USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > The History of Stephenson County, Illinois : containing biographical sketches war record statistics portraits of early settlers history of the Northwest, history of Illinois, &c. > Part 23
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
have been visited upon their descendants, and exempted the county from many calamities their neighbors elsewhere have been called upon to endure.
During the seasons of 1832-33, the settlement quoted above was the only one made in the county. William Waddams was the pioneer who paved the way for the coming of the army of occupation which speedily followed in his wake-the sapper and miner who effected a successful advance into the enemy's territory, maintaining a line of communication with his base of supplies, and holding the fort until the forces in reserve had been brought forward to his support. Civilization with its germinal forces thereafter persistently pushed its way into the territory like the march of a conquering army, and to-day the casual observer of events that have passed into history, stands amazed at the foot-prints of development and progress it has left in its luminous trail. The remote sections have been united by railroads and canals ; the modern institu- tutions of learning, the methods of human industry, the churches and schools, the telegraph and telephone, and other indications of progress and perfection, have gradually developed from the rude and imperfect accommodations of those early days. The broad prairies are born anew with each succeeding decade in the westward march of empire, and populous cities and villages are becoming the centers and gateways of trade and commerce. Agriculture on scientific principles has drained and rejuvenated the lands, making them to blossom with annually increasing harvests, and the wealth born of their prod- ucts, coupled with enterprise and architectural skill, has builded where once the forest disputed possession with the plain. These are the works of those who rest from their labors, and the beneficiaries for whom these trusts were created daily rise up to call them blessed.
The winter of 1833-34 passed without the happening of any event which has left its impress on the times to guide the historian in his search therefor. Mr. Waddams, with his family comfortably housed, dreamed the hours away in a solitude unbroken by aught that savored of civilization. Gathered about the winter log, himself and family doubtless engaged in perfecting plans for future operations, when the dawn of spring announced the coming of more per- fect days. The resident of Stephenson County of to-day would hardly reconcile the appearance of that county then with what greets his vision on all sides in 1880. The country now covered with highly cultivated farms, imposing residences and expensive improvements, was almost a trackless waste of prairie and timber. There was nothing to enthuse, little to encourage. Occasional bands of predatory Indians demurred to the title of the solitary settler, and not unfrequently levied upon his meager stores for supplies. But the long and inhospitable season dragged tediously to its close, and the flowers and shrubbery of the year before, which had yielded to the winter's blasts, warmed into new life and ran wild in the sunshine, hiding the trees and blooming foliage, with leaf and flower. Undismayed by the prospect, Mr. Waddams, as soon as the ground was fit to work, began the labor of preparing the soil about him for crops that would last him when autumn should have yielded place to the winters' winds, and with this beginning sowed the seeds for future prosperity.
It should here be observed that a claim is made, that Lyman Brewster, ac- companied by one Joe Abeno, came into Stephenson County during 1833, and established a ferry near Winslow, which was the first in the county, and survived its owner many years. This, however, is disputed, as also is the coming of Simeon Davis into Oneco, and the conclusion seems irresistible that Mr. Brewster did not settle in the county until the spring of 1834. That year
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
was noticeable not only for the number but the sterling character of the additions made to the population. Among them were George Payne, who halted at Brewster's ferry, George W. Lott, who built a shanty in the present limits of Winslow Village, Harry and Jerry Waters, and A. C. Ransom. To this latter gentleman belongs the honor of laying out the first town in the county. It was located about one and a half miles below Brewster's ferry, on the Pecatonica River, and derived its name in part from that of its founder, be- ing called " Ransomburg." It was regularly surveyed and platted, and on the map offered inducements of a character calculated to inspire the credulous with a desire to become identified with the town by investments, which proved to be permanent if not profitable. The map of the proposed city was illustrated in colors in the highest style of the lithographer's art. Streets and avenues intersected each other at measured distances; parks were laid out, and ornamented with shrubbery, fountains and statuary ; wharves were built and extended into the river, upon which a floating palace, under full head of steam, was to be seen suppositiously approaching the landing. Ransomburg, it was thought, would become the center of trade for the county, and the shipping- point for the surrounding country. It does not appear, however, that these considerations influenced purchasers, although the ubiquitous land-agent was doubtless abroad seeking whom he might devour, but his insatiable maw for . profits probably remained unsatisfied, for the number of purchasers and the prices paid have remained in obscurity. Mr. Ransom established a store at the place, as did a Mr. Stewart, who disposed of his lot in the town for $500, dur- ing a visit to St. Louis when that city was in its infancy, and Miss Jane Goodhue opened a school there, the first in the county, which, with other im- provements, promised to confirm the predictions made respecting its rapid growth. But none of these predictions were ever, even in part, realized. The unappreciative public, for whose benefit the plans were projected, failed to avail themselves of the disinterested labors in their behalf, and the town lapsed, and finally became as a tale that is told. Mr. Ransom removed to Texas, where he afterward died, the improvements were left to decay, and a corn-field now occupies the site that once indicated the existence of Ransomburg.
The impetus given to emigration by the pioneers mentioned gathered strength, however, and manifested itself through that entire year. Though the number who came and remained in Stephenson County was limited, they were men of brains and brawn, fully alive to the demands of the times, and equal to every emergency they were called upon to encounter. Some of those who have left no trace of their coming went further west ; or, dismayed by the difficulties which met them on every hand, returned whence they came to enjoy the rather questionable honors accorded a prophet in his own land. The fall of 1834 wit- nessed the advent of some who are still here, having grown up with the country and witnessed its transformation from an almost inaccessible wilderness to its present prosperous and. cultivated condition. Among these were Jacob Amos, William Robey and family, which consisted of his wife, Levi Robey and wife, John, William W., Thomas L., Francis L., Elizabeth and Mary Robey, children of Will- iam Robey. The latter reached Brewster's ferry on the 21st of November. Mr. Robey, some time later, became lessee of the ferry, which he conducted for a num- ber of years, though at the time he made a claim on which he subsequently settled, near Cedarville, in Lancaster Township. At that time, the lands along the Pecatonica were heavily timbered, and filled with Indians. He came from Scioto County, Ohio, and journeyed via Dixon, Buffalo Grove, in Ogle County, thence to Brewster's Ferry, to the cabin of Simeon Davis, in Oneco, to Monroe,
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Wis., and back to Brewster's Ferry, from which vantage-ground Levi Robey was accustomed to start forth in search of an available point to make a claim and settle. Finally, he found a place that would suit, and on St. Valentine's day, 1835, he removed to the present town of Waddams, locating at a point on the bank of the Pecatonica, half a mile northeast of his present residence. Here he built a house, with an ax and a jack-knife to shape the logs, which were cut in the woods and hauled over the ice to the site of his future home. He was chary at first, he relates, about trusting the ice to bear the burden of his ox team, and the load they hauled. In the country whence he came, " ice bridges " were unknown mediums of communication. When he first went on the ice, that brittle and deceptive substance cracked ominously, and he apprehended that himself with his yoke of steers and house frame would go to the bottom instead of the place appointed for their reception. But he and his portables were pre- served from accident to find new difficulties staring him in the face when he considered the practicability of raising his " frame " into position. These were overcome, however, and himself and family were in a brief time ensconced in their new home, without neighbors, mail facilities, access to supplies, or any of the absolute necessities which are to-day obtained without the least exertion.
The claim is made that during this year occurred the first birth in the county, the new-comer being a son to George W. Lott, who was born in the cabin of his father, then located in the present Winslow Township, between the villages of Winslow and Oneco. The Waddams family, however, opine that the birth of Amanda Waddams, in February, 1836, at the Waddams farm, on the road from Nora to Bobtown, was the pioneer birth in the county, and the same claim is also made for Lucy, daughter of Dr. Bankson, who was brought forth early in the latter year.
From 1832 until 1835, the above constituted the settlements made in this immediate section. As already stated, there were a number who passed through the county en route to the lead mines, and tarried only long enough to rest and recuperate their energies sufficiently to continue their trip. But between the dates mentioned no settlements of a permanent character, other than those cited, were made. Indeed, it required an almost unlimited complement of courage and manhood to reconcile men to remove from the old homesteads, dis- solve old associations, and, cutting loose from the humanizing influences with which they had been surrounded from youth, turn their faces toward new fields wherein the foot of man never trod. Yet those who opened the way for the advance of civilization in the West were possessed of these qualities in a re- markable degree. They were the modern crusaders who fought against barbarism and savage occupation, with all the courage, gallantry and steadfast- ness of purpose that- characterized their prototypes in the age of religious enthusiasm and chivalry centuries ago. They were the counterparts of a grenadier of the old regime, who never in any sudden storm or rally, desperate melee or sorrowful encounter, forgot to doff his plumed hat to an adversary and cry out through his gray mustache as he shortened his sword arm, "En garde." They made the beginning of the present gratifying prosperity in the West, and dedicated themselves to promoting the happiness, gladdening the hearts and smoothing the pathway of those who came with them and after them to journey down the chequered aisles of Time. Thrice blessed are these brave men who never yielded up the chase even when afflictions and disappointment seemed to wail a requiem over their hopes and the dark clouds of adversity settled like a pall.
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
The lives they led were far from being luxurious. No crops of consequence were raised, and even those who had money experienced difficulty in procuring the necessaries of life. The condition of families in indigent circumstances, at a time when wheat cost $4 a bushel, and a journey of forty or fifty miles was required before it could be ground, can be readily imagined. The nearest base of supplies was on the Mississippi, at Savannah and Galena, and in those days the arrival of a steamboat at either place was regarded as an event of so vital importance that it became the talk of the neighborhood. Some of the settlers obtained food for their families by hunting, but this was a precarious recourse, as game, excepting deer, was by no means plentiful. Often the hunter would go out in the morning to procure something for breakfast, but was compelled to pass the entire day without a mouthful to satisfy his hunger. It is related by one of the men who occupied a shanty, that himself and his companion were often glad, in days when meat was scarce, to procure pork sufficient to grease a grid- dle, and that upon one occasion his comrade and another young man made a hearty meal on rinds that had done service in this way, and were hard and green with mold. The same party stated that he has often worked hard for weeks together improving his land, on no better fare than Indian meal mixed with water. These were extreme cases, it is true, but those who for a moment imagine they led a life of ease and contentment are disposed to listen to the whisperings of fancy and not the truths of fact. Their lives were by no means enveloped in a halo of romance, but led in the midst of experiences the modern hero would shrink from.
Very few of the present inhabitants of Stephenson County can realize the hardships to which the early settlers were subjected. Their houses were built of rough, unhewed logs, the cracks filled with mud, the roof composed of clapboards split from the timber, and secured by poles laid on the top, nails being an unknown article of trade. These rude habitations rarely contained windows or floors, or, if provided with the latter, they were composed of pun- cheons split from logs, and rendered comparatively smooth by hewing. If they left their cabins for any length of time, they might expect on their return to find that they had been visited during their absence by the Indians, who had relieved them of all the provisions they had in store. The farmer manufac- tured his own plows, fashioned his own drag, or utilized a young sapling in lieu thereof, and constructed his own wagon, and other farming implements, and, in nearly every case, without iron. The fur of the raccoon, fox, or wolf, furnished them with caps, the deer's hide, tanned at home, with pants, coat and shirt. Tea and coffee were luxuries, to be had at rare inter- vals, and used only upon special occasions; as a substitute therefor the set- tlers provided peas, wheat and barley. When Mr. Waddams made his farm it contained but four acres, located in the timber, which he cleared, fenced and planted in corn and potatoes without the assistance of teams. When the iron plow was first introduced into the county it was regarded as a curiosity, con- demned as an innovation upon established custom, and as worthless for the objects for which it was designed. The grain was threshed with flails, or by horses, and, when Hiram Waddams thrashed his wheat for the first time, in 1839, with a traveling thrasher mounted upon wheels, the curiosity .of his neighbors found expression in similar criticisms, that were in no degree abated when, in 1848, Pells Manny introduced a new era in harvesting by construct- ing the first harvester in this part of the country. It was termed a header, cutting the heads from off the grain eight inches below the hulls. This was an improvement upon the cradle where the grain stood up, but when down its
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
success was not so gratifying. It was a cumbersome concern, and lasting but a short time, led the way to other experiments, until finally they brought forth the reaper which Mr. Manny subsequently invented and patented. Improve- ments, however, succeeded improvements in this invaluable farming implement, and the reapers of those days have long since become incidents of the past, and recurred to now only as illustrating the features of pioneer life with distinctness. It might be added in this connection that Mr. Manny still lives in the enjoy- ment of a hale old age, his home in the city of Freeport, surrounded by all that can smooth the decline of a life that has not been altogether uncheckered.
The spring of 1835 is represented as having been a season of unparalleled beauty and bright promise. The forests were early decked with foliage, the prairies shone with the colors of the rainbow in the flowers and shrubberies that grew upon the surface, and all nature seemed to combine to lend enchant- ment to a scene no artist's hand can trace. Nothing was lacking to complete this unrivaled landscape represented in the territory of subsequent Stephenson County, which a resident of that day asserts rivaled in its magnificence the fabled beauties of Araby the blest. Crops were put in by the measured num- ber of agriculturists who then owned clearings, with confidence that the harvest would be plenteous; and improvements were made, which in a measure accom- modated the influx of immigration that year witnessed. An advance was also accomplished in other material interests, and wants were supplied which had previously been sorely experienced. With these blessings at the threshold, it is scarcely to be wondered at that settlers began to come in much more numerously than during previous years. The first who came were few, 'tis true, but before the year had gone, leaving behind it marks and pleasant memories, joys and shadows, the additions to the population had been increased by the arrival of representatives and families, who have been instrumental in building up and developing the latent wealth which lay hidden in the woods and plains of North- ern Illinois.
Prominent among those who settled in Stephenson County that year were John and Benjamin Goddard, Henry and William Hollenbeck, George Trotter, Richard Parriott, Sr., and family, Levi Lucas, Robert Jones, Andrew St. John and others, who made claims in what has since been called Buckeye Township; Nelson Wait, Hubbard Graves and wife, Charles Gappen, Abijah Watson, John and Thomas Baker and William Willis established homes in Waddams ; James and W. H. Eels, Alvah Denton, Lemuel W. Streator and Hector P. Kneeland became identified with Winslow Township, and aided in the progress anticipated for Ransomburg; Jefferson and Lewis Van Matre came to Oneco; John B. Kaufman to present Erin : Miller Preston to Harlem; James Timms, Jesse Willett, and Calvin and Jabez Giddings to Kent ; Albert Alberson, Eli Frank- eberger, and possibly Josiah Blackamore, to Rock Grove; Thomas Crain and family to Silver Creek; Conrad Van Brocklin and Mason Dimmick, also Otis Love and family, to Florence; Luman and Rodney Montague and William Tucker to West point, etc., etc. In addition to these, William Baker-who, it will be remembered, came into the county first in 1832-returned to settle, after a temporary absence in Wisconsin, and laid the foundation for the present city of Freeport ; Thompson Wilcoxon also came in and staid a short time in Harlem, wherein he finally settled during the following year; Harvey P. Waters and Lyman Bennett arrived at the mouth of Yellow Creek in the fall, where they remained until the spring of 1836, when they removed to Ridott and, with A. J. Niles, formed the nucleus of settlements subsequently made in that township.
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
James Timms, who came that year, as already stated, took possession of the Kellogg house, wherein he resided for many years, and raised a family, members of which are to-day living, prominently identified with the agricultural resources of the county. Benjamin Goddard stopped first with Mr. Robey, which was fifteen miles from any road traveled by wagon. The Montagues settled near Waddam's Grove, where they built a house of logs, the floors of which were made of bass-wood. And so on. Hubbard Graves settled near Levi Robey's, and the remainder of those mentioned found abiding places which, if they were attended with an absence of privileges and immunities from care, possessed comforts which were, in those times, of priceless value.
The settlers experienced the same difficulties, in a measure, while providing themselves with homes that those who came in the year previous had encount- ered.
The Winnebago Indians, in vagrant squads, yet remained in the county, and not unfrequently annoyed the settlers by petty thefts or trespasses upon their hospitality. Among other losses sustained through their felonious acts, was the loss of an entire drove of hogs, which they stole from William Wad- dams. Robert Jones and Levi Lucas maintained a bachelors' retreat about this time on their claim, near the present village of Cedarville, and during their absence upon one occasion the Indians effected an entrance into the cabin left tenantless, which they robbed of a number of articles, including razors, game, wild honey and tobacco. Upon the return of the owners, an Indian was observed stealing out of the cabin. When they ascertained that their house- hold goods had been levied upon, it was decided that the savage had partici- pated in the robbery, and they concluded to follow him up, to, if possible, recover their valuables or ascertain where they could be obtained. Acting upon this conclusion, they started in pursuit of the fugitive, whom they overtook in the woods while he was in the act of shooting a wild turkey. Before he had time to comprehend the object of pursuit, Jones rushed up to him and, seizing his gun, threatened to inflict capital punishment in the case if he did not imme . diately restore what had been taken. After some demurring and pleas in confession and avoidance, he offered to restore the articles missed if Jones and Lucas would accompany him to his wigwam. This they consented to do, and were conducted several miles through the woods, coming suddenly into an encampment of about thirty braves who, with their families, were quietly rest- ing after the fatigues of the day. They comprehended the critical situation in which they had permitted themselves to be placed at a glance, and, though apprehensive of results, calmed their fears, and putting on a bold front, entered the circle of encamping savages and sat down. After a prolonged parley, devoid of anger, the Indian who had conducted them thither disappeared, and after a brief absence, returned with their tobacco, which was restored, but assured them that the razors and provisions were in posession of a branch of the tribe residing on Yellow Creek. When these preliminaries had been con- cluded, the old Indian related his interview with Jones and Lucas in the forest, how his rifle had been taken from him, and he had thereby been prevented from bagging a wild turkey; embellished with exaggeration and emphasized with gesticulations that enforced conviction in the savage breast more persua- sively than the charm of exquisite music possesses for the aesthetic admirer of the divine art. As a result, his eloquence did not fall upon barren ground, but was responded to by loud murmurs of dissatisfaction from the assembled council, and excited the Indians to a degree unprecedented, who expressed their opinions in language both loud and threatening. Upon behold-
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ing this unexpected storm, Jones sought to placate their anger by a show of generosity, and dividing his tobacco among the thievish gang, waited for their anger to subside. A calm succeeded the fierce outburst which the settlers had witnessed, and Jones succeeded in effacing any remembrance of his accusation for the time being at least by tickling the Indian maidens, gathered there, under the chin and indulging in other harmless pleasantries with them, which cemented the reconciliation, though, as Mr. Jones related to the writer, his gallantry was never more severely taxed than when making love to the greasy beauties of the Winnebagoes to save his possessions and, possibly, preserve the capillary inte- guments which constituted his scalp. After "swinging on the gate " for a brief period with their hostesses, Jones and Lucas departed, and passed the night at Benjamin Goddard's cabin, south of Cedarville. The following morning they accompanied Mr. Goddard to William Baker's claim, to assist the latter in raising his cabin. During that trying period, and while the cabin frame hung in the balance, so to speak, a party of the Yellow Creek branch of the tribe hove in sight, doubtless attracted thither in the hope that they would be invited to partake of the supply of metheglin, the attendant concomitant of similar undertakings in the times that more than tried men's souls, patience and tem- per. When they came on to the ground, Mr. Jones, reinforced by the reserve at his back, informed them that he was entirely familiar with their depredations on his property, and demanded the return of his stolen razors, in default of which they would receive the punishment of death, without benefit of clergy. Thus admonished, they agreed to the alternative, and pointing to the sky, indi- cated that when the sun reached the meridian they would restore his property, and, starting off, as if pursued by the Evil Spirit of Indian theology, for their camp, returned at the appointed hour with the razors.
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