The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 81

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 81

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kept his "way-side inn." Until the building of the I., B. & W. Railroad, in 1870, a regular line of coaches was run across the country from Bloomington west. This road is kept in good repair, and, as it passes obliquely west and north, it furnishes the shortest route to points off in that direction. Another important road crosses the northeastern corner of the township. It leads from Bloomington northwesterly. It passes obliquely through Sections 24, 14, 11, 10 and 3. The road is thrown up, being pretty well graded and drained, where draining is necessary. Beside these diagonal roads, most of the section lines and some of the half-section lines are regularly authorized highways. They are kept in good repair. There are many small streams in the township, but these are nearly all bridged. Where the Peoria road crosses Sugar Creek they have an iron bridge.

ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP.

Before the adoption of the township system, this lay in Bloomington and Concord Precincts. The early officers were not distinct from the officers of those precincts. On the adoption of this system, December 3, 1857, Town 24 north, Range 1 east, was called Dry Grove, and constituted a township for political purposes. At the first elec- tion, held April 6, 1858, the following officers were elected : Supervisor, Elias Yoder ; Town Clerk, Alexander Forbes ; Assessor. Samuel C. Deal ; Collector, Abraham Harri- son ; Overseer of the Poor, David Sill; Commissioners of Highways, Eleazer Munsell, Casper W. Harlin, John L. Shorthouse ; Constables, William D. Harbard, Michael S. Sill ; Justices of the Peace, Mahlon S. Wilson, Samuel H. Brown ; Overseers of High- ways, Simeon Lantz, J. Phillips, Roswell Munsell.

MONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP.

Although Money Creek Township was settled very early, before there had been any considerable settlement in what is now McLean County, and almost as soon as the advent of John Hendrix to Blooming Grove, no villages now dot its prairies or hover along its streams. There is not even a post office within the present limits of the town- ship, and very little remains of Clarksville, the only place that has ever assumed the dignity of even a hamlet.

Money Creek Township is located in the northern part of the county, being in the second tier from the north. It is directly north of the center. It is bounded as fol- lows: On the north by Gridley, on the east by Lexington, on the south by Towanda, and on the west by Hudson Townships. It comprises one Congressional town, and is designated, Town 25 north, Range 3 east of the Third Principal Meridian. The soil is rich and productive throughout the greater portion of the township. The surface is covered by a considerable belt of timber. In the southwestern corner, and from the center, extending southeasterly, there are some fine prairies. There is, also, a small portion of prairie-land in the northeastern corner. Money Creek enters the township from Towanda at Section 32; after passing in a north, and slightly northwestern direc- tion, it leaves in Section 18, but curves back east into the township again ; finally leaving between Sections 6 and 7. Mackinaw Creek crosses the northeastern corner of the township, flowing northwest. It enters at the southeast corner of Section 12, and leaves near the middle of Section 5. Along Money Creek and Mackinaw, there was,

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

before it was cleared away somewhat, very fine timber for this country. The old saw- mill on Money Creek did a vast amount of sawing in an early day, and there is consid- erable timber yet. This accounts for the early settlements made here. This township is also crossed by the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, which enters at the south- west corner of Section 33, and leaves at the middle of the east side of Section 13. The principal products are corn and oats. Wheat is cultivated to a limited degree. Hogs and cattle are raised to a considerable extent.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

" Old Louis Soward," as he is universally known among the few who remember him, came to this country from Ohio. He was one of those jolly old frontiersmen who enjoy themselves best away from the haunts of civilization. One to whom the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life were preferable to the restraints of more advanced society. He was a great hunter. In those days deer were plenty ; they might be seen in droves at almost any time. Turkeys abounded in the woods of the Mackinaw and Money Creek. Wolves nightly indulged in their melancholy lamentations over the scarcity of prey. Bees, too, were plenty in the woods. "Uncle Louis" was a great hand at scenting bee-trees, and often brought home vast quantities of sweets for family use. He was a great story-teller. Many of his stories are repeated around the firesides on Money Creek, and many a hearty laugh is had at the ready wit of this early pioneer. Mr. Soward had a family of four boys and three girls ; but with all the family, he left the township at quite an early day, for the wilds of Wisconsin. The exact date of Mr. Soward's arrival is not now known. It was prior to the settlement, farther up, by the Trimmer family, and as they came in 1826, the Sowards must have come as early as 1825. It is thought by some that they came even earlier.

Jacob Harness, a brother-in-law of Louis Soward, came, also, from Ohio, and, it is thought, about the same time. He sold his claim to John Pennell, another Ohio man. and moved to Mackinaw Creek, in Lexington Township.

In 1826, Jacob Spawr, then a young man, took a claim on Money Creek. He worked for Mrs. Trimmer, who was then a widow, and, in the fall of the same year, married her daughter. His father, Valentine Spawr, came to the creek the next year. The Spawrs were from Pennsylvania. Valentine Spawr had been a soldier under Gen. Wayne.

In 1829, John Steers and the Van Buskirk family came to Money Creek. Van Bus- kirk lived here until he died. Some of his descendants are still living on Money Creek. A daughter married Mr. Henry Moats, and lives just west of the schoolhouse in District No. 3. In the spring of 1830, Mr. M. N. Barnard moved in and bought Mr. Steers' claim.

In the spring of 1830, the Moats family came. Jacob Moats was born in Penn- sylvania September 16, 1785. His father was a German, who came from Germany and settled in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. When Jacob Moats was still a young man, the family moved to Licking County, Ohio. They were all farmers. There Jacob married Sarah Hinthorn, who then resided in the same county of Ohio. Miss Hin- thorn was born in West Virginia, near Wheeling. When forty-four years old, Jacob Moats started West with his large family of nine children. It took five weeks to reach the Big Grove. Here they stopped for a time. They rented a house of David Smith, who afterward moved to Smith's Grove, in Towanda Township.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

In coming West, there were several families in the train with which the Moats family came. From the Big Grove they were accompanied by Jesse Havens. They came to Hudson first, where Havens bought out Baily, Harbert and Moats, another of the Harberts. This was in the fall of 1829. But spring found the Moats family on Money Creek. From here they never moved, and the family of children grew to man- hood and womanhood in this neighborhood.

The old Mr. Spawr had sold his claim to Jacob Moats, and on this he lived until his deatlı, in 1844. Of his nine children, four died in the fall of 1840. They all died within a short time. None of the doctors were able to understand the disease or arrest its fatality. Three girls and one boy, ranging in age from sixteen to twenty-six, were carried away within four weeks. Two others were taken with the same disease, but recovered. One other brother died afterward. The remaining four children married and settled on Money Creek.

Henry Moats, the oldest of the family, is now the oldest old settler living any- where in this part of the country. The Moatses have always been an important ele- ment in society, taking the lead in church matters, and giving liberally of their means to the support of whatever they considered beneficial to the neighborhood.

In 1830, Jesse Stretch and Benjamin Ogden came to the settlement, from Ohio. John Ogden came in 1832, and stopped down on the Mackinaw. Benjamin Ogden bought out Louis Soward.

Among the others that came, in a short time, may be mentioned Dr. Ethan McAf- erty, who came from Ohio and began in the forks of Money Creek and Mackinaw ; William Wilcox, from the same State, who went to the same neighborhood ; John R. Wiley, William Young, and a number of others. In 1836, the Bishops came. Will- iam G. Bishop held the first post office.

The early settlers went for their mail to the town of Mackinaw, now in Tazewell County. After they had gone such a long distance, they had to pay 25 cents for each letter. The post office was pretty soon established at Bloomington, and then they were somewhat relieved, for the post office was not more than fifteen miles away. Finally, there was a mail-route established from Ottawa to Springfield, by way of Bloomington, and Money Creek received an office, being on the route. The mail was carried on horse-back, the carrier making one round trip a week. When Mr. Bishop gave up the office, and Mr. Moore, of Towanda, was appointed, Money Creek lost the only post office she ever had, and she has never been able to get another. But she does not need it. Hudson, on the west, Lexington, on the northeast, and Towanda, on the south, fur- nish all the necessary facilities.

CLARKSVILLE.

Abour forty-five years ago, James Clark laid out the village of Clarksville. There was an effort made to establish a village, and at one time it was thought that Clarks- ville would become a flourishing town. It was located on the north side of Mackinaw Creek, in the northeastern part of the township. The town was finally abandoned. A few dwelling-houses and a church are all that is left to mark the spot.

THE FIRST SCHOOL

was taught in a house erected for school purposes, about forty-five or forty-six years ago. This house was built of logs. For windows, it had openings-where a log had

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

been eut away. These were covered with greased paper. During the long winter-days, these semi-transparent slits furnished all the light from without. Whenever the huge log-fire could be made to burn with sufficient brilliancy, it may be supposed that the youth suffered nothing from want of light. But. unfortunately, this was seldom the case. The chimney was built of mud and sticks, and it failed to " draw." Mrs. Henry Moats, who was then a young girl of thirteen, tells us that the memory of that old house is terrible. The first winter in it was one of absolute suffering. The fire-place would " smoke " so badly that the schoolroom was continually filled with it. Their eyes grew red, they caught bad colds, and their heads would ache continually. They suffered from cold, too. Slabs, hewed from logs, served as seats.

The first teacher was Lindsey Scott. He came from Tazewell County, near Pekin. What he received, we were unable to learn ; but one thing is certain-he got his board, for he " boarded round." As near as can be remembered, he had twelve to fifteen scholars. These, at $4 per scholar, for three months, would give $48 to $60 for the term, beside his board. This is probably somewhere near the actual facts. It must be remembered, farther, that those were the days when the teacher began school as soon as he reached the house in the morning, and closed only when the approach of night showed that the children must be going or that darkness would overtake them on the road. The Testament and spelling-book were about the only texts in general use. Those who aspired to a knowledge or " 'rithmetic," generally had a book ; but grammars and geographies were unknown. This first schoolhouse was located on the east bank of Money Creek, in the midst of the earliest settlements.

The old log schoolhouse has long since passed away. The children who went to school in it are now old men and women, or have passed away with their early teacher. New and more inviting buildings now furnish comfortable apartments where the young people can delve into the mysteries of science, or puzzle themselves over mathematical questions, without danger of freezing or having their eye-sight impaired for want of light. Schools are generally in a good condition, and the people take a just pride in sustaining them. Some of the leading facts in regard to the educational work of the township may be learned from the following: Number of children under twenty-one years, 583; number of children between six and twenty-one years, 394; number of scholars enrolled, 302; number of schoolhouses, 7; number of school districts, 8; amount paid teachers, $2,511.31; total expenditures, $3,702.40 ; estimated value of school property, $3,900; highest wages paid, $60.

CHURCHES.

The first preaching on Money Creek was by Isaac Messer, a local preacher, belong- ing to the church of the United Brethren in Christ. The meetings were held at the residence of Mr. Valentine Spawr, who was noted as coming to Money Creek in 1827. Peter Spawr-a son of Valentine Spawr-had married one of Mr. Messer's daughters, and in that way Mr. Messer became acquainted on Money Creek. For a long time, he made semi-monthly visits to these parts, and gathered the people together to hear the preaching of the Gospel.

A society of about a half dozen Umted Brethren was formed in 1832. Prom- inent among these were Jacob Moats and wife, and Jesse Havens and wife. The Rev. John Dunham organized the class. After the organization was effected, meeting was

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

held at the residence of Jacob Moats, until the building of the church in 1856. The first regular circuit preacher was James P. Eckles. In 1856. the United Brethren built a neat, substantial church. It is located about one-third of a mile north of the south- east corner of Section 30, and still serves as their place of worship. The Moatses are among the strongest members. It is largely due to their influence, that the church was built where it is; and their means have been the principal source of support.

The Methodists had an organization in working order, as early, perhaps, or nearly so, at least, as that of the United Brethren. Jacob Spawr and wife, and old Mrs. Trimmer, with her son David Trimmer, were the prominent members, and the only ones, so far as remembered now. Jacob Spawr's residence was the usual place of meet- ing. James Latta, a Methodist preacher, held meetings there as early as 1830.

They built a church one-quarter of a mile east of the present schoolhouse, in Dis- trict No. 3, but after the village of Towanda sprung up, they abandoned it, and united with those farther south in building a new church in the village. The old building was sold and used for other purposes.

The first members of the Christian Church, of any prominence, were M. N. Barn ard and Young Bilbrey. Preaching was held at each of these men's houses. Their first preacher was James Robinson. He preached here as early as 1835, and has con- tinued his services, semi-occasionally, ever since. The Christians built a church in 1857, the next year after the building of the United Brethren's Church. This sub- stantial country church is located on the southeast corner of Section 20. The Christians have quite a large membership. The Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes assisted them in the building up of their society. The Christians, Methodists and United Brithren are the principal denominations in the township. If there are others, we were unable to learn anything in regard to them. Taking the township as a whole, the United Brethren are, probably, the most numerous. They have three organized classes-one at Hefner's schoolhouse, another has a church at the old site of Clarksville, and the other meets in their church, just north of Towanda. The Methodists and Christians are by no means scarce.

PROGRESS.

The people on Money Creek manifested the true spirit of progress. They built schoolhouses and churches. They erected mills and secured a post office; and if they built no towns, it was not for the want of an attempt. Mr. Pennell and Mr. Baylor ran the saw-mill, just across in Towanda Township, and George Wallace built a flour- ing-mill on the Mackinaw. When this mill was built, they had an old-fashioned "rais- ing." Those were the days when the jug went around, and everybody indulged. They had a fine time, but no one became intoxicated. This mill was like its neighbors, it depended upon the force of the running stream for its power. It was near the site of Clarksville, and was built about 1836. But when dry weather came, the neighborhood was compelled to go off long distances to mill. Sometimes they went down to the Murphy mill, on Kickapoo, and sometimes they were compelled to go all the way to Ottawa. Wallace gave up the mill to a Mr. Denson. Denson died with the Asiatic cholera in 1855, and after this, the mill went down, and nothing has been heard of it since.

Jacob Spawr was made Justice of the Peace. Justices had but little to do in those days. Lawsuits were seldom carried on, and marriages were necessarily few.

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

WAR AND POLITICS.

We found no soldiers that were in the Black Hawk or Mexican wars. In the early days, the settlers were often badly scared by rumors of danger, but farther than this, they were not disturbed. In the late war, Money Creek furnished her quota of men. They offered a number of brave men on their country's altar. Among those who were killed on the field of battle, were the following: Arthur Busick, John Kriger, James Arbuckle, Davidson Dodson, and two persons of the name of William Trimmer. Ques- nell Rayburn and Joseph Stretch died of discase contracted while in the service of their country.

In the first settlement of this country, the two parties were Democrat and Feder- alist ; then came the Whigs, and later the Republicans. In early times, the township was Democratic. Latterly, it has been pretty evenly balanced between the Democrats and Republicans. Within the last few years, quite a number have joined the National Greenbackers.

MURDER.

Two and a half miles northeast of the village of Towanda, but within the limits of Money Creek Township, there was found, one morning in October, 1876, the body of a man, in the field of James Donohue, about forty rods from the railroad. The body was first discovered by Mrs. Strode. She thought it was a " tramp " asleep, and so. reported the matter at home. The boys went out and found the man dead, lying on his face. They reported, and immediately sent for Coroner Hendricks. Dr. Smith, of Bloomington, held the post-mortem examination, and found that one ball had entered behind the jaw, and passed back of the trachea, down below the heart. Another ball had passed through the body just below the ribs and toward the left side. An examina- tion of the skull showed a fracture on the back, as though he had been struck with the breech of a pistol. There was also a mark on the skull at one side, and a piece gone from the ear, which went to prove that the man had been struck. From papers on the body, it was found to be that of Albert Anglen. He was from Grafton, W. Va. He had let- ters in his pocket from a young lady in Flora, Colo. It was ascertained that he had been an exemplary young man, and had been respected by all of his acquaintances. With the body was found a pair of boots, lying to one side, that he could not have worn. These were recognized by a shoemaker at Shippey, Ill., as being a pair that he had mended for Karl Klusty, a Bohemian. Klusty and Anglen had been working at Shippey. They had passed through Towanda a few days before, and it is supposed that the Bohemian murdered the young American for his money. The revolver probably belonged to the American and was snatched away from him while his attention was drawn toward something else. The men had slept over night at a straw-stack near. A great many arrests were made, but none proved to be the man sought. Quite recently, it has been ascertaincd that Karl Klusty has arrived in Bohemia, and is there under arrest, where it is hoped that he will meet with the punishment he so justly deserves.

HIGHWAYS.

In the early history of this settlement, Indian trails were the only roads. There was a very prominent trail passing through the settlement, which connected the Wabash with the Illinois. Indian paths, of course, followed the most direct and convenient course. The first road made by white men did the same. Many of these became

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

regularly-established highways, and, as a result, we find the township crossed in all direc- tions by roads that follow section or half-section lines but little. In townships that are composed of prairie-lands almost wholly, we naturally look for roads on every section line, but, where there has been a considerable amount of timber, it is not so. Accord- ingly, we find a number of section lines that are not authorized highways.

The principal road through the township is the Lexington and Bloomington road. It enters the township from the southwest, with the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Rail- road. Afterward, it passes a short distance north, and then one mile east ; thence one mile north and one-fourth mile west; thence one-half mile north ; after that, one and one-half miles east ; one and one-fourth miles north again, and from this point, in a northeasterly direction, through the remainder of the township. Another much-traveled road, is the one leading north from Towanda village. It follows the section-line between. Sections 31 and 32 and 35 and 29; here it meets the road extending across the town- ship, on the north side of the second tier of sections, from the south.

A strangely-zigzag road passes north, through the second tier of sections, from the west. It extends through the township, and though it makes many turns, it never passes outside of the second tier of sections.

There are a number of oblique roads, the most noticeable being the following : A road, beginning one-fourth mile north of the southwest corner of Section 15, and extending northeasterly, crossing a branch of the Mackinaw on an iron bridge; a road beginning at the southeast corner of Section 2, and passing partly in a zigzag course, and partly in a northwestern direction, through the old site of Clarksville, to the north- ern line; from the iron bridge on the branch of the Mackinaw, first due north three- fourths of a mile, and then in a zigzag and oblique direction to the northwest. Although the roads of Money Creek are thus seen to cut the farms in many places, they furnish shorter routes to market, and any inconvenience is thus overcome by a positive benefit.

The origin of the name Money Creek, is shrouded in mystery. There are. two theories afloat, that we hear of --

" Ever since the days of Capt. Kidd, The Yankee thinks there's money hid,"

and ever since the oldest settlements, there has been a legend afloat in regard to the- hiding of some money at Smith's Grove, by some one, who died and left it buried there. It was told how great wealth might possibly be found there. As this story was circulated very early, it may have given rise to the name as applied to the creek.

Again, it is said that some Indians found a piece of money along the creek, and gave it the name of Money Creek, from this fact.

DOWNS TOWNSHIP.

Downs Township occupies, in the southern tier of townships, the fourth from the eastern border of the county, and is described as Town 22 north, Range 3, and the northern two tiers of sections of Town 21 north, Range 3 east of the Third Principal Meridian. Downs was principally a prairie town, having no timber except Diamond Grove, a small collection of timber on the Kickapoo, in Sections 5, 6 and 7, and

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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.

skirting of "Old Town Timber," along the northern border of Sections 1, 2 and 3, and " Johnson's Point," a small grove in Section 25-covering in the aggregate scarcely four sections of the forty-eight which constitute the town.

The Kickapoo is the only creek in Downs, running for about three miles across its northwestern corner. " Blue Branch " and "Jacoby's Branch " run through the town, and the Long Point Creek, a branch of the Kickapoo, forms in the southern part.

The land in the northern half is high and considerably rolling, containing some of the finest farms in the county. The southern portion is more flat, and contains fewer which attract the pleasureable attention of the traveler.

The timber here was good, and several mills were built early along the Kickapoo for sawing it into lumber. Before any mills were built, the hardy pioneers whittled out the first lumber with whip-saws, a process slow enough, and so gone out of date in this part of the country that many of the readers of these pages will wonder what whip- sawing is. The log to be sawed was first hewed to a partial square, so that it would remain in position and could be lined with a carpenter's line, and then raised upon a frame erected for the purpose, high enough for one of the sawyers to stand erect under it ; a pit was dug deep enough so that the " man below," or pit-man, could do his work without inconvenience. The saw was not unlike a common cross-cut saw, except, of course, the teeth, which were set for rip work. One man stood on the log, and one underneath, the pit-man being obliged to cover his face with a silk hankerchief, or some similar covering, to prevent the sawdust from ruining his eyes. The sawyers were obliged to follow the lines, and it required no small amount of skill to make very decent boards. Two hundred feet a day (board measure) was a big day's work for two men, about what a good mill will cut in ten minutes. Still, this is the way our fathers made their first lumber, and the way still practiced in boat-yards and in countries where tim- ber is so scarce that there is no demand for mills.

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The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 81

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