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 59
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These are all of Mr. Gastman's children, who grew up to manhood. He named the last two after Revolutionary patriots and is sorry that Enoch was not also named after some Revolu- tionary soldier. If he had another child he would name it Andrew Jackson, (regardless of sex,) on account of the services rendered by Jackson during the Revolution. (?)
Mr. Gastman is a Democrat, dyed in the wool, a real, genuine, uncompromising Democrat, and would vote for no man of any other party. He is five feet and ten inches in height, and is enormously muscular. He treats a rough man roughly, but when he talks to gentlemen he is a gentleman himself. He is a humorous man, and takes life pleasantly. He delights in telling
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of his adventures, and will sit and talk by the hour, when he has an appreciative listener. He is proud of his boys, and has a right to be, for they are an honor to him.
LAWNDALE.
DAVID HENLINE AND WILLIAM B. HENLINE.
David and William B. Henline, brothers, live near each other in Lawndale township. They own their large property together, consisting of large flocks of cattle and stock of all kinds, and about four thousand acres of land. As they are united in all things, their sketches are written together and so placed in this volume.
David was born March 6, 1822, and William B. was born December 20, 1823, in Boone county, Kentucky. Their father's name was John Henline, of German descent, and their mother's name, before her marriage, was Mary Darnell. John Henline was a successful farmer and kept his business very straight. In the fall of 1828, the Henline family came to the West. On the first day of the journey, John Henline broke his leg, and it was set by quack doctors and bound with straight splints. He suf- fered with it severely, and during the first winter after his arrival in the West, he chopped in the timber by kneeling down. The family came first to Hittle's Grove, in Tazewell county, near the present line between Tazewell and McLean. There they re- mained a few weeks, while John Henline went to Mackinaw timber and built a cabin. When it was finished, he returned and brought the family. The three brothers, John, George and William Henline, all settled near each other.
The little Henline boys were often visited by the little Indians. The latter were usually the victors in the races they ran; but the former showed more muscle and came out first best in the childish quarrels. Such things always excited the anger of the squaws, and they would chastise the little pappooses severely, and bring up the little Henlines to their mother and clap their hands together and say, " whip pappoose, whip pap- poose." The old lady would go through the motions of whip- ping her boys, and the little Henlines would yell, and the squaws would laugh, and all parties would be satisfied.
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In the fall of 1830, the Henlines went back to Kentucky to get a stock of farming implements. While there, Mrs. Henline took up a lot of little apple sprouts in a stocking, put earth around them and brought them out to Illinois. The orchard raised from these sprouts is yet standing on the Henline place. At Cincinnati, the Henlines bought large kettles in which to boil maple sap, and some of these kettles they still have.
The winter of 1830-31, of the deep snow, is an era in the life of all who experienced its severity. When the snow began falling, Martin Darnell, from Indian Grove, was at the house of the Henlines. He started home, ten miles distant, after the snow began falling, in company with John Henline and Squire Thomp- son. The two latter went about three miles, and Darnell went the rest of the way alone. He was short of meat, but captured a few wild hogs, and by this means his family was saved from great suffering. They saw no living person outside of their own family for six weeks or more. During that fearful winter, the Henline boys obtained plenty of healthy exercise by gathering corn. John Henline, jr., fed wild hogs out in the snow, and they made a track as they came up. One morning, he told the folks to look out for deer, as he would drive some up. Soon he was heard to halloo and sure enough up came the deer. Three of them were killed, but were hardly worth it, as they were very poor.
During the Black Hawk war the people were much alarmed, and the settlers made a fort on the land of John Henline, and during their occasional frights would collect there from all parts of the country. The slightest thing would cause an alarm, and the people would gather in. At one time an Indian came to the house of a woman named Shelton, and obtained some bread and milk; but she was so scared that she took her children to a schoolhouse, where her husband was teaching, and the school was dismissed immediately and the people were aroused. At another time some boys were out in the woods at play, when one of them caught sight of a stump and said, " I see an Injin," and ran for home digging up dirt with his little toes at every leap. The rest of the boys laughed at him and called him back, and at last sat the dog on him; but he reached home, told his story and the credulous neighborhood was aroused again, and women ran
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with their babies for the fort. Men were sent out to investigate the matter and at last learned the mistake. During all of this excitement the rangers moved from one fort to another, and when they camped at night they usually helped themselves to whatever they could find to eat, and the settlers were very will- ing they should. One of these rangers had a fondness for milk and would pick up a panful and say, " boys, this is what I was raised on," and drink it. During one dark evening he happened to pick up a pan of dish water! The rest may be imagined.
When Mr. John Henline came to this country he was lame, in consequence of a severe injury to his leg, and could not walk fast. He had a couple of rams which the boys had taught to be vicious, though the latter could always manage them. One morning the old gentleman came out in the yard and the vicious rams charged on him, and as he could not run he was obliged to take refuge on a stump, and there called to his boys to take away the rams. But it is sad to record that these youngters were so neglectful of their duty and enjoyed so keenly the sport, that they allowed the old gentleman to remain on the stump until he said, " boys, I would n't serve you so," when they took away the rams.
The Henline boys amused themselves in their youthful days by trapping turkeys. These foolish birds would walk into the traps with their heads down, eating corn, and would not know enough to put down their heads and walk out. Out of a flock of about thirty turkeys, only three knew enough to escape.
The Henline boys went to school, of course, when a school was taught in the neighborhood, and they traveled through snow and rain and slush. During the sudden change in December, 1836, they started from the school house, wading in slush knee deep, and before going far they " scooted over the ice like a top."
In writing of the experience of David and William B. Hen- line, the things they saw in childhood are particularly given, because they were children in the early days. But many things of a very important nature are impressed on the minds of chil- dren, and from childish recollections we obtain actual, life-like impressions. The Henlines remember the wagons of the men who came over the country to speculate and buy land. The par- ties looking up land used the rudest but most ingenious ways to
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learn its description. They hunted up the corners of sections, then traveled by compass, tied a rag to a wagon wheel, counted the revolutions, and by this means measured the distance.
John Henline, the father of David and William, was born November 7, 1787, and died July 26, 1869. His wife Mary, was born January 22, 1791, and died November 28, 1865.
David and William Henline are of about the same height, five feet and four or five inches. They have heavy whiskers and are very muscular. William is rather stouter in build. They are both good natured, kind hearted and hospitable, and love fun and humor. David Henline was married in the winter of 1855, but his wife is now dead. William B. Henline married in June, 1853, Jane Wright, who died in 1861. Two children born of this marriage, John D. and Elmira A. Henline, live at home. On the 25th of February, 1866, W. B. Henline married Jane Moon, a woman who is kind in her manner and sensible in her conversation.
MARTIN HENLINE.
Martin Henline, brother of David and W. B. Henline, was born October 25, 1819, in Boone County, Kentucky. He lived there until the fall of 1828, when he came with the Henline family to Illinois. The family immediately began farming on their arrival, on what has since been called Henline Creek, in the northern edge of Mackinaw timber.
Martin Henline, of course, remembers the deep snow of 1830-1, and being then a little boy, he could run around on top of it. He remembers how his elder brother John drove up three deer from the pasture, when he went out to feed the pigs; for the wild nature of the deer was tamed by cold and starvation. It was no easy matter to obtain fuel to burn during that winter, and in order to get it the Henlines cut down trees and hauled them in by dragging them over the snow with oxen.
During the Black Hawk war the Henline fort was the place where all the frightened settlers congregated, whenever they thought it worth while to take a scare. The Henlines had a large gun, which they called the " old yawger ;" this gun made a loud report, and was known by the sound. At one time, while Martin was out in the woods with others at play, some parties
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attempted to play a trick on him by firing the gun to bring him in for fear of Indians ; but Martin was too sharp, for he knew the report of the " old yawger."
Martin Henline married, May 16, 1841, Feraby Cunningham. He has had ten children, of whom eight are living. They are :
David and Seth Henline, who live about three miles east of their father's.
Lucretia, wife of Harvey Harris, lives near David.
Pierce, William, Joseph, Martha and Ella, live at home.
Mr. Henline is somewhat below the medium height, is rather fleshy, has a round head, thick, black hair and heavy whiskers. He is a pleasant, humorous man, takes life easily, and does not trouble himself unnecessarily about the future.
MARTIN BATTERTON.
Martin Batterton was born September 29, 1807, in Madison ยท County, Kentucky. His father, Abraham Batterton, was of English descent, and his mother, whose maiden name was Su- sannah Henline, was of Dutch. Abraham Batterton was, for a short time, a soldier in the war of 1812, and served under Gene- ral Hopkins against the Indians. Martin Batterton lived in Kentucky, where he was born, until the fall of 1833, when he came to Illinois. He went to school in Kentucky, was a fair scholar, and paid strict attention to his book. In the fall of 1833 he came out on horseback with a friend to Mackinaw timber, where his relatives, the Henlines, lived. In August, 1834, he went back to Kentucky, and brought out some carpenter's tools and other articles necessary in a new country. He became a jack-of-all-trades, and could make anything out of wood. He was farmer, carpenter, cooper, cabinetmaker, shoemaker, and, indeed, was handy at all things. He made his own chairs when he first came to the country and has them yet. In 1835 he entered the land where he now lives, having bought the improve- ment made on it by Nickolas Darnell, and on this land built the house in which he now resides.
Mr. Batterton married America Taylor on the 10th of Octo- ber, 1836. They have had three children :
Ira Abbott Batterton, who was a soldier during the rebellion in the Eighth Illinois Infantry, and afterwards editor of the
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Vicksburg Herald. He was accidentally shot in Vicksburg, in July, 1865.
Mary Ellen, wife of Thomas B. Kilgour, lives about three miles east of her father's.
Surrilda J., wife of Almaron J. Moon, lives in Lexington. Mr. Moon is of the mercantile firm of Smith & Moon.
Mr. Batterton is rather less than the medium height. His hair, once dark, is now becoming gray. His eyes are dark, with a clear, intelligent expression, and his nose is a little Roman. He is a remarkably careful, accurate man in his business, and none of his property suffers for want of attention. His crops are always gathered in season ; his stock is seldom caught in a dangerous storm ; everything about the place is very neat. In other words, he is a careful, thrifty farmer, with a large farm and a big barn to shelter his stock.
LEXINGTON.
JACOB SPAWR.
Jacob Spawr was born January 24, 1802, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His father's name was Valentine Spawr, and his mother's maiden name was Anna Margaret Richer. Val- entine Spawr was American born, but of German descent, and his wife, Anna Margaret, was born in Germany, but came to the United States when only two years of age. Valentine Spawr was a soldier and served under General Anthony Wayne against the Indians, and was once wounded through the body.
In the fall of 1826 Jacob Spawr came to Illinois, in company with the Cox family and Robert Guthrie. His father's family came the following year. The journey was pleasant and Mr. Spawr was active in driving the sheep and cattle. He went to Money Creek timber and there commenced working for Mrs. Trimmer, who had a large family of children. Her husband had died a short time previous.
Jacob Spawr married, December 3, 1826, Eliza Ann Trimmer, one of the old lady's daughters. He had no license, as he would have been obliged to go to Vandalia to get one, so he posted
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up notices and the justice of the peace, William Orendorff, who married him, made return of the marriage to the Clerk of the Court at Vandalia. Six or seven years afterwards Mr. Orendorff married a second wife, and Jacob Spawr, who had been elected a justice of the peace in the meantime, performed the ceremony. After Mr. Spawr's marriage he began farming on his own ac- count.
In 1827 the settlers were much excited by the Winnebago war, which was threatened in the mining country by Red Bird, the chief of the Winnebagoes. While the excitement continued old Machina, the chief of the Kickapoos, came down to Mr. Spawr to inquire the condition of affairs, whenever the latter re- turned from Bloomington, where he went to militia training. Machina declared that in case of war the Kickapoos would cer- tainly help the whites. After a while an order came to send fifteen men, and Mr. Spawr, being first lieutenant of the com- pany, was ordered to go with them. But the Rev. Mr. Latta in- sisted on taking Mr. Spawr's place, and at last was allowed to do so. The fifteen men were taken to Peoria, but the Indian trou- bles were soon quieted, and the men came home.
During the winter of the deep snow Mr. Spawr pounded corn of course. For nearly sixty days the sun did not shine warm enough to make a wet spot in front of his south door. During that winter a man named Rook came down from Rook's Creek (Little Vermilion) with a handsled, walking with snow-shoes, and obtained corn for his family of Conrad Flesher, who lived where Lexington now stands.
During the Black Hawk war the people of Mackinaw and Money creek timber were excited and apprehensive, and many of them moved away to Sangamon County. Many men at Eppard's Point, on the Little Vermilion, moved their families to Money Creek and went back themselves to attend to their crops. The volunteers from Indiana, about six hundred in number, camped within twenty or thirty rods of Mr. Spawr's house, and during the night had two false alarms. At one time a lightning bug showed its phosphorus, and one of the guards fired at the harmless insect, and the camp was in an uproar. But after a while matters were quieted. Soon another gun was discharged, and on inquiry it was found that a soldier, who had a pique
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against two others, had fired into their tent. The excitement among the soldiers was very great for a while, and one of them, while loading his gun, mistook a can of buttermilk for a powder horn, and loaded his gun accordingly. The soldiers wished Mr. Spawr to issue a warrant for the arrest of the man, who attempted to shoot his comrades, but Mr. Spawr told them that their own martial law should settle such matters.
The town of Lexington was laid off in 1835 ; and in 1836 Mr. Spawr moved there from Money Creek timber. It was during December of that year that the great sudden change of the weather occurred. Mr. Spawr then saw the water blown into waves and frozen in that way. He speaks of another sudden change almost as severe. In November, 1842, he started for Chi- cago with a party to drive stock. The weather had been mild, but it snowed and melted and by the seventh of November it froze up. On the return of the party from Chicago they crossed the Kankakee on the ice at the rapids, where the water runs as swiftly as a mill race. A thaw came in January, but the cold weather again returned and winter continued until March.
Mr. Spawr has had eight children, of whom six are living, all daughters:
Ann Margaret, wife of Benjamin Fitzgerald, lives in Lexing- ton.
Elizabeth, wife of Perceval Champlin, who lives in Lexing- ton.
Mary Jane, wife of Abiud Sweet, lives at Eppard's Point in Livingston County.
Sarah Catherine, wife of Noah Franklin, lives a mile and a half west of Lexington.
Emily, wife of S. S. Shade, lives in Lexington.
Lowisa Isabel, wife of C. R. Preble, lives in Lexington.
Mr. Spawr has twenty-one grandchildren and one great grand child-enough to eat up his surplus apples.
Mr. Spawr is of medium height, is rather solidly built, and seems to be enjoying good health in his old age. He is a quiet man, is very kindly disposed, and much looked up to_among the old settlers. He leads a very quiet, contented life, though he works enough to keep himself healthy. He is a man universally respected for his integrity and correct judgment.
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GEORGE SPAWR.
George Spawr, son of Valentine Spawr, was born December 26, 1806, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1827, he came to Illinois with the Spawr family, except two sisters, who never came, and also except Jacob and his sister, Mrs. Cath- erine Guthrie, who came the year before. When they came to the Indiana wilderness of heavy timber, they met with a lot of teams, and all joined and went through the wilderness together, in order to be protected against a band of robbers, by whom it was infested. The travellers camped one night in the wilderness and were visited by a suspicious character, but they detailed seven men to watch the camp and were not molested. In the morning their unwelcome visitor left.
After they crossed the Wabash River and came to the prairie they mired down in the first slough ; but they soon learned the nature of the sloughs and drove through them quickly without stopping long enough to become fast in the mire. They found the worst slough at Cheney's Grove. But by good management and quick driving the Spawr family came safely through without assistance. The Cheneys took care of them that night and showed the greatest hospitality, and made no charge for favors rendered. The next day the Spawr family took the Indian trail and went on to Money Creek timber, where they settled.
The next year Mr. Spawr began to raise a crop of corn, but sold out and went with Jonathan Cheney to the lead mines to make a fortune, but returned the next fall without the fortune. Then he started with Isaac Funk, who was taking a drove of cattle to Ohio, but the cattle were stampeded by wolves, and the trip to Ohio was spoiled. He then helped to take care of the Cheneys, who were sick with the measles, and became sick him- self and lived on milk-punch. (Who wouldn't have the measles!)
Mr. Spawr married, March 19, 1831, Rhoda Walden.
In the spring of 1832 occurred the Black Hawk war. Mr. Spawr enlisted in a company of rangers commanded by Merrit Covel, after the fight at Stillman's Run. It was the business of the rangers to guard the country from the Mackinaw to Ottawa. The people were much disturbed by false alarms and regular frights. At one time two men, Isaac T -- and Mat F --- , went
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to Bloomington, the former mounted on his fleet horse and the latter on an Indian pony, which he found hoppled near by. On their return they passed where the town of Normal now stands. There they saw some blood on the ground. It was where Isaac Funk had bled his horse on account of some sickness, which the animal had contracted. But Isaac and Mat knew nothing of the real cause, but supposed immediately that some one had there been murdered by Indians, and that the savages had already com- menced the work of slaughter and destruction. The men whipped up their horses and went across the prairie, and saw the tall rosin weeds waving in the wind and thought each one was an Indian after them. Isaac, being better mounted, ran far ahead, and Mat, who was behind, called out, "Wait for me, Isaac !" and the reply came back, "Whip the pony, Mat!" At last they ar- rived home, and Mat mounted one of his own fleet horses and said : " Father and mother, I respect you, I respect you above every- body else, but I must leave you, I must go to Ohio, and must be at Cheney's Grove to.night!" When he arrived at Cheney's Grove, he was laughed out of his fright. At one time the neigh- borhood took a great scare; some thought they saw Indian signs, and others imagined that they saw in the distance the smoke arising from Indian camps. The rangers were called out, and they hunted through the timber, displaying the most excellent training, and at last found the track of a pig! During that even- ing the settlers collected at the house of John Henline near the head of Mackinaw timber. The rangers also came there, and during the night George Spawr and Henry Davis were instructed to raise a false alarm in order to test the pluck of the men. Spawr and Davis were placed on picket. Spawr says: "Just be- fore we were relieved, I called out, 'Who's there, who's there, who's there ?' and fired my gun and ran to the house, yelling 'Injins' at every jump !" The men at the house turned out, some with guns and some not, and all were in disorder. Captain Covel was swearing and the women were making a great ado. A squad of men were placed in charge of the guard and they went out, and the wicked Spawr slipped off his shoe and made a track, which was pronounced "Injin sign," and the panie was greater than ever. One of the men at the house was so stricken with fear that he gave up his gun and jumped into bed behind his
-
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wife. The guards who were posted were relieved, and one of them was found trying to catch his horse to get away, another was found lying flat on his face, hoping that in the darkness of the night he would escape the general massacre! The next morning a voice was heard calling : "Who jumped in bed behind his wife ?" An answering voice replied : "T- F." It was indeed true that the frightened man had run to the house, and old Mrs. Henline had kept him out. At last old Joseph Brum- head said : "I wish I had a gun, I wish I had a gun !" "Here, unele Joe," said the frightened man, "here's a gun." Mr. Brum- head, who was a very religious man, took it, saying : "I am not afraid to fight, and die, if need be, so help me Lord, for Christ's sake !" The man. having given up his gun, was allowed to come into the house where he jumped into bed behind his wife.
A fort was built at the house of the Henlines, and another at the Little Vermilion. Not long afterwards, while some of the rangers were pieking strawberries. George Spawr and William Dimmitt fired off their guns to give the men a scare. The joke was successful, for the frightened rangers ran plashing through the Vermilion, and on three miles to the fort. The neighborhood was again alarmed, men were hurrying to and fro, and women were riding with their infants in their arms, in every direction. The rangers continned reconnoitering until the Black Hawk war was ended.
In the summer of 1837 George Spawr went to Franklin County, Illinois, where he lived until the fall of 1863. Franklin County had been settled by men from the south ; and during the rebellion they were so much in favor of the rebel cause, and made so many threats against Union men, that in the fall of 1863 George Spawr went back to his old home in Mackinaw tim- ber, and now lives in Lexington.
Mr. Spawr has had ten children, of whom six are living. They are :
Charles Wesley Spawr, who lives about two miles from Belle- flower. He was in the 110th Illinois Volunteers during the war and served under Sherman.
Mary Jane, widow of Terry Scarlock, lives at Pleasant Hill. Mr. Searlock had been a soldier.
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