The History of Livingston County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., Part 56

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 56


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The next year after the settlement of Mr. Brown in Germantown witnessed the arrival of Nicholas Fraoeb and P. Goembel, from the "Black Forests of the Rhine." They settled here in the Fall of 1856, and were soon followed by others from "Deutschland," until to-day, as stated a little space ago, nearly the entire town is settled up with Germans, many of whom cannot speak a word of English, and among whom the mellow accents of Germany alone are heard. Dr. R. B. Wilson, who came from Ireland, but lived in Washington, Tazewell County, owned a section or two of land in this township. He sold the most of it to Germans, who, through his instrumentality came here and made their settlement within a few years from the time of the first opening made by Brown.


Hon. Samuel T Fosdick is from New York City. and was induced to come West by his physician, with a hope of restoring his feeble health. He settled in Germantown in 1858. At that time, he informed us, there were living in the town Thomas Y. Brown and a few German families ; the remainder of the lands were unoccupied. A few years ago Mr. Fosdick removed into Chats- worth village, where he at present resides. He is a lawyer of merit, and a member of the State Senate, from the district composed of the Counties of Livingston and Ford. But a more complete history of him is given in the chapter devoted to Chatsworth. This includes the first settlements made in this township, and brings its history up to a period when immigrants came in, mostly from the "old country," with too much rapidity for the historian to keep trace of them.


Germantown has no church edifices, nor a store or post office, within its territorial limits. There are, however, several church societies of the German Lutheran, Ormish and Evangelical Association, who hold their religious meet- ings in the school houses, and at the people's residences but of them, we were unable to obtain much definite information. Their mail is received from Chats- worth, Strawn and other offices around its borders, and their trading is likewise done at these places.


The schools of Germantown are in a very flourishing condition, and well up to the standard of public schools in any other section of the county. The first school was taught in 1859. but the name of the teacher is forgotten. We find


572


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


from the records that in 1866 there were three school districts in the county, and thirty-five scholars in attendance. White persons under 21 years of age were forty-five, and the school fund was $146. In 1873 there were five schools ; 161 children between the ages of 6 and 21 years, and the number at school 101. Two male and six female teachers were employed, and the district tax levy for support of schools was $947. The following figures are taken from the last annual report of A. B. Minnerly, School Treasurer of the township, to the county superintendent of schools :


Number of males in township under 21 years. 168


Number of females in township under 21 years


158


Total


326


Number of males between 6 and 21 years.


101


Number of females between 6 and 21 years.


118


Total


219


Number of males attending school.


75


Number of females attending school.


60


Total


135


Number of male teachers employed


6


Number of female teachers employed.


4


Total.


10


Estimated value of school property.


$4,600.00


School fund for support of schools 8,790.50 .


Highest monthly wages paid any teacher


46.00


Lowest monthly wages paid any teacher.


25.00


Whole amount paid teachers ..


1,237.75


There are at present in the township, which is fractional, five school districts, in all of which there are good, comfortable school houses, and schools main- tained for the usual term each year.


We have stated that Germantown was without churches, stores and post offices, and we may add, without mills, railroads, mighty water courses or great forests. In fact it has little history beyond the settlement of its quiet citizens. It is well supplied with good roads ; but these are of too modern construction to be an interesting matter of history. Its political faith is pretty evenly divided between the two great parties of the day, and indeed, it is stated that the Presidential contest in 1876 between Hayes and Tilden was a tie vote. The present township officers of Germantown are A. B. Minnerly, Supervisor ; John Leggate and A. B. Minnerly, Justices of the Peace ; F. C. Dassan, Town Clerk ; Charles Roedel, Collector, and John Leggate, Assessor.


This concludes our history of Livingston County, and to the patient reader, who has followed us through these pages, we kindly bid you adieu.


The following Chapters were received too late for insertion in their proper place.


GEOLOGICAL FEATURES.


[For the benefit of our patrons who are interested in the subject, we copy from the Geological Survey of Illinois that portion pertaining to the coal measures of Livingston County. The plates of this work were destroyed by fire at Spring- field some time since, and hence no more copies will be issued, which renders this extract of great interest in the history of the county.]


COAL MEASURES.


The Big Vermilion River, from the north line of the county to Pontiac affords many exposures that help to determine the changes in the coal measures.


A coal bank on the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 1, Township 30 north, Range 3 east, shows the Streator coal, which is here di- vided by a clay seam fifteen inches thick, leaving thirty-three inches of coal above and twelve inches of coal below it. The coal here is a little below the bed of the river, and a quarter of a mile below it is at the river level. A quar- ter of a mile above the mine, the coal at Newtown Mill is in the bed of the river below the dam. A half-mile below the mine the clay parting is only one- eighth of an inch thick.


Glenwood Mill, on the northeast quarter of Section 12, about the middle of the quarter section. The river runs north, 35° west, and the sandstone above the shale that overlies the coal at Sreator, shows here with a dip south, 35° east, one foot in ten. At the mill the dam rests upon the coal. One mile above the dam the coal appears again. It was worked in 1860 and 1861, and said to be three and a half feet thick.


One hundred and twenty rods north of the south line of Section 18, Town- ship 30 north, Range 4 east, the coal is four and a half feet thick on the east side of the river. At the south line of Section 18, the coal is under the river not more than eight feet. Further down the river a short distance, on the west side the coal is three feet thick.


At the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 19, Township 30, Range 4 east, a limestone nearly six feet thick appears where the river makes a bend west. This rests on a blue clay, and appears to be No. 12 of the general section of La Salle County. Fossils found in it were Productus longistinus, Spinifer cameratus, Sp. lineatus, Athyris subtilita and Cyathoxonia.


574


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


The same limestone appears again in the elbow of the river, on the right bank, on the south part of Section 19, near the middle line; also in a de- tached mass, slipped down in the east part of the southeast quarter of Section 19, with the underlying greenish clay and shale forming the bank.


Sandstone appears on the north line of Section 30, Township 30, Range 4 east, near the middle corner. This seems to be No. 49, of the general section of La Salle County. The base is shaly, discolored by wafer bands of coal and coal-plant fragments. This sandstone continues in sight to the mouth of Long Point Creek, on the left bank of the river, in the southeast cor- ner of Section 29 ; then reappears on the right bank just above the mouth of Long Point Creek. The dip shows well here to the northeast, one foot in twenty. In the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 32, in the bend of of the river, the direction of the dip is a little more east, and the massive sand- stone is overlaid by a bed of silicious and micaceous shale, on which rests a clay shale of a light blue color, the silicious shale being of a grayish light blue. In the clay shale are two bands of limestone somewhat like ironstone, irregular, separated by clay shale and each about one foot thick. The main sandstone appears again one quarter of a mile below the mouth of Mud Creek, on the left bank of the river, and at the mouth of Mud Creek is the underlying shaly sandstone. This is near the middle of Section 32.


Continuing up the river, this sandstone appears in the south part of Section 5, Township 29, Range 4, with five or six feet of the underlying shales. One quarter of a mile further up, and probably in the north part of Section 8, coal comes in suddenly, with section as follows :


Sandstone


..


Coal ..


1 6


Fire-clay.


1


..


Shale. ?


..


This eighteen inches of coal is generally represented elsewhere, and in La Salle County are fragments and wafer seams of coal. The fire-clay is absent. A thin, shaly sandstone of eighteen inches is here found two feet thick below the coal.


Southeast, three-quarters of a mile or less, in a straight line from this point, a coal seam appears in the bed of the river. Its thickness could not be determined, but is at least one and a half feet. The right bank shows argilla- ceous shales, with bands of nodules, and thin shales indicating the Streator coal. The dip is between southeast and east. This point is a little below the mouth of Scattering Point Creek, and is probably in the north part of the southeast quarter of Section 8. The shales in the right bank of the river, in the northwest quarter of Section 9, in that part of the river which runs near the west line of the section, appear to be the same just referred to. In the bend of the river at the middle of the northwest quarter of Section 9, the strata of sandstone and shale dip about west one foot in twenty. Ten rods further up the river, the dip is a little south of east at the same rate.


575


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


Near the south line of Section 9, the same sandstone appears again, and dips southeasterly ; in the bank of the river in the southcast quarter of Section 16, the southwest quarter of Section 15 and the northwest quarter of Section 22, limestone before referred to appears in loose masses, the banks formed of the underlying blue clay. A slippery bank, and the limestone slipped down, is everywhere, it appears, characteristic of this portion of the vertical section, often obscuring the details. Near the north line of Section 22, and a quarter of a mile east of the northwest corner, the limestone in place is down to the river level. The character of this rock to disintegrate into irregular frag- ments, is exhibited here in abundant loose, coarse limestone gravel, two to four inches in diameter.


From this point to Allen's Mill, in the southwest quarter of Section 23, nothing noticeable is to be seen. This limestone appears again at the mill dam, and also at the ford, two miles and a half below Pontiac, and at Pontiac. The fossils are Spirifer cameratus, S. lineatus, S. planoconvexus, Productus longis- pinus, and Bellerophon.


The branches of the river in this county afford no aid in determining the rock strata, excepting at a very few points, the drift concealing everything below. Above Pontiac, but little exposure is found. The details given of the tracing of the river up to Pontiac show the upheaval of the coal measures continued as in La Salle County, and also seem to indicate some slight local disturbances or parallel axial lines with the main axis.


On Rook's Creek, in the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Sec- tion 23, Township 28, Range 43; a sandstone is quarried. The section is as follows :


5 Sandstone in thick beds, slightly micaceous, bluish color, fine building stone ..


2


Shaly sandstone to water line


1 Dip S. 80°, W. 1 in. to 1


One hundred yards west, down the creek, it shows again. Two hundred yards west, on the left bank of the creek, a limestone comes in, stratified in masses, brecciated, about five feet altogether ; no fossils. The sandstone shows again in the bed of the creek, about eighty to one hundred rods in the south- east corner.


Section of coal shaft at Pontiac, as furnished from the record of the com- pany :


Ft.


In. Ft.


In.


1. Drift clay


...


...


18


9


2. Limestone


1


5


20


2


3. Blue shale


5


...


25


2


4. Limestone


4


...


20


2


5. Brown shale


4


...


33


2


6. Red shale


2


...


35


2


7. Blue shale


1


...


36


2


8. Limestone


17 6


53


8


Feet.


Sandstone, in thin laminæ.


576


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


Ft,


In.


Ft.


In.


9. Black slate.


1


...


54


8


10, Brown shale.


8


2


62


10


11. Limestone.


6


...


68


10


12. Dark shale


2


..


70


10


13. Limestone


5


...


75


10


14. Red shale.


16


91


10


15. Blue shale


40


...


I do not regard the section as a valuable one. Some specimens of. Avicu- lopecten rectilaterarius, found in the waste pile, were reported as from No. 27 of the section, and Productus longispinus, said to be from No. 34. .


The following is a copy of A. Matson's boring at Pontiac, one-quarter of a mile northeast of the coal shaft, made in 1863:


Feet.


Feet.


1. Drift.


18


2. Limestone.


1


19


3. Blue slate.


9


28


4. Hard rock


4


32


5. Red shale.


13


45


6. Blue shale.


20


65


7. Hard rock


10


75


8. Light-colored shale.


20


95


9. Hard rock


4


99


10. Red shale.


30


147


12. Black shale


9


156


13. Blue shale


44


200


14. Coal shale


3


203


15.


Coal.


1


204


16. Blue shale.


23


227


17. Black shale


5


232


...


176


10


19. Rock-limestone ?


4


6


181


4


20. Soapstone.


1


. .


182


4


21.


Coal.


4


6


186


10


22. Dark slate-2 in. clay on top


12


198


10


23.


Brown shale


7


...


205


10


24. Dark slate


6


6


212


4


25.


Brown shale.


12


..


224


4


26.


Very dark clay


7


...


231


4


27.


Black slate


50


..


281


4


28. Rock-limestone.


7


6


228


10


29.


Soapstone ..


18


306


10


30. Limestone.


6


..


312


10


31.


Soapstone-hard


20


..


332


10


32. Black slate-hard ..


30


362


10


33. Septara, containing bitumen


2


...


364


10


34. Fire-clay ?


3


367


10


35.


Coal.


2


6


370


4


36. Fire-clay


3


6


373


10


...


145


10


17. Black slate


19


164


10


18. Black slate


12


...


131


10


16. Black slate


14


...


...


...


...


18


117


11. Blue shale


577


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


Shaft of H. L. Marsh, Fairbury, on southwest quarter of Section 4, Town- ship 26, Range 6 east :


Ft. In.


Ft. In.


1. Black soil


2


..


2 .


2. Yellow clay


14


..


16


3. Blue clay 8 1 .


Soft blue clay 4 . ..


4. Quicksand.


5


..


..


5. Limestone.


3


6


36 6


Blue clay,


5


101


10 10


49


4


Limestone


10


2


57


6


7. Limestone, shale and clay.


7


..


5


10 11


75 5


9. Limestone


4


75


9


10. Coal, 0 3 ; slate, 2 ft.


2


3


78 ..


Blue clay


5


1


'83


1


5


88


1


7


3


95


4


12. Blue limestone, very hard.


1


2


96


6


13. Red clay


8 10


105


4


14.


- Sandstone, fine and light colored at top, coarser descend'g 70 Sandstone in thin bands, interstratified with thin bands 9 of clay


15. Soapstone


31


8


216


..


16.


Coal.


4 10


220 10


17. Fire clay.


26


8


247 6


18. Limestone, hard


1


2


248


8


Slate, dark


2


..


Slate, light.


15


6


Slate, dark


10


8


31


8 280


1


Slate, black


1


5


[ Slate, band of nodules


2


Slate, black, with some coal 1 11


1 11


282


3


21. Limestone.


6


288


3


22. Soapstone, light, sandy


3


2 291 5


23. Slate, dark, soft 7 292 ..


24. § Sandy shalc.


25.


Sandstone, micaceous and shaly at top, harder at bottoni 40


7 372


26. Shale, soft at top and hard at bottom


8 11


381


6


27. Coal


2


5


383 11


28. Fire-clay.


20 6


404


29. Sandstone, sandy shales with thin clay bands, to .. ..


..


571


6.


Red and brown clay. 5


64 6


8. Blue clay. 5


Red clay. 5 6 /


. .


181


4


..


:


5 293


5


1


Sandy shale, changing to clay shale at bottom


38


7 332


..


20. Clay, light colored, soft.


19.


11. Red clay. Red clay, very dark.


33


28 .


From the coal No. 27 the section was ascertained by boring in bottom of shaft. Water was noticed at 427 feet. The upper sixteen feet of No. 25, reported to contain calamiles and large wood-like fossils, body being of sand- stone, probably sigillaria incrusted with coal. Limestone No. 5 of this section outcrops near town.


578


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY


The shaft and boring of Amsbury & Jones, on southwest quarter of Section 2, at Fairbury, exhibit the following section, as reported by them :


SECTION.


Ft. In.


Ft.


In.


1. Soil.


2. Yellow Clay


8


8 11


2


3. Blue clay and mixed with sand.


9


7


20


9


4. Gravel, with little water.


1


1


21


10


5. Hard-pan, sand and gravel, with little clay, cemented and very hard.


39


2 61


. .


6. Blue clay


7. Black and brown shale mixed, changing into sandstone, and bottom 6 or 8 feet, contains fossil plants covered with coal crust, making gray colored debris ; water abundant at bottom of this.


43


133


4


8. Sandstone.


9. Clay, light colored.


4


151


4


10. Coal (working this bed)


4


2


.155 6


11. Fire-clay, with pyrite balls.


8


163


6


12. Red shale.


7


170


6


13. Sandstone.


4


174


6


14. Limestone.


..


7 175


1


15.


Shale


6


181


1


16. Limestone


1


6


182


7


17.


Blue shale or clay


21


203


7


18. Coal.


..


2


203


9


19.


Sandstone.


3


206


9


20.


Blue shale or clay.


2


208


9


21.


Coal.


..


2


208


11


22. Shale.


7 1


17


225


11


23.


Black slate with little coal.


1


6


229


5


25. Sandstone.


5


..


..


241


5


27.


Limestone, hard


1


8


243


1


28.


Fire-clay.


3


6 246


7


29.


Sandstone.


11


..


257


7


30. Blue clay or shale.


45


..


6 306


1


32.


Fire-clay


1


307


1


33. Sandstone.


2


309


1


The mine is wet, water dripping from the sandstone, No. 8 of the section, the clay next above the coal giving way, and varying from two to eight feet in thickness. H. L. Marsh's mine is dry.


Chatsworth boring west of town for coal, southeast quarter Section +, Town 26, Range 8 east :


SECTION.


Ft. In.


Ft.


In.


!


1. Soil, blue clay and sand.


..


..


65


..


2. Soft sandstone (sand ?). 15


3. Vegetable dirt bed, grains of wood discernible like old rotten logs and portions of leaves .. 4 ..


84


..


4. Fire-clay (so-called). 4


..


88


..


..


147


4


..


..


..


..


--


..


..


..


..


..


227


11


24. Fire-clay


234


5


26.


Fire-clay


7


302


31. Coal.


3


..


..


80


..


1


2


6


...


..


29


4 90


4


14


Shale or dark clay.


10


579


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


Ft.


In.


Ft.


In.


5. Sandstone


35


123


..


6. Shalc ...


13


..


7. Coal or black shale


8. Fire-clay


1


..


137


2


9. Soapstone or shale.


11


148


2


10. Coal.


1


3


149


5


11. Fire-clay


3


152


5


12. Soapstone


15


167


5


13. Black slate


1


6


168


11


14. Soapstone or shale.


31


1


200


..


To coal or slate, a thin bed, with iron pyrite.


This boring is fifty feet from the railroad, near east line of Section 4.


Artesian well at Chatsworth, southeast quarter of Section 3, Township 26, Range 8 east :


Section.


Feet.


Feet.


1. Soil and clay


4


2. Yellow clay


4


8


3. Blue clay


44


52


4. Sand and gravel.


8


60


5. Blue clay


10


70


6. Sand.


5


75


7.


Hard-pan (clay and gravel)


53


128


8. Sand.


7


135


9. Hard-pan and clay.


52


187


10. Soft clay and gravel. 13 200


21


221


12.


Limestone


69


290


13.


Limestone


94


384


14.


Limestone


70


454


15. Limestone


115


569


16. Black slate


40


609


17. Gritstone


80


689


18.


Limestone


65


754


19.


Limestone


70


824


20. Dark shale.


36


860


21. Limestone


147


1,007


22. Flint .


109


1,116


23. Dark-gray shale, with streaks of flint.


84


1,200


..


A comparison of the two borings above shows an abrupt change from the coal measures to the older rocks, and a great difference in the depth of the drift .- [Geological Survey of Illinois.]


THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.


The earliest attempts at popular exhibitions of the agricultural and mechan- ical products of the county were held about the year 1850, in the Court House Square. The principal mover in these exhibitions was Mr. Samuel Ladd. But few articles were exhibited; and at the close of the day's enter- tainment, a hat was passed around to raise means to defray expenses.


..


136


136


..


..


11. Soapstone


580


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


These primitive fairs generally went by the name of "rope fairs," from the fact that a rope was stretched around the articles shown. These fairs were held at irregular intervals until 1856, when, at a meeting of several gentlemen inter- ested in the subject, a permanent organization was effected.


This meeting was held at the Court House, on Jan. 5, 1856, at which meet- ing Wm. J. Murphy was chosen Chairman and James Stout, Secretary. A Constitution was submitted and adopted, and the following officers elected at said meeting :


William J. Murphy, President ; M. D. Edgington, Vice President ; C. B. Ostrander, Vice President ; S. McCormick, Vice President ; Otis Richardson, Secretary ; James Stout, Corresponding Secretary : James M. Perry, Treaurer.


The first County Fair was held in the Fall of 1856, in the Court House Square in Pontiac. No admission fee was charged and a very small list of pre- miums offered.


On the 18th day of April, 1857, the Board reorganized, and a Constitution was adopted. Section 1 of the Constitution provided that this society shall be called " The Livingston County Agricultural Society." Its objects shall be to improve the condition of agriculture, horticulture, mechanic and household arts. Also, that this Board shall consist of such persons as shall pay into the treasury not less than $1.00 and $I.00 annually thereafter. The payment of $20 or more shall constitute a life member of this society.


The officers of this Board shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Board of nine Directors (five of whom shall con- stitute a quorum).


Under this organization twenty fairs were held, with a very good attendance at each. The result has been a growing interest in agricultural, horticultural and mechanical pursuits.


In 1865, the society purchased the old fair grounds, south of the Vermilion River, which they furnished with buildings, stalls and a good half-mile track, and which were occupied until the present season.


In 1872, the Legislature passed a law changing the State Agricultural Society to the State Agricultural Board, and giving it certain privileges. The same act provided that any County Agricultural Society forming an organiza- tion in compliance with this law would be entitled to $100 each season a fair was held.


That year, the Livingston County Agricultural Society changed to the Liv- ingston County Agricultural Board, in compliance with this law, and continued under that organization and name until Jan. 1, 1878. At this date, it was decided to form a stock company, sell the old grounds, purchase new and more desirable grounds and extend the aim and purpose of the society. One thousand shares at $10 each were decided upon and readily disposed of, thereby creating a fund of $10,000. This is used in part to defray expenses. insure payment of premiums and to supply any deficiency that may occur.


583


HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.


The grounds comprise fifty-five acres southeast of the city on the bank of the river. One-third of the grounds are admirably shaded, affording a pleasant retreat. A most excellent one-half-mile track is graded and ready for use. Good buildings, stables and other necessary adjuncts will be at once erected, so that by the Fall meeting-first week of September-every thing will be in readiness. The premiums offered aggregate $3,000, and an excellent exhibition is anticipated.


The present officers of the association are as follows: President, W. C. Burleigh; Vice President, Bailey A. Gower; Secretary, A. W. Kellogg : Treas- urer. D. C. Eylar ; Executive Committee, J. P. Houston, W. P. Corbin. A. E. Sweet, James Marks, C. W. Ament.


A Director from each township in the county is elected by the stockholders for three years. These Directors are divided into three classes, one class going out each year.


OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.


The Old Settlers' Association of Livingston County was organized on the 30th day of December, 1875, at the Court House in Pontiac, Ill .. being the first public meeting held in the new Court House.


Constitution and By-Laws were adopted. James McDowell was elected President ; E. C. Allen and J. W. Darnell, Vice Presidents ; John A. Fellows, Secretary ; Samuel C. Ladd, Scribe : James E. Morrow, Treasurer, and Rev. James Parcells, Chaplain.


The second meeting of the Association was held at the fair grounds at Pontiac on the 28th day of September, 1876. James McDowell was elected President, with one Vice President from each township; John A. Fellows, Secretary ; D. L. Murdock, Scribe ; James E. Morrow, Treasurer ; Rev. James Parcells, Chaplain.


The third meeting was held at Fairbury, Ill., on September 4, 1877. Wal- ter Cornell was elected President, with one Vice President from each township ; John A. Fellows, Secretary ; D. L. Murdock, Scribe : James E. Morrow, Treasurer, and Rev. James Parcells, Chaplain.


The fourth meeting has been appointed to be held at Cornell. Ill., on the 29th day of August, 1878.


The Rev. James Parcells died March 13, 1878.


The following is a list of the first settlers of different towns, as furnished us by John. A. Fellows and D. L. Murdock, Secretary and Scribe of the Associa- tion. The list is not as complete as they would like to have had it, from the fact that many failed to respond to inquiries sent out to obtain the information :




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