USA > Illinois > Woodford County > The Past and present of Woodford County, Illinois : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c.; a directory of its tax-payers; war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics etc > Part 30
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Thomas Bullock, Sr., came from Woodford County, Kentucky, to Illinois, in 1835, and settled in Walnut Grove, where all the first settlements were made in this township. Sprung from an intellectual family, a family productive of
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
statesmen and men of ability, he has ever been a man of weight and influence in the county, and one of its leaders in politics, and in enterprise and improve- ment. He it was, who was instrumental in getting up the project which finally resulted in the formation of Woodford County, of which event full particulars are given in the general history of the county. Mr. Bullock is still living near Versailles, the original capital of Woodford, to some extent reconciled to the greater power, or pressure, which wrested from his own little village of Ver- sailles, the seat of justice. Of all the early settlers in Walnut Grove, Mr. Bul- lock is probably the oldest one now living in what is known as Olio Township. These old landmarks are rapidly passing away. The few still left are fluttering over the dividing line between two worlds, and ere long will be gone from our sight.
Isaac Black came to Walnut Grove and settled in what is now in Olio Town- ship, in 1830, where he has resided until a few years back, when he moved into Eureka, where he still lives.
Who built the first cabin in this township, and the precise spot upon which it was located, are among the things past. Mr. Henry B. Mcek, living just over the border in Cruger Township, where he has spent the last forty-eight years, and who made a trip through this section in 1828, states that there were a few families then living in Walnut Grove, of whom the Moores, and perhaps one or two others, were in Olio Township. This is as near and as definite as it is possible now to come at the first settlement of this township.
The first mill in Olio Township was a little horse mill, put up by John A. Moore, and was built in 1828-9. For some time it was the only mill in the neighborhood where the settlers could get meal. Flour was a luxury almost, if not wholly, unattainable.
The first store was opened at Versailles, about 1838, by Durritt & Calloway, and did quite an extensive business for a sparsely settled country. Other stores were opened, and other branches of business inaugurated which go to make up a town. A post office was established, and a Mr. King became the first Post- master. He was soon succeeded by Benjamin Kelley, who kept it for several years. Versailles was now quite a flourishing place, and when, in 1841, Wood- ford County was organized, she became the seat of justice, and thus attained the zenith of her prosperity. Other towns sprung up, and, in 1843, the county seat was removed to Metamora. Business men left for better locations, the town was almost deserted and its glory departed forever.
There is a church in the village belonging to the Christian denomination, a handsome little edifice, and is in a prosperous condition. There was a Metho- dist church here at one time, but it has been moved over on Panther Creek, and is mentioned in the history of Palestine Township. There is also a good comfortable school house. These, with a blacksmith shop, and two or three families, who live within the original corporation, are all that remains of Versailles. The post office has long ago been discontinued, and the last vestige of Ver- sailles is lost in her own ruins, while her place on the map is blotted out.
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
Matthew Bracken was the first Justice of the Peace in what is now Olio Township, and was appointed to the office in 1835. Ben. Major, who insisted on being called Ben, and who always wrote his name Ben instead of Benjamin, was a sort of doctor, and practiced the healing art to some extent. He is sup- posed to be the first physician in the township. Doctors were not so plentiful in those days as at the present, and all who possessed medical skill were often called on to exercise it.
Rev. John Oatman, of the denomination of Christians, who came to the township in 1830, was the first preacher of the Gospel, and preached the first sermon in what is now Olio Township. There were no churches here at that day ; and until the churches were built in Eureka, religious services were held at the residences of the neighbors, and at the school houses.
The first child born in the township was Jefferson Dowdy, a son of John and Eliza Dowdy, and was born in 1829.
The first death was this child's mother, who died a few months after his birth.
Joseph Oatman was the first in the township to take to himself a helpmeet.
He went to Dry Grove, in MeLean County for his bride, whose name is now forgotten, and they were married in 1833.
At that early period, the settlers were not, it seems, thoroughly versed in the manner of putting up and preserving corn, so that it would make good seed the next year, and, as a consequence. good " seed corn" was often an object much sought after. Oatman, when courting his bride, and in order to secure his acceptance by his lady love, circulated the story broadcast that his father had a thousand bushels of " prime seed corn."
In the days when Versailles was a flourishing village, there was a few miles distant, in what is now Palestine Township, a village called Bowling Green, that was quite a flourishing place, and did as good a business as the former. As is usual in such cases, there existed, of course, considerable jealousy between the two places, and neither lost an opportunity to play a prank on the other, or to indulge in any petty annoyance that might suggest itself. There was a doctor in Versailles at the time who was rather active in all the proceedings. One day a young man from Bowling Green was at Versailles, when several of the latter's people caught him, and insisted that he had the toothache and that the doctor must take out the tooth. Notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, the doctor, while the others held him, extracted the boy's tooth. When this came to the ears of the Bowling Greenites, it excited their indignation to the highest pitch. They swore big oaths, and a great many of them, and that dire ven- geance they would have. They came up, and a pitched battle was the result. The offending doctor was knocked down and nearly killed, but escaping from the clutches of the infuriated mob, he fled from the place and never returned. The fight closed with several bloody noses and broken heads, but without any very serious damage.
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
In 1840, the State road from Lexington to Peoria, by way of Washington, which was the first public road through this township, was laid out, and for years it was a great thoroughfare of travel, before it was superseded by rail- roads. In 1854-5, the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad was put through the township, and the road wagons, transporting wheat, oats and corn to Peoria and Chicago, over country roads, ceased forever. A few years ago, the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railroad was built. which touches one corner of Olio Township, and thus gives her people another outlet to the great cities, and the benefit of competing lines of road and a reduction of rates. This subject, however, is noticed more fully in the general county history.
The school facilities of Olio are equal, perhaps, to any in the State. The first school taught in the township was about 1837, by M. Bullock, and was taught in a little cabin near the present limits of Eureka. The cabin, like many other of the old landmarks, has long since disappeared, and a number of elegant frame school houses, of modern style, serve the town for educational purposes. The early records of schools have either been destroyed or mislaid. The present Treasurer, Mr. M. Pifer, has no records in his possession beyond 1860, and those are chiefly of the financial transactions of the town, and con- tain nothing of any special interest. From the last report to the County Superintendent of Schools, for 1877, we glean the following :
Number of males in township uuder 21 399
Number of females in township under 21 382
Total
781
Number of males in township between 6 and 21 291
Number of females in township between 6 and 21 253
Total
544
Number of males attending school. 272
Number of females attending school. 232
Total.
504
Number of male teachers employed. 10
Number of female teachers employed. 8
Total
18
Number of graded schools in township. 1
Number of ungraded schools in township. 8
Total number of public schools sustained in Township.
9
Principal of township fund. $3,456.66
Amount of tax levy for support of schools. 4,360.00
Amount paid male teachers. $2,535.05
Amount paid female teachers 1.696.65
Total amount paid teachers $4.231.70
Estimated value of school property. $5,175.00 Estimated value of school apparatus 100.00
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
The public schools will be noticed further in connection with the schools of Eureka Village.
Politically, Olio Township is pretty well and equally divided, with a major- ity of, perhaps, a dozen or two Democratic. So evenly are they divided, that strongly-contested races are doubtful, and usually result in favor of the best wire-puller.
J. M. Murray, of Eureka, is Supervisor of Olio Township, and has held the office for three years past. T. A. Dunn is Tax Collector, and furnishes ns the following from the tax book of 1877 :
Personal tax for 1877
Real tax for 1877.
$ 5,431.11 10,948.22
Total personal and rea). $16,379.33 Of which amount the railroad tax is. 4,106.54
Olio, as a political township, is known as Township 26 north, Range 1 west. The war record of the township is highly honorable, and the zeal exercised in furnishing troops relieved her of drafts, with one exception, when some half dozen were drafted. Further reference will be made to the war record of the town in the history of
THE CITY OF EUREKA.
Though still under village organization, Eureka is usually termed a city, and its population estimated at about two thousand inhabitants, exclusive of college students. It is beautifully situated on high, rolling ground, at the crossing of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw and the Chicago, Pekin & South- western Railroads, about twenty miles east of the city of Peoria. It was sur- veyed and laid out in 1855-6 for Mr. John Darst, one of its most enterprising citizens. The survey was commerced by A. S. Fisher, but finished by a Mr. Perry, whose name alone appears in the records as the surveyor. The present corporate limits of Enreka are two miles north and south, and one mile east and west. It is well shaded by grand old forest trees, whose hoary appearance would indicate that they had withstood the storms and tempests of centuries, while many of the more ornamental trees and shrubs emborder the streets and dooryards. There are many elegant residences, with finely ornamented grounds and gardens, well laid out streets and handsome churches in the town, and the business houses are rather better than in the average towns of its size. No whisky saloons, nor even a billiard hall, with their attendant evils, disturb the quiet of the place. The public square is a beautiful little park of about one acre of ground in the business center, and enclosed by a substantial fence. It is well set in grass, with a number of young maples and other handsome shade trees, and a few giant oaks towering above them in their mighty grandeur. The first houses in the village were built in the vicinity of the college, which is near the southern limits.
About the year 1854, a Mr. Sterritt opened a store near " the academy" (now Eureka College), where the school boys nsed to congregate and vie with
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
each other in eating candy and fruits. Dr. J. L. Springate opened a drug store about the same time, and was the first in the village, which at that date was called Walnut Grove, after the academy, which bore the same name. He was the first regularly located physician, and practiced his profession in the village and vicinity for years. Dr. J. M. Allen commenced the practice of medicine a short time before Springate, but soon became a minister of the Gospel, when he gave up medicine. He is now a professor of Latin and En. glish literature in Eureka College. Dr. Springate, after many years' labor, sold out and removed to Louisville, Ky., where he at present resides.
The first post office in Walnut Grove village was established in 1850, and A. M. Fisher, then Principal of the academy, was appointed the first Post- master. The mail was carried on horseback to Metamora once a week. After- ward, a daily mail was established between this place and Kappa, on the Illinois Central Railroad, but was very irregular, and mail facilities somewhat uncertain, until the completion of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad to this point, when the office was moved over in the vicinity of its present location. A Mr. Myers was commissioned Postmaster in 1861 by Mr. Lincoln, but subse- quently removed by Andrew Johnson. He was re-appointed by Gen. Grant, and held the office until his death, in 1874. It was then transferred to his widow, who is the present Postmistress.
The first blacksmith shop in the old village of Walnut Grove was opened by one Wilson Hathaway, about the year 1854, and a wagon shop, by Z. Stock, about the same time. A boarding house was built in 1851, capable of accom- modating forty or fifty students, other business came, and Walnut Grove was quite a flourishing little place. But when the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Rail- road was put through, in 1856, and the citizens succeeded in getting a station here, which was finally accomplished over a strong opposition from Cruger Station, a few miles west, the old village was moved over nearer the railroad. The place rapidly increased in population and business, and the inhabitants, ยท bearing in mind their late struggle for a railroad station, and in remembrance of the exclamation of their ancient philosopher, christened their new village EUREKA, a name it still bears.
The first storehouse in Eureka proper was built in 1855, by R. M. Clark, on the northwest corner of College and First streets, where T. A. Dunn's brick store now stands. The first tavern was built by A. M. Myers, and is still the leading hotel of Eureka, and stands near the corner of the public square. It is now owned by John W. Karr, of Peoria, and is leased and run by Alexander Blair.
The Eureka Mills were built in 1856, by a stock company consisting of John Darst, John Major, E. B. Myers, George Callender and W. S. Bullock, at a cost of about $18,000. Originally a saw mill was operated in connection with the flouring-mill, but this branch of the business has long since been discontinued. The mill building is a large and substantial frame, and has in it
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
most excellent machinery, together with three run of burrs. Mr. J. A. Davis, a banker of Eureka, bought one-half of the mill in 1861, and was for many years its general manager. He made considerable improvements and put in additional machinery, which, added to the original cost, raised its value to about $25,000. Mr. Davis finally bought the remaining half, and in December, 1877, sold it to R. B. Chritton, who is the present owner and proprietor.
The Orient Mills were built by Adams & Vandyke, about 1867-8, at a cost of $18,000. It is a large frame building with three runs of burrs, and is doing a good business. The present owners are Vandyke & Gift.
The large grain elevator of J. M. Murray was built in 1863, and cost about $5,000. Additions were made to it in 1877, which cost $1,000 more. It is a strong frame 54x30 feet, and has a capacity of 30,000 bushels. Mr. Murray deals extensively in grain, and handles annually something near a half million bushels of corn, oats and rye, but mostly of corn and oats. Wheat is not raised to a great extent, and what is produced is bought chiefly by the mills. He is the only grain dealer of any note in the place. There are two warehouses, originally built for grain purposes, but the owners of them have gone out of the business, and Mr. Murray has the grain trade mostly to himself.
The Bank of Eureka commenced business under the firm name of J. A. Davis & Co., in June, 1868, and their first banking house was in the Eureka Mills. In 1871, Mr. Davis' partner left rather abruptly and unceremoniously, since which time it has been owned by J. A. Davis alone. It is the only bank in Eureka, and occupies commodious rooms in one of the elegant brick blocks in the business center of the town.
The Eureka Journal issued its first sheet on the 10th of December, 1867, and was called the Woodford Journal. It was established by John W. Karr, and has, since its first organization, passed through several hands. In April, 1874, it was purchased by R. W. Radford, who has owned it ever since. It has entered upon the eleventh volume, and is one of the flourishing papers of Wood- ford County:
The Eureka College Messenger is a monthly, four-page paper, edited and published by Prof. A. S. Fisher, who for many years was connected with the Eureka College. The Messenger is devoted chiefly to the interests of the college ; is ably conducted and has reached its second volume.
Eureka was organized as a village in 1859. An election was held on the 4th day of April of that year, for the purpose of electing a Board of Village Trustees, with the following result : C. L. Wellman, J. R. Burton, R. M. Clark, Sam'l Stitt and A. S. Fisher. A. M. Myers was elected Police Magistrate, and Z. Stock, Constable. The Board organized for business by electing R. M. Clark, President, and A. S. Fisher, Clerk. Eureka is still under this mode of government; although it has sufficient population to admit of its being incorpo- rated as a city, no move has been made to that effect. The present Board of Trustees is as follows : C. T. Coleson, L. C. Darst, J. M. Saddler, G. W.
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
Lewis, and W. S. Allen. The President of the Board is G. W. Lewis, and C. T. Coleson, Clerk ; A. S. Fisher is Police Magistrate, and J. G. Woods, Constable.
The religious denominations are represented in Eureka by the Christian, Methodist and Presbyterian societies, who have each good, comfortable church buildings. The oldest of these organizations, and which is the oldest church organization in the Township, and one of the oldest in Woodford County, is
The Christian Church .- This society was organized in 1832, and the origi- nal members were: Elder John Oatman and wife, Daniel Travis and wife. James Bird and wife and Joshua Woosley. The first Pastor was Elder John Oatman, already mentioned as the first preacher of Olio Township. Their first house of worship was a frame building, 32x45 feet, and was erected by the members, in 1847. " Uncle" Joseph Meek, as he is familiarly called by everybody, furnished nearly all of the timbers himself; others contributed Jum- ber and such material as was required in the building, while others still added their labor. The officers, in addition to the Pastor, Elder John Oatman, were Daniel Travis and Joshua Woosley, Deacons. Until the building of this church, religious services were held at the residences of the neighbors, in the groves and the school houses. In 1834-5, many families came from Kentucky and settled in Walnut Grove. Among them, Rev. William Davenport, Ben. Major and Elijah Dickinson, who united with the society, and it became the strong church of this section of the country. Elder Davenport was for a time the principal preacher, and was a man of much power and influence. Elders J. H. Lindsay and Alexander Reynolds held a protracted meeting in the Summer of 1836, in which sixty additions were made to the church. The revival ex- tended to Little Mackinaw, and no such religious awakening had ever before been known in this primitive settlement.
To follow this pioneer church through all the changing scenes of its event- ful history would occupy more space than we can devote to it in this volume. Suffice it to say, that the almost " howling wilderness," 'mid which she planted the banner of the Cross, has " blossomed as the rose," and the generation which greeted her at her organization lives not to greet her to-day. A few, it may be, still remain, but they are standing, as it were, on the brink of the grave. Some years ago, the society erected a handsome brick church, the size and cost of which we were unable to learn. It is, however, one of the most elegant churches in the county, and numbers upon its records nearly 500 members.
The Methodist Episcopal Church Society was first organized in 1858, under the spiritual ministrations of Rev. Zedick Hall, mentioned in the general history of the county as one of the pioneer preachers. The church was built in 1862, at a cost of $4,000, and is a substantial frame building, 36x50 feet, with a vestibule fifteen feet in width. The church has a membership of 125, and the Rev. E. McClish is Pastor. The present Board of Trustees are Messrs. M. T. Hedges, H. S. Reynolds, S. Wright, David Perrine and Dr. J. T. Rosenburg.
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
The Presbyterian Church organized their society in Eureka, in 1868, and Rev. Mr. Hart became the first Pastor. They built their church edifice in 1875, which is a very elegant frame building, 30x60 feet, and a vestibule of twelve feet at front entrance. It cost $4,000, and was dedicated on the 9th day of October, 1875. The society now numbers some eighty members, and is under the spiritual charge of Rev. M. P. Ormsby. The present Elders are Messrs. J. M. Murray, A. B. Holferty, John Shaw and John Summers.
W. C. Hobbs Lodge, No. 306, A., F. & A. M., was organized under dis- pensation, January 15, 1859. John H. Anthony was the first Master, and John F. Lightcap the first Secretary. It was chartered October 5, 1859, and their charter is signed by A. W. Buck, Grand Master, and H. G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. At present, the Lodge has forty-eight members ; E. W. Dickinson is Master, and T. A. Dunn, Secretary.
The society of Odd Fellows is represented by Olio Lodge, No. 311, but we were unable to learn any particulars in regard to its organization. R. H. McCorkle is the present N. G., and J. J. Hamilton, Secretary. The Order had an Encampment here at one time, but it has been discontinued.
In the late war Eureka was well represented, both in officers and private soldiers, and their record will bear favorable comparison with that of any of the brave men who went forth from the State of Illinois, at their country's call. The history of the Eleventh Cavalry, the Seventeenth and One Hundred and Eighth Regts. of Vol. Infantry, chronicle their deeds upon many hard-fought fields. Col. B. D. Meek went into the field as Lieutenant Colonel of the Eleventh Cavalry, under the brave Ingersoll, of Peoria. When Col. Ingersoll was captured and sent home on parole, Col. Meek succeeded to the command of the regiment until September, 1863, when he resigned and returned home.
On the roll of Company G, Seventeenth Volunteer Infantry, we find the names O. A. Burgess, Captain, and Harvey J. Rowell, First Lieutenant. The latter is now an eminent lawyer at Bloomington, Ill.
Dr. R. A. Conover was First Assistant Surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighth Regiment of Volunteers ; W. A. Davidson, Second Lieutenant, and R. O. Lough, Orderly Sergeant. The last two mentioned belonged to Company E, the Color Company of the regiment, which was recruited by Major Sidwell, of Metamora.
Many of the rank and file of these regiments went from Eureka, and, would space permit, we might portray many stirring scenes in which the brave boys participated. But their battles have been fought, victory has crowned their arms. and the history of their valiant deeds are engraved upon the hearts of their countrymen.
The Eureka Guards, Captain Hedge, is a military organization of which the village is quite proud.
The medical fraternity of Eureka is represented by Doctors N. B. Craw- ford, F. J. Rosenburg. and Litchtenberger, who are able and experienced
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HISTORY OF WOODFORD COUNTY.
physicians. Drs. Lakin and Messler are first-class dentists ; and the leading law firm is Messrs. Briggs & Meek.
An interesting feature in connection with the history of Eureka is the nur- sery of Mr. A. S. Fisher ; every species of fruit trees adapted to this climate, evergreens, ornamental trees of various kinds, hedge plants, grapes, strawber- ries, etc., etc., are cultivated in abundance. Mr. Fisher has a large nursery and devotes considerable time to the selection and growing of his trees and plants.
As a mercantile town, Eureka makes no pretensions beyond a retail busi- ness. All departments of the retail trade are well represented, and the town can boast of many energetic, honorable and enterprising business men, of whom any place might well be proud, and we leave the subject with this tribute to their merit.
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