Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 66

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 66

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Among the first settlers were Horace Reynolds, David Striekler, Henry A. Cyrus, Sammel Woods and Mr. Willard.

A town site was laid out on the southwest quar- ter section of section 34, in 1839, by Henry A. Cyrus and Levi T. Benton, and named Houston, in honor of General Sam Houston of Texas. The town was a complete failure, except in giving the township a name when afterward organized. There is a railroad station on the east side called Chatten. in honor of the late B. I. Chatten of Quincy.

Houston is 2 north of the base line, and range 6 west of the 4th principal meridian. It is twenty-five miles from Quiney in a northeast

direction, to the west side of the township.

Houston was organized April 16, 1849, by the County Commissioners. The first supervisor was Joseph Kern. He was succeeded by Samuel Woods, Joseph Nevins, S. R. MeAnulty, James MeDavitt. F. M. Stump, Jacob Groves and L. W. Miller. the present supervisor.

The first school was held at Glenwood, on see- tion 16, and the first church was a brick structure at York Neck, section 33.

The land is nearly equally divided between timber and prairie. The soil is good and pro- duces excellent erops. Fine farms and wealthy farmers are common. and, taking the township as a whole, it will compare favorably with any in the county.

KEENE TOWNSIHP.

This township was first settled about the year 1834. Joel Benton, Thomas Hudson, Ralph Har- den and John Caldwell were among the pioneers who commenced the culture of its soil and took advantage of the rich source of revenue fur- nished by the valuable timbers, belts of which interspersed the fine prairies. This township is a valuable stockraising section, more especially because of the fact that it is so well watered. The principal streams are South Fork, Thurman creek, Middle Fork and Big Neck creek.

The first school house in the township was built of logs in 1843, on section 16. The first «Imrch organized was of the Methodist Episcopal denomination under the name of "Union Soci- ety." in 1860. They erected a frame church Imilding on section 24. The officers were Gran- ville Bond, pastor: Samuel Curless, class leader, and Ezekiel Walters, steward. The church was organized with fifteen members.

The first secret society organized in Keene township was Loraine lodge, No. 641, I. O. O. F .. instituted under dispensation June 20, 1877, by District Deputy James A. Benneson of Robert Brooker lodge, No. 406, of Quiney, in the hall fitted up for the purpose over the store of Chris- topher Seals. The charter members were David Andrews, John Pollock, Frank Seals, James M. C'urless, Christopher Seals and James Coffield. The first officers elected were Christopher Seals, N. G. : James Coffield. V. G. : James W. Curless. secretary, and James M. Seals, treasurer.

The first mill in the township was known as "Seals' Corn Cracker," built in 1852, on see- tion 21.

The village of Loraine was laid out in Derem- ber, 1870, by Messrs. Woods and Lionberger, during the construction of the Carthage branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quiney Railroad. James II. Wade, in 1870, built a store house and began a general merchandising business. In 1871 he was appointed postmaster. Christopher Seals,

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

in the spring of 1871, built a store house and a dwelling and did a general merchandising busi- ness, and also kept a hotel known as the "Trav- elers' Rest." S. P. Halton, in the summer of 1871, built a blacksmith shop and a dwelling. Other store houses, dwellings, shops, etc., fol- lowed soon. In the spring of 1872 George A. Yenter built a grain house and bought and shipped grain, as well as live stock. The first drug store was built by P. S. Cavilee in the spring of 1873. E. J. Selleek, in the summer of 1873, built a grist mill, which, before its eom- pletion, he soll to George Jackson and son. Rust & Barniber, in the spring of 1874, built a black- smith shop. Drs. Coffield and Akins, in the spring of 1875, built a drug store and office and also practiced medicine, and in Angust of the same year Dr. Akins was appointed postmaster, and remained in office until January, 1878, after which James Coffield was appointed to the posi- tion, which he retained for some years.

All lines of trade incident to a railroad point in the midst of a thriving agricultural and stock raising region has been continued, and the vil- lage is in every way calculated to do and to maintain a good business. Woodville, a small place of about fifty inhabitants, is situated on the line of the railroad, in the extreme northern por- tion of the township. It was laid ont in 1836.

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. ( By John Campbell. )

Liberty township lies about twenty miles east- sontheast of Quincy. The first settlers of the township were A. II. D. Butz and D. P. Meacham. Others were Nagle, Wolfe, Hunsaker, Lile and Nations.

Mr. Meacham opened the first store over kept in the village. or, in fact, the township, and the first house built was erected by Daniel Lile. The first marriage in this township was that of Jacob Wigle and Nancy Hunsaker, solemnized by Elder George Wolfe. The first sermon was preached by George Wolfe, of the Dunkard ( German Bap- tist ) denomination in the year 1829. and the first church organization effected was in 1831, which was the establishment of a Dunkard church. This church was located two miles west of the present village of New Liberty.

The township took up township organization in 1850, with the other townships, and the first supervisor was David Wolfe. He was succeeded by John I. Adams, John Wolfe. Benjamin Wigle, Benjamin F. Grover, Maurice Kelly, John F. Mercer, Alexander Henry, Samuel Naylor, Will- iam Huddleston, Jonas Grubb, A. S. Mintle. John Williamson, I. B. Roe, J. B. Wolfe and John Campbell. the present supervisor.

The first village, called Montgomery, was or- ganized by Mormons in 1830, one and one-half miles southeast of where New Liberty now stands. New Liberty (Liberty P. O.) was laid out by Paris T. Judy in 1850. It has now a population of 300. There are two general stores, conducted by Pond Bros. and Wagner & Collins ; a drug store, of which George D. Mercer is proprietor; a harness shop, a tin shop, two barber shops, three blacksmith and wagon shops, three restaurants and a first-class hotel, the Euro- pean, under the management of William Breck- enridge. There are five churches: The Chris- tian, F. Jalageas, pastor ; the Evangelieal Luth- eran, J. Il. Nesch, pastor; German Baptist, D. M. Brubaker, pastor: Presbyterian, H. Jacobs, pastor : and Catholic, Rev. A. Vollebregt, priest.

Liberty lodge, I. O. O. F., was organized in May, 1860. The present officers are Charles Baird, N. G. : John Campbell, V. C .; Floyd Mer- cer, secretary : Clarence Pond, treasurer.

Liberty lodge, A. F. and A. M., was organized in October, 1863. The present officers are Clar- ence Pond, W. M .; E. J. Grubb. S. W .: A. J. Enlow, J. W .; A. HI. D. Butz, secretary; Zenas Winget, treasurer.

A eamp of M. W. A. was organized here in September, 1892. G. O. Williams is venerable counsel: J. W. Klarner, worthy adviser; George D. Mercer, clerk, and I. E. Frey, banker.

The Farmers' State Bank of New Liberty was organized July 1, 1903, with a capital of $25,000. July 1, 1904. it was reorganized as a private bank, with a capital of $10,000. The officers are : A. W. Callahan, president : Amos J. Linn, vice- president : George D. Mercer, cashier. The direc- tors are : Hez. G. Henry, Frank D. Thomas, Mrs. Mattie F. Henry. Hon. George W. Dean, . W. Callahan, Seldon Slade and James F. Hughes.

The first school house built in Liberty town- shin was on section 10, but the date is unknown. The village now boasts a commodious, substan- tial building, erected in 1887, at a cost of $2,600. At that time the school was reorganized and well graded, and it compares favorably with other schools of the same size in the county.

LIMA TOWNSHIP. ( By A. B. Leeper. )

From most authentic sources of information, the first settlement of this township was made in 1828, Joseph Harness having erected the first house, about two miles northwest of where the town of Lima now stands, about this time. It may be also interesting to know that the first child born in this township was Julian, daughter of Joseph and Nancy Harness, in the same year. Among the other early settlers were William Orr. Thomas Killum. Lewis James, John Selby.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Benjamin Ilines, Ishmael Dazey and Grayson Orr.

Lima is the township to the extreme north and west of Adams county, and has Hancock county as a boundary on the north, Keene township on the east, the townships of Ursa and Mendon on the south, and the Mississippi river on the west.

The first brick made in Adams county was made in Lima township in 1830 by Grayson Orr. The first mill was operated by William Orr on White Oak branch, in the southwest part of the township. The first marriage in the township was that of Thomas Killum and Naney Dazey.

The first bridge built by order of the Adams county Board of Supervisors was across Bear creek, on the Warsaw & Quincy road, in 1850, and at the present time, 1905. it is in as good condition as when erected. The first school was taught by John M. Selby. Now the township has eleven school districts.

The first supervisor, in 1850, was Grayson Orr. The present supervisor is T. E. Conover; town clerk is V. A. Bolt; assessor is J. Clark, and collector is J. W. Jacobs.

Among the first, if not the first, sermon preached was by the Hon. Rev. Peter Cartwright. Rev. Stephen Ruddle was also an early diviner.

The western part of the township was origin- ally swamp land, subject to overflow from the Mississippi river, comprising Lima lake, which afforded one of the best hunting and fishing grounds in western Illinois. In 1885 this land was leveed. and the greater portion of it was reclaimed.

The central part, around the village of Lima. has a very productive soil. especially adapted to fruit culture, particularly that of apples. Lima ranks first in the county in the production of apples. This part of the township is popu- lated almost exclusively by native born inhab- itants. The eastern part was formerly covered with heavy timber, which has been cleared away and the land converted into productive farms.

One mile east of the town of Lima is White Oak branch, which circles around about that dis- tance from the town until it gets to the south- west. when it runs directly southwest and empties into Bear creek.

To the east of this branch the country is rough and unbroken, and is generally known as Pea Ridge. This country, rough as it is, is a source of wealth that cannot be neglected. The timber upon it is the best quality of white oak, suitable for manufacturing purposes. Where this timber is cut off the land produces wheat of the best quality, which meets with ready sale in the mar- ket. Wheat, however, is not the greatest source of wealth on the "ridge," the sturdy Germans who settled there. in imitation of their life in the

'Vaterland,' on the romantic banks of the Rhine, have concluded to

"Let the vine Inxuriant roll Its blushing tendrils 'round the bowl, While many a rose-lipped bacchant maid Is enlling clusters in their shade."

Many of the hills in autumn are decked with purple pasterres that roll streams of wealth into capacious coffers of their industrious owners. Lying west of White Oak branch, south of Petit branch and cast of Lima lake, is some of the richest land in the state, which turns out a vast store of corn, wheat, oats and apples and other staple products. In the center of this plateau is the town of Lima.

Lima is a beautiful little village of three hun- dred inhabitants, situated eighteen miles north and one mile east of Quincy, one mile and a half south of the Haneoek county line. In 1833 Dr. Joseph Orr built the first store in Lima, and at that early day every store that was situated at some distance from the other stores had to be dignified with the title of a town. In obtaining a name for this town the doctor, who was of a poetical turn of mind, was assisted by a Peru- vian, who was staying with him. The Peruvian declared he had traveled through many coun- tries, but in none had he found such beautiful women as there were in the capital of his native country, except here, and, therefore, he called it Lima. Thus the town obtained its name from the charms of the fair sex that inhabited the sur- rounding country. If at that day it laid claims to so much beauty, what can we say of the present ?

Situated in the center of the township, the town has advantages unsurpassed by any town in the county. save Quincy.

Two miles west of the town is Lima lake, a beautiful expanse of water. The lake itself, and its sloughs, afford some of the finest fishing and hunting grounds in the northwest. In early set- tlements the people frequently met together to hunt the wild animals, either for amusement or to rid themselves of pests. During one of these hunts, in 1833, it is said a snake den was discov- ered on Bull's branch with one hundred and eighty serpents of all kinds twisted together.

There is one other village in the township of Lima worthy of special mention -- the little town of Meyer. It is situated on the Mississippi river, opposite Canton, Missouri, and has one hundred inhabitants. It was laid out by J. W. Caldwell. With the Mississippi river as a means of trans- portation, it affords a market for the adjacent country.

Meyer has two churches, the Episcopal and the

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

United Brethren, and two lodges, the Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors, while Lima has three churches, Methodist Protestant, Methodist Episcopal and Christian, and the following lodges: Masons, the oklest society in the town- ship : the Order of the Eastern Star, the Modern Woodmen of America, Royal Neighbors and the Grand Army of the Republic.

MCKEE TOWNSIHP.

The first settlement was made in 1838. on sec- tion 4, by William Hogan, John Covert, Calvin Brandy, John II. Keller and Dudley Perrigo. In 1840 there was a number more came in- Francis Amro, Philip Amro, Jacob Hover, JJus- tice Perrigo, Cyrus Sims and Reuben Childers.

Jacob Hughes and family moved from Gilmer township in 1847 and located on section 14, among the hills, on the brink of one of the bluffs of MeKee creek, and died on this farm many years after.

The township, although largely composed of hills and valleys, was soon quite thickly settled. and on the top of many of these hills could be seen the honses of pioneers, and from the valley just beyond came the smoke curling up from the home of another of the sturdy frontiersman.

A. II. D. Butz, with a keen eye to business. built the first mill in 1845, on section 6, using the water power of MeKee creek for sawing and grinding purposes. Mr. Smith of Quiney started the first store in the township, and John Hoffman the seeond, on section 7. This store, a blacksmith shop and several houses composed a town named Bowling Green many years ago by William Bow- ling. In 1853 "Old Slab Town" received the new name of Spring Valley, and struggled hard for existence with her carding, grist and saw mill. in charge of William Wells and John W. Wardell. Harvey Bogley was storekeeper and P. M. Torgey the blacksmith. Early in the Civil war the millers enlisted. leaving business for our country's service. and in their absence the town fell to ruins, with only the blacksmith's shop to mark the spot.

An attempt to murder one of the citizens on Christmas eve, in the year 1858, proved a failure, we believe, though it created such a sensation as to be handed down among the records.

A fine new school house was built near the site of the old town. It has been used for school and ehnreh purposes and all town meetings. The almost obliterated town of Bagnolia was started by William Hart and Dan Higbee, in 1865, for three years. They conducted a dry goods, gro- cery and whiskey store, the latter department be- coming the principal business, and ruined the town.

Mr. Payton, in 1869, started Hickory Corner

and Post Office Payton, which since has been changed to Kellerville, a prosperons and pleasant town, with large trade. The buildings are in good repair and the town looks bright and thrifty. A fine suspension bridge crosses MeKee creek at this point. There was a large grist and saw mill on section 33. The German Methodists have their church on section 31.

This church was organized in the year 1847, and for twenty-six years worshipped in a log cabin. Mr. George Hess acted as class leader for twenty years. In 1873 the old house was torn down and a substantial one erected at a cost of $1,000. Among the early members were George Hess and wife. John Deal, A. Lentz and wife, John Harss and wife and JJohn Winder. Rev. Mr. Bowers was the first regular minister and began his work with the organization. Rev. John Smith succeeded him in 1849, and many others have succeeded him since. Some of them are still living in the county. The Sunday school is an interesting one and well attended every Sabbath.

The United Brethren Church, Spring Valley, MeKee township, was organized in an early day, but was entirely broken up by neglect of church duties, ete. In 1867 it was reorganized by Joseph Diendorff, with the assistance of Morris Ben- nett and John Padgett.

In polities the democrats have the majority in McKee. The first supervisor was John W. Wardell: town clerk. A. J. Durbin, in the year 1851.

The first school house was built on the farm of Rube F. Smith, on section 3. MeKee has now some of the best schools in Adams county and has had for a number of years.

MeKee creek runs through the township in a southeasterly direction and forms, in many places, deep ravines. George W. Query, now of Indiana, made the discovery of a furnace in 1849 in one of the bluffs near the ereek, which formed some foundation for the old story that. during the French war with the Indians. a small party of French, having with them a large amount of silver, were overpowered by a band of In- dians and, before capture, buried their treasure. They were then burned in the furnace, all save one, who escaped, wounded, and on his death bed very minutely described this locality as the one where the treasure had been concealed. After the discovery of the furnace, for several years many adventurers, guided by different fortune tellers, came in search of the money. which has not yet been discovered.

MeKee township is occupied by a prosperous and thrifty people, who have the reputation of being energetic and ambitious of making and keeping their township the equal of any in Adams connty.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

MELROSE TOWNSHIP.

( By lon. (. S. learn and Frank N. Durand. )

Melrose township lies immediately east and south of the city of Quincy. It is bounded on the north by Ellington and the city of Quincy, east by Burton, south by Fall creek and west by the Mississippi river. Four-fifths of the township is comprised in table or bluff lands, which are abundantly watered and considerably broken by Mill creek and its branches. This stream enters the eastern border of Melrose a little more than two miles from the sonth line and pursues a serpentine course west and south, flowing across into Fall creek near the declivity of the bluffs about two miles from the river. Its principal branch, Little Mill ereek, flows into the township from Ellington, near its northeast corner, and bears a southwesterly course, empty- ing into Mill creek before it crosses the sonth township line. Melrose, like the other river town- ships, has a sub-stratum of limestone, and many fine working quarries abound, furnishing build- ing rock and lime in great quantities.

Melrose township was one of the earliest set- tled in Adams county. Outside the city of Quiney there were only two white families liv- ing in the county-those of Daniel Lile and Jus- tus I. Perigo, in Fall Creek-when Asa Tyrer brought his family from Louisiana, Illinois, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 12, 2 south, 9 west, in the spring of 1821, where he resided until his death in 1873. Mr. Tyrer first visited the site of Quiney in 1821, on a tour of investigation. Having purchased sokliers' war- rants for two quarter sections of land on 12, he came up to locate it and see what prospects it offered for a home. So he was one of the first white men. if not the first, who ever trod its soil. Being charmed with the beauty of the country, he returned to bring his family. But his wife could not brook the idea of forsaking every trace of civilization and settling in this howling wilderness, with no companionship but that of wild beasts and wilder Indians. So the removal was postponed until two years later. In the meantime Ex-Governor John Wood, Willard Keyes and Jeremiah Rose and family had set- tled in Quiney. David Shaw purebased the northwest quarter of section 18 and settled on it in 1828. The late Perry Alexander, a promi- nent resident afterward, owned and lived on the same farm. In 1829 Abadiah Waddell settled on section 35, and the same year Jacob Wagner settled on the southeast quarter of 29. Abigal Parsons and Nathaniel Sommers settled in the township abont 1830. Mr. Sonnners married Mr. Parson's daughter, which was, perhaps, the first wedding, and in 1832 a daughter was born to them, which was one of the first births in Mel- rose. Perry Alexander, whose Father. Samuel,

settled in Quiney in 1832, was the first boy to sell papers on the streets of the city. In the spring of 1835 he sold the Illinois County Land Register.

More than two-thirds of the citizens of Mel- rose are of German nationality, who are noted for being careful and thrifty farmers.

Although this township is somewhat broken in some parts, it has some among the most beanti- ful and productive agricultural lands in the county under a high state of cultivation. The staple productions are wheat and Indian corn.

The first Sunday school was organized by The- resa Alexander and Annie Crow in the summer of 1829, and was held at their residences. Some rude young men of the neighborhood seoffed at the idea and, by starting an "opposition school," as they termed it, thought to break it up; but within a very short time thereafter those young men became zealons members of the church, and the Sunday school still lives and prospers, thongh the founders have been laid in their final rest- ing places. The first sermon was preached by Rev. Samnel Bogard at the residence of Jona- than Crow. The first religious society organized was the Melrose Methodist Episcopal church, at the house of Samuel Griggs, on Little Mill creek, in 1833.

In 1835 this society erected the first house for publie worship, a little log structure near "Dyer's Springs," now known as "Coe's Springs." The first school house was built in the summer of 1833, on section 35, and James Wal- ker tanght the first school in it that year. Lacy & Stone erected and operated the first mill for grinding grain in 1838, though there had been a pestle mill for ernshing corn for several years prior. This mill was erected on section 32.

The first justice of the peace was William B. Goodman. At the first election under the town- ship organization law, held in April, 1850. Ste- phen Safford was elected supervisor: Cornelius L. Demarce, assessor: Nathaniel Pease, town clerk : Jeremiah Parsons, collector; Gilead Bar- tholemew and Amos Bancroft, justices of the peace: Albert A. Humphrey, overseer of the poor, and John J. Reeder and Oliver Naddell, constables.

The succeeding supervisors are A. G. Pear- son. Jeremiah Parsons, David Hughes, Perry Alexander, David Sheer, James Shinn, Edward F. Humphrey, C. S. Hearne, Jonah Hedges and (". S. Hearn, the present supervisor.

At a meeting of the citizens of the township in 1849, hell at the residence of Nathaniel Pease, he proposed the name of "Melrose" for the township. When it was submitted to a vote of the citizens, it was adopted as the name of the township. It was named after Melrose, in Mas- saelmsetts.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Melrose contains three church edifices, Mel- rose Chapel, which was formerly Methodist Epis- copal : St. Antonius, Catholic and Zion's Chapel, and the German Episcopal Church. Melrose Episcopal Church was organized at the house of Rev. Samuel Griggs, on North Mill creek, in 1833, under the ministrations of the celebrated "Western Itinerant," Peter Cartwright, and Rev. David B. Carter, who for some time pre- vious labored as a missionary among the pioneers of Adams county. Mr. Griggs, who was a licensed preacher, held the position of leader and also of steward for many years. Preaching was held in his house in winter and in his barn in summer for two years. Rev. David B. Carter was their first pastor, or "cirenit rider," as they were called in those days, and Peter Cartwright conducted the first quarterly meeting in 1834. One of the first sermons preached in that viein- ity was by Rev. Carter on the occasion of the death of Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, who is said to have been the first death in Adams county.

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 66

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