The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., Part 39

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron
Number of Pages: 884

USA > Illinois > Livingston County > The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 39

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The township of Amity was one of the first twenty organized in the county in 1858. Electors to the number of fifty-six assembled on the 6th day of April, 1858, and proceeded to organize by the election of Liberty Louder- back as Moderator, and Walter Cornell, Clerk pro tem. Reason Mc Douglass was elected Supervisor; Charles Hallam, Clerk; James Bradley and Liberty Louderback, Justices of the Peace; Walter Cornell, Assessor; Moses Allen, James Gourley and E. W. Breckinridge, Commissioners of Highways. On the question of keeping up stock, the vote stood singularly unanimons for allowing stock to run at large. Doubtless this can be explained by the fact that Amity Township, being one of the most heavily timbered in the county, and the farms being already fenced, the owners preferred the free use of the vacant prairie lands for pasture, rather than the trouble of herding their stock.

At the successive elections, the following are the names of the Supervisors and Clerks chosen :

Clerk.

1858.

Reason M. Douglass.

C. H. Hallam

1859

Moses Allen

1860

1861

1862.

. .

1864.

Walter Cornell.

1865

Liberty Louderback

. .

1866.

J. C. Antrim.

1867.

Benjamin Bedea

Amos Edwards.

1868.

.W. D. Blake.

1869

D. H. Snyder

James Bradley.

1870.

J. P. Houston

W. A. Tyree.

1871

Uriah Springer.

1872.

Liberty Londerback

James Bradley.

1873

Eben Norton.

1874

. .

1875

1876.

J. J. Reeder.

1877

William Miner.

1878

J. J. Reeder.

. .

1863

Supervisor.

413

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

The balance of the complete list of township officers elected is as follows :

David Heckmann, Assessor; George Louderback. Collector; E. Norton, School Treasurer ; Simon Jemmison, Alfred Gourley and John Calder, High- way Commissioners ; Liberty Louderback and A. L. Trim, Justices of Peace ; George Louderback and John P. Guernsey. Constables.

We have seen, in 1849, two school houses had been built. In 1855, James Bradley reports an increase of one school house and numerous other interesting items. showing an increasing interest in the subject of education, which, to enable the reader to compare, are placed with like items in a convenient table :

DATE.

No. Schools.

Scholars in at- tendance.

Whole amount paid.

1855

185 03

1866.

تت : -

240

1,035 00

1873.

340

2,264 00

1877

362

3,413 00

VILLAGE OF CORNELL.

The year of 1871 was an eventful one for this part of the county, as it saw the completion of a railroad through this section, and a trading point located in the midst of the township, which, within a very few years, has grown in size and influence beyond the expectations of its most enthusiastic friends. Of all the nine stations located on the road in this county, this one outnumbers in population any other more than three to one. In less than three years from the time of its survey, it had increased in population to the number required by law to organize a village government.

Some little strife was evident between parties owning land in the vicinity of the switch, as to the exact location of the business part of the town, and also as to name.

Walter B. Cornell laid out a plat on June 15th, 1871, from the southwest quarter of Section 11, and named it Cornell. Two days after, Willard D. Blake laid ont, from Section 14, the town named by him Amity. And while the former name has been retained, the most of the business houses are in the portion formerly called Amity. Cornell, with other parties, built several houses on the plat laid out by him, but they have since been removed.

In 1873, the village was organized by the election of H. M. Cornell, Jason Curtis, John Withrow, George Bradley, James O. Pond and Joseph Rucker, as Trustees. At their first meeting, July 18th, Cornell was elected President ; James W. Willis was appointed Clerk ; Jason Curtis, Treasurer ; and Samuel Blake, Street Commissioner.

The ordinances of the town of Dwight were taken as a model, but modified to suit the necessities and opinions of the Board.

A peculiar feature in the history of the town has been the continued grant- ing of license to sell spirituous liquors. However, the present year. the senti-

414

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

ment of the people appearing positively against it, the Board have refused authority to vend liquors of an intoxicating nature.

The Board have usually pursned a wise policy in making street and other improvements, so that the appearance of the village is such as one would expect to find in a town twice as old.

The officers of the village at present are: I. B. Santee, E. C. Newberry. J. B. Day. Philip Armon, E. Norton, James Bradley, Trustees ; William Miner. Clerk; C. A. Herbert, Police Magistrate : J. Willis, Attorney.

The village, though not continuing its rapid growth of the first few years, has still continued to improve in size and appearance. Its present population is about 500. Several of the business buildings are of brick, and of a charac- ter seldom found in towns of the age of Cornell.

A Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was instituted at Cor- nell, June 23, 1876, with J. W. A. Lilly as N. G .; B. W. Conner, V. G .; J. G. Curtis, See. : Ordam Deeds, Treas.

The Lodge numbers at present twenty-two members. Meetings are held Saturday evenings of each week. P. K. Hilton is the present N. G .; I. A. Wilson. V. G .: Joseph F. Corbin, Sec., and Ordam Deeds, Treas.

Cornell Lodge. A .. F. & A. M., was instituted December, 1877, the charter being granted to John Guernsey, J. J. Reeder, H. M. Cornell, A. K. Brower, E. Norton, H. H. Brower. Philip Armon, I. P. Santee, John Greene and H. Bolt-the first five of whom were Master. Wardens. Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

The present officers are: I. B. Santee, W. M .: John Jemmison, S. W .: Philip Armon, J. W .: T. Jones, S. D .: H. Bolt, J. D .: E. Norton, Treas .; J. J. Reeder, Sec .: T. Coe. Tiler.

Amity Township took a prominent part in the late war. Some of the bravest and best men that went from Livingston Connty were from this locality. Some who enlisted from this part of the county were in the Fifty-third Infan- try, and some in other regiments, but most were in the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Infantry.

The names of all deserve honorable mention, but space permits the record. in this place, of but a few, and that number will be confined to those who not only braved the dangers of the battle field, but who, in addition, gave up their lives in defense of the principles which they went out to defend. Of these were Joseph Springer. Uriah Springer, Judson Hoag, Samuel W. Houston. Thompson Laycock. John B. Lucas and Thomas Sutcliff. There were others. accredited to other towns, which will be found in the general war record.

Amity Township is one of the best-watered and best-timbered in Livingston County. To the early settlers, there were three special attractions in a new country- wood, water and stone : and these three being found in the vicinity had much to do in drawing to this locality the people who first inhabited it. The Vermilion River passes almost directly through the center of the township,

415

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

from southeast to northwest. Rook's Creek comes in from the south, and forms a junction with the Vermilion, near the center. Scattering Point also flows from the south, and empties into the Vermilion, near the northwest corner. Wolf Creek flows from the northwest corner of Pontiac Township, and empties into the Vermilion near that point. Mnd Creek flows through the northeastern part, emptying into the Vermilion in Newtown Township. Besides all of these, there are several small tributaries. which furnish water to almost every section of land in the township.

Each of these creeks is fringed with a belt of timber, varying in width from a quarter to a mile and a half. so that, originally, fully one-half of the township was timber land.

Underlying the whole township is, doubtless, a bed of coal. A shaft was sunk at Cornell, several years ago, and a good quality of this article found.

The Chicago & Paducah Railroad crosses the township, from northwest to southeast, cutting off about six sections from the northeast corner.

The meaning of the name of the township is friendship or good will ; and if bestowed on it as denoting the peculiar trait of its inhabitants, could not have been better selected. These ancient Buckeyes have always been noted for their hospitality.

PLEASANT RIDGE TOWNSHIP.

Pleasant Ridge, at an early period in the history of Livingston County, was one-quarter of the election precinct known as Saunemin, and. as noticed in another chapter, for a year or two after township organization, was a portion of Sau- nemin Township. It was soon divided, however, leaving Pleasant Ridge and Charlotte one town, and they so remained until 1864, when, upon petition to the Board of Supervisors, Pleasant Ridge was set off from Charlotte, but through some method of sharp practice, managed to retain the original name-Pleasant Ridge-together with the township property, etc., as detailed in the history of Charlotte Township. As a political town, Pleasant Ridge is fractional. That portion lying north of the river votes and transacts all of its business in Sau- nemin Township, owing to the difficulty of crossing and re-crossing the some- times turbulent little stream ; while as a regular Congressional and School Township, it comprises the usual thirty-six sections, and is known as Township 27 north. Range 7 east. Its soil is irrigated and drained by the North Branch of the Vermilion River, which flows through the township in a westerly direction, and which is bordered by the only native timber the town affords. The name Pleasant Ridge is derived from the beautiful undulating surface of the land, which has much the appearance of the gentle swell of the ocean.

The first permanent settler in what is now Pleasant Ridge Township was Nathan Townsend. He came from Cape May County, New Jersey, and settled on the southwest section (31) of the town, in June, 1843. His settlement and claim was in the timber skirting the Vermilion River, and was the only one

416

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

in the territory embraced in Pleasant Ridge for a number of years. He bought his claim, which had been made originally by a man named Brooks, noticed as one of the early settlers of Avoca Township. This man Brooks, though he had built a cabin and made a claim here, and had even lived on the claim for a short time, is really not considered an actual settler, and had sold the claim to a man named Wilson, who had never lived on it, but had sold it to one Leighton, and Leighton sold it to Townsend. It seems to have been a practice of Brooks to make a claim, erect a cabin on it, and then sell it to some other party, as we hear of him among the old settlers in several differ- ent neighborhoods. After disposing of this claim, he made one in the next grove east, being just on the edge of Forrest Township, and which he made without any regard to the points of the compass, but was located on four differ- ent " forties." He finally removed to Iowa. This settlement of Townsend. however, is usually mentioned as the first in Pleasant Ridge, and, as stated above, was made a number of years before another family sought the neighborhood. For the first years of their life in the wilderness, and until they got a start, their lot was rather a hard one. When Townsend first settled here, there were few families within a radius of a dozen miles, and we have the word of Daniel Townsend, a son of Nathan Townsend's, that he knew every man living between Ash Grove and Rook's Creek, a distance of sixty miles. They sometimes had hard scratching to live, and went to Chicago for salt, and to Wilmington to mill, and to Green's Mill near Ottawa. Daniel Townsend related to us how an unele of his had been to mill once, in Winter, when the weather was intensely cold. Becoming so cold that he could not remain in the wagon, he got out to walk, when it is supposed that walking by the side of his wagon, he drew one line a little tighter than the other, thus pulling his horses round in a circle. He finally realized the fact that he was lost on the prairie, and it covered with snow, with a cold wind blowing from the North. Seeing that he must inevita- bly freeze to death if he wandered on in this way, he turned his horses loose from the wagon, thinking that they would strike out on a due course for home, and he would follow their trail, being too cold to attempt to ride; but they dashed off from the wind, contrary to his expectations. All night long he wan- dered over the prairie and through the snow, the utmost exertions required to keep from freezing to death. At daylight the next morning, he found his way to Mr. Townsend's, so nearly frozen that he fell in the yard, and but for timely aid must have died in a very short while. He was taken in and cared for, and Mr. Townsend's boys went out to look for the horses, which, how- ever, were never found alive. They had wandered a long distance from home. and seemed to have taken refuge from the wind in a deep ravine, where they either starved or froze to death, and were found finally by tracking wolves to their skeletons.

When Townsend used to go to Wilmington to mill, there was but one cabin between their settlement and the Kankakee River, and it had been deserted for

417

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

a time. Of the Townsend family, there are still living in this immediate neigh- borhood three of the sons-Daniel, George and Aquilla : and two sisters-Mrs. A. Towns and Mrs. Breckenridge. Another brother lives in Wisconsin, and a sister in Texas ; while the father, Nathan Townsend, has recently removed to. Nebraska.

Isaac Wilson came from Indiana, in 1837, and settled in Avoca, where he is noticed in the early settlement of that township. He remained there until he came to Pleasant Ridge and settled in 1853, among the earliest, after Town- send, and where he is still living. He was the first Supervisor, and held the office when Pleasant Ridge was included in Saunemin Township, together with Sullivan and Charlotte. He was also one of the first, if not the very first, Justices of the Peace in this township, after becoming a town to itself. He stated that he. used to haul grain to Chicago, when this great city was a small village almost buried in the mud and mire. Hiram Popejoy and Henry Demoss, both from Avoca Township and belonging to families that rank among the carliest settlers there, came to this neighborhood in or about 1850, and made settlements. Popejoy finally removed to Fairbury, where he now lives. Demoss, after some. years, returned to Avoca and still resides there. James Maddin is also an early settler in Pleasant Ridge, though north of the river, and in that portion of the town which votes in Saunemin. He came from Wheeling, Va., in 1834, and settled in Marshall County, near Lacon, then called Columbia. Peoria was called Ft. Clarke, and five miles up the river from the latter place was another small settlement called Little Detroit. In 1872, he came to Pleasant Ridge, and entered land upon which he still lives. He has held several local offices in the town, such as Assessor and Collector. When Mr. Maddin first settled here, his nearest neighbor, east, was forty miles distant. M. T. Veiley came from New York and settled here in 1855. He first settled in Wau- kegan, Lake County, from whence he came to this township as above stated. This comprises a list of some of the earliest settlers in the town, until they began. to move in too fast to keep track of them.

The first birth in Pleasant Ridge Township is supposed to have occurred in the family of Charles Brooks, during the short time he lived on the claim that Townsend afterward bought, and was probably about 1840-41. The first death in the township was Levi Ide, a young man who came from Ohio and was living with Townsend. He took sick and died suddenly in 1848, and was buried in the Popejoy graveyard, in Avoca Township. His family afterward came on from Ohio, had his remains taken up and returned and interred them in the family burying-ground in his native State. The first marriage was a daughter of Charles Brooks and St. Clair Jones, son of Charles Jones, who then lived in Forest Township, and occurred in 1841. His people opposed the match rather strongly, but that ardent

" Young love that laughs at bolts and bars "

seemed to care little for parental frowns, and they were married in spite of all opposition.

418

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Pleasant Ridge has neither a store, post office or mill within its borders. It has but one church edifice, and that belongs to the Ormish society, and is located in the southern part of the town. These people are of a rather peculiar religious belief, as noticed elsewhere in this history, and take little or no inter- est in worldly matters beyond their necessary pursuits, and hence we are unable to obtain much information in regard to their church, aside from the fact that it exists and is regularly occupied by the members of this faith in its vicinity. There is a burying-ground adjacent, the only public cemetery in the township. Notwithstanding there are no other church buildings, there are church organ- izations, which are held in the school houses. There is a regular society of the Christian denomination in School House No. 2, and services are held every Sabbath by them or by the Methodists. A large Sunday school attends this school house regularly. Services are also held in many of the other schoo houses in the town.

The first Justice of the Peace in Pleasant Ridge, as already stated, was Isaac Wilson, who was likewise one of the first lists of Justices elected after the formation of the county. The first practicing physicians in the town were Drs. Gentry and Hulsey, of Pontiac. who used to extend their professional visits to this neighborhood. The first bridge was a wooden structure spanning the North Branch of the Vermilion River, which was a kind of temporary affair, and was finally washed away. The spot where it was built is now adorned by an elegant iron bridge, put up in the Fall of 1874, and at a cost of about three thousand dollars.

The first schools in Pleasant Ridge were taught by Clement Hinman, in School House No. 2, and Perry Abby, in the Beal School House, in 1858. These houses were both built that year, and the schools above noticed taught immediately after they were completed. By examination of the school records in possession of M. W. Moulton, Township Treasurer, we find that the first meeting of Trustees of which there is any record was held on the 2d of March, 1861, and that there were present William R. Beatch and William R. Tucker; Henry Hefner, Clerk. Henry C. Hefner presented his bond as Treasurer, in the amount of $13,000, with Joel Tucker, James McDonald and Amos Bright as security, which was approved and ordered to be filed. At a meeting held March 18th of the same year, James Sackett was elected an additional Trustee, and Beatch President of the Board. At the April meeting. Town 27, Range 7 east, was divided into school districts, as follows. viz .: District No. 1, to be composed of Sections 36 to 25, and one-fourth from Sections 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, taken from the south side of said sections, and south half of southeast quarter of Section 19. District No. 2. of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17. 18 and 19, with some fractional parts of other sections. District No. 3 included ther emainder of the township. Several schedules of teachers were presented and disposed of in the usual way. From Treasurer Moulton's

Whatnon

Nelson

PONTIAC

421

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

last report to County Superintendent of Schools we take the following statistics :

Number of males in township under 21 years. 295

Number of females in township under 21 years. 225

Total. 520

Number of males between 6 and 21 years.

231

Number of females between 6 and 21 years.

147

Total.

378

Number of males attending school.

174

Number of females attending school.

108

Total. 282

Highest monthly wages paid any teacher $48 25

Highest monthly wages paid female teacher 35 00

Lowest monthly wages paid male teacher 30 00

Lowest monthly wages paid female teacher

22 00

Average amount paid male teachers

39 87

Average amount paid female teachers.

30 13

Whole amount paid teachers .$1,848 61

Estimated value of school property

.$5,400 00

Estimated value of school apparatus

90 50

Estimated value of school libraries

12 00

Principal of township fund

7,002 47

District tax levy for support of schools

1,640 00

There are seven school districts in the township, in all of which there are good, comfortable frame buildings, and flourishing schools maintained for the usual term during each year. Mr. Moulton, the School Treasurer, one of the wealthy farmers of the town, came from New Hampshire and settled on his present place in 1866.

As stated in another portion of this history, Isaac Wilson was the first Supervisor of this township, and held the office in 1859. In 1861, George E. Esty was elected Supervisor, and was succeeded by C. G. Friend, in 1863, and he the next year by H. J. Roberts. L. Wallace was elected in 1865, and J. K. Clarke in 1866, who continued in office until 1870, when William Blain came in as Supervisor of the town, and was in turn succeeded by M. T. Veiley in 1873. In 1875, J. H. Carter was elected to the office, and succeeded by J. K. Clarke in 1876, and he in 1878 by M. W. Moulton, who is the present Supervisor. Other township officers are as follows: J. M. Hanna, Town Clerk ; B. M. Bullard, Assessor ; William Bell, Collector; J. H. Carter and Louis Holloway, Justices of the Peace.

. As stated in the early part of this chapter, the only native timber in Pleas- ant Ridge Township is along the Vermilion River. But many of the citizens have planted and cultivated timber, until there is not a section of the prairie land, nor perhaps a quarter section, but has beautiful groves of timber on it, planted since the land was settled. Pleasant Ridge has much very M

422

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

fine farming land, while there is some in the timber along the river that is rather thin soil. It is situated in the second tier of townships, with Saunemin on the north, Charlotte on the east, Forrest on the south, and Avoca on the west, and is probably about four-fifths prairie land.

Politically, Pleasant Ridge is strongly Republican, and has been almost from the first organization of the Republican party. Of late years, the Granger element has had some effect on its political status ; yet, in all cases involving strict political principles, the Republicans carry the day.

The war record was equally good, and compares favorably with any town- ship of a like population in the county. The names of its soldiers will be found in our war record, in another department of this history.

OWEGO TOWNSHIP.

Owego, or Congressional Town 28 north, Range 6 east of the Third Princi- pal Meridian. is the geographical center of Livingston County. The center of the township is in a direct line, twenty-five miles from the northwest corner of the county; twenty-two from the southwest ; twenty-three from the northeast, and twenty-five from the southeast. It is a full town and contains thirty-six full sections of land. The township in the northern part is quite level, indeed, almost flat. but in the southern part is slightly undulating. With the exception of a little fringe of the Vermilion River, which flows through the southwest corner of Sec- tion 31. it is entirely devoid of natural timber. The only flowing stream of water is the river just named. The Felky Slough, which extends through the eastern part of the town and opens into the Vermilion River, also furnishes stock water to the adjacent farms, except in the dryest seasons. In some parts of the township, water from wells is obtained with difficulty, but when found is of an excellent quality. The land is of a very rich and productive character, and well adapted to the cultivation of corn, rye, oats and vegetables.

Prior to 1858, Livingston County was divided into voting precincts, which were, from time to time, changed in location and number to suit the convenience of the inhabitants. They were all established along the Vermilion River, as this region was the first to settle. With the exception of this belt, varying in width from one to five miles, extending from the southeast to the northwest part of the county, it was but sparsely settled-indeed, we may say it was not occu- pied at all. The earliest immigrants, being from thickly timbered localities, doubtless considered the prairie lands of but little value, except as herding places for their cattle, and so selected the timber and its immediate vicinity for their homes. The territory now embraced in Owego, being for the most part destitute of timber, was not considered of sufficient importance for, nor was the number of inhabitants adequate to, a separate precinct, but was included in what was known as the Center Precinct, which, at the first organization of the county, included an extent of about fifteen miles up and down the Vermilion River, with Pontiac near the middle. Latterly, or near the time

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The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., Part 39

Author: Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron Number of Pages: 884

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron
Number of Pages: 884