Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 5

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois > Part 5

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The organization of the county, of necessity. developed and made mutually acquainted the scattered immigration that had slowly eome in during the past two years.

The residents of Adams and Hancock Coun- ties are almost completely embraced in the fol- lowing list and their families :

Willard Keves, Joshua Streeter, John Wood, AAsa Tyrer, Earl Wilson, Daniel Whipple, Sam- uel Seward, Henry Jacobs, Jesse Cox, John L. Soule. Dr. Thos. Baker, John Droulard, Ira Pierce. Hezekiah Spillman, Benjamin MeNitt. II. H. Snow, Jeremiah Rose, from QUINCY and neighborhood; Samuel Stone, L. C. K. Hamilton, Peter Journey. Levi Wells. Fernando Slayton. Ebenezer Harkness. Abijah Cadwell. the two John Thomases, Rial Crandall, Levi Hadley. Amos Bancroft, Daniel Moore. Thos McCraney. Zepheniah Ames. David and Ames Beebe. Elias Adams. John Waggoner. Justus I. Perigo, Jesse Coxe. Daniel Lisle, from the southern part of the county : Luther Whitney. Peter Williams, Hiram R. Hawley, Lewis Kin- ney. Samuel Croshong. George Campbell. Rich- ard Worley. from Hancock and the northern section : and Wm. Jashley. Jeremiah Ilill. Ben- jamin Iler. David Ray. Wm. Snow. James Adams, Silas Brooks. Jas. Green. Thomas Fore- man, William Barritt, Cyrus llibbard and Mor- rel Marston, from different localities. Most of these eame into the county during this or the preceding year, and the names may be recog- nized as those of families now residing in the county.

14.00

19,50

14.25

9.00

14.50

20,00

1×

12.50

9.50

16.75

$ 6.00

2.4

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

CHAPTER VIH.

1826.

POLITA AL FIRST LEGISLATIVE MENTION OF

QUINCY. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' SALE OF LOTS. FIRST HOTEL AND HOTEL PRICES.

FIRST GENERAL STORE. FREE AND EASY SO- CIAL LIFE.

The second year ( 1826) of Quiney's existence as the county seat saw slight and slow changes in its appearance and population. The same may be said of the county, which, however, grew a little faster. Trade, that great quickener of prosperity, was, from lack of production and market. as yet almost altogether wanting.

The general political record for this year shows the election of Ninian Edwards, former territorial governor and first United States senator, as governor, and Wm. Kinney, a Bap- tist clergyman, as lieutenant governor. They were men of very different personal appearance and characteristics. Edwards was a gifted, polished, prond, self-conseions gentleman, while Kinney. a shrewd. aspiring politician, and adroit on the stump, had none of these qualities. Joseph Duncan of Morgan county, one of the best publie men of the past, was elected rep- resentative to congress. (Ilinois was then en- titled to but one ), over Daniel P. Cook, (a most able and popular man, the son-in-law of Gov. Edwards), who had held this office for several years.

The special session of the legislature of 1825- 26, passed January 22nd, 1826, a state reap- pointment act, under which Pike, Adams, Schuyler, Fulton and Peoria connties and the region north, were constituted a representative distriet. which elected Levi Roberts and Ilenry J. Ross to the lower house of the general assen- bly. At the same session, a senatorial district was established, comprising the same counties, with the addition of Morgan. As this law changed the former senatorial districts, a singular proviso was added. to the effect that if in the new district thus constituted, the senator to be elected should be chosen from Morgan County, the then sitting senator (Car- lin) should hold over and be considered as the senator for the old district of Adams. Archi- bald Job was elected from Morgan, and thus C'arlin, who resided in Greene county, remained as the senator. It was charged that there was a job in this legislation, but what it may have been was of but temporary interest and soon forgotten.

The first legislative mention of "'Quincy" was in that session of 1826, when commissioners were appointed to locate a State road from

Quiney to Springfield. This was done, but for many years its line was only known by the "blazes" on the trees through the untraveled Forest. A law passed January 27th. 1826, im- posed a graded assessment upon the several counties of the Military Traet. for the State revenue. Under this act, the assessment against Adams county was fixed at $200 per annum. The Judiciary law. which had been operative for the past two years was remodeled at the session of 1826-27 and new appointments made of virenit judges. To the eirenit composed of the Military Traet, with a few counties east of the linois river added, Sammel D. Lock- wood, of Jacksonville, was assigned, succeeding John Yoreke Sawyer. JJudge Lockwood, a most superior man. hekl this position until 1831.

The county commissioners this year were Levi Wells. John A. Wakefield and Luther Whit- ney .- the last named, a resident of what is now Hancock county. Whitney and Wakefield suc- ceeded Keyes and Journey. Wakefield was a maint character; he left Adams connty soon after his term of office expired, and many years after came to the surface during the "Border Ruffian" times of Kansas. ITis title to im- mortality rests on his "History of the Black Hawk War," (written some forty-five or more years ago ) ; an anmsing publication, made up of the narration of some valuable facts, inter- spersed with whimsical expressions that Josh Billings or Mark Twain might envy. One of these we recall. Ile describes the army as mov- ing "at a left angle."

Frequent meetings of the commissioners' court were necessarily held to provide for and protect the growing wants and interests of the new community. At their March meeting they appointed Levi Hadley county assessor, and at the same meeting. a sale (the second one) of town lots. was ordered to be held on the 18th of the following May. This sale, advertised. as had been the preceding one, in the St. Louis and Edwardsville papers, did not attract, as was hoped, purchasers from abroad, and the scale of prices does not appear to have material- Iy changed. There was then. as now. much more land than money in linois, and the dis- tanee between the two factors was infinitely greater than at present. A portion of the sup- posed most desirable lots which had been re- served from the first sale, were now placed on the market. with what result we shall see. These prices may prove a enrious study to speenlators of the present day.

The corner of Fourth and Hampshire, run- ning sonth on Fourth 196 feet, half way to Maine, sokl for $35.50. On the north side of Hampshire, between Fourth and Fifth, the four

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

lots, Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, comprising all on the north side of the public square, sold respectively for $14.25. $18. $18.25 and $13; total $65.50. Lot 8, at the corner of Hampshire and Fifth, it will be seen brought the lowest figure. The reason was that it was eut hy a ravine, and the front lay some feet lower than the street. West of Fourth street, on the north side of Ilamp- shire, the entire frontage of three lots. Nos. 6, 7 and S, 297 feet, running west to lot No. 5, which was reserved as the market lot, sold for $24. East of the square. speculation went more wild, 198 feet along the south side of Ilamp- shire street. embracing the property afterward ocenpied by the Adamy, Peine and Dutcher buildings, was sold for $14.25. The entire front of Hampshire street on the north side between Fifth and Sixth streets. was knocked off at $28.25; the corner lot (northeast corner of Hampshire and Fifth (1886), 99 feet being a deep ravine), sold for $3.25. Corresponding prices ruled elsewhere. but the above were the choice lots. It will be noticed that most of these sales were of lots on or touching on Ilamp- shire street. The reason for this was that there- on was almost the only level land. Fourth street was broken near Maine by a ravine which ran diagonally across the block, west of the square from sontheast to northwest. Maine street on Sixth was impassible on account of a broad ravine some thirty feet in depth. South- east of Maine and the square, the ground was greatly broken, north of Hampshire the same, while Hampshire street itself from Sixth to Eighth street, ran for some distance on an al- most even ridge and gave the easiest access to the surrounding country.

At the same meeting the county commis- sioners issued the first tavern license to Rufus Brown. at the rate of $10 per annum, and estab- lished tavern rates also.

Brown opened his cabin hotel at the corner of Fourth and Maine streets, where the QUINCY (Newcomb) House now stands. Later in the year. George W. Hight opened a tavern under the hill. on Front street. This building still stands. The tavern rates as established by the commissioners were for

Single meal of victuals $ .25

Lodging .1215

14 pt. whiskey .1214

15 pt. rum .1834

16 pt. gin .1834

15 pt. French brandy .3714

16 pt. wine .3716

Bottle of wine 1.00

Horse feed for night, fodder and grain. .25

Horse feed, single

.1216

On June 6th the ferry franchise was granted to Ira Pierce for ten years for the sum of $55. The courthouse was so far completed as to be ready for use during the spring of this year. It was ocenpied until its destruction by fire in the winter of 1835. At the 5th of September meet- ing a pound or stray pen was ordered to be built, near the courthouse, and at a later meet- ing the contract was assigned to James B. Petit for $51.

As stated in the preceding chapter at the meeting of the commissioners, on December 4th, it was ordered that the south half of block one ( 1) should be set off for a burial ground for the people of Adams County. This is the south half of what is now Jefferson Square, on which the courthouse now stands. It was used as a burying ground for abont nine years, when the ground at the southeast corner of Maine and Twenty-fourth streets was purchased for that purpose, and no interments were afterwards made in the old cemetery. Many bodies were removed to the new grounds, but many graves could not be identified, and their contents were not disturbed. The remains of the ancestors of many of our present people, are there, along with the many transient and unknown travelers, who here died. Governor Hubbard, the second governor of the state, was there interred, but his place of burial can not be found.

Many years later, the north half of this block. which was a deep ravine, originally considered as almost worthless, was purchased from pri- vate parties. The ground was used for school purposes for some years. After much diseus- sion and question of title between the eity, county, etc., the imposing courthouse, alike our eounty convenience and pride, was ereeted thereon in 1876.

Sometime in the summer or fall of this year (1826) Asher Anderson, to whom belongs the distinction of having been the first merchant to locate in Quiney, opened a small stock of goods in the bar room of Rufus Brown's tavern. This was a pleasing event to the people and vicinity. One can searcely conceive the thrill that ran through the little settlement when it was an- nonneed that "a store" was abont to be started. Up to this time all trading had been done with and purchases made from transient trading boats.

These were either keel or flat or "mackinaw" boats, freighted at St. Louis with a miscel- laneous assortment of such articles as were the most in demand and essential to the wants of new communities, cotton goods, shoes, hard- ware, crockery. tin utensils, groceries, ete. Laden with these, they would periodically ap- pear at the various landings on the river, lying

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

at each for a week or two, and after satisfying the needs of the several localities by disposing of their stock at fabulous profits, drop down to St. Louis to replenish. They usually made three or four trips in a season. Sometimes, though rarely, one settler abler than the rest, would go to St. Louis, Louisiana or Palmyra, where pur- chases could be made at better rates.

It should be known that northwestern Miss- ouri was much advanced beyond the adjacent section of Illinois in its period of settlement, owing to the fact that the public lands there were thrown early into market. Louisiana was, up to about the time of the location of QUINCY as the county seat, the general mail depot for the surrounding country. Each week a squad of soldiers from Fort Edwards (now Warsaw) were sent down the river to Louisiana to bring up the military mail that came to that point from St. Louis, Palmyra, from the government aid that it had received, was like its classic prototype of old, a minature "Queen of the Wilderness." Mr. Wood, relates that during this year, the day before his marriage, he walked down to opposite the mouth of the Fabius, canoed over the river, thence footed it to Palmyra to purchase a pair of shoes for his "bride to wear" at the ceremony of the follow- ing day, returning the same way that he went. It was a long, hard tramp, but undoubtedly the good man felt, especially on his return, that he was faithfully walking into his lady-love's affections.

It is pleasant to imagine the visions of painted calicoes, strong brogans, brilliant bhie table-dishes, many-colored ribbons, household articles and all the shopping delights ready to hand, that filled the minds of the people of the little hamlet when Anderson announced and opened his budget of goods. and they felt that at last they had a store of their own. The stock, of course, was small, of less than one thousand dollars in value, of a miscellaneous nature, but suited to the simple needs of the plain people.

For the two following years Anderson re- tained the monopoly of trade. He was enter- prising, generous in his dealings and prospered, except that at one time, almost his entire ac- enmulation of profits was stolen by a runaway and defaulting county official. Soon after he rame. he established his store on the northeast corner of Third and Maine streets, where he continued his business until his death from cholora in 1833.

An amusing and truthful story is told of a piece of Inek that befell him, and which at first, seemed to be a sad disaster. The second year after his removal. encouraged by his success

and desirous of enjoying his monopoly while the day lasted, he purchased a stock amounting to over $3,000. The steamboat on which he had shipped his goods, sunk some distance below, but after being under water for some time, was raised. and came with the damaged freight to QUINCY. A large portion of the goods con- sisted of colored prints, muslins, shawls, hand- kerchiefs, ribbons, etc., the hues of which. after so long soaking in the water, had all "run to- gether," making a most brilhant blending of indechipherable figures and designs. Anderson was in dismay, but, with a wild hope of saving something from his wrecked fortune, he offered the goods at public anetions, and to his great surprise, and satisfaction, so strongly did these hotel-pot-colored goods catch the fancy of the settlers, that he realized a profit from their sale which enabled him to lay in a larger stock than before. This demonstrates that in crude. as in more pretentious communities, an absurdity most easily becomes a fashion, and that anetion fevers were then as epidemie as now.

These times contrast strangely with the ap- pearanees of to-day. It is not easy to imagine, looking from within our present surroundings, our queen-like city, proud, active, solid, planted with massive structures,-abiding tokens of in- dustry and wealth ; and the full-peopled county, with the well reaped rewards of toil and thrift treasures gathered from its willing soil, these past scenes of but little over fifty years ago; when every habitation was built of logs, every Hoor (where Hoor there was) made from puncheons, every chimney and fire-place either raised with rough stones "chinked" with mud. or constructed of sticks and mud, when not a brick had been moulded or laid in the county. and mortar. laths, shingles, and paint, and all such articles were as yet unknown.

Still. all these deprivations of that which belongs to higher social comfort were scarcely then felt, because they were universal. The course of life in those days was enjoyable and good. Most of the people were young and the novel, wild life, suited their careless adven- turons natures. Their needs were few and were easily provided for. Food came almost spon- taneously. The forests were full of game: the ponds and rivers swarmed with fish : their eattle had unlimited pasture: in their little farm en- closures, the rich, ripe soil returned a generous yield of domestic vegetables, grain and fruits. But little surplus was raised as there was no market of consequence. Jeans and linsey woolsey answered for outer elothing. Those who could, indulged in calico and shoes, those who could not did without.

The people were all alike ; they all knew each

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

other; they were as social as distances would permit, and their abundant leisure allowed the cultivation of this sociality. Their partial se- clusion from the busier world promoted social habits. thrown as they were upon their own re- sources and each other's aid. No dress dis- tinetions existed; no "society sets" were known. Hospitality was the universal rule. Every man's house was a free resort for the neighbor or traveler, though the latter be a stranger. News from abroad was common prop- erty. Newspapers passed from hand to hand, and their fortunate recipient was generally re- quired to read to a surrounding company. Each traveler or new settler, must unfold his budget of news, all that he had seen or known or had "hear'n tell" in his distant former home, or learned on his way to the West.

The week days were periods of steady. but easy labor. Sundays were hours of qniet rest for some, of whole family visits for others. where a natural exchange was made of all that either had learned during the week, and for others less reverential or less social, they were good days for hunting and fishing. The monotony was varied by the arrival of the seant weekly mail or the occasional landing of steamers, which passed rarely, at irregular times, and sometimes did not stop, and again by the advent of the new settler, which was always a sensation-either the "mover," as the better to do immigrant was called, who came with his family and household goods in a covered one or two horse wagon, or the poorer "packer," who trudged along with his worldly possessions strapped upon a horse's back. each of the travelers being accompanied by a few cattle and one or two dogs. They would stay at the village a few days, while the head of the house- hold. if a land-owner, would. under the guid- ance of some earlier settler, seek out the cor- ners of his land. marked as they would be by blazed trees in the timber and small earth mounds, stone piles or half-charred stakes set up on the prairies. Almost any of the okler settlers were thoroughly posted in the finding of those survey marks. The land found. the settler would select and clear off his building spot, usually near a brook or spring, if possible. then with the aid of a few of his nearest neigh- bors, ereet his humble cabin, plant his family therein and settle down to the development and improvement of his future home.

The poor parker, usually having no land of his own to look up. would disappear after a few days, and might later be seen or heard of as having "squatted" in the brush near a spring, on some vacant land belonging either to Unele Sam or to some eastern non-resident. Most of

this class, as civilization advanced and settle- ments thickened, pulled up their stakes ( usually they had little else to pull up) and struck out for a still farther West, where they could find "more room."

There was occasional preaching by itinerant preachers of various sects and all shades of character. Some of these were good and earnest men, others, and most of them, however, were men whose toughness of cheek and volume of voice were the only atonements for their Jack of mental capacity. The coming of these clergy- men was generally known well in advance throughout the community, and as a general rule, everybody attended.

Election day. county court meetings and cir- «uit court week, of course, brought quite a general attendance of the country folks, and the village was then well enlivened by horse and foot races, jumping matches and target shooting for turkeys or beef, the day almost in- variably ending off with more than one "rough and tumble" fight.

There were often pleasant social gatherings, the pienie, the quilting, the wedding, and if at these, dress, polish or manner and fashion were missing, substantial profusion and innocent, hearty jollity and zest more than made amends. But these primitive times, with their wild fas- vinations and easily endured toils and cares have gone, like the clouds of their accompany- ing years, and have left no like, and never ean there be their like again. The footprints made and the lines then drawn have been swept away by the resistless wave of change, and no similar field now awaits the entrance of young and eager adventurers. Pioneerism and civilization now move side by side. As was well said by an old pioneer who thirty years ago visited the El Dorado of the Pacific Coast (then just open to the wondrous rush of the gold seekers and again, twenty years later, repeated his trip. "I have seen three great Wests in my life time; one in western New York, one in Illinois and one in California, but there is not now and can never be a West like the past.

CILAPTER IN.

1827.

SLOW GROWTH. FIRST SCHOOL, FIRST PREACH- ING, SCARCITY OF SCHOOL BOOKS. ILLINOIS- IANS CALLED "SUCKERS."

Quiney was two years old in 1827. but little occurred during the year worthy of record. The eye teeth of the future "Gem City" ent

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

very slowly. It had very few people, none with capital, and the inducements to settle here were not tempting. It had not many enterprising men, such as usually take the lead in enter- prising cities. Quiney, like Topsy, had to "come to herself," and "just grow.'

Trade was trifling; money was a curiosity. Beeswax and eoonskins were the readiest and most general circulating media; the limited agricultural production from the country ad- jacent, utterly failing as yet to make it. even incipiently, the generous and well known mart, for which it was so well fitted by situation, and which it has since become.

True, it would boast at the commencement of the year, of a courthouse, hotel and store, sad- dle. shoemaker and blacksmith shop, in or just on the edge of town, and a doctor only a mile or two away. Its morals were presumably good, as neither preacher nor lawyer had settled within it. It has some half dozen " first settlers" in the country about it, yet there were only about a dozen families in the town, and most of these had but just begun to be established, and were as new as the town. There were, however, during the year, added to the above, a school house and a grocery; at one or the other of which, mental or physical satisfaction could be imbibed, though the inhibitions of the latter institution were the more favorite and general.

The school was opened late in the year in the recently finished courthouse. the teacher being Rev. Jabez Porter, a Presbyterian clergyman, from Abingdon, Mass., a man of nmuch more than ordinary culture, a graduate of a New England college. lle was in feeble health. and came West in hope of restoration. ITe lived for several years, and in the year 1828, commenced the first regular preaching known in Quincy (at the courthouse). He died in 1831 or '32. His school was very select as to quantity, if not as to quality. Among the half score of new fam- ilies in Quiney and the vicinity, children were a rare and somewhat curious luxury, and a few of the scholars were as old as himself, young men and women who had had no educational opportunities and sought this opportunity to learn how to read and write.

It is touching to think of the difficulties in the way of those who desired education in those days. Of course, spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic were the four corner stones. but the trouble was, that no text books could be ob- tained, and pupils had to furnish their own. Spelling was comparatively the easiest, because there were spelling books and primers. Gram- mar was ruled by the way the school master talked. True, an occasional Lindley Murray

might turn up, and there was no great difficulty as to writing, that, of course was a mechanical study. which could take care of itself. Geography was somewhat easily taught. as maps will find their way everywhere, and more or less of geographical information is in all Families; but when it eame to reading, which, is instinctively and properly. the first thought and desire of all. there were no "Readers" to be obtained ; each one must furnish his or her own reading book.

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 5

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228