The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 21

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Illinois > McLean County > The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 21

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).

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IHISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

knives and implements. It was not infrequently, though game was plenty, that they were out of meat when the preacher came to their houses, and a coon had to be caught. But it was not always gloomy and sad with them. There was much of good feeling and sociability among them. Their loves and their hates were demonstrative; and the sparseness of the population, and the consequent mutual dependence upon each other, as well in serious occupations as in their amusements, rendered them more helpful and more hearty in their reciprocal deeds of kindness, and in their social intercourse. There were not a few, even in this section of the country, whose hearts would respond to the following, rather boisterous, but cheerful and expressive language of the poet :

"Oh ! to roam, like. the rivers, through empires of woods, Where the king of the eagles in majesty broods : Or, to ride the wild horse o'er the boundless domain. And to drag the wild buffalo down to the plain ; There to chase the fleet stag, and to track the huge bear, And to face the lithe panther at bay in his lair, Are a joy which, alone, cheers the pioneer's breast ; For the only true hunting-ground lies in the West. " Ho! brothers, come hither and list to my story- Merry and brief will the narrative be : Here, like a monarch, I reign in my glory- Master, am 1, boys, of all that I see.

Where once frowned a forest, a garden is smiling- The meadow and moorland are marshes no more: And there curls the smoke of my cottage, beguiling The children, who cluster, like grapes, at the door. Then enter. boys; cheerly, boys, enter and rest ; The land of the heart is the land of the West."

It may be true that the feelings and sentiments expressed in the above lines are not the prevailing ones here at the present time; that they are fast fading from the hearts of the new population, and that their proper meridian is still moving west-ever west. Yet there are some among us whose hearts still respond to the echoes of the earlier and more demonstrative times of the past. Many of the early settlers, now rapidly passing away, still linger among us ; and to them, and to those who have already passed over, the present generation owes an immense debt of gratitude ; for bravely have they met the difficulties incident to settling a new country ; and broadly and well have they laid the foundations of future prosperity in the county.

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS.

As will be seen elsewhere in this work, Tazewell County was created by the State Legislature at its session of 1826 and 1827. An election was held in that county in the following spring for county officers, MeLean County being substantially embraced therein. At that election, Messrs. James Latta, George Hittle and Benjamin Briggs were elected County Commissioners ; Mr. James Benson, of Blooming Grove, was elected County Treasurer, and Mr. William Orondorff and Mr. Absalom Funk were securities ; Mr. William Orondorff was elected Justice of the Peace ; Mr. William H. Hodge, Sheriff, and Mr. Thomas Orondorff, Coroner.

On the 10th of April, 1827, the County Commissioners held their first court at the house of Mr. William Orondorff. On April 25, of the same year, they held

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their court at the house of Mr. Ephraim Stout, in Stout's Grove, and continued to hold them there until the public buildings were finished at Mackinawtown, which had been chosen for the county seat. At the court of the same Commissioners, held June 25, 1827. all that part of Tazewell County east of the Third Principal Meridian and all north of Town 22 was formed into Blooming Grove Precinct ; and all south of Town 23 and east of Third Principal Meridian, including one range west of said meridian, in Town 22, formed Kickapoo Precinct.

At the March term, 1829, a road was ordered to be laid out from Jonathan Cheney's, in Cheney's Grove to the mouth of the Little Vermilion, at the Illinois River, and the Road District Supervisor was ordered to make the road. The county revenue of Tazewell County, for 1829, was $1,061.89, and the expenses, $898.53.

At the first session of the County Commissioners' Court, held at the house of Hon. James Allen, in Bloomington, for McLean County proper, May 16. 1831, the report of Messrs. Lemuel Lee and Isaac C. Pugh, Commissioners appointed by the Legisla- ture to locate the county seat, was received and ordered to be entered on record-said report locating the said county seat on the land of Mr. James Allen, on the north end of Blooming Grove. At the same session, Dr. Isaac Baker, Clerk of the Court, was instructed to give notice, by written advertisements, that a sale of town lots in the town of Bloomington, on the land donated by Mr. Allen for a county seat, would take place on the 4th of July, of the same year.

At the June term of the Court, same year, the Commissioners thinking the tax on land insufficient to defray the expenses of the county, ordered that a tax of one-half per cent be levied on all property owned in the county. The Court then proceeded to lay off and designate the election precincts, as follows : All that territory included in Town- ships 21 and 22 in Range 1 west, 21 and 22 in Range 1 east and 21 in Range 2 east shall constitute Kickapoo Precinct, and the place of holding elections shall be at William Murphey's mill; and James H. Seott, Walter McPherson and Frederick Barnett were appointed Judges of Elections.

Townships 21, 22, 23 and 24 in Ranges 4, 5 and 6 east shall constitute Salt Creek Precinct, and the place of holding elections shall be at the house of Nathan Britton, Esq., Jesse Frankerburger, Amos Conaway and Daniel Crumbaugh being appointed Judges of Elections.

Townships 23 in Range 1 west, 23 and 24 in Range 1 east, 22, 23 and 24 iu Ranges 2 and 3 east, and Sections from 12 to 36 in Town 25, Range 2 east, and Sections from 16 to 36 in Town 25, Range 3 east shall constitute Bloomington Pre- cinct, and the place of holding elections shall be in Bloomington; and the Court appointed Peter Mccullough, David Wheeler and Seth Baker Judges of Elections.

Townships 26, 27 and 28 in Ranges 2 and 3 east, Towns 25, 26, 27 and 28 in Ranges 4, 5 and 6 cast, and Sections from 1 to 12 in Town 25, Range 2 east, and Sec- tions from 1 to 16 in Town 25, Range 3 east, constituted Mackinaw Precinct, and the place of holding elections was at John Patten's ; and John Haney, John Patten and Coonrod Flesher were appointed Judges of Elections.

Townships 24 to 28 north in Range 1 west, and Townships from 25 to 28 in Range 1 east, shall constitute Painter Creek Precinct, and the place of holding elec- tions shall be at John Harbert's, and Mathew Robb, William Patrick and Mathew Bracken are appointed Judges of Elections.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

The Court then laid off the Road Districts as follows: Townships 21 and 22 in Range 1 west shall be called District Number One, and Allen MeCay is appointed Supervisor.

Townships 21 and 22 of Range 1 cast shall compose Road District Number Two, and Jeremiah Greenman is appointed Supervisor.

Townships 21 and 22, Range 2 east, shall compose Road District Number Three, and Gardner Randolph is appointed Supervisor.

Township 21, Ranges 3 and 4, and west half of Range 5 east, the southwest quarter of Town 22, Range 5 east, and the south half of Town 22, Ranges 3 and 4 east, shall compose Road District Number Four, and James Merrifield is appointed Supervisor.

The north half of Town 22, Ranges 3 and 4 east, and the northwest quarter of Town 22, Range 5 east, the west half of Range 5, Town 23 east, and Town 23 in Ranges 3 and 4 shall compose Road District Number Five, and James Vanscoye is appointed Supervisor.

The east half of Towns 21, 22 and 23 in Range 5 east, and Townships 21, 22 and 23 in Range 6 east shall compose Road District Number Six, and Robert Cun- ningham is appointed Supervisor.

Townships 23, 24 and 25 in Range 1 west shall compose Road District Number Seven, and Robert McClure is appointed Supervisor.

Townships 23, 24 and 25 in Range 1 east shall compose Road District Number Eight, and Samuel Barker is appointed Supervisor.

Townships 23, 24 and 25 in Range 2 east, and Townships 24 and 25, Range 3 east, shall compose Road District Number Nine, and David Trimmer is appointed Super- visor.

The townships beginning at the southwest corner of Town 24 in Range 4 east, and extending east to the county line, shall compose Road District Number Ten, and John Haner is appointed Supervisor.

Beginning at the southeast corner of Township 26, Range 3 east, and extending north and west to the county line, shall compose Road District Number Eleven, and Young Billberry is appointed Supervisor.

These divisions give a tolerable idea of the relative number of inhabitants in those early times in different portions of the county, and show who many of them were. At the same session, William Orondorff, Esq., paid into court a fine of $6, officially collected by him from Thomas Wilson and Francis Evans, for assault and battery-the first transaction of the kind on record in the county. At the same session, Mr. Henry Miller applied for license to keep a tavern in Bloomington-the first application. The amount paid was $2. At the July session, Messrs. Frederick and Samuel Troxell applied for license to vend goods, wares and merchandise in the county of McLean for one year. License granted for $5-the first on record.

At the December term, Mr. Robert H. Johnson made application to the Court for relief in behalf of Sarah Potter, an insane person in his eare. Relief was granted- the first in the county.

At the same term, a petition was presented signed by Jacob Spawr and others, dated July 27. 1831, praying for a road to be located from Frederick Rook's, on the Vermilion, thence to William Evans', on the Mackinaw, thence to Jacob Spawr's, on Money Creek, thence south, crossing Sugar Creek at a point north of Bloomington, and

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below the fork, through Main street, Bloomington, south through Randolph Grove and Long Point, to the south line of the county. The petition was granted, and Isaac Baker, Elbert Dickason and Gardner Randolph appointed Viewers of the same. This was the first important move of the kind in McLean County proper.

The Court appointed William H. Hodge, John Hendrix and William Orondorff Trustees of school lands in Town 23 north, Range 2 east; Ephraim Stout, Robert Drain and Isaac Sample in Town 24 north, Range ] west ; John Moore, Gardner Ran- dolph and Elijah Hedrick in Town 22 north, Range 2 cast ; James Murphey, Andrew Biggs and Samuel Murphey in Town 22 north, Range 1 east ; Walter McPherson, Benjamin Day and John Glenn, Esq., in Town 21 north, Range 1 east ; and William Conaway, James Merrifield and Officer Rutledge in Town 22 north, Range + east.

At the January term, 1832, a petition was presented to the Court signed by David Maxwell and others, praying for a road to be established, commencing at the west end of Front street , in the town of Bloomington, thence to James Toliver's, John Maxwell's, Samuel Rhodes', Timothy M. Gates', Nathan Low's, John Hougham's, and thence to Funk's Grove. The petition was granted, and Isaac Baker, James Allen and James Latta were appointed to view the same and report.

At the March term, a petition was presented to the Court praying to have a road viewed and located leading from the east end of Front street, in the town of Blooming- ton, running in nearly a southeast course to Buckles' Grove, on Salt Creek, thence to the county line in a direction to intersect a road leading from Vermilion County to Osburn's Grove, on the Sangamon River. The petition was granted, and Isaac Baker, County Surveyor, Michael Dickerson and Reuben Clearwaters were appointed to view and locate the road and report.

A petition was presented by Ephraim Stout, also, and others, praying for an altera- tion of the county road from Decatur to Mackinawtown, commencing at Ephraim Stout's bridge, and to run north side of David Stout's, thence in a direction to intersect the old road opposite Jonathan Hodge's house. Petition granted, and Isaac Baker, Isaac Sample and Isaac Gaskill appointed to review the same and report.

The Court appointed Road District Supervisors for the ensuing year, as follows : District No. 1, Benjamin Shipley ; No. 2, Benjamin Day ; No. 3, Elijah Hedrick ; No. 4, Alvin Barnett; No. 5, John W. Dawson; No. 6, William M. Riggs ; No. 7, James Watson ; No. 8, Wolford Wyatt; No. 9, Seth Baker; No. 10, John B. Thomas; No. 11, William C. Moore ; No. 12, James Benson ; No. 13, William Evans.

A petition was presented, signed by Owen Cheney and others, praying for a road beginning at the county line opposite to a road leading through Vermilion County to Osburn's Grove, on the Sangamon River; thence on the nearest and best route to the most suitable fording on Salt Creek, in the upper part of Buckles' Grove; thence on the nearest and best route to intersect the road leading from the Vermilion Salt Works to Fort Clark, at William Maxwell's, on Kickapoo Creek; thence with the said road to the town of Bloomington. Prayer granted, and Isaac Baker, John Dawson and Daniel Crumbaugh instructed to make report thereon at the next term.

The Court levied a tax of one-half per cent on the following-described property : All horses, mules (and their male parents), neat cattle three years old and over, town lots, sheep one year old, pleasure carriages, wagons, household property, watches, and all distilleries.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

At the June term, 1832, the Court established the previously-proposed road from the Vermilion through Bloomington, on Main street, to the south line of the county at fifty feet wide ; also the one from the east end of Front street, Bloomington, in a south- easterly course to Buckles' Grove, at the same width.

The amount of the county revenue collected from taxes for the current year, as reported to the County Court at the June term, 1832, was $2,313; and the amount paid the County Assessor, Mr. Thomas Orondorff, was $40.

At the December term, 1832, of the Court, Mr. John Scott, Mr. Ebenezer Barnes, and Mr. William McGhee came into Court and made application for the privilege of proving themselves to have been Revolutionary soldiers. After due investigation, the Court confirmed their declarations as true. The same was done in the case of Mr. Thomas Sloan, and his declaration in the matter taken to be correct.

A petition was presented in Court, signed by John Benson and others, praying for a road to be located from Bloomington to Painter Creek Mill, and thenee to Walnut Grove, near John Oatman's, in McLean County. Petition granted, and Isaac Baker, Robert McClure and Josiah Brown appointed as viewers of said road.

A petition was presented, also, signed by Lemuel Evans, Jesse Sutton, and others, praying a road to be located, beginning at John Funk's farm, in Funk's Grove; thenee to the south to the crossing on Kickapoo, near A. Larison's ; thence through the town plat of Waynesville, to the county line near Pilot Grove. Petition granted, and Isaac Baker, Samuel Murphy and Runion Hougham appointed Viewers.

It will readily be inferred, from the districting of the county, the appointment of township officers, the location of so many roads, and the frequent mention of so many names in every direction, that the country, as well as Bloomington, was filling up rapidly with immigrants. Such was the ease. In 1830 and 1831, the prairie turf had been broken in large quantities, and the decay of such masses of vegetable growth had filled the atmosphere with malaria, and the fever and ague were very common and severe. In the winter of 1831, occurred, also the great fall of snow, such as has never been wit- nessed since. It caused great loss of stock, covered under the snow, and from starvation. The inhabitants were themselves nearly buried in their dwellings, and intercourse between the distant neighbors was suspended for weeks. The abundant game in the country became worthless from starvation, and perished in great numbers from the severity of the weather. Yet such were the energy and the perseverance of the early settlers, and the goodly reports which they sent back to their friends of the fertility of the soil and the magnificent prospects for aequiring good homes and future independence, that immi- gration continued to pour in, and the material resources of the country were rapidly developed.

For some years, the style of building was mostly one story high, and the walls were of hewed logs, very substantial and comfortable. Some of such buildings are still in use in the city and in the county, in very tolerable condition, some of them from forty to fifty years old. The roofs were covered with long split shingles, and the chimneys made up of stone, or sticks and clay. As the early settlers nearly all stuck closely around the groves, that manner of building was tolerably convenient, and the immediate forest- trees supplied an abundance of excellent fuel and of rail timber. One of the most serious discouragements to be met in those days, in settling up this State, was the sickness caused by malaria. Yet it was not nearly as severe in Illinois as in Indiana and Michigan.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

This was undoubtedly owing to the scarcity of forests. On this account, and owing to its fortunate location in reference to rivers, and its elevation, McLean County was then, as it is now, an exceptionally healthy one.

Later experiences show that the so-much-slighted open, wide prairies are more healthy than the immediate vicinity of the groves. But the abundance of fuel and the protection of the groves to man and beast decided the location of the early settlements. In those days, people ridiculed the idea that the broad prairie, would be settled up for generations. To obtain boards and plank, they were obliged to saw them by hand from forest logs, a slow and laborious process ; and when saw-mills were afterward erected, still the lumber was so expensive and heavy to handle that but little progress was made on the prairies, for several years. When Chicago began to assume the characteristics of a town, and became a lumber market, the process of transporting it on wagons a hundred and fifty miles, the teams hauling up grain and pork, and bringing baek boards, was still too slow to encourage venturing out onto the grassy seas surrounding the groves. That movement waited the advent of the iron horse, breathing fire and steam.

Much timber was destroyed by the storm that passed across this county on the 23d of June, 1827. Though it visited Blooming Grove very roughly, Old Town Tim- ber was the principal scene of destruction marking its pathway. The largest forest- trees of the most sturdy kinds, were but as playthings in its grasp, as it seized them in its might, hurling them headlong to the ground, and piling them in promiscuous heaps. This was far the fiercest storm that has visited this county within the knowledge of the white man. It is a subject of remark that this county has since been very fortunate in escaping similar visitations, though they have passed repeatedly over the country several times, quite near.

At the December term of the Commissioners' Court, Messrs. James Allen and M. L. Covell, Messrs. John and Samuel Durley and Mr. Benjamin Haines made application for license to sell goods, wares and merchandise in the town of Bloomington. The style of doing business in those days was quite different from the present one. Each store was stocked with a miscellaneous assemblage of multitudinous articles then known and recognized as necessary to meet the few wants and satisfy the simple tastes of earnest and sensible people in a new country. The merchants and shopkeepers could not then, as now, send an order on the swift-winged lightning, and receive a bill of goods on the next day's train.

To replenish their miscellany of goods, wares and merchandise involved the neces- sity of shinning around among their customers for two or three weeks, to raise the necessary funds, sufficient at least to pay traveling expenses, and then a trip to Pekin, by horse-power, and thence by a tub of a steamer, when one was luckily encountered in its meanderings up and down the Illinois River, in search of sandbars, that were to be avoided. By this process a replenishment of goods and wares could be obtained from St. Louis in the short period of two or three weeks, involving, of course, the departure and return of the swift wagon-train of Mr. Benjamin Depew and his associates in that line. We say St. Louis, for Chicago, in those days, knew not itself. Or if any of the business men of the time were bold enough to undertake a pilgrimage to Philadelphia, for goods, their return was greeted with much welcome by those who still remembered them.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

As we have before said, the Commissioners' Court was held at the residence of Mr. James Allen ; but at the January term, 1832, the Court resolved to have a Court House ; it accordingly instructed its Clerk to give public notice that the erection of a building, which was to be one story high, and 18x30 feet, comfortably finished off in the then prevailing style, would be sold at public vendue, on the 6th day of March succeeding. The erection of the building was bid off by A. Gridley, Esq., for $339.75. The build- ing was erected according to the contract, located on the west side of the public square, and accepted by the Court in December of the same year. The Jail was built about the same time, by Mr. William Dimmitt, at a cost of $321. So the Court House was not very much ahead; in fact, the Jail was the more substantial building of the two, as there seemed to be more anxiety about the stay of the prisoners than about that of the Court.

At the December term, 1832, and at the February term, 1833, the County Com- missioners' Court granted deeds to the following-named gentlemen, who had bought town lots in Bloomington at the public sale of said lots on the 4th of July, 1831. The record of the sale appears not to be obtainable ; but the following are believed to be substantially the names of the purchasers: James Latta, Martin Scott, A. Gridley, Nathan Low, William R. Roberson, John Maxwell, Ebenezer Rhodes, Cheney Thomas, Solomon Dodge, Caleb Kimler, Jesse Frankerberger, Jesse Havens, Frederick Trimmer, M. L. Covell, John W. Dawson, David Wheeler, Alvin Barnett, Jonathan Cheney, Joseph B. Harbert, Eli Frankerberger, Hezekiah M. Harbert, Richard Gross, William Harbert, Samuel Durley, Orman Roberson, Baily Kimler, Baily H. Coffey, Lewis Soward, John W. Harbert, Isaac Baker and Absalom Funk. The sale is said to have been quite lively and the bidding spirited-the lot on which the McLean County Bank now stands, bringing the highest price-$52.

At the March term, 1833, a petition was presented signed by Samuel Hoblitt and others for a road commencing at the county line of Mason and MeLean County, near Long Point, thence to Waynesville, to Napp's mill, thence over the line between Samuel Hoblitt's and Shipley's, thence to intersect the road to be laid out in Tazewell County by way of Orondorff's mill to Pekin. Petition granted, and Isaac Baker, Andrew Brock and Benjamin Shipley appointed Viewers thereof.

So rapid had been the increase of population in the county that, at the same ses- sion, the Court redivided the county into road districts as follows, which will give a very good idea of the distribution of the population at that time, and also many of the names of the carly settlers and their location : District No. 1, to commence at the line between the land of John Kimler and Benjamin Haines; thence west to the west end of the causeway near J. Toliver's land ; also on the road from Bloomington south to the largest branch of Sugar Creek ; and also on the road from Bloomington north to the middle of Town 24, Range 2 cast, and the streets aud alleys in Bloomington. John Kimler was appointed Supervisor.

Distriet No. 2, commencing at the west end of the causeway cast of J. Toliver's, on the county road leading to Funk's Grove, including the inhabitants near said road as far as the northwest corner of Isaac Hougham's fence, and those on the west side of Blooming Grove as far south as Mr. Hinshaw's. James Toliver, Supervisor.

District No. 3, including all the inhabitants on the west side of Blooming Grove, from Mr. Hinshaw's to Kickapoo Creek, between Seth Baker's and Omen Olney's

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to labor on the road from Sugar Creek, near the north end of Section 16, south to Town 22 north, Range 2 cast. J. B. Harbert appointed Supervisor.

District No. 4, to commence at Kickapoo Creek, between Seth Baker's and Omen Olney's. thenee, including all the inhabitants to work on the roads on the east side of the grove in Town 23 north, as far as the north and west of Mr. Haines' land. William Orondorff appointed Supervisor.

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The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 21

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092