USA > Illinois > McLean County > The good old times in McLean County, Illinois : containing two hundred and sixty-one sketches of old settlers, a complete historical sketch of the Black Hawk war and descriptions of all matters of interest relating to McLean County > Part 39
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Mr. Hill has had some experience with fires on the prairie, and says that the most exciting part to him is the sight of a prairie fire and a back fire coming together, with frightened wolves and deer between them trying to get away.
For three years of his life Mr. Hill followed the business of well digging, and has had some interesting experience in this line. Once, while digging a well in Bloomington, on a lot be- longing to a certain Mr. Thompson, Mr. Hill struck, far below the surface of the ground, a walnut log. He cut it in two with an axe, and it scemed solid, but when brought to the surface it crumbled away. While digging a well down on Kickapoo for a certain Mr. Marsh, Mr. Hill came upon a burnt brush-heap which was thirteen feet deep in blue clay. The ashes, coals and brands were plain to be seen. Mr. Hill has had some experi-
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ence with " the damps," and says that they may be found in all wells, even those which are very shallow. He once went into a well, only twelve feet deep, belonging to James Tolliver of Bloomington, but had to be pulled out immediately, and was so far gone that he did not recover from the effects of it until the following day. "The damps" were cleared out by building a large fire of straw. "The damps" are not occasioned by damp- ness. Mr. Hill dug a well thirty feet deep for John Hay of Dry Grove, and the ground was so dry that it was fairly dusty, but the damps began to affect it and he stopped work. William Brown went down to dig, but was so affected that he had to be hauled up, and when near the top became so weak that he fell and was drawn out with a hook.
Mr. Hill has been married three times. He married, August 17, 1831, Miss Nancy Beeler, daughter of old Colonel Beeler. His second marriage was in 1840, to Miss Phebe Munsell. His last marriage was in 1861, to Miss Matilda Hancock. His do- mestie life has always been pleasant. He has had twelve chil- dren, of whom ten are living, and has raised five children not his own. He has five children who are married. They are :
John Wesley Hill, who lives a mile south of his father's house.
Mrs. Jane Morgan, wife of Samuel Morgan, lives one-half mile west of her father's.
Mrs. Martha Elizabeth Sackett, wife of Sabina Sackett, lives a little north of Cheney's Grove.
Mrs. Nancy Ann Rogers, wife of James Rogers, lives at Stringtown, in Dale township.
Mrs. Polly Margaret Philhower, wife of Jacob Philhower, lives in the village of Noble, on the Illinois Central Railroad, in Southern Illinois.
Mr. Hill has two sons, Zerah Munsell Hill and James Thomas Hill, who are killing buffalo in Southwestern Colorado, and have claims in Kansas, which they work during the spring and sum- mer. One of his sons wished to send a carload of buffalo meat to Bloomington to be sold, but it was considered too hazardous a speculation. He killed a hundred and fifty buffalo in one month.
Mr. Hill is about five feet and six inches in height. He is 28
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lively, good-natured and talkative, and seems to know a good deal and can tell what he knows. He is active and hearty, and his appearance is youthful. Age makes little impression on him, except to bring the use of spectacles. He is humorous, and the joke he tells is usually a good one. He appreciates to the utmost anything witty or funny. His imagination is lively, which makes his conversation and his ideas noticeable. He has acquired a fair competence by his industry and enjoys this world immensely.
ABRAM ENLOW.
Abram Enlow was born January 21, 1809, in Christian County, Kentucky. His father's name was Abraham Enlow, and his mother's before her marriage was Jemina Johnson. His father was partly of Dutch descent, and his mother was partly of Irish. Abraham Enlow died when Abram was quite young. The latter received only two years schooling in his youth. Sick- ness and hard work prevented him from attending more.
The clothing in those days was often a curiosity. Nothing was considered more elegant than buckskin, and Abram Enlow remembers how his brother John appeared on one occasion, as he came out in a new suit of buckskin, dyed green.
In 1835 Abram Enlow came to McLean County with his brother John. Abram's first experience was not pleasant, as the winter of 1835 and '36 was very severe. He admired the fine prairies, which did, indeed, gladden the eye of a farmer, who had been used to grubbing stumps in Kentucky ; but the severe winter made him return to Kentucky, which he did in 1836. But after two years more among the stumps of Kentucky, he turned back once more to Illinois. He married, September 27, 1838, Louisa Harry. On the first of October, three days after his marriage, he started for McLean County, Illinois. His jour- ney was a very pleasant one, though the season was dry, and it was sometimes difficult to obtain water. He camped out every night. The streams had no bridges, but during that season none were needed, as the creeks were nearly all dry.
Soon after Mr. Enlow's arrival he went to the land office at Danville, and entered eighty acres of prairie, and bought five acres of timber to fence his land. He lived at his brother John's
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house and rented land during the first year. During the follow- ing year he began fencing and breaking ground, and in March he moved on his own place. It was a remarkably early season, for by the middle of March the cattle went out on the prairie for feed. Game was plenty. The little prairie wolves could be seen in the morning playing around after they had killed his sheep the night before. The wolves frequently collected to- gether in packs, and often came in the night up close to Mr. Enlow's door. Mr. Enlow was on one of the "ring" hunts, which were so popular among the settlers. The pole was put up at Normal, and they hunted towards it, killed many deer and wolves, had a social chat and went home. One deer, which was killed, was tied to a pony's tail and dragged in to the pole.
Mr. Enlow settled in the West at an unfortunate time, when business was prostrate and grain commanded a very low price. He could sell his corn and oats in Bloomington for ten cents per bushel and take his pay in store goods, and he could take his wheat to Pekin and get for it only thirty-five cents per bushel. When he came to Illinois he had only enough money to enter his eighty acres of land, buy his five acres of timber, and pur- chase a few housekeeping utensils and a stock of provisions. When his stock of provisions was exhausted it seemed for a while a desperate matter to live. He first obtained three dollars a hundred for his pork, but afterwards a dollar and a half; and prices reached such an extremely low figure that the neighbors all clubbed together and sent their pork to Chicago; but then they obtained less than a dollar per hundred. Mr. Enlow sent four hogs weighing each two hundred and fifty pounds with the drove to Chicago, and received eight dollars, which was just eighty cents per hundred weight. It was not until the Illinois Central Railroad came that produce began to rise and farmers commenced making money. Mr. Enlow sold his eighty acres of entered land for seventy-five dollars an acre. The timber land, which he first bought, is now covered with a second growth of fine trees.
Mr. Enlow has had four children, but only one son and one daughter grew up to manhood and womanhood. They are :
Samuel T. Enlow lives a few rods from his father's house.
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Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Myers, wife of George Myers, lives about two miles southwest of her father's.
Mr. Enlow is six feet and one inch in height, is very muscu- lar and works hard. He has a sanguine complexion, rather a bald head and large, honest eyes. He is a very pleasant man to talk to, and takes an interest in the early settlement of the country. Mrs. Enlow is a very pleasing and intelligent lady. Shrewd observers say that the success of many men is due to the influence of their wives, and it is very probable that the in- fluence of Mrs. Enlow has contributed very materially to her husband's success in life. Mr. Enlow lives in the southern edge of Twin Grove in Dale township, is very comfortably situated, and bids fair to enjoy a long and happy life.
RICHARD ROWELL.
Richard Rowell was born May 20, 1814, in the town of Lit- tleton, Grafton County, New Hampshire. His father's name was Jonathan Rowell, and his mother's name before her marri- age was Sarah Hoskin. Both were of Puritan stock. The grandfather of Richard was Daniel Rowell, a soldier of the Revolution. This gentleman was in the series of battles, which terminated in the surrender of General Burgoyne. Richard Rowell lived until the age of twenty-two among the rocks of Grafton County, within sight of Mt. Washington. But not- withstanding the sterility of the country the schools were excel- lent, and Richard received a good common education. In addition to this, he attended a grammar school at Concord, Vermont. At the age of eighteen he taught school in Vermont.
In May, 1836, he started for the West, being anxious at first to find a place for teaching school. He had no friends or ac- quaintances in the West, and was obliged to make his way alone. He went by stage from Littleton to Saratoga. From the latter place he rode to Schenectady on a railroad, in cars drawn by horses, and thence to Buffalo by canal. Here he took a steamer to Detroit. From that place he shipped his trunk to Chicago by schooner, and traveled on foot through what was then the territory of Michigan. His route was very nearly that which the Michigan Central Railroad now takes. He passed through Ann Arbor, which was then a respectable village,
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though the great University had not been thought of. He crossed the lake in a steamboat from the mouth of the St. Joseph River to Chicago. After spending two weeks in looking at the country he commenced work in Chicago as a carpenter. The Indians of Northern Illinois, principally Pottawatomies, were then receiving their last annuity, and they were thick. About two thousand were collected in the city, but they soon left and never returned. During the latter part of October he went to the present site of La Salle by stage. The stage was a wagon, which the passengers were often obliged to lift out of the mud. He stepped from the stage on the steamboat Frontier. He saw no houses where La Salle now stands, though a few might have been concealed by the bank of the river. His berth on the steamboat was a bed of slats and nothing else. He came to Peoria and there found the prospect for school-teaching poor. So he left his trunk, picked up his valise, and crossed the Illi- nois River. He stayed for one night with the widow of Jacob Funk, and of her learned of Funk's Grove. He traveled on with the intention of reaching that place. But when he arrived at Stout's Grove, he found an opportunity to teach school. He began about the first of November, and continued his first term until the following April. The raising of the first store build- ing in Danvers (then Concord) was a great event, and Mr. Row- ell dismissed his school for three days to assist in the proceed- ings. The building still stands south of Ewins' mill. Mr. Rowell taught school during that summer and the following winter. In the spring of 1838, he and his brother, B. F. Rowell, who had come during the fall previous, commenced farming on the head branch of Rock Creek, out on the prairie, a mile and a half from timber. It was thought that these daring men would freeze to death out there, and they went by the name of " the fool Yankees." They lived until 1848 with unentered land on both sides of them. On one side of them the land was not entered until 1850. In the winter of 1853, Mr. Rowell sold out his interest in the farm and took a trip to Iowa. He had a pleasant journey, camped out and enjoyed himself very much ; but in his careful observations he saw no land equal to that in McLean County. He returned and bought the premises of Mr.
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Samuel Barker of Twin Grove, and has lived on this place until the present time in the township of Dale.
Mr. Rowell married Nancy Barnard, December 15, 1853. He has had three children, of whom two are living. They are, Lois and Emma, and both live at home.
Mr. Rowell is full six feet in height and weighs about one hundred and eighty pounds. His form indicates activity and strength. His head is large and well shaped, and is a little bald. His eyes are dark, bright and expressive. His mind seems to have a practical turn, and he has what phrenologists call con- tinuity, that is, he is disposed to finish what he has in hand, and his mind is not easily driven from the work. His practical turn of mind and his clear perceptions, make his judgment more than usually correct concerning all of the material affairs of life. He is polite and obliging in his manner. He has been supervisor for about nine years, was one of the commissioners of the build- ing of the present court-house, and possesses in a very great de- gree the confidence of his neighbors.
DANVERS TOWNSHIP.
EBENEZER BRIGGS MITCHEL.
Ebenezer B. Mitchel was born August 17, 1813, in Morgan- field, Union County, Kentucky. His father was Rev. Peyton Mitchel, and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Briggs. They were both of purely Scotch descent, but of the third gene- ration, since their ancestors came from Scotland. Rev. Peyton Mitchel was a minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He devoted his time to the ministry and was a very effective preacher. During the war of 1812 he enlisted in the army and was elected captain of a company, but was never called into active service.
In December, 1818, the family of Rev. Mr. Mitchel moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, on Fancy Creek, about eight miles north of Springfield. They traveled in a wagon drawn by four norses. At one time the horses started to run and secmed to be unmanageable, when Mrs. Mitchel, who was a woman of remark- able resolution, ran forward, grasped the bridle of one of the
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lead horses and assisted in stopping them. On the way they met old Billy Hodge, who had come to the country and was return- ing eastward. The Indians were then numerous and occasion- ally troublesome. They were the Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Delawares and others. At one time a band of Indians went to Springfield and became intoxicated, and on their return attempt- ed to go into Mitchel's house, when he was absent; but Mrs. Mitchel barred the door, and the dogs outside fought them. Mrs. Mitchel told the savages that her busband was sick, and insisted that they should leave; but they hung around until nearly morning, banging against the door, yelling, whooping and fighting.
The country there was very unhealthy and everyone suffered from bilious complaints. On the third of March, 1825, the family came to Stout's Grove, in what was then Fayette County, but now is McLean. There they found only two families, those of the two Ephraim Stout's, father and son. The Indians were plenty and were always anxious to trade. They came sometimes singly, sometimes in small parties, and sometimes in great num- bers. They would trade anything they had, except their labor; no inducement was great enough to make them work. Mr. Mitchel tried them again and again, and was particularly anxious to have them husk corn; but they would husk half a dozen ears and stop. They had queer ideas of value, and would give more for a rooster's feather than for anything else, and would put it in their hair and be perfectly delighted. Their dress usually consisted of leggins, moccasins and a blanket, while their ears and noses were ornamented with rings. They had high check bones, and their skin was the color of tanned leather, or per- haps of copper, but not so red. Their feet were large and flat ; their legs and arms were small, but wiry, showing the Indians to be good for walking, but not worth much for work.
Rev. Peyton Mitchel was active in the ministry and did good work. He preached the first sermon in Funk's Grove, and wherever he could find an opportunity he engaged in the work of the great Master. Churches were soon organized and school- houses were built, and Ebenezer Mitchel thinks the society at that time was much more reliable than it is at present. He thinks the promise of an old settler was much better than most people's bonds.
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The deep snow fell in 1830 and '31. Mr. Mitchel took re- peated measurements of its depth in the timber, where it had not drifted, and it there averaged forty inches. A crust on it was soon formed, and the wolves ran over it; but the sharp footed deer broke through.
When the heavy fall of snow came, a certain Mr. Barnes, an old sea-faring captain, was caught at Mr. Mitchel's house, and in order to go to his home in Mosquito Grove, the former was obliged to make some snow-shoes. They were made of bows shaped like ox-bows, and were covered with light, strong splints made of wood or bark. When they were worn they were fast- ened to the toe of the foot by a kind of slipper, but not fastened at the heel. When the toe was inserted in the slipper, some straps passed back, crossed the foot on the instep, and were tied behind the heel. This prevented the toe from being withdrawn and left the heel free. While walking, the feet were held wide apart, and the shoes were dragged along over the surface. If the snow was fresh, they were usually pressed down a little, but bore a man's weight pretty well. During that winter the Mitchel family were pretty well provided with corn, but soon ran out of meal. Ebenezer chopped a hole in a log as deep as he could cut, then with fire burnt it still deeper, then cut off the section con- taining the hole and brought it in the house and used it as a mortar. He then cut a thick stick about three feet long, worked one end small for a handle, slipped over it an iron ring, which was pressed clear to the other end, which was left large enough to prevent the ring from being slipped off. Into the larger end a heavy iron wedge was driven, and with this as a pestle, the corn was pounded in the burnt mortar. After a long pounding, the corn was sifted and the fine was used for meal, while the coarse was boiled for hominy.
When the land came in market, the settlers were usually careful not to enter each other's claims, and used all means to protect each other ; but sometimes they differed as to the own- ership of a claim, and their differences were aggravated by the uncertainty of the law, which allowed what was called " floating" claims. A settler could enter a quarter section of land and locate it anywhere within the section, that is, he could " float down" on any quarter section not previously entered. Some-
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times he would accidentally or otherwise " float down" on some one's claim, and then would follow a land contest. But these contests resulted more from the uncertain law than from any quarrelsome disposition on the part of the settlers. They were fair-minded men, and these land contests afforded them no pleasure.
Ebenezer Mitchel was no hunter, but he occasionally went after deer and wolves, which he chased on horseback with dogs. But on one occasion he found some wolves a little too strong for him. He started a large timber or gray wolf and chased it for some distance on horseback, when it was joined by four or five others, and then they refused to run, but stood their ground and drove back Mitchel's dog. They showed their teeth and were ready for fight, and Mr. Mitchel went back for his gun, but on his return the wolves were not to be found. But as a usual thing the danger of chasing wolves did not arise from the fero- cious nature of the animal, for it belongs to one of the most cowardly species, and is very easily killed. A skillful blow with a club is usually sufficient to do the work. But riding over the prairie at a breakneck pace has dangers sometimes not thought of. While Ebenezer Mitchel and his brother were once chasing a wolf, the horse, which the former rode, plunged into a slough and fell, while its rider was thrown twenty feet ahead. He rose and told his brother to go on, " he'd be up in a minute." But Ebenezer was not up in a minute. His horse's head was jammed under its body, and by the time it was loosened, his brother and the wolf had vanished. The cowardice and fear displayed by a wolf is sometimes most abject and mean. When it is run down it crouches on the ground and quietly receives the blow, which kills it. Mr. Mitchel remembers one wolf, which ran its nose into a hole and was killed in that position.
Mr. Mitchel has occasionally hunted deer and had some lively sport and some strange adventures. At one time he killed a deer after a somewhat exciting chase, and went home for help to bring it in. He and his brother, after some discussion, de- cided to carry it on an ox. They went out for the deer and placed it on the ox, and Mr. Mitchel rode the animal to steady the load, while his brother led the way. When they had gone about half-way home, the ox commenced bouncing, and raised
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its load high in the air, and both man and deer came down together. Mr. Mitchel's ankle was much hurt, and did not be- come well for three months.
The fires on the prairie were a great annoyance to the early settlers, but they were grand sights. They lit up the heavens and made everything as light as day for many miles around. The grass was long on low ground, and, as the fire passed over it, the blaze rolled up magnificently. These fires often did great damage, and Mr. Mitchel sometimes lost his stacks and rail fences by them.
The sudden change in the weather of December, 1836, so often described in this volume, caught Mr. Mitchel about half a mile from home, and when he returned everything was crack- ing ; the water and slush were turned to ice. The intense cold drove his stock nearly crazy; the chickens curled up and fell from their roosts, and everything was in confusion ; but by care and great exertions nearly all was put under shelter and saved.
The country in early days was sometimes troubled with horse-thieves. They were thought to have a family in Mosquito Grove, who sympathized with them. This was the Reddon family, consisting of old man Reddon and his two sons, Jack and Harrison. At one time, when some horses were missing, Isaac Funk, Robert Stubblefield and some others came to Mr. Mitchel's house and asked him to go with them to the Reddons. He did so, and they all arrived there in the night while it was raining. The Reddons were waked up and the old man Reddon came .rushing to the door saying : "Who are you, horse-thieves ?" They said they were after horse-thieves, and told the Reddons that their house must be searched. After some parley it was done, but nothing was found. But suspicion of the Reddons became so near a certainty that it was decided to drive them off, and the Fourth of July was appointed as the day for a grand ring hunt, with the understanding among nearly all, that the Reddons should be the game. They went with their rifles and gave the Reddons notice that they must leave the country, and they went. Before this time a horse had been stolen, and the thieves were pressed very closely, and Robert Stubblefield with a one-eyed horse succeeded in catching up with them, and found Jack Reddon riding the stolen animal. Mr. Stubblefield had
.
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neither pistol nor club to stop the thieves, and after riding a short time with them, and making great exertions to stop thein, while all parties were going at rapid speed, he was obliged to fall back, and Jack Reddon escaped. After the Reddon family was broken up, the neighborhood had peace.
Ebenezer Mitchel married, May 26, 1836, at twelve o'clock, M., Rachel Vance. They have had seven children, of whom three are living. They are :
Mrs. Elizabeth Christian, wife of Matthew Christian, lives in Springfield.
Mrs. Emma Price, wife of Edward L. Price, lives near her father's.
Ebenezer Mitchel, jr., lives at home.
Mr. Mitchel is of rather less than the ordinary stature, but he seems to be a very active, wide-awake man, with a great deal of energy and good muscle. He is a man, who is straight-for- ward himself, and admires honesty and fair dealing in others. This is one cause of the great interest he takes in the doings of the early settlers. He found that their word could be depended on, and that they would make great exertions to fulfil their agreements. He says that the associations of McLean County and the many incidents which have happened while he has been in it, make it very dear to him. His children are, some of them, buried here, and the old settlers, with whom he was associated in early days, are many of them living here. He feels that they have worked together for so many years, and endured so many hardships, that they should be considered members of a common family. Mr. Mitchel has been very successful in life, and has become very well to do in the world. He has been fortunate in the enjoyment of the society of a good woman, his wife, a lady remarkable for her goodness of heart and quietness of manner.
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