USA > Illinois > Lake County > The past and present of Lake County, Illinois, containing a history of the county a biographical directory war record early settlers statistics history of Illinois the Northwest etc., etc > Part 21
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This was the first prosecution for murder which occurred in Lake County. The object of the murder is supposed to have been robbery, as the deceased was known to have had with him a small sum of money, which was missing when his body was found.
The subject of more efficient measures for the support of the poor of the county in time became a matter of quite general discussion among the people. The propriety of purchasing a farm in some central portion of the county, for the retreat and support of the poor, was brought before the County Commissioners for consideration. The members of the Board at this time were : Michael C. McGuire, Alva Trowbridge and Charles Hall. At a special term of the County Commissioners' Court in October, 1847, a contract was entered into by the Com- missioners in behalf of the county, with Alva Trowbridge, one of their number, for the purchase of his farm at Libertyville, containing about 190 acres, to be held for the retreat and support of the poor, for the sum of $2,025, including some articles of personal property, payable by installments, with interest on deferred payments.
This plan of support of the poor was found to be more expensive than had been anticipated. The purchase of the poor farm by the Commissioner's from a party who was one of their own number became the subject of much criticism throughout the county, followed by a general demand from the people for a sale of the farm. An Act of the Legislature was therefore obtained at its session in 1851, submitting the question of each township supporting its own poor, and authorizing the county to dispose of the poor farm, which resulted in favor of township support. Whereupon, an order was made by the Board of Supervisors to dispose of the farm, with the exception of about 40 acres upon which the buildings were situated, which remains the property of the county, and is the present county poor farm.
To say that the conduct of the County Commisioners, in regard to the pur- chase of the poor farm, became a subject of much criticism, is perhaps stating the case in milder terms than the facts will justify. The conduct of Mr. Trow-
Charles a Partridge
SENIOR EDITOR WAUKEGAN GAZETTE.
237
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
bridge was severely condemned, and the motives of Mr. McGuire were openly assailed as inspired by corruption.
In the Spring of 1849, commenced the gold mining excitement in Cali- fornia. Hundreds went from Lake County to try their fortunes in that far-off' region ; among the first of whom were George Allen Hibbard, Isaiah Marsh, George Ferguson, D. H. Sherman, William and James Steele, and Jacob Miller. Mr. Hibbard was a young man ; he left in the fall of 1848, being the first adventurer in that direction from Lake County. He joined Col. Fre- mont's expedition at St. Louis, and perished in a snow storm in the Rocky Mountains.
In the Spring of 1848, the citizens of Waukegan commenced to agitate the subject of constructing a plank road from that place westward to McHenry. In December following, a company was organized and became incorporated, styled the "Lake and McHenry Plank Road Association," with authority to construct a turnpike or plank causeway from Waukegan to the east line of Mc- Henry County, on the route of the Belvidere road. The first Directors were John Gage, John A. Tyrrell, and Elmsley Sunderlin.
This company proceeded and constructed about 15 miles of plank road on what is now the traveled road from Waukegan to McHenry. There were three toll-gates on the road : one near the present city limits of Waukegan, one at Gage's Corners, and one at Hainesville. The experiment proved a failure, and the road in a few years was abandoned. The tolls received were not sufficient to keep it in repair.
About the 1st of August, 1849, the publication of a newspaper was com- menced at Waukegan, styled the Waukegan Free Democrat. John Henderson was publisher, and N. W. Fuller, editor. It continued about six months.
At the general election in November, 1849, the question of adopting town- ship organization was submitted to a vote of the people. The vote was as fol- lows : For township organization, 1692; against it, 3.
The election being in favor of township organization, Col. J. Moulton, Michael Dulanty and E. M. Haines were appointed Commissioners to divide the county into towns. A division was made in accordance with the Congres- sional Townships of the county, except fractional Township 46, Range 9, which was attached to the township on the east.
On the first Tuesday in April following (1850), the first town meeting was held in each township in the county, at which the first town officers were elected and the towns fully organized.
The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was in special session, at the Court House, in Waukegan, April 22, 1850. The following were the members of the Board for the several towns: Harrison P. Nelson, from the town of Antioch ; John Gage, Avon ; Harrison L. Putnam, Benton ; Philetus Beverly, Cuba ; Caleb Cadwell, Deerfield; Stephen Bennett, Ela; Hurlbut Swan, Fre- mont ; Chester Hamilton, Goodale ; William Crane, Libertyville ; John Reid,
B
238
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Newport ; Michael C. McGuire, Shields ; James Moore, Vernon ; Peter Mills, Wauconda ; H. Whitney, Warren ; Jas. B. Gorton, Waukegan.
In October, 1850, Nathan C. Geer commenced the publication of the Wau- kegan Gazette, at Waukegan, which has been continued to the present time, without interruption.
In 1851, a movement was commenced by several leading citizens of the county for the formation of a society for the promotion and encouragement of the interests of agriculture. For this purpose a public meeting was called and held at the Court House in Waukegan, October 15, 1851. John Gage was chosen Chairman, and Nathan C. Geer, Secretary. Whereupon it was resolved to organize a county agricultural society. A constitution was adopted, and the following persons enrolled as members : John Gage, Nathan C. Geer, R. H. French, John Easton, Hurlbut Swan, B. C. Drury, Thos. H. Payne, Wm. Easton, N. Vose, Geo. A. Drury, David Gilmore, H. P. Nelson, I. L. Clarke, D. C. Steele, M. Hoffman, I. R. Webb, S. P. Stratton, L. G. Schenck, Leon- ard Gage, Jonathan Drury, Moses Esty, N. B. Crocker, O. H. Risley, P. G. Moulton, E. D. Ferry, J. C. Bloom, Joseph Wells, I. H. Smith, Daniel Mar- tin, E. W. Bull, John Robertson, Oran Ott, George Ela, Augustus Granger, Andrew Cook, Dr, J. H. Foster, Philoman Cadwell, J. H. Payne, Elisha Grid- ley, Levi Stafford, Edwin Cadwell, Samuel L. Wood, Alfred Wood, Sheldon Wood, J. S. Wheeler, T. D. Whitmore, Philip Blanchard, Dr. L. D. Gage, Charles Webb, Charles Haynes, James Whitmore, A. S. Kellogg, James Camp- bell, A. O. Swan, Asa Pratt, N. P. Dowst, S. M. Dowst, James Moore, J. H. Swan, Lyman Field, Wm. C. Howard, E. M. Haynes, Loyal Cadwell, R. T. White, H. M. Hutchinson, C. C. Parks, Philander Stewart, Melvin C. Hamil- ton, Chester Hamilton-in all 69 members.
On the same day, the members of the society proceeded and elected the following officers for the ensuing year : John Gage, President ; H. P. Nelson, John Easton, Vice Presidents ; Nathan C. Geer, Secretary ; S. M. Dowst, Treasurer ; Hurlbut Swan, Nelson Landon, Thos. H. Payne, Elisha Gridley, Philoman Cadwell, Executive Committee.
The first county fair held under the direction of the society was held in Waukegan, on Wednesday, September 22, 1852. The Treasurer's report. shows the receipts and disbursements of the society for the first year to be as follows : Amount received for membership, $77.50; received for admission fees at the fair, $75 ; total receipts, $152.50. Expenses attending the fair, $66.59; amount paid for premiums, $28; other expenses, $63.50; total expenses, $158.09. The report of the Treasurer, in 1876, showed the receipts of the society for the year preceding to be $910; amount paid for premiums, $586.31. The officers for the present year-1877-are as follows : Edwin Wilson, Presi- dent ; Stebbins Ford, O. P. Putnam, Vice Presidents ; S. I. Bradbury, Secre- tary ; E. W. Parkhurst, Treasurer ; E. P. Phillips, Wm. Ragan, Albert Kapple, George Gridley, C. B. Easton, Executive Committee.
239
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
In 1851, an act was passed to incorporate a company for constructing a railroad from Chicago to the State line in the direction of Milwaukee, by way of Waukegan.
A company was organized under this act in 1852, and commenced the work of building the road, the following summer, known as the Chicago & Milwau- kee Railroad. It was completed to Milwaukee in 1854, and is now one of the lines of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, passing through the towns of Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest and Waukegan. Several other lines of railroad have since been projected through the county, but none have suc- ceeded except a branch of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, passing through the town of Deerfield, and up the Aux Plaines River to the State line; except also a branch of the Chicago & Northwestern, called the Wisconsin Branch, which passes through the town of Cuba diagonally, in the southwestern corner of the county. This latter line of road, at the commencement of its construction, was called the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad. The name was afterward changed to the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad. The company became re-organized under the management of Wm. B. Ogden, one of the principal stockholders, and the name was changed to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. For some time thereafter it was the main line of that now extensive combination of railroad lines known as the Chicago & North- western Railway.
The construction of the line of railroad known as the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, before mentioned, was commenced in 1872, and completed so that trains commenced running in January, 1873. The stations on the line of this road in Lake County are as follows : Deerfield and Lancaster, in the town- ship of Deerfield ; Libertyville, in the township of that name; Warrenton and Gurnee, in the township of Warren; Wadsworth and Russell, in the township of Newport.
At all stations where agents are in charge, there are telegraph and express offices, usually operated by the station agents, and a large amount of general business is done.
The passenger business and freight traffic on this line of road, between Chicago and Milwaukee, has grown to quite large proportions, as will appear from the following statistics, taken from the report of the business done at the stations in Lake County named below, for the space of one year :
WADSWORTH STATION.
Receipts for the year ending August 31, 1877 :
For Freight
$1,450 96
For Tickets 1,673 85
For Express 425 10
$3,549 91
Total.
Forwarded Freight, 2,155,280 lbs.
Charges on Express forwarded, $1,028.50.
-
240
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
DEERFIELD STATION.
Receipts for the year ending August 31, 1877 :
$2,444 67 For Freight received
225 66 For Freight forwarded.
1,010 10
For Tickets
$3,680 43
Total.
The total weight of freight for 1877 was'2,991,822 pounds.
The total of business for 1876 was $2,929.28; showing an increase for the year 1877 of $751.15.
When it is remembered that these are new places-points which had no particular existence before the railroad was built-it must be acknowledged that the showing is excellent, and may be taken as a fair augury of what these sta- tions and others along the line will be in the course of time. They are situated in the midst of as excellent a farming country as there is in the Northwest, and are surrounded by intelligent and enterprising communities.
In regard to the business of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway in Lake County, the following statement, compiled from the best information that can be obtained, shows the passenger business from following stations for fiscal year ending May 31, 1877.
No. Passengers. 21,518
Amount. $ 7,016 27
No. Passengers. 690
137 05
Lake Forest
21,184
7,828 55
Highwood
2,870
680 40
Rockland.
940
437 31
Glen Flora
60
28 55
Waukegan
28,906
17,989 60
Benton
215
92 00
State Line
688
507 28
Amount.
Highland Park
Ravinia
The newspapers of Lake County, up to the present time, in addition to those already mentioned, all of which were published in Waukegan, are as fol- lows: The Freeman's Advocate, by John Gentzel, which commenced in Feb- ruary, 1854, and continued about a year, when it was sold to S. I. Bradbury and E. S. Ingalls, who had about the same time also purchased the Lake County Chronicle. They combined these two papers together under the title of the Chronicle and Advocate, which name was afterward changed to the Indepen- dent Democrat. The publication of this paper was suspended about the begin- ning of the year 1857.
In 1856, the publication of a paper was commenced, called the Northwest- ern Orient, by J. C. Smith and Ira Porter, as editors, and J. N. Brundage, as publisher. This was succeeded by a paper called the Excelsior, by the same parties. This paper, after a time, was discontinued, and in January, 1859, the publication of a paper was commenced by Fuller & Bailey, entitled the Lake County Citizen. Mr. Fuller was the same person who was editor of the Porcu- pine, established, as has been stated, in 1845. The publication of this paper was continued for about a year, when it was suspended, and a paper was started by S. I. Bradbury, called the Lake County Democrat, which was continued until about the 1st of June, 1861, when it was suspended. Its publication was resumed by Mr. Bradbury, in 1866, under the title of the Lake County Patriot, the publication of which is still continued.
241
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
TOWNSHIP OF ANTIOCH.
Prac-
This town is composed of Township 46, north Range 10 east, and that part of Township 46, north Range 9, lying on the west, belonging to Lake County, being four miles in width, making the whole length of the town 10 miles, by 6 in width.
The first permanent claims of Government lands made in this town were made in the month of December, 1836, by D. B. Gage, Thomas Q. Gage and Thomas Warner. The first house built within the limits of the town was built in April, 1837, by D. B. and Thomas Q. Gage, on the north side of the creek, in the present village of Antioch. The second was built by Thomas Warner, near Loon Lake, in the month of June of the same year. These persons had located themselves temporarily at Walker's bridge, on the Des Plaines River, in Cook County. In December, 1836, they followed up the river on an Indian trail, to Mill Creek, from whence they proceeded westward te Loon Lake, where they made a claim and put up a log cabin, from whence, after'a few days, they proceeded on their return, by way of the Maquonago trail, which was a trail diverging from the great Milwaukee trail at a point near the mouth of Indian Creek, where formerly had been an Indian village, and running from thence northwesterly to an Indian village in Wisconsin, called Maquonago.
Being late in December, the weather had become severely cold and boister- ous. They found the trail much obstructed by fallen trees, and, being unac- quainted with the route, their progress was slow, in consequence of which they came near freezing to death, but finally succeeded in reaching the house of Willard Jones, at Jones' Point, about thirteen miles from Loon Lake.
The early settlers of this town were D. B. Gage, Thomas Warner, Thomas Q. Gage, Henry Rector, William Fagher, Robert Stalker, E. F. Ingalls, Loami Piersons, E. S. Ingalls, H. P. Nelson, H. Nichols, Charles O. McClellen, F. F. Munson, Parnell Munson, Leland Cook and Hiram Butrick.
The first town meeting held in this town under township organization was held on the first Tuesday in April, 1850, at the tavern of D. B. Gage, in the village of Antioch. Dr. L. D. Gage was chosen Moderator, and Eli S. Derby, Clerk. The following is a list of the town officers elected at this meeting : Har- rison P. Nelson, Supervisor ; Eli Gage, Town Clerk ; Thomas Webb, Assessor ; John H. Elliott, Collector ; Chas. Webb and Robert K. Colls, Justices of the Peace ; Ira Webb, A. B. Paddock and E. C. Stephens, Commissioners of High- ways ; Robert Pollock, Overseer of Poor; John H. Elliott and Albert Webb, Constables. The number of votes cast at this town meeting was 145.
The assessed value of property in this town for 1850, including both real and personal, was $88,904. The amount of tax on the same for all purposes was $1,744.51.
The total assessed value of property for the year 1877 is $399,484.
242
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
The village of Antioch, in this township, acquired considerable local noto- For F
Recethe beginning, from the numerous attempts made to adopt a name. In r- northern part of the township is 'a small stream flowing from the lakes on the east, westward into Fox River. Darius and Thomas Gage, as before men- tioned, built their houses near this creek, at the crossing of the Maquonago trail, and named it Sequoit Creek .. They were attracted here on account of the mill site the stream apparently afforded at this point. A saw-mill was soon after built here by Hiram Butrick (1839). This, with other inducements, drew into the vicinity mechanics of various kinds, the first being Eleazer F. Ingalls, blacksmith. The first store of goods was opened by F. F. Munson. The place finally taking rank as a village, an attempt was made to agree upon a name. It was situated in what was then called Bristol Precinct. It was therefore pro- posed to call the village by that name, but without effect. Among the first settlers-prominent among whom was Wm. F. Shepard-a large proportion belonged to the sect, of Religionists called Christians, or Disciples, otherwise known as Campbellites, who were generally very zealous in church matters. Whereupon the wags of the neighborhood who were not of this church, rather in a spirit of ridicule, suggested various Scripture names for the place. Among them Jericho and Joppa. Finally, during a general assembly of the church at that place, it was agreed to take the suggestion of their mischievous neighbors and adopt a Scripture name, and that it should be Antioch-the place where the Disciples were first called Christians. A general acquiescence followed, and the place became known by that name.
In 1846, a Post Office was established here, called Antioch, and Doctor Leroy D. Gage appointed Postmaster.
When the present town was laid off for township organization, in January, 1850, the inhabitants were called upon by the Commissioners to express their wishes as to the name. At a meeting for that purpose, Antioch and Windsor were proposed. The former received a majority of the votes cast, and the town was so named.
The villages in this township are Antioch and Millburn.
The village of Antioch is not incorporated, and therefore has no fixed boundaries. The population of what is properly considered the village is about twojhundred.
Millburn is situated in the southeast part of the township, near the north branch of Mill Creek, on the line between Antioch and Newport, a portion of the village lying in Newport. The country about here was known in early days as the Mill Creek Settlement. The place where Millburn now is was known as Strang's neighborhood. A Post Office was established here in February, 1848, and Robert Strang appointed Postmaster. It was called Millburn, as the Scotch word, it is said, for Mill Creek, Mr. Strang and most of his neighbors-by whom the name was suggested-being of that nationality.
243
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
The first school taught in Antioch was by Welcome Jilson, in 1843. It was in a room over the store of F. F. Munson, at Antioch Village.
Antioch, like most other towns of the county, has had its marked charac- ters. who are remembered for the part they have borne or places they filled in its early history. Daniel Head, who settled in Antioch and opened a store of goods there about the year 1843, was of this class. He continued to increase his stock from year to year, and soon built up a large and profitable business. He made the place the center of trade for the country around for a distance of ten to fifteen miles. Everybody knew Dan Head, as he was generally called. Everybody traded at his store. Indeed, there was no reason why they should not, for he gave credit to every one who applied, almost without distinction or reference to their pecuniary standing. He sold his goods at a large profit, and generally obtained his pay in the end. The result was he made money, and became rich. He was a man of generous impulses, and never oppressed his debtors. He afterward removed to Kenosha to engage in wider fields of opera- tion, where he still resides as one of the wealthy and substantial men of the place.
John T. Clark was another marked character of this town in early days, but whose name has, at this time, been nearly forgotton. He was a lawyer by pro- fession, and settled in Antioch Village about the year 1844. He first came into notice as a lawyer, in that vicinity, in the trial of a suit before a Justice of the Peace, just over the State line, in Wisconsin, a short time previous to settling in Antioch. At the time of this occurrence, as the story goes, he was working in the harvest field as a common hand, coarsely clad, and a stranger in the neighborhood. On hearing that a contested law-suit was about to take place in the vicinity, he was heard to remark that he was a lawyer himself. stating that he studied law in the office of Judge Flandreau, who was an emi- nent lawyer of Utica, N. Y. The result was that he became employed by the defendant to attend to the case on his behalf. He managed the suit with so much vigor and earnestness, and assumed such great knowledge of the law, there being no one present able to dispute his assertions, that he gained a de- cision of the case in favor of his client. Thereupon his fame spread over the country to a great distance around as "a very smart lawyer " just from the East. who had studied law with Judge Flandreau. He was invited by Daniel Head and others to come and settle in Antioch and devote himself to his profession, which he did, it being the only village or center of trade in that part of the country .
On one occasion, Clark was employed to go down and attend a law-suit be- fore Levi Marble, a Justice of the Peace at Fort Hill, where his fame had preceded him. His library consisted of the Statutes of Illinois, Cowen's Treatise, and a copy of Gilman's Digest of the Reports of Indiana and Illinois. These he carried with him tied up in a piece of common white cotton cloth, making a package of convenient size to carry in his hand, by taking hold of
244
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
the knot where the ends were tied. In those days, the country being sparsely settled, the roads were not very plainly marked, whereby Clark, when near Squaw Creek, lost his way. The hour for the trial of his cause was approach- ing and he was in much trouble. He hastened to a house in sight, being that of Elisha Andrews, to enquire the way. He knocked at the door hastily, which was answered by the voice of Mrs. Andrews, " come in." He opened the door hurriedly and in a breathless manner proceeded, " Madam, can you tell me the way to 'Squire Marble's ?" Mrs. Andrews, who was an honest- hearted and rather unsophisticated woman, noticing the peculiar package which he carried in his hand, mistook him for a peddler, and without answering his en- quiry, responded, "I am so glad to see a peddler coming ; I have been out of thread for this two weeks." Without apparently noticing her remark, Clark in an impatient tone repeated his enquiry. But Mrs. Andrews, who had suf- fered inconvenience so long for want of thread, and not wishing to lose an op- portunity of supplying herself, without heeding Clark's enquiry, rejoined, " Have you got any spool thread, number sixty ?" Clark saw, much to his chagrin, that the woman's impression as to his calling was fixed, and that he had no way out of it but to frankly inform her of her mistake; says he, " Madam, I am not a peddler; I am a lawyer from Antioch ; I am going to Esquire Marble's to attend to a law-suit ; I am behind time and want to get there as soon as possible ; can you tell me the way ?" Mrs. Andrews, after ex- pressing her regret that he was not a peddler, stepped to the door and pointed out the way.
With all his self-assurance in conducting a law-suit, Clark was a man of a sensitive nature. He was sedate and candid in his demeanor and could never enjoy nor indulge in a joke, especially at his own expense. This occurrence- mistaking him for a peddler-becoming generally known, gave him much annoy- ance, the more so for occurring, as it did, in a neighborhood where his fame had reached as a " smart lawyer."
The first religious meeting in the town was in the summer of 1839, in the newly finished barn of Darius B. Gage, in the village of Antioch, being then the only building in that part of the country of capacity sufficient for a public meeting. It was conducted by two Elders of the Christian Church, named Young and Davenport, from Kentucky. At this meeting, a church organiza- tion was formed, consisting of about fitty members.
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