USA > Illinois > Marshall County > Records of the olden time; or, Fifty years on the prairies. Embracing sketches of the discovery, exploration and settlement of the country, the organization of the counties of Putnam and Marshall, biographies of citizens, portraits and illustrations > Part 41
USA > Illinois > Putnam County > Records of the olden time; or, Fifty years on the prairies. Embracing sketches of the discovery, exploration and settlement of the country, the organization of the counties of Putnam and Marshall, biographies of citizens, portraits and illustrations > Part 41
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Within the memory of Mr. Barnes, and probably many other of the pioneer settlers, the splendid oaks and other trees which constitute the grove south of Lacon were small bushes, many of them, in fact, just peep- ing through the surface.
What are now large shade trees of walnut and cottonwood were set out by Mr. and Mrs. Barnes in 1840. From one of these, in 1861 twelve joists, 2 x 6 inches, were split. Some of these trees are now two feet in diameter, and many apple trees set out even later are from three to three and a half feet in circumference.
NATHAN OWEN'S GRAVE YARD.
On a slight elevation in the valley west of Mr. Hoover's dwelling is "Nathan Owen's Grave Yard." It lies on the west line of Richland
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RECORDS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
Township. In the fall of 1834, Miss Mary Conley, aged eighteen years, a daughter of Preston Conley, was interred here, and two children of Mr. Owen, who donated the ground to the public for burial purposes, are also buried here. It has since become the general repository of the dead for the neighborhood.
INCIDENTS.
John Strawn was very practical in his business relations and assumed no risks. It is told of him that a merchant of Lacon once came out to obtain his signature to a note, and he hit upon a novel plan to avoid it. falling down in a fit and simulating insanity. As soon as the non-plussed merchant had got out of sight Strawn's reason returned, and he laughed immoderately at the satisfactory results, to himself, of his strategem. When asked by one of his family what ailed him, he exploded with mirth as he replied : "I did n't claw the air and howl and beller for nothing; I was working to save five hundred dollars!"
The Colonel was sharp at a bargain, and not a few anecdotes are told of his success in this particular. Once he hired William Orr to chop down trees at ten cents each, Strawn to select the trees to be felled. The shrewd old fellow went through the woods and marked the biggest he could find. Orr had his eye longingly on one of Strawn's daughters, therefore to have backed out of the job was not to be thought of; it was "no chop, no girl," and he manfully chopped away.
In 1831 John Strawn and three others went hunting hogs across Crow Creek, and while absent the waters rose rapidly, making it impossible to cross. Strawn swam his horse over, but the men were obliged to remain all night without fire or provisions. The next morning the citizens came and threw some provisions over, but they were forced to remain several days before rescued.
The Strawn's were "all business," and drove sharp trades with whom- ever they dealt. John had an elder brother named Jacob, living about Jacksonville, who was wealthy, and when lands came into market here John took several fine horses along on his way to Springfield, assured he could find a customer for them in the person of his brother. In the course of the evening's conversation the latter found out about how much John
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HOW COL. STRAWN GOT EVEN WITH HIS BROTHER.
was " short," and made that the value of the horses, nor would he give any more. It vexed John not a little, for they were really fine horses and worth more money, but as he wanted to secure some land and must have the additional funds to do so, he accepted the amount with the best grace he could and departed.
It happened the season was cold and backward, and very little good corn was raised, though John had forty acres in good condition and a hun- dred or more that was not. Jacob was a large stock dealer, and was get- ting up a herd specially for the Galena market, and as crops in his vicinity were poor he wrote to his brother asking how the yield was with him. John replied, saying he had a hundred and fifty acres of the best possible quality, and wanted him to come and inspect it in person, so Jacob sad- dled his horse and made his appearance. The corn stood in a body, and John, while pretending to show him the entire field adroitly managed to bring him back to the same place at each turn they made, so that he sup- posed that it was of one uniform good quality. A purchase was made at a high figure, and Jacob sent up his herd in charge of a trusty assistant. It did not take long to go through the forty acres of good corn and then they began to fall off and grow poor. The attendant wrote his employer the cattle were doing poorly, who came up and at once saw he had been taken in, but when he upbraided John on the subject, the latter admitted it and added, "It's all right, brother; it's all right. We're even now, and after this we'll trade fair."
Strawn never believed in banks nor patronized them, and this known trait in his character exposed him to many risks from desperate men, who believed he kept large sums of money on the premises. One dark and stormy night a few years previous to his death, he was awakened by calls outside, and going to the window, a request was made to let some travel- ers come in for shelter. He directed them to an outhouse, but while parleying the door of his sleeping apartment opened and in stalked a stranger, pistol in hand, followed by another. Strawn was greatly fright- ened, and made no attempt at resistance while the robbers tied his hands behind his back. They would have served Mrs. S. in the same way, but she promised to lie still. They next conducted Strawn down stairs, relieved him of about $300, and helped themselves freely to eatables. Previous to leaving they charged him to never to divulge their visit under penalty of being murdered and having his property burned down. Strawn
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RECORDS OF TIIE OLDEN TIME.
promised to obey and did so, and the occurrence did not leak out until many months afterward. It has since transpired who the robbers were, but two of them had left the country and the evidence was too insufficient to convict the third.
The abundance of game here in early times is well attested. William Strawn reports killing four deer in one day, and he killed thirty-six prai- rie chickens at thirty-four consecutive shots, killing four chickens at two shots.
Enoch Strawn when a lad was hunting with his father, when the lat- ter shot a deer, the bullet grazing his back and only stunning him, but which nevertheless dropped as though dead. Enoch was on horseback and quickly rode to its side, when seeing the animal was about to rise, pluckily sprung upon its back, and clasping his arms round its neck hung on for dear life. The animal rose to its feet, and then began a contest for mastery not often seen. The boy was in real peril, for the deer's sharp hoofs would cut like knives, and the thrust of its antlers is seldom cured. The struggles were such that Strawn could not shoot without endanger- ing his son, nor could the boy loosen his grasp to get a knife, but after a few desperate bounds the dogs pulleu it down, and a shot at short range finished it. In the winter of 1830-31 he caught twenty-six wolves in traps.
Lynxes and wildcats were numerous and very destructive to barn- yard fowls, pigs and lambs. Once a lynx was treed in the timber near the present Strawn graveyard. Eight bullets were fired into the tough animal before it fell, and then, in its dying struggles the ferocious and powerful feline fearfully clawed several of the dogs.
A gray wolf captured by them measured seven feet from the nose to the end of the tail. A lynx once killed a half-grown hog in the daytime within a few rods of the house, and was driven off by the inmates, but the half dozen dogs set in pursuit could not be induced to follow it.
Camp-meetings were pleasurable incidents in the often monotonous lives of the settlers, and were attended by young and old, grave and gay. Some came for spiritual enlightenment, some for amusement, some out of mere curiosity, and others for sinister purposes, they being sometimes frequented by roughs and even robbers, as in the well remembered instance of robbery by the Reeves gang. Members who were able brought their
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A STYLISH WEDDING-HORSE-RACING.
tents, and aside from their own families were expected to accommodate their friends. Robert Bird tells how he attended a meeting in Strawn's woods and was invited by a friend to share with his children a couch of straw in one corner. He retired early, going off into a sound sleep, and was surprised in the morning to find half a dozen buxom young ladies in undress uniform calmly snoring by his side. They had been taken in during the night and shown to their resting place by the "woman of the house," utterly forgetful of the already occupant of the "bunk." ' Great was their consternation and greater his fright, but the hostess explained all and the matter ended with a jolly laugh all round.
A stylish wedding took place in Richland Township in the winter of 1833-4, at the house of Mr. Burt, in Round Prairie, it being that of Mr. Robert Bird to Miss Sarah A. Burt; Esquire Barnes tied the nuptial knot. The young men who attended doffed their buckskin breeches in honor of the occasion, and arrayed themselves in store clothes (chiefly blue · jeans,) and tow shirts, while the girls threw off home-spun for "kalliker," and everything was exceedingly lovely. After the ceremony the guests, about twenty couples, partook of a mammoth pot-pie, from the discussion of which they were aroused by the squeak of the violin, a prelude to the merry dance which followed.
An old settler speaking of the cool season that followed the great snow says there were no house flies, nor none of the plagues which torment cattle and horses. No cellars were needed to preserve milk and butter. There were neither fleas nor bed bugs, and not a musquito put in its ex- asperating song to disturb the pioneer in his sleep, though the cabin was in the edge of the woods, among tall grass and rank weeds. Neither ague nor fevers appeared during that season, nor malarial diseases. But little corn or wheat was raised, but the crop of grass was enormous.
One of the exciting sports of the day was horse-racing, and a race was once arranged between Eli Strawn and a young man named Wright, from Shaw's Point. It was towards spring, and while the track was hard packed in the road, there was a treacherous unknown depth of snow in the ravines it were best to avoid. This Strawn well knew, but Wright did not. They started together and ran neck and neck until, reaching a ravine, Strawn's horse crowded the other off the track, and over they went out of
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RECORDS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
sight in the depths below. Both were extricated without harm, and the race was won by Strawn.
The Waughobs were a lazy, improvident set, who spent their time hunting bees. Once a swarm was found near Strawn's house, and wish- ing to get it without alarming the latter they proceeded to cut it down silently with augers. Manfully they worked through a long autumn day and had nearly succeeded when they were discovered. Strawn used to say it was the sweetest honey he ever ate and the cheapest.
September 12, 1836, William Maxwell concluded that as prospective cities were springing up around him in every direction, it would be well for Richland to have one, and accordingly laid out and platted "Auburn," on Section 25, Town 29, Range 2 west. Getting tired of waiting for his city to grow he plowed up its numerous streets and alleys and turned it to account as a corn and potato field.
While Colonel Bell kept the station house at the ford he frequently had considerable money on hand, and kept his "bank " in his clock. One day after the stage had departed he found his hoard was missing. Mount- ing his horse, he rode swiftly until the vehicle was overtaken, and found his money safe in the bottom, where the thief had placed it.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
1
LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP:
CHAPTER XLV.
DESCRIPTION.
HIS Township, lying in the south-west corner of Marshall County, is six miles square, and contains very little waste land in its borders. The soil is a rich dark loam, and in fertility and productiveness has no superior in the State. While it has no large streams, it has an abundance of "spring branches," as they are termed, and no Township in the County is better waterea or better adapted to agri- cultural uses than is this. It lies within the limits of the " Military bounty tract," a portion of territory set apart by the Gov- ernment for bounties to soldiers of the war of 1812, and, specially selected for its many advantages. It was surveyed in 1815-16, and patents allotted, but the holders transferred them in many cases to others, and out of it grew conflicts of ownership and litigation extending down to the present time. This retarded settlements until about 1850-55, since when the country has rapidly developed.
La Prairie is by many considered the banner township of the County. As compared with others its farms are smaller, and in a majority of cases owned by the occupants upon them, and as a natural sequence they are under a more intelligent cultivation, their buildings better, the hedges in finer condition, and there is a general air of thriftiness. The inhabitants are mainly to the "manor born," though there is a large colony of Scotch within its borders - good citizens and thrifty farmers, who have stamped the impress of their industry and individuality upon the Township.
To Chas. Stone it is said belongs the honor of giving the very pretty and suggestively appropriate name it bears, which came about in this wise. The name of Fairfield was the first choice of the majority, and La Prairie their second. This report was made to Silas Ramsey, County Judge,, who, finding there were already several places bearing the first
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RECORDS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
name, and none the second, arbitrarily but very properly substituted that name on the records.
SCHOOLS.
The first school in the neighborhood of Root's farm was by Miss Lucia Root, in a hewn log house near Simon Reed's place, in Hallock, during a part of 1831.
In 1837 or '38 Robert Will built a school house in this locality, which building has since been known by his name.
About 1855 a school house was built near E. P. Roots. It is a frame the lower story built for schools, and a large public hall above.
The first school house in the southeast corner of the Township was a log building erected in 1843, and school kept there during the winter of 1843-44, by John Lindsay.
The first school house in the vicinity of Lawn Ridge was put up on · Stone's land.
Prior to this time school had been taught in Mr. Hurd's house by Mrs. Joseph Atwood, in about 1847.
The first school was taught in Hurd's dwelling, near Mr. Chas. Stone's house. The people living about that neighborhood in 1852, undertook to build a school house at the expense of the entire Township, but the citizens generally objected and quite a feeling was aroused in the con- munity. A compromise was finally made, and the house built, the first in this part of the Township. It was eighty rods from Stone's residence, near the "corners."
FIRST SETTLERS.
Beginning at the south-eastern corner of La Prairie we find that the first settler in the locality was William Coulson, who came here from Peoria in September, 1832, and established himself in a double log cabin on Section twenty-three, where for several years he kept a house of enter- tainment. It stood about half a mile south of the Archibald Riddle farm, on the Galena road.
In 1838 he built a new house, about half a mile away from the first, and lived there several years, keeping a hotel as before. He died in about 1843, and his place was bought by Archibald Riddle and brother, where the former now resides. Mrs. Coulson moved to Peoria and
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EARLY SETTLERS OF LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
married a Mr. King, and the daughter also took a mate and moved to Iowa.
The second settler in the town was Solomon Brewer, who settled on Section twenty-five, one mile south of Coulson, in 1834. Brewer was a Carolinian and his wife was born in Virginia. They continued to reside here until 1844, when they moved to Peoria County and thence to Iowa.
The third to make a home in this Township was James Kenyon, who settled on the northeast quarter of Section twenty-six in August, 1836. He was a native of Lancastershire, England. When he came to this country he located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and labored as a weaver until he had earned enough money to send back for his family, who joined him in due time. On his arrival in this Township the first night he encamped under a tree, and leaving his family hastened to Quincy and entered the land, and lived on it, a prosperous farmer, until 1847, when he moved to Peoria County, and there died, as did his wife and daughter and only son, James.
In about 1832 Mr. Elisha Stowell and wife, formerly Miss Ellen Will, settled on Section Thirty-three, on the land now occupied in part by Lucas P. Root, two miles east of Lawn Ridge. Mr. Stowell continued to reside thereon until 1842, when he moved to Stark County, where he died.
James Caldwell came in 1838 from Erie, Pa., with his wife, whose maiden name was Sallie Hay, and settled on Section Twenty-five, on land which he had entered in 1836. He built a cabin and went to work with a will, and soon opened a fine farm, where his family grew to three sons and eight daughters. Here he lived until 1878, when he sold to Alexan- der Russell, and moved to Chillicothe.
In 1838 Richard Scholes bought and settled on the south-west quarter of Section 3, about two miles west of Drake's Grove, and built a substan- tial log cabin, where he lived a couple of years, when he sold to Nathaniel Weed. It is now the property of the McCoy heirs. Scholes moved to North Hampton, where his wife died, and thence to Chillicothe, where he too paid the debt of Nature.
The next prominent settlers of this locality were Archibald and Robert Riddle, two Scotchmen who bought the Coulson farm in 1843-4 and for several years kept "bach." there. In 1851 or 1852 Robert sold his interest to "Archie" and went to California, where he was unfortun-
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RECORDS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
ate and returned broken down in health, but recovered, and in a few years after bought a place at Weed's corner, when he opened a fine farm and grew wealthy.
Another leading citizen of the Township in the same vicinity, is Mr. Edwin S. Jones, long known to the old settlers as Fsquire Jones. He was an early settler of Peoria County, and bought the Solomon Brewer farm in ehe summer of 1844, and has ever since resided there.
Among the early settlers in the southern part of the Township is Erastus C. Root, who came to the County in October, 1830. Although his farm is mostly in Marshall County his dwelling lies across the line, so that he is in reality a citizen of Peoria County. His father, Jeliel Root, and family, accompanied by Samuel Reed and others, making ten wagons in all, came here from Ohio and settled in Hallock Township. Mr. Root lived for some time in Chillicothe, and began improvements on his present farm in 1836. His cabin was an exceedingly airy and open one. There was no floor, nor door, nor chinks between the logs, and Mrs. Root was in mortal terror lest the Indians might crawl in through these roomy crevices and steal her children, and finally getting indignant at the delay of fixing the cabin, told her husband the holes in the wall must be stopped or they would lose some of their children.
The stage road then ran through North Hampton, from Peoria to Galena. It came down from Boyd's Grove, east of the timber, and changed horses at Esq. Jones' place.
Roswell Nurs, another neighbor, came in 1837, and Jacob Booth one year later, and settled near what was known as the "Buffalo wallow," from a springy place, wherein large numbers of buffalo bones have been found.
Robert Will, Sr., came in 1837 and settled near Root's claim.
Lyman Robinson arrived here in 1843, and opened a farm.
SETTLERS AT LAWN RIDGE.
Charles Stone came on to the prairie in 1845. His house was for many years the only place of public entertainment in the Township.
The next settlers in this locality were Joshua Powell and "Deacon " Smith, the former on the south-east quarter of Section 32.
The first blacksmithing in this locality was done by Mr. Smith, in a part of Charles Stone's house
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EARLY SETTLERS OF LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
Rev. Mr. Ordway came about 1846, and the Hurds came a little later. Other settlers were William Stevenson, Mr. Stowell, Sr., the Vin- cents, Joseph Calder, Ranson Caldwell and Jacob Booth. The latter lived some years in the timber south before taking up his last homestead.
Henry Scott settled on Section 16, and Mr. Davidson and Wilder Scott settled upon the School Section. Stephen Wilmot came in an earlier day.
Mr. Stone brought here 1,000 head of sheep, but the wolves were ere so numerous and destructive that he abandoned this enterprise in 1850.
In 1848 Elisha N. Leigh and Amos F. Leigh improved portions of Section 15 and 16, and moved their families a year later.
North of Chas. Stone's, Joel Atwood settled a year or two later.
Francis Grady was the pioneer of Camp Grove, coming about 1842.
William Smith and his sons Andrew and William and James, who settled on Section 16, came soon after.
Mr. Scott, with his sons Henry and William, came about 1851. They first settled in the timber, and afterward moved on to Section 16. Henry died in the fall of 1876, and William was drowned at Lacon in 1869.
Stephen Wilmot settled on Section 3, and moved to Section 16 two years after, about 1847. His sons B. C. and X. C. are now both resi- dents of Section 16.
Levi Holmes located on Section 2, James Doran on Section 12.
Father Kellogg came in 1850, starting his farm in the western part of Section 7.
Charlotte Reynolds came here about 1855, and improved the south- west quarter of Section 8.
Wm. Ricker improved the quarter section in 1854 or '55, which is now owned by David Shearer.
Wm. Cornell, now living near Loda, Ill., settled north of Malachi Grove's farm about 1854 or '55. He was a broom-maker and sold his goods all over the country.
Adam Crawford settled upon his present place in 1854.
Alden Hull came here about 1845. He started in life as a shoemaker, was a Justice of the Peace many years, a member of the State Legisla- ture, and was Treasurer of the School Fund for his District. Decem- ber 12, 1879, he celebrated his eighty-sixth birthday.
James Davidson opened his farm in 1855, and Robert Pringle about that date. James Leigh improved near them on Section 24; about 1852,
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RECORDS OF THE OLDEN TIMF.
buying from Geo. Scholes, who had fenced the land but not broken it. James Leigh and his wife died of typhoid fever 1859.
Thomas Keller settled west of Archie Riddles, in the edge of the tim- ber, in 1850. He was a Methodist exhorter, and becoming insane, was sent to Jacksonville, where he died.
George Hasty improved near Caldwell's place, on the north, about 1850.
Richard Frary opened his farm in 1850, and Paul Frary near him about the same season, both on Sections nineteen and twenty.
James Bates settled north of them in 1850 and afterward sold to Wm. McCoy.
Arthur Ricker improved a farm, now occupied by Mr. Lucas. Root's sons, In 1850. Mrs. R. was a poetess and Universalist, and celebrated her religious views and her loyalty by composing patriotic odes.
Thomas Wood opened his claim on Section 18 about 1852. He met with a sad bereavement in the loss of a little son, who, while attempting to drink from an open well, fell in and was drowned.
Nathan Manock made a farm north of Hasty's on Section 21.
Nathaniel Green made his farm on Section 24, about 1855.
Ann C. Calder, whose husband, James Calder, died soon after she came here, opened a large farm and proved herself to be an excellent farmer and business woman.
John Martin came here in 1853, buying part of his place from John Halstead.
Barte Halstead opened his farm south of Martin's about 1860.
Jacob Booth came here in 1850, improved his farm on Section 24, and subsequently died there.
Elijah Stowell settled north of the above in about 1850.
Solomon Stowell began on his place in Section 27 in about 1852, and afterward moved to near Chillcothe.
Calvin Stowell's farm was improved by Ebenezer Stowell, his father, in 1865.
Ransom Caldwell came to this locality, settling first in the timber, in 1855, and afterward moved out upon his present farm, in Section 23.
Byron Hill started a place east of him in 1859, and sold to Mr. Coonly, who injured himself while playing ball and died in 1860.
Byron Hill also improved the north-east quarter of Section 29 in 1854.
John Currie made a farm north-east of the Town Hall, on Section 15,
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CHURCHES OF LA PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
in 1854, lived here for many years aud then removed with his family to Ford County.
Milton Webber came in 1854, and made improvements east of the Smith farm.
Dr. Levi Vincent came to his place in 1855.
Lyman Bates came to the Township in 1835, and worked for Richard Scholes on his farm. He broke the first prairie in the Township and planted the first osage orange hedge west of the river- They came from J. B. Turner, of Jacksonville.
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