The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 73

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps
Number of Pages: 1254

USA > Illinois > Adams County > The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 73

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Secretary .- A. S. McDowell, Clayton.

Treasurer .- Jacob Hazlett, Clayton.

General Agents .- B. W. McCoy, Clayton ; S. L. Roe, Clayton.

Medical Examiner .- G. W. Cox, M. D., Clay- ton.

DIRECTORS.

Richard Seaton, Camp Point.

Wm. Hanna, Keokuk Junction.

Alex. McLean, Macomb.

H. G. Ferris, Carthage.

Wm. L. Distin, Quincy.

E. E. Manson, Quincy.

R. W., A. A. Glenn, Mt. Sterling.

C. M. Morse, Jacksonville.

C. H. Gilbirds, Clayton.

Officers of Clayton Lodge, No. 147, A. F. & A. M., for 1879:

Jas. B. Coe, W. M., Jacob Hazlett, S. W., J. W. Marrett, J. W., A. S. McDowell, Treas.,

E. Hartman, Sec'y., Jas. A. Smith, S. D., F. M. Anderson. J. D., Jno. W. Smith, Tyler.

Officers of Clayton Chapter, No. 104, R. A. M., for 1879:

Benj. W. McCoy, H. P.,

A. S. McDowell, Treas., J. B. Coe, R. A. Capt.

T. G. Black, E. S , H. P. Coe, E. K., E. Hartman, Sec'y.,

J. E. Cohenour, P. S., Jácob Hazlett, C. H., John W. Smith, Tyler.

Officers of Delta Commandery, No. 48, K. T., for 1879:

Ben. W. McCoy, E. C., Jas. B. Coe, S. W., N. W. Wright, St. Br.,

A. S. McDowell, Gen., J. W. Marrett, J. W., S. L. Roe, Sword Br.

Jacob Hazlett, Capt. G.,

A. R. Downing, Rec., Jas. A. Smith, Warden,

T. G. Black, Prelate, Jas. Hazlett, Treas., B. W. Bryant, Capt. G'ds.

Number of members, fifty-seven.

The I. O. O. F., organized as early as 1852, with Dr. T. G. Black, N. G. It now has a list of abont sixty-four members in good standing. The following officers were elected for 1879:

H. C. Jefferson, N. G., J. W. Anderson, R. S., A. S. McDowell, Treas.

W. Jefferson, V. G., G. W. Montgomery, Persa,

CONCORD TOWNSHIP.

Concord township was organized at the spring election in 1850. Ed- ward Sharp was elected supervisor; Wm. Hobbs, clerk; David Hobbs, assessor, and Shannon Wallace, collector. The first settlements were made in 1832. John E. Wells settled on section 25, John Ansmus, on section 17, and O. H. Bennett, on section 9; soon after, the Wallaces and Hobbs's and Elijah Ellison. The first school-house was built on section 4, in 1835; the first teacher was Wmn. Hobbs; the first ministers of the Gospel that preached in Concord township, were Granville Bond, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, J. B. Curl, of the Christian Church, and-Harvey, of the regular

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Baptist church; William Hobbs, David Hobbs and John Ausmus, who were residents of the township, preached occasionally. The first marriage was Edgar Wells and Elizabeth Collins. The first birth was a child of Wm. and Mary Briscoe. It died soon after, and was the first death in the town. The first church was built in 1860, on section 30, by the Lutherans. The next and only other church building, was erected on section 23, by the peo- ple, for a Union church, but owned by the German Baptists or Dunkards.

The German Lutheran Church was organized in 1862 by the following members who established the church, and the following were made trustees: Henry Lessman, Christ Volbracht and Frank Kestner. First minister of the church was B. Burfeind, who was the regular minister for six years, followed by W. Dahlk, who remained two years and was succeeded by C. Meyer, who was with the church only one year, when J. W, Steffen came, who now is the regular minister for the congregation, which numbers twenty-five. The entire cost of the church, parsonage and four acres of land used as a cemetery was about $2,000. The Lutheran denomination have services in the church every Sunday, and Sunday-school in the afternoon. The church is in a neat and pleasant place, and among a good class of industrious and religious people. The minister of this church teaches school during the week, devoting one-half of the time to instruction in German, the balance in English. There is an average attendance in the school of twenty-three scholars.

In the north and northwest portions of the township the soil is excel- lent. In the southern part there is more timber and broken land.

COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP.

Columbus township is situated about eighteen miles from Quincy in a northeasterly direction. The first settlement made in Columbus township was in 1830, when James Thomas left Kentucky and settled on section 30. He was followed by Jacob Connor, Clements Wilks, George Johnson, Mat- thew Ray, Philip Ray, George Smith, William Roseberry, W. L. Wilmot, and Jas. Wisehart. The town of Columbus was laid out by County Sur- veyor Williams, under the direction of Willard Graves, in March, 1835. The first sale of lots took place in March, 1836, and nearly one hundred houses were erected that year. Francis Turner and John Robison also settled about 1835. Col. George Smith, who figured prominently in the township, settled on section 4, Oct. 20, 1836. Daniel Harrison and Abraham Jonas, the latter a prominent citizen, and whose son, B. F. Jonas, is now United States Senator from Louisiana, settled in Columbus village in 1836 and 1837. T. H. Castle, Frederick Collins, Clement Nance and many others soon followed. The original plan was to make Columbus the county seat of the county, and it was located at the nearest practicable point to the geographical center. The exact center was in Gilmer, about a mile west of the site of the town; but that tract was military land, and owned by parties in the East whose whereabouts were not known, and consequently it was not accessible. The village grew rapidly and prospered for several years. About 1840 the county seat contest between Columbus and Quincy began to be agitated, and grew hotter until 1841, during which time a newspaper called the Columbus Advocate, was established in the village by a man named E. Ferry, in the interest of Columbus. Mr. Abraham Jonas, above mentioned, being a writer of considerable ability, penned several articles

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

upon the then all-absorbing question, in favor of the Columbus interests, and sent them to the Quincy papers for publication, but they were refused ; hence the birth of the Advocate, to which he became the chief contributor. The county was thoroughly canvassed by speakers of note on both sides, and an election was held to decide the contest in August, 1841. Columbus received a majority of nearly a hundred votes. The county commissioners met to arrange for removing the books and papers from Quincy to Columbus, and the majority opposed it, Wm. Richards and Eli Seehorn objecting, and Col. George Smith favoring the removal. A writ of mandamus was issued to compel them to act. A hear- ing was had with a verdict from the Circuit Court in favor of the removal. The Quincy people took an appeal to the Supreme Court, and pending the decision the Legislature met and passed an act dividing the county, the western portion remaining Adams, the eastern half, including Columbus, was named Marquette. The people refused to organize the new county, and at the following session of the Legislature, a little more territory was added to the new county and the name changed to Highland. The people still refused to organize, and the new county remained without officers, ex- cept judicial officers, the new county being attached to Adams county for all judicial purposes. The old magistrates held over and their acts were legalized by the Legislature after the difficulty was settled. The new county remained in that condition until the adoption of the State constitu- tion in 1848, which provided for the reattachment of it to Adams county.

Religious exercises were held by the Presbyterian, Methodist and Christian societies at the private residences and school-houses in the town- ship until 1836, when the Christian society erected a house of worship in the village. The Presbyterian society built a church in 1838 which still stands. The Methodist society erected their first church several years later. These are the only denominations ever represented by societies until very recently. The Presbyterian society has since been discontinued. The first school-house in the township was built on section 30 in 1834 or 1835; and in 1836 one was built in the village, and others followed as the needs of the settlers required. A Mr. Bartholomew and his sons Gilead and Samuel, erected the first steam mill 'on section 3 in 1835. It was a grist and saw mill. Later it fell into the hands of the Mormons, who contemplated strongly making a settlement and starting a town there, but when they were driven from Nauvoo they abandoned the idea, and some years later the mill was removed. The second steam mill was erected in the village about 1865, by Lock & Hendricks, and is still doing some business. Wil- lard Graves erected a saw-mill on McKee's creek, on section 16, about 1838, which run several years and was finally abandoned.

Daniel Harrison was the first to commence merchandising; he afterward associated with him Abraham Jonas. John F. Battell, L. Davis, F. Col- lins, A. Touzalin, Sen., and Clement Nance were all engaged in merchan- dising. W. D. McCann established a cabinet shop and continued many years. Lytle Griffin was the first in the saddlery and harness business. Thomas Greenleaf and Sons manufactured wagons and buggies quite ex- tensively. M. T. Greenleaf introduced the first machine lathe. Thomas Durant run a wool carding machine with animal power; afterwardthe bus- iness was enlarged and a steam engine added by H. H. Butler. Henry Pratt and others erected a mill and successfully for a time made linseed oil.

The township organization law went into effect in 1850, and the first

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

election of officers occurred in April of that year. Alexander M. Smith was elected supervisor; A. Touzalin, Jr., town clerk; John P. Nichols, as- sessor; Wm. Roseberry, collector; Andrew Redmond and Jas. A. Bell, jus- tices. During the war of the rebellion Columbus township put her shoul- der to the wheel and demonstrated her loyalty by word and deed, coming up with her quota of men at every call of the government.

Columbus has had several fires. In 1847 Capt. A. Touzalin; Sr.'s store burned; soon after Nance & Castle's store, warehouse, etc., and Touzalin and Huttou's store were destroyed the same night, with all their contents; supposed to be the work of incendiaries. In 1863 A. Touzalin's store was burned, with all its contents; also in 1866, on the night of the 22d of June, the post-office with D. Whitlock's and A. Elliott's store were robbed and burned by an incendiary, who was convicted and sentenced to the peniten- tiary.

The Masons have a well organized and worked lodge; also the Odd Fellows and Good Templars.

The following panther story is narrated by Orestes Ames : Sam- uel Furgeson lived near Columbus, and had two sons, who, in 1830, went into the woods to hunt for the cows. During their rambles they came to the trunk of a fallen tree, which lay a little up from the ground. They climbed on to the log, when a sight met their gaze which would have curdled the blood of less courageous boys. By the side of the log at their feet lay a mother panther with two cubs. They espied each other simultaneously. A little dog accompanying the boys began to bay at the panther, which at once put herself in an attitude for defense. One of the boys started for a cudgel to give battle. The panther made no effort to escape, but stood her ground to protect her family. While warding off the attacks of the dog, her tail slipped through the crevice under the log; and quick as thought one of the boys seized it with a firm grasp, and bracing himself against the log held on till his brother beat her to death with his club. They carried the young ones home, and months after sold one of them to a menagerie, the other escaped while on the way to Quincy, and was afterward killed.

CHURCHES.

The First Baptist Church of Columbus township was organized March 13, 1879, at the Independent school-house, on section 3, by Rev. Silas Odell and Rev. Mr. Wood, with fourteen constituent members, Elijah Marsh and wife and daughter .Nellie, Mrs. Margaret R. Demoss, Perry C. Edward, America, Frances and Anna Demoss, Flora and Ella Demoss, John Demoss and wife. Rev. Silas Odell is the elder.

The M. E. Church .- In speaking of the Methodist Church and circuit of Columbus, a writer says: The circuit, when first organized, embraced the counties of Pike, Adams, Hancock, Schuyler and Brown. The follow- ing preachers have traveled the circuit: Carter, Hadly, Griggs, Hitchcock, Clampit, Oliver, William and Edward Rutlage, Piper, Cromwell, McMurry, Taylor, Kimber, Butler, Houts, Shim, Young, Lyon, Powell, Shunk, Owens, Hutcheson, Gooding, Kabrick, Sinnock, Gregg, and Bryant.

German Methodist .- The brick church now owned and used by the German Methodists was built in 1842. The membership of the society at Columbus is eighty-two. A. A. McNeal is steward and class-leader; A. B. McNeal and Sylvester Truit are class-leaders, J. Cain exhorter, and D.

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Whitlock, Sunday-school superintendent. The class that has since resulted in the organization of the Mt. Pleasant and Pleasant Grove societies, and the building of churches at these points, was organized in 1832, at the house of John Yeargain, Sr., in township 1 south, range 7 west, section 31. The Mt. Pleasant society now has ninety members, the Pleasant Grove eighteen. At Mt. Pleasant E. A. Yeargain is steward, and M. M. Year- gain and J. Q. Lawless are class-leaders; at Pleasant Grove, H. Vickers is steward, and J. T. Sparks, class-leader.

The Paloma Society has eighty members, and has A. G. Lan- ing-a local preacher on the circuit for a quarter of a century-as its pastor. The circuit is composed at the present (1879) of Columbus, Paloma, Mt. Pleasant and Pleasant Grove societies. It owns a very fine parsonage property, that cost the circuit $2,500, situated at Paloma. It was built under the administration of Rev. James Sinnock. The churches at Mt. Pleasant and Pleasant Grove were built in 1866, the centenary year of American Methodism, under administration of Rev. C. Rowell.

ELLINGTON TOWNSHIP.

Ellington is composed of a regular Congressional town, and a fraction, averaging about three miles in width, extending to the river. It is, therefore, nine iniles by six, and contains an area of fifty-four square miles, being the largest township in Adams county. It lies north and east of Quincy, and originally included that portion of the city north of Broadway. Ellington is bounded on the north by Ursa and Mendon, east by Gilmer, south by Melrose and the city limits, and west by the Mississippi river. The north line of the township is the base line of 40 degrees parallel of latitude, the same extending through Philadelphia. The surface is undulating, and in some parts quite broken, was originally half timber and half prairie. The rare fertility of its soil, which is composed nearly equally of mineral and vegetable properties, the superior drainage, so well adapting it to a great variety of crops, and diversity of seasons, and the superior class of im- provements which dot its beautiful farms, have won for it the cognomen of " Banner " township. Several creeks with their numerous branches checker its surface. Cedar, the largest of them, originates in a large spring a mile or two northeast of Quincy, and flows sonth of west to the river. Leonard's or Homan's creek has its source near the center of the township, in one of the largest and finest springs in the county, once owned by Capt. Leonard, from whom it and the creek take their names. Mill creek, along whose borders is the most broken and sterile portion of the township, flows across the northeast corner.

The bottom lands, of which there are a number of square miles, are chiefly in a wild, uncultivated state, but will eventually be reclaimed and made valuable.

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, also used by the Wabash Company, enters Ellington a mile south of the northwest corner, and extends diagonally to Quincy in the southwest corner, and the Quincy & Burlington Railroad leads up along the bluff, almost directly north.

The society of the township is cosmopolitan, made up of inhabitants of varied birth-place and nationality, although a majority of the pioneer settlers were natives of Kentucky. The first settlement was made in 1828, by Samuel Seward, on section 23, who was soon followed by Henry Jacobs

ELLINGTON TOWNSHIP

Richard Summers ELLINGTON TOWNSHIP

John Witterue ELLINGTON

yo Lo Powell ELLINGTON TOWNSHIP

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

and John S. Wood, who settled on section 17, and John M. Sterne and James Frasier, on section 5, in 1829. Isaac Sawin and Henry Putman located on section 8, where they erected a cabin; William Powell was also among the early settlers, as was Ebenezer Turner, and occupied it jointly for a time.

Henry Frasier, son of James Frasier, was the first child born in the township, on section 5, in 1829. The first death was that of Mr. Cook, who died from over exertion, in hunting in the "deep snow," the winter of 1830-31. Grandfather J. M. Sterne, now 87 years of age, and the oldest man in the township, in speaking of that memorable snow-storm says: It began to fall on the night of Dec. 27, 1830, and was two and a-half feet deep outside and six inches deep inside of his cabin the next morning. By severe effort he made a path to his spring, from which he carried water and saturated the snow on the roof, making a covering snow-proof and wind- proof for the rest of the winter. The snow continued to fall at intervals until Jan. 1, 1831, when it was four and a-half feet deep. The high winds drifted it, making " the rough ways smooth," and converting the prairie into one vast level sea of crystals.

The first school-house in Ellington was erected on Mr. Sterne's farm on section 5, in 1836. Alexander taught the first school in it that winter. There had been schools in vacant cabins, and several terms in Wesley Chapel, prior to that date. Wesley Chapel was the first house of worship, erected in 1831, on section 5, by the Methodists. Isaac Sawin was the contractor, and J. M. Sterne helped to hew the timbers. A very neat frame edifice now stands on the same lot, the property of the same society. John Kirkpatrick, a local minister of the M. E. church, preached the first dis- course. Rev. Peter Cartright, remembered as the "Pioneer Itinerant," preached for them occasionally.

Those old pioneers better understood transforming the wilderness into the productive farm and comfortable home than the technicality of law, as evidenced by the following true incident:

Henry Jacobs and John S. Wood purchased a quarter-section of land on section 17, jointly. Some time after, wishing to divide it, instead of going to the trouble to quit-claim, they simply cut the patent in two in the middle, supposing that to be legal beyond question.

In the spring of 1850, the first election was held under the township organization law, at the house of Mrs. Jacobs, near the center of the town- ship, and John P. Robbins was elected supervisor ; William Powell, assessor; Erastus W. Chapman, town clerk. The first justices of the peace were Augustus E. Bowles and Wm. H. Cather.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE.

The village of Bloomfield, the only town of which Ellington can boast save Quincy, is situated ten miles northeast of the city, on the northeast quarter of section 3. It was laid out about 1837, by Ansel Clarkson. For some years it seemed a child of promise. Mr. Clarkson and Jesse Kirk- patrick erected buildings and put in stocks of general merchandise; another man also started a store; a post-office was located there; a wagon manufac- tory, employing a number of men, was established by Charles Thompson, Jesse Kirkpatrick and a Mr. Herndon, but a wagon manufactory conducted by farmers not proving a profitable enterprise it was abandoned after a few

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

years, and now its only visible monument is a small blacksmith shop. A. Y. Davis figured prominently among the Bloomfielders as a merchant and grain dealer for several years, about 1856. The religious proclivities of the village are chiefly Catholic, and the only house of worship in the place was erected by that denomination about 1862. From 1861 the village rapidly declined. It has now some twenty dwellings, chiefly farmers', and the only place of trade is kept up by a bachelor named J. G. Kappus, who has seen the star of its hope rise and set.

Ellington is densely populated by a moral, intelligent and thrifty people, contains three substantial church edifices, a Methodist, a Presby- terian and a Methodist Protestant, has the usual number of prosperons schools, and no more beautiful farms and cheery homes can be found in any part of the State.

FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP.

This township derives its name from the creek of the same name, run- ing through it from east to west, the creek having been so named from a cas- cade, or waterfall of considerable size, in the stream. It is situated in the southwest corner of Adams county; is bounded on the north by Melrose, east by Payson, south by Pike county, and west by the Mississippi river. Fall Creek is a fractional town, being cut in an irregular form by the river; is seven miles wide on the north line, and less than five on the south line. Its surface is considerably diversified, the bluff lands, comprising two-thirds of its area are quite rolling, traversed by several creeks and brooks which furnish abundant water supply and ample drainage. The largest of these is Mill creek, which was once the seat of the pioneer mill from which it derived its name, flowing diagonally across the northwest corner, on whose banks the village of Millville is located. Ashlon creek heads about the north boundary of the township a mile and a-half west of the east line, and flows southwesterly emptying near the center of the west line. Fall creek enters the township a mile south of the northeast corner, its course is meandering, and its mouth a little north of the southwest corner. A Inxuriant growth of timber covered three-fourths of the township, and the prairie grass the remainder. The soil is a dark sandy loam, with a substra- tum of lighter color strongly impregnated with sand and gravel, and a sub- soil of limestone. This composition admirably adapts it to the production of the cereals and fruits. Wheat, of which very large crops are grown, amounting in the aggregate to over 100.000 bushels in a single season, may be considered the staple crop. though corn is extensively planted, and yields a rich harvest to the husbandmen. Much attention is given to fruit grow- ing; indeed Fall Creek can boast of some of the largest and finest apple and peach orchards in the United States. One formerly the property of Clark Chatten (deceased) contains over 125 acres of the choicest varieties.

Limestone abounds everywhere along the bluffs, and many fine quarries are being profitably worked. At Millville six large patent kilns are in active operation, employing sixty-five men, and turning out large quantities of the finest lime, which finds a ready market in various parts of Illinois and other States.

The bottom lands, comprising the other third of the township, are inex- haustible in their productive resources; and only need some additional drain- age and protection from the river to become some of the most magnificent and valuable farming lands in the world. Even now, with the threatening

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

floods and malaria, many laughing fields of waving grain greet the eye of the traveler at this time of the year-June-as he glides along the base of the bluff behind the iron horse or sails down the " Father of Waters " upon the back of an "Eagle."

The Quincy, Alton & St. Louis railroad cuts this town diagonally from northwest to southeast along the edge of the bottom, furnishing an outlet for the shipment of its abundant productions. There are three stations within its limits, Millville, the first south of Quincy, Bluff Falls and Fall Creek .. The latter, at the junction of the Hannibal branch, is quite a ship- ping point for live stock and farm produce. It is the seat of Fall Creek post-office.

Millville, the only village in the township is about seven and a-half miles southeast of Quincy, and contains less than a hundred inhabitants. It was laid out in 1835 by Michael Mast, John Coffman and Stephen Thomas, in the center of section 6, taking a corner from land of each. For a time it gave promise of growth. Michael Mast erected a large store and filled it with a stock of general merchandise, and for a time commanded con- siderable trade. In later years the business fell into the hands of Amos Beebe, and finally shrunk into the modest dimensions of a very small grocery, which is now the only mercantile establishment in the place. Early in its history the saw and grist mill on Mill creek did considerable business, and a large steam ferry plied between a point opposite Millville and Marion City-now extinct-on the Missouri side, furnishing a great thoroughfare for emigrant travel as late as 1850. The chief feature of importance at the place now is the half dozen large lime kilns and stone quarries, employ- ing over sixty men. Marblehead is the post-office.

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The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 73

Author: Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps Number of Pages: 1254

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps
Number of Pages: 1254