USA > Illinois > Winnebago County > Rockton > The history of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, 1820 to 1898 > Part 3
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Mr. and Mrs. David Carpenter came to Rockton this year, performing the journey from the state of New York with horses and wagon, arriving July 15th, late in the day just as a big shower was coming up. They found shelter in the log cabin of George Stevens, near where the Osgood stone house was afterwards built on the flat opposite Macktown. The cabin gave them protection from the storm for a time, but when the sod chimney, after being soaked with rain, caved into the fire place, the smoke became so unbearable that the inmates had to leave the cabin, preferring the downpouring of the rain to be- ing suffocated with smoke. It was a dismal night for our trav- elers, and no doubt they thought of the comfortable homes they had left in the east and wished they had stayed there. .
Finding they could not stay there with any degree of com- fort, they got up their team and started for some other habi- tation. They were guided to the humble home of Isaac Ad- ams, situated near the south-east corner of Main and Bridge streets, where they found a shelter for the night.
As Mr. Carpenter could not find any land the next day in the vicinity but what had already been claimed, he hired Mr. Ste- vens at the expense of a dollar, to ferry them across the river to the Talcott cabin between the rivers, and there they lived for four weeks until Mr. Carpenter could build a log house on his claim west of the river.
It was a lonely time for Mrs. Carpenter in those early days, as she was the first and only white woman in the new settle- ment, and frequent spells of being homesick would force them- selves upon her. Thomas Talcott would read one of Dr. Ly- inan Beecher's sermons on a Sunday to make the day seem
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less lonesome and dreary; while Sylvester Talcott would try to say encouraging words, telling her that she would soon hear the glad sound of the church bell, and not many years would pass before a railroad would come this way, but to these bright prospects she would only sorrowfully say, "Not in my day, not in my day."
How little did she then realize that fourteen years hence, the church bell would be a reality, or only a few years later that the shrill notes of the iron horse would electrify the whole country with its beneficent results.
When left alone in her humble home she was in constant fear of the lawlessness of the roving bands of Indians that passed near them. One day a company of them came along and olie of their number rode his horse as far into the house as possible, demanding some whisky. She was nearly fright- ened to death, and only had strength of voice to say there was none. When the Indian saw how he had frightened the lone woman he was greatly amused and quietly departed.
One rainy day in the fall of the year when Mr. Carpenter was at home, four Indians returning from a duck hunt, walk- ed into his house and took possession of his stove to cook their ducks on. Their manner of cooking was most repulsive, and when they got through with their meal, the top of the stove and the feathers on the floor was a sight to behold. Mr. Car- penter scolded but they only laughed at him. When they de- parted they laughingly made their bows by way of thanks and went away.
Mr. Carpenter felt the need of a boat as he frequently wanted to cross the river, so he bantered an Indian for a nice black walnut canoe. He held upa dollar and indicated with three fingers that he would give three dollars for it. The Indian in turn held up five fingers as the price of the canoe. A compro- mise was effected by the Indian holding up three fingers with one other turned down at the middle joint. Thus the canoe was purchased at the cost of $3.50. Every Indian respected the ownership of the canoe, and not one of them molested it.
For three months Mrs. Carpenter stood the great strain of pioneer life with the haunting fear that she might be killed by the Indians at any moment, until Mr. Carpenter concluded to take her back to Chicago and stay there until such times as other women canie to settle near them. They planned to start
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the next morning when just at night a team forded the river and came to their house for a night's lodging. It took but an instant for Mrs. Carpenter to discover that the travelers were her father, Dea. Luman Pettibone, and his family. Of course the contemplated journey to Chicago was at once given up. Although their house was only large enough for two, the grim old logs seemed to possess remarkable elastic properties when called upon to enfold an additional family of seven. Mrs. Carpenter's gloomy fears soon passed away in the care of her enlarged household, and in the consciousness of being sur- rounded by her relatives.
Mr. Pettibone stayed there through the winter, and in the spring located a claim on a part of the Goodwin place, to which he removed,
One of the gang of prairie bandits by the name of Baker, who like his comrades in crime, was a terror in those early days, came to Mr. Carpenter's one day when he was away from home, and wanted their canoe to cross the river as he was in a great hurry. Mrs. Carpenter could not let the canoe go, so she was obliged to set him across the river. He offered no pay for her kind act, and not even thanks. It turned out after- wards that this man had stolen a gold watch from Thomas Grout, of Shirland, which accounted for his great hurry.
Mr. Carpenter brought money enough with him to enter his land, but as he had to wait nearly eight years to do so,he loan- ed his money until such time as he might need it. The invest- ment proved to be a total loss to him by the death of one party and the bankruptcy of the other; and he was obliged to hire $300 at a high rate of interest to enter his land, which by the strictest econcmy took him seven years to pay up.
Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter lived on their farm west of the river from 1836 to 1865, when their son Luman Carpenter bought a place for them in town after he came home from the war, to which they soon removed.
This place was first known as the "mouth of the Pecatonic." Some cut the name down to "the mouth," while on the other hand the majority adopted the simple word "Pecatonic," or more properly Pecatonica, which by common consent became the name of the town for several years, until it was changed to Rockton by an act of the legislature of the session of 1846-7. The name was suggested by Thomas B. Talcott. It may be
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interesting to know why such a musical name as Pecatonica, was discarded. Its Indian meaning is crooked or winding river. Those acquainted with the sinuous course of the river will readily see that the name was very appropriately applied. The impression had gone forth in those early times that it was very unhealthy along the Pecatonica river, and as the town was named after the river, the inference to outsiders would very naturally be that the town was in an unhealthy locality. To counteract such a wrong impression. the name was changed by a petition of the citizens to the legislature. At the same time the location of the public park was changed from block twenty-seven to block twenty-five. A few years later, an en- terprising town sprang into existance several miles up the Pecatonica river, and they very wisely adopted the name for their town which Rockton had ceased to honor.
Some increase was made in the number of settlers during this year, which materially enlarged the area of settlers'claims. A few additional log cabins were erected, and some effort was made to cultivate the soil, The wants of the settlers were few and simple and communication with friends limited. Thus the year of 1836 closed down on the little settlement of Rockton.
1837.
The first tax levied and collected was under the order of the county commissioners, March 7, 1837. No real estate was then assessed as the land had not come into market, except the town lots of the first town of Winnebago. The land on which these lots were located had previously been sold as it was an Indian reservation or "float." The order for the levy read as follows: "That one-half per cent. taxes be levied on the following de- scription of property: Town lots, horses and mares, neat cat- tle above three years old, watches, carriages and wagons; and it is likewise ordered that one-fourth per cent. be levied on stock in trade."
Under the first constitution of the state, the county treasur- er was the assessor and the sheriff was the collector. Robert J. Cross, the first county treasurer, made the complete county assessment in fifteen days, for which he received $30. The sheriff, Daniel S. Haight, did the collecting. The whole a- mount of taxes collected on personal property was $289.29, and
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on non-resident lots $264.30. Thus it will be seen that the first tax ever collected in the county amounted to $553.59.
The first jury for the county was selected at a meeting of the county commissioners' court, April 20, 1837. Of the twelve jurymen selected, two were form Rockton, David Carpenter and David A. Blake. The jurors then received seventy-five cents a day for sevices.
Capt. William Talcott moved his family from the state of New York to Rockton this year. After making his claim in 1835, he went back home, settled up his business, and then brought out his family. They built a house on the south-west corner of block sixteen, which was at that time the most sub- stantial dwelling house in the little settlement. It was built of logs, but when they got the saw mills running, a framed ad- dition was joined to it. Some traces of the old cellar and well are yet visible, but the best land mark is a large tree growing there, which was planted when a mere twig under the buttery window by Mrs. F. W. Packard when a young girl. It would seem very appropriate for the descendants of Willianı Talcott to put up some durable mark on that corner to tell where the father of the town first lived. A large boulder with the name of Talcott cut on it would be very appropriate and lasting. ' This family made quite an addition to the place, as it was the third white family to settle here. They were soon fol- lowed by a number of others.
A government commissioner this year located "floats," or land set apart for the benefit of half-breed children, on sections 27, 28 and 30, along the south side of the Pecatonica river. A Frenchman by the name of Hamel, who had a squaw wife se- cured section 27. S. and A. Gibson had a claim on section 29, and induced the government commissioner to pass them by and not take their claim for a float. It is said that the Gibsons had a political pull on the commissioner. Dr. Lippitt who set- tled in Shirland, came west in 1836, and bought a claim on sec- tion 30, paying for it a pair of horses, $80 in cash and gave his note for $40. When he brought his family here the next year, he found his claim worthless by reason of a float having been laid on the section. He then crossed the Pecatonica river and made his permanent home in the town of Shirland.
Rev. William M. Adams came to Rockton at the solicitation of William Talcott, in September, 1837. He organized the
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Congregational church here, March 23d, 1838, and for four years he preached in Rockton and Beloit. He organized the first Congregational church in Beloit, in 1839. He built the first framed dwelling house in Rockton in 1838, and moved his family into it as soon as it was enclosed. This building form- ed a part of the house now occupied by F. W. Packard. Mrs. Packard, a daughter of Rev. Adams, has lived in this house just sixty years, and never enjoyed the luxury of house hunt- ing or moving. We doubt if there is another such case in the town or county even. Rev. Adams had a claim on land which has since been known as the Winsor farm. He also had a tim- ber claim on the north side of the Pecatonica river, which has since become a part of the Blodgett place, but this claim was "jumped" by other parties and he lost it.
After his four years of ministerial labor in Rockton and Be- loit, while suffering many of the privations of frontier life, he went to Mineral Point, Wis., where he labored in church work for about a year. During this time his family remained in Rockton, but he had made arrangements to move to Mineral Point, when he was taken sick and died there March 12th, 1842. His widow lived in the same house in Rockton until her death which occurred Sept. 11th, 1869. The claim on the Win- sor farm was lost with but little compensation to the family, by unjust dealings of grasping land grabbers.
John G. Taylor was one of the pioneers who came this year with his mother and step father, Mr. Ackerman. After a time he settled on section 20 and owned 240 acres of it. He enlist- ed in the union army, Sept. 30, 1864, in company D, 74th Illinois volunteer infantry, and was honorably discharged June 10th, 1865. He was an industrious and prosperous farmer. Dec. 23d, 1881, while attempting to board a train at Rockton station to go to Rockford, he slipped under the wheels while the train was in motion, and both legs were crushed below his knees. He was taken home where both legs were amputated. He died the following Monday.
Rev. George R. Rudd, a brother of Mrs. Luman Pettibone, preached the first sermon in Rockton. The meeting was held in C. J. Fox' house, in 1836.
A ferry was established across the river near where the Car- penter bridge was afterward built, by a man by the name of Jones in 1837 or 38. There was a ford farther up the river.
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During the month of April of this year, the first steam boat came up the river as far as this place. The name of this pio- neer steamer was "The Gypsy." Stephen Mack heard the steamer's whistle as she came around the bend in the river, and hurried down to the shore to drive a stake for them to tie up to on his side of the river. George Stevens, just across the river, heard the steamer also, and seeing what Mack was doing, hurriedly drove a stake on his side, and was greatly pleased to have the boat tie to his stake, which the steam boat men thought was the best landing place. The boat went still far- ther up the river, and some think as far as Janesville. A. T. Hart tells of riding on this steam boat from Janesville to Jef- ferson where they could not go any farther up the river on ac- cout of the dam already built across the river. On their re- turn they got stuck on a sand bar within ten miles of Janes- ville, and Mr. Hart hired a team to take him home.
It was then thought that the steam boat trade was going to build up the river towns, and the mouth of the Pecatonica es- pecially. The coming of this boat created considerable inter- est, and some money was subscribed by the river towns to buy a steam boat for local trade. It was understood that such a boat was purchased, but it never came up the river as far as Rockton.
David Jewett came to Rockton this year and was part owner of one of first saw mills built on the water power the next year. He was connected with the mill for about five years and con- menced to build a house in Macktown, when he sold out his property here and located in the town of Harrison, where he lived the remainder of his life. He laid out the village of Harrison in 1848.
During the summer of 1837, Hiram Bellows and L. B. Fisher came through from Chicago with an ox team. They stopped two or three weeks with George Stevens, until they could look around and locate claims. They were induced to come here by Martin P. Ormsby, who had already settled in Rockton. Mr. Bellows made his claim on the south-east quarter of section thirty-one, and Mr. Fisher located his claim in the town of Owen.
After Mr. Bellows had built a small log house on his clain, he and Mr. Fisher went back to Chicago after Mrs. Bellows
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and afive or six year old son of Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher's wife had previously died in Ohio.
During the winter of 1837-8, Bellows and Fisher, with true Yankee enterprise, went to work to manufacture ox sleds and what they termed hollow ware, which consisted of peck and half bushel measures, for which they found a ready sale. Like many other of the first things that we claim for Rockton, this most certainly was the first sleigh and measure manufac- turing establishment in Rock river valley. Mr. Fisher was a genius in the mechanical line. He made a rude steam box to facilitate the bending of the hoops for his measures, which he had carefully shaved out by hand. The bottoms of the meas- ures were prepared in the same rude way, which must have taken considerable time, but as close competition was then an unknown quantity, it helped to while away the long hours of winter, and add something to the depleted exchequer of the establishment.
In 1841 when a mail route was established from Rockton to the Mississippi, it ran by Mr. Bellows' house and on through Lee's grove, so he was appointed postmaster, and the name of the office, which was kept in his house, was called Leesburgh. This office he held for about two years and then gave it up as it did not pay him for the trouble to attend to it.
Mr. Bellows worked at his trade as a moulder, in St. Louis, during the summer of 1844. He went to California in 1860, and returned in 1864. He sold his farm to Jesse Blinn, except ten acres which he sold to Capt. Urquhart, and moved in- to town, buying a stone house on the south side of the river of Caleb Bentley, which he lived in'for a number of years. It is now the property of Martin Kelley.
After the death of his wife a few years ago, Mr. Bellows went to Winnebago to live with a niece, where he at present resides in his 93rd year, and is as active as most men at sixty.
Mr. Bellows and Mr. Fisher built a log house for Mr. Orms- by on the south side of the river. It was located near where the Penman house was afterwards built, west of B. B. Gates' res- idence.
Mr. Fisher built a dam from the island below Macktown to the south shore for the purpose of a water power, and put in a current wheel, but it did not develope power enough for any practical purpose. He wanted a power for cutting out
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barrel staves and turning wooden hollow ware, but his wheel would not run the necessary machinery. He also had another project which was never developed.
He proposed to build a boat to float down the river, and ex- pected the motion of the boat would furnish power to run a lathe. With this lathe he was going to turn out wooden but- ter bowls as he floated down the river, and when his supply · of timber gave out to stop and cut some more along the bank and then go on. By this clever little scheme of his fertile brain, he expected to arrive in St. Louis with a whole boatload of butter bowls, all perfected by this newly developed motive power. He abandoned this undertaking on the advise of his friends, but still he claimed it could be done.
After living in Thayer's part of the town for several years, he went to Omaha with his son and died there.
Samuel Gibson and his wife came to Rockton, from New- bury, Vt., in Sept., 1837. They made their home with George Stevens for three or four weeks until they could locate a claini and build a house on it. He made his claim on the south-west quarter of section thirty-two, which is now owned by the Bates family. His brother Alexander Gibson came with them and made his claim on land now owned by H. W. Conklin. To- gether they made a claim on all of the north half of section twenty-nine south of Pecatonica river.
The following letter from Mrs. Ann Gibson Ruger, the oldest child of Samuel and Catherine Gibson, is so full of interest that we have concluded to give it to our readers, as follows: "I was born in a log house across the road from where the fam- ily of Erastus Bates now lives, Jan. 22, 1839. The house is not there now. There were large oak trees all around it. Mr. Bel- lows was our nearest neighbor, Mr. Urquhart next, and then Thomas Farmer. Across the prairie and in sight, was Mr. Fa- vor, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Hulett and others.
"The Indians were friendly and often came to our house, and my mother would always give them something to eat. I re- member Stephen Mack and his squaw wife, and of seeing the Indians about there, and Mrs. Mack giving them loaves of bread. The house is still there that Mack built. There was a large barn but is was burned a good while ago.
"Mr. Mack had a store in a log building along the road past his house, and beyond it Mr. Whitman had a store in a log
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building. It was afterwards used as a dwelling house. Mr. Whitman built the stone store and house that is just up on the road from the river, where the first bridge was built by Mr. Mack. There was only a ferry across the river when my father first came to Rockton.
"Mr. Henry Bates lived in Macktown across the street from Mr. Mack's house. He had a nice framed house and shop and made boots and shoes. There were steps cut in the bank to get down to a spring. They used to come to our house, and would take me home with them for a visit. They had one daughter, Satina Bates, and two sons, Erastus and Jonathan Bates.
"I have been across the river to Rockton to school with Sati- na Bates and Rose and Mary Mack. Rose was deaf and dumb, but I could talk with her. I have been in a canoe on the river and seen the dead Indian hanging in a tree top-buried they called it-where he could look out on the river from the edge of the bluff.
"A little south of Mr. Mack's house was the Merrill E. Mack house. It was a nice house similar to the one built by Stephen Mack. I have been there and remember Mr. and Mack and their little girl, Virginia. Mr. Mack died in an early day. Across the road from this house was the first school house with a great stone chimney and fireplace. I have been there to school.
"My father used to draw his wheat to Chicago or Galena, and get twenty-five cents a bushel for it. Other people did the same, and in going Galena, the Talcotts and others would stop at our house as it was on the way, and have dinner or supper, or rest or visit. People were not in such a hurry as they are now. They were sociable and would go a long way to visit each other.
"John Gibson, a brother of my father, went to California in 1849, with Mr. Gitchell and others. He was killed by the Indians in 1860. Edwin G. Higby, a cousin of ours, was in the war, and died while in service at Nashville, Tenn., Dee. 7, 1862. He wasa son of Adeline Gibson Higby, my father's sister, who married Seth Higby, in Rockton, April 14, 1841. She died and Mr. and Mrs. Bellows brought Edwin up.
"We moved from the farm and lived in the Merrill E. Mack house, until our house was built in Rockton, which was about
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the same time they built the stone church. Thomas Farmer did the mason work and J. B. Peterson, the carpenter work. My brother John Gibson, was born Aug. 7, 1848, while we lived in the Mack house.
"My father went to California in the spring of 1852, in com- pany with Jacob Hyatt and Noah Carpenter, and their fami- lies. He returned from that trip, but when he went the second time he remained there until his death.
"The first school house in Rockton was built on the comnion, opposite the stone church, which is now the park. The first teachers that I remember were Mary Ann Bradley, Caroline Bradley and the Misses Teed. Adeline and William Talcott, Fannie and Mary Hooker, Lucy and Mary Peterson, Ann and Janet Gibson were some of the scholars who attended. Later on the school house was moved down town and used for other purposes.
"About 1854 and '55, my sister Janet and I went to Rockford, to the Female Seminary. Fannie Hooker was there at the time. I married John B. Holmes Jan. 28, 1858. and in the spring of 1860, we went to Pikes Peak, and were six weeks on the road. In the spring of 1861, I came back a widow, just as the war broke out, and came through with the mail coach in six days to St. Joe, Mo. I reached home in safety. I was married to Capt. H. T. Ruger, in Rockton, Jan. 1, 1874. He died in the spring of 1890. I have lived in Chicago more than twenty years.
"My brother John Gibson had a store in Rockton, and at one time was town clerk. He closed up his business on account of failing health and went to California. He stayed there with his father three years, and then return to Chicago, where he died Aug. 21, 1892.
"My sister Janet Gibson married Caleb Bentley, in Rockton, in the fall of 1860. She was born June 13, 1840, and died Janu- ary, 1864, My sister Abby Gibson was born Aug. 21, 1842, and died August, 1870. My mother died May 19, 1896, aged eighty one years. She was buried in Rockton cemetery. My brother Rumsey Gibson and myself are all that is left of our family. He has been in Chicago since 1871."
Alexander Gibson sold his farm to Mr. Bronson and moved to Rockton. He had a lumber yard for a while. He built a fine residence on Center street, which he sold to C. W. Rob-
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