The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest, Part 21

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co.
Number of Pages: 980

USA > Illinois > Will County > The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest > Part 21

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In this township, yet farther down on the river, a family settled in 1836 or 1837, which we must not forget to mention-that of Robert Shoemaker, the father of Mrs. Dr. A. W. Bowen and Mrs. Josiah McRoberts (and that's how we got the Judge). M. Shoemaker, a partner of J. A. Matteson in the early days of the old wooden block on upper Chicago street, and who has been and we believe now is a State Senator in Michigan, was his son.

SETTLEMENTS IN JACKSON, REED AND OTHER GROVES.

In the edges of the timber lying along the Des Planes and Jackson Creek, and in the groves known as Jackson's Reed's, Starr's, Troutman's, etc., which now form parts of Joliet, Jackson and Channahon Townships, settlements were early made. In 1831, Charles Reed, Joseph Shoemaker and Wesley Jenkins

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

settled in Reed's Grove, near the present station of Elwood. John and Thos. Coon, the two Kirkpatricks, Thomas Underwood, Eli Shoemaker, Charles

Longmire, James Hemphill, Peter Eib and sons, Archibald Crowl, Henry, George and Lewis Linebarger, Daniel Haight, John and Samuel Catron and Theopilus and Robert Watkins settled in some one of these groves in 1831-2-3; and Benj. and Joseph Shanks, Smith Johnson, John Brown, George Young,

Peter Brown and son and R. J. Boylan, in 1833-4, and William Cotton in 1835, and, we had almost forgotten him, Peter Doney. Charles Reed is per- haps better entitled than any one else to be called the founder of Joliet, as he came up here in 1833, built a log cabin (the old McKee house) and commenced preparations to build a mill. These preparations consisted, as his deed of sale to McKee in the Spring of 1834 says, "of a dam partly made on the east side of the river, a house, some fence, a mill-race and some machinery for a mill, both of wood and iron, on the west side of the river." Of this matter, how- ever, we will speak more particularly by and by. Joseph Shoemaker, a most excellent man, a warm friend and an ardent Methodist, opened a splendid farm on the south side of Reed's Grove, which after many years he sold out, and which is now known as the Rogers' place. He was Supervisor of Florence four years. We are sorry to say he has left the State. Jenkins was a fine specimen of a great Hoosier, of whom we have told a pretty good story in " Forty Years Ago," which we will not repeat here. But we don't know why he should have been named Wesley, unless on the principle of " lucus a non

lucendo." Hemphill and Eib still have representatives in the county. Joe

Shanks was another specimen of a Hoosier, and was Shanks by name and Shanks by nature. The best thing that we remember about Joe is that he was the writer's friend when he ran for Recorder, and gave him his vote, although it was urged against us that we belonged to a temperance society-not a popu- lar thing with " Hoosiers " then or now. " Wall," said Joe, " I drink right smart of likker myself, but I allow we'd better have a sober man to do our business." We commend Joe's philosophy to all voters, and the higher the office, the more important the rule. George Linebarger is still living near Elwood, and has been Supervisor of Jackson ten years. R. J. Boylan is still one of the well-known residents of Jackson, and he held the office of County Surveyor for eight years (1840-48), and what he doesn't know about the sections and corners of Will County is not worth knowing. Boylan sometimes tells the story of his first arrival at Joliet, in the Fall of 1834. After a long and tire- some horseback ride from Chicago, he began to look anxiously for the town of " Juliet," of which he had heard all along the road, and, fearing that he might have lost his way, he rode up to a small wooden building, which he found to be a store. On entering, a long, lank youth rose up from the counter, on which he was stretched out-that is, as much of him as the counter would hold-of whom he inquired the way to Juliet. The youth somewhat pompously replied : " Sir, if you seek the city of Juliet, look around you." Little did Boylan

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

dream that he was on the corner of Bluff and Oneida streets, and that he was addressing the future historian of himself, Joliet and Will County-who would some day have his "pictur " in a book ! It should be mentioned, to the credit of Jackson Grove Precinct, that they built a school house as early as 1833- perhaps the first in Will County. Henry Watkins, from the Hickory Creek settlement, taught the school. Any one who remembers his little shiny round head will not doubt that his scholars looked upon him with the same awe and wonder as did those in Goldsmith's "Deserted Village " upon the village pedagogue,"

" And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,

That one small head could carry all he knew."

YANKEE SETTLEMENT AND LOCKPORT.

We have spoken of the Johnsons as settling in Yankee Settlement. These were " Hoosiers," but, as will be inferred from the name, most of those who settled in that portion of the county embraced in the town of Homer, the north- ern part of New Lenox and the eastern part of Lockport, and called " Yankee Settlement," were Yankees. The word meant in that day those who came from any State east of Ohio, in distinction from those who were called Hoosiers -a term which, though properly applicable only to Indianians, was popularly made to cover all others. When more exactly speaking, those from Ohio were Buckeyes ; those from Kentucky, Corncrackers; those from Michigan, Wolver- ines, etc., etc. This was a famous settlement in the early days, containing many fine families of well-to-do farmers, where we could find more pretty girls forty- odd years ago than in almost any other locality. How this may be now, the writer cannot say ; circumstances have prevented him from keeping posted in this regard. Offshoots of Yankee Settlement were known as Gooding's Grove and Hadley.

Of those who came in before the Sac war, we recall the names of James Richie (the first settler and still living, although for some years blind), James Glover, Abijah Watson, John Pettijohn, Wm. McGaffery, Peter Polly, Joseph McCune, Daniel Mack, John Blackstone, Dr. Nathaniel Weeks and sons, William Ashing, John Goodenow, Joseph Cox, Dick Boilvin, Uriah Went- worth, Calvin Rowley, Holder Sisson, Selah Lanfear, Orrin Stevens, Armstead Runyon, Edward Poor and Benjamin Butterfield. Some of these persons were not " Yankees," and some did not return after the stampede occasioned by the Sac war, and Goodenow, Polly and McCune, on their return, settled in other parts of the county.

Holder Sisson came in 1831, from Chautauqua County, N. Y. Having pre- viously explored the West, he came with his family; and at the same time came Selah Lanfear and Orrin Stevens, with their families, who were from the same county. They came around the lakes, in a schooner ; and after a long and stormy passage, landed at an outpost called Chicago, in the latter part of July. Harry Boardman, who settled in East Dupage, came on the same ves-

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

sel. Mr. Sisson was a prominent man in the early history of the county. He was elected one of the first three County Commissioners, and served in that capacity five years, faithfully and well. He soon moved to the west side of the river, in the town of Lockport, on the old Chicago road. He has very re- cently deceased, at an advanced age.

Edward Poor, Armstead Runyon and Benjamin Butterfield were on the ground previously, and some others. Edward Poor is the first name as grantee upon our county records. Armstead Runyon was a prominent man in the early history of Lockport, having been proprietor of a part of the city plat. We believe he is now living in California (if not dead). Mrs. C. E. Boyer, of Lockport, is his daughter.

Mrs. Munson, until lately, a resident of Joliet, was a daughter of Selah Lanfear. We remember her as one of the pretty girls of Yankee Settlement. If you should call upon ex-Collector Weeks, you would find one of her daugh- ters, who, in her turn, has pretty daughters too. How the years do creep on, and what changes they bring !

Calvin Rowley came from the State of New York-the first one of the fam- ily-traveling all the way with a peddler's cart. He set up a store near Lock- port, and traded with the Indians.

After the Sac war another tidal wave of emigration set toward the West, and brought many to Yankee Settlement in the years 1833-4-5. Among these were Reuben Beach and sons, Thomas Smith, Chas. M. Grey, George Grey, Levi Hartwell, Jireh Rowley and four sons, Wm. H. Frazier*, Alanson Gran- ger, Addison Collins, Frederick Collins, Norman and Horace Messenger, John Lane, Lucius M. Case, H. S. Mason, Dr. Moses Porter, Abram Snapp, Will- iam Williams and three sons, Benjamin Weaver, Dea. Levi Savage, S. C. Chamberlin and sons, William Bandle, Samuel Anderson, John Griswold, Com- stock Hanford, Nathan Hopkins, Aaron Hopkins, John Fitzsimmons, Benja- min Dancer, Cyrus Cross, Andrew Frank, Sylvester Munson, Lyman Cross, David Parish, Leander Bump, Jacob Bump, Rev. Mr. Ambrose, John Ross, Hiram Olney (now of Manhattan), Rev. Mr. Kirbey, who became Pastor of the Hadley Church,-and Isaac Preston, now of Lockport, in 1836.

The following persons settled in Gooding's Grove, and gave that locality its name : Dea. James Gooding and his three sons-James Gooding, Jr., William Gooding and Jasper A. Gooding-and his nephew, Charles Gooding, in 1832. Dea. James Gooding had been a pioneer in Western New York, and was a na- tive of Massachusetts. He resided at Bristol, Ontario Co., until he came West. We remember him well-a tall, noble-looking man. He died in 1849, at the age of 82. Orange Chauncey settled in the same locality before the war.

Rev. Jeremiah Porter, the well-known pioneer missionary of the American Home Mission Society, early organized a Presbyterian Church at Hadley. We believe that this was the first regularly organized Church in Will County, outside

* Died in 1873.

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

of the " classes " organized by the Methodist itinerants. Dr. Porter, William Bandle, Reuben Beach and John C. Williams were Elders or Deacons in this Church. Soon after the organization of this Church, a Mr. Freeman organ- ized a Baptist Church of sixteen members. Abram Snapp was one of the Deacons of this Church. He was the father of Hon. Henry Snapp, and died in October, 1865. He came to the settlement in 1833. Father Beggs had a sta- tion here in 1833, and others at Reed's Grove, Hickory Creek, East Dupage and Walker's Grove.

Dr. Weeks was for many years a practitioner in Lockport and Yankee Set- tlement. His sons are the well-known Judge Weeks and ex-Collector Weeks and Mr. J. H. Weeks, now of Lockport. He was from Western New York. Dr. Porter was also a well-known physician in the early history of the county ; one of the reliable men, whether in Church or State; a strong upholder of every good enterprise and reform. He moved farther west many years ago, and is now deceased.

Lyman Cross died at Lockport in October, 1876, at the age of 82. His death was occasioned by a fall, while at work on a barn.

Mr. Bandle, who was familiarly known as Deacon, was a stone-mason, and had the job of putting up the stone-work of the first stone building in Joliet- the old block now known as the Darcey Block, from its present owner, but for- merly and long known as the old Demmond Block, from its first proprietor. He has been dead some years.

John Lane was a famous blacksmith, especially known as the maker of prai- rie or breaking plows. The settlers all around used to make pilgrimages to his smithy. Nobody in all the land could shape and temper a plow like him. He might have sat to Longfellow for his picture of the village blacksmith :

" The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands ; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands."

On many, many an acre of the virgin prairie of Will County did Lane's plows upturn the sod, drawn by from four to eight yoke of oxen and steers, and propelled by a ten-foot ox-gad mounted with a lash perhaps as long, the snap of which wielded by the hands of the Hoosier driver resounded like the crack of a rifle. On, on, over the prairie swells, with steady but ruthless tread, moved the long "breaking team," and on, on, came the giant plow, cutting the turf with its sharp colter, and turning over with its mold-board the rich earth in long, black ribbons ; before it blooming grass and fragrant herb and beautiful flowers ; behind it a dreary waste of black, fat humus, inviting the steps and stimulating the hopes of the sturdy planter. Ah! breaking teams, plows, Hoosier drivers, prai- ries, and old Lane himself, are now things of the past ! Mr. Lane died in 1857.

Addison Collins was one of our leading county men ; held the office of County Surveyor during the first four years of our organization, and served one

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

term, 1842-3, as our Representative in the General Assembly of the State. He died in March, 1864. His brother, Frederick Collins, still lives in the old locality, one of the staid and substantial citizens of Homer, fast ripening for a better country. The brothers were from Tioga County, N. Y., and came to the settlement in 1833.

John Blackstone, generally called Judge Blackstone, was a man of property and influence. The grove near which is the Hadley post office was known first as Blackstone Grove. James McKee, of whom we shall speak by and by, borrowed the money of him wherewith he purchased the Reed claim, of which we shall presently speak. He was the first Justice of the Peace in Yankee Settlement, when a part of Cook County. Judge Caton has told the writer about his coming down from Chicago in 1833, to try a suit before him- perhaps the first lawsuit in Will County. He died in 1848.

Jireh Rowley, commonly know as Capt. Rowley, was also a prominent man in our early history. He settled first on Section 19, but afterward bought the Butterfield place on Section 34, a beautiful spot embracing a little grove, where his youngest son, A. G., now lives. He was an old contractor on the Erie Canal, and built the great embankment near Rochester. This was a very heavy and difficult work. The Canal there crosses a considerable valley and a stream, and passes along the top of the embankment which Rowley made. While the work was in progress, Gov. Clinton, having great anxiety in respect to its success, made frequent visits to note its condition. On one of these occasions, the Governor and his party got in the way of the laborers and their teams, when Rowley pretty sharply ordered them to get out of the way. Instead of being offended at the brusque manner of the Captain, the Governor had the good sense to remark to his friends that he should go home with his mind at rest concerning the job, as Capt. Row- ley evidently meant business. Three sons still live in the township. The younger, A. G., has been a Justice of the Peace since 1850, and three years the Supervisor of the town. "Capt. Rowley, when'. he came West, had married a Mrs. Grey, and the George and Charles Grey above named were her sons ; both of these have since been prominent as railroad officials in Chicago, and George is now agent of the Pullman Car Company. Charles has been Mayor of the city. Three of her daughters were also included among the " nice girls " of the settlement, as some of the " boys " still living remember well. One of these is now Mrs. Chamberlin, of Lockport. Her husband is one of the sons of Mr. L. C. Chamberlin, and is our well-known undertaker and furniture dealer of Joliet and Lockport. We remember seeing, not long ago, the fence which surrounds Oakwood placarded with the words, "Chamberlin's Relief cures all pain." We do not suppose the sacrilegious painter had any reference to our un- dertaker or his business, but unconsciously told a truth, which these placards seldom do. Wm. Gooding was the chief engineer of our canal, and we shall have something more to say of him in the history of that work. The

Robert Streng (DECEASED) JOLIET TP.

THE LIBRARY OF THE PRYMASVON ES CHENMOIS

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

school teacher Hanford, so cruelly murdered at Chicago a few years ago, was a son of Comstock Hanford, born in 1834. Deacon Beach (this settlement seems to have had a good share of Deacons, and we have noticed that as a rule, it is the best men who get this title, and Deacon Beach was not an exception) has gone to his reward some time since. He died in 1851. Two of the Demmond boys-" Dar " and William -- are indebted to him for good wives ; and his son, Eben W., was Supervisor of Crete in 1862, and deceased in October, 1878. Levi Savage, another Deacon, still lives, and has given to the town of Homer a Supervisor for six years (1867-72), and to our county a Representative in 1872, and to the State and nation a brave soldier in his son, Capt. Amos Savage, of the Thirty-ninth Regiment, or Yates Phalanx. Of William Williams we re- member little ; he died many years ago; but we know the family was a good one-from Massachusetts, we believe, as were others of the Hadley people ; hence the name of the locality which was first known as Blackstone's Grove. One member of the family was Elder J. C. Williams, for some time a resident of Hadley, but afterward of Chicago, one of the old, substantial merchants of that city and an Elder in the Second Presbyterian Church ; while another, Charles A., was a preacher of the Gospel, once settled in Rockford; and another is the present Judge Erastus S. Williams, of Chicago. Still another Deacon was Orange Chauncey, lately deceased (died in 1877), who for a long time, with his family, resided in Joliet, but left again for the vicinity where he originally set- tled. This Deacon was a " Universalist " one, but his wife, who still survives, was a Deacon for a long time in the Baptist Church here-or at least she ought to have been. Alanson Granger is a name well known in Will County, for a long time a most successful granger on Section 32 of that town. He is said to have run the first reaper in Will County-an old original McCormick made in Brockport, N. Y. He was from Cortland County, N. Y., and died in October, 1874, nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the original organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said that Butterfield built the first house in the present township (of Lockport), and that a Mr. Everden built the first house on the town plat in 1831, little dream- ing that he was beginning to found a city. It is also said that Armstead Run- yon bought his claim, on which he laid out, in 1836, the town plat now known as North Lockport, once known as Runyon's Town. To the list of old settlers in Lockport ought to be added those of D. C. Baldwin, 1834; A. J. Matthew- son and John Fiddyment in 1837; and Dr. J. F. Daggett, 1838.

Dr. J. F. Daggett represented the county in the State Senate after the res- ignation of Hon. Henry Snapp. A. J. Matthewson is our present County Surveyor, and is one of the blessings for which we are indebted to the canal, he having been one of the corps of engineers. West Lockport, where the old mill still stands, was laid out by a company consisting of Wm. Rogers, Lyman

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

Hawley, Wm. Gooding and E. S. Prescott. John M. Wilson-Judge Wil- son, of Chicago-was also interested in the mill, which was built by these parties, but whether as one of the original parties to the enterprise or as a purchaser afterward, we cannot say. West Lockport was once the most flourishing part of the town. But it seems that in relation to towns, Bishop Berkley's saying, "Westward the star of empires takes its way," does not hold good. Mr. Horace Morse built a tavern on one of Runyon's lots in 1836.

The site on which the most flourishing part of the city is now located, was laid out in 1837 by the Canal Commissioners, and for many years had the prestige of being the canal headquarters. It is beautifully located, and was well . laid out under the skillful and careful supervision of the Chief Engineer. Canal Commissioners Thornton and Fry took up their residence there, and built fine dwellings-fine for that day. We believe it is one of these which has been remodeled into a beautiful home by Mrs. Boyer.

LOCKPORT TOWN WEST OF THE RIVER.

Across the river on the beautiful bluff which overlooks the town and the valley of the Des Plaines, as we have said, Holder Sisson moved, after selling out to Hanford. On this bluff also located Wm. Rogers, Lyman Hawley and sons, Justin Taylor, Thomas and Harvey Reed, and that "fine ould Irish gin- tleman," Patrick Fitzpatrick, and O. and L. M. Clayes, and Cyrus Bronson, in 1832-5. These farms, which we suppose have mostly passed into other hands, are among the most finely located in the county. Lyman Hawley was a sub- stantial man from Western New York, the father of our well-known citizens, O. L, Hawley (now deceased), our County Clerk from 1849 to 1856 (eight years), and who also held the office of County Judge four years (1856 to 1860), and of Walter B. Hawley, who has also been County Clerk. The writer well remembers a notable "raising" we had in 1835 or 1836, when Lyman Hawley built his famous barn-a big thing for that day when barns were not very plenty, and which we believe is still extant, although it doesn't look a's large now as when it was the best in all the country. What a lift we had at the big timbers of green oak, and how glad the boys were when the last rafter was up. and we all went to the feast set on the lawn, the old but comfortable log house being altogether too small to hold the guests. What a feast that was, and not the least among the attractions to some was the fact that we were waited upon by three or four blooming daughters of the host, for Yankee Settlement did not, in those days, have a monopoly of the pretty girls. - We could name one old gray head that was there, and who was "sweet" on one of the girls. But we won't for he is married now to somebody else, and it might make a fuss.

There were also a Mr. Webb and Thomas Williams still further up the river, and also a Mr. Turner at the Lilly-cache Grove.

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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY.

UPPER HICKORY.

In the Upper Hickory Creek timber, east of Van Horne's Point, there were early settlers. In 1831, a Mr. Osborn, Wm. Moore, Robert Williams, Aaron Ware, John McGoveny and sons, John McDeed, and a Mr. Ghost, and a Mr. Berry, who soon turned Mormon, settled there. Daniel Lambert, John Duncan, James Troutman and Hiram Wood, in 1832; Allen and Lysander Denny, Ambrose Doty, Chester Marshall and sons, Francis Owen and sons, Eliphalet Atkins and sons, Samuel Haven, Myron Holmes and sons, Phineas H. Holden and sons, a Mr. Dewey, and Peter Clayes, father of L. M., Orlando Clayes and Charles Clayes, in 1834-5.

A child of John McGoveny, John W., is another first child born in the county. There were quite a number born first ! However this may be, 'Squire McGoveny, of Mokena, and Thos. G. McGoveny, of Joliet, are his sons. He was from Ohio, originally, and came to the region where he settled in 1831, and died in March, 1869, aged 61. An addition to Mokena is part of his farm. Allen Denny, on the north side of Hickory, and Samuel Haven, on the south side, both kept stations on the underground railroad in Antislavery times. The writer hereof knows of some who paid midnight visits to both stations. A mid- night ride with one or two fugitives was an exciting thing in those days, not without danger of being prosecuted, at least.

ILLINOIS BLACK LAWS AND ABOLITIONISTS.

For the information of our younger readers, it may, perhaps, be well to explain, and here is as good a place as any to do it, that in those days, besides the general fugitive slave law of the United States, the State of Illinois had in force statutes against the colored man hardly less outrageous and cruel than those of the slave States themselves. Many slaves had been brought into this State while a Territory, and when the State was admitted into the Union the ownership in these was practically confirmed, although the importation of any more was prohibited. The southern part of the State was settled by persons from the slave States, and it was only by a small majority that the State became nominally a free State. Every colored man was presumed to be a fugitive from slavery, and, unless he could prove the contrary, was subject to arrest and sale, although the sale took the form of a lease or indenture. Now, there were, in those days, all over the North, as is well known, many persons known as Abolitionists, who had more respect for the God-given right of self- ownership than they had for the title which human-or rather inhuman-laws gave to one man who happened to be white, over another who happened to be black. These human laws, whether State or national, they held to be against the law of God, and therefore void "in foro conscientice," however they might be enforced by human courts. It was an easy corollary to this belief that to help a man who was fleeing from bondage was a duty-that to aid in

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The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest, Part 21

Author: Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co. Number of Pages: 980

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co.
Number of Pages: 980