USA > Illinois > Coles County > The History of Coles County, Illinois map of Coles County; history of Illinois history of Northwest Constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, &c., &c > Part 38
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
three miles from the village of Ashmore. Pearson moved to Parker Prairie, and John to Douglas County, where he died. Wright settled near the Wileys, and came about a year afterward. They had all first settled on Big Creek, be- fore coming to this settlement, but had not remained long in that locality. Reed came in 1829, and settled about one and a half miles northeast of the vil- lage of Ashmore, and has been dead a number of years. He died on his origi- nal settlement, and where his son Caleb Reed now lives. Mrs. Walton, aº daughter, lives in the town, and Mrs. Galbraith. another daughter, lives in Hickory Township. James Wells settled about three miles south of the village of Ashmore. His father was a native of Maryland, and removed to Braeken County, Ky., at an early day ; was one of the very earliest settlers in that part of the State. James Wells, alluded to above, came here in 1830, and still owns the original place on which he settled, but for a year or two past has been liv- ing with his son-in-law, Mr. O'Brien, in the village of Ashmore. John K. Spears was from Jefferson County, near the city of Louisville, and came to this township in 1834. settling near Hitesville. He died in 1838; a son, Dr. A. K. Spears, is living in Charleston. Woods came to Coles County in 1834, and located in the east part of Ashmore Township, and died in 1878. He has but one son living, Thomas Woods, residing on the old homestead. Joseph Epper- son settled in the township the same year as Woods. and came from the same county (Madison) in Kentucky. He died in 1850, leaving several children in this part of the country to perpetuate his name. Phelps came in 1830, and set- tled in Ashmore Township. He had a large family of children, most of whom still live in Coles County. Mr. Phelps died in 1856. Turner settled in the township in 1834, where he still resides, one of the solid men of the county. He and his wife have been living together for more than sixty years, and are hale and hearty for their age. Galbraith came to Coles County in 1830. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, but removed to Kentucky in an early day. He was a soldier and an officer of the Revolutionary war, and served seven years under Washington ; was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at York- town, and one of the guard of that noted prisoner for some time. He removed from Kentneky to Indiana in 1816, and the son above mentioned to Coles County, as noted. in 1830, where he still lives. Coleman L. Duncan, though but a few years in Coles County, has lived just over the line in Clark since 1830. and can give as vivid accounts of the privations of the early settlers as any man now living. He resides with his son-in-law. Dr. Steele, of Ash- more.
Hezekiah Ashmore came from Middle Tennessee, in 1830, and settled in what is now Oakland Township, and, in 1836, removed to this town. It, together with the village of Ashmore, was named for him. Mr. Ashmore landed here with 374 cents in his pocket, but, realizing that fortune smiles on those who help themselves. he went to work. and, as fast as he accumulated a little money, invested it in land, so that, at the time of his death, he owned
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
1,600 acres. He was one of the early Justices of the Peace, and one of the County Commissioners for a number of years. He died in 1872, leaving a numerous progeny in the county. William Austin was also from Tennessee, and came to Illinois in 1829. He settled where the village now stands, and, the ground occupied by this thriving little burg was the first land which he culti- vated after settling in the neighborhood. His original log cabin is still stand- ing, though its identity is nearly lost in the modern improvements made to it, since it first served to shelter a pioneer family from the inclemencies of the weather. It has been weather-boarded and otherwise improved. and is occupied by Mr. O'Brien. Mr. Austin has been dead a number of years, but has numer- ous descendants still residing in the county, to perpetuate an honored name. Christopher Sousely is another of the early settlers, and came to this township in 1828. He is still living, but has grown feeble as well as aged, and is wait- ing in patience for the summons to come. Joseph Henry and his son, Dr. A. M. Henry, Isaac Hill and a Mr. Forrest, were also early settlers, but of them not much could be learned. William Birch came from England, in 1833, and stopped in Pennsylvania, where he spent three years. He occupied an old house near Philadelphia, once the residence of William Penn. In 1836, he came to Illinois, and settled near Hitesville, in this township, and died in April, 1864. He has a son living near Charleston. Enos Barnes came from North Carolina, and settled two miles north of the village of Ashmore. He was a soldier of 1812, and was with Old Hickory, at the battle of New Orleans. He emi- grated to Kentucky, where he remained until 1830, when he came to Illinois, as above. His original cabin stood until 1877. He died in 1872; his wife died in 1855, but one or two sons still live in the township. William H. Brown and Thomas W. Hallock were from New York; the latter settled in 1837. and Brown in 1839. Both are still living and are successful farmers.
John Mitchell was a native of the Palmetto State, but had lived successively in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana, before immigrating to Illinois. He settled in Coles County, in 1828, in the edge of the Embarrass timber, in Ashmore Township, where he died some fifteen years afterward, and his wife a year later, leaving a family of eight children, only two of whom are now living, Will- iam B. Mitchell, in the State of Kansas, and Mrs. Galbraith, wife of James Galbraith, in this township. The condition of the country at the time Mr. Mitchell settled here, is illustrated in the fact that one of his sons, Robert Mitchell, went to Darwin, on the Wabash River, a distance of forty miles, for a marriage license. Rev. S. J. Bovell is a son of one of the pioneer preachers of Illinois. He was born in Washington County, East Tennessee, and came to this county with his mother's family, in 1835. His father was a native of the Old Dominion, and a graduate of Washington College, and, in 1825, received a call to the Presbyterian Church at Paris, Ill., but died in three months after taking charge. His widow removed to Coles. as above noted, and located southwest of Charleston. Mr. Bovell remained on the farm with his mother
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
until he was twenty years of age, when, after completing his education, he taught in various States, and, in 1861, was licensed to preach, and, at present, is Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in the village of Ashmore.
Elder Peter K. Honn came from Kentucky in 1835, and stopped for a short time in Edgar County, and from there went to Sangamon County, where he remained about six months, working at his trade (blacksmith), after which he came to Coles County and located at Hitesville, in this township, and opened a blacksmith-shop, which he continued for several years. In the mean time he purchased a quarter-section of land, which he improved in connection with his trade of a blacksmith. He eventually abandoned his shop and devoted his attention to his farm, until 1875, when, having accumulated a sufficiency of this world's goods, he retired from active labor, and removed to the village of Ash- more, where he at present lives in the enjoyment of a well-earned competence. Some five years after coming to the county, he was ordained a minister of the Christian Church, and his experience as a pioneer preacher is vast and varied, sometimes bordering on the extremely ludicrous, as is but natural in a back- woods country. With no intentional disrespect to the Gospel (for of it we enter- tain the profoundest veneration), but as an illustration of the state of the coun- try at that time, and by way of embellishment of dry historical facts, we give some of the experiences of the old soldier of the Cross, as related to us by him- self. Upon a certain occasion, when this country was the very center of the backwoods, he and another preacher, whom he denominated Brother E., made a missionary or preaching tour, at the latter's special request, through Clark, Crawford, Jasper and Cumberland Counties, and through the southern part of Coles, to their homes. The stipulation was, that wherever they stopped they should preach alternately. After swinging around the circle into Jasper County, Brother E. informed him that they would stop at Brother So-and-So's to dinner, the leading man of the neighborhood, a pillar of the church in that section, and where, it seems, Brother E. had been before. He told Mr. Honn that they were good people, but not as tidy and neat as they might be, and he would have to harden up a little. Upon their arrival, Mr. Honn found that this nabob lived in a mansion composed of one room, which served all purposes a residence is usually subjected to, and very soon dinner was begun "for the preachers" by a grown-up daughter, while the lady of the mansion sat on one side of the fire-place smoking a cob-pipe, and the lord and master on the other side indul- ging in a like luxury, the preachers occupying seats in front of the fire, looking on, Mr. Honn admits, with some interest. After a while the girl lifted a pot off the fire, and opened it apparently to see the state of its contents, while the odor was quite strange to him, and he nudged Brother E. and asked him what it was, who replied that it was stewed coon. He at once thought of the hard- ening-up process, and being a little particular as to his food, was somewhat doubtful as to whether he should enjoy a very hearty dinner or not. He dis- covered eventually, however, that his stomach was not quite so sensitive as
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
Brother E.'s. After the coon was cooked to her satisfaction, she brought forth some side pork, very fat, placed it in a skillet and fried the grease all out of it, leaving a pint or so of lard in the skillet. Next she produced a " crock " full of buckwheat batter, which she poured into the skillet (not all at once), and he had noticed that a portion of the hem of some of her undergarments had been torn from its native place and was dangling within an inch or two of the floor, and as she would move about the fire, it would now and then draggle in the fry- ing batter. Brother E. looked at him and he looked at Brother E., and he noticed that the latter had grown rather pale, so that when dinner was announced a little later, he could eat but a few mouthfuls. He kept his eye on Brother E. and, shortly after dinner was over, noticed that he appeared quite uneasy and looked very pale. Finally he rose rather hastily and left the room, and upon following him out, found him behind the house "calling New York " lustily. That evening he had to preach for Brother E .*
He was once called upon to perform a marriage ceremony at the house of one of the well-to-do pioneers. When he arrived at the cabin, he found the bride in waiting, dressed in all the glory of backwoods beauty and fashion, and the groom ditto. Among the "assembled guests " were two very large and ungainly curs, walking about the room with as much liberty as (to use a slang expression) blind dogs in a meat-house." After the marriage, all were invited to a sumptuous dinner, the dogs included : or, if the latter were not invited. they cheeked it, and went in on their own responsibility. When the repast was well under way, some one dropped a bone, or threw it down to the dogs for the purpose of creating a little excitement. If for the latter purpose, they suc- ceeded beyond their most sanguine expectations. They clinched in battle (the dogs) with savage ferocity, rolled under the table growling, biting and chawing each other generally. Said Mr. Honn ? " And what did the fair bride, faint ? Not much. But sprang on to a chair, and in a high state of excitement, clapping her delicate (?) hands, she yelled at the top of her voice, · sick 'em ! sick 'em ! sick 'em !'" After the guests succeeded in separating the dogs, din- ner was finished in peace and quiet.
One other episode from Mr. Honn's pioneer experience, and we will pass on. A young man of the neighborhood, who was addicted to sowing wild oats with a profuse hand, finally concluded to marry and settle down, and to this end, succeeded in persuading a girl living some miles away, to unite her fortunes with his. The mother of the bridegroom elect, who was a highly respectable lady, thinking or at least hoping, that marriage would work a reformation in her wayward son, had exerted herself to bring about the union, and had prepared a wedding feast for the occasion. He had brought the girl to his mother's, where the marriage was to take place, and all things being in readi- ness, he posted off to Charleston for the documents that were to bind together
" Two souls with but a single thought,
Two hearts that beat as one."
*As it happened it was Brother E.'s time to preach, but his dinner had so upset him that he could not come to time.
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
But at Charleston the devil tempted him, or perhaps he met with some of his old chums, got drunk, and finally got in jail, where he was detained two or three days in "durance vile." When set at liberty, he struck out for home, came by Mr. Honn's, and asked him to go to his mother's with him as he was going to be married, and wanted him to tie the nuptial knot. Thinking the fellow was jesting. he demurred, as it was then getting dusk, but he stoutly asserted that he was in earnest, so Mr. Honn said, "Well, you show me the marriage license and give me a dollar, and I will submit to being fooled, and will go with you." To this he assented, paying over the last dollar he had. and Mr. Honn mounted his horse and away they went. Upon arriving. the house was dark, and everybody apparently abed. Mr. Honn told him that did not look much like a wedding, but he said it was all right. When they went in they found all abed, sure enough. A married daughter was living with the old lady, and into the room where she was in bed, he was conducted by the young man, handed a chair and asked to take a seat. The expectant bride- groom inquired of his sister where the girl was, calling her by name, and was informed that she was sleeping in the next room. "I'll bring her out," said he, Mr. Honn sitting by all this time, taking in the ludicrous position in which he was placed. The young man went in where the girl was in bed, and for a long time he heard them in earnest conversation, he begging hier to get up and be married, and she refusing. She told him he had "gone back on her." that she had sent her clothes home and had nothing to wear (unwittingly quoting Flora MeFlimsey) but an old, dirty calico dress. But as it usually turns out. the stronger prevailed over the weaker vessel, and she agreed to "get up and get married." provided his sister would loan her a dress. This modest request being granted, she arose, arrayed herself in her sister-in-law's (as was soon to be) "good clothes," the knot was tied. The pair was spliced, and the officiating minister returned to his home, with a consciousness that, if he had earned his dollar, he had at least enjoyed the earning of it.
THE NOBLE RED MAN.
In common with other portions of the country, this section was at one time in possession of the Indians, and these forests the hunting-grounds of " ye noble red men." They were plenty here long after the whites began settle- ments in the country. We have heard of no outrages committed by them in this immediate vicinity on the white people, but elsewhere in this history, is told how " war's fierce conflict raged," and battles are described that were fought on the " sacred soil " of Coles County, between the savages and their pale-faced enemies. But these events belong not to this chapter. Mr. J. W. Brown, mentioned among the early settlers of this township, gives us the following Indian experience: An Indian settlement, adjacent to his father's, was under the administration of a chief named Ka-Nec-Kuck, a fine-looking specimen of the " noble red man, " somewhat intelligent and very religious. He sometimes
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
tried to preach, would go into a trance and see visions, which he would detail to his people. In his tribe was a warrior whose mind had lost its balance, and he was at times dangerously crazy. On one occasion he was shown some pictures of Bible scenes, among them a serpent representing the devil. Upon looking at the frightful picture, a shudder appeared to thrill his entire frame .. and, seizing a rifle, he shot an Indian named Black Beaver dead in his tracks before he could be restrained, or before any one seemed to realize his intention. The chief, Ka-Nee-Kuck, with a deputation, came to Mr. Brown's father, Jonathan W. Brown, for his opinion as to what ought to be done with a man under such circumstances. Mr. Brown explained to them that the man was not responsible for the deed, as he was insane and ignorant of the great crime he had committed, and they should properly secure him to prevent a repetition of the deed. They took him to a grove of timber and tied him to a tree, but with the inordinate cunning, common to crazy people, he succeeded in making his escape. Black Beaver, the man killed, was buried in Mr. Brown's pasture, but, in that early day, as well as in the present age of refinement, the graves of the dead were not always left in undisturbed repose, and the body of Black Beaver was resurrected (it was supposed by a medical student named Smith) to promote the cause of science. These Indian scenes are all long past, and the very existence of Indians in this country is almost forgotten. Very few are living who remember them from personal knowledge. They have faded away in the mists of the past, just as the pioneer's hut, with its yawning fire-place extending across one end, its puncheon floor, and its cracks chinked and daubed with mud, have passed away. These old relics of the by-gone days, and the ox-teams, the old barshare and Cary plows, the scythe and cradle, and the reap- hook will soon be nothing more than fire-side tales. As we view the flying railroad train, the patent reapers and mowers, the plows now in use, the mag- nificent residences dotting the plain, and the beautiful villages scattered here and there, we are forced to acknowledge that the strides of invention and im- provement of the past fifty years have far exceeded the wildest stretch of human calculation, and we turn from contemplating the world's progress, to muse on what the next half a century may produce.
SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, STORES, ETC
The first schoolhouse in the township was built on the hill near " Pole Cat Bridge," about 1832-33, and was the usual type of the backwoods schoolhouse, viz., built of round logs, covered with clapboards, chinked and daubed with mud, the fire-place taking up one end of the building, a puncheon floor-sometimes mother earth furnished the floor. This was the ordinary temple of learning in those days, and the school commonly consisted of a dozen or so dirty urchins, presided over by an old-fogy schoolmaster, as represented in the following lines :
" Old Master Brown brought his ferule down, And his face looked angry and red.
' Go, seat you there, now, Anthony Blair, Along with the girls,' he said.
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" Then Anthony Blair, with mortified air, With his head down on his breast, Took his penitent seat, by the maiden sweet, That he loved, of all, the best.
" And Anthony Blair seemed whimpering there, But the rogue only made believe : For he peeped at the girls with the beautiful curls, And ogled them over his sleeve." *
The first school taught in Ashmore Township was by a man named Foster, before building the schoolhouse above named. Who first taught in the house mentioned, our informant had forgotten. The educational facilities have in- creased, however, since the days of these old-time schools, in proportion to the increase and improvement in everything else. The town is advantageously laid out in school districts, elegant and comfortable houses erected, competent teachers employed and the cause of education liberally supported.
Rev. Isaac Hill is supposed to have preached the first sermon in Ashmore Township. He and his son. I. B. Hill, were among the early settlers of the county, and the elder Hill was a local preacher. Rev. John Steele was another of the early preachers, and is further alluded to in the history of Hitesville. Elder P. K. Honn is also one of the pioncer preachers of the town. The only church edifice in the township outside of the villages and hamlets, is Enon Missionary Baptist Church, in the southern part. It is quite an elegant brick edifice, and cost between $2,000 and $2,500, and was erected in 1875. It was dedicated by Rev. Mr. Riley (now of Paris) soon after its completion. The first Pastor was Rev. Mr. Thornton ; the present one is Rev. A. Jones, and the society numbers about fifty members. Its numbers have been considerably lessened by death and removals. A flourishing Sunday school is maintained during the summer, but is usually disbanded at the beginning of the winter season. Other church history is more fully given in that of the villages.
The first stores in the town will be mentioned in the history of the villages and hamlets, as will many other points generally occurring in the township histories. The first regular blacksmith in the town of Ashmore was Peter K. Honn, one of the early settlers, and who opened a shop at Hitesville soon after coming to the settlement. John Carter was a blacksmith, but did not follow it as a regular business, and when Honn opened a shop. quit it altogether. The first death in the settlement it is supposed was a child of Adam Cox's, and occurred about 1831. It was buried in the grave-yard laid out near Mr. Wells'. and was the first occupant of that little city of the dead. The first marriage and the first birth are alike forgotten, but that " such have been," the present population stands as incontrovertible evidence.
VILLAGE OF ASHMORE.
Ashmore is situated on the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, about seven miles east of Charleston. It was surveyed and laid out February 14, 1855, by
* For a truthful application of these lines, the reader is referred to "Uncle Jobey " Brown, who can give a some- what similar experience.
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
H. J. Ashmore and James D. Austin, and for the former of whom it was named. The entire village stands on the original Austin farm ; Ashmore had bought out some of the Austin heirs, and hence owned a part of the land when the village was laid out. The first store was opened by John Hogue, on the laying out of the place. McAllister & Ashmore, who had a store on the road, half a mile southwest of the town " before it was," moved their store to the new village, and became the second house of the kind in Ashmore. Van Dyke & Hogue put up the first dwelling in the little village. The first blacksmith-shop was kept by William English. The Waters boys started a wagon-shop about the same time. The first mill in the village was built by J. A. Brown in 1856. and was burned some three or four years afterward. A brother of Brown's was the first railroad agent at Ashmore. The present mill was built by Clement & Fish, about 1866. It stands near the railroad track. just east of the station, is a frame building, with two runs of buhrs and does a good business. It is owned at present by Chris Miller, an efficient man, who thoroughly understands the milling business. The first tavern was kept by H. J. Ashmore. is still standing and kept at present by A. B. McDavid. The village boasts of another hotel, the Franklin House, kept by John Franklin. The first post office was estab- lished on the laying out of the village, with Thomas O'Brien as Postmaster. Elias Monroe represents Uncle Sam in the post office department here at pres- ent. The first schoolhouse was built in 1857-58, and was a kind of partnership affair with the religious people. It was finally purchased for school purposes, and so used until the building of the present edifice. Washington Boyer and Charles P. Scott were the first teachers in the village, but which one has the honor of teaching the first school cannot be ascertained. Prof. R. H. Chase is Principal of the school at present. and Miss Roma Carter. assistant teacher. The present fine brick schoolhouse was built in 1871. is two-stories high and cost about $3.000.
A summary of the business of Ashmore presents the following showing : four general stores-Zimmerman & Monroe, F. M. Waters, Waters Brothers & Davis and J. R. Snyder ; three grocery stores-Joshua Rickets, Peter Shleppy and George O'Brien ; two drug stores-A. F. Robertson and W. R. Comstock ; five physicians-Drs. Van Dyke, Steele, Robertson, Hobart and Honn ; one hardware store-Austin, Brown & Kimball, who also handle lumber. furniture and agricultural implements ; stoves and tinware, J. A. Brown : shoe- shop. J. H. Poulson ; harness-shop, James C. Coulson ; marble-shop. Charles E. Cox : four blacksmith-shops-Charles W. Waters (both wood and iron), P. B. Parcell, John Mell and Woodworth & Ault : two wood-shops-Thomas Kincade and O. D. Stoddert. It is a flourishing little village, with a set of wide-awake. ener- getic business men. In addition to the above business directory. there is a grain warehouse, which does quite a business. Considerable grain is shipped from this point, mostly however, by the merchants of the place, who buy in a small way. A good deal of stock, cattle and hogs. is also shipped from this station.
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