USA > Illinois > Winnebago County > Rockton > The history of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, 1820 to 1898 > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17
MERRILL E. MACK, JESSE BLINN.
CODICIL.
By the decree of God, changes having taken place in my family since signing and sealing the above will, I do hereby make the following alterations, namely: Whereas three addi- tional children have been born to me since the making and signing the above, viz: Edward, Matilda and Caroline, and whereas Henry C. has departed this life without issue, there- fore, Ido now will and decree that all of my children now eight in number, shall share equally in all the property which I may leave at my decease, and all under the form and manner set forth in the foregoing will; and whereas my former wife, Ho-no-ne-gah, having departed this life, and I having taken to myself Isabella, iny present wife, the said Isabella shall stand in all respects in the manner and have the same interest that my former wife, Ho-no-ne-gah, would have had, had she sur- vived me. I do hereby appoint as my executors of this my last
16
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
will, David Jewett and
STEPHEN MACK. [SEAL)
Pecatonic, Feb. 14, 1849.
John M. Hulett and Bela Shaw were appointed administrat- ors by the probate court.
FIRST SETTLERS.
The first permanent white settlers of Rockton, with the ex- ception of Stephen Mack, were William Talcott and his son Thomas B. Talcott. They came from Rome, N. Y., and made the journey all the way with a horse and wagon. Arriving at Chicago they concluded to make a trip to Milwaukee, and look over the country in that direction. On their journey to Milwaukee Thomas B. Talcott commenced to keep a journal of each day's adventures, and this he continued to do until the time they arrived on Rock river. Through the kindness of J. A. Merrill, we found this valuable record among Mr. Tal- cott's old papers, and give it here entire just as he wrote it, as follows:
"Friday, July 10th, 1835. Left our Indian tavern this morn- ing after breakfast. Had about four miles of prairie and then came into timber land. The timber is of various kinds such as oak, walnut, beech, maple, aslı, elm, basswood, etc. Came to Root river about twenty miles south of Milwaukee. After crossing the river and going a few miles we came to bad go- ing. Our horse got mired and we had to loosen him from the wagon and help him out, and then got out the wagon the best way we could with handspike, etc. Went about two miles and got fast again in the mud, and had to go through the same process to get along. After awhile we came to where the woods were more open and the road rather better, and had some hopes of getting there by night; but the road was so bad we were yet obliged to walk all the way. We passed over several hills where the Indians had formerly raised corn. The shape of the hills remained but were covered with grass and bushes. We came to Milwaukee a little after sun down, turn- ed out our horse on the commons, got some pork and bread for supper and went to bed.
"Saturday, July 11th. Rose this morning not much refresh- ed, for we had to sleep on the floor. Pork and bread again for
17
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
breakfast. We stopped on a point of land that ran down into a marsh to the river where the Menomonee comes into Milwau- kee. We crossed the river and went up about half a mile to the principal village. In the spring there was not a frame house here; now there is a store at the mouth of the river, one at Walker's point, two at the upper village, besides an Indian trader and a grocery, and several other frame buildings. Went up the river about two and a half miles to a saw mill; here is the first falls on the river, and boats of considerable size can go up to the mills. About three miles farther up is another saw inill, but the falls at either place are but a few feet. Con- ing down the river from the mills we ranged off a little in the woods between the river and the lake, found the land rather · rough and stony. The river runs along parallel with and about three miles from the lake for twenty-five miles. Took up our quarters this evening three-fourth of a mile up the river at Paul Burdick's, Had passable fare and a bed to sleep on.
"Sunday, July 12th. Rained last night and continued rain- ing most of the forenoon. Went down to the meeting, had preaching in the forenoon and bible class in the afternoon. The minister is a young man who was sent out on a mission among the Indians at Green Bay, but left there and came here on account of his health. He is a little tinctured with the spirit of speculation.
"Monday, July 13th. As yet we have had no news from home. Concluded to stay here till Wednesday evening wait- ing for mail. Was a little disappointed in the place. Did not expect to find such an extensive marsh about the mouth of the river. There are several hundred acres of wet marsh, all in one body covered with high grass, and so wet that a person cannot travel through it from Walker's point about a mile from the mouth of the river. It is seven miles to walk around the marsh to get on the other side while it is only two miles across.
"Tuesday, July 14th, There are three important points on the river, at least deemed so by those who have claims on dif- ferent points. Walker's point is occupied by Juno, and on the opposite side of the river by Cleveland & Fowler. There are not more than three of the claimants who have been on them long enough to have a pre-emption right to the land at the minimum price, but they are forming a combination to protect
18
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
and defend each other in their claims against anyone bidding on then.
"Wednesday, July 15th. Think the place will eventually be a place of considerable business, but will not grow up as rap- idly as Chicago. At present the inhabitants think of nothing but speculation. Not one in the vicinity of this place thinks of raising anything on the land, but make claims as fast as they can by going on and cutting a few trees, spade up a li ?- tle ground, and perhaps plant corn. They are just as likely to plant now as at the proper season. The mail came in this eve- ning without any letters for us. We wrote home and conclud- ed to start in the morning.
"Thursday, July 16th. After breakfast commenced looking for our horse. Found it about eleven o'clock, and started for Jombeau's, twenty-five miles up the lake towards Chicago. Found the traveling bad, our horse poor, and had to walk all the way, arriving there about nine o'clock in the evening very much fatigued. Our Potawatomie landlady prepared some supper for us, and we ate and retired to rest to dream out whether we should go to Prairie village or to Chicago.
"Friday, July 17th. Swapped away old sorrel this morning with our landlord for a roan horse and paid $7.50 to boot. Con- cluded we would go to Chicago, leave our wagon, buy another horse, and then go to Rock river on horse back. Started after breakfast and had to cross a very large prairie, traveled all day without seeing any inhabitants, arriving at. Sunderland's be- fore sundown, and put up there. There were nine horses and fourteen pair of cattle put out here to-night. Had to sleep on prairie feathers.
"Saturday, July 18th, Started this morning for the Des Plaines river across the prairie through high grass without any trail, intending to cross it and go to Mancel Talcott's. We traveled about five hours before we came to the river, part of the way through wet prairie and part of the way through tim- ber, and then came to where a man by the nanie of Cooly had made a claim on the river, apart of which was the best bottom land I ever saw. He was mowing grass almost as high as his head. Where we crossed the river the water was so high that it came into our wagon. We went down the river about three miles and stopped at Mr. Steels', and had some bread and milk for dinner. After baiting our horse we started on. We had
19
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
sixteen miles to go and calculated to reach there about sunset, and did not hurry much; but about five o'clock the heavens began to show indications of a shower, which finally came up and gave us a good ducking before we got here.
"Sunday, July 19th. Stopped at Mancel Talcott's and found them all well. * Elder Walker. a Methodist man was expected to preach at a neighbor's house. Went over about eleven o'clock, but he did not come, consequently there was no meeting,
"Monday, July 20th. Went to Chicago to purchase a horse and apparatus for going to Rock river. Found our Rome friends here, and received a letter from home, the first since we left, containing pleasant news. * Succeeded in get- ting a horse and rig for our journey. and shall leave town in the morning.
"Tuesday, July 21st. Crossed the wet prairie between Chi- cago and the Des Plaines, arriving at Mr. Talcott's a little be- fore noon. After dinner we went out hog hunting, and after a three mile ride succeeding in shooting one, which was taken home by attaching a rope to one of the horses and drawing the hog. We had fresh pork for supper.
"Wednesday, July 22nd. Started this morning for Rock riv- er, crossing the prairie west of Mancel Talcott's to Barnes' grove seven miles, then struck across another five miles, came onto an Indian trail to Fox river, which we supposed was about twenty miles from where we started in the morning. We traveled till six o'clock without finding any house, and then found no one at home. We crossed the river and went down a mile and a half looking for inhabitants, for we did not like to lie out as we had nothing to eat. We took only a small piece of cake with us in the morning, expecting to find plenty of in- habitants on Fox river. We turned about and recrossed the river, hoping to find some one at the house by this time. When we got there we found two men, but they did not belong there, and were going across as they lived a mile and a half up the river from the ford. We went home with them and found that they came from Virginia to settle here.
"Thursday, July 23d. Filled our pockets with provision expecting we should have to camp out one night, and then we should come to Kishwaukee river where there were inhabit- ants. About noon we caught a young grouse tangled in the
20
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
bushes so he could not fly away. Picked off the feathers and carried it along for supper. Passed three inhabitants in the forenoon on a beautiful prairie of first rate land. Made our trip a little before night, built a fire, roasted our grouse and with raw pork, and biscuit made our supper. Mosquitoes were troublesome.
"Friday, July 24th. Left our camp about five o'clock after taking our breakfast of raw pork and biscuit. Most of the forenoon we traveled through, bur-oak openings. About nine o'clock we came to a beautiful little lake and an old Indian village, called Big Foot lake and village. There were no Indi- ans there for most of them were wandering in the woods to- wards Chicago, to be ready for their payment from the govern- ment, which comes next month. We were here somewhat puzzled to find the right trail as there were so many which put out from the village. We finally made up our minds to go west south-west, but found the trail bearing to the south, fol- lowed on and came to a small creek meandering through a fine stip of bottom prairie which looked like the bed of some ancient river that was very large. The weeds and grass high. It was now nearly night and no signs of inhabitants, and it looked like showers. We came to an old Indian camp* and made us a shelter of barks and poles, struck up a fire and ate our pork and bread.
"Saturday, July 25th. After we stopped last night we saw several Indians cross the flat and one came over to us to beg some whisky. He was a Pottawatomie, and we learned from him that there were white folks within a few miles. We took his directions and started along, crossing the stream again. When we had got down a little way we came to a large river which an Indian had just crossed. We saw where he went out and started in after him. Soon found the water so deep that it came up almost to our horse's back. We turned around and tried again, found shallow water, crossed and went up onto the bluff to a camp of Indians, but could not understand theni much. One of them took a tin kettle and started and motion- ed for us to follow him. We did so, came to the river and ford-
*To a person acquainted with the location of the land he can readily see that this Indian camp was the Turtle village deserted in Black Hawk's time, and by recrossing the Turtle creek and following down its south bank, our travelers would soon come to Rock river, which they crossed to the high banks on the west side. The Indian they followed took them down to the Goodwin ford and thence to Mack's in Bird's grove.
21
HISTORY OF ROCKTON,
ed it again, crossed a small prairie, went into the woods and came to Stephen Mack's Indian trading establishment, and once more put up with a white man who had a squaw wife. Found we were on the bank of Rock river, two miles below the mouth of the Pecatonica and six miles south of the line of Wisconsin territory. We also learned that there was no de- pendence to be placed on our maps. Our map placed the mouth of the Pecatonica twenty miles south of Wisconsin, when it was but four miles. Rock isa beautiful river, said to be naviga- ble 150 miles above this place, and the Pecatonica 100 miles. The land is very good and at the mouth of the river is in the hands of Mack and Bradstreet, of Albany, N. Y., where they calculate to lay out a town, and I think the prospect is fair for a large place to grow up here. There are no buildings at pres- ent.
"Sunday, July 26th. Slept last night on the floor with blank- ets under us. Shall stay with our friend Mack to-day. There are no inhabitants in several miles except the Indians, who come around and Mack trades with them to-day as much as any day. All days are alike to the children of the forest. Mack is in the employ of the American Fur Company, and has been all his life time. The Indians have confidence in him and he has no trouble."
This is the end of the diary, but a little later Mr. Talcott further adds: "We stayed with Mack and went out and looked the ground over and concluded to locate here and made our claims. Father was rather looking for water power, and thought that by cutting across the bend in the river, it would give a pretty good water power, and to test it, he made a trongh to hold water for a level, and made his straight edges with his jack-knife and took a level across the bend, and it did not vary but a trifle from the government survey that was taken a year later.
"We made our claims, and then went to Chicago and pur- chased oxen, wagon, plow, and the necessary implements to commence a bachelor's hall, Came back and
BUILT A SMALL LOG CABIN
on the point between the two rivers, and for a while had it all to ourselves and the Indians; but during the summer and fall others came and we had neighbors. George Stevens, John F. Thayer, John Lovesee, and a Mr. Robertson located on the east
22
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
of Rock river opposite the mouth of the Pecatonica. Robert J. Cross located in the bend of the river below the Bradley grove. The Adamses, Mr. Fox and brother Henry came in Oc- tober, but there were no ladies. We were a nice lot of bache- lors and all keeping bachelor's hall, doing our own cooking and house work of all description."
The following beautiful lines from the gifted pen of Mrs. Mary (Hooker) Streckewald, describes this stage of Rockton's history in an able manner:
" 'Twas years ago, when the wild glowing west, Wore bright-hued blossoms on her emerald vest, When dusky Indians roamed the forest glades, Or built their wigwams 'neath its leafy shades; There eame one evening, just at set of sun,
Two travelers, a father and a son.
Here were the level prairie's fertile brim,
Kissed by the waters of your rippling streams, Fringed its fair banks with tali and stately trees, 'That waved their branches to the gentle breeze, While thickets of the plum and bending willows Surged here and there, their softly swelling billows, Green plumes and banners mixed with gleams of silver
Revealed the win ling pathway of the river. Here sail the father let us settle down, Send for the rest and found a TALCOTT town.
1 They made their claim and built a cabin small, With logs and clay to form its solid walls, With a rude window and a ruder door And roof of bark over its hard clay floor."
Thomas M. Coons visited Rockton this same year. He with four others started out with a team from Joliet in harvest time to make a trip in this direction to see the country. They came as far as Rock river and stopped and took their dinner about where the guard locks are now situated. Three of the party were opposed to going any farther, so they returned to Joliet. They did not see any one while here, either white or red mien. Mr. Coons did not settle in Rockton till some years later.
The summer and autumn of 1835, closed with the follow- ing settlers who had come to Rockton:
Isaac Adanis, Pearley P. Burnham, George Stevens,
Darius Adams, C. J. Fox, Thomas B. Talcott,
David A. Blake, John Kilgore, Henry W. Talcott,
Ellison Blake, John Lovesee, John F. Thayer.
William Talcott went back east to settle up his business be- fore moving his family out here. Mack had moved from Bird's grove to the bluff at the mouth of the Pecatonica river, and Robert J. Cross, who had located a claim down the river which
23
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
he had purchased of a Frenchman by the name of Lavec, was living in Mack's old house in Bird's grove. A few settlers who had come with Cross located in Roscoe.
1838.
On January 16th, 1836, the legislature passed an act to create the county of Winnebago. The boundaries then given embrac- ed all of the territory of Boone and +Winnebago counties, and two tiers of townships from the east side of Stephenson coun- ty. A subsequent act reduced the county to its present size of sixteen townships. The county was named after the Indian tribes who inhabited its territory. This Indian word means a tribe of "fish eaters," or a people who lived mostly on fish. With the geat abundance of fish in Rock and Pecatonica rivers, the red men of the vicinity could draw largely from these riv- ers for their supply of food.
The first election held in the county was on the first Mon- day in August of this year. Germanicus Kent, of Rockford; Joseph P. Briggs, of Cherry Valley; and Robert J. Cross, of Roscoe, were appointed judges of election. All voters scatter- ed over a territory of 1152 square miles, had to go to Rockford to vote. At that election one hundred and twenty votes were polled and the voters from Rockton were: Isaac Adams, David A. Blake, Pearley P. Burnham, Daniel Fairchild, John Love- see, Thomas B. Talcott, Henry W. Talcott, and John F. Thayer. Thomas B. Talcott was elected one of the county commission- ers. Of all the men who met that day and voted to put the local machinery of government in motion sixty-two years ago, probably not one of them is living now.
The first official act of the county commissioners was to di- vide the county into election precincts. Rock river precinct embraced the present town of Manchester, in Boone county, and the towns of Roscoe, Rockton, Shirland, Harrison, and the north half of the towns of Harlem and Owen, in Winnebago county. Going to election in those early times ment some- thing, and most of them undoubtedly made a full day of it.
The county commissioners ordered an election to be held in each precinct to elect justices of the peace and constables, which was held in Rockton, Aug. 27th. Sylvestet Talcott and Robert J. Cross were elected justices of the peace; and John P Parsons and David A. Blake constables.
The location of the county seat was fixed by a commission
24
HISTORY OF ROCKTON
appointed by an act of the legislature, composed of Robert Stevens, and Rezin Zarley, of Cook county, and John Phillips, of Jo Daviess county. The place was known in that early day as Winnebago, and situated on the west side of the river about two miles north of the present court house. Thirty acres were set aside for the county buildings. The location of the county seat did not give general satisfaction, and it was the subject of an exciting controversy in the county for several years, until an act of the legislature gave the people the right to settle the question by vote, which resulted in its present location.
The presidential election in this precinct was held Nov. 7th, in Isaac Adams' house. The judges of election were Robert J. Cross, Stephen Mack and Isaac Adams. The names of the twenty voters on that occasion were:
Isaac. Adams, John Langdon,
Ariel Robinson,
John Allen, Samuel P. Langdon, Sylvester Talcott,
Frederick Bird, John Lovesee, Thomas B. Talcott,
E. Lee Bird, Stephen Mack, Henry W. Talcott,
Elijah H. Brown, Chauncey Mead,
John F. Thayer,
Pearley P. Burnhanı, William Mead,
C. W. Williamson,
Robert J. Cross, George Patterson.
The political complection of these voters showed their pre- vious training and convictions, and nineteen whigs and one democrat very forcibly told how party lines were shaped. Mr. Williamson might have felt a trifle lonesome as the solitary follower of Andrew Jackson, but we presume his neighbors did not try to boycott him on account of his political convictions. The same political sentiment has predominated in Rockton from that early date to the present time.
THE POLISH CLAIM.
Another important event which had a great influence on the future destiny of Rockton, transpired this year. This was known in those early days as the Polishi claim. In 1834, con- gress granted thirty-six sections of unclaimed western land to à colony of Polish exiles, and the agent of this colony, Gen. Klopiski, came to Rockton in 1836 with the purpose of locat- ing his claim on lands in Rockton, Owen and Rockford. He was informed that this locality was not unclaimed public land, and therefore he could lay no claim here. He promised to go away and locate his claim elsewhere, but he did not do
25
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
so, and held to his clain on a part of Rockton and other towns. After about seven years effort, and after congress had been frequently petitioned, the claim of the Polanders was set a- side by the act of April 14, 1842. During this stay of years to get a title to the land then occupied, many came here to locate on account of its superior natural advantages, but learning the condition of things, went away and settled elsewhere. Some of the people who went to Beloit came here first, and also James Thompson, who built a woolen factory in Roscoe; but finding that no one could sell them land or water power and give a clear title, they did not stay. How much Rockton suf- fered in developement from this unjust claim cannot be told. The news had flown eastward that "Pecatonic," with its navi- gable waterways and splendid water power was likely to be a second Cincinnati, hence the tide of emigration that turned this way. Had all of the conditions been favorable it is hard to imagine what might have been the destiny of Rockton as a great industrial center.
We quote from a communication by William Hulin, publish- ed in the Winnebago Forum, of 1843, for further particulars on this subject: "Suffice it to say, that after the settlers had by their petitions, for several successive sessions, called the at- tention of congress to the subject, an act was passed and be- came a law on the 14th of April, 1842, removing the incubus and authorizing the entry of the lands in these two townships, (Rockton and Rockford,) by pre-emption, like other govern- ment lands.
"In the midst of our rejoicings over the most righteous re- sults, let us not lose sight of the important fact that our busi- ness might have been buried beneath the mass of unfinished congressional matter for years to come, but forthe kindness of the Hon. O. H. Smith, of Indiana, the Hon. Robert J. Walker, of Mississippi, and the Hon. Richard M. Young, of this state, senators in congress, who well informed of the facts in the case, and satisfied of the justice of our cause, most generously gave us the benefit of their efficient aid, by which the affair was finally disposed of to the satisfaction of all parties, as well as ourselves, and ample provision was made for the benefit of the real exiles from Poland, and these unfortunate and merito- rious countrymen of Kosciusko had no occasion to question the honor and good faith of a government which some of the
26
HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
most illustrious patriots of Poland had bled to establish."
The land in the township was surveyed this year, by Don Alonzo Spaulding. He was elected county surveyor the same year. Part of the land in Rockton did not come into market and subject to entry till 1844, for the reason before given.
Sylvester Talcott came Feb. 26, of this year, finding his way over the trackless prairie by the aid of a pocket compass, and crossed the rivers on the ice. In the fall of the same year he was elected the first justice of the peace. He also had the hon- or of performing the first marriage ceremony in town. The contracting parties were Robert Logan and Miss Eliza Blake, and the date of marriage was July 19th, 1837.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.