The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois, Part 66

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 848

USA > Illinois > Mason County > The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois > Part 66
USA > Illinois > Menard County > The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois > Part 66

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605

HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

The first individual, of whom we have any very reliable information, to lay a claim in the township was a man by the name of Allen. The best information now obtainable indicates that he came to the grove which now bears his name as early as the spring or summer of 1830. That he was here thus early is established by the fact of his having in cultivation, in wheat, some forty or fifty acres east of the grove during the winter of the deep snow. The yield is said to have been fifty bushels per acre. What disposition was made of it is left to conjecture though it is probable that it found its way into the St. Louis market. It is asserted by some that a man by the name of Smith pre- ceded Allen a short time, and that in his cabin (erected at the north end of the grove) Allen sojourned for a time after coming. Both were bachelors, and, since " Birds of a feather flock together,"

it may be true that they together enjoyed the sweet seclusion of their bachelor home some years before permanent settlements began to be made. Of Smith nothing is known, either whence he came or whither he went. Allen is said to have come from Kentucky, and, after a sojourn of a year or two, to have gone to St. Louis. We are strongly inclined to the opinion that much of the account given of these two primitive squatters, for such they must have been, should be regarded as traditional rather than historical. David Taylor, from Tennessee, is said to have come in the fall of 1831 or spring of 1832, and to have purchased Allen's claim. He continued a resident to the date of his decease, which occurred a number of years ago. His remains lie entombed within the shady grove near the spot of his early struggles and triumphs. A number of his near relatives are yet citizens of the township. From a careful search of the records, we find that the first entry of land made in Allen's Grove was by Benjamin Kellogg, Jr., of Pekin. This was under a patent from the United States, bearing date. September 29, 1832. No additional entries were made prior to 1836, when Messrs. Horace P. Johnson, Ebenezer Montague and Robert Goggin entered portions of Sections 4, 8 and 9 respec- tively. Samuel Larimore, a scion of the "Old Dominion," had settled near the Mackinaw in quite an early day, and thence came to Allen's Grove, near the close of the thirties, though the exact date of his removal to this point cannot be ascertained. He remained a citizen, making various removals, until about two years ago, when he took up his abode in Western Kansas, and, at last accounts, was still living. James Higgins and James Sherry are recorded as having come as early as 1844. They were, probably, from Kentucky, though it is by no means absolutely certain that that was the State of their nativity. Sherry was single at the time, but soon after coming was married to a daughter of David Taylor.

Settlements were made very slowly here for some years, and it was not until land was growing. scarce in what were considered more favored localities

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

that purchases began to be made here. Harvey B. Hawthorne settled east of the grove in 1848. He was originally from Kentucky, but had been a resi- dent of what is now Crane Creek Township some years prior to coming to Allen's Grove. After a residence of several years, he returned to Crane Creek Township, where he at present resides, enjoying the competency gained by a life of honest toil and well-directed energies. About the same time, the settle- ment was augmented by the coming of Hiram Stanton, Alexander Woods, Levi Ingle and George Alkire. Stanton was from New Jersey, Woods and Alkire from the Buckeye State. Ingle was a Hoosier, and was the first to proclaim in the wilderness the " glad tidings of great joy" to the early settlers in and around the grove. These were all that were in the township, so far as we have been able to learn, prior to 1850. During the years 1850 and 1851, we find the names of the following settlers : Samuel Hungleford, George and Lewis Dowell, John McGhee, William Legg, Hank Watkins, Benjamin Davenport, Joseph Taylor, George Leoni and Jackson Houchin. These all settled not far from the grove, and it was not till some years later that those coming in had sufficient courage to venture out upon the prairie. Of those who located in the township as early as 1851. but a single one, Jackson Houchin, remains a citi- zen to-day. The others have either passed over the dark river to that bourne whence they come not again, or have sought out other fields of labor. Jackson Roundtree was a young man who came from Ohio in 1851, with McGhee and family. He had quite an amount of money for those days, and, as a means of safe-keeping (there being no bank of deposit at a convenient dis- tance), he intrusted it to the bosom of Mother Earth. Some time after burying his treasure, he became desirous of making a draw, and, after much fruitless searching, gave it up for lost. Some days later, a hen, plying her daily voca- tion, that of scratching for food, gladdened the sad heart of young Roundtree by bringing the lost treasure to the surface. The Houchin family came from Kentucky to Pike County, Ind., in 1836. In the spring of 1850, Jackson, mention of whom has already been made, severing the ties that bound him to 'the paternal roof and the scenes of his early boyhood, set sail in an ox-team express for Mason County. He built a cabin, and spent the summer and win- ter of 1850 in what is now Salt Creek Township. In the spring of 1851, he came to Allen's Grove, where he entered a quarter section, built a cabin, and began farming. Here he has since resided, and, through industry and good management, has possessed himself of a fine tract of land, on which he expects to spend the remnant of his days. At the date of his settlement, but three cabins had been erected on the route from the grove to Delavan, in Tazewell County, a distance of fourteen miles. On either hand, the broad, uninhabited expanse of prairie stretched away, a boundless and unbounded plain. The first year after Houchin came proved to be a very sickly one; to such an extent did bilious fever, flux and chills prevail that, at one time, there were but two well families in the entire settlement. The noble sons of Esculapius were not then,

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

as now, to be found at every cross-roads and in every town and hamlet. Hiram Sikes, M. D., who, in this day, would be esteemed a home-made physician, lived at Sugar Grove, and to his hands the entire settlement committed itself in this hour of its direst calamity. With a feeling almost akin to desperation, he undertook the task of restoring the settlement to its wonted health. By strict personal attention to all patients, aided by the absence of many remedies that kill about as many as they cure, at the end of one month's faithful service, he had so far mastered the different diseases as to be permitted to visit his own home for the first time since coming to Allen's Grove. The following year, a difficulty having arisen between the Doctor and his eldest son, he mounted his horse, and, riding away, has since remained a stranger to his family and the borders of Mason County. The old settlers of Allen's Grove have ever held in grateful remembrance the labors of him who served them thus faithfully, and whatever may have been his faults, over all they are disposed to throw the broad mantle of charity. During the years 1852 and 1853, the names of Dan- iel Dillon, Jonathan Hyatt, Haythorn Tallman, the Mckinneys, and perhaps others not now remembered, were added to the settlers in the township. From a pamphlet of some thirty pages, published by Mr. Dillon in 1873, which, though nameless, is strongly tinctured with modern spiritualism, we learn the following facts in regard to his early history : He is a native of North Carolina, and, when two years of age, removed with the family to Clinton County, Ohio. This was in 1804. Eight brothers of them came West and settled in what is now Tazewell County, on the north side of the Mackinaw, in 1824. They opened up their farms not far from the present town of Tremont, in what is now called Dillon Township. The red men of the forest were their only neighbors, and Mr. Dillon refers with just pride to his personal acquaintance with Delaware chiefs, Waupansa and Shabbona. Their early habitations gave rest and com- fort to many a weary, wayworn traveler, without money and without price. At the time of settlement, they were included in the limits of Sangamon County. The jurisdiction of his brother, Nathan, who was an early Justice of the Peace, extended to Chicago, and frequently he issued summonses to Chicago, returna- ble to his office, the distance between the two points being 150 miles. Daniel Dillon took up his residence, in 1852, on Section 36, Allen's Grove Township, and has since permanently resided here. He was one of the original propri- etors of the village of San Jose, and his name will again occur in the history of that town. Hyatt and the Mckinneys were from Hoosierdom, some of whose descendants are still citizens of the township. Tallman was from the East, and had spent much of his early life upon the sea. He is represented as a jolly old tar, who was made the butt of many a joke by the youngsters of his neigh- borhood.

TRADING AND MILLING. POINTS.

The nearest trading-point, as well as the one most easily accessible to the first settlers of this portion of the county, was Delavan. To procure the smallest

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

amount of merchandise required a journey of thirty miles to be performed. The sharpening of a plow necessitated the same pilgrimage. Their milling was done at the Mackinaw, either at Doolittle's or Woodrow's mill. Their letters, which, like angel's visits, were few and far between, were likewise received at Delavan. The era of railroads gave to almost every community conven- iences to which otherwise they must have remained strangers for many years. Dr. J. P. Walker was the first physician to engage in the practice of the heal- ing art, as a resident practitioner. In 1857, he joined with others in laying out Mason City, and, in 1859, made its his permanent home. The first school building in the township was erected in the grove, in 1853. The old " timber schoolhouse," long since removed, and, though lost to sight, yet still to memory dear, was presided over at its opening by a young Miss Woods, daughter of Alexander Woods, of whose settlement in the grove mention has already been made. The earliest religious services were held by Rev. Levi Ingle, a minister of the New Light or Old Christian order. Rev. George Miller was the first cir- cuit-rider. Meetings were held at the residences of the settlers, till the build- · ing of the schoolhouse, when they were transferred to it. No public house of worship, with its tall spire towering heavenward, adorns the township outside of the villages of San Jose and Natrona. The remarkable hailstorm that occurred throughout this section of the country on the 27th of May, 1850, mention of which is made in other portions of this work, is well remembered by some of the earlier settlers. The storm, accompanied by a high wind, was of short duration, yet so vast was the amount of hail that fell, and to such a depth was it drifted, in some instances from six to eight feet-that on the following 4th of July large quantities of it could still be gathered from the drift piles. Mr. Houchin, who was an eye-witness to the storm, avers this to be a fact, and says that its effects were plainly visible for years afterward. As late as 1851, fully four-fifths of the township was Congress land. During the years 1851 and 1852, large tracts throughout the township were entered by capitalists and speculators, and it was not till some years later that these lands passed into the hands of permanent settlers. The year 1867 witnessed the completion of the Jacksonville Branch of the C. & A. R. R. from Jacksonville to Bloomington and with it came a flood of settlers, the establishment and laying-out of villages, etc., etc. Though of but recent settlement, when compared with other sections of the county, in the importance and value of its products, it ranks second to but few townships in the county. It embraces within its limits large areas as well adapted to agriculture as any to be found in this entire region. With her rapid development, her educational interests have kept equal pace. She has eight school districts, each supplied with a good frame building, in which schools are kept the greater part of the year.

609

HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

VILLAGE OF SAN JOSE.

This village, situated in the extreme northeast corner of the township, on the Jacksonville Branch of the C. & .A. R. R., was surveyed and platted by E. Z. Hunt, County Surveyor, in 1857, for Daniel Dillon, Alexander W. Mor- gan, Silas Parker and Zenas B. Kidder. The original plat contained fifteen blocks 300 feet square, and eleven fractional blocks; these were subdivided into 235 lots and fifteen fractional lots. The lots adjoining the railroad were donated to the company to secure the location of the station and the building of the depot. After the laying-out of the village, a public sale of lots was held, at which some $3,000 was realized. Private sales were made until the sum realized was from $4,000 to $5,000. The investment, in many instances, proved a financial loss, inasmuch as the town failed to grow as rapidly as pur- chasers had anticipated, and many feeling that they had made a bad investment of means, sold their interest at a sacrifice. Moses C. Hicks made an addition on the south in 1868. At a later date, Willis Crabb and John Linbarger made additions on the east. These last are just across the line, in Logan County. Moses C. Hicks erected the first building in the village, a residence and busi- ness house combined, in the summer of 1858. In this he opened a stock of general merchandise. He came from Atlanta, Logan County, at which point he had been engaged in the same business. This building is at present occu- pied by N. Wool as a boot and shoe shop. The second building was erected on the corner of Second and Main streets, and was occupied as a hardware store by Messrs Morgan & Leeper. Dillon & Morgan soon afterward became the proprietors, and, at the end of six months, Dillon purchased the interest of his partner and for some time conducted the business alone. This building is now occupied by Stuart Hight as a dwelling. With the exception of two or three small dwellings, erected by different parties during 1858 and 1859, the village took a rest for about ten years. On the prospective completion of the railroad, new life was infused into the well-nigb defunct village, and a number of dwellings and business houses were erected. Nat Beardsley, from Jersey- ville, opened out a stock of general merchandise, in 1862 or 1863, and, after operating it about two years, sold to Dr. Knapp and returned whence he came. In 1865, Dr. Charles D. Knapp built and opened a drug store in the room now occu- pied by E. S. Linbarger. Hull & Morrison, from Henry, Marshall County, came in 1866, erected the building now occupied by Chestnut & Thomas, and started a hardware store. Others came in from time to time, and San Jose was soon established upon a firm footing. The first grain merchants in the village were Buck & Scott, who began the purchase of grain in 1866. A warehouse, built by Peter Defries, was converted by Buck & Brother into an elevator, about the same date, and was the first in the village. In 1866, Moses C. Hicks built a steam elevator, which was destroyed by fire in 1868. Thomas Little operated a warehouse here for some time, which was finally taken down and moved to

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

Teheran. In 1874, D. G. Cunningham built an elevator on the site of that formerly occupied by Hicks. This he at present operates. E. W. Nelson, of Natrona, is also engaged in grain-buying at this point. The amount of grain shipped from this point ranges from 200,000 to 250,000 bushels annually. Before the building of the P., D. & L. road a much greater amount was handled. During the summer of 1868, two very important additions were made to the town in the way of buildings. Moses C. Hicks erected a large and commo- dious hotel, at a cost of not less than $6,000. At one time, he had as high as forty-two regular boarders, in addition to a large transient custom. The same year, C. B. Vanhorn moved the machinery of his grist-mill from Atlanta, Logan County, to San Jose, erected a mill-house, and began the manufacture of flour. It has two run of stone and can turn off twenty barrels per day. The machinery was originally put in use at Waynesville, De Witt County, by C. Livingston. In 1857, Vanhorn purchased and moved it to Atlanta and from there to San Jose, as before mentioned. This is the first and only grist- mill that has ever been erected in Allen's Grove Township. In 1869, A. Jacobs & Co. removed their wagon and general blacksmithing shops from Pekin to this point. They manufacture from thirty to forty wagons annually and do a large amount of general blacksmithing. They have also a branch establish- ment in Mason City. Zenas B. Kidder was, perhaps, the first blacksmith in the village. The post office was established as early as 1858, and Moses C. Hicks was appointed first Postmaster. Albert McCollister at present occupies the position and is also a Justice of the Peace. Among the early practitioners of the village, we find the names of Drs. Parker, Voke, Rider and Fain. Just which was the first to locate we are at a loss to determine. Dr. Charles W. Knapp, now of Chicago, was formerly a merchant and practicing physician of the place. Dr. Fain is still a resident of the place, but the accumulated weight of years has largely disqualified him for the active pursuit of his profession for some years past. Drs. Wathan, Holmes and E. P. Crispell are the present resi- dent physicians.

CHURCHES, LODGES, ETC.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was built about 1862 or 1863, at a cost of $2,000. Rev. W. M. B. Colt, from Delavan, labored for the society before their house of worship was erected. The first meetings of the organization were held at Simon Goodale's Schoolhouse, about one mile north of the village. Under the administration of Rev. Colt, the subscription for the present house in the town was started. Isaac C. Brown, wife and daughter, Dr. Voke, Zenas B. Kidder and wife, R. B. Summers and wife, Edward Lyons and wife, Nich- olas Lehey and others, to the number of fourteen, comprised the original organ- ization. Rev. George W. Wolfe was the first regular Pastor. Rev. Hamill at present officiates. Services are held regularly, and a Sunday school, with an average attendance of 100 pupils, is presided over by Miss Hamill, daughter of the Pastor.

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

The German M. E. Church was built in 1870, at a cost of $4,000. A parsonage, erected at a cost of $2,000, is also the property of the Church. The house was dedicated January 22, 1871, Rev. Dr. Leibhardt, of Cincinnati, offi- ciating. The society was organized in 1866, and held its first services at a schoolhouse some distance in the country. After the building of the M. E. Church, they leased it for a portion of the time for a term of five years, but only occupied it between two and three years. Rev. Christian Bruegger was the first Pastor. In 1868, Rev. C. F. Schlinger became Pastor in charge. and remained till 1871. Under his labors the house was built. Rev. Wilhelm Winter succeeded him, remaining two years. Rev. David Hume next became minister in charge for three years, and was succeeded by Rev. Frederick Stoff- regan, the present Pastor. The society numbers at present about 167. A Sunday school was organized at the same time the Church was organized. It has an average attendance of thirty officers and teachers, and from 125 to 150 pupils. The first Superintendent was George Suits ; the position is now held by Rev. C. F. Schlinger. In 1876, forty-six members withdrew from the con- gregation, and were added to the organizations at Emden and Hartsburg. Among the early communicants of the Church, we find the names of Fred Smith and family, John Rapp and family, Mrs. Wiemer, Henry Schweizer and faniily, John Neef, and others. Regular services are held each Sunday.

The Society of Regular Baptists was organized in 1868 by members from the Church at Delavan. They have as yet no church building. Rev. William H. Briggs was the first Pastor, and labored for the congregation four or five years. The early meetings of the society were held in the hall over the store- room now occupied by Newman & Knapp. In October, 1877, the Church fit- ted up a hall in the hotel, which is its present place of meeting. The Church has enjoyed the services of Rev. J. A. Brown one year, Rev. S. S. Martin three years. Rev. J. M. Horney is now Pastor, and holds services twice per month. The Sunday school meets every Lord's Day, and has an attendance of seventy-five pupils. T. S. Knapp is Superintendent.

San Jose Lodge, No. 645, A., F. & A. M., was organized under charter from the Grand Lodge, bearing date October 4, A. L. 5870, A. D. 1870. H. G. Reynolds was Grand Master, and Orlin H. Miner Grand Secretary. Edmund Rodgers, William J. Cunningham, Willis Crabb, Andrew T. Linbar- ger, R. B. Williams, William D. Oswald, Daniel W. Dillon, Rufus B. Sum- mers, Edward Lyons, Timothy Sullivan, H. C. McDowell, Samuel Dement, Edwin Cutler, James J. Kern, Charles Forsythe and Watkin Watkins were charter members. The first officers of the Lodge were : Edmund Rodgers, W. M .; William J. Cunningham, S. W .; Willis Crabb, J. W. Regular communi- cations are held the first and third Thursdays of each month, in their hall over Chestnut & Thomas' store. Membership, thirty-three. Present officers : D. G. Cunningham, W. M .; H. C. McDowell, S. W .; Willis Crabb, J. W .; R. B. Williams, Treasurer ; J. J. Newman, Secretary. Messrs. Crabb and

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.

Williams have held their respective offices ever since the organization of the Lodge.

San Jose Lodge, No. 380, I. O. O. F., was instituted under dispensation December 23, 1868. A charter was issued from the Grand Lodge October 12, 1869, bearing the signatures of J. Ward Ellis, G. M., and Samuel Willard, G. S. The charter members were : Jonathan Cory, P. G .; John S. Buck, P. G .; William M. Duffy, Charles N. Hull, John W. Morrison, Samuel Biggs and William Kent. First officers : Jonathan Cory, N. G .; J. W. Morrison, V. G .; Samuel Biggs, Treasurer, and J. S. Buck, Secretary. Valley Encampment, No. 120, was organized under dispensation in May, 1871. A charter was granted October 10, 1871, over the signatures of D. W. Jacoby, Grand Patri- arch, and N. C. Nason, Grand Scribe. The following persons were named in the charter : John S. Buck, John W. Morrison, Jonathan Cory, Robert M. Buck, Fred W. Paas, J. W. Hight, A. M. Summers. William Kent, J. Alefs, L. Nieukirk, T. S. Knapp, A. R. Chestnut, C. B. Vanhorn and A. Jacobs. These two societies meet in their well-furnished and well-appointed hall in the second story of the hotel building. The first officers of the Encampment were : J. S. Buck, C. P .; R. M. Buck, H. P .; J. W. Morrison, S. W .; A. R. Chest- nut, J. W .; John Alefs, Treasurer ; C. B. Vanhorn, Scribe.

Santa Maria Chapter, Order Eastern Star, No. 70, was organized March 22, 1872. Charter members : E. Rodgers, E. Cutler, C. Forsythe, R. B. Williams, H. C. McDowell, W. J. Cunningham, E. Lyons, Willis Crabb and H. Thorne. Its meetings were held in the hall of San Jose Lodge, No. 645, and the Chapter prospered indifferently well till July, 1876, when it surren- dered its charter.

In May, 1873, W. H. Postlewait opened the San Jose Job Printing Office, which, after a brief term of existence, succumbed to financial embarrassment. October 18, 1878, the San Jose Gazette was established by J. J. Smith, and closed a brilliant career at the end of six months, leaving an aching void in the pockets of some of the citizens who had contributed to the starting of the enterprise.

VILLAGE INCORPORATED.

On the 13th day of April, 1870, pursuant to notice, the citizens assembled at the schoolhouse and organized by electing Rev. T. J. N. Simmons, President, and Samuel Dement, Clerk. The vote stood 31 for and 9 against incorporating. On the 21st of the same month, the following Board of Trustees was chosen : Edmund Rodgers, Jonathan Cory, Andrew Jacobs, Zenas B. Kidder, Samuel Dement and Dr. Charles D. Knapp. The following officers were chosen at a subsequent meeting of the Board; Jonathan Cory, President; Thomas S. Knapp, Clerk ; Zenas B. Kidder was chosen Street Commissioner, and C. C. Ragan, Police Constable. June 12, 1876, the town was incorporated as a vil- lage, under the general law of 1872, by a vote of 29 for to 0 against. The

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The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois, Part 66

Author: Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 848

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 848