USA > Illinois > Piatt County > Past and present of Piatt County, Illinois : together with biographical sketches of many prominent and influential citizens > Part 2
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This part of the history would not be complete without a brief account of the "deep snow," and "sudden freeze." The "deep snow" came in the winter of 1830 and 1831. The snow commenced to fall on the 29th of December and continued falling for three days and nights. The snow was about four feet deep on a level, and in some places was drifted 18 and 20 feet deep. The snow lasted the rest of the winter, not all melting off un- til about the first of April. It was a winter of great hardships, for the settlers. They de- The corn husking usually took place in pended a great deal on the wild game for , large barns, and both the men and women their winter meat, and upon the corn for participated. One of the features of the evening was to find the red ears of corn. When a lady found one, she was entitled to a the other diet. When the snow fell but little of the corn was gathered and game could not
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kiss from every gentleman present; and when a gentleman found one he was allowed to kiss every lady present. This feature was always a source of unlimited fun and frolic. When the husking was done the the old violin was brought out and the merry dance began, which lasted until day light.
In those days the people were noted for their hospitality, and their interest, the one in the other. They would go miles to help at a "raising" or to nurse a sick neighbor. The following incident illustrates the spirit of the times. A new settler borrowed a plough of an old settler and when he returned it he thanked him, and asked him how much he should pay him for the use of it. "Pay," he said, "look here, my friend, you don't know me do you? Now sir, I want you to under- stand that whenever I have anything you wish, all you have to do is to come after it; and when through with it, if it suits your convenience, to return it, do so; if not, I will come after it when I need it. I want you to understand farther sir, that whenever you have anything I want, I shall come and get it, and if it suits my convenience to return it, I shall do so; if not you can come and get it."
CHAPTER II.
1840-1903.
When Macon county was organized in 1829, it included what is now Piatt county. Along about 1837 or 1838 some of the set- tlers commenced to think that it was too far to go to Decatur for the legal county business
and they commenced to agitate the matter of forming a new county. A meeting of those interested was called, and committees ap- pointed to draw up and circulate petitions to the legislature asking that a new county be organized. The petition was prepared by George A. Paterson, a schoolteacher of the county. It was proposed to form a county out of parts of Macon, DeWitt and Cham- paign counties. Isaac Demorest and William Wright circulated the petition on the west side of Champaign county. They received very little encouragement, and the idea of having any part of Champaign county in the new county was abandoned. Abraham and Ezra Marquiss, and William Barnes circulated the petition in DeWitt county and were successful in getting a good many to sign it. George A. Paterson, James and John Piatt took the petition into Macon county and obtained many signatures. Aft- er the petition had been signed by a large number, it was decided to appoint Mr. Pat- erson to present the petition to the legis- lature. It was presented on New Year's day, 1841. An effort was made to have the new county called Grundy, but it was not successful and on the 27th of January the bill passed the legislature, and Piatt county was ushered into being. The act creating it defined its boundaries as follows: Begin- ning where the north line of town fifteen north intersects the middle of range four east and running thence north through the middle of range four to the middle of town nineteen, thence east to the west line of range five, thence north to the northwest corner of town nineteen north, range five east, thence by a direct line to the southwest corner of section seven, town twenty-one north range six; thence east to the east line of range six; thence south along the east line of range
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
six to the north line of town fifteen north ; thence west along the north line of town fif- teen to the place of beginning.
The entire population of the county at · that time was perhaps 600 or 700.
Monticello was chosen as the county seat and the first county election was held that April, 1841. It was not under township organization at first, and John Hughes, W. Bailey and E. Peck were the first county commissioners. Joseph King was elected circuit clerk, James Reber, judge; and John Piatt, sheriff.
The first term of court was held in the Devore Hotel, known in those days as the "Old Fort" which stood where the Ayre meat market now stands. This court con- vened May 14, 1841. Hon. Samuel H. Treat presided as judge.
The first grand jury of Piatt county . was impaneled at the October term, which convened October 15, 1841, and was com- posed of the following persons: George A. Patterson, foreman; William LeForgee, Samuel Harshbarger, William Piatt, Jesse Moore, John Fisher, J. S. Madden, Peter Croninger, John Welch, Samuel Suver, Thomas Ater, William A. Patterson, War- ner Kelms, Henry Adams, James Morain, George Argo, Thomas Anderson, and Jona- than Scott. The grand jury returned no in- dictments which testifies to the good charac- ter of the early settlers.
But little law business was done in those early times, and it is said that the first four terms of court did not occupy one-half a day.
For the purpose of holding elections, the county was divided into three precincts Monticello, Sangamon and Okaw. George Boyer was appointed overseer of the poor for . Sangamon precinct, James McReynolds for Monticello precinct, and Samuel Harshbarg-
er for Ckaw precinct. In 1843 Geo. Patter- son was appointed county assessor and Edw. Ater, county collector. About this time the court house was built. It was a one-story frame building located on the present court house site, and was built by Judge Ricket. This did service for several years but was afterwards moved to the west side of the square, and eventually burned down.
A jail was not built for several years, what prisoners the county had being con- fined in the jail at Champaign. The first jail was built where the Monticello cala- boose now stands, two blocks east and one north of the square .. It was sixteen feet square and was built of hewn logs 12 inches square. It had a log floor and a log ceiling. This did service until the new jail was erected.
The population was increasing, being 1606 in 1850.
In December, 1851, H. C. Johns, Enoch Peck and William Madden were appointed commissioners to divide Monticello precinct and to make another precinct and report at the next term of the county court. In March, 1852, H. C. Johns and Enoch Peck made their report laying out a new precinct commencing at the northeast corner of sec- tion four, T. 18 N. R., 5 E., running west with the township line to the county, thence south with said county line to the southwest corner of the county, thence east with the south line of the county to the southwest corner of Okaw precinct, thence north to place of beginning, making a territory six miles wide by eighteen miles long. Liberty was recommended as name of precinct and the residence of Scott Armsworth was rec- ommended as a central place for holding elections. Scott Armsworth, Enoch Peck and Peter Adams were the judges of the first
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election held in Liberty precinct. They re- ceived a dollar each for their services at this election. In September, 1852, a strip of ter- ritory one and one-half miles wide and six miles long was taken from Sangamon pre- cinct and added to Monticello. The total vote polled that fall was 334.
The court house that has done service to the present time was built in 1856 and 1857. The contract was awarded to George Dempsey and John Lowry, March 7, 1856; the contract price being $10,936, to be paid in four equal installments, one-fourth when foundation was completed, one-fourth when enclosed, one-fourth when finished, and one- fourth a year after completion.
The building was completed the next spring, and formally accepted by the board June 15, 1857. In addition the contractors were allowed $22 for painting, $23.50 for . lighting, $10.50 for prisoners' boxes and $240 for window blinds.
The building has been a good one, and in all these years has had but few repairs. The court house originally had a cupola, but it was demolished by a storm in July, 1871, and was never replaced. The building was a two-story brick one, 50x65 feet.
On the lower floor were the vaults and offices of the county and circuit clerks, and the offices of the county judge and treasurer.
On the upper floor were the offices of the state's attorney, and sheriff, and the court room.
The coroner, surveyor and county su- perintendent have not had offices in the court house for several years. The coroner and surveyor have no public office. That of the county superintendent was in the Smith building, then in the Tatman building over the post-office, then in the Bender building, and then in the Dighton Block, where it is now located.
The same year the court house was begun the first newspaper ever. published in Piatt county, was started. It was called the Mon- ticello Times, and was edited by Mr. James D. Moody. The first issue appeared in November, 1856. The Piatt County Agri- cultural Society was organized the same year.
At about this time, the first railroad was completed through the county. The first rail- road through the county was the main line of the Wabash through Cerro Gordo and Ben- nett townships, which was put through in 1856.
This helped to bring settlers into our county quite rapidly, and the decade from 1850 to 1860 witnessed the county's most rapid growth, the population in 1860 being nearly four times as great as in 1850.
In June, 1858, the Bement precinct was laid out with following boundaries, com- mencing at the northeast corner of Section I, Township 18, Range 6, thence west to the northwest corner of Section 3, Township 17, Range 5 east, thence south along the section lines to the southwest corner of Section 3, Township 16, Range .5 east, thence east along the section line to the southeast corner of Section 1, Township 16, Range 5 east, thence north along said section line to the southwest corner of Section 31, Township 18, Range 6, thence east along the township line to the southeast corner of Section 36. Township 18, Range 6, thence north along the line of said township to the place of be- ginning.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.
On November 18, 1859, the question of adopting township organization was sub- mitted to the voters of the county, and the result of the election was 420 votes for
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
township organization and 194 votes against adopting it. On the second day of January the County Court, consisting of A. G. Boy- er, county judge, John Mosgrove, associate, and Reuben Bowman, coroner, ordered that James Bryden, of Monticello, C. D. Moore, of Bement, and Ezra Marquiss, of Goose Creek, be appointed commissioners to divide the county into townships preparatory to township organization. On February 25, 1860, William F. Foster was appointed one of the commissioners to divide the county into townships, to fill vacancy caused by the death of James Bryden. The commis- sioners made the following report at the March term of the County Court, 1860 :
Report to the Honorable County Court, Piatt County, State of Illinois :
We, the undersigned commissioners ap- pointed by the court aforesaid at its last term to divide the County of Piatt into townships under the late law, beg leave to submit the following report : After a careful examina- tion of the county and a consideration of the relative positions of the several settlements of the same, we proceed to divide it into eight townships which are named and are as follows, to-wit :
BLUE RIDGE TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at the N. W. corner of Sec. 18, T. 21 N., R. 6 E., thence east on county line to the N. E. corner of the county, thence south on the county line to the S. E. corner of Sec. 24. T. 20, R. 6 E., thence west to the county line, thence in a northeasterly course along the county line to the place of beginning.
GOOSE CREEK TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows : Beginning at the
N. E. corner of Sec. 25, T. 20 N., R. 5 E., thence west to the county line, thence S. W. along county line to the N. W. corner of Sec. 6, T. 19 N., R. 5 E., thence S. on the coun- ty line to the N. E. corner Sec. 24, T. 19 N. R. 4 E., thence W. on county line to the N. W. corner Sec. 22, T. 19 N., R. 4 E., thence south on county line to the S. W. cor- ner of Sec. 34. T. 19 N .. R. 4 E., thence east to the S. E. corner Sec. 36, T. 19 N., R. 5 E., thence north to the place of beginning.
SANGAMON TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at the N. W. corner of Sec. 30, T. 20 N., R. 6 E., thence east to county line, thence south on county line to the S. E. corner of Sec. 36, T. 19 N., R. 6 E., thence west to S. W. corner of Sec. 31, T. 19 N., R. 6 E., thence N. to place of beginning.
MONTICELLO TOWNSHIP.
1
Bounded as follows : Beginning at N. W. corner of Sec. 2, T. 18, R. 5, thence east to county line, thence S. on county line to the S. E. corner of Sec. 36, T. 18, R. 6 E .. thence W. to S. W. corner of Sec. 35, T. 18 N., R. 5 E., thence north to place of be- ginning.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at N. W. cor. of Sec. 3. T. 18 N., R. 4 E., thence east to the N. E. corner of Sec. 3, T. 18 N. R. 5 E., thence S. to S. E. corner of N. E. quarter Sec. 22, T. 17 N., R. 5 E., thence WV. to county line, thence N. on county line to place of beginning.
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BEMENT TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at N. W. corner of Sec. 2, T. 17, R. 5 E., thence east to county line, thence south on county line to the S. E. corner of Sec. 36, T. 17.N., R. 6 E., thence west to the S. W. corner Sec. 35, T. 17 N., R. 5 E., thence N. to place of beginning.
CERRO GORDO TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at the N. W. corner of S. W. quarter Sec. 22, T. 17 N., R. 4 E., thence east to the N. E. cor- ner of S. E. quarter Sec. 22, T. 17 N., R. 5 E., thence S. to county line, thence W. on county line to the S. W. corner of county thence north on county line to place of be- ginning.
DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.
Bounded as follows: Beginning at the N. W. corner of Sec. 2, T. 16, R. 5 E., thence east to county line, thence S. on coun- ty line to the S. E. corner of the county, thence W. on county line to the S. W. cor- ner Sec. 35, T. 16 N., R. 5 E., thence N. to place of beginning.
The above we conceive to be the best di- vision it can be to secure the fulfillment of the requirements of the law and at the same time meet the wants of the inhabitants.
Respectfully submitted. C. D. MOORE, WILLIAM T. FOSTER, EZRA MARQUISS.
Dated at Monticello, Piatt County, Illi- nois, this 27th day of February, A. D., 1860.
The report of the committee was ap-
proved and the last session of the county court under the old system of county govern- ment was the March term of 1860, ending April 2. The first session of the board of supervisors was held May 28, 1860, and the following members constituted the first board: Blue Ridge, John Meliza; Goose Creek, Seth C. Langlon; Willow Branch, Elias Hall; Cerro Gordo, William Cole; Unity, Royal Mitchell; Bement, Caleb D. Moore; Monticello, William Motherspaw ; Sangamon, Ananias B. Knott.
At this meeting the name of Liberty township was changed to Willow Branch.
On motion of C. D. Moore, the compen- sation of the supervisors was fixed at two dollars per day for attending the meetings of the board. The next few years were very busy ones for this board. The families of the soldiers in the war had to be cared for, a jail was built, and a poor farm started.
PIATT COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. T
No state in the union was more loyal to the Federal Government in the dark days of the Civil war than was Illinois. It was Illi- nois that furnished the chief executive of the nation for this trying time, and nobly did she stand by him. When Lincoln issued. his first call for troops in 1861, the authori- ties informed Governor Yates that the quota of Illinois was six regiments. Governor Yates issued his proclamation April 15, 1861, and in ten days 10,000 volunteers had offered their services. They could not all be accept- ed, and it is said that some of them wept when refused admission. In 1862, and again in 1864, when calls for troops were made, Illinois responded cheerfully. In this, Piatt county did her full share-and more. Out of a population of 6,124, she sent out 1,055
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
soldiers, almost one-sixth of her population. The average of the state was 100 soldiers for every 742 inhabitants, while Piatt count sent 100 men for 580 inhabitants. Nor were those who for various reasons did not go to the front lacking in patriotic spirit. Early in the war, we find the county issuing bonds, and borrowing money to care for the fami- lies of the volunteers in the front. One per- son was appointed in each township (usual- ly the supervisor) to look after the widows and families of the soldiers, and to see that they were provided with the necessaries of life. When the war closed and the soldiers returned the county gave them a big dinner. This was held on the 16th of August, 1865. A committee from the Board of Supervisors had charge of the dinner. Two beeves were killed, and other victuals in proportion. The
county appropriated for the dinner $184.94. a half-interest in a farm of 293 acres for
JAIL.
At the meeting of the Board of Super- visors in December, 1866, a resolution was passed, making an appropriation of twelve thousand dollars to build a county jail, and authorizing the issuing of bonds for twelve thousand dollars, drawing interest at ten per cent. A committee of three persons- Hiram Jackson, H. C. McComas and John W. White-was appointed to fix upon a lo- cation for the jail. Lewis Bond was appoint- ed to make the plan for the county jail and to procure specifications for it. These were prepared by Dennis and Sutton, of Spring- field, and the contract for building it was let to them in March for $8,800. In March, 1867, H. G. McComas, J. M. White and Ez- ra Marquiss were appointed a committee to purchase a site for the location of the j'ail. They selected and purchased the last half of
outlot No. 4 in original town of Monticello for the sum of $1,000. Work was at once commenced, and the building completed in the fall of '67. At its meeting in November the board refused to receive the jail, but some concessions were made, and the jail was re- ceived by the board in February, 1868, and the final payment on it made. The first sheriff to occupy it was George F. Miller.
The old jail and lot were then sold to the president and trustees of the town of Monticello, in April, 1868, for $350.
The jail has been repaired from time to time and has been condemned repeatedly by grand juries that have examined it.
POOR FARM.
In August, 1862, Piatt county acquired $2.948.52, southwest of Monticello, the oth- er half being owned by James Miner. On July 23, 1863, the following resolution, in- troduced by H. S. Coonrod, was adopted :
Resolved, by the Board of Supervisors of Piatt county, that immediate steps be taken to procure the title of James Miner to the undivided half of the farm now owned by him in joint tenancy with the county, for the purpose of making a poor farm out of the same. The committee consisted of H. S. Coonrod, D. Stickle and J. C. Heath.
The attempt to buy the interest of James Miner was not successful, and in September, 1863, it is ordered that H. S. Coonrod be empowered to make contract with James Miner for providing for the poor of Piatt county. James Miner was to be paid $2.50 per week for keeping each pauper, and to pay $200 a year for the county's one-half of the farm. Coonrod is to maintain supervis- ion of said paupers, and the said paupers shall
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be received by the said James Miner as a county charge only on the order of the over- seer of the poor of one of the townships, or of the said Coonrod.
In September, 1865, a resolution was adopted appointing McComas, Marquiss and Chambers a committee to sell the county portion of the poor farm, and to purchase not less than 200 acres of land suitably sit- uated for a poor farm, provided that if they can sell the whole farm to a better advantage by buying Miner's half, then they can do so. James Miner appears before the county board in December, 1865, and offers to sell his in- terest in the county farm at $28 (twenty- eight dollars) per acre. The offer accepted and on June 6, 1866, James G. Miner trans- fers to the Board of Supervisors of Piatt county for the use of the inhabitants of said county his interest in the undivided half of the county farm for $4,116. Miner was to rıin the affairs until the first day of October next, and to pay one-third of the corn in the shock and one-third of the small grain in the half-bushel, and to keep the paupers un- til expiration of his lease from first of March . next at three dollars and fifty cents per week. Just before this he had been receiving four dollars a week for adults and three dollars and fifty cents per week for children.
From October. 1866, to October, 1867, he runs the farm without rent, keeps the paupers and receives one thousand dollars for his services.
In December. 1870. the committee on poor farm report that "the erection of a good, substantial brick building is absolutely neces- sary." and they are authorized by the board to proceed with the erection of a building. to adopt the plans and specifications they think best, the building to cost not to exceed five thousand dollars. The committee, con-
sisting of Hiram Jackson and John R. Klapp made a contract with John C. Lowry, William Beatie, Sr., James Brown, John Merryman and Charles Stough for the erec- tion of the building, which was approved by the board. The building was completed the following summer and accepted by the board in September, 1871. It was a brick build- ing, two stories and basement, containing eighteen rooms, six on each floor.
RAILROADS.
The main line of the Wabash running east and west through Bement and Cerro Gordo townships in Piatt county was con- structed in 1855 and 1856. The construct- ing gang worked from both ends of the line and came together near what is now Cerro Gordo. The Chicago division of the Wabash was completed and put in operation through the county in 1873. This road was former- ly called the Chicago & Paducah, and was laid by`the Bloomington & Ohio River Rail- road Company, which was chartered in 1867.
What is now a branch of the Illinois Central, between Champaign and Decatur, through Sangamon, Monticello and Willow Branch townships of our county, was put in operation between Champaign and Monti- cello in December, 1870, and was finished through to Decatur two years later. This road was chartered as far back as 1861, as the Monticello Railroad, but nothing was clone toward building any road until after the war. The charter was changed and the com- pany fully organized in 1865, and active work of constructing commenced in 1867. The road was afterwards bought by the In- diana, Bloomington & Western, was sold and reorganized as the Champaign, Havana & Western. It was bought by the Wabash
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
and finally bought by the Illinois Central, cause it would overflow, and a crop was by which still owns it. The road from Cham- no means sure. paign to Clinton through Sangamon and Goose Creek townships of our county is now owned by the Illinois Central. It was char- tered in 1867 as the Havana, Mason City, Lincoln and Eastern Railroad, and was built through the county in 1872. That same year it was consolidated with the Mon- ticello road just given, and its history from that time on was identical with the road be- tween Champaign and Decatur.
The Big Four Railroad through Blue Ridge township was put through the-county in 1867. It was chartered as the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington & Pekin Railroad, aft- erwards consolidated with the Indianapolis, and Danville, and then became known as the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western, and later as the Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati & St. Louis.
The Indiana, Decatur & Western Rail- road was built through our county in 1873. The road was projected as far back as 1847, and the company was originally called the Indiana & Illinois Central road.
DREDGE DITCH.
Special Drainage District of the Counties of Piatt, Champaign and Douglas.
One of the streams in the southern part of the county is called the Lake Fork branch of the Okaw river, usually called Lake Fork for short. The name is very suggestive. The river has but very little fall and is a very sluggish stream. In the rainy season it would overflow its banks and the whole country round about would resemble a great lake,hence the name. The land was the rich black loam, but was not very valuable, be-
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