USA > Illinois > Winnebago County > Rockton > The history of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, 1820 to 1898 > Part 4
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
ertson in exchange for land in the south part of the state. This house is now occupied by Dr. Cole. Mr. Gibson died in Mis- souri a few years ago.
SETTLERS' CLAIMS.
In the early days of the settlement of this section of the country, the first settlers were free to take any unoccupied land for a claim to hold until such time as it came into market To protect themselves from greedy land grabbers, who want- ed more than their share of the public domains, they formed themselves into an association, or as it was then called, a "Mu- tual Claim Protective Society." A book of records was kept, and claims were duly recorded at a cost of twenty-five cents each.
At a meeting of this society, at the house of Thomas B. Tal- cott, May 12, 1837, the following executive committee was ap- pointed: William Mead, David A. Blake, Elijah H. Brown, Franklin Able, George Stevens, John E. Holmes, David Nog- gle, Luman Pettibone, Martin P. Ormsby, Henry Able and David Carpenter.
The commitee on by-laws and regulations was appointed as follows: Robert J. Cross, Sylester Talcott, Thomas B. Talcott, Stephen Mack and Walter Warner.
We copy a few of the records of claims: George Stevens, the north-east quartes of section twenty-three north of Rock river, and north- west quarter of section nineteen.
Stephen Mack; section twenty-three south of Rock river, and west half of section twenty-six.
John F. Thyer; south-east quarter of section twenty-six, and a timber claim on section twenty-eight.
Daniel Fairchild; south-east fractional quarter section twen- ty-one south of Pecatonica river, and north-west quarter of sec- tion twenty-six.
Robert Logan; south half of section eleven, and the north half of section twelve.
Thomas B. Talcott; north-east quarter of section twenty-two, and north-west fractional quarter of section twenty-three. .
William Talcott; south half of section fourteen.
Henry W. Talcott; south-west quarter of section thirteen. David Carpenter; north-west quarter of section fourteen.
R. C. Smith; south half of section twenty-five.
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON
1838.
With the advent of this year active preparations were made to make a busy year of it in the growth of the town. The work of digging the mill race and preparing timber for the mills to be erected, called for all the labor that could be procured, and during the summer months the little settlement was a bee- hive of industry. The mill race was completed in the fall and terminated at the Talcott grist mill site. The race to the Phœ- nix paper mill, the old rye mill and the Webber reaper works was made years later.
As soon as the water was let into the race, which was simply an inflow from the river without any dam, the Talcott saw mill near where the first grist mill was built, was finished and ready to run; and two other saw mills farther up the race, soon followed.
The two upper saw mills went through various changes as the demands of the times increased. At first large quantities of lumber were cut from the heavy growth of timber along the banks of the Pecatonica river. The principal lumber was oak, ash, basswood and black walnut. The latter was largely used for furniture and finishing lumber for the many dwelling houses which rapidly sprang up as soon as lumber could be procured. From saw mills the power was changed to machine shop, chair factory, carding machine, and number of other industries.
This was the first water power developed on Rock river, and to-day with its dam and enlarged race, it is the best one, and has the greatest fall of water. Rockton got an immense start of other towns on account of its water power and the various articles it manufactured, which were sent to a number of sur - rounding towns.
Samuel Adams had a chair factory and made other furniture as early as 1845, which was the first establishment of the kind in Rock river valley. People in other places in want of such goods had to look to Rockton for their supply. E. L. Stiles, one of our early settlers, tells of setting up house keeping in Rock- ford, in the spring of 1846, but had to come to Rockton to buy his furniture, as nothing in that line could be found in Rock- ford.
The village of Rockton, or so much of it as was embraced in the first survey, covers the most of the north-west quarter of
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
section twenty-four, and was laid out into village lots this year by Capt. Willian Talcott, but the plat was not filed for record until May 30, 1844, on account of the title of the land.
In the rush and excitement of a new country the people did not forget the school and church privileges they had enjoyed at their old homes, and accordingly put forth every effort that their limited means would allow to secure such benefits. The Congregational church was organized this year and a school was soon started in a little board shanty near the north-west corner of block sixteen. The first teacher, or one of the first, was Mary Pettibone. Other teachers followed and the school from such small beginning had a vigorous growth.
George Stevens' family came in '38. He was postmaster about 1840, following after Mack in the office. It was kept in his log house down on the flat this side of Mack's ferry.
Mr. Fox put up a comfortable log house not far from where the present brick house now stands. There was a very beau- tiful grove around it, extending from the river on the north nearly down to the mill race.
THE MAINE COLONY.
During the summer of 1838, a colony of about thirty came to Rockton from the state of Maine. They were under the leadership of Ira Hersey, who had visited this section of the country the year before, and on his returs to his old home, so impressed his neighbors with the grandeur of the west, and especially of the Rock river valley country, that a colony was formed the following spring, and he accepted the position to lead them in their western journey.
The party came by what was then termed the southern route. From Portland they came to Boston, then by rail to Providence, and from there to New York and Philadelphia by water. They crossed the state of Pennsylvania by railroad, the train being helped over the Alleghenies by means of a stationery engine, which drew the train up one side of the mountain by a cable, and let it down on the other side. In due time our travelers arrived at Pittsburgh. On their way down the Ohio, they stopped at Cincinnati and purchased wagons and a good supply of provisions for their future use. Their further journey down to the mouth of the Ohio, up the Missis- sippi to the Illinois river, and then up that stream as far as Ot-
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
tawa, was performed without any accident to mar the pleasure of the trip. A short stay was made at Ottawa to purchase some oxen and a few cows.
Then began the overland journey to Rockton. The women and children with their provision and other articles, exausted the carrying capacity of the four or five wagons which formed their train, so the men folks had to jog along on foot, but it was not a serious task to keep up with their ox teams.
The little colony arrived in Rockton in good order without any serious mishaps by the way, having been about four weeks on the road since they left their eastern homes. Although wearied with their long journey, they were delighted with the country, and immediately set about to locate their claims.
The colony consisted of Ira Hersey, wife and five children. Silas Austin, wife and two daughters, and his son Henry S. Austin with wife and two children; also F. W. Packard, who lived with Silas Austin. Ira Cummings and wife. P. L. Ellis, wife and brother. Samuel Hersey and brother Hiram. They were nephews of Ira Hersey. A man by the name of Cole and his sister Hannah Cole. She married Samuel Hersey, in Be- loit, Sept. 2, 1842. David Briggs and his brother Samuel Briggs. Job Packard and a man by the name of Ordway; and also one by the name or Harding.
Ira Hersey did not locate a claim for himself and family, as he soon settled in Beloit, and when the Goodhue grist mill was built, he took charge of it for a number of years.
Samuel Hersey and P. L. Ellis first located claims on the road between Rockton and Beloit, on the north half of section seven, then included in the township of Roscoe. This tract is now mostly embraced in the Harding farm. Later on they deeded land in the south-west quarter of the same section, which is now largely included in the farm owned by George Gayton.
Silas Austin and Ira Cummings located claims on the south west quarter of section seven, but evidently did not enter the land, as we find Ellis and Hersey in full possession of the same tract a few years later.
Henry S. Austin claimed the south half of the south-west quarter of section seven, and he and his father also had a claim on the north half of the north-east quarter of section eighteen, now forming the Enos farm and a part of the Shaw farmi.
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
After living on their claims a year or so, H. S Austin and Ira Cummings moved into Rockton. Cummings purchased lots now owned by George Royden and Charles Shufelt. He built the Shufelt house and lived there until quite recently. He worked at his trade as cooper for several years, and had his shop across the street where George Curry's house now stands. After this he went to work in the grist mill, which business he followed for a number of years. He died in Rock- ford only a few years ago at the home of one of his children.
Mr. Austin moved his framed house from his claim onto the lot now owned by Thomas Harper, where he lived for a year or two until he moved to Shirland in 1841. While in Rockton he carried on the boot and shoe business, and had a shop on Main street on the drug store corner. The house he lived in was one of the first framed houses in town. It aftewards was burned down. Job Packard worked with him in the shoe shop. Mr. Austin died on his farm in Shirland a few years ago.
David and Samuel Briggs located a claim on the east half of section nineteen, now included in the town of Shirland. They married daughters of Dea. Luman Pettibone. David married Mary Pettibone and Samuel married Almira Pettibone. These brothers owned saw mill property in Rockton for several years. They finally settled in the lumber region of Wisconsin.
Job Packard married Hadassah Austin, daughter of Silas Austin, Nov. 10, 1840, and located a farm in Shirland. He kept a lumber yard at Shirland station for a number of years before he died, which was quite recently.
Mr. Ordway located a claim west of Rock river on the south east quarter of section ten, which is now owned in part by E. J. Veness. Mr. Harding seemed to have settled in some other locality.
P. L. Ellis, like many of his neighbors, knew by actual ex- perience of the privations of first settlers, and often was in want. of many comforts which make life desirable. In those early days, hauling wheat to Chicago was the only way to get many of the necessities of life, and in bad weather many would hadly get enough for their loads of choice wheat to pay the expenses on the road. Mr. Ellis has told the writer many interesting stories of the privations of those early times, one of which is given here. He was obliged to go barefoot all one
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
summer for want of means to buy a pair of shoes or boot, so when he took his first load of wheat to Chicago that fall he had great expectation of securing the much needed footwear. But like many others, his trip barely paid expenses and no boots could be procured; and to futher add to his disappoint- ment, a cold spell came on while in Chicago, and he was oblig- ed to wrap some grain sacks around his cold feet and come home in that sorrowful plight. Mr. Ellis is one of the few now living of the Maine colony, and at present resides in Cam- bridge. Furnas county, Nebraska.
Loring Loomer and his son Darius Loomer came to Rockton in the summer of 1838. After staying here a short time, they went to Belvidere, where they lived until 1841. During this time Luther Lawrence married one of Loring Loomer's daughters. In 1841 they all settled in Rockton; Loring Loon- er and his family, Darius Loomer and family, and Luther Lawrence and wife. Loring Loomis settled here and built the McConnell house, where he lived a great many years, until the death of his wife Oct. 31, 1875. He then went to Iowa to live with one of his sons, and died there the next year, at the age of eighty-five years.
Darius Loomer was a miller and worked in the Talcott grist mill for a few years, after this he settled in Mayville, Wis., where he died about 1853. He had two sons in the war of the rebellion, Charles and James, who went through the sevice without a wound. His only daughter married John W. Hudson.
Luther Lawrence made Rockton his permanent home, and was engaged in the grist mill a number of years. He died at a good old age respected by all who knew him, March 27, 1891. He owned at the time of his death, an eighty of land, which is now the property of F. M. Coons, and a house and lot in town.
John R. Jewett came to Rockton in 1838. He was a black- smith by trade and made the heavy irons for the three saw mills and the grist mill. He made a claim west of Rock river, which he soon sold for $150. In the summer of 1839 he built the cellar walls for Stephen Mack's large house, which was the first cellar with stone walls in town. In the fall of 1839, he went back to his old home in Conneticut, but returned the following spring. He was one of the petitioners with Stephen
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
and Merrill E. Mack to the legislature for a charter to build a bridge across Rock river, and superintended the construction of the bridge in 1843. This bridge was built two years before they had a bridge in Rockford. In 1845 he settled in Harrison and entered an eighty of land, walking all the way to the land office at Dixon, to enter it. This farm was then his home as long as he lived. He was justice of the peace for a number of years, and also held other town offices. He assisted in re- moving the remains of Stephen Mack and his Indian wife from Macktown to the Phillips burying ground in 1880, and was instrumental in procuring funds to properly fit up the graves. Mr. Jewett died at his home in Harrison a few years ago, respected by all who knew him.
William Halley came to Rockton in 1838. He lived in the vicinity till the fall of 1839, when he went to Galena to the land sale, and stayed there a part of the winter, returning to Rock- ton in February of 1840, where he built a small shop on Main street where the post office now stands. He worked at his trade at tailoring in this shop for a number of years, and had petty steady work, but there was not much money in circulation then. About 1847, he bought a stock of cloth and trimmings, and was the only tailor to keep such goods in this county. After a time he took in Robert Penman as a partner, and they did a successful business in merchant tailoring, hats and caps, and boots and shoes until 1859. In 1857 Mr. Halley was one of the company that manufactured the Fountain reaper. In 1860 he moved to the town of Owen, and has since been extensively engaged in farming. He has also represented the town of Owen on the board of supervisors. During his residence in Rockton of over twenty years, his sterling qualities as a busi- ness man and good citizen were duly appreciated by our peo- ple, and he was honored by being elected at different times to most of the offices in the gift of the town. When the town was organized under the township system in 1850, he was elected to the office of town clerk, and was town clerk when the town bonds were issued to aid in the constrution of the Racine and Mississippi railroad. He subsequently held the offices of assessor, justice of the peace and township trustee of schools. By industry and good management in business, he has acquired an abundance of this world's goods, and is now happy in the enjoyment of the fruits of a well spent life in the
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
80th year of his age. Mr. Halley, W. F. Packard and Miss Eliza McConnell, are the only persons now living in this vicin- ity who came here in 1838.
William M. Thomas was one of the 1838 settlers of Rockton. He located a farm on the north-west quarter of section thirty- one, and made it his residence for many years. He and his wife raised a family of six children and lived to celebrate their golden wedding, Nov. 13, 1878. They had two sons in the war of the rebellion, who enlisted in 1862, and served until the close of the war. No braver men ever defended the grand old flag than they. Both were broken down in health by the hardships they endured while in the service, and never fully recovered from the injurious effects. Mr. Thomas bought the Springer place on Center street, and moved into Rockton in the fall of 1881. He died of apoplexy, July 5, 1882. His sudden death fell with a crushing weight upon his aged wife who had walked by his side through all the joys and sorrows of life for fifty-four years. He was a man of sterling worth, but of few words. An honest, upright citizen, whom all respected for his simple, straight forward treatment of his fellow men. One of his old neighbors said of him: "He was such a good man, he did not need to belong to a church." Mrs. Thomas died June 4th, 1892.
In the fall of 1838, Wait Talcott came to Rockton with his wife and child, reaching this place on the 12th day of October, after being on the road from the state of New York, for about six weeks in an emigrant wagon. Miss Eliza McConnell, a dear friend of Mrs. Talcott, came with them, and remained as one of the family as long as Mr. and Mrs. Talcott both lived. She now resides with her niece, Mrs. A. N. Mellen, in Rockton. Mr. Talcott erected a dwelling house on Main street, at the south-east corner of block sixteen, which is now the property of James Wall, and it was his residence as long as he lived in Rockton. He was one of the original incorporators of Beloit college, and the Rockford Female Seminary, and was a mem- ber of the board of trustes of the college during his life.
He took an active part in the religious, educational and in- dustrial interest of the town. In 1854 he was elected as state senator, and represented the counties of Winnebago, Boone, Ogle and Carroll, in the legislature four years. During his term in the legislature, he secured a charter for a railroad up
-
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
Rock river from Rockford to Rockton and thence to the state line. Routes were surveyed on both sides of the river and stock solicited, but nothing more was done about it, until the Chi- cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway company took the matter up twenty-five years later, obtained a new charter, and built the road on the west side of the river in 1881.
Mr. Talcott was an active business man and had large con- tracts in building the Racine and Mississippi railroad from Rockton to Freeport. In 1854, he with his brother Sylvester · Talcott, formed a copartnership with John H. Manny, Jesse Blinn and Ralph Emerson to manufacture the celebrated Man- ny reaper, which subsequently became one of the largest man- ufacturing industries in Rockford. He was collector of intern- al revenue for this congressional district under President Lincoln. His devoted and faithful wife died Aug. 7th, 1873, and after a well spent life fully rounded out with years of use- fulness, he departed this life, Dec. 7th, 1890.
Mr. Talcott had an eventful life, and in all the various rela- tions he has sustained of both a public and private capacity, has showed the active and noble traits of character which will endear his memory in the hearts of the people. Rockton will cherish his name in grateful remembrance for the many acts of kindness bestowed on her citizens; the substantial aid to the church of which he was a member, and more especially so, for the generous gift of their fine library building, which will be an enduring monument of his love for the cause of education and moral advancement of mankind. So lived, and so died one of nature's noblest men, and may his worthy life serve as an example to be imitated by coming generations.
John B. Peterson was one of the 1838 settlers. He was a carpenter by trade and built many houses in Rockton includ- ing the Cong'l church. He first lived in a log house just east of the Fisher place. Then he built a house on the corner op- posite the old shoe factory about 1840. This house was burn- ed ten or twelve years later. The site is now owned by D. New- ell. Mr. Peterson built the T. B. Talcott house and lived in it for a number of years. He also had a claim near the Goodwin farm in an early day. He was an active business man in his time and had considerable property. He was elected one of the first justices of the peace under the township system of 1850, and was sworn into office by Stephen Mack, which was about
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
the last official act he did before he died. Mr. Peterson went into the war as a carpenter and bridge builder, and by some ac- cident had one of his legs broken so badly that it had to be am- putated. For want of proper care he died from its effect about 1865. He had three daughters now Mrs. Joslin and Mrs. Church, of Elgin, and Mrs. William Kinsley, of Beloit, Kansas.
Benjamin F. Fletcher was one of the settlers who located in Rockton in 1838. Before coming here he was in the employ of the noted Fairbanks Scale Co., of St. Johnsbury, Vt., for sever- al years, and traveled quite extensively for that company to introduce their scales. He was born in Vermont and came here when twenty-seven years of age. He had considerable to do in building and fitting the machinery for the first mills built on the water power, and at one time had an interest in one of the saw mills with George Stevens and Charles Kane. He was a general master mechanic and built several houses about town. He built the Johnson house near E. S. Waite's, and the one north of the Baptist church which he lived in when he died. He also built the Veness store in connection with N. B. Kincaid in 1867. He at one time made wagons, built furniture, and had a shop on the race for turing bedstead posts and broom handles. He assisted J. Herva Jones in starting up the corn planter business. He was a man of great energy, and was respected by all for his integrity and . purity of life. He died March 7, 1879. at 68 years of age. His widow now re- sides in Jeffrey, N. H.
Benjamin Phillips came in 1838 and located a quarter sec- tion of land on section thirty-two. The west half of the quart- er he let his father have, keeping the east eighty for himself, which he entered. He resided on this farm during his life with the exception of five years he lived in Rockton when he held the town offices of collector and constable. While living here in 1857, he was one of the building committee that erected the Methodist church. He labored at mason work in conection with his farming for a number of years. While building a stone house on the Henry Thayer farni, a large stone fell on one of his feet, crushing it so badly that he had to have it ampu- tated. After a time he procured an artificial limb which ena- bled him to get a round almost as well as he could before this misfortune, and save a slight limp in his walk no one would know that he labored under such a difficulty. He was a man
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HISTORY OF ROCKTON.
highly respected by all who were acquainted with him. He died May 31, 1895. His widow now lives in her comfortable home in Rockton.
John Morse who settled on the west side of the river, was one of the pioneers of 1838. He located aclaim on the north- east quarter of section ten and part of this land has been in the possession of the family since that time. He was a steady, in- dustious man, and was highly respected by all of his neigh- bors and friends. He well knew the hardships of a pioneer life, but lived to enjoy many of the comforts that came in after years. He held the office of commissioner of highways to the entire satisfaction of the people for a long time, He died at the age of fifty-nine of liver difficulty, Feb. 21, 1885.
Rowland C. Smith was one of the 1838 settlers. He located the south half of section twenty-five, and until quite recently, part of the land was in the possession of the family. He first lived in the block house in the town of Owen, but later occu- pied his own place until his death which occurred about 1857. He had quite a large family which are greatly scattered in the west. William Smith is the only one of his children now liv- ing in Rockton, and even the old place has been sold to other parties. He was an enterprising man of his day, and had his life been spared, would in all probability, have acquired a large quantity of land. He was assessor of the town in 1854.
Frank Packard, as he was familiarly called, spent his first winter in the west, that of '38 and '39, up the Pecatonic with Mr. S. Austin, who was engaged in logging. The next sum- mer, though but a boy, he commenced his trade as a builder, with Mr. Peterson, his first work being on Mr. Peterson's house which stood on the corner of Main and Green streets. The lot is now owned by Mr. Newell. The house was burned some years later. His school days were few, but being a natural artist, and accurate in figures, after a few years as a common workman, he took up the study of architecture, and with the aid of such books and papers as he could procure, though with- out a teacher, made rapid advancement in his chosen busi- ness. He has drafted and built a large number of the build- ings, both public and private, now standing in town, as well as those of Mr. Moody, Mr. Phelps, Mr. G. H. Hollister, now own- ed by Mrs. Gleasman, Geo. Gleasman, and other line residences in the country. He built and re-built the Bradner, Smith pa-
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