducted a large store there for several years. At Sunbeam in 1871 Henry White shot and killed Samuel Ford in the store of Gourley Brothers & Paxton. There had been trouble between the two men for some time and this was the result. In 1874 the Sunbeam Musical Association was an interesting organi- zation. They gave many musical concerts at the churches and had a large membership. The Village of Sunbeam has led a quiet exist- ence. There have usually been there a few shops and stores, two churches, town hall, good school and an enterprising community.
CHAPTER XXVII
NORTH HENDERSON TOWNSHIP
North Henderson Township is in the extreme southeastern part of the county. It took its name from the stream which passes through the central part toward the west. The southern part is drained by small streams which flow south into Warren County. The township from an agricultural standpoint is one of the best in the county. The soil is rich and black and insures large crops with suitable care. Pope Creek runs along near the northern border, occasionally coming inside the township line. A portion of the township was originally covered with timber, but by far the largest tract was prairie land. On section I, particularly, was a very heavy body of timber, from which the early settlers took their first rails and their timber. The St. Louis Branch of the C., B. & Q. Railroad passes through the southern part of the township. This road when built in 1871 was called the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis. The township was required to vote stock to aid the road, and did so, and in the end paid its obligations promptly and cheerfully.
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