The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 73

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 73

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In 1834, James Cowden came from Kentucky. The family located in the southwestern part of the township, and some of the descendants still reside there. Paul Lebo eame later, probably about 1837. He first stopped in Padua, but afterward came into Old Town. He was killed by the falling of a tree. The accident occurred.in the Old Town Timber, just south of Lewis Case's residence. Mr. Lebo had succeeded in getting the tree partly down, but it had lodged in another tree. On cutting the second tree, he started to run, and, just as he was about clearing the length of the tree, one of the upper branches struck him on the head and crushed his skull. His son was on the ground at the time, and witnessed the accident.

The Campbell family came in 1837. Mr. Campbell was born in Ireland, but came to this township from Bourbon County, Ky. He was what they called a rich man, in those days. He brought with him $1.400 in money. He had four sons. They own considerable land in the southeastern part of the township, and are prominent citizens of that locality.

From this time on, the immigrants followed each other in such an irregular way that it would be impossible to trace them. It was a long time before the northern part of the township was settled. Although the prairie was as charmingly located as it could be, the early settler did not venture upon it. There were a few who had made their homes on the prairie in 1854. In this year, the first of the settlement now in the northeast corner of Old Town and adjoining townships was made by John R. Benja- min, who came from Columbia County, N. Y. He belongs to the Friends, and was the forerunner of the settlement formed by them.

EDUCATIONAL.

The first school in this township is very vividly remembered. There are no doubts as to its location, or who was the teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Case were anxious to see their children enjoying the benefits of a good education. There were others, too, that longed to get their little ones within the limits of some educational institution. But the want of a building made it difficult to begin. It was thought

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that the smoke-house, belonging to Mr. Case, might suffice for the present need ; but on farther consideration, it was concluded to use the spare room in his barn. The barn was a new one; and, though the thought is diverting, doubtless furnished more com- fortable apartments than many of the first buildings erected especially for school pur- poses. The school was taught in the summer, and, of course, no fire was necessary. The horses could occupy one side and the school the other-at the horses' heads. This barn is standing yet ; and the marks on the old barn-door, which answered as a kind of schedule, long remained to tell the story of regularity or irregularity of the members of that little school.

The teacher of this little flock was Callista Stanton. She had eight pupils. As a compensation for her services, duly and faithfully performed, she received the munif- icent sum of $1.50 per week. This was the summer of 1838. Miss Stanton was a very fairly educated lady. She remained in the county and continued teaching for a long time. What remuneration she afterward received for her labors as " school ma'am," we do not know, but it is to be hoped that the directors never concluded to reduce her salary on account of "hard times." After this, a log schoolhouse was built, and a male teacher employed. Schools multiplied and houses were built, until now there are eight districts instead of the one in 1838. How many children there were then, under twenty-one, we do not know, but not, probably, more than 25; now there are 407. The number, then, between six and twenty-one, was about 15; the same heading now shows 264. The number of pupils then enrolled was 8; at present there are 221. No school buildings had then been erected, while seven beautiful schoolhouses now furnish the youth of the township comfortable apartments in which to pursue a course of instruction, without the necessity of sheltering themselves either in smoke-houses or barns. The total amount paid their teacher, had she continued teaching for nine months, would not have reached $50. The actual amount was $15. Now the town- ship pays annually, for teachers, $1,966.07, with a total expenditure of $2,897.06 per annum. The estimated value of school property is $3,100. The highest wages paid for teaching is $45 per month.

CHURCHES.

The first to hold meetings here were the Methodists. There had been preaching at the residence of Mr. Frankenbarger, in Padua. Mrs. Case tells how thankful she was when they got an ox-team and wagon, so that they could go to meeting. Not everybody could afford a wagon in which to ride to meeting. It was a luxury that was to be appreciated. There was soon a sufficient number of members around the resi- dence of Lewis Case to justify the formation of a class. This class met at the cabin on Sundays for prayer and class meeting, their regular circuit preaching being held during the week. The Rev. Mr. Royal was the the first circuit preacher. Circuit preachers traveled over vast scopes of country and established places of meeting wher- ever there was an opening. They preached a greater portion of the time, and, conse- quently had to make many of their appointments on week-days. The members of this first class were Abner Case, Jane Hendryx, Mr. and Mrs. Cusey, Eliza and Paul Lebo, Mrs. Hartley and Rachel Case. A number of the young men who came to prayer and class meeting here, finally became ministers. William Orange held a pro- tracted meeting in the cabin. It was continued a long time and resulted in the addi- tion of many new members to the little class of eight. The cabin, the residence of

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

Mr. Lewis Case, continued to be the place of meeting for thirteen years. The Presid - ing Elder on this district when the meeting was first organized, was John Sinclair. Quarterly Meeting was held at one time in the same barn in which was taught the first school. Peter Cartwright, the renowned pioneer of Methodism, used to preach at Old Town Timber, but he never preached at Mr. Case's cabin. There are quite a number of Methodists in the southern part of Old Town, but their place of meeting is in Downs. They have a church and a large and flourishing society there.

The Methodists built a church at what is known as Benjaminville-a clump of houses near the northeastern corner of the township. This was built in 1859. It is a neat little building, 20x32 feet. The society flourished and did well in Benjaminville, but when the L. B. & M. R. R. came through only a mile and a half south, and the little town of Holder was laid out, they thought it would be better to move the church to Holder. Accordingly, in 1873, it was taken down to the station. But the church was sold, in 1877, to the United Brethren, who still own it. The Methodists then built a church in Padua Township, east of Benjaminville, where they now hold serv- ices. This society of United Brethren was organized recently. Its pastor is Rev. F. R. Mitchell.

The Protestant Methodists first held their meetings in the schoolhouse near Scam- mon Rodman's. They had a great revival there. A society was built up, and as a result a church was built. It is called Pleasant Grove Chapel, and is located on the northeast corner of Section 27. It is 28x38 feet, and was built about sixteen years ago. Among the prominent early members, may be mentioned Messrs. Rodman, Fogle and John Brown. There is a very fair society at present, with the Rev. T. J. Gregory as Pastor.

The first and only Christian society in the township was begun about twelve years ago, in a schoolhouse west of Benjaminville. They began with about twenty members. Robert Moore and Harrison Horine were Elders. They organized the Church and were the only preachers for a time. In 1869, they built a church in Ben- jaminville. The cost of construction was nearly $2,000 ; size 30x42 feet. The com- ing of the railroad had the same effect upon the Christians that it had upon the Method- ists. They, too, moved their church to Holder. The society is not as strong now as it has been. Some of its members have died and others moved away. The Rev. Robert Moore is still Pastor, although they have had others.

In the northeastern part of Old Town and adjoining townships, there is one of the strongest settlements of the Friends that is to be found anywhere in the State. John R. Benjamin may be regarded the father of the society. In 1854, he came from Columbia County, N. Y. There were very few settlements, at that time, on the prairie. There was an opportunity for making a selection. He bought the south half of Section 1 and the northeast quarter of Section 12, adjoining. In the spring of 1856, two other families came-Joseph Marot and Timothy Benjamin, a brother to John R. Benjamin. Marot moved to Padua, but Joseph Benjamin occupied the northwest quarter of Section 1. Abner Moore, their first minister, came in the spring of 1858. He was a New Yorker, too, and came from near Rochester. After his arrival, they had regular Sabbath services. For this purpose, they used the upper story of a building erected by Mr. John R. Benjamin, and used as a shop below, but with a fair room above. In this hall, they held their meetings for a year and a half. They built their

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

first church in 1859. It is three-fourths of a mile south of the northern line of the township. This became too small, and was moved off the church lot, and is now used for public meetings of all kinds. It is a frame house, 24 by 32 feet. The second church was built in 1874. This, too, is a frame church, 32 by 42 feet, and cost $1,800. From the first, the society has continued to grow, and has increased to about twenty-five families. At one time, Sidney Averill taught a Friends' school in the hall over the wagon-shop. He was a preacher, and exercised himself in both teaching and preaching. Before the building of a church here, the members used to go to Putnam County, to attend Quarterly Meetings. Since 1875, the Quarterly Meeting has been held here twice a year. They hold one in Indiana, and one in Putnam County, this State. These are the only Quarterly Meetings held anywhere in the States of Illinois or Indiana, and, as a result, these meetings are attended from long distances.

At the southeast corner of Section 1, and just across the line, in Padua Township, several dwelling-houses were built. Mr. Benjamin built a wagon-shop, and a store and blacksmith-shop were afterward set up. Then came the three churches, so that the place was called a town. No organization was ever effected, but it is known as Benja- minville. There is now a store and blacksmith-shop, with several dwellings. There is not much demand for a village. Holder is only one and a half miles south. Both are quite small, most all trading being done in Bloomington.

WAR RECORD AND POLITICS.

There were very few inhabitants here during the Black Hawk war. We found no soldiers of the Mexican war. The late war called out the full strength of the township. There were no drafts. Of those who lost their lives from service in the army, we learned the names of none but Henry Mannen and Samuel Fogle. There probably were others, but they rest in their unknown graves, with no one to herald their deeds abroad or " draw their frailties from their dread abode."

Since the organization of the Republican party, Old Town has been Republican. This township alone gave Lincoln 100 majority. Since that time, the Republicans have not held their own, or what would be, perhaps, a different thing, the opposition has developed more strength. But on all national or State questions, where party contest is direct, the Republicans carry by a greater or less majority. Party spirit does not gen- erally run very high. All are amicable and disposed " to bear the evils that they have," etc. In township elections, only one ticket is put in the field. This is composed of Democrats and Republicans, litile attention being paid to parties so long as the candi- dates are able and willing to discharge the duties of their respective offices according to the best of their ability, and for the good of their constituents.

INCIDENTS.

The first child born in Old Town was Disa Maxwell, and the next was Chloe Bishop. The former was born in 1831. The first marriage was solemnized in 1835. The parties made happy were Alice Hendryx and William Brewer. The husband after- ward died, and the widow married William Hartly. She now lives in Bloomington. The first death is supposed to have been that of a little child about a year old. This was in 1834. Mr. Case split out slabs from a basswood-tree and made a coffin. He planed it, and, after considerable labor, made it appear quite pretty, but it was white.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

To blacken it, the ladies took straw and burned it, and made a paint of the ashes. They were surprisingly successful, and had the coffin nicely colored.

The Old Town settlers suffered frequently from prairie-fires. No one, who has never witnessed a fire on the prairies, can form any just conception of it. There is nothing that seems more like the indignant breath of the Almighty, or reminds one more forcibly of that passage of Scripture, "The elements shall melt with fervent heat," than does the onward rush of a prairie-fire as it gathers strength from a sweeping gale. It bounds on with a speed equal to that of the swiftest horse, and often overtakes the traveler on the road. We were not informed of any losses of property from these tornadoes of flame, but we learned that Abner Case, iu fighting the fire in order to extinguish it, lost one eye.

Game was plenty, and there were a number of hunters along Old Town Timber. The hunters used to make the ruins of Mr. Evans' cabin, that he left on the creek, after the hurricane of 1827, a place of rendezvous. Wolves were numerous on the prairie, with turkeys and bees in the woods.

Some of the customs in the domestic economy were unique, and suggest the adapt- ability of the pioneers. In salting meat, they used troughs made from logs. For a wash-tub, the ladies frequently used one-half of a salt-barrel. The barrel was sawn through the middle, and thus furnished two to the barrel. The wheel and the loom were the necessary furniture of every dwelling, and to make them often required a vast amount of work. Trees had to be cut down and split into timbers of the proper dimen- sions, and then hewed and planed and mortised until things would fit all round. Mrs. Lewis Case reports her first wash-board as follows : A stick of wood of moderate size, split in the middle, then smoothed off a little with a plane, then sawed across to a short depth, and tolerably close together; after this, alternate spaces between the saw-cuts, chiseled out with a narrow chisel. This leaves a board on which a pioneer woman could wash and get her clothes clean, by a rough usage of the hands and careful management of the clothes.

A sad affair occurred only a few years ago, which gives another text from which to preach a temperance sermon. Frederic Hendryx had had some trouble in his family ; he went to Bloomington, became intoxicated and started home; he got hold of a revolver and declared that he would shoot his wife. When he reached home in this condition, his wife became frightened and started to run; she had only reached the gate when she was shot by her husband. All the large children were frightened off the place ; but when the people came to the house next morning, they found Mrs. Hen- dryx lying dead at the gate with her little child in her arms. The child was alive and had been asleep. Farther search revealed the fact that, after killing his wife, Hendryx had gone to the straw-stack and there shot himself, so that the morning found them both dead.

RAILROADS AND HIGHWAYS.

The La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railway was completed through this section in 1871. The cars began running in the fall of the same year. The Indianap- olis, Bloomington & Western was finished a short time before. The former extends through the township on the half-section line, two and one-half miles from the north side; the latter crosses the southwestern corner. These roads both received aid in the way of bonds. Bloomington subscribed heavily ; but Old Town owes them nothing.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

While it is questionable whether they have been of any material benefit to Bloomington, there is no doubt about the advantage which the country derives from them. They take the farmers' grain and stock, right at home, almost. They increase the value of land, since any one who wishes to farm can have ready means of transport for his pro- ducts ; and any one desiring a country residence, can have it with about all the conven- iences of a suburban villa, and at a much smaller cost. These influences cause a thorough development of all the resources of the country. In contrast with the present facilities for shipping grain, Mr. Case mentions the fact that he has hauled wheat all the way to Chicago and sold it at 38 cents per bushel.

There are forty-one miles of authorized roads in the township, excluding twelve miles on the outside lines, kept in repair by other townships ; these are generally kept in good condition. The prairie is sufficiently rolling to permit the drainage of all roads that need it. There is one iron bridge; it spans the Kickapoo. The old State road from the Big Grove to Peoria, crosses the township a short distance ; it runs along the north line of the township a short distance ; when near the southeast corner of Sec- tion 33, it turns obliquely north and west, through Sections 29, 30 and 32. There is another old road that follows no lines on its course ; this is the road to Cheney's Grove from Bloomington. With the exception of these two roads, all follow section lines, most of which are regularly laid out as public thoroughfares.

ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP.

With the other townships of McLean County, Old Town began her separate organized existence in 1858. It will be seen that some of the men who were elected at the first town- ship election-April 6, 1858-are now officers of the township. The return made to the County Clerk in 1858 was as follows: Scammon Rodman, Supervisor ; Lindley Heffing, Town Clerk ; Samuel Noggle, Assessor ; Frederic R. Cowden, Collector ; John B. Chores, Overseer of the Poor ; Chalkley Bell, Samuel Sunderland and Elihu Rogan, Commissioners of Highways; John Rowley and James A. Savidge, Justices of the Peace ; Gilbert Tompkins and Samuel Mitchell, Constables. The present officers are : James Rayburn, Supervisor ; J. M. Dooley, J. J. Cowden and J. Fleming, Commission- ers of Highways; Jeremiah Whitcomb and J. D. Rowley, Justices of the Peace; Gil- bert Tompkins, Constable ; Scammon Rodman, Dennis McBarnes and Archibald Camp- bell, Town Trustees ; J. M. Dooley, Town Treasurer; O. G. Dooley, Assessor ; S. C. Fuller, Collector.

HOLDER

is a station on the La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railroad, on the east line of the township. It is on the prairie just north of the small stream that is the principal source of Kickapoo Creek. Holder was surveyed in October, 1871, by W. P. Ander- son, County Surveyor. Charles W. Holder was the owner of the village, and had it surveyed. It comprised, at first, forty acres-twenty acres in Old Town and twenty in Padua. The portion in Padua was located in Section 18-ten acres in the northwest corner of the southwest quarter, and ten acres in the southwest corner of the northwest quarter ; but this has been bought back and belongs to the adjoining farms. So, also, has the ten acres on the south, in Old Town. Ten acres is all that is left. This is the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of Section 13. F. I. Bradley has been the station agent from the first. There was never a post office in the township until this

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

one was established here. Fleming Brothers keep a general country store. They also buy and ship grain. William P. Anderson is also a grain-dealer. More corn is shipped than anything else. There is a considerable shipment of hogs and cattle to Chicago by way of the Illinois Central. G. A. Rowley has blacksmith-shop. There are two churches. The history of these, may be found under the heading "Churches," in the general history of the township. There are but few dwellings in Holder, but it does an amount of business more than proportioned to its size.

GILLUM

is a flag-station on the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway, in the southwestern corner of the township. It is on the section line between Sections 31 and 32, near the center from north to south.

LAWNDALE TOWNSHIP.

Township 25 north, Range 5 east of the Third Principal Meridian. Lawndale is a full Congressional township, but, owing to the fact that its northern tier of sections lay along the " correction line," they are, on an average, a half mile longer from north to south than the standard section, and it makes the township six by six and one-half miles. The name given it was by " natural selection," and was suggested from the topographical appearance when in a state of nature. An elevation which but for its continuous stretch would properly be called a mound, extends from the northwest cor- ner of the township through it to the east center. From this ridge, the slope toward the northeast ends in almost a dead level, which stretches away for miles to Indian Grove in Livingston County. Toward the southwest the decline is more gentle and more undulating. Free from any break or unpleasant appearance, the early settler must have looked with real pleasure upon the slope stretching away to the Mackinaw Timber, to the extreme southwestern corner of the town, a scene not easily forgotten by one who viewed this beautiful nature's lawn, now thickly studded with houses, orchards, hedges and all the insignia of healthy cultivation, before a furrow was struck or any- thing to disturb the eye nearer than the curling smoke of three or four cabins along the stream in the distance. That such beautiful dales should lie open to settlement for twenty years after being brought into market, must ever remain to the younger ones who read these pages, in a great measure a mystery. Standing on this elevation, one cannot fail to partially realize the fear that hung over poor Maj. Darnall's mind ou that desperate winter's trip from the Mackinaw to Indian Grove. With but slight help from a tropical imagination, one can almost see hope, fear and dread despair by turn taking possession of him, as his faithful horse flounders through the deep incrusted snow on that never-to-be-forgotten ten-miles trip. No military leader ever led an army on doubtful engagement more fully impressed with the magnitude of the respon- sibility of his every move than was Maj. Darnall on that lonely, trying ride to his snow- bound little family. For the first five miles, his way led gradually up the rise of land, the Indian Grove not being in sight until he had completed the first half. Hardly knowing whether he would ever see the trees which surrounded his home, he pressed on in the terrible snow until this height was gained, after which the way was more easy by the natural declivity of the land, but the difficulty largely increased by the fatigue

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

of his faithful horse. It is not to be wondered at that his relatives on the Mackinaw were so uneasy as to try soon after to make an unsuccessful trip of discovery. The endeavor was abandoned, after making only a portion of the distance, from sheer inabil- ity to go on.

The Henline Creek flows from near the center southwesterly to the Mackinaw, which only runs across the southwestern corner of the township. Lawndale was all prairie, except portions of Sections 31, 32 and 33. The name was suggested by Hon. John Cassedy when the township was organized, and readily accepted. The timber along the stream is of the varieties usually found in this portion of the State-oaks, black-walnut and hickory predominating. Along this the carly settlers lived without for ten years being troubled by tax-gatherers, neighbors, or other attendants to civiliza- tion. They purchased timber-land, but enjoyed the free use of all the prairie-land they wanted, not thinking it worth buying. When the first prairie-lands were bought for $1.25 per acre, the timber-lands were held at, and in fact, some actually sold for from $35 to $60 per acre. With no coal to burn, no Osage orange for fencing, and herds of cattle ranging at will over the country, before the days of cattle ordinances, it was hardly thought safe to commence a farm without a piece of timber-land to furnish fencing and fuel. The first settlement made in the township was by the Henline family, some of whom, with their numerous descendants, still reside on the lands that they first brought into cultivation.

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The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 73

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