USA > Illinois > Kane County > Elgin > The history of Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, 1835 to 1875 > Part 12
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Nearly, or quite all, of these places have railroads-some of them two or three-and as the Fox river valley is one of the most delightful and fertile in the world, it is not surprising that the people who inhabit it are wealthy, and the villages which they support flourishing. But without the beneficent river, which we have hastily noticed, this splendid region would be like the play of Hamlet, with the part of Hamlet left out.
KANE COUNTY.
The county of Kane, although among those last settled in Illinois, is now one of the most populous and wealthy in the State. It derives its name from Hon. Elias K. Kane, one of the early and prominent citizens and poli- ticians of southern Illinois. Prior to 1836, the territory from the present north line of LaSalle county to the Wisconsin line, and from what was then. Cook county, on the east, to what was Jo Daviess county, on the west, was a part of LaSalle county. In the winter of 1835-36, the legislature passed an act by which the present territory of Kane and DeKalb counties, and the three north townships of Kendall, were laid off into a county and denom- inated Kane. In the winter of 1836-7, the west half of Kane was appropri-
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HISTORY OF ELGIN.
ated to an organization denominated DeKalb county, and subsequently the three southern townships were allotted to Kendall county, leaving Kane with its present area-eighteen miles wide by thirty long, and embracing fifteen townships. It contains 540 square miles or 345,000 acres. The present population of the county is about 45,000.
The government surveys of Kane county took place in 1839 and '40, and the lands came into market in 1842. In the early days of Illinois, the local government was mainly by counties, though they were divided into election precincts for the convenience of voting, etc. In 1850, this precinct arrange- ment was abandoned in Kane county, and township organization and gov- ernment took their place.
The first actual settler in Kane county was Christopher Payne, from North Carolina, who arrived with his family in October, 1833, and located one mile east of Batavia. He made his journey from Carolina with an ox- team. Col. Nathaniel Lyon and Capt. C. B. Dodson settled near Batavia in the spring of 1834, there being only five other families in the county at that time. During the summer and fall, some forty families located along Fox river, among whom were Messrs. Haight, Joseph and Samuel McCarty, Aldrich, Vandeventer, How, McKee, Town, Churchill, Miles, Wm. and John Van Nortwick, Ira Minard, and James Herrington. At this time the country now embraced by Kane county was in possession of the Pottawat- tamie Indians-the wigwam of Waubansie, their chief, being a little north of Aurora, but most of them were soon after removed beyond the Mississippi. The first store and saw-mill in the county were built by C. B. Dodson, in the summer of 1834, at Clybourneville, one mile south of Batavia. The first flouring-mill was erected in Batavia in 1837 by Mr. M. Boardman, and was followed the same year by another at Aurora, built by the Messrs. McCarty. Up to this time the nearest flouring mills were at Ottawa. The first school in the county was held in a log cabin on Col. Lyon's claim, one mile east of Batavia, and was taught by a Mr. Knowles, from Vermont, with an average attendance of nine scholars. The first church was organized in Batavia in 1835. The first post office was established at Geneva, or Herrington's Ford, in 1835, and called La Fox, James Herrington being postmaster. The first celebration of the Fourth of July is said to have taken place in Elgin in 1836. The year following, S. S. Jones, Esq., delivered his celebrated ora- tion on the Fourth of July, to eleven hearers. The first white child of Kane county was Dodson Vandeventer, born in the "Big Woods," October 10, 1834. The first sermon preached in the county was by the Rev. N. C. Clark, at the residence of Christopher Payne, the first settler, as early as August, 1834. Indeed, Mr. Clark might well have been styled the pastor of the entire Kane county settlement for several years, and was truly one of the pioneer preachers of this region. The first newspaper in Kane county, was pub- lished at St. Charles in the fall of 1841, by John Thomas. It was styled the "St. Charles Patriot," afterwards the Fox River Advocate and Kane County
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Herald. The paper was burned out in 1842, but Ira Minard went to Hen- nepin, on the Illinois river, with two teams, and purchased a press and material, so that the paper was continued as the Fox River Advocate, edited by D. D. Waite.
The following extract from a letter to the Genesee Evangelist, in 1848, will give the impressions of a traveler with regard to Kane county twenty-seven years ago, and also the population of some of the villages of the county at that time :
" This county lies north of Kendall and west of DuPage, and if any preference can be given among so many counties, all of which are so beau- tiful and so fertile, that preference must be given to Kane. I think, after taking all things into consideration, that I may safely pronounce it the best county in the state. Although the prairie land predominates, it is inter- spersed with valuable groves, containing timber sufficient for fuel, fencing and building for years to come.
" Most of the county is within a day's drive of the lake, thus enjoying a proximity to market not possessed by counties further west. The new rail- road from Chicago to Galena passes directly through it and affords a ready communication at all times with Chicago. But its magnificent river, which supplies so much water power and propels so much machinery, adds mate- rially to the wealth and business of the county. This is Fox river, which rises in Wisconsin, a few miles west of Milwaukee, and empties into the Illinois at Ottawa. After running twenty or thirty miles from its source, and before entering the state of Illinois it becomes sluggish, and for most of the way has too little fall to propel machinery with much power. By the time, however, that it reaches the north part of Kane county, its descent is more rapid and it rolls on in a broad channel and nearly a straight course through the whole length of the county (about thirty miles), affording many valuable mill sites. On ascending or descending the river, the traveler passes, once in every five miles, on an average, a thriving village, divided by the stream, until he reaches the sixth before leaving the county. Each of these villages contains one or more flouring mills. A short distance north of the south line of the county is Aurora, containing some 1,000 or 1,200 inhabitants. Seven miles north of here is Batavia, a place somewhat smaller than Aurora. Like its sister villages, it is separated by the channel of water which propels its machinery. A small island divides the river as it passes through the village. Two miles north of Batavia is Geneva, the shire town of Kane county, although it is the smallest of its villages. Two miles fur- ther on is St. Charles, containing some 1,200 or 1,500 inhabitants. A paper mill has been erected here and is now in operation, being the only one in northern Illinois. Ten miles north of St. Charles is Elgin, the largest and prettiest village in Kane county. The state of society here is good and the country around beautiful and fertile, thus making Elgin one of the most delightful places in the world for a residence. Proceeding five miles north-
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ward we reached Dundee, the last of the Kane county villages. The place contains some 600 inhabitants, and as its Scotch name would indicate, has several Scotch families in and around it. L."
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
"Illinois the magnificent," was the expression of Horace Greeley, many years ago, as he gazed on the beautiful landscape of the prairie state, and penned a letter in relation to it for the Tribune. "Illinois the magnificent" has been the spontaneous expression of many others, as they have ridden over its broad prairies and through its charming groves and crossed its noble rivers and visited its thriving villages. It was settled by the French at Cahokia and Kaskaskia, nearly 200 years ago, but its principal development has been within the present century; and that of the northern half within the last fifty years. It is the empire state of the great west. It is larger than England and seven times as large as Massachusetts. Its popula- tion is about 3,500,000, which is rapidly increasing. It has about 4,000 miles of navigable rivers in and around it, and about the same number of miles of railroad, crossing the state in every direction. This is one mile of railroad to about fourteen square miles of territory, while France has one mile to about twenty-six square miles of territory. Illinois has about five times as much railroad as France in proportion to population, and three times as much as Great Britain. The coal fields of Illinois are three or four times as extensive as those of Great Britain, and its lead and other mines, as well as its arable lands, are sources of great wealth. About 150,000,000 bushels of corn are produced annually, and its other agricultural products are enor- mous. Its principal city has probably become the greatest grain and stock market in the world. More stock was received at her yards during a recent year than in the three cities of St. Louis, Cincinnati and Milwaukee com- bined.
In the state are about thirty colleges, with 4,000 students. It has about 1,200 schools, with 21,000 teachers and 800,000 pupils, and a school revenue of about $8,000,000 per annum.
Its eleemosynary institutions are an honor to the state, and in them the insane, the blind, the dumb and others are well cared for. The benevo- lence of the people of Illinois is honorable to their heads and their hearts, and compares well with that of the people of surrounding states. In the reports of the national benevolent societies, Illinois is almost always far ahead. Indeed, for several years the remittances from this state to one of these national societies were about equal to those from the six surrounding states combined. Such is a bird's-eye view of the state in which we live and of which we may well be proud. And yet it is only in its infancy. It is capable of sustaining a population of 50,000,000, and when the hum of busy industry shall fully develop its capabilities, our descendants may be part of that number who shall then inhabit it.
MUNICIPAL.
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ELGIN CITY GOVERNMENT.
1875-6.
· MAYOR, DAVID F. BARCLAY. CITY CLERK, WILLIAM F. SYLLA. ALDERMEN.
FIRST WARD-R. M. MARTIN, E. S. JOSLYN.
SECOND WARD -- I. C. BOSWORTH, R. P. JACKMAN.
THIRD WARD-E. LYNCH, T. H. FOSTER.
FOURTH WARD-WM. LLOYD, I. C. TOWNER.
FIFTH WARD-WM. F. LYNCH, S. WANZER.
SIXTH WARD-GEO. S. HEATH, CHAS. D. DICKINSON.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
FINANCE -- Aldermen Bosworth, Foster, E. Lynch and Heath.
CLAIMS-Aldermen Towner and Dickinson.
STREETS-Aldermen Martin, Lloyd, Wanzer, Foster, Jackman and Heath. FIRE-Aldermen Joslyn and Martin.
GAS AND WATER-Aldermen Dickinson and Foster.
JUDICIARY-Aldermen W. F. Lynch and Joslyn.
PRINTING-Aldermen Heath and W. F. Lynch.
LICENSE-Aldermen Lloyd and Wanzer.
PUBLIC GROUNDS-Aldermen Jackman, Towner and Dickinson.
BOARD OF EDUCATION.
DAVID F. BARCLAY, PRESIDENT ; JOHN B. NEWCOMB, SECRE- TARY; ALFRED S. MOXON, 'ALONZO H. BARRY, ANSON L. CLARK, SAMUEL W. CHAPMAN.
CITY ATTORNEY, EUGENE CLIFFORD.
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HISTORY OF ELGIN.
POLICE MAGISTRATES, A. HADLOCK, WM. OWEN. CITY MARSHAL, JOHN POWERS. NIGHT POLICE, J. B. LIEK, THOMAS POWERS.
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STREET COMMISSIONER,
A. C. JOSLYN.
CITY TREASURER,
ANDREW C. HAWKINS.
CITY COLLECTOR, -
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GEORGE F. LEWIS.
CITY ASSESSOR, GEORGE P. HARVEY.
CITY SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, L. A. BALDWIN.
POUND MASTER,
JAMES SCANLAN. !
CITY PHYSICIAN,
DR. D. E. BURLINGAME.
HEALTH OFFICER,
GEORGE D. SHERMAN. :
CITY SEXTON, H. B. WATERS.
THE CITY COURT OF ELGIN.
JUDGE-R. G. MONTONY. STATES' ATTORNEY-ALBERT G. HOPKINS. DEPUTY SHERIFF-WALTER H. KIMBALL. CLERK-R. W. PADELFORD.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
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CHIEF ENGINEER, GEORGE F. LEWIS.
FIRST ASSISTANT ENGINEER, FRANK. A. SCHALLER.
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HISTORY OF ELGIN.
SECOND ASSISTANT ENGINEER, FRANK W. RAYMOND.
ELGIN HOOK AND LADDR COMPANY-Thirty-five members .- Foreman- E. W. King. First Assistant Foreman-A. Gustason. Second Assistant Foreman-E. K. Allen. Secretary-Edward U. Taylor. Treasurer-John L. Kee. Truck Keeper-James Mallett. Meets at Truck House on Spring street.
JAMES T. GIFFORD ENGINE COMPANY-Six members .- Foreman-Theo- dore Schroder. Engineer-A. R. Hendricks. Meets at Court House.
ED. JOSLYN HOSE COMPANY-Twenty members .- Foreman-M. B. Jos- lyn. Assistant Foreman-James Jeffers. Secretary -- F. C. Kothe. Treas- urer-C. Sexauer. Meets at Court House. .
GEORGE S. BOWEN EXTINGUISHER COMPANY-Fourteen members .- Foreman-Del. W. Rogers. Assistant Foreman-John V. Schaller. Secre- tary and Treasurer-W. McComb. Truck Keeper-George Schaller. Meet at Truck House on Spring street.
[For Civic, Temperance, and Musical Societies, see pp. 44-46.]
PARKS.
PUBLIC SQUARE-East side Chapel, between DuPage and Fulton streets. Also triangular parks at the intersection of Prairie and Villa streets, and of Dundee and Center streets.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
CITY COURT HOUSE-West side River street, foot of DuPage street.
CHURCHES.
CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER (EPISCOPAL)-Services held at Odd Fel= lows' hall, Bruckman's block ; Rev. Samuel J. French, rector.
CONGREGATIONAL-Northwest corner Center and Fulton streets ; Rev. C. E. Dickinson, pastor.
FIRST BAPTIST-Northwest corner Chicago and Geneva streets ; Rev. Leo. M. Woodruff, pastor.
FREE METHODIST-East side Center street, between DuPage and Fulton streets ; Rev. N. E. Parks, pastor.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL-Southeast corner Center and Milwaukee streets ; Rev. F. Busse, pastor.
GERMAN LUTHERAN-Northeast corner Spring and Division streets ; Rev. F. W. Richmann, pastor.
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HISTORY OF ELGIN.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL-Northwest corner Center and Milwaukee streets; Rev. Wm. C. Dandy, D. D., pastor.
PRESBYTERIAN-West side Center street, between Chicago and DuPage streets ; Rev. Wm. L. Boyd, pastor.
ROMAN CATHOLIC-Southeast corner Gifford and Fulton streets ; Rev. T. Fitzsimmons, pastor.
SECOND BAPTIST-West side Dundee road, between Kimball and Frank- lin streets.
SWEDISH LUTHERAN-West side of Center street, between Dexter Ave- nue and Division street ; Rev. M. C. Ranseen, pastor.
UNIVERSALIST-Southeast corner DuPage and Center streets ; Rev. W. S. Balch, pastor.
EDUCATIONAL.
ELGIN ACADEMY.
North side of Park street, between College and North College streets.
PRINCIPAL-A. G. Sears, A. M.
PRECEPTRESS-Mrs. S. A. Sears.
FIRST ASSISTANT-Miss E. E. Kenyon.
SECOND ASSISTANT-Miss Jennie Tazewell.
TEACHER OF FRENCH AND GERMAN-Madame A. Charpier.
TEACHER OF DRAWING-Miss S. H. Lang.
TEACHER OF PENMANSHIP -- D. H. Whitford.
TEACHER OF VOCAL MUSIC-Mrs. Lois E. Hillis.
TEACHER OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC-Miss Hattie M. Brown.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
CHARLES F. KIMBALL, Superintendent.
HIGH SCHOOL-Northwest corner of Kimball and Center streets .- Miss A. A. Clement, principal : Miss Flora Pennell, assistant intermediate depart- ment ; Miss E. M. Sprague, teacher of primary department; Miss Nellie Browning and Miss N. M. Duhy, teachers.
OLD BRICK SCHOOL-Northeast corner of DuPage and Chapel streets .- Grammar Department-Miss A. J. Kendall, principal, Miss C. B. Seaman, assistant ; Intermediate department-Miss Fannie Hunt, teacher; Prima- ry department-Miss Cecil C. Harvey, teacher.
DUPAGE STREET SCHOOL-Northeast corner of DuPage and Geneva streets .- Grammar department-Miss S. F. Lawrence, principal, Miss Kate · Frazer, assistant ; Intermediate department-Miss S. E. Murphy, teacher; Primary department-Miss M. B. Kimball, teacher.
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NORTH SCHOOL-Northwest corner of Brook and Cherry streets .- Intermediate department-Mrs. R. T. Greene, teacher ; Primary department -Miss Julia Allen, teacher.
NORTHWEST SCHOOL-Northeast corner of Mill and Jackson streets .- Intermediate department-Miss DeEtta Ferron, teacher ; Primary depart- meet-Mrs. Sarah J. Smith, teacher.
SOUTHEAST SCHOOL-Southwest corner of National street and St. Charles road .- Miss Mattie Moxon, teacher.
SOUTHWEST SCHOOL-South side of Locust street, between Moseley and State streets .- Intermediate department-Mrs. C. M. Jennings, teacher ; Primary department-Mrs. H. M. O'Neil, teacher.
ELGIN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND READING ROOM. Third Floor Home Bank Block.
I. C. Bosworth, president ; J. A. Spillard, secretary ; L. H. Yarwood librarian.
ELGIN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. .
FAIR GROUNDS-North side of Enterprise street, east of Dundee road.
George P. Harvey, president; C. C. Church, vice president ; M. H. Thompson, secretary ; E. D. Waldron, treasurer.
ELGIN TOWN OFFICERS.
SUPERVISOR, J. A. CARLISLE.
ASSISTANT SUPERVISORS, H. E. PERKINS, H. B. WILLIS. TOWN CLERK, W. F. SYLLA.
TOWN ASSESSOR, GEORGE P. HARVEY. TOWN COLLECTOR, L. S. TYLER. -
TRUSTEES OF SCHOOLS. H. E. PERKINS, F. L. MCCLURE, S. S. MANN. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS, THOMAS BISHOP, JONATHAN TEFFT, J. R. MCLEAN.
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