USA > Illinois > Lee County > Recollections of the pioneers of Lee County [Illinois] > Part 15
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MINNIE A. HAUSEN.
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MRS CLARISSA BRADSTREET.
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MR. D. M. BRADSTREET.
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D. M. Bradstreet.
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Mr. Bradstreet was a pioneer of 1844.
He was born in Vermont November 6, 1795, of English and Scotch ancestry. His father was of an aristocratic family who held high offices in church and state in New England. His mother was Martha Jane Moore, whose people were Scotch and lived near Londonderry, New Hampshire. Her first ancestor to this shore was James Moore, who came in April, 1719. He married a Mack. Mr. Bradstreet, named Daniel Moore for his mother's people, was brought up by his greatuncle, Robert Mack, until manhood, when he moved to New York, where he was en- gaged in milling.
His mother remained with her father's family until his majority, when he did all to make her life one of comfort, he being dutiful and particularly attached to her. His brother, William Bradstreet, was a hotel keeper after moving to New York from New Hampshire.
In 1820 he married Miss Clarissa Todd, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Dudley Todd, who made him an exemplary wife, his married life' being one of noticable happiness.
In 1830 he was converted and united with the M. E. Church, for which denomination he preached, exhorted and helped in revivals from time to time, his wife greatly aiding him by her wise counsels and rare exper- iences. Having lost his fortune in the years of commercial disaster he came to Illinois in 1844.
He lived on the claim he entered at Dixon, converting it into a beau- tiful country home, until 1864, when he retired from active life and resided in quiet and comfort at his home in Franklin Grove.
He was a very strong Republican and took great interest in politics. Having been a major in a company in New York drilled for the 1812 war, his grave is reverently covered with the flag and with flowers each Memorial Day. He died May 15, 1877, at the advanced age of eighty-one and was buried with honor from the M. E. Church of Franklin Grove and escorted by the G. A. R. and a very large concourse of citizens and chil- , dren, the public schools being closed in respect, being laid away under : the last salute of the soldiers.
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Col. Whitney, with long white hair, sat at the foot of the coffin during the funeral services-the last of the 1812 veterans in the vicinity-the Major having gone on, and the Colonel awaiting the summons of depar- ture.
MINNIE A. HAUSEN.
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"Hoosier Hift" Fofks.
IN 1844 AND LATER.
A beautiful stretch of country situated five miles east of Rock River, with its groves and prairies, was in those early days called "Hoosier Hill," as the Hoosier population outnumbered the Yankees. There were many families from Kentucky also, and one of whom, by name of Ferrell, greatly endeared themselves to us, and when my mother met them and heard the cordial greeting of "Howdy, Howdy!" she felt that she had found friends in this new country who doubtless would prove true as those left behind. Their ways of living and talking were very different from ours and often amusing. For instance, on inquiring after the health of Mr. Ferrell his good old wife would say, "O, John is noaccount," meaning he was sick, and their "lots and slivers," representing quantity, sounded very odd to the Yankees.
Before the lands came into market the pioneers made preemption claims and built cabins and went on improving the. lands until they could be entered at Dixon. Lee county was not set off from Ogle.
One settler, a Mr. C., wanted to hold more claims -than he could pay for, and in that way kept the newcomers from settling up the prairies. This greatly enraged the Hoosiers and when father came seeking a home they turned out enmasse to cut logs and assist in building a double log cabin. On the eve of its erection mother and five small children were landed on the broad prairie encircling it. Just then Mr. C. rode up and threatened to tear the cabin down. This the Hoosiers resented and they rallied their friends and came that first night to fight if need be in our defense. They divided into two squads; the first squad watched until two o'clock a. m. and no enemy appearing they decided on having a little fun. First they took all the caps and boots of the party sleeping and hid them; then they rattled the boards and screamed like Indians on the warpath, awakening the sleepers, who, thinking the enemy upon them,.
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rushed out bareheaded and barefooted, snatching their rude weapons, cudgels, tongs and pokers, to the scene of the supposed conflict. No sooner done than their places were filled upon the floors by the first party of watchers. It took some little time before the half-dazed, half-awak- ened sleepers understood they were the subjects of a practical joke, and then what a chorus of cheers went up from that new cabin!
The years went on and the family became warm friends with their early foe, who now sleeps the long, long sleep. The others, also, have "moved on to silent habitations."
Mr. and Mrs. Ferrell are buried at Payne's Point, and the pioneer and wife whom they befriended, are at rest in Franklin Grove Cemetery.
MARY BRADSTREET-HAUSEN.
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Nathaniaf Yafe and Family.
Nathanial Yale, with family, settled in Lee county, near what is now known as Franklin Grove, in the year 1836. At that time there were only three families within a radius of eight or possibly ten miles. There was no land under cultivation in that vicinity, but several parties had taken up claims by plowing a furrow around the portion of land selected. The country was inhabited principally by prairie wolves, deer, and a variety of wild game.
At that early day there was no trading post nearer than Aurora, Kane county.
The Yale family first settled on what is now known as the Hussey farm, but afterwards built a log cabin on the banks of the Franklin Creek near the culvert. After remaining there for a number of years they removed to another farm east of town, locating permanently. Fighting prairie fires was no unusual experience and at night the howl- ing of the wolves increased the gloom and loneliness of pioneer life.
The family consisted of ten children, six boys and four girls, of whom five have died, four live in Iowa, and one, Charlotte Tolman, is still living in Franklin Grove.
LUCY B. (TOLMAN) COOKE.
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The Pioneers of Temperance Hift.
In writing a sketch of Temperance Hill and vicinity I had much pre- ferred that a more competent person had been selected, for in reference to the earliest settlements or prior to 1845 my memory is not very distinct.
My father, John Leake, came from Leicestershire, England, landing in New York June 10th, 1840. He immediately pushed on to the "far west" and halted at Dixon's Ferry Here he secured employment for a time. During that first year in the state he made a trip down the Miss- issippi river to New Orleans. Here, friendless and alone, he lived "three days on three ten cent pieces," then secured employment and prospered for a time. Returning to Illinois, he was at Dixon's Ferry in time to meet my mother and three boys, who arrived in August, 1841. Two of my mother's sisters, Mrs. Edward Willars and Mrs. Daniel Leake, with their families, accompanied her on this long journey. They set sail from Liverpool, England, in a sailing vessel and were thirty-four days on the waters, then they traversed the Hudson River to Albany, New York, then across New York by canal to Buffalo, then via the lakes to Chicago, then by wagon to Dixon's Ferry. After a little time my father secured a claim. Then a cabin was built by setting rude posts in the ground, roofing with boards, siding with shakes and chinking the cracks and crev- ices with mud. In cold weather the outside was banked up with any rough material that could be secured. To this little hut there was one door, with the "latchstring hanging out," and one window, set so high that persons sitting in the room could net see objects outside. Across one end was set two beds lengthwise, which filled the space, but under them the ground was the only floor. Table and chairs were not, but a large box served for one and other rude things for the others. This one room served all the purposes and conveniences of home. For lights at night there was not even the pine knot so often used in the forests, for the prairies were almost destitute of timber. A tin cup holding about a pint was filled with clay made hollow in the middle. In this center was inserted a wire, wrapped round several times with cloth, the hollow in the clay was filled with lard, the top of the cloth lighted and so a lamp was formed for the entire house.
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In lighting fires, the tinder-box came into good use. Paper was
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burned, but before it reached the condition of ashes the fire was extin- guished by placing a weight upon it in a box. This made the tinder. To ignite this a spark of fire was thrown into the box by striking a piece of steel with a flint. This was touched with a home-made match (a piece of wood dipped in brimstone), and thus a flame was kindled.
By selling his coat my father was enabled to buy a cow, and by labor- ing for twenty-five cents per day and taking for payment anything that could be used in the family continuous living was maintained. The scarcity of money in those early times made these things necessary.
The winter of 1843-44 was very severe, set in early and continued late. Much suffering among the early settlers resulted, and also much loss of stock through lack of feed and shelter. We were driven from our shanty by a snowstorm in November. Whether our parents slept any that night or not I can not say, but when we children woke in the morning our beds and everything in the room were covered with snow. We were hurried off to my uncle's, Mr. E. Willars, who lived in a log house. Following this hard winter were smail and inferior crops. The wheat was smutty and made poor flour. The mills here and there established had not proper machinery to clean it out, so the flour was often of a dark hue and made darker bread. My eldest brother, William J. Leake, then a lad of. eleven years, was frequently sent to Meek's Mill a distance of seven or eight miles with a "grist." He would ride a pony with a bushel or bushel and a half of wheat in a sack, thrown across the pony's back. When this was ground the flour was put in one end of the sack and the bran in the other, then boy and sack were mounted on the pony and rode home.
Many of earth's nobility settled on these prairies in those early days. Mr. B. Hannum opened his house for the accommodation of travelers. Mrs. H. was a careful housekeeper. She used to say, "I always had a place for everything, and everything in its place," so, if people stopped there once they were almost sure to come again. Their house was also open for the preaching of the gospel on the Sabbath day. Mr. H. was a strong temperance man. Once, in helping a neighbor at threshing time, his principles were put to the test. There was pudding on the dinner table with brandy seasoned sauce; when Mr. H. perceived this he refused it and asked for some without the sauce. By his influence and wish the vicinity was called Temperance Hill. Here, too, was a station of the "underground railroad" of early abolition times. John Cross kept the farm now owned by Mr. William Woolcott. He had an excellent wife, three daughters and two sons. Their house was made a shelter for many · a poor slave seeking liberty in the Dominion of Canada.
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The faith, courage and perseverence of the early settlers was phenom- enal. They pressed on, nothing daunted. My mother used to say she never felt afraid of her children wanting bread in this country if they had their health, but she did have that fear in England. Oh! those early years! their memory is full of brightness to me. From April to Novem- ber the prairies were a perpetual flower garden of ever varying hue. Wild game was abundant; in summer and autumn the groves were full of fruits and nuts; nearly all the year round the streams furnished fish for our tables.
Those who maintained their homes through industry and frugality secured a competency and some gained wealth, while those who lived in idleness or unrest came to poverty. . THOMAS LEAKE.
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The Township of Dixon.
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FATHER DIXON.
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"Marquette."
"The good missionary, discoverer of a world, had fallen asleep on the margin of the stream that bears his name. Near its mouth the canalmen dug his grave in the sand."-BANCROFTS HIST. U. S.
A warrior falls-the battefeld Hath trumpet echoes for his fame; A patriot dies, and nations yield Large tribute to embalm his name; A chieftain sinks, and far resound Proud eulogies; of doubtful birth,
God's lowly servant rest hath found, Unnoted by the wise of earth.
Of him no lettered marbles tell. None rear the monumental pile;
For him no pealing organ's swell Floats down the long cathedral aisle; There, but the tali pine's branches sweep; There, wild vines dewy blossoms spread- .
The forest rills with wailing deep Are winding round his narrow bed.
But humble hearts, and faithful tears, With few and simple words to heaven,
Mourned by his grave-whose sunny years To show the better path, were given; Who on his Master's mission came To cheer, to harmonize, to bless;
The first to breathe that holy name, Amid the smiling wilderness.
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Deeply his gentle mind was stirred, With fervent trust his soul imbued,
When low the warning voice was heard, In the grey cloister's solitude. For him the world was passing by, In drowsy pageant dusk and cold, Ambition held her lure on high, Wealth vainly spread her nets of gold.
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One cause, one truth, bound to advance, With high resolve his spirit burned. He gazed a last long look on France, Then to the broad blue ocean turned. And what to him was land or clime- And what to him was gain or loss? Called by the embassy sublime, To teach the path, and plant the Cross.
Since then deceit, and crime, and strife, Have swept that forest race away; Scarce marked upon the page of life: Those heroes of the elder day - Urged by all grasping avarice, In friendly guise the foe has come, With evil deed, and strange device, To seize the Indians' ancient home.
And skilled in falsehood's tortuous maze With tongue and pen they've sought to brand His lofty faith, that longed to raise To light the sovereigns of the land. His hope no earthly passion fed. His moral strength no force could bind The master spring. in love to spread, God's pure dominion over mind.
At one dread tribunal arrayed, When justide ope's the fearful scroll, Among the accusers undismayed In peace possess thy tranquil soul, Perish the bauble wealth of fame- Or conquest's meed, or empire's dross- There is incribed thy righteous name, Soldier and servant of the Cross.
MRS. HUGH (LESLIE) GRAHAM.
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The Black Hawk War.
"Lift we;the twilight curtains of the Past And, turning from familiar sight and sound, Sadly and full of reverence let us cast A glance upou Traditions shadowy ground."
We look backward through a long vista of years, and, like a beautiful picture see our own fair county. There are the green, unbroken praries, stretching away mile after mile, traversed by deer, antelope, and vast herds of buffalo. Forests, dark with the shade of oak and ash, of hickory and walnut. Rock River, winding in and out by bluffs and valleys, its clear waters reflecting the flowers that grew on its banks, and the grand old eagle that built her eyrie on many a rocky crag. We see too a strange, wild race inhabiting this wilderness. The silent moccasined foot of the red man trod these forests, and his villages dotted the valleys. The families constituting these villages, who lived, fought, and hunted to- gether, were called tribes, and the heads of these tribes were called chiefs. Their succession generally depended upon birth, and was in- herited through the female line. The braves spent their time in idle- ness, their wants being supplied by the squaws. The children were educated in the school of nature. Their savage passions were roused by tales of murder and battle, for the echoes of the war song never died away. 'They loved bright colors, and when they made visitsor assembled in council they came in brilliant array, and a braves dress was often a history of his life, so symbolic were his uses of color and figures. It seems strange that these societies, or tribes, could be maintained with- out laws, but their ways of governing grew out of necessities. There was no public justice. Each man revenged himself. The power of the chief depended largely upon his personality, if he was eloquent he could more easily control his warriors. They were entranced by eloquence, and would listen for hours to a chief or brave who possessed this talent. Councils constituted their enjoyment, but war was their pathway to fame. Solemn fasts preceeded their departure to battle, and they sang
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their war songs, and danced the wild dances to better prepare them for victory.
These Indians had no temples, nor priests, nor ceremony of religion. The believed in a hereafter, and in a Great Spirit, but not in a general resurection of the body. Their veneration for the dead excelled that of all other nations, and the graves of their forefathers were sacred above everything else to them. Other nations can point to art and literature as the enduring mementoes of their ancestors, but the red man's only history is his grave. It has been asked if these Indians were not the wrecks of more civilized nations. Much has been said and written upon this subject but the shadows are dim that glimmer across the voiceless darkness of uncounted centuries, and time has buried one fact after another in the grave of uncertainty.
The onward march of civilization was, however, bringing a strange new enemy to dispute the Indians' claim to this lovely Rock River valley. The Galena mines having been opened, a tide of emigration from the southern settlements swept along. In 1827 O. W. Kellogg made a trail from Peoria, then Ft. Clark, through the wide prairie. He crossed Rock River probably above Truman's island passed between Polo and Mt. Morris, then west to West Grove, and north to Galena. In 1828 John Boles, bearing to the west, crossed the river near the location of the present bridge, and this became the common road. About this time the government establish- ed a mail route from Peoria to Galena. The mail was carried on horseback once in two weeks. John Dixon, then Circuit clerk at Peoria, secured the contract. He, as well as the traveling public, was obliged to cross the river in canoes and swim their horses. J L. Bogardus in 1828 attempted to establish a ferry but was driven away by the Indians, and his boat burned. Soon after John Ogee, a half-breed Indian, built a cabin and ran a ferry until the spring of 1830, when he sold it to Father Dixon. A postoffice had been established at Ogee's Ferry. Upon taking charge of . it Mr. Dixon was also appointed post master, and his name given to both office and ferry. Many of the incidents of early pioneer life occurred here, and men learned lessons of patriotism and pluck soon to be tested and tried in the Black Hawk war, a brief history of which I am to give.
It is the history of the most picturesque and bloody Indian war of the state. The true story of its stormy incidents and tragic end has never been written, because never free from personal or partizan prejudice. It is the story of the calling out of 8,000 volunteers and soldiers of the regu- lar army, an outlay of two million dollars and a loss of 1,000 lives. Going back to 1804, we find that on November 4th of that year General Harri-
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son made a treaty with the Sacs and Foxes by which they ceded all the territory lying between the Wisconsin, the Fox, the Illinois, and the Mississippi rivers, with about one-third of Missouri. The land amounted to about fifty million acres. For this they were to receive $1,000 a year. By this treaty the Indians were permitted to live and hunt upon these lands until sold for settlement by the government. A difference of opinion regarding this clause was the origin of the struggle. However, the treaty was reconfirmed in 1815, 1816 and again in 1822. Not far from Rock Island, then Ft. Armstrong, was situated the chief Indian villages Saukenauk. It was composed of 500 families, and surrounded by 3,000 acres of land in cultivation. Their forefathers were buried here, and the affections and interests of the tribe centered around this village. This trihe was divided into two bands, one friendly to Americans was led by the Chief Keokuk. He was gifted with a rare eloquence, by means of which he retained his influence in favor of the whites. The wild, turbu- lent spirits, the chivalry of the nation, arrayed themselves under the banner of Keokuk's rival, Black Hawk. It had been the policy of the British during the period between the wars of the revolution and 1812 to foster a spirit of hostility among the Indians toward the white settlers. In the latter war Black Hawk had served as an aid to the great Tecum- seh. Long after peace was declared he continued to visit Malden, Canada, to receive presents from the English. Black Hawk was distinguished for courage, but was of a grave, melancholy disposition, disposed to brood over imaginary wrongs. He was not a Tecumseh or a Pontiac. He had not the military genius to plan a comprehensive scheme of action, yet he made a bold attempt to unite all the Indians from Rock River to Mexico in a war against the pale faees. Like Tecumseh he had his prophet whose influence was great in making recruits to the band.
In 1823, although the lands had not been surveyed, white settlers began to squat on the cultivated portions. Taking advantage of the absence of the Indians on their annual hunt, they fenced in the corn fields, drove away the squaws and children, and even burned their lodges. Disturbances naturally followed. In 1828 Gov. Reynold demanded the expulsion of the Indians, and President Jackson ordered their removal across the Mississippi before April 1, 1830. A portion of the tribe, with Keokuk at its head retired peaceably. Black Hawk refused to abandon the ancient village, and an arrangement was made with the settlers to dwell together as neighbors. Encouraged by the government the squat- ters practically took possession of the land. No outbreak occurred until 1831, after the return from the annual hunt, when the Indians were
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ordered to depart. Black Hawk replied with great dignity that the lands were his, and he would defend his rights and the graves of his people, and threatened death to all who should remain. In response to com- plaints from the settlers Gov. Reynolds, on May 20, 1831, made a call for 700 volunteers, and notified Gen: Gains, commander of the military dis- trict, to repair to Rock Island with a few companies of regulars. The militia assembled at Beardstown to the number of 1,400 and were organ- ized and ready to march by the 20th of June.
The brigade was put in command of Gen. Duncan of the state militia, and marched to a point on the Mississippi, eight miles below the mouth of Rock River. Here they joined Gen. Gaines with a steamboat and sup- plies. When the troops reached the village next morning they found that the Indians, alarmed by their numbers, had crossed the river. The soldiers burned the lodges and returned to Rock Island. Black Hawk, then, for the first time, ratified the treaty, and promised never to cross the river without permission. The government also agreed to furnish a large amount of corn and provisions, and thus ended the campaign of 1831. In 1832 the old chief again crossed the river, and directed his march to the Rock River country, hoping to make the Pottowattomies and Winnebagoes his allies. He might have succeeded in this plan had it not been for Father Dixon's influence over these tribes. Gen. Atkinson was then sent to Ft. Armstrong with regular troops. In response to the governor's call for volunteers, four regiments, an odd battalion, a spy battalion, and a foot battalion assembled in Beardstown in April and were placed in command of Brig. Gen. Whitesides. There were also two mounted battalions numbering four hundred men, commanded by Major Stillman. The force consisted of 2,000 volunteers and 1,000 regulars. Abraham Lincoln commanded a company in the 4th regiment, and Sidney Breese held the position of 2ud lieutenant. The army reached Ft. Armstrong May 7, 1832. They were there reinforced by Col. Taylor in whose command was Lieut. Jeff Davis. It was here divided into two wings. One was commanded by Gen. Atkinson, who proceeded up the river by boats. The other, under Gen. Whitesides, marched by land. Reaching Prophetstown they found it deserted. Pushing forward they reached Dixon's Ferry May 12th. They found here the battalions under Bailey and Stillman eager for battle and fame, and unwilling to attach themselves to the main body. They were sent to Old Man's Creek to coerce some hostile Indians at that point. Black Hawk, supposing they were Atkinson's force, sent a flag of truce; but the rangers killed and captured the messengers, save two. Upon their return Black Hawk tore
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