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 63
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In 1835, Thomas Burbridge and his two brothers, Rollin and Jackson, ac- companied by John R. Smith, ;built a house on Apple River, at a place afterwards called Millville, and moved into it. In the Spring of 1836, they built a saw mill at that place, which was the first saw mill built on Apple River, with the exception of one built by Mr. Craig, at a place then called Wappello, but now known as Hanover. In this saw mill the Burbridges cut a vast amount of lumber, which they sold very readily to the new settlers who were then coming into the country. The Burbridges were all young men. Their mother kept house for them many years. She was a type of the pioneer women of America, and was highly respected by all who knew her. She died in 1874, in the 97th year of her age.
In 1835, Mr. Absalom Power settled about two miles west of Millville, near a Mound, which in honor of him was called Power's Mound. He had a large family-some eight or nine boys and two or three girls. The old gentleman and his wife died at their residence near the Mound.
In the Spring of 1836, George N. Townsend, Ira L. Townsend and Hol- stead S. Townsend, settled in the Township of Rush, about four miles south of Millville, near the Bald Mound. They built houses that Summer, purchasing their lumber of the Messrs. Burbridge. In the Fall they moved on and became actual settlers of the town. They quite naturally settled near together, and the place was known as the Townsend Settlement for many miles around.
The following extracts are from a paper written by H. S. Townsend, one of the oldest settlers :
" At this time the tide of emigration had fairly set in. Mr. Asher Miner came on in the Fall of 1836, from the State of New York, his family following him in the Fall of the next year. They settled in the Township of Rush, in what is known as Miner's Grove, about one and one half miles below Millville. Mr. Miner lived in the Townships of Rush and Nora for many years, and died in Nora in 1867, very much respected.
" RANSON Miner, son of Asher Miner, moved in at the time his father's family did, and settled in the Townsend Settlement, where he lived until his death in 1855. His wife yet lives on the old homestead.
" In 1837 Jasper Rosencrans moved into the Township of Rush, and set- tled in Townsend's Settlement, where he lived until 1850, when he went to California. Mr. Ira L. Townsend also went to California the same year. In September, 1850, they started home together, but were never heard of after- wards.
"Mr. Ira Bowker moved into the Township of Rush in 1837, and settled in Townsend Settlement, at what was known as Brushy Grove. He also went to California in 1850, and died while on his journey home, in Green County, in this state. His wife and most of his family are now living in Rush Township
"In 1837 Seth Post came to this county from New York, and in company with Mr. Charles Imus, erected a saw mill on Apple River, about two miles above Millville. This mill did a great deal of work, until the timber was ex- hausted, but it has now disappeared. Mr. Post returned to New York for his
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family, and was on his way back by way of the Ohio River, when at Cincinnati himself and wife were killed by the blowing up of the steamboat Mozelle, upon which they had taken passage. His two sons came on and resided here a num- ber of years, when they sold their mill and removed to the State of Wiscon- sin. Joseph, the younger son, entered the army during the great Rebellion, and was elected Captain. He was wounded at the battle of Shiloh, from the , effects of which he died. Lorenzo, the elder brother, is still living at Wayouaga, Wisconsin.
" Mr. Adam Arnold moved into the township in 1839, and settled near the old Kirker place, then occupied by the Imus family, where he died in 1850. He had a large family, most of whom yet reside in the Township of Rush.
"In 1839 Mr. George Renwick came on from the State of New York, and settled in Townsend Settlement, Brushy Grove. He died in 1871, leaving quite a large estate. The widow yet resides at the old homestead. He was highly esteemed and raised thirteen children, most of whom yet reside in this town.
" Such were the early settlers of Rush, and we might, even now, profit from the contemplation of their humble virtues, hospitable homes, and spirits noble, proud and free.
" Settlers were now coming in quite numerous, too much so to attempt to make special mention of them.
" Various as may have been the objects of our people in emigrating, no sooner had they come together, than there existed in each settlement a unison of feeling. In their intercourse with each other and with strangers, they were kind, beneficent and disinterested, extending to all the most generous hospitality which their circumstances could afford-their latch-string was always out. They were kind for kindness' sake, and sought no other recompense than the never- failing reward of an approving conscience.
" At the time of the first settlement of this township, the Indians were here, and for a time shared the country with us. They were of the Winnebago tribe, were generally friendly and did us but little harm.
"Game was plentiful, such as deer, turkeys, and a few bear. The game was all that brought the Indians here, and both soon disappeared.
" Mills were scarce and of rude construction, but we had no use for them until we had something to grind. If you had visited one of these settlers, you . would have been made heartily welcome, and would have been received in the most friendly manner. In their log cabins a bountiful meal would have been set before you, of venison and corn bread, or mush, the meal for which was ground on a tin grater. This was the best that could be had short of Galena. To purchase luxuries, we needed money, and that was an article we did not possess.
" At this day fancy fashions and foolish pride had not reached us. Then we had no regular mail in this part of the country. We received our mail from Galena, Shullsburg, or wherever we went to trade. We received a newspaper about once in two weeks, and such was the interest produced by its advent that no one would think of sleep until every word of the paper had been read aloud.
"Galena was the largest place in northern Illinois, and Jo Daviess County the greatest county. The county was divided into election precincts soon after -the precinct embracing the whole of the northeastern part of the county, including what is now the Towns of Thompson, Apple River, Warren, Nora, Stockton, Ward's Grove and Rush. Elections were held at the house of Hiram Imus, at the old Kirker place. At that time the elections were held on the first Monday in August ; but for many years they were lightly attended. Other matters occupied too much time and attention.
" The business of the county was done by three men called county com- missioners. Those three men appointed three others in each election precinct,
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who managed the elections. But in 1838 there were two justices elected in the ยท precinct. One lived in the Town of Rush. His name was Jedediah P. Miner. (He was a brother of Asher Miner, heretofore mentioned.) He came into the country about 1837, and on the first Monday in August, 1838, he was elected a Justice of the Peace in what was afterward the Township of Rush. He was the first justice ever elected in the town, and we all felt that we were rising in the world-and truly we were, for we then had a court of justice in our own town. However, we had but little use for our newly-elected justice. Any difficulty was generally settled by arbitration ; there were no deeds to be made out, for our land was not yet in the market. As for marrying, there was very little of that to be done, for marriageable parties were about as scarce as money in old Jo Daviess County.
" What we needed most just now was a post-office, as we had become tired of receiving our mail but once in two or three weeks; so we got up a petition, directed to the Postmaster General, asking him to appoint John R. Smith Post- master, and give us a mail once a week. Our worthy Postmaster General granted our petition, but required us to furnish a name for our post-office-a thing we had not before thought of. But that was easily supplied, and as there was but one mill in the town, with a strong probability that more would soon be built there, we named our post-office Millville; a name that the place yet bears. This post-office was of great value to us; we all began to take the weekly papers, and began to look a little into the affairs of our county, state and national government. With the increase in knowledge, came an increase in population and wealth. We had opened up our farms; our land produced bountifully ; we raised cattle and hogs in abundance."
But now other wants were pressing upon the people. Children were grow- ing up uneducated, and it was necessary to have school-houses.
In 1838, near the late residence of G. N. Townsend, the first school-house in the eastern end of the county was built. Pupils came to it from long dis- tances. The late Gen. John A. Rawlins attended school here, also Joseph Moore. The second school-house built in the Township of Rush was erected in 1842. Miss Abigail Tyrrell-afterwards Mrs. Benjamin Parker-was engaged to teach the pupils of this school, which consisted of the three children, each, of Henry Rice, Philip Rice and H. S. Townsend and two of a Mr. Duncan. Both schools were continued for a number of years, or until the settlement demanded a larger house and different locality. At that time there were no school laws, or at least none were in force.
In April, 1847, the public land sale took place at Dixon. Until that time the people were but "squatters " on the public domain. There was, of course, considerable trouble among the settlers to procure enough ready money to purchase the lands to which they had laid claim. But those who were able to secure money sent it by a committee composed of Ira L. Townsend, Ira Bowker and Halstead S. Townsend, to Dixon, where the committee purchased the lands.
As there had been no surveys made there were many disputes as to the boundaries, so that the people of the township appointed a committee consist- ing of John D. Brown, George N. Townsend and John R. Smith, who were chosen arbitrators to settle such disputes.
In 1847, a grist mill was built in Millville by the owners, Messrs. Burbridge and Smith, and the old saw mill was torn down.
April 14, 1846, Millville was laid off on the southeast and southwest quar- ters of section 4, township 28, north of range 4, east of the 4th principal meridian, and bid fair to become a large town. A Mr. Dean built a blacksmith shop; John W. Marshall started a dry goods store; Mr. Eldridge Howard erected quite a large house, and opened a very good tavern there. Frink & Walker ran their stage line through the place, and Millville became quite a
John 2 Brown RUSH TOWNSHIP
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thriving village. Major Davenport and a Mr. Easley also started quite an exten- sive store in the place ; a Mr. Dorn also had a store there for a short time.
Millville was on the shortest route from Galena to Chicago, and consid- erable travel passed through the town. For a number of years it was the only town of any importance between Freeport and Galena. But when the Illinois Central Railroad was completed, the trade all went to towns along the line of the railroad, giving to Millville a stunning blow, from which it never recovered.
" But now the sounds of population fail ; No busy murmurs fluctuate the gale, No busy steps the grass-grown footway tread, But all the blooming flush of life is fled. * * * * * *
One only master grasps the whole domain, And half a tillage stints the smiling plain."
It is said that the love of money is the root of all evil : Be that as it may, we know that men will run greater risks for it than they will for anything else, and as proof of this we need only refer to the discovery of gold in California, which was made in 1848. Quite a large number of people went there in 1849, but in 1850 the tide seemed to break loose, and every body appeared to have contracted the gold fever. A great many went, and the Town of Rush furnished at least her full share of gold-seekers. The number of men who went from the Township of Rush can not now be given, nor the amount of money it took to fit them out. It was a great detriment to the township and county in general. As a rule the gold hunters did not get as much of the precious metal as it had cost to buy their outfits. Many returned to their homes broken down in con- stitution from the hardships they were forced to endure. The worst of all was the loss of life. `The Township of Rush lost three of her best citizens, all of whom left families, and two of them leaving large families of children to mourn their loss. They were Ira Bowker, Ira L. Townsend, and Jasper Rosenkrans.
When George N. Townsend came to Rush Township in 1836, his half brother, Sherod B. Townsend, aged fourteen years, came with and lived with him until he was twenty-one years of age. On attaining his majority he bought a tract of land and made a farm in the neighborhood of his brothers. September 14, 1846, he was married to Miss Matilda Durnan. Industrious and economical, they acquired a handsome property, but not being blessed with children, in the Spring of 1863, Sherod B. concluded to go to Montana and try his luck in the gold mines, but before going he made a will, dividing his property equally between his wife and an adopted son. He did not find things in the mines as he expected, and at once determined to return home. He sold his team and provisions, bought a light wagon, a pair of mules and a riding-horse, and started for Illinois. He came as far as Nevada, Iowa, in safety, but there he was mur- dered by a man named McMullen, the murder being committed in November or December, 1863. The murderer was a man whom Sherod B. Townsend had found destitute about the time he was starting home from Montana, and had given him free passage to Nevada, Iowa, where the murder was committed. He was subsequently arrested, indicted, etc., for the murder, and, we believe, was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged, but died in jail, before the time fixed for his execution.
Sherod B. Townsend's widow remained single until 1871, when she mar- ried Ambrose Campbell, and still lives on the old homestead.
But those days are numbered with the past, and although the country has outgrown the loss of life and money, yet the memory of the dead will never be forgotten until the present generation shall have passed away.
The Legislature had provided that the county might adopt Township Or- ganization, provided a majority of the people would vote in favor of it. In 1851 the question was brought before the people of the county, and by vote
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decided against Township organization. The following year G. N. Townsend and H. S. Townsend attended a Whig convention held at Elizabeth, where a resolution was passed favoring the Township organization, and at the next elec- tion the system was adopted. Hence the Township of Rush was organized by the committee appointed, in January, 1853.
On the first Monday in April, 1853, the Township meeting was held in the Township of Rush, when Halstead S. Townsend was elected Supervisor, and was re-elected for a number of years afterwards.
In 1870, the Township of Rush had a population of 1,037. It is out of debt, and the total assessed valuation of property in 1873 was $534,020. The assessed value is always below the real value.
In 1858, the Township of Rush had the honor of furnishing a Representa- tive in the State Legislature-Hon. H. S. Townsend being that Representative.
In 1861, our country was thrown into that terrible Rebellion which filled the land with widows and orphans. For that war the Township of Rush furnished 116 men, and the blood of many of her sons watered those Southern battle- fields. At the close of the war it was ascertained that the Township had fur- nished thirty-seven more men than had been required by law or the rules of war.
In 1853, George N. Townsend was appointed Postmaster at Rush, and retained the office until his removal to Warren, in 1875. Mr. Chas. McCowen was appointed in his place.
In 1872 or '73, J. L. Cox and brother erected a very fine flouring mill about one half mile north of Millville, an enterprise deserving the patronage of the entire community.
At present the Township is one of the foremost, agriculturally, in the County. Its public interests are maintained in keeping with its development, and its people are continuing in a course of steady, even prosperity and happiness.
ELIZABETH.
Including a Sketch of Elizabeth and Woodbine Townships.
The Village of Elizabeth is situated near the township line, between the Townships of Elizabeth and Woodbine. The historical fort of the Black Hawk War was situated near the same line ; and, in fact, the history of the two townships maintain, throughout, such intimate connection that it is thought advisable to unite them in our historical sketch.
The valley probably had no white visitor until the coming of A. P. Van Matre, in 1825. The legend is current that Mr. Van Matre was asked by an Indian girl whom he met, what he was seeking for. Upon replying that he was pros- pecting for mineral, he received the proposal, that if he would marry her, she would show him a good lead of mineral. He, doubtless, considered the bar- gain a very good one, and accepted it, when he was made acquainted with the diggings in the hollow, near Elizabeth, which have received his name. Here, on the bank of the river, he built the first smelting furnace in that part of the county, and also built a house on the opposite side of the river, where he con- tinued to live and mine. The diggings were not exhausted for more than a dozen years.
The next earliest accounts of a civilized visitor to the rich valley of Apple River point to Henry Van Volkenburg, who is reputed to have passed through the territory now called Elizabeth, as early as 1827, on a trapping and prospect- ing excursion. Mr. Van Volkenburg afterwards returned to Ohio, then came
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
back, and settled in Woodbine Township, where he lived until 1875, when he moved to Mitchell Co., Iowa.
In 1826, Jefferson Clark, John McDonald, and - Rogers came to this vicinity for mining purposes. Mr. McDonald soon erected a smelting furnace, and followed that business for some years.
Between this time and 1830, a large number of men came, being attracted by the rich mines.
Thaddeus Hitt came to Galena in 1825, and soon went to Elizabeth, where in 1831, he married his wife, Rebecca, who is still living near the village, where Mr. Hitt died, in June, 1877, at the age of eighty-three. Mrs. Hitt is the oldest living resident of Woodbine Township.
In 1827 Nathaniel Morris settled on his farm, four miles northwest of Elizabeth, where he still resides with his family, being the oldest living resident of Elizabeth Township.
Thomas Killion, a mulatto, with his family and a white man named Lee, set- tled about this time on a farm three fourths of a mile northeast of the village (in Woodbine Township).
A smelting furnace was built near the site of the fort, one half mile east of northeast from the village site (Woodbine Township) in 1827, by Labaum and St. Vrain,* who also opened the first store of the vicinity in a cabin situ- ated where Mr. Mathew's residence now stands. The furnace was managed by Charles Tracy until the Black Hawk War, after which it was not used.
James Flack settled in the southeastern part of Woodbine in 1828.
John D. Winters and family, settled on the Apple River at the site of the iron bridge, in Elizabeth Township. He and Captain Clack Stone owned the claim on which the village of Elizabeth is located and was for many years a prominent resident of this vicinity. His two children, Martha and Theodore, were the first white children born in Elizabeth Township.
. James Flack, John D. Winters and others came west in 1827 and raised the first corn in Elizabeth Township.
" Uncle Ben " Tart, as he is called, the oldest settler now living in the Village of Elizabeth and the second oldest resident of the township, came up the Mississippi on the steamer " Dove" and landed at Galena in April 1832, where, before getting off the boat, he hired out to Charles Bowers and came with him, on an ox wagon, to his farm three miles southwest of Elizabeth. Here he worked until in May of that year, when rumors of an Indian War frightened the scattered pioneers and brought them together at Labaum and St. Vrain's store for consultation. They did not remain long inactive, but before night had constructed a rude fort for their protection. Trees were felled, split, and about one hundred feet square of ground was enclosed by driving these rough posts down, close together, leaving them above ground about twelve feet. One corner of the fort was formed by the log house in which one of the settlers had lived. In the opposite corner, was built a " block house," of two stories, with the upper story projecting over the other about two feet, so that the Indians could not come up near to the building for the purpose of set- ting it on fire, without being exposed to the guns of the settlers, from above. On one side of the yard were built two long cabins, for dwelling purposes, and in the two corners not occupied by houses, benches were made to stand upon and reconnoitre.
On the first day there were but twenty-two men and twenty-three women and children in the fort. Among them the following names have been remem- bered :
Ambrose White, Captain Clack Stone, Samuel Hughlett, Robert Johnson, and family, including his son, then a young man, James and John Flack. Jesse
* A Frenchman, known as " Savery;" killed in the Black Hawk War.
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Van Buskirk, Jefferson Clark, Wm. Lawhorn, Nathaniel Morris and family, Henry Van Volkenburg and family, Thaddeus Hitt and family, John Armstrong and family, Benj. Tart, Charles Tracy, Mrs. Winters (her husband being at Galena) -Killion and family-Lee-Jamison and family, including son, John Murdock and family. Charles Bowers, arrived that evening from Galena. These people continued to live here for some time without being molested. Here the first marriage of white persons occurred ; Jane, a daughter of John Murdock was wedded to Jefferson Clark, the ceremony being performed by Mr. McDonald.
The people made use of lead, at the furnace of which Mr. Tracy had charge, to make a cannon; but this, says Mr. Tart, " proved useless until the capture of Black Hawk at the battle of Bad Axe, in Wisconsin, when it was load- ed to the muzzle and fired, in celebration of the event; it then burst, killing a soldier-probably the only person it killed during the war."
After moulding bullets and making all due preparations for an attack, the settlers began to have thought for the crops, which required attention. One man, Stephen H. Howard, returned to his farm, in Hanover Township, and was afterwards killed while endeavoring to regain horses which the Indians had stolen from his barn, a more complete account of which appears in the history of Hanover Township.
On a Sabbath of June, the 24th, four messengers-F. Dixon, G. W. Hercle- rode - Kirkpatrick, and Edmund Welch-who were en route from Galena to Dixon, were attacked by Indians while passing through the gap near the fort, and one of them, Mr. Welch, was wounded in the thigh. Mr. Dixon rode on, and reached Dixon in safety, but the others, including the wounded man, hur- ried to the fort.
The settlers there had just made up a gooseberrying party, and were starting out when the alarm was given, all hastened within the fort.
The Indians soon made an assault, but were repulsed. The women and children loaded guns for the men, by which they were enabled to keep up a rapid firing. This deceived the Indians as to the number of men within the fort, and they soon withdrew from the range of muskets. The attack lasted three quar- ters of an hour. The only life lost among those in the fort was that of George W. Herclerode, who was shot in the neck and instantly killed, as he was stand- ing on one of the benches, looking over the pickets, to try his, the only percus- sion-lock gun in the fort. It is not known how many, if any, Indians were killed, as they conceal their dead, although some blood was afterwards seen in a deserted cabin.
After the assault upon the fort, the Indians rifled the houses of the settlers, and destroyed much valuable property. Elijah McDonald has now a large, black walnut book-case which was in his father's house during that siege, show- ing the marks of an Indian tomahawk.
No other attack was made on the fort, and in August the settlers returned to their homes.
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