USA > Illinois > Lee County > Recollections of the pioneers of Lee County [Illinois] > Part 42
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After the death of his first squaw Shabbona married another, named Miamex Zebequa, and by her he had a number of children. In accord- ance with Indian customs, some years afterward he married another squaw. After this event the;first wife and second wife did not agree, and they had frequent quarrels, and after a few years Po-ka-no-ka, the younger wife, who was said to be very handsome, left the family and went to live with her people in Kansas.
Shabbona's oldest son's name was Bypegee, but he was known among the white settlers as Bill Shabbona. During the Black Hawk war he rode far and near, at Shabbona's bidding, to warn the early settlers of the approach of the merciless savages that were coming ;to scalp them and burn their dwellings.
While at the grove Shabbona's family numbered twenty-five or thirty persons, counting his two squaws, his children, grandchildren, neices, nephews and all. He frequently took the little ones to church on Sun- day. A few years before his death he gave all his family christian names and took the name of Benjamin himself.
Shabbona died at his home on the Illinois river July 17, 1859, aged eighty-fouryears, and was buried with much pomp and ceremony in Morris cemetery. His remains were deposited on lot 59, block 7, donated by the cemetery, but neither stone nor stake marked the spot. Shab- bona's oldest squaw, Miamex Zebequa, and Mary Oquaka, a little grand- daughter four years of age, were drowned in Mason creek, in Grundy
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county November 30, 1864, and are buried by the side of Shabbona. There are eight of Shabbona's family buried on the same lot in Morris' cemetery, five of whom were his children or grandchildren.
I am indebted to N. Matson's memories of Shabbona for some of the dates and for some of the information in this sketch, especially that con- cerning Shabbona's death and burial. The object of this sketch is merely to do justice to the old Indian chief and to preserve an account of some of his deeds which should form a part of the early history of this country.
E, S. BRAFFET.
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BLACK HAWKI.
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Pioneer Experiences.
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D R. ISRAEL F. HALLOCK, one of the few survivors of the early set- tlers of Wyoming township, sends us a short story of some of his and some of his wife's pioneer experiences. We wish it was longer, and wish, too, that we had many more such to present our readers for the "Recollections" of genuine pioneers are a story of which we never tire, but alas, a story which must soon be "a tale that is told"-for the pioneers are fast passing away.
TO THE COLUMBIAN CLUB:
Seeing your request for family sketches and historical facts concern- ing the early settlers of this county I thought it might not be amiss to give a few incidents connected with that early day. It was thought by many that only the simple would settle in such a country. Being one of those simple ones I first settled in Stark county in July, 1840. After a journey of seven weeks and five days over hill and dale, on the 10th day of July we (I say we for I had taken captive one of Deacon O. Boardman's daughters a few months before) together with my father-in-law and · family, drove up to the door of L. Dorrance in said county, and then commenced our first housekeeping. The first thing we did was to buy a cow, after which I had just 83. left. To care for the milk wooden troughs dug out of slabs made very good substitute for pans then we bought a rough table of Mr. White, a carpenter. I took it home on iny back a mile and a half. This, together with a kettle and a frying pan and a few other things brought in a one horse wagon from the east com- prised our household goods. Working here a day, and there a day, for four and potatoes, I got our food. Pumpkins being plenty they came without work.
In the fall of the same year after the excitement of the Tippecanoe campaign was over we came to Paw Paw, and built our first log cabin. Here, not having any chairs we used stools or benches until a tavern
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keeper sold out to get money to bail his son, who was under arrest for counterfeiting; of him I bought two chairs, carrying them home on my back, Having exchanged my horse and wagon for a claim I got a yoke of steers and commenced farming in earnest. With this team I_ used to haul my surplus grain to market, go to church and visiting with as much pride as the young man of today with his fine carriage and 2:40 horse. In the meantime my good wife was supplying our wearing apparel, bed and table linen, spinning and weaving the flax with her own hands, until we were able to own sheep, when the wool was sent to the factory and card- ed, then she spun the yarn and wove the cloth to make our clothing, bed blankets, etc., doing all the work with her own hands, unless we wanted something very fine for Sunday wear, when the homemade cloth was sent to the factory, sheared and pressed and then made up.
The experience of my wife was but the experience of nearly all the women of that early day, who not only prepared for the family what was provided by the husband, but who cheerfully manufactured from the · wool and the flax material that could not be procured in any other way. And to these pioneer mothers the people of this generation owe much of the luxuries and comforts which they enjoy.
J. F. HALLOCK.
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Wyoming Township.
T HE first settlers in this township located around thegrove, of course. Paw Paw Grove takes its name from the Paw Paw trees that grow there. It is the southeastern township of Lee county, and the grove lies east of the railroad station that is called Paw Paw.
David A. Town was the first white settler who took a claim and made a home at Paw Paw Grove. He with his wife and four children came to the grove in 1834. He built his house on the south side of the grove, west of the farm now owned by Pierpont Edwards. It was built of logs, 16x18 feet, with one door and one six lighted window, and had a fire place and chimney. The floor was made of split logs, hewn with a broad axe. O. P. Johnson, of Brooklyn, helped build this house, and he said that he and three other men built it in a day and a half, in November, 1834. In 1835 Isaac Balding came and located on the Chicago road, between the two Paw Paws. He kept the first stage house and tavern, and the stage stopped at his house as long as it ran by Paw Paw. They were put on this route, between Galena and Chicago, in 1834.
In December, 1835, Russell Town came to the grove with his wife and five children. Charles Morgan and wife, and seven children, came from Virginia, and the next year they were keeping tavern half a mile east of David A. Town's house.
William Rogers came in 1836. He was the first postmaster, having his office near Morgan's tavern. The next post office was at Shabbona Grove. He had charge of the removal of the Indians from here to Council Bluffs in 1837. He was an officer in the Mexican war, and had been sheriff of Sacramento, California.
The first weddings were in 1836. On July 4th, of that year, Samuel McDowel, who had lived at the southeastern side of the grove for a num- ber of years, was married to Delilah Harris. This was the first marriage in the township. Among the Guests were Shabbona and two other In- dians, who were very much pleased at being invited. Hassa Town, who
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was present at the wedding, used to tell of the way they celebrated it like the Fourth of July. After the wedding ceremony the inen went into a grove and cut a liberty pole and brought on their shoulders, then they fastened a flag with the stars and stripes, to the end of the pole, and hoisted the pole so the flag could float in the breeze, and then how they did shout. It seemed like a regular Fourth of July celebration. The next wedding was that of Fidelia Sawyer to George Town, December 13, 1836. December 20th Levi Carter was married to the widow Gillet. Rev. Benoni Harris officiated at each occasion.
Jacob D. Rogers came in 1837 from Pennsylvania. His claim of 320 acres was next west of George Town's clain, and included. the west part of the site of Pawpaw. He was the first to settle out on the prairie west of the grove. His log house, which was built in 1837, stood where Dr. George Ryan afterwards lived, and Ritchies lived there a long time afterward. The place where the log house stood is now occupied by a fine dwelling house owned by George Faber.
James Gable came with Rogers, and he used to tell about helping to build the log house, and he said after they had hauled one load of logs and piled them upon the ground and went and got another load, they had hard work to find the place where they had deposited the first load, the grass was so thick and tall it hid them from their sight, and there was no road to guide them. The Indian trail ran past Pawpaw to Shab- bona Grove.
In 1841 during the summer a thousand Indians were encamped in the northwest part of the grove near a big spring, near what is now called Wheeler's Grove. They came from Indiana and here was where they stopped to get their pay from the government. This same year the In- dians that had lived here, Waubansic's tribe, had been removed to their new hunting ground beyond the Mississippi river.
In 1838 Rev. Caleb Morris came. With him came his daughter, the widow Nancy Robinson, and her children, one daughter and six sons.
Deacon Orlando Boardman came in 1849. It was through his efforts and assistance that the first Baptist church was built at South Pawpaw. Deacon Hallock also arrived that year, and White and French, Pete and Mr. Breese's family, who came in May, 1841. There were then eighteen families around the grove, thirteen of whom were living in Brooklyn township.
. Peter May came in 1841. He bought part of the land where Pawpaw now stands. Hon. O W. Bey came in 1842 and settled at Four Mile Grove.
Elder Norman Warriner came in 1843 and for twenty years was pastor
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of the Baptist church. There were a great many taverns along the old Chicago road, but they could not accommodate many guests. Jacob Wirick kept tavern at East Pawpaw in early days.
The first school was taught in 1836 in a little pole schoolhouse 12x12, built for the purpose on the Mead farm. Emily Giles, from Fox river, taught for one dollar a week and boarded around. In the spring of 1835 Rev. Benoni Harris began to preachi occasionally in his son's house, where he lived in 1839.
Father Morris cane and preached in the cabins of the settlers. Cir- cuit preachers came in '39 and '40; among the first was Elder White, Mr. · Lummery, Alonzo Carte , Peter Cartwright and Mr. Bachelder, all of these were Methodists; their appointments were about three months apart. The first Baptist preachers were Elders Carpenter, Charles Ilard- ing and Norman Warriner. Dr. George S. Hunt, the first practicing physician at the Grove and in Wyoming township, came here in the spring of 1844. He has been dead many years. His wife also is dead, and their only child, Mrs. John Baker, lives at the old homestead.
MRS. E. S. BRAFFET.
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BOUND BY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
977.336SM6R C001 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PIONEERS OF LEE COU
3 0112 025389930
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