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 40
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HON. MATTHEW ROBB.
Matthew Robb, usually known as Squire Robb, was born July 15, 1801, in Washington County, Kentucky. His father, Thomas Robb, was born in Ireland, August 10, 1769, and came with his parents to America while an infant. Thomas Robb married Lydia Waller, a lady of Welch descent, on the 23d of April, 1795, and Matthew Robb, the fourth son, was born in
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1801, as above stated. When the latter was quite small the family moved to Union County, Indiana. Thomas Robb died June 24, 1818, being thrown from a horse, and Mrs. Robb was left in not very comfortable circumstances with a large family of children to care for. But eleven of these children grew up and raised families. One of them is Mrs. Eliza Cox, now living in Southern Illinois. It was a heavily timbered country, and not very pleasant work to plough among the trees and stumps, and Matthew Robb determined to live where he could turn a long furrow without striking stumps. His education was limit- ed, and was obtained with difficulty. He went to school only six months, as he could hardly be spared from the farm. Nev- ertheless he learned to write plainly and well and was a correct and rapid accountant. He was a lively young man, full of fun and the best of humor. He would carry a young lady behind him on horseback to a party five or six miles distant, and he often took young ladies to church in the same way. They had no buggies or carriages then, but they had quite as much fun, and perhaps a little more. In August, 1821, Matthew Robb married Mary McClure, daughter of Thomas McClure. In the spring of 1824, he came to that part of Sangamon County, which now forms the county of Logan, about two and a half miles from where Postville now stands. Here he raised a crop and then brought out his wife and child and household goods from Indiana. The child is the present Mrs. Abraham Stansberry, of Bloomington. When he arrived at his farm he had only twenty-five cents in silver in his pocket, but he was happy because he could plough without the trouble of avoiding stumps. In the spring of 1827 he moved to Stout's Grove. Here he lived lonely enough, as his neighbors were principally Indians. His cabin was of logs, and his door with- out a lock and only a spinning wheel to place against it to hold it fast.
Matthew Robb was a noted man at Stout's Grove. He was the first justice of the peace, was elected in 1827, and held the office for twelve years. He issued the first summons in Sep- tember, 1827. He married the young men and women of Stout's Grove and the whole country around, but used very little ceremony in the matter. At one time when he started for
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mill he was met near his house by James Snodgrass and Betsy Smith, who had come to be joined in the holy bonds of matri- mony. All three went back to the house, and the service was performed before Mrs. Robb and her daughter (the present Mrs. Stansberry) could come in to witness it. The latter had been out milking, and hastened in just too late. At another time John Pore and Miss Brown, of Brown's Grove, concluded to live together for better or for worse. Mr. Pore came for Squire Robb to perform the service. The former crossed Sugar Creek to bring Mr. Robb ; but as the weather had been rainy, the creek rose rapidly, and it was very inconvenient to cross. Mr. Pore crossed it on a log or beam, while the Squire sat on horseback on his own side of the stream. Mr. Pore brought his bride down to the creek and, as it was now about eight o'clock at night, torches were lit. It was raining at the time, but they paid no attention to that. Squire Robb rode a little distance into the water in order to distinguish the bridegroom and bride on the opposite bank, and the interesting ceremony was performed.
Mr. Robb was most fortunate in his domestic affairs, for his lady was one of the best of women. She was courageous, too, and did many things from which women would naturally shrink. Once, while returning home on horseback from a visit to her father's, the dogs with her started a wolf, and after chasing it for some time brought it to bay, and Mrs. Robb jumped from her horse and killed the wolf with her stirrup. She was a wo- man of great practical sense, and much of the credit for her husband's success was no doubt due to her. She was a very quiet woman in society, though she was fond of company and was always pleased to see her friends. She was a very religious woman and was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. She died August 23, 1868, and Squire Robb died Feb- ruary 24, 1870. Both were buried at Stout's Grove, where a monument is erected to their memory. They had six children, of whom three grew up to years of discretion. They are :
Eliza J., born May 30, 1823. She was married to Edward Matthews, who died in July, 1863. She is now the wife of Abraham Stansberry, of Bloomington.
Lydia E., born June 15, 1828, was married to J. B. Taylor,
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of South Carolina. He died some years since. She is now the wife of Hiram L. Phillips, of Stout's Grove.
Susan M. Robb, born July 15, 1831, died in May, 1850. She was never married.
Matthew Robb was six feet in height, had dark hair, dark complexion and heavy eyebrows, was rather slim, and weighed one hundred and seventy-five pounds. He was very quick in business matters, and went ahead with all his might. He loved a joke and was full of sport. It is said that the test of a genu- ine humorist is his enjoyment of a joke on himself. According to this test, Mr. Robb was a humorist, for his good nature and love of fun were aroused by jokes on himself as well as on others. He had no enemies, but was friendly to all of his neighbors, and tried to make them friendly toward each other. When cases were brought before him, he tried always to act as a peace- maker, rather than as a justice of the peace, and made an effort to compromise matters and settle them amicably. In the winter of 1846 and '47 he was a member of the Legislature; but in speaking his name the title " Honorable " was seldom used, for he had been justice of the peace for so long a time that every- one knew him as Squire Robb. Mr. Robb was one of the con- tractors who built the jail at Mackinawtown, then the county seat of Tazewell County. When it was finished he was afraid it was not strong enough to hold the criminals to be confined in it. In order to test its strength Squire Robb was himself locked up in it, but succeeded in breaking out.
THOMAS MCCLURE.
Thomas MeClure was born July 15, 1765, in Rockingham County, Virginia. He was descended from tough, hardy, Scotch- Irish stock. When he was sixteen years of age he came to Kentucky, and there his occupation was farming and shooting Indians. The latter were exceedingly troublesome, and kept the settlers continually on the alert by their stratagems and am- buscades. It was a favorite pastime with the Indians to lie in ambush near a settler's cabin and shoot the first man who stepped out, and great vigilance was always required.
The door of every cabin was guarded by a strong bar, which could not be forced, and behind it an axe was kept always ready
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for use, as the most effective weapon. Robert McClure, the el- der brother of Thomas, was celebrated as an Indian fighter, and with his own rifle was known to have killed seven Indians ; but he hunted them a little too long, and was himself killed by them. Some comical stories are told of the encounters with the Indians. At one time the McClures and a number of others, among whom was a man named John Logan, had an encounter with the Indians in a cane-brake and killed several of the sava- ges and took one prisoner. The latter attemped to escape, but was overtaken by John Logan, a fleet runner, and after a short, sharp struggle was killed. John Logan was asked why he did not bite the Indian in the struggle, and replied that the savage did not smell very sweet !
Thomas McClure was, in his younger days, a man of great activity and could out-run or ont-jump all of his companions. In those days athletic sports were in high repute, and a fortune was promised to Mr. McClure if he would travel as an athlete, but he refused, and would not run or jump if he knew that any money was staked on the result.
Thomas MeClure was not a soldier in the war of 1812, as he was then somewhat disabled by the severe hardships and toils of frontier life; but one of his sons went into the army and saw some campaigning. He was very active and earnest in raising troops. The following incident, related by Henry C. McClure, of Danvers, explains the inability of Thomas McClure to engage actively in the war of 1812:
" Thomas MeClure was once on a forced march, during one of the forays with the Indians, in which he was often engaged. On this march he spied a coon in a tree top. The sight was too tempting, so up went his carbine, and off tumbled the coon. It caught among the branches, which were very thick. He threw off his bullet pouch and other trappings and started up the tree, while his companions went on. After securing the coon he has- tened to his comrades and came up with them about three miles away. Then he noticed that he had left his bullet pouch and he returned the whole distance for it. He succeeded in rejoin- ing his companions late at night. The coon cost him dearly, for although he was a man of powerful frame, the severe march caused a constriction of the tendons of one of his legs and he
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was lamed for life. He had walked on that day more than fifty miles."
Thomas McClure married Susan Hynes in the year 1790, about two years before the birth of his son Robert. The family came to Indiana in about the year 1816, and settled in Posey County. In the year 1824 the family came to Illinois, and set- tled on the east side of the Sangamon River in Sangamon County. There their principal occupation was eating water- melons and shaking with the ague. They ground their wheat and corn at a horse mill belonging to Mr. Danley. They re- mained one year on the Sangamon River and then moved to Lo- gan County, near the present town of Postville, between the forks of Salt Creek and the Kickapoo. There the McClures enjoyed themselves by catching wolves. Thomas McClure lived there until the spring of 1827, when he moved to Stout's Grove. There he built the fifth house in that section of country. It was a hewed log house nineteen feet square, and was used as a church, aud people came there from many miles distant. The women would walk to church in their bare feet, for a distance of three miles, and when they came within a hundred yards of the meeting house they would stop and put on their shoes, which they had brought with them. Mr. McClure was a Cum- berland Presbyterian from the year 1800, or about that time. He was elected one of the first elders of the church which was organized at Stout's Grove.
The settlers were not accustomed to the luxuries of civiliza- tion, and some of them had never tasted coffee. Some of the women could not even make it, and it is said that a peddler once gave a certain Mrs. Carlock some coffee, and she boiled it with beef, and had a fearful tasting mixture ! Our informant says : " That's as true as the book of Genesis !"
Thomas McClure entered one hundred and twenty acres of land at Stout's Grove, and lived there until his death, which oc- curred January 3, 1847. He had ten children who grew up and one child who died in infancy. They were Robert, James, Mary John, Samuel, Nancy, Margaret, Eustatia Jane, Finis E. and Benjamin H. McClure. Of these only Nancy and Benjamin are living. Nancy lives near Eldora, in Hardin County, Iowa, and Benjamin has lived in McLean County until within the last five
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years, during which he has lived near Gibson, in Ford County. Thomas MeClure was about six feet and two inches in height, and, when in health, weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds. He was universally liked and respected. It is literally true that he had scarcely a personal enemy in the world. He was not only willing, but anxious to accommodate his neighbors and friends.
ROBERT MCCLURE.
The following interesting sketch of Robert McClure was written for this work by Henry C. McClure of Danvers.
Robert MeClure, son of Thomas MeClure, was born near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on the 24th of June, 1792. His pater- nal grandfather was a native of Scotland, and came to Virginia during the fore part of the eighteenth century.
When Robert McClure was in his nineteenth year he served for three months in the Kentucky militia against the Indians. Soon afterwards he went with the family to Posey County, In- diana. On the 24th of December, 1818, Mr. McClure married Nancy Devenna Warrick, daughter of that Captain Warrick who fell bravely fighting at the head of his company at the battle of Tippecanoe. He followed farming until the fall of 1821, when he moved to Illinois and settled on Salt Creek, about two miles south of where the city of Lincoln now stands. His father, Thomas MeClure, and his brother James McClure and family, made up the party. Their journey was marked by a few adventures. When they arrived at the Little Wabash tim- ber, James McClure went out one rainy day for a hunt. He lost his way in the timber and remained over night. The next day was cloudy and foggy, and he could not see the sun to get his bearing. He traveled that day in a circle, and camped at night near his starting place in the morning. On the morning of the second day the sun came out clear, and he soon"found his way to camp. His young wife was nearly frantic with anxiety and fear. A few days later, while the teams were resting on the edge of a prairie, the men began picking hazelnuts, while the women attended to the teams. Suddenly the lightning flashed close to them, and it was followed immediately by a terrific clap of thunder. One of the four-horse teams sprang forward and
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upset the wagon. Another ran for two miles and did not stop until it came against two trees. The third team was attached to the wagon, where Mrs. James McClure and another woman, Mrs. Vaughan, were sitting. The team sprang forward, and Mrs. Vaughan set up a shriek, but Mrs. McClure stopped her, then climbed forward on the wagon-tongue, mounted the saddle- horse, seized the single line by which the horses were guided and stopped the team.
When the MeClure family arrived at Salt Creek, Robert McClure made a claim to a farm, on which he lived for about five years. The Indians were then numerous and sometimes troublesome. At one time, while Mr. MeClure was at Stout's Grove, a band of these savages, led by Toby Whiteyes and Jim Buck, came to the cabin, where Mrs. McClure and her three little children were, and asked where the " chemoka man" (white man) was. She answered that he was somewhere not far off. But they were better posted than she supposed, for they appeared enraged and said : " You lie! you lie! chemoka man gone, che- moka man gone ; to-night we make powder and lead fly like damnation." Then they started off with hideous yells. Mrs. McClure took the matter coolly and was not troubled with hys- terics. She sent for her sister-in-law, not far off, whose husband was also at Stout's Grove, and they held a council of war and declared the cabin in a state of siege, and prepared for defense. They shut the door and blockaded it with a table, some iron kettles and large stones, and sat behind it with axes. But the Indians did not return, which was a very agreeable disappoint- ment to the women.
The settlers at a very early day did their trading at Spring- field. At that time the seed obtained from blue-grass was of considerable value, and the settlers often went to Blue Grass Point, on Kickapoo Creek, to gather the seed. At the time of the execution of Vannoy, the wife murderer, at Springfield, Robert and James McClure and their wives started for that place in a wagon with their blue grass seed. They found the Sanga- mon River swollen by rains, but resolved to cross at all events. It was arranged that in case the water proved very deep, Robert MeClure should hold the wagon-bed to the fore wheels to pre- vent them from uncoupling, and James should take care of the
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hind wheels, while the ladies held up the grass seed, which was in sacks. They drove in, their horses surged and floundered, and the water rushed into the wagon-box, but all attended to their duties. They succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, but were wet enough to satisfy a hardshell Baptist. The ladies were in a sad plight, for their white dresses were wet and soiled. But they washed them, dried them on the grass, and their grass seed also, and went to Springfield in time to witness the first execution of a murderer condemned under the laws of the State of Illinois.
In March, 1827, Robert MeClure moved from his place on Salt Creek to Stout's Grove. Here he made a claim, and when the land came into market, he entered four or five hundred acres. The rattlesnakes were then numerous at Stout's Grove, and Robert MeClure celebrated the first year of his residence there by killing three hundred and thirty of these reptiles. The wolves were plenty, and often came into the door-yard and car- ried of geese and chickens. Robert McClure took great pleas- ure in hunting wolves and killing them with his stirrup.
During the celebrated winter of the deep snow Robert Me- Clure walked, and sometimes rode his horse on the snow drifts over thé staked and double-ridered fences. At one time, while he was riding, the crust gave way, and both horse and rider dis- appeared almost from sight. But he climbed out, obtained a shovel and dug a path for his horse to a more shallow place, where the animal could again mount the crust. He had a great deal of stock to attend to during that winter.
When the Black Hawk war broke out, Robert MeClure and others raised a company of volunteers, and he was elected cap- tain by a decided majority. His company did not participate in the fight, which resulted in Stillman's defeat, as they did not arrive on the ground until the day after the contest took place. IIe assisted at the burial of the seventeen persons, who were massaered by the savages on Indian Creek.
It may be interesting for the young ladies and gentlemen who now enjoy such rare literary advantages, to know that Robert Mc- Clure, with the assistance of his neighbors, built the first institu- tion of learning in western MeLean County. They cut and hewed the logs and built the house; they split the clapboards for the
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roof with a froe and mallet; they built the chimney with coarse slats lined with clay mixed with cut-straw, called in the parlance of the early settlers, " cat and clay." They made the floor of split logs hewed on the upper side with a broad axe. Colonel McClure then made a road to the school-house from his own dwelling by blazing his way with a broad-axe and afterwards cutting down the trees and brush. The children's feet soon wore a path.
Probably very few of the younger people have heard of a whipsaw. It was a long thin saw for making lumber. It was used in what would now be considered a novel way. Two logs were laid four or five feet apart across a deep ravine. Cross- timbers were then placed on these and the log to be sawed was rolled on them. One man then stood below and another above, and after marking the log with a chalk line the exercises commenced. In this way the wild cherry lumber was sawed for the first bureau in McLean County, made by Caleb Kimler, of Blooming Grove. A six-legged table was made at the same time. Things which are very insignificant now were great events in the early days.
Robert McClure, Daniel Francis and Mr. Phillips viewed and located the State road leading from Danville to Fort Clark (Peoria). Mr. McClure was familiar with many trades, as the early settlers were obliged to be. The old anvil block which he used forty years ago, still stands in the garden of Henry C. McClure, where it was placed.
Robert McClure kept his family always well supplied with venison, wild turkey and honey, for these were all plenty. Ma- ple sugar and syrup could also be obtained in large quantities, and the settlers kept large iron kettles in which to boil the sap.
For some time after the family came to Stout's Grove, they manufactured their Indian meal from corn brayed in a mortar made from a log about three feet long and two feet in diameter. The log was placed on end, and a hole was burned into it six- teen inches deep. This was cleaned out with an inshave. The finest meal was obtained by sifting it through a sieve made of deer skin stretched over a hoop. The holes in the skin were burned with the heated tines of a fork. The
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one meal was used for bread, and the coarse for hominy. But after some years a Mr. MeKnight built a mill about twenty miles distant, and the hominy mortar was laid aside. Mr. Mc- Clure was obliged to make lengthy trips for salt. He went sev- eral times to the Saline lick, near Shawneetown, about three hundred miles distant, and brought loads of salt in a wagon drawn by three or four yoke of oxen. The Illinois Central Railroad was not thought of then, but the I., B. & W. road occupied the minds of many citizens of Tazewell County. They thought particularly of that branch of the road which runs from Tremont to Pekin. But perhaps the longest trip he was obliged to make was his expedition to Natchez, Mississippi, after seed corn. Amid all these difficulties he enjoyed life well, as he was surrounded by his father, mother, sisters and their families and all of his brothers except John. The latter remained in In- diana.
Robert McClure was one of seven members, who organized the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church in McLean County. He lived a devoted member of this church and was always anx- ious for its welfare. In the month of August, 1834, he was at- tacked with cancer, from which he suffered severely for about one year, but bore the pain with great fortitude. IIe died August 8, 1835. His very kind wife outlived him some twenty- eight years, being called to the better land on the 7th of Janu- ary, 1863. They are buried side by side in the cemetery at Stout's Grove, one mile west of where he spent the last nine years of his life.
Robert McClure's children are six in number :
Permelia, the oldest, was born April 18, 1820, in Gibson County, Indiana. She married Henry C. MeClure, February 6, 1842. They now live on the farm settled by her father on the east side of Stout's Grove.
Jacob W. McClure, the second child, was born December 18, 1821, in what is now Logan County, Illinois. He married Alice W. Hall, and now lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Charles J. McClure was born February 9, 1824, in Logan County. In 1845 he married Serepta Vansickles. He is now a farmer, and lives in Hardin County, Iowa.
Thomas B. McClure, the fourth child, was born September
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15, 1827, in Stout's Grove. IIe married Emma HI. Clark, in 1850. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Susan J. McClure was born during the winter of 1830 and '31, the celebrated winter of the deep snow. She was married November 29, 1855, to Robert MeClure of St. Louis, Missouri, and now lives in Franklin County, Kansas.
John W. McClure, the youngest child, died in early infancy, in Stout's Grove, one year before his father.
Robert MeClure was a finely-formed man. He stood six feet and four inches in his boots. He was neither very slim nor very corpulent, weighing something more than two hundred pounds. His complexion was fair. He had dark auburn hair and deep blue eyes. He was very active and possessed of great powers of endurance. He was one of the most social and kind hearted of men. At a house raising (of a log house, of course, they had no other kind in the early days) he always carried up his corner ; and on all occasions of mirth, jollity, wit and humor, he " carried up his corner," too. He had always a flow of soul, and not only enjoyed himself, but made all feel happy around him. He was remarkable for his generosity, which was mani- fest in all the aets and relations of his life. He has often been known to take his horses from his plow to accommodate a neigh- bor. IIe was always glad to extend to everyone a generous hos- pitality, and in this respect his wife was in no way behind him, for it might be said of her that she obeyed the commandment to love her neighbor as herself. She was a helpmeet to him in the fullest sense of the word, for she never manufactured and sold less than one hundred and fifty yards of jeans during each year of her married life. In addition to this she made enough eloth for use in the family, and a great quantity of bed clothing besides. All of her acquaintances were fast friends for life.
Such is the well-written and entertaining account given by Henry C. MeClure, of Stout's Grove. The author of this work is under many obligations to him as well as to his witty and ac- complished lady, a daughter of Robert MeClure.
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