USA > Illinois > Jo Daviess County > The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion history of the Northwest, history of Illinois Constitution of the United States > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104
In connection with Godfrey, Gilman & Co., of Alton, and backed by the old State Bank of Illinois, he largely controlled the business of lead
GUILFORD TOWNSHIP
251
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
mining and gave a prodigious impetus to the mining interests by advancing largely to miners and inciting them to new discoveries. In the competition in the purchase of mineral at the time, it was said that in traveling over the country in the pursuit of his object, lie used to carry his money in the top of his hat, ready to advance to any miner wlio pretended to have a rea- sonable "show" of mineral.
In 1847 Capt. Gear was a member of the State Senate. He was one of the original projectors of the Illinois Central Railroad; also of the Pacific. He was three times married, and left five children: Charlotte Maria (now Mrs. Girdon), Alexander H., John C., Clarissa E. and William O. Impetuous and indomitable energy, undaunted courage, unyielding firmness, strictest honesty and great generosity were the prominent char- acteristics of Capt. H. H. Gear. In the days of his prosperity he con- tributed liberally to all public and charitable enterprises. He gave to Galena the lots on which its public school building stands, and established the Episcopal Church in Galena. He was and is a part of the history of Jo Daviess County.
James G. Soulard, now an aged man, still lives amid the scenes of his earlier life. Of him Hon. E. B. Washburne says: "He still holds that high place in the esteem, respect and affection of all our people which a long life of probity and honor have secured to him. Is probably the only man living who ascended the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Fort Snelling as early as 1821. What he has lived to see in the development of this country, surpasses all that which could have been conceived by the wildest imagination."
Early in 1827 the name of the Village of Fever River was changed to Galena, and became generally known by that name. It is said that to Dr. Samuel C. Muir belongs the honor of giving it this name, suggested by the name applied to lead ore, but this is doubtful. A public meeting was held to select a name, in the Winter of 1826-'7, and at that meeting Richard W. Chandler is said to have suggested the name "Galena," which was adopted.
The first public religious services known to be held in the mines occurred in 1827, conducted, says Lorrain, by Rev. Revis Cormac. It is said, how- ever, that an Episcopal clergyman, a chaplain of the Hudson Bay Company at York Factory; was here, weather bound, in 1826, and preaclied on Sun- day in the log tavern then just built opposite the present site of the De Soto House.
In the Autumn of this year Hugh W. Shannon built a saw mill on Small Pox Creek, about one mile from its mouth, having received a permit dated July 17, 1827, from the superintendent of lead mines to occupy 80 acres of land there. This, says Mr. St. Cyr, is the first saw mill known to be built in this county. Mr. Seymour, in his "History of Galena," pub- lished in the first directory, 1847, says: "The first mill in this section of county, carried by water power, was a corn-cracker, erected on Spring Brook, near the northern limits of the city. The hopper held about a peck, and the building which sheltered it was a dry goods box." But singularly enough Mr. Seymour omitted to give the date of this primitive mill. It is now to be added, however, that this mill was put in operation by Hiram Imus in 1828. It was the corn-cracker of the pioneers, a cast iron mill, like a huge coffee mill. These mills were usually run by hand, but Imus contrived to run his machine by water.
During this year (1827), much sickness prevailed in the Mining Dis-
15
ยท
1
252
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
trict. Dysentery, diarrhea, or flux, prevailed as an epidemic to an alarming extent. The few doctors in the county were constantly engaged, but there was much suffering for the want of medical attendance and proper nursing, and many deaths occurred in consequence.
In the Winter of 1826-'7 occurred the famous dispute, graphically described in Lorrain's " Centennial History." In the Summer or Fall of 1826, two boys had discovered a rich lead. Complying with the reg- ulations to secure their claim, they concluded to let it rest for a while, and attend Mr. Lawrence's school. While doing this, an adventurer, who liad lost, as the miners termed it, his " bottom dollar," came across their diggings, " jumped," and applied to the agent for a permit. Mr. McKnight, discov- ering that the boys made a prior claim, appointed J. Duncan and James Higley arbitrators in the case, who decided in favor of the boys. Lorrain says:
The defeated party, being a great athletic fellow, declared that he would not stand by the decision, but would resort to the law of might. Early the next morning the two lads, instead of going to school, armed themselves and went out to their claim. They had not been there long before their opponent also appeared, fully armed. The boys ordered him to stand. and told him that now was the time to try the case by his code. He scanned their countenances for a few moments and then left, never disturbing them again. Both of these boys are now living, in the persons of Capt. D. S. Harris, of Galena, and his brother, R. S. Harris, of Dubuque, Iowa.
Better than any history compiled from the fragmentary statements of after years-better even than unaided memory, striving often in vain to recall the events of fifty years ago, are the letters and memoranda written at that time by intelligent men, who lived here, and knew whereof they wrote. Dr. E. G. Newhall has permitted the following copy of a letter, written by his honored father, Dr. Horatio Newhall, to his brother Isaac Newhall, Esq., of Salem, Mass., to be taken expressly for this work. It will be valuable to the people of this county, both on account of the information it conveys, and because the writer, now passed away, is tenderly enshrined in their memories.
GALENA, FEVER RIVER LEAD MINES, UPPER MISSISSIPPI, SUPPOSED IN ILLINOIS, Nov. 20, 1827. )
Dear Brother:
I received, by the last mail brought here by steamboat "Josephine," a newspaper from you, on the margin of which were endorsed the following words: "Write a full account." I was rejoiced to see once more a Massachusetts paper, and presume you meant by the endorsement, a full account of "Fever River." This would puzzle me or any other person on the River. It is a nondescript. It is such a place as no one could conceive of, without seeing it. Strangers hate it, and residents like it. The appearance of the country would convince any one it must be healthy; yet, last season, it was more sickly than Havana or New Orleans. There is no civil law here, nor has the Gospel been yet introduced; or, to make use of a common phrase here, " Neither law nor Gospel can pass the rapids of the Mis- sissippi." The country is one immense prairie, from the Rock River on the south to the Ouisconsin on the north, and from the Mississippi on the west, to Lake Michigan on the east. It is a hilly country and abounding withi lead ore of that species called by ininer- alogists " galena," whence is derived the name of our town. The lead mines of the Upper Mississippi, as well as those of Missouri, are under the control of the Secretary of War. Lieutenant Thomas is superintendent. He resides at St. Louis : a sub-agent resides at this place. Any person wishing to dig gets a permit of the agent to do so, by signing certain regulations, the principal of which is that he will sell his mineral to no one but a regularly licensed smelter. He has all the mineral he can raise, and sells it at $17.50 per thousand (pounds), delivered at tlie furnaces. Any person who gets a permit stakes off two hundred yards square. This is his lot so long as he works it, and no one can interfere with his dis- coveries. Any person who will give bond to government for $5,000 can have half a mile square, on condition that he employs 20 laborers, and pays government ten per cent of lead made from mineral raised on his survey, or sells his mineral to a public smelter. The pub-
253
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
lic smelters, of which I am onc, give bond for $20,000 to pay government one tenth of all lead manufactured. They buy mineral of any person who has a permit to dig, manufacture it into lead, pay government one tenth, monthly, and are the great men of the country. The mineral, lead, and cash all go into their hands. H. Newhall & Co. got their furnace in operation 1st of Sept., 1827. I made, by the 15th, twenty tons of lead. My men became sick, and I made but 14,000 pounds until 1st of November, since which time I have manu- factured about 17,000 pounds every week. I have a store of goods, in Galena, for the sup- ply of those with whom I have dealings, and never sell anything for less than 50 per cent advance. My furnace is on the Sinsinawa River, three miles from Galena, a streamn naviga- ble for boats to my furnace. * * The privilege of working these mines, you know, was first given by the government to Col. Johnson, of Kentucky, five years ago (in 1822). He did but little and sunk money. Not much lead was made here till last year. There were then four log buildings in Galena. Now there are one hundred and fifteen houses and stores in the place. It is the place of deposit for lead and provisions, ctc., for all the mining coun- try. There is no spot in America, of the same size, where there is one fourth of the capital, or where so muchi business is done. There was manufactured here, in the year ending Sep- tember last, five million seven hundred and forty pounds of lead. The population consists mainly of Americans, Irish and Freneli (that is, in the diggings). There are but compara- tively few females. Hence, every female, unmarried, who lands on these shores, is immediately married. Little girls, fourteen and thirteen years old, are often married here. Three young ladies, who came, fellow passengers withi nie, in June, and the only ones on board, are all married months since. Du' Buque's Mines, on the opposite side of the Missis- sippi, are worked by the Fox Indians. They, however, merely skim the surface. The. windlass and bucket are not known among them. Du' Buque's Mines is a delightful spot, particularly the Fox Village, on the bank of the Mississippi. But of all the places in the United States, which I have seen, Rock Island, at the lower rapids of the Mississippi, called the Rapids of the Des Moines, is by far the most beautiful. Fort Armstrong is on this island. At the mouth of Fever River is a trading house of the American Fur Company. Their trading houses are scattered up and down the Mississippi, on the River Des Moines, St. Peters, etc. Their capital is so large, and they gave such extensive credit to the Indians, that no private establishment can compete with them. An Indian debt is outlawed, by their own custom, in one year. The fur company credits each Indian hunter a certain amount from one to five hundred dollars, according to his industry and skill in hunting and trapping. If, when they return in the Spring, they have not furs and peltry enough to pay the debt, the trader loses it. But on the goods sold to the Indians there is a profit of two or three hundred per cent made, and a profit on the furs received in payment.
Dec. 7, 1827.
Fever River was closed with ice on the 21st of November, and, of course, navigation is ended, and I have not sent my letter. I now have an opportunity to forward it by private conveyance to Vandalia. We are now shut out from all intercourse with the world until the river opens again in Spring. We have no mail as yet, but shall have a mail once in two weeks to commence the 1st of January next. I have not received a letter from one of my friends since I have been in Fever River. I hope you will write me before 1st of January, or as soon as you receive this letter. Sincerely yours,
H. NEWHALL.
This letter was mailed at Vandalia Dec. 25, and by it is established the fact that although Fever River post-office was established in 1826, it was not regularly supplied, even once a fortnight, until the Spring of 1828. Mails were brought by steamboat in the Summer, and in the Winter the people had none.
In the Fall of 1827, Strader & Thompson brought a keel-boat load of general merchandise, including a quantity of flour and pork, from St. Louis. Mr. Bouthillier, whose trading house was on the east side of the river, near the present site of the railroad station, purchased the entire cargo to secure the flour, as that was scarce, even then. Winter set in without a suffi- cient supply of provisions to supply the wants of the miners. Nearly all the flour obtainable was held by Bouthillier. It was sour and hard. He chopped it out of the barrels with hatchets, pounded it, sifted it loosely into other barrels, filling two with the original. contents of one, and then sold it for $30 per barrel. Even then, the settlers saw with alarm, that there was not enough to last until Spring. The Winter of 1827-'8 was mild and open
.
254
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
until Jan. 6; the streets had been muddy, and "not freezing in the least, even at night "-but the river froze over then. Word had reached St. Louis that the people in the mines were destitute of provisions. The steamboat, "Josephine," Capt. Clark, was loaded with flour and started off to take her chances of getting as near as possible to the mines. Slowly she made her way up the Mississippi, and when she reached the mouth of Fever River, the warm weather had weakened the ice, and she made her way, ull- heralded, to Galena. The date of her arrival is fixed by the following entry in a memorandum book, kept by Dr. H. Newhall: " Feb. 25, 1828, arrived steamboat 'Josephine ;' broke the ice to get up Fever River." Farther corroborated by a letter from Dr. Newhall to his brother, dated March 1, 1828, in which he says: "To our astonishment, on Monday last, a steam- boat arrived from St. Louis." The people rushed to the bank, rejoiced and amazed to see a steamboat loaded with flour, except Bouthillier. The day before, Mr. Gratiot had offered him $25 a barrel for all the flour he had, and the offer was refused. Mr. Gratiot now asked him what he would take for liis flour, and Bonthillier, with a shing, replied: "Damn! hell ! suppose, by gar !" what man tinks one steamboat come up Fever River in mid de Wint?" Feb. 27, the river froze over, and March 5 the boat was still detained by ice, bnt arrived at St. Louis abont March 14.
The following extracts from a letter from Dr. H. Newhall to his brother, dated March 1, 1828, will give some idea of social life in the mines 50 years ago:
We have had but two mails this Winter. It has been pleasantly warm here during Winter, and the heavy rains caused the ice in the riverto break. *
* It has been extremely cold for four days ; the river is closed with ice, and the boat (the " Josephine," which arrived/ on the 25th1), consequently detained. We have been almost completely isolated from the rest of the world this Winter. We have received the President's Message and proceedings of Congress up to the 26th of December, since that time we have had nothing. We, in Galena, enjoyed our- selves well during the Winter. There have been ten or twelve balls, the last was on the 22d of February. At noon a salute was fired from the cannon received during the Winne- bago War. In the evening a ball was given at the Cottage Hotel (the name applied by Dr. N. to the log tavern on the west side of Main Street, corner of Green), in a hall (building) sixty feet in length, ornamented with evergreens. * * There were sixty ladies and ninety gentlemen present. The ladies were elegantly dressed, and many of them were handsome. The ball was managed with a degree of propriety and decorum scarcely to be expected in this wild country. Had I been suddenly transported into the ball-room, I should have imagined myself in some eastern city, rather than in the wilds of the upper Mississippi. Little should I have dreamed that within five miles was the home of the savage, and that only twelve miles off is a large Fox village, where I have witnessed the Indian dance around a fresh taken scalp. March 5 .- The steamboat ("Josephine ") is still detained by ice. * * The Miners' Journal, a newspaper, will be commenced at Galena by 1st of May next. The proprietor, in his prospectus, calls it the Northern Herald. He altered the name at my suggestion. *
* " Old Buck," the Fox chief, who discovered (?) the famous " Buck Lead," has been encamped all Winter within a mile of my furnace (on the Sinsinawa, three miles from town). Himself and sons often visit me in town.
The Miner's Journal, to which allusion is made, was not started at the time fixed. The first number was issued July 8, 1828, by James Jones, proprietor, under the editorial supervision of Dr. Newhall. The first printing in the first printing office established at Galena, by Jones, is said to have been an invitation to a ball and excursion, of which the follow- ing is a fac simile as to style, orthography and punctuation:
-
255
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
STEAM-BOAT INDIANA.
AMERICAN INDIPENDENCE.
M The pleasure
of your company is respectfully solicited to a Party to be given on board the Steam-Boat Indiana, on Friday the 4th day of July, at 8 o'clock, A. M.
M. C. COMSTOCK,
L. R. M. MORCE,
W. P. TILLTON,
D. B. MOREHOUSE,
W. HEMPSTEAD,
Managers.
G. H. M'NEAIR,
J. H. LOCKWOOD,
H. NEWHALL. Galena June 24th, 1828.
The date of the highest water in the Mississippi within the period of the occupation of this county by the whites, has been variously stated by historians, and men's memories differ. It has been fixed by Seymour, Lorrain and others as occurring in the Summer of 1826. Careful inquiry, however, seems to establish the fact that while the water in the river was higli in 1826, it was still higher in 1827, and the highest flood occurred June, 1828. Capt. D. S. Harris, H. B. Hunt, Allan Tomlin, H. H. Gear, and others who were here at that time, agree on the statement that the highest water was in 1828, when, says Capt. H., " the Indians informed me that it was two feet higher than they had ever known it." Steamboats crossed the Portage in ten feet of water, passed along over the bottom where Main Street now is located (the street has been raised considerable since then), took on lead at Meeker's Point, near the present Court House, ran up Meeker's Branch and loaded lead at Miller's tavern, etc. The water backed up to Hughlett's furnace. Capt. Harris states that in "1826 there was a heavy freshiet on the Wisconsin River, which submerged Prairie du Chien, but it did not extend to the upper Mississippi or to the other tributaries, hence was not felt here very much." He also states that the water was always higher in the Mississippi, and, of course, in Fever River, in those earlier years than it is now.
The arrivals at the mines during 1828 were very numerous. The Sucker trails were full of teams, and steamboats and keel-boats were loaded with emigrants. Among the numerous throng inay be mentioned George Ferguson, B. C. St. Cyr. W. Townsend, Jesse Morrison, and hundreds of others. Daniel Wann, Frederick Stahl, Emily C. Billon (who subsequently married John Atchison), C. S. Hempstead, and Rev. Aratus Kent, are among the arrivals of 1829. Mr. Wann has been intimately connected with the history of this region from that day to the present. He was formerly largely engaged in trade and in river navigation, but for the last 25 years has been Surveyor of the Port of Galena, and, says Mr. Washburne, " has always performed his duty with so much satisfaction to the Government and the people, through all administrations, that, in all the desire for office, no man has ever sought to displace him." Mr. Kent organized the first Presbyterian Church, Oct. 23, 1831, with six members, as follows: Abraham Hathaway, Abraham Miller, Eliza Barnes, Ann Crow, Susan Gratiot and
256
al woman h
HISTORY OF JO DAVIES COUNTY Driving one ham my stahl was to ashower of his
Isabella McKibbins. Mr. Stahl engaged in trade, and, so far as known, took the first lead by wagon to Chicago, in 1833, at the time the Potawattomie Treaty was made. He loaded two eight-ox teams, belonging to Hiram Edes, with 3,500 pounds of lead each. The ronte was via Dixon, and, says Mr. Stahl, these teams made the first heavy wagon trail on that route, although some light government wagons had passed over the route in 1832.
Among those who came here prior to 1830, whose names have not been inentioned, were James Jones, who established the Miners' Journal, Dr. Addison Philleo, John L. Bogardus (1826), Benj. Mills, one of the most brilliant lawyers of his time, Dr. A. T. Crow, Samuel Scales, Robert Graham, the. Gray brothers, Abner Field, the Argent family, and Gen. Henry Dodge. Then Brush came m 1827 wil
In 1829, David G. Bates built a small steamboat at Cincinnati and called her the "Galena," to run between Galena and St. Louis. In the Spring or Summer of that year, Robert S. Harris went to Cincinnati and came up on her first trip as engineer. She run only a short time and was lost. his
October 10, 1829, that sturdy pioneer, who had done so much for the infant settlement; who had made the first farm in Northern Illinois; who had seen the little hamlet on Fever River suddenly expand, in the short space of six years, into a town of no little commercial importance-JAMES HARRIS-died suddenly of cholera, the second victim, it is said, of that terri- ble scourge in the "mines," and the second to be borne to his final resting place under Masonic honors (Thomas H. January being the first, Dec. 1, 1828). Mr. Harris enjoyed the entire confidence of the. people among whom he lived and died. He was one of the first commissioners of Jo Daviess County, and one of the first justices of the peace in the county. He was faithful to the interests confided to him by the people, and was the first man in the county who died in office. James Harris was born in Connecticut, October 14, 1777; married Abigail Barthrick, of Kin- derhook, N. Y. (born March 24, 1782), November 9, 1797. Subsequently removed to Ohio, thence to Fever River. By the death of her linsband Mrs. Harris was left with six children at home to rear and train. the eldest of whom was then but twenty years old. The brave women who accom- panied their pioneer husbands to this wild country at that early day, of whom Mrs. Harris was one of the first, are entitled to a conspicnons place in history. They were indeed the mothers of the frontier, the worthy com- panions and counselors of those noble and fearless men-the advance guard of civilization destined ere long to occupy the whole country. Mrs. Harris was a woman of sterling worth, a consistent Christian, affable, charitable, and universally beloved and respected. She lived to see her children become useful and honored members of society, and died July 9, 1844.
In the Winter of 1832-'3, Captain D. S. Harris and his brother, R. S. Harris, built the first steamboat built on Fever River, at the Portage, and called her the " Jo Daviess." These men were among the earliest pioneers in Galena steamboating. No men on the Upper Mississippi were ever better known or more highly esteemed and respected. They were perfect masters of their profession, and as engineers, pilots and commanders, had no superiors. They run the "Jo Daviess " themselves, and prior to 1840 bought out the " Heroine," the " Frontier," the " Smelter," the " Relief," . the " Pizarro," the " Pre-emption," and the "Otter,"
257
HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Negro slavery existed in the mines for some years. Many of the early miners were from slave-holding states, and brought their slaves with them. In 1823, when Captain Harris arrived, there were from 100 to 150 negroes here. Under the ordinance of 1787, slavery was forever prohibited in the Northwestern Territory, but Illinois sought to evade this organic law by tlie enactment of statutes by which these slaves could be held here as " indentured " or "registered servants," and these statutes were known as the Black Laws. As late as March 10, 1829, the commissioners of Jo Daviess County ordered a tax of one half per cent to be levied and collected on " town lots, slaves, indentured or registered servants," etc." There is now living in Galena a venerable old colored man, Swanzy Adams, born a slave, in Virginia, in April, 1796, who moved to Kentucky, and thence, in April, 1827, to Fever River, as the slave of James A. Duncan, on the old steamer " Shamrock." His master "hired him" to Captain Comstock, for whom he worked as a miner. He subsequently bought himself for $1,500 (although he quaintly says, " good boys like me could be bought in Kentuck for $350 "), and discovered a lead on Sunday that paid it, but he was compelled to serve five years longer as a slave, and was once kidnapped and taken to St. Louis. "Old Swanzy," as he is familiarly called, is the sole survivor of the slaves held under the Black Laws of Illinois, then in force, but which have long since been swept from her statute books. It is pleasant to add that, by hard labor, industry and economy, since he owned himself, " Swanzy " has secured a comfortable home and competence against want in his declining years.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.