The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., Part 48

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 48

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).

He saw his relations scattered around In every part of the burial ground. Sabbath-school teachers of goodness and truth, And Pollard, the faithful old friend of youth. Playmates of childhood, all dead long ago- Lay under the grass where the roses blow. He thought of them and of by-gone years, And his heart dissolved in a flood of tears.

498

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Hastening back to the City Hotel, He asked the amount of his little bill.

" Now," said he, " Landlord, here's your money ; Put your mouth to the telephunny, And tell the night watchman to check the balloon up, And I'll start off as soon as it's moon up." He mounted the tower for his midnight trip, And soon was scooped by the big air-ship. I looked at his name in the book again, And read, "Bones Thompson, from Japan!"

A very important part of the history of the village of Dwight is the litiga- tion concerning what is popularly known as "The Strips." These are two narrow strips of ground, 1,004 feet in length and each 50 feet in width, lying, one between East street and the railroad and the other between West street and the railroad. The first suit brought to test the question of title to these lands was a suit brought by D. McWilliams and James II. Hagerty, to enjoin R. P. Morgan, Jr. (who claimed the title), from erecting an office at the corner of East and Morgan streets, the complainants claiming that the lands had been " dedicated to the public." The case went to the Supreme Court of Illinois, and was decided adversely to the complainants.

In 1873, one R. P. Tansey, who had purchased the undivided interest of one of the original proprietors of the village, in and to all such property as had not been sold and the proceeds divided, and which belonged to the original enterprise, commenced suit for partition ; and, being a non-resident of the State, the suit was brought in the United States Circuit Court, in Chicago. R. P. Morgan, Jr., the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company and others were made parties defendant, and Morgan and the Railroad Company filed cross bills, each claiming absolute title to the premises. This suit was decided in favor of the Railroad Company, but was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, where, after an able review of the facts in the case, by Justice Swayne, the decision of the United States Circuit Court was affirmed. The opinion of the Supreme Court is an able document, and we would be glad to give it in this history as an item of interest to the legal fraternity of the county, but its great length forbids it. Pending this litigation, Morgan had leased and sold different portions of the two "Strips," and a row of wooden buildings had sprung up thereon, fronting on both East and West streets; but when the opinion of the Supreme Court was rendered, the Railroad Company, having been declared the owners, as above stated, notified all parties who held titles under Morgan to vacate; and the result is, the buildings are rapidly being removed, thereby adding greatly to the appearance of the village, as well as to its safety.

The village of Dwight is distinguished for the honor of being the military headquarters of the Tenth Battalion of Illinois National Guards, Lieut. Col. J. B. Parsons, commanding. The battalion was organized August 15, 1876, com- posed of companies from Dwight, Odell, Pontiac, Streator, Joliet and Marseilles.

499

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

The field officers elected then were J. B. Parsons, of Dwight, Lieutenant Colonel; L. C. Miles, of Streator, Major. Staff appointed: L. C. Mitchell, of Joliet, Surgeon ; Rev. J. F. Culver, of Pontiac, Chaplain ; J. B. Fithian, of Joliet, Adjutant, and C. J. Judd, of Dwight, Quartermaster. The battalion has since been reorganized and some of the companies attached to other commands, while two new companies have been added to the Tenth, whose headquarters still remain at Dwight. Under reorganization, it is. composed of the following companies, viz. : Parsons Guards, Co. E ;* Pontiac Guards, Company A ; Wenona Guards, Co. B: Odell Guards, Co. D; Fairbury Guards, Co. C. The battalion officers at present are: J. B. Parsons, Dwight, Lieutenant Colonel, commanding; J. K. Howard, Odell, Major; II. E. W. Barnes, Fairbury, Surgeon : Rev. J. F. Culver, Pontiac, Chaplain ; C. J. Judd, Dwight, Adjutant ; Cadet Taylor, Wenona, Quartermaster. The entire command, except the Wenona Guards, is of Livingston County. They are armed with the uniform breech-loading Springfield rifles, of the Prussian pattern. The companies are well drilled and ready to meet a foe at a moment's warning. A complete roster of the Tenth Battalion will be found in the War Record of this work.

The Dwight Guards. a company of the Tenth Battalion, was organized June 20, 1874, and its first officers were: J. B. Parsons, Captain ; S. H. Kenny, First Lieutenant; S. M. Witt, Second Lieutenant. Upon the organi- zation of the battalion, Capt. Parsons was promoted to its command, and his old company, the Dwight Guards, by a company vote and as a token of esteem for their late Captain, changed the name of the company to " Parsons Guards," which name they still retain. Their officers at present are as follows, viz. : S. H. Kenny, Captain ; S. M. Witt, First Lieutenant ; J. H. Lloyd, Second Lieutenant.

The bar is represented in Dwight by the following gentlemen learned in the law : L. G. Pearre, R. S. McIlduff, J. I. Dunlap, W. H. Bradbury, F. B. Hargreaves, Lewis Kenyon, J. G. Strong and F. E. Peck. Of this array of native talent, Hon. J. G. Strong has represented his district in both branches of the State Legislature, while the others are all lawyers of ability. The health of the village and country is looked after by Drs. L. E. Keeley and C. D. Chalfant, of the Allopathic school, and Dr. H. G. Thole, of the Homeopathie profession.

One of the loveliest spots around Dwight is Oaklawn Cemetery, which has been laid out and improved in the most beautiful manner. A few years ago, they had a landscape artist from Chicago to lay it off and divide it into lots and plats of the most approved style of art. In 1877, they had 1,300 young trees planted, which are growing finely. On the 15th of August of this year, it was incorporated under act by H. A. Kenyon, President; C. M. Baker, Secretary ; J. H. Hetzel, Treasurer; H. T. Newell, J. B. Parsons and A. E. Gould, Directors. The first party buried in this cemetery was Miss Margaret Speers,

*Formerly Dwight Guards.

500

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

a sister of Isaac Baker's wife and of 'Squire McIlduff's, in 1855, the year Mr. Baker came to the country.

Like the majority of Western towns and villages which spring up in a few weeks and are usually built almost exclusively of wood, Dwight has but few brick buildings, and these few are of recent erection. Naturally, with so much combustible material and light wood buildings, it has not escaped fires. The most destructive, perhaps, occurred in 1869. The following account is from the Dwight Star, of that date : "About fifteen minutes past 1 o'clock A. M., on the 24th of March, the alarm was given that a fire had broken out in the rear of Gerson's Hall. It rapidly spread to Harris' store, and, in a brief space of time, Hagerty & Baker's drug store, Monahan's building and Newell & Co.'s hardware store were wrapped in flames. The buildings of Mrs. Marsh, A. Wait, Dr. Morgan and M. Rearick were torn down in order to arrest the progress of the fire." After giving some further particulars, the editor summed up the loss at about $40,000, and the insurance at $25,000. In December of this same year, another fire occurred. It commenced in Mrs. Henry's millinery store, which, together with McWilliams' bank building (a wooden structure), was consumed. The loss, owing to the exertions of the citizens, was trifling, amounting to only about $1,000.

The war history of Dwight is flattering, and presents a noble record of the loyalty of the citizens of both township and village. When the tocsin of war sounded over the land, and President Lincoln called for soldiers to defend the Union. the young men, and the old ones, too, rose up together and offered themselves for duty. Company B, of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was recruited almost entirely in Dwight. The first Colonel of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth (Smith) was from Dwight. When Company B was mustered into the service on the 8th of September. 1862, the officers were: Samuel T. Walker, Captain ; George W. Gilchrist, First Lieutenant ; Elihu Chilcott, Second Lieutenant ; Homer A. Kenyon, Orderly Sergeant. These were all from Dwight, as well as most of the rank and file. The history of this company and of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment is important and of much interest from its first organization until mustered out of the service, and will, together with all the soldiers who went from Livingston County, be found recorded in the War History of this work.

LONG POINT TOWNSHIP.

From the year 1833 till 1845, the older settled States, especially Pennsyl- vania and Ohio, were flooded with circulars describing the beauties of the West- ern country, especially Central Illinois, recommending its lands, praising its climate, and offering every inducement to the homeless to emigrate. The scheme was carried on by associations or societies, somewhat after the manner

501

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

of the later railroad corporations, who, at the present time, spread broadcast advertisements portraying the advantages of the country still further west.

The following is an exact copy of one of the circulars sent out in the earlier times, and which was the means of directing the attention of one of the early settlers of Long Point toward Central Illinois :

PHILADELPHIA, PA., -, 183 --.

Dear Sir : We wish to call the attention of yourself and friends to the fact that we are the agents of the Central Illinois Emigrant Society, formed for the purpose of giving information and otherwise aiding those desiring to remove to the West, in selecting for themselves homes in that desirable locality. The Indian troubles are all settled, the Indians themselves having been re- moved to Iowa. A canal through this section of the country is projected, and will soon be built, putting this territory in close communication with Chicago and the East. The land, which has just come into market. is of an excellent character, and can be had at from sixty cents to $2.00 per acre. Wood is plenty, water is good and abundant, the soil is extremely fertile, producing crops that would astonish the Eastern farmer, and the climate is healthful. We shall be pleased to have you correspond with us, and we will be glad to give you fuller information.

Your obedient servants, J. M. TIDD & Co., Bankers, Philadelphia, Pa.

These circulars and other advertisements were handled largely by people already in the country, who were desirous of having their friends emigrate. and anxious to have the country fill up. Realizing the lack of social, educa- tional and church privileges, they were solicitous that the country should be immediately settled.

A few years later, when the Illinois and Michigan Canal had become a fixed fact, this additional argument was urged, and we find in a pamphlet pub- lished at that time, in the interests of emigration, a statement which, though a poor argument to-day, brought hundreds of families to this part of the coun- try. After describing the country in the highest terms, the writer proceeds to say that, within a year, the canal will be open for travel, which will make [the trip by water a comparatively easy and short one. He says : " Heretofore the journey from Erie, Penn., to Central Illinois has occupied not less than two months. After the completion of the canal, the length of time occupied in making the journey will be about as follows : Erie, Penn., to Chicago, four days : Chicago to the Rapids, on Section 21, Town 33 north, Range 1 east of the Third P. M., thirty-three hours, supposing the boats go at the rate of three miles per hour; thus making in all a trip of only five days and nine hours. Besides making the journey of such short duration, it would obviate the great fatigue and hardships incident to a trip by land." He also hints at the possibility of a railroad, which would traverse this section in the near future. Although such statements seem to us quite modest at present, it was thought by many. into whose hands the information fell, that it was somewhat overdrawn. Indeed. the most enthusiastic could not have imagined that Livingston County, with a population of a few hundred, would see the time that five railroads would pass through its limits, or that Long Point Township would be settled to its entire limits within a space of twoscore years. Such, however, is the case, and much more ; for, not only has all this come to pass, but the social and educational

502

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

features have fully kept pace. Long Point is so called from the long stretch of timber, extending from the northeast corner of the township almost to its west- ern limit, and lying on both sides of the creek bearing the same name. The creek itself rises in what is termed the " pan-handle " of La Salle County, and flows in a northeasterly course, leaving the township at the northeast corner. A tributary of this, called Diamond Creek, also flows from the southwest cor- ner and empties into Long Point Creek at the northeast corner of Section 10. These two creeks furnish the only natural supply of water to the township. The land is quite level, especially in the southern part, being almost flat; though, except in the wettest season, none is so level as to prevent cultivation. Proba- bly no richer land can be found in the county than that of Long Point Town- ship. It is well adapted to the production of corn, rye. oats and vegetables of various kinds. Twenty years ago but a small portion of the township had been brought under cultivation ; but, at the present writing, but a very small portion has not been utilized. The Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railroad crosses the northwest corner, cutting off about five sections. Since the building of this road, the village of Long Point has been established on Sections 4, 5 and 9.

Prior to 1838, none of the lands of Long Point Township had been dis- posed of, though they had been in market two years. On the 6th of November of the year named. Andrew McDowell, who had come to the township some time before, and who was the first settler, entered the first piece of land in the township. Mr. McDowell was from Pennsylvania, and when he first came to the county it must have had a wild appearance indeed, as compared with the well cultivated fields, comfortable farm houses and improved roads that he had left behind. Not only was the township entirely destitute of inhabitants, but for twenty-five miles to the west, and as many south, all was an open plain, with not a fence, or shanty, or any other indication that the country had ever been visited by man. Five or six miles to the north were the Moons and Barackmans, and on the east, in Amity Township, as many miles distant, were a few cabins ; but McDowell was literally on the frontier.

Very soon after the date mentioned, Isaac Hodgson made his entry. Hodg- son was also from Pennsylvania. He lived here until 1853, when he sold out to Samuel Sillik. and removed further West.

Edwin L. and Oscar B. Wheeler were from New York. They came to this township, the former in 1839 and the latter in 1841. Both have accumulated from almost nothing, by farming and stock raising, large fortunes.

By the last named date, quite a number of accessions had been made to the community, among which are remembered James Argubright and his father-in- law Caleb Odle, John Evans, Edward, David and Orin Rhodes, David and Loman Miller, Crawford Isenhour and Lorin Pratt. The first two of these were from Ohio, while the other eight were natives of Pennsylvania.

John Evans died years ago, but the old homestead is still occupied by his son Harrison.

503

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

The Rhodes boys were brothers and unmarried men. They resided here until about 1858, when they sold out and went further west.

David and Loman Miller were cousins, the former also being brother-in-law of Isenhour.

In 1842, Frederick, Edward and Benjamin Carlton, three brothers and Englishmen, settled in the township.

During the next ten years, the settlements in the township were very few. only one or two new families a year making their appearance ; and at the end of the period named, not more than a dozen additional ones had located here. These were Erastus and William Eaton, Samuel Sillik, E. L. Stratton, E. C. Allen, Orlando Chubbuck, Aaron and Philo Zielman with their father, Hiram and Ferdinand Verner with their father, Thos. Mills, Absalom Hallam, Harvey Windsor and Jas. P. Morgan. The first six and the last named were all from Pennsylvania. The Zielmans had been living in the adjoining county of La Salle; the Verners were German, and Mills and Hallam were natives of Ohio.

Hon. E. C. Allen was Clerk pro tem. of the first election held in the town- ship, and was elected to the office at the first township meeting. In 1859, he was elected Supervisor, and was re-elected every year until 1862. In 1870. he was again elected to the same office, and held it continuously until his elec- tion to the more honorable position of Representative in the State Legislature, in 1876, when he declined re-election.

E. L. Stratton, familiarly known as " Stub " Stratton, was elected to the office of Supervisor at least five times, and has held many other positions of honor and trust.

O. Chubbuck has figured as largely in politics, in Long Point Township, as any other man. He removed to Streator, some years since, to practice law.

Thomas Mills is one of the stanchest men, morally and socially, that the town has ever had for a resident.

Absalom Hallam was the first Postmaster. He was appointed to the office soon after his settlement, and kept the same in his house a few years, when it was moved to the house of E. L. Wheeler, who was appointed Postmaster. The office had a kind of migratory existence, until the village of Long Point was laid out, when it was permanently established at that place, with Dr. J. N. Markle as Postmaster.

James P. Morgan came to this country in 1835, and, but for a little unfavor- able impression that he received on his arrival, we might have had the privilege of recording him as one of the earliest settlers. Mr. Morgan was a printer in his younger days ; had worked at his trade at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and for Horace Greeley, in New York ; and, like most of the journeymen of that trade, desired to see some of the world. So, he packed his few effects and drifted down the Ohio River and up the Mississippi to St. Louis, and thence up the Illinois to Ottawa, where he obtained a job of work on which he was to com- mence on a certain day. On the morning specified, he proceeded to the print-

504

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

ing office and prepared to commence operations. In the mean time, the other boys rolled up their sleeves with like intentions, and Mr. Morgan noticed their arms were sore from their wrists to their shoulders ; and being somewhat inquis- itive, inquired the reason of the "raw " appearance. He was informed that it was what was called the prairie scratches ; and his informant, with frequent passages of the finger nails over the afflicted parts, which included not only the arms but all parts of the body, more expressive than language, continued : " We've all got it. and you'll have it, but you'll get used to it after a while." Mr. Morgan thought he had seen enough of the prairie, and without even offer- ing his hand, said " good by " and took the first boat for St. Louis. He felt itchy for several days, and could scarcely convince himself that he had not caught it. After eighteen years more of tramping, he returned to the scene of his adventure. and soon after settled in this town. On the organization of the town, in 1858, he was elected the first Supervisor. He now, at the age of 76, resides at Long Point Station.

We have reliable information in regard to the first school taught in the town- ship. Our informant was then a young unmarried man; and, though not one of the Directors, took a very deep interest in the school and visited it frequently, in the evening, just after school was out ..

There is no doubt. then, that the first school was taught in an old log cabin, on Section 4, and that the teacher's name was Jane Devens, a relative of Andrew McDowell. Our informant is certain that it was in the year 1843- just two years after he came out from New York. School was kept here, by various parties, for two or three years, when a building was erected for church and school purposes, in the neighborhood of Absalom Hallam's. This house, like all others before 1855, was erected on the mutual plan. It was a small frame, and was used for church, school and all other purposes, for a number of years.

The first church building erected in the township was by the Evangelical denomination, about fourteen years ago, at a cost of about $1,800.

The finest church building in the township is that erected by the Methodist Episcopal Society, in 1872. It is located in the northwestern part of the town- ship. The building, complete, cost about $6,000, and excepting perhaps one is the best of its kind in the county west of the Vermilion River.

Three years ago, the Protestant Methodists completed a neat little house of worship, in the middle of the eastern part of the township. The cost of the building was about $1,200.

The Lutherans have just completed, at a cost of $1,000, a very handsome church house, near O. B. Wheeler's.

Besides the ones already mentioned, the Methodists have a society organ- ized at the village of Long Point. A room is hired and regular services are held.

As before stated, in 1858 the township of Long Point was organized. The following are the names of the persons elected to the respective offices : J. P.

505

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

Morgan, Supervisor ; E. C. Alien, Clerk : O. B. Wheeler, Assessor: James Worlds, Collector ; Thomas Mills, Overseer of the Poor; E. L. Wheeler and Amos Roberts, Justices of the Peace ; James Worlds and William Werner, Constables ; George Stilson, C. Zielman and A. J. Evans, Commissioners of Highways ; E. L. Wheeler and Jeremiah McDowell, Pound Masters.

The following are the principal officers elected at each succeeding town meeting :

Date.

Supervisor.

Clerk.

Assessor.

Collector.

1859 E. C. Allen

A. J. Bosserman

E. L. Stratton

James Worlds.

1860 E. C. Allen.

M. Van Fleet.

James Worlds.

1861|E. C. Allen

E. L Stratton.

A. J. McDowell.

William Verner.

1862 E. C. Allen.

E. L. Stratton.

A. J. McDowell.

Henry Roberts.

1863 E. L. Stratton

0. Chubbuck

A. J. McDowell.

Henry Roberts.

1864 E. L. Stratton

Ulysses Howell

Thomas Mills

Aaron Zielman.

1865 0. Chubbuck

Ulysses Howell

Thomas Mills.

Milton Bayne.

1866 E. L. Stratton

Stephen Coleman

A. J. McDowell

A. J. Ewart.

1867 E. L. Stratton

S. D. Carson

A. J. McDowell.

John Argubright.

1868 E. L. Stratton

S. D. Carson

A. J. Ewart.

William H. Mills.

1869 E. L. Stratton

R. S. Ensign

Thomas Mills

Ulysses Howell.

1870 E. C. Allen

S. Coleman.

L. J. Halstead

I. T. Ramsey.

1871 E. C. Allen

S. Coleman

Thomas Mills.

A. J. Opdyke.

1872 E. C. Allen

S. Coleman ..

Joseph Bayne

James Argubright.

1873 E. C. Allen

R. S. Ensign

Thomas Mills

Joseph Bayne.

1874 E. C. Allen.

A. J. Bosserman

S. Coleman.

A. J. Bosserman.

1875 E. C. Allen

S. D. Carson

T. B. Ramsey

R. S. Ensign.

1876 E. C. Allen.

A. J. Bosserman

Andrew Jacobs

Joel Hakes.

1877|A. J. Bosserman

J. N. Markle.

F. L. Saxton

W. S. Ramsey.

The officers elect at the present time are : A. J. Bosserman, Supervisor ; A. A. Graham, Clerk ; J. B. Phillips, Assessor ; E. L. Stratton, Collector ; S. D. Carson and A. M. Taggart, Justices of the Peace ; James Bradbury and Joel Hakes, Constables ; H. Verner, Isaac Ramsey and A. J. Ewart, Road Commissioners ; S. D. Carson, School Treasurer.

An idea of the present condition of schools may be gained from the follow- ing extract from the Township Treasurer's report for 1877 :

Number of schools

Number of scholars enrolled.

263

Number of persons between 6 and 21

404

Number of persons under 21.

633

Number of teachers

Amount paid teachers.

.$2,035

Whole amount paid out.

3,289

Amount of township fund.

2,635

VILLAGE OF LONG POINT.

The Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railroad was completed through this township in 1872, and immediately there sprang up all along the line at the distance of a few miles apart, new towns, among which was the village named. The survey was made by A. C. Huetson, County Surveyor, for F. Plumb, Samuel Sillik and A. J. McDowell, from parts of Sections 4. 5 and 9.

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.

The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., Part 48

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