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 53
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Mr. Funk came to what is now McLean County, Illinois, in the fall of 1824 with his brother Jesse and their father Adamı Funk. Robert lived three years with his brother Isaac and then went with a team to the mining country, where he hauled mine- ral. There he succeeded well. The mining country was the abode of the hardest characters, and sometimes the party to which
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Mr. Funk belonged had trouble. The miners would fight with any thing they could lay their hands on, clubs, stones, guns, fry- ing pans, skillets, in fact anything, which could be handled. But it was very seldom, that any shooting was done. At one time Jacob Funk sold beef to some miners on credit and they refused to pay. After a little talk he threatened to whip a few of them. They said that was what they wanted, and they grasped their clubs and skillets and attacked him and his party and tried to clear the room. But the ceiling of the house, where they were having the difficulty, was low, and when they attempted to strike with their skillets, they hit the wall above and soon found them- selves badly whipped. On the following day they asked for a pitched battle, but at last concluded to pay the bill and let the matter drop. Robert Funk often went back and forth from Funk's Grove to Galena with droves of swine for his brothers Isaac, Absalom and Jesse. In December, 1830, Robert Funk went with Jesse Funk, James Burlinson and two others to take a drove of swine belonging to Jesse Funk, to Galena. When they crossed the Illinois River, some of the pigs collected together in a huddle and broke through the ice and were drowned. They went on past Crow Creek timber to Smith's Grove, thence on to Inlet Creek and a mile beyond. But it was now intensely cold and the snow was deep, as this was the celebrated winter of the deep snow. The party had no shelter and left the pigs in some slough grass and started back to Smith's Grove. They had diffi- culty in finding the road, and on account of the bitter cold some proposed to kill a horse and put their feet into it to keep from freezing, and it was suggested that they draw lots to decide whose horse should be killed. But this idea was abandoned. Late at night they found a home at Smith's Grove. The next day they went to Rock River and crossed at Ogee's Ferry, where Dixon now stands, and remained there two days. Then they went to what was called White Oak Grove and stayed three days. While there, a man came to them with an ox-load of corn from Ogee's Ferry, and after delivering the corn started back; but he became so cold that he unyoked his oxen and went to the ferry on foot. His feet were severely frozen and his oxen were frozen to death. When Jesse Funk and his party started out from White Oak Grove to go to Burr Oak, he hired a man, named
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Gratiot, to go ahead and break the road with his wagon. The latter did so for a short distance, but he became so cold, that he put the whip to his horses and went on in a hurry. The snow drifted in the track and covered it up, and the party did not arrive at Burr Oak Grove until late. While on this day's journey, one of the men in the party was about to freeze to death, when Jesse Funk threatened to thrash him and made him run around and get warm. This was a terrible day's journey and many of the hogs were frozen to death. They would put their long snouts in the snow and squeal and freeze and fall over dead ; and before the party could go fifty steps from them the wolves would be on them eating them up. Sometimes the wolves would begin eating the hogs before the latter were fairly dead. About fifty hogs were left eight miles south of Burr Oak Grove, as they had their eyes frozen up. At Burr Oak Grove the swine received a feed of blue Indian corn, for which Jesse Funk paid one dollar and a half per bushel. They started away from Burr Oak Grove to Apple River, and again Mr. Gratiot was hired to break the way with his wagon. He started out and again ran away from the party, leaving them with the cold wind and the snow drifts on the prairie. They went to Apple River and there found a man severely frozen, who said his partner was out in the snow frozen to death. Search was made for the missing man and he was found dead and stiff. The party went on to Wildcat Creek and sold forty of the pigs and then traveled to Galena. Here the hogs were butchered and sold out. At the commencement of the journey they weighed from two hundred and fifty to three hun- dred pounds, but on their arrival at Galena, after a journey of forty- five days, they weighed from one hundred and fifty to one hun- dred and eighty pounds each.
Jesse and Robert Funk started home. When they arrived at Crow Creek they found a party, who were going through from Peoria to Galena in four sleighs, but who had broken down, while about two miles from Crow Creek. All of the party had walked in, except two women, and help was sent out for theni. One was carried in for about half a mile on a sheet and Robert Funk carried her the remainder of the way on his horse ; he also carried the other woman some distance on his horse. They were both severely frozen, and the first one was not able to speak for
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eight hours. It was during this severe winter that Mr. Gratiot, the Indian agent, had a party of five men with twenty-one yoke of oxen drawing goods from Peoria to near Galena. Four of the men and all but three of the oxen were frozen to death. The goods remained for two or three weeks on the prairie before they · could be brought in.
During this same winter two men, who were traveling, came within two miles of Smith's Grove, which is south of Inlet Creek. There they became very cold and crawled under the snow to get warm. Soon they became very warm and comfortable, but the snow melted down on them and made them wet, and when they started for Smith's Grove, one of them froze to death. Jesse and Robert Funk came home without further adventure.
The settlers were, in the early days, much troubled by wolves, which killed the sheep and little pigs ; but Robert Funk had a plucky merino ram, which would drive off the wolves and protect the flock. It was a very fine one, which had been brought from Ohio. Mr. Funk remembers particularly how this ram managed the fight, when the flock was attacked by a wolf. It ran out boldly at the wolf and kept it back until the flock retreated three or four hundred yards, when the ram also retreated and again faced about towards the wolf. This process was repeated until the flock was clear out of danger. But the ram kept up the fight until the wolf was worried out and panted for breath, and then the victorious ram frisked his heels and shook his tail triumphant- ly and went to the flock.
It was a great source of amusement for the settlers to chase wolves. The settlers around Funk's Grove were particularly troubled by a large gray wolf, which they chased many times, but could never catch. At last they got up a great chase and went after it. They started it near Funk's Grove and chased it to Kickapoo timber, thence to Randolph's Grove, thence to south end of Blooming Grove, thenee down to Atlanta, thence up eighteen miles to Twin Grove, thence back to Short Point on the Kicka- poo, thence down below the present village of MeLean, thence up towards Blooming Grove, where the long-winded wolf was caught. During this long chase the wolf kept the sloughs as much as possible, and when it did so, it gained on its pursuers. It ran on that day fully fifty miles, but was utterly broken down and could run no more.
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The settlers, while riding around the country, always expected to chase wolves. At one time, when Robert Funk went to make a visit, he caught a wolf and brought it in for the admiration of the good looking young lady, who afterwards became Mrs. Funk.
The large gray wolves sometimes collected in packs and were dangerous. At one time a daughter of James Murphy, about fifteen years of age, when about two miles from home, was chased by a pack of eleven large gray wolves. She ran towards home ; but when within half a mile of the house, she was com- pelled to climb a tree. She hallooed to her father and the old gentleman came with his gun to her assistance. But the wolves refused to retreat, until he had shot down two or three of them. This happened about the year 1838.
Robert Funk married, May 13, 1830, Virginia Springfield. He has had eight children, of whom six are living. They are :
Mrs. Nancy M. Ward, widow of Levi Ward, lives in Bloom- ington.
Mrs. Sarah Jane Ward, wife of Noah Ward, lives four miles northeast of Cheney's Grove.
William Funk lives about five miles northwest of Funk's Grove.
Fanny Euphenia Funk lives at home with her father.
Mrs. Elizabeth Temperance Finner, wife of William Finner, lives about a mile northwest of her father's house.
Tabitha Garmen Funk lives at home with her father at Funk's Grove.
Robert Funk is about five feet and ten inches in height, is very muscular and tough, can endure heat, cold and fatigue, has an enormous head of hair, which shows his great vitality. He is kind-hearted, generous and hospitable, and has that quality, which is so marked a characteristic of the family, of which he is a member, that is-courage. IIe has seen some of the rougher phases of frontier life, but lives quietly and contentedly at his home in Funk's Grove.
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ROBERT STUBBLEFIELD.
The greater part of this sketch of Robert Stubblefield is taken from a memoir, written by the Rev. John Barger.
"Robert Stubblefield was born November 23, 1793, in the county of Halifax, Virginia. He was the son of Edward Stubble- field, sen., who was the son of John Stubblefied, who, with two brothers, Edward and William, came from England. Edward Stubblefield, sen., the father of Robert Stubblefield, married Miss Lightfoot Munford, daughter of William Green Munford. His wife's maiden name was Ann Stanhope; their daughter, Mary Lightfoot, in the Revolutionary war, acted as private secretary to her father. Mr. Robert Stubblefield, the subject of this memoir, was therefore a grandson of Mr. William Green and Ann Munford. Mr. Munford was from England and served his adopted country as a colonel in the Revolutionary war. The colonel not only de- voted his personal energies, but loaned the government a large amount of his means (and he was wealthy) towards freeing his country from the Brittanie yoke.
"This loan, in consequence of the loss of the papers by fire, was never recovered; but in virtue of a provision made by Con- gress for the compensation of the Revolutionary soldiers and offi- cers, Mrs. Mary Lightfoot Stubblefield, after the death of her father, Col. Munford, and being at the time his only surviving child, applied for and obtained a land warrant from the govern- ment for 6,666 acres of land. This warrant was laid on land in Ohio, which is now worth, perhaps, more than half a million of dollars, (the writer's supposition,) to which the heirs of Mr. Rob- ert Stubblefield, and those of his brother John Stubblefield, who have never received any portion thereof, are entitled, to say the least of it, to a pro rata interest therein with the other heirs of Col. Munford, who have, at least a part of them, shared the whole of it.
"In his nineteenth year, at the first call for volunteers, Robert Stubblefield entered the service of his country, in the war of 1812. His company, consisting of ninety-six men, exclusive of officers, was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia, and all, except himself and one other soldier, soon died of the yellow fever, and he himself came very near dying of that fearful malady. He was regularly dis-
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charged, though by the death of his captain he failed to obtain his discharge papers ; and by the authorities was conveyed to the place of his enlistment to die, as it was supposed, among his friends. By this removal and the attention of his friends, with the blessing of God, his life was preserved. His friends again removed him to the home of his brother Edward Stubblefield ; here he soon recovered his health, and his brother, having located land in Ohio, and wishing to see after it, and Robert desiring to see the country, accompanied him in 1812. He married Miss Sarah Funk the 14th day of April, 1814, who died December 13, 1821. She was the daughter of Adam Funk, and sister to Isaac, Jesse and Robert Funk, whose sketches appear in this volume. She died in Ohio. By this first marriage Mr. Stubblefield had four children : Absalom, Ann, Mary and John.
On the 29th day of July, 1822, he married Miss Dorothy Funk, sister of his former wife. By this latter marriage Mr. Stubble- field had nine other children. They are: George Maley, Jesse, Francis, Adam, Eve, Edward, Isaac, William Royal Chase and Charles Wesley, in all, thirteen children. Jesse, the sixth child of Mr. Stubblefield, was the first white child born in Funk's Grove. Adam died, returning from Memphis, whither he had gone to visit Isaac, his siek soldier brother, and to seek for him a furlough and bring him home."
Robert Stubblefield came to Funk's Grove in December, 1824, and settled first in the north end. In 1825 he settled in the place, where he lived until his death. He went to farming immediately. He was a man of great powers of endurance and thought little of the very severe hardships to which the early settlers were sub- jected. In the spring of 1825 he went to Springfield for iron to make a plow and carried it home on horseback. His wheat was ground at Blooming Grove, on Ebenezer Rhodes' hand-mill, which was made in 1824.
During the winter of the deep snow Robert Stubblefield and his brother John went to mill, and on their return were caught in the first great heavy snow fall and were unable to bring home their grist, but forced to throw their sacks of meal out in the snow and bury them for a few days; but they afterwards returned and brought the sacks home.
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During the winter of 1831-32, Robert Stubblefield, with a number of others, were taking some pigs to Galena and were lost in the snow. The stage, which carried the mail, passed the party and went on to Gratiot's Grove and gave news of their coming to a man named Chambers. The latter fired guns as sig- nals and late at night the party came in. They went on to Galena after some delay and made beds in the snow to camp out at night. On their return from Galena they became lost once more, when Mr. Stubblefield gave the reins to his horse and the intelligent animal brought out his rider safely to Mr. Chambers' house. Mr. Stubblefield often drove stock of various kind to Chicago, Peo- ria and other points. During one winter, while driving a load of pork across Peoria Lake, the ice began to crack beneath. He hurried up his team and arrived at the shore just as the ice broke up.
During the sudden change of the weather in December, 1836, Mr. Stubblefield was coming home from Peoria. When the cold wind strnek him he drove to a mill about three miles distant, but came near freezing to death before arriving there. He came home the next day, but could not eross Sugar Creek with his team, for the stream had overflowed and was half a mile wide and was a glare of ice, on which his horses could not stand. He went home on foot and returned with help, ran his wagon over on the ice, eut the ice and made it rough for his horses to walk and brought them across. His stock suffered severely and many of his pigs were frozen to death.
Robert Stubblefield raised a large family of children, who, like their father, have all been remarkably successful in life. They are:
Absalom Stubblefield, who lives in the north end of Funk's Grove.
Mrs. Ann Lightner, who lives in Randolph's Grove.
Mrs. Mary Ann Groves, wife of Esau Groves, lives three miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope.
John Stubblefield lives in the northern edge of Funk's Grove.
George Maley Stubblefield lives about two miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township.
Jesse Stubblefield lives a mile and a half west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township.
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Mrs. Frances Murphy, wife of William Murphy, lives about two miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township.
Adam Stubblefield died while on a visit to Isaac Stubblefield, when the latter was sick in the army.
Eve Stubblefield lives at home with her mother.
Edward Stubblefield lives three miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township.
Isaac Stubblefield lives two miles and a half west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. He was a soldier during the re- bellion.
William Royal Chase Stubblefield lives two and one-half miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township.
Charles Wesley Stubblefield takes care of his mother at the old homestead.
Robert Stubblefield died June 8, 1870, while talking to his son Jesse, sitting on the porch of his new house at Funk's Grove. He was fully six feet in height, and was heavy in build, weighing about two hundred pounds. He was a very muscular and determined man and not afraid of anything. He was very successful in life, was one of the best and kindest of neighbors, and stood high in the confidence of the community. He was a very conscientious man, and decided in his religious opinions. He was scrupulously honest in all his transactions and had a thor- ough contempt for meanness and dishonesty in others.
ABSALOM STUBBLEFIELD.
Absalom Stubblefield, eldest son of Robert Stubblefield, was born November 27, 1815, in Fayette County, Ohio. In 1824 he came with the Stubblefield family to Funk's Grove, in what is now McLean County, Illinois. The family traveled with an ox- team, as was usual in those days. They came first to Randolph and afterwards to Blooming Grove, by mistake, then went to Funk's Grove. Mr. Stubblefield's first experience was a hard wrestle with a little Indian boy, a son of Jim Buck, one of the chiefs of the Kickapoos. The boys were of about the same age and size, but Absalom had the muscle and brought the little In- dian to the ground. This was at Blooming Grove, whither the family had gone, when it first came to MeLean County, thinking it Funk's Grove, being misled by their directions. When they
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saw their mistake they came to Funk's Grove. The only family then living at the latter grove was that of William Brock. Isaac and Absalom Funk were then living with Brock. The Stubble- field family arrived there December 18, 1824, and immediately began farming. When Absalom Stubblefield became old enough he hunted wolves, which he killed with a hickory club. The Kicka- poo Indians were then plentier than game. Old Machina, the chief, was very friendly. During the war of 1812 he fought against the United States, as he was promised a great many ponies by the British, if he would whip the whites. In the war of 1812 he led on his warriors to the fight, but saw them fearfully cut to pieces at Tippecanoe, and he received no compensation for his trouble or his losses, and he declared that he would never again fight against the whites. During the winter of the deep snow, Absalom Stubblefield went to mill ten miles distant'on the Kicka- poo. He was obliged to break the way with horses, and as the horses on the lead became tired, those in the rear were put ahead to break the way. During this winter the horses and cattle were fed on a piece of ground, which was tramped over and over again, and the ice, where they stood, was not thawed until in June and July. In December, 1836, when the sudden change in the weather came, Mr. Stubblefield was at the house of Robert Funk, where had been snowballing. Suddenly the wind came cold from the west. Mr. Stubblefield mounted his horse and rode home, and on his arrival there, was frozen fast to his saddle, and was obliged to give himself a hard wrench to get loose.
When Absalom Stubblefield was only nine or ten years old, he selected the place, where he determined to have his farm, and was advised by his grandfather to deal in stock, to raise calves and sell them, and when they became large, to buy his land. He made some money by splitting rails, then bought calves, raised and sold them, and earned fifty dollars, with which he entered forty acres of land.
Mr. Stubblefield has had some experience with fires on the prairie, though he has always been well protected by Sugar Creek, as the forks are on the east and west. But he has often been called on to fight fire for his neighbors. At the south end of Funk's Grove the settlers were unprotected, and those across the prairie on the Kickapoo were also exposed to fire, and the settlers
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on each side were anxious to have it fired in the fall, when the wind was blowing away towards the other side of the prairie. When the wind blew from the south, the settlers on Kickapoo were likely to take advantage of it, and send the fire rolling up to Funk's Grove; but if it blew from the north, some one at Funk's Grove was likely to fire the prairie and send the fire over to " those fellows on Kickapoo."
The old settlers loved their practical jokes, and Mr. Stubble- field tells a good one, which was played upon a "fresh" young man, who wished to steal watermelons. James Biggs told the young man of the sight, and so aroused his imagination, that he determined to go after them. They were on the premises near where Mr. Delavan now lives. The young man went for them, and Biggs, who was secreted near by, watching the performance, fired a charge at him. The "fresh" young gentleman ran for home, but in his fright fell into a pond of water and lost his watch, but found his way out and reached home covered with mud.
Mr. Stubblefield has led a hardy out-of-door life, and has be- come very well developed. He is six feet and one inch in height, and weighs two hundred and seventy-six pounds. He is very muscular, and in his youth practised wrestling, which was con- sidered by the early settlers the best of sport. He is exceedingly humorous, and never likes to see a joke spoiled for relation's sake. He has been a successful farmer, is very prompt to meet his obligations, and his word is as good as the best security. He has been married three times, and has always been happy in his domestic life.
He married Miss Eliza Pearson, February 23, 1840. By this marriage he had six children, of whom four are living. They are :
MitHin H. Stubblefield lives in De Witt County.
Thomas T. Stubblefield lives five miles northwest of his father's.
Jesse P. Stubblefield lives in Dale township.
Robert W. Stubblefield lives at home.
Mrs. Stubblefield died October 11, 1851. On the second of September, 1852, Mr. Stubblefield married Miss Alley Wilson,
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of De Witt County. By this marriage he had six children, of whom five are living. They are :
Asa, William J., Lafayette, Charlotte and Mary A. Stubble- field, all of whom live at home. Mrs. Alley Stubblefield died April 18, 1869. On the twenty-fourth of January, 1870, Mr. Stubblefield married Mrs. Campbell, widow of Mark Campbell of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. No children have been born by the latter marriage. She has three children : David, Mary Bell and William Wilson Campbell.
JOHN STUBBLEFIELD.
John Stubblefield, second son of Robert Stubblefield, was born June 4, 1820, in Fayette County, Ohio. The family came to Funk's Grove in December, 1824, as stated in other sketches.
He remembers very clearly the Indians, and particularly recol- lects seeing the squaws dry the venison on sticks over coals of fire, in order to preserve it. He remembers many curious mat- ters of the early days, which are very uncommon with the changed condition of the country. He remembers the wild pea-vines, which once grew in the timber and bore a fruit, which he liked to eat, and which furnished food for horses and cattle in early spring time. The nettles were then thick, the grass on the prairie was high and its roots were strong and fibrous, making it very hard work indeed to break the ground. This difficulty was then far greater than it would be now, as the settlers were then obliged to use the old bar-shear plow, which was not a convenient imple- ment to turn the sod. The vegetation has changed with the com- ing of civilization, even where the ground has been left uncul- tivated. The horseweed, which the horses liked so well, is now never seen. The prairie grass is gone, and the fine blue grass takes its place. He remembers the deep snow, and how the people beat their corn in a mortar and sifted ont the finest for bread and kept the coarsest for hominy. The settlers raised their own cotton and flax ; they pulled the flax, rotted it, broke it, worked off the shives with a wooden knife over a scutcheon board, and passed it through a coarse and a fine hackle. The flax was spun and woven, and the tow, which was hackled out was used for filling, and the fine flax was used for the warp. The fine flax made the best of thread; it was spun on a little wheel. The shirts made of flax were very
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