CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ^^ w BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Cornell University Library F 547H2 G81 + History of Hancock County Illinois : to 3 1924 028 805 328 olln Overs Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924028805328 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, TOGETHER *ITH AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE STATE, AND A 1 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. Sllustrateli. / ) \ By TH. GREGG. CHICAGO: CHAS, C. CHAPMAN & CO. 1880. BLAKELT, BROWN * MARSH, PRINTERS, ■ BOUND BY 'SS * '57 DEARBORN ST., CHICAGO DONOHUE & HENNEBERRY, ■OS * 109 MADISON STREET,, CHICAGO. CONTENTS. HISTORY OF II.L1IKOIS. M0TJND-BUILDEB8 17 INDIANS ai Illinois Confederacy... 23 Starved Rook 83 Sace and Foxes 24 Manners and Cnstoms. 27 Single-handed Combat with Indians 29 BAKLY DISCOVERIES.. 31 Nicholas Pertot 31 Joliet and Marquette... 31 LaSalle's Explorations 33 Great Battle of the Illi- nois. 84 TOntl Safe at Green Bay 41 LaSalle'sAssassluatlon 43 FRENCH OCCUPATION. 44 First Settlements 44 The MisBiBsi, pi Com- j>aiiy..; 45 ENGLISH RULE 47 Gen. Clarke's Exploits 51 ILLINOIS S5 Connty of Illinois 55 NORTHWESTERN TER- RITORY 55 Ordinance of 1787 56 St. Clair Governor of N. W. Territory 59 ILLINOIS TERRITORY. 69 WAR OF 1812— THE OUT- BREAK 59 Massacre of Fort Dear- born 60 Expeditions up the Mis- sissippi 71 ILLINOIS AS A STATE.. 74 Organization 74 Derivation of the name "Illinois" 77 State Bank 78 LaFayette's Visit 79 Grammar and Cook Contrasted 82 INDIAN TROUBLES.... 83 Winnebago War 83 BLACK HAWK WAR. ... 84 Stillman' s Rnn 87 Battle of Bad Ax 90 Black Hawk Captured. 91 Biographical Sketch of Black Hawk.... : .. 92 FROM 1834 TO 1842 95 Internal Improvements 95 lUinoi'' and Michigan Canal 97 Martyr for Liberty ..... 98 PRAIRIE PIRATES. 102 MORMON WAR 104 MEXICAN WAR 118 Battle of Buena Vista. 119 THE WAR FOR THE UNION 125 States Seceding 126 The Fall of Sumter. . . 127 Call forTroops Prompt- ly Answered 128 The War Ended— The Union Restored., i. 187 Schedule of Regiments 138 DUELS h 141 DSESS AND MANNERS. 149 PHYSICAL FEATUBBS OF ILLINOIS.....;. 1B4 AGRICULTURE 155 GOVERNORS OF ILLI- NOIS 15T Lieutenant Governors. 160 State Officials 161 U. S. Senators 163 Representatives in Con- 165 gress 165 CHICAGO 170 The Great Fire 172 Commerce of Chicago. 173 STATES OF THE UNION ITT HISTORY OF HAISCOCK COUWTY. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL FEATURES, ETC 191 Geology 192 Building Stone 199 Potters'^ Clay 200 Coal 200 Hancock Monnds 200 Natural Productions 202 CHAPTER II. PIONEERS AND NBER LIFE.. PIO- CHAPTER III. THE ADVANCE GUARD 210 CHAPTER IV. THE FIRST OFFICIALS 215 First Grand Jurors 219 First Petit Jurors 223 CHAPTER V. ORGANIZATION AND FIRST PROCEED- INGS 229 Court Seals 234 Delinquent Tax List... 285 Cooni^-Seat Question. 235 A Relic of Slavery 238 The Circuit Court 239 The Probate Court 241 CHAPTER VI. THE MORMON PERIOD 242 Introductory Remarks. 242 Origin of Monnonism. . 247 TheTestimony of Three Witnesses 249 An Inquiry; The Book ofMormon 250 What the. Neighbors Say 254 Mrs. (Spaulding) Davi- son's Story 259 Extracts and Opinions 265 The Gold Plates 270 Dr. John C. Bennett... 373 '1 he Call to Zlon 276 Theft Denounced 278 Quarrels among the Chiefs 283 Further Requisitions.. 288 Further Attempts at Prosecution 290 Excitement at Nauvoo 295 The "E.'iLpositor" Ex- posed 296 "Nauvoo Neighbor" . 303 Smith's Proclamation. 318 The Atonement 319 How it was done— The Killing of the Smiths 824 Before Indictment and Trial 326 Trials and Acquittals. . 328 Struggle for the Succes- sion 331 Strang's Four Wit- More Violence and Bloodshed 336 Murder of Col. Daven- _port 888 The Beginning of the End 342 The Exodus Begun 344 War Impending. 847 The Battle and Result. 349 Nauvoo Charter and . Ordinances 354 The Kinderhook Plates 860 "Sons of Dan." 861 Beasts in the Land of Promise 861 William W. Phelps. . . . 361 The Titles of the Twelve 362 The Prophet as a Lin- guist 362 John D.Lee 364 The " Revelations.". . . 364 Polygamy 365 Temperance Clause 366 ATolerationOrdlnanoe 366 The Mansion House. . .' 367 Egyptian Hieroglyph- ics 387 The Temple 367 The Nauvoo House 368 James C . Brewster 368 A Story from Sten- honse 371 Col. Thomas Geddes' Statement 372 Mrs. Eliza R. Wells.. . . 872 The Carthage Greys . . . 873 Parley P. Pratt as a Prophet 378 The Baptismal Font ... 373 Incidents of the Burn- ing 374 Mormon Methods 374 Gov. Ford's Inaccura- cies 375 The Prophet a Land Speculator 375 The Be-organized Church 376 Conclusion 377 CHAPTER VII. FORTS JOHNSON AND EDWARDS ^379 CHAPTER VIII. BIOGRAPHICAL — Black Hawk.. 882 chapter ix. Hancock newspa- pers 386 chapter X. weather phenom- ena 399 Deep Snow 399 Storm of 1836 400 Tornado, June, 1888... 400 High Waters 401 The Basco Tornado 401 July 4, 1873 408 Winter of 1836-'7 409 CHAPTER XI. THE JUDICIARY 410 CHAPTER XII. THE HANCOCK BAR.... 418 CONTENTS. CHAPTBE XIII. ANECDOTAL 420 CHAPTBE XIV. U. G. E. E. 430 CHAPTBE XV. EBLIGIOirS PEOGEESS 433 CHAPTEE XVI. EDUCATIONAL 435 CHAPTEE XVII. THE POOE 444 CHAPTEE XVIII. ELECTION EETUENS.. 447 CHAPTEE XIX. PIONEEES' ASSOCIA- TION 463 CHAPTBE XX. MISCELLANEOUS STA- TISTICS 468 CHAPTBE XXII. OLD LANDMAEKS 473 CHAPTEE XXIII. HANCOCK IN THE EE- BELLION 476 Buth; A Poem of tjie ' Eeljellion 492 CHAPTEE XXIV. MISCELLANEOUS 500 La Moine Elver 500 Amzi Doolittle 500 Some Pontoosnc Pio- neers 500 Spelling Schools 501 The Lost Child 502 Jumping Claims 504 Pioneer Life 504 The Windmill 505 The First Two - Story Frame 506 The First Murder 506 SonS' of Temperance ... 507 Mormon Trail 507 The Deserters 507 LUBTT9 NATUKJ63 508 Gangrene and Quinine 508 A Miscalculation.. .. 508 Spillman's Fort 509 CHAPTBE XXI. TOWNSHIP OEGANIZA- TION 471 First Court House — Fron- tispiece Map of Hancock County. .14-15 Starved Eock 25 An Iroquois Chief 37 Old Fort Dearborn 61 Old Klnzie House 65 Pontiac 69 Black Hawk 85 873 CENSUS OF 1880 S IlilitJSTRATIOlVS. C, E.-I. &P. E. E. Depot. 99 Bye and Ear Infirmary — 111 Deaf and Dumb Institute . . 115 Scene on Fox Elver 121 Lincoln Monument 137 Asylum for Feeble Minded 143 Southern Normal Univer- sity 151 Central Insane Hospital... 167 PORTBAITS. Hoffman, B.S 477 Hurdle, John N 893 Howd, Joel 833 James, A.J 459 Johnson, James T 657 Manier,W. H 703 Manifold,J.B 423 Maynard, L. C 315 McGaw, S. P 567 McGlnnis,D 621 Mead,S B 513 Mendenhall, B 935 Pattersoi:, Wm A 693 Peyton, John 753 Pitt.John 823 Place.Jas.F 843 CHAPTBE XXV. TOWNSHIP HISTOEIES : Appanoose 949 Augusta 510 BearCreek 608 Carthage 687 Chili 530 Dallas 929,937 Durham 918,975 Fountain Green 819,973 Hancock 678 Harmony 593 LaHarpe 892 Montebello 790 Nauvoo 955 PilotGrove 841 Pontoosuc 929, 931 Prairie 771 Eock Creek 861 EockyKun 672 Sonora 881 St. Alhan'B 548 St. Mary's 578,974 Walker: 565,970 Warsaw 637,653 Wilcox 637,643 Wythe 625 CHAPTEE XXVI- THB CEIMINAL EBC- OED 977 CHAPTEE XXVII. HANCOCK BAIL WAYS 988 Industrial University.. The Crib Court- House Mormon Temple Old Jail Kinderhook Plates Carthage College Mississippi Bridge 167 176 190 261 279 360 437 Brant, Hezekiah Bride, Samuel 333 Browning, G. M: 603 Brumback,T.B 297 Carey, M.S 733 Corey, V.B 649 Clark, Gen. George E 49 Dufiy,A 675 Duvall,B.F 853 Bwell,J. S 863 Ferris, S.G 207 Gill, Charles F 883 Gillham, John 405 Glttings, James 369 Hamilton, A 713 Hammond, A. C 639 Harter, Joseph 531 mClEST OF STATE tATVS. Quinby, Jesse B Eandolnh, James M Ehea, James Sharp, Thomas C Smith, Joseph Stark, James St. Clair, Gen. Artliur Tressler, D. L Turney, S. T Walker, George Walker, H. M^ Walton, Fred Walton, Wesley Weakley, Peter E Wllcox,L.L Williams, W. C , Laws 989 Jurisdiction of Courts.. .. 989 County Courts 990 Commissioner of High- ways 990 Fences 992 Drainage .' 994 Trespass of Slock 994 Bstrays 996 Horses 996 Marks and Brands 997 Articles of Agreement. . . 997 Notes 998 Judgment Note 999 Interest 999 Wills 1001 Descent 1005 Deeds 1006 Mortagages & Trust Deeds 1007 Trust Deeds 1008 Liens 1008 Bill of Sale 1010 Days of Grace 1011 Limitation of Action 1011 Eeceipts 1012 Exemptions from Forced Sales 1012 Landlords and Tenants... 1013 Criminal Law 1016 Taxes 1018 Subscription 1019 Contract for Personal Ser- vices 1020 Newspaper Libel 1021 Tender 1021 Drunkenness 1023 Marriage Contract 1024 School Months 1026 Infants Adoption of Children, Church Organization Game Millers Paupers Public and Private Con- veyances Wagers and Stakeholders. Sundajr Definition of Commercial Terms Legal Weights and Meas- ures Cruelty to Animals. . Names , 743 723 813 38T 243 225 101 441 76S 351 788 793 585 495 803 773 1026 1027 1027 1028 1030 1030 1032 1033 1034 1034- 1034 1037 1037 1038 1038 MAP OF HANCOCK CO. ILLINOIS R H HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. FORMER OCCUPANTS. MOUND-BUILDEES. The numerous and well-authenticated accounts of antiquities found in various parts of our country, clearly demonstrate that a people civilized, and even highly cultivated, occupied the broad surface of our continent before its possession by the present In- dians; but the date of their rule of the Western World is so re- mote that all traces of their history, their progress and decay, lie buried in deepest obscurity. ' Ifature, at the time the first Euro- peans came, had asserted her original dominion over the earth; the forests were all in their full luxuriance, the growth of many cen- turies; and naught existed to point out who and "what they were who formerly lived, and loved, and labored, and died, on the conti- nent of America. This pre-historic race is known as the Mound- Builders, from the numerous large mounds of earth-works left by them. The remains of the works of this people form the most in- teresting class of antiquities discovered in the United States. Their character can be but partially gleaned from the internal evidences and the peculiarities of the only remains left, — the mounds. They consist of remains of what were apparently villages, altars, temples, idols, cemeteries, monuments, camps, fortifications, pleasure grounds, etc., etc. Their habitations must have been tents, struc- tures of wood, or other perishable material; otherwise their remains would be numerous. If the Mound-Builders were not the ancestors of the Indians, who were they? The oblivion which, has closed over them is so complete that only conjecture can be given in answer to the question. Those who do not believe in the common parentage of mankind contend that they were an indigenous race of the West- ern hemisphere; others, with more plausibility, think they came from the East, and imagine they can see coincidences in the religion of the Hindoos and Southern Tartars and the supposed theology of 18 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. the Mound-Builders. They were, no doubt, idolaters, and it has been conjectured that the sun was the object of their adoration. The mounds were generally built in a situation affording a view of the rising sun: when enclosed in walls their gateways were toward the east; the caves in which their d,ead were occasionally buried always opened in the same direction; whenever a mound ^as partially en- closed by a semi-circular pavement, it was on the east side; when bodies were buried in graves, as was frequently the case, they were laid in a direction east and west; and, finally, medals have been found representing the sun and his rays of light. At what period they came to this country^ is likewise a matter of speculation. From the comparatively rude state of the arts among them, it has been inferred that the time was very remote. Their axes were of stone. Their raiment, judging from fragments which have been discovered, consisted of the bark of trees, interwoven with feathers; and their military works were such as a people would erect who had just passed to the pastoral state of society from that dependent alone upon hunting and fishing. The mounds and other ancient earth-works constructed by this people are far more abundant than generally supposed, from the fact that while some are quite largCj the greater part of them are small and inconspicuous. Along nearly all our water courses that are large enough to be navigated with a canoe, the mounds are almost invariably found, covering the base points and headlands of the blufis which border the narrower valleys ; so that when one finds him- self in such positions as to command the grandest views for river scenery, he may almost always discover that he is standing upon, or in close proximity to, some one or more of these traces of the labors of an ancient people. GALENA MOUNDS. On the top of the high bluifs that skirt the west bank of the Mis- sissippi, about two and a half miles from G-alena, are a number of these silent monuments of a pre-historic age. The spot is one of surpassing beauty. From that point may be obtained a view of p., portion of three States, — Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. A hundred feet below, at the foot of the perpendicular clifis, the trains of the Illinois Central Eailroad thunder around the curve, the portage is in full view, and the " Father of Waters," with its numerous bayous HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 19 and islands, sketches a grand pamorama for miles above and below. Here, probably thousands of years ago, a race of men now extinct, and unknown even in the traditions of the Indians who inhabited that section for centuries before the discovery of America by Colum- bus, built these strangely wonderful and enigmatical mounds. At this point these mounds are circular and conical. in form. The larg- est one is at least forty feet in diameter at the base, and not less than fifteen feet high, even yet, after it has been beaten by the storms of many centuries. On its top stands the large stump of an oak tree that was cut down about fifty years ago, and its annual rings indicate a growth of at least 200 years. One of the most singular earth-works in the State was found on tlie top of a ridge near the east bank of the Sinsinawa creek in the lead region. It resembled some huge animal, the head, ears, nose, legs and tail, and general outline of which being as perfect as if made by men versed in modern art. The ridge on which it was situated stands on the prairie, 300 yards wide, 100 feet in height, and rounded on the top by a deep deposit of clay. Centrally, along the line of its summit, and thrown up in the form of an embankment three feet high, extended the outline of a quadruped measuring 250 feet from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, and having a width of 18 feet at the- center of the body. The head was 35 feet in length, the ears 10 feet, legs 60 and tail 75. The curvature in both the fore and hind legS was natural to an animal lying on its side. The general outline of the figure most nearly resembled the extinct animal known to geologists as the Megathe- rium. The question naturally arises, By whom and for what pur- pose was this earth figure raised? Some have conjectured that numbers of this now extinct animal lived and roamed over the prai- ries of Illinois when the Mound-Builders first made their appearance on the upper part of the Mississippi Valley, and that their wonder and admiration, excited by the colossal dimensions of these huge creatures, found some expression in the erection of this figure. The bones of some similar gigantic animals were exhumed on this stream about three miles from the same place. LAEGB CITIES. Mr. Breckenridge, who examined the antiquities of the Western country in 1817, speaking of the mounds in the American Bottom, says: "The great number and extremely large size of some of 20 HI8T0EY OF ILLINOIS. them may be regarded as furnishing, with other circumstances, evidences of their antiquity. I have sometimes been induced to think that at the period when they were constructed there- was a population here as numerous as that which once animated the borders of the Nile or Euphrates, or of Mexico. The most num- erous, as well as considerable, of these remains are found in pre- cisely those parts of the country where the traces of a numerous population might be looked for, namely, from the mouth of the Ohio on the east side of the Mississippi, to the Illinois river, and on the west from the St. Francis to the Missouri. I am perfectly satisfied that cities similar to those of ancient Mexico, of several hundred thousand souls, have existed in this country." It must be admitted that whatever the uses of these mounds — whether as dwellings or burial places — these silent monuments were built, and the race who built them vanished from the face of the earth, ages before the Indians occupied the land, but their date must probably forever baffle human skill and ingenuity. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the places of sepulture raised by the Mound-Biiilders from the more modern graves of the Indians. The tombs of the former were in general larger than those of the latter, and were used as receptacles for a greater number of bodies, and contained relics of art, evincing a higher degree of civ- ilization than that attained by the Indians. The ancient earth- works of the Mound-Builders have occasionally been appropriated as burial places by the Indians, but the skeletons of the latter may be distinguished from the osteological remains of the former by their greater stature. What finally became of the Mound-Builders is another query which has been extensively discussed. The fact that their works extend into Mexico and Peru has induced the belief that it was their posterity that dwelt in these countries when they were first visited by the Spaniards. The Mexican and Peruvian works, with the exception of their greater magnitude, are similar. Helios com- mon to all of them have been occasionally found, and it is believed that the religious uses which they subserved were the same. If, indeed, the Mexicans and Peruvians were the progeny of the more ancient Mound-Builders, Spanish rapacity for gold was the cause of their overthrow and final extermination. A thousand other queries naturally arise respecting these nations HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 21 wliich now repose under the groxnid, but the most searching investi- gation can give us only vague speculations for answers. JSTo histo- rian has preserved the names of their mighty chieftains, or given an account of their exploits, and even tradition is silent respecting them. INDIANS. Following the Mound-Builders as inhabitants of North America, were, as it is supposed, the people who reared the magnificent cities the ruins of which are found in Central America. This peo- ple was far more civilized and advanced in the arts than were the Mound-Builders. The cities built by them, judging from the ruins of broken columns, fallen arches and crumbling walls of temples, palaces and pyramids, which in some places for miles bestrew the ground, must have been of great extent, magnificent and very pop- ulous. "When we consider the vast period of time necessary to erect Buch colossal structures, and, again, the time required to reduce them to their present ruined state, we can conceive something of their antiquity. These cities must have been old when many of the ancient cities of the Orient were being built. The third race inhabiting North America,* distinct from the former two in every particular, is the present Indians. They were, when visited by the early discoverers, without cultivation, refinement or literature, and far behind the Mound-Builders ia the knowledge of the arts. The question of their origin has long interested archsologists, and is the most difficult they have been called upon to answer. Of their predecessors the Indian tribes knew nothing; they even had no traditions respecting them. It is quite certain that they were the successors of a race which had entirely passed away ages before the discovery of the New "World. One hypothesis is that the American Indians are an original race indigenous to the "Western hemisphere. Those who entertain this view think their peculiarities of physical structure preclude the possibility of a common parentage with the rest of mankind. Prominent among those distinctive traits is the hair, which in the red man is round, in the white man oval, and in the black man flat. A more common supposition, however, is that they are a derivative race, and sprang from one or more of the ancient peoples of Asia. In the absence of all authentic history, and when even tradition is 22 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. wanting, any attempt to point out the particular location of their origin must prove unsatisfactory. Though the exact place of origin may never be known, yet the striking coincidence of physical organization between the Oriental type of mankind and the Indians point unmistakably to some part of Asia as the place whence they emigrated, which was originally peopled to a great extent by the children of Shem. In this connection it has been claimed that the meeting of the Europeans, Indians and Africans on the continent of America, is the fulfillment of a prophecy as recorded in Gen- esis ix. 27: "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his servant." Assuming the theory to be true that the Indian tribes are of Shemitic origin, they were met on this continent in the fifteenth century by the Japhetic race, after the two stocks had passed around the globe by directly different routes. A few years afterward the Hamitic branch of the human family were brought from the coast of Africa. During the occupancy of the continent by the three distinct races, the children of Japheth have grown and prospered, while the called and not voluntary sons of Ham have endured a servitude in the wider stretching valleys of the tents of Shem. When Christopher Columbus had finally succeeded in demon- strating the truth o'f his theory that by sailing westward from Eu- rope land would be discovered, landing on the Island of Bermuda he supposed he had reached the East Indies. This was an error, but it led to the adoption of the name of " Indians " for the inhab- itants of the Island and the main land of America, by which name the red men of America have ever since been known. Of the several great branches of North American Indians the only ones entitled to consideration in Illinois history are the Algon- quins and Iroquois. At the time of the discovery of America the former occupied the Atlantic seaboard, while the home of the Iroquois was as an island in this vast area of Algonquin popula- tion. The latter great nation spread over a vast territory, and various tribes of Algonquin lineage sprung up over the country, adopting, in time, distinct tribal customs and laws. An almost continuous warfare was carried on between tribes ; but later, on the entrance of the white man into their beloved homes, every- foot of territory was fiercely disputed by the confederacy of many neighboring tribes. The Algonquins formed the most extensive alliance to resist the encroachment of the whites, especially the English. Such was the HISTORY OF ILLINIOS. 23 nature of Kin^ Philip's war. This King, with his Algonquin braves, spread terror and desolation throughout New England.With the Algonquins as the controlling spirit, a confederacy of conti- nental proportions was the result, embracing in its alliance the tribes of every name and lineage from the Northern lakes to the gulf. Pontiac, having breathed into them his implacable hate of the English intruders, ordered the conflict to commence, and all the British colonies trembled before the desolating fury of Indian vengeance. ILLINOIS CONFEDERACY. The Illinois confederacy, the various tribes of which comprised most of the Indians of Illinois at one time, was composed of five tribes: the Tamaroas, Michigans, Kaskaskias, Cahokas, and Peorias. The Illinois, Miamis and Delawares were of the same stock. As early as 1670 the priest Father Marquette mentions frequent visits made by individuals of this confederacy to the missionary station at St. Esprit, near the western extremity of Lake Superior. At that time they lived west of the Mississippi, in eight villages, whither they had been driven from the shores of Lake Michigan by the Iroquois. Shortly afterward they began to return to their old hunting ground, and most of them finally settled in Illinois. Joliet and Marquette, in 16T3, met with a band of them on their famous voyage of discovery down the Mississippi. They wers treated with the greatest hospitality by the principal chief. On their return voyage up the Illinois river they, stopped at the principal town of the confederacy, situated on the banks of the river seven miles below the present town of Ottawa. It was then called Kas- kaskia. Marquette, returned to the village in 1675 and established the mission of the Immaculate Conception, the oldest in Illinois. "When, in 1679, LaSalle visited the town, it had greatly increased numbering 460 lodges, and at the annual assembly of the different tribes, from 6,000 to 8,000 souls. In common with other western tribes, they became involved in the conspiracy of Pontiac, although displaying no very great warlike spirit. Pontiac lost his life by the hands of one of the braves of the Illinois tribe, which so enraged the nations that had followed him as their leader that they fell upon the Illinois to avenge his death, and almost annihilated them. STAEVED BOOK. Tradition states that a band of this tribe, in order to escape the general slaughter, took refuge upon the high rock on the Illinois 24 HISTOKY OF ILI^INOIS. river since known as Starved Rock. Nature has made this one of the most formidable military fortresses' in the world. From the waters which wash its base it rises to an altitude of 125 feet. Three of its sides it is impossible to scale, while the ope next to the land naay be climbed with difficulty. From its summit, almost as inac- cessible as an eagle's nest, the valley of the Illinois is seen as a landscape of exquisite beauty. The river near by struggles between a number of wooded islands, while further below it quietly meanders through vast meadows till it disappears like a thread of light in the dim distance. On the summit of this rock the Illinois were besieged by a superior force of the Pottawatomies whom the great strength of their natural fortress enabled them to keep at bay. Hunger and thirst, however, soon accomplished what the enemy was unable to effect. Surrounded by a relentless foe. Without food or water, they took a last look at their beautiful hunting grounds, and with true Indian fortitude lay down and died from starvation. Years afterward their bones were seen whitening in that place. At the beginning of the present century the remnants of this qnce powerful confederacy were forced into a small compass around Kaskaskia. A few years later they emigrated to the Southwest, and in 1850 they were in Indian Territory, and numbei-ed but 84 persons. SACS AND FOXES. The Sacs and Foxes, who figured most conspicuously in the later history of Illinois, inhabited the northwestern portion of the State. By long residence together and intermarriage they had substaur tially become one people. Drake, in his "Life of Black Hawk," speaks of these tribes as follows : " The Sacs and Foxes fought their way from the waters of the St. Lawrence to Green Bay, and after Jreaching that place, not only sustained themselves against hostile tribes, but were the most active and courageoiis in the subjugation, or rather the extermination, of the numerous and powerful Illinois confederacy. They had many wars, offensive and defensive, with the Sioux, the Pawnees, the Osages, and other tribes, some of which are ranked among the most fierce and ferocious warriors of the whole continent; and it does not appear that in these conflicts, run- ning through a long period of years, they were found wanting in this, the greatest of all savage virtues. In the late war with Great Britain, a party of the Sacs and Foxes fought under the British HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 27 standard as a matter of choice; and in the recent contest between a fragment of these tribes and tlie United States, although defeated and literally cut to pieces by an overwhelming force, it is very questionable whether their reputation as braves would suffer by a comparison with that of their victors. It is believed that a careful review of their history, from the period when they first established themselves on the waters of the Mississippi down to the present time, will lead the inquirer to the conclusion that the Sacs and Foxes were truly a courageous people, shrewd, politic, and enter- prising, with no more ferocity and treachery of character than is common among the tribes by whom they were surrounded." These tribes at the time of the Black Hawk "War were divided into twenty families, twelve of which were Sacs and eight Foxes. The follow- ing were other prominent tribes occupying Illinois : the Kickapoos, Shawnees, Mascoulins, Piaukishaws, Pottawatomies, Ohippewas, and Ottawas. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. The art of hunting not only supplied the Indian with food, but, like that of war, was a means of gratifying his love of distinction. The male children, as soon as they acquired sufficient age and strength, were furnished with a bow and arrow and taught to shoot birds and other small game. Success in killing large quadrupeds required years of careful study and practice, and the art was as sedulously inculcated iu the minds of the rising generation as are the elements of reading, writing and' arithmetic in the common schools of civilized communities. The mazes of the forest and the dense, tall grass of the prairies were the best fields for the exercise of the hunter's skill. No feet could be impressed in the yielding soil but that the tracks were the objects of the most searching- scrutiny, and revealed at a glance the animal that made them, the direction it was pursuing, and the time that had elapsed since it had passed. In a forest country he selected the valleys, because they were most frequently the resort of game. The most easily taken, perhaps, of all the animals of the chase was the deer. It is endowed with a curiosity which prompts it to stop in its flight and look back at the approaching hunter, who always avails himself of this opportunity to let fly the fatal arrow. Their general councils were composed of the chiefs and old men. When in council, they usually sat in concentric circles around the 28 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. speaker, and each individual, notwithstanding the fiery passions that rankled within, preserved an exterior as immovable as if cast in bronze. Before commencing business a person appeared with the sacred pipe, and another with fire to kindle it. After being lighted, it was first presented to heaven, secondly to the earth, thirdly to the presiding spirit, and lastly the several councilors, each of whom took a whiif. These formalities were observed with as close exactness as state etiquette in civilized courts. The dwellings of the Indians were of the simplest and rudest character. On some pleasant spot by the bank of a river, or near an ever-running spring, they raised their groups of wigwams, con- structed of the bark of trees, and easily taken down and removed to another spot. The dwelling-places of the chiefs were sometimes more spacious, and constructed with greater care, but of the same materials. Skins taken in the chase served them- for repose. Though principally dependent upon hunting and ishing, the uncertain supply from those sources led them to cultivate small patches of corn. Every family did everything necessary within itself, commerce, or an interchange of articles, being almost unknown to them. In cases of dispute and dissension, each Indian relied upon himself for retaliation. Blood for blood was the rule, and the relatives of the slain man were bound to obtain bloody revenge for his death. This principle gave rise, as a matter of course, to innumerable and bitter feuds, and wars of extermination where such were possible. "War, indeed, rather than peace, was the Indian's glory and delight, — war, not conducted as civilization, but wai' where individual skill, endurance, gallantry and cruelty were prime requisites. For such a purpose as revenge the Indian would make great sacrifices, and display a patience and perseverance truly heroic; but when the excitement was over, he sank back into a listless, un- occupied, well-nigh useless savage. Daring the intervals of his more exciting pursuits, the Indian employed his time in decorating his person with all the refinement of paint and feathers, and in the manufacture of his arms and of canoes. These were constructed of barki and so light that they could easily be carried on the shoulder from stream to stream. His amusements were the war-dance, ath- letic ganies, the narration of his exploits, and listening to the ora- tory of the chiefs; but during long periods of such existence he ' remained in a state of torpor, gazing listlessly upon the trees of the forests and the clouds that sailed above them; and this vacancy HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 29 imprinted an habitual gravity, and even melancholy, upon his gen- eral deportment. The main labor and drudgery of Indian communities fell upon the women. The planting, tending and gathering of the crops, making mats and baskets, carrying burdens, — in fact, all things of the kind, were performed by them, thus making their condition but little better than that of slaves. Marriage was merely a matter of bargain and sale, the husband giving presents to the father of the bride. In general they had but few children. They were sub- jected to many and severe attacks of sickness, and at times famine and pestilence swept away whole tribes. SINGLE-HANDED COMBAT WITH INDIANS. The most desperate single-handed combat with Indians ever fought on the soil of Illinois was that of Tom Higgins, August 21, 1814. Higgins was 25 years old, of a muscular and compact build, not tall, but strong and active. In danger he possessed a quick and discerning judgment, and was without fear. He was a member of Journey's rangers, consisting of eleven men, stationed at Hill's' Fort, eight miles southwest of the present Greenville, Put- nam county. Discovering Indian signs near the fort, the company, early the following morning, started on the trail. They had not gone far before they were in an ambuscade of a larger party. At the first fire their commander, Journey, and three men fell, and six retreated to the fort; but Higgins stopped to "have another pull at the red-skins," and, taking deliberate aim at a straggling savage, shot him down. Higgins' horse had been wounded at the first fire, as he supposed, mortally. Coming to, he was about to effect his escape, when the familiar voice of Burgess hailed him from the long grass, " Tom, don't leave me." Higgins told him to come along, but Burgess replied that his leg was smashed. Hig- gins attempted to raise him on his horse, but the animal took fright and ran away. Higgins then directed Burgess to limp off as well as he could ; and by crawling through the grass he reached the fort while the former loaded his gun and remained behind to protect him against .the pursuing enemy. When Burgess was well out of the way, Higgins took another route, which led by a small thicket, to throw any wandering enemy off the trail. Here he was con- fronted by three savages approaching. He ran to a little ravine near for shelter, but in the effort discovered for the first time that 30 HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. he was badly wounded in the leg. He was closely pressed by the largefst, a powerful Indian, who lodged a ball in his thigh. He fell, but instantly rose again, only, however, to draw the fire of the other two, and again fell wounded. The Indians now advanced upon him with their tomahawks and scalping knives; bnt as he presented his gun first at one, then at another, from his place in the ravine, each wavered in his purpose. Neither party had time to load, and the large Indian, supposing finally that Higgins' gun was empty, rushed forward with uplifted tomahawk and a yell ; but as he came near enough, was shot down. At this the others raised the war-whoop, and rushed upon the wounded Higgins, and now a hand-to-hand conflict ensued. They darted at him with their knives time and again, inflicting many ghastly flesh-wounds, which bled profusely. One of the assailants threw his tomahawk at him with such pre- cision as to sever his ear and lay bare his skull, knocking him down. They now rushed in on him, but he kicked them oif, and grasping one of their spears thrust at him, was raised up by it. He quickly seized his gun, and by a powerful blow crushed in the skull of one, but broke his rifle. His remaining antagonist still kept up the con- test, making thrusts with his knife at the bleeding and exhausted Higgins, which he parried with his broken gun as well as he could. Most of this desperate engagement was in plain view of the fort; but the rangers, having been in one ambuscade, saw in this fight only a ruse to draw out the balance of the garrison. But a Mrs. Pursely, residing at the fort, no longer able to see so brave a man contend for his life unaided, seized a gun, mounted a horse, and started to his rescue. At this the men took courage and hastened along. The Indian, seeing aid coming, fled. Higgins, being near- ly hacked to pieces, fainted from loss of blood. He was carried to the fort. There being no surgeon, his comrades cut two balls from his flesh; others remained in. For days his" life was despaired of; but by tender nursing he ultimately regained his health, although badly crippled. He resided in Fayette county for many years after, and died in 1829. HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 31 EARLY DISCOVEEIES NICHOLAS PEEEOT. The first white man who ever set foot on the soil embraced within the boundary of the present populous State of Illinois was Nich- olas Parrot, a Frenchman. He was sent to Chicago in the year 1671 by M. Talon, Intendant of Canada, for the purpose of inviting the Western Indians to a great peace convention to be held at Green Bay. This convention had for its chief object the promulgation of a plan for the discovery of the Mississippi river. This great river had been discovered by De Soto, the Spanish explorer, nearly one hundred and fifty years previously, but his nation left the country a wilderness, without further exploration or settlement within its borders, in which condition it remained until the river was dis- covered by Joliet and Marquette in 1673. It was deemed a wise policy to secure, as far as possible, the friendship and co-operation of the Indians, far and near, before venturing upon an enterprise which their hostility might render disastrous. Thus the great con- vention was called. JOLIET AND MAEQUETTE. Although Perrot was the first European to visit Illinois, he was not the first to make any important discoveries. This was left for Joliet and Marquette, which they accomplished two years thereafter. The former, Louis Joliet, was born at Quebec in 1645. He was educated for the clerical profession, but he abandoned it to engage in the fur trade. His companion. Father Jacques Mar- quette, was a native of France, born in 1637. He was a Jesuit priest by education, and a man of simple faith and great zeal and devotion in extending the Eoman Catholic religion among the In- dians. He was sent to America in 1666 as a missionary. To con- vert the Indians he penetrated the wilderness a thousand miles in advance of civilization, and by his kind attention in their aiHic- tions he won their affections and made them his lasting friends. There were others, however, who visited Illinois even prior to the famous exploration of Joliet and Marquette. In 1672 the Jesuit 32 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. missionaries, Fathers Claude Allouez and Claude Dablon, bore the standard of the Cross from their mission at- Green Bay through western Wisconsin and northern Illinois. According to the pre-arranged plan referred to above, at the Jes- uit mission on the Strait of Mackinaw, Joliet joined Marquette, and with five other Frenchmen and a simple outfit the daring ex- plorers on the 17th of May, 1673, set out on their perilous voyage to discover the Mississippi. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, they entered Green Bay, and passed thence up Fox river and Lake "Winnebago to a village of the Muscatines and Miamis, where great interest was taken in the expedition by the natives. With guides they proceeded down the river. Arriving at the portage, they soon carried their light canoes and scanty bag- gage to the Wisconsin, about three miles distant. Their guides now refused to accompany them further, and endeavored, by re- citing the dangers incident tp the voyage, to induce them to return. They stated that huge demons dwelt in the great river, whose voices could be heard a long distance, and who engulfed in the raging waters all who came within their reach. They also represented that if any of them should escape the dangers of the river, fierce tribes of Indians dwelt upon its banks ready to complete the work of de- struction. They proceeded on their journey, however, and on the 17th of June pushed their frail barks on the bosom of the stately Mississippi, down which they smoothly glided for nearly a hundred miles. Here Joliet and Marquette, leaving their canoes in charge of their men, went on the western shore, where they discovered an Indian village, and were kindly treated. They journeyed on down the unknown river, passing the mouth of the Illinois, then run- ning into the current of the muddy Missouri, and afterward the waters of the Ohio joined with them on their journey southward. Near the mouth. of the Arkansas they discovered Indians who showed signs of hostility; but when Marquette's mission of peace was made known to them, they were kindly received. After pro- ceeding up the Arkansas a short distance, at the advice of the natives they ^urned their faces northward to retrace their steps. Af- ter several weeks of hard toil they readied the Illinois, up which stream they proceeded to Lake Michigan. Following the western shore of the lake, they entered Green Bay the latter part of Sep- tember, having traveled a distance of 2,500 miles. HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. 33 On his way up the Illinois, Marquette visited the Kaskaskias, near what is now Utica, in LaSalle county. The following year he returned and established among them the inission of the Im- maculate Yirgin Mary. This was the last act of his life. He died in Michigan, May 18, 1675. lasalle's explokations. The first French occupation of Illinois was effected by LaSalle, in 1680. Having constructed a vessel, the " Griffin," above the falls of Niagara, he sailed to Green Bay, and passed thence in canoe to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, by which and the Kan- kakee he reached the Illinois in January, 1680; and on the 3d he entered the expansion of the river now called Peoria lake. Here, at the lower end of the lake, on its eastern bank, now in Tazewell county, he erected Fort Crevecceur. The place where this ancient fort stood may still be seen just below the outlet of Peoria lake. It had, however, but a temporary existence. From this point LaSalle determined, at that time, to descend the Mississippi to its mouth. This he did not do, however, until two years later. Returning to Fort Frontenac for the purpose of getting material with which to rig his vessel, he left the fort at Peoria in charge of his lieutenant, Henri Tonti, an Italian, who had lost one of his hands by the explosion of a grenade in the Sicilian wars. Tonti had with him fifteen men, most of whom disliked LaSalle, and were ripe for a revolt the first opportunity. Two men who had, previous to LaSalle's departure, been sent to look for the " Griffin " now returned and reported that the vessel was lost and that Fort Frontenac was in the hands of LaSalle's creditors. This disheartening intelligence had the effect to enkindle a spirit of mutiny among the garrison. Tonti had no sooner left the fort, with a few men, to fortify what was afterward known as Starved Eock, than the garrison at the fort refused longer to submit to authority. They destroyed the fort, seized the ammunition, provisions, and other portables of value, and fied. Only two of their number remained true. These hast- ened to apprise Tonti of what had occurred. He thereupon sent four of the men with him to inform LaSalle. Thus was Tonti in the midst of treacherous savages, with only five men, two of whom were the friars Ribourde and Membre. With these he immediately returned to the fort, collected what tools had not been destroyed, and conveyed them to the great town of the Illinois Indians. 34 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. By this voluntary display of confidence lie hoped to remove the jealousy created in the minds of the Illinois by the enemies of La- Salle. Here he awaited, unmolested, the return of LaSalle. GEEA.T BATTLE OF THE ILLINOIS. Neither Tonti nor his wild associates suspected that hordes of Iro- quois were gathering preparatory to rushing down upon their country and reducing it to an uninhabited waste. Already these hell-hounds of the wilderness had destroyed the Hurons, Eries, and other natives on the lakes, and were now directing their attention to the Illinois for new victims. Five hundred Iroquois warriors set out for the home of the Illinois. All was fancied security and idle repose in the great town of this tribe, as the enemy stealthily approached. Suddenly as a jelap of thunder from a cloudless sky the listless inhabitants were awakened from their lethargy. A Shawnee Indian, on his return home after a visit to tlie Illinois, first discovered the invaders. To save his friends from the im- pending danger, he hurriedly returned and apprised them of the coming enemy. This intelligence spread with lightning rapidity over the town, and each wigwam disgorged its boisterous and as- tounded inmates. Women snatched their children, and in a delirium of flight wandered aimlessly about, rending the air with their screams. The men, more self-possessed, seized their arms ready for the coming fray. Tonti, long an object of suspicion, was soon surrounded by an angry crowd of warriors, who accused him of be- ing an emissary of the enemy. His inability to defend himself properly, in consequence of not fully understanding their language left them still inclined to believe him guilty, and they seized his effects from the fort and threw them into the river. The women and children were sent down the river for safety, and the warriors, not exceeding four hundred, as most of their young men were off hunting, returned to the village. Along the shores of the river they kindled huge bonfires, and spent the entire night in greasing their bodies, painting their faces, and performing the war-dance, to prepare for the approaching enemy. At early dawn the scouts who had been sent out returned, closely followed by the Iroquois. The scouts had seen a chief arrayed in French costume, and re- ported their suspicions that LaSalle was in the camp of the enemy, and Tonti again became an object of jealousy. A concourse of wildly gesticulating savages immediately gathered about him, de- HISTOKY OF ILLINOIS. 35 manding his life, and nothing saved him from their uplifted weap- ons but a promise that he and his men would go with them to meet the enemy. With their suspicions partly lulled, they hurriedly crossed the river and met the foe, when both commenced firing. Tonti, seeing that the Illinois were outnumbered and likely to be defeated, determined, at the imminent risk of his life, to stay the fight by an attempt at mediation. Presuming on the treaty of peace then existing between the French and Iroquois, he exchanged his gun for a belt of wampum afid advanced to meet the savage multitude, attended by three companions, who, being unnecessarily exposed to danger, were dismissed, and he proceeded alone. A short walk brought him in the midst of a pack of yelping devils, writhing and distorted with fiendish rage, and impatient to shed* his blood. As the result of his swarthy Italian complexion and half-savage costume, he was at first taken for an Indian, and before the mistake was discovered a young warrior approached and stabbed at his heart. Fortunately the blade was turned aside by coming in contact with a rib, yet a large flesh wound was inflicted, which bled profusely. , At this juncture a chief discovered his true char- acter, and he was led to the rear and efforts were made to staunch his wound. When sufficiently recovered, he declared the Illinois were under the protection of the French, and demanded, in consid- eration of the treaty between the latter and the Iroquois, that they should be suffered to remain without farther molestation. Durino- this conference a young warrior snatched Tonti's hat, and, fleeino- with it to the front, held it aloft on the end of his gun in view of the Illinois. The latter, judging that Tonti had been killed, renewed the fight with great vigor. Simultaneously, intelligence was brought to the Iroquois that Frenchmen were assisting their enemies in the fight, when the contest over Tonti was renewed with redoubled fury. Some declared that he should be immediately put to death, while others, friendly to LaSalle, with equal earnest- ness demanded that he should be set at liberty. During their clamorous debate, his hair was several times lifted by a huge sav- age who stood at his back with a scalping knife ready for execution. Tonti at length turned the current of the angry controversy in his favor, by stating that the Illinois were 1,200 strong, and that there were 60 Frenchmen at the village ready to assist them. This state- ment obtained at least a partial ci-edence, and his tormentors now 36 JIISTOEY OF ILLIN0I8. determined to use him as an instrument to delude the Illinois with a pretended truce. The old warriors, therefore, advanced to the front and ordered the firing to cease, while Tonti, dizzy from the loss of blood, was furnished with an umbleni of peace and sent staggering across the plain to rejoin the Illinois. The two friars who had just returned from a distant hut, whither they had repaired for prayer and meditation, were the first to meet him and bless God for what they regarded as a miraculous deliverance. "With the assurance brought by Tonti, the Illinois re-urossed the river to their lodges, followed by the enemy as far as the opposite bank. Not long after, large numbers of the latter, under the pretext of hunting, also crossed the river and hung in threatening groups about the town. These •hostile indications, and the well-known disregard which the Iroquois had always evinced for their pledges, soon convinced the Illinois that their only safety was in flight. "With this conviction they set lire to their village, and while the vast volume of fljimes and smoke diverted the attention of the enemy, they quietly dropped down the river to join their women and children. As soon as the flames would permit, the Iroquois entrenched themselves on the site of the vil- lage. .Tonti and his men were ordered by the suspicious savages to leave their hut and take up their abode in the fort. At first the Iroquois were much elated at the discomfiture of the Illinois, but when two days afterward they discovered them recon- noitering their intrenchmonts, their courage greatly subsided. "With fear they recalled the exaggerations of Tonti respecting their numbers, and concluded to send him with a hostage to make over- tures of peace. He and his hostage were received with delight by the Illinois, who readily assented to the proposal which ho brought, and in turn sent back with him a hostage to the Iroquois. On his return to the fort his life was again placed in jeopardy, and the treaty was with great diflSculty ratified. The young and inexpe- rienced Illinois hostage betrayed to his crafty interviewers the nu- merical weakness of his tribe, and the savages immediately rushed upon Tonti, and charged him with having deprived them of the spoils and honors of victory. It now required all the tact of which he was master to escape. After much difiScnlty however, the treaty was con- cluded, but the savages, to show their contempt for it, immediately 'commenced constructing canoes in which to descend the river and attack the Illinois. AN IROQUOIS CIIIEP. HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 39 FKENCHMEN DRIVEN AWAT. Tonti managed to apprise the latter of their designs, and he and Membre were soon after summoned to attend a council of the Iro- quois, who still labored under a wholesome fear of Count Frontenac, and disliking to attack the Illinois in the presence of the French, they thought to try to induce them to leave the country. At the assembling of the council, six packages of beaver skins were intro- duced, and the savage orator, presenting them separately to Tonti, explained the nature of each. "The first two," said he, " were to de- clare that the children of Count Frontenac, that is, the Illinois, should not be eaten; the next was a plaster to heal the wounds of Tonti; the next was oil wherewith to anoint him and Membre, that they might not be fatigued in traveling; the next proclaimed that the sun was bright; and the sixth and last required them to decamp and go home." At the mention of going home, Tonti demanded of them when they intended to set the example by leaving the Illinois in the peaceable possession of their country, which they had so unjustly in- vaded. The council grew boisterous and angry at the idea that they should be demanded to do what they required of the French, and some of its members, forgetting their previous pledge, declared that they would " eat Illinois flesh before they departed." Tonti, in imitation of the Indians' manner of expressing scorn, indignantly kicked away the presents of fur, saying, since they intended to de- vour the children of Frontenac with cannibal ferocity, he would not accept their gifts. This stern rebuke resulted in the expulsion of Tonti and his companion from the council, and the next day the chiefs ordered them to leave the country. Tonti had now, at the great peril of his life, tried every expedient to prevent the slaughter of the Illinois. There was little to be ac- complished by longer remaining in the country, and as longer delay might imperil the lives of his own men, he determined to depart, not knowing where or when he would be able to rejoin LaSalle. With this object in view, the party, consisting of six persons, embarked in canoes, which soon proved leaky, and they were compelled to land for the purpose of making repairs. "While thus employed, Father Ki- bourde, attracted by the beauty of the surrounding landscape, wan- dered forth among the groves for meditation and prayer. Not return- ing in due time, Tonti became alarmed, and started with a compan- 40 HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. ion to ascertain the cause of the long delay. They soon discovered tracks of Indians, by whom it was supposed he had been seized, and guns were fired to direct' his return, in case he was alive. Seeing nothing of him during the day, at night they built fires along the bank of the river and retired to the opposite side, to see who might approach them. ISTear midnight a number of Indians were seen flitting about the light, by whom, no doubt, had been made the tracks seen tlie previous day. It was afterward learned that they were a band of Kickapoos, who had for several days been hovering about the camp of the Iroquois in quest of scalps. They had fell in with the inoffensive old friar and scalped him. Thus, in the 65th year of his age, the only heir to a wealthy Burgundian house per- ished under the war-club of the savages for whose salvation he had renounced ease and affluence. INHUMAN BITTOHEET. During this tragedy a far more revolting one was being enacted in the great town of Illinois. The Iroquois were tearing open the graves of the dead, and wreaking their vengeance upon the bodies made hideous by putrefaction. At this desecration, it is said, they even ate portions of the dead bodies, while subjecting them to every indignity that brutal hate could inflict. Still unsated by their hell- ish brutalities, and now unrestrained by the presence of the French, they started in pursuit of the retreating Illinois. Day after day they and the opposing forces moved in compact array down the river, neither being able to gain any advantage over the other. At length the Iroquois obtained by falsehood that which number and prowess denied them. They gave out that their object was to pos- sess the country, not by destroying, but by driving out its present inhabitants. Deceived by this false statement, the Illinois separa- ted, some descending the Mississippi and others crossing to the western shore. The Tamaroas, more credulous than the rest, re- mained near the mouth of the Illinois, and were suddenly attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy. The men fled in dismay, and the women and children, to the number of 700, fell into the hands of the ferocious enemy. Tlien fallowed the tortures, butch- eries and burnings which only the infuriated and imbruted Iroquois could perpetrate. LaSalle on his return discovered the half-charred bodies of women and children still bound to the stakes where they had suffered all the torments hellish hate could devise. In addition HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 41 to those who had been burnt, the mangled bodies of women and children thickly covered the ground, many of which bore marks of brutality too horrid for record. After the ravenous horde had sufficiently glutted their greed for carnage, they retired from the country. The Illinois retur&ed and rebuilt their town. TONTI SAFE AT G-EEEN BAT.. After the death of Ribourde, Tonti and his men again resumed their journey. Soon again their craft became disabled, when they abandoned it and started on foot for Lake Michigan. Their supply of provisions soon became exhausted, and they were compelled to subsist in a great measure on roots and herbs. One of their companions wandered off in search of game, and lost his way, and several days elapsed before he rejoined them. In his absence he was without flints and bullets, yet contrived to shoot some turkeys by using slugs cut from a pewter porringer and afire- brand to discharge his gun. Tonti fell sick of a fever and greatly retarded the progress of the march. Wearing Green Bay, the cold increased and the means of subsistence decreased and the party would have perished had they not found a few ears of corn and some froz- en squashes in the fields of a deserted village. Near the close of November they had reached the Pottawatomies, who warmly greet- ed them. Their chief was an ardent admirer of the. French, and was accustomed to say: " There were but three great captains in the world, — himself, Tonti and LaSalle." For the above account of Tonti's encounter with the Iroquois, we are indebted to Davidson and Stuve's History of Illinois. lasalle's eetuen. LaSalle returned to Peoria only to meet the hideous picture of devastation. Tonti had escaped, but LaSalle knew not whither. Pass- ing down the lake in search of him and his men, LaSalle discov- ered that the fort had been destroyed; but the vessel which he had partly constructed was still on the stocks, and but slightly injured. After further fruitless search he fastened to a tree a painting repre- senting himself and party sitting in a canoe and bearing a pipe of peace, and to the painting attached a letter addressed to Tonti. LaSalle was born in France in 1643, of wealthy parentage, and edu- cated in a college of the Jesuits, from which he separated and came to Canada, a poor man, in 1666. He was a man of daring genius, 42 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. and outstripped all his' competitors in exploits of travel and com- merce with the Indians. He was granted a large tract of land at LaChine, where he established himself in the fur trade. In 1669 he visited the headquarters of the great Iroquois confederacy, at Onondaga, New York, and, obtaining guides, explored the Ohio river to the falls at Louisville. For many years previous, it must be remembered, missionaries and traders were obliged to make their way to the N^orthwest through Canada on account of the fierce hostility of the Iroquois along the lower lakes and Niagara river, which entirely closed this latter route to the upper lakes. They carried on their commerce chiefly by canoes, paddling them through Ottawa river to Lake Nipissing, carrying them across the portage to French river, and descending that to Lake Huron. This being the route by which they reached the Northwest, we have an explana- tion of the fact that all the earliest Jesuit missions were established in the neighborhood of the upper lakes. LaSalle conceived the grand idea of opening the route by Niagara river and the lower lakes to Canada commerce by sail vessels, connecting it with the navigation of the Mississippi, and thus opening a magnificent water communication from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mex- ico. This truly grand and comprehensive purpose seems to have animated him in his wonderful achievements, and the matchless difficulties and hardships he surmounted. As the first step in the accomplishment of this object he established himself on Lake Ontario, and built and garrisoned Fort Frontenac, the site of the present city of Kingston, Canada. Here he obtained a grant of land from the French crown, and a body of troops, by which he repulsed the Iroquois and opened passage to Niagara Falls. Hav- ing by this masterly stroke made it safe to attempt a hitherto untried expedition, his next step, as we have seen, was to build a ship with which to sail the lakes. He was successful in this under- taking, though his ultimate purpose was defeated by a strange com- bination of untoward circumstances. The Jesuits evidently hated LaSalle and plotted against him, because he had abandoned them and united with a rival order. The fur traders were also jealous of his success in opening new channels of commerce. While they were plodding with their bark canoes through the Ottawa, he was con- structing sailing vessels to command the trade of the lakes and the Mississippi. These great plans excited the jealousy and envy of HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 4:3 small traders, introduced treason and revolt into the ranks of bis men, and finally led to the foal assassination by which his great achievements were permanently ended. lasalle's assassination. Again visiting the Illinois in the year 1682, LaSalle de- scended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. He erected a standard upon which he inscribed the arms of France, and took formal possession of the whole valley of this mighty river in the name of Louis XIV., then reigning, and in honor of whom he named ' the country Louisiana. LaSalle then returned to France, was appointed Governor, and returned with a fleet of immigrants for the purpose of planting a colony in Illinois. They arrived in due time in the Gulf of Mexico, but failing to find the mouth of the Missis- sippi, up which they intended to sail, h;s supply ship, with the immigrants, was driven ashore and wrecked on Matagorda Bay. With the fragments of the vessel he constructed rude huts and stockades on the shore for the protection of his followers, calling the post Fort St. Louis. He then made a trip into New Mexico in search of silver mines, but, meeting with disappointment, returned to find his colony reduced to forty souls. He then resolved to travel on foot to Illinois. With some twenty of his men they filed out of their fort on the 12th of January, 1687, and after the part- ing, — which was one of sighs, of tears, and of embraces, all seeming intuitively to know that they should see each other no more, — they started on their disastrous journey. Two of the party, Du Haut and Leotot, when on a hunting expedition in company with a nephew of LaSalle, assassinated him while asleep. The long absence of his nephew caused LaSalle to go in search of him. On approaching the murderers of his nephew, they fired upon him, kill- ing him instantly. They then despoiled the body of its clothing, anc icft it to be devoured by the wild beasts of the forest. Thus, at the age of 43, perished one whose exploits have so greatly enriched the history of the New World. To estimate aright the marvels of his patient fortitude, one must follow on his track through the vast scene of his interminable journeyings, those thou- sands of weary miles of forest, marsh and river, where, again and again, in the bitterness of baffled striving, the untiring pilgrim pushed onward toward the goal he never was to attain. America owes him an enduring memory; for in this masculine figure, cas/ 44 HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. in iron, she sees the heroic pioneer who guided her to the possession of her richest heritage. Tonti, who had been stationed at the fort on the Illinois, learning of LaSalle's unsuccessfur voyage, immediately started down the Mississippi, to his relief. Beaching the Gulf, he found no traces of the colony. He then returned, leaving some of his men at the mouth of the Arkansas. These were discovered by the remnant of LaSalle's followers, who guided them to the fort on the Illinois, where they reported that LaSalle was in Mexico. The little band left at Fort St. Louis were finally destroyed by the Indians, and the . murderers of LaSalle were shot. Thus ends the sad chapter of "Robert Cavalier de LaSalle's exploration. FREITCH OCCUPATION. FIEST SETTLEMENTS. The first mission in Illinois, as we have already seen, was com- menced by Marquette in April, 16Y6. He called the religious society which he established the " Mission of the Immaculate Con- ception," and the town Kaskaskia. The first military occupation of the country was at Fort Crevecoeur, erected in 1680 ; but there is no evidence that a settlement was commenced there, or at Peoria, on the lake above, at that early date. The first settlement of which there is any authentic account was commenced with the building of Fort St. Louis on the Illinois river in 1682 ; but this was soon abandoned. The oldest permanent settlement, not only in Illinois, but in the val- ley of the Mississippi, is at Kaskaskia, situated six miles above the mouth of the Kaskaskia river. This was settled in 1690 by the removal of the mission from old Kaskaskia, or Ft. St. Louis, on the Illinois river. Cahokia was settled about the same time. The reason for the removal of the old Kaskaskia settlement and mission, was probably because the dangerous and difficult route by Lake Michigan and the Chicago portage had been almost abandoned, and travelers and traders traveled down and up the Mississippi by the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. It was removed to the vicinity of the Mississippi in order to be in the line of travel from Canada to Louisiana, that is, the lower part of it, for it was all Louisiana then south of the lakes. Illinois came into possession of the French in 1682, and was a dependency of Canada and a 'part of Louisiana. During the period of French rule in Louisiana, the population HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. 46 probably never exceeded ten thousand. To the year 1730 the fol- lowing five distinct settlements were made in the territory of Illinois, numbering, in population, 140 French families, about 600 "converted " Indians, and many traders; Cahokia, near the mouth of Gahokia creek and about five miles below the present city of St. Louis; St. Philip, about forty-five miles below Cahokia; Fort Chartres, twelve miles above Kaskaskia; Kaskaskia, situated on the Kaskaskia river six miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, and Prairie du Eocher, near Fort Chartres. Fort Chartres was built under the direction of the Mississippi Company in 1718, and was for a time the headquarters of the military commandants of the district of Illinois, and the most impregnable fortress in JSTorth America. It was also the center of wealth and fashion in the West. For about eighty years the French retained peaceable possession of Illinois. Their amiable disposition and tact of ingratiating them- selves with the Indians enabled them to escape almost entirely the broils which weakened and destroyed other colonies. Whether exploring remote rivers or traversing hunting grounds in pursuit of game, in the social circle or as p^irticipants in the religious exer- cises of the church, the red men became their associates and were treated with the kindness and consideration of brothers. For more than a hundred years peace between the white man and the red was unbroken, and when at last this reign of harmony terminated it was not caused by the conciliatory Frenchman, but by the blunt and sturdy Anglo-Saxon. During this century, or until the coun- try was occupied by the English, no regular court was ever held. When, in 1765, the country passed into the hands of the English, many of the French, rather than submit to a change in their insti- tutions, preferred to leave their homes and seek a new abode. There are, however, at the present time a few remnants of the old French stock in the State, who still retain to a great extent the ancient habits and customs of their fathers. THE MISSISSIPPI COMPAITT. During the earliest period of French occupation of this country, M. Tonti, LaSalle's attendant, was commander-in-chief of all the territory embraced between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico, and extending east and west of the Mississippi as far as his ambition or imagination pleased to allow. He spent twenty-one years in estab- lishing forts and organizing the first settlements of Illinois. Sep- 46 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. tember 14, 1712, the French goverament granted a monopoly of all the trade and commerce of the country to M. Crozat, a wealthy merchant of Paris, who established a trading company in Illinois, and it was by this means that the early settlements became perma- nent and others established. Crozat surrendered his charter in 1717, and the Company of the West, better known as the Missis- sippi Company, was organized, to aid and assist the banking system of John Law, the most famous speculator of modern times, and perhaps at one time the wealthiest private individual the world has ever known; but his treasure was transitory. Under the Company of the West a branch was organized called the Company of St. Philip's, for the purpose of working the rich silver mines sup- posed to be in Illinois, and Philip Renault was appointed as its agent. In 1719 he sailed from France with two hundred miners, laborers and mechanics. During 1719 the Company of -the West was by royal order united with the Royal Company of the Indies, and had the influence and support of the crown, who was deluded by the belief that immense wealth would flow into the empty treas- ury of France. This gigantic scheme, one of the most extensive and wonderful bubbles ever blown up to astonish, deceive and ruin thousands of people, was set in operation by the fertile brain of John Law. Law was born in Scotland in 1671, and so rapid had been his career that at the age of twenty-three he was a " bankrupt, an adulterer, a murderer and an exiled outlaw." But he possessed great financial ability, and by his agreeable and attractive manners, and his enthusiastic advocacy of his schemes, he succeeded in inflaming the imagination of the mercurial Frenchmen, whose greed for gain led them to adopt any plans for obtaining wealth. Law arrived in Paris with two and a half millions of francs, which he had gained at the gambling table, just at the right time. Louis XIY. had just died and left as a legacy empty coffers and an immense public debt. Every thing and everybody was taxed to the last penny to pay even the interest. All the sources of in- dustry were dried up; the very wind which wafted the barks of commerce seemed to have died away under the pressure of the time; trade stood still; the merchant, the trader, the artificer, once flourishing in afiluence, were transformed into clamorous beggars. The life-blood that animated the kingdom was stagnated in all its arteries, and the danger of an awful crisis became such that HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 47 the nation was on the verge of bankruptcy. At this critical junc- ture John Law arrived and proposed his grand scheme of the Mississippi Company; 200,000 shares of stoclc at 500 livres each were at first issued. Tliis sold readily and great profits were realized. More stock was issued, speculation became rife, the fever seized everybody, and the wildest speculating frenzy pervaded the whole nation. Illinois was thought to contain vast and rich mines of minerals. Kaskaskia, then scarcely more than the settlement of a few savages, was spoken of as an emporium of the most extensive traffic, and as rivaling some of the cities of Europe in refinement, fashion and religious culture. Law was in the zenith of his glory, and the people in the zenith of their infatuation. The high and the low, the rich and the poor, were at once filled with visions of untold wealth, and every age, set, rank and condition were buying and selling stocks. Law issued stock again and again, and readily sold until 2,235,000,0001i vres were in circulation, equaling about$450,000,000. While confidence lasted an impetus was given to trade never before known. An illusory policy everywhere prevailed, and so dazzled the eye that none could see in the horizon the dark cloud announc- ing the approaching storm. Law at the time was the most influ- ential man in Europe. His house was beset from morning till night with eager applicants for stock. Dukes, marquises and counts, with their wives and daughters, waited for hours in the street below his door. Finding his residence too small, he changed it for the Place Vendorae, whither the crowd followed him, and the spacious square had the appearance of a public market. The boule- vards and public gardens were forsaken, and the Place Vendome became the most fashionable place in Paris; and he was unable to wait upon even one-tenth part of his applicants. The bubble burst after a few years, scattering ruin and distress in every direction. Law, a short time previous the most popular man in Europe, fled to Brussels, and in 1729 died in Yenice, in obscurity and poverty. ENGLISH KULE. As early as 1750 there could be perceived the first throes of the revolution, which gave a new master and new institutions to Illi- nois. France claimed the whole valley of the Mississippi, and Eng- land the right to extend her possessions westward as far as she might desire. Through colonial controversies the two mother 48 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. countries were precipitated into a bloody war within the North- western Territory, George "Washington firing the first gun of the military struggle which resulted in the overthrow of the French not only in Illinois but in JSTorth America. The French evinced a determination to retain control of the territory bordering the Ohio and Mississippi from Canada to the Gulf, and so long as the En- glish colonies were confined to the sea-coast there was little reason for controversy. As the English, however, became acquaintcjd with this beautiful and fertile portion of our country, they not only learned the value of the vast territory, but also resolved to set up a counter claim to the soil. The French established numerous mili- tary and trading posts from the frontiers of Canada to JSTew Or- leans, and in order to establish also their claims to jurisdiction over the country they carved the lilies of France on the forest trees, or sunk plates of metal in the ground. These measures did not, however, deter the English from going on with their explorations; and though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and it was only a. question of time when the storm should burst upon the frontier settlement. The French based their claims upon discoveries, the English on grants of territory extending from ocean to ocean, but neither party paid the least attention to the prior claims of the Indians. From this posi- tion of affairs, it was evident that actual collision between the contending parties would not much longer be deferred. The En- glish Government, in anticipation of a war, urged the Governor of Yirginia to lose no time in building two forts, which were equipped by arms from England. The French anticipated the English and gathered a considerable force to defend their possessions. The Governor determined to send a messenger to the nearest French post and demand an explanation. This resolution of the Governor brought into the history of our country for the first time the man of all others whom Aifierica most loves to'_^honor, namely, George Washington. He was chosen, although not yet twenty-one years of age, as the one to perforin this delicate and difficult mission. "With five companions he set out on Nov. 10, 1753, and after a per- ilous journey returned Jan. 6, 1754. The struggle commenced and continued long, and was bloody and fierce; but on the 10th of Octo- ber, 1766, the ensign of France was replaced on the ramparts of Fort Chartres by the flag of Great Britain, This fort was the GEN. GEORGE ROGEBS CLARK. HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 51 depot of supplies and the place of rendezvous for the united forces of the French. At this time the colonies of the Atlantic seaboard were assembled in preliminary congress at New York, dreaming of liberty and independence for the continent; and Washington, who led the expedition against the French for the English king, in less than ten years was commanding the forces opposed to the English tyrant. Illinois, besides being constructively a part of Florida for over one hundred years, during which time no Spaniard set foot upon her soil or rested his eyes upon her beautiful plains, for nearly ninety years had been in the actual occupation of the French, their puny settlements slumbering quietly in colonial dependence on the distant waters of the Kaskaskia, Illinois and Wabash. GEN. OLAEk's exploits. The Il^orthwest Territory was now entirely under English rule, and on the breaking out of the Eevolutionary war the British held every post of importance in the West. While the colonists of the East were maintaining a fierce struggle with the armies of England, their western frontiers were ravaged by merciless butcheries of In- dian warfare. The jealousy of the savage was aroused to action by the rapid extension of American settlement westward and the im- proper influence exerted by a number of military posts garrisoned by British troops. To prevent indiscriminate slaughters arising from these causes, Illinois became the theater of some of the most daring exploits connected with American history. The hero of the achieve- ments by which this beautiful land was snatched as a gem from the British Crown, was George Rogers Clark, of Yirginia. He had closely watched the movements of the British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan; he also knew the Indians were not unanimously in accord with the English, and therefore was convinced that if the British could be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives might be easily awed into neutrality. Having convinced himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlement might easily succeed, he repaired to the cap- ital of Virginia, arriving Nov. 5, 1777. While he was on his way, fortunately, Burgoyne was defeated (Oct. 17), and the sp'irits of the colonists were thereby greatly encouraged. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at once entered heartily into Clark's plans. After satisfying the Virginia leaders of the feasibility of his project, he received two sets of instructions, — one secret, the 52 HISTORY OF. ILLINOIS. other open. The latter authorized him to enlist seven companies to go to Kentucky, and serve three months after their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hatd at Pittsburg, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country. HE TAKES KASKASKIA. With these instructions Col. Clark repaired to Pittsburg, choos- ing rather to raise his men west of the mountains, as he well knew all were needed in the colonies in the conflict ,there. He sent Col. W. B. Smith to Holstein and Captains Helm and Bowman to other localities to enlist men; but none of them succeeded in rais- ing the required number. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to join the expedition. With these companies and several private volunteers Clark commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he navigated as far as the falls, where he took posses- sion of and fortified Corn Island, a small island between the present cities of Louisville, Ky., and New Albany, Ind. Here, after having completed his arrangements and announced to the men their real destination, he left a small garrison; and on the 24th of June, dur- ing a total eclipse of the sun, which to them augured no good, they floated down the river. His plan was to go by water as far as Fort Massac, and thence march direct to Kaskaskia. Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he intended to march directly to the Mississippi river and cross it into the Spanish country. Before his start he received good items of information: one that an alliance had been formed between France and the United States, and the oth6r that the Indians throughout the Illinois country and the inhabitants at the various frontier posts had been led by the British to believe that the " Long Knives," or Yirginians, were the most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from gratitude would become friendly, if treated with unexpected lenity. The march to Kaskaskia was made through a hot July sun, they arriving on the evening of the 4th of July, 1778. They captured the fort near the village and Boon after the village itself, by surprise, and without the loss of HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. * 53 a single man and without killing any of the enemy. After suffi- ciently working on the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at perfect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of the great conflict they would; also he would pro- tect them against any barbarity from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect; and the inhabitants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised Ly the unlooked-for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms; and when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accompanied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place surrendered and gladly placed themselves under his protection. In the person of M. Gibault, priest of Kaskaskia, Clark found a powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain pos- session of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken. St. Yin- cent, the post next in importance to Detroit, remained yet to be taken before the Mississippi valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that he would alone, by persuasion, lead Yincennes to throw off its connection with England. Clark gladly accepted this offer, and July llth, in company with a fellow-townsman, Gibault started on bis mission of peace. On the 1st of August he returned with the cbeerfuli intelligence that everything was peaceably ad- justed at Yincennes in favor of the Americans. During tjie inter- val. Col. Clark established his courts, placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his men, and sent word to have a fort (which proved the germ of Louisville) erected at the falls of the Ohio. While the American commander was thus negotiating with the Indians, Hamilton, the British Governor of Detroit, heard of Clark's invasion, and was greatly incensed because the country which he had in charge should be wrested from him by a few ragged militia. He therefore hurriedly collected a force, marched by way of the Wabash, and appeared before the fort at Yincennes. The inhabi- tants made an effort to defend the town, and when Hamilton's forces arrived, Captain Helm and a man named Henry were the only Americans in the fort. These men had been sent by Clark. The latter charged a cannon and placed it in the open gateway, and the Captain stood by it with a lighted match and cried out, as Ham- ilton came in hailing distance, "Halt!" The British officer, not 64 ■ HISTOBY OF ILLINOIS. knowing the strength of the garrison, stopped, and demanded the surrender of tlie fort. Helm exclaimed, " iio man shall enter here till I know the terms." Hamilton responded, " Ton shall have the honors of war." The entire garrison consisted of one officer and one private. VINCENNES CAPTITEED. On taking Kaskaskia, Clark made a prisoner of Rocheblave, commander of the place, and got possession of all his written instructions for the conduct of the war. From these papers he received important information respecting the plans of Ool. Ham- ilton, Governor at Detroit, who was intending to make a vigorous and concerted attack upon the frontier. After arriving at Yin- cennes, however, he gave up liis intended campaign for the winter, and trusting to his distance from danger and to the difficulty of approaching him, sent off his Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio, and to annoy the Americans in all ways. Thus he sat quietly down to pass the winter with only about eighty soldiers, but secure, as he thought, from molestation. But he evidently did not realize the character of the men with whom he was contending. Clark, although he could muster only one hundred and thirty men, determined to take advantage of Hamilton's weakness and security, and attack him as the only means of saving himself; for unless he captured Hamilton, Hamilton would capture him. Accordingly, about the beginning of February, 1779, he dispatched a small galley which he had fitted out, mounted with two four-pounders and four swivels and manned with a company of soldiers, and carrying stores for his men, with orders to force her way up the Wabash, to take her station a few miles below Vincennes, and to allow no person to pass her. He himself marched with his little band, and spent six- teen days in traversing the country from Kaskaskia to Vincennes, passing with incredible fatigue through woods and marshes. He was five days in crossing the bottom lands of the Wabash; and for five miles was frequently up to the breast in. water. After over- coming difficulties which had been thought insurmountable, he appeared before the place and completely surprised it. The inhab- itants readily submitted, but Hamilton at first defended himself in the fort. Next day, however, he surrendered himself and his gar- rison prisoners-of-war. By his activity in encouraging the hostili- ties of the Indians and by the revolting enormities perpetrated by HIBTOET OF ILLINOIS. 55 those savages, Hamilton had rendered himself so obnoxious that he was thrown in prison and put in irons. During his command of the British frontier posts he offered prizes to the Indians for all the scalps of the Americans they would bring him, and earned in con- sequence thereof the title, "Hair-Buyer General," by which he was ever afterward known. The services of Clark proved of essential advantage to his coun- trymen. They disconcerted the plans of Hamilton, and not only saved the western frontier from depredations by the savages, but also greatly cooled the ardor of the Indians for carrying on a contest in which they were not likely to be the gainers. Had it not been for this small army, a union of all the tribes from Maine to Georgia against the colonies might have been effected, and the whole current of our history changed. ILLINOIS. COUNTY OF ILLINOIS. In October, 1778, after the successful campaign of Ool. Clark, the assembly of Yirginia erected the conquered country, embracing all the territory northwest of the Ohio river, into the County of Illi- nois, which was doubtless the largest county in the world, exceeding in its dimensions the whole of Great Britian and Ireland. To speak more definitely, it contained the territory now embraced in the great States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, "Wisconsin and Michigan. On the 12th of December, 1778, John Todd was appointed Lieutenant- Commandant of this county by Patrick Henry, then Governor of Virginia, and accordingly, also, the first of Illinois County. NOETHWESTERN TEERITOEY. Illinois continued to form a part of Yirginia until March 1, 1784, when that State ceded all the territory north of the Ohio to the United States. Immediately the general Government proceeded to establish a form of government for the settlers in the territories thus ceded. This form continued until the passage of the ordi- nance of 1787, for the government of the Northwestern Terri- tory. No man can study the secret history of this ordinance and not feel that Providence was guiding with sleepless eye the des- S6 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. tinies of these unbom States. American legislation has never achieved anything more admirable, as an internal government, than this comprehensive ordinance. Its provisions concerning the distribution of property, the principles of civil and religious liberty which it laid at the foundation of the communities since established, and the efficient and simple organization by which it created the first machinery of civil society, are worthy of all the praise that has ever been given them. OKDINANOE OF 1787. This ordinance has a marvelous and interesting history. Con- siderable controversy has been indulged in as to who is entitled to the credit for framing it. This belongs, undoubtedly, to Nathan Dane; and to Eufus King and Timothy Pickering belong the credit for suggesting the proviso contained in it against slavery, and also for aids to religion and knowledge, and for assuring for- ever the common use, without charge, of the great national high- ways of the Mississippi, the St. Lawrence and their tributaries to all the citizens of the United States. To Thomas Jefferson is also due much credit, as some features of this ordinance were embraced in his ordinance of 1784. But the part taken by each in the long, laborious and eventful struggle which had so glorious a consum- mation in the ordinance, consecrating forever, by one imprescript- ible and unchangeable monument, the very heart of our country to Freedom, Knowledge, and Union, will forever honor the names of those illustrious statesmen. Mr. Jefferson had vainly tried to secure a system of government for the Northwestern Territory. He was an emancipationist and favored the exclusion of slavery from the territory, but the South voted him down every time he proposed a measure of this nature. In 1787, as late as July 10, an organizing act without the anti- slavery clause was pending. This concession to the South was expected to carry it. Congress was in session in New York. On July 5, Eev. Manasseh Cutler, of Massachusetts, came into New York to lobby on the Northwestern Territory. " Everything seemed to fall into his hands. Events were ripe. The state of the public credit, the growing of Southern prejudice, the basis of his mission, his personal character, all combined to complete one of those sudden and marvelous revolutions of public sentiment that HISTOKT OF ILLINOIS. 67 once in five or ten centuries are seen to sweep over a country like the breath of the Almighty. Cutler was a graduate of Yale. He had studied and taken de- grees in the three learned professions, medicine, law, and divinity. He had published a scientific examination of the plants of New England. As a scientist in America his name stood second only to that of Franklin He was a courtly gentleman of the old style, a man of commanding presence and of inviting face. The Southern members said they had never seen such a gentleman in the North. He came representing a Massachusetts company that desired to purchase a tract of land, now included in Ohio, for the purpose of planting a colony. It was a speculation. Government money was worth eighteen cents on the dollar. This company had collected enough to purchase 1,500,000 acres of land. Other speculators in New York made Dr. Cutler tlieir agent, which enabled him to represent a demand for 5,500,000 acres. As this would reduce the national debt, and Jefferson's policy was to provide for the public credit, it presented a good opportunity to do something. Massachusetts then owned the territory of Maine, which she was crowding on the market. She was opposed to opening the North- western region. This fired the zeal of Virginia. The South caught the inspiration, and all exalted Dr. Cutlpr. The entire South ral- lied around him. Massachusetts could not vote against him, be- cause many of the constituents of her members were interested personally in the "Western speculation. Thus Cutler, making friends in the South, and doubtless using all the arts of the lobby, was enabled to command the situation. True to deeper convic- tions, he dictated one of the most compact and finished documents of wise statesmanship that has ever adorned any human law book. He borrowed from Jefferson the term "Articles of Compact," which, preceding the federal constitution, rose into the most sacred char- acter. He then followed very closely the constitution of Massa- chusetts, adopted three years before. Its most prominent points were: 1. The exclusion of slavery from the territory forever. 2. Provision for public schools, giving one township for a semi- nary and every section numbered 16 in each township; that is, one thirty -sixth of all the land for public schools. 3. A provision prohibiting the adoption of any constitution or 58 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. the enactment of any law that should nullify pre-existing contracts. Beit forever remembered that this compact declared that "re- ligion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good govern- ment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of edu- cation shall always be encouraged." Dr. Cutler planted himself on this platform and would not yield. Giving his unqualified dec- laration that it was that or nothing,— that unless they could make the land desirable they did not want it,— he took his horse and buggy and started for the constitutional convention at Philadelphia. On July 13, 1787, the bill was put upon its passage, and was unani- mously adopted. Thus the great States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and "Wisconsin, a vast empire, were consecrated to free- dom, intelligence, and morality. Thus the great heart of the nation was prepared to save the union of States, for it was this act that was the salvation of the republic and the destruction of slavery. Soon the South saw their great blunder and tried to have the compact repealed. In 1803 Congress referred it to a committee, of which John Eandolph was chairman. He reported that this ordinance was a compact and opposed repeal. Thus it stood, a rock in the way of the on-rushing sea of slavery. SYMPATHY WITH SLAVBEY. With all this timely aid it was, however, a most desperate and protracted struggle to keep the soil of Illinois sacred to freedom. It was the natural battle-field for the irrepressible conflict. In the southern end of the State slavery preceded the compact. It ex- isted among the old French settlers, and was hard to eradicate. That portion was also settled from the slave States, and this popu- lation brought their laws, customs, and institutions with them. A stream of population from the North poured into the northern part of the State. These sections misunderstood and hated each other perfectly. The Southerners regarded the Yankees as a skinning, tricky, penurious race of peddlers, tilling the country with tinware, brass clocks, and wooden nutmegs. The Northerner thought of the Southerner as a lean, lank, lazy creature, burrowing in a hut, and rioting in whisky, dirt, and ignorance. These causes aided in making the struggle long and bitter. So strong was the sympathy with slavery that, in spite of the ordinance of 1787, and in spite of the deed of cession, it was determined to allow the old French set- tlers to retain their slaves. Planters from the slave States might HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 59 bring their slaves if they would give them an opportunity to choose freedom or years of service and bondage for their cliildren till they should become thirty years of age. If they chose freedom they must leave the State within sixty days, or be sold as fugitives. Servants were whipped for offenses for which white men were fined. Each lash paid forty cents of the fine. A negro ten miles from home without a pass was whipped. These famous laws were im- ported from the slave States, just as the laws for the inspection of flax and wool were imported when there was neither in the State. ST. CLAIR, GOVEKNOE OF NOETHWESTEEN TEEEITOEY. On October 5, 1787, Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair was, by Congress, elected Governor of this vast territory. St. Clair was born in Scot- land and emigrated to America in 1755. He served in the French and English war, and was major general in the Kevolution. In 1786 he was elected to Congress and chosen President of that body. ILLINOIS TEERITORY. After the division of the Northwestern Territory Illinois became one of the counties of the Territory of Indiana, from which it was separated by an act of Congress Feb. 3, 1809, forming the Territory of Illinois, with a population estimated at 9,000, and then included the present State of "Wisconsin. It was divided, at the time, into two counties, — St. Clair and Randolph. John Boyle, of Ken- tucky, was appointed Governor, by the President, James Madison, but declining, Ninian Edwards, of the same State, was then appointed and served with distinction; and after the organization of Illinois as a State he served in the same capacity, being its third Governor. ■WAE OF 1812. THE OUTBREAK. For some years previous to the war between the United States and England in 1812, considerable trouble was experienced with the Indians. Marauding bands of savages would attack small settle- ments and inhumanly butcher all the inhabitants, and mutilate their dead bodies. To protect themselves, the settlers organized companies of rangers, and erected block houses and stockades in every settlement. The largest, strongest and best one of these was Fort Russell, near the present village of Edwardsville. This stockade 60 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. was made the main rendezvous for troops and military stores, and guage. Asa spectacle it was bf oiid doubt the grandest as well as the most appalling ever oSe'^ to mortal eyes. From any elevated standpoint the appe'^'iice was that of a vast ocean of flame, sweeping in mile-long^il^ows and breakers over the doomed city. Added to the spectacr'''" elements of the conflagration — the intense and lurid light, t^ ^ea of red and black, and the spires and pyramids of flame shoc^S i"to t^ie heavens— was its constant and HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 173 terrible roar, drowning even the voices of the shrieking multitude; and ever and anon — for a while as often as every half- minute — resounded far and wide the rapid detonations of explosions, or fall- ing walls. In short, all sights and sounds which terrify the weak and unnerve the strong abounded. But they were only the accom- paniment which the orchestra of nature were furnishing to the terrible tragedy there being enacted. The total area burned over, including streets, was three and a third square miles. The number of buildings destroyed was 17,450; persons rendered homeless, 98,500; persons killed, about 200. Not including depreciation of real estate, or loss of business, it is estimated that the total loss occasioned by the fire was $190,000,000, of which but $44,000,000 was recovered on insur- ance. The business of the city was interrupted but a short time; and in a year after the fire a large part of the burned district was rebuilt, and at present there is scarcely a trace of the terrible dis- aster, save in the improved character of the new buildings over those destroyed, and the general better appearance of the city — now the finest, in an architectural sense, in the world. One of the features of this great city worthy of mention is the Exposition, held annually. The smouldering ruins were yet smok- ing when the Exposition Building was erected, only ninety days being consumed in its construction. The accompanying engrav- ing of the building, the main part of which is 1,000 feet long, will give an idea of its magnitude. COMMEKCE OF CHICAGO. The trade of Chicago is co-extensive with the world. Every- where, in every country and in every port, the trade-marks of her merchants are seen. Everywhere, Chicago stands prominently identified with the commerce of the continent. A few years ago, grain was carted to the place in wagons; now more than 10,000 miles of railroad, with thousands of trains heavily ladened with the products of the land center there. The cash value of the produce handled during the year 1878 was $220,000,000, and its aggregate weight was 7,000,000 tons, or would make 700,000 car loads. Divided into trains, it would make 28,000 long, heavily ladened freight trains, wending their way from all parts of the United States toward our great metropolis. These trains, arranged in one con- 174: HISTOBY OF ILLINOIS. tinuous line, would stretch from London across the broad Atlantic to New York and on across our continent to San Francisco. In regard to the grain, lumber and stock trade, Chicago has sur- passed all rivals, and, indeed, not only is without a peer but excels any three or four cities in the world in these branches. Of grain, the vast quantity of 134,851,193 bushels was received during the year 1878. This was about two-fifths more than ever received before in one year. It took 13,000 long freight trains to carry it from the fields of the Northwest to Chicago. This would make a continuous train that would reach across the continent from New York to San Francisco. Speaking more in detail, we have of the various cereals received during the year, 62,783,677 bushels of corn, 29,901,220 bushels of wheat, 18,251,529 bushels of oats, 133,981,104 pounds of seed. The last item alone would fill about 7,000 freight cars. The lumber received during the year 1878 was, 1,171,364,000 feet, exceeded only in 1872, the year after the great fire. This vast amount of lumber would require 195,000 freight cars to transport it. It would build a fence, four boards high, four and one-half times around the globe. In the stock trade for the year 1878, the figures assume propor- tions almost incredible. They are, however, from reliable and trustworthy sources, and mi^st be accepted as authentic. There were received during the year, 6,339,656 hogs, being 2,000,000 more than ever received before in one year. It required 129,916 stock oars to transport this vast number of hogs from the farms of the West and Northwest to the stock yards of Chicago. These hogs arranged in single file, would form a connecting link between Chicago and Pekin, China. Of the large number of hogs received, five millions of them were slaughtered in Chicago. The aggregate amount of product manu- factured from these hogs was 918,000,000 pounds. The capacity of the houses engaged in slaughtering operations in Chicago is 60,000 hogs daily. The number of hands employed in these houses is from 6,000 to 8,000. The number of packages required in which to market the year's product is enormously large, aggregating 500,- 000 barrels, 800,000 tierces and 650,000 boxes. There has been within the stock yards of the city, during the year 1878, 1,036,066 cattle. These were gathered from the plains HtSTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 175 of Oregon, Wyoming and Utah, and the grazing regions of Texas, as well as from all the Southern, "Western and Northwestern States and Territories and from the East as far as Ohio. If these cattle were driven from Chicago southward, in single file, through the United States, Mexico, and the Central American States into South America, the foremost could graze on the plains of Brazil, ere the last one had passed the limits of the great city. Not only does Chicago attract to its great market the products of a continent, but from it is distributed throughout the world manu- factured goods. Every vessel and every train headed toward that city are heavily ladened with the crude products of the farm, of the forests, or of the bowels of the earth, and every ship that leaves her docks and every train that flies from her limits are filled with manufactured articles. These goods not only find their way all over our own country but into Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Mexico, and the Islands of the sea; indeed, every nook and corner of the globe, where there is a demand for her goods, her merchants are ready to supply. The wholesale trade for the year 1878 reached enormous figures, aggregating $280,000,000. Divided among the leading lines, we find there were sold of dry goods, $95,000,000 worth. The trade in groceries amounted to $66,000,000; hardware, $20,000,000; boots and shoes, $24,000,000; clothing, $17,000,000; carpets, $8,000,000; millinery, $7,000,000; hats and caps, $6,000,000; leather, $8,000,- 000; drugs, $6,000,000; jewelry, $4,600,000; musical instruments, $2,300,000. Chicago sold over $5,000,000 worth of fruit during the year, and for the same time her fish trade amounted to $1,400,- 000, and her oyster trade $4,500,000. The candy and other con- fectionery trade amounted to $1,534,900. This would fill all the Christmas stockings in the United States. In 1852, the commerce of the city reached the hopeful sum of $20,000,000; since then, the annual sales of one firm amount to that much. In 1870, it reached $400,000,000, and in 1878 it had grown so rapidly that the trade of the city amounted during that year to $650,000,000. Her manufacturing interests have likewise grown. In 1878, her manufactories employed in the neighborhood of 75,000 operators. The products manufactured during the year were valued at $280,000,000. In reviewing the shipping interests of Chicago, we find it equally enormous. So considerable, indeed, is the 176 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. commercial navy of Ohicago, that in the seasons of navigation, one vessel sails every nine minutes during the business hours ; add to this the canal-boats that leave, one every five minutes during the same time, and you will see something of the magnitude of her shipping. More vessels arrive and depart from this port during the season than enter or leave any other port in the world. In 1831, the mail system was condensed into a half-breed, who went on foot to Niles, Mich., once in two weeks, and brought back what papers and news he could find. As late as 1846, there was often but one mail a week. A post-office was established in Chicago in 1833, and the postmaster nailed up old boot legs upon one side of his shop to serve as boxes. It has since grown to be the largest receiving office in the>.United States. In 1844, the quagmires in the streets were first pontooned by plank roads. The wooden-block pavement appeared in 1857. In 1840, water was delivered by peddlers, in carts or by hand. Then a twenty -five horse power engine pushed it through hollow or bored logs along the streets till 1854, when it was introduced into the houses by new works. The first fire-engine was used in 1835, and the first steam fire-engine in 1859. Gas was utilized for lighting the city in 1850. The Young Men's Christian Association "was organized in 1858. Street cars commenced running in 1854. The Museum was opened in 1863. The alarm telegraph adopted in 1864. The opera-house built in 1865. The telephone introduced in 1878. One of the most thoroughly interesting engineering exploits of the city is the tunnels and water- works system, the grandest and, most unique of any in the world ; and the closest analysis fails to detect any impurities in the water furnished. The first tunnel is five feet two inches in diameter and two miles long, and can deliver 50,000,000 gallons per day. The second tunnel is seven feet in' diameter and six miles long, running four miles under the city, and can deliver 100,000,000 gallons per day. This waterjs distributed through 410 miles of water mains. Chicago river is tunneled for the passage of pedestrians and vehi- cles from the South to the "West and ISorth divisions. There is no grand scenery about Chicago except the two seas, one of water, the other of prairie. Nevertheless, there is a spirit about it, a push, a breadth, a power, that soon makes it a place never to HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 177 be forsaken. Chicago is in the field ahnost alone, to handle the wealth of one-fourth of the territory of this great republic. The Atlantic sea-coast ■ divides its margins between Portland, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Savannah, but Chicago has a dozen empires casting their treasures into her lap. On a bed of coal that can run all the machinery of the world for 600 centuries; in a garden that can feed tlie race by the thousand years; at the head of the lakes that give lier a temperature as a summer resort equaled by no great city in the land; with a climate that insures the health of her citizens ; surrounded by all the great deposits of natural wealth in mines and forests and herds, Chicago is the wonder of to-day, and will be the city of the future. STATES OF THE UNION. THEIE SETTLEMENT, ORIGIN OF NAME AND MEANING, COGNOMEN, MOT- TOES, ADMISSION INTO THE UNION, POPULATION, AREA, NUMBER OF SOLDIERS FURNISHED DURING THE REBELLION, NUMBER OF REPRE- SENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, PRESENT GOVERNORS, ETC., ETC., ETC. Alabama. — This State was first explored by LaSalle in 1684, and settled by tlie French at Mobile in 1711, and admitted as a State in 1817. Its name is Indian, and means " Here we rest." Has no motto. Population in 1860,964,201; in 1870,996,992. Furnished 2,576 soldiers for the Union army. Area 50,722 square miles. Montgomery is the capital. Has 8 Representatives and 10 Presi- dential electors. Eufus W. Cobb is Governor; salary, $3,000; politics, Democratic. Length of term, 2 years. Arkansas — Became a State in 1836. Population in 1860, 435,- 450; in 1870, 484,471. Area 52,198 square miles. Little Eock, capital. Its motto is Regnant Populi — " The people rule." It has the Indian name of its principal river. Is called the "Bear State." Furnished 8,289 soldiers. She is entitled to 4 members in Congressj and 6 electoral votes. Governor, W. R. Miller, Democrat; salary, $3,500; term, 2 years. California — Has a Greek motto. Eureka., which means " I have found it." It derived its name from the hay forming the peninsula of Lower California, and watS first applied by Cortez. It was first visited by the Spaniav ^ a. 1542, and by the celebrated English 178 HISTOET OF ILLINOIS. navigator, Sir Francis Drake, in 1578. In 1846 Fremont took possession of it, defeating the Mexicans, in the name of the United States, and it was admitted as a State in 1850. Its gold mines from 1868 to 1878 produced over $800,000,000. Area 188,982 square miles. Population in 1860, 379,994. In 1870, 560,247. She gave to defend the Union 15,225 soldiers. Sacramento is the capital. Has 4 Eepresentatives in Congress. Is entitled to 6 Presidential electors. Present Governor is William Irwin, a Democrat; term, 4 years ; salary, $6,000. Colorado — Contains 106,475 square miles, and had a population in 1860 of 34,277, and in 1870, 39,864. She furnished 4,903 soldiers. 'Was admitted as a State in 1876. It has a Latin motto, Nil sine Wumvne, which means, " Nothing can be done without divine aid." It was named from its river. Denver is the capital. Has 1 member in Congress, and 3 electors. T. "W". Pitkin is Gov- ernor; salary, $3,000; term, 2 years; politics, Eepublican. Connecticut — Qui transtulit sustinet, " He who brought us over sustains us," is her motto. It was named from the Indian Quon- ch-ta-Cut, signifying " Long Eiver." It is called the " Nutmeg State." Area 4,674 square miles. Population 1860, 460,147; in 1870, 537,454. Gave to the Union army 55,755 soldiers. Hart- ford is the capital. Has 4 Representatives in Congress, and is entitled to 6 Presidential electors. Salary of Governor $2,000; term, 2 years. Delaware. — " Liberty and Independence," is the motto of this State. It was named after Lord De La Ware, an English states- man, and is called, " The Blue Hen," and the " Diamond State." It was first settled by the Swedes in 1638. It was one of the original thirteen States. Has an area of 2,120 square miles. Population in 1860, 112,216; in 1870, 125,015. She sent to the front to defend the Union, 12,265 soldiers. Dover is the capital. Has but 1 mem- ber in Congress; entitled to 3 Presidential electors. John W. Hall, Democrat, is Governor; salary, $2,000; term, 2 years. Florida— W&s discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1512, on Easter Sunday, called by the Spaniards, Pascua Florida, which, with the variety and beauty of the flowers at this early season caused him to name it Florida — which means in Spanish, flowery. Its motto is, " in God we trust." It was admitted into the Union in 1845. It has an area of 59,268 square miles. Population in 1860, 140,424; in HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 179 1870, 187,756. Its capital is Tallahassee. Has 2 members in Con- gress. Has 4 Presidential electors. George F. Drew, Democrat, Governor; term, 4 years ; salary, $3,600. Georgia — Owes its name to George II., of England, who first established a colony there in 1732. Its motto is, " "Wisdom, justice and moderation." It was one of the original States. Population in 1860, 1,057,286; 1870, 1,184,109. Capital, Atlanta. Area 58, 000 square miles. Has 9 Kepresentatives in Congress, and 11 Presidential electors. Her Governor is A. H. Colquitt, Democrat; term, 4 years; salary, $4,000. Illinois — Motto, " State Sovereignty, National Union." Name derived from the Indian word, Illvni, meaning, superior men. It is called the "Prairie State," and its inhabitants, "Suckers." "Was first explored by the French in 1673, and admitted into the Union in 1818. Area 55,410 square miles. Population, in 1860 1,711,951; in 1870, 2,539,871. She sent to the front to defend the Union, 258,162 soldiers. Capital, Springfield, Has 19 members in Congress, and 21 Presidential electors. Shelby M. Cullom, Eepub. lican, is Governor; elected for 4 years; salary, $6,000. Indiana — Is called "Hoosier State." Was explored in 1682, and admitted as a State in 1816. Its name was suggested by its numerous Indian population. Area 33,809 square miles. Popu- lation in 1860, 1,350,428; in 1870, 1,680,637. She put into the Federal army, 194,363 men. Capital, Indianapolis. Has 13 mem- bers in Congress, and 15 Presidential electors. J. D. Williams, Governor, Democrat; salary, $3,000; term, 4 year. Iowa — Is an Indian name and means "This is the land." Its motto is, " Our liberties we prize, our rights we will maintain." It is called the "Hawk Eye State." It was first visited by Marquette and Joliet in 1673; settled by New Englanders in 1833, and admitted into the Union in 1846. Des Moines is the capital. It has an area of 65,045, and a population in 1860 of 674,913, 'and in 1870 of 1,191,802. She sent to defend the Government, 75,793 soldiers. Has 9 members in Congress; 11 Presidential electors. John H. Gear, Kepublican, is Governor; salary, $2,500; term, 2years. Kansas — Was admitted into the Union in 1861, making the, thirty-fourth State. Its motto is Ad astra per asp&ra, "To the stars through diSiculties." . Its name means, " Smoky water," and 180 HISTOKY OF ILLINOIS. is derived from one of her rivers. Area 78,841 square miles. Population in 1860, 107,209; in 1870 was 362,812. She furnished 20,095 soldiers. Capital is Topeka. Has 3 Representatives in Con- gress, and 5 Presidential electors. John P. St. John, Governor; politics, Republican; salary, $3,000; term, 2 years. Kentucky — Is the Indian name for "At the head of the rivers." Its motto is, " United we stand, divided we fall." The sobriquet of "dark and bloody ground '' is applied to this State. It was first settled in 1769, and admitted m 1792 as the fifteenth State. Area 37,680. Population in 1860, 1,155,684; in 1870, 1,321,000. She put into the Federal army 75,285 soldiers. Capital, Frankfort. Has 10 members in Congress ; 12 Electors. J. B. McOreary, Democrat, is Governor; salary, $5,000; term, 4 years. Louisiana — Was called after Louis XIY., who at one time owned that section of the country. Its motto is " Union and Con- fidence." It is called "The Creole State." It was visited by La Salle in 1684, and admitted into the Union in 1812, making the eighteenth State. Population in 1860,708,002; in 1870, 732,731. Area 46,431 square miles. She put into the Federal army 6,224 soldiers. Capital, New Orleans. Has 6 Representatives and 8 Electors. F. T. Nichols, Governor, Democrat; salary, $8,000; term, 4 years. Maine. — This State was called after the province of Maine in France, in compliment of Queen Henrietta of England, who owned that province. Its motto is Dirigo, meaning " I direct." It is called "The Pine Tree State." It was settled by the English in 1625. It was admitted as a State in 1820. Area 31,766 square miles. Population in 1860, 628,279; in 1870, 626,463; 69,738 sol- diers went from this State. Has 5 members in Congress, and 7 Electors. Selden Conner, Republican, Governor; term, 1 year; salary, $2,500. Maryland — "Was named after Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I. of England. It has a Latin motto, Orecite et multipliGa- ndni^ meaning " Increase and Multiply." It was settled in 1634, and was one of the original thirteen States. It has an area of 11,- 124 square miles. Population in 1860 was 687,049; in 1870, 780,- 806. This State furnished 46,053 soldiers. Capital, Annapolis. Has 6 Representatives, and 8 Presidential electors. J. H. Carroll, Democrat, Governor; salary, $4,500; term, 4 years. HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 181 Massachusetts — Is the Indian for " The country around the great hills." It is called the " Bay State," from its numerous bays. Its motto is Ense petit placidam sub lihertate quietem, " By the sword she seeks placid rest in liberty." It was settled in 1620 at Plymouth by English Puritans. It was one of the original thirteen States, and was the first to take up arms against the English during the Eevolution. Area 7,800 square miles. Population in 1860, 1,231,- 066 ; in 18T0, 1,457,351. She gave to the Union army 146,467 sol- diers. Boston is the capital. Has 11 Representatives in Con- gress, and 13 Presidential electors. Thomas Talbot, Republican, is Governor; salary, $5,000; term, 1 year. Michigan — Latin motto, Luebor, and Si quceris peninsulam amcenam circumspice, " I will defend ' ' — " If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you." Tlie name is a contraction of two Indian words meaning " Great Lake." It was early explored by Jesuit missionaries, and in 1837 was admitted into the Union. It is known as the " Wolverine State." It contains 56,243 square miles. In 1860 it had a population of 749,173; in 1870, 1,184,059. She furnished 88,111 soldiers. Capital, Lansing. Has 9 Repre- sentatives and 11 Presidential electors. C. M. Croswell is Gov- ernor; politics, Republican; salary, $1,000; term, 2 years. Minnesota — Is an Indian name, meaning " Cloudy Water." It has a French motto, VEtoile du Nord — " The Star of the North." It was visited in 1680 by La Salle, settled in 1846, and admitted into the Union in 1858. It contains 83,531 square miles. In 1860 had a population of 172,023; in 1870, 439,511. She gave to the Union army 24;002 soldiers. St. Paul is the capital. Has 3 mem- bers in Congress, 5 Presidential electors. Governor, J. S. Pills- bury, Republican; salary, $3,000; term, 2 years. Mississippi — Is an Indian name, meaning "Long River," and the State is named from the " Father of Waters." The State was first explored by De Sota in 1541; settled by the French at Natchez in 1716, and was admitted into the Union in 1817. It has an area of 47,156 square miles. Population in 1860, 791,305; in 1870,827,- 922. She gave to suppress the Rebellion 545 soldiers. Jackson is the capital. Has 6 representatives in Congress, and 8 Presidential electors. J. M. Stone is Governor, Democrat; salary, $4,000; term, 4 years. Missouri — Is derived from the Indian word "muddy," which 182 • HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. more properly applies to the river that flows through it. Its motto is Salus populi'suprema lex esto, "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law." The State was first settled by the French near Jefferson City in 1719, and in 1821 was admitted into the Union. It has an area of 67,380 square miles, equal to 43,123,200 acres. It had a population in 1860 of 1,182,012; in 1870, 1,721,- 000. She gave to defend the Union 108,162 soldiers. Capital, Jefferson City. Its inhabitants are known by the offensive cogno- man of " Pukes." Has 13 representatives in Congress, and 15 Presidential electors. J. S. Phelps is Governor; politics, Demo- cratic; salary, $5,000; term, 4 years. Nehrasha — Has for its motto, " Equality before the law." Its name is derived from one of its rivers, meaning " broad and shal- low, or low." It was admitted into the Union in 1867. Its capital is Lincoln. It had a population in 1860 of 28,841, and in 1870, 123,993, and in 1875,246,280. It has an area of 75,995 square miles. She furnished to defend the Union 3jl57 soldiers. Has but 1 Representative and 3 Presidential electors. A. Nance, [Repub- lican, is Governor ; salary, $2,500 ; term, 2 years. Nevada — "The Snowy Land" derived its name from the Span- ish. Its motto is Latin, Volens et jpotens, and means " willing and able." It was settled in 1850, and admitted into the Union in 1864. Capital, Carson City. Its population in 1860 was 6,857; in 1870 it was 42,491. It has an area of 112,090 square miles. She furnished 1,080 soldiers to suppress the Eebellion. Has 1 Rep- resentative and 3 Electors. Governor, J. H. Kinkhead, Republican; salary, $6,000 ; term, 4 years. Ne"w Hampshire — Was first settled at Dover by the English in 1623. Was one of the original States. Has no motto. It is named from Hampshire county in England. It also bears the name of " The Old Granite State." It has an area of 9,280 miles, ■which equals 9,239,200 acres. It had a population in 1 860 of 326,- 073, and in 1870 of 318,300. She increased the Union army with 33,913 soldiers. Concord is the capital. Has 3 Representatives and 5 Presidential electors. N. Head, Republican, Governor; salary, $1,000; term, 1 year. New Jersey — Was named in honor of the Island of Jersey in the British channel. Its motto is " Liberty and Independence." It was first settled at Bergen by the Swedes in 1624. It is one of the orig- HISTOKT OF ILLINOIS. 183 inal thirteen States. It has an area of 8,320 square miles, or 5,324,- 800 acres. Population in 1860 was 672,035 ; in 1870 it was 906,096. She put into the Federal army 75,315 soldiers. Capital, Trenton. Has 7 Representatives and 9 Presidential electors. Governor, George B. McClelland, Democrat; salary, $5,000; term, 3 years. New York. — ^The " Empire State " was named by the Duke of Tork, afterward King James II. of England. It has a Latin motto. Excelsior, which means " Still Higher." It was first settled by the Dutch in 1614 at Manhattan. It has an area of 47,000 square miles, or 30,080,000 acres. The population in 1860 was 3,880,735 ; in 1870 it was 4,332,759. It is one of the original thirteen States. Capital is Albany. It gave to defend our Government 445,959 men. Has 33 members in Congress, and 35 Presidential electors. Governor, L. Robinson, Democrat; salary, $10,000; term, 3 years. North Carolina — "Was named after Charles IX. , King of France. It is called « The Old North," or " The Turpentine State." It was first visited in 1524 by a Florentine navigator, sent out by Francis I., King of France. It was settled at Albemarle in 1663. It was one of the original thirteen States. It has an area of 50,704 square miles, equal to 32,450,560 acres. It had ia 1860 a population of 992,622, and in 1870, 1,071,361. Raleigh is the capital. She furnished 3,156 soldiers to put down the Rebellion. Has 8 mem- bers in Congress, and is entitled to 10 Presidential electors. Z. B, Vance, Democrat, is Governor; salary, $5,000; term, 4 years. Ohio — Took its name from the river on its Southern boundary, and means " Beautiful." Its motto is Imperium in Imperio — "An Empire in an Empire." It was first permanently settled in 1788 at Marietta by New Englanders. It was admitted as a State in 1803. Its capital is Columbus. It contains 39,964 square miles, or 25,576,960 acres. Population in 1860, 2,339,511; ia 1870 it had 2,665,260. She sent to the front during the Rebellion 310,- 654 soldiers. Has 20 Representatives, and 22 Presidential electors. Governor, R. M. Bishop, Democrat; salary, $4,000; term, 2 years. Oregon — Owes its Indian name to its principal river. Its motto is Alis'volat propriis — " She flies with her own wings." It was first visited by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. It was set- tled by the English in 1813, and admitted into the IJnion in 1859. Its capital is Salem. It has an area of 95,274 square miles, equal to 60,975,360 acres. It had in 1860 a population of 52,465; in 184 HISTOEY OF ILLINOIS. 1870,90,922. She furnished 1,810 soldiers. She is entitled to 1 member in Congress, and 3 Presidential electors. W. W. Thayer, Kepublican, is Governor; salary, $1,500 ; term, 4 years. Pennsylvania. — This is the "Keystone State," and means "Penn's Woods," and was so called after William Penn, its original owner. Its motto is, " Virtue, liberty and independence." A colony was established by Penn in 1682. The State was one of the original thirteen. It has an area of 46,000 square miles, equaling 29,440,- 000 acres. It had in 1860 a population of 2,906,216; and in 1870, 3,516,993. She gave to suppress the Rebellion, 338,155. Harris- burg is the capital. Has 27 Representatives and 29 electors. H. M. Hoyt, is Governor; salary, $10,000; politics, Republican; term of office, 8 years. Rhode Island. — This, the smallest of the States, owes its name to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly resemble. Its motto is " Hope," and it is familiarly called, "Little Rhody." It was settled by Roger Williams in 1636. It was one of the original thirteen States. It has an area of 1,306 square miles, or 835,840 acres. Its population in 1860 numbered 174,620; in 1870, 217,356. She gave to defend the Union, 23,248. Its capitals are Providence and Newport. Has 2 Representatives, and 4 Presidential electors. 0. Yanzandt is Governor; politics, Republican; salary, $1,000; term, 1 year. South Carolina. — The Palmetto State wears the Latin name of Charles IX., of France (Carolus). Its motto is \i2Min,.Animis opibusque parati, " Ready in will and deed." The first permanent settlement was made at Port Royal in 1670, where the French Huguenots had failed three-quarters of a century before to found a settlement. It is one of the original thirteen States. Its capital is Columbia. It has an area of 29,385 square miles, or 18,806,400 acres, with a population in 1860 of 703,708; in 1870, 728,000. Has 5 Representatives in Congress, and is entitled to 7 Presidential electors. Salary of Governor, $3,500 ; term, 2 years. Tennessee — Is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. e. the Mississippi, whicl) forms its western boundary. She is called " The Big Bend State." Her motto is, " Agriculture, Commerce." It was settled in 1767, and admitted into the Union in 1796, mak- ing the sixteenth State, or the third admitted after the Revolution- ary War — Vermont being the first, and Kentucky the second. It HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 185 has an area of 45,600 square miles, or 29,184:,000 acres. In 1860 its population numbered 1,109,801, and in 1870, 1,257,983. She furnished 31,092 soldiers to suppress the Kebellion. Nashville is the capital. Has 10 Representatives, and 12 Presidential electors.. Governor, A. S. Marks, Democrat; salary, $4,000; term, 2 years, Texas — Is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that section of the country was known before it was ceded to the United States. It is known as " The Lone Star State." The first set- tlement was made by LaSalle in 1685. After the independence of Mexico in 1822, it remained a Mexican Province until 1836, when it gained its independence, and in 1845 was admitted into the Union. It has an area of 237,504 square miles, equal to 152,002,- 660 acres. Its population in 1860 was 604,215; in 1870, 818,579. She gave to put down the Eebelion 1,965 soldiers. Capital, Austin. Has 6 Kepresentatives, and 8 Presidential electors. Governor, O. M. Eoberts, Democrat; salary, $5,000; term, 2 years. Vermont — Bears the French name of her mountains Verde Mont, "Green Mountains." Its motto is "Freedom and Unity." It was settled in 1731, and admitted into the Union in 1791. Area 10,212 square miles. Population in 1860, 315,098 ; in 1870, 330,551- She gave to defend the Government, 33,272 soldiers. Capital, Mont- pelier. Has 3 Eepresentatives, and 5 elect 3rs. Governor, H. Fair- banks, Republican; term, 2 years; salary, $1,000. Virginia. — ^The Old Dominion, as this State is called, is the oldest of the States. It was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the " Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made his first attempt to colonize that region. Its motto is Sic semper tyrannis, " So always with tyrants." It was first settled at James- town, in 1607, by the English, being the first settlement in the United States. It is one of original thirteen States, and had before its division in 1862, 61,352 square miles, but at present contains but 38,352 square miles, equd to 24,545,280 acres. The population in 1860 amounted to 1,596,318, and in 1870 it was 1,224,830. Eichs mond is* the capital. Has 9 Representatives, and 11 electors. Gov- ernor, F. W. M. Halliday, Democrat; salary, $5,500; term, 4 years. West Virginia. — 'M.otio,Montani semper liberi, "Mountaineers are always free." This is the only State ever formed, under the Constitution, by the division of an organized State. This was done in 1862, and in 1863 was admitted into the Union. It has an area of 186 HISTOEY OF ILLINlilS. 23,000 square miles, or 14,720,000 acres. The population in 1860 was 376,000; in 1870 it numbered 445,616. She furnished 32,003. Capital, Wheeling. Has 3 Representatives in Congress, and is entitled to 5 Presidential electors. The Governor is H. M. Mathews, Democrat; term, 4 years; salary, $2,700. Wisconsin — Is an Indian name, and means "Wild-rushing channel." Its motto, Clvitatas successit harbaruTn, "The civilized man succeeds the barbarous." It is called "The Badger State." The State was visited by the French explorers in 1665, and a settle- ment was made in 1669 at Green Bay. It was admitted into the Union in 1848. It has an area of 52,924 square miles, equal to 34,511,360 acres. In 1860 its population numbered 775,881; in 1870, 1,055,167. Madison is the capital. She furnished for the Union army 91,021 soldiers. Has 8 members in Congress, and is entitled to 10 Presidential electors. The Governor is W. E. Smith; politics, Republican; salary, $5,000; term, 2 years. HISTOKY OF ILLINOIS. 187 ILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOE DEAF AND DUMB. The first class of unfortunates to attract the notice of the legis- lature were the deaf mutes. The act establishing the institution for the education of these unfortunates was approved by Gov. Carlin, Feb. 23, 1839, the asyluna to be located at Jacksonville. The original building, afterward called the south wing, was begun in 1842, and completed in 1849, at a cost of about $25,000. A small portion of the building was ready for occupancy in 1846, and on the 26th day of January, of that year, the Institution was formally opened, with Mr. Thomas Officer as principal. The first term opened with but four pupils, which has increased from year to year, until the average attendance at the present time is about 250. ILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOE THE INSANE. In response to an appeal from the eminent philanthropist. Miss D. L. Dix, an act establishing the Illinois Hospital for the Insane, was approved by Gov. French, March 1, 1847. Nine trustees were appointed, with power to select a site, purchase land, and erect buildings to accommodate 250 patients. On the Ist of May the board agreed upon a site, IJ- miles from the court-house in Jacksonville. In 1851 two wards in the east wing were ready for occupancy, and the first patient was admitted Nov. 3, 1851. In 1869 the General Assembly passed two acts creating the northern asylum for the insane, and the southern asylum for the insane, which was approved by Gov. Palmer, April 16, 1869. Elgin was selected as a location for the former, and Anna for the latter. The estimated capacity of the three asylums is 1,200 patients. In addition to the State institu- tions for the insane, there are three other asylums for their benefit, one in Cook county, which will accommodate about 400 patients, and two private institutions, one at Batavia, and one at Jack- sonville. ASYLUM FOE FEEBLE-MINDED. The experimental school for feeble-minded children, the first institution of its kind in the North-west, was created by an act approved, Feb. 15, 1865. It was an outgrowth of the institution for deaf and dumb, to whicji idiots are frequently sent, under a mistaken impression on the part of parents,; that their silence results from inability to hear. The selection of a site for the 188 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. building was intrusted to seven commissioners, who, in July, 18Y5, agreed upon the town of Lincoln. The building was begun in 1875, and completed three years later, at a cost of $154,209. The average attendance in 1878 was 224. THE CHICAGO OHAEITABLE EYE AND EAE INFIEMAEY. The association for founding this institution was organized in May, 1858, and Pearson street, Chicago, selected for the erection of the building. In 1865 the legislature granted the institution a special charter, and two years later made an appropriation of $5,000 a year for its maintenance, and in 1871 received It into the circle of State institutions; thereupon the name was changed by the substitution of the word Illinois for Chicago. The building was swept away by the great fire of 1871, and three years later the present building was completed, at a cost of $42,843. THE SOUTHEEN ILLINOIS NOEMAL TJNIVEESITY Is located at Carbondale. This University was opened in 1874, and occupies one of the finest school edifices in the United States. It includes, besides a normal department proper, a preparatory department and a model school. The model school is of an elementary grade ; the preparatory department is of the grade of a high school, with a course of three years. The normal course of four years embraces two courses, a classical and a scientific course ; both make the study of the English language and literature quite prominent. THE ILLINOIS INDUSTEIAL UNIVEESITY, Located at Urbana, was chartered in 1867. It has a corps of twen- ty-five instructors, including professors, lecturers and assistants, and has an attendance of over 400 pupils. It comprises four colleges (1) Agriculture, (2) Engineering, (3) Natural Science, (4) Literature and Science. These colleges embrace twelve subor- dinate schools and courses of instruction, in which are taught domestic science and art, commerce, military science, wood engrav- ing, printing, telegraphy, photographing and designing. This insti- tution is endowed with the national land grant, and the amount of its productive fund is about $320,000. The value of its grounds, buildings, etc., is about $640,000. It is well supplied with appara- tus, and has a library of over 10,000 volumes. HisTom Of Mioci mm, CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOLOGY AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. Hancock County is situated about forty miles north of the center of the State, on its west line, and within what is known as the " Military Bounty Land Tract," It is bounded on the south by Adams county, to which it was attached from 1825 to 1829, east by McDonough and Schuyler, north by Henderson, and west by the Mississippi river, which separated it from Clarke county, Missouri, and Lee county, Iowa, and constitutes about two-fifths of its whole boundary. It lies between forty degrees and ten minutes and forty degrees and forty minutes north latitude; and between thirteen degrees and thirty-five minutes and fourteen degrees and five min- utes west longitude from Washington. It is thirty miles long from north to south, and on an average of twenty-four miles wide from east to west — its . northern line measuring just twelve miles to its intersection with the Mississippi, while its southern measures a little over thirty miles. Its western line, following the meander- ings of the river, measures about forty-five miles. The county includes sixteen whole congressional townships and eight fractional ones (the eight being about equal to five and a quarter whole ones), subdivided into 769 square miles, or sections, containing about 492,160 acres. The central portion of the county is composed of one grand prai- rie, bordered on the west by the wooded bluffs of the Mississippi, and east and south by the timber lands skirting the margins of Crooked and Bear creeks, and their numerous tributaries. The Burlington branch of the C, B. &. Q. Railroad passing through the county from Dallas City to the southwest corner of section 35, three north, seven west, cuts it into two nearly equal parts ; while an east and west line, following the T. , W. & W. Railroad to Carthage, thence east through the center of Carthage and Han- ■cock townships, would divide it into nearly equal portions in the other direction. The east half of the county contains the most woodland, being intersected by the many streams tributary to 13 192 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Crooked creek. Most of the woodlands bordering on Bear creek and branches are in the west half. Of the four subdivisions above named, it would be very hard to tell which is the better portion. Each has some advantages, per- haps lacking in the others. The people of Augusta and St. Mary's have been in the habit of claiming superiority for their townships. The same may be said of La Harpe and Fountain Green. And, while it is true that no better soil and fairer country can be found than is contained in the townships named, we confess to have wit- nessed about Nauvoo, and in Sonora, Montebello, "Walker and other western townships, country not a whit behind them in fertility and beauty. The eastern tier of townships is better adapted to wheat^ but the prairie portions will out-do them in the production of corn and hay. GEOLOGY. Professor "Worthen's " G-eology of Illinois," pages 327-349, vol. i. contains an exhaustive report on the geology of Hancock county. Applying to him for leave to make extracts therefrom for use in this history, he very generously forwarded the following, written expressly for our use, for which he has our thanks, and which the reader will iind very instructive and interesting: The geological formations to be found in this county consist ot the usual surface deposits called drift, some sixty feet or more of the lower coal measures, and the St. Louis and Keokuk divisions of the lower carboniferous limestones. The lowest or fundamental rock outcropping in the country is the Keokuck limestone, which forms the main portion of the river bluffs from the south line ot Henderson county to Warsaw, and ap- pears also in occasional _ outcrops along the base of the bluffs from Warsaw to the south line of the county. It is also found on the lower courses of most of the small streams in the northwestern por- tion of the county, as well as on Crooked creek north and north- west of Plymouth. The Keokuk limestone may usually be recognized as forming two well marked divisions. The upper portion, ranging in thickness from thirty to forty feet, consists of a bluish gray or ash-colored calcareo-argillaceous shale, passing locally into thin bedded lime- stone, and contains the globular silicious bodies known under the familiar name of geodes, and is hence called the geode bed. Many of these geodes are solid globes of quartz, with an outer crust of chalcedony, the interior being composed of crystalline quartz. Others are hollow spheres, the outer crust consisting of crystalline quaytz and chalcedony, while the internal cavity is coated with various crystallized minerals, of which quartz is by far the most common, and more rarely with calcite, dolomite, zinc-blende, iron pyrites, and aragonite, forming very beautiful and interesting HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 193 cabinet specimens of these minerals. In the vicinity of N'iota, geodes are occasionally found with the internal cavity filled with liquid petroleum, or hardened asphaltum. , As early as 1840 or '41, a collection of geodes was made in the vicinity of Montebello, by Mr. Oatlln of Philadelphia, and ship- ped to that city to enrich the cabinets of the Eastern States; and since that time hundreds of tons have been collected and shipped from this county, until choice specimens are now comparatively rare, and difficult to obtain. The lower division of the Keokuk formation consists of gray limestone, rather coarse grained and sub-crystalline, partly in heavy beds ranging from one to three feet in thickness, and partly in thinner shaly beds, with intercalated layers of chert, or impure flint. The latter is the prevailing character of the lower part of this division, and it forms the bed rock of the Mississippi river along the Des Moines rapids from Keokuk to Nauvoo. The thickness of the lower division of the Keokuk group is from sixty to seventy feet, and the entire thickness of the whole in this county is about one hundred feet. The lower division, to which the name Keokuk limestone more properly belongs, affords a very good building-stone for dry walls, and also a fair quality of stone for the lime-kiln, though for the latter purpose the compact fine grained limestone of the overlying St. Louis group is to be preferred. The Mormon temple at Nauvoo was built entirely of this limestone quarried in the vicinity of that city, and the custom- houses at Dubuque, Iowa, and Galena, 111., and the postoffice build- ing in Springfield are all built of this limestone quarried in the vicinity of Nauvoo and Hamilton. All the work in dressed and cut stone for the Mormon temple, even to the carved oxen on whose backs the baptismal font rested, was furnished from the Nauvoo quarries. When this limestone is exposed to the continued action of frost and moisture, it splits into irregular layers along the lines of bed- ding, and hence is unfit for bridge abutments, culverts, and all similar purposes, where it would be constantly exposed to these adverse influences. The Keokuk limestone is entirely of marine origin, as is fully proven by the great numbers of marine fossils that it contains, and the solid limestone strata were once beds of calcareous sediment in the bed of the ocean, at a period so remote that we can now form no correct estimate of its probable date. Some of the strata are composed entirely of the remains of organic beings, with barely enough of inorganic matter to cement the mass into a solid rock, and to the paleontologist who desires to know something about the forms of life pertaining to the carboniferous age, it affords an ex- ceedingly varied and interesting field. The fossils that abound in this limestone consist for the most part of crinoids, or lily-like animals, corals, bryozoans, moUusks, and the teeth and spines of fishes. The carboniferous fishes were 194: HISTOET OF HAIfCOCK COUNTY. mostly cartilaginous, like the shark and sturgeon of the present day, and as flesh never petrifies, and they possessed no bony skele- ton, only their teeth and bony spines have been preserved as me- morials of their existence. The fish remains, although occasionally to be found throughout the whole extent of the limestone, are far more abundant in certain layers, where they are sometimes found in large numbers within a very limited space. Two of these " fish beds " occur in the vicinity of Warsaw and Hamilton, one just below the geode bed, and the other in the cherty limestones below the quarry rock, and in what has been called the division beds, which separate the Keokuk from the Burlington limestone below. The color of these fish remains is usually brown or sometimes nearly black, and the contrast they exhibit with the light gray color of the rock enables the collector to readily detect them without a close examination of their structure, which is also quite distinct from that of any other fossils to be found in this formation. Inter-stratified with the limestone beds, there are layers of clay or clay shale, varying in thickness from half an inch to two feet or more. These have resulted from the introduction of a muddy sed- iment into the ocean, which in some cases suddenly entombed the living animals that inhabited its waters, and in these clay partings, the crinoids and delicate bryozoans are found in their most perfect state of preservation. They secreted a calcareous skeleton like the coral, and occasionally these may be found in the soft shale or im- printed on the surfaces of the limestone in such a perfect state of preservation that the original form and structure of the animal can be readily determined. One of the most common forms of bryozoans in the Keokuk lime- stone is the screw-shaped fossil known as the Archimedes, and the frequency of its occurrence in this limestone gave it the name of Archimedes limestone, by which it was designated by Dr. D. D. Owen and some others of the earlier geologists. Subsequently it was found that similar forms were found in the "Warsaw division of the St. Louis group as well as in the Chester limestones, another division of the lower carboniferous series, and hence the name of Archimedes limestone had to be abandoned, as applicable to any single division of the series. The crinoids were so abundant in the ocean sediments out of which these limestones have been formed, that some of the thickest of the limestone strata are composed almost, entirely of their re- mains, and hence the name crinoidal, or encrinifal limestone has been applied to it. The crinoidal layers usually have a crystalline structure, and some of them receive a high polish, and when varie- gated in color form a handsome and valuable marble. Overlying the geode bed we find the St. Louis limestone, which, like the Keokuk group, may be separated .into two well marked divisions, the lower consisting of magnesian limestone, overlaid by blue shales with thin and irregular beds of coarse gi-ay limestone, the latter capped with a bed of calcareous sandstone, and an upper HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 195 division composed of fine-drained, compact brecciated limestone. The lower division ranges from 30 to 40 feet in thickness, and the upper from 10 to 30. This group forms the upper portion of the river bluffs throughout the county, and is also found on nearly all the small streams in the central and western portions, and the tributaries, as well as the main course of Crooked creek, in the northeastern part of the county. The brecciated division forms the base, or fundamental rock, on which the coal measures rest, and hence it forms a well marked horizontal limit, below which coal is never found. Isolated out- crops of coal are found resting upon it, however, in almost all parts of the county, even as far west as the bluffs of the Mississippi river at E'auvoo, on "Waggoner's creek near Montebello, and at several other points to the westward of the present boundary of the Illinois coal field, but such outliers are of little or no value for coal-mining purposes. The magnesian limestone that is found at the base of the lower division of the St. Louis group ranges in thickness ii) this county from six to ten feet, and affords the best material for foundation walls, bridge abutments and culverts that can be obtained in this portion of the State. The Sonora quarries furnished the foundation stone for the new capitol building at Springfield, as well as the ma- terial for the abutments of the bridge, and the locks on the canal at Keokuk, and the rock has given universal satisfaction where strength and durability were the main qualities demanded. It is not a hand- some stone for outside walls, not coloring evenly on exposure, and liable to be stained by the oxidation of the iron pyrites with which the rock is more or less impregnated. But it hardens on exposure and does not split when subjected to the combined action of frost and water. Below Warsaw the magnesian limestone is from ten to twelve feet tliick, and is rather lighter colored and freer from pyrites than at the Sonora quarries. The blue shales and thin-bedded limestones above the magnesian bed abound in fossils in the vicinity of Warsaw, and hence the name of " Warsaw beds " has been applied to the lower division of the St. Louis group. The largest species of. Archimedes known, the^. Wortheni, described and figured by Prof. Hall in the first report on the geology of Iowa, belongs to this geological horizon, and is found more abundant in the vicinity of Warsaw than elsewhere. Specimens have been found as much as eighteen inches in length, and when living, with its delicate, lace-like expansion extending from six to eight inches on either side of the screw-shaped axis, they must have formed living organisms of rare interest. This, with a half dozen or more of other species of bryozoans to be f jund in these shales at Warsaw, has made the locality quite noted with the amateur col- lectors of fossils, and the locality is now well nigh exhausted. A^ove these fossiliferous beds, there is a bed of calcareous sandstone at Warsaw about six feet in thickness, some of which lies in thin layers suitable for flags, and partly in strata from one foot to eigh- 196 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. teen inches in thickness. This rock cuts freely and is an excellent stone for caps and sills. The upper division of the St. Louis group is a fine-grained brec- ciated limestone, concretionary in structure and a nearly pure car- bonate of lime in its composition, and hence furnishes the best ma- terial for the lime-kiln to be found in the county. It is from ten to thirty feet in thickness and forms the bed rock over a large portion of the county, though it was probably at one time covered by the shales and sandstones of the lower coal measures, which were sub- sequently removed by denuding agencies, leaving the solid lime- stone as a floor over which the drift clays were subsequently depos- ited. This limestone is characterized by three species of fossil corals, one of which, the Lithostrotion mamillare is usually sili- cious, and weathers out of the limestone in considerable masses, and is called "petrified honeycomb," or "wasps' nests," by those who are unaware of its true character and origin. An excellent material for macadamizing roads as well as limestone for the lime- kiln is furnished by this division of the St. Louis group wherever its outcrop occurs. Goal Measures. — In the southeastern portion of the county, em- bracing an area of three or four townships, and extending north to the vicinity of Plymouth, the sandstone and shales of the coal- measures are found, embracing a thickness of fifty to sixty feet or more, and include the horizon of the two lower seams of coal. At the base of the coal measures there is usually a coarse sandstone which sometimes encloses pebbles and becomes a true conglomerate. It is variable in thickness, but usually ranges from five to twenty feet in this portion of the State. Above the conglomerate there is either a few feet of sandy shale, or if this is absent, the fire clay of the lower coal seam, or coal No. 1, reckoning from the bottom of the formation upward. This seam is usually too thin where it has been found in this county, to be of any great value for the produc- tion of coal, yielding furthermore an article of inferior quality. In thickness it ranges from six to eighteen inches, but the coal is some- times replaced entirely with bituminous shale. Between this lower coal and the one above it, or No. 2, there is usually from ten to twenty feet of shale, the lower part of which is bituminous, and forms the roof to the lower seam, while at the top it passes into the dark -colored fire clay of No. 2. This upper seam is about two feet in thickness, but it is not regularly developed, and like the lower seam, is liable to run into bituminous shale. It was worked at an early day on Williams creek, in the vicinity of Pu- laski, to supply the local demand for coal, but since the completion of the C, B. & Q. railroad through this portion of the county, the mines have been generally abandoned. Above No. 2 there is a variable thickness of shale and sandstone, probably nowhere exceed- ing twenty-five or thirty feet, which forms the uppermost beds of the coal formation in this county. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 197 The surface deposits, or "drift," as the loose material that over- lies the bed rock of the country is usually called, consists of a yel- lowish brown clay at the top, forming the subsoil, then drab and ash-colored clays with gravel and boulders, passing downward into a compact blue clay or " hard pan," the whole ranging from forty to sixty feet or more in thickness. Below the " hard pan," a black peaty soil is frequently met with containing leaves and branches, and sometimes the trunks of trees of considerable size. This has been named " the forest bed," and has been found to extend over a large area in this State, being frequently encountered in sinking wells, or in coal shafts, sometimes at a depth of more than a hun- dred feet "below the surface. It probably represents the surface soil that existed anterior to what is called the "drift" or "glacial" period, and produced the trees wliose trunks are so frequently en- countered in sinking wells through the drift-clays. Below the "forest bed" there is usually a few feet in thickness of quick-sand or stratified clay, resting directly upon the bed rock of the country. The boulders of the drift are mostly of foreign origin, and have come from the metamorphic rocks of the Lake Superior region, the transporting agencies being floating ice, when the present sur- face of nearly the whole of the Northwestern States was submerged beneath the ocean. In the vicinity of the river bluflFs, the drift deposits have been sifted and changed by the action of water currents, forming what is called " altered or modified " drift. In the cut on Main street in the city of Warsaw, the following section of modified drift may be seen, which will serve to show the general character of the drift deposits after they have been subjected to these modifying influences : Ft. In. Ft. In. 1. Surface soil 1 5. Blue sandy clay 3 6 2. Ash-colored and brown marly 6. Fine gravel and clay 2 6 clay (loess) 9 7. Yellow sand 3 3. Brown drift clay 8 8. Gravel and boulders 8 4. Brown sand partly stratified 8 9., Blue clay (exposed) 4 The loess caps tlie river bluffs throughout the county, and gives character to the soil wherever it is found. The timbered lands skirting the river bluffs are underlaid usually by the loess, and the soil is extremely well adapted to the cultivation of fruit, as well as wheat, oats and clover, and under a judicious system of rotation, will yield fair crops of corn. The soil upon the prairies is usually a black, or chocolate-brown loamy clay, rather retentive of moisture from the cohesive char- acter of the subsoil, but when sufficiently rolling to give a free surface drainage, it is very productive. There is however a consid- erable area of flat prairie land in the county, that can only be made to produce the best results of cultivation by a systematic course of underdraining, which can be readily accomplished now, under the drainage law, recently enacted by the thirty-first General Assembly. 198 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Below Warsaw, and extending thence to the Adams county line, there is a belt of bottom land, from one to three miles in width, now being redeemed from the annual overflow of the river, and destined to become, under a proper system of levee improvement, the most productive corn land in the county. "We copy the following from the " Geology of Illinois," by Mr Worthen : " The soil upon the prairie land is usually a deep black loam, with a brown clay subsoil. On the ridges that skirt the streams the soil is usually a chocolate- brown, loamy clay, becoming locally light brown or yellow, on the slopes of the hills, from the predom- inant character of the subsoil. The timber on these ridges consists, for the most part of black and white oak and hickory, with an undergrowth of red-bud, sassafras and hazel. On the more level portions of the timbered uplands we find, in addition to these, elm^ linden, wild cherry and honey locust. The soil on the lands where the last named varieties of timber are found is fully equal, in its productive capacity, to that of the prairies, while that on the oak ridges is comparatively thin. In the southwest portion of the county there is a wide belt of alluvial bottom skirting the Missis- sippi river, commencing at the city of Warsaw and extending to the south line of the county, with an average width of about three miles. A part of this bottom is prairie, and a part is covered with a heavy growth of timber, consisting of cottonwood, sycamore, red and slippery elm, black and white walnut, ash, hackberry, honey locust, pecan, persimmon, pawpaw, coffee-nut, white maple, red birch, linden and mulberry, and the common varieties of oak, and shell-bark and pig-nut hickory. The greater portion of this bot- tom is susceptible of cultivation, and possesses a sandy soil that is not surpassed, in its productive capacities, by any other portion of the county. It is subject to overflow, however, during seasons of extraordinary high water, and those who cultivate these lands must calculate on a partial, if not a total, loss of their crops once in about seven years. " Springs are not abundant in this county, but are occasionally found at the base of the river bluffs and in the valleys of the small streams. Some of these are chalybeate, and contain, in addition to the iron, both sulphur and magnesia. Good wells are usually obtained on the uplands' at depths varying from twenty to forty feet. The surface deposits of this county comprise the usual sub- divisions of the quaternary system, and attain an aggregate thick- ness of about seventy-five feet. All the uplands are covered by accumulations of drift, varying in thickness from twenty to sixty feet or more. This usually consists of a bed of blue clay or hard pan at the bottom of variable thickness,which is overlaid by brown clays, with gravel and boulders of waterworn rock of various sizes. Sometimes there are thin beds of sand in the brown clays, that pre- sent a stratified appearance, and serve as channels to the under- ground streams of water." HISTORY or HANCOCK COUNTY. 199 And in regard to these " boulders," such objects of curiosity and speculation all over the county, scattered not only along the bluffs and river shore, but standing isolated and alone, away in the prai- ries, the Eeport has the following wonderful statement: " A large portion of the material composing the drift deposits has been transported from a distance, and many of the boulders are derived from the metamorphic strata of Lake Superior, several hun- dred miles from the spot where they are found. Many of these boulders are of great size and many tons weight, and must have re- quired a mighty force to transport them to their present position. One of these may be seen at the foot of the bluff's between Nauvoo and Appanoose, composed of the metamorphic rock of the North- west, which is nearly twenty feet in diameter. The power required to wrench such a mass of rock from its native bed and transport it, for hundreds of miles, with a force sufficient to obliterate all its angles, is inconceivably great; but here is the boulder of granite, nearly five hundred miles, as the crow flies, from the nearest known outcrop of this kind of rock, giving unmistakable evidence that such a result has been accomplished. Several specimens of native cop- per have been found in the drift deposits of this county, which, from their appearance, leave no doubt that they have been trans- ported from the copper region of Lake Superior." Of its economical geology, from the Report we glean the following: '■^Building Stone. — Hancock county is well supplied with good building stone, and there is, perhaps, no natural resource of this portion of the State that is so lightly appreciated at the present time in proportion to its intrinsic value as this. * * * . The middle division of the Keokuk group will afford the greatest amount, as well as the finest quality, of building stone, and where this is easily accessible, no better material need be looked for. It is generally even textured, dresses well, and is well adapted for all the ordinary uses to which a building stone is applied. It is also tolerably even bedded, and affords strata thick enough for all the ordinary require- ments of architecture. Some of the beds are susceptible of a fine polish, and may be used as an ornamental stone. It outcrops on all the small streams in the western part of the county, as well as in the river bluffs throughout the county, except in the vicinity of Warsaw, and for a distance of five miles below, where, by an undu- lation of the dip, it is carried below the surface with the exception of a few feet of the upper layers. It appears again, however, on Eocky run, six miles below Warsaw, forming bluffs on that creek twenty feet or more in height. In the eastern part of the county it outcrops on Brunce's creek, north of Plymouth, and Crooked creek, in the vicinity of St. Mary's. "The arenaceous and magnesian beds of the St. Louis group will also furnish a building stone but little inferior in quality, and quite equal in durability, to that afforded by the Keokuk limestone. * * * Worth of Warsaw, its out crop is generally high up in the bluflfe, or on the small streams that intersect them, and in the in- 200 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. terior of the county it will be found on all the principal creeks that intersect the limestones immediately below the coal measures." " Potter's Clay. — The under-clays of the coal seams are almost the only clays in the State used for the manufacture of potter's ware, and are the only ones from which a good article of fire- brick has been made. The under-clay below the lower coal seam on "William's creek, in the southeastern part of the county, is about thiee feet thick, and appears to be of good quality, suitable either for potter's ware or fire-brick. There are probably many localities in the eastern part of the county where this clay may be found equal in quantity and quality to that of the locality above named. Beds of soft material like this are seldom well exposed by natural causes, and are best seen by artificial cuts through the strata with which they are associated. The coal seams will always serve as a guide to those in search of these clays." Coal. — The supply of bituminous coal in this county is quite limited. And the Keport concludes, that our people will mainly have to rely upon more favored districts. HANCOCK MOUNDS. There are numerous mounds throughout Hancock county, as in many other sections of the State and the whole Mississippi valley. They are found chiefly on the blufl"s bordering the river and the smaller streams. In some instances they are in the open prairie, but most of them are in the timbered lands, and often covered with large trees. They are mostly small, of various sizes and elevations, from a few feet in height up to 15 or 20, and from 10 to 40 or 50 feet in diameter. It is vary rarely that one is found in this county to exceed these measurements. "We know of but two exceptions. One of these is the Gittings Mound in the north part of the county, and though possessing all the characteristics of the smaller ones, covers nearly a section of land, and is perhaps fifty or more feet high. Mr. Gittings' farm lies on it, and it is without doubt a mere natural elevation of the prairie. The other is what is known as the " Big Mound " in Appanoose township. This mound is situated about seven miles east of Nauvoo, and in the open prairie. On the east, south and west of it, the prairie is quite level for several miles, but on the north it is approached by the broken timbered lands skirting the river bluffs. "We are not aware that any accurate measurement of this mound has ever been made; but from the best observation we could make, by standing on its top, and also on the prairie at its base, we judge it to be not less than 40 to 50 feet high, while it is about one-fourth of a mile in diameter. It belongs to the estate of the late Amos Davis, and he chose it for the site of his fine residence, which occupies its summit. The barn, stables and other out-buildings, besides two or three fine orchards, are also located on the mound. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 201 Excavations have been made into numbers of these mounds, and in most instances human skeletons have been found, together with various art utensils, such as knives, tomahawks, stone axes, beads, pottery articles, etc. This fact has led to the conclusion that these mound formations have been selected as places for the burial of their dead, by some people occupying the country before us. Who were those people? We think the answer is plain. We hear much talk and read much newspaper comment about the " Mound- Builders." This term we believe to be a misnomer. Because a people have chosen these places as receptacles for their dead, it does not follow that they built them for that purpose, or that they built them at all. The Indian tribes who have just preceded us are doubtless the people who have so used these mounds. Indeed we Tcnow that they have done so. The writer of this has himself seen them in several instances thus depositing their dead. But who ever saw or heard of these aborigines building mounds? They find them already built, by the same Almighty hand that built the mountains and the hills and prairies. Besides, North America has been known to civilization for nearly 400 years, and the people first discovered here were as incapable of erecting these moimds as those just now passing away. And who supposes that human bones will remain at a depth of a few feet from the surface, for so long a period, without undergoing decomposition? If the remains of Powhattan and King Philip can be found intact at this date, then it will do to guess that the bones found in these mounds have been deposited there by a race of men anterior to the people known as North American Indians. We are sustained in this view of the subject by many high authorities. Eev. John M. Peck, a writer of sound judgment and extensive observation, in his " Gazetteer of Illinois," after referring to some of the large mounds in the Missis- sippi valley, says: " These large mounds are of the same shape and proportions as the smaller ones. Who supposes these to be the works of human art? Who will place these among the antiquities of a country? If any one will account for the formation of these stupendous works of nature, in a country of unquestionably diluvial formation, there are men who make no pretensions to the rank of western anti- quarians, who will account for the smaller ones, of a few feet eleva- tion, without the aid of an extinguished race of men. Until further evidence of their being the work of men's hands, I shall class them among the natural curiosities of the country." This opinion of the origin of these mounds is also maintained by Prof. Worthen, in his report on Madison county. — [See Geol. Sur. of 111., vol. i. p. 314.] We should not omit to mention that, in digging the well for Mr. Davis on the summit of the Appanoose mound, a piece of timber, said to be a species of cedar, was found at a depth of 30 feet from the surface. Many similar discoveries have, however, been made in other places where no mounds exist. 202 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. But there is indisputable evidence that this country has at one time, how remote it is impossible to tell, been inhabited by a race of people far superior to the Indians found here by the Euro- pean discoverers. There are remains, both within and without these mounds, that go to prove this fact; remains that could not have been left by these savage tribes, but must have belonged to a cultivated and enlightened people. That this is so, none of these writers will gainsay; yet we do not see that its admission has any bearing on the question of the origin of these mounds. NATUEAL PEODUOTIONS. Under this head we group together the productions of the ani- mal and vegetable kingdoms. Of the animal, the bftffalo, once so common all over the western prairies, has entirely disappeared. Indeed, it is doubtful if one of the species has been seen in the county by any of its pioneers. The same may be said of the elk. Bears, though not common, have occasionally been seen and taken; but have now forsaken us. Wild-cats were quite plenty in the early days, and almost all the old pioneers have wild-cat stories to tell. Wolves, the black and gray, formerly abounded, and the bounty on scalps still draws money from the county treasury. They find retreats among the fastnesses of Bear and Crooked creeks. The little prairie wolves, — so numerous 40 years ago, and whose laugh-like bark awoke the echoes of the night, around the farm houses, and even in the village streets, like the still smaller prairie dogs — have fled before the tramp of civilization. Panthers have been seen, and killed, and to-day one of these animals, or some- thing else, produces an occasional scare in the neighborhood. That " same old coon," the opossum, the mink, and the skunk still abound, as many settlers can testify; an occasional fox is seen; but the beaver, badger and otter have disappeared. Wood-chucks and musk-rats still find holes, and a variety of squirrels tempt the sportsman's shot. Deer, so numerous 40 years ago, are now very scarce, and many a pioneer longs for the " saddle of venison " he once procured so cheaply, and so richly enjoyed. Hawks abound, and crows, and owls; but the turkey-buzzard has taken himself off. Wild turkeys-are sometimes seen, but are wilder than " the law allows," and are seldom taken. Grouse, or prairie chickens, and quails are not near so numerous as formerly. Wild geese, brant and several species of ducks frequent the rivers and sloughs. Numerous varieties of fish frequent the streams. Kat- tle-snakes still are found now and then; also the black snake, and a few others ; and turtles, toads and bullfrogs creep, hop and croak upon the land and in the ponds. The principal forest growths of the county, are the several species of oak, hickory, walnut, butternut, ash, maple, elm, mulberry, Cot- tonwood, black-jack, pawpaw, sassafras, willow, hazel, blackberry, raspberry, and numerous other plants and trees. _ „ ^ HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 203 The prairie grass, with its thousand and one gorgeous and beau- tiful flowers, which waved their tall stems to the breeze or nestled in little tufts upon the sod, — "Fitting floor For this magniflcent temple of the sky — With flowers whose glory and whose multitude Rival the constellations! " These, all these, have gone — given place to the fields of waving grain, the rustling corn and the timothy and clover meadow. In recurring to those early days of prairie green and bloom, one can almost wish them back again ; they were such a glory and a joy ; such a boundless, magnificent, waving, rolling sea of beauty. This in bright summer; but ah! let winter's storms and snows come — and right here we close the picture and the chapter. 204 HISTOBT OF HANOOCK COUNTY. CHAPTEE II. PIONEERS AND PIONEER LIFE. How did people live in the pioneer days? — is a question which the youth of to-day may well ask. In 1817, it is said the first steamboat, the Gen. Pike, ascended the Mississippi above St. Louis. Previous to that period, all merchandise and provisions, except of home product, had to be brought to Illinois by way of New Orleans, in keel-boats " cordeiled " up the current by strong muscular force, — a trip from the settlements to that city and back, ' occupying about six months' time; or they had to be conveyed across the mountains from the seaboard cities to Pittsburgh or Wheeling, and floated down the Ohio in " broad-horns." Salt was procured in small quantities from Kanawha and about Shawnee- town; but tea, coffee, spices, sugar, and the thousand and one arti- cles which now constitute the food of the inhabitants, were seldom seen; or if seen, were procured for extreme occasions only, and at great expense, by the wealthy. Buckskin moccasins and breeches, and rabbit and coon-skin capa were the common wear of the men; while wife and children were generally but meagerly enveloped in fabrics made from flax at home, or coarse cottons obtained from abroad at high prices. The residences of the pioneers were chiefly log cabins; the most primitive ones always built without other tool than an ax, and perhaps an auger, and containing from top to bottom neither nail nor glass; hinges they had to the doors, made of stout timber, and locks in the form of a peg or wooden bar. The pioneers of Hancock, as of most other sections of the West in those early days, were generally poor men, who sought the country with a view of making homes for themselves and children. Some of them, it may be said, were merely hunters, and came for the purpose of getting away from civilization, and to find plenty of game. These, usually, as neighbors began to settle near, pulled up and went further on. But he who came with a view of locating a permanent home, brought in most cases a family with him, and a meager supply of indispensable utensils and tools, with which to begin life in the wilderness. For very evident reasons, they gen- erally made their homes in or contiguous to timber. Their cabins were to be built, and in the quickest time possible; water without digging was to be found there; and shelter was afforded for such stock as they possessed. Such few utensils as could well be brought in a two-horse wagon,, with the family, or in many cases in a one-horse cart, were all they HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 205 could afiord; a cow or two, and perhaps a yoke of oxen; an ax, a few other simple tools, and the inevitable gun (rifle generally) con- stituted the " plunder " with which many a now and long since independent citizen began life as a pioneer in Hancock county. _ Once located, the first thing to do was to construct a shelter for himself and family, in the meantime living in the wagon as they had traveled, or under the shelter of a tent. It was the work of but a few days to erect a log cabin, with a clapboard roof and without a floor, into which the family and property could be stored, safe from storms and wild beasts. Some came in parties of three or four or more, built their rude dwellings, and perhaps planted a small patch of grain; then returned for their families. The construction of one of these primitive houses ivould be a curiosity to the denizen of the city now, though to most people throughout the "West not very remarkable. Many of them have been built and occupied for years — comfortable abodes, too, for intelligent and happy families, — without a nail or a bit of iron in their make-up. Some of the best men our State and county have known — Judges, Governors, Senators, Grenerals, — have been born and reared in these rude structures. A few of them, now old and dilapidated, and fast approaching their end, like their earliest occupants, are yet to be seen in our midst; some, reconstructed, doing duty as smoke-houses, pig-pens or corn-cribs; others standing silent and deserted, in their desolation. Their owners, those that are left of them, have long since transferred their goods and chat- tels to more costly and pretentious edifices. The ax has been the principal tool in the path of American civil- iaation. It has always preceded the plow. In preparing the home, it has ever been the pioneer tool in the hands of the pioneer man ; and with it, and with no other, he can fashion a home not to be despised. With it the trees are felled and cut into proper lengths for the hut; with it alone the clapboard roofs can be made; with it the puncheons for a door and the floor. But the tools really needed, though not always attainable, were, first, the ax, then a saw, an auger, a frow, and a drawing-knife. "With these, and with- out many of them, under the guidance of a strong will, and wielded by a strong arm, the wilderness of Illinois has been dotted with happy homes, that would defy the rains of summer and the snows and storms of winter. But there is another and often a mournful side to the picture of pioneer life. The rains and storms come sometimes before shelter can be provided. Sickness overtakes the pioneer or his family. Away in the wilderness — away from kindred or sympathizing friends — beyond reach of medicines or kindly help — no comforts — perhaps unsuitable food — the wife, the child — another and another droop and die, and in the gloom and desolation are consigned to their lonely graves. No neighborly hapd near to place the sod or strew a flower; no kindly voice to oifer comfort. It is on this pic- 206 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ture of pioneer life that we would ask the reader to drop a tear. Pioneer mother ! Sad and disconsolate in thy dreary cabin, thy loved one lying asleep in death before thee, soon to .be hid from thy loving embrace and care, to thee we drop a tear to-day. Pioneee EATHEE ! the partner of thy joys and sorrows stretched on a bed of pain and sickness, or, perhaps, enveloped in her death shroud; chil- dren helpless and needing a mother's kindly care; money gone, crops failing, neighbors far away ; a gloomy future before thee, — to thee we heave a sigh in this, our day of prosperity and richer enjoyments. As before stated, the first settlers in this prairie country always selected locations in or near to timber. Gradually, a new comer, disregarding the practice and the advice of his predecessors, would work his way into the prairie a mile or two and erect his cabin. The results emboldened others to follow his example; and now, after forty or fifty years of trial, all that broad tract known of old as the " Hancock Prairie," embracing two-thirds of the county, is en- closed into farms, and the only vacant land in the county is in the timber ! Comparing the settlements of the county as between the eastern and western sides, there is a wide difference observable. In the west, most of the earliest settlers are gone, having " pulled stakes " and removed perhaps to- greener pastures . They had settled mostly on the bluff lands near the river, or on the river shore; and lived by hunting and fishing, and by following river occupations. The broad prairie lying east and south of them was a broad waste, useful only as pastures for deer and other game. Those on the eastern side of the county came mostly a few years later; and finding the timber and prairie lands more evenly dis- tributed and more convenient for farms, took up lands and settled to stay, and they did; and numbers of them yet remain in the county. Divide it evenly by a north ai;id south line, and the east- ern half will count probably two permanent settlers of the period previous to 1840, to "the western side's one. There is another marked difference between the two sections. While in the eastern part we will see many of the best farms still fenced with the old-fashioned Virginia rail fence, the growth of the forests nearby; in the west side such fences are rarely seen, except- ing along or near the river bluffs. The great prairie between, set- tled and occupied more recently, and since the introduction of pine lumber, is generally enclosed with boards, or with the more recent Osage orange line fence. The latter is largely used; and in con- nection with the barbed wire, will constitute the fence of the future. To the log cabins of the early days, many pioneers whb now occupy fine mansions, with their many modern improvements, look back with a feeling of kindness akin to regret. They remember the happy hours they have passed in them ; the many days and nights of enjoyment amid friends and neighbors, they have lived in these rude and rough, but comfortable homes. To be sure, their ~v % CARTHAGE. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 209 exteriors were rough and tininviting, and their interiors anything but ornamental. But there the babes were born and nurtured, perhaps mourned in death. There the holiest of human of affec- tions were centered, and there the ever-changing scenes of life's drama were enacted. Those only who have had the experience can tell of the comforts and enjoyfftents that may be realized in these rude homes of the West. Let the lo& cabins of the pioneers be remembered with reverence ! 11 CHAPTER III. THE ADVANCE GUARD. Who the first man was to settle within the limits of the county of Hanpock, after the most diligent inquiry we have been unable to ascertain. When Illinois became a member of the Union in 1818, the county of Madison with eight or ten others had been formed. Out of Madison, Pike was formed in 1821, and in 1825 several counties were formed from the latter, among which were Adams and Han- cock — the latter being attached to Adams until such time as its population would justify a separate organization. Whether there was at the date of the State's admission a single white inhabitant, other than the garrison at Fort Edwards and its attachees, within the limits of the county, may never be known. The Frenchman named hereafter, it seems resided among the Sacs and Foxes, on the site of Quincy, as long ago as the year 1811; and it is probable that others were settled in the vicinity of Forts John- son and Edwards. There were French here at date of organization, but we have no knowledge of them beyond that fact. There was a garrison at Fort Edwards from the date of its erec- tion in 1814: to 1824, when it was abandoned ; and it is reasonable to conclude that it would draw traders and settlers around it. But all those around it when it was vacated are now gone. We have ■ the fact that when Adams was separated from Pike in 1825, there were in Hancock certain residents, some of whose names we have been able to obtain ; and also that before this event, certain Hancock people are mentioned in the records of Pike county. Fort Edwards was made a voting place by the Adams County Court in 1825, and included the whole of Hancock county. The following extract from a " History of Quincy," by Henry ^sbury, Esq., will come iu place here.' It is from the Quincy TTAVofDec. 31, 18H: " 1811 — Bauvet, a French trader, had a trading-post here. Was supposed to have been killed by Indians, "1813 — An Indian village of the Sauk tribe liere. " 1813 — Two regiments of mounted rangers, from Missouri and Illinois, commanded by Gen. Howard, passed over the present site of Quincy and destroyed thevillage, the Indians having decamped." Of this expedition, Davidson & Stiive's "History of Illinois" says: " The march was continued up the Mississippi. On the present site of Quincy they passed a recently deserted camp and village, (210) HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 211 supposed to have contained 1,000 Sac warriors. At a point called the ' Two Rivers,' they struck out eastward and across the high prairies to the Illinois, which was reached near the mouth of Spoon river." Who can now tell the location of the point called the " Two Kivers?" The expedition was against the hostile Indians on and ahout Peoria lake, and had set out from Camp Kussell, in Madison county. From said " History of Quincy " we obtaia the following further facts : " 1819 — Willard Keyes, who afterward built the second house in Quincy, floated past on a raft, but did not land. " 1820 — The Western JSnterprise, the first steamboat on the Mississippi river as far up as this place, and which landed here. " 1824— JohnWood filed a notice, in the Edwardsville Spectator, of application for a new county. "1825, Aug. 17 — The (Adams) County Commissioners borrowed of Russell Farnham to purchase original town site. "1825— The first Circuit Court was held Oct. 31, 1825; John York Sawyer, Judge; Henry H. Snow, Clerk." On the jury lists for this first term of courtin Adams county,we find the names of the following Hancock county citizens, to-wit: Mor- rill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther "Whitney, Hezekiah Spillman, Curtis Caldwell, Peter Williams and Benjamin McNitt. ^ The first county court held in Pike, after separation from Madi- son in 1821, was held at Cole's Grove, near Gilead (now in Calhoun county). We notice that James W. Whitney, the " Lord Coke " of the Quincy and Hancock bar afterward, was appointed its Clerk. At its session of June 5, 1821, Daniel Shinn, John Shaw and John W. Smith, were appointed to view and locate a road from Ferguson's Ferry, on the Illinois river, to Fort Edwards, on the Mississippi river; and it was "Ordered, That all that part of the Fort Edwards road lying north of the north line of section 27, township 6 south, range 6 west, compose the fourth district of said road, and that John Wood, (ex-Lieut.-Gov.) be appointed superintendent of that district, and to have control of all the hands living within three miles each side of the road." June 6, 1821 — " Ordered, That the militia of the county he or- ganized into a regiment, etc., and that all north of the base line be and compose the Third Company District" (this included Hancock county). , * July 6, 1821 — " Ordered, That the report of the Commissioners to view and lay out a road * * * through Cole's Grgve to Fort Edwards, be accepted as far as the north line of section 27, town 6 south, 6 west; that being as far as said Commissoners were able to proceed, owing to the excessive vegetation; and it is further ordered (time extended) until after the vegetation shall he destroy- ed hy frost, ^^ etc. Nothing further concerning this part of the county till December 6,1824: "Ordered, That all the part of the Fort Edwards road 212 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. between Bear creek and Fort Edwards, be and compose the 8th district of said road, and that Samuel Groshong be appointed Supervisor." And on March 7, 1825 — " Ordered, That a ferry license be grant- ed to Peter Williams to keep a ferry across the Mississippi river at Fort Edwards, on his paying a tax of five dollars besides the Clerk's fees ; and that the following rates of ferriage be established, to-wit: "For a single person, $ -35 Every Dearborn wagon $ .50 For a single horse, 35 Other four-wheeled carriages,... 1.00 Head of cattle over 1 year old,. . .25 Two-wheeled carriage 75 Hog, sheep, or goat, 06^ Every cwt. of dead lumber, 06^." This was the first legalized ferry ever established within the limits of Hancock county. The last entry is in relation to the Fort Edwards road again, April 27, 1825: " Ordered, That Levi Hadley, John Wood, and Willard Keyes be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to survey and locate that part of the Fort Edwards road, commencing at a point above Mill creek and continuing on to Fort Edwards on the bluffs, or where they think the best ground; provided, that said Com- missioners will perform said service gratuitously and without ex-> pense t® the county."* The first session of the Adams County Court was held at Quincy, at the house of Willard Keyes, on Monday, the 4th of July, 1825 Peter Journey, Willard Keyes, and Levi Wells, Commissioners Henry H. Snow, Clerk. At regular September term grand jurors were ordered summon- ed, and we find the following residents of this county: Morrill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney, and Benj. McNitt; and of the petit jurors: Hezekiah Spillman and Peter Williams. Nov. 9, 1825 — " Ordered, That the attached part of this county be set off into an election precinct, to be called Fort Edwards pre- cinct, and that all elections for civil ofiScers be held at the house of Lewis Kinney in said precinct ; Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney and Peter Williams, Judges of Election." Dec. 6, 1825 — -Jeremiah Rose, John Wood and Henry H. Snow were appointed to view a road leading" east to intersect Fort Ed- wards road, laid out in June, 1826, by Pike county. Luther Whitney, Lewis Kinney and Truman Streeter, appointed to view a road from Bear creek (where the viewers appointed by Pike county left off) to Fort Edwards. Dec. 15, 1825—" Ordered, That Luther Whitney be appointed Supervisor of all roads from Bear creek to Fort Edwards, and that he have charge of all hands between said points." * For the foregoing extracts from the records of Pike county we are indebted to W. B. Grimes, Esq., the gentlemanly Deputy County Clerk, at Pittsfield. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 213 March 6, 1826 — The folio wing were established as tavern rates in the county of Adams, including Hancock: For each meal | .25 Wine per bottle $1.00 Lodging per night 131^ Gin " " " 18V Half pint whisky I3i| Single horae feed 13i| " French brandy 37J| Horse feed per night, with fod- " rum 18^ der and grain 35 " -wine 3^^ June 5, 1826 — Lewis 0. E. Hamilton appeared in open court, and entered as a matter of record, the emancipation of a certain negro boy named Buck, born the 16th day of December, 181Y,— and entered into bond for his maintenance as the law require*. Peter Williams appointed Constable. Peter Williams, Jerry Hill and Luther Whitney, appointed Judges of Election in Fort Edwards precinct. Dec. 5, 1826— Hezekiah Spillman, Peter Williams, James White, Eussell Farnham, Morrill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther Whit- ney, Benjamin MelSTitt, John Waggoner, and Curtis Caldwell (all of Hancock), on jury lists. _ Sept. 4, 1826 — Luther Whitney a duly elected County Commis- sioner. Sept. 6— Ordered, That the Sheriff be authorized and required to have the court-house (log cabin 22 x 18, costing $185) suitably pre- pared for the reception and accommodation of the next Circuit Court; that he provide a suitable place for the Judge's seat — to be nine feet long and platform one foot high — four 10-feet benches, and two 7-feet ditto, and a temporary table for the use of the bar. License granted to Eussell Farnham as a non-resident peddler for one year, for $10 and Clerk's fees. March 5, 1827 — On the application of Wesley Williams, ordered, that a certificate of good moral character be granted him, for the purpose of obtaining a license to practice law in this State. James White, Peter Williams, and Luther Whitney, appointed to view and stake a road from Fort Edwards to the head of the rapids of the Des Moines — a road from thence to the settlement on Crooked creek in township 6 north, 5 west, and thence to Fort Edwards. Said viewers reported to dispense with the road from the head of rapids to Crooked creek and thence to Fort Edwards, and say : " We set out from Fort Edwards a southeast direction, and turned a north direction as soon as we could get around the brakes, thence through prairies and timber a north direction, until we got oppo- site the rapids, thence we went a course a little north of west to the head of said rapids." March 31, 1827 — Wesley Williams was unanimously appointed Treasurer of Adams county. Sept. 5, 1827 — Wesley Williams appointed (afterward substi- tuted by Levi Wells) to draw the revenue of Adams county from the State Treasury, conditioned to " exchange it for specie, at not less than 70 cents to the dollar." 214 HISTORT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 1828 — James White elected a County Oommissioner. John Harding, John Gregg, John Clark, Hugh "White, Henry Nichols, John K. Wilcox, Robert Wallace, Edson Whitney, Daniel Cren- shaw, William Flint, and Andrew Yance (of Hancock) appear as jurors. Sept. 14, 1829 — [Hancock organized] and " Charles Holmes appointed Treasurer, to fill vacancy occasioned by the removal of Wesley Williams from the eounty." FROM RECORDS OF ADAMS CIRCUIT COURT. " To the Clerk of Adams county — Greeting: " Please to take notice that I have appcinted the fifth Monday in October next for holding the Circuit Court in and for the county of Adams and State of Illinois. Given under my hand at Atlas,, this 28th day of May, 1825. J. Y. Sawyer, Judge of the First Judicial Circuit." Court held as per order: Present — John York Sawyer, Judge; Henry H. Snow, Clerk; Levi Hadley, Sheriff; John Turney, Att. Gen . fvo tern. ■ ^ext term, Oct. 19, 1826 — -Sawyer, Judge; Jonathan H. Pngh, on behalf of Attorney General. May 29, 1827— Samuel D. Lockwood, Judge: Wm. Thomas, Prosecutor ^ro tem. Oct. 28, 1828 — Lockwood, Judge; Wm. Young appointed to prosecute.* " The first trip ever made by a steamboat from St. Louis as high up as Galena, by private enterprise, was made in the spring of 1827, by Capt. James May, with the steamer Shamrock. Steamboats had been employed by the Government some three years previously, to carry military stores and soldiers to Forts Armstrong, Crawford and Snelling." — [Charles ISTbgus, be/ore Van Buren {Iowa) Pioneers.'] * For these extracts from Adams county records, and for numerous other favors, we are indebted to Gen. E. B. Hamilton, of the Quincy Bar. OHAPTEE IV. THE FIEST OFFICIALS. Judge Young's order for organizing the county of Hancock was issued in the summer of 1829, and it recited that the county was represented to contain a population of 350 persons, the number fixed* by law to enable it to maintain a separate existence. Count- ing one to five of population, would give it seventy adult male citi- zens. At the first session of the County Commissioners' Court, there were sixty men selected to serve as jurors in the Circuit Court, twenty-four for the grand and thirty-six for the petit jury. There had been five men elected to county offices (three County Commis- sioners a Sheriff' and a Coroner,) and the Board of Commissioners had appointed its clerk. There were thus sixty-six men named as residents of the county in the month of August, 1829. These facts present some points of inquiry which we have been at some trouble to investigate. Did it require all the adult male citizens to put the county machinery in motion ? And if there were left any other eligible citizens, who were they ? The inquiry has shown the fact that there were residing in the county, at the date of its organization, not only enough male adults to meet the requirements, but a few more^ that there were certainly not less than seventy, perhaps seventy-five; and that the county without doubt could honestly claim the requisite population. The mS,tter is of little importance now, except as it presents the curious fact, that full thirteen-fourteenths of the eligible citizens of the county- were pressed into active service the first year of its exist- ence. Again, what of all those sixty or seventy men whose names ap- pear upon our county's records of fifty years ago ? "Whence came they? and when? and what has become of them? As pioneers, as the first emigrants to, and settlers in this county, then a wilderness, now past the semi-centennial yearof its existence, and peopled with nearly 50,000 human beings, they are deserving of more than usual notice. But a remarkable and solemn fact is developed: Of those sixty- six pioneers, who were first called to serve the county in a civil ca- pacity, and who began to shape its destiny, not one now remains in the county ! and one only is known to be living at this date, Janu- ary 1, 1880 ! That one is Isaac K. Campbell, of St. Francisville, Mo., one of the grand jurors, and first County Treasurer. We have called them "pioneers" and "settlers." Pioneers they certainly were, but a large number of them can scarcely be •' ' (315) 216 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. called settlers; for we find tliat many of them left the county at an early day, to pioneer, and perhaps to settle in still newer locali- ties. More than one (as will be seen) left the county for the county's good; son^ left it to make homes and grow up with the country elsewhere; while still others remained to be good citizens and do further service, and died regretted. After much labor and inquiry, we have been able to gather in- formation concerning many of these, which we present in the order in which they are named on the records, beginning with TfTE OFFICIALS. Richard M. Young— Who occupied the bench of the Fifth Judi- cial Circuit at the time Hancock was organized, and whose diity it was made by law to issue the order for organization, was a native of Kentucky, and was an early settler in the State. He was ap- pointed to the Judgeship in 1828, and resided at Galena, but after- ward settled in Quincy. His circuit embraced all the counties between the Illinois river and Galena, and east to Chicago. In 1837 he was elected by the Legislature to the U. S. Senate, and after his term of service had expired, was appointed by President Polk to be Commissioner of the General Land Office. Henry Asbury, Esq., of Quincy, in his " Sketches of the Bench and Bar," published in the Quincy Whig, says of Judge Young: " Judge Young resided here for many years. He was a gentle- man in all his aspects — not perhaps the most profound of our judges and lawyers, but for his day and time, and in the absence of modern facilities and great libraries, his attainments were of such a character as to command for his niemory our high respect. He was an honest man, and died in poverty at Washington city some years ago, though he had been Judge of the Supreme and Circuit Courts in Illinois, a Senator in Congress, and Commissioner of the General Land Office. His open-handed generosity left him poor in his old age." ' Judge Young's term on the circuit lasted eight or nine years. The first sessions of his courts were held at private houses on the rapids, afterward in the log cabin court-house in Carthage, in which the bench was a splint-bottomed chair, the lawyers, juries and clients occupying the slab benches. Dignified and courteous in his demeanor, on and ofiT the Bench, we believe that it can be truly said, that no one of his many suc- cessors ever gave more general satisfaction to the people, or carried with him in his retirement more of their sincere respect, than did Judge Young. George Y. Cutler — "Was one of the three to whom Judge Young addressed his order, and was consequently one of the judges of the first election. He was a popular man, as he received fifty votes of less than sixty cast for Commissioners, with six candidates running. Concerning Mr. C, we can obtain but little information. He resided at the head of the rapids, where he sold goods; was a HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTF. 21Y whole-souled, genial man — a native of one of the New England States. He died about 1834r, and his estate stands sixth of entry on the Probate records, under date of Sept. 1, 1834. How long he had been in the county is not ascertained. " Cutler's Grave," sur- rounded by a wall of stone, is still an object of note, nestr the bank of the Mississippi at Nauvoo. Henry Nichols — One of the first County Commissioners — having received 37 votes — came to the county at an early day, date not known ; neither do we learn the State of his nativity. He settled in I^ocky Run township, where he continued to reside until about 26 years ago, when he removed to Wisconsin, where he was lately residing, in a green old age, and in excellent health. He was mar- ried to Miss Delia, the daughter of Luther Whitney, and sister to Sheriff Edson and Horace B. Whitney. His son, Luther, resides at the same place in Wisconsin. Judge Nichols was a man highly esteemed by his neighbors, was an active and prominent participator in public affairs, and was fre- quently honored with offices of trust in the county. James White. — Captain Wliite was a juror for Adams county in the first year of its existence (1826), and received thirty-one votes at the first election in Hancock, electing him by one majority over Major Morrill Marston. Capt. White was born in Ohio, whence he emigrated to Missouri Territory in 1818, three years before it became a State. In 1824 — or, perhaps, 1823 — he came to reside and trade with the Sac and Eox Indians, who at that time had a large village of some 400 or 500 lodges at the head of the rapids, where Nauvoo now stands. In 1824, the treaty was made with those Indians by the general Government, by which they relin- quished their lands on this side of the ri\ er. Capt. White, wishing to obtain possession of the site of their village, for the payment of 200 sacks of corn, induced them to vacate in his favor — when they loaded \hQ\x wik-he-ups and other "plunder" into their "dug-outs" and paddled across to the Iowa shore. On the vacated spot, Mr. White opened out a farm ; but his chief occupation during the remainder of his life — or until the business was superseded by steamboats — was that of keel-boating on the Mississippi. In this business he was assisted by his two sons, Alexander and Hugh, and by his future son-in-law, Isaac Newton Waggoner. His old resi- dence stood on the bank of the river, near where the Nauvoo House now stands. He died June, ]837. His son, Alexander, survived him only a few months— died October, 1837. The son Hugh for many years resided near the old place, and followed the business of steamboat piloting, and was widely known between St. Louis and Galena. William, the third son, died early. Alexander White in his later years was engaged in merchandis- ing. He was a candidate for Sheriff at the first election, but was beaten by Edson Whitney. — This gentleman received 31 votes, to Mr. White's 22. He was the son of Luther Whitney, one of the per- 218 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. sons to whom Judge Young's order was addressed, - He afterward resided on a farm nine miles below Warsaw, in Kocky Kun town- ship. He was re-elected to the office of Sheriff for several terms, Mr. White being his competitor on two or three- occasions. Mr. Whitney was an active politician of the Whig school, and: an efficient and capable officer. In the difficulties between the old citi- zens and Mormons he took an active part. He was married to a daughter of Charles Hill, and sister of the late Davis Hill, of Kocky Kun. Mr. Whitney removed with his family to Leaven- worth, Kansas, some 20 or 25 years ago, and died ten or a dozen years since. Robert Wallace — Was elected Coroner without opposition. That he resided somewhere along the rapids, is all that we can learn of him. He left the county at an early period. John Johnson. — Tliis gentleman was chosen the first County Sur- veyor, not by election,' but by appointment from the Governor, having been recommended to that position by the County Commis- sioners at their first session. He was also on the first grand jury list. Mr. J. resided at Riverside, and was appointed Postmaster at Montebello by President Jackson, an office which he held till his death, Dec. 31, 1836. Of his nativity or early life little is known. Wesley Williamb. — A.t the first session of the County Commission- ers'Court Mr. Williams was chosen Clerk to the Board ; and afterward, when Judge Young opened the first Circuit Court, in Octoljer of the same year, he was appointed Circuit Clerk. These two positions he held for several years, besides several others to which he was subsequently appointed; and with what fidelity and correct- ness, the early records of the county will abundantly show. No man among the pioneers of Hancock county was better known than he in its earlier days ; and no one, perhaps, among them all did more to shape its destinies. Mr. Williams was a resident of Quincy several years, and held offices of trust there — that of Treasurer of Adams county the year previous to the separation. On the organization of Hancock, he resigned and removed to this county, and was appointed to the clerkship here. He was a lawyer by profession, though he never engaged in general practice in this county, his official duties re- quiring his undivided attention. Previous to the removal of the county-seat to Carthage, he was Clerk ot both the Circuit and County Commissioners' Courts, and also Judge of Probate, and after removal to Carthage he was appointed Postmaster, a position he held for several years. His son, Samuel Otho Williams, a young man of excellent clerical ability, assisted him in his official duties, and was at one time for a short period Circuit Clerk by appoint- ment. He was married to a Miss Baldwin, of Carthage, and died two or three years later. _ Wesley Williams was one of three brothers, all lawyers by profes- sion, natives of Kentucky, who came to Quincy and settled about 1825 or 1826. Archibald, elsewhere referred to in these pages. HISTOETC OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 219 remaiued in Adams cov,nty, but became eminent as a jurist, and liad an extensive practice throughout the Circuit and the State. Robert R. and Wesley settled in this county about the same period. Of the former but little is known, as he died at an early day. "Wesley "Williams was born in Lincoln county, Ky., March 24, 1792, and died at Fountain Green, May 12, 1870, aged 78 years, 1 month and IS days. He was married in Bourbon county, Ky., on April 2, 1816, to Miss Elizabeth Ayres, from whom he was divorced in this county (she never residing west with him). He was again married to Eutb Scobey, June 9, 1831. Three sons and two daughters were the fruits of these marriages — Eli. H., now residing at Carthage, Samuel Otho, before mentioned, and "Wesley C, residing in Prairie township, and Isabel (Spangler) of Fountain Green, and Kate (present name unknown). "Wesley 0. is said to have been the first child born in Carthage. Isaac R. Gamphell. — This name closes the list of county officials in 1829. Mr. C. was the first Treasurer of the county, not by elec- tion, but by appointment of the County Commissioners' Court. He remained in the county for only a few years, and finally settled at St. Francisville, Mo., where he is still living at the date of this present writing, at an advanced age, the only living representative of Hancock's first officials, and probably the only remaining one of her sixty jurymen of fifty years ago. We notice among the early marriage licenses granted in the county, one (the 9tb) to Isaac R. Campbell and Emily Davis, cere- mony performed by Luther "Whitney, Esq. FIEST GRAND JUEOES. The following are the names of first panel of grand jurors selected by the County Commissioners' Court, with such account of them as we have been able to obtain, viz: Daniel Crenshaw — Resided in what is now Eocky Run town- ship. Died in 1831. His estate stands third on the probate records for settlement, under date of October, 1831. Some of his descend- ants (or relatives), we believe, are still residents of that township. Luther Whitney. — This gentleman, with his sons, Edson and and Horace B., came to this county at an early period — exact date not ascertained, but he was here while the county was a part of Pike. He resided in Montebello township. His name appears on the jury list of both Pike and Adams counties; and he held the office of County Commissioner in Adams in 1826. Mr. Whitney was a native of Vermont, but removed to Kentucky at an early day, thence to Missouri, thence to Hancock county. He lived only a fewj-ears after organization. He served also in the capacity of Justice of the Peace, and was a prominent man in maiiy re^ spects, though we obtain but little of his career. Morrill Maraton. — Major Marston was one of the officers at FortEdwards, and, at the time of the abandonment of the fort, was 220 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUUTT. court-martialed, we believe for intemperance. He settled in the county a short distance below the fort, near the Calamus spring, where he opened a farm. He was a native of Rockingham county, New Hampshire. His name also occurs on the Pike and Adams jury lists. Major Marston was a very intemperate man, and died in a fit of intemperance by drowning, as was supposed — having been found in a shallow slough' between the fort and his residence. His estate stands first of entry on the records of the Probate Court, under date of March, 1831. He had n,o relatives or heirs in the county at time of his death, and his estate was put into the hands of administra- tors ad interim, and finally administered by his brother, David Marston, who came west for the purpose. John Clarh — Resided in the vicinity of Fort Edwards, and was one of a family of three brothers, all of whom resided in this vicinity, and still have relatives here. John Clark died many years ago. Leonard L. Abney. — Resided near the Calamus spring below Fort Edwards. His name appears in the list of candidates for County Commissioner in 1832, and in 1833 ho was an acting Justice of the Peace. « Philip Malette—Aine of the early Frenchmen, resided in the vicinity of the fort. The early Circuit Court records show a divorce case between him and his wife. He left the county soon afterward, and nothing further is known of him. William Clarh — Brother to John Clark, left the count}'^ at a very early day. Thomas Payne — Resided near Calamus spring. "Was said to be descended from Spanish or French parents, and was from Vin- cennes, Indiana. Left in early times. John Johnson. — See p. 218. John Harding — Resided in the Bear creek region, not far from the present village of Chili. The three Hardings named in these lists must have been among the earliest, if not the very first, set- tlers in the south part of the county. The name of John Harding appears as one of the jurors while the county was attached to Adams, in 1827. He sold the farm on which he resided, adjoining the town of Chili, to Elisha Worrell, Esq., in 1835, and removed to parts unknown. William Vance — Son-in-law to Luther "Whitney, resided on the river near Montebello. Hazen Bedell — A New Englander, resided at Moatebello, and was the first Postmaster at that place, appointed under President Jackson's administration in 1830; was also a Justice of the Peace in 1881. Mr. Bedell died about the beginning of 1836, leaving a widow and three children, all of whom afterward went to Warsaw to reside. The eldest son, Edward A., was for many years an active business man in that place. During the Mormon difficulties he took an active part as a " peace man," and was one of the most HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 221 prominent of that class designated as "Jack- Mormon"." He re- ceived the appointment of Indian Agent to Utali, and died in 1854, soon after his appointment. The second son, Lucien, studied medicine and went west. The daughter was the lately deceased widow^ of Samuel "W. Brown, formerly of Warsaw. John Waggonner — Was perhaps the first settler at Riverside. He settled there in 1824. He had previously been one of the pioneers in the settlement of the city of Cincinnati, there being a tradition in the family that he built the first cabin in that city. This is probably a mistake, as the Cincinnati Historical Society records the fact and gives a list of the names of some 30 or 40 first emigrants to that place (then called Losantiville) in a body from Maysville, Kentucky, and Mr. Waggonner's name does not appear in the list. At the time of his settlement in this county his fam- ily consisted of four sons, — Isaac Newton, Price, Henry Clinton, •and Seth. A sketch of the eldest will be found elsewhere in these pages. Price and Henry C. both became steamboat engineers, and went to St. Louis to reside; now both deceased. Seth died at the age of 18. The father died at Riverside in 1839, and. his re- mains lie buried in the old and neglected Montebello cemetery, on the high bluff overlooking the rapids, and not far from the res- idence of the family. James Miller — Resided somewhere along the rapids;, pi ace of nativity or other antecedents unknown. Emigrated to Warren county about 1832, thence to Texas, and finally to Oregon. Davidson Hihhard. — This gentleman resided on the blufi' just below Commerce, where he had a farm, part of which was finally swallowed up by the encroachments of the city of Nauvoo. For the main portion of the account which follows, we are indebted to his grand-son, Wm. D. Hibbard, Esq., of Nauvoo. The exact date of Mr. Hibbard' s emigration to the county is not recollected. He was born in New Hampshire in 1786, and married in Maine, in 1816, to Miss Sarah Tilton. They were the parents of five chil- dren, — one son and four daughters. He remained on the place where he settled until his death, which occurred in the fall of 1852, in the 67th year of his age. ■ His widow is yet living (1879) at the advanced age of 86, but has been an invalid for several years. There was but one other white family within several miles, when Mr. Hibbard first settled in the county, which was that of Captain James White, heretofore mentioned. For a number of years they were compelled to go to Crooked, creek in Schuyler county, to mill. There were many Indians in the neighborhood (Sacs and Foxes), with whom he dealt and maintained uninterrupted friend- ship. He was well acquainted with Black Hawk and Keokuk, both of whom were present at a double wedding of his two daugh- ters, one of them marrying a son of Capt. White, and the other a Mr. Waggonner. At the time of the coming of the Mormons to Nauvoo, Mr. Hibbard was in a prosperous condition, and suffered much from 222 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the depredations of the thieves associated with that sect, as they stole almost all the movable property he had; at one time even driving off a drove of fat hogs he had fed for market; and so adroitly did they execute their work, that not a trace of them could be discovered. Mr. Hibbard was ingenious and enterprising, and was an efficient workman in either wood or stone; could make almost anything from a violin to a wagon, and thus did he appear to be well fitted for a frontiersman. He built the first stone house that was put up in Nauvoo, which is still standing, the masonry being apparently as good as when built. Mr. H. was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was highly respected by the members of his lodge, as he was by all who knew him; and the old settlers who knew him yet respect his memory and speak of his virtues and intelligence. At the time of his death he was possessed of considerable property. Dewey. — Nothing to be known of him, not even his full name. On the probate books, however, we find the name of Joseph Dewey, deceased, under date of December, 1834. Samuel Oooch — Eesidence somewhere along the rapids — re- moved in early times to some point north of Carthage, and after- wards to Fort' Madison, Iowa, where he made a claim. Died about 1832. John Heed — Resided in what is now Appanoose township. Gone. His name appears twice on the jury lists for the next year — 1830. Edward White. — Mr. White resided on the Mississippi, above Commerce, in Appanoose township. In the earlier years he was engaged with Capt. James White in his keel-boating business, and afterward, in 1832, in connection with his son-in-law, Mr. Amzi Doolittle, established a ferry, crossing the river at or near Fort Madison, and in July, 1836, laid out the town of Appanoose. Of his antecedents little is known, excepting that he came from Ohio. Hugh Wilson. — From his son, Mr. James Wilson, a respected citizen of Sonora township, we gather the following particulars of the life of this, one of the early settlers of the county. A Ken- tuckian by birth, he had resided some time in Tennessee, where he married a Miss Susan Skiles, before he came to Illinois. He re- moved with his family to Schuyler county in 1825, and to Hancock in 1827, and settled near the head of the rapids. The log cabin he built for his residence was about the third or fourth one in that vicinity. Mr. W. only remained in the county for a few years ; in 1833 removed across the Mississippi to the vicinity of Fort Madison, which was then a part of Mlichigan. There he resided till his death in 1847 or '48. Some of his children still reside in that vicinity. Mrs. Wilson died about ten years after her husband. The story of Mr. Wilson's experience on the prairie during the great storm of 1830, in which his neighbor and companion met such a tragical fate, will be found on another page. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 223 FIRST PETIT JUEOES. HoroGe B. Whitney — Was the son of Luther Whitney, and brother to Sheriff Whitney. Died in 1835, as appears on records of Pro- bate Court of June in that year. John JR. Wilcox. — This gentleman was a Major among the offi- cers at the fort, and settled at the place after the fort was evacuated in 1824. For further particulars concerning him, see biography of his son, Dr. Lewis Wilcox, of Warsaw. Edward Rob&rtson. — No account of this juror can be obtained. His name also appears on the jury list for the spring term of 1830, and then disappears from the records, as he doubtless did from the county. Samuel Brierly. — Was married to a daughter of Dr. Isaac Gal- land, and was for a time associated with the Doctor in selling goods at Commerce. About 1840 he removed to the other side of the river. James Brierly. — An elder brother to the above had emigrated to the Half-Breed tract, across the river, previous to 1887, and resided at that date about four miles below Fort Des Moines (now Montrose). He was a candidate and elected once, if not oftener, to the Territorial Legislature. They both left Lee county 25 or 30 years ago, and settled in Buchanan county, Mo. There James became an active Union man, and was elected as such to the Missouri Legislature. The other died some years, since in or near St. Joseph. Thomas, a younger brother, went into stearaboating on the Mis- souri, became rich, ran a packet between St. JLouis and St. Joseph; and finally, with a fine boat of which he was one-third owner, ran the blockade during the Eebellion to join the rebels; the boat was finally burnt in the Yazoo river, to prevent her falling into the hands- of the Union troops ; and he, reduced to poverty, died at the south. Bohert Harding. — A relative, as supposed of John Harding, one of the grand jurors. As was also Aaron Harding — And all resided in the same vicinity. Green Harding, a present resident there, is a relative of the family, to whom we made application for information, but without success. Richard Chaney — Kesided near the mouth of the stream known as Chaney creek, and from whom it derived its name. Mr. Chaney was said to have been a native of Prince George's county, Mary- land, born in sight of jthe "Federal city." The date of his emi- gration to the county is not known. About 1833 he removed to, and settled in Fort Madison, and was among its earliest inhabitants. Has since kept a hotel at Iowa city. Benjamvn T. Tungate—B^siAeA. in the vicinity of Chaney creek, and removed up the Des Moines river as early as 1836. He took out the second marriage license and was married to Deborah Flint, another early settler, October 17, 1829. George W. Harper — Resided on the rapids at Montebello, near where the Congregational Church now stands. His name stands on 224 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. both jury lists for 1830. He is said to have emigrated. West about 1834, by some of the old settlers; while others think he was the Harper "who met his fate in company with Hugh "Wilson in the great snow storm. (See another chapter.) Gha/rles Bobison — "Was born in "Western New York about 1773. He came "West in 1823 to the "Wabash country; thence to Sangamon county, where he remained till the spring or summer of 1829, when he came to Hancock county and settled at the mouth of Larry's creek, near the line between Montebello and Sonora townships. At this place he continued to reside until the Mormon period, when he left the State, settling at West Point, Lee county, la. There he continued to reside till his death. Mr. Eobison was a minister, we believe, of the Baptist Church, and labored in that field with good acceptance among the people, to whom he became widely known. He had several children ; one son, Chauncey, now resides in Appanoose. One or more of the sons joined the Mormons and went away with them to Salt Lake. His daughter, Eliza, was the legal wife of Gen. Daniel H. Wells, one of the chief magnates now of Salt Lqjse, but from whom she separated and refused to go with him, because he declined to renounce the Spiritual Wife doctrine, at that time being inculcated at Nauvoo. He is stated to have supplied her place, however, with several others. She now resides in Burlington, Iowa. Patrick Moffit. — In this name, the generally correct Clerk, Williams, has made a mistake, as there was no Patriok among the the pioneer Moffits of the county. James, John and Thomas were the three Moffits who originally settled in the vicinity of Yenus, at the head of the rapids. James and John (distant relatives of the present James, junior, now residing in Sonora, from whom we obtain this information), were born in Ireland, county of Sligo, and came to America about 1818, single men. They 'located at an early day in Madison county, near Alton, but soon afterwards went to the lead mines near Galena, then the great center of attraction and speculation at the West. From the lead mines they went back East, to Central New York, and after a stay of a year or two, returned to Illinois and settled on the rapids, in what is now Sonora township. The lands on which they settled were afterward purchased when they came into market, at the Quincy land-office. This settlement was made about 1827 or '28. James died Sept. 18,1868; John had died many years before. Thatthe above-named Patrick Moffit was intended for one of these, is the more evident from the fact that the name occurs no where else in the early records; while James and John both appear on the jury lists for each term in 1830. Thomas, the third of the trio, did not come to the county till 1830. WilUam TTaKace— Eesided on the place on the rapids bluff, below Yenus, afterwards occupied by Koger Hibbard. He soon left for Warren county. Enoch Hamikint — (not Hawkins, as printed in some of the '^MM^ ^•■•V 1h '^OyrruJ Qf^dutJt/ AUGUSTX HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 227 sketches of the county) — Was one of those who " left his country for his country's good," being the individual who has the reputation of being Hancock coanty's Jlrst murderer/ He stands charged with killing a Mr. Moore, during court, on the rapids, in 1832. Resided in what is now Sonora township, and was an emigrant from Ohio, He was arrested, and there being no jail in the county, he was taken to Quincy for imprisonment. There he broke jail, and was never more heard of. Abraham Moore — The victim of Hankin's murder, resided on the rapids. Cause of the murder, an old grudge ; said to have been neighbors in Ohio. Asa Heed — Kesided near the head of the rapids, as some citizens remember, but nothing more can be learned of him. William Flint — Ditto, and ditto. Probably a relative of Deborah Flint. Peter Williamis — Resided near Fort Edwards, and was without doubt one of Hancock's very earliest settlers. He was here when it was a part of Pike, and was licensed to keep a ferry at the fort by the Pike authorities in 1825. A correspondent informs us that Mr. Williams stated to him that he resided at the fort when the first steamboat ascended the river [doubtful], and that " he thought the destroying angel had come " — not one of the " Destroying Angels " that were afterward so notorious at Nauvoo. What the year was we are not able to say. We have heard Mr. W. mentioned as a minister of the gospel, but whether attached to any denomi- nation we cannot say. In 1832, he, with others, made claims in Fort Madison, Iowa; ' and in 1833, says our correspondent, "his cabin and that of Rich- ard Ohaney, with the ' two chimneys of the old fort, were the improvements of Fort Madison." Daniel Van Burhloe — Resided near Venus ; no further account of him, excepting that there was a Yan Burkloe residing in the neighborhood after the Mormons came. Amzi DooUttle. — At the time of his death, which occui-red in 1878, Mr. D. was the only remaining member of the first juries, and the last man but one of the 66 men who set the wheels of government in motion in the county. He was an active business man during the whole period of more than half a century of civil- ization. He was a native of Madison county, N. T., and was born June 16, 1803. He came to this county in 1827, from Schuyler, where, and in Sangamon, he had resided about six years, having emigrated to the State at the age of 18. Mr. Doolittle's first wife was a daughter of Mr. Edward White, heretofore mentioned in this list of jurors. She died in 1845, and in 1846 he was married again to Mrs. Sarah M. Wallace, who is still living. In September, 1832, Mr. D., in conjunction with his father-in-law,' was licensed to establish a ferry at Appa- noose, and in July, 1836, the same parties laid out the town of Appa-- noose, named after an Indian chief well known at that time. It is remembered that a steam ferry-boat belonging to this company was disabled in a storm, or in the ice, near Nauvoo, early in the 15 228 HISTOET OP HANCOCK COUNTT. Mormon period, and left over night; the next day, on going to it, its owners found it stripped of everything that could be carried away — even to the lighter parts of its machinery stolen. Hezekiah Spillmam,. — This gentleman was also an Adams county juryman in 1825. At what time he came to the county, or where from, we cannot ascertain. He died many years ago. He resided at what was known as Spillman's Landing, on the Mississippi, in Ihe north part of the county. Hiohard Dunn. — This gentleman was son-in-law to Mr. Hugh Wilson, and, it is supposed, left the county at the same time, and died at or near Fort Madison. ITaples — As entered on the jury listj was John Yaple, a native of New York, who resided at or near where Pontoosuc now stands. From his native State he emigrated to Ohio, thence to Morgan county, 111., and thence to Hancock. He died about 1842, on his way to Texas. Messrs. White and Doolittle, Hezekiah Spillraan and Mr. Yaple were probably four of the earliest settlers in the county, above the head of the rapids. Warren, born in Morgan, and James M. and Oscar, born in Hancock, are his three sons. Mrs. Warren Yaple, residing near Adrian, in Eock Creek town- ship, from whom we obtain these facts, relates the following inci- dent, as occurring soon after settling in this county: The Indians were plentiful in those days along the river; and one day a squaw brought her own pappoose to the Yaple cabin, and taking the white child from its cradle unobserved, deposited her own in its place, and was making off with it. The exchange was discovered in time; she was followed, and each babe restored to its rightful mother. On being questioned as to her reasons for doing it, she said she wanted a white pappoose! Samuel Bell — Was a resident somewhere along the rapids, was with Capt. White in the keel-boating, and is believed to have died of cholera about 1832. Noah W. Payne — A brother to Thomas Payne, and a resident in the vicinity of the fort. Lewis — Given name even not ascertained, resided on the rapids, and is supposed to have also gone, with the many others, over to the " New Purchase." Eeuben Brattan, John Sykes, Abijah Wilson, Abdiel Parsons, Charles Smith, Nathaniel Kennedy, John Campbell, Kalph Kaburn, Thomas Safly, Arthur Parrin, Joseph P. Punyear, — eleven others belonging to the first juries, — we cannot trace. Some of them are remembered by old settlers, but whence they came or what be- came of them is left to conjecture. The foregoing includes all the names of citizens of the county that appear on the records as residents at date of organization, August 4, 1829. That there were a few others has been made evi- dent in the course of our inquiries; although for a time it seemed pretty certain that all the adult males had been pressed into active service at the very first session of the County Commissioners' Court. Such of those not named in these lists, as can be ascer- tained, will be noticed hereafter. CHAPTER V. ORGANIZATION AND FIRST PROCEEDINGS. On June 16, 1829, Judge Young issued the following order, viz: STATE OF ILLINOIS, I Fifth Judicial Ciecuit. J Whebbas, It has been represented to me, the undersigned. Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Illinois, north of the Illinois river, that the citi- zens of Hancock county in said State, are desirous that the same should he organized with as little delay as possible, and it appearing to my satisfaction that the said county contains three hundred and fifty inhabitants and upward ; I do hereby, in pursuance of the powers vested in me, by virtue of the ninth and eleventh sections of the act entitled "An act forming new counties out of the counties of Pike and Fulton, and the attached parts thereof," approved 13th January, 1825, order, direct and appoint that an election be held in some conven- ient house in Fort Edwards, in the said county of Hancock, on the first Monday in August next, and to continue for one day only, for the following named officers, to-wit: Three County Commissioners, one Sheriff, and one Coroner, to serve, when elected and qualified, in and for the said county of Hancock; and I do hereby nominate and appoint Luther Whitney, James "White and George T. Cutler Judges of said Election, whose duty it shall be to give twenty days' notice of said election, by posting up copies of this order, with such other notice of the same as they may deem necessary, in eight of the most public places in said county, distributing them as near as practicable among the principal settlements of the county, to the end that all persons concerned may have due notice. The election to be viva voce, and conducted in all respects as near as maybe in conformity with the laws now in force respecting elections ; and the result thereof, when ascer- tained, to be fairly and legibly made out, certified, and returned to the proper department, that commissions ihay issue without delay, to such persons as may be entitled thereto. And lastly, it is ordered, that Circuit Com-ts be held in and for the said county of Hancock, on the third Mondays in June, and fourth Mondays in October, at such place as maybe selected by the County Commissioners of said county, until other regulations shall be made by law, or different times shall be appointed by the Judge of said Court. Given under my hand and seal at Quincy, in the county of Adams, [L.8.] this fifteenth day of June, A. D. 1829, and of the Independence of the United States the fifty-third. RICHARD M. YOUNG, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Illinois, north of the Illinois river. In pursuance of the foregoing order an election was held at Fort Edwards on the day named, being the third of August, with the following result: The Commissioners named in the order, acting as Judges, with Davidson Hibbard and John R. Wilcox as Clerks. (339) 230 HISTORT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Fob County Commissionkb— George Y. Cutler received 50 votes- Henry Nichols 37 " James "White 31 " Morrill Marston. 30 " Peter Williams 10 " Hazen Bedell 9 " , Fob, Sheeiff — Edson Whitney had. 31 " Alexander White 22 '.' For Coeonbr— Kobert Wallace had 35 " The next day the County Commissioners elect met at the same place and organized, when the following proceedings were had, as appears upon record : STATE OF ILLINOIS, Hancock County, At a County Commissioners' Court held in and for said county, at a special term at Fort Edwards in said county, on the fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine. Present, James White, George Y. Cutler, and Henry Nichols, Commissioners. Ordered, That Wesley Williams be appointed Clerk of this Court, temporarily, until superseded by a permanent appointment to that office ; who thereupon came into Court, was sworn according to law, and entered upon the duties of said appointment. Ordered, That Isaac R. Campbell be appointed Treasurer of the county, and that he give bond and security according to law, in the sum of one thousand dol- lars. The Court proceeded to lay ofif and divide the county into districts for the elec- tion of Justices of the Peace and Constables, whereupon it is — Ordered, That all that part of the county lying between the north line of Adams county, and the line dividing townships four and five north, be erected into a dis- trict, to be known and designated as district No. 1, and that elections for Justices of the Peace and Constables be held at the house of Henry Nichols, in said dis- trict and that Luther Whitney, Henry Nichols and John Clark, be appointed Judges of Election therein. All that portion. of the county lying between the south line of townships five north, and the north line of said townships, be erected into a district known and designated as district No. 3, and that elections therein be held at the house now occupied by William Vance, and that Hazen Bedell, Charles Robison, and John Waggonner, be appointed Judges of Election. All that portion of the county lying north of the township line between town- ships five and six north, and the north boundary of the county, be erected into a district to be known and designated as district No. 3, and that elections be held therein at the store of Alexander White, and that Davidson Hibbard, Peter Wil- liams tad Edward White be appointed Judges of Election therein. Ordered, That the following named persons be summoned to attend Circuit Court of this county at the October term, to serve as grand jurors, to wit: Daniel Crenshaw, Thomas Payne, James Miller, Luther Whitney, John Sikes, Davidson Hibbard, Morrill Marston, John Johnson, — — Dewey, John Clark, John Harding, Samuel Gooch, Leonard L. Abn'ey, Wm. Vance, John Reed, Philip Malette, Hazen Bedell, Isaac R. Campbell, Wm. Clark, John Waggonner, Edward White, Reuben Brattan, Robert Wallace, Hugh Wilson— 24. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 231 Ordered, That the following named persons be summoned to attend the Circuit Court of the county, at the October term ensuing, to serve as petit jurors, viz. : Horace B. Whitney, Charles Robison, Asa Reed, John R. Wilcox, Charles Smith, William Flint, Edward Robertson, Patrick Mofflt, Peter Williams, Samuel Brierly, William Wallace, Daniel Van Burkloe, James Brierly, Nathaniel Kennedy, Amzi Boolittle, Robert Harding, John Campbell, Hezekiah Spillman, Aaron Harding, Ralph Raborn, Richard Dunn, Abijah Wilson, Thomas Sofly, Yaples, Abdiel Parsons, Enoch Hankins, Samuel Bell, Richard Chaney, Arthur Parvin, Noah W. Payne, Benjamin T. Tungate, Abraham Moore, Joseph P. Puryear, George W. Harper, Alexander White, Lewis— 36. On reading and filing the petition of a number of the citizens of the county, recommending John Johnson as a suitable person to fill the office of Surveyor of this county, it is — Ordered, That he be recommended and nominated to the Executive of the State, to be commissioned Surveyor of this county. Ordered, That until otherwise directed, the courts of this county shall be held at the house of James White, at or near the head of the Lower rapids. Ordered, That John Tillson, Jr., be authorized and empowered to obtain from the Auditor of Public Accounts of this State, a warrant on ttie treasury for the sum of $350, the amount of the revenue due this county from said State treasury for the year 1839 ; and the Auditor of Public Accounts is hereby requested to issue his warrant accordingly. Ordered, That the Clerk of this Court make out a certified copy of the foregoing order, and enclose it to John Tillson, Jr., at Hillsboro; Montgomery county, in this State, advising him to obtain a warrant, and forward it to Tillson & Holmes in Quincy, subject to the further order of this Court, and to advise this Court of its being so forwarded. On motion of Wesley Williams, it is — Ordered, That the Clerk of this Court be permitted to hold his otflce at or near the house of Hazen Bedell, near the foot of the lower rapids, for the present, if he chooses. Ordered, That the Clerk of this Court be required to copy the proceedings of the court, into the records of this Court, when provided, and also to copy the order issued by the Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court north of the Illinois river, in relation to the organization of this county. Ordered, That Court adjourn till Court in course. Hbnbt Nichols, Jambs White, Geo. Y. Cutler. We copy the foregoing proceedings of the first County Commis- sioners' Court, in full, verbatim from the records. They are ex- ceedingly.interesting for many reasons: First, they supply us with the names of nearly all the resident adult citizens in August of the year it was ushered into existence as an independent corporate com- munity. From the location of the several voting places fixed by the Court, we have evidence that the settlements were mainly on the west side, along the river from Eocky run to Spillman 's Landing; none in the central portion. T^iree of the jury — the Hardings — resided on the head waters of Bear creek, near the line of Adams. Fort Edwards, near the foot, and the little village of Venus at the head of the rapids, seem to have been fifty years ago the chief cen- ters of population and business. The Court held another, its regular, session in December, at the house of Commissioner "White. At this session only Henry Nichols 232 HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. and Mr. White were present. A subdivision of the county for general election purposes was made, aa follows: The upper dis- trict to' embrace all that portion of the county lying north of a line running through the center of townships five north; place of vot- ing, house of James White; Judges of Election, Peter Williams, Andrew Vance and James Miller. Lower precinct, all south of said line, with place of voting at house of Henry Nichols; Judges, John E. Wilcox, Luther Whitney and John Shewey. At this session was presented the first petition for a ferry license. It asked that Luther Whitney and William Vance be authorized to establish a ferry across the Mississippi river on or opposite the southwest quarter of section 18, five north, eight west. License was ordered on condition that they pay into the county treasury the sum of one dollar, and the following ferry rates were fixed h^ the Court: For crossing a man and horse $1.00 A footman 50 "Wagon and team 3.00 Cart and team 2.50 Single horse 25 Each head of cattle 25 ■ Each hog, sheep or goat 12)^ This ferry was located about two miles above the present site of Hamilton, at the place now occupied by Mr. C. F. Darnell, then the residence of the petitioners Whitney and Vance. The property S.ssed into other hands, and was for many years known as the ontebello House. At this term was also granted the first tavern license — to Alex- ander White, at his store in said county (head of the rapids), and that he enter into bond and pay two dollars tax on said license. Again John Tillson was asked to aid the county in procuring the revenue of $350 due from the State treasury for 1830. Road surveys were ordered as follows: 1. Commencing at the termination of a road heretofore viewed, thence to thenorthline of the countj; 2. Commencing where the line dividing townships six and seven north strikes the Mississippi river, running in an east direction through the settlement on Crooked creek to the east boun- dary of the county; and 3. Commencing at some convenient point on the last named road, and running in a direction to strike the Mississippi river near the residence of Hezekiah Spillman. Edward White, Hugh Wilson and John Brewer, viewers. This " settlement on Crooked creek " must at that date have been quite limited, as we can learn of but two resident families in that region in 1830, that of Mr. Brewer, above mentioned, and Mr. TJte Perkins, near Fountain Green! At this term, also, the first county orders were issued, numbering one to sixteen, inclusive, for the aggregate sum of $62.50, chiefiy in payment of oflicial services. The foregoing closes the official record of the County Court dur- ing the first five months of its existence. Within that period the HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNrY. 233 little craft has weighed anchor and set sail on her uncertain voyage. Her principal officer, Clerk "Williams, was a man of some previous experience; the others had seen little service of the kind. Yet they conducted the affairs of the craft reasonably well; and through all the changes and vicissitudes, the tempests and calms of half a cen- tury, she still rides the waves. At the March term, 1880, "Wesley Williams was regularly appointed Clerk, to continue "during good behavior," and required to give bond in one thousand dollars. In that day it was deemed expedient to fix the rates at which hotel-keepers sliould entertain the public; but whether for mere imiformity's sake, or because they were suspected of extortion, does not appear. Thus the County Board established the rates of fare for the guidance of the one "tavern" in the county, thus: Each meal of victuals 25 cents. Lodging, per night ISJ^ Keeping a horse 35 Half pint of whiskjr '. 133^ Half pint of rum, gin, brandy or wine 25 Single horse feed 12}4 At the March term, 1830, the taxation of the people began; and, whatever else may have been remitted, as time progressed, that has gone on steadily for fifty years. "We quote: Ordered, That an ad valorem tax be levied on the value of the following described property, to wit: On horses, geldings, mares, mules and asses, stock in trade, wagons, carts, pleasure-carriages, clocks, watches, with their appendages, and cattle ; and the County Treasurer is ordered to assess the foregoing.kinds of per- sonal property according to their value, at the, rate of one half per centum. Another session was held in June, at which it was — Ordered, Thafthe sum of $45 be appropriated for the purchase of a suitable press' books and stationery, for the use of the Clerks' offices of this county. But the Board took care that the Clerk should not run away with . so large a sum of public money; for before receiving it he was required to enter into bonds with the Treasurer. It seems there was now (June, 1830) sufficient population in the eastern portions of this county to justify two new election districts; one was established embracing townships six and seven north, and ranges five and six west, called the Crooked Creek district; elec- tions to be held at the house of TJte Perkins, with John Brewer, Thomas Brewer, and Henry Donohoe, as Judges; and another em- bracing townships three, four and five north, ranges five, six and seven west, to be called Bear creek district; elections at the house of John Harding, with John Harding, Robert P. Thurman and Eobert fiarding, Judges. The first of these included the present townships of La Harpe, Fountain Green, Pilot Grove and Durham; the other included Augusta, St. Mary's, Chili, Harmony, Bear Creek and St. Albans. The following are the jury lists selected at the June term, 1830: 234 HISTOET OF HANOOOK OOITNTY. GRAND JURY. John Johnson, Sr., William Wallace, Andrew Vance, Squire D. Ensley, Arthur Parvin, Daniel V. Burkloe, George W. Harper, Hugh Wilson, Edward White, James Moffltt, John M. Forrest, John Johnson, Jr., David Long, Enoch Hankins, Ute Perkins, Rezin Bailey, John Waggonner, John Brewer, Abraham Moore, William Flint, Curtis Caldwell, John Harding — 33. PETIT JURY. Charles Bobison, Peter Williams, John Clark, John Moflatt, Amzi Doolittle, Lawson Hood, Edward Long, Hezekiah Spillman, Edward Robertson, William Southard, John Ritchie, William Clark, Thomas Sofly, Thomas Brewer, Robert P. Thurman, George Wilson, Henry Donohoe, Joseph Dewey, John Reed, Thomas Palmer, Nathan Kennedy, Alexander White, Morrill Marston, Charles D. Hill— 34. At the September tierm, Mr. Campbell being about to remove from the county resigned the office of Treasurer, and George Y Cutler was appointed his successor. Mr. Campbell rendered the following account in delivering up the office: Treasurer of Hancock county. Dr. State Revenue for 1839 $363.50 Tax on Tavern License — Alex. White, 3.00 I. R. Campbell 3.00 Gr. By county orders redeemed to this time, including allowance for taking lis's of taxable property for 1830, of $13.00, and the sum of $4.83M, commission on redeeming county orders $357 . 93?^ Leaving a balance of $ 8.563^ To State revenue for 1830, in Illinois State paper, $350.00. The revenue due from the State for 1829, we have seen, was $350; whether its reduction to $262.50 was due to depreciation in State Bank bills, or some other cause, does not appear. The Treas- urer's bill for assessing the county was $12 — cheap enough. But then he was allowed $4.82f commission, which gave him the large sum of sixteen — nearly seventeen^ioUars, for his year's services. Continuing with the proceedings of the County Board: March Term, 1830— Ordered, That Court hereafter be held at Clerk's office, liead of the rapids, instead of house of James White. COURT-SEALS "Were ordered as follows: Ordered, That the device of the official seal of this Court be as follows: On the circle the words " Hancock County Commrs'. Court," with the word " Illinois " thrdugh the middle, and on one side of said word engraved a plow, and- on the other a steamboat; and that the following be the device of the official seal of the Circuit Court, to-wit: "Hancock Circuit Court " engraved on the circle, and in the middle the rising sun with the iigures " 1829." HI8T0ET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 235 Isaac E. Campbell and Luther Whitney, each licensed to keep tavern — bonds $100 each, tax $2.00. Jury lists selected at September term, 1830: Geo. Y. Cutler, Robt. Wallace, Ralph Raborn, James Wood, Wm. D. Hickerson, Wilson Turner, James Miller, John Reynolds, Pierce Atchison, Alexander White, PeterWilliams, David Coon, John Gregg, Wm. Wallace, Thomas Long, Hugh Wilson, GEAND JUET. James W. Brattle, Wm. Mattox, Sam'l Gooch, John Reed, Richard Dunn, Benjamin Mudd, John Day, PETIT J0ET. John Moffitt, James Moffitt, John Robison, Chauncey Robison, Richard Chaney, Ralph Parsons, Geo.W. Harper, John Johnson, Beriah Doolittle, Edward Shipley, Leonard L. Abney, Wm. H. Peavy, Arthur Morgan, Reuben P. Thurman, Robert R. Williams— 33. Edward White. Isham Cochran, Lewis Peyton, Daniel Crenshaw, John Waggonner, Joseph Dewey, James Lincoln, Amzi Doolittle — 34. New ferry license — to Richard Chaney, at mouth of Chaney creek; and another, to Andrew Vance (renewal), at section 18. Dec. term, 1830 — Tavern license to Kussell Farnham at Fort Edwards, and one to James "White at the head of the rapids. Ferry license, June, 1831, to John E. Wilcox, on northwest of nine, four, nine; bond $100, tax $1.00. Eates of ferriage some- what reduced, Under this date we find an order fixing merchants' license at $5.00 each. County Commissioners' Court this year held at Montebello, at home of Hazen Bedell. DELINQUENT TAX LIST. Newspaper publishers in the county, had there been any, would not likely, as now, have contended for the tax lists in the primitive days. The delinquent list returned by Ed son Whitney, Sheriif, to the County Commissioners' court, for the tax of 1830, amounted to the sum of four dollars and forty cents, all told! COUNTT-SEAT QUESTION. The question as to where and how the county-seat shall be located, seems to have agitated the public mind soon after organization; and there seems, as in most cases of the kind, to have been two or more projects advocated — one to locate on the river at Fort Ed- wards, and the other at a point at or near the center. It has not transpired that any very considerable warmth was manifested in favor of either proposition; but the action of the County Board proves that both were considered. An effort was made, as will appear, to secure the fort fraction for that purpose, but failed. Had 236 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. it succeeded, and the county-seat located there, and maintained at that point, there can be little doubt but there would now be there, instead of a little city of 4,000 or 5,000 inhabitants, one of four times that population. At the December term, 1830, an order was passed by the Commissioners requesting Senators and Representa- tives in the Legislature to procure the appointment of Commis- sioners to locate the seat of justice for the county; and another inquiring of the General Land-office at Washington, whether Han- cock county can be permitted to locate her county-seat on the fractional quarter- section on which Fort Edwards is situated. We do not find of record any reply from the land department, but pre- sume the right was denied; for under proceedings of March term, 1831, the Board took action looking to a central location. George Y. Cutler, Luther Whitney and John Johnson, being appointed a committee to ascertain the geographical center of the county, and make report of situation, etc., at next meeting of the Board. We don't find any report from the committee, or any further action on the subject, until the following: "William Gillliam and Scott Eiggs, two of the Commissioners appointed to locate a permanent seat of justice, made tlie following report, to-wit: STATE OF ILLINOIS, (March 21 1833 Hancock County, f '^^^^^'^ '^^' ^***'''- We, the undersigned, Commissioners appointed by the General Assembly for the purpose of locating the seat of justice in the county of Hancock, have taken a general view of said county, viewing the present population and the prospect of the future, — believe it to be just and equitable to locate said seat of justice on township five north, range six west, section nineteen, northwest quarter, and the most eligible site on that quarter, which we have shown to the County Commis- sioners. And we further say that the above described spot shall be the seat of justice for said county of Hancock, and the name shall be Cakthagb. Given under our hand this 21st day of March, 1833. WM. GILLHAM, [l. s.] SCOTT RIGGS. [-l. s.] And so the matter was settled ; and at the same session the report was ordered to be certified to the Register of the General Land- office at Quincy, and that the county of Hancock claims pre- emption on the northwest quarter of section nineteen, five north, range six west, — and then ordered that the County Commissioners' Court be thereafter held at Carthage, the county-seat. Accordingly, on the 2d of April, 1833, a special term of the Commissioners' Court was held at the new county-seat, at the house of Thomas Brewer. It had previously been held " all along shore" on the rapids, from Fort Edwards at the foot, to the house of James White at the head, with two or three intervening points about Montebello. Now it is to cease its wanderings, and remain perma- nently at Carthage. Here the Board ordered that John Johnson, County Surveyor, be employed to lay off the town of Carthage into lots,'to be done by May first, and that he be paid out of the sales for his services. And also that a sale of lots, to take place on the first Monday in June, on a credit of six, twelve, and eighteen months, be adver- tised for three weeks in the Sangamo Journal. HISTOEY_OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 237 And at another special term, held at the house of Wesley Williams, on June 3, Thomas H. Owen was appointed a Com- missioner to contract for bnilding a temporary court-house, to be completed before August 25. This cabin court-house was built by John M. Forrest, under direction of Mr. Owen; written notices posted first at Venus and Fort Edwards. Can find no record of cost or dimensions; was probably about 16 by 24 feet. The regular term of the Board was held in the court-house, Sept. 2, 1833. This coi;rt-house was a log-cabin situated south of the Squai-e, about where the jail now stands. It was built of round, unhewed logs, with a clapboard roof, held on by polfes; had a puncheon floor and slab benches for seats. Its door was in the north side, and it was adorned with at least two glass windows. On the south side was a platform raised about a foot from the floor, on which was placed a splint-bottomed chair, as a seat for his honor, while administering the law. This " court-house" was also used, by permission of the authorities, for a school and for Sunday preaching, and for public meetings of difierent character. Most of the early sermons, by ministers of the various denominations, were preached in this building. Its clapboard roof was not the best protection against the weather; for in its "latter days," it is in the memory of a lady who in it taught some ot the young Carthagenians " how to shoot," that in time of a hard shower, her pupils had to seek for dry places on the floor. In this building the County Commissioners' Court held sessions, and Judges Young, Lott and Ralston held their Circuit Courts from 1833 to 1839. As early as 1836 action began to be taken towards the erection of a more commodious court-house. At the term March 10 of that year, the Board appointed a commission, consisting of Michael Eickard, Sidney H. Little, and John F. Charles, to advertise and contract for the erection of a new court-house, and authorized a premium of $25 for the best plan. And at June term, 1839, the new building was finished and given in charge of the Sheriff for the use of the county. Moses Stevens was contractor and builder; cost about $10,000. This building was the west portion of the court-house as it now stands. First tavern license granted in Carthage, Sept., 1833, to Louis Masquerier; also license to sell goods. Dec. 5, 1834 — County purchased of M. Eickard, north of town, two acres of land for a burying-ground. Benjamin F. Marsh's bond as School Commissioner increased to $40,000, March, 1836; afterwards, Sept., 1838, increased to $75,000. Afterward, same term, removed from ofiice, to which action he took an appeal to the Circuit Court. Sept. 6, 1837 — NewoflScial seals adopted. For the County Court: on the circle the words, " Hancock County Commissioners' Court," in the middle a spread eagle, the word " Illinois " below. Seal of Circuit Court: in the circle, the words "Hancock Circuit Court," a sheaf of wheat in the center, " Illinois " underneath. 238 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Under date of Sept., 1838 — We notice a tavern license issued to Jesse W. Bell, at Plymouth, a business in which he has since been continuonslj engaged for more than forty years. Special term, 1838— A re-survey of the town of Carthage ordered ; survey made by James W. Brattle, and old one vacated by act of Legislature. Dec. 1839 — Walter Bagby appointed School Commissioner, and declined; Malcolm McGregor appointed in his place; bond, $12,000. And at the March term, 1841, Walter Bagby appointed again, to fill vacancy occasioned by death of Mr. McGregor; bond $60,000. Special term, March, 1839 — Proposals for a jail ordered; and in 1841, built and received by the county. This building became historic, as the place where the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother, BLyrum, were killed, and two of their associates wounded, oh the 27th of June, 1844. It was situated northwest from the court-house about 400 yards, and at that time quite out of town. It was built of stone, two stories high, the lower portion being occupied as a residence by the jailor, and the upper for the prisoners, to which access was had by steps on the south end toward the town. Windows were on the east and west sides. The building still stands, reconstructed with additions, the property and residence of ex-Treasurer Browning. A RELIC OF SLAVERY. Among the many relics of the " peculiar institution " scattered all over the State of Illinois, is the ibllowing, which we copy ver- batim from the records of the County Commissioners' Court, under date of Dec. 18, 1832. There may possibly be other similar entries, but, if so, we failed to observe them. Similar entries exist in Adams county, and we presume in most of the counties in the State. Jane Buckner, a free woman of color, produced in open Court a transcript of the record of the County Court of Nicholas county, in the State of Kentucky, as evidence of her freedom, and also of her children, which was read and ordered to be recorded, and is in the words and figures following, to-wit: STATE OF KENTUCKY, Nicholas County. April Court, 1814. An instrument of writing from under the hand and seal of Samuel Buckner, emancipating and setting at liberty sundry negro slaves therein mentioned, was produced in open court, and acknowledged by said Samuel Buckner, and ordered to be recorded, to wit : ". Know all men by these presents. That I, Samuel Buckner. of the county of Nicholas and commonwealth of Kentucky, for divers good causes moving me thereunto, do by these presents, and in pursuance of the Act of the General Assem- bly in such case made and provided, free "and emancipate forever the follow- ing negro slaves, my property :—/(jrae, a negro woman about thirty years of age; Oeorge, about eight years of age ; Will Ditto, about five years of age ; Thornton, about three years old, and Lewis, one year and six months old. All of which negroes, I, the said Samuel Bnck'e', do by these oresents as aforesaid, free and HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 239 emancipate from my service, and my heirs, and all other persons whatsoever, claiming said slaves, through, by or under me,— to take effect from the date of these presents. As witness my hand and seal this 25th day of April, 1814." Samuel Buckneb. [l. s.] And thereupon the said Samuel Buckner came into court and entered into bond in the penalty of one thousand dollars, conditioned according to law, which bond is ordered to be recorded, and is in the following words, to wit: "Know all men by the these presents, etc., etc. See Bonds filed, marked A._ Whereupon it is ordered that said negro slaves, named Jane, George, Will, Thornton and Lewis, as aforesaid, be set free, and they are hereby declared emancipated according to law." " I, Andrew J. Hughes, Clerk of the County Court for the county aforesaid, do certify that the foregoing copies are true transcripts of the records of said court. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said county, at Ellisville, this 13th day of August, 1814. Andbbw J. Hughes. Clerk of Nicholas County Court." And SO Jane Buckner, a " free woman " of Kentucky, emigrating with her four children to the free State of Illinois, as evidence that she is free, was compelled to procure and bring with her the fore- going long testimonial, and have it recorded among the archives of the county, lest the " heirs or other persons claiming them," or the authorities, under the " black laws," should sieze and remand them again to slavery. THE CIECtriT COURT. We turn now to the Circuit Court record : STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) HAUCOCK COUNTY. ) At a Circuit Court commenced and held in and for the county of Hancock and state of Illinois, at the house of James White, Esq., at the head of the lower or Des Moines rapids, the place appointed by the County Commissioners' Court of said county, for holding of the Circuit Courts, this 37th day of October, A. D. 1829, the Court having been adjourned from yesterday to the hour of nine o'clock, by the Sheriff of this county, in pursuance of law. Present : Richard M. Young, Gircuit Judge. Wesley Wh^liams, Clerh. Edson Whitney, Sheriff- Ordered, That the order heretofore made on the loth day of June, A. D. 1829, for the organization of said county of Hancock, together with the order regulat- ing the times of holding the Circuit Court in said county, be spread upon the records oi this Court, which said orders are in the words and figures following, to-wit: [Here follow the orders heretofore given.] Next follow the bonds of Edson Whitney, Sheriff, and Robert Wallace, Coroner elect, with oaths of office, and bond of Wesley Williams, Clerk; and a parcel of rules of practice to the number of thirty-two, — all as in the County Court records and those of the ProbateCourt, in the neat and plain lS,nd-writing of Mr. Williams, the competent Clerk. It does not appear of record that there was any Prosecuting Attorney present at this first term of Court ; but at the June term following (1830) George Logan was appointed Prosecutor ^ro^ewi.; and at theOctober term ensuing, Thomas Ford, the regular Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, was present. 240 HISTORY OP HANCOCK COUNTY. Below we give a list of Judges and officers of the Circuit Court from organization, to Jan. 1, 1880, with date of their services: JUDGES. Oct., 1829- Apr., 1837- Sept.,1839- May, 1841- Oct., 1843- May, 1845- Oct, 1845- Apr., 1849- June,1851- Oct., 1851- -Richard M. Young. -James H. Ralston. -Peter Lott. -Stephen A. Douglas. -Jesse B. Thomas. -Richard M. Young. -Norman H. Purple. -William A. Minshall. -Onias 0. Skinner. -David M. Woodson. Mar., 1852— Onias C. Skinner. Oct., 1854— Pinckney H. Walker. Mar., 1855 — Onias C. Skinner. Oct., 1855 — Joseph Sibley. Mar., 1878— Chauncey L. Higbee. June, 1878 — Joseph Sibley. Oct., 1878 -John J. Glenn. Mar., 1879— L. P. Shope. June, 1879 — Joseph Sibley. Oct., 1879— John H. Williams. PEOSECUTING ATTORNEYS. Oct., 1829— No prosecutor. Apr., June, 1830 — George Logan, pro tern. Sept., Oct., 1830— Thomas Ford. June, June, 1831 — Arch. Williams,^)™ tern. Oct., June, 1832— Thomas Ford. Mar., Aug., 1884 — O. H. Browning, pro tern. Oct., Apr., 1835 — Wm. A. Richardson. Mar.. Sept., 1839— William Elliott. Mar., May, 1843 — James H. Ralston, pro tern. June, Oct., 1843— William Elliott. May, May, 1845 — James H. Ralston, pro tern. Oct., June, 1845 — Calvin A. Warren, pro tern. Mar., Oct., 1845 — Mason Brayman, pro tern. Mar., May, 1846— William Elliott. Mar., Oct., 1846 — Henry Stephens, pro tern. Mar., 1847— William Elliott. 1848— Robert S. Blackwell. 1851 — William C. Wagley, pro tern. 1851 — James H. Stewart. 1853 — Calvin A. Warren. 1854 — George Edmunds, pro tern. 1855 — Calvin A. Warren. 1856 — George Edmunds, pro tern. 1856— C. A. Warren. 1857 — Wesley H. Manier, pro tern. 1857—0. A. Warren. 1865— Bryant F. Peterson. 1869— William G. Ewing. 1873— Bryant F Peterson. 1877— William B. Mason. CIRCUIT CLERKS. Oct., 1829— Wesley Williams. May, 1841 — Sam'l O.Williams, pro <««. May, 1843— Jacob 0. Davis. May, 1843 — Jacob B. Backenstos. May, 1845— David E. Head. Mar., 1857 — Squire R. Davis. Mar., 1865 — Melancton S. Carey. Mar., 1873 — Andrew J. Davis. It will be perceived that during the fifty years since organization, his honor, Judge Sibley, held the oillce of Judge for nearly half the period — almost as long a time as the remaining fourteen. Of prosecutors there have been eighteen, including several pro tern. appointments — none of whom held office for a long period. Of Circuit Clerks there have been eight only: Williams, the first, holding the office by appointment for a period of about twelve years. Davict E. Head held it, by appointment and election, for about the same length of time. S. R. Davis and M. S. Carey each held it for a period of eight years, and A. J. Davis' term will expire at the end of another eight years' service. The first civil cause docketed was " John R. "Wilcox, assignee of Peter Kinney, Complainant, vs. Nathan Kennedy, Defendant, on appeal from Justice's Court." The first criminal cause on docket is: "The People of the State of Illinois vs. Isaac Gralland, Indictment for Perjury, from Schuyler county," which was continued and subsequently dismissed. We shall not follow this Circuit Court record any further in this place. There have no doubt been many interesting and important HISTOBT OF HANOOOK OOtTNTY. 241 civil causes tried in our courts, argued by the eminent counsel practicing at our bar; but our limits will not allow reference to them. The important murder cases and other criminal causes will be found in future chapters of this book. THE PROBATE COtJET. The first Court of Probate for the county of Hancock was held on the 4th of January, 1830, Wesley Williams, Judge. At this and also at the subsequent term in February, no business was transacted. At the March terra, 1831, the estate of Major Morrill Marston was entered for probate, and John Clark and Eobert K. Williams appointed administrators, with orders to sell personal property on April 18, and rent the farm till March 1, 1832; Jacob Lewis, John Dedman, and Dempsey Hood being named as appraisers. April 4, 1831 — The oflicial seal was ordered : " On the outer circle the words 'Hancock Court of Probate;' the word ' Illinois' through the naiddle; above it two orphans embracing each other, and under- neath a loaf of bread. " , At this term the estate of Andrew Vance was entered for probate. June term, 1831, John R. Wilcox, being a creditor, was appointed administrator of Morrill Marston, deceased; but at the September term following, David Marston, of Rockingham county, N. H., brother of deceased, appearing, was appointed administrator, and Wilcox removed. The following entries of estates occur in their order: John Shook, Sr.— Sept., 1831. Daniel Crenshaw — Oct., 1831. Almon S. Foot— 1883. George Y. Cutler— Sept., 1834. Henry Wedding— Sept., 1834. Oliver Felt— Sept., 1834. Preston H. Houston— Sept., 1834. Josiah Smith— Nov., 1834. Joseph Dewey— Nov., 1834. Henry Butler— Dec, 1884. Thomas O'Neal— Dec, 1884. Hazen Bedell— Feb., 1835. Thomas Crabtree— March, 1835. William C. Hawley— April, 1885. Horace B. Whitney — June, 1835. James White— Jan., 1887. Alexander White— Jan., 1837. John Johnson— Jan., 1837. Agrippa Wells— Sept., 1887. . Lewis dliamherlain — ^Dec, 1887. John Gordon— July, 1839. James M.' Wells— July, 1889. CHAPTEE yi. THE MORMON PERIOD. INTRODtrOTOET EEMARKS. "When at Mecca, ia Arabia, about the close of the sixth century, Mahomet, the founder of Islamism, began his career, he was doubt- less honest in his purposes, which were to modify and improve the idolatrous worship of his people. But he was an enthusiast and a fanatic. His efforts met first with neglect and contumely, then with opposition and violence. Enemies increased around him, and he was compelled to flee his native city to save his life; and hence- forward he was a changed man. Eevenge and ambition became his ruling passions. The character and career of this great leader have sometimes been compared with those of the pretended Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith; but the contrast is so great as to afford but very slight resemblance. _ "When Joseph Smith began his career at Pal- myra, New York, his motives were not honest, nor was he prompted by either revenge or ambition. His feeble imagination had not yet grasped at anything beyond a mere toying with mysterious things, by which he hoped, if anything, to earn a living without honest labor. It is evident that at first he had no higher or more ambitious purpose in view. . He was one of those indolent and illiterate young men to be found in all communities, who, dissatis- fied with their lot, have embraced the pernicious doctrine contained in the phrase " The world owes me a living." Fortune, luck, chance, deception, jugglery, any or all of these that would aid him to obtain that living he was ready to employ. Hence we find him at an early age trying his skill at little tricks to impose on the credulity of his associates. As he grew older, searching for lost treasure became one of his favorite employments; for was it not better to obtain the golden millions from the nooks and crevices of the earth, in which Kidd and the pirates and robbers had hid them, and live in splendor, than it was to obtain a small competency by the slow and uncertain processes of honest labor? And as he pro- gressed from one wild scheme to another, new light began to dawn upon his mind, till accident threw Rigdon and "The Manuscript Found" in his way. Then it was that the idea of a new sect, a new creed, a new play upon popular ignorance and credulity, and consetjuent place and power and fortune, was gradually developed and boldly and persistently carried forward. (343) ^y^^Z^^L BISTORT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 245 It is the purpose in these pages to give not only a true and faith- ful history of Mormonism as it existed in Hancock county for eight or nine years, but to go back to its beginnings and investigate the claims of its founders. We Say founders, because all who knew Joseph Smith, the so-called prophet, can bear testimony that he was not, without help, capable of building up the structure to the shape and con^sequence it assumed. Ignorant and unlettered as he was, he managed to draw to him a few men of greater mental capacity than his own, through whose combined eflforts his and their crude purposes were gradually brought into shape. Mormonism had its birth and incipient growth in Western New York; it gained strength and acquaintance with the world in Northern Ohio; it increased to a considerable magnitude in North- west Missouri. But it was broken and weakened there in its con- tests with its neighbors and the authorities. After a few years of arrogant pretension and active proselytism, it met with a similar fate in Illinois, and also lost its daring leader. When left to itself in the wilderness of Utah, it developed into what it now is, an ugly and troublesome excrescence upon the body politic. When the little band of "Latter-Day Saints," as they called themselves, landed in Illinois, in the winter of 1838-9, they were poor and disheartened, and many of them were objects of charity. Their troubles in Missouri had brought them into notice. They were thought to have been persecuted for opinion's sake; and when they crossed the Mississippi at Qaincy, they received much sympa- thy and material aid from the people of that city and Adams county ; and afterward as they passed up into Hancock, the same kindness and consideration were shown them. Their prophet and his chief adviser, Sidney Eigdon, were yet in durance at Liberty, Mo., and their principal men scattered, some as refugees from Missouri wrath, and some as missionaries to the Gentile world. Such were the Mormons and such Mormonism when they first became a reality to the people of Hancock county and the State of Illinois. At that time there was a little village on the river shore, where Nauvoo now stands, called Commerce, with but a few houses. Below was the farm of Hugh White, and out northeast on the hill, where the temple since stood, was the farm of Daniel H. Wells, another old settler, who, after growing rich by the sale of his lands to the new-comers, joined the Church, and finally left with the rest for Salt Lake, where he has since become a leader high in authority among them. Alongside of this village of Commerce lay the lots and squares, and streets and parks of Commerce City— ajpa^er town which, a few months before, had been ushered into existence by a brace of Eastern speculators. Opposite, across the Mississippi, in the then Territory of Iowa, stood the barracks of the old fort Des Moines, but lately vacated by the U. S. Dragoons and occupied by a few settlers. Here was also the land-office of the New York half-breed land company. The 16 246 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. village of Keokuk, on the same side and twelve miles below/also on the half-breed lands, had but a few inhabitants, while Fort Madison, above, had a somewhat larger population. In Hancock county was Warsaw, eighteen miles below, with a population of, say, 300; Carthage, the county seat had not so many; Augusta, St. Mary's Plymouth, Fountain Green, La Harpe, Chili, and a few others, had been laid out (chiefly m 1836), and contained each a few families, and were in the midst of young and fast grow- ing settlements. There was no newspaper in the county ; The Car- thagenian, at Carthage,, had, in 1836-7, a sickly existence, and had now " gone where the woodbine twineth." The population of the county was probably 6,000; by the census of 1840 it was 10,000, including the then Mormon emigrants. Such was the status of Hancock county and its neighborhood when the Mormon exodus from Missouri began. That people crossed directly eastward to Qaincy, in Illinois, through North Missouri, as the nearest and best route to a place of safety. Their leader was yet in jail, but he, somehow escaping, soon made his appearance among them, and at once began operations for planting a " new stake," and gathering, his followers around him. The first intention was to settle on the half-breed lands in Iowa, to which Smith had been invited through correspondence with Dr. Isaac Galland before leaving Missouri. Dr. G. had interest in those lands, and also resided and held some interest at Commerce. For various reasons, chief of which was imperfect title, the negotiation as to the half-breed lands fell through, and the main body of the Mormons remained in Hancock county, though numbers had already settled on the other side of the river. In September, 1839, the city of Nauvoo was laid out and named, its proprietors being Joseph Smith, Sidney Eigdon, Hyrum Smith and George "W. Eobinson. Afterward, down to May, 1843, as many as fifteen additions had been made to it by different parties, including one in 1840 by Daniel H. Wells, embracing part of his farm. The whole of the two farms named, including a portion of Mr. Davidson Hibbard's, and much additional land, was finally in- cluded within the limits of the fast rising city. The name "ISTauvoo" was said by its projectors to be Hebrew for " pleasant land." Whether this be true, we leave for linguists to determine, but the site of the city is certainly one of the most pleas- ant and beautiful in the West. It is presumed, however, that Smith and Eigdon knew about as much of Hebrew as they did of the "Eeformed Egyptian" (whatever that may be), in which the "Book of Mormon " is said to have been written on the golden plates. All the important movements of this people from the beginning, as well as some very unimportant ones, had been directed by pro- fessed revelation from heaven, through Joseph Smith, their " proph- et, seer and revelator." There had been revelations before, as will appear hereafter, that these " Latter-Day Saints " were to enter in and enjoy promised lands, first in Ohio at Kirtland, then at two HI8T0KT OF HANOOOK OOUNTr. 247 or three different places in Missouri . And now the way was open for a new revelation; and it came, under the sanction of a "Thus saith the Lord," that this "pleasant land" was the "promised land,' ' to be henceforth occupied by the scattered saints. And the command went out to all the world, and summoned them hither; and hither they came as fast as proselyies could be^made and cir- cumstances would permit. A monthly paper called the Times and Seasons was started, to be the organ. Revelations were multi- plied, as occasion demanded, and promulgated through the orgain and from the stand. A city began to be built. The sounds of industry were heard on every hand. For whatever may be said of the Mormon people in other respects, it is true that the great body of them were hard-working, frugal and industrious citizens. Is it any wonder, then, that in view of all these circumstances, these people and their prophet and leader should attract attention? The war in Missouri ; their sufferings there and during their flight, in an inclement season; their cry of oppression, so industriously repeated, and the sympathy created in their behalf, had drawn pub- lic attention to them over the whole country. OEIGIN OF MOEMONISM. But what of this man, Joseph Smith, and these people, his pro- fessed disciples and followers? He claimed to be a holy man, a prophet of God, a seer and revelator; a chosen minister of the Most JBLigh, for the accomplishment of a grand and divine purpose. And yet he was killed — slain by the hand of violence ! And these peo- ple who followed him and believed in his mission, claim that he died a martyr to the cause of righteousness! Concerning him and his history and claims, there are two theo- ries, neither of which may be true; and if neither be triie, one must be infamously and blasphemously false. The story told by himself and accepted" as true by his followers, is as given below, and pur- ports to be in his own words, contributed for publicaition in a "History of the Eeligious Denominations of the United States," published in Philadelphia, and is orthodox Mormon history: "I was born in the town of Sharon, "Windsor county, Yt., on the 23d of December, 1805. When ten years old my parents removed to Palmyra, IN". Y., where we resided about four years, and from thence we removed to the town of Manchester, a distance of six miles. "Mv father was a farmer, and taught me the art of husbandry. "When' about 14 years of age, I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state,, and upon inquiring the place of salvation ; I found there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if I went to one society they referred me to one place, and another to another, each one pointing to his own particular creed as the svmmum honum of perfection. Considering that all could not be right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion, 248 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNIT. I determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a Church it would not be split up into factions, and that if He taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinancese, he would not teach another principles which were diametrically opposed. Believing the word of God, 1 had con- fidence in the declaration of James; 'If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.' " I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord. "While fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the objects with -which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapt in a heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, sur- rounded by a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noonday. They told me that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as His Church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded •' to go not after them,' at the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me. " On the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, wrhile I was praying unto God and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of scripture, on a sudden a light, like that of day only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room; indeed, the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire. The appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body. In a moment, a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled; that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fullness, to be preached in power unto all nations, that the people might be prepared fqr the millennial reign. " I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation. " I was informed also concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were and from whence they came; — a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, govern- ments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto me. I was also told where there were deposited some plates, on which was engraved an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night, and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angel of God, unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, 249 in the last days^ on the 22d of September, A. D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the record into my hands. "These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold; each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engrav- ings in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with tliree rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters in the unsealed part were small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called ' Urim and Thummim,' which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim on a bow fastened to a breastplate. " Through the medium, of the ' Urim and Thummim' I translated the record, by the gift and power of God." The foregoing is the story of his life to the finding of the Golden Plates, in what is since called " Mormon Hill," in the town of Manchester, near Palmyra, IST. Y. Corroborative of his statement is the testimony of eleven witnesses, to be found prefixed to all edi- tions of the Book of Mormon, as follows: THE TESTIMONY OF THBEB WITNESSES. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamaaites, his brethren, and also of the people of Jared, which came from the tower of which hath been spoken ; and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for His voice hath declared it unto us ; whereof we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates ; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of men. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bare record that these things are true ; and it is marvelous in our eyes; nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it ; wherefore, to be obedient unto the command- ments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the 'honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen. (Signed) Olivee Cowdbrt, David Whitmer, Mabtin Harris. And also the Testimony of Eight Witnesses. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr., the author and proprietor of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which hath the appear- ance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands ; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this, we bear record, witt words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we 250 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. have seen and hefted, and know of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen ; and we lie not, God bearing witness of it. (Signed), Chkistian Whitmer, 1^^ Jacob Whitmeb, Petek Whitmer, Jb, ^^^ Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sr-, Htbum Smith, Samuel H. Smith. Late editions of the book make these eight witnes.ses testify of Smith as the "translator" of the' work, instead of the "author and proprietor," as in the foregoing certificate. A copy issued at Piano, 111., from the press of young Joseph Smith's reorganized Church,"now before us, perpetuates this change, and also corrects a number of errors in grammar. It is further claimed by Mormon adherents that the book con- tains internal evidence of its genuineness, proving how much men can differ; for all others than Mormons can see in it numer- ous internal evidences of a fraudulent character. The second theory in regard to the origin of the Book of Mor- mon, is that it was written as a mere romance by Kev. Solomon Spaulding, a Presbyterian minister of Northern Ohio; that it some- how fell into the hands of Eigdon and Smith, and was by them diverted to its present purpose. It is however believed by many that Smith and his co-workers in iniquity manufactured the whole thing themselves, and out of whole cloth. Yet the people about Palmyra, many of them still living, who were cognizant of the facts as they occurred, and who knew the Smiths and the eleven witnesses well, assure us, in recent correspondence, that the Spaulding story is undoubtedly true. g AN INQtJIET. The first questions likely to be asked- by one unacquainted with any of the facts, would be, "What matters it whether Spaulding wrote the story or not, either as a romance or as a veritable history; or whether Smith and Eigdon wrote it? What is its character? "What does it purport to be? The following is its title in full: " THE BOOK OF MORMON ; an account written by the hand of Mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi; wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Eephi, and also of the Lamanites, written to the Lamanites, which are a remnant of the house of Israel,-and also to Jew and Gentile; written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and revelation : written and sealed up and hid unto the Lord, "that they might not be destroyed; to come forth by the gift and power of God, unto the interpretation thereof; sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 251 to come forth in due time by the way of the Gentiles ; the interpre- tation thereof by the gift of God, and an abridgment taken from the book of Ether. " Also, which is a record of the people of Jared, which were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven; which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel how great things the Lord had done for their fathers, and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever; and also to the convincing of Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manif^testing himself to all nations. " And now, if there be fault, it be the mistake of men; wherefore condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ. " By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor." In late editions, instead of "By Joseph Smith, Jr., author and proprietor," the title is simply signed "Moeoni." In regard to the claims set up by Smith and his eleven witnesses, there are several things to be considered before we take their state- ments as true. 1. The importance and value of the so-called revelation; 2. The means used; and 3. The character of the agents employed. How any person with a well-balanced mind can see anything in the book worthy of being styled a revelation from God to man, sur- passeth understanding. Its purport and aim no man can gather from the " confounding of language," in its title; but in turning over its pages we find it to be a pretended history of the early inhabitants of this continent; that they are represented to'be the descendants of some of the tribes of Israel; or, as the book of Ether has it, of the people dispersed at the tower; that they somehow got to this country in "eight barges;" and that after, multitudinous and terrible wars, they were, like the Kilkenny cats, nearly used up; and that the Indian tribes are the tails that were left. ' What possible difference can it make to the human family, in a soul-saving point of view, whether the story is true or false? Had the general idea been eliminated into good English by one who had a well-balanced mind, and not by one who had eaten of tlie insane root That takes the reason prisoner, it might have made a volume of pleasant reading, if nothing more; and were there any facts of co-incident history to verify it, it might even approach the dignity of an historical treatise. But why men should be required to believe it, is a mystery. And why these , " Kecords " should be thus preserved and handed down through various hands, " servants of the Lord " (Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, Ether, and a lot of others), and finally " sealed up " and deposited in a hill in New York, for fourteen centuries, is another mystery. And then the character of the agents employed by the Almighty 252 HISTOBY OF HANOOCK COUNTY. to bring these things to light and usher them to the world! If that is the Lord's work, truly " the ways of the Lord are past finding out." There are so many silly things throughout the work that it is hard to speak of it seriously. They abound, but we can only make room for a few. Turn to page 604, book of Ether [Piano edition], and learn how America was peopled, and also obtain some valuable ideas of ship-building and navigating the seas : And the Lord said, Go to work and build after the manner of barges' which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water : and they were built after a manner that they.were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish ; and the sides thereof were tight, like unto a dish ; and the bottom thereof was tight, like unto a dish ; and the ends thereof -were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. And, behold, O Lord, in them is no light: whither shall we steer ? And also we shall perish, lor in them we cannot breathe, save it be the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top thereof, and also in the bottom thereof; and when thou shalt suffer for air, thou shalt unstop the hole thereof, and receive air. And if it so be, that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole thereof, that ye may not perish in the tlood. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded. And he cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, behold I h,ave done even as thou hast commanded me ; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and, behold, there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness ? And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, What wnl ye that I should do that ye may have li^ht in your vessels? For, behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces ; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire; for, behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I wUl bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. * * * And it came to pass that the brother of Jared (now the number of vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount which they called mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones ; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass ; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, * * * touch these stones with thy fingers, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea. * * * _^mj tj^e Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones, one by one, with his finger. * * * For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones, which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof ; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels thereof. And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness. And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, aad also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast, or animal, or fowl, that they should carry with them, — and it came to pass that when they had done all these things, ihev got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending them- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 253 selves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass ,that tlie Lord God caused that there should a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, toward the promised land ; and thus they were tossed upon the wave of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests, which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And It came to pass that when they were buried in the deep, there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were light like unto the ark of Noah. * * * And no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them ; and they did have light con- ~ tmually, whether it was above the water or under the water. * * * And thus they were driven forth thheb hundred akd fokty and four days upon the water; and they did land upon the shore of the promised land. Let us imagine these eight wonderfully planned vessels, on their advenhirous voyage,— all built alike, light like a fowl, long as a tree, tight like a dish, all provided with holes in bottom and top, and all lighted with those transparent stones which the brother of Jared" did molten " out of a rock,— they all start together before the wind — a furious wind,^and after a little voyage of only three hundred and forty-four days, land together, without so much as one being lost! No monster of the deep hurt them; no whale marred them! Sometimes engulfed beneath the mountain wave, the ever-watehful brother of Jared is ready, plug in hand» to stop the holes; and when rising to the surface, as the whales do to spout, he is ever on the alert to give his crew and passengers another sniff of air! And now having them safely landed on the shore of this prom- ised land, let us turn to page 530 of this same prophet Ether, and learn some of the deeds of their descendants here. "War seems to have been the main business and pastime of these people through all the long centuries of their existence in their Western home. But here is an account of one of the greatest battles ever fought since the world began. Talk of the wars of Napoleon, of the Caesars, of Alexander; they are nothing compared to the .struggles between those two great heroes, Shiz and Oorianturnr. These were the chiefs of the two contending parties at one time. They had already fought till Coriantumr computed he had lost " two millions of mighty men and also their wives and children." If Shiz had lost as many, the computation would reach , from fifteen to twenty millions of souls. And now they are real mad, and are going at it in earnest: And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children, both men, women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shields and breast^plates and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war, they did march forth, one against another ta battle. Men, women and children, all armed and panoplied, going forth to battle! And it proved a nine-days battle; at that; for "on the morrow " they went at it again, and the next, to the sixth day, when the historian makes a count, and finds " they had all fallen by the sword, save it were fifty and two of the people of Oorian. 254 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COITNTT. tumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz." Then again, at the end of this day Shiz had 32 left and Ooriantumr 27. 'Hie next day it was fight and flight; but on the morrow, which was the ninth, after a fierce and day-long struggle, only the generals Shiz and Ooriantumr were left. And they were about as good as dead, for Shiz fainted with the loss of blood. And it came to pass that wlLen Ooriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz. And it came to pass that after he had smote off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised up his hands and fell ; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died. And it came to pass that Ooriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life. And so ended the battle and that story. Messages from heaven, indeed ! ! Such are some of the records, which Mormon, and Moroni, and Nephi, and Ether, and a lot of others are said "to have written and preserved in Cumorah Hill, New York, and which Joseph Smith was commissioned by an angel to dig up and translate for the sal- vation of the world! And the plates, too, must be hid away again by the angel. O, why could not at least those translated ones have been retained, and exhibited to, and " hefted " by an unbelieving world? They might have been at least as convincing as the unsup- ported testimony of Oliver Oowdery and the "Whitmers and Smiths. But, after all, the whole question turns upon human credulity, for rejection or acceptance. To speak phrenologically, those people whose heads have the organ of Marvelousness excessively devel- oped will perhaps believe the story, though the heavens should fall. "WHAT THE NEI&HBOES SAT. We turn now to find what their neighbors say of Smith and his co-workers. In 1867 appeared from the press of D. Appleton & Co. a work entitled, " Origin, E.ise and Progress of Mormonism," hy Pomeroy Tucker, Palmyra, N. Y. This book is written by one whose residence was at Palmyra when this Mormon imposture began; who was personally well acquainted with all the Smith family, and with Martin Harris, Oliver Oowdery, and most of their earlier adherents; who, at the time the "Book of Mormon" first made its appearance, was editor of the paper on the press of which said book was printed; who did much of tlie proof-reading on the book, and had many interviews with these men.- Of the truth and general correctness of the statements contained in this book of Mr. Tucker's, we have the attestations of numbers of honored living witnesses about Palmyra; and not only that, but that it represents the beginnings of that folly, as known to all the old citizens of Palmyra and the region around it. The name of Thurlow "Weed is of national fame. He resided at Eochester during the progress of these events, and was acquainted with some, if not all, the actors therein. He says: HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 256 New Yobk, June 1, 1867. Deak Sir. — 1 have been so constantly occupied that I really did not get time to say how much I was interested in your history of Mormonism. I have long hoped that sonie person with personal knowledge of the origin of this great delu- sion, who saw it as I did, when it was " no bigger than a man's hand," and who has the courage and capacity to tell the whole truth, would undertake the task. 1 read enough of your manuscript to be confident that you have discharged this duty faithfully. The character you have given " Joe Smith," his family and asso- ciates, coiTesponds with what I have often heard from the old citizens of Palmyra. Such a work is wanted, and no one but a writer personally and familiarly acquainted with the false prophet and his surroundings could have written it. Truly yours, ■ Thdblow Weed. The testimony of the eleven witnesses to the book of Mormon, or of eleven hundred like them, impeached and branded as most of them have since been by Smith himself, will not weigh an atom in the scale with that brought in Tucker's book, substantiated as it is by so many living witnesses and facts. Smith says in his biography, that his father was a farmer, and " taught him the art of husbandry." Tucker says that while in Palmyra the family subsisted on the profits of a " cake and beer shop," and that while out on the "farm " afterward, "the larger proportion of the time of the Smiths was spent in hunting and fishing, trapping muskrats {mush-rats was the word they used), digging out wood-chucks from their holes, and idly lounging around the stores and shops in the village." Further, that " the family were popularly regarded as an illiterate, whisky-drinking, shiftless, irreligious race of people;" "Joe, as he was always called, being unanimously voted the laziest and most worthless of the genera- tion," " noted only for his indolent and vagabondish character, and his habits of exaggeration and untruthfulness." His father called him the ^^ genus of the family," and he was; for after a while he got to be a tolerable reader, and delighted in such high-toned works as"Kidd, the Pirate;" though he afterward took to reading the Bible and attending protracted meetings, once even joining a Methodist class, but was soon "let ofi^." But the story how he passed on from reading Kidd to reading the Bible; from digging potatoes, for which he had no taste and had been poorly " in- structed," to digging for buried treasure, for which he had a pen- chant, inspired by Kidd; and from digging for treasure to proph- esying, is too long to tell in these pages. It is told in the book before us with great particularity and much sincerity. Suffice it to say that he finally succeeded in making a few ignorant persons believe that there was " something " in his pretensions. Numerous diggings for treasure were engaged in. Smith in the meantime sitting by directing the work. But nothing ever was found, the "devil" generally interfering just in time to prevent it from fall- ing into their hands. In these searchings for treasure, and other divinations, he used a little white stone, held in his hat; probably one of the identical stones used by Jared and his brother in light- ing their barges across the sea. 256 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. We quote one of these money-digging incidents from Tucker, p. 32: A single instance of Smitli's style of conducting these money-diggings will suf- fice for the whole series, and also serve to illustrate his low cunning, and show the strange infatuation of the persons who yielded to his unprincipled designs. Assuming his accustomed air of mystery on one of these occasions, and pretend- ing to see by his miraculous stone exactly where the sought-for chest of money had lodged in its subterranean transits, Smith gave out the revelation that a " black stieep '' would be required as a sacrificial ofifering upon the enchanted ground, before entering upon the work of exhumation. He knew that his kind- hearted neighbor, William Stafford, who was a listener to his plausible story, a respectable farmer in comfortable worldly circumstances, possessed a fine black wether, intended for division between his family use and the village market; and Smith knew, moreover, that fresh meat was a rarity in his father's home, where he lived. The scheme succeeded completely. It was arranged that Mr. Stafford should invest the wether as his stock in the speculation, the avails of which were to be equitably shared among .the company engaged in it. At the approach of the appointed hour at night, the digging fraternity, with lanterns and the fattened sheep for the sacrifice, were conducted by Smith to the place where the treasure 'Vfas to be obtained. There Smith described a circle upon the ground around the buried chest, where the blood of the animal was to be shed as the necessary condi- tion of his power to secure the glittering gold. As usual, not a word was to be spoken during the ceremony, nor until after the prize was brought forth. All things being thus in readiness, the throat of the sheep was cut by one of the party, according to previous instructions, the poor animal made to pour out its own blood around the circle, and the excavation entered upon in a vigorous and solemn manner. In this case the digging was continued about three hours, when the " devil " again frustrated the plan exactly in the same way as on the repeated trials before ! In the meantime, the elder Smith, aided by one of the junior sons, had withdraiwn the sacrificial carcass and reduced its flesh to mutton for his family use. We cite a case of conversion, to sliow the extent that human cre- dulity can go. Calvin Stoddard was a citizen whose mind was ever on the watch for the miraculous, and he also became impressed, and thought there "might be" something in these pretended revela- tions; and yet he "didn't know." Among the many Governors sent out to govern Utah, our readers will probably recall the name of Hon. Stephen S. Harding, of Indiana. In his youth he was a fun-loving young man, with a keen sense of the ludicrous, and re- sided at Macedon, a village in the vicinity of Palmyra. Knowing Stoddard's proclivities, and bent on fun, he concluded to have some at his expense. So he repaired one dark night at midnight to Stod- dard's house, and knocking him awake, called out in as unearthly a tone as he could assume,^ — " Oal-vin Stod-dard! Cal-vin Stod- dard/ the an-gel of the Lord com-mands that he-fore an-o-ther go-ing down of the sun thou shalt go forth among the j>eo-ple and preach the Qos-pel of Ne-phi, or thy wife shall he a widow, thy chil-dren orphans, and thy ash-es scat-ter-ed to the four winds of heaven." Young Harding remained long enough to hear Calvin out and on his knees promising to obey the divine command, and then he " cut and run." And Calvin did obey it; was around the next day telling of the miraculous visitation; joined the new Church; came with the band to the West; was at Nauvoo, and, we believe, died in this county. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 257 OLAIMS FURTHKE CONSIDEEED. As to the golden plates, and what became of them, no human being has ever professed to have seen them, exeept the eleven wit- nesses. The story is that they were hid away again by the angel, for what purpose we are left to guess; perhaps to be revealed again in another age, when another fit man makes his appearance on the earth to receive and translate them. Can any reasonable man fail to reach the conclusion that Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and the other eight, were liars and perjurors? ^ It is a hard thing to believe of a fellow-being, but easier, far easier, than to believe such a story, told for such a purpose. The world is full of bad men ; and that these men were of that class, we have other than " Gentile " testimony. Martin Harris was denounced by the prophet Smith himself, in the ^^ Elders' Journal" of August, 1838, as " a liar and swindler;" and in the " Times and Seasons" at. Nativoo, volume I, he denounces both Cowdery and Whitmer in unsparing terras. It may be mentioned here that all three of them, at different periods, have renounced Mormonism; though it is claimed, with what truth we cannot say, that they all returned again to the fold.* Cowdery and Harris are both dead; Whitmer was lately living at Richmond, Missouri, near the scene of their former troubles. He is said to have in his possession the original manuscript of the " Book of Mormon," in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. "Who, then, was the real author of the " Book of Mormon?" "We have felt inclined to reject the Spanlding story, for it seemed incredible that a college-bred Christian minister could be the author of such an ill-conceived " confusion of language " and ideas. But the proof is clear that Eev. Spaulding did write a book of similar import, which was left in manuscript at his death in 1816, and was tntitled " Manuscript Found." How it came into the hands of Smith and Iligdon may never be known ; one story being that the latter obtained it, or a copy of it, from the oflBce of a book publisher in Pittsburg, where it had been left for publication; and another, that at a late day it was stolen from the widow. That Spaulding, though educated, was weak and visionary, is evident. Had he succeeded in procuring the publication of the book, he certainly would have lost in literary reputation ; but it might have cut off the chance for a senseless and base imposition. No one will deny that it is entirely competent for an individual to take "Manuscript Found," "The Mysteries of Udolpho," the " Last of the Mohicans," or any other book he may choose, and make it the basis of a religious creed; and from it form articles of faith on which to originate and build up a sect. Some of the sects * Since writing the above we have conversed with a gentleman who knew Cowdery well in Tiffin, Ohio, since leaving the Mormons. He says Cowdery confessed to him that when he signed the " Testimony of the Three Witnesses," he " was not one of the best men in the world,"— using his own expression. 258 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of the day, other than the Mormon, had their origin in a no more reputable manner. And there is no law to prevent people from attaching themselves to such sects and ransacking the world for proselytes. So, had Smith and Kigdon written or stolen " Manu- script Found," and built upon it a creed, claiming no supernatural agency in the matter, and had been able to induce a sect to rally around it, no one could complain. It could only have excited rid- icule and contempt. But when they claim it as a God-given message; that Smith is God's chosen one to communicate it to the world; that -the angels of heaven were its bearers to him; and that those who fail to receive it on his ipse dixit are to be eternally lost; and these eleven witnesses testify that they know these things to be true, it puts quite another aspect upon the matter. The article of the Mormon creed which requires them all to con- gregate together in the "NewZion," and claims all who are not be- lievers as enemies — Gentiles who were ultimately to be cut off — is the rock on which they were wrecked in Ohio, in Missouri and in Illinois, and which will wreck them as long as it remains. The theory that they are the chosen people of GK)d, who are to come in • and possess the land for an inheritance, so industriously preached from the beginning, is an aggressive one. No people outside of " Zion " can be expected to relish it. It cannot fail to embroil any people with their neighbors. Though it may be put forth in a fig- urative sense (which we are compelled to say was seldom the case), the ignorant and simple followers were always ptone to interpret it literally. It was that, and not persecution for opinion's sake, that worked their ruin in Northern Ohio ; it was that, and not persecu- tion for opinion's sake, which drove them from Missouri; it was that, and not persecution, that caused the death of the Smiths in Carthage jail and drove the deluded followers into the wilderness. This very essence of their creed is a challenge — a continual menace everywhere. "We do not say there was no wrong done against them in all these places. Far from it. There was much wrong done against them everywhere ; and yet that policy of their leader which brought them all to bne '• Zion," was the great source of Smith's power and influence. It was meat and bread, and fine clothes, and riotous living, and honor and emolument to him, and to Rigdon and the rest of the leaders. "Without it, he and they could only have been priests — and poor ones at that— or humble members of an humble sect; and that was not the purpose. "With it he was an autocrat, a king; and they were his dukes and lords and nobles. It is not at all probable that in the beginning of his career. Smith had any thought of founding a religious sect. His only aim was to see how far he could dupe a few idle and worthless associates. Hi& success emboldened him to try still further arts, and make them inure to his own pecuniary benefit. The result, no doubt, astonished him ; and as his influence in that direction increased, his ambition became awakened, and he dimly saw the road to advancement open- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 259 ing before him. What would have been his course, and what he might have achieved, had not Rigdon and the " Manuscript Fonnd " fallen in his way, it is hard to guess. But the presumption is that, had it not been for this circumstance, the world would never have heard of the Prophet Smith, or been cursed with the delusion of Mormonism. The following narration, from the pen of Mrs. Matilda Davison, the widow of Rev. Solomon Spaulding, was published in the Bos- ton Recorder in 1839. It gives so clear an account of the origin of the book, and is told with such apparent sincerity and truthful- ness, that we are forced to accept it as true. We are well aware that the Mormons deny the story — deny that Rigdon was ever a printer in the office of Mr. Patterson at Pittsburg — and claim that it is a fabrication of their enemies. But that such a work was written by Mr. Spaulding is incontestable; that it was read fre- quently to his neighbors and friends, and left in manuscript at his death, is equally clear. The only break in the chain is that miss- ing link which places it in the hands of Rigdon and Smith. MRS. (spatjlding) davison's stoey. Mrs. Davison's story is as follows: "Learning recently that Mormonism has found its way into a Church in Massachusetts, and has impregnated some of its members with its gross delusions, so that excommunication has become necessary, I am determined to delay no longer doing what I can to strip the mask from this mon- ster of sin, and to lay open this pit of abominations. Rev. Solo- mon Spaulding, to whom' I was united in marriage in early life, was a graduate of Dartmouth College, and was distinguished for a lively imagination and great fondness for history. At the time of our marriage he resided in Cherry Valley, N. \. From this place we removed to New Salem, Ashtabula county, O., sometimes called Conneaut, as it is situated upon Conueaut creek. Shortly after our removal to this place, his health sunk, and he was laid aside from active labors. In the town of ]!^ew Salem there are numerous mounds and forts, supposed by many to be the dilapi- dated dwellings and fortifications of a race now extinct. These ancient relics arrest the attention of the new settlers, and become objects of research for the curious. Numerous implements were found, and other articles, evincing great skill in the arts. Mr. Spaulding being an educated man, passionately fond of history, took a lively* interest in these developments of antiquity ; and in order to beguile the hours of retirement, and furnish employment for his lively imagination, he conceived the idea of giving an his- torical sketch of this long lost race. Their extreme antiquity, of course, would lead him to write in the most ancient style, and as the Old Testament is the most ancient book in the world, he imi- tated its style as nearly as possible. " His sole object in writing this historical romance was to amuse himself and neighbors. This was about the year 1812. Hull's 260 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. surrender at Detroit occurred near the same time, and I recollect the date well from that circumstance. As he progressed in his narrative, the neighbors would come in from time to time to hear portions read, and a great interest in the work was excited among them. It claimed to have been written by one of the lost nation, and to have been recovered from the earth, and assumed the title of ' Manuscript Found.' The neighbors would often inquire how Mr. S. progressed in deciphering 'the manuscript,' and when he had a sufficient portion prepared he would inform them, and they would assemble to hear it read-. He was enabled, from his acquaint- ance with the classics and ancient history, to introduce many sin- gular names, which were particularly noticed by the people and could be easily recognized by them. Mr. Solomon Spaulding had a brother, Mr. John Spaulding, residing in the place at the time, who was perfectly familiar with this work, and repeatedly heard the whole of it read. From New Salem he removed to Pittsburg, Pa. Here Mr. S. found an acquaintance and friend in the person of Mr. Patterson, an editor of a newspaper. He exhibited his man- uscript to Mr. P., who was very much pleased with, and borrowed it for perusal. He retained it a long time, and informed Mr. S. that if he would make out a title-page and preface he would pub- lish it, and it might be a source of profit. This Mr. S. refused to do, for reasons I cannot riow state. " Sidney Eigdon, who has figured so largely in the history of the Mormons, was at this time connected with the printing-office of Mr. Patterson, as is well known in that region, and as Kigdon him- self has frequently stated. Here he had ample opportunity to be- come acquainted with Mr. Spaulding's manuscript, and to copy it if he chose. It was a matter of notoriety and interest to all who were connected with the printing establishment. At length the manuscript was returned to its author, and soon after we removed to Amity, "Washington county. Pa., where Mr. Spalding deceased in 1816. The manuscript then fell into my hands and was care- fully preserved. It has frequently been examined by my daughter, Mrs. McKenstry, of Monson, Mass., with whom I now reside, and by other friends. After the ' Book of Mormon ' came out, a copy of it was taken to New Salem, the place of Mr. Spaulding's former res- idence, and the very place where the ' Manuscript Found ' was written. ' " A woman preacher appointed a meeting there (New Salem), and in the meeting read and repeated copious extracts from the ' Book of Mormon.' The historical part was immediately recognized by all the older inhabitants as the identical work of Mr. Spaulding, in which they had been so deeply interested years before. Mr. John Spaulding was present, who is an eminently pious man, and recognized perfectly the work of his brother. He was amazed and afflicted, that it should have been perverted to so wicked a purpose. His grief found vent in a flood of tears, and he arose on the spot and expressed in the meeting his deep sorrow and regret that the THE NAUVO O, TEMPLE HISTOET 9F HANCOCK COUNTY. 263 writings of his sainted brother should be used for a purpose so vile and shocking. The excitement in New Salem became so great that the inhabitants had a meeting, and deputed Dr. Philastus Hurl- but, one of their number, to repair to this place, and to obtain from me the original manuscript of Mr. S. for the purpose of com- paring it with the Mormon Bible, to satisfy their own minds, and to prevent their friends and others from embracing an error so delusive. This was in the year 1834. Dr. Hurlbut brought with him an introduction and request for the manuscript, signed by Messrs. Henry Lake, Aaron Wright, and others, with all whom I was acquainted, as they were my neighbors when I resided in New Salem. I am sure that nothing could have given my husband more pain, were he living, than the use which has been maide of his work. ' ' ' The air of antiquity which was thrown about the composition, doubtless suggested the idea of converting it ,to purposes of delu- sion. Thus an historical romance, with the addition of a few pious expressions, and extracts from the sacred scriptures, has been con- strued into a New Bible, and palmed joff upon a company of poor deluded fanatics, as divine. I have given the previous brief nar- ration, that this work of deception and wickedness may be searched to the foundation, and its author exposed to the contempt ,and exe- cration he so justly deserves. Matilda Davison." . A. Ely, D. D., Pastor Congregational Church, and D. R. Austin, Principal of Monson Academy, Mass., certify to the good character of Mrs. (Spaulding) Davison, under date of April 1, 1839. The "Book of Mormon" was printed at Palmyra in the summer of 1830 — Martin Harris mortgaging his farm for the payment. This act, with others in regard to the matter, caused such " unpleasantness " between him and his ietter half, as to lead to final separation. Mr. Harris afterwards married the widow of the celebrated Morgan, of Anti-Masonic fame, and resided with her at Nauvoo. The book was printed at the office of the Wayne Sentinel, at Palmyra, of which Mr. Tucker was editor, the type-setting being done by Mr. John H. Gilbert, now a worthy citizen of that place. A great error, we think, was committed by the printers in this matter. In submitting the manuscript. Smith and his helpers insisted that no alteration from copy in any manner was to be made; but the printer having charge of the job found the manu- script to be in such an imperfect condition, that he objected to the arrangement, and was allowed to correct its " many errors of syn- tax, orthography, punctuation, capitalizing, paragraphing, etc." This was wrong; it should have been printed verbatim. A work " from heaven" should not have been changed in any particular. A Church organization was also attempted the same year. The most conspicuous names among these earliest members were ' Cowdery and Harris, the Whitmers and Smiths. We find also 17 264 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. that of Orrin Kockwell, the parent, we believe, of the celebrated "O. P." of Danite Band memory. Previous to this Eigdon was not known among them, though it is believed he had been an occasional visitor at Smith's for a year. He now appeared as the first Mormon preacher. His first sermon was preached at Palmyra, but it was so coolly received that no public attempt at proeelytism was ever again made_^at that place. Kirtland, Ohio, was soon chosen by " revelation" as the place for building up the new Zion, and hither all the " Saints" were required to congregate. Active work was commenced ; Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and others were sent out to preach, and many were converted, who niade their way to Kirtland; and in a short time over one hundred had joined them. Here Smith had divers revelations, of which the following may be regarded as chief, as laying the founda- tion of his temporal power. It was a bold stroke, biit it was meekly accepted by his followers: In answer to the question, O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties for a tithing. Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, for the building of mine house, an'd for the laying of the foundations of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the presidency of my Church ; and this shall be the beginning of the yearly tithing of my people ; and afterthat, those who have been thus tithed shall pay one-tenth of their interest annually, and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the > Lord. Verily, I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you. How much of one's property was to be called " surplus property" the Lord did not inform them; so it was left for Smith to decide. This was to begin with, and one-tenth annually was to follow. Among the rest, it was to be devoted to " paying the debts of the presidency of the Church." "With the funds thus abundantly pro- vided by revelation, milling and merchandising were entered into, and after a time the " Kirtland Safety Society Bank" was estab- lished, on the " wild-cat" plan, and for a period everything went on swimmingly. But the " "We-are-the-Elect " style of preaching and practice, was distasteful to the unbelievers around Kirtland, and diflBculties arose. So a new commandment was requisite, and one was forth- coming, that Independence, Missouri, was to be the place for the city of Zion. An embassy was sent, a spot for the temple indi- cated, and numbers flocked to the new "stake," though Smith and a portion remained behind. A temple had already been begun at Kirtland, to cost fifty thousand dollars. But matters at that place grew worse and worse; the mill and the store ceased operations ; and the " safety " bank bills, having been freely circu- lated, became depreciated and came flowing in for redemption. To stop this tide. Smith resorted to this stratagem. We copy from the " Latter-Day Sainfs Messenger and Advocate," at Kirtland, for August, 183Y: HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 265 Gaution. — To the brethren and friends of the Church of Latter-Day Saints ; I am disposed to say a word relative to the bills of the Kirtland Safety Society Bank. I hereby warn them to beware of speculators, renegades, and gamblers, who are duping the unsuspecting and unwary by palming upon them those bills, which are of no worth here. I discountenance and disapprove of all such practices. I know them to be detrimental to the best interests of society, as well as to the principles of religion. Joseph Smith, Jr. Cool, for a president of a bank ! Kirtland was now declared to be only a branch of Zion, the main body being at Independence. Here much the same policy was pursued, bringing disaster. The same thing occurred at two or three other points in that State afterward — each, time planting a new Zion, and beginning the erection of a temple; till finally, in the fall and winter of 1838, they were expelled from the State. EXTRACTS AND OPINIONS. Among the numerous books on Mormonism, perhaps the most curious one is, " The Rocky Mountain Saints: a History of the Mormons," — by T. B. H. Stenhouse, and issued by the Appletons in 1873. Its author claims to have been for twenty-five years a Mormon Elder and Missionary, and editor of the Salt Lake Daily Telegraph. He was an Englishman, and, from the encomiums passed upon Orson Pratt, we take it he was connected by that gen- tleman during his successful missionary efforts in England. His work contains some of the most terrible accusations and statements against the Salt Lake Mormon leaders; and yet, strange to say, he professes to believe that they are honest and . good men!! Of course, it would not do to acknowledge that he had been for 25 years intimately associated with rogues and villains. How he manages to reconcile his opinions with his statements, will be seen in some of the extracts which we quote. Though not among them till after the death of the prophet, he had made himself familiar with his history and has much to say regarding him. He says : The Mormon organization is thorough and complete. It permeates every position and condition of life, and controls and governs everything from the cradle to the grave, [p. 6. Again: Summed up, Mormonism demands perfect submission — total dethronement of individuality— blmd obedience. There is no middle path. [p. 11. Of the Spaulding story, he writes: Those who accept such statements as the true solution of this book (the " Book of Mormon ") must necessarily conclude that Joseph? Smith was a deliberate falsifier and impostor. There is no avoiding this. * * * The most incisive writer on this subject— John Hyde, formerly an Elder in the church- unhesitatingly announces this as his own conclusion. His "Analysis of the Book of Mormon and its Internal Evidences," is a masterly work to which no Mormon Elder has ever attempted a reply, [p. 545. But while the author frankly admits the unanswerable ^and powerful arguments of Mr. Hyde, he dissents from his conclusions— that Joseph Smith was a -'" ' impostor, [p. 546. 266 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. That is, Hyde makes " unanswerable " arguments, to which Stenhouse dissents! And here is another : To the author's mind, Joseph is still defensible against the charge of willful imposture. It does not seem possible that he could have borne up through his whole life of persecution, and have lived and died maintaining the truth of his story, if the book had been a fraud. Let US look a little into the force of this argument: Joseph Smith died at about the age of forty years — only fourteen years after the promulgation of the "Book of Mormon;" certainly less than twenty years after he could have had any thought of such an imposture. Not a very long period for a man to run a career of infamy. The criminal records of the world abound with cases where grey-haired old men have carried forward their schemes of imposture and other villainies, including rapine and murder, and never relented. John Hyde had been in a position to know, and likely did know, of the truth whereof he wrote. To insist that there were deliberate imposture and deliberate falsehood at the origin of Mormonism, is to challenge the veracity and honesty of the hundreds and thousands of persons who accept the faith and who testify that they know of its truth.— [p. 553. Not so ; it is only to " challenge the veracity and honesty " of Smith and his eleven witnesses, with a few others, who have been in a position to know whether the claim was true or false. And is it not more reasonable and rational to believe a dozen or score of men to be blasphemers and liars, than to believe that the Almighty would resort to such ridiculous and silly means to reveal great truths to men — truths on which their soul's salvation depends? That Joseph Smith was, in these experiences (clairvoyance) one of the most remarkable men that ever lived, those outside of Mormonism altogether, who knew him intimately, testify. — [p. 551. No people who knew him intimately ever testified to any such thing. Besides, this is an after apology. "While he was living and in the height of his gloiy and fame, no one ever thought of claim- ing any unusual mental quality for him — clairvoyant or otherwise. The charges made against him (the'prophet Smith) of being an "indolent, worthless young vagabond," are in all probability somewhat exaggerated, for it is hardly possible that the vast energy and benevolence of his after-life could have developed from any such roots.^[p. 14. Stenhouse, p. 520, quotes approvingly from a correspondent, in which the writer says: Joseph Smith was no more and no less than a " spirit medium," — more im- pressional than clairvoyant or clairaudient. Being the first of the age operated upon by spiritual power, he was very crude in his' conceptions, both of the char- acter and modus operandi of spiritual communications, and gave them all the weight of divine revelations, while they were really no more than the opinions of the spirits of men who had once lived on the earth. Ib not this the veriest bosh in the world? The opinions of departed spirits would not likely cause him to believe that he had found golden plates, worth $15,000 in the market, when he had HISTOET OF HANOOOK OOtTNTT. 267 not; that he was daily translating them, and eubmitting his trans- lations to his friends, when he was doing no such thing; — and these departed spirits would hardly make the eleven witnesses believe they were handling and "hefting" these valuable golden plates, when there were no such plates to neft and handle. Ko ; the whole story of the origin of Mormonism is either true or false; and how much more reasonable to account for it on that theory, than to ran- sack the unseen and the unknown world for a theory to make its founder an honest but deluded man. Delusion there certainly was, and still is; but it is the delusion of the followers and believers of the blasphemous story. No theory of delusion can apply to his case and the cases of his co-workers. Our author has cited cases of delusion in the world's history, in proof; but where there has been one case of delusion approaching this in character, there have been a thousand of brilliant and successful rascality, many of them transcending this in enormity. And so, of Brigham Young, one author says, page 460 : That Brigham Young is by his natural instincts, a bad man, or that his Apostles or his Bishops are men of blood, is not true. Here and there among them a mali- cious man is met with, but apart from religion, the ruling men in Utah would be considered good citizens in any community. Let the scenes of the Mountain Meadow massacre, the dastardly killing of the Parrishes at Springville, and the heart-rending assas- sination of the seceding prophet, Morris and his followers, answer this statement. True, it lias not been shown that Brigham actually gave the orders for the commission of these demoniacal crimes, so strongly depicted by Stenhouse himself; yet that he was an acces- sory before and after the fact, is as clear as sunlight. The whole life of Brigham Young in Utah has been a standing attestation that he could have looked with complacency on and seen their little Jor- dan running with blood, if that blood was from the veins of Gentile unbelievers ; or he could find some sanction for its shedding in one of Smith's or his own pretended revelations, or for the successful up-building of the priesthood. "Apart from religion," these "Apostles and Bishops " would be good citizens in any community! What is "religion?" Apart from a system which requires a blind, unquestioning obedience to a priesthood, and an entire and absolute abnegation of conscience and of self, and surrounded and restrained by the conservative influences of society and law, they might have been passive and peaceful, but not " gOod " citizens. To place one's self of his own free will and choice, in a position to do evil, is an essential ingredient of a lad citizen. So, in respect to the character of John D. Lee, the " scape-goat" who was executed for his share in the Mountain Meadow massacre, as one has depicted it: "Lee is a good, kind-hearted fellow, who would share his last biscuit with a fellow traveler on the plains, but at the next instant, if Brigham Young said so, he would cut that fellow traveler's throat." Such is the system taught in Utah, was taught in less horrid perfection in Nauvoo, in Missouri, in Kirtland 268 HISTOBY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. and away back in Palmyra. Ah! but it is the system and not the men, urge these apologists, to which these monstrous evils are to be attributed. True; but who, if not the men who originated and up- hold it, are responsible for the system? The Mormons as a people are not justly chargeable with the wrong-doing which has been ascribed to them. There are bad men among them, dangerously bad men, who have committed outrages and damning deeds which would disgrace any community. But these deeds were perpetrated by the few ; the masses were sin- cere and devoted to their conceptions of right and truth, as. the whole course ol their lives and eventful history abundantly proves. This has been the united test- imony of all the " Gentiles " who have lived among them. The errors of tlie past life of the people, whether in their treatment of apostates or in their hostility to the nation, are attributable to the system and to the men who direct the public mind. Men and women who, for a religious faith, voluntarily abandon the homes of childhood and rend asunder the hallowed ties of family and friends — as Mormon converts do in all parts of the world — traversing oceans and plains, and suffering privations incident to creating new homes in a barren waste, are not persons devoid of the qualities of good citizens. — [Stenhouse, p. 7. The foregoing, while partly true, is yet in a sense extremely false. That a large portion of the rank and file of the Mormon brotherhood are " sincere and devoted to their conceptions of right and truth," will not be denied; yet anotlier large portion of them joined the ranks caring little for "right and truth," so that they could improve their worldly condition in a land said to be " flow- ing with milk and honey," and where the Gentile was soon to be brought into subjection. These, it will not be claimed, possessed the qualities of good citizens. Audit may well be questioned if the sincerely honest ones were not really the more " dangerous " in the hands of the few bad men, whose behests were to them as the word of God. Take for example the Mountain Meadow massacre, or the slaughter of the seceding Morrisites. These " damning " deeds were not perpetrated alone by the bad leaders; they were done in all their atrocity by men who were " devoted to their con- ceptions of right and truth," — inspired by the vindictive fanati- cism of the leaders; and that is the system to which our author attributes the " errors " ofMormonism! Errors, indeed! "Which is to be most dreaded in a community, — the few bad men who order and direct, or the many " sincere and devoted," who execute the damning deeds of midnight or open-day assassination and pillage? In referring to the character of Smith, Stenhouse in another place gives us the following, p. 158: The poor farm laborer merges in the preacher, the preacher becomes a trans- lator, a prophet, a seer, a revelator, a banker, an editor, a mayor, a lieutenant-gen- eral, a candidate for the Presidency of the world's greatest republic, and last of all, though not the least difficult of his achievements, he becomes the husband of many wives. This variety of work accomplished within the short space of four- teen years, exhibits a fertility of brain and a reckless activity, which stamps Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, as one of earth's most remark able men. All this seems very remarkable and real until submitted to the touchstone of truth — until we call things by their right names. I^ot one half of these was he ever in reality. We have already HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 269 shown that he was not a farmer. A preacher? instead, he was only a rude, foul-mouthed declaimer and blasphemer; a trans- lator? instead, he was notoriously incapable of even interpret- ing his own native tongue; a prophet? a seer? a revelator? in each and all an arrant pretender and failure; a banker? on the money bestowed upon him by his dupes, he and his asso- ciates did establish what they called a bank, but its disgraceful ending showed that it deserved any other name; an editor? only by having his name at the head of a paper, his subordinates doing the work;* a mayor? he did hold the title under the city charter, but it was really an office of king and high priest. The title of lieutenant-general was bestowed on him by the charter, but it was one unknown to the Constitution or laws of the State or nation. A candidate for the Presidency? any man can proclaim himself such, but that does not invest it with the dignity of fact. And as to the last, — that of being the husband of many wives, — the laws of the country decide. A "variety of work," truly; but all centered in one grand scheme of imposture — the suc- cess of which has been truly remarkable, both under him and his successors ; but which does not- stamp either him or them as of " earth's most remarkable men." His character in youth, as described by Tucker, is no doubt correct — a character just suited to the foundation for such a struct- ure as his life proved to be. Tucker says, p. 16: From the age of twelve to twenty years he is distinctly remembered as a dull-eyed, flaxen-haired, prevaricating hoy, noted only for his indolent and vagahondish char- acter, and his habits of exaggeration and untruthfulness. * * * He could utter the most palpable exaggeration or marvelous absurdity with the utmost apparent gravity. He nevertheless evidenced the rapid development of a thinking, plodding, evil-brewing mental composition, largely given to inventions of low cunning, schemes of mischief and deception, and false and mysterious pretensions. In his moral phrenology, the professor might have marked the organ of secretiveness as very large, and that of conscientiousness " omitted." Stenhouse, in his charity for the prophet and his cashier, Eig- don, as bankers, concludes that they did not contemplate a deliber- ate swindle, in the matter of the Kirtland bank. He says such a conclusion " would be very inharmonious with their life and programme at that period." And yet he gives this statement in regard to it, on the authority of a Pittsburg banker. Those bankers, having been induced to receive the Kirtland money, found themselves one day with considerable of it on hand, and a rumor on the air that the bank had become shaky. So they despatched an agent- with a lot of its bills for redemption. Eigdon was aston- ished at their assurance; coolly told him that their notes had been put out as a circulating medium for public accommodation! that they redeemed nothing ! that the Pittsburgers had not been asked to take their paper! and compared them to the money- changers who had been scourged out of the temple at Jerusalem! 270 HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. THE GOLD PLATES were said to have been seven by eight inches in size, about the thickness of common tin, and that they were fastened together at one side by rings, making a book about six inches thick. This would make a solid gold block of nearly 300 cubic inches ; worth, say fifteen to eighteen thousand dollars. Who will believe that so much treasure in hand, no matter what may have been engraved thereon, would not have been too tempting a bait for those men to resist; and that they would not have found some way j;o circum- vent the angel, rather than have them again hid from sight? Such a mine of wealth, in those days, and to such men, would have been a bonanza worth fighting angels and "devils" for. MOEMONISM IN HANCOCK COUNTY, EEStJMED. We resume now the thread of Mormon history in Hancock county. The first great error committed by the people of the county, was in accepting too readily the Mormon story of persecution. It was continually wrung in their ears, and believed as often as asserted. The Mormon people were among us, many of them in distress and in need of our sympathy and aid; while the " Missouri ruffians " were at a distance; — and that was before the age of railroads and telegraphs and fast mails. Another great wrong grew out of party spirit. The two politi- cal parties. Democrat and Whig, were nearly equally divided in the county, and a great presidential election was appi'oaching. It was soon seen that Mr. Smith's influence would control the Mor- mon vote; and that that vote, if thrown one way, would decide all political contests in the county. Hence, it was only natural that both parties sought to attach the Mormons to their interests. In August, 1839, the election did not turn on party politics, and not ma»y of the new comers being voters, the result was much as before,-,— candidates of both parties were elected. During the summer and fall of 1839, many who had crossed the river at Quincy wended their way up to the new Zion; many others stopped with their families in Adams and the lower end of Hancock, wherever they could find an empty hut or place for tem- porary sojourn. In September the city of Nauvoo was laid out. It embraced a large portion of the two small fractional townships six and seven north, range nine west, lying in the bend of the river, at the head of the rapids, and extended over into the township on the south. V In view of their distressed condition when they reached Quincy, large contributions were made for them by the citizens, and also in Hancock county. The then small city of Quincy contributed some thousands of dollars. These contribujbions were made in money, clothing, provisions, or any thing to relieve distress. It soon began to be loudly urged that Missouri was in duty HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 271 bound to make good the losses incurred by the refugees ; and prep- arations were made by the chiefs at Nauvoo to press their claims upon the national authorities at Washington. During the fall, the prophet, with two of his chiefs, Kigdon and Colonel Higbee, repaired to "Washington to lay the matter before Congress and President Van Buren. They carried with them a large number of certificates reciting losses sustained by the brethren in Missouri, made out in due form and sworn to, with the county seal attached. Hon. John T. Stuart, member of Congress from this District — a Whig- undertook to present the matter to the House, and Henry Clay was appealed to to lay it before the Senate. They also applied to the President and to Mr. Calhoun. The latter bluntly informed them that the General Government had no authority in the prem- ises. No redress was obtained, either through Congress or the President; and they returned to Nauvoo, highly incensed, against the President and his administration. One great object, however, had been attained — a national notoriety.^ At this date, Kobert Lucas a former Governor of Ohio, was Governor of Iowa Territory. He was appealed to for a letter, and he kindly forwarded the following: Iowa Teeeitort, Jan. 4, 1840. SiE : — ^You informed me that a committee of Mormons are about to apply to Con- gress of the United States for an investigation on the cause of their expulsion from the State of Missouri, and to ask of the General Government remuneration for the losses sustained by them in consequence of such expulsion, and ask me to state my opinion of [the character and general conduct of these people while they resided in the State of Ohio ; and also the conduct and general report of those who have settled in the Territory of Iowa since their expulsion from the State of Missouri. In compliance with your request, I will state that I have had but little personal acquaintance with them. I know that there was a community of them in the northern part of the State of Ohio, and while I resided in the State they were generally con- sidered an industrious, inoffensive people ; and I have no recollection of ever baving heard in that State of their being charged with violating the laws of the country. Since their expulsion from Missouri, a portion of them, about one hundred fam- ilies, have settled in Lee county, Iowa Territory, and are generally considered indus- trious, inofEensive and worthy citizens. Very respectfully yours, EoBEET LuoAS, Gov. of lowa Terr. A. RiPLET. A great Conference of the Church was held at ISTauvoo on the 6-9th of April, 1840, at which it was said there were several thou- sand persons present. At this meeting Orson Hyde and John E. . Page were commissioned to visit the Jews in Europe, and at Con- stantinople and Jerusalem. At this Conference, Smith gave an account of his reception and doings at Washington, in which he was very severe upon President Yan Buren. The Conference also passed a series of resojutions, thanking the people of Illinois for their kind and generous conduct; the Illinois delegation in Con- gress for their course; and Governors Carlin of Illinois and Lucas of Iowa for their sympathy, aid and protection. It is stated that while in Missouri Mr. Smith had been an adher- ent of the Democratic party; but his treatment there, with this rebuff at Washington, prepared the way for throwing his support 272 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. to the Whigs. In the siuiimer of 1840 it came to be generally be- lieved that such was his intention; and as he had several hundred votes now at his control, it became a matter of concern with candi- dates to secure his favor. Hence, those of both parties frequently visited Nauvoo, hoping to receive some pledge or to obtain some sign of support for the coming election in August. And these signs were in turn voiichsafed to them all; all were allowed to go away with high hopes, to relate to their friends in other sections the certainty of success. It will be remembered that this campaign of 1640 was distin- guished as the "log cabin and hard cider " campaign, in which the Whigs held many large and enthusiastic meetings in favor of Gen. Harrison for President. About the last of March one of these mass meetings was held at Carthage, at which nominations were made for the county. The ticket put in the field was an unexcep- tionable one, viz.: for County Commissioner, Samuel Comer, of Carthage; for Sheriif, Wm. D. Abernethy, of Augusta; for Coro- ner, Harmon T. Wilson, of Carthage;, and for Representative, Martin Hopkins, of Fountain Green. The ticket was well received by the people, and was placed at the head of the Western World, the Whig paper at Warsaw, where it remained imtil the 22d of July, the election to take place early in August. In the World of that date, the "Important Announcement" was made that Mr. Hopkins had withdrawn, and that Dr. John F. Charles, of Car- thage, had been selected in his place. And what was the reason for this change — the purpose of a party in thus setting aside a capable and good man and substituting another in his place? Simply this: the autocrat at Nauvoo had declared he wouldn't support him! Such was party subserviency. And it is not strange that Smith used the power of which he found himself so fully possessed. The result was, that the whole Whig ticket was elected by an average majority of about 400 votes. No sooner had these people settled amongst us than they com- menced those petty acts of stealing and other depredations upon property which were charged against them everywhere, and which were so annoying to their neighbors and provocative of hostility. It will not do to charge that all these offenses were committed by Mormons; some of them were doubtless by others on their credit; but it is clear that the prophet had among his followers a large number who interpreted literally his teachings that the prop- erty of the Gentiles rightfully belonged to the Saints, and practi- cally carried out the precept. It is also a notable fact that while openly professing a desire to punish all offenses, the leaders and members generally would screen and protect the guilty. These depredations had been going on more or less for a year, when an event occurred on the river below Warsaw which created great excitement. A citizen found in his vicinity a depot of stolen goods, a considei'able portion of which had been taken from a store in Tully. Missouri, a few miles further down. Some citizens of HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 273 that place came over and claimed part of the goods, and took them away ; and finding some Mormons in the river bottom hunting horses, caught them and took them to Missouri, where they were tied to trees and severely beaten. It is claimed that they confessed the theft, but this is not certain. This outrage created a great sensation at JS"auvoo, and throughout the county. A large public meeting was held and strong resolutions passed. Shortly after- ward, some four or five citizens of Tully, found on this side of the river, were arrested and brought before Daniel H. Wells, Esq., of Nauvoo, for examination, and upon a hearing discharged. Mr. Sidney H. Little, "Whig Senator, was employed in the prosecution. An envoy was sent by Gov. Oarlin to Jefferson City, it was stated, to demand the delivery qf the Tully culprits, and he returned to Quincy stating that they would be given up. But a day or two afterward a couple of officers arrived in Quincy (Gov. Garlin resided in that city), armed with a requisition from Gov. Boggs, of Missouri, for Joseph Smith and Sidney Kigdon, as fugitives from justice in that State. So far as now remembered neither of these demands was complied with. DE. JOHN C. BENNETT. During the summer or fall of 1840, a new star rose upon the horizon at Nauvoo, and shed its light upon the city and people for a year or two, and then disappeared. This was no less a personage than Dr. John C. Bennett, a man, though small in stature, yet large, extremely large, in his own estimation. About the first of October he was baptized into the Mormon faith, and at once was taken into the confidence of the prophet, and assigned a high rank among the leaders. Gov. Ford's notice of this individual is so tersely written, and so well accords with the public opinion, that we give it in his own language. He says : This Bennett was probably the greatest scamp in the Western country. I have made particular inquiries concerning him, and have traced him in several places, in which he has lived before he had joined the Mormons, — in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, —and he was everywhere accounted the same debauched, unprincipled and profligate character. He was a man of some little talent, and had the confidence of the Mor- mons, and particularly that of their leaders. [Hist. III., p. 263. To Dr. Bennett was entrusted the duty of procuring from the Legislature such charters as they required. Accordingly, at the session of 1840-41, he repaired to Springfield to lobby for that purpose. His task was an easy one; both parties in that body vy- ing with each other to obey his behests. He returned about 'the first of January, having secured three charters — one for the "City of Nauvoo," one for the " University of the City of Nauvoo," and a third for the " Nauvoo Legion." To Senator Little of Hancock county, and to Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, then Secretary of State, it is said he was mainly indebted for the liberal and extraordinary provisions contained in these charters, though they passed both houses witliout opposition, and were read only by their titles. 274 HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. This act (the three charters were all contained in one act) created a " City," a "University," and a "Military Legion," represented respectively by a " City Council," a " Board of Trustees," and a " Court Martial," each of which was invested with" legislative, judicial and executive powers, the right to " enact, establish, ordain and execxite all laws and ordinances not repugnant to the Constitu- tion of the United States or of this State." No proviso appears in the act,' guarding against infringement of the laws of either State or United States. That very usual proviso in charters seems to have been purposely omitted ; for it will be found, on examination, that in all other charters granted at that session of the General Assembly, the laws as well as the Constitutions, are included in the provisos. And yet, as in all probability the charters were the work of Bennett himself, the omission may have been accidental on the part of our legislators. . We hope, for the fair fame of the honored dead, who were instrumental in procuring these charters, that it was so. Yet it is a no less painful fact, that the Judiciary Com- mittee, the members generally, and the Governor who signed the bill, omitted the performance of a plain duty. But this omission was not perhaps the worst feature of the act. All three of the charters seem to have been contrived to give the Mormons a system of government as far as possible independent of the rest of the State. Another provision, having the same pur- pose, was afterward added to the charter, by way of amendment, gassed as a rider to a road law. It provided that " any citizen of [ancock county, maj', by voluntary enrollment, attach himself to the Nauvoo Legion, with all the privileges which appertain to that independent military body." The effect of this, it will readily be seen, was to bring all those brethren who resided out of the city, in various parts of the county, into the legion, and under the same military control. On the 3d of February, 1841, the city of Nauvoo was organized under its charter, with Dr. Bennett as its first Mayor. The legion and the university were organized about the same time, with Smith as Lieutenant-General and Bennett as Major-General of the legion. James Kelley, A. M., " an alumnus of "trinity College, Dublin," was chosen Chancellor of the university. This last named, we think,' never occupied the position. One of the first acts of the City Council was to pass a vote of thanks to the State Government for favors conferred, and to the citizens of Quincy for the kindness shown them when driven from Missouri. The legion was furnished with State arms by Gen. Bennett, who, we omitted to state, had been appointed Quarter-Master General the year before by Gover- nor Carlin. Mr. Douglas, who had at tlie late legislative session been elected a Judge of the Supreme Court, and assigned to circuit duty , held a court in Hancock county early in May. One of his first acts was to appoint Major General Bennet to the office of Master in Chan- cery. This act of indiscretion met with unqualified condemnation . HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOXJNTT. 275 by people of all parties. It was rebuked by the Warsaw Signal (then the only paper in the county outside of Nanvoo), chiefly for the reasons that the appointee was a comparative stranger in the county and State, and that the mass of the people had no confidence in him. In the same issue of that paper was an editorial stating that a rumor existed that the newly arrived emigrants from Eng- land were dissatisfied with affairs at Nauvoo, but that Mr. Eigdon had given assurance that the rumor was false. The Signal contin- ued as follows: But this is no concern of ours. While on the subject, however, we will notice an accusation which has been made against us — that of having, for political effect, flattered the Mormons. This is not true. We have occasionally noticed their doings, but not with any such design. We believe they have the same rights as other religious bodies possess, and ought to be protected in the just and proper exercise of those rights. We do not believe in persecution for opinion's sake. But whenever they, as a people, step ibeyond the proper sphere of a religious ' denomination, and become a political body, as many of our citizens are beginning to apprehend will be the case, then this press stands pledged to take a stand against them. On religious questions it is and shall remain neutral ; but it is boimd to oppose the concentration of political power in a religious body, or in the hands of a few individuals. We copy the foregoing for two reasons: first, because it expresses the feeling that pervaded the public mind throughout the county at that time, without regard to party distinctions; and, secondly, in order to show in what spirit it was received by the prophet. Soon afterward the following note was received by Mr. Sharp through the mail; Nauvoo, III., May 36, 1841. Mb. Shakp, Editor of the Warsaw Signal : Sir You will discontinue my paper : its contents are calculated to pollute me. And to patronize that filthy sheet, that tissue of lies, that sink of iniquity, is dis- graceful to any moral man. Yours, with utter.contempt. Joseph Smith. p. S.— Please publish the above in your contemptible paper. On June 5th, Mr. Smith, being in Quincy, was arrested on a war- rant from the Governor, under a requisition from the Governor of Missouri. A writ of habeas corpus was at once sued out before Calvin A. Warren, Esq., Master in Chancery for Adams county. But Judge Douglas happened to be in the city, and he ordered that the prisoner should be taken before him at Monmouth, where his court was to sit on the following Monday. This was done, and after a hearing Smith was discharged on the ground that the writ had once been returned before it was served, and was functus offi- cio. There was a strong suspicion among the people, and the charge was pretty freely made that this arrest on a defective writ, and dis- charge, was all concocted for political effect. Of this we know of no existing proof. On the 6th of April, the imposing ceremony of laying the corner stone of the temple was performed at Nauvoo, in presence of a multitude of people, supposed to number seven to ten thousand. The legion was out in full force, amounting to over 600 men, com- 276 HISTOET OJ' HANCOCK COUNTY. manded by Gen. Bennett, under the direction of the prophet, as Lieutenant-General. Sidney Eigdon was the orator of the day. On a Sunday about the first of May, Judge Douglas and Cyrus Walker, Esq., of Macomb, — notables of the two great parties, paid a visit to Nauvoo and were received with great consideration and ceremony. They were each introduced to the congregation on the meeting ground, and after being complimented by the prophet, made addresses in response. A flattering notice of the fact was published by Smith in the next issue of the Times and Seasons. It is not to be wondered at, after what had transpired among the politicians, and the course so evidently to be pursued by Smith and the leaders at Nauvoo, that the sober and reflecting citizens of the county should become alarmed. And to increase this alarm and apprehension, the following appeared in the organ of the Church, under date of May 24, 1841 : TO THE SAINTS ABROAD. The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, anxious to promote the prosperity of said Church, feel it their duty to call upon the Saints who reside out of this county to maJie preparations to come in, without delay. This is important, and should be attended to by all who feel an interest in the prosperity of this, the corner stone of Zion. Here the temple must be raised, the university be built, and other edifices erected which are necessary for the great work of the last days; and which can only be done by a concentration of energy and enterprise. Let it therefore be understood, that all the stakes, excepting those in this county, and in Lee county, Iowa, are discontinued, and the Saints instructed to settle in this county as soon as circumstances will permit. Joseph Smith. Nauvoo, Hancock Co., HI., May 34, 1841. We have heretofore used the word ." autocrat," in reference to this leader of the Mormon people. Is it an improper term? Did ever emperor of Eussia claim to exercise such power over his sub- jects? Here is an order that the members of his church, wherever located, — in the United States, in Great Britain, Germany, India, Australia, or the islands of the sea (and he had agents i n all these to make proselytes), no matter what their occupation or con- dition in life, and owing allegiance no matter where, — all must gather around this new corner stone of Zion, and contribute of their energy and enterprise, money, strength, sweat and toil, for this great work of the latter days! The mandate was issued as if expected to be obeyed ; and it was obeyed. In consequence of the growing apprehension, public meetings began to be held over the county ; and flnally it was agreed to call a county convention to consider the subject. One was accordingly held at Carthage on the 28th of June, composed of citizens of both political parties. It was decided to nominate a ticket selected from both parties, to be run at the approaching August election. This was done, Eobert Miller, a Whig, and Eichard Wilton, a Democrat, being selected for County Commissioner and School Commissioner, and elected, the first by 114, and the last by 4 votes. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 277 From this convention, and it was one of the most respectable and earnest ever held -in the county, may be dated the rise of the Anti-Mormon party, and the origin of the term " Anti-Mormon," as applied to those who were seeking to counteract Mormon influ- ence in the county and State. One or two of the resolutions passed at this convention will not be out of place here. They resolved : That ■with the peculiar religious opinions of the people calling themselves Mormons, of Latter-Day Saints, we have nothing to do. — being at all times perfectly willing that they shall remain in the full possession of all the rights and privileges which our Constitution and laws guarantee and other citizens enjoy. That in standing up as we do to oppose the influence which these people have obtained and are likely to obtain, in a political capacity, over our fellow citizens and their liberties, we are guided only by a desire to defend ourselves against a despotism, the extent and consequences of which we have no means of ascertaining. The convention also put forth an earnest address to the people, urging them to lay aside all party differences and support the ticket. In justice to Mr. "Walter Bagby, Mr. Wilton's opponent for School Commissioner, it is proper to state that he was an old citizen and in no way identified with the Mormons, and in after years became a zealous Anti-Mormon. The Mormons cast their votes nearly solid for the Harrison electors, and for John T. Stuart, the "Whig candidate for Congress. About this time, Mr. "William Harris, a seceding Mormon elder, appeared in the county and lectured against them at several points. He was not a man of much talent, but by his zeal and energy, he succeeded in stirring up considerable opposition. He also issued a pamphlet exposing them, which was printed at the ofiice of the "Warsaw Signal. Few of the people of "Warsaw at the present day know how near their pleasant little city came to being made a Mormon town. During the summer of 1841, the owners of the sixteenth (school) section' lying adjoining town on the south, opened negotiations with Smith for the sale of said section to the Mormons; and on the 19th of July, the prophet, with Gen. Bennett and several other leaders, appeared to take a look at the tract and conclude the bargain. It was reported that the bargain was consummated, and that it was the intention to have the ground surveyed and a large colony located at once. The name was also said to have been selected — the " City of "Warren, " in honor of Calvin A. "Warren, Esq., now of Quincy, one of the principal owners. But for some cause the negotiation was broken off, and "Warsaw escaped the fate of being merged into a Mormon city. In discussing names for the new town, the Signal suggested that it be called " Money-Diggersville." On the 10th of August occurred on& of those events which so often happen to change the current of affairs. "We allude to the death of Hon, Sidney H. Little, Senator of this District in the Legislature. Mr. Little was a man of fine talents, stood high in the estimation of the people, and had great magnetic power over 278 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. all with whom he came in contact. He was an ardent Whig and a popular leader among them; and had already acquired an enviable distinction in the Legislature. The Mormons felt grateful to him for what he had done; and had he lived, he would doubtless have possessed much influence over them for good. But as the dissatis- faction increased among the old citizens, Mr. Little saw the delicate position in which he was placed, and sought to devise means to avert the coming troubles. To a near friend, he even expressed a thought of leaving the county ; but this we do not believe he would have done. What course he would have pursued, had he lived through the years of disorder which followed, is only for an inscrutable Providence to know; but we feel sure that had Sidney H. Little been permitted to remain among us, his fertile genius and commanding talent would have found for the county a better way out of her difficulties than that she found and adopted. THEFT DENOUNCED. We have charged that the rank and file of the Mormon brother- hood were prone to commit depredations on their neighbors' property, and especially to screen from arrest and punishment those charged with such offences. They had high authority for such practices — that of the leaders themselves. It is well known that in those days there was no legal title to be obtained to the half-breed lands lying in Lee county, Iowa, opposite Naiuvoo — what title there was, being undivided among several hundred claimants whos^ interests had never been adjudicated. These leaders obtained a lot of the pretended claims, on which they issued scrip, which was placed in the hands of proselyting elders East. And, as all new converts were required to emigrate to ISTauvoo, it was sometimes difficult to sell property at home in order to get away. So this scrip was passed to them in exchange, they deeding their good titles for a worthless title in Iowa. How ma,ny thou- sands thus went into the coffers of the First Presidency may never be known; but that they were largely replenished in that way there is abundant proof. But if any believe that the Mormon leaders inculcated theft, let them be undeceived. Here is direct testimony to the contrary, submitted in all solemnity. We quote from Times and Seasons of Dec. 1,1841: Whereas, It hath been intimated to me by persons 'of credibility that there are persons in the surrounding country who profess to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who have been using their influence and endeav- ors to instill into the minds of good and worthy citizens in the State of Illinois, and the adjoining States, that the First Presidency, and others in authority aad high standing in saidChm-ch, do sanction and approbate the members of said Church in stealing property from those persons who do not belong to said Church, and thereby to induce persona to aid and abet them in the act of stealing, and other evil practices. I therefore hereby disavow any sanction or approbation by me, of the crime of HISTORY OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. 281 theft, or any other evil practice, In any person or persons whatever, whereby either the Uves or property of oni- fellow-men may be unlawfully taken or molested; neither are such things sanctioned or approbated by the First Presidency, or any other person in authority or good standing in said Church, but such acts are altogether in violation of the rules, order, and regulations of the Church, contrary to the teachings given in said Church, and the laws of both God and man. I caution the unwary, who belong to the aforesaid Church, and all other persons, against being duped, or led into any act or scheme which may endanger their character, lives, or property, or bring reproach upon the Church; and I certify that I hold my person and property ready to support the laws of the land, in the detection of any person or persons who may commit any breach of the same. To which I subscribe my name and testify, this 36th day of November, 1841. Hyeum Smith. Sworn to, and subscribed before me, this 26th day of November, 1841. E. EOBINSON, J. P. Then follows a long address from the Twelve, from which we copy only the concluding paragraph : We hope that what we have written may sufiSce, and take this opportunity of expressing our decided and unqualified disapprobation of anything like theft, in all its bearings, as being calculated to destroy the peace of society, to injure the Church of Jesus Christ, to wound the chai-acter of the people of God, and to stamp with eternal infamy all who f oUow such diabolical practices, to blast their character on earth, and to consign them to eternal perdition. (Signed) Nauvoo, El., Dec. 1, 1841. Beigham Young, Oeson Hyde, Hebee C. Kimball, William Smith, Paelby p. Peatt, Oeson Peatt, John E. Page, Wilpokd Woodeitfp, Willaed Riohaeds, John Tayloe, Ltman Weight, Geo. A. Smith. Then follows another affidavit from President J. Smith, without doubt in his own language and ©f his own composition : City op Nadvoo, III., ) Nov. 30, A. D., 1841. j" To the Public: — The transpiration of recent events makes it criminal in me to remain longer silent. The tongue of the vile yet speaks, and sends forth the poison of asps; the ears of the spoiler yet hear, and he puts forth his hand to iniquity. II has been proclaimed upon the house-top and in the secret chamber, in the pubUc walks and private circle, throughout the length and brea,dth of this vast continent, that stealing by the Latter-Day Saints has received my' approval ; nay, that I have taught the doctrine, encouraged them in plunder, and led on the van— than which nothing is more foreign from my heart. I disfeUowship the perpetrators of all such abominations; they are devils and not saints, totally unfit for the society of Chris- tians or men. It is true, that some professing to be Latter-Day Saints have taught such vile heresies, but all are not Israel that, are of Israel ; and I wish it to be dis- tinctly understood in aU coming tune, that the Church over which I have the honor of presiding wUl ever set its brows Uke brass, and its face like steel, against all such abominable acts of villainy and crime ; and to this end I append my affidavit pf dis- avowal, taken this day before General Bennett, that there may be no mistake here- after as to my real sentiments, or those of the leaders of the Church, in relation to this important matter ; STATE OP ILLINOIS,]. ^^ Hanoook County. ) ' „. „ ,t Before me, John C. Bennett, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, personally came Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Samts (commonly called Mormons), who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that he has never directly or indirectly encouraged the purloinmg of property, or taught the doctrine of stealing, or any other evil pl'actice, and that all such vile and unlaw- 18 282 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. f ul acts will ever receive his unqualified and unreserved disapproval, and the most vigorous opposition of the Church over which he presides, and f ui-ther this deponent saith not. Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Sworn to, and subscribed before me, at my office in the City of Nauvoo, this .29th day of November, Anno Domini, 1841-. John C. Bennett, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo." Now, it is to be hoped that none will hereafter be so reckless as to state that I, or the chm-ch to which I belong, approve of thieving, but that all the friends of law and order will join in ferreting out thieves wherever and whenever they may be found, and assist in bringing them to that condign punishment which such infamous crimes so richly merit. Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And now the Legion is after the thieves: COTTET MaETIAL. CiTT OF Nauvoo, III., Nov. 30, 1841. To Brevet-Maj-Oen. Wilson Law: — We, the undersigned, members of the Gen- eral Court Martial, detailed by you on the order of Lt.-6en. Smith, through Maj.- Gen. Beimett, for the trial of David Shiith and Joseph Holbrook, officers of the Nauvoo Legion, charged with theft, and being accessory thereto, are of the opinion that they are guilty of the charges preferred against them, and our unanimous decision is that they be cashiered, and their names be stricken from' the rank roU. Witness against David Smith — Hazen Kimball. Witnesses against Joseph Holbrook — B. Young and W. Eichards. Hteum Smith, Brev.-Maj.-Gen., President of the Court. Wm. Law, Brev.-Maj.-Gen. C. C. Rich, Brig. Gen. 2d Cohort. H. MoFall, Adj. Gen. Daniel H. Wells, Com. Gen. S. Bent, Col. 3d Reg. 2d Cohort. T. Billings, Col. 1st Reg. 2d Cohort. J. T. Baenbtt, Capt. 3d Co. 1st Reg. 2d Ct. Members of the Court. To MaJj. Gen. Bennett: — I approve of the above decision, and submit it to you for your action on the case. Wilson Law, Brev.-Maj.-Gen. To Lt.-Qen. Smith: — The General Court-Martial detailed for the trial of David Smith and Joseph Holbrook, officers of the Nauvoo Legion, have made the above report to me, and asked my concurrence in the same, which, under the circum- stances, can not be withheld : it is, therefore, submitted to you for your final approval or disapproval. John C. Bennett, Maj.-Gen. Approved: ' Joseph Smith, Lt.-Gen. About the first of April, 1842, a weekly paper was established at Nauvoo, under the editorial management of the " Patriarch " William Smith, a brother to the prophet. This new sheet was entitled The Wasp, from which we are to infer that it was regarded as a stinger by its conductor ; but for illiterate and vul- gar abuse and silly nonsense, it has never been excelled perhaps in the State. The prophet in his youth had been pronounced the "genus " of the family, so " Bill Smith," as he was always called, was generally regarded as the fool of the family. Nevertheless, he had sense enough to aspire to political honors, and he was placed on the fusion ticket for one of the members of the Legislature and elected. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 283 Late in 1841, the Democratic party, in State Oonvention, had nominated Hon. Adam W. Snyder for Governor; ex-Governor Joseph Duncan being the candidate of the Whigs. But Mr. Snyder died, and Judge Ford was nominated to take his . place. Early in 1842, the prophet issued a proclamation enjoining his fol- lowers to support the Democratic nominees. Yet still, it was policy to divide and distract the anti-Mormon party in the county. This party held a convention, and placed a ticket in the field, as follows, selected from each of the political parties, viz: For Senator — Wm. H. Roosevelt. For Representatives — Wesley Williams, Edson Whitney. For Sheriff— Stephen H. Tyler. For County Commissioner — John J. Brent. For School Commissioner — Wm. D. Abemethy. For Cm-oner — Benjamin Avlse. Notwithstanding the proclamation, many political aspirants of both parties, believing they could secure the Mormon vote, were induced to run as independent candidates; but the result was the election of all the regular Democratic nominees by majorities of 800 to 1,000 votes. The official vote will be found elsewhere. The following is the county ticket elected: Senator — Jacob Cunningliam Davis. Representatives — ThomaS H. Owen, William Smith. Sheriff— Wra. H. Backenstos. County Commissioner — John T. Barnett. School Commissioner — Franklin J. Bartlett. Coroner — George W. Stigall. QUAEEEL AMONG tUE CHIEFS. During the summer of 1842, a . quarrel sprung up between the two great leaders in Nauvoo, — Lieutenant-General Joseph Smith and Major-General John 0. Bennett. The causes of this quarrel were never fully known to the public, but are believed to have originated in jealousy. The city, though large and rapidly grow- ing, was not large enough for them both. Bennett had fast risen to power and greatness, through the munificence of the State Gov- ernment and the favoritism of the Mormon people; and his ambi- tion demanded a greater share of the honors and profits than the prophet was willing to yield him. Though, from the published articles on^the subject from both sides, it looks as though there may have been a woman or two in it. As they had been close friends before, so now they became vindictive and bitter enemies. But, as was usual, Smith held the reins of power. The Lieutenant- General out-generaled the Major-General with the masses, and the latter was compelled to leave the city. He who had, within the year or two, held many of the most important offices in the city government, legion and university, was expelled — or he seceded — and began at once to expose the wrongs ^and wickedness perpe- 284: HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. trated among them. Several other leaders, and prominent men at the same time, manifested a rebellious spirit — among the rest, Sid- ney Eigdon, Orson Pratt, George W. Eobinson, the Higbees, Wil- liam Marks, etc. The power of the prophet restrained all these, however, and Bennett alone was turned' over to the buffetings of Satan. Bennett at once left the city, and from Carthage and other points began a series of letters in the Sangwmo Journal^ the Whig organ at Springfield. These letters were widely read and com- mented on. They are interesting for many reasons. 1. They exhibit in strong light the character of Bennett himself. 2. Whether he is to be regarded as worthy of full credence or not, they portray the workings of that semi-theocratic system which pre- vailed at Nauvoo; and 3. They give us an idea of the sort of people he had been associating with, and the motives which actuated them and him. As literary productions they are weak and in bad taste; but we think a portion is worthy of introduction here. We copy from his letter, dated — " Carthage, Hanoook Co., July 3, 1843. To the Bdiior of the Journal: I am now in this place to attend to some of my oflBcial duties as Master in Chan- cery, and having some leisure time, I shall proceed with my history of Joe Smith and the Saints. It is my determination to state facts, and such facts as wiU arouse the public indignation, if there is yet virtue and courage left in man — for we are exhorted to be enterprising and courageous — but the ieast and false prophet (Joe Smith) shall tremble in the days of his captivity like an aspen leaf in the wil- derness. The "Lord's annointed," as Joe is called, must be washed in the laver of the law, until his polluted carcass and corrupt soul be purified by fire. And to begin: 1st. The Duresse. — On the 17th day of May, A. D. 1843, Joe Smith requested to see me alone in the preparation room of the Nauvoo Lodge, TJ. D., on some important business. We entered, and he locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and drew a pistol on me and said : ' ' The peace of my family requires that you should sign an affidavit, and make a statement before the next City Council, on the 19th, exonerating me from all participation wha:tever, either directly or indirectly, in word or deed, in the spiritual wife doctrine, or private intercourse with females in gen- eral; and if you do not do it, with apparent cheerfulness, I will make cat-fish bait of you, or deliver you to the Danites for execution to-night ; for my dignity and purity must and shall be maintained before the public, even at the expense of life. Will you do it, or die? " I replied that he had better procm-e some other person, or persons, to do so, as there were a plenty who could do it, in truth. "No," said he, "that win not do ; for it is known that you are well acquainted with all my private acts, better than any other man ; and it is in your power to save me or damn me ; and as you have now withdrawn from the Church in an honorable manner, over my own signature, a privilege never granted to any other person, you must and shall place it out of your power to injure me or the Church. Do it, or the Mississippi is your portion : will you do it ? " I remarked that it was a hard case, and that I would leave peaceably, and without any public exposition, if he would excuse me. He replied : "I tell you, as I was once told, ' Your die is cast, your fate is fixed, your doom is sealed,' if you refuse. Will you do it, or die ? " I remarked that I would, imder the circumstances, but that it was hard to take the advantage of an unarmed man. " If you tell that pub- licly," said he, "death is your portion — remember the Danites ! " He then unlocked the door, we went into the room below, and I gave the aflidavit as subscribed before Alderman Wells (who was then doino; business in the lower room), and made the statement required before the City Council on the 19th. I was not aware, until Sun- day last, that any other person was apprised of the fact of the threat of murder, but on that day Col. Francis M. Higbee told me, in the presence of Geo. W. Robinson, fllSTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 285 that if it came to tlie worst, he was in possession of a secret that would open the eyes of the people, and that he would file his afUdavit if necessary; but he would not tell me what the secret was. Gen. Robinson, however, informed me afterwards that it was a knowledge of Joe's thi-eats of murder. On the 30th of June, 1843, I called upon Col. Higbee for his affidavit, wliich was taken before Gen. Hiram Kimball, an Alderman of the city, and is in the following words, to- wit : ' 'STATE OF ILLINOIS, > Hancock County, j **' Personally appeared before me, Hiram Kimball, an Alderman of the city of Nauvoo, Fi-ancis M. Higbee, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and sayeth, that Joseph Smith told him that John C. Benliett could be easily put aside or drowned, and no person would be the wiser for it, and that it ought to be attended to ; and he further remarked, that the sooner this was done, the better for the Church, fearing, as he said, that Bennett would make some disclosures prejudicial to said Smith. This was about the time of Bermett's withdrawal from the Church, or a short time before ; and further this deponent saith not. Fbancis M. Higbbb. Sworn to and subscribed, this 30th day of June, A. D. 1843. HiEAM Kimball, Alderman." My aflSdavit and statement, under Dtiebsse, were published in the Nauvoo Wasp of the 35th of June, 1843. Is it not high time that this band of murderers should be made to feel the just penalty of the law ? It is certainly a most alarming state of society when men are above the reach of law, and free to perpetrate the blackest crimes of cruelty and oppression. All this in a land of boasted freedom! Great God! where is the arm of power? "Where is liberty and the rights of man? Arise, ye officers of justice, and assert the majesty of your insulted laws. Let the sound of the clarion give the alarm ! and horsemen and chariots will tell the story, until one stone shall not be left upon another, or a vestige of iniquity and crime to pollute the goodly land. 2d. T/ie Fulfillment of Prophecy. — In 1841, Joe Smith predicted or prophe- sied, in a public congregation in Nauvoo, that; Lilburn W. Boggs, ex-Governor of Missom-i, should die by violent hands within one year. From one to two months prior to the attempted assassination of Gov. Boggs, Mr. O. P. Rockwell left Nauvoo for parts imknown to the citizens at large. I was then On terms of close intimacy with Joe Smith, and asked him where Rockwell had gone. ' ' Gone ?" said he — ' 'gone TO FijLFiLL PEOPHBOT !" Rockwell returned to Nauvoo the day before the report of the assassination reached there, and the Nauvoo Wasp remarked : "It yet remains to be known who did the noble deed." Rockwell remarked to a person now in Nau- voo, and whose name I forbear to mention for the present, from motives of prudence and safety of the person, but which shall be forthcoming in due time, that he had "been all over upper Missouri, and all about where Boggs lives ;" and this was com- municated to me by that person before I withdrew from the Church, and we had con- siderable conversation upon that daring act. RockweUis a Danite. Joe'spublie mem- ory is very treacherous on this subject, I presume; but his privatevaeiaoiy is so good he keeps a guard around his house every night, with the State cannon and a full supply of small arms, for the protection of his person against any attempted arrest. He like- ■ wise requested me to write to Gov. Carlin for his protection, which I agreed to do; and accordingly did, asking the Governor whether he would be protected from any illegal act of violence ; to which the Governor replied that all citizens should receive equal protection, but that he knew of no privileged man, or order of men, and that the dignity of the State should be preserved according to the strict letter of the Con- stitution and the laws. This letter I refused to show to Joe, as open hostilities had coimnenced between us ; and he accordingly detailed a court-martial to try me for treason against the citizens of the State of Illinois! ! ! This Court I regarded as ille- gal, and treated it with that utter contempt which such an assemblage of inferior officers vidll always receive fit my hands. Now, I call upon Col. Francis M. Higbee to come out and tell what he told Gen. Robinson and myself, in relation to the mur- der of a certain prisoner in Missouri. Col. Higbee, do not fear to tell the dreadful story; tell exactly how Joe had the murder done up, and what part he ordered you to take in the affair, but which you did not take. Tell it as Robinson knows it, and as you told me, and do not fear. Gov. Reynolds will make another demand, and Joe shall be delivered over. I will visit Missouri and tell the dreadful story. Let the call be made, and the laws shall be executed. 286 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 3d. My Late Visit to Springfield. — On my arrival in Carthage, I found, as all the citizens well know, that I was followed by Mr. O. P. Rockwell, a Danite, who, on his arrival late in the night, made strict inquiries as to where I was : his ostensible business was to put a letter in the post office ! ! but judge ye the real design. I was prepared for the gentleman, and he approached me not ; but another swift rider, Capt. John D. Parker, another Danite, followed me to Springfield, to carry a letter to Dr. Helm ; but he had another object, and you may well suppose what it was. I told Capt. Parker that I was aware of his object, but I feared him not. At Virginia, in Cass county, on my return, Parker met me again, and I called the attention of the stage driver to him, who thereupon put two additional balls into his pistol, and then informed me he was ready for him or any other person having the same object in view. Many of the Danites have been around me in Nauvoo, for the purpose of secret murder, in order to save the arch-impostor Joe from pubhc infamy. 4th. Mrs. 8arah M. Pratt, wife of Professor Orson Pratt, of the University of Nauvoo. — Joe Smith stated to me at an early day in the history of that city, that he intended to make that amiable and accomplished lady one of his spiritual wives, for the Lord had given her to him; and he requested me to assist him in consummating his hellish purposes; but I told him that I would not do it; that she had been much abused and neglected by the Church during the absence of her husband in Europe, and that if the Lord had given her to him he must attend to it himself . "I will do it," said he, "for there is no harm in it if her husband should never find it out." I called upon Mrs. Pratt and told her that Joe contemplated an attack upon her virtue, "in the name of the Lord," and that she must prepare to repulse him in so infamous an assault. She replied: "Joseph can 'not be such a man; I can not belief it until I know it for myself, or have it from his own lips ; he can not be so corrupt." "Well," I replied, "you will see, unless he changes his mind." Accordingly in a few days Joe proposed to me to go to Ramus with him. I consented to go, and we started from the house about four o'clock, p. m. , rode into the prairie a few miles, and returned to the house of Capt. John T. Barnett, in Nauvoo, about dark, where we put up the horse with Barnett's permsssion. . Se, Joe, pretended we were looking for thieves. "We then proceeded to the house where Mrs. Pratt resided, and Joe commenced discom-se as follows: "Sister Pratt, the Lord has given you to me as one of my spiritual wives. I have the blessings of Jacob granted me, as he granted holy men of old, and I have long looked upon you with favor, and hope you wiU not deny me." She replied: "I care not for the blessings of Jacob, and I believe no such revelations; neither vrill I consent under any circumstances. I have one good husband, and that is enough for me." Joe could not come it! He then went off to see Miss , at the house of Mi-s. Shernxan. He remained with her an hour or two, and then returned to Barnett's, harnessed our horse, started for Ramus, and arrived at Carthage at early breakfast. We then went to Ramus, and returned to Carthage that night, and put up at the house of Esq. Comer. Next day we returned to Nauvoo. I called on Mrs. Pratt and asked her what she thought of Joseph. She replied: "He is a bad man, beyond a doubt." Mrs. Pratt, in a conversation with Mrs. Goddard, wife of Stephen H. Goddard, said: "Sister Goddard, Joseph is a corrupt man; I know it, for he made an attempt upon me." Three times afterward he tried to convince Mrs. Pratt of the propriety of his doctrine, and she at last told him : "Joseph, if you ever attempt anything of this kind with me again, I will tell Mr. Pratt on his return home; I will certainly do it." Joe replied, "Sister Pratt, I hope you will not expose me; if I am to suffer, all suffer; so do not expose me. Will you agree not to do so?" "If," said she, "you will never insult me again, I will not expose you, unless strong circumstances require it." "Well, Sister Pratt," says Joe, "as you have refused me, it becomes sin, unless sacrifice is offered;" and turning to me, he said, "General, if you are my friend, I wish you to procure a lamb, and have it slain, and sprinkle the door-posts and the gate with its blood, and take the kidneys and the entrails and offer them upon an altar of twelve stones that have not been touched with a hammer, as a burnt offering, and it will save me and my priesthood. Will you do it?" "I will," I replied. So I procured the lamb from Capt. John T. Barnett,* and it was slain by Lieut. Stephen H. Goddard, and I offered the kidneys and entrails a sacrifice for Joe, as he desired; and Joe said, " All is now safe : the destroying angel will pass over without harming * We have the authority of Capt. Barnett for the statement that Benr.etfs story Is true, eo far ai to the procuring of a lamb from Mm. The lamb was obtained by Bemett. the Captain, wondering what he designed doing with it. Capt. B. now re^-ide- at Gal s'lurg, 111. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 287 any of us." Time passed on in apparent friendship, until Joe grossly insulted Mrs. Pratt again, after her husband hadretinrned home, by approaching and kissing her. This highly offended her, and she told Mr. Pratt, who was much enraged, and went and told Joe never to offer an insult of the like again. Joe replied: "I did not desire to kiss her; Bennett made me do it." Joe, you can't come it ! Mrs. Pratt is far above your foul and polluted breath, your calumny and detraction. I now appeal to Mrs. Pratt, if this is not true to the very letter. Just speak out boldly. 5th. Miss Nancy Bigdon, daughter of Sidney Rigdon, Esq. — [A story of a simi- lar attempt on Miss Rigdon, in which General Bennett and Col. P. M. Higbee inter- fere, and she is saved.] 7th. I vrtU now append my own affidavit : STATE OF ILLINOIS,) HaNOOOK GotTNTT. j **■ Personally appeared before me, Samuel Marshall, a Justice of the Peace in and for said county, John C. Bennett, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that the affidavit taken before Esquire Wells, on the 17th of May, and the statement before the City Council of Nauvoo, on the 19th, as published in the Wcisp of |the 35th of Jiine, 1842, are false, and were taken under duresse, as stated in tins letter * * * John C. Bennett. Sworn to and subscribed, this 3d day of July, 1842. Samuel Marshall, J. P. [l. s.] Bennett's third letter to the Sangamo Journal is devoted largely to an expose of Smith's action as trustee for the Church, and in taking the benefit of the bankrupt law. He concludes as follows : Come out, gentlemen, and renounce and denounce Joseph Smith, that soiil-damji- ing impostor. Come out now, or bow down and lick the dust, worship at his shrine, and chain your fate to the wheels of damnation and the car of iniquity. The issue is made up; it can not be averted ; and I pray God that the "bitter cup may not pass." You aU, with Francis M. Higbee, Geo. W. Robinson, Chauncey L. Higbee, Henry Marks, and hundreds of others, know that I have told the unvarnished truth, and the people at large will believe me, though I have not yet told half the debadful stoet ! Come out from among the ungodly, and be ye separate. Gen. Robinson writes under date of July 3d : Joe says to the people : ' ' Look out ! look out ! These men, I will venture to say, will come out on me with all their power, and say and do all they can to put me down; but do not believe one word of their ciirsed lies ; for I know I am a prophet." Yes, and Pratt, and Rigdon, and Robinson, and the Higbees, and the Marks, and hundreds of others, know you to be a liae, Joe; and Pratt and others have told you so in the face of open day. You lied in the name of the Loed I Re- member that, you base blasphemer ! remember that and weep ! Look at your black catalogue of crimes, your seductions in the name of your Maker, your robberies, and your murders! Why, Satan blushes to behold so corrupt and loathsome a mortal, — one whose daring deeds of crime so far surpass hell's darkest councils, as to hide the' sable Prince in impenetrable darkness forever. * * * I am going over to Missouri to have Joe taken to justice ; and then I am going to New York to publish a book to be called "The History of the Saints," in which I shaU tell most of the actings and doings at Nauvoo for the last two years— of most of their great men, and some of their great women, too. So, look out for breakers. We shall have full disclosures, if the Danites don't catch me ; they are after me like prowling wolves, by Joe's special orders. In haste. Yours respectfully, John C. Bennett. An apology may seem necessary for occupying so much of our space with fhis man's braggadocio letters; but it should be remem- bered that he was for more than a year the second man in position in the city and in the Church ; that he had during that time the full confidence of the prophet and his people; aud more, that he was an officer by appointment of the Governor of the State and a Judge of 288 nisTOET OF hancoce county. the Circuit Court. That he was a weak man and a knave, his own conduct and expose abundantly prove ; and it is left for the public to decide how far his statements are to be relied on. Notwith- standing his urgent appeals, he failed to carry with him the men to whom they were made; though it is to be noted that, within the next two years, they all, or nearly all, seceded from the Church, and by their course brought about the events which ended in the prophet's death. We have been -utterly unable to obtain' possession of the Wasp, the Nauvoo paper of that period. The Mormon side in the con- troversy, it is remembered, was not left behind in the use of " names " and invective. So that about the proper conclusion for the outside public to adopt, was to believe both sides — a conclusion which time has only strengthened. FUETHEK EEQtriSITIONS. In August of this year a new demand was made for both Smith and Rockwell, and sent to Gov. Carlin, at Quincy, who issued a warrant for their arrest, which was placed in the hands of an officer during the week after the election. He repaired to Nauvoo, and on Monday, the 8th, made the arrests without difficulty. The prisoners were immediately taken on a writ of AaJeascor^ws issued by the Municipal Court, brought before that bodj' and at once dis- charged. The officer insisting that the Court had no jurisdiction, and that the discharge was illegal, it was agreed by Smith, that if the writ should be returned to the Governor, with the indorsement that the prisoners had been discharged by the Municipal Council, he would hold himself in readiness to obey, if the Governor should again send for him. The officer hereupon returned to Quincy, but was dispatched back by the Executive with orders to re-arrest at all hazards. In the meantime Smith had taken legal counsel, and when the officer returned had disappeared. It is believed that he was hid in the city. The name of Eockwell seems somehow to have been dropped. Why no effort was ever made to procure Rockwell, who was clearly amenable to the laws of Missouri, is not well understood. We find an ordinance of the City Council, dated the 8th of August, the day of the arrest, but whether passed in anticipation of that event, or subsequent to it, and to guard against the future, does not appear. It is evident, however, that whether discharged by virtue of it, or before its- passage, the discharge was in any case flagrantly illegal. — [For this ordinance see sub-head, " Charter and Ordinances, further on."] Gov. Ford says: As I before said. Gov. Carlin, in 1842, had issued his warrant for the arrest of Joe Smith, the prophet, as a fugitive from justice in Missouri. This warrant had never been executed, and was still outstanding when I came into office. The Mormons were desirous of having the cause of arrest legally tested in the Federal Court. HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 289 TJpon their application a duplicate warrant was issued in the winter of 1842-3, and placed in the hands of the Sheriff of Sangamon county. Upon this Joe Smith came to Springfield and surren- dered himself a prisoner. A writ of habeas corpus was obtained from Judge Pope of the Federal Court, and Smith was dischafged." —[Ford's Hist. 111., p. 314. As much controversy has been had in regard to the discharge from this arrest by Judge Pope, it is proper that we should give the basis of the arrest, and the Judge's reasons for the discharge of the prisoner. The following are the official papers in the case: STATE OF MISSOURI,) COTINTT OF JaOKSON. ) This day personally appeared before me, Samuel Weston, a Justice of the Peace within and for the county of Jackson, the subscriber, LilbiurnW. Boggs, who being duly sworn, doth depose and say, that on the night of the 6th day of May , 1843, while sittmg in hisdweDing in the town of Independence, in the county of Jackson, he was shot with intent to kill, and that his life was despaired of for several days ; and that he believes, and has good reason to believe, from evidence and information now in his possession, that Joseph Smith, commonly called the Mormon prophet, was accessory before the fact of the intended murder ; and that the said Joseph Smith is a citizen or resident of the State of Illinois; and that the said deponent hereby applies to the Governor of the State of Missouri to make a demand on the Governor of the State of Illinois, to deliver the said Joseph Smith, commonly called the Mormon prophet, to some person authorized to receive and convey him to the State and county aforesaid, there to be dealt with according to law. LiLBTTEN W. Boggs. Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 20th day of July, 1843. Samuel Weston, J. P. The Governor of the State of Missouri to the Gonemor of the State of Illinois — Geeeting : Whereas, It appears by the annexed document, wliich is hereby certified to be authentic, that one Joseph Smith is a fugitive from justice, charged with being accessory before the fact, to an assault with intent to kill, made by one O, P. Rock- well, on Lilburn W. Boggs, in this State ; and it is represented to the Executive Department of this State, has fled to the State of Illinois ; Now, therefore, I, Thomas Reynolds, Governor of the said State of Missouri, by virtue of the authority in me vested by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do by these presents, demand the surrender and delivery of the said Joseph Smith to Edward R. Ford, who is hereby appointed as the agent to receive the said Joseph Smith on the part of the State. In testimony, etc. The People of the State of Illinois to the Sheriff of Sangamon county — Geeeting: Whereas, It has been made known to me by the Executive authority of the State of Missouri, that one Joseph Smith stands charged by the affidavit of one Lilbimi W. Boggs, made on the 30th day of July, 1843, at the county of Jackson in the State of Missouri, before Samuel Weston, a Justice of the Peace within and for the county of Jackson aforesaid, with being accessory before the fact to an assault with intent to kill, made by one O. P. Rockwell on Lilburn W. Boggs, on the night of the 6th day of May, 1843, at the county of Jackson, in said State of Missouri, and that the said Joseph Smith had fled from the justice of said State and taken refuge in the State of Illinois ; Now, therefore, I, Thomas Ford, Governor of the State of Illinois, pursuant to the Constitution and laws of the United States, and of this State, do hereby command you to arrest and apprehend the said Joseph Smith, if he be found within the limits of the State aforesaid, and cause him to be safely kept and delivered to the custody of Edward R. Ford, who has been duly constituted the agent of the said State of Missoiui to receive said fugitive from the justice of said State, he paying all fees and charges for the arrest and apprehension of said Joseph Smith, and make due return to the Executive Department of this State, the manner in which this writ may be executed. In testimony whereof, etc. 290 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. And now, at the distance of overa third of a century from these events, and regarding these writs and the facts in the light of reason and common sense, it seems like mere boys' play that these chief magistrates and officials were engaged in, or, worse still, that they were purposely and wickedly issuing writs they knew to be defective, in order to avoid the responsibility resting upon them as conservators of the peace and supporters of the law's majesty. The writs were illegal and wrong : first, because if Joseph Smith did send Orrin P. Kockwell to Missouri to kill Gov. Boggs (and that he did, we believe, is almost the universal verdict), — if he did, his crime was not against the State of Missouri, but the State of Illinois, where he resided and was a citizen, and by Illinois laws and courts must he be tried and punished. Secondly, ex-Gov. Boggs' affidavit plainly charges that Smith is a " resident or citizen of the State of Illinois ; " and hence, for Gov. Reynolds in his requisition, and Gov. Ford in his writ of arrest, to say that he had "fled from the justice of the State of Missouri," were palpable and unwarranted perversions of fact, not only as stated by Boggs, but as they all knew it to exist. So, it is fair to presume that these officials knew, and that the prophet knew before he submitted himself as a prisoner at Springfield — as well as we know now — that Judge Pope was bound to discharge him. And he did dis- charge him, chiefly on the grounds above stated, in these words: The Court can alone regard the facts as set forth in the aflSdavit of Boggs, as having any legal existence. The mis-recitals and over-statements in the requisition and warrant are not supported by oath, and can not be received as evidence to deprive a citizen of his liberty, and transport him to a foreign State for trial. For these reasons, Smith must be discharged. FURTHER ATTEMPTS AT PROSECUTION. In the year 1843 it was not deemed expedient, nor was it possible to keep up the Anti-Mormon organization. The Whig politicians had hopes of securing the Mormon vote, or at least of dividing it in favor of their candidates. Smith had been released from arrest by Judge Pope, a Whig judge, and his case had been ably argued by Whig lawyers. The Democrats equally desired a party organ- ization, and expected to retain the vote because they had heretofore secured it, and saw no reason for a change. The .Warsaw Message had succeeded the Signal, under charge of Gregg and Patch — the latter its political editor, who strongly favored distinct Whig organization and a full Whig local ticket. On the 10th of May, at a Whig convention at Rock Island, in which the Mormons were represented, Cyrus Walker, of Macomb, was unanimously nominated as the Whig candidate for Congress. Joseph P. Hoge, of Galena, was about the same time nominated by. the Democrats for the same office. This, the Fifth Congres- sional District, embraced the fifteen counties of Jo Daviess, Carroll, Stephenson, Winnebago, Ogle, Whiteside, Rock Island, Mercer, Warren, Ilonderson, McDoiiongh, Stark, Lee, Knox and Hancock. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 291 The two candidates were representative men of their respective parties, and personally popular. Mr. Walker was an old lawyer of distinction in the State, and regarded as the peer of the leading lawyers at the capital. Hoge was a younger and newer man, but was talented, energetic, and a good stump speaker. He had never been in any way identified with the Mormons, residing in a county remote from them in the district. "Walker was supposed to be in good favor with them, and had once or twice acted as counsel for the Prophet. Soon after the nominations, the campaign of the district began with great vigor. To make a thorough canvass in so large a district, it required a great deal of time and a great amount of physical energy, it being necessai-y to address the people in at least three or four, and often eight to ten, places in a county. Irrespective of the Mormon vote, there was a decided Whig majjority in the district, and the probabilities were strongly in tavor of the success of the Whig candidate. But the "irrepressible conflict" between Missouri and the Mormon prophet, was not yet at an end. True to his threat, Gen. Bennett had gone to that State and succeeded in procuring another indictment against his' enemy, and another requisition. Ford's History states that this indictment and requisition were against both Smith and Hockwell for the attempt upon the life of ex-G-ov. Boggs. But Mr. Southwick, one of Smith's Dixon attorneys, in a statement made to the Message of July 15, says it was against Smith alone, for " treason against the government of Missouri." As no after attempt was made to arrest Kockwel), the latter statement is prob- ably the correct one. On the requisition Gov. Ford issued his warrant for Smith's arrest, and placed it in the hands of Harmon T. Wilson, of Carthage, a deputy Shei'iff, with instructions to serve it and place the prisoner in the hands of Joseph H. Reynolds, the agent of Missouri. Learning that Smith and his wife were on a visit to her relatives at Palestine Grove, in Lee county, Illinois, toward the northern part of the district, and about 1.50 miles from Nauvoo, they quietly repaired thither, found him at the house of his friend, arrested him, and placing him in a carriage, started by way of Dixon, the county- seat. Here the prisoner was allowed to consult with lawyers, who procured for him a writ of habeas corpus from the Master in Chancery in said county. This writ was made returnable before Judge Caton, at Ottawa, in whose circuit they were. This placed the officers as prisoners in the hands of the Sheriff of Lee county. The morning following they started for Ottawa, distant about forty miles, and after traveling three-fourths of the distance, were informed that Judge Caton was temporarily out of the State, when they returned to Dixon. Before starting for Ottawa, Smith had commenced suit in the Lee Court for false imprisonment against Reynolds and Wilson; and being unable to procure bail, they were held in the custody of 292 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the Sheriff. Against this arrest they also procured a writ oiliabeas corpus, returnable before Jud^e Young, at Quincy, — and this writ was also placed in the hands of the Sheriff. . After the return to Dixon, Smith procured another writ of liabeas corpus (as a substi- tute for the first one), returnable before the " nearest tribunal in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, authorized to hem- and determine writs of habeas corpus." The Fifth Judicial Circuit embraced Quincy (the residence of Judge Young), and also Nauvoo, with a Munici- pal Court, claiming the right to hear and determine writs of habeas corpus. Ihese proceedings completely turned the tables, upon the officers. Instead of Smith as their prisoner, they found themselves under arrest and unable to give bail, with Smith really a free man; the fiat had already gone forth that he would be discharged ; for was not the E"auvoo Municipal GoMvt nearer i\iQ,n the court of Judge Young, at Quincy? and Was not Smith himself Mayor of the city and presiding oflBcer of that Court? Smith's arrest was made on Thursday, the 23d of June, and on Monday, the 26th, the cavalcade, " consisting of Reynolds, Wilson and Smith; Messrs. Walker, Southwick and Patrick, the counsel of Smith; McKay, a guard employed by Reynolds to guard Smith; Sanger, the owner of the stage coach that took them; McComsey, the driver of one of the teams employed; Ross, the driver of the stage coach ; Mason, attorney for Reynolds and Wilson ; Wasson, a relative of the wife of Smith; Montgomery, son-in-law of Walker; and Mr. Campbell, Sheriff of Lee county — all started from Dixon soutliward in the direction of Nauvoo and Quincy. Where were they going, and what were they going for? The officer had in his pocket two writs of habeas corpus, directing him to carry the persons therein named, one to Judge Young, at Quincy, the other to any authorized court in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, to hear and determine on habeas corpus. It is not too severe a judg- ment to say, that all five of those legal gentlemen well knew that the place where those writs were properly returnable, was Judge Young's court. Instead, they traveled directly to ISTauvoo. The conclusion is irresistible, that when that second writ was obtained, the purpose was to cari-y them before that nondescript tribunal. We have, indeed, the testimony of one of the attorneys to that effect. Mr. Southwick says: "Ko threat or intimidation was used by any person whatever, to induce Mi-. Campbell, the Sheriff of Lee county, to go to Eauvoo with Reynolds; and Mr. Campbell well knew before starting from Dixon, that it was the determina- tion of the whole company to go to ISTauvoo, he particularly con- senting to the same. The stage was also chartered to go to Nauvoo. Smith stated before leaving Dixon, that he should sub- mit to the law, and appeared desirous to do so." {.'.') '■ Smith pledged his word," continues Mr. Southwick's state- ment, " previous to his arrival in ISTauvoo, that Reynolds should not be harmed;" and he was not. He and Wilson were even HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 293 invited to dine with the prophet at his house, which they did, and were introduced to his family ! " In the afternoon of the day of said arrival, a writ of habeas corpus (still another!) was issued by the Municipal Court of the city of Nauvoo, directed to Keynolds, requiring him to bring before said Court the body of said Smith; which he accordingly did, objecting, however, to the same, that said Court had no jurisdiction of the case. " Of course he did; and the next sentence shows that there was still a lingering qualm of conscience on the part of counsel. Mr. Southwick continues: "The counsel of Smith, however, appeared to entertain a different opinion as to the jurisdiction of said Court, and the examination was had before them and Smith discharged upon the merits of the case, and upon the substantial defects in the warrant."- Let ns here recall the clause in the city charter in relation to writs of Jidbeas corpus. The following is the whole of it: " The Municipal Court shall have power to grant writs of habeas corpus in all cases arising under the ordinances of the City Council.'''' When Smith was arrrested it so happened that both Walker and Hoge were in the vicinity of Dixon canvassing the district. In addition to the two Dixon attorneys, Smith sent for and engaged "Walker. This gentleman left his appointments, and, as we have seen, rode with the cavalcade to iTauvoo, and, it is said, there made a tbree-hours speech in favor of Smith's discharge by the Munici- pal Court, and contending for its jurisdiction. Gov. Ford, in his history, states that both he and Hoge, from the public stand in Nauvoo, afterwards declared their belief in the existence of the power claimed by the Court. Being thus signally baffled, the Missouri agent applied to Gov. Ford for a military force to enable him to retake Smith ; and Mr. Walker, as Smith's aittorney, repaired to Springfield to resist the application. The Governor declined to grant Eeynolds' request, and the matter was dropped. Thus ended another move, and the last one, in the interesting game of "Demand and Discharge" which the chief executives of two great States had been for two or three years playing. It is funny to note how differently the two interested parties tell the incidents of this arrest. If either be true, it was dramatic in the extreme. The Times and Seasons of July 1, 1843, thus tells it: WMle he (Smith) was there (at his wife's sister's residence, 12 miles from Dixon), a Mr. J. H. Reynolds, Sheriff of Jackson county, Mo. (so he says), and Mr. Harmon Wilson, of -Carthage, arrived at Dixon, professing to be Mormon preachers ; from thence they proceeded to Mr. Wasson's, at whose house Mr. Smith was staying. They found Mr. Smith outside the door, and accosted him in a very uncouth, ungen- tlemanly manner, quite in keeping, however, with the common practice of Missou- rians. The following is as near the conversation as we can g;ather; Reynolds and his coadjutor, Wilson, both stepped up at a time to Mr., Smith, with their pistols cocked, and without showing any writ or serving any process, Mr. Reynolds, with 294 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. his pistol cocked at Mr. Smith's breast, cried out ' ' G — d d — n you, if you stir I'll shoot— G—d d— n you ! be still, or I'll shoot, by Q — d." " What is the meaning of this ?" interrogated Mr. Smith. " I'D show you the meaning, by G — d; and if you stu- one inch I'U shoot you, G — d d — n you." " I am not afraid of your shooting," answered Mr. Smith. "I am not afraid to die." He then bared his breast and said, "Shoot away; I have endured so much of oppression I am weary of life, and kill me if you please. I am a strong man, however, and with my own natural weapons could soon level both of you; but if you have any legal process to serve, I am at all times subject to law, and shall not offer resistance." " G — d d — n you, if you say another word, we'U shoot you, by G — d." " Shoot away," answered Mr. S. ; "I am not afraid of your pistols." They then hurried him off to a carriage they had, and without serving any process were for hurrying him off without letting him see or bid farewell to his family or friends. Mr. Smith then said : "Gentlemen, if you have any legal process, I wish to obtain a writ of habeas corpus." and was answered : '' G — d d — n you, you shan't have one." Mr. Smith saw a friend of his passing, and said : " These men are kidnapping me, and I want a writ of habeas corpus to deliver myself out of their hands." This friend immediately proceeded]^to Dixon, whence the Sheriff also proceeded f uU speed. The account goes on to saj, that, arriving at Dixon, they put up at a hotel where Reynolds continued very abusive of Smith, and refused to let him see or converse with a lawyer, so much so that the bystanders interfered, when he relented, and did allow him to consult with two attorneys. This story diflfers greatly from the one told by "Wilson. We have heard it from his own lips; and knowing him as we did for many years'previous to his death, can not but believe his statement to have been substantially true. He stated that he and Reynolds drove in their carriage to the residence of Mr. Wasson, alighted and hitched their team, and stepping to the front door, inquired for Mr. Smith. The answer was very unsatisfactory, but that he was not there. They took seats, however, — Reynolds in the doorway, and Wilson on the step outside, — and entered into conversation. While thus engaged, Wilson, who had a view of the stairway, saw Emma, the prophet's wife, hastily cross the hall at the head of the stairs. This con- vinced .him that they were on the right track. The conversation continued a little longer, but Wilson was becoming excited and uneasy. Rising from his seat, he made a step or two to the corner of the house, and casting his eye along the side of the building, was astonished to see, off in an open field one or two hundred yards, the object of their search, running towards a piece of woods some distance away. On the impulse of the moment, and without bidding good-bye to the household, or explaining to Reynolds, he gave a whoop, and started in pursuit, leaving his companion to bring up the rear. The pursuers, being lighter in weight and nimbler of foot, gained upon the pursued. So he resorted to strategy. He was nearing an old building, uninhabited, but at the side of which was a well, HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 295 and near by a lot of clothes spread over some grass and weeds to dry. It was evident that Smith had been making for the forest ^Deyond; but on Brriving at the building, Wilson could nowhere see the fugitive. He certainly had not had time to reach the woods, nor could he be seen about the building. Giving a hurried glance at the surroundings, — taking in the cabin, the weeds, the drying bed-clothes, — an idea struck him, and the next moment he saw a pair of boots partly protruding from beneath some bedding on the weeds, By this time Eeynolds was close at hand; but, in his excite- ment, and without waiting to see if there was a man in the boots, or who that man might be, Wilson sprang upon the blanket and called on Reynolds to come on. The man in the boots soon emerged from beneath, and stood before them as their prisoner, and in great trepidation assured them of his surrender. In due time he was placed in the carriage, and they started on their journey — a journey ludicrous in its beginning, but disastrous to them in the end. These are the two stories of the arrest — rather conflicting; we leave them with the reader. ^^j EXCITEMENT AT NAUVOO. While these things were transpiring up northj tremendous excite- ment existed at Nauvoo and over Hancock county. As soon as possible after the arrest, the news thereof had been sent to the city by swift messenger, and quick preparations were made for their prophet's rescue. But it was not known what route to Missouri would be taken by the officers with their prisoner. It was conject- ured that they might drive eastward, and take steamer at the nearest point on the Illinois river; or that they might aim to put him on board a St. Louis steamer at Rock Island ; or that he might be taken iji by-ways across the country. All these contingencies were provided for. The little steamer Ariel, owned and employed at Nanvoo, was armed, it was said, with a cannon or two, and manned, and despatched down the Mississippi to intercept them in or at the mouth of the Illinois river. At the same time squads of horsemen were sent out on the various roads toward Dixon. The delay, as we have seen, at that place, gave time for numbers of these horse- men to be a considerable distance on their way north before the party of prisoners and lawyers had left for Nauvoo; and during the journey it was met by many of them, who turned and escorted their chief back to the city. These events occurred during the latter part of June and the first days of July ; and it was some time before Mr. Walker was ready to resume his canvass. His conduct, as well as that of Mr. Hoge, was the occasion of much comment throughout the district, and many Whigs were highly indignant. It is believed that Smith had intended in good faith to throw the Mormon vote to Mr. 296 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Walker; but the dissatisfaction of the Whigs in part, and for the reason that Eeynold's application to the Governor for a force to aid him in, retaking Smith was still held in terror^m over him, he changed his policy. Ford himself states that a friend of his, in his- absence and in his name, had pledged to a Mormon emissary, Back- enstos, that if they would vote the Democratic ticket, the force should not be sent. — [p. 31Y. The Governor's statement of what occurred at Nauvoo in regard to the matter so nearly accords with what we learned from other sources, that we give it in his own words: A great meeting was called of several thousand Mormons, on Saturday before the- election. Hyrum Smith, patriarch in the Mormon Church and brother to the prophet, appeared in this great assemby, and there solemnly announced to the people that God had revealed to him that the Mormons must support Mr. Hoge, the Democratic candidate. William Law, another great leader of the Mormons, next appeared, and denied that the Lord had made any such revelation. He stated that to his certain knowledge the prophet Joseph was in favor of Mr. Walker, and that the prophet was more likely to know the mind of the Lord on the subject than the patriarch. Hyrum Smith again repeated his revelation, with a greater tone of authority. But the- people remained in doubt until the next day, being Sunday, when Joe himself appeared before the assembly. He there stated that "he himself" was in favor of Mr. Walker, and intended to vote for him ; that he would not influence any voter in giving his vote ; that he considered it a mean business for him or any other man to attempt to dictate to the people who they should support in elections; that he had heard his brother Hyrum had received a revelation from the Lord on the subject; that for his part he did not much believe in revelations on the subject of elections; but brother Hyrum was & man of truth; he had known brother Hyrum intimately ever since he was a boy, and he had never known him to tell a lie. If brother Hyrum said he had received such a revelation, he had no doubt it was a fact. When the Lord speaks, let all the earth be silent. That settled it. The election occurred on the next day. It is believed the prophet did, with a few others, vote for Walker, in the face of the revelation; but the body of his followers voted for Hoge, giving him 2,088 votes to Walker's 733 in the county, and beating him in the district by 465 votes. This change of position at Nauvoo was not known in Adams county till after the election ;. so Mr. O. H. Browning, the Whig candidate in that district, received the Mormon vote there. To Mr. Walker and his friends, and the Whig party generally, this result was the more aggravating from the fact that it was made quite evident that by a straightforward, honest and independent course, thus securing a full and enthusiastic Whig support, he could have been elected with the Mormon vote solid against him. THE " EXPOSITOE " EXPOSED. The conduct of politicians and political parties, during the cam- paign of 1843, gave a new impulse to the Anti-Mormon sentiment, and measures to prevent their recurrence began at once to be taken. The election fully developed the fact that, although two or three good men had been chosen to county offices — men not objec- tionable to the great body of the old citizens — yet practically the »#*"' if '^4 ST M AR YS Tp. e^t HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 299 whole county was at the feet of the prophet. Four of the officials elected were Mormons, and one of them, James Adams, was not even a citizen of the county. At the time of his election as Pro- bate Judge, he held the same office in Sangamon county; having joined' the Church and being about to settle in Nauvoo, he was placed upon the ticket here and elected . Mr. Adams died within a month after his election, when at a special election to fill the vacancy, David Greenleaf, an old settler Demociat was chosen in his place. An effiart to reorganize the Anti-Mormon party was decided on. Accordingly a public meeting was called at the county seat on the 7th of September, at which a central and other committees were appointed, and other steps taken toward a permanent organization. Among the resolutions passed was one — which we now think objectionable, and should have been omitted — requesting the Gov- ernor of Missouri to make another demand for Smith, and pledg- ing aid in the execution of the writ. In the meantime difficulties were freqiiently occurring between the parties at various points in the county and at Nauvoo, which tended to keep alive the excitement. Numerous acts of tyranny were perpetrated by the prophet on citizens of the county, and even on his own followers; and heavy fines were inflicted at his instance, for no punishable offense, by the Municipal Court, or by himself as Mayor and presiding officer of the Court. If he commit- ted an offense against an individual, which rendered him liable, he had an easy way of escaping, which was to procure an arrest by some of his tools, have an ex parte hearing, and get discharged ; then, if an officer called upon him, he was coolly informed that he was too late! One of the most conspicuous of these outrages was perpetrated on Mr. Alexander Sympson, of Carthage, a well-known and prom- inent Anti-Mormon, about the beginning of 1844. This case so fully sets forth the man and his methods, that we give it in Mr. Sympson's own words: To the Editor of the Warsaw Message : Dbap. Sib : — Through the columns of your journal I wish to make a full and fair statement of an occurrence with myself and the Mormon prophet at Nauvoo. I beg your indulgence while I give the particulars, as I wish it to go to the world in its true colors. On the 17th day of last month, I was waited on by Mr. Koundy, of Nauvoo, at Mr. Davis' store, of that place, with a request to go immediately to see the prophet at his own house, as he had some important business with me. I asked him if he knew what was wanting. He said he did not. I went with him to see what the prophet wanted. On arriving there we were told that he had gone to his farm in the country. He then requested me to go [and see a Mr. Phelps, who was his clerk ; he in all probability could tell what was wanting. On seeing Phelps, he could tell nothing about the business I was sent for. I went with him to the Steamboat Hotel, where I board ; got my dinner, and was returning to my business in Dr. R. D. Fos- ter's office, near the temple. On my way I was again met by this Mr. Boundy, who informed me that the prophet had left the business with a Col. Dunham to attend to, and that he was at the office waiting for me, and wished me to call and see him immediately. I again asked if he knew what was wanted. He assured me did not know. We went to the office ; Dunham was not there ; after waiting and looking 1 300 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. for Dunham about ono hour, I told him I could stay no longer. Said he, "Wait a few minutes longer ; I have sent for Dunham, and I see the man I sent running across the street ; he no douht sees him, and will be here with him in a few min- utes." Accordingly I waited some 30 or 30 minutes; they did not appear, and I told him I must leave ; that he might teh Dunham he could find me in Dr. Foster's office any time that evening. I was in the act of leaving, when he said, "If you can not stay any longer, I must inform you that I must detain you on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois." I asked him why he did not tell me so at first, and not trifle with me in that way; and "Where is your authority, and what am I detained for ?" He replied, that he had no precept — that he was a police officer — and by the ordinances of the city he could take me as well without as with a pre- cept ; and that I was accused of an attempt to murder and rob a Mr. Badham, who resides some five or six miles from the city, on the- Carthage road, and that the prophet (Mayor) had told him that morning to arrest me. I asked who made the complaint. He said if he was at Esq. Johnson's office he could tell. We went to Esq. Johnson's office (it was now 3 o'clock p. m.) and asked for the papers. He, Johnson, showed me a blank affidavit and wan'ant, and said he got word to make out those papers this morning, and a Mr. Dunham had just left the office to find a man that would swear to it ; and if he could not find him, he would return and swear to it himself. I remarked that "If Dunham could hire a man to swear to a d — d lie, he would do so ; if not he would do it himself." By this time there had several called to see the prisoner. I spoke freely about their proceedings, and the power usurped by the prophet, which did not relish so well. The prophet was brought to set matters right. He told me why he had me apprehended; that he had been told I was the man, and he thought it his duty as Mayor to have me tried ; and that they had a right to take a man without a writ in that city ; and said he : " Mr. Sympson, you know I am a man that keeps nothing back. Mr. Badham has seen you, and says that you are the identical man that stabbed and robbed him, and sent me word to have you apprehended; which I have done." I was held in duress till seven o'clock, or a little after that time. Neither Dunham nor the man he went after had yet retm-ned. The prophet. Smith, then made affi- davit that he really believed I was the man who stabbed and robbed Mr. Badham, on or about the 10th of December last. The warrant was issued and served at half- past seven, p. m. We then went to trial. R. D. Poster, Esq., was called to assist Esq. Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Badham were sworn in behalf of the State. Mr. Badham was examined first : Question. Would you know the man, if you were to see him, that stabbed and robbed you ? Answer. I would. C. L. Higbee, Esq., pointed me out to him, and asked: Is that the man? Ana. No, nor nothing like him. I then asked him if he had ever seen me before. He said he had no recollection of ever having seen me. I asked him if he had sent the prophet word that he had seen me, and that I was the man who had committed the act, and he wanted me apprehended. Ans. I never did. Mrs. Badham testified that I was not the man, and did not resemble him in the least. His Holiness, the prophet, came next, and requested to tell his story without any questions being asked. After he got through, I remarked to the Court that I wanted to propound a few questions to the witness. Leave was granted. Q. Have you the smallest particle of belief whatever, at this time, that I am the man who committed the act with which I am charged ? Ans. No, sir; / have not now, and I never had. Q. Why did you swear it in your affidavit ? A. I did not. I replied: "You did, sir." The affidavit was then read, and he too plainly saw that it did not agree with his evidence in the case: Said he, extending his hand towards Esq. Johnson, who had just read the affidavit, "Give me that paper." The Com-t hesitated. He asked for it again ; he said it was couched in stronger language than he had intended to swear to. Mr. Higbee, my attorney, said he hoped the Court wguld not give it up ; that it was part of the record, and that Smith had no right to it. Smith then said he had not sworn to it; that he had signed it, but the oath was not administered to him. (This is with him and his justice. Esquire Johnson.) Smith went on to say that what HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 301 he had done was to befriend me— that he knew I would be honorably acquitted, and that I would stand fairer than ever I did. (The Lord deliver me from such friends !) I was now discharged by the magistrates. Alexander Stmpson. Gen. Bennett's expose mentioned several parties by name, as being disaffected toward the prophet. These, it is believed, never became heartily reconciled, though they refused to " come out," when so strongly urged by the General. Some of these were Sid- ney Higdon, Bishop Marks, Goo. W. Eobinson, William and "Wil- son Law, Dr. Robert D. and Charles A. Foster, and Francis M. and Chauncey L. Higbee; also a Sylvester Emmons, an attorney at law, who was a member of the City Council, but was said to have never been a member of the Ohurch. None of these had ever been fully in the prophet's confidence since the secession of Bennett; and the breach was daily widening between them. The conduct of young Higbee, as we have seen in the case of Sympson, in daring to defend a man charged by the prophet with crime, was of itself enough to doom him to that person's displeasure. Dr. Foster had been elected School Commissioner by Mormon votes, probably as an inducement to keep him quiet. During the winter and spring of 1844, the breach had widened to the extent of organizing a new Church, and [ one[^was instituted in April or May, with William Law as its President, but who dis- claimed any prophetic attainments. It was also decided to estab- lish a newspaper in the city, as their organ, and with which to fight the prophet. Accordingly, in May a printing press and. mate- rials arrived by steamer from St. Louis, and were landed and hauled in.to the city and set up without molestation. Of course, these events caused great excitement, not only in the city among the faithful, but over the whole county. Evidently a crisis W3,s approaching. The lion was being bearded. In the meantime the habeas corpus was not inactive. In May, Mr. Francis M. Higbee, one of the seceders, commenced against the prophet a civil action for slander, in the Hancock Circuit Court, on which a capias was issued. On this being served by the Sheriff, instead of entering bail for his appearance, as usual, Smith obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the City Court, and was set at liberty. About the same time, one Jeremiah Smith, an Iowa defaulter to the TJ. S. Government, fled to the city for refuge, was arrested by the U. S. Marshal, and twice released in the same way, the Court rendering a judgment for costs against the United States ! The May term of the Hancock Circuit Court commenced its session at Carthage on the 20th. At this Court several cases against Smith were disposed of, as follows : Alexander Sympson vs. Joseph Smith, for false imprisonment; change of venue to Adams county. F. M. Higbee, complainant, for slander; C. A. Foster, complainant, for false imprisonment; and A. Davis, complainant, for trespass, to the county of McDonough. In addition to the four above named civil actions, two indictments were found ^against him by the grand jury — one for adultery, and one 302 HISTORY OF HANOOOK CO0NTT. for perjury. To the great surprise of all, on the Monday following, the prophet appeared in Court and demanded trial on the last named indictment. The prosecutor not being ready, a continu- ance was entered to the next term. In the meantime the seceders were not idle. Law boldly denounced the prophet from the stand in the city; while the others were busy among the people in and out of the city. The pros - pectus for the newspaper was circulated extensively, and received with much comment. Its title was to be the Nauvoo Expos- itor, and its purposes, as set forth in the prospectus, were the TTnoonditional Repeal of the City Charter — To Correct the Abv^e& of the Unit Power — To Advocate Disobedience to Political Reve- lations, — in short, to oppose the prophet Smith, and correct the abuses of which he was claimed, to be the cause. The paper was issued under date of June 7th. It had for its editor Sylvester Emmons, and the names of William Law, Wilson Law, Charles Ivins, Francis JM. Higbee, Chauncey L. Higbee, Robert D. Foster and Charles A. Foster, as its publishers. In a, literary point of view, it exhibited no decided talent. It had evi- dently been prepared in hurry and excitement, and with no attempt at artistic arrangement. About half of its reading matter was selected. Of its original contents, five or six columns were occu- pied with a " Preamble, Resolutions and Affidavits of the Seceders from the Church at Nauvoo," giving reasons for their action, and making charges against Smith and his adherents. A number of editorial articles followed, couched in strong language, but not remarkable for ability or point. The confessed aim and purpose of this sheet were to expose the enormities practiced by the prophet and hfs followers at jSTauvoo. And from the statements and proofs adduced, and from corrobo- rative facts, making all due allowance for exaggeration, we are com- pelled to accept most of them as true. Yet we can not but remem- ber that while they were showing Joseph Smith to have been a desperately bad man, they were, to put it in as mild a way as pos- sible, adding little to their own characters, inasmuch as for years they had been his supporters and defenders, and (having been in his confidence) must have knowii long before that he was a cheat and a fraud, and that all his pretensions to religion and sanctity were false. And now that he and they had quarreled, that their Eersonal right had been trampled upon, that the sanctity of thei/r omes had been invaded, they rebelled and sought to put him down. Better late than never, and better from questionable motives than not at all, however. Sidney Rigdon, who, taking their statements to be true, had more reason than any to come out and denounce the prophet, still refused, till after the prophet's death, and Brigham and the Twelve had thrown him overboard. Did Rigdon know of Smith's vil- lainies, after fifteen years' association with him? These seceders gave countenance to Joseph H. Jackson, in his exposures, — a new- HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNfY. 303 comer, who, as he says, had only been in Smith's confidence a little while; and Jackson published that Smith had acknowledged to him that he was a counterfeiter, that he had instigated murder, and that the Mormon bible and golden plates were frauds. Is it more likely that Jackson would have gained the prophet's confidence than they? But the life of the Expositor was a short one. This number was its initial and final one. It was issued on Friday, the 7th of June, 1844, and on Saturday, the 8th, the City Council was in session, considering what should be done about it. They deliberated all day, and all day Monday, and at 6 o'clock in the evening passed a resolution declaring it a nuisance, and instructing the Mayor to cause it to be abated, which he did about eight the same evening. The ISTauvoo Neighbor had succeeded the Wasp. We have before us an extra of that paper, containing a certified copy of the pro- ceedings of Council on this occasion. It is due to them that their side of the controversy should be given, and this extra fully sets forth the reasons for their action. Besides, it should be preserved for all time to come, as a curiosity in legal proceedings, and as illustrating to future law-makers the nature of a nuisance, and its proper mode of treatment. Though long, it is worthy of a place here, and we copy it entire, only correcting its typography : NAUYOO NEIGHBOK— EXTEA. Monday Moening, June 1Y, 1844. To the Public : '■' As a soft breeze in a hot day mellows the air, so does the simple truth calm the feelings of the irritated, and so we proceed to give the proceedings of the City Council relating to the removal of the l^auvoo Expositor as a nuisance. We hav.e been robbed, mobbed and plundered with impunity some two or three times, and as every heart is more apt to know its own sorrows, the people of Nauvoo had ample reason, when such characters as the proprietors and abet- tors of the Nauvoo ^^osiVo?' proved to be before the City Council, to be alarmed for their safety. The men who got up the press were constantly engaged in resisting the authority or threatening eomething. If they were fined an appeal was taken, but the slander went on ; and when the paper came, the course and the plan to destroy the city was marked out. The destruction of the City Charter and the ruin of the saints was the all commanding topic. Our lives, our city, our Charter and our characters are jus't as sacred, just as dear and just as good as other people's; and while no friendly arm has been extended from the demolition of our press in Jackson county, Missouri, without law, to this present day, the City Council, with all the law of nuisance, from Blackstone down to the Springfield Charter, knowing that if they exceeded the law of the land, a higher court would regulate the proceedings^-abated the Nauvoo Expositor. 304 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. " The proceedings of the Council show, as sketched, that there was cause of alarm. The people when they reflect will at once say that the feelings and rights of men ought to be respected . All persons otherwise, and, without recourse to justice, mercy or humanity, to come out with inflammatory publications, destructive resolutions, or more especially extermination, shows a want of feeling, and a want of respect, and a want of religious toleration that honorable men will deprecate among Americans, as they would the pestilence, famine, or horrors of war. It can not be that the people are so lost to virtue as to coolly go to murdering men, women, and children . No. Candor and common sense forbid it. For the NeigKbor. " Me. Editoe : — In your last week's paper I proposed giving your readers an account of the proceedings of the City Council, but time forbids any thing more than a brief synopsis of the proceedings of the Municipality of the City of N auvoo, relative to the destruction of the press and fixtures of the !Nauvoo JExpositof. " CiTT Council, Kegulae Session, June 8th, 1844. " In connection with other business, as stated in last week's paper, the Mayor remarked that he believed it generally the case, that when a man goes to law, he has an unjust cause and wants to go before some one who wants business, and that he had very tew cases on his docket, and refei'ring to councilor Emmons, editor of the Nauvoo Expositor, suggested the propriety of first purging the City Council; and referring to the character of the paper and pro- prietors, called up Theodore Turley, a mechanic, who, being sworn^ said that the Laws (Wm. and Wilson) had brought bogus dies to him to fix. " Councilor Hyrum Smith inquired what good Foster, and his brother, and the Higbees, and Laws had ever done; while his brother Joseph was under arrest, from the Missouri persecution, the Laws and Foster would have been rode on a rail, if he had not stepped forward to prevent it, on account of their oppressing the poor. "Mayor said while he was under arrest by writ from Gov. Carlin, Wm. Law pursued him for $40.00 he was owing Law, and it took the last expense money he had to pay it. " Councilor H. Smith referred to J. H. Jackson's coming to this city, etc. Mayor said Wm. Law had oflTered Jackson $500.00 to kill him. " Councilor H. Smith continued Jackson, told him, he (Jackson) meant to have his daughter; and threatened him if he made any resistance. Jackson related to> him a dream; that Joseph and Hyrum were opposed to him, but that he would execute his purposes; that Jackson had laid a plan with four or five persons to kidnap his daughter, and threatened to shoot any one that should come near, after he had got her into the skiff; that Jackson was HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOTJNTT. 305 engaged in trying to make bogus, which was his principal business, — referred to the revelation read to the High Council of the Church, which has caused so much talk about a multiplicity of wives; that said revelation was in answer to a question concerning things which transpired in former days, and had no reference to the present time; that when sick, Wm. Law confessed to him that he had been ' guilty of adultery,' and ' was not fit to live,' and had ' sinned against his own soul,' etc., and inquired who was Judge Emmons. • When he came here he had scarce two shirts to his back, but he had been dandled by the authorities of the city, etc., and was now editor of the Nauvoo Expositor, and his right-hand man Francis M. Higbee, who had confessed to him that he had * ******** "Washington Peck sworn: — Said soon after Joseph H. Jackson came here, he came to witness to borrow money, which witness loaned him, and took some jewelry as security. Soon after, a man from across the river came- after the I'ewelry; Jackson had stolen the jewelry from him. At another time, wanted to get money of witness ; asked witness if he would do any thing dishonorable to get a living. Witness said he would not. Jackson said witness was a damned fool, for he could get a living a deal easier than he was then doing by making bogus, and some men high in the Church were engaged in the business. Witness asked if it was Joseph. ' No,' said Jackson, 'I dare not tell it to Joseph.' Witness understood him the Laws were engaged in it. Jackson said he would be the death of witness, if he ever went to Joseph or any one else to tell what he had said. ''Ordered by the Council that Sylvester Emmons be suspended until his case could be investigated for slandering the City Council; that the Recorder notify him of his suspension, and that his case would come up for investigation at the next regular session of the Council. [The order is in the hands of the Marshal.] " Councilor J. Taylor said that Councilor Emmons helped to make the ordinances of the city, and had never lifted his voice against them in the Council, and was now trying to destroy the ordinances and the charter. "Lorenzo Wasson,sworn:— Said Joseph H. Jackson told witness that bogus-making was going on in the city; but it was too damned small business. Wanted witness to help him to procure money, for the General (Smith) was afraid to go into it, and with $500 he could get an engraving for bills on the bank of Missouri, and one on the State of New York, and could make money; said many times witness did not know him; believed the General had been telling witness something. ' God damn him, if he has I will kill him,'-— swore he would kill any man that should prove a traitor to him. Jackson said if he could get a company of men to suit him, he would go into the frontiers and live by highway robbery; had got sick of the world. " Mayor suggested that the Council pass an ordinance to prevent 306 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. misrepresentation and libelous publications, and conspiracies against the peace of the city; and referring to the reports that Dr. Foster had set afloat, said he had never made any proposals to Foster to come back to the Church. Foster proposed to come back ; came to Mayor's house and wanted a private interview; had some conversation with Foster in the Hall, in presence of several gentle- men, on the 7th inst.; offered to meet him and have an interview in presence of friends, three or four to be selected by each party, which Foster agreed to; and went to bring his friends for the inter- view, and the next notice he had of him was the following letter: '"June 7, 1844. "'To Gen. J. Smith: " ^Sir — I have consulted ray friends in relation to your proposals of settlements, and they as well as myself are of the opinion that your conduct and that of your unworthy, unprincipled clan is so base that it would be morally wrong and detract from the dignity of gentlemen to hold any conlbrence with you. The repeated in- sults and abuses, I, as well as my friends, have suffered from your unlawful course towards us demands honorable resentment. "We are resolved to make this our motto ; nothing on our part has been done to provoke your anger, but have done all things as become men ; you have trampled upon everything we hold dear and sacred, you have set all law at deiiance and profaned the name of the Most High to carry out your damnable purposes, and I have nothing more to fear from you than you have already threatened ; and I as well as my friends will stay here and maintain and magnify the law as long as we stay; and we are resolved never to leave until we sell or exchange our property that we have here. The proposals made by your agent, Diraick Huntington, as well as the threats you sent to intimidate me, I disdain and despise as I do their unhallowed author. The rights of my family and my friends demand at my hand a refusal of all your offers; we are united in virtue and truth, and we set hell at deiiance and all her agents. Adieu. " 'E. D. Foster. '''Oen.J.Smith: "Mayor continued: — And when Foster left his house, he went to a shoe shop on the hill and reported that ' Joseph said to him if he would come back he would give him Law's place in the Church and a hat full of specie.' "Lucien Woodworth sworn : — Said that the conversation as stated by the Mayor was correct; was at the Mansion June 7th when Dr. Foster rode up and inquired if Gen. Smith was at home. Dr. Fos- ter went into the house; witness followed. Dr. Foster was there, the General and others looking at some specimens of penman- ship ; something was said respecting a conversation at that time between the General and Doctor. Gen. Smith observed to Foster, if he had a conversation he would want others present. The Doctor HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 307 said he would have a word with him by himself, and went into the hall. Witness went to the door that he might see and hear what was passing. They still continued to talk on the subject of a con- versation that they might have afterwards with others present, whom Mr. Smith might choose and Foster might choose. Foster left, and went for them that he said he wanted present, and would return soon with them; thinks he heard alfthe conversation; heard nothing about Gen. Smith's making any offers to Foster to settle; was present all the time. Dimick Huntington said he had seen Foster and talked with him. " Mayor said he wished it distinctly understood tha,t he knew nothing about Diraick Huntington going to see Foster. ""Woodworth said he sent Dimick Huntington to Foster, and Joseph knew nothing about it. " Councilor H. Smith said Dimick Huntington came to him on the 7th inst., and said he had had an interview with Dr. Foster, and thought he was about ready to come back, and a word from him to Joseph would bring it about. "Mayor said the conduct of such. men and such papers are cal- culated to destroy the peace of the city, and it is not safe that such things should exist, on account of the mob spirit which they tend to produce; he had made the statements he had, and called the witnesses to prepare the Council to act in the case. " Emmons was blackguarded out of Philadelphia, and dubbed with the title of Judge (as he had understood from the citizens of Phila- delphia), was poor, and Mayor helped him to cloth for a coat before he went away last fall, and he labored all winter to get the post- office from Mr. Pigdon (as informed). " Mayor referred to a writing from Dr. Goforth, showing that the Laws presented the communication from the 'Female Kelief So- ciety,' in the l^auvoo NeigTibor, to Dr. Goforth, as the hone of con- tention^ and said, 'If God ever spake by any man, it will not be five years before this city is in ashes and we in our graves, unless we go to Oregon, California, or some other place, if the city does not put down everything which tends to mobocracy, and put down their murderers, bogus-makers and scoundrels ;' all the sorrow he ever had in his family has arisen through the influence of Wm. Law. " C. H. Smith spoke in relation to the Laws, Fosters, Higbees, editor of the Signal, etc., and of the importance of suppressing that spirit which has driven us from Missouri, etc.; that he would go in for an effective ordinance. " Mayor said at the time Gov, Oarlin was pursuing him with his writs, Wm. Law came to his house with a band of Missourians, for the purpose of betraying him; came to his gate, and was prevented by Daniel Cairns, who was set to watch. Law came within his gate and called Mayor, and the Mayor reproved Law for coming at that time of night, with a company of strangers. " Daniel Cairns sworn: — Said that about 10 o'clock at night a boat came up the river, with about a dozen men. Wm. Law came to 308 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the ^ate with them, witness on guard. Stopped them. Law called Joseph to the door and wanted an interview. Joseph said, _' Bro. Law, you know better than to come here at this hour of the night;' and Law retired. Next morning Law wrote a letter .to apologize, which witness heard read, which was written apparently to screen himself from the censure of a conspiracy, and the letter betrayed a conspiracy on the face of it. "Adjourned at half-past 6 P. M. till Monday, 10th, at 10 o'clock A. M. "adjourned session. "June 10th, 10 o'clock A. M. "Alderman Harris presiding. " Mayor referred to Dr. Foster, and again read his letter of the 7th inst. (as before quoted.) " Cyrus Hills, a stranger, sworn: — Said one day last week, be- lieved it Wednesday, a gentleman whom witness did not know came into the sitting-room of the JSTauvoo Mansion, and requested the Hon. Mayor to step aside, he wanted to speak with him. Mayor stepped through the door into the entry by the foot of the stairs, and the Gen . (Mayor) asked him what he wished. Foster, as wit- ness learned since was the gentleman's name, said he wanted sonie conversation on some business witness did not understand at the time. The Gen. refused to go any farther, and said he would have no conversation in private; what should be said should be in public; and told Foster if he would choose three or four men, he would meet him with the same number of men, among whom was his brother Hyrum, and they would have a cool and calm investiga- tion of the subject, and by his making a proper satisfaction, things should be honorably adjusted. Witness judged from the manner in which Foster expressed himself that he agreed to the Mayor's proposals, and would meet him the same day, in presence of friends. Heard no proposals made by Mayor to Foster for settlement, heard nothing about any offers of dollars, or money, or any other offer except those mentioned before; nothing said about Wm. Law; was within hearing of the parties at the time conversation was going on. " 0. P. Eockwell sworn : — Some day last week, said Dr. Foster rode up to the Nauvoo Mansion and went in; witness went in, and found the Mayor and Dr. Foster in conversation. Gen. Smith was naming the men he would have present, among whom was Hyrum Smith, Wm. Marks, Lucien Woodworth and Peter Hawes, and Dr. Foster had leave to call an equal number of his friends, as wit- ness understood, for the purpose of having an interview on some matters in conversation. _ "The doctor's brother was proposed; Gen. said he had no objec- tions; wanted him present. Dr. Foster started, saying he would be back shortly. Before Dr. F. left, the men whom Gen. Smith had named to be present at the conversation were sent for. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 309 " Cross-edoamined. — Witness went into the house as Mayor and Dr. Foster were coming out of the bar-room into the hall; nothing said by the Mayor to Dr. Foster about his coming back; made no offer to Foster about a settlement. " Mayor said the first thing that occurred when he stepped into the hall with Foster, was that he wanted to assassinate him ; he saw something shining below his vest; Mayor put his finger on it and said, ' What is that f ' Foster replied, ' It is my pistol,'' and immediately took out the pistol and showed it openly, and wanted the Mayor to go with him alone. Mayor said he would not go alone. Mayor never saw the pistol before; had a hook on its side, to hang on his waistcoat. " Andrew L. Lamaraux sworn: — Said that in 1839 or '40, while President Joseph Smith, Elder Kigdon, Judge Higbee, O. P. Rockwell and Dr. E. D. Foster, on their way to Washington, called at witness' house in Dayton,' Ohio; the evening was spent very agreeably, except some dissatisfaction on the part of certain females with regard to the conduct of Dr. Foster. On their return from Washington, witness informed President Smith of Foster's conduct. President Smith said he had frequently reproved Foster for such conduct, and he had promised to do better, and told wit- ness to reprove Foster if he saw anything out of the way. That evening Foster refused to join the company, and walked through the town till about 8 o'clock, when he came in and interrupted President Smith, who was expounding some passages of scriptures, and changed the conversation. Soon after the compjmy was invited to Mr. Brown's at the next door, whither they all repaired. While at Mr. Brown's, conversation going on, and the room much crowded. Dr. Foster and one of the ladies he had paid so much attention to before, took their seats in one corner of the room. Witness heard her state to Dr. Foster that^she supposed she had been en ceinte for some time back, but had been disappointed, and supposed it was on account of her weakness, and wanted Foster to prescribe something for her. Foster said he could do it for her, and dropped his hand to her feet, and began to raise it, she gave him a slight push and threw hei'self close to the wall. " He laid his hand on her knee, and whispered so low that witness could not hear. Next morning witness went in while Foster and others were at breakfast, and related what he had seen. Foster denied it. President Smith told him not to deny it, for he saw it himself and was ashamed of it. Foster confessed it was true, and promised to reform. " Peter Hawes sworn : — Said that he had come to Nauvoo before the Laws and brought considerable property; it was a short time after the Church had been driven out of Missouri, and had arrived in this place. The families having been robbed of all in Missouri were in a starving condition. By the counsel of the Presidency, witness converted his funds to feeding the poor, bringing in meat and flour, etc., and while thus engaged drew upon the Laws, who 310 HISTORY OF HANCOCK, COUKTY. were at that time engaged in merchandise, to the amount of some six luindred dollars, which, on account of expenditure for the poor^ he was not able to pay, to within some TO or 80 dollars, which they pressed him for as soon as they wanted it, although he offered them good property at considerable less than the market value. As witness was obliged to leave the city on Church business for a little season, Wm. Law threatened and intimidated witness' family during his absence for the pay. " Dr. Foster made a pubKc dinner on the 4th of July. Witness was obliged to be absent, and deposited meat, flour, etc., with Wm. Law, to give to the poor at that dinner, and Law handed it out as his own private property. Witness carried a load of wheat to Law's mill to be ground. Law would not grind it only to give a certain quantity of flour in return by weight. Law used up the flour, promising from time to time he would refund it. As wit- ness was about to start on a mission to the South, with valise in hand, saw Law before his door, talking with Hyrum Smith; called on Law and told him he was going away, and his family wanted the flour: Law promised on the honor of a gentleman and a saint, his family should have the flour when they wanted. " Councilor H. Smith said he recollected the time and circum- stance. " Hawes said when he returned, found his family must have starved if they had not borrowed money to get food somewhere else — could no"t get it of Law. And Law was preaching punc- tuality, PUNCTUALITY, PUJSICTD'ALITy, as the whole drift of his discourses to the saints; and abusing them himself all the time, and grinding the poor. "Mayor said if he had a City Council who felt as he did, the establishment (referring to the Nauvoo Expositor) would be a nuisance before night; and he then read an editorial from the Nauvoo Expositor. He then asked, ' Who ever said a word against Judge Emmons until he has attacked this Council, or even against Joseph H. Jackson or the Laws, until they came out against the city? Here is a paper (Nauvoo Expositor) that is exciting our enemies abroad. Joseph H. Jackson has been proved a murderer before this Council.' He declared the paper a nui- sance, a greater nuisance than a dead carcass. They make a crimi- nality for a man to have a wife on the earth, while he has one in heaven, according to the keys of the holy Priesthood; and he then read a statement of William Law's from the Expositor, where the truth of God was transformed into a lie concerning this thing. He then read several statements of Austin Cowles in \}i\.& Expositor concerning a private interview, and said he never had any private conversation with Austin Cowles on these subjects; that he preached on the stand from the Bible, showing the order iii ancient days, liaving nothing to do with the present times. What the opposition party want, is to raise a mob on us and take the spoil from us, as they did in Missouri. He said it was as much as he HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 311 could do to keep his clerk, Thompson, from publishing the proceed- ings of the Laws, and causing the people to rise up against them. Said he would rather die to-morrow and have the thing smashed, than live and have it go on, for it was exciting the spirit of moboc- racy among the people and bringing death and destruction upon us. "Peter Hawes recalled a circumstance, which he had forgotten to mention, concerning a Mr. Smith who came from England and soon after died. The children had no one to protect them; there was one girl 16 or 17 years old and a younger sister. Witness took these girls into his family out of pity. Wilson Law, then Major-General of the JSfauvoo Legion, was familiar with the eldest daughter. Witness cautioned the girl. Wilson was soon there again and went out in the evening with the girl,' who, when. charged by witness's wife, confessed that Wilson Law had seduced her. Wilson told her he coiild not keep her. The girl wept, made much ado, and many promises. Witness told her if she would do right she might stay; but she did not keep her promise. Wilson came again and she went out with him. Witness required her to leave his house. " Mayor said certain women came to complain to his wife, that they had caught Wilson Law with the girl on the floor at Mr. Hawes' in the night. " Councilor C."^ H. Smith proceeded to show the falsehood of Austin Cowles in the Expositor, in relation to the revelation referred to, that it was in reference to former days, and not the present time, as related by Cowles. " Mayor said he had never preached the revelation in private, as he had in public; had not taught it to the anointed in the Church in private, which statement many present confirmed, that ' on inquiring concerning the passage in the resurrection concerning ' they neither marry nor are given in marriage, ' etc., he received for answer, 'Men in this life must marry in view of eternity, otherwise they must remain as angels, or be single in heaven,, which was the amount of the revelation referred to ; ' and the Mayor spoke at considerable length in explanation of this principle and was willing for one to subscribe his name, to declare the Expositor and whole eetablishment a nuisance. 2 o'clock P. M. " The Clerk of the Council bore testimony to the good character and high standing of Mr. Smith and his family, whose daughter was seduced by Wilson Law, as stated by the last witness before the-morning Council; that Mrs. Smith died near the mouth of the Mississippi, and the father and eldest daughter died soon after their arrival in this place; and that the seduction of such a youth- ful, fatherless and innocent creature by such a man in high stand- ing as the Major-General of the Nauvoo Legion was one of the darkest, damndest and foulest deeds on record. 312 HISTOBT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. " Councilor Hyrnm Smith co-ncurred in the remarks made by the clerk concerning the excellent character of Mr. Smith and his family. " Mayor said the Constitution did not authorize the press to publish libels, and proposed that the Council make some provision for putting down the Nauvoo Expositor. " Councilor Hyrum Smith called for a prospectus of the Edopos- itor. " Councilor Phelps read article 8, section 1, Constitution of Illinois. " Mayor called for the Charter. " The Clerk read the prospectus of the Nauvoo Expositor. "Mayor read the statements of Francis M. Higbee from the Expositor aud asked, 'Is it not treasonable against all chartered rights and privileges, and against the peace and happiness of the city?' "Councilor H. Smith was in favor of declaring the Expositor a, nuisance. "Councilor Taylor said no city on earth would bear such slan and he would not bear it, and was decidedly in favor of active measures. "Mayor made a statement of what Wm. Law said before the City Council under oath, that he was a friend to the Mayor, etc., etc., and asked if there were any present who recollected his statement, when scores responded, Yes! "Councilor Hunter was one of the grand jury; said "Wm. Law stated before the grand jnry that he did not say to the Council that he was Joseph's friend. " Councilor Taylor continued: ' Wilson Law was President of this Council during the passage of many ordinances, and referred to the Eecords. Wm. Law and Emmons were members of the Council; and Emmons has never objected. to any ordinance while in the Council; but has been more like a cipher, and is now become editor of a libelous paper, and is trying to destroy our charter and ordinances.' " He then read from the Constitution of the United States on the freedom of the press, and said, ' We sire willing they should pub- lish the truth; but it is unlawful to publish libels; the Expositor is a nuisance and stinks in the nose of every honest man.' "Mayor read from Illinois Constitution, article 8, section 2, touching the responsibility of the press for its Constitutional liberty . " Councilor Stiles said a nuisance was any thing that disturbs the peace of a community, and read Blackstone on Private Wrongs, vol. ii, page 4; and the whole community has to rest under the stigma of these falsehoods, referring to the Expositor; and if we can prevent the issuing of any more slanderous oommunicalions, he would go in for it. It is right for this community to show a HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 313 proper resentment, and he would go in for suppressing all fui'ther communications of the kind. "Councilor H. Smith believed the best way was to smash the press and ' pi ' the type. "Councilor Johnson concurred with the Councilor who had spoken. "Alderman Bennett referred to the statement of the Expositor concerning the Municipal Court in the case of Jeremiah Smith as a libel, and considered the paper a public nuisance. " Councilor Warrington considered his a peculiar situation, as he did not belong to any Church or any party ; thought it might be considered rather harsh for the Council to declare the paper a nuisance, and proposed giving a few days' limitation and assessing a fine of $3,000 for every libel, and if they would not cease pub- lishing libels, to declare it a nuisance, and said the statutes made a provision for a fine of $500. " Mayor replied that they threatened to shoot him when at Car- thage, and the women and others dare not go to Carthage to pros- ecute; and read a libel from the Expositor concerning the impris- onment of Jeremiah Smith. "Councilor H. Smith spoke of the "Warsaw Signal and disap- proved its libelous course. " Mayor remarked he was sorry to have one dissenting voice in declaring the Expositor a nuisance. " Councilor Warrington diQ not mean to be understood to go against the proposition; but would not be in haste in declaring it a nuisance. "Councilor fl. Smith referred to the mortgages and property of the proprietors of the Expositor and thought there would be little chance of collecting damages for libels. "Alderman E. Smith considered there was but one course to pursue; that the proprietors were out of the reach of the law; that our course was to put an end to the thing at once; believed, by what he had heard, that if the city did not do it, others would. " Councilor Hunter believed it to be a nuisance; referred to the opinion of Judge Pope on habeas corpus, and spoke in favor of the charter, etc.; asked Francis M. Higbee before the grand jury if he was not the man he saw at Joseph's house making professions of friendship; Higbee said he was not [hundreds know this state- ment to be false] ; he also asked E. D. Foster if he did not state before hundreds of people that he believed Joseph to be a prophet ; ' No,' said Foster. They were under oath when they said it. [Many hundreds of people are witness to this perjury.] " Alderman Spencer accorded with the views expressed, that the Nauvoo Expositor is a nuisance; did not consider it wise to give them time to trumpet a thousand lies. Their property could not pay for it; if we pass only a fine or imprisonment, have we any con- fidence that they will desist? None at all! We have found these men covenant-breakers with God! with their wives ! ! etc. Have 314 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. we any hope of their doing better? Their characters have gone be- fore them ; shall they be suffered to go on, and bring a mob upon us and murder oiir women and children, and burn our beautiful city? No! I had rather my blood would be spilled at once, and would like to have the press removed as soon as the ordinance would allow, and wish the matter might be put into the hands of the Mayor, and everybody stand by him in the execution of his duties, and hush every murmur. " Councilor Levi Eichards said he had felt deeply on this sub- ject, and concurred fully in the view General Smith had 'expressed of it this day;' thought it unnecessary to repeat what the Council perfectly understood; considered private interest as nothing in com- parison with the public good. Every time a line was formed in the far West he was there, for what? To defend it against just such scoundrels and influence as the Nauvoo Expositor and its support- ers were directly calculated to bring against us again. Considered the doings of the Council this day of immense moment, not to this city alone, but to the whole world; would go into put a stop to the thing at once; let it be thrown out of this city, and the responsi- bility of countenancing such a press be taken off our shoulders and fall on the 8tate if corrupt enough to sustain it. " Councilor Phineas Richards said that he had not forgotten the transactions at Haun's Mills, and that he recollected that his son, G-eorge Spencer, then lay in the well referred to, on the day pre- vious, without a winding-sheet, shroud, or coffin. He said he could not sit still when he saw the same spirit raging in this place; he considered the publication of the Expositor as much murderoiis at heart as David was before the death of Uriah. "Was for making a short work of it; was prepared to take His stand by the Mayor, and whatever he proposes, would stand by him to the last. The quicker it is stopped the better. " Councilor Phelps had investigated the Constitution, Charter, and laws; the power to declare that office a nuisance is granted to us, in the Springfield charter, and a resolution declaring it a nuisance is all that is required. " John Birney sworn : — Said Francis M. Higbee and Wm. Law declared they had commenced their operations and would carry them out, law or no law. "Stephen Markham sworn: — Said that Francis M. Higbee said the interest of this city is done the moment a hand is laid on their press. " Councilor Phelps continued, and referred to Wilson Law in destroying the character of a child, an orphan child, who had the charge of another child. "Warren Smith sworn:— Said F. M. Higbee came to him and proposed to have him go in as a partner in making bogus money. Higbee said he would not work for a living; that witness might go in with him if he would advance fifty dollars, and showed him (witness) a half dollar he said was made in his dies. ^rv^eonncAJ HISTORY OF HANCOCK COTJNTr. 317 " Councilor Phelps continued, and said he felt deeper this day than ever he felt before, and wanted to know, by ' Yes,' if there were any present who wanted to avenge the blood of that innocent female who had been seduced by the then Major-General of the Nauvoo Legion, Wilson Law, when ' Yes ' resounded from every quarter of the house. He then referred to the tea plot at Boston, and asked if anybody's rights were taken away with that trans- action, and 'Are we oifering, or have we offered to take away the rights of any one these two days?' {No!!! resounded from every quarter.) He then referred also to Law's grinding the poor during the scarcity of grain, while the poor had nothing but themselves to grind; and spoke at great length in support of active measures to put down iniquity and suppress the spirit of mobocracy. " Alderman Harris spoke from the chair, and expressed his feelings that the press ought to be demolished. " The following resolution was then read and passed unanimously, with the exception of Councilor Warrington : Resolved, By the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, that the printing office from whence issues the Nauvoo Exposito-r is a public nuisance, and also all of said Nauvoo Expositors ■which may be or exist in said establishment; and] the Mayor is instructed to cause said printing establishment and papers to be removed without delay, in such manner as he shall direct. Passed June 10th, 1844. Geo. W. Haeeis, Prest. pro tern. W. RioHAEDS, Recorder. 6 o'clock, p. m., Council adjoumed. This certifies that the foregoing is a- true and correct synopsis of the proceedings of the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, on the 8th and 10th days of June, 18fi, in relation to the Nauvoo Expositor and proprietors, as taken from the minutes of said Council. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, [l. b.] and the corporation seal, at Nauvoo, this 17th day of June, 1844. WiLLAED Richards, Recorder and Clerk of the City Council. The following order was immediately issued by the Mayor: STATE OF ILLINOIS,) City of Natjvoo. j To the Marshal of said Gity, Oreeting: Tou are hereby commanded to destroy the printing press from whence issues the Nauvoo Expositor, and pi the type of said printing establishment in the street, and bum all tU^ Expositors and libelous hand-bills found in said establishment; and if resistance be offered to your execution of this order, by the owners or others, demolish the house, and if any one threatens you, or the Mayor, or the officers of the City, arrest those who threaten you and fail not to execute this order without delay and make due return hereon. By order of the City Council. Joseph Smith, Mayor. Marshal's return — The vidthin named press and type is destroyed and pied according to order, on this 10th day of June, 1844, at about 8 o'clock, p. m. J. P. Gbbbn, C. M. Hbadqtjaetees Nauvoo Legion, > June 10, 1844. j" To Jonathan Dunham, acting Major-Qeneral of the Nauvoo Legion: Tou are hereby commanded to hold the 'Nauvoo Legion in readiness, forthwith to execute the City ordinances, and especially to remove the printing estabUshment 20 318 HISTOBY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of tlie Nauvoo Expositor; and this you are required to do at sight, under the penalty of the laws; provided the Marshal shall requu'e it, and need your services. Joseph Smith, Lieut. -General Nauvoo Legion. PKOOLAMATION. Mayoe's Office, Nauvoo, June 16, 18,44. " As there are a number of statements in circulation which have for their object the injury of the ' Latter-Day Saints,' all of which are false, and prompted by black-hearted villians, I therefore deem it my duty to disabuse the public mind in regard to them, and to give a plain statement of facts which have taken place in the city within a few days past, and which has brought upon us the displeasure of the unprincipled and the uninformed, and seems to afford an opportunity to our enemies to unite and arouse themselves to mob; and already they have commenced their- hellish operations by driving a few defenseless Mormons from their houses and homes in the vicinity of Warsaw and Carthage. " A short time since a press was started in this city which had for its object the destruction of the institutions of the city, both civil and religious; its proprietors are a set of unprincipled scoun- drels, who attempted in every conceivable way to defame the char- acter of the most virtuous of our community, and change cur peaceful and prosperous city into a place as evil and polluted as their own black hearts. To rid the city of a paper so filthy and pesti- lential as this, becomes the duty of every good citizen who loves good order and morality; a complaint was made before the City Council, and after a full and impartial investigation it was voted, without one dissenting voice, a public nuisance, and to be imme- diately destroyed; the peace and happiness of the place demanded it, the virtue of our wives and daughters demanded, and our con- sciences demanded it at our hands as conservators of the public peace. That we acted right in this matter we have the assurance of one of the ablest expounders of the laws of England, viz.: Black- stone, the Constitution of the 'State of Illinois, and our own chartered rights. If then our charter gives us the power to decide what shall be a nuisance and cause it to be removed, where is the offense? What law is violated ? If then no law has been violated, why this ridiculous excitement and bandying with lawless ruffians to destroy the happiness of a people whose religious motto is ' peace and good will toward all men ?' " Our city is infested with a set of blacklegs, counterfeiters and debauchees, and that the proprietors of this press were of that class, the minutes of the Municipal Court fully testify, and in ridding our young and flourishing city of such characters, we are abused by not only villainous demagogues, but by some who, from their station and influence in society, ought rather to raise than depress the standard of human excellence. We have no disturbance or excitement among us, save what is made by the thousand and one idle rumors afloat in the country. Every one is protected in his HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 319 person and property, and but few cities of a population of twenty thousand people, in the United States, hath less of dissipation or vice of any kind, than the city of Nauvoo. "Of the correctness of our conduct in this affair, we appeal to every high Court in the Stafe, and to its ordeal we are willing to ' appear at any time that His Excellency, Governor Ford, shall please to call us before it. I therefore, in behalf of the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, warn the lawless not to be precipitate in any interfer- ence in our affairs, for as sure as there is a (xod in Israel we shall ride triumphant over all oppression. "Joseph Smith, Mayoi." It was stated at the time, that the brothers, Joseph and Hyrum, were occasionally, during the two days' discussion in the Council, highly excited, and indulged in violent language. The former is reported to have vehemently exclaimed: " If you will not stick by me, and wade to your Jcnees m Mood, for my sake, you may go to h — I and he d — d, and I will go and build another city !" Hyrum is reported to have used this ironical language: " We had better send a message to Long-nosed Sharp that if he does not look out, he might be visited with a pinch of snuff that will make him sneeze!" And continued: "If any person will go to "Warsaw boldly, in daylight, and break the press of the Signal oiBce with a sledge hammer, I will bear him out in it, if it costs me a farm. He could only be taken with a warrant at any rate, and what good would that do?" Of course such language Would not do to be reported in the organ. It is proper, however, to state that Hyrum and his friends made emphatic denial of having uttered threats against the Signal or its editor. The foregoing report in the extra is to be taken as conclusive ot the reasons for the destruction of the press. "When analyzed they resolve theratelves into this: Emmons was poor when he came to the city, with only two shirts to his back; the Laws oppressed the ■ poor, by adhering to their rules in grinding, and they had dunned the prophet for money due; Dr. Foster had been too intimate with a sister in Ohio, and besides had written the Mayor a saucy letter; "Wilson Law had seduced another sister; they had all misrepre- sented the spiritual-wife doctrine; and all this amounted to treason and rebellion against the independent sovereignty and kingdom of Nauvoo; and, therefore, their printing press was a nuisance, and must be destroyed. Even in this the Mayor transcended the authority given him by the Council. The resolution instructed him to abate the nuisance by removal ; he issued his order to the City Marshal to destroy the press and pi the types in the street, %nd, if necessary, demolish the house, and arrest all who oppose. THE ATONEMENT. The city was now at fever heat. The seceders all left, and repairing to the county seat, procured writs for all engaged in the 320 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. destruction of the press, on the charge of riot. These writs were placed in the hands of an oflScer, who, with a posse, went to the city and arrested a number of persons charged. The habeas corpus was again applied, and they were "honorably discharged!" Meanwhile the whole county was in commotion. Public meet- ings were held at various points, and the people called to arm for the approaching crisis. The following resolutions were adopted at Warsaw and afterward at Carthage, by acclamation: Eesolved, That the time, in our opinion, has arrived, when the adherents of Smith as a body should he driven from the smrounding settlements into Nauvoo. That the prophet and his miscreant adherents should then be demanded at their hands, and if not surrendered, a war of extermination should be waged to their entire destruction, if necessary for our protection. Resolved, That every citizen arm himself to be prepared to sustain the resolutions; herein contained. It is proper here to state that there were at this time and even afterward while the Mormons remained, four classes of citizens in the county: 1. The Mormons themselves; 2. A class called Jack- Mormons, who, not members of the church, adhered to and sus- tained them for mercenary or political gain ; 3. Old citizens who were Anti-Mormons at heart, but who refused to countenance any but lawful measures for redress of grievances; and 4. Anti-Mor- mons who, now that the crisis had come, advocated " war and exter- mination." Some of the third class were denounced as Jacks, by the extremists; though the great body of them acted throughout with the fourth class, in all but their extreme measures. All over the county men were arming, organizing and drilling, having been notified by the officers that the posse comitatus- would be called out to assist in making the arrests. A great want existed in the absence of arms and ammunition. Agents were sent to Quincy, to St. Louis and other places. At St. Louis a cannon and a lot of ammunition were procured and brought to Warsaw- The authorities of the town voted $1,000 for supplies. A deputa- tion having been sent to Gov. Ford, at Springfield, he decided to visit the county in person, and judge for himself. In much that follows regarding the death of the Smiths, and the events leading thereto and subsequent, we condense from Ford's Historj'^, correcting his evident mistakes, and his many distortions of facts in order to make a case against the old citizens. Upon the Governor's arrival at Carthage he found an armed force collected and collecting, while another was assembling at Warsaw. Gen. Deming had also called for the militia of McDonough and Schuyler counties. The Governor at once placed all the troops under orders and nnder command of their proper officers. He next summoned the Mayor and City Council of Nauvoo to present their side of the question, which they did, through a committee sent to him. After some considerable delay and indecision as to what course to pursue, "a force of ten men was sent with the constable to make the arrest and to guard the prisoners to head- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 321 quarters." The officer made the arrests of the Mayor and Council- ors, who signified their willingness to accompany him to Carthage at eight o'clock next morning. Eight o'clock came, but the accused failed to appear, and the posse marched back to Carthage without' them. This incensed the Governor; he blamed the officer for coming -without them, very unjustly. The officer knew better than His Excellency the ways of the accused. He knew if they had intend- ed submission, they would have presented themselves at the time; and that if they did not, an officer and ten men would find it an up- hill business to hunt out and bring away an equal number, from the midst of two or three thousand armed men. Next the Governor demanded that the State arms in possession of the Legion should be delivered up; and they delivered three pieces of cannon and 220 stand of small arms, of 300 which had been distributed to it by Quarter-Master General Bennett. The surrender of the chiefs being insisted on, on the 24:th the prophet, his brother Hyrum, some members of the City Council, and others, came in and surrendered, to the officer holding the writs, and voluntarily entered into recognizances to appear at court. In the mean time a new warrant charging Joseph and Hyrum with treason had been issued, and they were again arrested by the constable. The charge of treason was based on the alleged fact of levying war against the State, by declaring martial law, and order- ing out the legion to resist the execution of the laws. Here historian Ford, in order to find fault with the Hancock people, gives us a new and novel definition of treason. He says: Their actual guiltiness of the charge would depend upon circumstances. If their opponents had been seeking to put the law in force in good faith, and nothing more, then an array of military force in open resistance to the posse comitatus and the militia of the State, most probably would have amounted to treason. But if those opponents mainly intended to use the process of the law, the militia of the State, and the posse comitatus, as cat's-paws to compass the possession of their persons for the purpose of murdering them afterward, as the sequel demonstrated the fact to be, it might well be doubted whether they were guilty of treason. — [Foed's Hist. III., p. 337. So that treason, instead of depending upon the acts and inten- tions of the person charged, is to be measured by the] acts and intentions of others. It is a principle of law that intention must be taken into account; but it comes strangely from the Governor of a State, that to- constitute crime, the intentions of the people who are endeavoring to bring a criminal to justice, rather than his own, are to be considered. But by what process does Gov. Ford so summarily arrive at the intentions of those he styles the " oppo- nents" of the Mormon leaders? ) Neither party being prepared for the examination on the charge of treason, the Smiths were committed to the county jail for greater security. 322 HrSTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY . The Governor now decided to march his force into Nauvoo, but does not seem to have had any clearly defined purpose in so doing. The morning of the 27th was fixed on for the march, and on the 26th word was sent to the troops at Warsaw to meet him and the main body at Golden's Point, about seven miles from the cityj but on the 27th he wavered in his intention of going with a force into the city, and called a council of officers to consult. A small majority voted in favor of going, but the 'Governor took the respons- ibility, and ordered the troops disbanded, excepting three compa- nies, two to remain at Carthage, and one to accompany himself and a few friends to ITauvoo. Word to this eiTect was sent to the Warsaw troops, who were already on the march; and they were met by the messenger on the prairie before reaching Golden's Point. Here, much to their dissatisfaction, the officer disbanded them. After disbanding, many returned home, while a portion lingered, and finally straggled east toward Carthage. The two companies left to guard the jail were placed under command of Capt. Smith, of the Carthage Greys, his own company being one of them. " Having ordered the guard, and left Gen. Deming in command in Carthage, and discharged the residue of the militia, I immedi- ately departed for Nauvoo, 18 miles distant, accompanied by Col. Buckmaster, Quartermaster-General, and Capt. Dunn's (Augusta) company of dragoons." — [p. 345. It was claimed that one purpose had in view, in thus visiting the city, was " to search for counterfeit money." But on the way, he began to fear an attack on the jail; so he decided to omit the search, but hurry on to the city, make the Mormons a speech, and return to Carthage the same night. The baggage wagons were halted, with orders to return at night. He and his escort reached the city about four o'clock, called the people together, made them an address, in which he says he rated them pretty severely for their bad conduct, and ended by putting the vote whether they in future would obey the laws. They unanimously voted Yes, when His Excellency and his retinue started for Carthage a little beford sundown. A few miles out they were' met by a messenger with the information that the two Smiths had been assailed in jail by a mob, and killed! The messenger who brought the news was ordered to return with them to Carthage, whicli he did; but by some means unknown to us the nevfs, reached the city during the night. General consternation now pervaded the whole county. The troops had been disbanded, and most of them had left for their homes. Three companies only remained — the one with the Gov- ernor, and the two at Carthage — to confront the Legion, should it make a raid upon them. The Governor with his command hurried , on to Carthage, only to find the place partially deserted; and all who had not gone were going as fast as they could find means of conveyance. Men with their families, in carts, in wagons, and on HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 323 horseback or a,-foot, -were en route mostly toward Augusta -and St. Mary's. The Hamilton Hotel, where the dead bodies and their wounded comrade had been taken, with perhaps a few other houses only, were not forsaken. Gen. Deming had left town in the afternoon, before the deed had been committed. The Governor, in great excitement, hurried into town, where he remained only long enough to denounce the people for their folly, and rode on to Augusta. At Warsaw the people were not long in hearing what had been done, and anticipating Mormon vengeance, hurried from their homes, mostly crossing the river to Alexandria. Picket guards were stationed about the town to watch the approach of an enemy. At Nauvoo great consternation prevailed; The messenger had been turned back by the Governor; yet late in the night the news somehow reached the city. The people were appalled at the dis- aster which had befallen them. Most of the citizens had retired' to sleep before the news was received, so that only a portion knew of the death of their leader till the morning. On the morning of the 28th of June, 1844, the sun rose on as strange a scene as the broad Hancock prairies had ever witnessed. At the three corners of a triangle, 18 miles asunder, stood a smitten city and two almost deserted villages, with her^ and there a group of questioning men, anxious to hear the news of the night. To- ward the two villages the more courageous ones were returning to find their several abodes unsacked and untouched. The wet and heavy roads leading to the county seat from the south and east were being again traversed by the refugees of the night, now returning, and wondering that they had homes to return to; AH know that a great crime had been committed, by whom they knew not; and they knew not how, upon whom, where, or in what man- ner retribution might fall ! The murder of the Smiths, while he was at Nauvoo and in dan- ger, convinced our suspicious Governor that his own death had been contemplated by the murderers as a part of the programme. But for this suspicion he had not the shadow of evidence. He, however, very justly concluded that his authority was at an end. He had by his course failed to satisfy either party, and both regarded him with distrust. He accordingly hurried from the county, and brought up at Quincy, forty miles from the scene of the troubles. It was strongly suspected by the citizens that he had contemplated a rescue or an escape of the prisoners; and he was very angry with them for harboring such suspicion. But he acknowledges in his book that he had such a plan, which was "thwarted by this insane folly -of the Anti-Mormons," [p. 339]. This fact was never fully known, until made public by himself. Its consummation could hardly have been effected without blood- shed and violence. And here we have the startling fact confessed, that the Executive of a State, whose duty it is to execute the laws,, was contemplating the escape of great criminals, in order to avoid 324 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the responsibilities his duty devolved upon him, and as the easiest way of getting rid of troublesome men. HOW IT WAS DONE. There can be little doubt that the killing of the Smiths was perpetrated by men who had been with or of the "Warsaw troops. There was plenty of time during the day, however, for others to have joined them, and they may have done so. Those troops were composed partly of citizens of Warsaw and the country around it, with a few from Missouri and other places. They numbered some one or two hundred, and were under command of Colonel Levi Williams. After being disbanded on the prairie, as we have seen, a portion of them left at once for their homes, while others went on toward Carthage. "What course they took, or what became of them, until the afternoon when they were observed approaching the jail, is not known. From a lady who resided perhaps nearest the jail, and who saw them approach, we lately obtained the following: That they strung along in single file and qui.ck step, from the direction of the woods northwest of the town, until they came to the fence sur- rounding the building. This they scaled at once, and seized the guard. She was several hundred yards away, too far to recognize any of them, or to see positively whether they were masked or otherwise disfigured, though she thinks they were not. Her first impression was that they were Mormons, come to release the pris- oners; and that impression was shared by the other inhabitants of the town, as the alarm spread. She thinks there were not more than thirty to forty men in the gang, as they filed along. The guard was soon overpowered, and a rush was made for the stairway, ascending on the outside to the door of the jail, on the south end, the upper story being used for that purpose. The door was assailed and burst open. The prisoners inside, aware of the attack, were, however, behind it, well armed, endeavoring to prevent ingress. As the door would yield to the outside pressure, the Prophet fired several shots around the edge with his revolver. The mobbers fired a number of shots through the door, which killed Hyrum Smith, and wounded John Taylor severely. Seeing they were being over- powered, Eichards, who was still unhurt, ran with Taylor wounded into the inner dungeon, while Joseph Smith hastened to a window on the east, raised the sash and leaned partly out, probably with a view of jumping, M'hen he was shot by several balls from the out- side, and he fell to the ground near the well curb. It has been stated that after he fell, he was set up against the curb, and several times shot. This last, we are reliably informed, is not the fact, but that no shot was fired after he fell, and that he died from the two or three shots he received in the window. The story, we believe, is based on the statement of Daniels, who afterward issued a pamphlet giving a most miraculous account of the transaction. Gov. Ford and others have stated that the plan had been devised HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 325 and concerted between the mob and the Carthage Greys, and that the guard of ten men of that company who were stationed around the jail, were in the plot, and made only a feint at resistance. This we are compelled to believe is partly true. It is certain that a por- tion of the Greys knew that something was to be done; but others, the great body of them, knew nothing about it. "We have lately conversed with some who protest that they were wholly ignorant of anything going on, until the firing was heardj and then, like the rest of the citizens, they apprehended a Mormon rescue. Gov. Ford, also charges that the mob selected that time — while he was in Nauvoo, and in the power of the Mormons — to do the bloody deed, in order to compass his own destruction at their hands in revenge. His own too excitable and suspicious nature origin- ated the thought. So far from it being the fact that they designed and contemplated the murder of the Governor, we believe they did not even contemplate the killing of the prisoners! This avowal will no doubt surprise many of onr readers; for we well know that the Governor's statement has been so often reiterated that it has been generally received. But from all the inquiries we have made, and looking at the circumstances as they are known to have existed, that is our honest and fixed conclusion. 'Of the thirty or forty men who approached the jail that day with stealthy tread, we do not be- lieve there was one with murder in his heart. They are not excus- able, nevertheless. They were there for an unlawful and wrongful purpose; though we believe that purpose was not clearly defined in any one's mind. Let ns look at the circumstances on which this opinion is based: There had been several demands made by Missouri for the delivery of Smith, in the near past, all of which had in some way been thwarted. Added to this, only a short time before, a public meet- ing at Warsaw and another one at Carthage had asked the Gover- nor of Missouri to make another demand, .and pledging aid in sup- port of it. This purpose, we are convinced, and this only— to take the prisoners and run them into Missouri — was as far as any pur- pose went, until they reached the door of the jail. There they were met with resistance — with fight; a defense certainly to have been expected; and it ended in death. It has been stated that two or three of the mobbers were wounded and carried away. We know not whether this is so. This "Book of Daniels,'' referred to above, was such a curiosity in itself, and contained so many wonderful statements, that we should be glad to copy it entire as a specimen of the literature and truthfulness of the times. It was put forth by one Wm. M. Dan- iels, a good-for-nothing youtli, whom no one ever heard of before or since, who says that he was among the Warsaw troops, and at the jail when the deed was done, and that afterward he was warned in a dream that he must go and join the Saints, and publish his knowledge to the world, in order to further the ends of justice. He accordingly went to Nauvoo, and, with the assistance of a typo there, 326 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, his book was ushered to the world. But we must content ourselves with a very short extract. He says that on the way to Carthage, after being disbanded, the Warsaw troops concocted the plan of killing the Smiths; that Sharp, and Grover, and Davis, and others, openly boasted of it along the road; that they sent a squad of men on ahead, to confer with the Carthage Greys; that a portion of the latter came out to meet them with a proposition, which was agreed upon; that the Greys stood and looked on while the killing was going on, etc., etc. He says, that after Joseph fell to the ground — A fellow six feet tall and upward, holding a pewter flute in his hands, bare- headed and bare-footed, having on nothing but his pants and shirt, with his sleeves rolled above his elbows, and his pants rolled above his knees, picked him up instantly and set him up on the south side of the well curb, situated three or four feet from the building. As the ruffian sprang over the fence to Gen. Smith, 'and while he was in the act of picking him up, he said : "This is old Jo ; I know him. I know you, old Jo. Damn you ! You are the man that had my daddy shot." The reason of his talking in this way, I suppose, was that he wished to pass himself to Gen. Smith as being the son of Gov. Boggs. * * * Four of the ruffians who stood in front of Col. "Williams, about eight feet east of the curb, were ordered by Williams to fire. They raised their muskets and the fire was simultaneous. * * * After the breath had left his body, the person I have previously described, who had passed as the son of Gov. Boggs, caught up a bowie knife for the purpose of cutting off his head. The knife was raised ready to strike, when a light, so strange, so bright and sudden, flashed between him and the corpse, that he and the four men who had shot him were struck with terror and consternation. Their muskets fell from their hands, and they stood like marble, not having power to move a single limb. They were about to be left, wlign Col. "Williams, who had also beheld and been terrified at the light, shouted out to the men, "For God's sake, come and carry away these men!" They were obliged to carry them away, as they were as helpless as though they were dead. This light was something like a flash of lightning, and was so much brighter than the day, that after it had passed, it left a slight darkness like a twilight. Daniels further states that when it became known that he was going to be a witness against the accused, and the nature of his testiniony became public, the sum of $3,500 was offered him to leave the State; this failing, eiforts were rnade to put him out ot the way by violence! BEFORE INDICTMENT AND TRIAL. During the summer and fall (184i), after the death of the lead- ers, great dissatisfaction and trouble existed at Nauvoo, growing mainly out of the struggle for the succession. Rigdon and his adherents were at work against Erigham Young and t]ie rest of the Twelve. Many of the rank and file were becoming lukewarm', and were quietly leaving the city; at the same time numbers were retiring from the Mormon settlements in other parts of the county, some locating in the city, and others scattering to other counties, and in doing so were stealing liberally from the Gentiles. To add to the excitement a Grand Military Encampment was called to be held at Warsaw on the 2d of October. This call was circulated in handbill, and was dated 27th Sept., signed by Col. Williams, Major Aldrich, and a number of officers of independent companies in the neighborhood of Warsaw. We are assured that this movement actnally intended nothing HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 327 beyond what was expressed in the call, bat it gave great uneasiness to the Mormons and their friends. They saw in it something more than a peaceful military display; and it soon became magni- fied into a great wolf hunt, in which the wolves hunted were to be Mormons in sheep's clothing. The excitement spread, and the Governor was appealed to for protection. His Excellency, ever ready to believe any thing prejudicial to the old citizens, in this case allowed himself to be imposed upon, and without proper inquiry, decided to send an expedition with troops into the county. A proclamation was accordingly issued, calling for volunteers (2,600 required), and after a delay of several days a force of about 450 men was marched into Hancock, the whole under command of Col. John J. Hardin, accompanied by the Governor himself. The two Quincy companies were sent directly to Nauvoo, by way of the river. People were reluctant to volunteer, believing that the Gov- ernor was engaged in an unnecessary and uncalled-for enterprise. Some days previous to the call for troops, Murray McConnell, Esq., of Jacksonville, had been sent into the county, to Carthage and Nauvoo; and the result was that Messrs. Williams and Sharp of Warsaw, and the Laws and Fosters of Rock Island, with Joseph H. Jackson, were selected as examples for arrest, and writs for them were accordingly issued by Aaron Johnson, a Nauvoo Justice of the Peace. These writs, excepting as to Col. Williams, were served ; but all refused to go to Nauvoo for hearing, and no attempt was made to take them there. After a delay of a day or two at Carthage, the Governor's army was marched to Nauvoo on the 2Yth, and encamped about a mile and a half below the city near the Mississtppi. On the 28th the Nanvoo Legion was paraded for review. From Nauvoo the troops were ordered to Warsaw, where they arrived on the 29 th, and encamped in the suburbs. As the troops approached the town, the men apprehending arrest, with some of their friends, quietly repaired across the river to Alexandria. Knowing this fact, Gov. Ford chartered a keel-boat at Montebello, and had it secretly dropped down to the vicinity of Warsaw, intending to use it that night in kidnapping the men from Missouri, and bringing them to the Illinois side. But during the afternoon Cols. Hardin and Baker visited the Missouri side, and had a conference with the accused. An agreement was entered into by which Williams and Sharp (Jackson being sick) agreed to give themselves up on con- dition that they be taken before Judge Thomas for examination, with some other conditions as to bail, etc. The writ was accord- ingly read to them, and afterwards, with Col. Baker, escorted by Quincy troops, they were shipped to Quincy in quest of the Judge. Here, after waiting two days, and no prosecuting witnesses appear- ing, they entered into voluntary recognizance to appear at next term of Court, and were set at liberty; thus leaving the whole mat- ter as it was previous to the Governor's expedition. 328 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. All tills occurred just previous to the October term of Court, at which the indictments were found. Mention has been made of Joseph H. Jackson . Mr. J. was an adven- turer of fine appearance and gentlemanly manners, who appeared in the county during the troubles; went to Nauvoo and became quite intimate with the prophet and the leaders; afterwards turned against them, went to Warsaw and published a pamphlet claiming to be an exposure of Mormonism and the evil purposes and prac- tices of its chiefs. This pamphlet made many serious charges against Smith and his adherents— charges of murder and conspir- acy, of counterfeiting, debauchery, spiritual-wifery, etc. ; and claimed that he had gone among them with the sole view of ingratiating himself and then exposing them. His expose was of much the same character, as that of General Bennett. As in the case of the latter, much of his statement was corroborated by cir- cumstances, and much lacked confirmation. The equivocal position in which he stood, it is proper to say, tended to lessen the confi- dence of the public in his statements, and his little book made but slight impression . The Mormons charged that he was an adven- turer of the worst class, and came there to practice his trade of counterfeiting, etc., and quarrelled with the prophet and the authorities because he was detected and exposed. TRIALS AND ACQUITTALS. At the October term, 1844, of the Hancock Circuit Court — present, j/csse B. Thomas, Judge; William Elliott, Prosecuting Attorney; Jacob B. Backenstos, Clerk, and Gen. Minor E. Dem-' ing, Sherifi^. The following composed the Grand Jury: Abram Lincoln, Thomas Gilmore, James Reynolds, Benj. Warrington, Thomas J. Graham, Reuben H. Loomis, Wm. M. Owens, Samuel Scott, Ebenezer Rand, James Ward, Thomas Brawner, Samuel Ramsey, Ralph Gorrell, Thomas H. Owen, Brant Agnert, David Thompson, Martin Tetter, John J. Hickok. Williani Smith, Abram Golden, E. A. Bedell, and Geo. Walker, excused for cause. Samuel Marshall refused to serve, and fined $5.00. The Court began its session on Monday, the 31st. There had been rumors indus- triously circulated that the old citizens intended to rally and interpose obstacles in the way of the Court, and considerable anxiety was felt. The Judge in his charge to the Grand Jury alluded to this rumor, and said he was glad to see that no such demon- strations were being made. He charged them to do their duty in the cases likely to come before them, and leave the consequences. His charge gave general satis- faction. There was a rumor that a lot of Mormons and Indians were encamped near town, and this rumor occasioned considerable une&siness. Orders were issued to investi- fate. The facts turned out to be that a number of Mormons had come down from Tauvoo to attend Court, and had gone into camp to save expense. As to the Indians, it was ascertained that a company of them had gone tlirough the county, HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 329 on their way to Iowa, for some purpose not known ; but the two facts had no con- nection with each other. On Tuesday the Grand Jury began their work, and on Saturday about noon, they brought into Court two bills of indictment against nine individuals ; one for the murder of Joseph Smith, and the other for the murder of his brother Hyrum. The persons indicted were as follows: Levi Williams, Jacob C. Davis, Mark Aldrich, Thos. C. Sharp, William Voras, John Wills, Wm. N. Grover, Gallaher and Allen. Murray McConnell, Esq., of Jacksonville, by special fippointment of the Governor, was present, assisting Mr. Elliott in the prosecution. Messrs. Bushnell and Johnson of Quincy and Calvin A. Warren, and perhaps others, appeared for defendants. Immediately on announcement of the indictments, most of the defendants appeared, and asked for an immediate trial. This Mr. McConnell objected to on the ground of not being ready. His witnesses before the Grand Jury had departed without being recognized, and besides, Mr. Elliott had gone. It was finally agreed that the causes be postponed until next term, and that no capias should issue from the Clerk in the interim, if the defendants would pledge them- selves to appear at the time -agreed on — a compact which was afterward violated by the prosecution. Subpoenas were asked for by the prosecution for between thirty and forty witnesses, among whom wereWm. M. Daniels and Brackenberry, the two miracle men, and John Taylor, Mrs. Emma Smith, and Governor Ford. On May 19, 1845, Court again met in special term at Carthage — present, Richard JVI. Young, Judge; James H. Ralston, Prosecuting Attorney; David E. Head, Clerk; and M. R. Doming, Sheriff. The cause of .The People vs. Williams et al. coming up, Messrs. Williams, Davis, Aldrich, Sharp and G-rover appeared, and were admitted to bail on personal recognizance in the sum of $5,000 jointly and severally. Josiah Lara born, of Jacksonville, as Assist- ant Prosecutor; and Wm. A. Richardson, O. H. Browning, Calvin A. Warren, Archibald Williams, 0. C. Skinner and Thos. Morri- son for defendants. Motion of defendants to quash the array of jurors for first week, on account of supposed prejudice of County Commissioners, who selected them, and of the Sheriff and deputies, was sustained. Also, motion for the appointment of elisors for the same cause, and absence of Coroner from the county. The array was set aside, and Thomas H. Owen and Wm. D. Abernethy appointed elisors for the case. , These gentlemen had a thankless and arduous duty to perform. Usually it is not hard to find men willing to sit on juries; in this case but few were willing to try the experiment of going to Court, with the almost certainty of being rejected by one or the other party; and the position was not an enviable one, if taken. Ninety-six men were summoned and brought into Court before the requisite panel of twelve was full. The following are the names of the jurors chosen: Jesse Griffltts, Jonathan Foy, Joseph Jones, Solomon J. Hill, Wm. Robertson, James Gittings, Wm. Smith, F- M. Walton, Joseph Massey, Jabez A. Beebe, Silas Grifiatts, Gilmore Callison. The trial lasted till the 30th, when the jury was instructed by the Court, and, after a deliberation of several hours, returned a verdict of Not Ouilty.. 330 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Instructions to the jury had been asked by both parties. The following, among a list of nine^sked by defendants' counsel, were given, and probably had most influence on the verdict: That where the evidence is circumstantial, admitting all to be proven which the evidence tends to prove, if then the jury can make any supposition consistent with the facts, by which 'the murder might have been committed without the agency of the defendants, it will be their duty to make that supposition, and find defendants not guilty. That in making up their verdict, they will exclude from their consideration all that was said by Daniels, Brackenberry, and Miss Graham. [Witnesses.] That whenever the probabiUty is of a definite and limited nature, whether in the proportion of 100 to 1 or of 1,000 to 1, or any ratio, is immaterial, it cannot be safely made the ground of conviction; for to act upon it in any case would be to decide that for the sake of convicting many criminals, the life of one innocent man might be sacrificed. — [Staekib, 508. Same defendants, for murder of Hyrum Smith, were required to enter into recognizance of $5,000 each (with 14 sureties) to the June term, 1845. At said term case was called, and Elliott and Lamborn not answering, the cause was dismissed for want of pros- ecution, and defendants discharged. It has been the custom for sensational writers to treat this trial and verdict as farcical and an outrage. One of these writers. Col. John Hay, now of the State Department at Washington, though then a mere boy, was yet raised in the county,-and had within his reach correct sources of information. In the Atlantic Monthly for Dec, 1869, he has a lengthy article, abounding in extravagant and sensational statements and surmises, among which we quote only the following: " The case was closed. There was not a man on the jury, in the Court, in the county, that did not know the defendants had done the murder. But it was not proven, and the verdict of Not Guilty was right in law." Here is a fling at the jury, the Judge, and people; and we ven- ture to characterize it as extremely unjust. "We know the writer intended to perpetrate' no wrong. He was too intimately con- nected with some of the accused — indeed, with all concerned — to desire them wrong; but he aimed to produce a readable story for the Atlantic, which he did, though at the expense of candor and justice. Another fling at the jury was equally unjust: " The elisors presented ninety-six men before twelve were found ignorant enough and indifterent enough to act as jurors." Some of those men we knew — not all; and we know that they, instead of being " ignorant and indifferent," were men of intelli- gence, probity and worth. There were some circumstances connected with those cases, not generally known, that tend to show how difficult it was to find out the guilty ones. The Mormons had had one John C. Elliott arrested and bound over, charged with the ofi^ense; they had also had writs for the Laws, and Fosters, and Higbees, at Kock Island, under the same charge. And when the Grand Jury was in session, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 331 the names of some sixty individuals were presented by the prose- cution for indictment. One of those sixty has informed us that he since learned that he narrowly escaped indictment, although, being one of the Warsaw men, he returned immediately home after dis- bandment, and had no knowledge of the affair till after it was over. It has since transpired that the Grand Jury voted on the whole sixty together at the first, and failing of an indictment, struck off ten and voted again, and so on until the last nine were reached, when the indictment carried. It has also been ascertained that the Grand Jury found bills against the nine, some as principals and some as accessories solely on the testimony of the three witnesses whose testimony on the trial the Court instructed the petit jury to disregard. From all these facts it is very easy to say that a murder had been committed; that somebody had done the deed. But to say that among the Elliotts, Laws, and Fosters, and Higbees, and long list of men charged, those five or six who were on trial had done it, and the jury, and Court, and everybody else knew it, is saying A GEEAT DEAL. STRUGGLE FOE THE SUCCESSION. If anything were needed to convince one of the folly and wicked- ness of Mormonism, it is to be found in the quarrels and conten- tions of the leaders. During the prophet's lifetime he was contin- ually at variance with one or more of his former followers and trusted associates; denouncing and excommunicating them one month, and the next taking them back to his embrace and confi- dence. Cowdery, Harris, Whitmer, Eigdon, Phelps, "Williams, and many others, had been sent by his maledictions to " buffet with Satan for a thousand years;" and long before their time was out, taken back again and the malediction removed. So, after his death, a great struggle began for the possession of the mantle that had fallen from his shoulders. The grief at his death was genuine on the part of the main body; but on the part of the few, its bitterness was assuaged by the hope of assuming his place and honors. Rigdon, who had the best right — having furnished the principal brain supply for the concern at its origin — was soon sent back to Pittsburg with a flea in his ear. He had made the' inexcusable and unlucky mistake of moving to carry the delusion back to the East. Young, wiser and more discerning, adopted the idea of following the setting sun; and he succeeded in overcoming all opposition. Absent when the prophet was killed, he hastened home, and quietly but firmly began to gather the reins of .. government about him — one by one securing the co-operation of his associates — till, before they knew it, he was supreme dictator, and they the pliant tools of his will. William, the patriarch (all the Smiths, we believe, had been patriarchs), the only male member left of the family, also hurried to Nauvoo, to advance his claims. But he was vacillating and 332 ' HISTOET OF HANCOCK CODNTT. weak, and sadly lacking in the traits requisite for a leader; and he fell into the meshes of the others, and quietly settled down into the business of dispensing "patriarchal blessings" for pay; and the organ urged the brethren and sisters to patronize him. But the pay being insufficient, or for some other cause, he again became troublesome — flew off at a tangent — quarrelled with and denounced the Twelve — and finally went and joined James Y. Strang in Wisconsin. But after the leaders had left for the West, thinking there might be a chance again, he came back to Nauvoo, and tried to prevent the remnant from following Young into the wilderness. Failing again, he, Rigdon and Strang organized a trinity which drew off a great many of the faithful. Whether Strang had ever been with them at Nauvoo, we do not know. The first we hear of him is at a place he called Yoree, in Wisconsin, where he tried the old game of finding plates, claimed the prophet's mantle by will from the prophet himself, got up revelations, issued a small monthly paper, and for a time made some noise in the Mor- mon world. The following illustrates his method of plate finding: Strang's four witnesses. On the 13th day of September, 1845, we, Aaron Smith, Jirah B. Wheelan, James M. Van Nostrand, and Edward Whitcomb, assembled at the call of James J. Strang, who is by us and many others approved as a prophet and seer of God. He- proceeded to inform us that it had been revealed to him in a vision that an account of an ancient people was buried in a hill south of White river bridge, near the east line of Walworth county, and leading us to an oak tree about one foot in diameter, told us that we would find it enclosed in a case of rude earthen- ware under that tree at a depth of about three feet; requested us to dig it up, and charged us to examine the ground, that we should know we were not imposed upon, and that it had not been buried since the tree grew. The tree was sur- rounded by a sward of deeply rooted grass, such as is usually found in the open- ings, and upon the most critical examination we could not discover any indication that it had ever been cut through or disturbed. We then dug up the tree, and continued to dig to the depth of about three feet, where we found a case of slightly baked clay containing three plates of brass. On one side of one is a landscape view of the south end of Gardner's prairie, and the range of hills where they were dug. On another, is a man with a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand; above is an eye before an upright Unc; below the sun and moon surrounded by twelve stars; at the bottom are twelve large stars- from three of which pillars arise, and closely interspersed with them are seven very small stars. The other four sides are very closely covered with what appear to be alphabetic characters, but in a language of which we have no knowledge. The case was found imbedded in indurated clay so closely fitting that it broke in taking out, and the eartb below the soil was so hard as to be dug with difficulty, even with a pick-ax. Over the case was found a flat stone about one foot wide each way and three inches thick, which appeared to have undergone the action of fire, and fell in pieces after a few minutes' exposure to the air. The digging extended in the clay about eighteen inches, there being two kinds of earth of different color and appearance above it. We examined as we dug all the way with the utmost care, and we say, with utmost confidence, that no part of the earth through which we dug exhibited any sign or indication that it had been moved or disturbed at any time previous. The roots of the tree stuck down very closely on every side, extending below the case, and closely interwoven with roots from other trees. None of them had been broken or cut away. No clay is found in the country like that of which this case is made. In fine, we found an alphabetic and pictorial record, carefully cased up, buried deep in the earth, covered with a flat stone, with an oak tree one foot in diameter ^ was at once resolved to begin the expulsion of the Mormons from the settle- ment known as Morley-Town. This resolve was put into execu- tion; on Wednesday night two Mormon cabins were burned, and the inmates notified to leave the settlement. For a week the burning continued until the whole of Morley-Town was in ashes^ with many other residences in the Bear Creek region and that of Green Plains. In all it is stated that as many as 100 or 125 houses were burned, and their occupants driven off. These pro- ceedings created intense excitement all over the county. Sheriff Backenstos endeavored to raise aposse among the old citizens to suppress the disturbances, but failed. He therefore issued a proc- lamation dated at Green Plains on the 13th, calling on the rioters to desist, and upon the posse comitatus of the county to assist him. He also stated that it was his policy to have the Mormons remain quiet, but that 2,000 men held themselves in readiness in Nauvoo to come to his aid when necessary. On the 16th Lieut. Franklin A. Worrell was killed while passing from Carthage to Warsaw, by Backenstos, or some oi his, posse, and on the 17th Samuel McBrat- ney was killed among the burners at Bear Creek, by the posse. Lieut. Worrell (of the Carthage Greys) was in no way connected with the burners, and had nothing to do with the prevailing dis- turbances. In company with eight other men, he was passing on the road from Carthage to Warsaw, with the view of ascertaining the facts as to the disturbances at Green Plains. Three of these men, Worrell and two others, were on horseback; the others were in a buggy and a two-horse wagon, the wagon also contain- ing the arms of the company. As they came in sight of the road leading toward Nauvoo, and which they would cross at right angles, they discovered a man riding up that road. Not knowing him, and seeing he was coming from the direction of the burning, they hurried on to intercept him at the crossing, hoping to gain information. He then drove more rapidly, apparently to cross before they could come up. They hurried on, the three horsemen in the lead. As they neared the brow of a ravine he had crossed, and when they came in sight, he was seen standing near his buggy, and at the same moment a shot was fired from near him, which struck Worrell. He nor his associates had made no demonstra- tions of violence; but now seeing or believing it to be Backenstos and his ^osse, immediately wheeled their horses ■ an.d rode toward HISTORY OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. 341 the wagon and buggy which were approaching. Mr. Worrell soon fell from his horse, was picked up, placed in the wagon and driven to Warsaw; but died on the way. Backenstos and the notorious 0. P. Eockwell were both subse- quently indicted for the murder of Worrell, and both acquitted, the former under trial by change of venue at Peoria, and the latter at Galena. Who was the actually guilty party may never be known. We have lately been informed from Salt Lake that Rockwell did the deed, under order of the Sheriff, which is probably the case. The Sheriff's Proclamation No. 2 would lead to this conclusion, He says, in his usual style of exaggeration: " I discovered an armed body of some 20 or more men on the Warsaw and Carthage road, two or three miles east of me, going toward Warsaw. I watched them, and on discovering that four men of the force mounted on horses, left the main body, apparently to strike a point in advance of me, with all the speed of their horses, and finding that they were in pursuit of me, I put the whip to my horse ; as 1 was trav- eling in a buggy, they taking a near cut evidently gained on me, The chase lasted for a distance of about two miles, when I for- tunately overtook three men with teams. I immediately informed them that armed men were pursuing me, evidently to take my life; I summoned them as a, posse to aid me in resisting them. I dismounted and took a position in the road, pistol in hand. I commanded them (the mobbers) to stop, when one of them held his musket in a shooting attitude; whereupon one of my posse fired, and; it is believed, took effect on one of the lawless banditti." Admitting this statement to be an honest one from his stand- point — which is not at all likely^ — it only illustrates how easily the fears and excitements of an individual can change peaceable citi- zens into "lawless banditti." It is, furthermore, quite certain that had Lieut. Worrell and his companions known who it was they were following, he would have been permitted to go his way un- molested. The Sheriff says that he ordered his pos?e to take the burners prisoners, if practicable, if not, to fire on them. How well this order was obeyed the killing of McBratney will show. He was pursued, with others, by a crowd of men on horseback; was ovbr- taken and shot in the back, and while down was hacked and bay- oneted in numerous places. His horse was slow, and he could have easily been taken prisoner alive. It is proper to state that the Mormons and their friends have charged the firing on the school-house at Green Plains to have been a sham previously arranged by the mobbers to create a sympathy in their favor. This has been denied ; whether true or not, we do not know. The Sheriff, failing to raise a posse outside of Nauvoo, was obliged to resort to his " 2,000 armed men " there, to carry out his purposes. He obtained such force as he desired, and soon succeeded in scattering the burners. He now carried things in the county 342 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. with a high hand. Exactly what his object was is not known, but on the evening of the 19th of September, the Sheriff, at the head of several hundred men, rode into Carthage after sundown, sur- rounded the place, and ordered all the citizens who could be found to be arrested and taken to headquarters at the court-house. He said he was in quest of criminals. After roughly handling many of them, and searching their houses for arms, most of them were set at liberty. In the morning, the posse, excepting about fifty, left town, the fifty remaining, as he said, to protect the town. They re- tained possession of the court-house till the arrival of Gen. Hardin and his State troops, who gave them immediate leave of absence. These disturbances and excesses, as on a former occasion, of course, called for executive interference, and accordingly Gov. Ford again sent a detachment of volunteers into the county, and again under command of Gen. John J. Hardin. The General was accom- panied as adviser, by J. A. McDougal, Attorney- General of the State, and also by Judge S. A. Douglas and Major "W. B. "Warren. On the 27th of September, Gen. Hardin issued a highly merito- rious proclamation to the people of the county, enjoining them to be peaceable and to obey the laws and the constituted authorities. In conjunction with his advisers he at once entered into correspond- ence with the authorities of the Mormon Church at Nauvoo, which resulted in the Mormons agreeing to leave the State in the spring. THE BEGINNING OF THE END. In the meantime a meeting of representatives of nine counties contiguous to Hancock had been called to meet at Carthage on the first and second days of October (Hancock county being excluded), to take into consideration the state of affairs. The convention was organized as folloWs, viz: Isaac N. Morris, Esq., of Adams, Pres- ident; Col. Wm. Koss, of Pike, Gen. James McCallen, of Warren, and John Kirk, Esq., of McDonough, Yice-Presidents ; and Alva Wheeler, of Knox, Geo. Eobinson, of Schuyler, and Wm. H. Ben- neson, of Adams, Secretaries. Fifty-eight delegates were reported from the counties of Adams, Brown, Henderson, McDonough, Pike, Schuyler, Warren, Marquette and Knox. On motion of O. H. Browning, of Adams, a committee of three from each county was appointed to prepare a preamble and resolutions expressive of the sense of the convention. Mr. Browning, in behalf of the committee, reported a preamble and series of resolutions, of which we find room for only two, as giving the sense of the convention on the points mentioned. Resolved, That it is the settled and deliberate conviction of this convention that it is now too late to attempt the settlement' of the difficulties in Hancock county upon any other basis than that of the removal of the Mormons from the State; and we therefore accept, and respectfully recommend to the people of the sur- rounding counties to accept the proposition made by the Mormons to remove from the State next spring, and to wait with patience the time appointed for removal. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 343 Sesolved, Tlmt we utterly repudiate the impudent assertion so often and so con- stantly put forth by tJie Mormons, tTiat they a/re persecutbd fob, righteousness' SAKE. We do not believe theon to be a persecuted people. We know that they a/re not; but that whatever grievances they mny suffer are the necessary and legitimate consequences of their illegal, wicked and dishonest acts. The action of this convention, composed as it was of leading and representative men from the neighboring counties, and from both the political parties, had a beneficial effect upon the public mind ; and no doubt satisfied many that the conclusions to which it arrived were only such as would give peace and prosperity to our distracted county. And the Mormons also accepted the conclu- sions as inevitable, and earnestly prepared to act accordingly. The opinion expressed in the last of the resolutions quoted, is as much as the most ardent Anti-Mormon could ask, and should forever shut the mouths of those Mormon apologists, who have regarded them as a persecuted people, only needing to be let alone. As the basis for the subsequent action of both parties, the cor- respondence alluded to is here reproduced : Nautoo, Oct. 1, 1845. To the First President and Council of the Church at Na/m>oo : Having had a free and full conversation with you this day, in reference to your proposed removal from this county, together with the members of your Church, we have to request you to submit the facts and intentions stated to us in said con- versation to writing, in order that we may lay them before the Governor and people of the State. We hope that ,by so doing it will have a tendency to allay the excitement at present existing in the public mind. We have the honor to subscribe ourselves, respectfully yours, etc., John J. Hardin, S. A. DOU&LAS, W. B. Wakben, J. A. McDODGAL. Kauvoo, Oct. 1, 1845. To Qen. John J. Bar din, W. B. Warren, 8. A. Douglas and_ J. A. MeDougal : Messrs: — In reply to your letter of this date, requesting iis to " submit the facts and intentions stated by us to writing, in order that you may lay them before the Governor and people of the State," we would refer you to our communication of the 34th ultimo, to the " Quincy Committee," etc., a copy of which is herewith inclosed. In addition to this, we would say, that we had commenced making arrange- ments to remove from this county previous to the recent disturbances ; that we now have four companies organized of one hundred families each, and six more companies now organizing of the same number each, preparatory to removal. That one thousand families, including the Twelve, the High Council, the Trust- ees and general authorities of the Church, are fully determined to remove in the spring, independent of the contingency of selling our property, and that this com- pany will comprise from five to six thousand souls. That the Church, as a body, desires to remove with us, and will, if sales can be effected, so as to raise the necessary means. That the organization of the Church we represent is such, that there never can exist but one head or presidency at any one time, and all good members wish to be with the organization ; and all dre determined to remove to some distant point where we shall neither infringe or be infringed upon, so soon as time and means will permit. That we have some hundreds of farms and some two thousand or more houses for sale in this city and county, and we request all good citizens to assist in the disposal of our property. That we do not expect to find purchasers for our Temple and other public build- ings; but we are willing to rent them to a respectable community who may inhabit the city. 344 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. That we wish it distinctly understood, that, although we may not find purchasers for our property, we will not sacrifice or give it away, or suffer it illegally to be wrested from us. That we do not intend to sow any wheat this fall, and should we all sell we shall not put in any more crops of any description. That as soon as practicable we will appoint committees for this city. La Harpe, Macedonia, Bear Creek, and all necessary places in the county, to give informa- tion to purchasers. That if these testimonies are not suflicient to satisfy any people that we are in earnest, we will soon give them a sign that cannot be mistaken — we will leave them! In behalf of the Council, respectfully yours, etc., Bbigham Young, Pres. WiLLAED RicHAEDS, Clerk. The communication to the Quincy committee was of similar import to the above, but referred particularly and in eloquent terms to their sufferings and grievances here and elsewhere, and begged to be let alone. Two other murders were committed at this time, one in ISTaavoo and the other in the Camp Creek settlement, by Mormons. On the 16th, Phineas Wilcox, a young man of St. Mary's township, went into Nauvoo on business, was there charged with being a spy, and was never afterward heard of, although repeated inquiries and search were made for him by his friends. Circumstances strongly showed that he had been murdered and thrown into the river. The other case, that of Andrew Daubenheyer, was as^ mysterious and atrocious. Mr. D. resided in the north part of the county, and was known as an active Anti-Mormon. On the 18th of September he started to Carthage with a two-horse wagon. On the evening ot the 20th he started for his home on horseback, which he never reached, but on the morning of the 21st his horse came home with- out him. On his road home was encamped a body of Mormons, supposed to be of Backenstos' posse, and the belief was that he had been waylaid and killed by them. Search being made his body was afterward found, buried near the place of the encampment. The agreement entered into by Gen. Hardin and the Mormons being deemed suflBcient to pacify the county, the troops were with- drawn, leaving only Major Warren with a hundred men, to remain until withdrawn by the Governor. THE EXODUS BEGUN. In accordance with the pledge made by the Twelve, active prep- arations were made during the winter in JStativoo, and throughout the county, to leave in the spring. Those residing in the country made sales of their property and retired to the city in order to join the expeditions. Large numbers of wagons were manufactured, and many were obtained by way of exchange, while oxen and horses were in great demand. As early as Feb. 10, the weather being favorable, it was stated that over one thousand persons, including most of the Twelve, and many of the other dignitaries of the Church, had crossed the river and were on their way westward. As HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 345 the spring advanced they were still leaving in large numbers; but the advance had not yet reached beyond Keosauqua, from which point they kept up a constant intercourse with the city. The Eig- donites, Strangites, Smithites, and Twelveites, still behind, kept up their dissentious, the former all agreeing in denunciation of the latter,^ and all excepting the latter, censuringthe Western movement. Major "Warren, who had been deputed in the fall to remain in the county with a small force, had orders from the Grovernor in April to disband and withdraw on the first of May. He and his troops had been stationed at Carthage all winter, and had performed many arduous and delicate duties to preserve the peace, arrest offenders, and execute writs. Their aid Imd been invoked in all parts of the county, and they had been employed on numerous occa- sions in Nauvoo in the execution of process. They had been braved and threatened and insulted, even to violent resistance in that city, but they had exhibited a prudence, firmness and judgment which entitled them to the regard of all peace-loving citizens. These gentlemanly soldiers were mostly from Quincy, the " Quincy Eifiemen," under the immediate command of Captain James D. Morgan and Lieut. B. M. Prentiss, names the country has since recognized in the list of Union Generals in the late Rebellion. The contemplated withdrawal of the Guard, together witli|iudi- cations at ISTauvoo, gave general uneasiness to the people. It began to be feared that many of the Mormons were not intending to leave the city, but to quietly remain, in the hope and expectation that in time all danger would be over. Public meetings began to be held in Hancock and the adjoining counties, at which these apprehen- sions were expressed, and reference made to the action of the nine counties in October. These demonstrations brought a letter of inquiry from Mr. Babbitt to Gov. Ford. In hib^ answer the Gov- ernor denied that he or the State was a party to the agreement that the Mormons should leave in the spring. But he also plainly intimated that they were bound to go, and that he would be pow erless to prevent their expulsion. " I tell you plainly," said His Excellency, " that the people of Illinois will not fight for the Mor- mons." The day after Maj. Warren's detachment had been disbanded at Carthage, he received an order from Gov. Ford to retain them in service until further orders. He again mustered them in and remained, making his headquarters chiefly at the Mansion House in Nauvoo. On May 14, he sent a dispatch to the Signal, stating that the Mormons were leaving with all possible speed; that the ferry was crossing as fast as possible; that an estimate of 450 teams and 1,350 souls had left within the week; that new settlers were tak- ing their places, etc. Information was also received from LaHarpe, Eamus 'and other points, that they were fast leaving the neighbor- hoods. On the 22d he reported: "The Mormons still continue to leave the city in large numbers. The ferry at this place averages about 32 teams per day, and at Fort Madison, 45. Thus it will be 346 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. seen that 539 teams have left during the week, which average about three persons to each, making in all 1,617 souls." A week later the reported estimate was about 800. After the Twelve had left the city, and while within convenient reach, O. P. Rockwell seems to have been employed as a messenger between the camp and the city. He became very violent in his con- duct while there, so much so that the leaders began to fear he would bring trouble upon them. On May first, a writ was issued for his arrest, on the affidavit of a certain Dr. Watson, charging him with the killing of Lieut. "Worrell. This writ was placed in the hands of some of Maj. "Warren's men, who proceeded to Nauvoo and arrested him, surrounded with fifteen shooters and other weapons of defense. He waived examination, and was sent to Quincy to jail . At the May term in Carthage, a true bill was found against him by the Grand Jury, and he was sent to Galena for trial, he hav- ing obtained a change uf venue from this Circuit. He was subse- quently tried in Galena and acquitted. "Warlike demonstrations still continuing, on May 11th Maj. "War- ren issued a proclamation, in which he warned the Anti-Mormons to desist, assuring them that in his opinion the Mormons were making all reasonable efforts to leave. Notwithstanding this assur- ance, a public meeting was held at Carthage, at which the opinion was expressed that large numbers of the Mormons designed to remain; and recommending that the citizens of the surrounding counties prepare forthwith to put in execution the resolutions of October last. Accordingly a considerable force was assembled at Carthage, and thenee marched to Golden's Point, where they held a conference with a deputation of new citizens from Nauvoo, who had been invited to meet them there. The latter objecting to their entrance into the city, and the force being weak, and poorly officered and drilled, it was decided to retire again to Carthage, where it was soon disbanded. On June 20th, George "Walker, Esq., the "old citizen" County Commissioner, resigned his office and notified the public that his Mormon associates, Coulson and Perkins, having both left the country, there would be a full board to elect at the coming election. Backenstos, having been appointed to a Captaincy in the army against Mexico, also resigned the office of Sheriffi On July 2Sth an Anti-Mormon Convention was held at Carthage to nominate candidates for office. The following ticket was put in nomination: Por Senator, Jacob C. Davis; for Eepresentatives, Thomas Morri- son and James Stark; for Sheriff, Melgar Couchman; for County Commissioners, Frederic "Walton, Daniel N. Painter and James M. Renshaw; for Treasurer and Assessor, James "W. Brattle; and for Coroner, "Wm. S. Moore— 4 Democrats and 5 "Whigs. No full ticket was put up against this, but there were several independents. The above named were all elected by majorities of about 400. At this election Nauvoo polled between 800 and 000 votes. The peace was of short duration. About the 10th of July, some HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 347 Mormons from Eauvoo went out to the vicinity of Pontoosuc, and engaged in harvesting a field of -wheat for one of the brethren. It is stated that they behaved in a very unrulj' manner, when some of the neighbors collecting, seized and whipped them, and sent them away. A few days after, a posse went out from Nauvoo and arrested Maj. McAuley, of Pontoosuc, and James "W. Brattle, of Carthage, who happened to be at his house. In return, several other Mormons were captured and held as hostages, and this led to other arrests, till there were of McAuley's party some ten or fifteen held in the city in custody. They were held for over a week, and denied the privilege of an examination or giving bail. At length a writ of habeas cormis was obtained from Adams county, and served on Clifibrd and Furness, who had the prisoners in custody, and they and their prisoners were taken to Quincy, examined and released on bail. The new citizens of Nauvoo were generally an orderly and well- disposed people; but they had a few rnflfians among them, who, by their violence and intemperate conduct made themselves generally obnoxious. Of these, the most conspicuous and disorderly was William Pickett. Clifford and Furness, above named, were very vindictive toward the Anti-Mormons. About the first of April the HanGOck Eagle appeared at Nauvoo. It was ably conducted by Dr. William E. Matlack, a stranger in the county. It claimed to be a " Democratic" sheet, but was in fact the organ and mouthpiece of Backenstos and what was known as the " Jack-Mormon" influence. Its course no doubt greatly weak- ened the Mormon efforts to get away, and increased the animosity existing between them and their enemies. It continued under Dr. Matlack's management until his death, which occurred about the last of August. WAB IMPENDING. During the first week in August writs were issued by John Banks, Esq., of Kocky Eun township, for Clifford, Furness and Pickett, of Nauvoo, charged with false imprisonment and robbery, diiring the troubles heretofore mentioned. These writs were placed in the hands of John Carlin, of Carthage, a Deputy Sheriff. On the 7th, the officer went to Nauvoo and arrested Clifford and Furness, but was resisted and defied by Pickett . . He took Furness before the Magistrate (Clifford having taken sick and left), where he gave bail for his appearance at Court, and was set at liberty. Carlin resolved that Pickett should be arrested. On the 17th he therefore issued a proclamation, calling out the^osse oomitatus to assemble at Carthage on Monday the 24th, to aid in the arrests. On the 12th a meeting was held in Nauvoo, of the Mormons and their adherents, at which it was resolved that Carlin's writs should not be executed ; they also took measures to organize for military resistance. On the 2l8t, Gov. Ford, at Springfield, issued an order to Maj. James E. Parker, of the 32d Eeg. 111. Militia, saying :_ 348 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Sik; — I have received information that another effort is to be made on Monday- next to drive out the inhabitants of Nauvoo, new and old, and to destroy the city. Maj. P. vfas authorized to take command of such persons as would volunteer free of cost to the State, and repel any attack and defeind the city. He was also authorized to assist any peace oiBoer in making arrests. This order of the Gov- ernor's placed Parker and Carlin in antagonism. Carlin's proclamation was dated the 17th ; on the 35th, Parker issued a counter proclamation, calling on all armed bodies of men in the county to disperse, and stating that he held himself in readiness " to aid any officer in any part of the county in executing any lawful writs in his hands." .Carlin replied by letter, that he was a legally constituted officer, with writs in his hands to execute, that he had been resisted, and had called out the posse to aid him, that he did not acknowledge the authority of the military to interfere, that a large force was collecting, and he should proceed. To this Parker rejoined, that he was sent by the Governor, that the force under Carlin was a mob, whose aim was to set the Mormons over the river, that his position compelled him to regard the posse as a mob, and he must treat them as such. This brought another letter from Carlin, who reiterated his former state- ments, and concluded : " The pos«e will proceed to perform its duty, and as you have cautioned me, that if it does not soon disperse you will treat it as a mob and as one good turn deserves another, I will caution you, that if you attempt to inter- fere with this posse while acting under the law, I shall regard you and your com- mand as a mob, and ' treat them as such.' " Hereupon Parker fell back upon proclamations. On the 28th he issued a second, and on the 3d of September, a third, defining his position, and warning " the mob " to desist. In the meantime the force was concentrating at Carthage. On the 25th, Col. John B. Chittenden, of Adams county, was placed in temporary command, with the , understanding that Col. James W. Singleton, of Brown, was to supersede hira on his arrival. Col. S. arrived on the 28th and took command, with Col. Brock- man, of Brown, in command of the First Eegiment, and Col. Thomas Geddes, of Hancock, in command of the Second. The camp was fixed about five miles from Carthage, on the Nauvoo road, the force numbering from 600 to 800 .men. Here negotiations for a compromise began between the two commanders in secret. This was concluded and ratified by Col. Singleton, but unanimously rejected by his officers and men, amid great excitement. The con- ditions of this agreement were, in short: that the Mormon popula- tion of ISTauvoo shall all leave in 60 days; that a force of 25 men be left as a guard, the expense to be equally borne by both parties; that an attorney be selected to take charge of all writs; that the Mormons shall deliver up the State arms, and that all hostilities shall at once cease. The reasons given for the rejection were, that no confidence could be placed in the Mormon's professions of sin- cerity, and that no provision was made for the execution of the writs in Carlin's hands. On the rejection of the treaty. Col. Singleton withdrew from the command, and Carlin appointed Col. Brockman to the place. He immediately gave orders for an advance, and on the 10th, the whole force, numbering about TOO men, marched toward Nauvoo and encamped about three miles from the temple. Here a committee, consisting of Hon. John Wood, Major Flood and Joel Eice, of Quincy, appeared and proposed a compromise. Terms were named to them, and by them taken to the city; but no answer was received. The posse was put in motion towards the city, and for HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 349 two days considerable skirmishing was carried on between picket guards, and some firing of artiUery, of which both parties had a few pieces. On the 12th, a flag of truce was sent in by Brockman and Carlin, demanding a surrender. It was repled to by Maj. Ben- jamin Clifford, in command (but what became of Parker does not appear), refusing to comply. Preparations for battle were there- upon immediately made. As this was the concluding and only military battle of the war, we deem a report of it in full, copied from the Warsaw Signal of the 13th October, worthy *of a place here. THE BATTLE AND EEStTLT. "After the reception of this letter (Clifford's) the army was drawn up in column on a piece of high ground lying between the camp and the city. While in this position a few shots w#re fired from a breastwork the Mormons had erected during the night, and the fire was returned from our artillery. So soon as all was ready, the Warsaw Riflemen were divided into two sections and deployed on the right and left as flankers. Capt. Newton's Lima Guards, with Capt. Walker's gun, were ordered to take position a quarter of a mile in front of the camp, and employ the iittention of the Mormons at their breastwork, and from which they kept a constant fire, while the main body of the army wheeled to the left, passed down across the La Harpe road, through a cornfield, thence across Mulholland street, then bore to the right through an orchard and on to the city. So soon as the army was fairly under way, Capt. Newton's company and the piece of artillery with it, were brought up in the rear. This march was made directly across and in the face of the enemy's fire, and within good cannon range, yet not a man was injured. "Arriving on the verge of the city, the army, all except the artillery and fiankers, was halted, while the latter advanced and commenced an attack on the Mormon works, from which they had been firing during the whole time of the march. A hot fire was kept up by the artillery from both sides for fifteen or twenty minutes. During this time the Mormons did no execution on our ranks, while the balls from our cannon rattled most terrifically through the houses in the city. " At length the fire of small arms was heard from some Mor- mons who had taken position on the extrem^ left in a cornfield. Immediately Col. Smith's regiment was ordered up and drove the assailants before them. The Second Regiment was in the mean- time ordered up to the support of the artillery. By this time the action became general. "The Mormons were in squads in their houses and poured in their shots with the greatest rapidity. Our men were also divided off into squads, took shelter where they could best find it, and returned the fire with great energy. The greater part of the First Regiment had no better shelter than a cornfield and a worm fence ; 350 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the Second Kegiment was on open ground, having but two or three small houses to cover the whole .body; while our artillery was entirely exposed. . " The firing of small arms was continued for half an hour, during which time our men steadily advanced, driving the enemy in many instances from their shelter. For a time their fire was almost entirely silenced; but unfortunately at this juncture our cannon balls were exhausted; and our commander deeming it imprudent to risk a further advance without these necessary instruments, he ordered the men to be drawn off. This was done in good order, and in slow time the whole force returned to the camp. " In this action we had about 500 men engaged, and four pieces of artillery; 200 men and one piece of artillery having been left at the camp for its protection. Our loss in this engagement, as well as in the subsequent skirmishes, will be found in the report of th& surgeons hereto appended. Most of our men throughout the action displayed remarkable coolness and determination; and we have no doubt did great execution. We believe if our cannon balls had held out ten minutes longer, we should have taken the city; but when the action commenced we had but 61 balls. The battle lasted from the time the first feint was made until our men were drawn oif — an hour and a quarter. Probably there is not on record an instance of a longer continued militia fight. (?) " The Mormons stood their ground manfully ; but from the little execution done by them, we infer that they were not very cool or deliberate. Their loss is uncertain — as they have taken especial pains to conceal the number of their dead and wounded. They acknowledge but three dead and ten wounded. Amongst the killed is their master spirit, Capt. Anderson, of the 15-shooter rifle com- pany. Their force in the fight was from three to four hundred. They had all the advantage, having selected 'their own positions ; and we were obliged to take such as we could get. Sometimes our men could get no cover, and the artillery was all the time exposed, while theirs was under cover. " On Saturday after the battle, the Anties commenced entrench- ing their camp, and on Sunday made it secure against the shots of the enemy's cannon, which frequently reached or passed over it. On Sunday the Anties cut part of the corn from the field on the left of the La Harpe road, to prevent the Mormons from taking cover in it. While thus engaged the Mormons fired on the guard which was protecting the corn-cutters. The fire was returned by the guard, and kept up at long distance for two or three hours. In this skirmish one of our men was badly wounded. The loss of the enemy is not known. On Monday a party of Mormons crept up through the weeds to a piece of high ground, and fired at our camp — wounding three men, none seriously. Their balls were nearly spent when they struck. On Sunday morning after the battle a powder plot was dug up in the La Harpe road, which the army was expected to pass. On Wednesday another was dug up on the WALKER TP. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 363 same road nearer the city. Several of these plots were discovered near the temple and in other parts of the city." But the fighting was over and the war was ended. On Tuesday morning, the 15th, a deputation from 100 citizens of Quincy arrived in camp with proposals for mediation. The sub-committee was headed by Andrew Johnston, Esq., as chairman. A similar sub-co'mmittee was sent to Nauvoo to confer with B. Clifford, the Commander there. A truce was agreed on, and after a long and voluminous correspondence, a treaty was concluded, which we can give best in its own words : 1. The City of Nauvoo will surrender. The force of Col. Brockman to enter and take possession of the city to-morrow, Hie 17th of September, at 3 o'clock p. m. 2. The arms to be delivered to the Quincy Committee, to be returned on the crossing of the river. 3. 'me Quincy Committee pledge themselves to use their influence for the protection of persons and property from all violence ; and the officers of the camp and the men pledge themselvics to protect all persons and property from violence. 4. The sick and helpless to be protected and treated with humanity. 5. The Mormon population of the city to leave the State, or disperse, as soon as they can cross the river. 6. Five men, including the trustees of the Church, and five clerks, with their families (William Pickett not one of the number) to be permitted to remain in the city for the disposition of property, free from all molestation and personal violence. 7. Hostilities to cease immediately, and ten men of the Quincy Committee to enter the city in the execution of their duty as soon as they think proper. We, the undersigned, subscribe to, ratify and confirm the foregoing articles of accommodation, treaty and agreement, the day and year first above written. Signed by : Almon W. Babbitt, Joseph L. Heywood, John 8. Fullmer, Trustees in Trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ; Andrew Johnson, Chairman of the Com. of Quincy; 7%os. 8- Brockman, commanding posse; John Carlin, Special Constable. The remarkable feature of this treaty is, that it contained not a word about the arrest of the persons named in the writs held by Carlin, and for the service of which the expedition was undertaken. Soon after the agreement was signed and exchanged, Major Clif- ford gave orders for the withdrawal of the forces under his com- mand. By three o'clock the next day, nearly the whole Mormon population had crossed the river. At three, Brockman's force was put in motion, marched through the city, and encamped near the south end of town. On Friday all except 100 men were disbanded, and to co-operate with these the new citizens organized a company of 100 men as guards to the city. The surgeons in Col. Brockman's camp, Drs. Berry and Charles of Warsaw, reported twelve men wounded, as follows: John Kennedy, of Augusta, in the shoulder; Jefferson "Welsh, of McDonough Co., in the thigh ; Mr. Kogers, of Adams Co., thigh and hip ; Uriah Thompson, of Fountain Green, inarm; Mr. Hum- phreys, of Hancock Co., in the thigh severely, and died ten hours afterward; George Wier, Warsaw, in the neck; Capt. Kobert F. Smith, who commanded the First Eegiment, slightly in the neck; Mr. Crooks, of Chili, in the head slightly; Mr. Winsor, of Nauvoo, in the back, while loading; Mr. Denny, of Green Plains, at camp- 22 354r HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. guard; Dr. Geiger, of Nauvoo, in camp; and Mr. Stinson, of Brown Co., in the thigh. Of the loss on the other side we have no reliable data. But, although the war was over, the troubles were not yet to end. 'The force left in the city, not satisfied with the withdrawal of the Mormons, dealt pretty roughly with the ring-leaders of the obnox- ious new citizens., A few of them were ordered to leave. ' They did so, but made their appeals to the public and to Gov. Ford at . Springfield, in a tissue of most exaggerated statements. Maj. Bray- man, who had been commissioned by the Governor to investigate, made reports also to his Excellency, which, taken together, decided him to again order a force into the county. He recruited about 100. men, with which he entered the county, and after a day or two '.at Carthage, proceeded to Eauvoo, where he arrived on the 28th of October. He was waited on by numbers of the respectable new citizens, who endeavored to disabuse his mind as to the state of affairs in the city. The Governor encamped his force about the temple, where he remained until the 14th of November, when he left for Springfield, leaving a part of his force under Major Weber, at Nauvoo. Before reaching the county, the Governor became con- vinced that. he had undertaken a useless expedition, as the result proved, for during his whole two weeks' presence nothing trans- pired requiring milita,ry or executive interference. The force left, remained in the county inactive, until withdrawn by Gov. French. Gov. F., having been elected to succeed Ford, was inaugurated December 8th, and on the 12th he withdrew the force, and ad- dressed a short note to the people of Hancock county, announcing their withdrawal, and exhorting to peace and quietness. NAUVOO CHAETEE AND OEDINAI^OES. A history of Mormonism in Hancock county would be incom- plete that failed to recite the Charter granted that people by the State Legislature, and to give a few samples of the Ordinances passed by the City Council. The following is a verbatim copy of the Charter: ' AN ACT TO INCOEPOEATE THE CITY OF NAUVOO. Seo. 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the Gen- eral Assembly, That all that district of country embraced within the following boundaries, to-wit : [omit long description of boundaries.] Sec. 3. Whenever any tract of land adjoining the city of Nauvoo shall have been laid out into town lots, and duly recorded according to law, the same shall form a part of the city of Nauvoo. Sec. 3. The inhabitants of said city, by the name and style aforesaid, shall have power to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended, in all courts of law and equity, and in all actions whatsoever; to purchase, receive and hold property, real and personal, in said city; to purchase, receive and hold real property beyond the city for burying ground, or for other public purposes, for the use of the inhabitants of said city ; to sell, lease, convey or dispose of property, real and personal, for the benefit of the city; to improve and protect such property, and to do all other things in relation tiiereto as natural persons. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 355 Sbc. 4. There shall be a City Council to consist of Mayor, four Aldermen and nine Councilors, who shall have the qualifications of electors of said city, and shall be chosen by the qualified voters thereof, and shall hold their offices for two years, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. The City Council shall judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of their own members, and a majority of them shall form a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members, under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance. Sec. 5. The Mayor, Aldermen and Councilors, before entering upon the duties of their oflices, shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation, that they will support the Constitution of the United States and of this State ; and that they will well and truly perform the duties of their offices to the best of their skill and abilities. Sbc. 6. On the first Monday of February next, and every two years thereafter, an election shall be held for the election of one Mayor, four Aldermen, and nine Councilors; and at the first election under this act, three Judges shall be chosen mva voce by the electors present, the said Judges shall choose two clerks, and the Judges and clerks, before entering upon their duties, shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation, such as is now required by law to be taken by judges and clerks of other elections ; and at all subsequent elections, the necessary number of Judges and clerks shall be appointed by the City Council. At the first election so held the polls shall be opened at nine o'clock, a.m., and closed at six o'clock, p. M. ; at the close of the polls the votes shall be counted, and a statement thereof proclaimed at the front door of the house at which such election shall be held ; and the cleriss shall leave with each person elected, or at his usual place of resi- dence within five days after the election, a written notice of his election, and each person so notified, shall within ten days after the election, take the oath or affirm- ation hereinbefore mentioned, a certificate of which oath shall be deposited with the Recorder, whose appointment is hereafter provided for, and be by him pre- served; and all subsequent elections shall be held, conducted, and returns thereof made as may be provided for b^ the ordinances of the City Council. Sbc. 7. AH free white male inhabitants, who are of the age of 21 years, who are entitled to vote for State officers, and who shall have been actual residents of said city sixty days next preceding said election, shall be entitled to vote for city officers. Sbc. 8. The City Council shall have authority to levy and collect taxes for city purposes, upon all property, real and personal, within the limits of the city, not exceeding one-half per cent, per annum upon the assessed value thereof, and may enforce the payment of the same in any manner to be provided by ordinance, not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States, or of this State. Sbc. 9. The City Council shall have power to appoint a Recorder, Treasurer, Assessor, Marshal, Supervisor of streets, and all such other officers as may be necessary, and to prescribe their duties, and remove them from office at pleasure. Sec. 10. The City Coimcil shall have power to require of all officers, appointed in pursuance of this act, bonds with penalty and security, for the faithful perform- ance of their respective duties, such as may be deemed expedient; and also to require all officers appointed as aforesaid, to take an oath for the faithful performance of the duties of their respective offices. Sbc. 11. The City Council shall have powisr and authority to make, ordain, establish and execute all such ordinances, not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States or of this State, as they may deem necessary for the benefit, peace, good order, regulation, convenience and cleanliness of said city; for the protection of property therein from destruction by fire or otherwise, and for the health and happiness thereof ; they shall have power to fill all vacancies that may happen by death, resignation or removal, in any of the offices herein made elective ; to fix and establish all the fees of the officers of said corporation not herein established; to impose such fines not exceeding one hundred dollars for each offense, as they may deem just, for refusing to accept any office in or under the corporation, or for misconduct therein; to divide the city into wards; to add to the number of Alder- men and Councilors, and apportion them among the several wards as may be most just and conducive to the interests of the city. Sbc. 13. To license, tax, and regulate auctions, merchants, retailers, grocers, hawkers, pedlars, brokers, pawn-brokers and money-changers. Sbc. 13. The City Council shall have exclusive power within the city, by ordi- nance to license, regulate and restrain the keeping of ferries; to regulate the police 356 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of the city- to impose fines, forfeitures and penalties for the breach of any ordinance, and provide for the recovery of such fines and forfeitures, and the enforcement of such penalties, and to pass such ordinances as may be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers specified in this act : Provided, Such ordi- nances are not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States or of this State ; and in fine, to exercise such other legislative powers as are conferred on the City Council of the city of Springfield, by an act entitled "An act to incorporate the city of Springfield," approved February thh-d, one thousand eight hundred and forty. Sec. 14. All ordinances passed by the City Council shall, within one month after they shall have been passed, be published in some newspaper printed in the city, or certified copies thereof be posted up in three of the most public places in the city. Seo. 15l All ordinances of the city may be proven by the seal of the corporation, and when printed or published in book or pamphlet form, purporting to be printed or published by authority of the corporation, the same shall be received in evidence in all courts or places without f m-ther proof. Seo. 16. The Mayor and Aldermen shall be conservators of the peace within the limits of said city, and shall have all the powers of Justices of the Peace therein, both in civil and criminal cases, arising under the laws of the State ; they shall, as Justices of the Peace within the limits of said city, perform the same duties, be governed by the same laws, give the same bonds and security as other Justices of the Peace, and be commissioned as Justices of the Peace in and for said city by the Governor. Seo. 17. The Mayor shall have exclusive jurisdiction in all cases arising under the ordinances of the corporation, and shall' issue such process as may be necessary to cany said ordinances into execution and effect; appeals maybe had from any decision or judgment of said Mayor, or Aldermen, arising under the city ordinances, to the Municipal Court, under such regulations as may be presented by ordinance, which Court shall be composed of the Mayor, or Chief Justice, and the Aldermen as Associate Justices, and from the final judgment of the Municipal Court to the Circuit Court of Hancock County, in the same manner as appeals are taken from the judgments of Justices of the Peace: Provided, That the parties litigant shaU have a right to a trial by a jury of twelve men in all cases before the Muni- cipal Com-t. The Municipal Court shall have power to grant writs of habeas corpus in all cases arising imder the ordinances of the City Council. Seo. 18. The Municipal Court shall sit on the first Monday of every month, and the City Council at such times and places as may be prescribed by city ordinance, special meetings of which may, at any time, be called by the Mayor or any two Aldermen. Seo. 19. All processes issued by the Mayor, Aldermen or Municipal Court shall be directed to the Marshal,, and in the execution thereof he shall be governed by the same laws as are or may be prescribed for the direction and compensation of constables in similar cases. The Marshal shall also perform such other duties as may be required of him under the ordinances of said city, and shall be the principal ministerial officer. Sbc, 20. It shall be the duty of the Recorder to make and keep accurate records of all ordinances made by the City Council, and of all their proceedings in their corporate capacity; which records shall at all times be open to the inspection of the electors of said city, and shall perform such other duties as may 'b". required of him by the ordinances of the City Council, and shall serve as Clerk of the Mu- nicipal Court. Sec. 21. When it shall be necessary tp take private property for opening, widen- ing, or altering any public street, lane, avenue or alley, the Corporation shall make a just compensation therefor to the person whose property is so taken, and if the amount of such compensation can not be agreed upon, the Mayor shall cause the same to be ascertained by a jury of six disinterested freeholders of the city. Sec. 22. All jurors impaneled to inquire into the amount of benefits or dama- ges that shall happen to the owners of property so proposed to be taken, shall first be sworn to that effect, and shall return to the Mayor their inquest in writing, signed by each juror. Sec. 23. In case the Mayor shall at any time be guilty of a palpable omission of duty, or shall willfully and corruptly be guilty of oppression, mal-conduct, or partiality in the discharge of the duties of his ofllce, he shall be liable to be indicted in the Circuit Court of Hancock county ; and on conviction he shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars, and the Court shall have power, on the HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 357 recommendation of the jury, to add to the judgment of the Court, that he he removed from office. 8bc. 34. The City Council may establish and organize an institution of learn- ing within the limits of the city for the teaching of the arts, sciences and learned professions, to be called the " University of the City of Nauvoo ;" which institution shall be under the control and management of a Board of Trustees, consisting ot a Chancellor, Registrar, and twenty-three Regents, which Board shall thereafter be a body corporate and politic, with perpetual succession, by the name of the " Chancellor and Regents of the University of the City of Nauvoo,'' and shall have full power to pass, ordain, establish and execute all such laws and ordinances as they may consider for the welfare and prosperity of said University, its officers and students ; Provided, That the said laws and ordinances shall not be repug- nant to the Constitution of the United States or of this State; and. Provided, also, That the Trustees shall at all times be appointed by the City Council,' and shall have all the powers and privileges for the advancement of the cause of education which appertain to the trustees of any other college or university of this State. Sec. 25. The City Council may organize the inhabitants of said citj' subject to military duty into a body of independent military men, to be called the " Nauvoo Legion," the court-martial of which shall be composed of the commissioned offi- cers of said Legion, and constitute the law-making department, with full powers and authority to make, ordain, establish and execute, all such laws and ordinan- ces, as may be considered necessary for the benefit, government and regulation of said Legion ; Provided, Said court-martial shall pass no law or act repugnant to or inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States or of this State; and, Provided, also. That the officers of the Legion shall be commissioned by the Gov- ernor of Uie State. The said Legion shall perform the same amount of military duty as is now or may be hereafter required of the regular militia of the State, and shall be at the disposal of the Mayor in executing the laws and ordinances of the City Corporation, and the laws of the State, and at the disposal of the Governor for the public defense and the execution of the laws of the State, or of the United States, and shall be entitled to their proportion of the public arms ; and. Provided, also. That said Legion shall be exempt from all other military duty. Sec. 26. The_ inhabitants of the " City of Nauvoo" are hereby exempt from working on any'road beyond the limits of the city; and for the purpose of keep- ingthe streets, lanes, avenues and alleys in repair, to require of the male inhabit- itants of said city, over the age of twenty-one and under fifty years, to labor on said streets, lanes, avenues and alleys, not exceeding three days in each year • any person failing to perform such labors when duly notified by the Supervisor, shall forfeit and pay the sum of one dollar per day for eac h day so neglected or refused. Sec. 37. The City Council shall have power to provide for the punishment of oflFenders, by imprisonment in the county or city jail, in all, cases when such of- fenders shall fail or refuse to pay the fines and forfeitures which may be recovered against them. Sec. 38. This Act is hereby declared to be a.public act, and shall take effect on the first Monday of February next. . Approved, December 16, 1840. , CITY OKDINANCES. And we present below a few of the ordinances passed from time to time by the City Councils of Nauvoo: AN OKDINANOE Regulating the mode of proceeding in cases of habeas corpus before the Munioi pal Court: Section 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, That in all cases where any person or persons shall at any time herea^fter be arrested or under arrest, in this city, under any writ or process, and shall be brought before the Municipal Court of this city, by virtue of a writ of habeas corpus, the Court shall in every such case have power and authority, and are hei'eby required to examine into the origin, validity and legality of the writ or process, under which such arrest was made; and if it shall appear to the Court upon sufficient testi- mony, that said writ or process was illegal, or not legally issued, or did not proceed from the proper authority, then the Court shall discharge the prisoner from nuder 368 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. said arrest ; but if it shall appear to the Court that said writ or process had issued from proper authority, and was a legal process, the Court shall then proceed and fully hear the merits" of the case upon which said arrest was made, upon such evidence as may be produced and sworn before said Court ; and shall have power to adjourn the hearing, and also issue process from time to time, in their discre- tion, m order to procure the attendance of witnesses, so that a fair and impartial trial and decision may be obtained in every case. Sec. 2. And be it further ordained, That if upon investigation it shall be proven before the Municipal Court that the writ or process has been issued either through private pique, malicious intent, religious or other persecution, falsehood or misrepresentation, contrary to the Constitution of the United States or of this State, the said writ or process shall be quashed, and considered of no force or effect, and the prisoner or prisoners shall be released and discharged therefrom. Sec. S.' And be it also further ordained. That in the absence, sickness, debility or other circumstances disqualifying of preventing the Mayor from oflBciating in his office, as Chief Justice of the Municipal Court, the Aldermen present shall appoint one from amongst them to act as Chief Justice or President pro tempore. Sec. 4. This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. ' Htrtjm Smith, Vice-Mayor and President pro tempore. Passed August 8, 1843. James Sloan, Recorder. AN ORDINANCE CONCEENING MAEEIAGBS. Section 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, That all male persons over the age of seventeen years, and females over the age of fourteen years, may contract and be joined in marriage; Provided, in all cases where either party is a minor, the consent of parents or guardians be first had. Sec. 2. Any persons as aforesaid wishing to marry, or be joined in marriage, may go before any regular minister of the gospel. Mayor, Alderman, Justice of the Peace, Judge, or other person authorized to solemnize marriages in this State, and celebrate or declare their marriage in such manner and form as shall be most agreeable, either with or without license. Sec. 3. Any person solemnizing a marriage as aforesaid, shall make return thereof to the City Recorder, accompanied by a- recording fee of fifty cents, within thirty days of the solemnization thereof ; and it is hereby made the duty of the Recorder to keep an accurate record of all such marriages. The penalty for a violation of either of the provisions of this ordinance, shall be twenty dollars, to be recovered as other penalties or forfeitures. John C. Bennbtt, Mayor. Passed Feb. 17, 1843. James Sloan, Recorder. The foregoing, it will be observed, abrogates a law of the State, which requires a license to be obtained from the County Court. The second section was a mere scheme to put money into the Sockets of the Kecorder; and no penalty for its infraction could ave been enforced by law, as every person solemnizing a marriage is required by State law to make return to the County Clerk, and when that is done the law is fulfilled. Here is an ordinance investing the " Prophet, Seer and Revelator," and President of the Church of Zion, with all the rights, duties, responsibilities and emoluments — aye, emolwnents — belonging to the liquor traffic: AN OEDI NANCE For the health and convenience ot travelers and other persons. Section 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, That the Mayor of the city be and is hereby authorized to sell or give spirits, of any HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 369 c[uaiitity, as he in his wisdom shall judge to be for the health, comfort or conven- ience of such travelers or other persons as shall visit his house from time to time. Joseph Smith, Mayor. Passed Dec. la, 1843. W. Richards, Recorder. AN EXTEA ORDINANCE For the extra case of Joseph Smith and others. [Preamble recounting Smith's difSculties with Missouri omitted.] Section 1. Be it ordained by the Citv Council of the City of Nauvoo, Accord- ing to the intent and meaning of the Charter, for the " benefit and convenience" of Nauvoo, that hereafter if any person or persons shall come with process, demand or requisition, founded upon the aforesaid Missouri difficulties, to arrest said Joseph Smith, he or they shall be subject to be arrested by toy officer of the city, with or without process, and tried by the Municipal Court, upon testimony, and if found guilty, sentenced to imprisonment in the,city prison for life, which convict or con- victs can only be pardoned by the Governor, with the consent of the Mayor of said city. ***** Joseph Smith, Mayor. Passed Dec. 8, 1843 W. Richards, Recorder. Another of similar purport: AN ORDINANCE To prevent unlawful search or seizure of person or property, by foreign process' in the City of Nauvoo. Section 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, To pre- vent kidnapping, illegal arrests of persons, or unlawful searches for property, that all writs issued out of the city shall, before they are executed within the limits of the city, be examined by and receive the approval and signature of the Mayor of said city on the back of said process, and be served by the Marshal of said city. Sec. 3. And be it further ordained. That every officer who shall execute, or attempt to execute, any process as aforesaid, without first obtaining the approval and signature of the Mayor of said city, as specified in the first section of this ordinance, shall be subject to a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars, or imprisonment not less than one month nor more than six months in the city prison, or both, as a breach of ordinance to be tried before the Municipal Court of said city. Joseph Smith Mayor. Passed Dec. 31, 1843. WiLLARD RiCHAKDS, liecorder. AMENDMENT. Sec. 3. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, That noth- ing in the foregoing ordinance shall be so construed as to prevent, hinder, orthwart the designs of justice, or to retard the civil officers of the State or county in the discharge of their official duties; but to aid and assist them within the limits of this city. Joseph Smith, Mayor. Passed Jan. 10, 1844. WrLLABD Richards, Recorder. Tliese two ordinances were so glaringly illegal and oifensive, that it was deemed necessary to repeal, or at least make a show of repeal- ing them. That was done in this wise, — a repeal which re-enacts their chief features, only slightly varying the penalty: AN ORDINANCE Entitled "An ordinance to repeal certain ordinances therein mentioned." Whereas, An ordinance entitled "An ordinance for the extra case of Joseph Smith and others," passed December 8, 1843, and, Whereas, the ordinance entitled 360 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. "An ordinance to pi'csent unlawful searcli antiseizure of person and property by foreign process in the cit}^ of Nauvoo," passed Decemljer 31, 1843, have had their desired effect in preserving the peace, happiness, persona or property of the citizens of Nauvoo, according to their intent and meaning; therefore. Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the city of Nauvoo, That the aforesaid ordinances are herebj' repealed. Seo. 2. Ai;d be it further ordained, that nothing in the first section of tills ordi- nance shall be so construed as to give license or liberty to any foreign officer, or other person or persons, to illegally disturb the peace, happiness or quiet of any citizen of said city, any ordinance to the contrary notvylthstanding, under a penalty of not less than five hundi'cd dollars, or Imprisonment six months in the city prison. Joseph Smith, Mayor. Passed February, 1844. WiLLARD RiOHAKDS, Rccordcr. Tlie foregoing ordinances are copied verbatim from the Times and Seasons and the Nauvoo Neighbor, the official and recognized organs of the Chnrch and citj-. Want of room forbids the copying of a number of other ordinances passed by the City Council, exem- plifying the peculiar genius of that honorable body for governing a city. In concluding this chapter on Mormon aflairs in Hancock county we throw together a number of items omitted in the course of the narrative, of more or less importance as parts of a complete history. THE KINDEEHOOK PLATES. M^ The above are fair representations of two of the six plates of cop- per, held together by a small ring, which were dug from a mound at Kinderhook, Pike county, Illinois, by Mr. Wiley, a merchant of that place, about the year 1843. They were brought to ISIaiivoo, and exhibited among the Mormons, as well as at "other places in the county, and regarded by the Saints as proofs of the authentic- ty of the Book of Mormon. The writer hereof saw and " hefted " HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 361 them, at the time, but is now unable to tell what became of them. They are probably deposited in some museum, where they should be, unless the angel who guided Mr. Wiley in procuring them, or- dered them replaced in the mound. Whether the prophet ever undertook their translation, we are not informed. " SONS OF DAN." '" Both John and Orson Hyde believed in and doubtless knew of the existence of the Danite Band. The former, in his work on Mormonism, published ten or twelve years after that people left Hancock county, states thatin 1838, in Missouri, a " death society" was formed under the direction of Sidney Rigdon ; that its first captain was David Patten, one of the Apostles, known as Capt. Fearnaught ; and that its object was to " punish the obnoxious." They had some trouble to find a suitable name. " Daughters of Zion," was first adopted, but dropped, from its in appropriateness. " Genesis xlix, 17, furnished the name they finally assumed. The verse is quite significant : ' Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path that biteth the horse's heels, so that his rider shall' fall backward.'" And Hyde continues: " ' The Sons of Dan ' was the style adopted; and many have been the times they have been adders in the path, and many a man has fallen backward and has been seen no more." — [Stenhouse, p. 104. From " Sons of Dan," they came to be known to the Gentiles as the "Danite Band." Brigham Young himself furnishes full con- firmation, as quoted by Stenhouse from the Deseret News, vol. 7, page 148 : " If men come here and do not behave themselves, they will not only find the Danites, whom they talk so much about, biting the horse's heels, but the scoundrels will find something biting their heels. In my plain remarks, I merely call things by their own names." It is due to the Mormons to say, that in all their publications, they have steadily denied the existence of any such organization among them. BEASTS IN THE LAND OF PEOMISE. The country (America) to which these "Wandering Jews," described in the Book of Mormon, were directed, was entirely unin- habited. But " there were beasts in the forests of every kind," — among the rest the ox. Here is revealed a fact in natural history of which even Cuvier was ignorant. Oxen have heretofore been supposed to exist only in countries inhabited by man; but here they were found running wild in the forests of America ! WILLIAM W. PHELPS. This man, notorious among the faithful at Nauvoo as one of the most blindly obsequious followers of the prophet, was a printer by 362 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. trade, and published at Independence the Imening a/nd Morning Star. He was a ready writer, but usually dealt in the " hifalutin ' style. He was supposed to have been often employed^ by Joseph to adorn his compositions. For these many acts of kindness, his patron is said to have had a revelation in his favor, that he should live till Jesus came. The Salt Lake papers report his death in that city on March 7, 1872, aged over 80 years. THE TITLES OF THE TWELVE, As given by W. W. Phelps, and published in the Times and Seasons, in 1841 : Brigham Young — The Lion of the Lord. Parley P. Pratt— TAe Archer of Paradise. Orson HydiQ-^ The Olive Branch of Israel. Willard Richards — The Keeper of the Bolls. John Taylor — The Champion of Bight. "William Smith — The Patriarch of JacoVs Staff. Wilford Woodruff— 7%e Banner of the Gospel. George A. Smith — The Entablature of Truth. , Orson Pratt — The Gauge of Philosophy. John E. Page — The Sun-Dial, and Lyman "Wight — The Wild Bam of the Mountains. THE PEOPHET AS A LINGUIST. How he became a linguist is beyond comprehension, seeing he was so entirely ignorant of his own native English tongue. But he was fond of parading his acquirements in that respect before his wondering followers. In the Times and Seasons of May 1, 1843, we find over his signature a learned dissertation on the derivation of the name "Mormon:" * * * It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word Mormo. This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the - language of that book speak for itself. On the 523d page of the fourth edition, it reads : "And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters which are called among us the Reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to om- manner of speech; and if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have vsritten in Hebrew ; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also,; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold ye would have had no imperfection in our record; but the Lord knoweth the things which we have vrritten, and also that none other people knoweth our language; therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof." Here, then, the subject is put to silence; for "none other people knoweth our language," therefore the Lord, and not man, had to interpret, after the people were all dead. * * * We say from the Saxon, good; the Dane, god; the Goth, goda; the German, gut; the Dutch, goed; the Latin, bonus; the Greek, halos; the Hebrew, toh; and the Egyptian, mon. Hence, with the addition more, or the contraction mar, we have the word Mormon, which means literally more good. HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOiraTT. 363 AND ANOTHBE. In a correspondence with James Arlington Bennett, a " swell- head " relative of Dr. John C. Bennett's, residing at Arlington House, near New York city, the prophet made this display ot his learning : Were I an Egyptian, I would exclaim Jah-oh-eh, Enish-go-on-dosh, Flo-ces-Flos- is-is (O, the Earth ! the power of attraction, and the moon passing between her and the sun); a Hebrew, Haueloheem yenau; a Greek, |theos phos esi; a Eoman, Dominus regit me; a German, Got gebe uns das licht; a Portugee, Senhor Jesu Christo e libordade; a Frenchman, Dieu defend le droit; but as I am, I give God the glory, and say, in, the beautiful figure of the poet: Could we with Ink the ocean flU ; Was the whole earth ol parchment made. And every single stick a quill. And every man a sorlhe hy trade, — To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry ; Nor could the whole upon a scroll Be spread from sky to sky. That beat Arlington. He had been appointed to some office in the Kauvoo Legion, and he had had some thought of coming to Illinois, and through the prophet's influence being elected Grov- ernor. But he never came. AND STILL ANOTHER of those grand displays is given in "Gen. Joseph Smith's Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys." This effdrt was published in the Nauvoo Neighhor about the last of Jan.^ 1843. It was an address " To the Freemen of the State of Vermont, the brave Green Mountain Boys, and honest men." The burden of it was a recital of his sufferings in Missouri, and a call for aid in obtaining redress for the same, but whether by the sword and bayonet, or moral suasion, is not stated. He starts out by stating that he was born and raised in Vermont; that his father fought in the Eevolution, etc., and after a rehearsal of Missouri outrages, and other matters, he injects the following learned paragraph : "Were I a Chaldean, I would exclaim : " Keed'-naob ta maroon le-hoam elauhay augh deyshemayaugh yah aur kan ion gua abadoo, yabadoo ma-ar'gaan bomen tehoat shemayaugh elah." (Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, they shall perish from the earth, and from these heavens.) An Egyptian : " Sa e eh-ni." (What other persons are those ?) A Grecian ; " Diabolos bassileuei." (The Devil reigns.) A Frenchman : " Messieurs sans Dieu." (Gentlemen without God.) A Turk : " Ain sheurs." (The fountain of light.) A German : " Sie sind unferstandig.'' (Wliat consummate ignorance !) A Syrian : " Zanbok." (Sacrifice.) A Spaniard : " II sabio muda conscio, il nescio no." (A wise man reflects, a fool does not.) A Samaritan ; " Sannau." (O Stranger!) An Italian: "O tempa! O diffldanza!" (O the times! O the diffidence ! ) A Hebrew : " Antoub ail rancy." (Thou God seest me.) A Dane : " Hoad tidende ? " (What tidings ?) A Saxon : " Hwart riht ! " (What right !) A Swede: "Hvad skilla!" (What skill!) APolander: " Nav-yen-shoo-bah poa na Jesu Christus." (Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ.) A Western Indian : "She-mo-kah, she-mo-kah, ough-ne-gah." (The white man, O the white man, he very uncertain.) A Roman : " Procol, o procol este profani." (Be off, be ofl^, ye profane.) But as I am, I will only add : " When the wicked rule, the people mourn." 364 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. JOHN D. LEE. Onr readers will remember this individual as having been tried, found guilty, and executed a few years ago in Utah, for his partic- ipation in the Mountain Meadow Massacre. In looking over the Church organ, we find his name as having been a resident at Nauvoo in 1843, and a traveling elder, preaching and healing the sick, as reported. He was afterward advanced to the position of bishop, and at the time of the Mountain Meadow affair was known as Bishojj Lee. THE " EEVELATIONS " uttered in the name of the Lord, by the prophet. Smith, soon after his appearance in Illinois, and indeed throughout his whole career, would of themselves form a curious chapter in religious literature. The limit and scope of this work will not permit us to devote much space to them; but we copy parts of one given Jan. 19, 1841, as found in the Times and Seasons, of June 1, 1841. It is long, and we only quote its essential portions: Verily, thus saith. the Lord unto you, my servant, Joseph Smith, I am well pleased with your offerings and acknowledgments which you have made; for unto this end have I raised you up, that I might shew forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth. Your prayers are acceptable before me, and in answer to them, I say unto you that you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel, and of this stake which I have planted to be a corner-stone of Zion, which shall be polished with that refinement which is after the similitude of a palace. This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable President-elect, and the high-minded Governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad. * * * * . * * * And again I say unto you, let my servant, Robert B. Thompson, help you to write this proclamation, for I am well pleased with him, etc. Aad again I verily say imto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith, for I, the Lord, loveth him, etc. Again, let my servant John C. Bennett help you in your labor, in sending my word to the kings and people of the earth. * * * j have seen the work he hath done, which I accept, if he continue, and will crown him with blessings and great glory. And again, it is my will that my servant Lyman "Wright should continue in preaching for Zion, etc. And again, my servant George Miller is without guile; I seal upon his head the oflace of a bishoprick. Let my servant George, and my servant Lyman, and my servant John Snider and others, build a house unto my name, such an one as my servant Joseph shall show unto them, upon the place which he shall show unto them also. And it shall be for a house of boarding, a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein; therefore let it be a good house, worthy of all acceptation, that the weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord, and the corner-stone I have appointed for Zion, This house shall be a healthy habitation, if it be built unto my name, and if the Governor which shall be appointed unto it shall not suffer any pollution to come upon it. It shall be holy, or the Lord your God will not dwell therein. And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints from afar, and send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them, come ye, vpith all your gold and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities; and with all who have knowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the box- tree and the flrrtree and the pine-tree, together with all the precious trees of the earth; and with iron, and with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious tilings of the earth, and build a house to my name for the Most High to dwell therein, etc. * * * HISTORY OF IIANCUCK COUNTY. 365 And now I say unto you, as pertaining to my boarding house, which I have com- manded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it be built unto my name, and let my name be named upon it, and let my servant Joseph and his house have place therein from generation to generation. * * * Therefore, let my servant Joseph and his seed after him, have place in that house from generation to generation, for- ever and ever, saith the Lord, and let the name of that house be called the Nauvoo, House. * * * Let my servant Isaac Galland put stock in that house, for I, the Lord loveth him for the work he hath done, and will forgive all his sins, etc. * * * And let my servant William Law pay stock in that house for himself and his seed after him, etc. * * * And again, verily I say unto you, if my servant Sidney will serve me, and be a counselor unto my servant Joseph, let him arise and stand in the office of his calling, and humble liimself before me. * * * Verily I say unto you, even now, if he wiU hearken to my voice it shall be well with him. POLYGAMY. Who may be entitled to the infamy of introducing polygamy as part of the system of Mormonism is not positively known to the outside world. It is a question on which the saints themselves disagree. That it was instituted and practiced some time before it was publicly acknowledged is certain. It needs no argument to prove that it is a direct and flagrant violation of law throughout all Christendom, the bane of the social system, destructive of the best influences of home and the family circle, and an outrage upon civilized society. It has not one ennobling and humanizing feature; and could have only been engrafted into their system and practiced for the most debasing and lustful purposes. But no people, no set of men and women, however well-meaning they may be, have a right to shield themselves from just punishment for such prac- tices, under cover of a religious creed. And it is a wonder and a shame, that more determined efforts have not been made by the constituted authorities to put an end to these illegal practices. It is now claimed that the system has been so long in operation, that to break it up would cause great injury to many innocent persons. It is a principle of law, that one shall not take advantage of his own wrong; and besides, every one is presumed to know the law. These pretended revelators, while claiming the sanction of heaven to cover their selfish purposes, knew that the law and the morality of the country were against them, and that their so-called revelation was an infamous and blasphemous falsehood. Eeligious creed, too often used as a cloak for sin, cannot be permitted to shield its wearer from the consequences of crime. That Joseph Smith ever advocated or encouraged polygamy, as a branch of the creed, is now strenuously denied by the followers of his son, of the re-organized branch. They justly denounce it with all the rest of Christendom ; and they quote strong proof from his writings and from the Book of Mormon, that he set his face against it. The Salt Lake Mormons as flatly assert that he was its author and introducer. "We think the new branch will have hard work to convince the world, — as they cerfeainly have not convinced us, — that the prophet was innocent of this outrage. He may not in his day have fully incorporated it into his creed and taught it to his 366 ' HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. followers in public; but we think there is indubitable evidence that he was its originator. Who, without his sanction, bad a right to broach such a thing, and preach it, by degrees and parcels, as was done in his life- time and in his chosen city? And how came it to be so fully established so soon after his death, that it had become a sweet morsel in the creed of the leaders, at the time they left for the West two years afterward, so sweet a morsel that it divided man and wife ? In his life-time it had not reached the dignity of title it has since. Now, it is ''Polygamy " (and didn't Solomon and David and Abraham, and all the patriarchs practice polygamy?). Then it was " Spiritual-wifery," a sort of clandestine, sneaking system of concubinage, with an-I-would-if-I-dare eflPbrt to adopt it, and an I-do-and-I-don't acceptance ; but with a crushing public denial and denunciation. All who remember the days of Mormon- ism in this county and are conversant with its workings, know that this is the way in which polygamy became a constituent of its creed and a chief pillar in its system. Had the main body remained here it would have been " spiritual-wifery " still, most probably — denied to the outside world, and practiced in the harems of the leaders. Before they left it was the accepted creed of the governing class; and we know of one legal wife of a prominent man among them, who refused to go with him, and did not, because he would not agree to forego the anticipated delights of the system in the wilder- ness; while others generally went, by force of circumstances, though their best natures as women cried out against the unnatural dogma. The Salt Lake people now publish a revelation which they assert was delivered by the prophet before his death, in which this doc- trine is promulgated. The reorganized branch here claim this to be a forgery; whether justly or not, we leave the reader to decide. John Taylor is now and has ever been a prominent leader at Salt Lake; while here, and after the prophet's death, we believe throughout, he was editor of both the Mormon papers. The files of those sheets show that he was continually denying the doctrine, and ridiculing it as an invention of their enemies. If said revela- tion had been genuine, as now claimed, Taylor must have' known it; and what can be said of his and their truthfulness? TEMPERANCE CLAUSE. The Act to incorporate the " Nauvoo House Association" con- tained one clause which can be recommended to all similar asso- ciations : Sec. 9. It is moreover establislied as a perpetual rule of said Louse, to be observed by all persons who may keep or occupy tlie same, that spirituous liquors of every description are prohibited, and that such liquors shall never be vended as a beverage, or introduced into common use in said house. A TOLERATION ORDINANCE. The following ordinance was flourished in the Nauvoo papers, without date, as proof of the tolerant spirit prevailing there: / HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNT V. 367 AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO EELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. Sec. 1. Be it Ordained by the City Couacil of tlie city of Nauvoo, Tliat tlxe Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter-Day Saints, Quakers, Epis- copalians, TJjiiversalists, Unitarians, Mohammedans, Snd all other religious sects and denominations whatever, shall have free toleration and equal privileges in this city ; and should any person be guilty of ridiculing, abusing, or otherwise depreciating another in consequence of his religion, or of disturbing or interrupting any religious meeting, within the limits of this city, he shall, on conviction thereof before the Mayor or Municipal Court, be considered a disturber of the public peace, and fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not exceeding six months, or both, at the discretion of said Mayor or Court. The foregoing was paraded as proof of the extremely liberal spirit prevailing in the city; and yet it will be perceived that it empowers the Mayor to line a man five hundred dollars and imprison him six months, for merely speaking in depreciation of the Mormon religion! THE MANSION HOUSE, which many have contbnnded with the Nauvoo House, was a neat frame building situated some hundreds of yards from the river, and was in all the prophet's after years his residence and home, and where he dispensed hospitality and good cheer to friends and visitors. It was a hotel, and was opened with great ostentation on the 3d of October, 1843, on which occasion a large crowd sat down to the table. The following is one of the volunteer toasts passed : " Resolved, That Gen . Joseph Smith, whether we view him as a Prophet at the head of the Church; a General at the head of the Legion; a Mayor at the head of the City Council, or as a Landlord at the head of his table, has few equals and no superiors." EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHICS. Prof. Caswell, of Kemper College, near St. Louis, told the follow- ing story: He paid a visit to Kauvoo and the Mormon prophet, and had in his possession a Greek psalter of great age — one that had been in his family several hundred years. Why lie took it to Nau- voo does not appear; but some of the brethren saw it, and insisted that he should give brother Joseph a chance of translating it. The professor consented, and the book was handed over. The spirit of prophecy — the same as in the days of the golden plates — descended upon Joseph, and he said, "This book I pronounce to be a Dic- tionary of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics." THE TEMPLE is said to have cost in labor and money over a million of dollars. It may be possible, and is very probable, that contributions to that amount were made to it, but that it cost that much to build it, few will believe. Half that sum would be ample to build a much more costly edifice to-day ; and in the three or four years in which it was being erected, labor was cheap and all the necessaries of life remark- ably low. "Wheat was quoted in the county markets at forty to 368 HISTOBT OF HANCOCK COtTNTY. sixty cents; corn, 20; flour, $4.00, and pork, $2.00. If a million of dollars were contributed by the faithful for the temple fund, it is easy to guess where at least half the sum was expended. THE NAtrVOO HOUSE was never half finished during the prophet's life-time, and was never occiipied by him or any one. It stood, one of its wings under roof, but the walls of the main building unfinished, an imposing struc- ture, until long since the prophet had met his fate, and his follow- ers had located in the wilderness. It was left or somehow passed to the ownership of the widow and her second husband, Major Bid- amon, and has recently been fitted up and kept by them as a hotel. The location is most beautiful and commanding, being on the slop- ing and rocky bank of the Mississippi, facing southward at the curve of the river, and about 150 yards from the water's edge. The work upon this building was never prosecuted by the faith- ful with the same zeal as that upon the temple. "While the contri- butions fiowed in freely for the temple, those for the hotel lagged; and it took much hard begging to keep the latter going forward. At the April conference, 1841, President Smith said: " It is neces- sary that this conference give importance to the Nauvoo House. A prejudice exists against building the Nauvoo House, in favor of the Lord's House, and the conference are required to give stress to the building of the Nauvoo House. This is the most important matter for the time being; for there is no place in this city where men of wealth and character and influence from abroad can go to repose themselves, and it is necessary we should have such a place." So the Times and Seasons, under date of Nov. 15, 1841, in an editorial says: "Let us not forget that we have another house also to build in this place, even the Nauv^oo House; and which is as important to us as the temple; inasmu chas great things are depend- ing upon that house, and it is commanded us of God.'' JAMES 0. BREWSTEE. This was an ambitious young man, who resided in Springfield 111., and a member of the Church. He claimed to be gifted with the spirit of prophecy, and issued a pamphlet in which he put forth his claims. But this was not allowed. He was dealt with, and the organ, Dec. 1, 1842, admonishes the brethren against him, quoting from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants: "But behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this Church, excepting my ser- vant Joseph Smith, junior, for he receiveth them even as Moses, "^ etc. So Mr. Brewster was squelched. But this command must have been afterward abrogated in favor of brother Hyrum ; for wfr find him declaring a revelation in the "election of 1843, in favor of Hoge for Congress ; and the prophet vouched that " brother Hyrum. never told a lie." -»«£X^ La Harpe Tp. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 371 A STORY FROM STENHOUSE. " It is stated that on leaving Nauvoo for Carthage, he said : ' I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me, " He was murdered in cold blood."'" — [Doctrine and Cove- nants, p. 335. Stenhouse says: Notwithstandiag this apparent readiness to meet death, and the deep and clear divine impressions claimed to have been imparted to the prophet of his forthcoming end, it is understood that he managed to send from prison a commimication to the Mormon officers in military command at Nauvoo, to bring with all possible dispatch a portion of the Legion to protect him from treachery and from that assassination which he had then so much cause to apprehend. This military commander put the prophet's conmiunication into his pocket and gave no heed to the call for help. No one was acquainted with the contents of the paper, and the officer was therefore, he presumed, safe in disregarding it. After the prophet's death, by some accident or other, this communication was lost, and picked up on the street and read. The intelligence that Joseph had called for aid, and none had been rendered him, was soon bruited among the Saints, and excited their deepest indignation, as they were not only ready to march at a moment's notice, but were eager for the opportunity. Some time afterward, when ail was quiet, this "coward and traitor," as some of the Mormons called him, or "fool and idiot," as others said, was sent on a mission to the Western frontiers, accompanied by a faithful elder. While traveling alone with his companion he fell ill and died, it is said of dysentery! His companion buried him. Page 164, 2fote. If the foregoing statement is true, it reveals a fact which we have never heard from any other source. The whole story bears the semblance of truth ; and from the narrator's twenty-five years' connection with the priesthood afterward, it is evident he had every facility to learn the truth. It was always accounted a wonder that the Legion did not make some demonstration while their leaders were in jail, either to protect or release them. That they did not, we have attributed to their reliance upon the prophet's previous good luck. This story, taken in connection with the admission of Grov. Ford, that he, too, contemplated a rescue, presents a very important suggestion: whether the disobedience of the officer of the Legion did not frustrate a rescue, and the consequent massacre of the guards and citizens. The belief has always been general, that had not the murders been perpetrated as they were by the mob, the affair would soon have terminated in a bloody encounter by an attack from the other side. This belief cannot be offered as an excuse for the murders, but it does excuse the people of Carth- age and the Greys for the feverish apprehension under which they labored, and which their vacillating and excitable Governor blamed them so severely for. Who that Legion commander was, thus alluded to in the quotation, and who died afterward of dysentery (the italics are Steuhouse's own) we are unable to state. The italics suggest a popular Mormon mode of dealing with offenders. 23 372 HI8T0EY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, COL. THOMAS GEDDEs' STATEMHNT. We have shown from his own admission, that Gov. Ford was willing to connive at the escape of the Smitlis, notwithstanding his virtuous indignation at the citizens for suspecting him. We shall now show that, notwithstanding his devotion to law and order, he did, what was asserted at the time, counsel the violent expulsion of the Mormons from the State. Col. Thomas Geddes, then still residing at Fountain Green in this county, and at the time of the troubles in command of a portion of the troops at Carthage, has recently made us this statement, of which he says his recollection is clear: " While the Smiths were in jail, I went to the jail in company with Gov. Ford, and there we conversed with them for some time, the burden of Smith's talk being that they were only acting in self-defense, and only wanted to be let alone. After leaving the jail, and while returning from it, the Governor and I had still further conversation about the subject mattei'. After some time the Governor exclaimed, ' O, it's all nonsense; you will have to drive these Mormons out yet!' I then said, ' If we undertake that, Governor, when the proper time comes, will you interfere?' ' ]!f o, I will not,' said he; then, after a pause, adding, 'until you are through.'" MKS. ELIZA E. WELLS, wife of the now General Daniel H. Wells, one of the dignitaries at Salt Lake, was a daughter of Eev. Charles Kobison. She now resides at Burlington, Iowa. On the authority of her brother, Chauncey Kobison, of Appanoose, we have the statement that when the Mormons left for the Far West, Mrs. Wells refused to go with her husband because he would not consent to confine him- self to one wife — which he refused to do. She had never joined the Church. Thus they were separated and divorceds, he remain- ing behind, and he following the fortunes of the Brighamites, with whom he was then and has since remained in high authority. This fact tends to show that polygamy was a cherished institution with the leaders before they left Nauvoo. THE CARTHAGE GEETS. A good deal was said by Gov. Ford and in the Mormon papers, about the insubordination of the Carthage Greys toward Gen. Doming, while the Smiths were in custody. From a gentleman who was a member of that company, we have procured the follow- ing statement of the facts, as near as he can recollect them. It seems that after the McDonough regiment had been disbanded and werei about to return home, they expressed a desire to see the prisoners. The wish was reasonable, and as the easiest mode of gratifying it, they were drawn up in line, and Gen. Doming, with the two prisoners, one on each arm, and the Greys as an escort, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 373 *■ passed along the line of the troops, Deming introducing them as " Gen. Joseph Smi'th,'"' and "Gen. Hyrum Smith, of the JSTauvoo Legion." The Greys, not aware that this was done at the request of the McDonough men, and not satisfied to be made an escort to such a display, exhibited signs of dissatisfaction, and finally gave vent to their feelings by hisses and groans. As a punishment for this offense, they were afterward ordered under arrest. In the mean time there was great excitement in the company. As a detachment of the troops was being detailed for the purpose of putting the General's order into execution, the officer in command of the Greys addressed them a few words, and then said, " Boys, will you submit to an arrest for so trifiing an offense?" "I^o!" was the unanimous response. "Then load your pieces with balll" was his sullen order. In the mean time some explanations had been made, which permitted Gen. Deming to countermand the order for arrest, and the Greys were quietly marched to their encampment. PARLEY P. PRATT AS A PROPHET. In 1838 Parley P. Pratt was engaged in a controversy with LaEoy Sunderland, editor of Zion^s Watchman, an Eastern paper. During the controversy, Mr. Pratt was seized with the spirit of prophecy, and poured forth the following: " Within ten years from now the people of this country who are not Mormons will be entirely subdued by the Latter-Day Saints, or swept from the face of the earth; and if this prediction fails, then you may know the 'Book of Mormon' is not true." It has now been forty-two years since this prediction was uttered, and Pratt himself, and the prophet, and Eigdon, and Young, have been "swept from the face of the earth." So we have Pratt's own testimony to the falsity of the Book of Mormon. Mr. Pratt mis- took his own intense fanaticism for the voice of the Lord, — a mistake which many men wiser than he have made before him. THE BAPTISMAL FONT, in the temple at Nauvoo, was in itself a curiosity, and a fit accompaniment to the building. It was first constructed of wood, but this being deemed riot sufficiently durable, was taken away, and another built of stone. It rested on the backs of twelve stone oxen of colossal size — four abreast at the sides, and two at each end, standing back to back. The oxen had the appearance of being sunk in the floor half-way to their knees, and the font rested on their shoulders, their horns, heads, necks and shoulders being exposed to view outside. The font itself was of immense size — 18 feet long, eight feet wide, and four feet deep. It thus stood about eight feet high, from the top of its rim to the floor. It was placed in the basement, or first story of the building — an object of great curiosity and comment to all stranger visitors. 374 HISTOBY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. INCIDENTS OF THE BURNING. Trom a very respectable old gentleman who was an eye-witness ■of some of the house-burning operations in the fall of 1846, we have the following statement received from him verbally during the last year. He says that for such lawless and outrageous acts, they were done in such a quiet and orderly manner as to be aston- ishing. He resided not far from some of the houses that were burned ; and hearing what was going on, he mounted his horse and rode to where the work was in progress. There seemed to be a company of 25 or 30 men engaged — mostly, as he thought, Warsaw clerks, though he only knew a portion. They were commanded, he thinks, by a man from the north part of the connty, whose name he could not recollect. The burning began at what is now Tioga — then called Morley- town, or Yelrome, in "Walker township — and continued on up to Green Plains. The last house burnt in that section of the county, was the one they were at when attacked by the Mormon ^osse under Sheriff Backenstos, and where McBratney was killed. The houses burnt were mostly log cabins of not much value, though some pretty good dwellings were included. The manner was to go to the house and warn the inmates out — that they were going to burn it. Usually there would be no show of resistance; but all hands, burners and all, would proceed to take out the goods and place them out of danger. When the goods were all securely removed, the torch would be applied, and the house consumed. Then on to another. We are not aware that a correct count was ever made of the number thus burned; but our inform- ant states that there were probably 70 or 80. Some accounts have placed it as high as 125. As an evidence of the coolness and good temper in which this work was done, our informant relates the following, to which he says he was an eye-witness. While the burners were engaged in burning a certain house, a young woman belonging to the familv, standing and looking on, felt an inclination to smoke, and asked one of the burners for some tobacco. Having none himself, he pointed to one of his comrades and said he would give her some. She approached the other; he unconcernedly put his hand in his pocket, handed her the tobacco, from which she took what she wanted, and handed it back; when he went on with the work in hand, and the young woman proceeded to smoke ! MORMON METHODS. I. R. Tull, Esq., of Pontoosuc, gives us the following items, as illustrating Mormon methods: "I often went with produce to Nauvoo; and it mattered little what kind it was, so it was some- thing people could live on; and if at any time my stuff was dull sale, I would go to the committee rooms, and could always trade it off ibr something. They had almost every conceivable thing, from HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 376 all kinds of implements and men's and women's clothing down to baby clothes and trinkets, which had been deposited by the owners as tithing, or for the benefit of the temple." " Again he says: "In the fall of 1843 I went to Nauvoo to buy calves, and called on a blind man who had one to sell. I bought his calf, and being curious to learn his history, went in and saw his wife, with two little twin infants in a cradle, and great destitution. He told me that he had a nice home in Massachusetts, which gave them a good support. But one of the Mormon elders preaching in that country called on him and told him if he would sell out and go to Nauvoo, the prophet would open his eyes and restore his sight. And he sold out, and had come to the city, and had spent all his means, and was now in great need. I asked why the prophet did not open his eyes. He replied that Joseph had informed him that he could not open his eyes until the temple was finished, and then when the temple was finished he would open them, and he should see better than before! And he believed, and was waiting patiently for the last stroke to be made on the temple." And again, of this same poor family: "After this interview, when in S"auvoo I often took them something, and the blind man's wife seemed to think I was one of the Saints. One day I inquired how they were getting along. She told me they had been getting along finely; that there was a company formed to go out on the prairie and butcher cattle to get beef for the destitute, and they had been well supplied until about a week ago; but brother was mean enough to tell on them, and now they dare not go out any more to kill beef on the prairie, and ' what to do we don't know.' " GOV. foed's inaocueacibs. As a specimen of Gov. Ford's general inaccuracy of statement in regard to our diflSculties, we mention the following: He says in his History of Illinois, p. 319, of Walker and Hoge's canvass: " Mr. Hoge received about 3,000 votes in Nauvoo, and was elected by 600 or 800 majority." The facts are: the vote for Hoge through- out the whole county, including regular Democrats and Mormons outside the city, was just 2,088, and he was elected by 455 majority in the district. THE PEOPHET A LAND SPECULATOK. The prophet was quite a speculator in lands and town lots, in and about Jl^'auvoo. Of course, he desired a monopoly of the busi- ness. One of his methods was to keep the following notice stand- ing in the Neighbor: NOTICE. To Emigrants and Ldit&r-Bay Saints Generally: I feel it my duty to say to the brethren generally, and especialljr those who are emigratmg to this place, that there is in the hands of the trustees in trust, a large quantity of lands, both in the city and adjoining townships in this comity, which is 376; HISTOET OF HANCOCK , COUNTY, for sale, some of wliiehibelongs to the Church and is designed for the benefit of the poor, and also to Hquidate debts owing by the Church, for which the trustee in trust is responsible. Some, also, is land which has been consecrated for the building of the Temple and the Nauvoo House. If the brethren who move in here and want an inheritance, will buy their lands of the trustees in trust, tliey will thereby benefit the poor, the Temple, and the Nauvoo House, and even then only be doing that which is their duty, and which I know, by considerable experience, will be vastly for their benefit and satisfaction in days to come. Let all the brethren, therefore, when they move into Nauvoo, consult Presi- dent Joseph Smith, the trustee, etc., and purchase their lands of him; and I am bold to say that God will bless them, and they will hereafter be glad they did so. We hold ourselves ready at any time to wait upon the brethren and show them the lands belonging to the Church, and Temple, etc., and can be found any day, either at President Joseph Smith's bar-room or the Temple Recorder's oificeat the Temple. Natjvoo, Dec. 16, 1843. W. Clayton, Clerk. THE EE-OEGANIZED OHUECH. In concluding this history of the Mormon Era in Hancock county, it will not be out of place to refer to Joseph Smith, junior, •who, it is known, is building up a sect which he denominates the " Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." (While he was about it he might have reorganized the phraseology of its title to advantage.) At the time of the exodus from Nau\oo Joseph was a mere child, and with his mother and the rest of the family remained behind; she not choosing to relinquish a competence and a home here, for the uncertain honors and the certain privations of a sojourn in the new promised land. In this she acted wisely; but by doing so she greatly thwarted the purposes of the leaders. It was their ambition to carry with them the widow, and above all, the young son of their martyred leader. For years afterward they adhered to this darling scheme, and many efforts were made to induce the youth to join them. Embassies were sent to him, and glowing representations made ; but to no purpose. His ever- watchful mother and his own disinclination proved effective against all their solicitations and blandishments. Joseph grew up to be a sober, temperate, and steady young man, and with a fair reputation among his neighbors. We never heard that he aspired to any extra share of holiness, or to the pos- session of any miraculous gifts; or pretended to have had any special call from heaven, for the course he has seen proper to pursue. Nov do we know just at what time or in what manner he under- took his •work of reorganization. Strange as it may seem, we must infer that he believes in the divine mission of his father and the truth of his claims ; as he makes these in effect the basis of his work. This reorganized Church is based on the " Book of Mormon," the " Book of Doctrines and Covenants," and other works common to Utah Mormonism; but it totally rejects the polygamy features of the Utah creed. We are not able to perceive any other marked features of difference either in creed or form. The practice of the new Church, however, has been widely different. Instead of call- ing all the believers together to one " Zion," or " New Jerusalem," HlSTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 377 the building of one magnificent temple, and the pampering of a domineering and infallible priesthood, as under the old system, the new organization thus far has allowed its members the freedom of choice as to where they may make their homes and pursue the business of life. Consequently here and there through the States, societies are springing up, churches being erected, and regular worship carried on, much as is done by societies of other denomi- nations. There are several of these reorganized Churches in this county. And why not? Joseph Smith has just as good a right to head a sect as any man has, and to build up a creed and ransack the country for proselytes. And he has a right to base his creed on Spaulding's Manuscript Found or Esop'a Fables, if he so choose. That is a right to which no man or set of men has a monopoly. And so long as he will continue in what seems to be his present course and policy, and avoid the rocks on which his father went down — and which are sooner or later to be the destruc- tion of Utah Mormonism — while we may not respect his judg- ment or wish him God-speed, no man can desire him evil. While Methodism, Presbyterianism, Quakerism, or any other form of Christianity can live and be at peace even with Paganism, no so-called Gentile people in a land of light and liberty can quietly dwell side by side with Mormonism, as it existed of yore under the dynasty of Smith, the elder, in this county, and since under Brigham Young in Utah. Under them it was eternally aggressive upon the rights, the consciences, the property of their neighbors. " This land is for the home of the Saints — This prop- erty you call your own, is consecrated to their use and the service of the Lord — Your blood is as water, to be poured out upon the earth, for the unbeliever shall be utterly destroyed," — is now and has been from the beginning, the teaching from tlieir temples and the burden of their songs. And should this reorganizer (" Presi- dent," we believe he calls himself) ever fall into this fatal and wicked error, it will as certainly bring to him disaster, as it did to hispredecessors who adopted it. Whatever may be in the future for Utah Mormonism, it looks as if the reorganized branch might take and hold a respectable place among the religious sects of the day, could but the facts of its ori- gin and the character of its founders be effaced from memory. CONCLUSION. And we now close our account of the Mormons and Mormon history in Hancock county and the State of Ulinois. Much more we are compelled for want of room to omit. We believe, however, that we have brought together in these preceding chapters, a more complete and reliable statement of Mormon 'affairs, during their eight years' sojourn in this county, than can elsewhere be found, or that has ever before been given to the public. And, in conclusion, we beg to be indulged in a few reflections. It would seem that no one can take the. trouble to acquaint himself 378 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. with Joseph Smith's character and career, as seen in the light of history and truth, and not know that he was a very bad man — a hypocrite, a blasphemer, a knave. And yet hundreds and thousands believe otherwise, that he was a holy man, a saint and a martyr to the truth. Such is the diflference in men. And while we are forced to believe that he was as before stated, we are also compelled to conclude that many of his professed followers and believers were equally guilty — were, in truth, not his dupes, but his tools. That while he was taking care of number one, and rioting in luxury and debauchery, they were doing the same thing, as his aiders and abet- tors. His own talents could never have secured for him the posi- tion and notoriety he obtained; but to Sidney Kigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Brighain Young, and scores of others, whom his interests and thei/r interests drew around him, he was largely indebted for his success. They submitted to be managed by him, because their in- terest lay in submission. Beyond these and around them, supporting, feeding, pampering, and ready to fight for them, rallied a host of others, of many grades of character, sincere, devout, ignorant, willing and unwilling dupes, to whose sustaining power the sect owes its life. They furnish the bonds that hold the rotten system together. OHAPTEE YII.' FORTS JOHNSON AND EDWARDS. In Andreas' " Illustrated Historical Alias of Hancock county," published in 1874, we find the following: About the beginning of the eighteenth century, the French built Fort Johnson at this place (Warsaw). It stood on the point of blufE near where Albers' mill now stands. In the middle of the eighteenth century, during the trouble between the French and English, it was abandoned, because of an expected attack from the latter, via the Great Lakes. In the latter part of the eighteenth century. Fort Ed- wards, named after Gov. Edwards, of Illinois, was built by Capt. (afterwards Presi- dent) Zachary Taylor. It stood on the bluff at the foot of Clay street, and was aban- doned in 1835, and afterward used by the fur company. It would be diflBcult to jumble together a dozen lines of " history " containing more palpable errors than are to be found in the fore- going. First, the eighteenth century began in 1701, now 180 years ago, only 30 or 40 years after the discovery of the Northwes- tern country by the French. Secondly, had the French built Fort Jobnson at that early day, they would not likely have named it after the killer of Tecumseh, who flourished more than a hundred years afterward. Thirdly, " It was abandoned about the middle of the eighteenth century," sixty-three years before, it was actually built. And, Fourthly, Fort Edwards was built by Capt. Zach. Taylor, and named after Gov. Edwards, in the latter part of the eighteenth century, while Zach. Taylor and Ninian Edwards were both in their infancy! Not wishing to record history by guess, we addressed a note of inquiry to the "War Department, and received the following in reply: Wab Depaktmbmt, WASHnsTGTON City, ) Sept. 7, 1878. J Sm : — In regard to the history of old Forts Johnson and Edwards, which were situated in Hancock county, Illinois, information concerning which was desired in your letter of the 27th ultimo, I have the honor to state that the only data in possession of this Department regarding Fort Edwards, is that it was established about the year 1814, and abandoned in July, 1834, per general order No. 36, from the Adjutant-General's oflSce, June 11, 1824, at which date it was garrisoned by Company F, Fifth Infantry, commanded by Lieut.-Gideon Low, Fifth Infantry. There is nothing of record here regarding Fort Johnson. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Geo. W. McCraby, Secretary of War. Thomas GkegS, Esq., Hamilton, 111. OEDEE NO. 36. Adjctant-Genekal's Office, Wbstbbn Dbpabtmbnt, ) Louisville, Ky., 11th June, 1824. f The position of Fort Edwards, 111., will forthwith be evacuated, and its garri- son (■excepting a faithful non-commissioned officer and six privates, who wul be (379) 380 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. left for the preservation of the public property, and the crop at present standing) be removed to Fort Armstrong. Assistant Surgeon McMillan will, on the receipt of this order, report by letter to the Surgeon-General for orders, as to his present station, and will accompany the garrison at Fort Edwards to Fort Armstrong, where he is reqyiired as a witness before the Court to be convened at that post, for the trial of Brevet-Major Mars- ton, of the Fifth Infantry. The Quartermaster's Department will furnish the necessary facilities for the ■ most prompt execution of this order. By order of Majob-Gbnbbai, Scott. H. Smith, Lt. and Aid-de-Camp. The foregoing is to be taken as conclusive as to Fort Edwards, ^ut it settles nothing regarding Fort Johnson. Recourse must be had, then, to the history of the times. This we have searched until we feel sure that the mystery is explained, and conclude that the two forts were built within a few months of each other, in 1814. Peck's "Annals of the "West," second edition, St. Louis, 1860, on page 744, says: A detachment under command of Major Taylor left Cape au Gris on the 33rd of August, 1814, in boats, for the Indian town at Rock river. The detachment consisted of 334 men, officers and privates. A report from the commanding officer to Gen. Howard, dated from Fort Madison, Sept. 6, and published in the Missouri Gazette of the 17th, gives the details of the expedition. The expedition met with a superior force at Kock Island, were repulsed and feU back. The report says: I then determined to drop down the river to the Des Moines without delay, as some of the officers of the Rangers informed me their men were short of provis- ions, and execute the principal object of the expedition, in erecting a fort to com- mand the river. Fort [Johnson (says the Annals), a rough stockade with block-houses of round logs, was then erecied, on the present site of the town of Warsaw, opposite the mouth of the Des Moines. Then, on pa^'e 746, the Annals continues: Fort Madison, after sustaining repeated attacks from the Indians, was evacuated and burnt. And in the month of October the people of St. Louis were astounded with the intelligence that the troops stationed at Fort Johnson had burnt the block- houses, destroyed the works, and retreated down the river to Cape au Gris. The officers in command (Maj. Taylor having previously left that post), reported they were out of provisions and could not sustain the position. That there was no fort between Cape au Gris and Fort Madison previous to 1814, is proven by several circumstances. In the sev- eral expeditions made up the river before that time, mention is made of the Des Moines river and rapids, but no mention of a fort till Madison iis reached. Again, about 1813, Gov. Edwards fur- nished the War Department with a long table of distances from Prairie du Cliien down, in which Madison, the head of the rapids, the foot of the rapids, Des Moines river, are all named, but noth- ing about a fort. And so we conclude, and so state, as veritable history, that, instead of having been built one hundred and eighty years ago by HISTOKY OF HANCOCK OO0NTY. 381 the French, and named Johnson, that fort was erected during our war with Great Britain, by our own soldiery and by command of our own Government, in 1814; and that Fort Mlwa/rds 'wab also built and occupied the same year, after the destruction of the former, and named after the Governor of Illinois Territory; and that Capt. Zachary Taylor, afterward President of the Ilnited States, was the builder of them both. CHAPTER YIII. BIOGRAPHICAL. MUCK-AH-TAH-MISH-E-KA-AH-KB-AX. Eeferring to the foregoing State History, page 84, for a general account of the Black Hawk war, we deem a more particular account of that noted chieftain proper in this place. Many of the citizens of Hancock county were more or less engaged in that struggle, or interested in it from its proximity to them; and besides, there was a tradition that he was born within the limits of the county, upon Camp creek. For this there was probably no good foundation. That Black Hawk was a man of genius and bravery cannot be denied. He fought, and fought bravely, for what he deemed his rights. But when, at the battle of Bad- Axe, he was conquered and made prisoner, his spirit was broken, and he yielded to inexorable fate. He was carried a prisoner to Washington, and on a tour through the Eastern States, and then returned to his tribe beyond the Mississippi, with presents and an admonition. That tour of itself, showing him the vast power and resources of the people with whom he had been contending, was suflScient to convince him of the futility of war as a means of redressing his wrongs, and he buried the hatchet forever. He mingled with his tribe more as an humble follower than as a warlike chief. And when passing about among the whites, his deportment was always quiet and resigned. He acted as a deposed chief might be presumed to act, whose spirit was broken and whose will had ceased to be law. The writer of this first met Black Hawk in 1837, at Fort Des Moines, now Montrose. He was usually accompanied by his wife, and they were always treated with attention and respect by those wliites upon whom they called. Mure than once have Black Hawk and his well-behaved squaw sat at our table; and while the two women would chat freely over their tea, talking "Greek" to each other, the "chiefs " were compelled per force to maintain respectful silence. These tea-parties are remembered with as much pleasure a? though the entertained had been a duke and duchess. Black Hawk in those days usually wore a black hat and a white blanket, and took no pride in trinkets and feathers. Keokuk, whom he hated, and whose hate was returned, seldom appeared in public without being decked out in fanciful style. He was portly and made an imposing appearance. These joint tribes were then settled up the Des Moines river, and their chief villages were, we believe, near where the city of Des Moines now stands. (883) HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 383 But the old chieftain's career as a brave and a warrior had closed, and it was soon to close as a man. He, whose ^oalping- knife and tomahawk had gleamed in the face of many a foe, whose war-whoop had wakened the echoes of the night from the Missouri to the Wisconsin, and whose martial shout had sent defiance and threat across the Father of "Waters, was soon to take his departure to the far-off hunting grounds prepared for him by the great Manitou! He died on the banks of the Des Moines riyer, in what is now the county of Davis. At this day, and among a people so familiar with him and his career, it will he hard to assign him his true place in history. His abilities as a commander and leader were doubtless inferior to those of Philip, of Pokonoket, or Powhattan ; his talent for strategy and his energy of purpose were excelled by tjhose of Tecumseh; his oratory, of which little has been handed down to us, very likely fell short of that of Logan; but his name on history's page will stand along with these, and serve with theirs' " to point a moral and adorn a tale." We have been unable to fix with absolute certainty, the date of the old chiefs death, or of his age at the time. Gov. Ford, in his History of Illinois, gives his age at eighty, and places his death on the 3d of October, 1840. We should have called him at least ten years younger. It is stated that he had been aid-de-camp to Tecumseh, in the war of 1812-'15. A correspondent of the Keosauqua Republican states his death to have occurred in 1837; Mr. Wm. Garrett, an old resident of Burlington," places it in 1838, or '39; while Mr. James H. Jordan, of Davis county, who resided near and owned the land on which Black Hawk resided at his death, claims that it occurred in Sept., 1838. His remains were not buried, but deposited in usual Indian style above ground. Previous to his death he requested to be buried on the spot where he had held his last council with the lowas, near by, which was complied with. ■He was dressed in a full suit of regimentals, frock coat with gold epaulettes, a cocked hat, sword and belt and spear cane. Fastened about him were three large medals — one presented him by Gen. Jackson, one by President Madison, and one by the British. The body was placed on puncheons at an angle of 30 or 40 degrees, and covered with puncheons like a house roof. The whole was sur- rounded by a strong palisade of posts. The remains were afterwards stolen and carried away, but recovered by the Goverijor of Iowa, and placed in the Museum of the Historical Society at Burlington, wnere they were destroyed by fire. Mr. J. H. Lawton, of Plymouth, tells the following anecdote of Black Hawk: About 1837 or '38, he^was employed by Mr. Hiram Kimball, who had a store at Commerce, to clerk while Mr. K. went East. He had been instructed to keep a good watch over the 384 HISTOBY OF HANCOCK COTJNTY. Indians when they came about the store, and to call in an old settler there to interpret for him when necessary. One day Black Hawk, among others, came in. The old warrior lingered around for some time, and finally pointed to a book lying^ upon the desk, an account book used in the store. The clerk, sup- posing he wished to examine it, took it and began to show him its construction, etc.; but the chief shook his head: that was not what was wanted. He took it, turned over the leaves, and pointed to the entries. Concluding finally that he wanted to refer to them, the clerk turned leaf by leaf, till he came to an entry against Black Hawk himselt^ — such and such articles charged, amounting to so many dollars and cents. He was now understood; figuring up the amount, the clerk communicated it to him in some way, when the old chief pulled out the exact sum and paid it. When this was done, he motioned to have the account balanced, which was done, and he went away satisfied. Tiie articles had been purchased and the entries made months before. The transaction showed not only an honesty of purpose, but good credit and a good memory on the part of the old chief Henry Asbury, Esq., of Quincy, furnishes the following: " I met (at Burlington in 1835) the Indian chief Black Hawk, who, through an interpreter, told me that for a time when a child he resided with his parents at the point where Quincy now stands. " Whilst standing on the bank of the river conversing with the chief, the steamboat Warrior passed up the river without landing. Black Hawk manifested whilst looking at the boat, great anger and displeasure; and went on to say that the day before, or a short time before the battle of the Bad-Axe, this same steamboat Warrior came up to a point where his warriors were collected in their retreat — that he sent a white flas; to the shore for the purpose of ofiering a surrender — and that the flag was fired on from the boat. That he wanted in good faith to surrender, and would have done so, if permitted; and that the subsequent massacre of his people might have been thus avoided. " He knew the name of the captain — Throckmorton — and called him ' Ghe-wal-i-ki Ohe-mo-ho-mon? [Bad White Man.] " Black Hawk was a very extraordinary Indian ; rather under size, yet he was compactly built; possessing the most pleasant fece and features I ever saw in an Indian. In manner grave, dignified, and polite. He looked less the savage than any Indian I have ever seen." Another correspondent. Col. J. C. Walsh, of Maryland, says: " I have often heard' the old chieftain, Muck-ah-tah-mish-e-ka- ah-ki-ak or Black Hawk, make the same assertion he did to Mr. Asbury, namely, that he desired to surrender at the battle of the Bad- Axe, but that his white flag was fired on. " Black Hawk and his family, — Moh-wah-e-quah, his wife, Nah- she-us-kuk and Sam-e-sah, his sons, and Nan-ne-sah, his daughter. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COtJNTr. 385 were remarkable for their high-toned deportment in every partic- ular. Nah-she-us-kuk, when I first knew him, was without excep- tion the finest formed man I ever saw; about six feet two inches in height, with limbs of most symmetrical mold, he was a striking counterpart of the Apollo Belvidere, and his manners were as graceful and polished as any courtier's. I have often remarked that he was truly one of nature's noblemen. One rare trait he possessed, and tliat was, he never made use of whisky or tobacco. " My recollections of this Indian family are of the most pleasing character, and I shall never forget the kindness and hospitality with which I was invariably^ treated by them. Often has been the time, that, coming to their lodge hungry and sorely tired, after a day's hunt, that I have thought the boiled corn and deer meat which Moh-wah-e-quah (wolf woman) would set before me, was a feast fit for a king; and the soft skins and warm Mackinaw blankets that she would spread for my bed, was a couch on which had it been eider down my repose could not have been more pro- found and undisturbed. And I felt as safe in the rude wik-ke-up of the Indian chief in the depths of the forest, sun-ounded by those of his band who remained loyal to him, as if I had been resting in the guest chamber of the mansion of the proudest in the land." CHAPTER IX. HANCOCK NEWSPAPEB8. If any county in Illinois can count a larger list of unfortunate newspaper enterprises than Hancock, we pity the people thereof and shed tears in behalf of the projectors and publishers. In June, 1836, now 44 years ago, the writer of this printed at Carthage the first newspaper ever issued in the county. It was called The Oarthagenian, and was owned by a company of citi- zens. After a precarious existence of less than a year, it was pur- chased by Dr. Isaac Galland, one of the proprietors, and removed to Fort Des Moines, Wisconsin Territory, now Montrose, Iowa, its editor-printer going with it. There the new paper was called the Western Adventv/rer. A short sketch of the newspaper press at that day will not be out of place here. The whole vast region north of Palmyra, Mo., and reaching to the Pacific ocean, was without a newspaper, with the exception of one at Dubuque and one just commenced at Bur- lington. At St. Louis, Chambers & Knapp published the Missouri Hepublican, with Nathaniel Paschal for its editor, then the lead- ing "Whig paper west of the Ohio. There was also the St. Louis Argus, a Democratic paper. Elijah P. Lovejoy about that time began the Observer, a religious and anti-slavery paper, and for which he was killed by a mob at Alton, having removed his press to that city. Rev. John M. Peck, a stalwart Baptist minister, well known in that day as a pioneer and historian, was publishing at Rock Spring in this State, and afterward at St. Louis, the Western Watohmom. At Springfield, Simeon Francis was conducting the Sanaamo Jov/rnal\,' and at Jacksonville was the Illinois Patriot, by James G. Edwards, and the Illinois Spectator, by Mr. Brooks, father of the late Austin Brooks, of the Q,\i.\nQj Herald, and John P. Brooks, one of our former State Superintendents of Public Instruction. These were soon discontinued or changed. Mr. Brooks removed elsewhere, and Mr. Edwards emigrated to Iowa, took the press of the Adventv/rer, and established Sie Fort Madison Patriot, which he afterward transferred to Burlington and named the Ha/wkeye. About the same date Samuel H. Davis, of the "Wheeling (Va.) Gazette, came to Peoria and established The Register, which he conducted with ability and success until his death. " Long John " Wentworth had a year or two before located at Chicago and issued The Democrat, though two or three other papers had previously (886) ' '\ ^. HISTOBT OF HANCOCK OOTINTT. 389 been publislied in that embryo city. At Quincy, Jufige Eichard M. Young had published the Bounty Lmid Eegister, which was about that date suspended or merged into the Quincy Argua, by John H. Petit. Near the same date was also commenced the Quincy Whig, by Mr. S. M. Bartlett, or Bartlett & Sullivan. There were papers at Yandalia, then the State capital, at Shaw- neetown, and a few other points in the south end of the State. One at Alton was begun by Judge Baillhache, formerly of Oolum- bus, Ohio, called the Alton Telegraph, and was long a leading "Whig paper in that section. Eushville, being an old town, may have had a paper, but its title, if so, is not recollected. The old city of Galena must not be forgotten — that capital of the lead mine region — so long on the confines of civilization. Of course it had one, if not two papers anterior to the Black Hawk war. James G. Clark, Secretary and afterward Governor of Iowa Territory, commenced the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette, at Bel- mont, on the east side of the river; and on the division of the Ter- ritory, removed it down to Burlington, and named it Iowa Terri- torial Gazette. Keokuk was then but just named, still widely known as " The Point," and had no paper for years afterward. Des Moines, Iowa City, Omaha, Kansas City, Council Bluffs, and all that string of cities to the Pacific, were nowhere. San Francisco, at the Golden Gate, from whose port the auriferous stream has of later years been pouring to enrich the world, was but an unknown Mexican town. From a list of the newspapers in Illinois, compiled from the Alton Telegraph in 1867, we find that the number was just twenty- seven, all told. Previous to 1836 the people of the county were chiefly snpplied with newspapers by the J/?«sO'iW'*J?ep'M5Z«eww, the Sangamx) Jov/r- nal, the Botmty Land Register, and the St. Louis Argus, to which may be added the Watohman, which was received in a good many Baptist families. After the suspension of The Oarthagenian the county was with- out a paper until the fall of 1839, when the Mormons settled in it, and the Times and Seasons was issued at Nauvoo, by Ebenezer Eobinson and Don Carlos Smith, the youngest brother of the prophet. Its first issue was dated Nov., 1839. It was a small sixteen-page monthly, and was designed for the organ of the Mor- mon Church : terms $1.00 per annum. This paper continued to be published (semi-monthly, at $2.00 after the first year) during the stay of that people in the county, under several editors and pub- lishers, among whom are remembered, besides its originators, the prophet himself, Frederic G. Williams, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, W. W. Phelps, and others. The circulatiop of this paper is unknown, but being a Church organ, it is supposed to have gone into the thousands. About the year 1842, Patriarch William Smith, another brother to the prophe"t, established a small weekly paper called The Wasp, 24 390 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. and continued it for some months, when it was merged into a larger and more respectable paper, entitled the Nauvoo Ileighhor. This was conducted, we believe, through the whole period, of its exist- ence, in whole or in part, by John Taylor, one of the Twelve. It was the secular organ of the Mormon body, and was continued till about the time of the exodus to the far "West. These three were the only Mormon publications issued in the county. They were conducted with a great deal of zeal, but carried the marks of incompetency and illiteracy on every page. In the spring of 1840, Daniel IS. White, editor and publisher of the Pittsburg Oazette, at the instance of his brother- iu -law, Daniel S. "Witter, of the "Warsaw steam flouring mill, was induced to bring a press there and commence the publication of a paper, which he called the Western World. It was a six-column weekly, at $2.00 per year. At the end of six months he retired, selling his estab- lishment to Thomas C. Sharp, Esq., and James Gamble, a journey- man printer. These gentlemen at the end of the first year changed its title to "Warsaw Signal, a name which continued in "Warsaw, through various tribulations and changes, with short intervals of rest, for a period of about thirteen years. In 1843 the office came into the hands of Messrs. Gregg & Patch, (Th. Gregg, "Wm. Y. Patch) who for a year or so issued the "War- saw Message., a "Whig paper. Again, in February, 1844, the office reverted to Mr. Sharp, who, sometimes alone and sometimes with a partner, continued to publish it until the close of the Mormon war in 1847, which terminated his connection with the 'Signal. It then passed over to Gregg & Miller, and continued in their hands till 1850, when it was sold to James McKee, of the Nauvoo Patriot, who established the "Warsaw Commercial Journal, a Democratic paper. Mr. Gregg afterwards procured an old press and material and revived the Signal in Aug., 1851, there being then for a time two papers in "Warsaw. In the fall of 1853, Mr. Sharp again decided to enter the edito- rial field ; the Signal office and jjatronage were transferred to him, and with a new press and types he began the "Warsaw Exjpress, which he issued with fair success, for about fifteen months, and then sold to Mr. G. G. Galloway, Mr. S. continuing to conduct it to the close of the year. Soon after the issue of the JExpress, Mr. McKee also sold out his Commercial Journal concern to Dr. Ean- kin, who removed it to La Harpe; and thus originated the first newspaper in that ambitious town. The name of this paper was the Hancock Democrat. Just how long the enterprise lasted we cannot say; but only a few months, when "Wesley H. Manier, Esq., of Carthage, purchased the materials, and in conjunction with Mr. Thaddeus Clarke, issued the Carthage Sepublioan, Jan., 1854. These gentlemen continued it till October of the same year; it being an "independent" paper, price $2.00 per annum. Then it passed into the hands of G. M. Child, Esq., by whom it HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 391 was transformed into an intensely Democratic sheet, and so con- ducted by him for several years. In Aug., 1861, Kobert W. McOlaughry, Esq., fresh from Monmouth College, with his brother-in-law, Dr. A. J. Griffith, purchased the Republioan and changed its character, supporting ardently the measures of the Government in pulling down the Kebellion. In Aug., 1862, Mr. McOlaughry enlisted in the army and Dr. G. sold the JSepublioan to J. M. Davidson, Esq., who, on Oct. 8th, 1863, issued his initial number, and has since continued as owner and editor to supply articles for every issue, with the exception perhaps of one or two numbers. Mr. D. is a native of Illinois; was born May 22, 1828, near Edwardsville, in Madison county. In 1845-6, in company with Oharles McDowell, he published fhe Fulton Gazette at Lewistown; in 1855 established 'the Fulton Demoorat at Lewistown, running it until 1858; then sold it to his brother, Wm. T. Davidson. In 1859-60-61, he published the Squatter Sovereign at Havana, in Mason county. During the session of the Legislature of 1868-9, Mr. D. was Legislative corre- spondent of the St. Louis Sepuhlican and Ohicago Times. During his more than sixteen years' continuous labor on the Republiccm (Democratic paper) Mr. D. has been faithfully devoted to his party and unremitting in efforts to advance its interests ; has been energetic and zealous in building up his busi- ness; a hard worker, a ready writer; and has succeeded in making the R&public Citizen was the result. During the winter of 1846-7, Mr. S. employed Dr. Isaac Galland as its editor. The Citizen was Anti-Mormonish, and, as its name implied, was devoted to the interests of the new citizens who were taking the place of the emi- grating Mormons. As the Doctor had been one of the prophet's baptized adherents and his private secretary and agent, it was thought he needed a little watching on the part of Slocum and his friends. So, one day, an editorial article appeared in proof sheet, which was of such a character as to " bounce " the Doctor from his tripod. The paper was then for a period conducted by the foreman, John S. Winter, Esq., for several years since manager and editor of the Knoxville Jowrnal, and present County Clerk of Knox county. 111. We know nothing of the circulation of the Citizen — it could not have been large — but we are informed that its exchange list was immense for a country paper, amounting to several hun- dreds. In the fall of 184Y, James McKee published in that city the Nauvoo Patriot, a Democratic paper. In 1850, he removed to Warsaw, and it is believed the Patriot office went into the hands of the Icarian Community. About the beginning of 1851, that colony began the issue of the Icarian lieview, printed half in English and half in French. It was under the editorial charge of M. Etienne Cabet, their venerable and talented leader. They also published the Popular Tribune, under another editor whose name is not now remembered. The Cojnmunity broke up and the paper was discon- tinued. July 24, 1858, two young men, Gregg & Lambert, started t^e Nauvoo Democratio Press. It remained in their hands but a few months, when Messrs. Yates, Chapman, Bauer & Swartz took the concern. Finally Mr. Yates took it and employed Mr. Grove, a school-teacher, to conduct it. After Mr. G., it was conducted by Mr. Abraham Yates, son of the proprietor, until his death in 1860. Henceforward until 1873, we believe Nauvoo was without a news- paper. On November 14th of that year, Messrs. Kramer and HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 393 Thomas began the publication of the Nauvoo Independent. It remained in their hands but 44 weeks, when it was purchased by Hamilton & JSTelson (Dr. R. B. Hamilton qpd Joseph Nelson), in whose hands it remained one year, when Dr. H. retired, and Mr. Nelson remained its sole proprietor. It is now in its seventh year and still under his care, with a fair prospect of continuance, a use- ful " independent," two dollars, 8-column folio. 8ta/r of Dallas, was the first newspaper in Dallas City, by Fran- cis Ashton, in the spring of 1859. In the fall it was removed to La Harpe and back again in two weeks. In the.summer of 1860 it passed into the hands of Mr. Trueblood, who advocated the election of Judge Douglas to the Presidency. It died May, 1861. December, 1869, G. M. Child, of the Hancooh bemoarat, at Car- thage, removed his paper to Dallas, where he continued to issue it until his death in 1872. It was a T-coIumn folio, at $1.50 per year. At his death it was discontinued for a time, but revived in the winter of 1872-3, by Mr. J. F. Taylor, his son-in-law, but it was not long lived. Attempts were made to re-establish it; and we find that in the winter of 1875-6, Messrs. Mason & Murphy were print- ing a paper ^QVQ—\!a.i& Advocate — which in June, 1876, passed into the hands of Mr. Walter B. Loring, who had been an apprentice and journeyman with Mr. Child. At a subsequent date, Mr. Penu Harris, of Chicago, opened out in Dallas City with an 8-page 64- column sheet; but it proved to be too big a boom, and was sus- pended after two numbers. It was called the Sucker State, date not remembered. W. C. Brown issued for a few months the Dallas City Monitor, which, we believe, was the latest efibrt until April 6, 1878, Mr. £. H. Thomas, formerly of the Nauvoo Independent, started the Dallas City News, a 7-column folio. It is still pub- lished under the same management, a live paper, and independent as to politics, and seems to be enjoying a fair patronage, likely to maintain a longer and niore prosperous career than most of its pre- decessors. Augusta has not been without its several newspaper enterprises. The first venture of the kind there was made in the summer of 1856, by L. S. Grove & Son. Mr. G. had been a school-teacher in various places in the county, and striking Augusta, concluded to try his hand on a newspaper. It was called the Augusta Weekly Times. It ran about one year. The Augusta Home Banner was started about Dec. 1, 1864, by W. P. Campbell, editor and proprietor. He was succeeded in about a year by W. K. Carr, who continued the Banner about two years probably. Mr Carr is now a Methodist preacher at Rushville, 111. The Augusta Herald was begun Aug. 2, 1878, by Mr, Henry E. Allen, who emigrated from Knox Co., 111., where he had been conducting the Abingdon Knoxonian. The Herald •'n&s a good local paper, and seemed to be managed with considerable tact and skill; yet Mr. Allen left it in about a year, transferring it to Mr.. Silas Sobinson, by whom it was continued till early in 1880. 394 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. In March, 1880, Mr. E. removed Ris press to "Warsaw, where he began and is now publishing the "Warsaw Democrat, an 8-page Democratic sheet (as its title indicates) at $2 per year. Mr. R. also published, for a month in "Warsaw, a little daily, called the Independent. The Augusta Mail is just started by Mr. Garrison. From Augusta to Plymouth is but five miles by rail, up the C, B. & Q. " If Augusta can start a paper and fail, why can not we also start one and succeed? " thought the citizens of the rival town. So, one day in the springof 1857, the writer of this, then at Warsaw, was invited to come to F. and take an interest in, and charge of, a paper they were going to issue there. He declined, but offered to conduct it for a salary. His offer was accepted, a company formed, press purchased, and the Plymouth Looomotive was put upon the road. He published it till IS^ovember, then begged to be released, when it passed to other parties, and finally gave up the ghost the next year. The press and materials were sold to a publisher at Carthage. Plymouth then remained without a newspaper for about eighteen years, when in Jan., 1877, Mr. E. A. Hail, of Macomb, brought a press there and issued the Plymouth Advocate. He continued it till Aug. 30, 1878, when he sold to Post & Bell ("W. A. Post, Jesse "W. Bell, Jr.). By these gentlemen — Post succeeded by W. S. Hendricks, as editor — the Advocate was continued until April 24, 1879, when it was stopped, and the press transferred to Clayton, 111. Again, June 26, 1879, Mr, Charles K. Bassett, of the Abingdon Register, brought' another press to Plymouth and began the publi- cation of the Plymoutli Phonograph. It began as a Democratic paper, but has changed to neutrality. Mr. B. is the youngest editor in the county, having just now reached his majority. Should he be able to sustain a paper in Plymouth, which He seems likely to do, it can hardly be ascribed to his youth and inexperience. Returning again to "Warsaw: During the summer of 1844, a small paper, called the HancocJc Dentocrat, was printed at the Signal office for Mr. E. A.'Bedell. Its purpose was to advocate the claims of Jacob C. Davis for Congress; but he failing of a nomination, the paper was discontinued after four issues. In 1853-4 a strong temperance wave swept over Illinois and the county of Hancock, and in Jan., 1854, a small monthly sheet was begun at the E'xpress office by Mr. Gregg, called the Temperance Crusader. In a few months this paper reached a circulation of 1,700 copies, mainly through the agency of the Sons of Temper- ance. But it came to an untimely end. In ah evil hour, an offer to merge with a similar sheet in Chicago was accepted, the united paper to be issued from that city. The Grusader subscription list was sent on ; but for a year nothing could be heard from the paper or its publisher, when it was learned that he had goue East and abandoned the enterprise. Tl^e list was gone, and the paper could not be revived. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 395 .'"About 1866 or '7, W. K. Davison, a ]l)henomenal printer, having money, struck Warsaw in his wanderings,' and concluded to settle. The Warsaw Bulletin was the result. Mr. D. was not a literary man, but he was an industrious editor and possessed energy and business tact, and he made the Bulletin pay better than any paper yet published in the county. He conducted it with good success till the second or third year of the war, a portion of the time issu- ing a small daily, when he went into the army, leaving the paper in the care of Mr. John F. Howe, who allowed it to run down. Mr. Davison was mustered into the 118th 111. Inf., as Quarter- Master, and served till the regiment was mustered out, Oct., 1865. But he was taken sick and died, after his discharge, before reaching home. After the demise of the JVew Era, a printer named Lick issued for a time in "Warsaw the Public Record. He was succeeded in 1867 hy Mr. Dallam, father of the present editor of the Bulletin. Mr. D. was an able and vigorous writer. His ready and sharp wit made him a formidable antagonist to those brethren of the quill who belonged to the other side in politics. The following notice of him we cut from the Bulletin announcing his death, which occurred quite suddenly, on March 16, 1868, in Warsaw: "Francis Asbury Dallam was born in Butler county, Kentucky, September, 1824. Whilst he was still a child, his father removed to the city of St. Louis, Mo., where he was educated and soon became a practical printer. He soon took a high rank in his pro- fession, and in 1846 became the editor of a newspaper, establishing the Miner's Prospect at Potosi, in Missouri, and editing it in con- nection with Mr. Philip Ferguson. At St. Louis he was married to Miss Anna McKee, of that city. In 1852 he established at Oquawka, in this State, the Oquawka Plaindealer, which soon became extensively known as one of the ablest advocates of the principles of the old Whig party. This paper was a very success- ful enterprise, and the reputation which he here acquired procured him an invitation to Quincy, where, in 1856, he edited the Repub- lican in connection with Mr. H. V. Sullivan, and in the course of a few inonths united this paper with the Whig, in whicli he was associated with Mr. John T. Morton. But in 1859 he returned again to Oquawka, and resumed the editorship of the Plaindealer. He was, of course, a very decided advocate of Mr. Lincoln's elec- tion to the Presidency, and received from him the appointment of Postmaster of Oquawka. But at the breaking out of the Eebeliion, he was the first man in the place of his residence to volunteer in the army, where he became Captain of Company D, of the Tenth Eegiment of Illinois Yolunteer Infantry, withMotgan as its Col- onel. Ke-enlisting at the close of the three months' service, he was appointed Major of the same (Tenth) Eegiment in which he made the Kentucky campaign -w^ith General McClernand. In May, 1862, he became an Adjutant-General upon the staff of Gen- eral Eoss, but was soon after compelled to resign on account of the V 396 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. state of his health, remaining as an invalid for some mon ths at his home in Oquawka. In 1863 he made an excursion to California, and 1864 found him in Nevada, where, besides editing a paper, the Carson Independent, he became a member of the Convention which formed the Constitution of that State. The year 1866 found him again in Quincy, in this State, as editor of the Whig and Hepublican, and in the following year he removed to this place and bought the Record, the title of which he soon changed to that of the Warsaw Bulletin, which he continued to edit until the time of his death." At Mr. Dallam's death the paper was left in the hands of his widow and young sonp. These — first Frank M., and latterly " Phil," — have conducted the Bulletin ever since with good success. It now stands in the front rank among the country papers ; in size, excel- lence of workmanship, and character of its editorials, second to but few of them. The Bulletin is a pronounced Hepublican, 9-column folio, at $2.00 a year. About the beginning of 1877, Mr. J. M. Faris came to Warsaw from Pike county, and established a Democratic paper, to which he gave the old name of Hdncoch Democrat. Mr. Faris was in bad health the whole period of his stay in the county, and he was compelled to give up the business. His estab- lishment was purchased by George P. Walker and Cortez Maxwell, Esqs., and continued (Mr. Walker retiring after a few months) till the fall of 1879, when it was discontinued. The Democrat was an 8-column folio sheet, neatly printed, at $2.00 per annum. At La Harpe, after the demise of Dr. Eankin's Democrat, Mr. Henry King, a young son of J. "W. King, Esq., with Frank Nash, published the Star of the West. This was about 1858 or 1859; and afterward, in 1866 or 1867, James L. King published the Home Ifews. How long these papers continued we are not advised, but only for short periods. In JSTovember, 1874, Mr. H. C Kising began to issue the La Harpe Leader, and before the close of a volume left it in the hands of L. S. Cogswell, Esq., who changed it to the La Harper in October, 1875. In his hands it continued over two years, when he transferred it to J. C. Coulson, Esq., who issned his first number dated April 5, 187S. Mr. C. is a son of Dr. Coulson, an early settler, and we believe is a native of the county. He is still at the helm of the La Harper, industriously devoting himself to the interests of his pleasant little city, and has succeeded in building up a fair patronage. His paper seems to be popular with the people ; it is decidedly a local journal, and is now m its fifth volume. It is a 5-column quarto. In the spring of 1858, after leaving the Plymouth Locomotvoe, Mr. Gregg established, at Hamilton, the Hamilton Representative, a 6-column folio. This continued two or three years, till it suc- cumbed to the hard times of the war. Again, in May, 1873, he published the Dollar Monthly, changed to Rural Messenger, Jan- HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 397 uary 1, 1876, and suspended April, 1877. It was a large 16-page sheet, and was devoted principally to literary and rural affairs. This brings us back to the county-seat, where we began, and where the first news sheet was floated upon the prairie breezes of Hancock county, 44 years ago. The summer it was issued the grass was knee high over the public square, with paths here and there across to the few business houses. The wild deer sniffed the morning air in the suburbs, and the bowlings and barkings of the little prairie coyotes awoke the echoes of the night. The town had perhaps 100 inhabitants, all told; the county, say, 3,000. After the suspension of the Carthageniam,, the place was without a paper for ten or twelve years, or more. But to omit none, we should mention that in the fall of 1886, a small campaign sheet was issued from the office of the Oarthagenian, called The Echo, under the management of Walter Bagley, Esq., intended to advo- cate the election of Gen. Harrison to the Presidency. Only a few numbers were issued. The next venture there, we believe, was made by Mr. Thaddeus Clarke, of Macomb; but the date is not recollected, neither can we recall the name of the paper, but believe it was News-Letter. This must have been a few years before his connection with Mr. Manier "on the RejpvMican. In the spring of 1860 Mr. James K. Magie, from the Oquawka Plaindealer, came to Carthage and established the Carthage Tran- script. How long this paper continued we have not at hand the means of knowing, but it was succeeded by the Carthage Oazette, in the hands of Mr. Fowler, afterward associated with Mr. Noble L. Prentis, and by them conducted with spirit and tact till about 1869 or '70, when it passed to its present proprietor. The Gazette is now in its 15th year. We must not leave out of the list the little college monthly, named the Carthaginian (with an t instead of an e in its third syllable, which its erudite editors claim is the correct orthography). It is a handsome octavo, issued from the office of the Bepublican, scholarly, spicy, under the management of the Faculty and literary societies of Carthage College. We have now gone through the list as well as the means at hand will permit, but very probably not without some errors. To enu- merate: At Carthage we have had the Ca/rthagenian, Echo., News- Letter{?\ Transorijpt, BepubUoan, Democrat, Gazette, Carthagin- ian — 8. . At Nauvoo — Times and Seasons, Wasp, Eapositor, Ne^ghbor, Eagle, New Citizen, Icarian Review, PopiXlar Tribune, Demo- cratic Press, Independent — 10 . At War saw — Western World, Signal, Message, Oommercial Journal, Democrat, Express, Crusader, New Era, Bulletin, Pub- lic Record, Democrat 2A, Warsaw Democrat ^uA Independent— IZ. 398 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. At La Harpe — The Democrat, Star of the West, Home News, Leader, La Harper — 5. At Augusta — Times, Home Banner, Herald — 3. At Dallas City — Star of Dallas, Democrat, Advocate, Sucker State, Monitor, News — 6. At Plymouth — Locomotive, Advocate, Phonografh — 3. At Hamilton — Representative, Dollar Monthly, Rural Messen- ger — 8. Grand total, 51. Over half a hundred ; one for every year of the county's exist- ence. To enumerate the fortunes made in these enterprises would be an easy task. To count the absolute and the partial failures would be a little more difficult. There have been reasons for these failures, chief of which has been ambition — ambition of individ- uals to be at the bead of a press, and ambition of rising villages to sport a newspaper. None of these first publications but were begun too soon, before there was sufficient population and business to sustain them. And yet, having induced men to embark in these enterprises, it was the duty and the interest of the towns to sustain them. A newspaper failure in a rising village is a disaster not only to^the person managing it, but also to the community. It has taken a long chapter to tell the story of these newspaper' ventures, — the births, growths, suspensions, resurrections, failures and final fliokerings of newspaper life in Hancock during its first half century. The budding hopes blasted, the air-castles over- turned, little fortunes consumed, debts incurred, mortgages fore- closed and Sherifif's writs executed, nobody may know, and nobody cares. The career of that Cincinnati Franklin Press, the first one brought to Warsaw, was a remarkable one, and of itself tells a story of newspaper adventure and failure. It has truly been on all sides in politics. It first served the Whigs with White and the World; next JSTeutrality with Sharp and the Signal,' then again a Whig under Gregg & Patch in the Message; then it breathed fire and Anti-Mormonism with Sharp again in the Signal; then with Gregg & Miller a Neutral; then with McKee a Democratic organ in the CommeroialJournal; then with Rankin at La Harpe, a Democrat; then to Manier & Co. at Carthage, an Independent; then to Child, a Democrat and an opposer of the war; then to Griffith & McClaughy, a War Democrat; and finally, it rests from its wanderings and polit- ical labors in a quiet nook in the Republican office, a doer of all work, after 40 years of active service; and in all this time it has not been out of the county. It may truly be called a Hancock institution. CHAPTER X. WEATHER PHENOMENA. The year 1811 is far enough back to go in search of historical incidents connected with Hancock county; and what we have to record of that year, concerns alike the whole Mississippi Valley. That was a year long to he remembered. The first steamboat to traverse the Ohio and Mississippi rivers — the " New Orleans " — was launched at Pittsburg in the summer of that year, and made her trip to New Orleans, scaring the aborigines along the rivers out of their seven senses. Arrived in the vicinity of New Madrid, the terrible earthquake occurred, which rocked the waters of the river, sunk large tracts of land, partially destroyed the town and came verj near putting an end. to the first experiment of steam navigation in the West. To increase the dismay caused by the earthquake, a fiery comet was seen coursing through the heav- ens, exhibiting an immense and gorgeous length of tail — the sup- posed harbinger of disaster to the astonished inhabitants. But the earliest date we can reach with safety, in regard to weather phenomena in Hancock county, is that of the memorable DEEP SNOW, so wellrecoUectedby all living in this region in 1830-31. That win- ter marks an epoch in the history of Hancock and all the Military Tract and indeed, throughout a large portion of the great North- west. "What its limits were we are unable to say, but they were extensive. To recount the sufierings caused by it would fill vol- umes. Those who were caught unprepared — as many always are, especially in a new country — were put to great extremes for the means of sustaining life till spring. Fire-wood, generally near at hand, could be reached by dint of hard labor. But the difficulty was in procu^j^ng provisions. "Wild game and the produpt of the cornfields was the main dependence of the settlers. In most instances, the corn had not been gathered. It became a herculean labor, first to find it, as it lay imbedded in the snow, and then to procure it, and when procured, how was it to be got to the mills and returned in meal? Travel, for the greater part of the winter, was almost entirely suspended, it being inipossible to go but a few rods in a day, with the best of teams. A gr^at deal of stock died, from suffering in the snow, and from want of food. Game died in great numbers in the woods; or if alive, could not be found, and if occasionally found, was easily caught, but so poor as to be fre- quently unfit for food. 4:00 HISTOEY OF HANOOCK COUNTY. But the greatest suffering, perhaps, was in those instances where people were caught away from home and out in the storm. Some of these instances of peril are reported in other portions of this book. The snow began to fall on the 29 th of December, 1830, and continued almost incessantly for three days. The average depth was about four feet, with drifts in all the" ravines and low places, sometimes twenty and thirty feet deep. What few fences there were had been entirely covered; roads, of which there were but few, were obliterated. The New Year of 1831 was ushered in upon a canopy of universal whiteness. The snow remained on the ground till spring, and as the winter advanced and a crust began to form, the difficulties of travel increased. All remember the deep snow of 1830-31. STOEM OF 1836. The next to mention is the remarkable storm and " sudden freeze " of Dec. 20, 1836. This we describe as experienced at Carthage. Other accounts from other places somewhat differ. The night had been warm, and in the morning a soft rain was falling, which continued till seven or eight o'clock. Then the weather began to grow colder, a slight wind began to blow from the west and afterward from the northwest, every moment increasing in violence. The rain ceased, but soon was succeeded by sleet, and by ten o'clock there was a continuous and violent gale blowing, driving before it a body of fine round sleet, as hard as ice, and so cutting that it could not be faced. The soft ground was soon frozen hard, its uneven spaces filled with the sleet, till it became as hard and almost as smooth as ice, making travel very difficult. It continued all day and long into the night, the gale and sleet and cold unabated, and at times coming with increased violence. How low the mercury fell we can not now remember, but there was within the twenty hours of the storm a change of not less than sixty or seventy degrees of temperature. People who were so unfortunate as to be caught out in the storm suffered intensely. Frozen ears, frozen feet and hands were numerous, and numbers over the country were frozen to death. One man was frozen to death between Carthage and Commerce, while on his way with an ox team. His comrade barely escaped with his life. The Illinois river froze over in an incredibly short period of time. TOKNADO, JUNE, 1838. A correspondent in the north gives us the following: In the month of June, 1838, a terrible tornado passed over the north part of the county. The storm-cloud commenced gathering west of the Mississippi, and by one o'clock had assumed a formidable, black and angry appearance. Crossing the river near Fort Madi- HI8T0BT OF HANCOCK OO0NTT. 401 son, it started in an easterly direction. Then the clouds assumed the appearance of large inverted funnels, three in number. Clear- ing the bluff timber, it struck the earth near the west line of 7-7, about midway of the township. Then it presented an appearance at once awful, and grand to behold. The weeds and grass of the prairie were literally torn up by the roots. Continuing east, with a noise like a thousand thunders, it struck the young settlement of Pilot Grove. Huge trees were uprooted and broken like pipe- stems, and log houses were blown down. In one of the houses an old lady by the name of Sears was killed. A new frame-house that had just been built, was taken from its foundation, carried several rods and set down again, without receiving any material injury. Three persons were killed in the vicinity of Pilot Grove. Some cattle and horses were killed and missing. The tornado continued on through the timber east of Joseph Lionberger's mill, completely destroying every tree and bush in its path. It finally spent, itself over in the bluffs of the Illinois river. For many years afterward, the track of this fearful tornado was visible, and the dire effects of its fury to be seen. HIGH WATERS. "We are unable to give all the years in which the Mississippi rose to unusual height, but those of 1835, 1844, 1851 and 1858, are particularly remembered. In each?of those years the water covered the whole valley from bluff to bluff, with slight exceptions, all the way from Lake Pepin to St. Louis, making a broad expanse of water from two and three to seven miles wide. At "Warsaw, and between that and Lima lake, the whole of that rich and valuable bottom land, now attempted to be reclaimed, was overflowed to a depth of several feet; while on the opposite side it extended to the sand ridge five miles away, leaving Alexandria from four to eight feet under water. The year 1836 — the year of our first acquaintance with the river the water was also high, and there have been several seasons of high water since — dates not now remembered. These annual over- flows are known as the "June rise," because they occur in June on the lower Mississippi; here they generally reach the maximum by the middle of May, and are often on the decline before the begin- ning of June. But it will be observed that the " Father of Waters " is, by slow degrees gradually diminishing in volume; these high stages becom- ing less frequent, and its low stages in the autumn months more marked. THE BA8CO TOBWADO. The tornado which passed through Bear Creek township on the evening of July 3, 1873, was not only very destructive, but was attended with peculiar characteristics. There had been wind and 402 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. heavy rain all over the middle and sonthern portions of the county during the day, but the tornado proper began about three miles west of Basco, and held an easterly course towards Bentley, where it became less violent. It was, without doubt, accompanied byfirCy as parties who were in it remember a sensation of heat, and some say, a smell of sulphur. Those who witnessed it from Basco, rep- resent it as sublime and terrible : a smoky, blue-colored cloud, rolling forward at great speed, emitting flames at intervals, and ■ carrying destruction in its path. Houses, barns, farm imple- ments, horses, cattle, trees, fences, and human beings, were carried bodily into the air and deposited chiefly outside of the tornado's path. The total width of the hurricane was only about a quarter of a mile, while the tornado proper was only a few rods wide. It so happened that but few residences lay directly in its path, hence the destruction of life and property was not very great. A full account of this terrific tornado, and the destruction it occasioned, was published in the Carthage Republican of the 16th, from the pen of its editor, J. M. Davidson, Esq. The incidents narrated in it are so remarkable, and so well authenticated, that we copy almost entire, omitting only the least important portions: "Arriving at the village of Basco by the morning train, the writer was taken in kindly charge by Esquire Crow, a venerable and good citizen of the village, who procured a horse and buggy, and, without unnecessary delay, we were on the road to Booz's place, where the tornado seems to have made its first appearance in the' township. " Mr. Booz's residence was a log house consisting of a story and a half, with a frame lean-to kitchen on the north. Between four and five rods to the north of the house was a large, new frame barn. East of the house, from 8 to 10 rods, was a fine growth of young timber, most of the trees being from 5 to 7 inches in diameter. So much for the situation. Mr. Booz was in the house when his oldest son, 18 years old, came running in and cried out excitedly: 'Father, come out here and see what this is!' Mr. Booz ran out and saw a dense cloud that looked like smoke rolling furiously toward . the house, and the _air was very hot and sraelled like sulphur. He ran into the house, shut the doors and got his wife, children and himself into the cellar just in time to hear the whole upper part of the house go off with a crash. The concussion was so great as to tumble over the milk pans in the cellar and shake the cellar walls terribly. He says: 'The whole house was lifted about one foot from the foundation on the west side, but fell back again.' The storm lasted less than five minutes and then he came out of the cellar to witness a scene of destruction' that fairly paralyzed him. The upper half of his house was gone ; his kitchen and smoke house nowhere to be seen ; nothing left of his fine new stable but a few foundation posts and a pile of manure, and the pretty grove of timber twisted and broken into indescrib- ably fantastic shapes. In the stable were three horses, a threshing HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 40& machine, a cultivator and o'ther tools and about live tons of hay. A new wagon stood close to the stable. None of these were now to be seen: all were swept away. One of the horses was carried into the timber and fell into the top of a young hickory tree and from thence to the ground where it was found dead next morning. Another horse was evidently carried over the house into the road,, and seemed not to have been badly hurt. The other was carried in an opposite direction, and landed in a meadow without injury. The broken remnants of Mr. Booz's wagon, cultivator, and parts of the barn were found scattered through the timber and beyond. Some remnants are not found yet. The naost of a heavy iron cultivator was found in Sanderson's meadow, 100 rods east! It is stated that Mr. Wm. Damron, who was some half mile north of the tornado, saw Mr. Booz's stable lifted into the air 200 feet, that it whirled around rapidly and finally fell to pieces and was blown off into the timber. Seventy-five apple-trees were torn out by the roots and carried across fields ; posts five feet long on which the barn sat were pulled out of the ground in which they had been set nearly four feet I Two -cows and calves were carried fully 100 yards into an adjoining meadow, all more or less injured. " We have been more particular in describing the destruction at Booz's place because it will answer for a faithful description in general, if not in detail, of the remarkable effects of the tornado throughout its entire patli. "East of Booz's, about a quarter, or a little more, wg,s a hewn log house belonging to Mr. W. 0. Baldwin and occupied by How- land Steffy and wife as renters. This house, and the barn adjoin- ing it, were blown to pieces, the logs carried hundreds of feet into an adjoining meadow. The floor only of the house was left. They said there had been a stable near by, but we don't believe it! " "When the tornado approached, Mr. Steffy undertook to secure the door, but in an instant he was hurled 60 feet toward the road, the house taking another direction. After the storm passed he searched for his wife and found her lying composedly behind a locust stump in Sanderson's meadow with the logs of their house piled all around her! Mr. and Mrs. Steffy were both severely hurt, but able to pick their way through fallen timber and accumulated rubbish to Mr. Booz's place, and afterward to some neighbor's who had better accomodations! Sanderson's meadow, immediately east of Steffy's, was thickly strewn with debris, timber, parts of wagons, household goods, dead pigs and chickens, i wearing apparel, etc. The next place struck by the tornado was that of John Sanderson, north of east from Steffy's half a mile or more. Here the destruc- tion was as complete as if the premises had been mined with gun- powder. Not one stick of timber in either house or stable was left in its original position ; even the rocks at the corners were thrown out of their places, and there was not enough timber of any kind left within a hundred yards — either of house or barn — to build a smoke house! The house and barn seem to have been carried up into the 404 HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. air, broken to pieces and scattered about by the whirl wind,while the contents of the dwelling, including Mrs. Sanderson and her two smaller children, were blown in a direct line south from 600 to 1000 feet. Broken bedsteads, tables, chairs, cooking stoves and other furniture, together with remnants of clothing, etc., were blown in fragments in a straight line south through the meadow just as if the house had been carried up into the air, and when the floor fell out an under current had driven the family and contents in the direction we have named. The fence south of the house, which was not wholly blown down, was, on the day of our visit, festooned with remnants of wearing appearel, bed clothing, etc. Concerning Mr. Sanderson's whereabouts or escape, there seems to be some confu- sion. That gentleman told us that when the storm came on him he was in the yard west of the house. His oldest child, a little girl 8 years old, was with him. They fell down, or were blown down, on the ground. "When the storm passed over, himself and little girl went round and round the fallen rubbish calling for mother and the little children, but getting no response, he said he thought his wife and children had been blown away off, and so he went over to Mr. John Elder's, three-quarters of a mile distant, to get assistance. We learn, however, that Mrs. Elder firmly believes that Mr. Sanderson and child were blown over half that distance by the storm, as he could not have reached her house so quickly other- wise after the destruction of his house, which she witnessed. Dr. Hill, Mr. Tanner and others, of Basco, who were watching the tor- nado, saw Sanderson's house and barn rise in the air and go to pieces. The first named gentlemen at once mounted their horses and rode at full speed towards the scene of destruction. Others followed quickly. Search for the family was immediately insti- tuted, and within five minutes Dr. Hill found Mrs. . Sanderson about 70 steps south of the house, lying with her youngest child in her arms. Every particle of her clothing except a remnant of an under garment was stripped from the poor woman, and that was wrapped tightly across her shoulders and under her arms. Dr. Hill threw his coat over her until remnants of bed-clothing could be picked up to wrap around her. The woman was conscious, and begged to have her head raised, which was done. The little child in her arms added its pitiful wail to the heart-rending scene. Mrs. Sanderson was found to be terribly bruised and mangled on every part of her body except on her bosom and arms, which were protected by the little child. The child was covered with blood, and yet, singularly enough, seems not to have been noticeably hurt. Mrs. Sanderson's right leg was crushed to a jelly between the knee and ankle. There was a deep gash near the small of her back, and one of her hips was literally, impaled with splinters. Two rods distant her second little girl was found dead, with a terrible gash across her forehead. Not far. off was found the little boy, aged three years, with both legs broken, one of them twice. The woman and children were ^^-^>^/ xi^^i^^^ WItCOX T.R HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 4:07 conveyed carefully to the Basco House and medical assistance sum- moned. Two or three days later Mrs. Sanderson was delivered of a still-born infant that had evidently been crushed to death in the mother's terrible ordeal with the storm. " About one-quarter of a mile, or a little less, south and five or six rods east of Sanderson's was the two-story frame dwelling owned by Doty and Donaldson, and occupied by Eobert Donaldson and wife. On the approach of the tornado Mr. Donaldson ran out into the orchard south of the house, calling to his wife to follow him. Mrs. D. preferred, however, to take the risks in the house, and tried to close the door. In an instant the house was swept away, carrying her with it. She was shortly afterwards found some rods to the northeast of the house in the midst of a wreck of broken joist, timber, boards and pulverized household furniture. That she was not killed was a miracle. Her only serious injury was a partially fractured ankle. " It will be remembered that the Sanderson house, some fifty rods or more to the north of Donaldson's, was blown almost directly south, while the Donaldson house was blown to the northeast — a remarkable evidence of the erratic pranks of the wind. Neverthe- less, a large and high pile of stove wood-close to Donaldson's house was apparently not in the least disturbed, although the orchard still south of it was badly torn up. North of the house a small barn and a threshing machine, were torn all to pieces and the remnants scat- tered over the fields. " North of Donaldson's some distance, the tornado tore through a thick hedge fence, taking it out by the roots for several rods. The adjacent portions of the hedge were withered and killed as if by a flame of fire passing rapidly through it. Further on, Mr. John Elder's barn received a gentle hint that it was not in the right place ; and moving it a few feet and turning it around, the tornado passed on to the Hufl" farm. " Here was an excellent two-story frame house, and a good barn. Mr. Huff was absent. Mrs. Huff, her three children, and two nieces were in or about the house. Mrs. Huff says her oldest son, a lad of 14, first observed the coming storm and its threatening character, and advised his mother and the children to get into the cellar, which all did at once except Mrs. Huff, who proceeded quickly to fasten the doors and windows. This done, she ran partly up a stairway on the west side of the house where there was a window. She saw the tornado strike the stable which was two or three rods distant, and lift it whirling in the air. She then ran into the cellar, and in an instant the kitchen and whole upper part of the house was blown away. The family escaped without injury. The wreck at this place was complete. " Kohrer's house and barn were next assailed. The house, a brick structure, lost one of its gables and was badly wrecked. The barn was demolished. Thence taking a northerly course the tornado, struck Judge Skinner's barn, a large structure, which it carried off 25 408 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the foundation and completely denaolished, killing two horses and a cow, and destroying a wagon and a number of agricultural imple- ments. "John HuiPs. house and barn, on the township line, were next attacked and blown to pieces. Mrs . Huff escaped with a painful hurt. A description of the. devastation at other points will answer for the scene here. Nothing hardly was left but kindling wood, and that scattered up and down the road and through the adjacent fields. " The tornado next made its appearance a short distance north and east of Bentley, greatly damaging the respective premises of Dr. James and, Mr. L. Simmons, the particulars of which were given in our last issue. "At Basco numbers of citizens saw the approach of the tornado from the northwest. From its peculiar appearance most of them supposed it was a large fire. That notion was quickly dispelled as it approached nearer, and when the barn and dwelling of Mr. San- derson were seen to rise and whirl high up in air. The same spectators saw in a moment afterwards the Donaldson house dis- appear as if by magic. The whirlwind looked like a dense <;loud of purplish-gray smoke, and seemed to be filled with innumerable objects whirling and tossing in every direction. Flames of fire were observed by many to shoot through the rolling mass of cloud; and those who were momentarily within the influence of the rush of wind, declare that the air was as hot as a furnace. Some aver that the air was sbrongly impregnated with the odor of burning brimstone! others that it smelled like scorched rags, and, as tending to confirm the impression of extraordinary heat, there^ were found pieces of shingles and boards that were scorched as if from sudden exposure to powerful heat. The hedge fence referred to elsewhere in this article, seems to have been literally roasted adjacent to the gap torn out by the storm." JULY 4, 1873. The storm of the next day was also very severe all over the county. It occurred about seven and eight in the morning. At Carthage it was very disastrous, utterly ruining one wing of the public school building, and damaging the structure to the amount of $4,000. The roof of the west side of the Carthage College building was blown off, and the structure otherwise greatly dam- aged. Other buildings were blown down, and not less than 100 chimneys blown away. At Bentley much damage was done, many chimneys demolished, aed several roofs blown off. At Bo wen the fine public school edifice was demolished, and much injury done to other property. At Augusta the steeple of the Presbyterian church was pros- ti'ated, and the rOof of the building blown off. The steeple of the HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 409 Christian church was also demolished, and the building moved from its foundation. Lines of freight cars on the railroad track were orertumed. At Plymouth a freight car was started down the road, afterwards followed by an engine and brought back. At West Point a large frame house owned by Dr. Cheney was blown to pieees, also the grocery store of Funks & Howerton ; and other damage done. In this vicinity the residence of Mr. Henry Gamer was blown down, and Mrs. Garner and child and sister killed. All over the county, in the south part particularly, much damage was done to orchards, fences and groves. WINTEK OF 1836-7. From an old settler in the north part of the county we have the Allowing: " The winter of 1836-7 was one of much snow. On Dec. 12 the first snow fell to the depth of about sixteen inches; three days afterward it clouded up again and continued snowing mt)st of the time, night and day, for nearly four days, and when it quit the snow was full three feet deep. The weather moderated, me snow settled and the roads got good, and sleighing was very fine, the snow lying on till the last of February. Spring opened easy and fine." Numerous other weather phenomena, such as rain, hail and wind storms, thunder and lightning, floods, severe winters, hot summers, etc., etc., have occurred worthy of note, but memory will not serve us as to dates, and the "oldest inhabitant" has failed to report them. CHAPTER XI. THE JUDICIARY. Among the Judiciary of the Circmts to which Hancock has belonged, have been a number of ablemen, — quite as able, perhaps, as have fallen to the lot of other Circuits in the State. Bichard M. Young — Was the first Judge who occupied the Bench (the splint-bottomed chair, we should say) in the county qf Hancock, as well as in perhaps a dozen other counties in the north- western part of the State. It was he who first put the wheels of justice in motion where now nearly a million of people reside. Eor a more extended notice of this distinguished man, see page 216. James S. Ralston. — This gentleman succeeded Judge Toung on the Circuit by Legislative election in 1837, but resigned the ensu- ing August and removed to Texas. He soon, however, returned to Quincy. In 1840 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1846 he joined the army to Mexico as Assistant Quartermaster, by appoint- ment from President Polk. After the war he settled in California, where he died, having been lost in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Peter Lott. — This gentleman was from ]!^ew Jersey, was elected by the Legislature to succeed Judge Kalston, and held the position till 1841. He resided for a short time at Carthage, but removed to Quincy. After his judgeship he served as Circuit Clerk in Adams county for several years. Later he removed to California, where he was appointed Superintendent of the U. S. Mint at San Francisco. From this position he was removed in 1856 by Presi- dent Buchanan. He had served as Captain in the Mexican war, and it is stated that he died at Tehaantepec, Mexico, where he was holding the position of D". S. Consul. Judge Lott was a well educated man, had been a class-mate at Princeton with Hon. Samuel L. Southard, the eminent New Jersey Senator, and studied law in his oflBce. He is remembered as jovial, witty, companionable and fond of fun, not fond of study, and yet a good lawyer. ' Stephen A. Douglas. — The career of this eminent man is so well known as to require a mere mention. He was elected Judge in 1841, and held the office till Aug., 1843, when he resigned to take a seat in Congress . Some of his acts while on the Bench here gave great offense to the people of this county during the troublous days of the Mormon period. He found the docket loaded with unfinished cases; but his dispatch and ability were such that he (410) HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 4:11 soon cleared it. Of Judge Douglas' career as a statesman, in the House of Eepresentatives, in the Senate, as a candidate for the Presidency, it is unnecessary to speak. This is all well known to the reader. Senator Douglas was a man of the people, over whom he possessed an unusual magnetic influence. He became the recognized leader of a great party; and when the great Eebellion came, he at once took strong Union ground, and prepared to stand by the Government as administered by his great compeer. His influence and force of character greatly strengthened the hands of President Lincoln. His death occurred June 3, 1861. Jesse B. Thomas. — Judge T. was a conspicuous man in the his- tory of Illinois. He was delegate in Congress as early as 1808, while Illinois and Indiana were together as one Territory. From Washington he came home with a commission as Federal Judge for the new Territory of Illinois, which position he held till it was admitted into the Union as a State in 1818. Thomas, with Gov. Ninian Edwards was then elected to the U. S. Senate, the first Senators from the State. It was while in this position that the memorable contest came up in Congress on the admission of Missouri; and Senator Thomas stands in history as the reputed author of the measure known as the Missouri Conipromise, though it was taken up and strenuously advocated by Henry Clay. He was again elected to the Senate by the Legislature, which passed the Convention measure for making Illinois a slave State. This first Judge Thomas removed to and settled in Ohio, and was still living in that State, when his namesake and nephew was on the Bench in this Circuit. Judge T., junior, succeeded Douglas in 1843 and resigned in 1845. His death occurred not long after- ward while Judge in another Circuit. Norman H. Purple — Occupied the Bench on this Circuit from 1845 for about four years, when he resigned for the alleged reason that the salary was insufficient. He was a resident of Peoria. Judge P. was regarded as a man of high legal abilities and good executive talents. WilUam A. Minshall — Resided at Eushville, and was elected to the Circuit in 1849, and held the position till his death, which took place Oct., 1861. He was an emigrant from Tennessee in an early day; attained to distinction and a good practice as a lawyer, and had been a member of the Legislative, and also of the Con- stitutional Convention in 1848. Onias C /Sumner. — This gentleman resided a number of years in this county, coming among us a little previous to the close of the Mormon war. He settled first, we believe, in Nauvoo, and after- ward resided at Carthage, where he became well known and built up a good reputation and practice. He took his seat on the Bench in 1851, occupying it till May, 1854, when he resigned and was transferred to the State Supreme Court. How long he held this position we are not advised. His death occurred at Quincy not many years ago. 412 HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. Pinohney R. Walker — Succeeded Judge Skinner as Judge in this Circuit, and afterward succeeded him on the Supreme Bench . He was a Kentuckian — emigrated in his youth to McDonough county. His present residence is Eushville. Joseph /S'iSZej/— Held the position of Judge in this Circuit for a longer period than any other — in all over twenty years. He was au attorney at law for several years in the county previous to his election, and resided here several years afterward. He resides at present in Quincy. Ohaunoey L. Higbee — Is a resident of Pittsfield, in Pike county, where he has been many years in the practice of law. He will be remembered by the old citizens of the county as one of the mem- bers of the Mormon fraternity of Nauvoo, and owners of the Expos- itor newspaper, which was destroyed in the street of that city in 1844. 8. P. Shope — Of Fulton county, and John H. Williams — Of Adams, with Judge Higbee, are the present Judges of the Sixth Judicial District of Illinois. CHAPTER XII. THE HANCOCK BAR. Among the members of the Bar of Hancock county may be counted a number who have acquired a wide and even national reputation. Not all of them have made the county their homes; but many, while residing in adjacent counties, have practiced more or less in our Courts, and are therefore justly entitled to notice in these pages. Probably most conspicuous among them have been those from the older counties of Adams and Schuyler. Indeed, in the earlier days of our legal history, the Kushville and Quincy Bars supplied the only legal talent we had, we believe, with one excep- tion, Robert R. Williams. If we mistake not, the county was without another attorney until 1834 or '35, when Mr. Little located at Carthage. In 1836, when the writer of this first knew the- county, there were three attorneys at the county-seat, viz: Sidney H. Little, James W. "Woods, and John T. Richardson; and about that time Messrs. Calvin A. Warren and Isaac N. Morris were locating at Warsaw. We begin, then, with those who are gone from among us: Robert R. Williams — A native of Kentucky, and brother to Wesley Williams, the first County Clerk, and to Hon. Archibald Williams, of Quincy. But little is known of Mr. Williams; he died at an early day, and consequently his acquaintance with the people was limited. He settled in the county about the date of organization. Sidney H. Little — Was a Tennesseeau by birth. But little is known of his early life. He came to Carthage about 1834 or '35, and began the practice of law, and soon took rank among the able young attorneys who-frequented this Bar from abroad. Mr. L. was a man of decided talent, a good speaker, a clear reasouer and affable and urbane in his intercourse with the people. In a word, he was popular, and in the election of 1838 was chosen by the Whigs and elected to the State Senate. In this body he took a leading position as an active working member. With Secretary Douglas, he took a leading part in obtaining for the Mormons their celebrated char- ters in the Legislature — charters which, gotten up in haste and without due consideration, contained powers and conferred privi- leges the application and use of which could never have been antici- pated by him. Mr. Little's tragic death, by being thrown from his buggy by a runaway horse, occurred on the 10th of July, 1841. James W. Woods. — This gentleman remained in the county only a vear or so — long enough to acquire citizenship and run for 414 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the Legislature in 1836, and, although so confident of election as to het freely on it, came out hindmost of four candidates, with a score of 18 votes ! This result disgusted him with the county and he left it for Iowa Territory, where in time he became a lawyer of some prominence. John T. Richardson — Only remained one summer in the county — that of 1836 — when he went further west. He was a genial, gooA. sort of a fellow, with no special talent for the law. Of his nativity or after career, we know nothing. IscMC Newton Morris — This gentleman's death was recent — at Quincy, October 39, 1879. The press notices thereof furnish the following: " He was the son of Hon. Thomas Morris, of Ohio, long a Free-Soil Senator in' Congress ; was born in Clermont Co., 0., Jan. 22, 1812, came to Hlinois in 1835 and settled in "Warsaw in 1836. A few years afterward, having married a Miss Eobbins, of Qnincy, he removed to that city, where he continued to reside till his death, engaged chiefly in the practice of the law. Mr. M. was a strong Democrat in politics, was twice elected to Congress in this district, in 1856 and in 1858, and always made an industrious and active member." He held other oiEces of honor and trust, both under State and national authority. The Carthage Treasurer. John P. Haggard 3114 1493 James W. Brattle 632 Surveyor. John Wilson Williams 2007 13Q5 Alanson Ripley 642 . Mr. Adams, Probate Judge elect, died soon after election, and a special election to fin vacancy was held in September, with the following result : David Greenleaf .'. 945 598 Ebenezer Rand 847 450 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ELECTION 1844. Congress. Joseph P. Hoge 3251 1549 Martin P. Sweet 703 Bepresentatives. Jacob' B. Backenstos 1809 Almon W. Babbitt 1773 Onias C. Skinner 1080 JoelCatlin 886 Edward A. BedeU 73 County Commissioner. George Coulson 1830 998 FrankUn J. Bartlett ; 883 Sheriff. Minor R. Deming 1911 1040 Edson Whitney 871 Coroner. Daniel H. Wells 1888 971 David R. Green 867 President. James K. Polk 2399 1653 Henry Clay 747 ELECTION 1845. County Commissioner. George Walker. . . . : 3336 3104 Scattering — No opp 183 School Commissioner. Chauncey Robison 3353 3817 Scattering — No opp 35 Treasurer. Ethil B. Rose 3283 3180 Scattering — No opp 53 Two weeks later a special election was held to fill vacancy in office of Sheriff, occasioned by death of Minor R. Dem- ing, as follows: Jacob B. Backenstos 3384 1584 John Scott 750 ELECTION 1846. Governor. Augustus C. French 1448 629 Thos. M. Kilpatrick 819 Lieut. Governor. Joseph B. Wells 1417 597 Nathaniel G. Wilcox 830 Congress. Thomas J. Turner 1466 673 James Knox 798 Senator. Jacob C.Davis 1304 347 Wm. H. Roosevelt 957 Representatives. Thomas Morrison 1398 James Stark 1383 Wm. Darnell 891 Samuel W. Brown 873 Melgar Couchman 1278 89 1 Mark Aldrich 887 Samuel Fleming 78 Coroner. Wm. S Moore 1333 448 David Bell 875 Treasurer a/nd Assessor. James W. Brattle 1393 418 John P. Haggard 874 County Commissioners. Frederic Walton 1381 Daniel N. Bainter 1333 James M. Renshaw 1348 Uriah Dodd 878 Jonathan Lamb 873 Nathan Prentice 871 To Amend Constitution. For Convention 1804 1319 Against " 485 SPECIAL ELECTION, OCT., 1846. Recorder. Robt. F. Smith 276 63 John Carlin 157 Thomas C. Sharp 318 SPECIAL ELECTION, APRIL, 1847. Delegates to Const. Convention. Charles Choate 1129 Robert Miller 871 Thomas C. Sharp 767 Thomas Geddes 723 Wm. S. Moore 710 Stephen H. TVler 672 Huriburt P. Grisvrold 652 Jacob C. Davis 544 Joseph Sibley 590 Joseph Hatchett 28 GENERAL ELECTION, 1847. County Commissioner. James M. Renshaw 1491 Probate Judge. David Greenleaf 843 385 Jonathan Berry 557 Recorder. John Carlin . . . .' 832 187 Robt. F. Smith 685 Clerk of Commissioners' Court. Geo. W. Thatcher 832 Chas. C. Stevens 377 Adolphus Cherrill 163 Henry R. Chittenden 98 Wm. D. Abernethy 57 Claiborne Winston 73 School Commissioner. Michael Rickard 986 738 Jason H. Sherman 248 HISTOHT OF HAUOOOK OOUNTT. 451 Treasurer. Wm. G. Tetter 788 123 James W. Brattle 665 Surveyor. John Wilson Williams 1357 SPECIAL ELECTION 1848. New Constitution. Tor Adoption 1157 874 Rejection 224 For Art. in relation to Colored Persons 1101 851 Against do 250 For Art. in relation to Two- Mill Tax 769 195 Against do 574 GENERAL ELECTION 1848. Governor. Aug. C. French 1195 256 Pierre Menard 939 Chas. V. Dyer 6 Lieut. Oovemor. Wm. McMurtry 1177 231 J. L. D. Morrison 946 Henry H. Snow 10 Secreta/ry of State. Horace G. Cooley 1178 1172 L. C. Paine Frier 6 Auditor of State. Thomas H Campbell 1191 1185 Benj.E. Viel 6 State Treasurer. Milton Carpenter 1187 1181 Moses Pettingill 6 Congress. Joseph B. Wells 1134 124 Edward D. Baker 1010 Jos. B. Call 9 Senator. Azro Patterson 1158 247 William Gittings 911 Represemtatives. Stephen H. Tyler 1166 George Walker 1106 Benjamin Bacon 1003 John J. Brent 855 -Sheriff. Wm. A. Patterson 1024 WillardGay 1098 74 Gorone^'. John W. Owen 776 John R. Williams 1108 837 County Commissioners. Warren Miller 1068 Calvin Cole 1253 v. E. Remington 801 John Harris 989 Preaident. Taylor and Filmore 1087 7 Cass and Butler 1074 "Van Buren (Free Soil) 67 SPECIAL ELECTION, APRIL, 1849. [For Sheriff, to flU vacancy, vice Wil- lard Gay, deceased.] Melgar Couchman 995 560 John R. Williams 485 GENERAL ELECTION 1849. TJNDEE NEW OONBTITUTION. County Judge. Melgar Couchman 1107 355 David Greenleaf 852 Associate Justices. Robert Miller 1092 Milton M. MorriU 863 Joseph W. Nudd 821 Calvin Cole 816 County Cleric. Wm. W. Steele 868 274 Geo. W. Thatcher 594 Thos. S. Brockman 499 Treasurer and Assessor. Adolphus Cherrill 926 47 Robt. F. Smith 879 Michael Barnes 127 School Commissioner. Michael Rickard 1059 139 David Mack 920 Sheriff. JohnCarlin 999 14 Alex. W. Stevenson 985 Surveyor. John G. Fonda 1991 For Township Organization . . 1247 765 Against " " .. 482 For removal Co. Seat to Warsaw 561 Against " " " 1167 606 GENERAL ELECTION, 1850. Congress. Martin P. Sweet 552 Thompson Campbell . . : 729 377 Senator. Henry Stephens 507 Jacob C.Davis 682 175 Representative. Benjamin Bacon 557 Leonard T. Ferris 555 John Carlin 663 Joseph Sibley 689 Sheriff. Wm. A. Patterson 758 357 Jeremiah Smith 501 ^52 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Coroner- John S. Johnson 543 William Houck 710 168 State Treasurer. John Knox 633 John S. Moore/ 733 200 ' ELECTION MAf, 1851. Judge. ■ BHfteenth Judicial District. OniasC. Skinner 783 Prosecuting Attorney. James H. Stewart 390 Milton M. Morrill 393 3 William C. Wagley 169 GENERAL ELECTION, 1851. Treasurer. Adolphus Cherrill 507 113 Kobt. F. Smith 395 School Commissioner. John M. Ferris 463 86 Ebenezer Rand 376 S. W. King 49 Surveyor. John G. Fonda 893 Coroner. ByrumBaUard 431 69 John S. Johnson 363 B. Whitfield 45 For the Bank Law 486 81 Against " " 405 SPECIAL ELECTION, APRIL, 1853. For Township Organization. . .543 Against " " ...606 64 GENERAL ELECTION, 1853. President. Franklin Pierce 1466 180 Winfield Scott 1386 Free Soil 34 Governor. Joel A. Mattison 1473 184 Edwin B. Webb 1388 D. A. Knowlton 18 Lieutenant Governor. Gustavus P. Koerner 1470 180 J. L. D. Morrison 1390 Philo Carpenter 18 State Auditor. Thomas H. Campbell'. 1471 180 Charles Betts 1391 E. J. Smith 18 Secreta/ry of State. Alexander Stame 1461 . 173 Buckner S. Morris 1389 Erastus Wright 18 State Treasurer. John Moore 1463 163 Francis Arenz 1399 Wm. Pettingell.. 3 Congress. Wm. A. Richardson 1466 143 Orville H. Browning 1333 Bepresentatives. David Gochenor 1500 93, Joseph Sibley 1408 Wm. N. Grover 1396 William Smith 1301 State's Attorney. Calvin A. Warren 1555 353 James H. Stewart 1303 Circuit Clerk David E. Head 1514 309 Thomas C. Sharp 1305 Shm-iff. James Irwin. 1330 Benjamin J. Welch 1411 81 Coroner. John B. Bobbins 1343 36l Wm. B. Hanson 1183 Amendment to Constitution. Adopt 730 Reject 795 65 SPECIAL ELECTION, MARCH, 1853- For township organization 1077 718 Against " " 359 SPECIAL ELECTION, MAY, 1853. For subscription of $60,000 to capital stock of Mississippi & Wabash R. R 1454 For sub. of $30,000 to War- saw & Rockford R.R 1406 For sub. $10, 000 to Warsaw and Aug. Plank Road Co 944 GENERAL ELECTION, 1853. County Judge. John M. Ferris 1559 1494 William Smith .-. 65 Associate Justices. Wm. S. Moore 1138 Jesse Duffleld 1135 Wm. S. Duffleld 624 David Crow 599 John Bauer 64 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 453 County Clerk. Claiborne "Winston 998 383 C. C. Sympson 716 John Wilson 183 Treasurer. Wm. A. Patterson 1326 979 Adolphus Cherrill 347 School Commissioner. John S. Spangler 1599 Surveyor. Warren MiUer 1780 Coroner. J. E. Roberts 1186 540 H. C. Bryant 586 GENERAL ELECTION, 1854. State Treasurer. John Moore 1893 89 James Mller 1303 Congress. Wm. A. Richardson 1349 1003 Archibald Williams 347 Senate. Jacob C.Davis 1311 48 Allen Persinger 1363 Bepresentatim. George Walker ,1381 314 Amos H. Worthen 1167 Sheriff. Squire R. Davis 1665 664 Jonathan Simmons 1001 ELECTION, JUNE, 1855. Circuit Judge. Joseph Sibley 1076 George Edmunds 815 John W. Marsh 1330 154 Supreme Judge. . Onias C. Skinner 1803 383 Stephen T. Logan 1419 Clerk Supreme Court. Wm. A. Tumey 1796 439 Stephen A. Comeau 1367 For prohibition 1135 Against 1957 833 ELECTION, SEPT., 1855— R.R. ST'K. Proposition to Subscribe $200,000 in M. & W. and W. & W. Rail/roads— $100,000 in each. For subscription 1975 433 Against 553 Township Vote on Above. Township. For. Aga'st. Augusta 17S St. Mary's 8 101 Ft. Green 317 9 La Harpe 11 139 Durham 36 32 Pontoosuc 116 36- Appanoose 69 S Nauvoo 359 Sonora 54 11 Montebello 44 la Wythe ; 97 Walker, 44 St. Albans 30 14 Chili 31 Harmony 9. 38. Carthage 344 1 PilotGrove 80 Prairie 37 Bear Creek 71 2. Warsaw. . ": 516 Rocky Run 43 Totals 1975 55a REGULAR election; NOV., 1855. School Commission&r. John S. Spangler 449 37 John S. Johnson 413 Surveyor. WarrenMiller 830 Treasurer. Wm. A. Patterson 531 187 Robert Lincoln 344 GENERAL ELECTION, 1856. President. James Buchanan 3011 891 John 0. Fremont 1130 Millard Fillmore 998 Governor. Wm. A. Richardson 3018 635 Wm. H. Bissell 1383 Buckner S. Morris 786 Lieutenant Governor. Richard J. Hamilton 3015 685 John Wood 1330 Parmenas Bond 718 Secretary of State. Wm. H. Snyder 2008 733 O. M. Hatch 1385 Wm. H. Young 807 State Auditor. Sam'lK. Casey 3008 716; Jesse K. DuBois; 1393 Hiram Barber 804 State Treasurer. John Moore 2011 James MiUer 3091 80 454 HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. Supt. Public Instruction. John H. St. Mathews 2015 725 Wm. H. Powell 1290 Ezra Jenkins 806 Congress — Long Term. Isaac N. Morris 1980 363 Jackson Grimshaw 1717 Congress— To fill vacancy. JacobO. Davis 2047 663 ThomasC. Sharp 1385 Jas. B. Kyle 630 Prosecuting Attorney. Calvin A. Warren 3078 516 Sterling P. Delano 1563 Senator. Hiram Rose 2070 786 Wm. D. Henderson 1284 David Ellis 678' Mepresentative. Wm. Tyler 3106 848 George M. Berry 1358 Thomas McLellan 675 Clerk Circuit Court. Squire R. Davis 2095 674 Coleman C. Sympson 1431 Oiles C. Hawley. . '. 563 STieriff. Heni. Y. N. Clarkson 2034 764 William Shaffer 1370 Thomas D. Crmnpton 737 Coroner. HemyMuU 1991 719 Thomas Duff 1373 Wm. S. Garthwaite 780 FoT Convention 439 9 Against " 430 GENERAL ELECTION, 1857. County Judge. John M. Ferris 1031 630 Robt. W. McKumey.. 401 County Clerk, Francis M. Corby 1140 861 John S. Johnson 379 Treasurer. Wm. A. Patterson 1100 811 Alonzo P. Blair 889 A. J.Blair 49 Surveyor. Warren Miller 1004 594 Pinckney D. Simmons 410 School Commissioner. AsaN. Hawley 1865 675 Thomas Gregg 390 ELECTION, JUNE, 1858. Justice Supreme Court. Pinckney H. Walker 339 393 Chas. H. Constable 47 Scattering 30 GENERAL ELECTION, 1858. State Treasurer. Wm. B. Fondey 3385 353 JamesMiller 2032 JohnDougherty 52 Supt. Public Instruction. Aug. C. French 3386 857 NewtonBateman 2029 John Reynolds 55 Congress. Isaac N. Morris 3234 180 Jackson Grimshaw 2054 JacobC. Davis 173 Senator. John P. Richmond 3340 309 John C. Bagby 2031 Wm. C. Wagley 101 Hepresentative. Wm. H. Roosevelt 3389 357 George Rockwell 2033 Wm. F. Frazee 44 Sheriff. Wm. R. Hamilton 2309 254 Thomas Logan 3055 JohnS.Cox 62 Coroner. NeillO. McKay 3383 361 JohnK. Allen 2022 GENERAL ELECTION, 1859. County Treasurer. Claiborne Winston 1083 C. Homer MeUen 1377 395 School Commissioner. Asa N. Hawley 1334 George W. Batchelder 1340 16 Surveyor. George T. Beers 1162 Mathew Waldenmeyer 1272 110 GENERAL ELECTION, 1860. President. Douglas and Johnson 3063 389 Lincoln and Hamlin 2674 Bell and Everett 121 Breckenridge and Lane 31 Oovernor. James C. Allen 3082 363 Richai-d Yates 3719 John W. Chickering 31 Thos. H.Hope 38 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTT. 455 Lieutenant Governor. Lewis W. Boss 3058 363 Francis A. Hoffman 3696 Henry C. Blackburn 109 Thomas Snell 37 Seoretary of State. George H. CampbeU 3056 358 Ozias M. Hatch 3698 James Munroe 108 B. F. Burk 37 State Auditor. Bernard Amtzen 3056 358 Jesse K. Dubois 3698 James D. Smith 108 Harry H. Smith 37 Treasurer. HughMaher 3060 368 Wm. Butler 3693 Jonathan Stamper 105 Wm. H. .Cather 37 Supt. Public Instruction. Edward E. Roe 3055 353 NewtonBateman 3703 J. D. Snow 106 John H. Dennis 37 Congress. Wm. A. Richardson 3109 373 Benjamin M. Prentiss 3737 Prosecuting Attorney. Calvm A. Warren 3070 315 Benjamin F. Marsh 3755 Wm. H. RoUosson . , 3099 367 Samuel Mourning 3733 Clerk Circuit Court. Squire R. Davis 3149 435 John Warren 3714 Sheriff. Melancton S. Carey 3139 411 Robert Lincohi 3738 Coroner. Wm. L. Bennett 3101 397 James H. Moore 2704 For Convention 3339 365 Against " 1964 For Instruction 1079 144 Against " 935 ELECTION, JUNE, 1861. Circuit Judge. Joseph Sibley 1003 Judge Supreme Court. Wm. A. Tumey 1013 REGULAR ELECTION, NOV., 1861. Delegate to Convention. Milton M.Morrill 3113 301 Marsena M. Hooten 1811 County Judge. Dennis Smith 3048 317 David Greenleaf 1831 County Clerk. Francis M. Corby 3*139 399 Peter Baker 1830 lin Warren 3111 377 William Bray 1834 School Commissioner. William Scott 2030 114 George W. Batchelder 1906 Surveyor. Jacob Rich 2080 364 Warren Miller 1816 For the Banking Law 366 Against " " 3183 3817 ELECTION, JUNE, 1862. Constitution and Articles. For Adoption 3843 833 Against " 3009 Art. "Banks and Currency." For 3817 976 Against 1841 Sec. 1, of Art. "Negroes and Mulattoes." For 3704 3938 Against 766 Sec. 2d of Art. " N. and if." For 4515 4476 Against 39 Sec. 3d of Art. "W. andM." For 4303 4049 Against 153 Congressional Apportionment. For 3870 1085 1785 GENERAL ELECTION, NOV., 1863. State Treasurer. Alexander Stame 3844 1334 Wm. Butler 1530 Supt. PubUe Instnietion. John P. Brooks 3844 1334 Newton Bateman 1530 'Congress — State at La/rge. James C. Allen 3846 1330 B. C. IngersoU 1516 Congress — Fowrth District. Charles M. Harris 3854 1343 Charles B. Lawrence 1513 456 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Senate. Bryant T. Soofleld 3815 1301 Harrison Dills 1514 Representative. Milton M. Morrill 2843 1340 Elisha "WorreU 1503 Sheriff. Robert Inghram 2843 1332 James B. Dodge 1530 Coroner. James Booth 3838 1331 D. J. Beebe 1497 GENERAL ELECTION, 1863. Oounty Treasurer. B. Y. N. Clarkson .2375 Oeorge W. Miller 3321 46 School Gomtnissioner. William Scott 2385 George W. Batcbelder 3312 27 Surveyor. Jacob Rich. 2390 Joshua C. Berry 3303 13 GENERAL ELECTION, 1864. Presidint. Lincoln and Johnson 2654 McClellan and Pendleton 2939 375 Crovernor. Richard J. Oglesby 3671 James C. Robinson 2933 361 Lieutenant Governor. William Bross 2670 S. Corning Judd 2932 262 Secretary of State. Sharon Tyndale 2670 William A. Tumey 3932 263 Auditor. O. H. Minor 2670 John Hise 2932 263 Treasurer. James H. Beveridge 2670 Alexander Starne 2933 263 Supt. Public Instruction. N"ewton Bateman 2673 John P. Brooks 2932 259 Congress — State at Large. S. W. Moulton 2673 James C. Allen 2931 259 Congress — District. . Abner 0. Harding 2671 Charles M. Harris 2935 264 Representative. David Mack 2669 M. M Morrill 2933 264 Prosecuting Attorney. Edward E. Lane 3657 Bryant F. Peterson 3939 383 Sheriff. John H. AUen 3665 Wm. C. Cason 2905 260 Coroner. Caleb Samiders 3664 John Dornself 3929 365 Clerk Circuit Court. Robt. W. McClaughry 3643 Melancton S. Carey 3957 314 GENERAL ELECTION, 1865. County Judge. Thom'as C. Sharp 3691 283 Dennis Smith 2408 Oounty Clerk. Robt. W. McClaughry 3659 201 Francis M. Corby 2458 Treasurer. John Gibbs 2691 258 James M. Browning 3433 School Commissioner. George W. Batchelder 3716 333 John R. McGinnis 2393 Surveyor. Samuel Mourning 3695 381 Jacob D. Stroup 3414 For Township Organization. .3507 2526 Against " " ..981 For Appropriation to Capt. Miller's Company 158 Against 4269 4111 Congress — State at Large. John A. Logan 3287 56 T. Lyle Dickey 3331 Congress — District. Abner C. Harding 3288 56 John S. Thompson 3332 State Treasurer. Geo.W. Smith 3291 59 Jesse J. Phillips 3333 Supt. Pub. Instruction. Newton Bateman 3297 66 John M. Crebs 3331 Senator. Thomas G. Black 3292 56 Sam'l R. Chittenden 3236 Sepresentative. John G. Fonda 3368 37 George Edmunds 3341 Sheriff. Jeptha S. Dillon 3290 74 Wm. L. Simons 3216 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 457 Coroner. Daniel Glasner 3312 85 Martin Heise 8217 ELECTION, JUNE, 1867. Judge Fifteenth Jud. Gireuit. Joseph Sibley 1785 119 John "W. Marsh 1666 Judge Supreme Court. Pinckney H. Walker 1775 95 Charles Emerson 1680 Clerk Supreme Court. Wm. A. Turney 1771 89 John M. Snyder 1683 GENERAL ELECTION 1867. County Treasurer. John Gibbs 2677 James M. Browning 3014 367 Surveyor. Samuel Mourning 2699 Henry D. Fonda 3002 303 GENERAL ELECTION, 1868. President. H.Seymour 3687 91 U. S. Grant 3596 Governor. John R. Eden 3697 .104 John M. Palmer 3593 Lieut. Governor. Wm. H. VanEpps 3696 103 John Dougherty 3593 Secretary of State. Gustavus Van Hoorebeke 3696 105 Edward Rummel 3591 Auditor>. John R. Shannon 3696 106 .Chas. E. Lippincott 3590 Treasurer. Jesse J. Phillips 3696 104 Erastus N. Bates 3592 Attorney General. ■ Robert E. Williams 3696 105 Washington Bushnell 3591 Penitentiary Commissioners. John W. Connett 8696 Wm. M. Garrard 3696 Calneh Zarley 8696 Robt. E. Logan 3591 Andrew Shuman 8591 JohnReid 3591 Congress — State at Large. Wm. W. O'Brien 3693 108 John A. Logan 3585 Congress — District. James W. Singleton 8693 106 John B. Hawley 3587 Prosecuting Attorney. William G. Ewing 3694 103 , L. E. Emmons 3591 State Board of Equalization. A. L. Forsythe 3694 103 John M. Ferris 3591 Representative. Andrew J. Bradshaw 8711 139 James Stark... 3572 . Circuit Clerk. Melancton S. Carey. 3682 94 Peter W. Risser 8588 Sheriff. David W. Browning 3693 108 Isaiah P. Kelley 3590 Coroner. Alfred C. Craney 3697 115 Benj. G. Anderson 3583 For the Constitution 8488 Against " 3596 108 GENERAL ELECTION, 1869. Member of Convention. Benjamin F. Marsh 2988 David Ellis 3330 337 County Judge. Thomas C. Sharp 3984 John B. Risse 8280 246 County Clerk. Robt. W. McClaughry 3074 George J, Rogers 3358 279 County Treasurer. John H. Finley 3982 James M. Browning 3278 346 Superintendent of Schools. Geo. W. Batchelder 2841 William Griffin 3386 445 Surveyor. M. Waldenmeyer 2997 John G. Fonda 3175 178 SPECIAL ELECTION, JULY, 1870. For Adoption Constitution ... 1716 403 Against " ...1314 For Railroad Section 3359 1487 Against " 773 For Art. Entitled "Counties " . 3335 1440 Against ," " ... 795 For Art. "Warehouses " 2299 1565 Against " 734 For Three-Fifths Vote to re- move County Seat 2128 1319 Against 904 For Section Relating to Illinois Central R.R 2666 3300 Against " .... 366 458 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COtTNTT. For Sec. " Minority Rep.".. .1924 816 Against " " ...1108 For Section relating to Muni- cipal Subscription to Rail- roads or Private Corpora- tions 2252 1473 Against 779 For Sec. relating to Canal. .. 2396 1588 Against " "... 708 GENERAL ELECTION, 1870. Congress at Large. Wm. B. Anderson 2860 295 Jolin A. Logan 2565 State Treasurer. Charles Ridgeley 2866 304 Erastus N. Bates 2563 Superintendent Public Instruction. Charles Feinse 2870 813 Newton Bateman 2557 Penitentiary Commissioners. — Long Term. Francis T. Sherman 2866 300 Elmer Washburn 2566 STiort Term. Thomas Redmond 2864 297 Caspar Butz 2567 Congress. P. L. Cable 2888 370 John B. Hawley 2518 Senators- Jesse C. Williams 2876 339 Wm.H. Mead 3587 Jas. H. Richardson 2865 302 Rezin H. Downing 3568 Representatives. Lemuel Mussetter 3904 Milton M. Morrill 2843 L. Smith Cogswell 2531 Ebenezer Huse 2500 Sheriff. John D. Stevens 2817 212 Jeptha S. Dillon 2605 Coroner. Benjamin P. Duvall 2859 300 James E. Morrison 3559 GENERAL ELECTION, 1871. Congress at Large. Samuel 8. Hays .2636 598 John L. Beveridge 2038 County Treasurer. James M. Browning 2801 918 Wm. A. Patterson 1888 Surveyor. John J. Woolley 2665 688 Joshua C. Berry 2027 GENERAL ELECTION, 1872. Presidential. Horace Greeley 3328 187 U.S.Grant 3141 Chas. O'Conor 59 Governor. Richard J. Oglesby 3099 Gnstavus Koerner 3584 485 Benjamin G. Wright 35 Sidney Breese 8 Lieut. Qovemm: John L. Beveridge 3141 John C. Black 3557 416 D. S. Starr 33 Secreta/ry of State. George H. Harlow 3148 Edward Rummel 3549 406 Ethan Sutton 33 Auditor. Chas. E. Lippincott 3145 Daniel O'Hara 8550 405 O. H. Westerman 33 Attorney General. James K. Edsall 3147 John V. Eustice 3550 403 George A. Meech 33 Treasurer. Edward Rutz 8144 Chas. H. Lanphier 3546 403 Henry West 83 Congress. Wm. H.Ray 3116 Wm.H.Neece 3622 506 Board of Equalization. D. D. Parry 3126 Asaph C. Hammond 8496 870 Clerk Supreme Court. Emanuel C. Hamberger 3154 David A. Brown 3539 385 Senator. Cornelius C. Preston 3111 Benj amin Warren 3607 496 Representatives. Edward E. Lane 5180 David Rankin 4398 James Stark 5115 Wm. Scott 5432 Prosecuting Attorney. Robert W. McKinney 3361 Bryant F.Peterson 3428 167 Circuit ClerTf. John D. Hamilton 3074 Andrew J. Davis 3649 575 Sheriff. Aquilla Dougherty 3280 John D. Stevens 3435 205 /■ 4 LA H A R P E TP. HI8TOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 461 Coroner. James W. Madison 3137 Harrison H. Barnes 3540 403 Domestic Animals Running at Large. For 3902 Against 1471 431 ELECTION, JUNE, 1873. Circuit Judge. Joseph Sibley 1287 John H. Williams 1610 323 GENERAL ELECTION, 1873. County Judge. John B. Risse 2974 1265 Thomas Ruggles 1709 County Clerk. George J. Rogera 3029 1817 Charles C. Tyler 1712 Superintendent of Schools. William GriflSn 2989 1483 Mrs. E. E. Mayall 1506 Treasurer. Peter Frey 2543 403 Peter Kaiser 3139 For Township Organization. 3952 1902 Against " " ..1050 GENERAL ELECTION, 1874. State Treasurer. Thos. S. Ridgeway 1848 Charles Carroll 2399 551 David Gore 204 Superintendent Public Instruction. Wm. B. Powell 1853 S. M. Etter 1930 77 Samuel Etter 639 Congress. Henderson Ritchie 1^7 JohnC. Bagby 2398 561 Representatives. Edward E. Lane 3294 David Rankin 2847 Wellington Janney 4323 Paul D. Salter 2081 Dennis Smith 864 Sheriff. Caleb C. Cochran 1576 Cornelius T. Cannon .2653 1076 John Jackson 223 Coroner. Jesse B. Quinby 1733 Beni. F. Duvall. 2394 663 J. R. Miller 269 GENERAL ELECTION 1875. County Treasurer. Peter Frey 1694 «79 John Martin 1015 28 J. R. McGinnis 1198 John G.Fonda 1501 308 ELECTION, JUNE, 1876. Judge Supreme Court. Pinckney H. Walker 829 GENERAL ELECTION, 1876. President. Hayes and Wheeler 8496 Tilden and Hendricks 4307 711 GoDernor. Shelby M. Cullom 8531 Lewis Steward 4327 706 Lieut. Oovernor. Andrew Shuman 8504 Archibald A. Glenn 4269 765 Jas. H. Pickrell 88 Secretary of State. George H. Harlow 8504 Stephen Y. Thornton 4209 705 Massena M. Hooten 38 Auditor. Thos. B. Needles 3504 John Hise 4246 742 State Treasurer. Edward Rutz 3505 George Gundlack 4310 705 Henry Toctspen 36 Attorney General. Jas. K. Edsall 8505 Edmund Lynch 4210 705 Winfield S. Coy 35 Congress. Benjamin F. Marsh 3497 John H. Hungate 4176 679 Board of Equalization. James S. Boice. 3507 Robt. J. Cabeen- 4242 735 Senator. Thomas J. Maxwell 3516 William Scott 4169 653 Representatives. Edward E. Lane 5216 Charles F. Gill. 5314 George P. Walker 0669 John J. Reaburn 5880 Prosecuting Attorney. William Baird 3633 William E. Mason 4097 474 CirmiiP Clerk. Thomas 0. Sharp 3519 Andrew J. Davis 4196 677 Sheriff. John Helfrich 3760 Cornelius T. Cannon 3926 166 462 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK. COUNTY. Ooroner- "William Bunger 3536 Benj. F. Duvall 4191 665 SPECIAL ELECTION, APEIL 1877. For Sheep, Goats and Swine running at large 3039 Against.: 3141 113 ELECTION, AUGUST, 1877. Judge Sixth Judicial District. Simeon P. Shope 880 778 George Edmunds 103 William Monk 40 Wesley H. Manier 38 Scattering 30 GENERAL ELECTION, 1877. County Judge. John B. Risse 4970 County Clerh. John R. Newton 3805 413 L. S'. Cogswell 3393 Superintendent of SeJiooU. Samuel W. Lay ton 3637 110 Frank C. Crane 3537 Treasurer. Joseph Hartman 3559 11 John Fletcher 3548 Coroner. B Fordham 3774 360 John Bray 3414 For 1531,713.18 Appropriation to New State House 1064 Against 3133 3058 For Horses, Mules, Asses and Cattle running at large 1311 133 Against 1189 SPECIAL ELECTION, APRIL 1878. For Domestic Animals running at large 2446 1337 Against 1219 For paying Witness fees in Criminal Cases 3880 3387 Against 493 GENERAL ELECTION, 1878. State Treasurer., John C.Smith 2786 Edward L. Conkrite 3436 640 E. N. Bates 645 Superintendent Public Instruction. James P. Slade. 3779 Samuel M. Etter 3439 660 F.M.Hall 645 Clerk Supreme Court. Mervin B. Converse 3801 Ethan A. Sniveley 3413 611 T.W.S. Kidd 641 Clerk Appellate Court. MontravilleM. Duncan 3777 George W. Jones 3439 653 C E. Schoff 644 Congress. Benjamin F. Marsh 3880 Delos P. Pheips 3363 483 A. J. Streeter 614 Bepresentatives. Charles F. Gill 3918 Brooks R. Hamilton 45971^ John J. Reaburn 5044 Thomas B. Brumback 5016)^ George F. Cotton 1969 STieriff. Robert M. Duffy 3858 Wm. P. Damron 3354 496 Albertine Huckins 586 Coroner. Eli W.Bennett ".3763 Ernest D. Momll , 3430 667 Joseph C. Knott 631 Surveyor. Joshua C. Berry 3784 John I. Spence 8403 619 John H. H. Horney 637 For Amendment Sec. 31, Art. 4, Constitution 5896 5405 Against 491 ELECTION JUNE, 1879. Judge 6th Judicial District. Joseph C. Thompson 1098 Chauncey L. Higbee 3131 Simeon P. Shope 2046 John H. Williams 1385 GENERAL ELECTION, 1879. County Treasurer. Joseph Hartman 3183 James Corbin , 2309 37 William Bray 226 Surveyor. John I. Spence 3166 3 Joshua C. Berry 3164 Edward A. Gilchrist 355 CHAPTEE XIX. PIONEERS' ASSOCIATION. After discussion and consultation among the old settlers of Han- cock county during the winter and spring of 1869, it was resolved to hold a meeting at the county seat for the purpose of effecting an organization of the pioneers of the county. A call was accordingly issued in all the county papers, signed by a number of old settlers, asking their fellow pioneers to meet in convention at the court- house in Carthage, on the 15th day of June next (1869). Accordingly a large meeting was held, and organized by electing Judge David Greenleaf to the chair, with a number of vice presi- dents and secretaries. On taking the chair the president introduced Hon. Orville H. Browning, of Quincy, who had been invited to address the meeting. Mr. Browning's remarks were so apposite to the occasion, and in- teresting, as illustrating early times in the county, that we make no apology for quoting them freely in this place. We copy from a report made for the Carthage Gazette, by Mr. Noble Prentis, one of its editors. Mr. B. said: " He was reluctant to call himself an old man, but was certain he was an old citizen. He attended the first Court in the county held at Montebello, when there were but two villages within the limits of the county, one of them Montebello, the other Yen us, on the present site of Nauvoo. He remembered that at that session V enns was a contestant for the county seat. Of the lawyers he met at that Court every one had passed away from earth, and of the officers of the Court, his venerable friend, Wesley Williams (here present), was the sole survivor. At that time he himself was a young lawyer, having left his native State of Kentucky two weeks after the completion of his legal studies, and removed to Quincy, the only place he had ever called home, amid a people to whom he was indebted for all the prosperity he had enjoyed in life. When he first travelled the road from Quincy to Montebello, there were no houses or anything approaching a settlement, save at Whitney's Grove and Fort Edwards. No Carthage, no La Harpe, no Fountain Green, no Warsaw then. Between Montebello and Crooked creek, on the road to McDonough county, there were no houses. The country, though uninhabited, was not a wilder- ness or a desert; it was the green, billowy, sunlit, beautiful prairie, left solitary because the people at that day believed the open country would never be settled. The northern half of the State was almost uninhabited; the flourishing cities of Quincy, Galena, (463) 464 HISTOET OE HANCOCK COTJNTT. and Chicago— that miracle of a city — were all included in one Judicial Circuit, presided over by one Judge who had less than halt the business brought before Judge Sibley in his Circuit of two counties. " Mr. Browning gave a graphic description of the lawyers of that day riding the Circuit on horseback with the inevitable saddle-bags, containing the 'other' shirt, a meager supply of corn dodgers, and occasionally (perhaps frequently) a bottle of Bourbon. Sometimes these legal pilgrims found shelter in the cabin of some friendly Indian, or spread thsir blankets on the prairie and slept with the clouds for a covering, or the stars for a canopy. "He remembered attending the first Court held at Cathage. The temple of justice at that day was a log cabin of limited dimen- sions roofed with clapboards. The Bench and Bar boarded with a family at the edge of the timber, near the subsequent residence of Mr. Baldwin. The ' hotel ' of Carthage was a sort of rail pen twelve feet square, the provisions and whisky being dealt out through the cracks to the outsiders. The site of the present court-house was a frog-pond, and yet this unpromising beginning had culminated in the present city of Carthage, one of the neatest and pleasantest vil- lages he had ever visited." A touching scene was enacted during this meeting. The pres- entation of a beautiful bouquet prepared by the ladies of Carthage, was made by the hand of Major E.. W. McClaughry to the vener- able Wesley Williams, the first County Clerk. Mr. W. was taken by surprise, rose to his feet and attempted a reply, but was so over- come with emotion that he could only utter his simple thanks. A constitution was adopted, providing for a permanent organiza- tion, with David Greenleaf for President, a Vice President for each township, David E. Head, Treasurer, and Thomas Gregg and Wm. F. Barnes, Secretaries. Subsequent meetings were held annually, as follows: At Carthage, Au^. 1, 1870, David Greenleaf presiding; Thomas Gregg, Secretary. Mr. Sharp delivered the annual address. At Warsaw, Sept. 7, 1871 Mr. Greenleaf in the chair; Thomas Gregg, Secretary. Win. JS". Grover, Esq., of Warsaw, delivered the annual address. At Carthage, Aug 8, 1872. President, David. Greenleaf; Secre- tary, Thomas Gregg. Dr. William Booze, of Hancock township, delivered the annual address, and Miss Mary Safford, of Hamilton^ recited a lengthy poem. At Carthage, Sept. 4, 1873, Ebenezer Eand, Esq., of Carthage, presiding; Thomas Gregg, Secretary. Annual address delivered by Hiram G. Ferris, Esq., of Carthage. _ At Dallas City, Sept. 10, 1874. President, Judge John M. Fer- ris, of Carthage; Thomas Gregg, Secretary. Annual address deliv- ered by Hon. Augustus C. Dodge, of Burlington. At Hamilton, Sept. 23 and 24, 1875. Hiram G. Ferris, Esq., of Carthage, President the 28d; John Harris, Esq., of Walker, on the HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 465 24th; Thomas Gregg, Secretary. President Ferris delivered the annual address. Mrs. Pollard, of Keokuk (Kate Harrington), reci- ted an original poem. At Warsaw, July 4, 1876, John S. Johnson, Esq., Vice President, presiding; George D. Gates, Secretary. A failure; adjourned to September and another failure. 1877 and 1878 no annual meetings held.' At "Warsaw, Aug. 5, 1879. Col. John M. Ferris, presiding; Lemuel Mussetter, Esq., of Warsaw, Secretary. Hon. 0. H. Brown- ing, of Quincy, and Maj. Robert W. McOlaughry, of Joliet," deliv- ered annual addresses. A number of the annual addresses were reported by the editors of the Carthage papers, and recorded by the Secretary among the pi'oceedings of the Association. All of them were worthy of a place here, but want of space forbids. We will, however, quote extracts from two of those addresses; the first for the suggestion it contains, from the address of Mr. Sharp in 1870. He said: "But, friends, these reunions can be made sources of knowledge as well as of social enjoyment; and I now suggest that we to-day amend the title of the association. Let it be hereafter known as the 'Hancock County Pioneers' Association and Historical Soci- ety.' Hancock county has a history worth writing and worth preserving. Enough of its early settlers still survive to furnish the necessary facts concerning the early settlements. Here, at the annual reunions, let these facts be gathered and recorded in the archives of the society. Let the files of all the newspapers pub- lished in the county, that can be obtained, be preserved. Let the society obtain, if possible, from the county, a room for the deposit of all documents which pertain to or throw light upon the history of the county, and let our Pioneers' Association and Historical Society preserve and transmit these to posterity. Now is the time to act in the matter. The period is fast approaching when death, which in the last year has materially thinned the ranks of the early settlers, will have called the last one to his long home. This should urge us to act promptly in this matter. While many yet live, from whose memories important historical data in reference to the earliest settlements of the county can be obtained, we should make a record of the interesting events that occurred in the days of our pioneer settlement." Mr. Sharp's suggestion was not acted upon. From Mr. Grover's address at the September meeting, 1871, we also make an extract, principally because of its description of Warsaw and the county as late as 1837. Mr. Grover said: " When the Black Hawk war broke.put, the population of the county was still very small and thinly scattered; and many of the settlers left the county for awhile. There were no actual depreda- tions here by the Indians; but there was, perhaps, just reason for apprehensions of danger. Fort Edwards was then standing upon that point, within a hundred yards of this square. It had been 466 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. abandoned some years before, as a military post, but the buildings were then in possession of Col. Farnham, an agent of the Govern - ment, and by his permission a number of men and a few families concluded to take shelter and protect themselves, if necessary. Among these were Col. Farnham himself, Mark Aldrioh and his wife, Isham Cochrane and his wife, and, I think, James M. Wells. Other names 1 have not been able to learn. Among them was an Indian woman who was married to a white man; and it is stated that she stood in more fear of an attack from Indians than any of the pale-faced women in the fort. " At the close of this war, Mr. Cochrane saw Gen. Scott with his troops pass down the river with Black Hawk and other prisoners in irons. Most of the scattered settlers soon came back, but some never returned. From this date population flowed in more rapidly for a few years. Villages began to spring up, and settlements became quite numerous in the skirts "of the timber; but even as late as my first coming to the county, there were very few settle- ments in our large prairies. I have a distinct recollection of the appearance of the country from Carthage to Warsaw in 1837. Coming west from Carthage, the first house reached was then owned by Wm. A. Patterson. It was a small one, and, I think, was unfinished and unoccupied. It was five miles from Carthage. There was a small field enclosed, then sown to buckwlieat, and in full blossom. The next was the Chapman place, now known as the Comer place. There was an unfinished house and small enclos- ure. The next places improved were the farms of Benjamin F. Marsh and Gotham Clark, side by side. This brought us to the edge of what was then generally called the ' Warsaw timber.' From thence to Warsaw we passed Truman Hosford's,, Bartholo- mew Slattery's, the Yinyard farm (the latter now a part of Warsaw) and Mark Aldrich's, and from thence down a winding road through small timber and hazel bush, to Andrew Monroe's (where Elliott's store now stands). At this point we got upon Main street, and passed a little frame building they used as a meeting house, and three other one-story frame houses of a single room each, on the south side, one used by James Chittenden as a saddler shop, one by Samuel W. Brown and Wm. Mcllhenny, as a tailor shop, the other by Smith Kobbins, as a sort of fancy grocery. On the other side of the street was a two-story frame house, unfinished, erected by E,. L. Eobertson. This brought us to the ' Warsaw House,' then kept by mine host, ' Old man Newberry,' as the boarders irreverently called him; and here I slept my first night in a house after five months' railroad exploration. I do not think there were then in all our large prairies a hundred improvements a mile distant from timber. The few roads across the prairies followed the most favorable ground for settlement, regardless of section lines; and in some directions you might travel for hours without seeing a house or enclosure. If the direction of the beaten road did not suit, you had full liberty of taking short and direct cuts to your journey's end." HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 467 The record kept by the Secretary contains the names of perhaps a thousand pioneers of the county, with nativity and date of emi- gration. "We subjoin a few of tlie earlier ones : 1831 — John Atchison, Ireland. 1831— Frederic Loring, N. H. 1829— David Ayres, Ireland. 1836— A. A. Perkins, Tenn. 1830— James W. Brattle, Mass. 1833— Wm. Pike and sons, Ky. 1881— Jabez A. Beebe, Conn. 1839— Chauncey Robison, N. Y. 1829— Joseph Caldwell, Ky. 1830— A. Gt. Rose, Ind. 1830 — Isham Cochran, Ky. 1830— Benjamin Royse. 1838— Theophilus. Crenshaw, Illinois. 1831— Alexander Saylors, 111. 1831— Charles L. Cochran, Maine. 1824 — Isaac N. Waggonner, Ohio. 1836— Amzi Doolittle, N. T. 1837— James Wilson, Ky. 1830— Cyrus Pelt, N. H. 1829— "Wesley Williams, Ky. 1831— Samuel Gordon, N. H. ^ 1831— Robt. W. White, Va. 1833 — Constantine Kremer, Prussia. jblLr CHAPTER XX. MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. MAEEIAGE LICENSES. First marriage license issued .Sept. 25, 1829, James Miller to Yerdilia Harper; ceremony performed Sept. 28, by Kev. Charles Kobison. Below are dates of a few others, with names of a few parties: 2d. Benjamin T. Tungate (one of the first jurors) to Deborah Flint, Oct. 17; joined by Rev. C. Robison. 6th. Thomas Bremer to Nancy Smith, July 22, 1830, by James Miller, Esq. 9th. Isaac R. Campbell (first County Treasurer) to Emily Davis, by Luther Whitney, Esq. 11th. Wesley Williams, Esq. (County Clerk, etc.), to Ruth Scobey, by James Miller, Esq. 13th. Baptista Blondeau to Spawsey Grandbois, by Hazen Bedell, Esq., Aug., 1831. 19th. Joshua Palen to Archange St. Jean Laperchere, by Wesley Williams, Judge of Probate, July 19, 1832. Amos Van Norsdall to Louise Muir (daughter of Dr. Muir, of Fort Edwards, whose wife was a half-breed), April 4, 1833, by Leonard L. Abney, Esq. Isaac Newton Waggonner to Mary White, Dec, 1835, by David- son Hibbard, Esq. Number of licenses issued to Jan., 1880 8 To Jan., 1835 56 To Jani, 1840 '. 342 To Jan. 1850 1519 To Jan., 1860 3624 Total No. to Jan., 1880 10082 Of course the above do not include the numerous " Gretna- Green " marriages of Hancock citizens; nor j^et that indefinite number solemnized under city ordinance at Nauvoo in Mormon times, in which license was not required and returns were directed to be made to the City Recorder. (468; HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 469 EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. To Samuel W. Layton, Esq., Superintendent of Schools for Hancock county, we are indebted for the following: No. of school districts in the county January 1, 1880. . 190 No. of school-houses 185 No . of teachers employed, about ' 250 Proportion males in winter, about 75 per cent Females in summer, about 75 per cent No. of children between ages of 6 and 21 years, in 1879 13,421 Total receipts for the year ending June 30, 1879 $91,876 94 Total Expenditures 70,813 16 Sixteenth Section School Lands in all the townships sold. SIXTH CENSUS. The only census returns to be found of record in the County Clerk's office is the printed volume containing the U. S. census for 1840. We make some extracts to show the difference between Hancock county forty years ago and now. The one item of silk cocoons will hardly be reported in the census of 1880. In Hancock county — White males 5135 White females 4762 Colored persons 15 Total 9912 No. of Persons Agricultural Products Engaged in Agriculture 1791 Bushels Oats 120768 Commerce 15 Bushels Rye 394 Manufactures and Trades 380 Bushels Buckwheat 1813 Navigation 4 Bushels Corn 2598 iO Learned Professions and Engineers 34 Pounds Wool 8890 Eevolutionary Pensioners 2 Bushels Potatoes 23984 Deaf and Dumb 7 Tons Hay 2345 Blind 5 Pounds Tobacco 1910 Insane 2 Pounds Oocoons 36 Can not read and write — over 20 . . 205 Products of Dairy sold $455 , Agricultural Products. Products of Orchard sold $855 Horses and Mules 1761 No. of Grist Mills 7 Neat Cattle 4717 No. of Saw Mills 12 Sheep 3451 No. of Oil Mills 1 Swine 10671 Gallons Wine 3 •Bushels Wheat 10675 Printing Offices 3 PLACES OF HOLDING OOUETS IN HANCODK COUNTY SINCE OEGANIZATION. Aug., 1829— Special at Fort Edwards. Dec, 1829— At house of James White. Mar., 1880 — Same place. June, 1830 — At Clerk's offi^ce in Yenus. Dec, 1830 and March and June, 1831— At James "White's. Sept., 1831— At Clerk's oifice at Hazen Bedell's. Dec, 1831— At Montebello. Mar., 1832— At Bedell's. 470 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUKTT. June, 1832— At "court-house" in Montebello.* Sept., 1832 — Same place.' Dec, 1832— At H. Bedell's. Mar., 1833 — At Lnther Whitney's, in Montebello. April, 1833 — At house of Thomas Brewer, in Carthage. Sept., 1833 — At log-cabin court-house in Carthage. *The term "court-house," used above, we take to mean simply the building in which the courts were held. There was no building erected for that purpose at Montebello. CHAPTER XXI. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. The Township Organization Act, entitled " An Act to Provide for Township and County Organization," under which any county may organize whenever a majority of the votes of such county at Any general election shall so determine, was passed by the Legis- lature and approved Feb. 12, 1849. Accordingly the question of " Township Organization" or '' No Organization" was submitted at the annual election, on the 6th of J^ov. 1849, and return made to George W. Thatcher, County Clerk, and by him canvassed on the 7th, in conjunction with Michael Rickard and David Greenleaf, Justices of the Peace. We give the vote by precincts in full, as matter for future reference: Prscincts For Against Augusta. 65 29 St. Mary's 121 15 Fountain Green '. 123 62 Camp Greek .'. 92 4 Appanoose 51 2 Pilot Grove Rejected Nauvoo 121 4: Montebello 29 8 Commerce 94 41 LaHarpe 149 Warsaw 90 133 Green Plains » 95 11 Rocky Run 55 4 Bear Creek 74 7 Chili 42 42 Carthage * 46 120 Totals 1347 483 The County Court appointed Mathew McClaughry, John G. Fonda and George Edmunds as commissioners tolay off and divide said county into townships, in accordance with law; and on the 26th day of February, 1850, they filed their report as follows: 1. Augusta township, to embrace township 3 north, 5 west. 2. St. Mary's — 4 porth, 5 west, and south half of 5-5.. 3. Fountain Green — 6 north, 5 west, and north half of 5-5. 4. La Harpe — T north, 5 west. 5. Chili — 3 north, 6 west, and south half of 4r-6. 6. Carthao'e — 5 north, 6 west, north half of 4-6 and east half of 5-7. 7. Pilot Grove — 6 north, 6 west, and east half of 6-7.' 8. Durham — 7 north, 6 west. 9. St. Albans — 3 north, 7 west. 10. Bear Creek — 4 north, 7 west. (471) 472 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 11. Pontoosuc — 7 north, 7 west. 12. Walker — 3 north, 8 west. 13. Wythe— 4 north, 8 west. 14. Montebello — 5 north, 8 west, fraction 5-9 and west half of 5-7. 15. Sonora — 6 north, 8 west, and west half of 6-7. 1 6.^ Appanoose — 7 north, 8 west. 17. Kocky Eun — 3 north, 9 west, and fraction 3-10. 18. Warsaw — 4 north, 9 west. 19. Wanvoo — 6 north, 9 west, and 7-9. On the first Tuesday in April, 1850, the election for township officers was held, and County Clerk Wm. W. Steele called a meeting of the Board of Supervisors to be held at Carthage on Monday, Aug. 12, 1850. Board met, and the following members answered to their names: Augusta — James Stark, Bear Creek — ^Almore Thompson, St. Mary's— Wm. Darnell, Wythe — Slocum WooUey, Chili— Gilmore Callison, Montebello — Robt. F. Smith, Carthage -James A. Winston, Appanoose — Jas. A. McCanee, Pilot Grove — Saml. Bichey, Nauvoo — James Irving, St. Albans— Alex. McDonald, Sonora— J. J. Gardner. Bill of Commissioners to lay off the townships, at $5.00 each, and $2.50 to* Mr. Fonda, additional, for making plat of the county, presented. Board voted members an allowance of $1.50 per day each for services. At next session in November, the following additional members elect appeared and took their seats: Lemnel Mussetter, Warsaw; John Banks, Rocky Eun; Joseph Kidson, Pontoosuc; and Stephen H. Tyler, FountaintGreen. On September 12, 1854, Prairie township was set off from Carthage and Montebello, embracing the whole of township 5 north, 7 west. And at the same time Harmony was set off from Chili and Carthage, embracing the whole of 4 north and 6 west. On April 27, 1855, Hancock township was established from St. Mary's and Fountain Grreeii, embracing the whole of 5 north, 5 west; and Eock Creek was establislied from Pilot Grove and Sonora, embracing the whole of 6 north 7 west. Nov. 15, 1855, Wilcox township was established, embracing all of Warsaw town- ship, 4 north 9 west, excepting the city of Warsaw, which is made a separate township. In 1860 Dallas was set off from Pontoosuc, and at a later date, March, 1876, on petition of residents, that portion of Prairie township embraced in sections 13 and 24, the south half of section 12 and the north half of section 25 — three sections in all — was detatched and annexed to Carthage township. This includes the two depots and all that population in their vicinity. CHAPTER XXII. OLD LAMD-MARKS. The old is continually passing away. Among the old laud-marks and old things that have passed and are passing away may be mentioned the following: Head of the Rapids. — This cannot be said to be passing away; but the term as a designation of a settlement is now seldom used, though once very common as a name for that early settlement in the county now occupied by Nauvoo. Foot of the Rapids — Embraced all that country opposite " The Point," from Fort Edwards to Chaney creek, or the Montebello House. Fort Johnson — The remains of an old stockade fort, on the high bluflF south of Albers' mill, in Warsaw. Fort Edwards — A fort that was still standing and occupied by settlers as late as 1846. For history of these forts see chapter YII. Yenus — "Was a postoflSce only, and the first established in the county. It was at the head of the rapids, in the midst of the oldest settlement in the county, excepting Fort Edwards. Who was its first postmaster we have not learned. Montebello. — This was the name of the oldes^town in the county. It was laid out in 1832, by Luther Whitney and William Yance. It for many years was the business center for the settlers along the rapids, and a place where many goods have been sold. As a town or place of business, it is now unknown, and its name has been transferred to the township in whicli it lies. Green Plains — Was once quite a famous locality in the county, now unknown. It embraced parts of what are now Wythe, Walker, Wilcox and Rocky Run townships, the postoffice for which was at Col. Levi Williams'. Golden's Point — Was a point of timber projecting into the prairie on (he borders of Lary's creek, in Sonora township, named from Abram Golden, a settler there at an early day. Spilhnan'e Landing — The point on the river in the north part of the county, near the residence of Mr. Hezekiah Spillman, and where he kept a ferry, and a woodyard for steamboats. He was a settler of 1825. Round Prairie — A designation by which a rich prairie settle- ment was known in the early days, lying partly in Hancock and partly in Schuyler and McDonough counties. It was bounded north, east, and west by the waters of Crooked creek and (473) 474 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. branches, and South by Williams' creek, and had Plymouth for its business center. Oliver's Settlement — Was that early settlement in the southeast of the tounty around Pnlaski, and had its name from Alexander Oliver, its earliest settler. Fmnklin — Was the name of the postoffice and settlement about La Harpe until 1836, when William Smith and Marvin Tryon laid out the town, and gave it the name of the French adventurer. Joe Dunoan — Was a town la^d out in the years of town mania by Robert Miller, David W. Mathews and Isaac N. Morris. It was near the southeast corner of Fountain Green township. It soon died a natural death. Ex-Gov. Duncan was at that time a speculator in town lots, and it is stated that it received its name, Joe Duncan, because he refused to take stock in it. Mathews and Miller sold goods there for a short period. Cutler's Orame — At Commerce, the place where George Y. Cut- ler, one of the first county Commissioners, was buried, enclosed by a stone wall, still standing. Half -way House — A little frame building erected about 1834, and occupied by one Chapman, at the place now owned and occupied by iJlrs. Samuel Comer, just west of Elvaston, and on the War- saw and Carthage road. Prentis' Shanty — A shanty built near the line of the Warsaw & Peoria Railroad, soon after the State entered upon its magnifi- cent scheme of internal improvements. Mr. Daniel Prentis, now of Fountain Green, had a contract for grading, and to accommo- date his hands erected a shan4;y there. The shanty remained there many years, and was a point well known to travellers. Rooh Island Trail — An old road that led from Quincy and beyond to Hock Island and Galena lead mines, from point to point in the prairie. In this county it ran from Green Plains to Golden's Point, thence to other points north. It crossed the W. & P. Railroad at Prentis' shantj', two or three miles east of Ham- ilton. Commerce — A town at the head of the rapids, laid out in 1834 by Joseph B. Teas and Alexander White. It, with its successor, Com,merce City — Laid out in 1836, and designed to be the town of the West, was finally swallowed by the Mormon city of Nauvoo. Des Moines City — Laid out in 1837, by Dr. Adolphus Allen, on the Mississippi, about two miles above Montebello. It died a natural death in its infancy. Hartford—Was laid out in 1837, by James M. Campbell, on section 5, 7 n., 7 w., in the north part of the county. It also died in infancy. Mechanicsville — As its name indicates, was designed for a man- tifacturing village, and for a time bid fair to realize the expecta- tions of its proprietor. It was laid out in 1842 by Alanson Lyon, near the northwest corner of Augusta township. The manufacture HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 475 of wagons, carriages, and agricultural implements was entered into and carried on for a time; but for some cause the enterprise failed, and the town exists only in name. Bamus — Was a Mormon town, laid out in 1840 by "Wm. Wightman, and settled largely by the Mormons, having at one time 400 or 500 inhabitants. It was sometimes called Macedonia. ' It is now Webster. Yelrome — Was the name given by its proprietor, Isaac Morley (as attorney for Joseph Smith), to the Mormon town, in the town- ship of Walker, laid out in 1844. It generally was known by the name ot Morley-Towu. It was principally burnt out during the trouble in 1845. It is now Tioga. CHAPTEE XXIII. HANCOCK IN THE REBELLION. The news of Sumter aroused the people of Hancock as well as the rest of the State and the Union. All — no, not all — for there were a few traitors, and rebel sympathizers, even in Hancock county; but a large majority of the bone and sinew of the county, felt that the Flag of the Union must be sustained. And in response to the various calls of President Lincoln for troops, the county sent more than two thousand men to the field, out of a population of about 27,000 in 1860. The exact number it is impossible to tell. Even the Adjutant-General's reports, while giving the names of all the ofiicers and men mustered into the several regiments, fail in many instances to credit the place ot their residence. Besides, many volunteered and served in organi- zations belonging to other States; while many drafted and bounty men were scattered widely through the army, as the convenience and necessities of the service required. As wilL be shown here- after, about 1,800 are known and accounted for; and the inference is fair that the unknown would nubaber into the hundreds. Taking the regiments in the order of their number, we begin with ' THE 16th INFANTKT. This was principally recruited in the counties of Hancock, Adams and McDonough; organized at Quincy, May 24, 1861. Robert F. Smith, of Hamilton, was elected Colonel; at the close of his term re-enlisted as veteran, and was promoted Brev. Brig.- Gen. March 13, 1865. Lieut.-Colonel, James B. Cahill, Carthage; term expired Dec. 25, 1864. Adjutant, Charles D. Kerr, Hamil- ton; term expired April 5, 1865; re-enlisted, and promoted Colo- nel July 3, 1865, and not mustered. Adjutant, John S. Schenck, Fountain Green, May 29, 1865; mustered July 8, 1865. Quarter- master L. L. King, La Harpe, June 30, 1862; mustered out June 29, 1865. First Asst. Surgeon, A. L. Ritchey, Hamilton; pro- moted to Surgeon of 10th Eegt. Nov. 20,,1864. Second Asst. Sur- geon, Jacob Thrush, Dallas City; resigned Sept. 30, 1864. Company Officers — Co. D. — Capt., James B. Cahill, Carthage, May 4, 1861; promoted Lt.-Col. Isaac Davis, Carthage, Sept. 3, 1862; term expired Dec. 31, 1864. Wm. Sommerville, Carthage, Dec. 31, 1864; honorably discharged May 9, 1865. First Lieut., Jas. B. Cahill, May 4, 1861; promoted. Wesley Clowse, Carthage, May 14, 1861; resigned Dec. 7, 1861. Isaac Davis, Carthage, (476) yti:-t^^^ ST ALBANS TP. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 479 Dec. 7, 1861; promoted. Wm. Sommerville, Carthage, Sept. 3, 1862; promoted. John T.Welch, Hamilton, May 27, 1865. Second Lieut., "Wesley Clowse, Carthage, May 24,1861; promoted. Benj. F. Marsh, Warsaw, May 24, 1861 ; resigned Aug. 8, 1861. Isaac Davis, Carthage, Oct. 13, 1861; promoted. Wm. Sommerville, Carthage, Dec. 7 ,1861; promoted. Wm. Conyers, Warsaw, Sept. 3, 1862; honorably discharged May 15, 1865. James M. Welch, Carthage, July 3, 1865; not mustered. Co. I. — Captain, Smith Johnson, Dallas City, May 9, 1861; terra expired :Nov. 11, 1864. First Lieut., Stedman Hatch, Pon- toosnc. May 9, 1861; promoted Captain of Co. G. Wm. A. How- ard, Dallas, April 12, 1864; killed in battle May 10, 1864. Daniel Glassner, Dallas, May 19, 1864; promoted Captain. Morrison Walliner, Nov. 11, 1864. Second Lieut., Eobert Pattison, Dallas, May 9, 1861; promoted to Co. of Subs. July 6, 1864. This county furnished for the 16th Eegiment, 200 men of the rank and file, mostly in Companies D and I. HISTORY OF THE SIXTEENTH EEGIMENT. The 16th Inft. Ills. Vols, was mustered into the service at Quincy jinder the Ten Eegiment Act, May 24, 1861, by Captain T. G. Pitcher, U. S. A. June 12, 1861, moved to Grand river as railroad guard; July 10, force was attacked by 1,600 mounted rebels, but held position until arrival of reinforcements, when the enemy fled. On 16th lost two men killed and two wounded at Caldwell's Station. August 20, moved under Gen. Hurlburt to Kirksville, and in pursuit of Gen. Green, arriving at Honeywell Sept. 1. Sept. 10, ordered to St. Joe; on the 14th, together with the 3d Iowa, had a skirmish at Platte City ; 17th, returned to St. Joe. Jan. 27, 1862, ordered to Bird's Point, Mo. March 3, ordered to New Madrid, where they were attached to the army of the Missis- sippi, 2d Brigade, Col. James D. Morgan; First Div. Brig.-Gen., A. E. Paine. Evening of the 12th of March, the 10th and 16th Ills, were thrown forward and erected a line of earthworks, mount- ing four heavy guns within half a mile of the enemy's works. March 13, the battle of New Madrid was fought, the 16th support- ing the siege guns. April 7th, were landed on the opposite side of the river with the 10th Ills., and followed the retreating enemy to Tiptonville, Tenn., where it captured 5,000 prisoners and a large amount of artillery, small arms and ammunition. April 9, returned to New Madrid; 13th, embarked for Osceola, Ark.; 17th, embarked for Hamburg, Tenn., where it arrived on the 22d. Participated in the siege of Corinth. After evacuation pursued the retreating enemy to Boon- ville; June 12, returned and encamped at Big Spring. July 20, moved to Tuscumbia; 29th, crossed the Tenn. at Florence, Ala. Sept. 15, arrived at Nashville, after a 17 days' march, with continual 29 480 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. guerrilla fighting. Our loss, one killed and five wounded, includ- ing Capt. Eowe. In Dec, 1863, the regiment veteranized, and on the opening of the campaign of 1864 was ordered to the vicinity of Atlanta, Ga., where it participated in the siege andjcapture of that strong-hold, Col. Smith commanding a brigade. After the reduction of Atlanta, and Sherman had cut loose from the Army of the Tennessee, the 16th joined in the celebrated March to the Sea, arriving at Savan- nah about Christmas. Upon the occupation of Savannah, Col. Smith was made Military Governor. In the spring of 1865, the 16th continued its march through the Carolinas and V irginia, par- ticipating in all the important battles, and arrived at "Washington, D. C, in time to take part in the Grand Heview. Mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 8, 1865; arrived at Camp Butler July 10, for final payment and discharge. 28th. — Co. D of the 28th had 21 privates, mostly from Augusta, St. Mary's and La.Harpe. 32d.— Co. B, Wm. J. Pierce, of Carthage, Captain, Sept. 4, 1861; resigned Aug. 31, 1862. Second Lieut. Christian G. Long, Car- thage, April 25, 1865; promoted to First Lieut. Aug. 2, 1865. About 28 privates from Montebello and Carthage. 34th. — Five privates from Montebello. 36th — Fourteen privates from Augusta,St Mary's and St. Alban's. 43d. — Co. F, 6 privates from Nauvoo. 46th. — Co. D, 8 privates from Montei)ello and Augusta. THE 50th EEGIMENT. Co. F.—l^xa. B. Snyder, Dallas City, Captain, Sept. 12, 1861; resigned Jan. 19, 1863. Charles D. Fee, Second Lieutenant, June 10, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant Nov. 15, 1862; promoted Cap. tain Jan. 19, 1863; discharged Sept. 15, 1864. Alfred JL. Martin Dallas City, Captain, June 14, 1865. First Lieutenant,'Charles J. May, Warsaw, Sept. 12, 1861; resigned April 27, 1862. Second Lieu- tenant, C. M. Harris, Dallas City, Sept 12, 1861 ; .promoted First Lieutenant April 27, 1862; resigned June 20, 1862. Joseph M. Morgan, "Warsaw, First Lieutenant, June 14, 1865. "Wm. S. Weak- ley, Warsaw, Second Lieutenant, Nov. 15, 1862; resigned Sept. 15, 1864. Thomas Stewai-t, Dallas City, Second Lieutenant, July 10, 1865; not mustered. Co. G. — Selah W. King, La Harpe, First Lieutenant, Sept 12, 1861; promoted Captain Dec. 12, 1861; resigned Sept. 15, 1864. In the 50th Kegiment there were 88 privates from this county, from about ten different townships. 53d. — Had 17 privates from Hancock county. 57th.— Co. I, Edward D. Hazzard, Plymouth, ^econd Lieutenant, Feb. 13, 1863; pi-omoted First Lieutenant July 12, 1864; promoted Captain July 1, 1865; not mustered. Co. K, Edward Gallagher, HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTy. 481 Hamilton, Captain, April 1, 1865. In Co. K, 27 privates from St. Mary's. 64th.— From Fountain Green, 5 privates. 65th. — As re-organized Co. A had 10 privates from this county. 71st. — Co. E, 7 privates from St. Mary's. 72d. — Co. G, 8 privates from St. Mary's. Co. H, 10 privates from Augusta. 73d. — Co. H, 3 from Hancock township, 75th. — Co. E, one from Montebello. THE 78th regiment. First Assistant Surgeon, Elisha S. Mclntire, of Dallas City, Sept. 1, 1862; resigned March 25, 1863. Second Assistant Surgeon, Wm. H. Githens, Hamilton, May 14, 1863; pronioted to First Assistant Surgeon Aug. 7, 1863. Co. D. — Eobert M. Black, Carthage, Captain, Sept. 1, 1862; killed in action Sept. 1, 1864. First Lieutenant, John B. Worrell, Chili, Sept. 1, 1862; promoted to Captain Sept. 1, 1864. Second Lieutenant, Isaac K. Kinchloe, Breckenridge, Sept. 1, 1862; re- signed^ July 16, 1863; Samuel "W. Puntenny, Montebello, July 16, 1863; discharged Jan. 10, 1865. .Co. n. — John K. Allen, Dallas City, Captain, Sept. 1, 1862; re- signed March 30, 1864. First Lieutenant, George T. Beers, Pon- toosuc, Sept. 1, 1862; promoted to Captain March 30, 1864; killed in battle March 19, 1865. Thomas M. Scott, Dallas City, Captain, May 19, 1865; not mustered. John Gibbs, Dallas City, First Lieu- tenant, May 19, 1865; in hospital at the mustering out of the regiment. This county furnished 160 men to the 78th Regiment, as fol- lows: Co. A, 4; Co. B, 2; Co. D, 73; Co. H, 81. HISTORY OF THE 78tH KEGIMENT, Organized at Quincy by Col. Wm. H. Benneson, and mustered into service Sept. 1, 1862. Ordered to Louisville; arrived on the 22d, and was assigned to 2d Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio. On the 23d was assigned to 39th Brigade, 12th Division. October 1st was detached and assigned to Gen. Boyle; marched to Shepardville, Kentucky, October 5, to guard railroad bridge. Oc- tober 14 was stationed at Lebanon Branch railroad bridge, guarding bridges and stations. Mustered out June 7, 1865, at Washington, D. C, and arrived at Chicago June 12, for pay and discharge. 83d. — Co. A, one private from La Harpe. 84th. — Co. C, 9 from La Harpe, Fountain Green and Augusta. 86th. — Had 30 privates from this county,— 4 from St. Mary's and 26 from La Harpe. 89th. — Recruited 11 privates from Augusta. 99th. — Had 10 privates from Augusta, and one from Montebello. 482 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. THE 118th REGIMENT. Col., John G. Fonda, Warsaw, Nov., 1862; promoted Brevet Brig.-Gen. June 27, 1865; raustered out Oct. 1, 1865. Lieut.-Col., J. G. Fonda; promoted to Col. Thomas Logan, Hamilton, Lt.-Col., Nov. 2:), 1862; mustered out Oct. 1, 1865. Major Robert W. McClaughry, Cartliage, resigned to accept appointment of Pay Master in the U. S. A., May 13,, 1864. John W. Barnes, Warsaw, Adjutant; discharged for promotion, March 22, 1864. H. M. Sleator, Carthage, Adjutant, March 26, 1864; mustered out Oct. 1, 1865. Wm. K. Davison, Warsaw, Quartermaster, Oct. 13, 1862. First Asst. Surgeon, Jolm K. Boude, Carthage, Nov. 27, 1862. Second Asst. Surgeon, Vaughn B. Corey, West Point, Oct. 1, 1865; not mustered. Chaplain, Thomas M. Walker, Fountain Green, Nov. 29, 1862; resigned July 11, 1868; Wm. Underwood, Carthage, May 7, 1864. Co. A.—T. J. Campbell, Fountain Green, Captain, Nov. 7, 1862; resigned Feb. 19, 1863. A. W. Geddes, Fountain Green, First Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted to Captain Feb. 19, 1863; killed in battle May 16, 1863, at Champion Hills. Thomas B. White, Fountain Green, Second Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted Feb. 19, 1863; killed in battle May 16, 1863, at Champion Hills. John W. Campbell, Fountain Green, Second Lieut., Feb. 19, 1863; promote'd to Captain May 16. 1863; died as Second Lieut., July 29, 1863. Cyrus M. Geddes, Fountain Green, Second Lieut., May 17, 1863; promoted Captain July 29, 1863; mustered out Oct. 1, 1865. Sam- uel B. Arrison, Hancock township. May 16, 1863; died as Sergeant, of wounds received at Champion Hills, Nov. 2, 1863. John Typer, Fountain Green, First Lieut, Nov. 2, 1863; resigned July 30,1865. Vanness Walkup, Pilot Grove, First Lieut., Oct. 1, 1865. Eobert N. Witherow,, Fountain Green, First Lieut., Oct. 1, 1865; not mustered. Go. B. — -Pobert W. McClaughry, Carthage, Captain; promoted Major. Morgan Reymer, Carthage, Second Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted to Captain Nov. 8, 1862; discharged March 28, 1863. Alexander Sholl, Carthage, Second Lieut., Nov. 8, 1862; promoted to First Lieut. Feb. 27, 1863; promoted to Captain March 28,1863. Thomas W. Hurst, Carthage, Second Lieut., Feb. 27, 1863; pro- moted to First Lieut. March 28, 1863; promoted to Captain Nov. 14,1863. Wm. H. Odell, Carthage, First Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; resigned Feb. 27, 1863. Elisha^B. Hamilton, Carthage, Fft-st Lieut. , Nov. 14, 1863. James Sample, Carthage, Second Lieut. , March 28, 1863; honorably discharged Dec. 1, 1863. Joseph Gill, Rainie, Second Lieut., April 11, 1865. Co. ^.—Arthur W. Marsh, Wythe, Captain, Nov. 7, 1862; killed Nov. 11^1863, near Grand Caton bayou, while in command of the regiment. Ephraim Grubb, Montebello, First Lieut. , Nov. 7,1862; resigned Feb. 19, 1863, on account of ill health . A. W. Robinson, Wythe, Second Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted First HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 483 Lieut. Feb. 19. 1863; promoted to Captain Nov. 11, 1863. Jeptha S. Dillon, "Wythe, Second Lieut., Feb. 19, 1863; promoted First Lieut. Nov. 11,1863. George B. Saffbrd, Montebello, April 11, 1865^ Co. D.—K. M. Sleater, Carthage, Feb. 19, 1863; promoted First Lieut. Nov. 12, 1863; promoted Adjutant March 22, 1864. Co. E.—Z. S. Allen, Warsaw, First Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted to Captain Dec. 24, 1862; resigned Aug. 7, 1863. Wm. H. Berry- man, Warsaw, Captain, Aug. 7, 1863; mustered out Oct. 1, 1865. David Turner, Warsaw, First Lieut., Dec. 24, 1862. W. S. Lem- ley, Warsaw, Second Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; resigned Feb. 19, 1863. Thomas A. Worthen, Warsaw, Feb. i9, 1863; honorably dis- charged May 16, 1865. Albert H. Fuller, Warsaw, Oct. 1, 1865; not mustered. Co. ^— Felix G. Mourning, Bear Creek, Captain, Nov. 7, 1862; resigned Oct. 21, 1863. Calender Eohrbough, Bear Creek, Second Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; promoted to First Lieut. Feb. 19, 1863; pro- moted Captain Oct. 21, 1863. Eice C. Williams, Eocky Eun, First Lieut., Nov. 7, 1862; resigned Feb. 19, 1863. Levi B. Moore, Bear Creek, Second Lieut., Feb. 19, 1863; promoted Oct. 21, 1863; honorably discharged Aug. 14, 1865. A, J. Stroup, Eocky Eun, First Lieut., Sept. 2, 1865; not mustered. Wm. H. Cole, St. Mary's, Second Lieut., Oct. 1, 1865. Co. Z— Wm. M. Cole, Elvaston, May 23, 1865. HISTOET OF THE 118tH EEGIMENT. Came into service under the call of July 2, 1862; organized Aug., 1862; Cos. A, B, C, E, and H, in Hancock. At Cainp Butler to the 8th Sept., and placed on duty guarding Confederate prisoners; mustered into service Nov. 7, by Captain Washington. At Butler till Dec. 1st, when it left for the field by rail to Alton, and embarked for Memphis, arriving Dec. 11. On«'• o^rS.PfpcU:^ HANCOCKTp. HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 497 From where Peuobscot pours his flood, By Saco's rushing tide — From Susquehanna's fertile vales, Where Hudson's waters glide; — From Mississippi's sounding shore, From Ohio's placid wave, — I Rushed forth a thousand valiant bands. The Nation's life to save ! With sword and musket, lance and steel. They gird them for the fight; They go, in Heaven's name, to wage The Battle of the Right! They go to teach the traitor hordes The majesty of law! They go — and at their martial tread The Nations stand in awe ! The plow is left to rust its share — The reaper lieth still ; Uncared, the cattle rove the fields, And silent stands the mill ; And peaceful skies look down from where The smoke of steamer rose. And plain, and vale, and hillside home. Lie wrapped in deep repos«. III. Three years have past ! and Grandma's form Is bowing to the grave ; And James and John, those stalwart boys. Sleep 'neath Kanawha's wave ; And thousand true hearts, such as theirs Have poured their richest blood To mingle with the Hatteras sands. Or tinge Tal'hatchie's flood. And on a hundred battle plains Dead corpses bleeding lie. And maimed and sickened foemen writhe Beneath the arching sky. And twice ten thousand widowed wives Are left to mourn their fate ; And thrice ten thousand happy homes Are rendered desolate And War, the Demon, drives his car O'er plain, and hill, and dale; And Carnage gluts his thirst for blood In many a sunny vale. And Wrong, and Hate, and Treason, still Their flaunting flag furl wide ; And bold Defiance, blind with rage. Strikes out on every side ! But God, who sends the earthquake's shock. The tempest's fiery wrath, And bids the dread sirocco bring Destruction in its path, — Will bulb the Evu. still fob Good, And heal the Nation's woe I Lo ! now against the curtained East, See! See! the Pbomisb-Bow! 30 498 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. IV. Grandma, as in that April uight, Sits by the chimney place ; And," as before, her wrinkled hands Still shield her aged face. She musing sits. But visions now Of future prospects rise ; Turned from the past with grief away, She scans the coming skies. She musing sits. For her no more Potomac's waters run — No more for her the Blue Ridge peaks Smile 'neath the morning sun. No more the strife of Shiloh's fight — The blood at Malvern Hill,— Or carnage on a hundred fields. Her mind with horrors fill. But far away, on Time's broad sea, The opening years uprise; "Whose rolling waves, in vistas clear, Blend with th' encircling skies. The vistas sweep around — expand. The shadows roll away. The golden tints of morning burst Into effulgent day. A vast expanse looms up to view From Equatorial sea. And from Atlantic's surge, to where Pacific's waves roll free ; O'er plain and mountain, lake and vale, O'er pebbly-margined river. The 'beams of Peace triumphant smile. And Freedom's sunbeams quiver! No more the wail of woe is heard. No more the clank of chain ; No more the dusky bondmen bow ■ Beneath their load of pain. No more the traitor dares to act A parricidal part. Nor reaches forth his bloody hand, To strike the Nation's heart ! But plenty, joy, and love, abound ! Schools, churches, cities, rise ! The ham of industry ascends. And echoes through the skies ! And Man stands forth, at length, redeemed From power of brother Man ; And Equal Rights is writ anew, In God's Eternal Plan ! HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 499 CONCLUSION. When the Kebellion began, no one expected it to be of long con- tinuance. Even President Lincoln seemed to hold the prevalent opinion that the 75,000 men first called for would be ample to put it dovirn. And they would have been amply sufficient had all who were not engaged in it been true to their country and their flag. Had it been realized that it would require more than a million of men and a sacrifice of two hundred thousand lives to subdue it, the whole people would have stood aghast with horror; and had these results been foreseen, it surely would never have been begun. But now, after the lapse of years, we are enabled to comprehend the causes for its long continuance. We can now more fully realize that, though inaugurated by the violence and fraud of the few, against the wishes and sober judgment of the many, it was the aid and support it received elsewhere, coupled with the " fire in the rear" that raged " all along the line," that contributed largely to its four years' duration. Hancock' county stood abreast with her sisters in furnishing the complement of men required, in answer to the various calls for vol- unteers; yet it cannot be concealed that she, too, contained citizens whose sympathies were with the Stripes and Bars. This fact was made more apparent toward the close of the struggle, during the dark days of 1864. And while stern justice demands that these things should be made matters of history, we shrink from the task of recording them, preferring tliat the sea of oblivion shall hide them, and unwilling to cast even a pebble into the waters whose troubles have subsided. Be it enough that the Stars and Stripes still wave. We would, if we could, record the many patriotic efforts of our people to furnish supplies to the soldiers in hospital and field, and the many noble acts of self-sacrifice to that end. Suffice it to say, that the citizens all over the county vied with each other to aid in the cause, and thousands upon thousands were contributed in pro- visions, clothing and money, for that purpose, and sent to the front. Great credit is due to the noble women everywhere, for their efforts ; and many thanks and many a prayer went up from the " boys " in hospital and camp in behalf of their sisters and friends at home. Lo, these things, are they not all written in the great book of human account! We must not omit to state that, after several efforts to pass orders in behalf of drafted and substitute men and their families, one was finally passed and put into effect, appropriating $120,000 for that purpose, and disbursed by an agent in depreciated county orders. CHAPTEE XXIV. MISCELLANEOUS. LA MOINE EIVEB. Crooked creek, in the east part of the county, is on some of the old maps called La Moine river, — said to signify River of the Monk. Whether the name had the same or a similar origin with that of the Des Moines river, which empties into the Mississippi opposite Fort Edwards, we are unable to say. And of the origin of its name there are two statements; which is the correct one might require even a learned Frenchman to decide. One is, that the name is an abbreviation of Moingonas, a tribe of Indians who inhabited the country. Another, that the French term Xfl Riviere des Moines, is a translation of Ke-ish^shatu-qucf s se^po, the river of the man who lives alone; such a man having been found on its banks many moons ago, when the Sacs and Foxes settled there. This the French pioneers interpreted as the river of the monk. ANECDOTE OF, AMZX DOOLITTLE. A correspondent tells the following story : " Mr. Doolittle was a thorough -going, energetic man, yet kind-hearted and true. But he was a most inveterate, profane swearer. An incident is told about him that illustrates this habit. He was at Quincy attend- ing to some business, and as usual, was letting oii" a string of oaths at every other breath. A man, who was in an adjoining room, hearing Mr. Doolittle going on, and the door being partly open, ob- served in Mr. D.'s hearing that he beat any person swearing he ever heard, except ' one man, and that was Amzi Doolittle, of Appa- noose. This, of course, was a poser to Mr. D., and on his way home he reflected on the matter and decided to turn over a new leaf, which he did, and subsequently joined the Baptist Church." SOME PONTOOSUC PIONEERS. Thomas Harris — Settled in seven north, seven west, in 1833; was a native of Kentucky. Horse thieves sometimes prowled around, and occasionally got off with a good tme. Mrs. Harris owned two very fine mares, and several attempts had been made by a- well- known bad man, who lived in the woods on the river bluff, but had failed. However, one dark night he concluded he must have one of the mares. Mr. Harris had taken the precaution to tie them (500) HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 501 close to his cabin door, but this did not deter the thief from trying to stampede them. The horses making an effort to break away, waked the owner, and he rushed out, rifle in hand, and fired at random. He then tied them close to the door and lay down to sleep again. But the ardor of the rascal did not abate. Waiting till near two o'clock, he once more crept up,- and began to untie the horses, but they received him with a snort. This time Mr. Harris was fully aroused, and seizing his gun, he aimed a blow at the persistent thief, which sent him away howling through the woods. His horses were molested no more. Mr. Harris has now reached the ripe old age of 84, in good health, and bids fair to be a centenarian. Johnson C. Clark — Was a native of Indiana; emigrated to this county in 1832. During the Indian troubles he settled ofi section 10, -7 n, 7 w; was the husband of two wives, by whom he had eleven children each — 22 in all ! He was appointed by the War Department to' build a block house or small fort at Spillman's Landing (now Pontoosuc), and in the discharge of this duty he was assisted by Hezekiah Spillman and Andrew Deboneyer. Mr. Clark, who was a man of courage, would mount the fort, swing his old white hat, cheer for Gen. Jackson, and curse the red-skins; then down into the trench again, would work away with pick and shovel, throwing up breast- works ; all the while telling the men they must work or the red-skins would get their hair. Mr. Clark lived to the advanced age of 86. BMjah Pease — Emigrated from Ohio in 1834, and settled in the timber near Mr. Harris. He was of the old Baptist school, some- times known as the " Iron Jackets," and was noted for his honesty and fair dealing. So much did this trait mark his character that he was known as " honest old Elijah." An incident occurred dur- ing the latter period of his life which characterizes that trait of his nature. He was owing a man in Adams county the sum of $11, or, at least, supposed he was. The hard times of 1837 prevented him from discharging the debt at the time it was due ; but as soon as he got enough money together, he called on Esq. Mendenhall, then living five miles distant, and requested him to take the money and pav the man, Mr. M. being in the habit of attending the land sales at Quincy. Mr. M. took the money, but on his visit to Quincy could learn nothing of the man anywhere in the county. The money was returned to Mr. P., who expressed sincere regret, but the man could never be found. SPELLING SCHOOLS had their day, or nights, among tlie early settlers. Common schools were yet scarce in the sparsely settled sections; but the hardy men and women of toil were ever ready to make up for any lack of improvement. So, in a circuit of ten or fifteen miles, the few young men and women would assemble in the winter time, once 502 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. or twice a week, at a designated house, and spend a few hours at spelling, words given either from a small dictionary or Webster's old spelling-book. This was an amusement of a three- fold benefit. First,' it was instructive; second, it served to pass away the long winter nights, and to vary the monotony of frontier life; and, third, it served as an auxiliary to courting by the young folks, and the laying of plans for future business in that direction. The youth of to-day know little of the luxury of sparking in the winter time, by a huge hickory-wood fire, in a one-story, one-room log cabin, with nine children sprawling around watching, and the old woman quietly knitting, and the old man quietly nodding, with one eye open, in the chimney corners. Things are sadly changed now! • The lost child. Every county, almost every neighborhood, 'has a story of a lost child. Here is one from the bluffs of Camp creek- Early in the spring of 1835, Michael Hildebrand removed from near Qnincj' and settled on the Camp creek bluffs, near the farm now owned and occupied by 0. S. Avery. The country was wild, and settlers were few and far between. The dusky form of the red man was frequently seen, and ferocious wild beasts werfe plenty. Mr. H. cleared a patch of ground, fenced it in and put up a log cabin near a spring some 80 rods from his little field. He had planted his patch in corn, potatoes, pumpkins, etc., and as the autumn days drew nigh, it furnished him and his small family of three children with roasting ears and the various kinds of vegetables for the table. Several times Mrs. Hildebrand would take her eldest daughter, then six years old, and go to the field to get supplies for the table; little Sarah, or "Sallie," as she was called, thus learned the way to the field. One day, whilst her mother was v ery busy about her household duties, little Sallie, who was playing in the yard, took it into her head to go to the field for roasting ears. No sooner had she con- ceived the idea than she put it in execution. Starting to the field alone and unnoticed by her mother, she arrived there, plucked a green cucumber and an ear of corn, and started on her return, but missed her way, and became lost in the woods and underbrush. Mrs. H. did not miss her little one for some time, thinking all the time she was playing in the yard with her trinkets. On going to the door, and not seeing her. she began calling her by name. Not receiving any answer, she hurried around the house and yard, exam- ining the play-house and accustomed haunts of the little girl, but still no response. At this the mother became very much alarmed, calling frantically for her dear child. The cries of alarm reached the ears of her husband, who was at work in the woods not far away. Coming to her at once, and learning the facts, both parents joined in the search for the child. Every npok and corner was rigidly searched. By this time the cries and callings of the dis- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 503 tracted parents were heard by a neighbor passing by. Coming to their assistance, and learning the facts, he immediately set off to call the few settlers around the country. The child was missed about ten o'clock i. m., and by night quite a number of settlers were searching through the woods for the lost one; but no tidings or signs could be had. A brief consultation was held, and it was decided to continue the search through the night, with lanterns and torches, while two or three, on good horses, should carry the news to the nearest settlers, and ask their aid. The general conclusion was, that the child had been either carried off by some savage beast, or by Indians. It was very distressing to see the poor parents call for their lost one. The mother had called and rambled through the woods, until she fell to the ground from mere exhaustion. Although tenderly urged and cared for by the neighboring women, she would not sit down and take rest. As the night wore on, a slight rain came on; then it was that the agony of the mother was unbounded — " My child ! my poor child ! in this rain,^-every drop of which pierces my heart like a dagger !" The women in attendance urged her to shut the door and keep the chill air out. " No !" she replied, " open wide the door ; place a bright light on the table ; open the window; perhaps my child may see the light and come to it." But the child was too far away to see any light. Toward the dawn of day the mother seemed to despair of finding her child, and gradually sunk under it. Her cries became low moanings and mutterings. Frequently she would call her darling to her, and then endeavor to lull it to sleep in her arms; and then she would start up with a wild cry of " 0, where is my child ! Have you found my child ?" The sturdy pioneers kept up the search all night long, but with no success. Morning at length dawned, and with it came a hun- dred or more of men to join in the search. The men who had gone out to tell the news traveled hard and all night, sparing not their horses, and by morning a circuit of thirty miles had been alarmed. The trusty rifle was the companion of the pioneer in those days; and no one was often away from home without his shot-pouch, powder horn and tried firelock. Another consultation was held at seven o'clock, and a plan, of search agreed upon by the company. Many expressed their fears that, if found at all, the child would be dead. It was agreed to make a more thorough search of the corn patch, and then the woods around. On examinatiqu, some little prints of the child's feet were seen, as though coming out of the plowed ground. This trail was taken up, but soon lost again. It was agreed that if she was found a gun was to be fired. The search went on until the sun had nearly attained its meridian, when a shot was heard nearly a mile off; then another, and another, was fired. This, then, was the signal for the finding of the child. It was found! The mother knew the signal; but 604 ' HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. whether her child was dead or alive, she knew not; her agony and suspense were too much, and she sunk to the earth in a swoon. About a mile from the house the little one was found. She was first seen by one of the hunters, sitting on a log, eating away at her roasting ear. She had been lying down beside the log on a bed of leaves. "When found she had a wHd and haggard look, and started off to evade the man who found her. She was free from any harm, and only complained of a little hunger. Gradually the joyful news was conveyed to the mother; but the shock was so great to her system, that for many months she suffered severely. Those sun-browned, hardy pioneers gathered around the parents and child, grasping each other by the hand; while the big tears rolled down their cheeks, as they expressed their joy to Mr. Hilde- brand and his wife, and to one another. Every one must take the little one and caress it! The father and mother would cry and laugh by turns. And finally when leaving for their homes, each would press the hands of parent and child, and with a fervent " God Bless you! " and a tear of gratitude, mount their horses and ride away. JUMPING CLAIMS. To a correspondent we are indebted for the following: On one occasion, a settler had made a claim on Camp creek, and put up a good hewed-log house, and lived in it diiring the summer; but as winter approached, and some of his family being sick and provision scarce, he went back to the older settlement where subsistence could be had in plenty. During the winter his improvement attracted the greedy eye of a speculator, who "jumped the claim" by moving into the empty house. This was looked upon by the settlers as a violation of the rules of frontier honesty. A deputation of them accordingly waited on the jumper of the claim and notified him to leave. But this he refused to do, and declared his intention of going to Quincy to enter the land, it then being in the market. The first owner had returned to the claim and demanded possession, but all in vain. Finally, as the land sales drew on, the jumper, to secure matters, as he thought, threw the roof off, after taking his family out and putting them in a tent, and proceeded to Quincy to enter the land. This was done in 'order to prevent any one from moving into the house. But on returning from the land sales, not a vestige of the house remained! Everything had been quietly removed by the settlers. The same writer closes with the following description of PIONEER LIFE. Mr. B. MendenhalljOf Dallas City, says: "The writer of this was a small boy in those days, and he has sat at the log fires of the early settlers (the fire-place occupying nearly the entire end of a cabin), and listened with eager delight to the stories of the pioneers, as they gathered around the hearth'on winter nights, and recounted HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 505 to one another the hardships, toils and dangers encountered, in order to gSin a foothold in the Western wilds. " Over the liuee fire-place hung the trusty rifle, on the prongs of the sturdy buck-horns. The well-filled shot-bag, made of the skin of some wild animal, generally the raccoon or fox, hiing by the rifle. In one corner was the meal sack, accompanied by the tin grater. If the former failed, resort was had to the latter, which never failed. Overhead were long strings of golden-colored pump- kins, cut in rings and hung up to dry. G-enerally the pumpkin was interspersed with quantities of dried venison steaks. A barrel ot honey Was almost always found in the cabin of the settler. " Frequently, as the meal sack would become low, the anxious housewife would state the fact to the husband, and a new supply would be looked after. But many times supplies could not be had, as the mills were so few and far away. So, to lengthen out the meal, the housewife would steam the dried pumpkin, and mixing it with the meal in equal parts, bake it into bread. It was good and palatable, and kept hunger away. "People enjoyed themselves in those days, but they have passed away, and with them the early settlers also. One by one at first, arid then by twos and threes, they have passed away and are at rest. But few remain. Occasionally a white-haired sire remains, a living monument of the hardy frontier settler, waiting and watching with an eye of faith, when he, too, will be called on to join his companions in that home beyond the skies, where all is ■joy and peace. " The younger ones are pressing on, filling their places in the great drama of human life. But the eagerness to obtain wealth and position has effaced from these young ones many of the noble and gtenerous traits of character that were prominent in their fathers." THE WINDMILL. Among the objects of interest well remembered by all the old citizens of the county was the unfinished windmill, which stood on the southeast of Carthage, on the southwest ten acres of the quarter section on which the college is located. It was originated by Kev. John Lawton, elsewhere named in these pages, who, in conjunction with E. JD. Vandervoort, a mechanic, undertook its erection about 1835 or '36. Of its plan we know but little, but remember that it was a high and strong frame, in the center ot ' which rose an immense shaft, to which were attached a number of 16-foot wings. Shortly after its erection a storm of wind blew down some of the wings, and otherwise injured it. About the same time Mr. V. was crippled in the machinery. This accident, coupled with the fact tliat their funds and credit were about exhausted, determined the firm to abandon it. It stood in that unfinished condition for several years, it and the dome of the new court-house being the two first objects visible on approaching the 506 HISTORY OF HANCOCK CODNTY. town. After Mr. Lawton's death in 1842 it was taken down and sold. THE FIRST TWO-STOEY FEAME. Mr. Samuel Gofdon says: "I well recollect the excitement inci- dent to the raising of the first two-story frame house in the county. It was in the month of June, A. D. 1832, when the enterprising proprietor, Mr. Luther Whitney, conceiving the idea of enlarging his accommodations for the comfort of his guests of the Monte- bello House, projected a two-story frame, 20 b}' 50 feet. A raid upon the forest was made for the necessary material, and according to the notions of the day the timber must be about three times the size now used. Consequently the frame was very heavy. "When everything was ready, all the inhabitants for ten miles around were invited to the raising. The timbers were fastened to- gether broad side at a time. The first side was carried up without difficulty; but the second bent was much more formidable. When about one-third the way up, matters came to a stand-still, and the utmost exertions of all engaged could not gain an inch. The sit- uation had become extremely critical, the great danger being ot losing control, and the frame falling back and killing or crippling all below. Just as all were about giving up in despair, the "boss" happened to think that there were a dozen or so of women in the house near by, and perhaps their strength might help him out of the difficulty. Their aid was invoked, and promptly responded to, and by the united eiforts of the whole west half of the county, the frame was raised and finished, and to-day stands as a monument ot the past, and also as the oldest frame building in the county." THE FIRST MURDER. To Mr. Gordon we are also indebted for the particulars of the . first murder in the county, which we have failed to obtain else- where : "The first murder committed in the county was in the summer of 1832. The parties were Enoch Hankins and Abram Moore. It seems that they had been neighbors in Ohio, and had an old grudge not settled. On the fatal day they were both in the court room, rather the worse for liquor, when the quarrel was renewed. Moore being almost twice the size and strength of Hankins, gathered hold of him and threw him head first out of doors, the floor being several feet above the ground. The fall was a hard ' one. Hankins was so enraged that he took out his knife, opened it, but put it back into his pocket, and returned into the court room. Moore seeing him back again, made the second attempt to throw him out, whereupon Hankins drew out his knife and inflicted a fatal wound, which caused Moore's death in 24 hours. Hankins was arrested, and bound over for his appearance to Court. Not being able to give bond, and' there being no jail in the county, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 507 he was taken to_ Quincy for safe keeping, Adams county having a log jail. Hankins, after a few months in jail got tired of such close quarters; so one night he dug through the wall and cleared himself for Texas. The family of Moore offered a reward of $500, the county $500, and Gov. Reynolds $200; but Hankins was never caught." SONS OF TEMPERANCE. About the year 1846 or '7, a temperance wave struck Hancock county, and resulted in the organization of a number of Divisions of the Sons and Daughters of Temperance. Of the Sons there were about a dozen Divisions in the county, one at each of the towns and villages. The total number of members could not be told, as they were liable to so many changes. The Division at "Warsaw initiated nearly 500 members, during the period of about eight years that it existed ; and Divisions at other points had nearly as many. But these institutions in time ceased to be beneficial, and passed away, none we believe now existing in the county, though the order still exists. MORMON TRAIL. It seems that a portion of the Mormon brotherhood had an intro- duction to Hancock county four or five years before they settled at Nauvoo. There is, or was, not long since, a well-beaten, but grass- grown, track through the sontheastern section of -thecounty, known as the Mormon Trail, made by that people when on their passage from Ohio to the promised land in Missouri, in 1833 or '34. It entered the county from Schuyler, and crossed the prairie between Plymouth and Augusta, in the direction of Quincy, that being the objective point on the Mississippi river. So that, in coming from Missouri to this county in 1838-'9, in pursuance of a later revela- tion, they were only taking the " back track " over a road some ot them had traveled years before. THE DESERTERS. To John E. Toll, Esq., of Fruitland, We are indebted for a good many incidents of personal and county history. Here is one ot them, which occurred the first summer of his residence in the countv: •' On a Friday ndght, near the middle of June, there was a tap on my cabin door ; I opened it, and there stood two men of suspicious appearance, with guns in their hands. They begged to come in ; I let them in, and they asked for something to eat, saying they had been wi&out food for nearly two days. By close ques- tioning they told me they were deserters from the U. S. barracks at the head' of the rapids, and that they were so cruelly treated by the officer in command they could stand it no longer. I gave them of our little store of provisions. The next morning they begged to remain over Sunday, and they would work for me to pay for 608 HI8T0ET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. their board. I consented. But on Sunday one of them discovered a company of Indians at a distance, and, supposing they were sent out from the fort on their trail, they both got into the cabin-as quickly as possible, got their guns, and secreted themselves, declaring they would not be taken alive. I went out to watch the movements of the Indians, and, if possible, to divert their attention on eastward. They did not, however, attempt to enter, but, after looking around a little, passed on, to our great relief On Monday morning one of the men saw a man riding rapidly in the direction of where he was, and supposing him to be one of the officers of the barracks, both deserters broke for the brush, and made their escape, leaving • their guns and bundles behind. About a month afterward they returned, got their guns and bundles, and I have never seen them since." LUSTJS NATURE. Dr. G. gives this item as occurring in his practice in this county : A woman on whom he was called to attend professionally, gave birth to a monster child. It had two well-formed heads, joined at the shoulders; four arms, and three legs — a more remarkable lustis natures than the Siamese twins. The child was alive, but died in the delivery. GANGRENE AND QUININE. Speaking of medical cases, we may mention one as having occurred near the eastern line of the county many years ago. A man had two fingers cut oif by a circular saw. He was living in a malarial district, and, at the time of the accident, was full of malaria. He was negligent of the wound, until it became extremely painful and swollen, and gangrene had set in, and the arm was gangrened nearly to the shoulder. Several physicians were called, and while a majority said amputation of the arm was all that could save his life, another said K"o, claiming that it would not stop Ihe- gangrene, and that he could be cured by other means. He was ' allowed to pursue his own plan. He resorted to quinine. "With a knife he cut away all the gangrenous flesh clean, and filled the wound full of quinine, giving, at the same time, copious doses inter- nally. And that, too, when quinine was quoted at six dollars an ounce. The patient recovered, retaining both his arms. A MISCALCULATION. An old settler relates the following story in the history of Appa- noose. About the time it was laid out by Messrs. White and Doo- little, a man from Kentucky offered them $4,000 for two blocks on the river at the upper end, and would obligate himself to put up large fiouring and lumber mills. This offer the short-sighted pro- prietors refused, but wanted $6,000, which he refused to give, and went away. It can be now seen that they would have done well to have made him a free gift of the blocks, on the condition that he would thus improve them. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 509 spillman's fort. During the scare of the Black Hawk war, Mr. Hezekiah Spill- man was authorized to 'build a fort or block- house, near his place, for the protection of the inhabitants. The house was built of large logs, twenty or twenty-five feet long, knotched up solidly, and ten or twelve feet high, and then with longer logs projecting two or three feet over. The whole was covered with a heavy clap- board roof. All around, above and below, were port holes, to open or close as necessity required. This building was enclosed all around, some twenty-five or thirty feet distant, with a stockade of logs set in the ground. CHAPTER XXIY. TOWNSHIP HISTORIES. In this most important chapter of the history oi Hancock county, we give the respective history of townships, with short biographical sketches of their leading citizens. At the close of the introductory portion we give a list of supervisors, clerks, assessors and collectors^ as complete as we could obtain from the records. Each officer is credited with the year in which he was elected, and many were re- elected for successive years. For want of full returns the list doubtless contains errors. AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP. Congressional, or surveyed, township number three north and range number five west of the fourth principal meridian (usually written 3 n. 5 w., or 3-5 for short) is named Augusta, after the handsome and ambitious little city within its borders. The town- ship is about one-third timbered land, the rest prairie; the timber skirting the head waters of Panther creek in the northwest, Plower creek near the center, and William's creek near the south line. Augusta contains mucTi valuable land and many fine farms. Many of its settlers are farmers of the first class — emigrants from the East and South, who came to the county to make permanent homes for themselves and their families. The first settlers we can learn of in this township (and we cannot pretend to name them all, or in the order of their coming) were Alexander Oliver, Jesse and Shelton Phillips, Dr. Adolphus Allen, Benjamin Gould, Christopher E. Yates, George Sadler, Isaac Pidgeon, Solomon Stanley (these two last Quakers), Joel Catlin, "Wm. D. Abernethy, Dr. Samuel B. Mead, Horace Mead, Alfred Mead and Jonathan Mead (the father died aged 87), James Bow- man, P. P. Jones, Eoger Ireland, Thomas Trimble, Thomas Rice, David H. Rice, John Wilson, P. P. Newcomb, Wm. Dexter, Wm. M. Dexter, Emsley Jackson, George W. Hawley, Benjamin Bacon, Alfred Skinner, Silas Griffith, John Jackson, George Jackson and E. S. Austin. A number of these left the county again, while many of the more aged ones have gone to their reward. Mr. Oliver settled over the line, in Adams county, but his land was in Hancock. He came in August preceding the "deep snow" (1830). He purchased his supply of provisions for the winter in Rushville, just before the snow, and was not able to get them home (510) HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 611 till March, consequently hominy was the main support of himself, wife, and eight children during the winter. His stock suffered severely, and he had to cut down bass-wood trees to keep his cattle from starving, they eating the tops. In July, 1832, during the Black Hawk war, Joel Catlin and "Wm. D. 'Abernethy (brothers-in-law) came to " Oliver's Settlement," from Augusta, Georgia, though they were Eastern men. Tliey located where the town of Augusta now stands, and gave the name to the place. Mr. Catlin resided there, an honored and influential citizen for a number of years, then removed to Jacksonville, where we believe he still lives at an advanced age. Mr. Abernethy was afterward Sheriff of the county, and subsequently went into busi- ness in Warsaw, where he died, about 1850, of cholera. The Phillipses left early. One of them is remembered as being the manufacturer of the primitive mills for grinding corn, in use in those early days. He is not known to have ever patented it, so that any one is still at liberty to construct one for himself. We describe it for the benefit of our readers and for posterity. The mill was constructed in this wise : A boulder of proper size was ob- tained from Flower creek, or at any other creek, and made as level and flat as possible. It was then placed on top of a sawed log set endwise, or on a rude frame made for the purpose. This was then surmounted by another boulder of similar construction, set face to face, and these composed the upper and the nether millstones. They were held in place by a pivot in center, and made to turn as easily as possible. A hole was drilled in the upper stone near to one edge, into which a handle would be placed for turning it. The regular price for one of these mills was two dollars and a half. Dr. Mead came to Augusta in 1833; his father and brothers still later. He thinks he was, perhaps, the second practicing phy- sician in the county, Dr. Isaac Galland being before him at Kiver- side, while Dr. John F. Charles came a little later to Carthage. See biography of Dr. Mead on a subsequent page. In 1834 a postofl[ice was established at Augusta, W. D. Abernethy being the first postmaster. Elder Thomas H. Owen was con- tractor and carried the mail on route from Rushville to Carthage on horseback once a week. Dr. Mead was postmaster from 1840 to 1867. In August or September, 1833, occurred the first burial in Au- gusta cemetery, the remains of Mr. John Anderson. The first wedding that took place in the township, says Mr. Gould (and he is supposed to know), was that of Mr. Benjamin Gould and Miss Rebecca J. Jones, on Christmas Day, 1833, Christopher E. Yates, Esq., performing the ceremony. "No cards." The first 4th-of-July celebration in Augusta took place in the beautiful "Round Grove," which has since disappeared. This was in 1839 or 1840. Orator of the day, William N. Grover, Esq., of Warsaw. 512 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COtTNTT. Miss Ruth Bateman, sister to State Superintendent Bateman, taught the first school in 1835. What was knowu in the early days as "Eound Prairie," em- braced a portion of Augusta township, a part of St. Mary's, and the adjoining portions of McDonough and Schuyler counties. This section, as a unit, ranks among the earliest settlements in the south part of the county, and embraces much beautiful country and many fine farms. It does not include the town of Augusta, and just how far it extends in other directions is not strictly de- fined. Like the '/Grreat West," its borders are indefinite. Mr. Phillips, Mr. Tates, Dr. Allen, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Solomon Stan- ley and Mr. Pidgeon are perhaps the very first settlers in that part of Eound Prairie belonging to Augusta. Flour creek, now more properly written Flower^ is said to have received its name from the following circumstance : In the spring of 1834, Mr. Pruitt and Mr. Box, of St. Mary's, were re- turning from the Brooklyn mill with their grists one Sunday eve- ning, when the " creek was up," crossing at the ford south of Plym- outh with their ox tealm, a large and well-filled sack oi flour was swept out of their wagon by the deep and rapid stream and supposed to be lost, but on the "Wednesday following it was fished out, well preserved and in good order, except a thin crust next the sack — so saith the "oldest inhabitant," Mr. Allen Melton. — Young^s Hist. Bound Prairie. . How Panther creek obtained its title we can only guess; but a feir presumption is, that animals of that name existed, or were supposed to exist, in its woods. On William's creek, south of the town, are coal veins, which have supplied considerable quantities of coal for local use. But the vein is thin, and the cost of obtaining it too great ; and that article is now chiefly supplied from abroad by rail. The town of Augusta was laid out by Joel Catlin, Wm. D. Abernethy and Samuel B. Mead, Feb., 1836, and surveyed by James W.- Brattle. Mr. Brattle, was an early surveyor and an early settler in the county, now residing at Macomb, in a green old age. And right here we must tell an incident concerning him, related by Mr. Lawton, of Augusta township. Mr. B., old as he is, has not forgotten the business of his younger days ; and so, a year or two ago, Mr. L. had him re-establish some lines he had run 30 or 40 years ago. While so engaged, a young man of the vicinity came along, who did not know Mr. Brattle. The young man was asked if he knew who had planted a certain stake. He replied, " I don't know unless it was old Jimmy Brattle." "This is Mr. Brattle," said Lawton. The young man looked at him again : "I mean old man Brattle." Augusta also contains the village of Pulaski, named for the patriot Polish count. It was laid out in 1836 by Alexander Oliver, Wm. McOready and Benjamin Bacon. Its growth has been very slow. V ^ 'i -^ I j^. ^.^^^L.>^ AUGUSTA HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 515 Mechanicsville, laid out in 184:2, by Alansoii Lyon, was also in this township. It was designed for a manufacturing center, and for a time bid fair to be a town of importance. iBut for some cause (probably the death of Mr. Lyon) it failed, and it is now one of the forgotten towns. • Mr. Benjamin Gould, to whose reminiscences, in the Augusta Herald we are much indebted, says: " On the 22d of Feb., 1833, 1 celebrated "Washington's birth-day by hauling logs for the first house ever built in the city of Augusta." Then he and Henry Abernethy kept " bach" in it. The same summer he put up the log house in which the first , religious services were held. Both these buildings we believe are still standing, forlorn looking as a candidate who has been left out. In the severe storm of July 4, 1873, the Christian church at Augusta was moved from its foundation and the spire blown down. The Presbyterian church had its spire also blown oflf with part of the roof, and a number of other buildings blown down. ]>[o one hurt. The first grist-mill in the township was established in 1833, by John Wilson; run bj' horse-power. The venerable P. P. Newcomb, born in Mass., 1804, and raised in Vt., came to Rushville 1830, to Augusta^ 1836. The Rebellion dealt hard with this aged gentleman's family- Two sons went into the army; the eldest, Wilbur Fiske, was wounded at the assault on Yicksburg under Grant, on 22d of June, and died 31st of June, on board the hospital boat J. C. Wood, at Memphis. The second, William L., was wounded Nov. 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tenn. ; was brought home and died 14th Jan., 1865; and his mother, Mrs. Ann (Munson) Newcomb died six days afterward from virus in dress- ing his wounds. Dr. Adolphus Allen removed to Riverside and died many years ago; Mr. Yates to Nauvoo, still living at an advanced age. Pid- geon went to Salem, Iowa; Stanley back to IS". 0. The elder Mead and his sons Horace and Alfred, we believe are all deceased. So are Messrs. Dexter, Hawley, Ireland and Skinner. The latter was for many years one of the most active business men in the county. Mr. Bacon was a leading and honored citizen, resident at Pulaski, died much regretted many years since. There are many other respected and honored pioneers of Au- gusta township, some of them still living, whom we would be glad to mention, if space would warrant. But a history of Augusta would not be complete that failed . to name Eliphalet Strong Austin, the genuine, true-blue, whole-souled, musical Free-soiler, from the land of wooden nutmegs. Born in 1809, his parents removed to Ashtabula, O., in ISll, and in 1843 Strong came to Augusta. Was always an ardent Whig; assisted in organizing the Republican party, and it is his boast to-day that he hesitated not to accept position as conductor on the U. G. R. R., and that no train under his care ever jumped the track or met with a smash-up. 31 516 HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. Mr. A. married Miss. Julia W. Hawley, in Northern Ohio, also from Conn. They have several children residing " out West;" and it was while on a lengthy visit to these a few years ago, that Mrs. A. manfully marched up to the polls in "Wyoming with other women, and deposited a ballot for the right. Perhaps she is the one solitary woman in Hancock county who has ever exercised the elective franchise. RELIGIOUS PROGRESS. ' We have mentioned that Mr. Gould put up the log house in ■which the first religious exercises were held. Mr. G. mentions the first Sunday-school, in which Mr. Oliver was Superintendent, but does not gives its date. It seems to have been previous to the summer of 1834. The Presbyterian Church was organized July 28, 1834, by Rev. Cyrus .L. Watson, of Rushville at that time ; Eev. Eeuben K. McKoy, of Clayton, now deceased; Dr. Blackburn, of Kentucky, was present, and probably Rev. John Lawton, of Car- thage. The members then received were nine, viz.: Alexander Denny, deceased 1868; Mrs. Elizabeth Denny, deceased 1837; Phebe W. Candee, lately living in St. Louis, over 80; Samuel B. Mead; Arietta Mead, deceased 1865; Evelina M. Abernethy, now of Nebraska; Benjamin Gould, Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar, who soon afterward left the place. The first sermons preached in Augusta township were probably by Revs. Wm. McCoy, Ralston, Boren and YanHorn; Father Cartwright a little later, and Rev. Lawton about 1834-7. The Christian Church at Augusta was organized in 1843, at Mr. Gould's residence; James Stark and B. Gould, Elders; E. G. Browning, Deacon. First membership, Benjamin and Rebecca Gould, James and Mary Stark, William and Mary Ann Dron, Mrs. Cynthia Jones, Mrs. Nancy Tarr, Mrs. Mary Craig, and Hiram Jones. In 1851 the church building in Augusta was erected and dedicated. New building erected about 1870. Present member- ship about 230. The M. E. organization was first in Pulaski ; removedlto Augusta in 1849. Held first meetings 'in school-houses. First church erect- ed about 1856. New brick erected five or six years ago. Names of members at organization in town, by Rev. Halton: David Rice, class leader; Samuel Parrott and wife Mary; Thomas Leach and wife Dorcas Ann; Mrs. Sophronia Sullivan, Mrs. Elizabeth Ken- nedy and David Rice and wife Clarinda. There is also a United Brethren Chxirch near the southwest corner of the township, of which we have no particulars. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. As a portion of the history of Augusta township, we give bio- graphical sketches of pioneer and leading citizens, believing such personal mention forms the better part of local history. Those HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 517 whose lives have made history deserve special mention in a work of this nature. ' T. E. Antrim, was bora in Logan c'oanty, Ohio, March 15, 1828.' In 1S44 he learned the blacksmith*s trade, at which he has contin- ued to work to the present time. He owns one lot with dwelling, and one lot with shop in Augusta; has held the office of Justice of the Peace eight years, and»Town Trustee three years. Was married in this county in 1850 to Elizabeth J. Saunders, a native of Ohio, born in 1832; they have had 6 children, 3 of whom are living, George, Orlando and Ada. In politics Mr. A. is a Kepublican , and in religion a Freethinker. JE. 8. Ausii/i was born in Connecticut April 27, 1809, and came to this county in 1843; was married in Ohio in 1835 to Julia R. Hawley, born in Ohio in 1807, and they have 3 children, — Julia E. , Eugene S. and Lida J. Mr. A. has been Constable ten years, was through the Mormon war , and is a member of the Con- gregational Church. Mrs. A. is a Presbyterian. A. E. Bacon, farmer, P. O., Augusta; owns 150 acres of land worth, $50 per acre, on sec. 14. He is a son of Benjamin and Lois (Everetts) Bacon, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of Connecticut. He was born in 1811 in Yermont, and was raised on a farm; was in the mercantile business six years, and came to this county in 1857; was married in Yermont, in 1838, to Abigail Rowker, a native of Yermont, and born in 1815. They have these children : Anna E., Eleanor E., Hiram E., Carrie E. Mr. B. has been Justice of the Peace two terms; is a IJniversalist and a Democrat. Benjamin F . Bacon, farmer, sec. 36; P. O., Augusta; owns 180 acres of land worth $50 per acre; is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bacon, both of French descent; he was born in Missouri^ Feb. 27, 1832, and came with his parents to this county in 1885; was married in Adams county, this State, in 1871, to Mahala J. Gordon, a native of New York, born in. 1836; they have 2 chil- dren, Franklin and Mary L. Mr. B. is a'member of the M. E. Church and is a Republican. Nixon Balfova; farmer, sec. 26 ; is a native of North Carolina, born in 1826; came to this State in 1835, settling in Adams county, and came to this county in 1870. He was married in Adams county in 1848, to Keziah Robbins, who was born in 1826, and they have had 12 children, 8 of whom are living; James H., Andrew M., Theodore S., Mary E., Nellie D., Anna E., Minnie I. and Jennie E. Mr. B. is handling some fine horses. A. J. Boman, farmer, sec. 2; P. O., Plymouth; owns 159 acres of land, worth $35 per acre; was born in this county in 1840 and was raised on a farm ; in 1860 he married Elizabeth 0. Cooper, a native of this county, born in 1843, and they have 5 living children — Jennie and Jessie E. (twins), Marion W., Rosie E., Myrtie A. Two are deceased. Mr. B. has" been School Director; is a member of the M. E. Church and is a Democrat. 518 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. B. B. Boman, fanner, sec. 10; P. O., Augusta; son of James and \ Arcade (Stmrgis) Boman, and was born in this county in 1837. He •lives on a farm and owns 160' acres of land, worth $35 per acre. He was married in this county in 1867, to Mary Stark, born in this county in 184.6. Mr. B. had bnt little property to commence with, but by industry and economy has acquired a good competence. In politics he is a Democrat. • K E. Boman^ farmer, sec. 2; P. 0., Plymouth; is a son of James and Arcade (Sturgis) Boman. He \vas born in this county April 13, 1826, and was the eldest of 11 children-; was married in this county in 1852 to Mary Wade, who was born in Tennessee in 1834, and they are the parents of 8 children — Allie, Fannie H., Henry C, Paul K., Edward H., Benjamin E., Kittle F. and Ira L. Mr. B. has been School Director and Road Commissioner; was in the Mormon war; is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Christian Church. James Boman, farmer, sec. 2; P. O., Plymouth; is a native of Georgia, born August 10, 1803: came to this State in 1815 and to this county in 1834. In 1825 he was married, in Sangamon county, to Arcade Sturgis, a native of ISTorth Carolina, born Feb- ruary 28, 1802; they are the parents of 11 children — Ezekiel C, John E., William S., Melinda J., Rebecca J., James B., R.- M., Benjamin R., A. J., Margaret A. and Arcade E. Mr. B. was in the Mormon war. He owns 70 acres of land, belongs to the M. E. Church, is a Democrat and is one of the old and honored citizens of Hancock county. Oeorge W. Oamjphell was born in Schuyler county. 111., in 1852. He is the namesake of his father, who died in 1865; his mother is at present the wife of Squire Gould, of Adams county. 111. Her tnaiden name was Esther Harney, and she married Mr. Gould in 1876. Mr. C. was educated in the common schools of Augusta, and resides on section 30. September 6, 1873, he married Eliza/beth Worman, and they are members of the United Brethren Church. His father was of German descent. He is a farmer and a Democrat. John H. Catlin, farmer and stock-dealer, son of Joseph and Calista (Hawley) Catlin, was born in Georgia in 1821, and is of English descent. The first of the name of Catlin in America is Thomas Catlin, of Hartford, Connecticut, who came to America in 1687. John H. came with his father's family to this State in 1832, and he now lives on the same farm where his father settled. He owns 800 acres of fine land, worth $50 per acre. He was first married in this county in 1845 to Lydia Hawley, born in Ohio in 1823 and died in 1860. They had 3 children: Allie S., wife of James Stark, Camelia, and Nettie, wife of Benjamin Crane, of Augusta. In 1861 he married Alice E. A^dams, a native of New York, born in 1829. Mr. Catlin has held the office of Justice of the Peace four years; helped lay out the town of Augusta, and was on the first School Board. He is one of the most extensive HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 519 stock-dealers in Hancock countj-. Is a Republican, and himself and wife beluhg to the Presbyterian Church. Wilson Chambers, farmer, sec. 21; P. 0., Augusta; owns 75 acres of land, worth $50 per acre. He is a native of North Carolina, and was born in 1804. He came from Tennessee to this county in 1S44; in 1825 he married Elizabeth Ridings, a native of North Carolina, born in 1802, and raised in Tennessee. They are the parents of 9 children— -John M., James E., Joel R., Martha J., Laura, Emily, and Susan. Two are deceased. Both Mr. and Mrs. C. are members of the Baptist Church. Benjamin B. Grain, dry-goods merchant and clothier, is a son of William and Harriet (Tongue) Crain, who came to this county in 1834. He was born in Schuyler county, this State, in 1851, and has been in business in Augusta since 1878, where he commands a large trade. He was married June 1, 1877, to Nettie A. Catlin, a native of this county, and they have one child, Lydia R., born June 18, 1878. Alexander Denny, deceased, was a native of North Carolina, and carae to this county in 1833. In 1822 he was married in Bond county, this State, to Elizabeth Gilmer, who was born in Kentucky in 1805 and died in 1837. They had 6 children — John, Henry, Brown, Lee, Mary, and Robert. In 1839 Mr. Denny married Sarah Allen, born in New York in 1812, and they had 4 children, one daughter and 3 sons. Mrs. Denny died in 1861, and in 1852 Mr. D. married Margaret S. Denny, who was born in North Caro- lina in 1809, and they had one child, Hiram F. Mr. D. was a Republican, and at the time of his death owned 160 acres of land. (jr. JN'. Edwards was born in Nebraska in 1856, and is a son of George and Mary Edwards, both of English descent. He came to this county in 1866, and in 1880, in Schuyler county, he married Fanny Pearce, a native of North Carolina. He owns 20 acres of land in Pulaski, with dwelling house, — also a coal bank or shaft, which takes up as many as 200 bushels per day, and this generally sells at seven cents per bushel; the coal is of excellent quality. Mr. E, is a Republican. P. O., Augusta! David Ellis, physician and surgeon, was born in Kentucky in 1826; came to this county in 1852 and settled in Augusta. In 1847 he commenced the study of medicine, and graduated in 1862; he was married in Kentucky in 1865 to Elizabeth T. Fisher, who was born in Kentucky in 1833, and they have 6 children, James P., Mary (wife of Richard Yalentine, of Ky.) John, David and an infant. One is deceased. The Doctor owns 160 acres of fine farm land, and one lot with dwelling. He is liberal in his relig- ious views. J. P. Fosdyck, carpenter and joiner, was born in New York in 1829, and came to this county in 1857; was married in New York in 1860 to Abigail McCann, also a native of New York. They have 8 children. Mr. F. owns three lots, one with dwell- ing and one with shop. He is a Freemason and a Republican. 620 HISTOEY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. James Oarwood, farmer, sec. 11; owns 240 acres of land, worth $35 per acre. He was born in this State in 1848, and came to this county in 1860; was married in 1876 to Mary McClain, who was born in this county in 1850, and they have 2 children — Mabel, born June 17, 1878, and Jennie, born 1880. Mr. G. is a member of the Christian Church and a Democrat. P. O., Au- gusta. G. W. Rawley, deceased, was born in Ohio in I'&QQ, and came to this county in 1833, settling in Augusta. He built the first store-house, and bought and sold the* first dry goods brought to Augusta. Mr. H. was first married in Ohio to Julia W. Sale, born in Connecticut, and died in 1834. They had 2 children, one liv- ing — Edgar E. -In 1855 he again married, in Connecticut, Mary F. C. Chapman, born in 1810. At the time of his death, which occurred in 1873, Mr. Hawley owned 120 acres of fine farm land; the widow lives on the old homestead. He was an industrious man and a good citizen. £. P- Hewitt, attorney at law, was born in Ohio in 1818, and came to this county in 1864. He was married in Ohio in 1837, to Esther McLain, also a native of Ohio, born in 1818, and they have had 6 children, 4 of whom are liviri"g. Mr. Hewitt has held the oflBce of Circuit Judge for nine years. He is a Master Mason, and owns one lot with dwelling. 0. Horton, veterinary physician and surgeon, is a native ot Ohio, born in 1840, and is son of Silas and Virginia Horton, both natives of Ohio. Nov. 6, 1865, he married, in Fulton county, Lau- setta Shayga, also a native of Ohio, born in 1842; they have one child, — Belle. The Doctor settled in Augusta in 1875, where he has since practiced his profession, commanding an extensive patronage. He is a Democrat. Johnson Irwin, farmer, sec. 9; P. O., Augusta; was born in Ohio in 1818, and came to this county with bis parents in 1837. His father was William and his mother Mary (Johnston) Irwin, both natives of Ohio, the former of Irish and the latter of Scotch descent. In 1857 he married Sallie A. Tucker, born in 1834, and they have 3 children — Jennie, "Whitney L. and Joseph M. He was in the Mormon war and is a Democrat. J. R. Kelly, physician and surgeon, is a native of this State, born in 1847. In 1872 he graduated at the Michigan University, and commenced the practice of medicine in Kensington, Adams county, this State, and in 1878 settled in Augusta, where he has since had a large and successful practice. He was married in Adams county in 1873, to Maggie E. ilichardson, born in that county in 1855, and they have 3 children — Helen F., Melvina C. and Mabel. Jacoi Klepper, keeper of sale, livery and feed stable, was born in Schuyler county, this State, in 18S5, and came to this county in 1874. He was married in Putnam county in June, 1859, to Cynthia Alvin, who was born in 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Klepper have 3 chil- dren, Nancy R., Asenath and Clyde. He owns two lots, one with HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTr. 521 dwelling and one with stable. He keeps a full supply of horses and buggies. He belongs to the M. E. Church, and is a Free- mason. John H. Lawton, born in Vermont, Feb. 22, 1819. In 1820 his parents removed to Hillsboro, ISf. H., and took the promising youth along. Went to school at three years, until 11 years old; then went to Boston for three years. In 1834 his father brought him to Ohio, and entered him at Oberlin College. It only took him three months to finish his education there, when he left and worked his way back to Boston, his father being is the West. In the spring of 1835 his father returned, and in the fall brought John with him to Carthage. Here his labors were multifarious; worked about town, helped get out the timber for the windmill, did the circular work on the first number of the Carthagenian. In the fall of 1836 went to New Orleans, and spent the winter shell- ing corn; summer of '37 back in Carthage; clerked some in Mat- thew's store; painted some for Homer Brown. ]^ext six years were spent in Carthage, Warsaw, Commerce, St. Mary's, Montebello and New Orleans, clerking, painting, driving stage, blacksmithing, act- ing Constable, etc., etc. June, 1845, Mr. L. went East, where, at New Salem, Mass., on April 15, 1847, he was married to Miss Hannah N. Felton, a native of that place, born Oct. 13, 1819. They are the parents of 4 children, all living. Lived at Plymouth during the past 24 years, where he was P. M. about five years. Mr. Lawton claims that there is but one man now residing in Carthage — C. S. Hamilton — who was there when he came. WilliaTn E. H. Lemon, physician and Surgeon, was born in Pennsylvania in 1848. He commenced the practice of medicine in this State, in Jackson vile, in 1868, and graduated in 1871 ;'he settled in Augusta in 1877, where he commands a good practice. He was married in this county to Adel A. Gordon, daughter of George and Louisa Gordon, both natives of New York they have 5 children, 3 liv- ing — William, Frederick and Bertha. The Doctor owns one lot, with dwelling and office. He is a Methodist and a Republican. Edward A. Lyon, farmer and stock dealer, sec. 8; P. O., Angusta; was born in Yermont in 1824, and was reared a farmer, which occupation he has always followed. His father, Alanson Lyon, was a native of Massachusetts and of English descent; his mother Harriet (Parrell) Lyon was also a native of Massachusetts and of Welsh descent. Mr. L. married in this county, in 1852, Julia H. Blandin, daughter of Joseph and Asenath Blandin ; she was born in 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Lyon are the parents of 8 chil- dren — Alice, wife of O. J. Colton, of Galesburg, Edward B., Charles A., George H., Willis L., Frederick, Mary and Albert. Mr. L. has been Road Commissioner, owns 380 acres of fine farm land,is a Presbyterian and a Republican. Hie father,Alanson Lyon, laid out Blandinsville, McDonough county, in 1838, and established a wagon factory where he employed 24 hands, manufacturing 400 622 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. wagons annually for several years. He made four trips to California, and finally died there in 1858. A. B. Matthews, farmer, sec. 8 j P. 0., Augusta; was born in Eoss county, Ohio, in 1817; was married in Parke county, Indiana, in 1838, to Emily Davis, a native of that State, born in 1818 and died in 1841. They had 3 children — one living. In 1842 he married Diana Kalley, a native of Indiana, born in 1828, and they have 9 children. Mr. M. owns 190 acres of land, and is one of the old and honored citizens of Hancock county. Anthony McQuilvery, farmer, sec. 9; P. O., Augusta; son of Alexander and Prudence McGuilvery, the former of Scotch and the latter of German descent. He was born in 1818, in Ohio, and was raised on a farm. At the age of 18 he learned the carpenter's trade', and worked at it for 15 years. He came to this county in 1855, and was married in Indiana in 1849 to Sarah E. Johnson, who was born in Yirginia in 1825, and is a daughter of Lemuel and Permelia Johnson, natives of Virginia, and of English descent. They have 3 children — Melvina (wife of Alfred Stuart of this tp.); Katie, born in 1852; and William, born in 1854. Mr. McG. has been Commissioner of Highways, and owns 136 acres of land; he belongs to the M. E. Church, and is a Republican. Dr. Samuel B. Mead — The parents of this gentleman were Jonathan Mead, born August 24, 1Y69, and Martha (Barnum) Mead, whom he married in 1798. She was a daughter of Dr. Samuel Barnum, of North Salem, New York, and died in June, 1812, leaving 4 sons and 3 daughters, our subject being the' eldest, and was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Oct. 18, 1799. A few days before her death her youngest son, Alfred, was born. He came to Augusta in 1836, but now resides in Colusa, Cal. The eldest daughter, Caroline, born early in 1801, now resides in Colorado. Jonathan Mead wa? married to his second wife, whose name was Betsey Bradley, of Greenfield, Conn., in 1817, by whom he had one son and two daughters. The second wife died at Augusta, this county, June 26, 1847, aged 65 years. Jonathan Mead died at Augusta September 11, 1851, aged 82 years and 22 days. He came to Augusta to live early in June, 1837. Dr. Samuel B. Mead lived on his father's farm until about 15 years of age, receiving, during this time, a common,-school educa- tion. He then received a collegiate course and graduated at Yale College, New Haven, Conn., in 1820. He studied medicine and received his diploma to practice from the same college, Feb. 25, 1824. He emigrated to Illinois in the spring of 1833, living a short time at Rushville; the following August he came to Hancock county and located at Augusta, then called " Oliver's Settlement," and commenced the practice of his profession, which he continued till 1860, commanding an extensive practice. He was next to the first regular physician that practiced medicine in this county. In 1833 Dr. Isaac Galland was said to be the only practicing physician in the county, and probably was the first. In 1834 Dr. John F. HISTOBY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 523 Charles settled in Carthage. On Dr. Mead's arrival at "Oliver's Settlement," now Augusta, he immediately selected a site for a dwelling; first had a well dug and engaged a hewed log-cabin built; this was in July. It was finished in August, and he moved into it, with his family. It was the first cabin built on the site of Au- gusta. In February, 1836, the town was laid out by the proprie- tors, "William D. Abernethy, Joel Catlin and Dr. S. B. Mead. Oc- tober 1, 1834, Dr. Mead was appointed " Surgeon Mate" in the regiment of militia for Hancock county, by" Dr. Isaac Galland, Colonel; September 12, 1840, he was appointed Postmaster at Au- gusta; Nov. 14, 1840, took charge of the same and continued as Postmaster until Feb. 2, 1857. He received the first mail carried by railroad into Augusta, Feb. 6, 1856. He has kept meteorological observations for the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. C, nearly since its beginning — till it turned them over to the "War Department, and he still keeps them. He has many years devoted much time to the study of botany, and has discovered several inter- esting plants. As a botanist he has a world-wide reputation, fre- quently receiving letters from Europe and other distant places, asking for information in matters pertaining to plants, etc. Several plants are named after him. Dr. Mead was married to Arietta Purdy Jan. 9, 1822, daughter of Ebenezer Purdy, Esq., of North Salem, Westchester county,N. Y. She was born July 27, 1804. They had 6 children. Only one is tow living, Mrs. Yelia Bredett, of Augusta. Mrs. Mead died May 7, 186.'). April 18, 1866, the Doctor married his present wife, whose name was Martha Putnam, of Putnam, Ohio, and whose father was a nephew of Gen. Rufus Putnam, the founder of Ma- rietta, Ohio. They had one child, Ora Mead, born Aug. 23, 1868. The Doctor is still living at Augusta, very pleasantly and comfort- ably situated, and is respected and honored by all. Although now nearly 81 years of age, he is still active, with his meiital faculties unimpaired, and is prepared to enjoy life for many years to come; that it may be so is the wish of many friends. His portrait is found in this volume. William, H. Mead, attorney at law, is a son of Horace and Mary B. Mead, both natives of Conn., where he was born July 10, 1839. ' He commenced the study of the law in 1861, and was admitted to the Bar iu 1862, and has been practicing up to the present time, commanding a good patronage. He was married in this county in 1862, to Ann Y. Bacon, a native of Vermont, born in 1841, and they are the parents of 7 children — Mary V., Millie B., Charlie, Allie A., John A., Nellie and Jennie. Mr. M. owns one lot with dwelling, and 185 acres of farm land, worth $50 per acre. He has been Supervisor of his township ten years; Tillage Trustee fifteen years; is a menjber of the A. O. U. W. and I. 0. M. A. He is a Presbyterian. £'. H. C. Ifewcomb, farmer and stock-raiser, is a son of P. P. and Sarah A. (Munson) Newcomb, the former anativeof Massachu-. 524 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. setts and the latter of Vermont. He was born in 1829, and in 1860 he married Sarah E. Gordon, a native of ISTew York, born in 1840. Mr. E". owns 220 acres of land in this tp., and 240 in Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb are the parents of 4 children, John E., Sarah A., Susan and Martha. Mr. IST. makes the raising of fine horses a specialty, having some very fine and fast trotting horses, and also pacing horses. He is one of the sblid and influential men of his county. P. P. Newoomh was born in this county January 15, 1834, and is a son of P. F. and Sarah (Munson) Newcomb, natives of Yer- mont. He came with his parents, to this county in 1830, first settling in Schuyler county, and in Augusta in 1836. He is at present engaged iu the lumber trade, also keeps a good stock of agricultural implements on hand, and deals in grain. He has taught several terms of school, has been Supervisor of his tp. four years, and belongs to the Masonic order. He was married in this county, Jan. 15, 1869, to Mercy Compton, a native of this county, born in 1841. They are the parents of 4 children, James C, Alia H., Mary C. and Helen. Mr. IST- is a Eepublican. P. 0., Augusta. Sa7n/uel Piohens, farmer section 35; P. O., Augusta; is one of the most extensive farmers in this tp. He owns 700 acres of land, and was at one time an extensive cattle, horse and mule dealer. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1810, and came to this county in 1850, where he still resides. In 1839 he married Nancy Steele, and they have 9 children, William A., Mary E., GFeorge W,, Jehu P., Allen- S., Arthur A., Edward J., Margaret J. and Amelia E. Mr. P. is a Democrat. W. J. Pitney, Justice of the Peace and Collector, was born in 1824 and raised on a farm; was married in Ohio in 1846 to Anna Richard, a native of Ohio, and they have had 7 children^ 3 of whom are living, Frank B., Florence T. and "Wilborn R. Mr. P. has been Justice of the Peace 14 years; he owns 30 acres of land joining Augusta, and one lot with dwelling, and five other lots. He is a member of the M. E. Church and a Eepublican. James Stark was born .in the town and parish Auchter- 'muchty, Fifeshire, Scotland, about 1817. Parents were James and Jessie(Dron) Stark, both natives of the same place in Scotland. When his mother died; his father came to the IFnited States, in 1837, locating in Hancock county, where he died, aged about 42. Our subject came to America in 1836, locating at Jacksonville, 111., and afterward at this place. In 1838 he was married to Miss Mary York, who was born in 1820, in Kentucky, a daughter of Newmau' ^ork. Of this marriage were born James W., John N., Ellen M. (now the wife of D. P.Coffman, of Augusta, this county), and Mary J. •In 1842 the subject of this sketch first came to Hancock county, locating at Augusta, where he immediately established himself in the mercantile business, and may be classed among the very first HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 626 merchants who sold goods at that place; has continued to carry on a mercantile business at Augusta from the date of his first estab- lishment in 1842 until the present time, without intermission. The style of the firm is now J. & G. Stark, his brpther George being the partner. They now carry on an average a $6,000 stock of general goods, and employ four clerks. Our subject had but very little of this world's goods on arriving in America, but with that indomitable pluck and perseverance which is a characteristic of his countrymen he set to work . to make a competence for himself and posterity, and with nothing but his hands and a fair education to start with, his success has been complete. He is the owner of one of the pleasantest residences in Augusta, in which he lives with his family, and has some 640 acres of fine farm lands in the vicinity. Mr. Stark is a member of the Christian Church, of which he has been an Elder, or preacher, for nearly 40 years, and is now acting in that capacity each alternate Sabbath in Augusta. Mr. S. has served as Supervisor eight or ten years in Augusta tp. He was elected to the Hlinois Legislature in 1846-'7 on the Anti-Mormon ticket, in which capacity he served with honor to himself and the general satisfaction of his constituents. Since the organization ot the Republican party he has acted with them. He served as Presidential Elector erf this district in 1860, when President Lincoln was elected. He has taken a decided and active part in political affairs, having "stumped" the county on several occasions in the interests of Eepublicanism. As one of Hancock county's pioneer citizens and an honorable, upright. Christian gentleman, we give Mr. Stark's portrait. Some 11 years since Mr. S., in company with his wife and daughter, made the tour of Europe, visiting his native country (Scotland) on the round. The trip occupied some six months. Again, in 1876, he visited his native place, making a five months' visit, accompanied by his wife and daughter. James R. Starh, farmer, was born in this county in 1852, and was married in this county in 1872 to Sophronia Sullivan, also a native of Hancock county, born in 1852. They have 2 living children, Carroll and Jessie. Clyde is deceased. They live on the old homestead on sec. 3. Mr. S. is a member of the Christian Church and is a Eepublican. W. L. Stockton, farmer, sec. 23; P. 0.,, Augusta; was born in Kentucky in 1818 and emigrated to Morgan county. 111., where he married in 1849, Miss Frances A. White, who was born in Ken- tucky in 1828. They have. 6 living children — Mary, wife of F. J. Holt, of this tp., Josephine, Charles E., James B., George C, and Allen L. Two are deceased. The removal of the family to Hancock county was in 1864. Mr. S. is a Mason and an Odd Fellow; a member of the Christian Church and a Democrat. WUUam Sullwan, farmer, sec. 9; P. O., Augusta; was born in New Jersey in 1817, and is a son of Benjamin and Eachel Sul- livan, both of Irish descent. He was raised on a farm, and he has 626 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. followed farming through life. He was married in Schuyler county, this State, in 1842, to Jane Mahuran, who was born in Vermont in 1820, and died in 185Y. They had 3 children — Sallie, wife ot John Stewart, of this tp.; Sophronia, wife of James R. Stark; and Mary, wife of William McClure. In 1859 he married Mary Tucker, born in Virginia in 1827, and they have one child, George F., born in 1861. Mr. S. owns 170 acres of fine farm land. He was in Carthage the day Joe Smith was killed. He is a Republican. S. G. Swanson, farmer, sec. 5; P. O., Augusta; was born in Sweden in 1845, and came to this county in 1860. In 1875 he mar- ried Anna Hillock, of Wisconsin, daughter of Nelson and Emma (Powell) Hillock, and they have, one child, Lewella, born July 3, 1877. Mr. S. owns 160 acres of fine farm land, is a member of the A. O. U. W., and also of the Lutheran Church. The father of Mrs. S. was one of the pioneers of this county, having settled here in 183,5, and he was all through the Mormon war. Her mother was born in 1811, and is still living. D. H. Swisegood, farmer, sec. 12; P. O., Augusta; was born in North Carolina in 1822 and came to this county in 1846. He was married in Schuyler county in 1847, to Anna C. llaynes, a native of North Carolina, and born in 1823. They ai-f the parents ot_ 9 children, of whom 6 are living — John T., Lauretta, Cornelia A., wife of Joseph Ogle; Lida, George P. and Thomas. Three infants are deceased. Mr. S. is a Mason and a Democrat. Samuel Tarr, farmer and stock dealer, is a son of John and Re- becca Tarr, natives of Virginia and of German descent. He was born in 1813 in Ohio, and came to this county in 1862, settling in Augusta. He was married in Ohio in 1833, to Nancy Hollenshead, also a native of Ohio and born in 1813, of French descent. Mr. and Mrs. Tarr are the parents of 6 children — Mandana B., wife of Robei*t Ruys, of Iowa; Pinckney, John, Lemira, wife of Robert Johnson, of Iowa; George and Mary A. Mr. T. is a Democrat. Thomas O. Thornton, farmer; P. O., Augusta; was born in North Carolina in 1824, and has followed farming through life. He came to this county in 1858; was married in Precise county, N. C, in 1845, to Rachel Smith, born in N. C. in 1820 and died in 1876. They had 9 children — Oliver C, Martha A., Jacob B., Cleopatra, John H., Sanford V., Lona M. and Victoria, deceased. In 1878 he married again. He came to this county in 1858, where he now owns 60 acres of good farm land. He belongs to the M. E. Church, is a Freemason, and a Democrat. Elias E. Wade, farmer, sec. 2; P.. O., Plymouth; was born in Pennsylvania in 1832; was married in this county in 1862 to Mar- garet N. Bowen, who was born in this county in 1842 and died in 1875. They had 3 children — James, Nancy and Martha. In 1878 Mr. W. married H&rriet Richards, born in Indiana in 1853. They have had one child, an infant, deceased. Mr. W. owns 100 acres of good land. Robert T. Wade, farmer and stock dealer, sec. 2 ; owns 400 acres HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 527 of land, worth §40 per acre. He was born in Schuyler count}', this State, in 1838. In 1859 he was married in this county, to Mary Fowler, also a native of Schuyler county, born in 1837, and they have 7 children — Sarah, Celestia, .George, Mary, David, Robert and Ethel. Mr. Wade deals extensively.in hogs and cattle, buying and shipping them. He is a Democrat. Frederick M. Walton. — This pioneer, of whom a portrait is given in this volume from a photo taken at the age of 65 years, was a native of Mason county, Ky., where he was born Jan. 9, 1809, He was a son of William and Barbara Walton, both natives of Kentucky, and of German and Welsh descent. The subject of this sketch was raised in the occupation of a farmer, which he success- fully followed through life. He came to this county in 1835, set- tling on sec. 3, in Augusta tp., where he remained until his death, April 9, 1880. Mr. Walton was married in Mason county, Ivy., in 1831, to Emily Rice, also a native of Kentucky, and a daughter of Ezekiel and Fanny (Garnett) Rice, both natives of Virginia, and of German ancestry. From this union there were 8 children. 6 ot whom are living. Their names are Wesley and John, born in Kentucky, Frances, Matilda, Wm. C, Simeon M. and Malvina, who died aged 2^ years, and Moses S., who died aged about IS years. All those living are settled in life and holding highly respectable positions in society. Mr. Walton had but little means; but pos- sessing in an eminent degree a high order of intelligence, strict in- tegrity and industry, he accumulated a large property, owning at one time about 1,000 acres of land, the most of which he had distrib- uted among his children during his life, leaving the homestead of some 200 acres at his death. On this place his widow now resides with her youngest son, Simeon M. In his younger days, Mr. F. M. Walton participated quite actively in public affairs, and was on various occasions elected to local ofiSces of trust and responsibility, which he tilled with honor to himself and fidelity to the public. He was an honest, conscientious man, an excellent neighbor, and a true husband and father, in every sense a good citizen and respected by all who knew him. His remains were laid in the family burial place upon the home farm in Augusta tp. He was a member of the Baptist Church. His funeral was conducted by Elder McCor- mick, of the Missionary Baptist Church, of Plymouth, assisted by the venerable Joseph Batts, now in his 91st year, who knew him when a boy in Kentucky. John Walton, farmer and stock dealer; P. O., Plymouth; was born in Kentucky in 1834. He owns 200 acres of land worth $40 per acre. He was married in this county in 18G5 to Mary Fowler, a native of Connecticut, born in 1845; they are the parents of 6 children,— Ruth L., Moses S., Frederick W., Hugh A., Mary E. and Fanny A. Mr. W. is an influential farmer, a member of the Baptist Church and a Mason. George Watt, retired merchant, was born in Scotland in 1816, and came to this county in 1841, settling in Nauvoo, and came to 528i histo£y of hanoook county. Augusta in 1865. He was married in Scotland in 1835 to Mary McAndrew, born in 1812f. They have had 7 children, 6 ot whom are living, — Margaret, wife of Oliver Gay, of Quincy; George, Charles, Mary A., wife of John Easterday; Bird and Josephine, wife of Thomas Roina; Samuel is deceased. Mr. W. has been Postmaster and has filled other offices. He is a Dem- ocrat. Henry Welborn, farmer, sec. 7; P. O., Augusta; was born in North Carolina in 1817, and is a son of Samuel and Catharine (Clinard) "Welborn, both natives of North Carolina. He came to this county in 1850, and is an influential citizen. He has always followed farming, owns 150 acres of farm land. He was first mar- ried in North Carolina in 1849, to Phoebe Haney, born in that State in 1826 and died in 1850. They had one child, Julia, wife of Thomas Garwood, of this tp. Mr. W. then married Lucinda Bodenhammer, a native of this State, born in 1832 and died in 1855, leaving one child, John; in 1856 he married Alice Harrison, born in Indiana in 1817. Mr. "W. has been Koad Commissioner one term, is a Freemason and a Democrat. S. B. West, butcher, son of Solomon and Harriet (BichnoU) "West, both of English descent, was born in Pennsylvania in 1844; came to this county in 1857, and settled in Augusta. He was married in Schuyler county, this State, in 1866, to Alice Melvin, a native of this State, born in 1846, and they are the parents of 5 children, — Harriet, Earl, Edith, Solomon and "William. He owns 10 acres of land joining Augusta, two lots, one with house and one with shop. He served in the late war and was in several hard-fought battles; was in Andersonville prison. Daniel D, Worman, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., Augusta, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1828, where he was married in 1848 to Catha- rine Myers, also a native of that State, born in 1830 and died in 1869. They had 7 children, — Lawrence, Elizabeth, John, George, Abra- ham, Mary and Catharine. In 1870 he was married in Pennsyl- vania to Mary A. Strowfer, born in Pennsylvania in 1829, and they have one child, Ada. Mr. "W. is a member of the United Brethren Church and a Republican. Albert L. Yates, deceased, was born in New York in 1828, and died in 1865. He was married in this cotfnty in 1849 to Mary M. Saunders, and they have 6 living children, — Mary C, wife of Elias Agnew; Christopher E., Charles H., Gracie C, Carrie B., and Everett L. Mr. "i ates had but little to commence life with, but by industry, perseverance and economy he accumulated consid- erable property. He owned 500 acres of laud. His widow lives on the old homestead on sec. 14. Henry A. Young, harness-maker, on the west side of Main street, Augusta, is a son of Colwell and Mary Young, both of Eng- lish descent. He was born in Virginia, January 27, 1820. At the age of 14 he learned the harness trade, which he has since followed. He came to Augusta in 1844, was married in New York in 1840, HISTORY OF /HANCOCK COUNTY. 529 to Abigail D. Graw, born in Mw York in 1822 and died in 1852. They had 5 children ; 2 are living, — Henry "W. and Mary E. The deceased are Julia Susan^^and Abigail. Dec. 29, 1853, Mr. Young married Mary A. Yan Brunt, a native of New York, born in 1828, and their children are Alexander, Alnilda, Julia, Oolwell, Benja- min and George. Mr. Young has been School Director and Trustee; has been President of the Town Board, and High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons. Is a Christian and a Eepublican. Owns three lots with dwelling and one lot with shop ; keeps a good stock of harness on hand. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. Here is a schedule of the principal town officers of Augusta township since its organization, as fully as the returns enabled us to compile: SUPEEVISOES, James Stark 1850 James Stark 1876 P. P. Newcomb 1861 P. P. Kewcomb 1877 Wm.H. Mead 1865 H. L. Beard 1880 Andrew J. Winfleld 1874 CLERKS. Giles Hawley 1868 E. "W. Wood 1871 I. B. Leach 1861 Ell Gillett 1874 William Cassaday 1865 W. H.Watson 1877 A. B. Crooks 1866 I. B. Leach 1880 Jas. G. Bertholflf. ASSESSORS. Giles Hawley 1858 B. P. Hawley 1868 J.E. Combs 1861 A. G. Bacon 1870 B J Long. 1863 E. P. Hawley 1871 J C Bertholf 1863 John W. Browning ....1874 jIa. Dexter 1864 E. P. Hawley 1875 PM Kinsey 1865 John Avery 1876 Wm. Rowland 1866 E.P. Hawley 1880 Wm. J. Pitney 1867 COLLECTPES. Benjamin Bacon .1858 Robert Booker 1875 E P Hawley 1861 A.J. Winfield 1876 HenrvA Young 1863 D. E. Belden 1877 W J Pifnev 1864 Wm. McGilvery 1877 A.J.'winfieid::: 1866 Abner Murphy 1878 A L Weed 1867 D. J. Kniss 1879 ■Wm.C. Cassaday" 1873 A. J. Winfield 1880 LB. Leach 1874 CHILI TOWNSHIP. Township 3-6 received its much-mispronounced name from the little village of Chili, near its southwest corner. This village' was laid out by Elisha Worrell, Esq., one of its early and much respected pioneers, in the year 1836. The township is composed mainly of prairie land, though the head waters of Bear and Panther creeks supply it with some small bodies of wood land. Considerable of it is rather flat prairie, while other portions are rolling and well drained. It contains much valuable farm land, and a large proportion of welj-iniproved and productive farms. This township is settled by an intelligent and enterprising class of emigrants from many of the States of the Union. Its only villages are Chili, before mentioned, and Bowen, of later origin, built on the line of the Toledo, Wabash & Western Eail- road. These towns are both in the midst of thriving communities. The former has grown but little and begins to show age, and prob- ably contains no greater population than it did twenty years ago. Bowen was laid out in 1863 by Mr. Peter C. Bowen, froni whom it derives its name. It is six miles due west from Augusta, and about fourteen southeast from the county seat. The postoffice was established in Chili when Amos Kendall was Postmaster-General, Moses Stevens, postmaster, and Elisha Worrell assistant, and perfornaing the duties. After liim came George N. Crowley, then Alfred T. Dickinson for a year or so, then Mr. Crowley again for several years, then J. Clarkson Caine for a year or two, then Mr. Crowley again, who still holds the office, having held it for from thirty to thirty-five years — one of the oldest postmasters in the county. Among the earlier settlers in this township we may mention Stephen Owen, Sr., and his sons Ainsley, John L., B. C, Archi- bald C, Isaac and William, who were immigrants of 1831; William Pike and his sons John, Thomas, William and James, who were settlers of 1832; Joseph Stevens and his sons John, George, Joseph and Frank, 1833; S. Garner and Evan Bettisworth and his sons David, Charles and Evan, Jr., in 1833. Then we have among those whose date of settlement we cannot exactly fix, the names of Eev. Joseph Worrell, David F. Parker, and his son Samuel C. Parker; Wm. Sullivan, Stephen Tripp, John Wilhite, Joseph Harter, David Todd, Alpha Forsy the, John and James Prutz- man, Zachariah, Henry, David and Woods, and Geo. N. Crowley. There may be others whose settlement in the township was as eai'ly as some of these, but whose names we cannot now recall. Many of these pioneers are since deceased; others have removed (530) O-x/'a CHILIT.R HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 533 from the township to make homes elsewhere, while a few of the j-ounger class, with here and there a white head among them, remain. RELIGIOUS PEOGEESS. Of the Methodist Episcopal Chm-ch, the Eevs. Oliver, Elliott and Griggs are remembered as being among the earliest. The date of their ministry is not fixed. , Meetings were held in houses of niembeM, or in such school-houses as were in existence. Rev. Peter Cartwright, so well known everywhere, is remembered as having held services there in early days. The history of the M. E. Church in Chili, other than as above, we have failed to obtain. Concerning tlie Presbyterian we have been more successful. To Mr. J. Clarkson Caine, deacon in said hurch. Owe are indebted for the following sketch of its history : " In 1S41 Rev. Joseph Buffington came and preached here and at "Woodville, in Adams county, where there was a Congregational Church organized (he was ISTew School Presbyterian). During his stay here there was a brick house of worship built of 20 by 30 feet, then supposed to be large enough to accommodate the place for some time; this was in 1843. " In January, 1847, Rev. Edward Hollister, assisted by Rev. Warren Nichols, organized a Church here, called the First Presby- terian Church of Chili, consisting of the following named persons: Levi Weldin, John Slater, David F. Parker, Samuel C. Parker, Stephen A. Eckley, George J. Weldin, Jonathan W. Todd, David G. Todd, Joseph C. Caine, Eliza Weldin, Jemima Todd, Mary T. Hollister, Tryphena Holden, Elizabeth Eckley, Sai-ah E. Todd, Mary A. Caine, Mary T. Hollister, 2d, Emily G. Hollister, Eliza J. Dee,' Eleanor Howell, and Sarah Ann Worrell, and soon after, Elisha Worrell. " In May, 1847, Daniel F. Parker was chosen an Elder. Rev. E. Hollister continued to preach here until Dec, 1850. The Church was then supplied with occasional preaching by Rev. Henry Aber- nethy till 1857. Rev. Joseph Worrell took charge of it at that date, and continued till April, 1868, when Rev. James T. Bliss took charge, and continued with it till 1S70. In 1872 Rev. John C. Wagaman came and preached for the people till Sept., 1877. •'In 1878 Rev. Bloomfield Wall took charge of the Church, and is its present "supply." Elders.— So\m Mills and Joseph C. Caine, 1857; Wm. Kennedy, 1855; David G. Todd, 1866; Alex Cochran, 1879. The Society used the little brick house till 1867, when a much larger frame was built, and is still in use. In Bowen there is a Congregational and also a Methodist Episco- pal Church; both been built since the town was begun in 1863. We have no data concerning them. Up in the northwest corner of the township is a Church belong- ing to the Second Adventist denomination, and in which they wor- ship. No statistics of this congregation obtained. 32 534 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. PEESONAL SKETCHES. We refrain from dwelling longer on the general history of the township, or any of its villages, choosing rather to devote the space to giving personal sketches of the more prominent citizens, believ- ing such sketches are of equal importance and afford greater interest. E. W. Bennett, farmer, was born in "Vermont in 1819, the son of Oliver and Mary (Rice) Bennett, natives of Vermont, and of English descent. He was educated at the academy at Waterford, Penn.; spent his early life in teaching; in 1843 he married Mary Pratt, and of their 3 children 2 are living: E. ^. and Mary L. Mrs. B. is a member of the Presbyterian Church in Chili. Mr. Ws father .moved from Vermont to Pennsylvania, and in 1856 E. W. came West and settled near Lawrence, Kan.; in about six years he came to Fulton county. 111., and in 1863 to Hancock county, settling at Chili; while in Kansas he was robbed by the border ruffians. He is a Eepublican, has been Commissioner of Highways, Justice of the Peace in Chili tp. 10 or 12 years. He owns 80 acres of land joining Chili and 40 near Bowensburg, and has been successful as a farmer; he has a nice herd of short-horn and other cattle and raises large-size Berkshire swine. Franklin Carlin, farmer, sec. 18; P.O., West Point; was born in Maryland Oct. 27, 1844, son of Josiah and Elizabeth (Hughes) Carlin, natives of Maryland, and of French descent; received his education in the common schools; Jan. 5, 1868, he married Hannah Brian, and they have one son and two daughters. She is a member of the M. E. Church in Chili; he is a Republican. He came from Maryland to Illinois in 1865, settling near Columbus, Adams county, where he worked on a farm by the month till he was married; after that he rented a farm; he came to Hancock county in 1876, locating on sec. 18, this tp., where he owns a farm,and has been moderately successful. He is now serving his second term as School Trustee, and is a Justice of the Peace. In 1862 h^ enlisted in Co. H, 8th Md. Inft., and was discharged August 27, 1863. " Elijah Grossland, farmer and butcher, sec. 14; P.O., Bowen; was born in Fayette covmty, Pa., in 1821, the son of Elijah and Catharine (Smith) Crossland, natives of Maryland, father of English descent and mother of German. In 1850 he married Margaret Strickler, and they have had 6 sons and 2 daughters, all of whom are living. Mrs. C. died Dec. 10, 1871, a member of the M. E. Church. Mr. C. came to Illinois in 1862, settling in Adams county, where he followed farming, and in 1869 he came to this county, settling in Chili, where he owns two farms. He is really one of the neatest farmers in the county. In politics he is a Republican. Richard Eells, farmer, sec. 24; P.O., Bowen; was born in Adams county. 111., in 1837, the son of William E. and Eliza (Bester) Eells, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 535 natives of Connecticut, and of English ancestry. Dec. 11, 1860, he married Susan Gabriel, and they have 5 children living. She is a member of the M. E. Church, and he is a Kepublican, and has been School Director and Trustee and Eoad Commissioner. He came to this county in 1862, and now has 284 acres of farming land. He has made all that he now owns since 1863, except a team ; he buys and ships hogs; has run a threshing-machine 18 years, and at present owns and runs a steam thresher; he ran the first steam thresher ever operated in this part of the county; he has also been selling agricultural implements in Bowen. S- E. Elliott, farmer, was born in Union tp., Butler county, O., in 1816, the son of C. and Elizabeth (Enyart)Elliott,native8 of the Empire State; Mr. E's grandfather settled in Butler county, O., in 1801. The subject of this sketch has been successful as a farmer, but at present has sold all of his farming land, retaining a neat and substantial residence in Chili. In 1867 he married Catharine Newland, and they have a son and a daughter. Mrs. E. is a Pres- byterian, and Mr. E. is a Republican. Shiveral Oarner, farmer, sec. 3; P. 0., Denver; was born in Morgan county. 111, Feb. 1, 1832, son of "William and Sarah (Eobertson) Garner; father was born in 179i, in the South, has lived in Illinois nearly half a century; can see to read without spectacles, walks almost erect, retaining tlie soldier step which he learned in the war of 1812; in that war he served a year with the Hangers; he has spent the most of his useful life as a farmer, and is now the oldest man living in Chili tp. His son Shiveral has also been a successful farmer, owning at present 285 acres of land, 45 ot which is timber. At the age of 24 he married Miss Cynthia A. Jackson, and they have had 9 children, 7 of whom are living. He and his wife are both members of the M. E. Church, and in politics he is a Republican. He has been School Director several terms in the district where he now lives. T. N. Gillis, farmer; residence, Bowen; was born in East Ten- nessee in 1835, the son of John and Mary (Register) Gillis, the former a native of Virginia, and of English descent, and the latter of Delaware, of Irish descent; received his education in the com- mon schools of Iowa; in 1859 he married Miss R. E. Haworth, and their children are William T. and Ella May. He emigrated to Adams county. 111., in 1858, and into this county in 1864, settling northwest of Bowen; for four years he kept a general store at Denver, and in 1870 he moved it to Bowen. He and his brother bought the mill in Bowen, ran it two years, sold out, and went to traveling. At the present time he is dealing in grain, and enjoying fair success. He has 55 acres of good land. He is a Republican, and while at Denver he was Postmaster; is also a member of the M. E. Church. John.M. Graham, farmer, sec. 17; P. O., Bowen; was born in Ohio March 16. 1833, the son of Theodore and Elizabeth (Meekens) Graham, the former of Irish descent, and the latter of 536 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Scottish, and born in Ohio. In 1858 he married Sarilda E. Stewart, and of their 2 children Emma is living, who was born Dec. 27, 1860, and was married in 1877, to Alvin Soott, a farmer in this county. Mrs. G. is a member of tlie Adventist Church. Mr. G. is a Democrat, has been a School Director nine years, and School Trustee three years. He came to Illinois in 1851, settling in Adams county; in 1853 he came to this county, settling on sec. 19, Augusta tp.; thence in 1863 he moved to section 17, Chili tp. He has 160 acres of good land and is entirely out of debt. He is a public-spirited man, believes in modern enterprises and scientific farming, employing intelligent help. John Oriffiits, grain and stock-raiser, sec. 14; P. O., Bowen; was born March 4, 1830, son of William and Mary (Cain) Griffitts, natives of Tennessee, father of Prussian descent, and mother of German ; he received no education; was brought by his parents to this county when only one year old. Oct. 15, 1865, he married Amanda Ilopson, and of their 3 children 2 are living. Mr. G. was present in 1843 when the first threshing-machine was started in Hancock county by Mr. Robison ; it was a " chaff-piler. "' Mr. G. also owned and ran the first thresher in Chili tp., in 1850, and he continued business with it for 11 years. In 1844 he helped to run the first reaper he ever saw. He has made all he owns by his own exertions, having had to run in debt for his first machine. He has split more rails than Mr. Lincoln ever did. . Mr. G. is a Democrat, and is now School Director. He owns 250 acres of land, which he fenced and improved when there was no improved land joining him. J. V. Sarter, farmer, sec. 5; P. O.. Denver; was born in Vir- ginia in 1829, the son of Christian and Orpali (Wilson) Harter, natives of Yirginia, father of German and mother of Irish ancestry; was educated in the common schools of this county; in Maj', 1852, he married Barbara Ann Summers, and of their 9 children 7 are boys. Mr. Harter's emigration to this county was in 1835, and he has lived here ever since, except that he ran a saw-mill in Wiscon- sin a short time, and a grist-mill in Iowa; and he also kept store three years. When he first came to St. Mary's Prairie there was nothing to ripple that tall grass besides the wind, and now and tlien a deer's tail could be seen above the grass sailing along. Mr. Harter started with 100 acres of land, but he has now 480 acres. He has the best stock-farm in the county. Near the center of his farm is a natural curiosity in the shape of an ever-living spring, which occasionally sends up bubbles of sulphureted hydrogen gas, that can be lighted with a match. > In politics Mr. H. is a Democrat. Joseph Harter^ farmer, sec. 6; P. O.. Denver; was born in Franklin county, Ya., May 9, 1809, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Young) Harter, natives of the same county, and of German descent. The Harters first settled in Maryland, and the Youngs were early settlers in Yirginia; one of the latter was a Captain under General Washington in the war of the Revolution. Joseph's father caine to HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 537 this county about 1834: or 1835, settling da St. Mary's tp., where he followed I'armino;; he died in 1856, aged about 80 years, a mem- ber of the old Baptist Church. His wile died in 1865, a member of the same Church; they are both buried on the old farm. In 1833 Mr. Joseph Harter mai-ried Susannah Dodd, a native of Vir- ginia and a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Dodd, probably of English descent. Sixteen years after his marriage he sold out everything except two span of horses and some household goods, and, with them and his family of a wife and 8 children, emi- grated to this county, arriving late in the fall of 1849, and he rented a quarter of land east of Warsaw, which he worked the following season; in 1850 he bought the northeast quarter of sec. 6, this tp.; on the south part of this quarter there was a log house about 18 feet square and nearly two stories high; into this building he moved his familj' in 1851, and here they lived eight or ten years, making some additions to the building ; in 1857 Mr. II. built his present resi- dence, of brick, 20 by 40, two stories high, and the L 14 by 24 feet, with good barns and outbuildings. The old homestead now consists of 720 acres of fine land, and Mr. H. has about 150 acres in other places. He came to this county with a property of only $1,500; he is now one of the most prosperous and extensive farmers in the county. In politics he is a Jacksonian Democrat; and although taking considerable interest in political matters, he has never allowed himself to run for office. Himself and wife are members of the old Baptist Church, and have been for many years. Mr. H. has always been liberal in his contributions to the support of relig- ion and education, probably more than his proportion. Children — George; Mary, dec; Caleb, who died in California at the age of 27; Henry, Sarah, Joseph, Harvey, Alverda, Isaac Ffster,,who is prac- ticing medicine in Illinois near Burlington, Iowa; Ballard; William, who died in infancy; and Leander Douglass. The first 8 were born in Virginia, and were brought by their parents in emigration to this county; and the last 4 were born in this county. We give Mr. Harter's portrait in this volume. Willimn Herrina, farmer, sec. 6; P. C, Denver; was born in Brown county. 111., Dec. 7, 1835, the son of John C. and Lucinda (Eush) Herring, father a native of Alabama and of Irish ancestry, and mother a native of Kentucky and of German and English de- scent; received his education in the common schools of Brown county and Perry, Pike Co.; April 22, 1860, he married Rachel Ingram; their 3 children. Nelson, Mary F. and Harvey, are all living. Mr. and Mrs. H. are members of the Adventist Church, which meets at the Antioch house of worship, in Chili; and Mr. H. is a Democrat. He came to Hancock county in February, 1865, and now owns 130 acres ol Ipnd, besides seven shares of the home place, amounting to 184^ acres Joseph Ivina, nurseryman in Bowen, was born in Butler county O., in 1828. and is the son of Daniel and Theodocia (Cuberla) Ivins, natives of New Jersey; he received his education principally in 638 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Franklin College, Indiana; in 1859 he married Hetty Fordj'ce, and of their 7 children 6 are living, 3 of each sex. He and wife are members of the M. E. Church, and he is a Democrat. He came to this county in 1855, stopping in La Harpe a short time, and then went to Basco, and in 1862 to Bowen and engaged in raising Osage orange hedge plants, but has extended his business to that of a gen- eral nursery, in which he is successful; he has more orders this year than he can supply. He seldom employs an agent. Sdmuel H. Kelley, farmer, sec. 18; P. O., "West Point; was born in Adams county. 111., in 1847. The eldest son of Joseph and Jane (Seaton) Kelley, natives of Kentucky, father of Irish and German ancestry, and mother of English; father was a farmer all his life. The subject of this sketch received his education in the common schools, and at the graded schools at Cam]3 Point, 111. Dec. 4, 1873, he married Clara E. Truitt, a native of Kentuck}', and a good cooTc. Of their 3 children these 2 are living, Eden Irene, born Jan. 8, 1875, and Warren Ebert, May 8, 1879. Mr. Kelley is a member of the Christian Church, and his wife ot the M. E. Church; in politics he is a Republican. He came to Hancock county in 1876, and he now owns 80 acres of land on sec. 18, Chili tp. A. T. King, farmer, sec. 22; P. O., Bowen; was born in Ohio in 1836, and is the son of "William and Mary (Boude) King, the former a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. King was in the dry-goods business four years in Ohio. In 1850 he married Miss T. W. Pome- roy, who is a member of the Congregational Church. He is a Republican. He came to this county in 1851, settled in St. Albans tp., and in 1853 in Chili tp. Oct. 10, 1861, he enlisted in Co. I, 10th Mo. Inf., and was transferred to Co. C, where he served nearly two years, when he was commissioned Captaiti in the 60th U. S.C. T., and was mustered out March 26, 1865, at Yicksburg. In 1877-'8 he kept hotel in Keokuk. He now has a farm of 65 acres. William S. Lvnn, physician, sec. 21; P. O., Bowen; was born in Ohio in 1829, and is the son of John and Nancy (Gant) Linn, father a native of Pennsylvania, and mother of North Carolina. He received his education in the common school in Adams county, 111., and his medical education at Iowa University, where he gradu- ated in 1852; after practicing one year in Adams county he came to Chili, but since 1868 he has been on sec. 21, where he owns 230 acres of land. In 1855 ho married Mary Ann Smith, and they have 4 children living. Mrs. L. is a member of the Presbyterian Church. The Doctor is a Republican, and as a physician has an extensive practice. Wilford W. Mwnlove, was born in Knox county. 111., April 4, 1841, and is the son of J. H. and Susan (Cecil) Manlove; father a native of North Carolina, and mother of Kentucky, and both of French ancestry; attended school but three months in his life, and is a self-made man. Nov. 10, 1871, he married Sarah Waggoner, and they have 2 boys, Lawrence L. and George S., about eight and HISTOEY OF HANCOOK COUNTY. 639 seven years of age respectively. Mr. and Mrs. M. are members of the M. E. Churcli, and he is a Eepublican. Mr. M. came to Hancock county in 1867, settling on sec. 29. Aug. 14, 1882, he enlisted in Co. D, 78th 111. Yol. Inf., under Captain Black, of Carthage, and was discharged May 18, 1865. He was teamster the first year, and after that was in all the battles. A brother of his was killed at Kenesaw Mountain. He was in the same Co. William JB. Marvel, farmer, sec. 21 ; P. O., Bowen ; was born in Delaware in 1836; the son of Thomas J. and Sally Ann (Broad- way) Marvel; attended Middletown Seminary in Delaware. In 1864 he married Mary Powell, and of their 7 children 6 are living. He came to this county in 1865, and now owns 280 acres. He is a Democrat, and both himself and wife are Presbyterians. Dr. Arch. E. McNeil was born near Goshen, Clermont county, Ohio, in October, 1827, son of Arthur McNeil, a native of Lancaster county, Penn., who was a descendant of a Scotch High- lander of the same name and a leader in the Rebellion of 1745, of the house of Stuart against the British Crown. The Doctor's mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Boyer, was a native of "Wash- ington county, Md., and of German parents. They emigrated in 1811 to Ohio and settled in the then small town of Cincinnati, later, in 1828, locating in the town of Goshen, Clermont Co., Ohio, where they engaged in mercantile pursuits till accumulated years obliged them to retire from active life. They were ardent followers of John Wesley in their religious beliefs and forms of worship, as are all their children save the subject of this sketch. Their family consisted of 9 children, 4 boys and 5 girls, 7 of whom are now living, viz: Dr. A. B. McNeil, Columbus, Adams Co., 111., aged 70; Eev. M. M. McNeil, Bowensburg, 111., aged 68; Mrs. Eliza- beth Brunson, Bowensburg, 111., aged 65; Mrs. Matilda Myers, New Hartford, Pike Co., 111., aged 59 years; Mrs. Permelia Hall, Barry, Pike Co., 111., aged 57; Dr. Arch. E. McNeil, aged 52 years; and David F. McNeil, Esq., Bowensburg, 111., aged 47 years; Mrs. Susan Bell dying Dec. 1844, aged 27, mother of 4 children, all living, the other and 9th child dying in infancy. In later years the parents abandoned all domestic pursuits and came to Illinois, spending their last days visiting and enjoying the society and loving attentions of their children. The mother died July 3, 1865, and the father the following April at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Matilda Myers, in the ripeness and fruition of a well-spent life, and with an abiding assurance, through faith in the written promises of their God, of eternal life and happiness. Dr. McNeil was educated in the common schools of Ohio and at a private select school under the management of one Prof. Gains, near Goshen, Ohio. Began the study of medicine in 1846 with one Dr. Isaac N. Thacker, and completed a collegiate medical course of lectures spring of 1850, at Starling Medical College, Columbus, Ohio. Was the recipient also of the honorary degree of medicine from the faculty of the Iowa Medical College, at Keokuk, Iowa, 540 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. February, A. D. 1868. Has been twice married: First at Dayton, Ohio,. Septeinber,22, 1849, to Miss Martha A. Deal, a native of West Charleston, Miami county, Ohio, and who died October 20 1867. Of this marriage there were born 3 children, 2 boys and one girl, only one of which, viz., George E. McNeil, born July 20, 1856, at New Hartford, Pike county. 111., is now living. "Was married the second time Nov. 11, 1868, at Keokuk, Iowa, to Miss Mary E. Hutchinson of that city, and a native of Washington, Washington county, Penn. Of this marriage there are 4 children, one girl and 3 boys, all living. The Doctor began the practice of his profession the spring of 1850 in the place of his nativity, and October, 1858, moved to Adams county, 111. The following year, July 22, settled at New Hartford, in Pike county, this State, where he practiced medicine successfully up to Septem- ber, 1862, when he enlisted in the 99th Kegt. Inf'try Vols., and at the organization of the regiment was chosen by the unanimous voice of both men and officers, and subsequently commissioned by Gov. Richard Yates, a Surgeon of the regiment, in which capacity he labored zealously and acquitted himself with credit, as the sub- joined highly complimentary expressions of his associates plainly indicate, until from physical disability he was forced to leave the service: COPY OF EXPRESSIONS OF COMRADES. 14th Division, Hospital op the 13th Army Cokps of Miss., IN EEAB VlCKSBUBG, JUNE 4tH, 1863, Arch E. McNeil, M. D., Senior Assistant Surgeon, 99th Regt., III. Vol. Infantry. Dear Sib : — It is witli pleasure I hand you the enclosed resolution. It was the promptings, of friends and Surgeons who appreciate your worth. You leave us with the respect and confidence of every Surgeon belonging to the Division, as well as their regrets. Hoping to hear of your restoration to health, I am your sin- cere friend, WM. H. WHITE, Surg. 32d Iowa Infantry and Chairman Division Operating Board of Surgeons. (RESOLUTION.) Hospital 14th Division, 13th Abmy Corps, rear Vicksbdrg, June 4, 1863. Having learned that our associate. Arch. E. McNeil, Senior Assistant Surgeon of the 99th Kegt. Infantry Vols., owing to cause beyond his control, finds it necessary to leave the arm\ , therefore. Resolved, That we consider him a gentleman of fine feelings, of noble sympathies, a true friend and one of the most accomplished surgeons and physicians in the army. That we deeply regret his departure, and his loss to the department. H. P. Strong, Medical Director. Wm. H. White, Surg. 32d Infantry, Iowa. G-HO. P. Rex, Surg. 33d Regt. 111. Vol. Infantry. Alpbbd B. Leb, Asst Surg. 22d Iowa Infantry. Wm. L. Obe, Surg. 21st Iowa Infantry. J. H. Ledlie, Surg. 99th Regt. 111. Infantry. Henby T. Antis, Aast. Surg, 33d 111. Infantry. O. Peabody, Surg. 23d Iowa Infantry. Edwin May, Senior Asst. Surg. 33d 111. Infantry. J. W. BiGELOW, Senior Asst. Surg, in charge of 8th and 18th Indiana Vol. Infantry. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 541 After the Doctor's return to civil life in 1865, he moved to Han- cock county and purchased the farm originally settled by Peter 0. Bowen and a part of the original town of Bowensburg, where he now resides, and is engaged in the mixed pursuits of agriculture, medi- cine and milling with a fair average of success. For the benefit of ids health in 1871 he ndoved to Greenwood county, Kansas. There he engaged in agriculture and stock culture,but after four years' expe- rience, with unsatisfactory results, returned to his former home in this county. In 1848 became a member of the order of Masons. In 1875 a member of Odd Fellows. Of his own choice is not now affiliated with either order. Is not a member of any religious organization. Thinks for himself on all subjects. In politics is now and ever has been intensely Eepublican. Prides himself on his early abolition proclivities. Began voting in the interest of humanity as against organized oppression under color 6f law, and is still voting that way. Was a candidate in 1864 on the Eepubli- can ticket for the Legislature frorn the Legislative district composed of the counties of Pike and Green of this State, and though not elected was beaten by a smaller majority than any one on the ticket. In 1874 was again made a candidate for the Eepublican party ot Greenwood county, Kansas, for the Legislature, but withdrew his name, and refused to suifer himself voted for by the people, because the nominating convention passed a resolution instructing him how to vote on certain local issues. In all matters of general interest for the public good, he is ever full of ardent zeal. To this pecul- iarity of character, the'.present very elegant and commodious school building of the town of Bowensburg, in which is now taught one of the best of graded district schools, may very justly be charged, as the volumes of abuse and hard words of the tax-payers toward him at the annual period for collecting taxes would testify, while the debt incurred ibr the building and its beautiful decorative sur- roundings were being liquidated. Chief among the business insti- tutions of the town of B. is the Excelsior Flouring Mills, which, though erected a dozen years ago, ever fell short of its intended mission in the interest of the public or benefit of proprietors, till since recently it was purchased by the Doctor, and by dint of his energy and native ingenuousness , has been improved and modern- ized till it is now the pride of the owner and is rapidly becoming the subject of praise and patronage from the people of a large region of surrounding country. The Doctor is the owner of one of the best improved farms in this neighborhood, and in the highest state of cultivation. Is also owner of considerable town property of value; also quite a body of wild land in Greenwood county, Kansas. His untiring industry and perseverance, progressive and aggress- ive spirit in anything he undertakes, makes him a most valuable factor in the realm of a citizen. M. McWeall, carpenter, merchant, etc., Chili, was born in Ohio in 1812, the son of A. and Elizabeth (Boyer) McNeall, the former a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and the latter of 542 HISTOEY OF HANCOOK COUNTY. Maryland, of German ancestry. Mr. McNeall has followed several vocations successfully, but has had the misfortune to break up, paying, however, every cent of his indebtedness. In 1833 he mar- ried Elizabeth Brown, and of their 8 children 5 are living and are married, the daughter living near Blandinsville. Mr. Mi has been a member of . the M. E. Church since 1824; has been an exhorter and preacher 45 years. His wife is also a member of the same Church. He came to this county in 1864, and was agent at the railroad depot 13 years; was known as the "railroad preacher." In 1866 he started a furniture store in Bowen. Besides the store he owns 258 acres of land, a substantial residence, and other town property. His son, however, is part owner of the land. Mr. MclS". is a Democrat, and has acted as justice of the Peace, Police Magis- trate, School Director and Supervisor. James W. Norris, farmer, sec. 29 ; P. O., Chili ; was born in Bal- timore county, Md., Feb. 17, 1840, the son of Walter W. and Cath- erine (Stabler) Norris, father a native of Maryland, and mother ot Pennsylvania, and of German descent. Dec. 2, 1875, he married Elizabeth Sterrett, daughter of R. C. Sterrett, a native of Maryland, who is now living in this tp., the owner of 200 acres of good land. J. Harvey is their only child, born June 27, 1877. Mrs. N. is a member of the M. E: Church and Mr. N. is a Republican. His father came to Adams county. 111., from Maryland, in 1854, and lived there until 1876, when he came to this county and settled on sec. 29. The subject of this sketch and his brother have 200 acres of land in good cultivation. David F. Parker, farmer, sec. 29; P. O., Chili; was born in York county, Pa., in 1806, son of Samuel and Ann (Cunningham) Parker, natives of the same State, father of English and mother of Irish descent, education in the subscription schools of his native State. In 1848, in this county, he married Sarah E. Todd, a native of Yermont, and of their 4 children 2 are living— Alice, wife of C. "W". Clinefelter, and Benjamin Francis. Mrs. P. was, and Mr. P. is yet a Presbyterian. In 1837 he came West and settled in this S' .' Mrs. P. died in 1868. In politics Mr. P. is a Republican, e owns a total of 167 acres of land, and is a good, honest farmer and successful ; is well posted in the history of the county. Henry K. Ramsey, farmer, sec. 2; P. O. , Bowen ; was born in Indiana in 1826, the son of Samuel and Eleanor (Kime) Ramsey, father a native of Kentucky and of English descent, and mother of German ancestry. In 1845 he married M9,ry A. Garner, daughter of Wm. Garner, who came to Illinois in 1831, settling in Adams county. She is also a native of Indiana. Their 4 children are — Mary Susan, Samuel Henry, Hattie E. and Eva K. Mr. R. was a farmer all his life. He was a member of the M.. E. Church, and in politics is a Republican ; was Supervisor and School Director, and was the owner of 2,000 acres of land. He died Oct. 31, 1875. Mrs. R. is also a member of the M. E. Church. Her father is living HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 543 with her at the present time. He was born in 1794; was in the war of 1812, and came to this State in 1831. D. P. Robinson, farmer, sec. 28; P. O., Bowen; was born in North Carolina in 1819, son of John and Cynthia (Bell) Robinson, natives of that State, father of Irish and mother of English descent. His father came to Illinois in 1838. May 10, 1849, he married Theresa Ham, a native of Missouri, and a daughter of John C. Ham. Of their 4 children 2 are living, John W., born Sept. 8, 1852, and Thomas Jefferson, born April 16, 1855. Mr. and Mrs. R. are members of the Congregational Church. He came to this county in 1851, settling on sec. 18, Chili tp., and now lives on sec. 28. He has been School Director three years and Eoad Commissioner one year. He owns 160 acres of good prairie land in good cultivation. John P. Powland, farmer. Chili, was born in Ohio in 1816, the son of Philip and Rebecca (Perlee) Rowland, of French descent, father a native of New Jersey and mother of Ohio. In 1889 he married Sarah R. McComas, and of their 10 children 9 are living. . Two sons and one son-in-law were in the late war. He came to this county in 1864, settling in Augusta tp., and removed to this tp. in 1869. Has been a successful farmer, now owning 103 acres of good land. Has been Road Commissioner; is a Republican. He and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he has been Deacon in the Church. Daniel T. Scott, farmer, sec. 4; P. O., Bowen; was born in Cass county, 111., in 1885, and is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Martin) Scott, father of Scotch descent. In 1861 he married Miss Nancy S. Woods, and they have 5 children, 4 of whom are girls. Mrs. S. is a member of the M. E. Church. He was reared in Beardstown, 111. He did not have a cent of money when he commenced for himself, but he now owns 200 acres of good land. He is a Democrat. Q. K. Seaton, farmer, sec. 7; P. O., "West Point; was born in Kentucky Aug. 16, 1829; son of C. D. and Elizabeth (Payne) Seaton, of English descent, father a native of Kentucky,and mother of Virginia. In 1855 he married Elizabeth Harding, who died in May, 1865. In 1866 he married Adeline Bartholomew, and 4 of their 6 children are living, 3 of whom are boys. He and wife are members of the Christian Church at "West Point, but attend Church at Denver. He came to this county in March, 1853, settling in St. Alban's tp., and came to Chili in 1857, settling on sec. 7, where he now resides. He is a Republican, and has been School Director eight years and Road Commissioner three years. He owns 270 acres of land. Has made most of his property by his own hard earnings, and is a very neat farmer. He had one brother, 5 brothers-in-law and one nephew in the late war. He is the owner of one of the best dwellings in the tp. His father came to Adams county in 1844. L. P. Slater, farmer, sec. 18; P. 0., West Point; was born in 544 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Vermont in 1834, and is the son of John and Euth £. (Nutting) Slater, of English descent, father a native of Vermont, and mother of Connecticut. In 1855 he married Sarepta S. Stone, and they have 4 daughters and one son. Two of the daughters were educated in Carthage College, and are teachers. Mr. S. was ordained as a minister in the Free-Will Baptist Church in 1858, and followed the ministry until 1869, since which time he has been farming. He is a Republican, and is School Director and Trustee; was Clerk ot the Central Division of this Church several years. His father came to this county in 1834. Joseph C. Stevens, farmer, sec. 19; P. 0., Chili; was born in this county in 1837, and has spent his life here. He is a son'ot Joseph and Almira (Dee) Stevens, father a native of New York, and mother of Vermont. In 1860 he married Miss Thamzin McLean, a member of the M. E. Church. He is a Democrat and has been Collector and School Director. His father came to this county in 1833, and died here in 1846. Mr. S. well remembers the experience of pioneer life in the prairie West, the great fires, etc., one of which burned up all his fences, and he let the farm for a term of three years to a party who should replnce them. WilliaTn T. Stratton, farmer, sec. 10; P. O., Bow en; was born in Connecticut in 1833, and is the son.af G. W. and Patience (Aikins) Stratton, father a native of Massachusetts and of English descent, mother of New York State and of Scottish descent. In 1853 he married Harriet Stevens, and they have 6 children. He came to Illinois in 1855, settling in Knox county, and the same fall moved to Hancock county, settling on the northeast of sec. 10. When he first came to this State he had only $20, but he now owns 200 acres of land. He is a Democrat. George Thrasher, farmer, sec. 21; P. 0., Bowen; was born in Ohio in 1827, son of Charles and Malinda (Hicks) Thrasher, both natives of Connecticut and of English descent; he was married in Hamilton county April 11, 1852, to Hester Ann Hubbard, and 4 of their 6 children are now living. Both are members of the Congregational Church in Bowen. He came to this county in 1854, and now owns 260 acres of good land. He is a Hepublican. Gilbert Tillapaugh, i&YmnY, sec. 5; P. O., Denver; was born' in New York State in 1830, and is the son of John and Hannah (Kniskern) T., natives of New York, and of German descent; educated in the common school and at Schoharie Academy; in early life was a school-teacher. April 4, 1855, he married Eliza- beth Machene, and they have 2 daughters living, Hattie L., graduate of Carthage College in 1879, and Helen E., also an attendant at the same college. Mr. T. and wife and eldest daugh- ter are members of the Free- Will Baptist Church at St. Alban's. He came to this county from New York in 1854, settling on sec. 15, and moved here in 1869, locating on sec. 5. He owns 160 acres of well improved land. He is a Republican, and has been HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNT"?. 645 Clerk of his tp. four years, Collector, School Trustee and Director, and Superintendent of the Sabbath-school at Denver. David G. Todd, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., Chili; was born in 1835, son of Jonathan and Jemima (Warner) Todd, father a native of Vermont, and mother of Connecticut, and both of English descent. Attended common school and Knox College a short time; has taught school some, but has followed farming principally; came to this county in 1837, where he has lived ever since. He has been moderately successful as a farmer. He is a Republican, and gave Lincoln his first vote. His father was born Sept. 6, 1796, and died in this county in 1843; his mother was born May 8, 1798, and is still living with her son David and her daughter Charlotte on their farm, which consists of 100 acres of good land. David JN. Yan Brunt, farmer, sec. 25; P. 0., Augusta; was born in the State of ISTew Yprk in 1831, son of Isaac and Hannah (Luckey) Yan Brunt, natives of the Empire State, the father of r)utch,and the mother of Irish, descent. In 1858 he married Irene Campbell, and their 3 children are all living. Mrs. Van B. is a member of the Fnited Brethren Church, in 1862 Mr. Van B. enlisted in Co. K, 119th 111. Vol. Inft., under Capt. Johnson, aijd was in all the battles except two in which the regiment was engaged; he was captured at Batford Station in Tennessee; at the close of the war he was discharged at Mobile, and was mustered out at Camp Butler. He came to this county June 2, 1852,settling on sec. 25, where he owns 80 acres of land and made nearly all the improvements. Alexander Waggoner, farmer, sec. 20, was born in Fayette county. Pa., in 1840, , and is the son of Lewis M. and Mary (McLain) Waggoner, natives of Pennsylvania, father of German and mother of English descent. In 1868 he married Sarah A. Overman, a native of Adams county. 111., where she was born Oct. 31. 1S44. They have 2 daughters, — Aines Ethel, born Aug. 8, 1872, and Alma Berenice, Aug. 10, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the M. E. Church, and he is a Democrat. He came to this county with his father from Pennsylvania in 1844, settling near Chili, on sec. 20, where he now resides. His father im- proved the first farm between Chili and Augusta. In 1863-'4 he was in Nevada and Colorado Territories. As a farmer he has been 8npf*pssiii.l John William Willhite, farmer, sec. 7; P. 0., Denver; was born in Virginia March 4, 1824, and is a son of William and Sarah (Weaver) Willhite, natives of the old Dominion, and of German descent • he never went to school more than three months. Dec. 14, 1843, he married Eliza Miller, and of their 12 children 11 are living, 3 of whom are boys. Five of the children are married. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the Adventist Church at Antioch. He is a Jackson Democrat. He came to this county in 1839,'settling on sec. 36 in Harmony tp. As a farmer he has been moderately successful, owning 223 acres of land; located 54:6 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. on his present place about 1866; when he married he was not worth $50. His daughter Armina has attended Carthage College and is teaching school. Mr. W. was in the Mormon war, and was in Carthage the day the Smiths were killed. He says the Mor- mons ran one way and the citizens the other. L. S. Wormaji, farmer, sec. 25; P. O.,. Augusta; was born in Pennsylvania in 1850, son of D. D. and Catharine (Myers) Wor- man, natives of the Keystone State, and of German descent; he attended the University at Otterbein. Feb. 22, 1877, he married Eebecca S. Smith, and both are members of the United Brethren Church, at Washington Chapel. He came to this county in' 1873. Has been a farmer all his life, now owning 80 acres of land. John R. Wristen, farmer, sec. 10; P. O., Bowen; was born in Christian county, Ky,, in 1822. His father, Thomas Wristen, was a native of Kentucky, and his mother, Hannah Boggess, was a native of Virginia. He came to this county in 1851, settlingwith- in three miles of where he now lives. In 1874 he married Rachel Grifl&tts, his last wife. Both are members of the Baptist denom- ination at the Providence Church. He is a Democrat, and has been School Director several times, in this district five years. He commenced life with a pair of ponies only, and he now owns 160 acres of good land. He has 9 children living, 7 at home. Thomas C. and William Lee are school-teachers. Joseph JSr. Yarnell, farmer, sec. 28; P. 0., Bowen; was born in Lancaster county. Pa., in 1841, son of David and Margaret (]^ell) Yarnell, natives also of the Keystone State; father was raised a Quaker, mother of remote Irish ancestry. In 1872 he married Mary E. Boshen, and they have two sons and two daugh- ters. Mrs. Y. is a native of Illinois, and is a member of the M. E. Church at Chili. In 1862 Mr. Yarnell enlisted in Co. D, 78th Eeg., under Capt. R. M. Black; was discharged in 1865; was on detached service for some time afterward. His politics is Repub- lican. He owns nearly 100 acres of land, all under cultivation, and bids fair to rank as one of the neatest farmers of the township. TOWN OFFICERS. Those who served the township in the four leading official capaci- ties are as follows, as completely as the list could be made out from the returns: STIPEKVISOES. GilmoreCallison 1850 Albert Holmes .-... 1866 Bllsha Worrell 1851 A. E. McNeaU 1867 Levi G. Patchin 1853 T. C. Clayton 1868 Elisha Worrell 1855 Jos. C. Caine 1870 Milton K. Pomeroy 1856 Eugene B. Davis -. 1872 Levi W. Pomeroy 1858 Hemy K. Ramsey 1874 Joseph 0. Caine 1859 Joseph C. Caine 1876 George W. Murphy 1863 Mathias McNeall 1877 Levi G. Patchin 1864 CharlesCook 1878 Joseph C. Caine 1865 HISTORY OF HANCOOK COUNTY. 547 CLERKS. William Sullivan 1855 Nicholas Hanson 1856 Jonathan W. Todd 1858 Gilbert TiUapaugh 1863 Joseph Ivins 1864 L. W. Pomeroy 1865 William Preecott 1867 Wm. J. Bimmock ' 1869 George W. Nash 1870 Charles 0. Marsh 1873 John F. Williams 1874 H.B.Nash 1876 Oscar Weisenberg 1877 H. B. Nash 1878 T. N. Gillis 1880 ASSESSORS . A. T. Dickerson 1855 Levi Pomeroy 1856 A. T. Dickerson 1858 Geo. W. Stevens 1864 D. 6. Todd 1865 Samuel E. Elliott 1866 Joseph C. Caine 1867 A. Holmes 1868 John J. Worley 1870 Levi W. Pomeroy 1871 Daniel Smith 1873 Sam'l E. Elliott 1873 Benj. C. Edwards 1874 David Van Brunt 1876 Wm. B. Marvil 1877 Clark Caine 1878 J. C. Caine 1880 COLLECTOES. A. T. Dickerson 1855 LeviPomeroy 1856 A. T. Dickerson 1858 Daniel Smith 1865 Gilbert TiUapaugh 1866 A. T. King 1867 J. A. Cunningham 1868 Adam Reeves 1869 Isaac Newland 1870 David P. Worrell 1871 Jesse Palmer 1873 John F. Williams 1878 David P. WorreU 1874 J. R. Fordyce 1875 C. B. Taylor 1876 Oliver Stevens 1877 Wm. Palmer 1878 Henry Garner 1879 Thomas Tateman 1880 ST. ALBAN'S TOWNSHIP. Centrally on the south line of the county lies St. Alban's — num- bered 3 north, 7 west. This township is pretty nearly equally divi- ded between woodland and prairie, — the former predominating in the west half, and the prairie over the east half. It contains many line farms and much good farming land, and considerable bluff and broken woodland. This last is to be found' on the borders of the Bear creek branches. Its twp towns are— Westpoint — laid out in March, 1856, by David Wigle; and Stillwell— laid out Dec, 1870, by Wm. H. Zinn and Arthur Still- well; both on the Quincy, Carthage & Burlington Railroad, and six or seven miles westwardly from Bowen, on the T. W. & W. The former road runs directly south through this township, near its center. Among the early settlers of the county, and who were here pre- cedent to organization, we have the names of John Harding, and Robert and Aaron (Abel) Harding, who are supposed to have been his brothers or more distant relatives. John Harding transferred his claim, lying due west of and adjoining the village of Chili, to Elisha Worrell, Esq., in 1835, having occupied it for seven years. Through Mr. Worrell we have the statement that this same claim — north half of section 25, St. Alban's township — had been owned and occupied since 1823, by Col. Daniel B. Whipple, late of Ad- ams county, at a date when his nearest neighbors were Fort Ed- wards, Rushville and Quincy. If so, Col. Whipple must have been one among the very earliest settlers in Hancock county — -indeed, the earliest of whom we have any account, if we except the officers and people at the fort. Col. W. and his uncle, Barnabas B. Whip- ple, were the patentees of the claim, having been in service in the war of 1812-14, with Great Britain. Among the other early settlers of this township were Garrett Bean and his brother-in-law, Mr. Mills, who came to where Mr. B. now resides in 1836. [For a very interesting narrative of Mr. Bean, see another chapter.] He resides below Stillwell on the county line. Mr. Mills moved to Missouri over 30 years ago, and is now deceased. Other pioneers were, Jonathan Todd, Wm. Pike, Jesse Richardson, Dr. Cook, Noah Stokes, John Slater, Wm. Bride, Benoin C. Bride, Truman Kinney, Joseph Kinney, James E. Moore, Wm. Owen, Eldridge Renshaw, C. W. Hicks, Alexander McDon- ald, David Wigle, Bradley Hecox, James Knott. KELIGIOUS PEOaEESS. The well-known Peter Akers is mentioned as among the first itinerant preachers in this township, and is said to have visited and (548) , ///. mm '^TT^.^^ ^ % ■<,>JfHafa ! JjBi' wj ST.ALBANSTt HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 551 preached in private houses as early as 1837 or '38. The new towns of West Point and Stillwell each have churches, data concerning which we have been unable to obtain. PEESONAL SKETCHES. In connection with the foregoing historical sketch we give brief biographies of the old settlers and prominent persons of the town- ship. They will be found to form an interesting feature of this volume. Garrett Bean was born in Kentucky in 1807. At the age of 20 he emigrated to Pike county, 111., where he lived one year, then to Galena, 111., for a short time, and then to Quincy, 111., where he worked one winter for John Wood, afterward Governor of Illinois, for whom Mr. B. made 4,000 rails and 2,000 shingles. After living in Adams county one year, Mr. B., in 1836, came to Hancock county, 111., and located in St. Albans tp., on the farm where he now lives. Although placed in the wilderness with nothing excepting willing hands and a noble wife, he has accumulated a handsome fortune. He has a farm of 346 acres of good timber and prairie land. He was married in 1831 "to Miss Nancy Crow, of Adams county, 111., and 4 boys and 4 girls were born to this union, — Sarah E., William, John, Martha, Mary A. and Henry are those that are living. Mr. B. has held the office of School Trustee and is a mem- ber of the Methodist Church. Jesse W. Brovm, miller at Stillwell, is a native of the Buckeye State and was born in 1847. His father was Isaac C, native of Ohio and born in 1809. His mother was Rachel Hurt, who was born in Vermont in 1801. Jesse W. remained with his parents till 1864, when he enlisted at Camp Butler in the 32d 111. Inft., under Col. Logan. He did his first fighting at Kingston, Georgia, where he got hurt and was not able to do any more active service. After returning home he was at Chili, then he went to Burlington, Iowa, where he was engaged in the shingle factory for a short time; then he worked for the C.,B. & Q. bridge contractors, and helped build their bridge over the Mississippi river, and then he returned to Chili ; then acted as foreman over a company of men who were en- gaged in moving houses for the railroad company. He next was engineer at the mijls at Stillwell, 111., for 2^ years, then in the same business at La Harpe, 111., and has been in the milling business at Stillwell since 1874. He is a Freemason, being a member of Dills Lodge, No. 295 ; is also a Methodist and a Republican. N. R. Butler, farmer, was born in Kentucky in 1827. His father, Hezekiah Butler, was a native of Maryland, and was born in 1799; his mother, Margarette, nee Payne, was born in 1808. At the age of 24 he was married to Apphia Seaton, who was a native of Kentucky, and died in 1864. There were 3 children by this union. Mr" Butler came to his present farm in 1852, and has lived there ever since. He owns a farm of 190 acres of land,, valued at 33 562 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. $40 per acre. Mr. B. takes unusual interest in his family, neatness and thrift being manifested in all thp surroundings. In educational matters Mr. B. takes great interest in giving his own children the benefits of schools, and also in advancing the interests of education in any way that he possibly can. He was married a second time, to Hannah Olark, of Hancock county, 111. , in 1867, and their 2 chil- dren are Frank and George F. Henry Olarh, farmer, sec. 5 ; P. O., "West Point ; was born in 1823, in New York. His father, Galvin Olark, was a native also of New York, and was born in 1799; was weigh-master in the war of 1812, at Sacket's Harbor. His mother's maiden name was Fannie Searles, and she was born in Bennington, Yt., in 1804, and died in 1835. Grandfather Searles was born in 1764, in Ehode Island. His grandmother Searles was born in 1766 in Rhode Island. Mr. C. lived with his parents until 18 years of age, then lived in Oneida county for the next two years, then emigrated to Wisconsin, remaining till 1858, when he came to Hancock county, 111., and moved into the same house where he now lives. Before locating on this farm Mr. Clark spent several years clerking in stores. He owns 120 acres of land, most of which is improved. In 1848 he married Gertrude M. Striker (since deceased), who bore him 2 chil- dren. He married his second wife in 1860, Abby B. Striker, a sister of his former wife, a native of New York, and born in 1825. Of the 2 children by this union Ruth E. is living. Mr. C. has been asso- ciated with many Indian tribes in his early history with the West, and. can speak several Indian languages. He is a Democrat. Dr. Y. B. Corey, West Point, was born June 3, 1828, in Penn Yan, Yates county, N. Y.; his parents were Joseph A. and Mer- cy (Andrews) Corey, natives of Rhode Island. The grandparents of our subject were Joseph A. and (Briggs) Corey, of English descent. The parents of Mercy Andrews were Samuel and Waty (Briggs) Andrews, of Providence, R. I., and of English ancestry. The- subject of this notice left home at the age of 14; learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed until 22, but at the age of 20 he commenced the study of medicine, having the use of the library of Dr. Andrew F. Oliver. In 1854 he came West, visited several States, and located first at Quincy, 111., where he read medicine in the office of Dr. John Parson for two years, when he came and settled at West Point, this county, and established himself in a good practice. Being a strong Republican and a [Tnion, man, he enlisted Aug. 28, 1862, as a private in Co. C. 118th 111. Yol. Inf , to serve three years; the regiment was organized at Camp Butler, Springfield, 111., and the Doctor was appointed Hospital Steward of the regiment; May 16, 1863, at the battle of Champion Hills, Miss., he was detailed to act as Assistant Surgeon, which position he continued to hold until the regiment was mustered out in Oc- tober, 1865. The Doctor was in the battle of Chickasaw Bluff, Miss., Dec, 1862, and the engagements at Arkansas Post, Jan. 11, 1863; the regiment was then in camp at Young's Point, La., until HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 563 March 9 next, when it was moved to Milliken's Bend, and April 2 if was ordered to the rear of Yicksburg, in the siege of which it participated, nnder Gen. Grant May 1 they met the enemy at Port Gibson, then at Champion Hills"; but previous to the last the Doctor had been sent back to the hospital at Kaymond, Miss. At this place he was taken prisoner, but paroled, and afterwards re- turned to the regiment as Assistant Surgeon, at Black Kiver Bridge, in the rear of v icksburg. The regimSnt was transferred to the Department of the Gulf under Gen. Banks, then ordered to Port Hudson, La., in January, 1864, and July following to Baton Kouge, where in October, 1865, they were mustered out.' The Doctor then returned to West Point, where he has since resided, in the enjoy- ment of a lucrative practice. He was married in Quincy, 111., Oct. 29, 1855, to Miss Mary O. Conyers, a native of Missouri and a daughter of John Conyers, who was a native of Kentucky and of Irish and German descent. The Doctor has had 5 children, of whom 4 are living — Martha J., now the wife of G. G. Lohr, residing at Columbus, Adams county, 111. ; John T. ; Charles F. and Agnes A., the last living at home. Dr. Corey is a Freemason, a Republican, and was Postmaster four years in Pike county. His portrait is given elsewhef e in this volume. Francis Eghers, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., West Point; was born in !New Orleans, La., in 1835. He was a son of Charles and Magdalen (Amons) Egbers, both of whom were natives of Germany. The former was born in 1800 and the latter in 1812. The subject of this sketch was brought up under the parental roof until his 24th year, when he emigrated to the mountains in the West, and for a year and a half engaged in various kinds of work; in 1860 he returned home and remained one year, and then, in 1861, took unto himself a wife in the person of Elizabeth Wilcox, who was born in 1820 in England. Unto them have been born 4 children, 3 of whom are still living; viz., WiberS., Eobert C. and Guy F. After marriage Mr. E. located on his father's farm in Kocky Eun tp. , and then on a farm of his own in same tp., where he lived seven years, and then located in St. Alban's, near West Point, and was there until he located in Stillwell, where he was engaged in the flouring business for one year, and then he purchased the farm on which he now resides. His farm of 110 acres is valued at $4,000. Mr. E. and his estimable wife are members of the Methodist Church. William H. Felga/r, farmer, sec. 24; P. O., West Point. In the subject of this sketch we have one of St. Alban's most active business men. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1841. His parents were from the same State. His father, John Felgar, was born in 1818. During the first 28 years of his successful life he remained at home; then was united in marriage to Mary A. Hardy, of Adair county. 111., in 1868. They have been blessed with 7 children— May I., John B., Minnie G., Harry H., Oliver H., William S. and Olive A. (dec). After marriage Mr. F. located on 554 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. his present farm of 240 acres, This home is valued at $10,000. Mr. F. is a Lutheran and a Democrat. * F. L. Fulmer^ farmer, sec. 9; P. 0. "West Point; was born near Niagara Falls, in Canada, in 1840. His father, Jacob Fulmer, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1804. His mother was a native of New York State, and was born in 1808. Her maiden name was Mary J. Merrill. After he was 21 years old. Mr. F. came to Jacksonville, 111., and was employed in the Insane Hospital for two years. He then married Miss Mary J. Bay less and moved to Wisconsin, locating at Iron Ride, Dodd Co., and farmed two years. Then he moved to Hancock county and located near West Point, and has resided here most of the time since. Was in Keokuk two years as bridge-keeper, then in Carthage one year, having charge of the poor farm. Mr. F. owns ] 10 acres of well improved land. He is one of St. Alban's representative farmers. He is a member of the M. E. Church at West Point. Their chil- dren are Lee D. and Maud. J. J. Guthrie, grocer, West Point, was born in Kentucky in 1835. He was the son of John and Sarah (Johnston) Guthrie. Mr. G. remained at home until 21 years of age, receiving niore than an ordinary education, enabling him to teach school for several terms. He was married in 1858 to Sarah Crampton, who was born in Schuyler countj^. 111., in 1837. She has borne him 10 children, 6 of whom are living — Wm. L., Ella, John F., Adie, Charles L. and Henry. Mr. G. owns a beantiful home in the village, besides his well-stocked store. He is a member of the Lutheran Church; has been Supervisor, and for 15 years Justice of the Peace, and is now School Treasurer, which office he has filled with unanimous satis- faction for five years. Green Harding, farmer; P. O., Stillwell; was born in 1820, in Adair coiinty, Ky. He is a son of Abel and Julia (Bettisworth Harding; his father was a native of Kentucky, and was born in 1798. His mother was born in Yirginia in 1791. The subject ot this sketch is the eldest of 12 children. He came to Hancock county, 111., with his parents, in 1831, which makes him one of the earliest settlers in this county. When his father settled here there were only four families in St. Alban's tp. His father lived the rest ot his long and useful life in the county. He died in 1861. At the age of 17 Mr. Green Harding left home and lived with an uncle for three years, giving most of his time to hunting. He was united in marriage in 1842, with Miss Sarah A. Stokes, who bore him 9 children, 5 boys and 4 girls. She died in Oct., 1862. He married his present wife, Elizabeth Buoklew, of Hancock county, 111., in 1871, who was a native of Ohio and born in 1840. Julia E., Weslian G. and Edwin Irvin G. have been born to them. Mr. H. first located on land on which a part of the town of Stillwell now stands. He lived there 20 years, when, in 1863, he sold out and purchased the farm on which he now lives. Mr. H. owns 166 acres of im- proved land. His home surroundings are such as will make his old HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 555 age a pleasant one. He has been School Trnstee for 20 years and Justice of tlie Peace 10 years. He began his Christian life with the M. E. Chnrch, but now he is a believer in the Universalist. doctrine. John Eichs,isivme\; sec. 9; P. O., West Point; was born in Pennsylvania in 1844, and was the son of Constant W. and Susanah (^Kelly) Hicks. The former was born in Vermont in 1820, and died in 1S7S. His grandfather Kelly was in the war of 1S12, and died in . His grandmother Kelly died in 1793. His great-grandfather Kelly was born in 1766, was in the Revolu- tionary war and died in 1850. The subject of this sketch was married in 1S74. He began accumulating for himself on the farm where he now lives, and now owns 166 acres of improved land. He enlisted in the late war in 1864, in the 28th 111. Inft. ; was in the battle of Spanish Fort, Ala. His 2 children are, Susanah, born Sept. 13, 1875, and Constant B , born March 16, 1878, Henry Hinkle, farmer, sec. 14; P. O., West Point; is the son of Andrew and Catharine (She\y) Hinkle, and was born in Pennsylvania in 1827. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and his father is still living at the age of 85. Mr. H. assisted his father until he attained his majority, when he took unto himself a ' wife in the person of Sophia Frantz, who was a native of the Key- stone State, and born in 1828; 5 of their 9 children are living, Samuel A., Catharine D., Elijah E., Mary M., Franklin A. Mi-. H. resided in Pennsylvania till 1858, working at his trade, which was blacksmithing. He then came West and located in Adair county, lU., where he lived four years, then came to St. Alban's tp. where he has farmed ever since. Mr. H. owns 130 acres of good land, and has the reputation of being one of St. Alban's rep- resentative farmers. He and his estimable wife are members of the Christian Church. Elliott S. Hoffman, farmer, sec. 22; was born Jan. 7, 1826, in Madison county, Va.; his parents were James and Mary H. (Finks) Hoifman, natives of the same county, and of German and English ancestry; the former was born in 1800 and the latter in 1806. Elliott Finks, the grandfather of Mr. Hoffman, was a Major in the war of 1S12. The subject of this notice commenced life for him- self at the age of 24; lived in Virginia several years, then in Mary- land four years,and about 1860 came to Hancock county. In October, 1864, he enlisted in Co. C, 42d 111. Vol. Inf., and served one year, being in the battles of Franklin, Spring Hill, ISTashville, etc. Since the close of the war he has resided in this county except six or seven years in Adams county. 111., four years of which time he lived ten miles south of Quincy. By trade Mr. H. is a carpenter and joiner, but since his marriage he has followed farming. He was married in October, 1866, to Mrs. Mung, nee Isabella Gregory, daughter of John Gregory, of Adams county. 111., and formerly of Virginia. She was born in 1828. Mr. G. was of Irish descent and his wife of Scotch. Mr. Hoffman has a farm of 154 acres, valued 556 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. at $30 per acre, in this tp., on sec. 22, where he resides, and he has also 45 acres in Livingston county, Mo., and 320 in Adams county, on sec. 22, Fall Creek tp., valued at $100 per acre and yielding a rental of $1,000 a year. In politics Mr. H. is a Democrat; was form- erly an old-line "Whig. He is also a member of the Advent Chris- tian Church, at Antioch, of which he and his wife have been mem- bers for about five years ; they were formerly Baptists. Geo. M. Jones, farmer, sec. 26; P. 0., Stillwell; was born in Ohio in 1833; when 18 years old he went to the Golden State where he mined and farmed for four years ; then he returned to Hancock county. 111., in 1855, where he has lived ever since excepting the three years he has served his country in the war for the suppression of the Kebellion. He enlisted in the 10th Missouri Infantry, under Col. Holmes, and was in many of the hard-fought battles of the war, among which are the first and second sieges of Corinth, and the battle of luka, and was wounded in the battle at Jackson, and was then taken prisoner, sent to Richmond, Ya., and cast into Libby prison; but was soon remove(J from there to Annapolis, Md., and placed in the navy hospital; was sent from there to the parol camp at St. Louis, Mo. After going to the front again he was doing farrison duty most of the time and was in the battle of Resaca, Ga. [e was discharged at Cartersville, Ga., in 1864. Since his return home he has lived on his present farm. He has been twice mar- ried. His first marriage was with Miss Eliza Stokes, in 1855 ; names of the children are Wilson J. and Delia E. His present wife is a sister of his former wife and a daughter of Noah Stokes, whose biog- raphy is given further on. Mr. J.' is School Trustee at this time. In politics he is a Republican. Charles M. G. Kessler, farmer, sec. 17; P. 0-, West Point. This gentleman is a native of Germany, where he was born in 1817. He is the 10th of 11 children born to John and Mary (Wies) Kessler His parents having died when he was young, he was raised by an uncle until he was 14 years old, when he was apprenticed for three years to learn the book-binding trade. Completing his apprentice- ship, he emigrated to America in company with his brother John, in 1836. He first lived in the south part of Missouri for 10 years, then he came to Hancock county, and resided in Warsaw for two years, then to the bottoms for two years, then to the bluffs for seven years, and finally to the farm where he now resides, which consists of 190 acres of mostly improved land. Mr. K. was married in 1841 to Elizabeth Benner. of Missouri, but a native of Germany. 11 children have been born to this union, only 4 of whom are liv- ing ; viz., Charles W., Elizabeth, Philip and Annie. His children have more than an ordinary education. Charles has attended the Wesleyan College of Missouri. Methodist. Republican. Joseph B. Kinny, deceased, well and favorably known, and none more honored or loved, was born in Erie county, N. Y., June 23, 1820. In 1837, when 17 years old, became to Illinois, and located in St. Alban's tp. with his parents. At the age of 23 he was HISTOET OF HANCOCK COTJNTT. 557 united in marriage with Miss Ann J. Graham, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and born iu 1827. He leaves to mourn his loss his aged widow and 6 of 11 children. Mr. Kinny, although never aspiring to become wealthy, accumulated a handsome fortune to leave his family. This was accomplished, too, by his own unceas- ing industry', and strict honesty. He began the strifes and toils of life with only $20U, which was given to them by Mrs. Kinny's grandfather Graham. He first purchased 50 acres of land, which is the part of his present farm on which are the home improve- ments. He owned 165 acres of land, most of which was well im- proved. The names of the 6 living children are — Mary P., born in 1849; Minerva A., born in 1861; Sylvia A., born in 1853; Xutina J., born in 1855; Emma L., born in 1867; Charles O., born iu 1866; and Albert T., born in 1870. Mr. Kinny early embraced the Savior, and, together with his. young wife, united with St. Alban's Free-Will Baptist Church, of which he remained a faithful member until his death. " He was a noble Christian, a tender husband, a loving father, a kind neighbor." John M.Kitiel, farmer, sec. 16; P. 0., West Point; is one of the pioneers of Hancock county, and also of St. Alban's tp. He has been a resident of the county for 28 years, and 18 years in this tp. "When Mr. K. located where he now lives there were but few im- proved farms in the county. He has made all of his large fortune of 430 acres of good land, by the sweat of his brow and strict hon- esty. Mr. K. is not only one of St. Alban's wealthy men, but he is known as one of the solid men of "Western Illinois. He is a native of Germany, born in 1824; came to America in 1850, and first located in Adair county, N. Y. ; thence to Quincy, 111., and was there till 1852, and then he went to Wai'saw, where he lived for 10 years, teaming most of the time. In 1862 he came to his present farm, where he has resided ever since. He was married in 1852 to Margaretta Geits, of Quincy, III, but a native of Germany. The children by this union are 7, — 4 boys and 3 girls. His second union was with Miss Margarette Kittel, in 1868, and they have 4 children living; viz., Sophira, Elizabeth, Martha, and Peter. Mr. K. has more than an ordinary education, and is able to read German and English fiuently. Methodist. Eepublican. G. W. Lmn, druggist, "West Point, was born in Indiana in 1832. His parents were natives of Ohio ; his father, John Linn, was born in 1803, his mother was born in 1805. Mr. Linn at the age of 18 began learning the blacksmith trade, and continued in this employ- ment until 1860, when he engaged in mercantile business for the next 5 years. In 1873 he moved to Hancock county. III, and commenced the drug business, in which he has been ever since. This is the only drug store in the village. Mr. L. has a large stock of goods, and not only enjoys a lucrative trade, but by his social qualities and courteous treatment of customers he is universally esteemed. He was married to Mary E. Carter, of Ohio, in 1853. She has borne him 3 children; viz., Mary A., Emma C, and Nettie 558 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. F. Mr. Linn's wife died May 20, 1873. He was married to his second wife,Mrs. Irene Taylor, of Liberty, 111., in September, 1863. There are 2 children by this union, — George H.,born in November, 1874, and Oory G., born in July, 1879. Mr. L. is a member of Masonic and Odd Fellow orders. Has been Collector. Methodist. Kepublican. James W. Madison was born in Schuyler county. 111., in 1873. He was a son of Eoland T. Madison, whose sketch is given elsewhere in this work. His mother's 'maiden name was Nancy Amy, who was born in Virginia in 1824. James remained with his parents till he was 27 years old, when he enlisted in the army at Camp Douglas, December, 1861, in the 57th 111. Vol. Inf., and served most of the time as a recruiting officer under Lieutenant Christo- pher of the regular army. Mr. M. was in the battles at Pittsburg Landing and Corinth, where he was discharged in 1863, because of injuries received. In 1868 he entered Abingdon College, and con- tinued there thre6 years completingthe Biblical course. After gradu- ation he engaged with the Christian Church, and labored for them for 10 years, when he became dissatisfied with the doctrines of that denomination and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was appointed to West Point Circuit in September, 1879. Mr. M. is a very zealous worker among his people. He was mar- ried in 1864 to Fanny Doty; 5 of their 7 children are living; viz., Edmund H., Louis A., Amelia S., Mestyl and Blanche. Mr. M. is a Master Mason ; has been Assessor of St. Alban's township. He owns some town property. J. K. Mason, dealer in groceries, produce, notions, etc.. West Keokuk, Iowa, was born in Adair county. Mo., in 1840, when that county was almost a wilderness; came to Hancock county in 1844, settling in 1845 on the farm where Basco now stands; here he at- tended his first school; in 1853 he wen,t to his father's store in Ti- oga, thence to Warsaw in 1859, where he learned the cooper's trade; in August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, 19th Iowa, and fought in the battle of Springfield, Mo., Jan. 7 and 8, 1863; was in the army on the frontier, where long marches were common, until June, 1863, when he went to Vicksburg and was in the trenches during the siege; was in the battle and capture of Yazoo City; was taken prisoner at the battle of Morganzie, or Sterling Farm, La., in Sep- tember, 1863. Of his escape from the rebel prison Mr. Mason has published a detailed account which is too long for insertion here. The prison pen was at Tyler, Smith Co., Texas, from which he es- caped on the night of Nov. 24, 1863. The distance to the nearest Union forces ,was 260 miles! This long and perilous journey was undertaken with only one day's rations of corn bread and four bis- cuit to subsist upon; he seemed to suffer all the hardships possible for man to suffer and live. He reached Ellis Cliff, 12 miles below Natchez, Dec. 24, 1863, where he was taken aboard the Union Mon- itor Osage. He was then in the hospital at New Orleans until the 3d of July next, when he crossed the Bluff to Brazos, Santiago' HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 659 in a small 6o-ton sailing vessel, being eight days out of sight of land ; reached Brazos Jnlj' 12^, and joined the regiment at Fort Brown on the Eio Grande; had a skirmisM at White Eanch, Texas, in Au- gust; went from there to Pensacola, Fla.. where he was detailed for a while in the Provost Marshal's ofiice; from there he went- to Fort Gaines, Ala., thence to Pascagoula, Miss., then to Fort Morgan and wound up at Mobile, Ala. Carried collars at assault and dur- ing the 12 days' siege of Spanish Fort; was wounded, a part of his lower jaw being carried away by a piece of shell. He was finally discharged from the hospital at Mound City, 111., June 22, 1866. He carries also a wound in his breast. After stopping in "Warsaw awhile he went to La Grange, Mo., where he engaged for a time with B. R. Lafton in the grocery busi- ness; in the spring of 1867 he- moved to "Warsaw, where he mar- ried his present wife, Rachel L. Markley, of "Wittsburg, Ark. Her only child, lS"ellie, was born Feb. 14, 1863. Mr. Mason moved to Keokuk from "Wythe township in 1873, engaging in the grocery business at the lower end of 5th street, where he has built up a prosperous trade. In 1879 he was elected Alderman by a majority of 1878 in a total vote of 482. He is now a member of the City Council, where he stands as high as any other member in the esti- mation of the people. Joseph McKemie^ merchant and Postmaster, Stillwell, is one of St. Alban's pioneer settlers. He was born in Lexington, Ky., in 1825, of Scotch and American ancestry. His parents were John and Sarah ( Milligan) McKenzie. At the early age of 13 he left home, and for the next few years traveled most of the time. From 1843 to '46 he lived in Parke Co., Ind. "When he was 21 years of age he came to Hancock Co., 111., and located eight miles south of Car- thage; followed farming there till 1857,when he went to Texas; thence to the Rocky mountains, and then back to McDonough Co., 111. for three years; and in 1865 he located in Hancock Co., where he has resided ever since. He has been in the village of Stillwell since 1873 engaged in mercantile business. He has also been Postmas- ter for six years. His first marriage was to Miss Ellen Pike, daugh- ter of "William Pike, one of th^ pioneers of Hancock county. He was a native of Kentucky, and located in Hancock county in 1830, when it took all the men in the county to make a jury. At one time for eight weeks he never saw the face of a white person except those of his own family. Mr. McM. was married a second time to Mrs. Brenneman. Henrietta and Freddie "W. are the children living by this union. Mr. McM. is a Freemason, and a Free- "Will Baptist. Joseph McMillan, farmer, sec. 10; P. 0., "West Point; was borii in Ireland in 1822. His parents were Alexander and Jane (Oliver McMillan, born in 1800. Joseph remained in his native land unti 1847, when he came to America and worked in Adams county. 111., near the town of Liberty. Then he was employed for one year as cattle drover, and at the outlook of the California gold fever he 660 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. went to the mines and was there eight months ; in 1851 he returned and purchased the farm where he now Jives and also a farm at Lib- erty, where he farmed for one year in partnership with a Mr. Henry. He then sold his interest to him and came to where he now resides ; has lived on this farm 27 years. By untiring indus- try and good management Mr. McMillan has accumulated a hand- some fortujae. He owns about 600 acres of good land, most ot which is well improved. He is a member of the Adventist Church. He took for his life partner Mary J. Morgan in 1852 ; she was a native of Kentucky and was born in 1832. They have been the parents ot 7 children, 4 of whom are living; viz., Charles M., born in August, 1863; Julia A., born December, 1860; Elizabeth, born October, 1863 and Milo L.,born February, 1866. Charles M. grad- uated at Carthage College in 1878 with the highest honors as math- ematician, — higher than those of any one who had ever graduated at that institixtion. He is now Principal of West Point schools, under whose administration this village has one of the best schools in the county. F. G. Mourning, lumber merchant, "West Point, was born in Kentucky, and is a son of John and Hannah (Ball) Mourning. The former was a native of Ireland, and the latter of Virginia; he died in 1846, and she in 1837. The subject of our sketch was one of the pioneer settlers of Hancock county, having come here in 1839, and resided in the county ever since with the exception of two years, during which time he lived in McDonough county. Mr. M. has experienced the trials and hardships of Western life, but by honesty and hard labor he has secured a good home and a flourishing lumber business. Mr. M. has followed carpentering most of his life, until the last six years, during which time he has been a lumber dealer. He was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Watson in 1839. She was a native of Adair county, Ken- tucky. They have had 6 children; viz., Joel W.5 Adaline H., Elizabeth J., Miranda M., Nancy and Charles W. Mr. M. has served as Supervisor, and Town Clerk two terms. Has been a Free- mason for 25 years. Mr. M. enlisted in Co. C, 12th Cavalry; transferred to 118th 111. Inf. and was made Captain of Co. H. He is a Republican. • Tobias A. Olson, shoemaker. West Point, is a native of Norway ; born in 1846. His parents were natives of Norway and were born respectively in 1826 and 1826. Mr. 0. at the age of 22 left his native home, came to America and located first at Oswego, Kendall county, 111., in 1868; then at Aurora, Kane county, and was there 1^ years ; then at West Point in 1871, where he has been ever since. He learned his trade at the age of 15 and has continued at it his whole life, and now enjoys an extensive custom. Mr. O. was mar- ried in 1872 to Nancy J. Hughes who was born in Adams county, 111., in 1862, since deceased. They have had 3 children, 2 of whom are living, — Ida J., born in August, 1876; and Orville A. in Octo- ber, 1877. Lutheran. Eepublican. HISTORY OF HANCOCK (30 and located in New York city, where he lived for 5 years. Wiiile residing in this city he took unto himself as a partner in \ii\i Mary Truelock, who was a native of St. John's New Brunswick; she was born in 1804. In 1841 he came to Payson, Adams county. 111., and erected a mill, which has never been surpassed in this section of the coun- try. After 12 years' residence in that county he moved to Hancock county, where he resided until his death in 1876. He was a mem- ber of the English Church. Although he knew nothing of figures, with a slate and pencil he could calculate the cost of anything with great rapidity and exactness. The subject of this sketch was mar- ried in 1862 to Miss Harriet Wigle, of Adams county, 111. Mr. W. owns 90 acres of land, which he farms, besides a block in West Point. He deals extensively in stock, having shipped to the south over 2,000 mules and horses to this date, 300 of which have been shipped this year. He is keeping a fine stallion known as " Young Montezuma;" he is eight years old; was sired by James M. Nelson's "Whip Horse." His dam was "Diomede" and "Bertram." Weight 1,600 lbs. LeviWolf, farmer; P. 0., West Point; was born in 1829 in Adams county. Pa.; is a son of John and Julia (Sowers) Wolf. The former was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1801. He was a shoemaker by trade; his mother was a native of Pennsylvania^ and was born in 1806. Levi remained at home until 1850, when he was united in marriage to Mrs. S. L . Corbin, who was a native of New York, and born in 1813. She had 4 children by her former husband 2 of whom are living; namely, Parker, now of Kansas; and Jacob S., now of Quincy. John H. and Geo. W., have been born to this union. Mr. W. first located on his farm seven miles south- HISTOEY OF HANCOCK OOUNTY. 563 east of Qaincy, 111., and lived there 16 years; went to West Point in 1867, where he has been engaged in mercantile business most of the time since. In the first four years of this business Mr. W. was first in partnership with Mr. Franks, and then with Mr. Corbin, after which Mr. W. continued the business alone until lately, when he sold out to his son Geo. "W. Mr. W. owns 160 acres of land, besides valuable town property. He held the office of Collector in Adams county two years. He is a Freemason, a Methodist and a Republican. J. W. York, farmer, sec. 5; P. O., "West Point; was born in Kentucky in 1821. His parents were natives of the same State. His father, Jesse York, was a farmer. His mother's maiden name was Betty Wright. He lived at home until he reached his majority, when he farmed and coopered for 12 years, and then took to him- self a life partner in 1827. His wife, Neoma Morris, was a native of Ohio, but was married in Jacksonville, 111. Of their 7 children 6 are living; viz., Laura J., Anderson D., Arthur, Harry and Fanny. Mr. York first located near Tioga, where he farmed for 15 years. He then sold out his farm there and came to St. Alban's tp., to the farm where he now lives, four miles northwest from West Point, and has lived there ever since. He owns 270 acres of good land, and improved. Mr. York began the battle of life with only $16 in money, and has accumulated his present wealth and comfortable home by hard labor and good management on the part of himself and his industrious and amiable wife. Mr. York and wife are both members of the Congregational Church of West Point. William H. Zinn, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., Stillwell; was born in 1838 in West Virginia. His father's name was Samuel G., and he was born in 1805. His mother's maiden name was Mary Dawson, and she was a native of Yirginia. Our subject had the pleasure and benefits of parental influence till he was 22 years of age, when he came to St. Alban's tp., in 1862, where he has resided ever since. Was united in the bonds of holy matrimonv in 1862, to Martha E. Short, of St. Alban's. She died in 1865. " There are 2 children by this union living — Mary A. and Henrietta. His sec- ond marriage occurred in 1866, and was to Florence A. Craw- ford, of Walker tp., native of Illinois. Nellie M., Wm. G. and Harry C. are their children. Mr. Z. owns and has under cultiva- tion 246 acres of land, valued at $10,000. He has held the office of Township Supervisor for three years. TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS. The Supervisors, Town Clerks, Assessors and Collectors of this township are as follows, with perhaps some unavoidable omissions : 564 HISTOBT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. SUPEBVISOES. Alexander McDonald 1850 David Wigle 1851 Sylvester H. Crouch 1858 M. T.Hart 1861 Charles Overman 1863 S. H. Crouch 1864 David Wigle 1866 John J. Guthrie 1867 J. C. Knott 1871 John J. Guthrie 1872 Bradley Hecox.... 1873 James M. Nelson 1875 James B. Moore 1876 Wm. H. Zinn 1877 Wm. P. Sutherland 1880 CLERKS. William Hart 1855 Alexander McDonald 1856 A. B. Crooks 1858 W. B. Stanton 1861 Marcus L. Fite 1863 W. B. Stanton 1864 Geo. W. Guthrie 1866 James Wigle 1867 E. B. TuWe 1871 Milan Smith 1873 Calvin S. Clark 1873 George W. Wolf 1874 Geo. W. Guthrie. .. ., 1875 Wm. A. Davis 1878 Charles M. McMiDan 1879-80 ASSESSORS. James Knott 1855 WilliamFite 18^6 Samuel Zkm 1858 Lavalette Kinney .■: , 1859 James McClintock 1861 J. F. Hart ■ 1863 Aaron O. Dayton 1866 Peter Fray - 1868 Lavalette Kinney 1870 J. W. Madison 1871 B. B. Tuttle 1873 Peter Frey 1873 R.W.Harding 1874 John F. Hart 1875 Samuel W. Layton 1876 E. B. Rhodes 1877 Lewis Martin 1878 Elijah B. Rhodes 1879-80 COLLECTORS. Lavalette Kinney 1855 J. F. Hart 1863 Levi P. Bissell 1864 John F. Hart 1866 S. L. Symmonds 1868 Peter Frey 1869 Sam'l W. Slayton 1873 Geo. W. Wolf 1874 Arthur P. Day 1877 Geo. W.Linn 1878 Arthur F. Day 1879-80 WALKER TOWNSHIP. The township No. 3-8 was named Walker, from Hon. George Walker, one of its earliest and most honored citizens. Its north half is a most excellent tract of rich prairie country, and well settled by well-to-do farmers. Its south half is principally timbered, on the waters of Bear creek, and considerably broken, though contain- ing good farms and farming lands. This township contains two villages: Breckenridge, on the east side, was laid out by 0. P. Smith and C. N. Gentry, March, 1857; and, Tioga, laid out by George Ensminger, in March, 1855, near the south line of the township. This latter occupies the site of what was Yelrome, or Morley Town, in the Mormon days, and which was so ruthlessly burnt out in the fall of 1845, and its inhabitants driven away. [See Chapter YI.] The first settlers in this township were Hon. George Walker, from whom it was named, Col. Levi Williams and sons, John Harris, Elder Joseph Hatchett and his sons, Enoch Hankins, Eobert and Eli D. Gillham, Harrison Grant, B. F. Howes, Harrison Kan es, and others. Mr. Walker was a conspicuous, man in the county, having served in the Board of County Commissioners and several times in the Legislature, as will be seen in other chapters. Mr. Williams was also a conspicuous leader in the Mormon war, was Colonel of one of the regiments at the time the Smiths were killed, and was one of the nine indicted for that offense. [See Mormon History.] He was a settler of about 1832, and on coming to the county first located at Calamus Spring, below Fort Edwards, in the cabin that Major Marston had occupied. He soon afterward took a claim up in Green Plains, where he resided till his death. Esquire Walker and Col. Williams were neither of them educated men, yet were each leading men in the community — the one an unswerving Democrat and the other as pronounced a Whig of the old school. Kev. Joseph Hatchett was a Virginian, a descendant of the French Huguenots; was reared in Kentucky; emigrated to Indiana in 1821, to Illinois in 1833. Has children now residing in the township. Logan Hatchett, a young son, went, about 1834, across the river to help build Fort Des Moines, where he died and was buried, Dec, 1834. His brother Livy, and brother-in-law, John Harris, went to Montebello, crossed the river in a skiff with Hazen Bedell and Cyrus Felt, in the ice, saw the body buried, and returned the same evening. (565; 566 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Of Enoch Hankins the least said the better. He has the reputa- tion of being the first murderer in the county. His story is told, however, in another chapter. The first school taught in the township was probably by Rev. Hatchett, in 1833 or 1834. The first school-house built was of logs, located on Col. "Williams' farm, and in it the first teacher was Mrs. Kinney, the mother-in-law of John R. Wilcox, at Fort Edwards. The first deaths were probably two of Col. Williams' children; Mrs. Joseph Hatchett died near the same period— 1833. The first child born is supposed to have been Mrs. Elizabeth (Harris) Vaughn, now of New Mexico, in the spring of 1834. It is claimed that one of Mrs. Williams' (Mrs. Hardin 'Massey) was earlier. John E. Walker, now of Warsaw, was born in 1835. EELIGIOUS PEOGEESS. As stated, Kevs, Hatchett and Knox were the earliest preachers about Green Plains. They each held meetings in the neighborhood, at the houses of settlers; often at the residence of Col. Williams. Mr. Walker was also an occasional exhorter. It is stated that Rev. Norman Parks, a Missionary Baptist, was ordained to preach at the Colonel's house, what year not recollected. Of later Church organizations and work we are not informed. * In continuance of the local history of the township we will give personal sketches of many of the old settlers and prominent men of the same: Lafayette H. Frazer was born in Harrison county, Ky., Sept. 11, 1818, and is a son of George Frazer, deceased, so well known in the early history of Adams county. 111. George Frazer emigrated with his family to Adams county in the spring of 1827, where he labored hard, and, like other pioneers, endured many privations in Preparing the way for the prosperity of future generations. The ndians at that time were numerous, and the wild animals were to be seen on almost every hill, and in every valley of the larfd. While these pioneers endured untold hardships, they never lacked meat. Wild honey was also to be found in great abundance. Our subject was raised a " farmer's boy," and is now engaged in farming and stock-raising, and resides on section 30, Walker township. He was married Feb. 10, 1848, to Miss Caroline Wilson, daughter of Isaac Wilson, deceased, an early settler of Adams and Hancock counties . This union has been blessed with 2 children; viz., James C. and George W. Wvn. Guymon was born in North Carolina Jan. 23, 1815, and is a son of Thomas and Sarah Guymon, deceased. He came to Edgar county, 111., in 1827, where he remained until 1838, when he removed to this county. He was married in 1834 to Miss Sally H. Hanks, daughter of Cornelius Hanks, deceased. They have had 18 children, of whom but 6 are living; viz., Julia A. (now Mrs. Robert F. Laughlin, of this county), Washington, Jefferson, Alonzo, PRAIRIE TP. HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 669 Charles H. and John E. Mr. Guymon has always been a farmer, and now resides at Breckenridge; P. O., Hickory Ridge. Bazel D. Howard was born in North Carolina Oct. 13, 1817, and is a son of Leven and Tabitha Howard, deceased. He came to Adams county about the year 1844. He was married Feb. 17, 1848, to Leah M. Brenneraan, by whom he had 9 children. Of these but 3 are living; viz., William, Jasper and Walter. Mrs. Howard died Oct. 2, 1871. She was a consistent Christian and worthy member of the M. E. Church. She was a kind wife and tender mother, and none knew her but to respect her. Mr. Howard resides on sec. 36, Walker tp., and is engaged in farming and" stock-raising. Dr. Virgil Kingsley, physician and surgeon, Tioga, 111. The Doctor is a native of Hancock county. 111., and was born April 7, 1852, in the old Montebello House^ near Hamilton. His parents were A. S. and Cynthia Kingsley, who came to Illinois about 1845. The former was a prominent farmer of this county, and was sadly missed after his death, which occurred Feb. 3, 1878, at the age of 70 years, 9 months and 17 days. Onr subject is related to the well known Piggotts, who were among the first settlers of St. Louis. The Doctor graduated at the Keokuk College of Physicians, June 14, 1877, with high honors. He also attended lectures in the St. Louis Medical College during the session of 1875-'6. He began practice July 25, 1877, in Tioga, this county, where he now has a good patronage. He was married Sept. 15, 1874, to Miss Pearle O. Howes, daughter of F. M. Howes, of Montebello tp., an early settler of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley have 2 children, — Chester H. and Cleo M. The Doctor has also made a very fine collection of geological specimens, and is still pursuing this study with energy. During the winter of 1878-'9, he delivered a course of lectures to the citizens of Tioga, on the subject of human anatomy, the laws of health, and hygiene. Dr. IscMG Lockwood, P. O., Hickory Eidge. The Doctor is a native of Cayuga county, N. Y., and was born April 27, 1805. His parents were Daty and Anna Lockwood. He removed to Penn- sylvania in 1834, to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1838, to Indiana in 1845, to Kentucky in 1857, to Iowa in 1859, and to this county in 1861. He is a physician of the Eclectic School, and has had a large prac- tice. Being very old he does not ride much now, but makes the curing of cancers a specialty. He has never failed to cure the cancer in a single instance. He cures them without cutting or burning. He was married in 1837 to Miss Elizabeth Baird, by whom he had 7 children (all dead). He married a second time in 1-846, this time Anna M. Riggin. This union was blessed with 3 children; viz., Cordelia J., Nancy A: and Laura Bell. James Ramply was born in Hartford county, Md., Aug. 11, 1803, and is a son of Thomas and Christiana Eamply (dec), natives also of Maryland. Our subject was reared on a farm and educated in a subscription school. Pie came to Adams county, 111., in 1847, 34 570 histoet; of hancock. county. « where he remained for two years, when he removed to this county and settled on sec. 24, Walker tp., where he still resides, engaged in farming and stock-raising. He also carried on the coopering business in connection with farming, for several years after he located here. He was married in 1831, to Miss Elizabeth Cheney, by whom he has had 7 children, of whom 5 are living; viz., Thomas, Eiley, John, Martha and James. Martha is now Mrs. John Loft. Riley, John and James were soldiers for Uncle Sam during the late Eebellion, and fought nobly for the stars and stripes, and won laurels that will ever be remembered. J. W. liar^in was born in this tp. March 26, 1849, and is a son Mi J. S. Rankin (dec), an early settler of Adams county, 111., and who came to this county in 1847. He was a farmer and resided on sec. 23, Walker tp., where Mr. J. W. now resides. The latter was raised a farmer's boy and educated in the common schools. He was married March 29, 1871, to Miss Elizabeth Symmonds, daughter of Dr. S. L. Symmonds, of Breckenridge. This union has been blessed with 2 children, Sanford and Sarah E. Adam Snyder (dec.) was born in Washington county, Ind.; Feb. 9, 1815; was a brick-molder and worked as such until his death. He came to Indiana in 1838, where he married Miss Catharine Burns, Jan. 21 of the same year. They emigrated to this county in 1840, where Mrs. Snyder still lives on the old home place on sec. 30, Walker tp. They had 5 children, of whom 3 are living; viz. , John S., Mary J. and Geo. Thomas. Mr. Snyder died June 27, 1852. TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS. Below is a list, somewhat imperfect, of the Supervisors, Clerks, Assessors and Collectors of the past and present Boards of Walker township: StJPERVISOES. Allen 1850 B. F.Rankin 1870 George Walker 1851 Eli D. Gillham 1871 Jackson Ewing 1856 W. H. Shepherd 1872 Thomas Crawford 1858 Geo. "W. Barnett 1874 John B. Hill 1862 Philip Ensininger 1875 George "Walker 1864 Geo. "W. Barnett .- 1876 JacksonEwing 1866 A. N. Cherry 1877 B. F. Rankin 1868 William Guymon 1879 Philip Br.sminger 1869 A. N. Cherry 1880 CLERKS. Johns. Jenifer 1855 W.H. Shepherd 1870 G. Bnsminger 1856 Eli D. Gillham. ., 1872 George Carnes 1858 Washington Guymon 1873 James Harrison 1862 Jos. H. Ensminger 1875 Eli D. Gillham 1866 Richard Stringer- 1877 J. T. Hopkins 1868 D. Anderson 1879-1880 A. W. Simmons 1869 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 671 ASSBSSOES. Pliny Hatchett 1855 S. Sutton 1!^56 Pliny Hatchett '. 1858 B. F. Rankin 1863 Eli D. Gillham 18«8 L. P. Bissell 1869 George W. Berry. A. J.Ewing 1872 L.P.Bissell 1873 O.J.Reese 1874 Jesse Berry 1877 O.J. Reese... 1878 L. Weiler 1879 .1870 J.L.Wesler 1880 OOLLECTOES. M. J. Jenifer 1855 B. F. Rankin 1856 And. Lindsay 1863 E. D. Gillham 1865 Benj. F. Rankin 1866 R. F. Laughlin 1868 G. W. Bamett. 1869 A. J.Ewing 1870 B. F. Rankin 1871 James T. Frazee 1873 Geo. W. Ewing j^ 1873 J. H. Oliver 1874 I.N. Harris 1875 J.H. Oliver 1876 Charles Humke 1877 J. T. Battles 1878 J. H. Ensminger 1879-1880 ROCKY RUN TOWNSHIP. This township at the present writing (July 1, 1880) about half under water, embraces No. 3 north, 9 west, and what the Missis- sippi has left of 3-10. It receives its name from a stream that runs through it from the prairie of "Walker township. Three-fifths of this township is bottom land, composing the rich alluvial bot- toms bordering the river, and subject to overflow in seasons of high water. It is intersected by numerous bayous (called sloughs) from Warsaw down through Wilcox and Eocky Eun, and emptying into a broad pond on the south line of the county, called Lima lake. This bottom land is generally warm, sandy and rich; and the best and most productive corn land in the county. A portion of it was covered with a fine growth of valuable timber, most of which has now been cut off by its owners, thousands of cords in old times having been sold to steamboats, or sawed into lumber. An effort has been made to reclaim this land 'from overflow, by leveeing, under the State Drainage act, with encouraging prospects. In ordinary spring rises, this will be probably ample protection; but when the Father of Waters gets on a boom, such as we have witnessed four or five times within the last forty years, it will be found that his efforts to spread himself will not be so easily con- trolled. The portion of the township on the bluff is mostly broken tim- bered land, among which are some good farms and thrifty farmers. It is excellent for wheat, and cannot be excelled in the county for fruit, a fact which its citizens are not slow to profit by, as the in- crease of orchards there will testify. Among the eai;ly settlers of Eocky Eun may be named several who were in the county previous to organization; viz., Luther Whitney (resided at one time in Montebello), Daniel Crenshaw, Davis Hillj Curtis Caldwell, Henry Nichols, Leonard L. Abney and Charles Hill; others later are Henry Newton, Stephen S. Weston, Charles C. Stevens, Hiram Woodworth, John Banks, John Harness, Luther Ferry, William Shipe, John A. Morrison, James Carmean, Daniel P. Clark, John Fletcher, A. Daugherty, Joseph Caldwell, the Jen- ifers, Fraziers, Fredericks, Bolts, Worthingtons, etc. Andreas' Atlas of Hancock county states that Luther Whitney built the first house in Eocky Eun in 1822: a statement that needs confirmation. That was two years before the evacuation of Fort Edwards by the soldiers; and we nowhere meet with any evidence of a settlement below the fort previous to that event. A relative of Mr. Whitney informs us that he came to the county just pi'evi- ons to the Black Hawk war, a statement wide of the mark, as he (572) HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 573 was a juryman in Adams previous to the separation, and had a ferry license granted him at Montebello soon after organization in 1829. If, however, Mr. "Whitney was a settler in 1822, he was the earli- est one in the county of whom we have any account, antedating Col. Whipple of St. Alban's by one year, and Capt. White and John Waggonner, of the rapids, by two years. The son, Edson Whitney, so long Sheriff of the county, resided for many years on a farm about nine miles below the fort, near where Judge Henry Nichols, his brother-in-law, also resided. The first marriage in the township is said to have been Mr. Nichols to Miss Sophronia Whitney. The Crenshaws were early settlers, the elder being one of the first oflSeials ; and the first death reported is said to have been a member of the family. EELIGIOUS PEOGKESS. The first preaching in this township was doubtless by those same pioneers who led in Walker and Wythe, namely, Walker, Hatchett and Knox, as they were in close proximity. Of this we have no data. There are two or three church organizations in the township, -with church buildings, but we fail to obtain statistics concerning them. BIOGRAPHIES. The personal mention of any community forms a most interest- ing feature of its history; therefore, as part of the history of Rocky Eun tp., we make mention of the following early settlers and prominent citizens: David Ayers, deceased, was a native of Ireland, and came to America in 1836, and to this county in the fall of tlie same year, settling in Rocky Run tp., where he resided, engaging in farming and stock-raising until his death, which occurred in June, 1876. David Clair, the subject of this sketch, was a native of West- moreland county, Penu., and was born Sept. "20, 1829, the son of Benjamin Clair. He was married in the year 1857, to Miss Martha J. Martin, of Indiana, by whom he had 7 children; of thtse 6 are living; viz., Benjamin, John, Mary A., Joseph W., Jennie M., Jessie M. Mr. Clair came to Adams county. 111., in 1850, and to this county in the year 1851, and located in Rocky Run tp., where he has since resided. He was here during the time of the Mississippi overflow, and when game was very plentiful, such as deer, wolves, turkeys, prairie chickens, etc., and he participated in many a hunting expedition in the forests of this tp. He owns a farm of 154 acres, located on sees. 2 and 3. Benjamin F. Crenshaw, sec. 26.. The subject of this sketch is a native of Jefferson county, 111., and was born Sept. 30, 1818. His father, Daniel Crenshaw, was a native of Virginia, but resided in Georgia a short time, and then started for Illinois, placing all his chattels on a keel-boat, which sank on the way, and all his goods were lost. He was one of the first settlers of Jefferson county, and 674 HISTORY OF Hj^NCOCK OOTJNTT. did mnch toward improving and making that county. In a few years he removed to Jefferson county, Mo., where he remained until 1827, when he returned to 111., and settled in Hancock county. He is the youngest of 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls; was raised a farmer's boy, but spent a portion of his time in mining, selling goods and blacksmithing; but his general vocation is farming and stock-raising. He was married in 1845, to Miss Teresa A. Allen, a native of Jefferson county, 111., and they have had 6 children, of whom 3 are living, — John T., Joel F., and Celatha A. Mrs. Cren- shaw died Sept. 28, 1860, and Mr. C. again married in December, 1861, Miss Martha A. Ellis, by whom he has 6 children; viz., Lucy J., Wm. D., Charles L., Sarah E""., Henry "W". and Isaac W. When Mr. Crenshaw first came to this county the Indians were very numerous. He traded a great deal with them, and learned to speak their language. He took part in driving the Mormons from this county during the Mormorn war. jDavid Frederick was born Jan. 22, 1831, near Lancaster, Fair- field county, O., and was of German descent. His parents, Abra- ham and Catharine Frederick, were G-ermans. Our subject was married Dec. 28, 1858, to Miss Harriet Huse, by whom he had 10 children. Of these, 9 are living; viz., Henry C, Waldo S,, Flora A., Willard T., Edwin P., Maurice H., Charles K., Harriet A., Fred. C. Mr. Frederick came to this county April 11, 1848, and located in this tp., where he has since resided, engaged in farming and stock-raising. Our subject owns a farm of 287 acres; of this, 160 acres are in the Mississippi valley and the rest are in two different lots. William W. Jones is a native of Hancock county, and was born March 17, 1852. His parents are Thomas and Nancy Jones, of Rocky Run tp. Mr. Jones is a farmer and stock-raiser, and resides on sec. 11, this tp. He is the present Constable for this tp., and performs the duties of the office to the entire satisfaction of his many constituents. Geo. W. McKimie was born in Clarke county. Mo., March 28, 1838, and is a son of James McKinzie, deceased, who emigrated to Clarke county. Mo., from Henderson county, Ky., in the year 1832. James McKinzie and a brother, Wm. H., were in the Black Hawk war. The McKinzies were among the first pioneers of Clarke county. Our subject's grandmother, Webb, lived to the age of 104. Mr. McKinzie came to this county in 1852, and worked as a farm hand for Mi-. John Morrison, now of Rocky Run tp. His mother died when he was but two years old, and at the age of about five years, his father obtained a new mother for him, who did not seem as a mother to him. He therefore left home to battle with the cold and heartless world. He first resided with his brother-in-law, A. A. Weston, for two years. He then worked with Mr. O. Freeman, at eight dollars per month, for nearly a year. Then he went to Wincliester, Mo., where he engaged in breaking prairie; returned to Illinois and labored for J. A. Morrison until 1856, when he emi- HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNT r. 675 grated to Lake Pepin, Minn., where he engaged in driving and herding cattle until autumn, when he returned and worked for Mr. Morrison again until 1858. He then went to the Eocky mountains in the spring of 1859, and while on the head waters of the Eepublican river ,was captured by the TJte Indians,and was held by different tribes until August, when he escaped in the night and arrived at Fort Eiley, Kan., and remained in that vicinity until in September, when he returned and began work for Mr. Weston. He remained here until 1861, when he went to Alexandria county, 111., but he soon returned and enlisted in the army, in Co. E, Tth Mo. Cav., and fought for Uncle Sam until Nov. 20, 1864. Of 136 who went out in that company but 15 returned. They were known as the " South- western Missouri Scouts " in the service of the United States. He was married Sept. 17, 1865, to Miss Lucinda "Worthington, daughter of Samuel J. Worthington, of this tp., and they have had 8 children, of whom 5 are living; viz., Clarissa S., Willis H., Viola, James S. and Arthur. Mr. McKinzie is engaged in farming and stock-rais- ing, on sec. 15. James M. Morrison. — The subject of this sketch was born in this (Eocky Eun) township, Nov. 23, 1852, and was married Feb. 18, 1875, to Miss Florence B. Eichardson, by whom he has had 2 children ; of these, one is living, Alfred M. Mr. Morrison is engaged in bee culture, and is very successful. William S. Shipe is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born July 12, 1832, the son of John and Sarah Shipe, and was married Nov. 7, 1863, to Miss Mary C. Shipe, by whom he has had 8 chil- dren; of these, 6 are living; viz., Martin L., Eebecca E. (now Mrs. Frazier), Emma J., Cora A., Hattie G., and Catie. Mr. Shipe came to this State in 1842, and in 1852 came to this county, locating in this tp., where he has since resided, engaged in agriculture, stock- raising, and fruit-tree culture. Mr. Shipe is a very prominent man in this vicinity, and has been elected to some of the most important township offices, but declined to fill them. He owns a valuable farm of 280 acres on sec. 25, and his residence is the finest in that vicinity. James M. Shipe was born in Hancock county. 111., in the year 1856, and is a son of John and America Ships, of this county. He received a common-school education, and was raised a farmer's boy. He was married Jan. 20, 1876, to Miss Susan E. Quick, by whom he has one child, Eosa. Mr. Shipe is engaged in farming and raising stock. He has two very fine horses, — one, Eureka II. , sired by Eureka, of French Percheron stock. The latter was imported from France about the year 1872 or '73, His other horse is Eomeo, sired by same. Eureka II. is four years old and weighs 1,460 poTinds. E. O. Parker was a native of Kentucky, born March 14, 1834; was the son of William and Eebecca Parker; was marisied March 23, 1864, to Miss Eliza E. Weaver, by whom he had 10 children ; of these 7 are living; viz., Mary A. (now Mrs. Peoples), Gustina H., 5T6 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Sasanah H., Emmit J., Lewis E., Annetta B., and Florence L. Mr. Parker came to this county in the year 1851, and afterward located in this tp., where he has since resided, engaged in agriculture and stock-raising, and owns a very fine fruit orchard. Mr. Parker lives in one of the finest residences in that part of the tp. G-eorge A. Trcmtvetter is a native of Germany, and was born Aug. 16, 1842; was married Jan. 20, 1869, to Miss Anna Schildt- mann, by whom he had 4 children ; viz., Elizabeth, Anna S., Henry Harman, and Francis L. Mr. T. emigrated to America July 3, 1853, and located in this township Sept. 10 following, where he has since resided. Mr. Trantvetter was a soldier in the late war, in Co. H, 14th 111. Vol. Inf., under Col. Hull and Gen. Stallbrand; served one year, during which time he traveled over Virginia and North Carolina. When he was on his way to Kansas to pro- tect the white settlers on the frontier, on arriving at Ft. Scott the army was disbanded and he returned home and resumed his former occupation, farming and stock-raising. Mr. Trantvetter has in his possession a sword which his great-grandfather used at the battle of Waterloo, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte. Morris A. Weaver, sec. 2, is a jolly bachelor, residing on his little farm near the Mississippi river. He was born in Clermont county, O., Nov. 29, 1849, and is a son of Thomas and Mary Weaver of this county. He came to Hancock county with his parents in the spring of 1852, where he has since resided, and is now engaged in farming and stock-raising. Williami O. Worthington was born July 26, 1852, in Lee county, Iowa. His father's name is Samuel J. He was married in No- vember, 1874, to Miss Martha E. Clark, and of their 2 children one is living, William C. Mr. Worthington came to this county with his father in the year 1856 and located in.this tp. Farming has been his occupation. He owns a farm of 280 acres, a part of sec. 10, which is one of the finest farms in the Mississippi valley. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. Below we give a list of the township officers serving since its organization, as completely as we could obtain them: SUPEEVISOES. John Banks 1850 Joseph Bolt 1870 Hiram Woodworth 1854 Aquilla Daugherty 1872 Stephen S. Weston 1858 Alfred N. Cherry | .g„- Hiram Woodworth 1859 Aquilla Daugherty .J Daniel P. Clark 1863 Aquilla Daugherty 1875 Hiram Woodworth 1865 John A. Morrison 1877 Daniel P. Clark 1868 Daniel P. Clark, i 1878 Hiram "JVoodworth 1869 OLEEKS. George Smith 1858 Oliver O. Jenifer 1874 William Shipe 1859 Wm. C. Worthington 1875 C. W. Banks 1861 Henry R. Smith 1877 William Shipe 1863 George Smith 1878 Georee Smitli 1870 Wm. C. Worthington 1880 HI8T0BY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 577 ASSESSOBS. Luther Perry 1858 Charles Egbers 1859 James Carmean 1860 A. J. Strough. 1861 J. D. Stroupe 1862 C. W. Banks 1863 Hiram Woodworth 1864 Daniel P. Clark 1865 A. N. Cherry 1866 Daniel P. Clark 1867 A. N. Cherry 1868 DanielP. Clark 1869 John A. Morrison 1870 Joseph S. Smith 1871 Qustine Parker 1872 JohnShipe 1874 Daniel P. Clark 1875 J. K. atroupe 1876 Daniel P. Clark 1877 John E. Exon 1878-1880 COLLECTOES. Joseph S. Smith 1858 A. J. Strough , 1860 James Carmean 1861 John Shipe 1868 John Gillham 1869 Joseph S. Smith 1870 Wm. H. Straight 1871 Alexander B. Mackie 1872 John A. Morrison 1873 James J. Prazier 1874 Jacob D. Stroup 1875 JohnS. Exon 1876 Alexander Mackie 1877 Morris A. Weaver. 1879-1880 ST. MARY'S TOWNSHIP. St. Mary's township (4 n., 6w.). second from the south, on the east line of the county, is another of the rich and well-settled townships. It is well watered and wooded by a section of Crooked creek in the northeast, and by Bronson's creek, one of its .tribu- taries, running through the center. It has much valuable land within its limits, about two- thirds being prairie. It derives its name from the village of St. Mary's, one of the old towns of the county, laid out by Walter E. Hurst and Wesley Williams in 1835. Among its earlier settlers were Mathew MeltoH and his sou Allen, and John Trammel, his son-in-law, Ezekiel Bowman, Edward Wade, Daniel Cain, Jesse Cain, Jacob Castlebury, Jesse Koberts, John and Robert Box, John Shelton, Peter Wood, Uriah Dodd,'AbijahTerril],Iloswell Terrill, Dr. Blackburn, John Atchison, Edward Bryant, Wm. Irwin, Benjamin Terrill, John Martin, Mr. Lanman, Paul Brattan, Lamarcus A. Cook, Joshua Owen, James E. Smith, T. Madison, Wm. Page, Byrd Smith, Samuel Haggard, Si- las Griffith, Eeuben Graves and sons, Henry Garnett, Frederick Walton,'Charles Friend, John T.Johnson, Wm. Darnell, Dr.Jona- than Berry,' Jesse W. Bell, David Greenleaf, Elias Johnson, Otho Johnson, Benjamin Talbot, John Wilson, Jonathan Printy, Dr. H. P. Griswold, Wm. M. King. Minor E. Deming, John W. Crockett, Geo. W. P. Cook, Dr. A. W. King. Two of St. Mary's very oldest citiziens are still living in Ply- mouth, Allen Melton and Edward Wade; others as early reside in the vicinity. John Atchison, in the northwest, a native of Ireland, is thought to be one of the oldest settlers now in the county. Minor E. Deming is supposed to have been one of the first school- teachers in the tp. His career is fully treated of in the chapter on Mormon affairs. Jesse Eoberts and family reached their new home near the village of St. Mary's, the evening the " stars fell," 1833. The first elephant show ever in the county was exhibited on Mr. Eoberts' place. Mr. Eoberts died in' 1851. His widow was still living a year ago. Capt. Eowland T. Madison (Lieutenant in the regular service U. S. 28th Infantry, and previously in Ky. Militia) was born in 1794, near Bowling Green. Was at the battle of Fort Meiggs, and served under Harrison in the Canada campaign. Came to Eush- ville 1836, and to Plymouth, 1840. The first cabin built and occupied by the Cains was cut and built in a day. Jesse kept house ten years without buying a table (578) HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 579 or a chair. These as well as the bedsteads were made from punch- eons. Aug., 1831, Mr. Mathew Melton, his son Allen and John Tram- mel!, settled on see. 36, on which . Plymouth now stands. Mr. Melton's daughter Marissa, afterward Mrs. Ezekiel Bowman, is said to have been the first white woman on Bound Prairie; and her daughter, Eliza Jane, born March, 1833, now Mrs. Walty, of Ply^ mouth, the first child born there. Joshua Owen and John Box both removed to Lee county, Iowa, and each served a term in the Territorial Legislature. John W. Crockett was said to have been a relative of the re- nowned '• Davy," of Tennessee and Texas fame. David Green- leaf held various public offices, among them that of Probate Judge, and now resides in Carthage. Crockett, James Clark, Benjamin Terrill and Lamarcus A. Cook succeeded the Melton family on sec. 36, and in January, 1836, laid out the town of Plymouth. Levier Tadlock erected the first build- ing- There is a big "snake story" connected with Cedar Blufi", up north of Plymouth, good enough to be told here. " One bright spring day in 1833, Mr. Ezekiel Bowman, who but a short time before had become the happy father of his first-born child, — now Mrs. Walty, — started out, with his infant in his arms, for a walk. Led, perhaps, by that intuitive love for nature in her wilder forms, so common in the human breast, he found himself presently at Cedar Blufi*. Here his wandering steps were suddenly arrested by an ominous rattle and coiled form, that man never meets unexpectedly without being startled. Unarmed for fight, his first impulse was to seek a place of temporary safety for his precious luggage, and then a weapon of stick or stone for the attack; but as he turned another met his gaze, and then another, and another. In fact, he could see snakes all around him without the aid, now required, of numerous glasses of strychnine whisky. Picking his way cau- tiously out of the enemy's encampment, the attack was deferred until reinforcements could be brought up. Returning with two of his brothers-in-law, Allen and Henry Melton, the slaughter began. The enemy proved to be strongly intrenched within the rocky ledge; their den was inaccessible, but by frequent raids during that season and part of the next, surprising and killing them as they ventured out of the den, over 600 rattlesnakes were killed by these parties at that locality.-" — Young'' s History. Snakes enough for one township. Benjamin "Whitaker, Esq., now of "Wilcox, kept the first store in Plymouth; removed from Kiverside in 183Y. Jesse W. Bell kept the first hotel, and has continued in the business almost ever since. A public school-house was built also in 1837. A postoffice was established in the place in the fall of 1836, Carroll O'Neil being the first Postmaster. He was succeeded by Wm. M. King, Esq., who held it from 1839 to '57. Then followed 680 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ■William Melton, John Cleaveland, H. P. Weir, John H. Lawton, Samuel Haggard, Mrs. E. S. Haines and E. J. Ellis. David Higby, a citizen of Plymouth for several years, had pre- viously met with a tragical experience. He and his family were passengers on the ill-fated steamer Moselle, which blew up at Cin- cinnati, about 1836, with such destruction to human life. By the disaster, Mr. H was blown into the air, falling in the water, wounded, and maimed for life, and his wife and children killed. The first celebration of the Fourth of July in this township, and probably the first barbacue in the county, was held in 1837 in Ply- mouth, Senator Little orator of the day. Mr. L. A. Cook spent a year or two at an early day, in company with his wife,asan agent of the Government, among the Winnebago Indians, at Fort Atkinson, west of Prairie du Chien; then returned to Plymouth, where he still resides, aged about 86 years. The people of St. Mary's, like all the rest of the early settlers, had more trouble to solve the bread than the meat question. The immigrants of the first year or two came mostly from Morgan or Sangamon counties, and brought supplies with them; afterward . they could produce the raw material for bread at home. But to turn it into flour and meal was the question. Of course the " hom- iny block" was easily made, and most families were provided with one, or else with that more elaborate and costly contrivance, the Phillips mill. With either of these the ghost of famine was kept away. Wild game supplied them with the best of meat, and hogs soon multiplied. A mill at Quincy, one at the mouth of the Mau- vaisterre, atBeardstown, and later, one at Brooklyn, on Crooked creek, were to be reached at great labor and difiiculty. Prairies ' had to be crossed without roads, creeks forded, marshes and ravines avoided or " stuck" in — all generally on horseback or with other poor modes of conveyance. The pioneer, it may well be believed, earned his bread by the sweat of his brow. At Cedar Bluff are a number of small mounds, and also indica- tions of an Indian encampment. We are not aware that the mounds have ever been excavated to any extent. The village of St. Mary's, so many years the center of business for that region, has been outgrown by its more favored rival on the railroad. Another station still nearer than Plymouth — Colmar, in McDonough county — has also injured its trade in that direction. It is beautifully situated, however, and surrounded by one of the richest and handsomest farming sections in the county. We have no record of its early Postmasters. , John E. Nichols, at the same time a Justice of the Peace, held the office in 1846. The first death in St. Mary's township was probably that of Jane Box, a daughter of Eobert Box, 14th of May, 1833: buried in Augusta. The first marriage, that of Hezekiah Cain, son of Daniel, to Irene Woodard, in 1833, daughter of Henry Woodard. Dr. Orville Blackburn, the first physician in Plymouth prairie, removed to Brooklyn, Schuyler county. HI8T0ET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 581 G. W. P. Cook was born in Oonn. in 1801, came to tlie county in 1834, to Pl^ymonth in 1837, where he died a few months ago. Jfi-s. Sabra (Wilkes) Botts, wife of Rev. Joseph Botts, married in Ky. in 1810, died in St. Mary's in 1865, aged 76, — after a conju- gal union of fitty-five years, — and now lies in the St. Mary's churchyard. RELIGIOUS rROORESS. Revs. Thomas H. Owen and Bradley were, perhaps, the earliest ministers of the Baptist denomination in St. Mary's. We do not learn where Mr. Bradley resided, but Mr. 0. lived just over the line in the Carthage township. They ministered frequently in St. Mary's and other parts of the county. Rev. Joseph Botts, a ven- erable minister, now residing near the village of St. Mary's, in his 91st year, came to the county in 1836, and since liis residence here has organized and assisted in organizing V2 or 15 Churches of this denomination in Hancock and adjoining counties. In 1837 he or- ganized the St. Mary's Baptist Church, with the following as mem- bers: Reuben Graves and wife, William Graves and wife, Henry Oarnett, Mrs. Frederic AValton, Charles Friend and sister, and Joseph Botts and wife — ten members. This was in St. Mary's village. For place of worship they used the old building in town, till 1S6(>. when a new church was erected. Present membership over 150. I\Ir. 1!. also assisted in organizino: the Church in Plymouth in 1 S;")7. This consisted of eight members. Present number about 100. Providence Church, in the west part of the township, was organ- ized about 1S35. Uev. Mr. Botts tells the following anecdote, which he had from his friend Ib-adley, and as it illustrates "religious progress," will do to insert here." Mr. Bradley tells tiiat, in early times, having occasion to cross the Mississippi on Amzi Doolittle's ferry boat, in offering to pay his ferriage, he was told by Mr. D. that he would not charge him anything^, as he was a minister; but he would like to have iiini pray for hiin. Mr. Bradley replied, "I don't like to remain in your debt; come out on the bank and. I will pay the bill." And the bill was settled to the satisfaction of both parties. Rev. John Ivogan, of McOonough county, was also an early min- ister of this sectioti in i>t. Mary's The first M. E. class was formed in 1833, but nearly all its mem- bers resided out of tSt. Mary's. Rev. Henry Summers, and Revs, r.orins;, Pitnerand T. N. Ralston, were ministers in the early days. The noted Kov. Peter Cartwvight sometimes officiated among them. 8o did Rev. Applebee, now of Hamilton. In 1853 this society built their cliurch in Plymoatli. Membership at present, about 100. The C son, of Warsaw, 111." He is at present Vice President of ' the Horticultural Society of Illinoifa; also member of the "Great; 648 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society," and Corresponding Sec- retary ot' the Warsaw Horticultural Society. He is the father of 6 children, 4 sons and 2 daughters; all ot whom are living. Mr. J. is the proprietor of one of the- most comfortable, and profitable farms in Hancock county, of its size; his farm .is handsomely situated on one of the high bluffs of " The Father of Waters," and is known by the name of " Orchard Home." His home is one of most generous hospitality. In manners he is affable and unreserved; in politics, he is an independent Dem- ocrat, yielding to non6 in good efforts for the good of the masses; and in religion, a Christian Liberal Baptist. In short, the one great object of his life is, a missionary effort tor the improvement of the world. Mr. Johnson has served his tp. four terms as Supervisor, and has also served in all otlier local offices, including, Justice of the Peace for the past 12 years, etc., etc. He was married April 11,1854, to Miss Jennie Battles. Her parents were formerly from Worcester county, Mass., and later of this county. From this union 6 chil- dren have been born; namely, Edward P., married and living in Wilcox tp. ; Nancy A., now the wife of B. W. Nicely, and lives in Lima, Adams county. 111. ; Clarence M., Charles^ W., Martha E. and Reuben, the last four living at home. Mr. Johnson's portrait is given in this volume. John, Peyton. — The first of this family that emigrated to Amer- ica were two Englishmen, brothers, who settled in Amherst county, Virginia. The first of ■v^hom we have any authentic account was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He lived in Amherst county, and his name was James Peyton ; he married a Miss Cox, in Virginia. James Peyton was a soldier under Washington during the Revolutionary war, serving for nearly the whole seven years. After the war he, with his family, moved to Kentucky, to what is now called Casey county, where he bought a large tract of land some five or six miles in length. He died in- that county aged about 50 years, leaving a large family. Louis Peyton, the father of our subject, was the next to the oldest son of James Peyton, and came to Kentucky with his parents when he was about 16 years of age. Louis Peyton was married in Ken- tucky to Miss Sarah Eoach, a daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Sassene) Roach. Isaac Roach was also a soldier in the Revolation, serving as Way-master in the Continental army, under Washington. Thus we have attempted to give some idea of the ancestry of the Peytons before they came to this county, and find, firstly, that they are of English descent and of good old Revolutionary stock, having risked their lives and fortunes to found the Government which we now enjoy. Louis Peyton, before mentioned, after his marriage, sold out his effects in Kentucky and moved with his family, consisting of his wife, 3 sons and one daughter, to Illinois, locating on the S. W. quarter sec. 24, Wilcox tp., arriving there in the spring of 1830. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 649 He broke the first land with a plow on the Grand prairie, and raised a patch of five acres of corn without a fence, cut it and shucked and gathered it in the spring, nothing having touched it except a coon or deer. The names of the children were John, our subject; James Isaac, who died with the cholera in 1851, leaving a widow and two chil- dren; George Washington, who also died with the cholera in 1851, a single man; Amelia S., who is now the wife of James Barker. Louis Peyton always followed farming; was quiet and unostenta- tious in his manner and habits, respected and honored by his family and friends. He was also of very strong religious convictions and a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. He died, aged 66 years, from the eflBcts of a cold which affected his lungs and finally terminated in consumption. His widow is still living on the old homestead, on sec. 24, which consists of 175 acres. John Peyton was born Dec. 10, 1818 ; at the age of 20 years he was given his time by his father, and he went to Iowa, where he remained about one year, having sold what property he had made during this time, amounting to some $125, soon after his return in this county. His parents helped him with some $300, with which, and the money he had made, he bought the northeast quarter of sec. 34, Wilcox tp., for $400. This land was entirely in a wild state; as Mr. Peyton says: Nothing had disturbed it except " the wild deer eating a bit of grass." The deed transferring this land to Mr. Peyton is dated in August, 1840. The following spring Mr. Peyton commenced opening this farm, fencing some 25 acres, and planted 16 acres; also built a hewed log house in the winter of 1841, about 16x18 feet, which is still standing some 300 yards from his present fine frame residence, on tlie northeast quarter of sec. 34, Wilcox tp. A year or two afterward he bought an adjoining quarter sec. — southeast sec. 34. Having got his half sec. under a good state of cultivation Mr. Peyton concluded it was about time to give up keeping bache- lor's hall, which he had done up to this time, and on June 4, 1848, he was married to Miss Alice Elizabeth Peyton, a daughter of Geo. W. and Ginsey Peyton ; she was born in Montgomery county, Ind. They had 4 children born, only 2 of whom are living: Alverum W., now living at home with his father; Mary Alice, now the wife of Charles Loudensslaker, and living on southwest quarter sec. 26, Wil- cox tp. Mr. Peyton has since added to the land which he first bought, so that now he is one of the largest land-holders in this section of the country. His possessions consist of a little over 2,500 acres of land, 1,260 of which lie in the rich Mississippi bottoms. He is one of the foremost fruit growers in the county. In politics Mr. Peyton is a Democrat, and has served his township in all the otSces that he would hold or accept, including that of Justice of the Peace eight years, and Koad Commissioner. He was the first Supervisor of Wilcox tp., and has subsequently s-erved many years in the same oflSce. Mr. Peyton is a man of strong religious convictions, and 650 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. was for many years a member of the Baptist Church, and for the last five or six years has been a member of the Christian Church. He is a zealous member of the Eoyal Arch Masons. Mr. Peyton is now in his 62d year, and is still strong, active and vigorous; in fact, his movements would indicate a man rather of 46 than 60, the gray hairs only indicating his age. During his youth he was noted for his activity in all manly exercises, especially in wrestling, jump- ing, etc., in which he was seldom excelled. We give a good portrait of Mr. Peyton on another page. Gustine Parker, a native of Ckmpbell county, Kentucky, was born Feb. 10, 1842, and was brought to this county in 1851. by his parents, William and Kebecca J. Parker. Here Gustine was raised to manhood by his parents. In September, 1861, he was united in marriage with Sarah J. Peyton, daughter of the last mentioned. To this couple 5 children were born, of whom 4 are living; viz., William C, George. W., Jesse C. and Minnie Gertrude. Mr. Par- ker owns a farm of 50 acres, located on sec. 26, Wythe tp. A. W. Simmons was born in Indiana, Nov. 4, 1828, and is a son of Adam and Mary (Cathcart) Simmons, who removed with their family to what is now Burlington, Iowa, in the year 1833. At that time Burlington was simply a trading post, and no town at all. His mother's brother, William Cathcart, served two terms in the U, S. Senate. Mr. and Mrs. Simmons both died in Iowa. Our subject is a teacher by profession, and has taught in all, 33 terms. Experience and study have given him knowledge, and he is always honored with a first-grade teacher's certificate. Ten years of his teaching was in Iowa. He was married in 1856, to Miss Martha C. Simpson, daughter of Luke and Anna Simpson, of Adams county. 111. This union has been blessed with 8 children, of whom 6 are living; viz., Lizzie, Minnie, Josie, Luke, Chas. B. and Fred- die. Mr. Simmons is also engaged in farming, and owns a nice little farm in the Mississippi valley. John G. Smith, a native of Germany, was born Nov. 3, 1840 and emigrated to America in 1853; first'settled in Missouri, where he resided until 1858, when he came to Warsaw (this county), where he staid for awhile; then moved out in the country where he has since resided, engaged in farming, etc. He was married in the year 186Y to Miss Theresa Mezter, and they have had 6 chil- dren ; viz., Laoliver,'Emma, Carl, Frank, Homer and Helene. Wm. S. Tyree is a son of the late Benjamin F. Tyree, who emi- grated to Illinois in 1832, settling in Schuyler county,when the bears, wolves, deer and Indians were numerous. Benjamin F. Tyree married Miss Charlotte Sylvester, by whom he had 3 children; viz., Sarah, Ann E. and William S. Mr. Tyree was a soldier in the Mormon war. He removed with his family to this county in 1849. Our subject, William S. Tyree, was raised on a farm and received a common-school education; was married in 1872, to Mary E. Clark, daughter of Abraham Clark (dec, and a soldier in the war of 1812). He resides on sec. 26, engaged in farming. HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 651 Whaley cfe Vance^ livery-men, "Warsaw, 111., engaged in their business under this iirm name in the year 1878, in Warsaw, and are doing a large business. Their principal business, however, is farming and dealing in stock. Mr. Whaley came to Keokuk in 1854, and to this county in 1856. Mr. Yance came to Warsaw when but a boy, where he has since resided. George B. Worthen is a native of Warsaw, this county, and was born Jan. 30, 1837. He is a son of Amos H. and Sarah B. Worthen. The former is a native of Vermont, and the latter of New Hampshire. They are now living in Warsaw. Our subject was reared and educated in Warsaw, and was joined in marriage Dec. 23, 1868, to Mrs. Mary L. Dath, formerly Bedell. They have had 5 children; of these, only 2 are living; viz., George B. and Jesse M. Mr. Worthen owns a farm of 40 acres on sec. 27. He is one of the most prominent horticulturists in Wilcox tp. Hannah Young, nee Frazey, wife of Isaac Young (deceased), is a native of New Jersey. She is a daughter of Samuel and Mary Frazey, both natives of New Jersey. Her husband was a native of England. He came to America in the year 1828, and remained in New Jersey until 1832, when he and Miss Frazey were united in the bond of holy matrimony. To this union were born 5 chil- dren, of whom 2 are living; viz., Carrie (now Mrs. Wright,) and Worthfen. In 1845 they removed to this county, where they pur- chased a farm, where they resided until his death, in Dec, 1877. The bereft wife still lives on the old homestead in this tp. Mr. Young was by craft a machinest; but while he was here he pur- sued the occupation of farming, etc. TOWN OFFICIALS. ^ The following catalogue of town officers is as complete as could be compiled from the means at hand. SUPEEVISOES. , Benjamin Wliltaker 1858 JohnPeyton 1869 Kerre A. Barker I860 James T. Johnson 1871 Beniamin Whitaker 1863 JohnPeyton 1875 John Peyton 1865 John C. McMahan 1876 Pierre A Barker 1866 James E. Cra-wford 1878 J.D.Sharn ; 1867 JohnPCTton 1879 F. M. Howes 1868 James E. Crawford 1880 CLERKS. Gideon Granger Galloway 1858 William Pemberton 1872 C J Thomas I860 Jesse Barker 1873 John D. Shaw 186S John T. McMahan 1874 w B Huston 1866 James F. Crawford. .^ 1876 win S TVree" "!".". 1869 John D. Shaw ~ 1878 RHuBton....". 1871 A.W.Simmons 1879-1880 652 HI8T0EY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. ASSESSORS. C. J. Thomas 1858 James Campbell I860 Melton Qt. Doughty 1862 James Campbell 1864 Benj. Whitaker 1886 James Campbell 1867 Peter Boernson 1869 W.S.Tyree 1871 Peter Boernson 1874 Benj. Whitaker 1875 John C. McMahan 1878 B. Whitaker 1879-1880 COLLEOTOBS. John Peyton 1858 John A. Howes 1860 Wm. S. Tyree 1861 Joseph Hartman 1883 Francis M. Howes 1864 Joseph Hartman 1865 Robert G. Huston 1867 James T. Johnson 1868 John Hartman 1871 John R. Shain 1873 John Hartman 1874 Charles Hermann 1875 Harrison O. Knox 1876 Rodney Harris 1877 Edward P. Johnson 1879-1880 WARSAW TOWNSHIP. BIOGRAPHIES. Cyrus B. Adams, proprietor of the Adams House of Warsaw, 'is a native of Rochester, New York; was born May 25, 1822, and is a son of J. D. Adams, who was a native of Vermont. He was reared and educated in New York; came to Warsaw in 1858, and brought the first locomotive on the T.. P. &. W. R. R. to Warsaw. He was master mechanic and assistant superintendent of the railroad until 1862, when he entered the navy; was 1st Asst. Engineer of the Mississippi squadron, being 3 years in the service, which closed in 1865. Soon afterward he opened the Adams House, and is still proprietor, and keeps a first-class hotel. He was married Dec. 12, 1843, to Catharine Lanard, of Canada. On his father's side he is of Scotch ancestry. His father was in the war of 1812, and partici- pated in the battle of Lake Champlain. He was Ensign in the navy. His grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, participating in the first battle of the Revolution. On his mother's side he is of French ancestry. Her uncle was a soldier in the Revo- lutionary war; also was in the frigate Boston; was ranked as Cap- tain in the army. The Master was taken prisoner and confined in Dartmere prison in London, about 8 months. C. jilbers is a native of Hanover, Germany, and was born in 1817. He emigrated to America in 1836, and to Warsaw in 1847. He here became a prominent merchant, and in 1856 erected a large flouring mill at a cost of $30,000. This mill is known far and near as the " Grace Mills," and stands on the foundation of the Water street mill that was erected in 1854, and was burned in 1855, dur- ing the great conflagration that occurred in Warsaw at that time. C. Albers & Co. manufacture the best of flour, and have entirely a merchant trade. They use Thropp's patent middlings purifler, and Becker's brusher. There are 6 stands of burrs, which are driven by an 80 horse-power engine. The present capacity of the mill is 250 barrels in 24 hours. Mr. Albers was married in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 5, 1839, to Miss Rebecca Knoop, by whom he had 10 children; of these, 7 are living; viz., Henry, a partner of his father; Sophia (now Mrs. Yan- marter, of Florence, Italy); Anna (now Mrs. Rev. J. G. Kessler, of Warrington, Mo.); Rebecca (now Mrs. William Zuppann, of Warsaw, 111.); Charles, Wm. Edward and Homer. Mark A. Aldrioh was born in Warren county, New York, in 1801. He was of English descent, his ancestors emigrating to this country prior to the American Revolution. He received a thorough (653) 654 HISTORY OF HANCOOK OOUNTT. collegiate education, and commenced the study of law, which he subsequently abandoned. In 1829 he married Miss Margaret Wil- kinson, of Oalvert county, Md., and removed to St. Louis, where he, received an appointment in the American Fur Company. He left St. Louis June 19, 1829, on the steamboat Ked Rover, and after a two weeks' trip, landed at the Point (now Keokuk, Iowa), on the 2d of July, and took charge of the company's station at that place. In 1832 he removed to Fort Edwards, and in 1833 entered the land where Warsaw now stands, and built the second house that was erected outside of the fort. In 1836 he was elected to the Legisla- ture, and in 1838 was re-elected to the same oflSce. Two of his cotemporaries in that body in after years inscribed their names in imperishable characters on the roll of famei Abraham Lincoln and the gifted and lamented Stephen A. Douglas. Mr. Aldrich wag a man of great enterprise, and took a leading and active part in the early affairs of Hancock county. In 1850 he removed to California, and a few years later went to Arizona. He was a member of the Arizona Legislature for five years, and held other important offices in the Territory. He died in Tucson, Arizona, on the 22d of Oc- tober, 1874. His wife, Margaret Wilkinson Aldrich, was born in St. Gene- vieve, Missouri, in 1812. Her father. Dr. .Joseph Wilkinson, a Surgeon in the United States Army, was at that time stationed at Jefferson Barracks. Mrs. Aldrieh's ancestors were among the earliest settlers of Calvert county, Maryland. Her great-grandfather, James Wilkinson, second son of Sir Robert Wilkinson, of Northumber- land county, England, came to this country in 1693. Her grand- father, General Joseph Wilkinson, and her uncle. General James Wilkinson, both served with distinction through the war of the Revolution. The latter afterward became one of the most emi- nent men of his day. In 1817 Mrs. Aldrieh's father resigned his commission in the army and returned to his father's home, in Cal- vert county, where he died the following year. In her grandfather's home and In the city of Baltimore, Mrs. Aldrich spent her child- hood and youth; but, after her marriage, in 1829, she cheerfully bade adieu to the refined associations and luxuries of her native place, and went forth to encoiinter the privations and vulgarisms of a new country. When Mrs. Aldrich landed at Keokuk, in 1829, there was but one wihte woman in the place. She remained in Keokuk two years, and in 1831 removed to Fort Edwards. In 1834 she moved into her own bourse, where she still resides — in the old home, made dear to her by a thousand tender and joyful, as well as sad and melancholy, scenes. In fact, her life may well be consid- ered an episode in the history of Hancock county. From the un- broken solitude of the forest she has seen cities and towns spring up, as if by magic, from the bosom of the earth. Where once her eyes beheld the wild flowers and waving grass of the prairie, she sees the tokens of untiring industry and ceaseless labor; and over the bright waters of the great river, once broken only by the birch HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 655 canoe of the savage, she hears the sullen roar of the iron gods, as with labored breath they bear their floating palaces along the waves. The whir and noise of constant toil has driven the genii of silence from every nook and corner of the land; they have wandered off with the birds and the wild flowers to faraway regions in the glow- ing West. In the fifty years, that she has lived within her quiet home she has seen the rise and fall of two generations — looked upon a thousand changes in the social world around her, as the busy wheel of life, with its noiseless rotation, has reeled off the threads of fate. One by one she has seen the friends of her early life pass away; seen them float out into the shadows of that troubled seaover whose waters no return boat is ever seen to glide, antil she is left alone — one of the few remaining links in the great chain that binds the bustling, toiling, rushing present to the silent, half-forgotten memories of the beautiful past. Dr. Joseph Atkinson was born in Brook county, Ya., and is a son of John Atkinson, deceased. The Doctor received a dental educa- tion under Dr. King, of Pittsbnrg, Pa., and came to Illinois in 1864, locating in Rushville, where he engaged in the practice of dentistry a few years, assisted by his sons. He then resided seven years in Bloomfield, Iowa. He afterward spent about five years in Chicago. He located in Warsaw in Januarj', 1879, where he still resides, engaged in his profession, with good success. Dr. J. M. Barth is a son of Rev. Philip Barth, Pastor of the M. E. Church of Jacksonville, 111., and is a native of Nashville, Tenn. He was educated at Hock Island, 111., and Iowa City, Iowa, and began the practice of his chosen profession (dentistry) in 1875. In Nov., 1879, he located in Warsaw, where he is enjoying good practice. The Doctor's work recommends itself, and his business is constantly increasing. Geo. J. Bird was born in Highland county, Va., Nov. 27, 1852, and is a son of Andrew J. Bird, deceased. Mr. Bird came to Elvas- ton, this county, in 1870, where he soon after engaged in teaching music, which he followed until recently, when he commenced the sale of Whitney & Holmes' organs, of Quincy, 111. He is a suc- cess, both as a teacher and salesman. He was married Oct. 31, 1876, to Miss Laura A. Crouch, by whom he has 2 children. Bertha B. and Carlos A. A. F. Bliemer was born in Germany Feb. 2, 1839. His father's name was William F. Bliesner. Our subject emigrated to America in the year 1869, and came to this county in the year 1875. . Was married March 31, 1872, to Minnie Gaede, by whom he had 5 chil- dren; of these but one is living: its name is WiUis. In the year 1876 Mr. Bliesner purchased the flouring mill known as the Planet mill, of Warsaw. This mill has 2 sets of burrs, which are driven by a 20 horse-power engine. Mr. B. manufactures the best quality of flour and does both custom and merchant work. The capacity of the mill is 35 barrels in 12 hours. 656 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. E. A. Brinhman, druggist and apothecary, . Warsaw, keeps on hand a full stock of drugs, medicines, paints, oils, varnishes, lamps, fancy goods, perfumery, sponges, etc., etc. He was born in St. Louis Oct. 14, 18—, and is the son of Henry and Mary Brinkman, who reside in Warsaw. H. A. came here as an apprentice when the establiishment was in other hands, and in the year 186Y he pur- chased an interest in the stock and continued until 1872 when he bought the entire stock, wfiich is now estimated at $6,000, arid has since been conducting the business with good success. H. Gf. Bristow, a native of Cumberland county, Ky., was born Aug. 21, 1824, and was brought by his parents, Elijah and Susanna Bristow, to McDonough county, this State, when three years old, where he was reared. He remained there until 1867, when he came to this city, Warsaw, where lie has since resided, and is at present en- gaged on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw railroad. Our subject also participated in the battle against the Mormons, was one of the soldiers that guarded the jail at Carthage, wherein Joseph Smith was confined, and was discharged by the Governor on the morning of the day that Joseph Smith was killed. Mr. Bristow was mar- ried in December, 1846, to Miss Sarah Cherry, by whom he had 5 cliildren; of these, 4 are living; viz., Etna, Addie, Jennie and Harry. Werner Bmckman, a native of Prussia, was born in 1829, and came to America in 1849, settling in New York; in 1874 he came to this city, Warsaw, where he has since resided. Our subject was married in 1853 to Catharine Beiesle. They have had one child; viz., Elizabeth. Mr. Bruckman owns a house and about five acres surrounding it. W. W. Chittenden came from Oxford, Ohio (the place of his birth), to Adams county, 111., in 1834, where he remained until 1839, when he removed to Warsaw. He has resided here since that time, save eight years he was engaged in the mercantile business in Montrose, Iowa, In early days Mr. Chittenden endured hardships and privations in this then wild country, even though he was but a boy when he first came . He hauled beef to Carthage, a distance of 35 miles, selling it for $1.50 a quarter, which was something over If cts. per pound. He relates an incident that would be well- enough for the boys of to-day to notice. On one occasion, when on his way to Carthage with a load of beef, he encountered a fearful snow storm. It grew dark, and he was compelled to get. out and grope along on his hands and knees to find the road, while a min- ister who was with him drove the horses after him. Mr. C. states that the preacher was very much cast down, and very frequently almost gave up in despair, saying that they must perish there in the blinding storm; but Mr. Chittenden, then about 17 years old and not a Christian, reprimanded him severely for not having more faith in his God and religion than that. But they arrived at a farm house not long after, and were safely housed until the next morning, when they very readily made their way to Carthage, and there dis- WILCOX T, P' HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 669 posed of their beef. This incident occurred upon the Big Meadow south of Carthage. Mr. Chittenden sold flour in Keokuk when there were but four houses in that place, besides the Government buildings. He states that tlie Government officers guarded their money with pistols and " Arkansas tooth-picks. " Mr. Chittenden took an active part in driving the Mormons from Illinois, and was present when Smith, the Mormon prophet, was killed. He knew the men who fired the fatal shots — there were four of them. Our subject was married Feb. 3, 1842, to Miss Helen M. Aldrich, by whom he has 6 children ; viz., Mary C, William W., Isla J., Helen M., Arthur "W. and Clara E. Mr. and Mrs. Chittenden are both members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. C. is engaged in fruit- growing in Warsaw, and has also recently planted a vineyard. He was born in Oxford, Ohio, Feb. 28, 1818, where he was reared and educated in the Oxford University. £'. R. Clemens was born April 23, 1818 , in Kfentucky. He is a son of David Clemens, who was a native of Yirginia, and is of Scotch ancestry. Our subject came to this county in 1843, where he has since made his home; engaged as an engineer on a boat ply- ing the Mississippi. During the last war he was engineer on the fun-boat " Mound City," of a Mississippi squadron of the United tates navy. This boat, with the full fleet, participated in the battle of Vicksburg, which lasted for the space of five l^ours. The fleet also fought at Greenville, the mouth of the Yazoo river and Ked river. At the last named place Mr. Clemens was discharged on account of his inability to perform his duty; and when on his way home, he happened at Fort Pillow when General Forest made a raid on the soldiers and inhabitants there, and massacred them. Mr. Clemens was married June .5, 1843, to Mary J. Monday, by whom he has had 4 children. Of these only one is living, Endora. D. S. Cox, agent for the St. Louis & Keokuk Packet Co., at Warsaw, 111., was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, June 7, 1824, and is a son of John Cox, deceased. He was educated at Delaware College, Delaware, O., and at A. C. Cumming's select school, in Pickaway county, O. He engaged for the most part in the mer- cantile business, nntil October, 18 i9, when he came to Warsaw, where he again followed merchandising for three years; since that time, with the exception of two years, he has been in the commission business, at Warsaw, and also agent for the -Packet Company, as above stated. He was married in 185^, to Miss Eliza J. Armstrong, daughter of the late Reed Armstrong, a native of Ohio, who came to this county in 1851, and they have had 8 children, of whom 6 are living; viz., Dan M., Edward V., Cora A., Anna B., Fannie and Harry E. Philip Dalla/m, editor of the Warsaw Bulletin, was born in St. Louis, Mo., May 22, 1853, and is a son of Francis A. and Anna M. Dallam, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter of New York. Our subject was educated for the most part in Quincy, 111. He began to learn the printer's trade in 1868, under his father, at 39 660 HISTOKY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. "Warsaw. In the year 1870, lie was employed as a proof-reader in the U. S. proof-reading room at Washington, but his health fail- ing him he returned in the autumn of the same year. He took charge of the "Warsaw Bulletin in 1876, which he is now success- fully operating. He was married Mar. 17, 1880, to Miss Eugenia, daughter of M. T. Hunt, deceased. Charles R. Davis, an enterprising young Pennsylvanian, from the region of Philadelphia, came to "Warsaw say thirty years agd, and settled; finally engaged in the milling business, which he fol- lowed successfully several years. He married Miss Beta "Wood, a sister to James' H. "Wood, Esq. Some ten years since they each emigrated to Denver, Colorado, where Mr. "Wood since died. Mr. D. engaged there also in the business of milling, and has a fine establishment there known as the " "West Denver Flouring Mills." "We are glad to learn that Mr. D. has been quite successful as a business man, and is now ranked among Denver's many successful men, and is a subscriber to this history of his old home county. 0. C. Du Sowohet, of the firm of Du Sowchet & Sons, is a native of Cambridge, Ohio, and was born Aug. 8, 1828; he re- moved to Mt. Vernon, Ind., where he remained until the spring of 1863. He then came to "Warsaw and engaged in the lumber busi- ness , with Hill, Knox & Co., for whom he worked two or three years. The firm then changed to Hill & Co., and continued by that name until the spring of 1879, when Mr. Du Sowchet and his sons purchased the entire stock, and are now selling at wholesale and retail with unlimited success. They carry a stock of about $30,000, consisting of lumber, lath, shingles, doors, sash and blinds. Their annual sales amount to about $25,000. They are menof per- severence and enterprise; consequently their business will increase surely and steadily. Briggs J. Fiiller, dentist, "Warsaw, 111., is a native of Lee, Mass., and was born Dec. 8, 1845. His father was the late Albert Fuller, and the family are descendants of Dr. "Wm. Fuller, one of the pilgrims who came to America in the Mayflower, The subject of this sketch came to Illinois with his parents in 1856, and settled in "Warsaw, where he was educated. He is a graduate of the Missouri Dental College^ of St. Louis. He began the prac- tice of dentistry in "Warsaw in 1874, and has been very successful, and has a large run of custom. John H. Fi/nilay. Mr. Finlay would not give his consent for us to insert his biography in this work, but we will just say (without his knowledge) that Mr. Finlay is one of the most prominent law- yers of "Warsaw, and has a large practice. First National Bank of "Warsaw was established in 1864, by "William Hill and others, with a cash capital of $100,000; first President, Wm. Hill; first Cashier, C. H. Mellen; first Board ot Directors, Wm. Hill, C. H. Mellen, Henry Hill, J. W. Knox, John and James B. Hill and James H. "Wood. ' Mr. Mellen resigned his position as Cashier March 1, 1869, and James B. Dodge was HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 661 elected in his place, who still holds that position. June 14, 1876, on account of high local taxes, the company reduced their capital stock to $50,000, which is the present amount. At a meeting of the stock-holders June 10, 1871, the number of Directors was re- duced from seven to five. Christian Green was born Aug. 25, 1822, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Jacob and Catharine Green, who came to this city with them in 1854, and is a partner in the firm of Eie- man & Green, millers (see Rieman's biography). He was married three times, and is the father of 12 children, 7 of whom are living, as follows: Sarah, Thos., Daniel, Laura, Edward, Reuben and Cora. Daniel A. Gardner, deceased, was a native of New York, and was born in 1817. He received a common-school education in New York, and came to Illinois in an early day. He was married in 1853 to Miss L. T. Ingersoll, by whom he had 4 children ; of these, 2 are living, Charles H. and George W. Mrs. Gardner is a daugh- ter of Moses Ingersoll, deceased, who was a relative of the cele- brated orator, Robert G, Ingersoll. Mr. Gardner removed to "War- saw the same year of his marriage, where he engaged in the lumber trade until about the year 1861, when he retired. He resided in "Warsaw until his death, which occurred May 2, 1868. His re- mains were consigned to the narrow limits of the grave in Oakland cemetery, "Warsaw, 111. Dr. Charles Hay was born in Fayette county, Ky., in 1801. His father's name was John Hay, born in Berkeley county, Ya., and his mother's name was Jemima Coulter, who was born at Red Stone old fort, in Pennsylvania. Mr. Hay's parents located in Kentucky in 1794, with whom he lived during his youth, working on the farm and attending school. Charles attended Transylvania Medical College, located at Lexington, Ky. He graduated in 1829 with a record, admired by class-mates and faculty. The Doctor has had great success in his chosen profession, ranking among the first physicians in the States where he has practiced. He was. examin- ing pension physician for the United States at "Warsaw from 1864 to 1879, when, from his own choice, he resigned, being too old to attend to his many duties. Mr. Hay was married in 1831 to Helen Leonard, and their children are Edward L. (deceased), Augustus L. (now a Captain in the 9th U. S. Yol. Infantry, stationed in "Wyom- ing Territory), Mary P. (widow of Major Austin Woolfolk), John, Charles E. and Helen J. (deceased). John Hay is a graduate of Brown University, at Providence, R. I. "While reading law in Springfield he became acquainted with Abraham Lincoln, who afterward appointed him as his private secretary, which position he held about four years, during the late war. Mr. Lincoln in 1865 appointed him as Adjutant General, with the rank of Major, iipon Gen. Gilmore's staflF. He also received an appointment from Lin- coln as Secretary of the Legation that went to Paris in 1865. He was present at Lincoln's assassination. John was also " leader editor" 662 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. of the New York Tribime for four years, and is now 1st Assistant Secretary of State at "Washington. Charles E . Hay was an aid-de- camp to Gen. Hunter during the late war, and is at present a lead- ing grocer in Springfield, 111. Dr. Hay came to Warsaw in 1841, and by his integrity and untiring energy has amassed considerable property. His residence is one of the finest in the city, and is furnished with all the luxuries necessary to make old age comfort- able and happy. "When he came to Warsaw the census showed a population of about 400. Most of the land on which the city now stands was covered with heavy timber, principally oak. The ground on which Mr. Hay's house now stands was known as Fort Fraction, intended for hospital purposes. Fort Edwards, of historical impor- tance, was built byZachary Taylor, afterward President of the IJ. S. The fort was located at the head of Fort street. John Say. — Hon. John Hay, present Assistant Secretary of the Treasury at Washington, though for years residing abroad, is claimed as a Hancock county boy. He was born in Indiana in Oct., 1838; two or three years before his father. Dr. Charles Hay, emi- grated to Warsaw. In Warsaw he received a common-school edu- cation, and was sent to the State University at Springfield, and afterward to Brown University, at Providence, E,. I., where he graduated with honor. He chose the profession of law, and studied with his Uncle Milton in Springfield, of the then firm of Hay, Cnllom & Campbell. • The election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency necessitated the employment of private secretaries, and he chose John Hay as oae of them, and then commenced that course of public life which has resulted in giving to young Hay a national reputation as a diplomatist and statesman. He seems to have been throughout the honored confidant of the President, and was placed by him in many positions of trust, in all of which he ac- quitted himself with credit. He was sent to Paris as Secretary ot Legation under Minister Bigelow; afterward to Austria as Charge d' Afiaires; and again as Secretary of Legation to Spain under Cen. Sickles. He was, also, for a period during the war, on Gens. Hunter and Gilmore's staff as Adjutant, with the rank of Major. Afterward, in an effort to start a new Eiepublican paper in Chi- cago, Dana, now of the New York 8v/n, was engaged as editor-in- chief at an excessive salary ; and on his failure, Col. Hay, with his friend and former associate, Private Secretary Nicolay, were put in charge. _ But the venture proved unsuccessful, and the Chicago SepuhUcan ceased to exist. Mr. Hay also served for four years as one of the chief editorial writers on the New York Tribune, a position he was compelled reluctantly to resign on account of fail- ing health. Since his marriage he has been residing chiefly in Cleveland, Ohio, until elected by President Hayes and Secretary Evarts to fill the post of Assistant Secretary, in Oct., 1879. Notwithstanding Col . Hay's brilliant public career, he is, per- haps, most widely known as a writer. He has been from his youth a well-read historian and scholar; and his long residence abroad HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 663 gave him extraordinary advantages in his literary studies. As a prose writer he has few superiors, and his reputation as poet is equal to that of any other of the later American poets. His scholarship, his fine literary taste, his extensive knowledge of his- tory and general literature, and his European experiences have made him a most agreeable and fascinating writer. The regret is lately felt that the cares of public and private life are drawing him away from literary pursuits, for which he has such eminent quali- fications, and in which he would achieve an exalted and enduring reputation. It is understood the ' Messrs. Hay and Nicolay have been for years engaged on a Life of President Lincoln, a work which is anxiously looked for, and one which will, doubtless, occupy a high place among American biographies. ' -This tribute to a "Warsaw boy is given — without his knowledge — by one who has known and esteemed him from* his childhood up, and who takes pride in being thus able to write truthfully of his most successful career. Charles Milker is a native of the province of Westphalen, Prus- sia, and was born in 1810. He came to America in January, 1844, locating in Augusta, Mo., where he resided until 1850, and was a carpenter and cabinet-maker. In 1850 he removed to Warsaw, where also he engaged in his trade for about 14 years, when, in 1864, he was elected to the ofBce of Police Magistrate, which office he held for 12 years, being re-elected twice. He was then elected City Clerk, which office he held one year, having had the same office in connection with that of Police Magistrate the year previous. "Was again elected to the office of City Clerk in 1879. He was married in 1833, to Dorothy Koch, by whom he has had 11 chil- dren, of whom but 3 are living, Gottlieb, Wilhelmina, in Kansas, and William, of St. Louis. James B. Hill, deceased, was a native of England, and was born May 12, 1830. His parents emigrated with their family to Amer- ica in 1834, and located in Pennsylvania. They were John and Harriet Hill. They brought their family to Warsaw in 1835. James B. was educated in Warsaw, and was married May 25, 1850, to Miss Charlotte Ellis, by whom he had 9 children ; of these, 7 are living; viz., Cora, Willis, Belle, Harry, Lottie, Frances and James Etta. Cora has been married, and has 2 children, — Frank and Guy. Mr. Hill was a machinist, and was engineer on the Mississippi river the greater part of his life. He died Febijary 4, 1869, much loved and esteemed by the citizens of Warsaw. He was a very gen- erous man, always lending a helping hand to the needy. He took seven orphan children under his charge, educating and otherwise caring for them as he did for his own children. He was a soldier in the Mormon war. Oeo. S. Knox, deceased, was born in Steuben county, N. Y., March 9, 1828, and was a son of Wm. D. and Sally Ann (Winters) Knox. He was educated in New York State, and came with his 664 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. parents to this county in 1844. He afterward went to Galena, 111., where he engaged in mining a few years. In 1862 he returned to Warsaw, where he was identified with business enterprises that helped to develop the place. H^ was interested in the "Warsaw woolen mills also. By enterprise, keen foresight and close atten- tion to business he amassed a large fortune. In later years he lived a retired life. He was married May 6, 1857, to Miss Emily A. Hill, daughter of John Hill (deceased), so well known in the early history of Warsaw, and a sister of the popular banker of Warsaw, Mr. William Hill. This union was blessed with 3 children, of whom but one, Clara E., is living. Mr. Knox died in Chicago, Oct. 28, 1879, while located temporarily there for his health. Benjamin Franklin Marsh, the present eflficieut member of Congress for the 10th Illinois district, is a native of Hancock county,born on .his father's farm four miles east of Warsaw, and is now about 40 years old. We have no particulars of his early life, and only know that his boyhood days were spent on the farm, that many of them were employed in driving an ox- team in turning over the prairie sod, in plowing corn and potatoes, making fence, and feeding hogs and cattle,and in other laborious and exacting farm labor. At home the facilities for acquiring the ru- diments of an education were very limited so at times he was sent to the village to school. In time he reached college, where, we do not remember, nor for how long a period. From college he went into a law office, and afterward to the practice of law, chiefly with his brother John W., at Warsaw. When the Rebell- ion broke out, Frank took up arms for the Union, as did also his -brother Arthur (whose life was sacrificed in the cause). For his career in the army the reader is referred to the report in another chapter. In 1876 he received the Eepublican nomination for Congress and was elected, and returned again in 1878, in both of which terms he served his constituents faithfully and with honor, and acquired a prominent standing with his fellow members. And at the late Eepublican Convention (1880) he received a unanimous vote for a third term, a compliment seldom extended to a candi- date. This meager account of " our member " is hastily thrown together from the recollection of tlie writer, without data before him from which to make a more extended report. Thomas MoDo-ngal was born in Jackson county, Ohio, Sept. 4, 1833, and is a son of Richard and Mary McDougal. He came to Warsaw in 1856, where, in 1866 he engaged in the livery business , which he is still pursuing with prosperity. He was married in 1856 to Miss Mary F. Lewis, by whom he has 2 children, Jennie (dec.) and Donald. Oeorge S. McFerran was born in Beaver county. Pa., May 10, 1827. He was reared and educated in Hookstown, Pa., and came to Warsaw in 1859, where he has since resided. He is a mechanic, HISTORY OF HAilOOOK COUNTY. 665 and is employed as bridge-builder, on the T., P. & W. K. K. He helped erect this road in the winter of 1867-'8. He has been mar- ried twice, and is the father of 5 children, of whom 2 are living, George M, and Willy D. George is a member of the graduating class in the Warsaw high school (April, 1880). Mr. McFerran's present wife was Miss Mary J. Mackey. She came to America on a visit to her sister in 1859, and has prolonged her visit until the present. She became the wife of Mr. McFerran in 1862. Lemuel Mussetter was born in Frederick county, Md., Nov. 11, 1806, and was raised on a farm, on which the principal crops were tobacco. His father was the first man in the United States to sell tobacco at $25 per cwt. after the war of 1812. When Lemuel was 23 years of age he was employed by the Baltimore & Ohio R E. Company; in about a year and a half he was taken sick, and after recovery he commenced in the grocery business at a new town called Ijamsville, and was appointed Postmaster at that place by the in- fluence of George C. Washington, a nephew of the old General, the " Father of our Country," and soon added dry goods to his line of trade. June 7, 1836, he left for the West; spent the summer in Ohio, and the last day of September arrived in this State, where his first employment was to assist James Brattle, the County Sur- veyor, in tlie survey of lots of the town of Warsaw, for public sale. He boarded with Mr. Newberry at the old Fort Edwards. From that time until 184-3 Mr. M. followed various kinds of business; he then bought the grocery of John Swett, situated on the river. When Mr. M. first landed at Warsaw there were more Indians than, white people in the vicinity. In 1845 he was appointed Postmaster, and in this capacity served until the inauguration of President Taylor, when he was removed on political grounds. Then Mr. M. moved to the hill and added dry goods, etc., to his business, and continued until 1859, when he sold out to Wra. Cooper and lost $3,000 by the operation. In 1845 Mr. Mussetter married Miss Hannah Aegus, and they have had 10 children. In 1859 Mr. M. made a trip to the Rocky Mountains, spending a summer there; that region is now Colorado. He has been Trustee, Councilman, Magistrate, Member of the Legislature, etc. Was elected Supervisor on the first adoption of tp. organization. He has seen this county develop from its oritrinal wild condition to that of wealth and refinement, and has been prominently identified with that progress. E W. Oliver is -a native of Adams county, 111., and was born, Nov. 2, 1836. His father, Elias Oliver, of Decatur, was among the first pioneers who settled in Adams county. He was tendered 20 acres of land where Quincy now stands, as payment for three months' work. They came to this county about 1847, where Mr. E. W. Oliver still resides, the popular artist of Warsaw. He en- gaged in photography in the autumn of 1863, in Warsaw, having learned the art in Quincy; traveled some throughout the country. He has since remained in Warsaw, except two years of this time, 666 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. which he spent in St. Louis and Quincy. He was married in the fall of 1860, to Miss Mary J. Walker, daughter of John "Walker (dec), of Breckenridge, 111. This union has been blessed with 4 ■children, of whom 3 are living; viz., Warren M., Eufus W. and Cora A. Mr. Oliver's reputation as a photographer is well known in this locality, and he deserves the patronage of the people. David Ogden, a native of Buffalo city, N. Y., was born Apr. 27, 1823, a son of Jesse B. and Charlotte Ogden, both natives of that State. He came to this (Hancock) county in 1856. He is a machinist by occupation, having learned his art in the Buffalo city steam engine works; is now the engineer of the Grace Mill, of War- saw. He was married Aug. li, 1858, to Miss Sarah E. Dorsey, by whom he has had 7 children; of these, 4 are living: Lurenda, Lilly, George, Eudora. Rev. John O. Rankin, a native of East Tennessee, was born March 31, 1821, and is a son of Rev. Wm. 0. Eankin, a Presbyte- rian minister, who removed with his family to Southern Indiana in 1837, where he engaged in the ministry for about 5 years, when he removed to Des Moines county, Iowa; here he took charge of the Yellow Springs (now Kossuth) Church. He remained there but two or three years, when he removed to this county and engaged in the missionary work for the most part, until 1870. He now lives a retired life at Fort Madison, Iowa, at the age of 85 years. Our subject, Rev. John G. Rankin, graduated at Mission Insti- tute, near Quincy, 111., in 1845, and at Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, 0., May -5, 1847. He was ordained by the Schuyler Presbytery, Sept. 13, 1849. He commenced laboring with the First Presbyterian Church, of Warsaw, 111., Sept. 10, 1848; resigned in March, 1850. In March, 1851, he took charge of Carrollton Church, Greene Co., 111., where he remained 10 years. In March, 1861, he returned to Warsaw and continued until December, 1868; he then took charge of Monticello Church, Madison Co., 111., and was Chaplain of Monticello Seminary. In 1872 he was with the Ferguson Church, St. Louis county. Mo. His next field was Ceil- tralia. 111., from whence he returned to his old field, Warsaw, 111., where he still remains the Pastor of the Church. He was married in Quincy, 111., to Miss Philomela Prentiss, April 3, 1851. Her native place is Prattsbnrg, Steuben county, N. Y. Her father, Harvey P. Prentiss, still resides in Quincy. Her mother was Livonia Loomis, daughter of Deacon Gamaliel Loomis, of Pratts- bnrg, ¥. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Rankin have no children. J. P. Bieman was born near Gettysburg, Adams Co., Pa., Jan. 7, 1827; came to Warsaw in April, 1854; was a son of John and Lydia Rieman. He worked as a laborer at various occupations until 1863, when he purchased an interest with Christian Green in a flour mill, and has since continued in business there. The mill is now known as the " Eagle Mills" of Warsaw. The capacity of tihis mill is 30 barrels per 12 hours, and the fiour is of the very best quality. They also manufacture patent flour. They use McGin- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 667 nis's patented sm utter. Mr. Eieman was married to Martha Ann Benson in 1855, by whom he had 4 children; of these, 2 are living, Edward F. and John William. Silas Bohinson, son of the noted Fayette Robinson, America's great showman (more commonly known as "Yankee Robin- son "), was born in Dausville, N. Y., July 22, 1845. He was edu- cated in Canandaigua, N. Y. ; w hen the war broke out in 1861 he enlisted in the 13th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, but was rejected on account of a wound he received in 185Y. He came to this county in 1879 and edited the Augusta Herald for one year, when, in the spring of 1880, he removed to Warsaw, where he established the Warsaw Democrat, and also is editor of the Warsaw Daily Inde- pendent, the first and only daily paper in Hancock county since 1857. He was married Sept. 3, 1869, to Miss Jennie Smith. His father, Fayette Robinson, was born at Dennison's Corners, N. Y., and was the first to render the celebrated Uncle Tom's Cabin under a canvas. A. Roesler, dealer in stoves, tinware, hollow-ware and house- fnrnishing goods, Warsaw, has, since 1854, continned in this line of business, sustaining a high reputation and enjoying an extensive patronage. He was born in Germany; came to America in 1848, stopping in St. Louis, Mo., and in 1851 settled in Warsaw. In 1851 he married Miss Susan Rett, and of their 4 children 2 are living — Rudolph and Oscar. Mr. Roesler is the present Mayor of Warsaw. John Scott, deceased, was born July 9, 1804, in Ashe county, N. C. He removed to Kentucky in the fall of 1816, and to Madison county, 111., in 1817, when it was a Territory; then he moved to Morgan county, 111., where for the first two years he had to go 80 miles to mill. He came to Warsaw in the spring of 1834. He was married Dec. 13, 1836, to Louisa J. Frazier, of Quincy, 111., and they have had 5 children, 3 of whom are living — Mary F. (now Mrs. George J. Rogers, of Carthage), Louisa (at home with her mother) and John F., who is the present Deputy County Clerk at Carthage. Mr. Scott died May 1, 1865. He was a merchant and commission 'agent most of his life. Christopher Stephens, deceased, was a native of Germany, and was born in 1802. He came to America in 1843, stopping for a season at Baltimore, Md., and in the year 1844 he came to St. Louis, and thence to Warsaw the same year. He was a wagon- maker at Warsaw for many years. He died in July, 1866, loved and respected by his many friends and acquaintances. He was a prom- inent citizen. Bev. Peter Wallace, pastor of the Warsaw M. E. Church, was born in Mason county, Ky., April 11, 1813, and is a son of Thomas and Catherine Wallace, deceased. His parents removed to Brown county, Ohio, when he was but an infant. He was here reared on a farm, with but limited educational advantages; but by hard study he has mastered several branches of literature and science, and is HISTOEY OF HANCOCK CODNTY. therefore a self-made mau. He came to Springfield, 111., in 1833; and in 1835 married Miss Emeline Johnson, by whom he had 6 children. Of these, 3 are living; viz., Joseph, Laura (now Mrs. Clark), and Emma (now Mrs. Arrowsmith). Mrs. "Wallace died Oct. 18, 1860. "While a young man in Springfield Mr. Wallace had for associates such persons as Abrahana Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, E. D. Baker, Milton Hay and others, afterward noted men. His first vote was cast for Lincoln for the Illinois Legisla- ture. Mr. "W. became a member of the M. E. Conference at Beards- town, 111., in 1853. He labored iu the ministry until 1860. In 1862 he organized a company of soldiers, mostly from Sangamon county, which was mustered into the United States service Aug. 21, 1862. Mr. Wallace was elected Captain of the company, and they partic- ipated in the battles of Perry ville, Ky., Stone River, Nashville, and other smaller engagements. He commanded the regiment during most of the battle of Stone River. He was discharged from the service on account of physical disability in May, 1864. He then supplied the Park Street M. E. Church, of Cincinnati, O., until his own (Illinois) conference met at Danville, 111., in the fall of the same year, when he received an appointment to Moweaqua. He was appointed Presiding Elder of Mattoon district in 1867, and in 1871 was appointed Presiding Elder of Quincy district, which he trav- eled for four years. He was President of the Board of Trustees of Chaddock College six years; afterward pastor at "Wincliester and Beardstown stations, and is now stationed at Warsaw, 111., in charge of the M. E. Church. Major John R. Wilcox, the subject of this memoir, was born in Addison county, Vermont, in 1798. His ancestors were among the earliest settlers of that State. His childhood and youth were em- ployed in obtaining the best education that the schools of his native town afforded. In very early life he accompanied his father to Portage county, Ohio. In 1818 he was appointed a cadet to West Point, by Congressman Sloan, and performed the journey from his home to West Point, a distance of many hundred miles, on horseback. He graduated in 1822, received an appointment of 2d Lieutenant, and was ordered to Fort St. Anthony. He arrived at the fort about the time of its completion, and was present when General Scott, in compliment to its brave commander. Col. Snelling, changed its name from Fort St. Anthony to Fort Snelling. The winter of 1822-'23 he spent in Jefferson Barracks, and in the spring was ordered to Fort Edwards, now Warsaw, 111., at that time considered the ne plus ultra of civilization. In the fall of 1823 he acted as second in a duel that was fought between Col. Marston, the commander of the fort, and Captain Home. In 1824, Major Wilcox resigned his commission in the army, and soon after received an appointment in the American Fur Company. In 1826 he went to the Galena lead mines, but subsequently returned and settled in Warsaw, where he resided until his death, in 1839. In 1''24 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kinney, daughter HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOUNTr. 669 ofOol. Lonis Kinney, one of the first settlers of Louis county, Missouri. The fruits of this union were 7 children, 3 of whom died in infancy. Major Wilcox died at his home' in Warsaw, on the 3rd of October, i839, which event had been preceded by the death of his amiable and accomplished wife, two year^ before. Major Wilcox was a social, benevolent, high-toned gentleman — a man of understanding, well informed, sincere, and honest. His feelings were strong but tender, and in the domestic circle they shone with peculiar lustre. To the testimony of private friendship may be added that of less partial strangers, who have borne witness to the many virtues of one whom it was impossible to know without esteeming, or to see without admiring. Major and Mrs. Wilcox left 4 children. The eldest daughtei;, Martha, attended school in Hancock county for several years after her father's death, then went to Ohio, completed her education, and married Dr. William English, who was for many years a prominent physician of War- saw. The second daughter, Elizabeth, was adopted and raised by an aunt in Ohio, where she married and is still living. The young- est daughter, Virginia, was adopted by another aunt, Mrs. Gal- land, wife bf Dr. Galland, a gentleman who occupied a prominent place in the early history of Hancock county. Tiiis daughter, cele- brated as well for her amiability and grace of manner as for her wit and beauty, married Mr. William Ivens, of Keokuk, Iowa, and with the exception of a few years spent in California, has resided in that city, an acknowledged q^ieen of society. Their only son, Louis Kinney Wilcox, was reared and educated in Vermont; returned to Warsaw in 1848, and commenced the study of medi- cine with his brother-in-law, Dr. English; attended lectures at the medical college in St. Louis, from which institute he graduated with high honors. In 1852 he commenced the practice of medi- cine in Warsaw, and, with the exception of a year sp6nt at the medical college at Philadelphia, and three years in the army .has made that city his home, where he has had for many years an extensive and lucrative practice, being considered one of the most skillful and prominent physicians in the county. Major Wilcox and his wife passed away in the summer of their lives, ere the journey of life was half completed; passed away while yet the golden floss of youth entwined their hearts, and the dim gray shadows of old age were but phantoms hovering in the distance. For long years they have slumbered in their darkened palaces of rest, and while the pitying stars have kept their everlasting watch and ward above them, and the night winds have sung a never-ceasing requiem o'er their graves, the Genius of improvement has passed with hurried tread over the scenes once familiar to their mortal eyes. CaptJ. B. Williams was born in Madison county, Ky., March 28, 1816, and is a son of Levi and Polly (Keid) Williams, also natives of Kentucky, who came to this county in 1831. Mr. Levi Williams was a soldier in the war of 1812, the Black Hawk war and the Mormon war. He was the father of 6 children, of wi-imu 670 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the subject of this sketch is the eldest. Captain Williams was married' in 1849, to Miss Angelina A. McMahan, daughter of Andrew McMahan,. of Warsaw. This union has been blessed with 8 children, of whom but 3 are living, — Mary, Flora J. and Thomas L. Mr. Williams operated the steam ferry at Warsaw for eight years, and since 1866 has been a Captain for the Eagle Packet Company, now operating on the Mississippi at all points between St. Louis and Keokuk. He still owns the old homestead on the N. W. J of sec. 6, Walker tp. Thomas L. Williams is engaged in farming near Warsaw. Amos H. Worthen was born in Bradford, Orange county, Vt., Oct. 31, 1813 ; was married to Miss Sarah B. Kimball, of Warren, N. H., Jan. l4, 1834; removed to Harrison county, Ky., and taught school a year; thence to Illinois in 1836, locating in Warsaw. In that place he entered into the mercantile business, which he follow- ed for a number of years, with moderate success. In 1851 Mr. W. was appointed assistant geologist in the Illinois Geological Survey, and remained in that position for about three years. In 1855 he was appointed an assistant in the Geological Survey of Iowa, and was thus engaged when he was appointed State Geologist of Illinois by Gov. Bissell, March, 1868. Prof. Worthen may justly be termed a self-educated man. With no education beyond that acquired at the common schools of New England, and no scientific training, he took up the study of geology and mastered it, to an extent excelled by few ; and this, too, after his settlement in Warsaw, and amid the cares of a family and while engaged in business. His attention was first drawn to the science of geology by observing the interesting minerals and fossils that were met with in such profusion on every hand. We well remember seeing him out in the morning or evening, with basket and hammer, rambling over the bluffs and among the ravines, collecting specimens, and then thought he was unprofitably engaged. The ravines were then full of geodes that had weathered out of the decomposing shales of the geode beds, and the beautiful crystals with which they were lined were objects of great interest. The limestones were also full of fossils ; and although the forms of organic life they presented were entirely new to him, they excited an intense desire to know something of their history, and of the specific character of the animals to which they once belonged. There had been no elementary work on geology published in this country at that time, and the first books he was able to obtain that contained any account of fossils, were a copy of Dr. Mantell's "Medals of Creation," and "Wonders of Geology," published in England. These, though they threw no light on the specific char- acter of the specimens he gathered in his excursion's among the rocks here, gave him some insight into the manner in which the rocks were formed, and how the remains of living beings came to be preserved in them. By collecting the minerals and fossils that HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 671 were found in the vicinity' of Warsaw, and exchanging them with other collections, he gradually acquired the information so much desired. Through these collections and exchanges, and by other means, Prof. W. obtained a valuable geological museum, which, when he was called to Springfield, thousands would not have pur- chased. Subsequently the first volumes of the Paleontology of Jncw York were published, afibrding the first figures and descriptions of American fossils that he had been able to obtain. Those who com- mence the study of geology now, when the characteristic fossils of every formation on the North American continent have been figured and described in published works, that are accessible to the student, in public and priva'te libraries, can form but little idea of the diffi- culties with which students in the same field had to contend 40 years ago. Prof. "Worthen's labors as State Geologist resulted in an extended survey of every county in the State, and the publication of six large volumes as a record of the work, — a publication deemed of great value to the scientific world. More lately Gov. Cullom has appointed Mr. W. to the position of Curator in the State Historical Library and Natural History Museum, a post which he now holds. liev. L. Zwmbvshl, present Pastor of the Catholic Church in "Warsaw, a native of Switzerland, was in 1846 in the city of Lu- zerne. He entered the college of said city in 1860; in 1864 he con- tinued his classical course in the renowned College of Schwyz, a town in the Canton Schwyz. After having been a short period a member of the University in Friburg, Baden, he graduated in the Theological Seminary of Kiir Graubiindten, in the Grisons, and was admitted to the dignity of priesthood the 19th day of April, 1870. He emigrated with the Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio, Et. Eev. Eapp, to his first field of labor. ' In 1877 he started "West, and joined the newly established Diocese of Peoria, Ills., of which the nephew of the deceased Archbishop Spalding of Baltimore, the most learned and eloquent T. L. Spalding, is the first Bishop. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. Below is a list of the oflicers who have served the township since its organization, as near as could be compiled from the records: STTPEBVISOES. Lemuel Mussetter 1850 Charles A. "Warner 1871 JohnPeyton 1854 Charles C. Hoppe 1873 Charles Coolidge 1858 John H. Finlay 1875 Thos C.Sharp 1862 Henry R. Chittenden 1877 William H. Roosevelt 1864 Lemuel Mussetter 1878 JosephM. True 1866 Fred Dross 1879 B. Frank Marsh 1867 Olirer Edwards 1880 Charles 0. Hoppe 1869 6T2 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. CLERKS. Edward E. Lane 1858 Peter Baker 1861 Henry Albers 1864 John K. Simmons 1866 Thomas M. Brawner 1870 John K. Simmons.. ; 1871 Charles Hilker 1874 Peter W. Plantz 1876-1880 ASSESSORS. W. S. Hathaway 1858 Joseph Burton 1859 W. 8. Hathaway 1861 David L. Spencer 1863 Frank Herberts 1866 William I. Price 1868 Franz Scherer. Harvey Tufts. 1870 C. D. Kruskopf ; 1871 Frank Herberts 1873 Calvin Cole 1874 F. 0. Floto 1875 .1879-1880 COLLECTORS. E.D.Baldwin 1858 Wm. W. Chittenden 1861 Conrad Nagel 1863 George B. Worthen 1864 Henry W. Comer 1866 Francis Shearer 1868 Peter Kaiser 1869 Henry P. Roth 1871 Henry P. Anderson 1873 Abe Greenwood 1873 Conrad Kehm 1874 Ed. C. Simms 1875 Peter Kaiser 1876 Charles Weiseman 1877 Willard G. Aldrich ) .g„g Joseph Hartman ) F.C. Floto 1880 HANCOCK TOWNSHIP. Tovjrnship 5 — 5, in the center, on the east line, and improperly named after the county, was for some time attached to St. Mary's and Fountain Green. It is largely timbered and broken, but has some beautiful prairie land and fine farms. The west branch of Crooked creek runs an extremely tortuous course through this tp., entering it at sec. 26 and crossing into McDonough from 36. From the northwest corner of 28 to the southeast of 26, less than three and a half miles, this stream meanders a distance of about 12 miles, at one point making a circuit of over three miles and returning to within 40 rods of its starting place. It is appropri- ately named Crooked creek. -The east branch enters the tp. from McDonough county, and the united stream flows again into that county from sec. 36. Among the pioneers of this tp., we are unable to mention but a few; viz., Major Williams, the letters, Wrights, Spangles, Longs, Anthony Duffy, Dr. Wm. Booze, James G. Smith, T, B. McCubbin, A. G. Botts, J. Lenox, T. Callihan, Lewis Hhea, etc. In all the earlier history of the county the people of this tp. were known as citizens of St. Mary's or Fountain Green, respect- ively, as thpy lived north or south of the center. The mills on Crooked creek have, in the early days, supplied much of the lumber for the eastern portion of the county, and much of the flour and meal for their breadstuffs. But since the advent of railroads and the introduction of steam, and the gradual failure of the stream, they hare fallen into decay. Timber is still plenty, and hard-wood lumber is still manufactured for local supply. There is no village in the limits of this tp., neither is there a SOBtoffice, the offices of St. Mary's, Fountain Green, Webster and [iddJe Creek supplying the inhabitants with their mail facilities. In the south part of Hancock tp. is a locality known to the earlier settlers as Black HawkEidge, or Black Hawk Headquarters, from a tradition that the old chief made it a frequent residence, during the Indian occupancy of the county. It has evidently once been an extensive Indian encampment, and even yet such relics as arrow-heads, stone implements, pottery and heads are found there. The forests and bluffs of Crooked creek and its trib- utaries are as much noted for these Indian remains as the bluffs along the river. BELIGIOtrS PBOGEESS. We have been unable to learn the actual number of Church organizations in this township, or whether there are any but the one (673) 674 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. church building. This one is situated on section 28, and about three miles east of the old Middle Creek Baptist Church, in Car- thage township. Concerning it we have no report. Members of the various religious societies south of the creek, it is presumed, unite with the Churches in St. Mary's, and those north of the creek with the Churches in Fountain Green. BIOGRAPHICAL. Following are brief personal sketches of the more prominent citi- zens and old settlers, whose lives constitute an important portion of the history of this township : Charles Austi/n, sec. 31; P.O., Middle Creek; is a native of Addison county, "Vermont; born in 1830, a son of Francis B. and Eleanor (Whittle) Austin, also natives of Vermont. Charles emi- grated to this State with his parents in 1846, and at the age of 21 was united in marriage with E^arriet S. Allton, who was born in Indiana in 1833. After marriage Mr. A. located in Fountain Green tp., and followed farming for six years; from there he went to McDonough county and remained one year, and in 1868 located in Hancock tp., where he has since resided. He owns 80 acres of improved land. Their marriage has been blessed with 5 children, 4 of whom are living; viz., Charles L., Sarah A., Eichard L. and Harvey D. Mr. A. has held the ofHce of Township Trustee for six yisars. He and his excellent wife are members of the Christian Church. Mr. A. served his country three years in the late war. He enlisted at Fountain Green, under Capt. Campbell, in Co. A, 118th 111. Inf. He was present during the siege of Vicksburg; was mustered out in April, 1865. Eepublican. Ziioius M. Austin, farmer, sec. 31; P. O., Middle Creek. He was born in 1826 in the State of Vermont. In the year 1847 he located in Burlington, Iowa, and worked at the cabinet and chair business for five years. He then came to Hancock Co., 111., in 1853, and married Elizabeth Hobert in Jan., 1853. Children by this union 11, 8 of whom are living; namely, Winfield S., Norman H., Errias, LodeniaL., Caroline, Febe, Harriet, James N. He owns 80 acres of land. Mr. A . and wife are members of the Christian Church. He is a Republican. Francis E. Belknap, farmer, sec. 34; P. O., Joetta. The orig- inal ancestry of this family came from Wales about 200 years ago. There were 3 brothers, Joseph, Seth and Samuel. The subject of this sketch is a descendant of Samuel, who is his great-great-grand- father. His great-grandfather was Simeon, and Francis was his grand-father. His father was Francis, Jr., who was a native of Conn., and bora in 1781. He emigrated to 111. in 1836, in Han- cock township, sec. 33. Died in 1846. Our subject was born in 1825, in Windsor, Conn.; was the oldest of 5 children. He came to 111. in 1837, one year after his father k "Mff-'"!^- HANCOCK Td HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 677 died. Married his present wife in 1874. Her name was Emma ■ Mitchell. He has been Town Clerk. Is a Democrat. Jjysander Belknap, deceased, was born in Connecticut in 1817. His wife's maiden name was Mary Thurber, and she was born in Illinois Dec, 1824. He emigrated to Illinois in 1836 and located on the farm where he lived until his death in 1876, at the age of 58. His wife died Nov. 12, 1879. Mr. B. came to Hancock county in an early day, and like the other pioneers, had experiences which were both trying and unpleasant. Although he lived in the county 44 years, he never made out one move, which was from the old log hut into his large farm dwelling. Mr. B. is the only one of the family who ever came West, excepting a half-brother,Jwho8e history appears in this work. Mr. B. owned 160 acres of land. The home farm is cultivated by his son Qrville, who lives with his sisters Annie and Elsie in the liome house. He was married March, 1844, to Mary Thurber, who bore him 10 children, 7 of whom are living, — Amelia, Annie, Scott, Willie, Orville, Walter, Elsie. Joel F. Sooz, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., Joetta; was born in this county in 1841. Mr. B. assists in carrying on the farm of Mrs. John Martin. He married Miss Marietta B. Martin in 1867, and they have 4 living children, — John L., Charles L., William W. and Ethel Pearl. He has been Town Clerk, also Tax Collector, which ofl&ce he now holds. He enlisted in the 10th Missouri Inf. in 1861. He was engaged in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, and Port Gibson, and was taken prisoner at Jackson, and sent to Rich- mond, Yirginia; was exchanged at Benton Barracks and rejoined the regiment at Corinth, Miss. ; was in it till the close pf the war. He is a Kepublican. William Booz, M. D., farmer and physician, sec. 33; P. O., Carthage. In the person of this sketch we have one of the pio- neers of Hancock county, and a representative citizen of Hancock tp. He was born in Kentucky in 1831. His father, Richard, was a native of the same State, and was born Aug. 20, 1810. His mother was born in 1812; her maiden name was Frances A. McCallister. When six years of age William came with his parents to Morgan Co., 111., in 1836, and in the following year to Hancock Co., where he has. resided ever since. His father lived here until his death which occurred in 1845. During the next three years William spent his time in teaching and going to school. He began the study of medicine with T. A. Barnes, of Carthage, 111., and in 1855 he entered the Iowa State University and finished the course of study. Mr. B. then located on his present farm and has resided there ever since. He afterward graduated at Keokuk in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has been in the active practice of medicine in his home neighborhood for the last 24 years, and with one exception is the oldest "practicing physician in the county. His success both as a physician and farmer has been flattering. He owns 280 acres of land. His home improvements are among the best in the township. Mr. B. has been personally 40 ■678 HI8T0KY OF HANCOCK. COUNTY. ■identified with the interests of his township for many years. Po- litically he is a staunch Democrat and has taken an active part in the politics of the county. He stumped the county in the Douglas ■and Lincoln campaign and met in joint discussion some of the prominent orators of those times. Mr. B. has also been an active citizen in promoting the moral interests of his community. He has been a licensed minister of the Christian denomination since 1849. Mr. B. was united in marriage to E. J. E. McOubbin, who was a native of Kentucky, born in 1832 and daughter of Joseph Mc- Cubbin, of that county. Twelve children, 10 of whom are living, have been born unto them : Sarah E., Lenora W., Fannie E., Joseph M., Emma W., Dora M., Elizabeth A., Willie M., Zilpha F. and Nellie J. Mr. B. has been Town Supervisor 11-^ years, and Assessor two years. Is a Freemason. Beuien Craven, farmer, sec. 33; P. O., Middle Creek; was born in Pennsylvania in 1831, son of Joseph and Mary (Brown) Craven, natives also of Pennsylvania; the former was born in 1806, and the latter in 1804. The father emigrated to Illinois in 1841 and located in St. Mary's tp., on sec. 6. In this and Carthage towns he con- tinued to reside till his death in 1871. His widow is still living, at the advanced age of 76. Reuben lived at home until he arrived at his majority when he began teaching school. He has continued to teach during the winter months most of the time since, farming in the summer. He was married in 1855 to Margarette L. Ewing, who was a native of Ohio, and born in 1837. They have been blessed with 8 children ; Linneus P., Mary M., Emma M., Joseph R., John E., Clara J., Jenoa C, Frank L. His children, Linneus P. and Maggie, graduated with honors at Carthage College in 1878. The former holds a professorship of mathematics at Mt. Morris, 111., Academy. Mr. C. owns 117 acres of good land. He has held the ofiSce of Justice of the Peace for eight years. Supervisor and School Trustee. He is a Republican. Adam Curry, who is the son of Matthew and Jane Curry, is of Irish descent, and was born in Pennsylvania in 1840. He emi- grated to this State in 1852, and first settled in Fountain Green tp., where he lived until 1854, and then settled where his mother now lives, on sec. 7, in Hancock tp. . He is at present a farmer on the same section. He was married in 1867, to Louisa Long, who had one child from her former_^husband, whose name is William, and who is now living at home. She is also the mother of 5 children, of whom 4 are living, from her second husband, Mr. C, the sub- ject of this sketch. Their names are: James E., Mary B., — F. and an infant child. Mr. C. owns where he lives, his share of his father's estate consisting of 290 acres, to which there are heirs. He has never held any office except Collector one term". His educa- tional advantages were only ordinary, and he is, politically, a Re- publican. Anthony Duffy was born Aug. 20, 1811, in Cumberland county, Pa., son of John and Elizabeth (Graft) Duffy, father a native of HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 679 Ireland, and motlier of Pennsylvania, and of German descent. He came West in the Spring ot 1836 and settled on sees. 5 and 8, Hancock tp., this county, where he bought 160 acres of land, which was then entirely wild ; here on sec. 8 he built a log cabin 16 feet 8quare,,with half a room above; in this he lived until 1850, when he Duilt a fine brick residence on sec. 5; in this he has lived about 28 years, when he moved into the place which he now occu- pies. Nov. 17, 1835 he married Mary Matilda Spangler, at Mt. Kock, Cumberland county, Pa. She was a daughter of Samuel and Kebecca Spangler, of German and Holland descent, and she died July 20, 1873, since which time Mr. Duffy has not kept house, but lives with his sons, William J. and Scott A., on sec. 5. All of his 8 children are living. The eldest, Samuel S., is, a farmer on sec. 5, where his father first settled. Mary E. is the wife of I. N. Hobart, a farmer in this tp.; John S. is a farmer in Carthage tp.; Joseph T. is also a farmer in Nodaway county, Mo.; Rebecca Ellen is the wife of Jerome Evans, a farmer also in the last named J lace; Robert M. is a stock-dealer in Burnside, this county. Mr. ). has given all his property to his children except 40 or 50 acres, on sees. 5 and 9. The home f^rm consists of 156 acres, 115 of which are under good cultivation, being worth about $50 per acre. Mr. Duffy is a^ Republican, and has been School Director and Trustee, etc., but has never aspired to oflice. In early days he had not the good advantages of a school education; he was compelled to go two miles to attend school in a log house long before the free- school system was inaugurated, and he came to this county when it was a complete wilderness. He is of course familiar with the Mormon history of this county, and was one of the foremost men when Governor Ford called out the Militia to arrest Jo Smith and bring him to Carthage. He had just returned home when Smith was shot, having *had pretty good authority beforel/and that such a thing would be done. Mr. D . is a prominent and highly respected citizen, and we give his portrait in this work. Pleasant C. CHMi/nwater, farmer; P. 0., Middle Creek; was born in East Tennessee, Hawkins county, in 1812; his parents were also natives of Tennessee; his father, David, was born in 1789, and his mother, Cisire, nee Willson, was born in 1790. The subject of this sketch is the eldest of 16 children. Pleasant C. resided in Schuyler county 18 years., and in 1856 he located in Hancock county, St. Mary's tp. ; was there 8 years, then moved to his present farm in Hancock tp. in 1864, where he now resides, owning 40 acres of land, valued at $1,000. In 1839 he took unto himself a partner in the person of Martha Huff, also a native of Tennessee, and born in 1819; they have 8 children: James E., Louis W., David E., May F., Joseph C. (dec), Henry K., Seals J., Amanda A. and John T. They raised also Lester M. Mitchell who still lives with them. Louis W., farmer, married his first wife. May E. Worthington, in Indiana. One child, Edith, was born to 680 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. them. He married- his second wife in Dec, 1878. L. W. was in the late war, in the 57th 111. Inft., three years ; was in battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, and with Gren. Sherman on his march to the sea. Charles Harder, an intelligent farmer of his community, of Ger- man descent, is a son of Peter and Mary Harder, and was born in New York in 1830. Coming to Hancock coimty in 1869, he set- tled where he now lives, on sec. 4 of Hancock tp. He was married at the age of 28, to Jennie Kingsley, who is the mother of 5 chil- dren, all of whom are living; namely, Hattie, Albert, "William, Anna and Robert. Mr. H. owns a farm of 105 acres, where he lives, all of which is pretty well improved; has on it a neat little house, and makes for himself and family a convenient and pleasant home. Politically he is a Republican, and although his educational ad- vantages were not the best, yet he is an enterprising man and takes an interest in home ajBFairs, and everything of a literary nature. Mrs. H. is a member of the Presbyterian Church; also her eldest daughter. Isaac Zf. Uobert, farmer, sec. 6; P. 0., Carthage; is the eldest son of Norman Hobert, who was born in Essex, N. T., Dec. 29, 1810; came to Illinois in 1833, and located at Rnshyille, where he was married in. 1834, to Miss Ura Holladay; after marriage he came to this county and settled in Fountain Green tp. He helped to make the first track that crossed the county, and was an active participant in the early settlement of the county. He was a house carpenter by occupation, and erected many buildings in Carthage. Prior to his removal to this city, he erected and carried on milling on Crooked creek, which he afterward moved to Carthage, and continued in that business 13 years. His demise, which occurred Dec. 13, 1878, was a bereavement to a large circle of friends and relatives. He was for many years a local preacher, and one of the sincerest Christian men that ever honored the principles of true religion. The milling interests he willed to his sons, who are now engaged near Hamilton. The esteemed widow and mother who survives, is a daughter of Moses and Celia (Skirvin) Holladay, who settled in Lexington, Ky., before the Revolutionary war. They were the parents of 14 children, but 3 of whom are living. Isaac N., our subject, was born in this county, and was married June 21, 1861, to Miss Mary E. Duffy, a native of this county, and they have had 10 children, all of whom are living, — Mary E., Carrie L., Joseph N., Dennis W., Eva E., Lillie E., Matilda E., [Jra A., Isaac N., Jr. and Blanche. Sidney L., the next child, married Elizabeth Pickens; have one child, not christened. Maria, the last named of his living children. The subject of this sketch resides at his stockfarm in Hancock tp., consisting of 235 acres. Healsoowns the homestead of 136 acres, in Carthage tp. The family is of the earliest settlers of the county. John Martin, deceased, was born in Ky., in 1812; resided in that State until 1861, during which time he was engaged in farm- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 681 ing and manufacturing. Since coming to Illinois and locating on the farm, where he always resided, he has been engaged in farming and milling; in these vocations he has been quite successful. lie left to mourn his loss a wife and 2 children. He was married in 1846, to Mildreth S. Yincent, of Ky., and born in 1824. The farm left his family consists of 280 acres of improved land. Mr. M. held the office of School Trastee, and was also an Elder in the Presby- terian Church. James Martin^ miller; P. O., Joetta; is a son of John Martin, born in 1845. He has lived at home assisting his parents all his life. He is now running the mill which his father controlled. He was married in 1873, to Susan F. Kelley, a native of Illinois, and was born in 1849. They have 2 children to make home happy. James E. and Margaretta. Mr. M. has held the office of Town Clerk and Postmaster since his father's death. William JOong, an aged and respectable man and a very old set- tler of Hancock county, the son of John and Mary Long, who were, of German descent, was born in 1807, in Penn*. Coming to Illinois in 1835, he settled in Bear Creek township, where he re- sided ten years ; then came to the place on which he now lives on sec. 8. He was married in 1830 to Mary Yetter, who lived only about five years after their marriage. He was married the second time in 1839, to Mary Giphart, who died in 187^2. Mr. L. had, by his first wife, 2 children, of whom one is living, whose name is Levi, and who is now living with his father, on his farm. Mr. L. owns the land on which he is living, consisting of 160 acres, of which 100 acres are pretty well improved ; 60 acres are brush. He has also 40 acres of timber on sec. 17 of same township. He is an honest and upright citizen, a devoted member of the Lutheran Church, and had poor advantages for obtaining an education when young. He was, at one time, Collector for five or six years; was Assessor one year; Justice of the Peace for four years, and was Township Trus- tee for 15 years. Mr. L., although he is, in fact, politically a Demo- crat, is very liberal in his political views concerning home affairs. Thomas'^. McGuhhin, son of Joseph and Ellen McC, wasbom in 1839 on sec. 32, in Hancock township, Hancock county, 111., and is of Irish descent. Here he spent his boyhood days and was mar- ried in 1860 to Martha Camren. His wife is the mother of 6 children, of whom 8 are living. Their names are John, Rue and Dove. Mr. McCubbin is 41 years of age, is a prominent man in his community, and by ,hard work and by the " sweat of his brow" iias succeeded in accumulating considerable wealth. He is now living on sec. 29 of Hancock township, where he owns a good farm, consisting of 160 acres, of which 150 are under cultivation. His land is worth about $35 per acre, and is well-improved. Has a good two-story frame house, size 28x32, which he built in 1871. Has also a substantial barn, 28x30, which he built in 1877. He owns, besides the tract of land on which he lives, 100 acres of timber on section 29, 80 acres of timber and 40 acres of prairie 682 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. on section 20 of same township, Mr. McCubbin has been a farm- er all his life, and has labored hard to sustain the reputation of men of that profession without meddling with political affairs. He has been Assessor once, and is at present School Director. Polit- ically he is Independent. . His educational advantages when young were quite limited, being compelled to attend school in a log school-house. He and his wife, Martha, are beth earnest members of the Christian Church. Joseph McCubbin, who is quite an aged man, is living with his son Thomas, the subject of this sketch. He is at present 84 years old, and is quite feeble, being confined to his room most of the time, and is also almost entirely deaf. J. L. Miller was born in Ohio in 1824; is the son of Leonard and Mary Miller, and is of German descent. He emigrated to Illi- nois in 1896, and first settled on section 6, where he lived for nine years; thence he removed to where he now resides, also on sec. 6, of Hancock tp. He was married in 1852 to Nancy Meyers, who is now 45 years old, and who is the mother of ten children, all of whom are living. Their names, beginning with the oldest, are as follows: Mary, Ellen, Alfred, Matilda, Jennie, Walter, Charles, John, Manda and Alice. Mr. M. owns a large farm where he lives, consisting of 182 acres; and has besides 108 acres on sec. 17, 20 acres on sec. 9, 20 acres on sec. 2, all in same township. The farm- ing land is all very well improved, and is worth about $60 per acre. He is in politics a Republican, but is not at all radical in township and county affairs. His educational advantages when young were only ordinary. Armstead Mosely, sec. 31; P. 0., Middle Creek; was born in Kentucky in 1796. Forty years ago Hancock county received one of her many excellent and infiuential pioneers in the person of this sketch. Previous to his locating in this county in 1839, he lived in Texas, Kentucky, and Indiana. For 29 years Mr. M. has lived upon his present farm of 207 acres, which is now valued at about $7,000. Mr. M. was married in 1881 to Miss Nancy Driskill, of Kentucky, who was born in 1815, and they have a family of 10 children living; namely, Mary E., Martha J., William Y., Winston E., Simeon A., Samuel F., Sarah F., John F., Nancy A., Amanda E. Simeon and Winston enlisted in the 42nd 111. Inf., in 1864; were in the battles of Franklin, Spring Hill, Nashville. Were dis- charged at Port Lavacca, Texas, in 1866. Mr. M. is a. Democrat, He and his wife are members of the Christian Church. James Samons, farmer, sec, 24; P. O., Joetta; was born May 24, 1835. He is a son of Edward and Anna M. (Hays) Samons, the former a native of Virginia, and born in 1800; the latter a native of Hutherford Co., Tgnn., was born in 1818. Edward came to Illinois in 1831, and lived in Morgan county until 1847, when he moved into St. Mary's town, and was there eight years. He finally moved to the State of Missouri, and lived there until his death in 1867. At the age of 20 James located in McDonough county and there remained four years, and then moved to Hancock county, and HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 68S- has since resided on his present farm of 267 acre's, valued at , per acre. Mr. S. was married in 1855 to Sarah E. Way, native of Illinois, and was born in 1840. They have been blessed with 7 children; viz., Mary J., Edmond, Chas. W., Euth E., Louisa, Stephen A., Ida May. Mr. S. enlisted in Co. A, 118th Keg., under Capt. Campbell, in 1862; was in battles of Thompkins Hill, and Baker Creek; discharged at Port Hudson, Louisana, in 1864. He is a Republican. Robert Sample, who has been a resident of Hancock tp., Hancock county, 111., for about 30 years, was born in Pennsylvania in 1803. He is the son of John and Ann Sample, and is of Irish descent. He came west in 1849 and first settled in Fulton county, where he remained for 18 months, when he came to Hancock county and settled on sec. 4, of Hancock tp., thence he removed to sec. 6, where he has lived for 11 years. He was married in 1826 to Jane Hawthorne, who died in 1868. She was the mother of 13 child- ren of whom only 7 are living, and whose names are as follows: James, John, Frank, Calvin, Anna, Jane and Sarah. Mr.S. owns 80 acres of land on sec. 4, 40 acres on sec. 16, and 20 acres on sec. 9. However, he is now living with his daughter, Jane, a widow woman, on sec. 6. The valne of his land per acre is about $25. He is, politically, *a Republican, and a devoted mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church; has held the office of Highway Commissioner two terms; Township Trustee two terms; and School Director a number of years. Mr. S. had, for securing an education, only the opportunities and advantages that were afibrded to all children of Pennsylvania before the free-school system was adopted. He is, however, an intelligent, upright, and revered old gentleman in his community; he is pretty badly crippled with rheumatism, but is making the best of his last days, and is trying to take life easy by being an earnest Christian man, before the last summer's sun shall have set upon his silvered locks and gone down behind the horizon of time and eternity forever. Philipp Siepel was born in Germany in 1819, a son of Milton Siepel, also a native of Germany, born in 1785. When Philipp was 14 years old he was apprenticed to the cooper trade; when 34 years of age he ;emigrated to America and located in Shenandoah county, Virginia, where he remained until 1854, when he moved to his present farm in Hancock county. 111., where he still lives, owning a nice farm of 330 acres, which he has secured by his own honesty and economy. He was married in 1848 to Liza A. Fivever, a native of V irginia, born in 1823. Their living children are, Handley, John, Eleanor, Nathaniel, George W. and Lavina F. Mr. Siepel and his estimable wife are members of the Christian Church. George Sowers, who is an old settler in Hancock county, was born in Pennsylvania in 1830. He is of German descent, the son of Samuel and Sarah Sowers. Came to this State in 1854 and first settled in Fountain Green tp.,where he lived 13 years, and after- 684 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ward settled where he now is on sec. 6 in 1871. He was married in 1856 to Willimina McGhecan, who is the mother of 10 children of whom all are living except one. Their names are: William, Samuel, Maggie, Charles, John, Delia, James, Belle and Nellie. Mr. S. is now living on the place owned by his son, consisting of 98 acres. The land is tolerably well improved, and is worth about $20 per acre. Mr. S. had very poor advantages for securing an education ; is a man who is independent in politics and has never held any offices except School Director. Mrs. S. is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Joseph T. Spangler is one of the oldest settlers of Hancock tp., and is the son of Samuel and Kebecca Spangler, natives of Penn- sylvania. He was born in 1817, and is of German descent on his father's side, and French and Welsh on his mother's side. He came to this State in 1838 and settled on sec. 5, of Hancock tp., where he still resides. He was married in 1851 to Anna Mary Sample, who is now 52 years of age and is the mother of 7 chil- dren, of whom 5 are living. Their names,beginning with the oldest, are as follows: Jape R, Sarah V., Mary E., Joseph T. and Samuel E. Mr. Spangler owns 320 acres of land where he lives and has, besides, 80 acres in another tract, all of which is well improved. He has a very good house and barn on the home place, and values the land at about $30 per acre. His educational advantages were only such as were afforded to all children of that day before the free-school system was established. His family are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. S. has held the office of Supervisor a number of years, and now holds the office of School Treasurer, which he has held 32 years. By being independent in politics and always looking to the best interests of his country at home, Mr. S. has, for some time, been taking life easy in his aged years, regarding necessity as a virtue, and is thus honest and upright, and a man of considerable local repute. Peter E. Weakley, merchant, was born near Carlisle, Cumber- land county, Pa., July 31, 1823, and is a son of W. L. and Martha W. (Ege) Weakley, of German and English descent. His advan- tages for early education were of course far inferior to those of the present day. In 1846 he married Miss Harriet M. Black, a daughter of Thomas W. and Catharine (Slentz) Black, all natives of Penn- sylvania, Mr. Black of Irish ancestry, and Mr. Slentz of German. Mrs. W. was born in Adams county, Pa., Oct. 8, 1825. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1849 Mr. Weakley came West and first settled in Morgan county. 111., and the next year he located on sec. 2, Hancock tp., this county, where he lived 20 years, when he sold his farm and entered mercantile business at Union- town, sec. 11, where he has carried a general stock of goods ever since, sales averaging $16,000 to $20,000 a year. He is very care- ful in making his purchases, so that he is enabled to sell a good HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 685 quality o^ goods very cheap. He has, therefore, a very good run of trade, doiiig a lively local business. In politics he is a Eepubli- can, but is very liberal in local affairs; is now serving his fifth terna as Supervisor, and has been School Director. He is one of the most enterprising and substantial citizens of the county, a man of fine manners, well known and highly respected. "We give in this volume Mr. Weakley's portrait, made from a photograph taken at the age of about 45 years. S. A. Wright, the son of Hickerson and Oynthia "Wright, is another of the many very old settlers of Hancock county, and was born Oct. 9, 1825, in Tenn. He is of Scotch and Irish descent; came to this State in 1833 and settled in Fountain Green tp. , where he lived until 9 years ago, when he settled in Hancock tp. He was first married in 1849 to Susan Bond, who lived until about 4 years ago; was married the second time in 1877, to Elizabeth Murray. He is the father of 4 children, of whom only 2, Minnie S. and Mintie L., are now living. Mr. W. owns 52f acres of land where he lives, on sec. 3; has in another place 60 acres of timber; also 100 acres of good land in Fountain Green tp. The average estimate of his land per acre is about $40/ all tlie farming land is well improv- ed and he has a fine, substantial house on the nome place. Politi- cally he is a Democrat and is an upright, well-to-do farmer. OFFICERS Of Hancock township who have served, or are now in oflSce : SUPERVISORS. J. T. BpaJigler 1856 Joseph T. Spangler 1874 Peter B. Weakley 1861 Reuben Cravens 1875 WilliamBooz. .= 1863 Wm. Booz 1876 J. H. Folts 1868 George Brewster 1877 Peter E. Weakley 1869 J. T. Spangler 1878 Wm. Booz 1870 Peter E. Weakley 1879 CLERKS. JohnDenison 1856 Joel T. Booz 1874 r.E.Belknap 1863 .Albert S. Bear 1875 John J. Grohegan 1864 John Martindale 1876 George W. Jones 1865 Levi J. Rhea 1877 Thomas McAvoy 1867 Jerome B. Jones 1878 Wm. M. Anderson 1868 John Campbell 1879 Jerome B. Jones 1871 James L. Martin 1880 Wm. M. Anderson.^ 1873 ASSESSORS. A. G. Botts 1856 Levi Smith 1868 William Booz 1858 John H. Parker 1869 JeflEerson Perkins I860 Levi Smith 1870 J H Parker 1863 "James G. Smith 1871 Levi Smith 1864 Thos. B. McCubbin 1874 William Long 1865 James G. Smith 1875 Thomas Cambron 1866 J. T. Spangler 1879 WmLong 1867 Geo. W. Green 1880 686 HISTORT OF HANCOCK COUHTT, OOLLEOTOES. William Long 1856 EmanuelJones 1858 William Long 1860 Wm. Spangier 1861 Wmiam Long 1863 John H. Parker 1864 William Loijg 1866 Levi Smith 1867 Calloway L. Khea 1868 John W.Huston 1869 James G. Smith 1870 John Martindale 1871 Monroe Riggins 1873 Samuel Di^ 1874 Stephen A. Kelly. 1875 Alberts. Bear 1877 C.L.Rhea 1878 Joel T. Booz 1879-1880 CARTHAGE TOWNSHIP Received its name from the county seat on its west line. It is numbered 6-6; is principally prairie land, but has bodies of timber on Middle, Prairie, Long and Eock creeks, tributaries of Crooked creek. Certain portions of this township are level and prairie, and consequently better suited to meadow and stock-raising than to grain. Large quantities of corn are grown, however, in all direc- tions. This township has many finely improved farms and sub- stantial and neat residences, owned by independent farmers. Carthage, being in the midst of an extensive prairie, was not settled as early as the western and eastern portions of the county; and had it not been for the iact that the county-seat was located in it, its settlement would have advanced no faster, perhaps, than those of Harmony, Prairie and Pilot Grove adjoining. We are not advised that it had an inhabitant within its limits (other than Elder Thomas H. Owen, who came in 1831), when in March, 1833, William Gillham and Scott Eiggs located the county-seat on sec. 19. That event of course gave an impetus to settlement; and we find that on April 2 of the same year a special term of the County Commissioners' Court was held there, at the house of Thomas Brewer, which, if not there before, must have been a tempo- rary building hastily put up. At that meeting Thomas H. Owen was appointed to build a covrt-house, and it was to be finished before Aug. 25th! for the use of the Circuit Court soon to be held. Ex-Secretary O. H. Browning, then a young lawyer on the Circuit, attended that Court, as he had others before at Yenus. Here is his account of that event, and description of Carthage at that time. We quote from his address delivered before the "Hancock County Pioneers' Association," in the court-house, June 15, 1869: "He said he remembered attending the first Court held at Carthage. The Temple of Justice at that day was a log cabin of limited dimen- sions, roofed with clapboards. The Bench and Bar boarded with a family near the timber, and near the subsequent residence of Mr. Baldwin. The ' hotel' of Carthage was a sort of rail-pen, 12 feet square, the provisions and whisky being dealt out through the cracks to the outsiders. The site of the present court-house was a frog-pond ; and yet this unpromising beginning had culminated in the present town of Carthage, one of the neatest and prettiest villages he had ever visited." As we have seen, the town site was pre-empted by the county, and the County Surveyor (John Johnson, of Riversiae) employed to lay out the town at once, to be completed by May 1. This time seems to have been too short for him to do his work well, for we (687) HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. find tliat afterward a new survey was ordered and a new plat made. Clerk Williams immediately removed to the new town, and we find that a special term of the County Court was held at his house on the 3d of June. The regular term, Sept. 2, was held at the new court-house. At this term that singular attorney at law;, Louis Masqaerier, was licensed to keep a tavern and also to sell goods. Counting the "boarding house," referred to by Mr. Browning as t\i% first one, this tavern of Masquerier's must have been the second one in the town or township, and his store the first store. He was still there in 1836, but soon returned to New York. Thomas Brewer must have emigrated soon, as we heax nothing rnore concerning him. Among the early settlers of Carthage, as we remember them, were Cad Hamilton and his sons Artbis and Canfield, Samuel Williams, Walter Bagby, Frederick Loring, Rev. John Lawton, Dr. John F. Charles, Louis Masquerfer, James B., Hamilton C. and David W. Mathews, Senator Little, Robert Miller, Joshua and Jonas Hobart, Elam S. Freeman, Homer Brown, Ellis Hughes, Capt. Robert F. Smith, Ebenezer Rand, Franklin A. Worrell, Harmon T. Wilson, Charles Main, Lewis Stevenson, Samuel Comer, Jesse B. Winn, George W. Thatcher, Miles B. Mann, James Baird, Isaac Galland, James W. Woods, James W. Brattle, Samuel Marshall, Malcolm McGregor, Cliauncey Robison, Sylve.-^ter Thompson, U. C. Taylor, John Wilson. John Wilson Williams, George W. Stigall, Dr. Barnes, Michael Barnes. In the vicinity were David Baldwin, Epaphras B. Baldwin, William C. Hawley, Michael Rickard, Richard Cannon, Allen McQuary, Thomas Met- calf, T. Gridley, Thomas J. Kimbrough, W. J. Dale, John Booth, Robert G. Bernethy, Norman Hobart, I. N. Cauthorn, George C. Waggoner, Samuel F. Pray, Alexander Barnes. Of the foregoing 50 odd individuals, more than half are known to have died, numoers of them long years ago. Many others left the county, some of them still living. Several will be recognized as men of note in the county's history. Three — Little, Marshall and Worrell — met violent deaths, which are mentioned elsewhere. BUSINESS OF OAETHAGE. The following men comprise the business circle of Carthage: Chris T. Long is Postmaster, and .keeper of a book-store. Shultz & Son, Wm. T. Smith and Dwight Cutler are engaged in the drug business; the latter also keeps a large stock of books and stationery. James Sample controls the furniture trade. Wm. Hughes has a large business in saddlery and harnesses. Dr. E. M. Robbins is the prominent dentist. The!dry-goods trade is represented princi- Eally by Wm. B. Bennett, J. C. Williams and J.W. Everett; the latter as also a branch millinery department on the north side of square. Mr. Dale is also in the same business. Wm. H. Patterson is the HISTORY OF HAXCOCK OODNTY. 689 oldest living merchant in the city, deals in grain, etc. Also J. B. Strader & Son have an extensive ware-house, and offer a specialty in fence posts and drain tile. Also Fuutoh & Shnltz, Taylor Bros., in>the same business. J. Mack Shollard and John Boyd control the hardware, and Charles G. Clark & Sons are extensive/dealers in lumber. Stephen S. Wilson is the miller. W. P. McKee has a lucrative trade in agricultural implements. O. P. Carlton also in the grocery business. Jas. N. Currens runs a nice trade in boots and shoes. Will O. Sharp is the only photographer. J. S. Johnson, patentee on corn-husker, does a large manufacturing business. F. B. Miller & Co., located near the depot, are large grain dealers. Chas. E. Smale and John Helfrich both have a good mai-ket business. The lawyers are Judges J. M. Ferris, and T.C. Sharp,W. E. Mason, State's Atty.,M. P. and O. F. Berry, W. H. Manier.Geo.'G. Kogers,C. J. Sco- field, T. J. Scofield, A. W. 6'Harra and others. Dr. J. W. Carlton, W.M. Kellogg, K. C. Halladay, W. T. Hannan, W. D. Noyes, J. H. •Callahan, are the physicians. Dr. Adam Spilter is a retired physi- cian. The banking interests are represented by the Hancock Connty Bank, H. G. Ferris, President; A. J. Griffith, Vice Presi- dent; William Griffith, Cashier. A second institution of the kind isrun by ShoU & Cherill. Henry C. Wilson and E. T. Dorothy have the trade for livery business. The Stevens House, located on the square, is being run by J. Jackson. The Tlohrer House, two blocks northwest of the square, is controlled by C. G. Eohrer. EELIGIOgS PEOGEESS. The first religious services held at the county-seat were in the log-cabin court-house south of the square. The date of the first cannot be fixed; but as Rev. John Lawton, the Home Missionary of the Congregational Church, settled there in 1834, and as its builder. Elder Owen, was also a minister of the gospel, the pre- sumption is that services were held in it soon after its erection. The first authentic information we have of any Church organization in the town, is that of the Cong. Church, organized in March, 1836. It was supplied by Kevs. B. F. Morris, Joseph Mason, James A. Hawley, Wm. E. Catlin and Wm. B. Atkinson, but gradually de- clined, most of its members going to other denominations, and for 15 or 2,0 years past the organization has ceased to exist. About the same period a society of Methodists and also of Bap- tists was formed, all holding their meetings in the log court-house, and none of them having regular pastors. A Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school is said to have been established as early as 1835, Col. Freeman, Superintendent. There are at present seven church edifices in Carthage, the hand- somest and costliest being the Lutheran. There is also a German Lutheran, an unpretentious frame building; a Presbyterian, of brick; a Methodist Episcopal, of brick; a Missionary Baptist, of brick; a Christian, of frame; and a Catholic, of brick. Most or all 690 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of the above have their regular services and regular pastors, and some of them large congregations. There is also a small society of Episcopalians, who, without a church, rent a building for church services. We have no further statistics of any of the foregoing. There is also a new M. E. Ohurch at Middle Creek village, and a congregation worshiping there. The only other church in the township, we believe, is that known as the Old Brick Church at Middle Creek, in the southeast corner. This is undoubtedly the oldest Church organization in the county. It is of the Old-School Baptist order, and was organized, its records say, " on Saturday before the second Lord's Day in August, 1832," by Elder William Bradley and John Ehea, upon articles of faith submitted. Said Church has kept up its regular organization since, meeting in the sanfe little old brick in the woods. Elder Thomas H. Owen was Clerk at said organization, and afterward preached to the congregation for many years. Its membership has been at times quite large, but has of late become reduced to 25 or 30. The' late Elder Dennis Smith, of Carthage, to whom we are indebted for these facts, was a Pastor of this Church for several years. PKESONAL SKETCHES. We continue the history of this township by giving short sketches of the old settlers and prominent citizens, which will be found ot peculiar interest: ^ Fra/ncis S. Austin, farmer, sec. 35; P. 0., Carthage; was born in Addison county, Yt., in 1824. His parents, Francis B. and Eleanor (Whitten) Austin, were natives of Massachusetts, and emi- grated from New York State to Illinois in 1848, settling in Foun- tain Green, Hancock Co., where he resided until his death, in 1866. She died in Kansas in 1875. The subject of this sketch was mar- ried in 1845, to Miss Phoebe Mapes, a native of Indiana. To this union 9 children have been born, 7 of whom are living : George W., Charles, H. H., Frank B., Edward F., Alice P., Josephine and John T.: Mary J. and Emma deceased. Mr. A. came to this county in 1852, and settled on his present estate of 445 acres, val- ued at $50 per acre. He was Town Constable three years in Car- thage, and was largely engaged in the livery business the same length of time, where he resided nine years. Has been School Director, and was formerly a member of the Methodist Church. Politically he was an old-time Whig, and now adheres to the Kepublican admin- istration, and is an early pioneer of Hancock. Levi Ba/rher, Jr., farmer, sec. 3; P. O., Carthage; was born in Pittsfield, Pike county. 111., in 1839 ; is son of Austin Barber, of that city, and one of the oldest settlers and respected citizens of that coixnty. The subject of this sketch was engaged in merchan- dising in Pittsfield until the war broke out, when he enlisted in April, 1861, in Co. G, 8th 111. Yol. Inf. as 1st Sergeant, and served three mouths, when he re-enlisted in same regiment, and served until HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 691 June, 1864, when he was discharged by the President to raise a company of 100-day men. This he accomplished at Pittsfield, and was connected to the 137th Eegt. 111. Vol. Inf. with rank of Cap- tain of Co. H. With this regiment he served until the close of the term. He was with the 8th at the battle of Fort Donelson, where he was wounded and confined at the hospital at Paducah, Ky., one month. Upon recovery he again entered the ranks and partici- pated in the battles of Shiloh, siege of Vicksbarg, and in all the smaller engagements in which that regiment participated. He was at Memphis with the 137th when Forrest made his eventful raid on that city. On his return home he was appointed Clerk in the general office of Provost Marshal at Springfield, where he was engaged one year. He afterward engaged in the livery business and merchandising in his native city until 1873, when he moved to this county and settled on his present estate of 160 acres, valued at $50 per acre. He was married in 1864 to Miss Amelia T. Scam- mon, a native of Pittsfield, who died in 1875, leaving born to him one child, Carrie. His present wife. Miss Mary E. Johnson, is a native of Aurora, 111. To this union one son has been born. Lute. Mr. B. served one year as Assistant Internal Revenue Collector at Pittsfield, and was in other ways distinguished. He is a member of the Masonic order, the A. O. U. W., and of the State Militia; also, the family are members of the Presbyterian Church. II. F. Bartholomew, professor of natural and physical science, was born in Northumberland county. Pa., in 1846. He received his early education at the academy of Foburgh, Snyder county, Pa. The success attending his studies in this school is greatly due to E. G. Erlenmeyer, professor of languages in that institution, to whom he makes grateful remembrance in shaping his course in life. Two years afterward he was employed as assistant in the same institution eighteen months, where he entered the Missionary Institute at Selin's Grove, Pennsylvania, and prepared for his col- legiate studies. In the fall of 1868, he entered the sophomore class 01 the Pennsylvania college at Gettysburg, and graduated with second honors of his class in 1871, standing second in a class of twenty-one. In the fall of the same year he was appointed prin- cipal of the academy at Clark City, Mo., and ;the following year moved to Cahoka, where he officiated as principal of the high school two years. In 1872 he was united in marriage to Miss Kate L. Fasold, a native of Northumberland county. Pa. To this union 3 children have been born, Nettie C, Frank K. and Cottie. He was elected to the chair he now fills at Carthage College in 1874, and settled in this city, where he has since made it his home. In 1875 he took ministerial orders in Washington county. Ills., and subsequently filled the pulpit at Hamilton, this county, and Mendon, Adams county. He has served as Secretary of the Synod of Central Illinois two years, and officiates in the Trinity Lutheran Church of this city. He has also been connected with the Sabbat h- school of the same Church as superintendent for four years. 692 HISTOET OF HANCOOK COUNTY. William Bartholomew, his father, was a native of Ohristiancountyy Pa., where he was born September 21, 1796. He died March 9, 1861. His mother, Susan E. (Wolf) Bartholomew, was born in Lehigh county. Pa., July 10, 1800, and is, at this writing, a resident of that State. William D. Bennett, merchant, established ,in 1872, has one of the most extensive dry-goods houses in the city. Mr. B. carries a stock of $9,000 and has an increasi ng trade. He was born in Adams county. 111., in 1848; is son of W. L. and Bethier (Cord) Bennett, natives of Ohio, who emigrated to this county at an ear- ly day, and settled near Augusta where they resided until the spring of 1860, when they moved to this city, where Mr. B. died in 1868. His wife is still living. Mr. Bennett was engaged as clerk in the hardware trade, until he opened his present place of business. He was married in 1868 to Miss Mary A. Carlin, a native of this county. To this union one child has been "born, Mabel. He is a member of A. O. TJ. W., and the family all mem- bers ot the M. E. Church. Politically he is a Democrat. Robert Q. Bernethy, farmer, sec. 19; P. O., Carthage; is son of James and Elizabeth (Gilliland) Bernethy, who emigrated to Brown county, Ohio, at an early day, where they were married, and moved to this county in May, 1836. He entered 120 acres of land in LaHarpe tp., upon which he settled, and resided until his death in January, 1877. He was one of the oldest pioneers of the county. His estimable wife and 4 children survive. The subject of this sketch was born in Brown county, O., in 1823, and is the oldest of seven brothers. He laid out a farm from the Military Tract in Fountain Green tp., which he cultivated from the stump. It remains to-day one of the finest arranged farms in the county. In 1869 he disposed of his farm, and moved to his present estate of 70 acres which he has greatly improved, and is valued at $100 per acre. He was united in marriage in Dec, 1863, to Mary, daughter of Jabez A. Bebee, an early pilgrim of Fountain Green tp., now deceased. Mr. B. has never aspired to public. prominence, being of a retiring disposition. His advantages for education were only such as the pioneer sons of the county could get, but possessed of energy and industry he ;has acquired a fine farm and enjoys the circle of his home. Politically he was a strong Abolitionist, dyed in the wool, and in war times was a Republican. He is now allied to the Greenback platform. His influence was used in the settlement of the Mormon difiiculties, after which time he traveled extensively for one year. Malvvn P. Berry, lawyer, of the firm of Berry Bros. & Sharp, was born in McDonough county. 111., in 1853. His father, Lebury Berry, emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1841 or '2, and settled in Fountain Green tp. and engaged in farming. He resided there until his wife died, in 1848, when he moved to McDonough county. He was again njarried in 1851. He had 3 children, — Orville, Clar- ence L. and Melvin P. He was a prominent man in McDonough. J^. cfoy^- ^^yt^ CARTHAGE ' HISTOBT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 695 county, serving as Deputy Sheriff two terms and twice elected Sher- iff of the county. He was Captain of Militia in the Mormon attack, and after a life of usefulness, died in 1858. The subject of this sketch read law in the office of Mack & Beard of this city,- attended colle- giate studies, and was admitted to the Bar in Feb., 1879, and has Been in successful practice since that time. He was married to Miss Hattie Campbell, a native of McDonough county, by whom he has one child, Leota R. Mr. B. is connected with Judge Sharp and his brother Orville in the practice of his profession. The firm numbers among the prominent members of the county Bar, and represent a trio of Republicans in principles and politics. Orville F. Berry, lawyer, firm of Berry Bros. & Sharp, is a son of Lebury and Martha Berry, and was born in McDonough county in 1852. Hi's father was a prominent man in that county, where he served as Deputy Sheriff two terms, was twice elected Sheriff of the county, and served as Captain of Militia in the Mormon outbreak, and after a life of industry and usefulness died in 1858. His mother died in 1860. Mr. B. secured his education at the high school at Fountain Green, was admitted to the Bar by the Supreme Court in 1877, and in January of the same year formed a partnership with Judge Sharp, where he has since been actively and successfully engaged in his profession. His brother, M. P., was also admitted to this firm, which forms a circle of the best legal fraternity of the city. He was married in Pbuntain Green tp. in 1873, to Miss Anna Barr, a native of Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1850. One child has been born to them, Clarence L. Fdward Q. Boswell was the son of John and Catharine (Gam- brel) Boswell, and was born in Eipley, near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1825. The family resided in Ohio until 1865, at which time they removed to Palmyra, Mo., and spent one winter. In the spring of the same year they moved to Griggsville, Pike county. 111., and four years afterward came to Hancock county, and settled on a farm near Dallas. The following year Mr. B. retired from the active field of life and moved to this city, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1873. He was largely engaged in the mercantile business in Preble county, O., where he was married, in 1849, to Miss Sophia YanHorn, a native of the same county. To this union 8 children were born, 7 of whom are living, — Anna, Mary, Kate P., "William E. (the eldest son, at this time connected with the postoffice of this city), Eoscoe T., James M. and Libbie E. Mr. B. followed merchandising at Griggsville, and by close attention to business, energy, prudence, and industry realized success. He was a modest, unassuming man, and a citizen highly esteemed and honored by all who knew him. John Boyd, hardware merchant, established in 1863, carries a stock of $4,000 and does a good business. He was born in Harri- son county, O., in ] 828. Is son of Samuel and Ellen (Leckard) Boyd, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to America in 1812, and 11 696 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. settled in Ohio in 1813, and in 1849 moved to Fairfield county, Iowa, where they both died. Mr. B-. became engaged in the mer- cantile and grain business in Keokuk, where he was largely inter- ested until 1863, when he came to this city, where he has since made it his home. He was married in 1865 to Miss Margaret O'Harra, a native of Indiana. By this marriage 5 children have been born, 4 of whom are living, Cora B., Arthur W., Walter K. and Lettie F. Politically Mr. B. is Democratic, and he is a thorough business man of Carthage. James H. Callahan, physician, was born in Adams county, 111., in 1844; his parents, John and Jane (Henry) Callahan, were natives of Kentucky and Ireland. Grandfather Callahan emigrated to Illinois and settled in Adams county, where he resided until his death. His son, John, was then an infant, and is how one of the oldest settlers of that county, and resides in Columbia tp. The subject of this sketch attended a course of studies at Eush Medical College, at Chicago, 111., when he entered the Bellevue college, IST. Y., and was graduated at that institution in 1870. After a few months' practice in Kingston, Adams county, he moved to this city in October, 1870, where he has since been in active and suc- cessful practice. The following year he was 'married to Miss Emma Teargain, a native of Adams county, who died in 1872. His present wife, Miss Martha E. Simpson, is a native of Ken- tucky. • By this marriage 2 children have been born, one of whom is living, Lena M. The Doctor is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, and of the I. O. M. A. He has a farm of 220 acres on sec. 23, valued at $40 per acre. In politics the Doctor is Democratic. A. M. Cannon, farmer, sec. 36; P. O., Carthage; is a native of Howard county. Mo., where he was born in 1821. His parents, Simeon and .Sarah (Cornelius) Cannon, ai*e of German descent, and settled in Missouri in 1808, where they both died in Macon county. The subject of this sketch came to this county in 1844, and resided lor two years in Harmony tp. He was married in 1845 to Miss Elizabeth Gibson, a native of Indiana. Their children are all living; "William B., a prominent resident, and engaged in the mercantile business in Huerfano county. Col.; Mary M.; JohnW., a resident physician of Grant City, Iowa; Sarah E.; James B., also a resident of Colorado, and a large stock dealer; Alvin, Miles and Frank. In 1846, Mr. Cannon moved to his present farm of 285 acres, where he has since made it his home and numbers among those of the early settlers of the county; has served as School Direc- tor, and in politics has been identified with the Republican party for twenty years. Melanoton S. Carey- -This gentleman, whose portrait, taken at the age of 48, we give in this volume, was a native of the town of Coventry, Chenango county, N. Y., where he was born March 1, 1820. At the age of 22 he left the homestead and engaged in teaching the village school at Brooklyn, Susquehanna Co., Pa.; HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 697 next spring he returned to his father's farni, and the following winter returned to Pennsylvania, locating in Luzerne county, re- suming his labors as a teacher; 1845-' 49, he was clerk and pay- master for Jonathan Wasley,'a miner and coal operator at Potts- ville. Pa.; in 1850 he first came to Hancock county, locating at Nauvoo, and followed farming for a time, varying that pursuit with school teaching and keeping books. In 1853 or 1864 he served. that city as Mayor, and afterward served as Deputy under Sheriffs Hamilton and Clarkson. He afterward moved to Oar- thage,where he was employed as assistant in various official positions. In 1860 he was elected Sheriff, which office he j&lled two years with credit; 1862-'4, he was most of the time Deputy in the office of the County Clerk, under F. M. Corby; in 1864 he was elected Circuit Clerk, and in 1868 was re-elected, serving until 1872, since which time he has served only on the Board of Supervisors, desir- ing to devote his attention more excliisively to his personal affairs. In the spring of 1878 he went to Hot Springs, Ark., with his wife and only living child, for his health; and there, May 20, of that spring, he died. In private life, and in all his dealings with others, he .was a man above reproach ; he was methodical and care- ful in all his business affairs, whether public or private; as an offi- cial he was exact, painstaking, punctual and courteous ; as a citizen he stood deservedly high, being a friend of education and contribut- ing liberally to the growth and advancement of every interest of the community. For two years previous to his death he was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He was buried in the family plat in the east cemetery near Carthage, whither 4 of his chil- dren had preceded him. Two of his sisters survive. Oct. 2, 1853, Mr. Carey married Mrs. Esther C. Mix, of JSTauvoo; she was born in Christie county, Pa., in 1820, the daughter of Mr. Lindsey; in 1837 she married Philip Mix, who was a machinist, and settled in Nauvoo in 1846. He went to California in 1849, and died in 1852, while on his return home by way of the Isthmus, leaving 3 children, 2 of whom died in Pennsylvania, and one son, Thomas E., who enlisted in 1862 in Co. B, 118th 111. Yol. Inf., and after participating in many battles was killed in August, 1865. Mrs. Carey and daughter Nellie still reside at Carthage. She has one adopted son, Frank. John OarUn; P. O., Carthage; was born in Madison county, Ky., in 1818. He was married in 1843, at Quincy, to Miss Martha J. Flood, who was born in Montgomery county, Ky., in 1825, daughter of William J. and Jane Anderson, who settled in Adams tjounty in 1830, where Mrs. Anderson died in 1836; Mr. A. is liv- ing with his widowed daughter in this city in the 76th year of his age. Mr. Carlin came to this^ county from Quincy with the rifle company during the Mormon disturbance in 1846 ; subsequently he was engaged as Clerk in the Recorder's office, and afterward elected to that position which he filled some years. He also was elected Sheriff of the county, and wag otherwise prominently HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. identified in the county and township. In fact, the whble time of ' his residence in the county was devoted to the public good. He was a quiet, unassuming man, and his demise, which occurred in this city in 1865, was a bereavement to a wide circle of friends. He was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, and the father of 6 children, 4 of whom are living: James W., Mary A., ILewis 0. and Martha W. Mrs. 0. has a pleasant home near the •city, with 30 acres of valuable "and productive land, where she re- sides with her children. The family are members of the M. E. Church. Ja/mes W. Carlton, M. D., was born in Grant county, Ky., in 1835; is son of George W. and Maranda Tail, both natives of that State, who emigrated to Illinois in 1842, and settled in Beards- town, Cass county. Two years afterward they removed to this county, and settled in St. Alban's tp., where Mr. 0. engaged in farming and resided until 1859, when he made a permanent home in Carthage tp., where he now lives. The subject of this sketch received his early education at the Academic School, at New- town, Kentucky, was a merchant a few years, attended med- ical lectures in 1869 and '60, at the medical department of the State University, at Keokuk, at which institution hd was grad- uated in 1865 ; was also a graduate of the Missouri Medical Col- lege, at St. Louis, Mo., in 1869. He began the practice of medi- cine in 1864, in Harmony tp., where he was located eight years, then settled in this city, where he has since been in constant prac- tice. He was married in 1859 to Miss N. J. Hendricks, daughter of John Hendricks, and a native of Grant county, Ky. To this union 3 children have been born, all of whom are living; Eva M., Willie O. and Lelia M. The Dr. enjoys a well established prac- tice, and is one of the oldest and ablest practitioners in the county, as well as an early settler. Politically, is a Democrat. 0. P- Caflton, grocer, established in 1863, on west side of the square, where he carried on business for three years; was appointed Deputy Circuit Clerk, and filled that office for eight years, when he opened his present place of business. He carries a stock of $2,000 and has a lucrative trade. He came to this county with his parents, George W. and Maranda (TuU) Carlton, who emigrated to this county in 1840, where his mother died in 1858. His father is still a living resident of this county. Mr. C. was married in 1867 to Miss Lucy Hendricks, a native of Kentucky, by whom he has 2 children, Oarrie-and Charlie P. He is a member of the A. O. U.- "W., and politically is Democratic. Ghwrles G. Olarh, firm of Clark & Co., grain and lumber dealer^ was born in Otsego county, N. Y., in 1820; is son of Charles J. and Kachel (Kaple) Clark, natives of New York, where the father died at an early day. The mother is still living in this city in the 81st year of her age. Mr. C. was married, in 1846, to Miss Mary Andrews, a native of Otsego county, N. Y. He first 'studied for the law in his native State, was admitted to the Bar in 1846, and HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTy. 699 practiced his profession in Schoharie and Jamestown from 1856 to 1863. He came to this county in 1863 to settle the estate of a deceased uncle, Benjamin Clark, who settled in this county in 1840. Mr. C. became engaged in the grain business in 1865, and the lumber trade in 1867. In 1873 he erected the large and commo- dious elevator, and the firm, consisting of himself and his only 2 living children, Edward and Charles, carry on a large and success- ful trade. He is also largely engaged in the agricultural pursuit, owning farming lands of 2,000 acres to which he is devoting time and attention; is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is Republican. James B. Crav)ford,,izxxa.Qx, sec. 30; P. O., Carthage; was born in Kock Castle county, Ky., in March, 1836; is youngest child of Harrison and Alice (Thompson) Crawford, natives of that State, who emigrated to this county in the spring of 1850, and settled on the homestead of their surviving son. Mr. C. was a blacksmith by trade, and engaged a portion of his time in that business during his residence here. The farm was all prairie at that time, and the subject of this sketch (then a boy) turned over the first sod in this tp. His mother died in 1865, and his father survived until 1870. Mr. C. was married in 1858, to Miss Josephine Davis, a native of Butler county, O. To this union 9 children were born, 6 of whom are living,— Alice C, Lizzie H., Nellie, Eva, Edward C. and Jose- phine; deceased are Joplin, James E. and Edith. Edward and Edith were twins, as also were James E. and Josephine. Of his father's family there were 4 children : Margaret, wife of Thomas Hill; Josiah J., died Nov., 1856; Elizabeth, wife of Charles R. Sco- _ field. Josiah was a graduate of the McDowell Medical College, St. Louis, and practiced here until his death, and was among the lead- ing and early physicians of this county. The homestead farm con- sists of 60 acres, valued at $50- per acre. Mr. C. is a member of A. O. Q. W., and of the Christian Church. Politically is Demo- cratic, and numbers among those of the early settlers, and is well and favorably known throughout the town and county. James N. Gii/rrens,hootB z,r\A shoes; this house was established in August, 1 878, in present location ; carries a stock of $3,500, and has a good trade. Mr. 0. is a native of Adams county, Peun., where he was born in 1856. His parents are Charles M. and Eliza (Randolph) Currens, both natives of that State, who emigrated to Illinois in 1860, and settled in Plymouth, where Mrs. 0. died in 1862. He is yet living at that place. The subject of this sketch was married March 25, 1880, to Miss Josie, daughter of J. W. Hawley, of this city. He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and of the Presbyterian Church, and is one of the rising young business men of Carthage.- Politically, is a Republican. Dwight O. Cutler, druggist, book and news dealer, succeeded A. F. Sims in this business in 1874; carries a stock of $4,000 and enjoys a good trade. Mr. 0. is a native of Erie county, N. Y., where he was born in 1848. His parents were Albert and Permelia 700 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Cutler, natives of that State, who emigrated to this county in 1869, and settled in this city, where they are yet living. The subject of this sketch has been engaged in the book business ever since his coming to the county. He was married in 1876 to Miss Elizabeth Showers, a native of Ohio. To them have been born. 3 children, — Elsy, Homer and the youngest, not yet christened. Mr. 0. filled the office of Town Clerk two terms, and is a member of the A. O. U. W. Politically he is Democratic. Hathan Cutler, farmer, sec. 28; P. O., Carthage; was born in Erie county, IS". Y., in 1819; is son of Jonas P. and Martha (Jones) Cutler, natives of Yermont, who emigrated to Illinois in 1838, and settled in Canton, Fulton county. In 1852 they moved to this county, and settled in Pilot Grove tp., where Mr. C. died in 1858. The subject of this sketch was married in 1844 to Miss Hannah Ward, a native of Pennsylvania, and daughter ot Aaron Ward, who settled in Fnlton county in 1828. By this marriage 4 children have been born, all of whom are living. Parkurst W., eldest son, married Fannie G. Barker. The fruits of this union are 2 children, Nathan B. and Ward A. James C. married Mary A. Barker, and they had one child, Francis G. ; also an adopted child, Nellie. Frances N. and Martha 0. The two wives and mothers, are daughters of Augustus Barker, of Iowa, deceased. They are both natives of Ohio. The mother, Catherine Barker, is living in this tp. Mr. 0. and his sons reside on the estate, consisting of 700 acres of valuable and productive land. He was the eldest of 11 children, 10 of whom are living. He was left without means, and his accu- mulations have been secured only by his own industry and energy. The family are members of the Baptist Church. William P. Damron, a native of Pendleton county Ya., where he was born March 7, 1833, is a son of George H. and Jane (Lyon) Damron, natives of that State, who emigrated to Hancock county in 1855, and settled in Bear Creek tp., where they both died in 1859. The subject of this sketch engaged in farming until elected to his present position as Sheriff in 1878. He enlisted in 1861 in the 18th 111. Yol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. The following year he was married to Miss Catherine E. Seger, a native of New Jersey. To this union 2 children have been born, Lena L. and William H. Mr. D. has been prominently identified with the interests of the county for many years ; was first elected Constable, and afterward served five times as Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, Assessor, Collector and School Director, most of the time during his residence in the county. Also, is a prominent member of the Masonic order. In politics he is a Democrat. James Monroe Davidson, editor of The Carthage He publican, was born in Madison county, 111., on May 22, 1828. He came with his parfents to the town of Petersburg, then in Sangamon, now Menard, county, in 1833. From thence the family removed to Lewistown, Fulton county, in 1838 . He served a period of ap'pren- ticeship to the printing business in Lewistown during the years HISTORY OF HANOOOK OOUNTY. YOl 1843-'4; and in 1845, in connection with another young man, a year or two older than himself, started a newspaper called The Fulton Gazette, the publication of which was continued some 12 or 14 mouths. He then read law during the year or two following. He was engaged b.y employment in a newspaper enterprise in Canton, in the same county, from some time in 1847 to 1848. Mr. Davidson was married to Miss Susan Candace Springer at Springfield, Illinois, on Nov. 28, 1853. Twelve children were born to this marriage, of whom 11 are living, 5 sons and 6 daughters. In 1855 Mr. Davidson established The Fulton Democrat, at Lewis- town, 111. In the fall of 1859 he sold the paper to his brother, "William T. Davidson, Esq., its present able proprietor. During the winter following, he was employed as Legisative correspondent, at;Spring- field, for the St. Louis Republican and Chicago Times. From the fall of 1859 to some time in 1861 he published the Squatter Sover- eign,, at Havana, Mason county. During a part of 1862 he was connected with the Chicago Times, as traveling correspondent, and for a short time as telegraph editor. In Sept., 1863, he purchased an assumed control of The Carthage Sepublicaai, and has since continued its proprietor and editor. William DeMa/rt, farmer, sec. 9; P. O., Carthage; is a native of "Whitby tp., Upper Canada, where he was born in 1828. He came to this county in 1838, with his parents, Thomas and Rebecca (McCausland) DeHart, both natives of that Dominion, who settled in Pilot Grove tp. In 1850 the father crossed the plains to California, where he died the same year. The wife and mother died at Pilot Grove in 1874. The subject of this sketch was married in 1858 to Miss Mary Hillegoss, a native of Indiana. To this union 9 children have been born, 7 of whom are living: Charles, the eldest son, is a student of law in the office of Schofield & Edmunds of this city, and a graduate of Carthage College in 1877; Emma, Martha, Ellen, George, William and Carrie. Mr. D. moved to this tp. in 1870 and settled on his present estate, consisting of 500 acres, valued at $40 per acre. He also owns the homestead at Pilot Grove, of one section, and other lands, constituting" a grand total of 1,040 acres. He is probably the largest landholder in Hancock county. His opportunities for education were such as could be afforded the children of pioneer settlers. His fine and convenient residence at Fairview is a monument to his industry and his snccess. Politically, he used to be an old-line Whig, and is now a Republican. E. T. Dorothy, livery-stable keeper, is the son of Archibald and Sarah (Perkins) Dorothy, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee. His mother was a daughter of Ephraim Perkins, who settled in this county in 1826. She is a living resident of this township, in the 63d year of her age. Archibald Dorothy settled in McDonough county in 1836, before township organization. He was a farmer and a prominent stock-dealer of that county. In 1854 he moved to this county and settled in this township, where he died in 1863. 702 HXSTOEY OF DANCOOK COUNTY. He was widely and favorably known throughout the county. The subject of this sketch resided on the farm until he opened his pres- ent place of business in April, 1879. He has a good stock of horses and carriages, and enjoys a good trade. He was married in 1868 to Miss Augusta, daughter of David Baxter, a native of this county. Two children are the fruits of this marriage, Stella and Archie. Mr. D. owns the homestead farm in this township, of 160 acres, valued at $75 per acre. He is a member of the I. O. M. A., and a living relic of the Hancock pioneer family. John S. Duffy, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., Carthage; is the son of Anthony and Ma,tilda (Spangler) Dufiy, and was born in Hancock county in 1842. His parents were both born in Pennsylvania, and they came to this county in 1833. He entered and purchased land, and is one of the oldest living settlers of the county. The subject of this sketch moved to this township in 1868, and the following year located on his present farm of 80 acres valued at $40 per acre. He was married in 1871 to Miss Lydia, daughter of David Barr, an early settler of Fountain Green township, who died in Kansas while on a visit to that State. She was a native of Mercer county. Pa. Mr. D. enlisted in 1862 and served until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Arkansas Post, siege of Vicks- burg, Yazoo Eiver, Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Jackson and all the battles of that regiment. He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and in politics is a Kepublican. iW". L. F. M. JEhsterdouy, A. M., of Carthage College. Levi Fast Easterday was born near the town of York, of Yellow Creek, in Knox tp., Jefferson county, O., Oct. 21, 1839. He is the second in a family of 9 children, all of whom with parents are living. His father was born in Jefferson county, ' O., Oct. 19, 1813. His grandfather, Christian, was born in Maryland Oct. 18, 1789. His great-grandfather, Martin, at about the age of six years, and between the years 1760 and 1770, was brought by his father Martin, from Alsace, Germany, to Maryland. The name of the family while in Germany was Ostertag, but it was Anglicised after their removal to this country. The mother of Prof Easterday, whose maiden name was Jane Robertson, was born in Jefferson county, O., Aug. 8, 1816. From his mother Prof. E. derives both Irish and Scotch blood, but from his father only German. The subject of this sketch was reared upon a farm, and taught to labor'dili- gently with his hands. When 12 years of age the family removed to Illinois and settled upon a farm in Montgomery county. He had the ordinary educational advantages as afforded at country schools at that time. He was sent to college a few weeks before he attained the age of 19 years, and at the age of 23 years graduated with honor at a college then known as the Illinois State University, Springfield, 111. Having in his student life exhibited a fondness for and special success in the study of mathematics, and also an aptness in teaching, on the day of his graduation he was elected to the professorship of mathematics in his own al/ma mater. Find- CARTHAGE HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 705 ing this institution could not be sustained on account of a lack of funds, at the end of the fourth year he withdrew. He then accepted the principalship of the Hillsboro Academy, at Hills- boro, 111. He managed this for two years, beginning with 17 pupils and enrolling during the second year the names of 164:. In the summer of 1870, he was called to the principalship of a classical schoolpreparatory to a prospective Carthage College, at Carthage, 111. He first entered Carthage on the morning of August 18, 1870, and by September 5 this school was opened with an attendance of 12 students. For two years he was alone in this new enterprise. On the organization of a faculty for the college, three years after- ward, he was made Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy in the institution. This position he still holds. After the death of his co-laborer, President Tressler, he was made treasurer of this col- lege. He received the degree of A. B. on his graduation, and the degree of A. M. was conferred upon him two years later by. the board of trustees of the same institution. In June, 1874, the board of trustees of Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, Pa., con- fen-ed upon him the honorary degree of A. M. Prof. Easterday was married to Miss Abbie "Warren Hunsaker, of Carthage, 111., on the evening of August 18, 1874. To this union 3 sons have been born, Fred Ralph, Phil Kufus and Cad Roy. Blessed with an excellent constitution and corresponding energy, coupled with mirthfulness, the Profe'ssor has the reputation of a hard-worker in both physical and mental development. He has done much toward the success of Carthage College, and his ability and success is fully attested by the universal confidence and respect of his fel- low-citizens. John W. Everett, merchant, was born in Franklin county. Pa., Dec. 9, 1839, son of John and Lydia (Neusbaun) Everett, both na- tives of that State, where she died in?1880. He is still a resident of that county. The subject of this sketch enlisted Aug. 20, 1862, in the 126th Pa. Yol. Inf., nine months' service, and participated in the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancel- lorsville, and served 10 months. He re-enlisted as first-class pri- vate of Capt. O. H. Howard's detachment of the Signal Service, IJ. S. A., Feb. 27, 1864, and discharged Aug. 3d, 1865. He displayed all the qualities of a good soldier at the battles of ITew Market, Piedmont, Lexington, Lynchburg, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Waynesboro', Dinwiddle C. H., Five Forks, Tailor's Creek, Appo- mattox Station and C. H., and was the only person not a general officer that was present at Lee's surrender. In May, 1866, he came to this county and engaged in the mercantile trade at Foun- tain Green until 1875, when he moved to this city and established himself on the Public Square. In 1878 he occupied his present place, where he has since been engaged. He carries a stock of $6,000 and enjoys a lucrative trade, i He was married in June, 1868, to Miss Sarah Stark, a native of Franklin Co., Pa., where she was born April 8, 1843, and died in this city Sept. 19, 1877. Mr. 706 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. E. has been identified as Supervisor, is a member of the A. O. TJ. W., and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is a Republican. Hwam, O. Ferris is a son of Stephen Gano Ferris, and was born in Steuben county, N. T., in 1822. He was educated at Knox Col- lege, 111.; after completing his studies there in 1850, he crossed the plains to California, where he attained considerable prominence in politics. In the winter of 1851-'2 he was appointed by the Legis- lature of the State of California as one of the commissioners to or- ganize the'county of Siskiyou. After serving on this commission until their work was finished, he was elected County Clerk of that county, in which capacity he served for two terms. In 1856 he returned to this county (Hancock). Having previously read and studied law, he made application to the Supreme Court of Illinois for admission to the " Bar," which, after undergoing an examina- tion by that honorable court, was granted. Soon afterward, Mr. Ferris formed a^ partnership with Hooker & Edmunds, Att'ys, at Carthage, under the firm name of Ferris,, Hooker & Edmunds. This firm was dissolved in 1863, and the business continued by Ferris & Hooker. In 1864 this firm was also dissolved, Mr. Fer- ris continuing the same until 1865. Daring this year he associ- ated himself with F. M. Corby, and organized a banking institu- tion, the firm being Ferris & Corby. They were also largely in- terested in real estate transactions. This banking institution formed the nucleus of what is now " The Hancock County National Bank, of Carthage," which was organized under certificate of authority dated May 18,1865, by the Comptroller of Currency at Washington, D. C. The institution opened its doors for business as a national bank June 5, 1865. Mr. Ferris was at once elected President of this bank, continuing to hold the position to the present time. This bank is considered one of the most solid and substantial in the country, having passed through all the panics with credit unimpaired. Its officers have the unlimited confidence of the people in all transactions. The bank building is situated on the northwest corner of the Public Square in Carthage. It is a substantial brick structure and was built in 1871. Mr. Ferris is a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar, and has been a member of the Masonic order since January, 1850. While in California he was Senior Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of the State for one year. He has also held the office of Master of Hancock Lodge Ko. 20, of Carthage, of the A. F. & A. M.,"at dif- ferent times, collectively making about five years. In politics, Mr. Ferris entertains the views and principles represented by the Demo- cratic party, and during the " war " of Secession, was firm in sup- porting the Union cause, using his influence and his means for the speedy crushing of the Rebellion. Mr. Ferris has served four terms as President of the Board of Trustees of the town of Car- thage, being elected on the anti-license ticket; and has also served HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 707 as Supervisor, and has had various other local offices, having re- ceived nominations from each political party. Mr. Ferris V7as married in McDonough county, 111., Aug. 20, 1867, to Miss Julia E. Holton, a native of that county. They now reside at Carthage, and are surrounded by a family of 9 children: Junius C, a graduate of Carthage College, and now attending Columbia College, N. T. ; Esta M., Stephen H., Julia, Ellen, Phoebe, Hiram B., Joel E. and Harold G. J. M. Ferris, Justice of the Peace, was born in Chenango county, N. Y., in 1816; is the oldest son of Stephen Gano Ferris, who was born in Hillsdale, Columbia county, N. T., Aug. 11, 1788, and Eunice (Beebe) Ferris, a native of New London, Conn., who emigrated to Hancock in 1832, landing at Traders' Point, now Keokuk, in December of that year. Th« family, consisting of his wife and 6 children, landed on the Illinois shore opposite Keokuk, Dec. 13, 1832, and made a settlement in Lick Grove, now Fountain Green, where he opened a farm and resided until 1846, when he sold his estate and made his home with his son in this city. He died at Fountain Green Nov, 29, 1876 . He was one of the earliest pioneers of Hancock, and left a wide circle of friends to mourn his loss. The subject of this sketch resided at home until 21 years of age, when he began the practice of law. He has been Justice of the Peace 15 or 20 years, County Judge 8 years, and has made his home in this city since 1852, in which year he was married to Miss Lavina White, a native of Alleghany county, N. Y. To them have been born 3 children : Ella (wife of J. M. Davidson), Maggie and Frank L. Mr. F. is one of the oldest professional lawyers in the coimty, and one of the oldest living pioneers. Politically he is a Republican, and strong in the endorsement of the principles foverning that party, and is solid for . Grant as President of the Republic. Stephen Gano Ferris. — This gentleman, whose portrait is given on another page (from a photograph taken at the age of 86), was widely known throughout this and adjoining counties as one of the earliest pioneer settlers in this part of the State. His history will not be without interest to ' the present reader, or those of the far future, especially as to the methods of travel from the Eastern States to the West, and some of the characteristics of frontier life. Stephen Gano Ferris was born in the town of Hillsdale, Columbia county, !N. Y., Aug. 11, 1788. At the age of four years he accom- panied his father's family in their removal to North Norwich, Che- nango county, N. Y., then a frontier county and quite sparsely settled. Here in the course of time he learned the tanner and currier's trade, and followed that business until his father removed to Yates county, N. Y., probably 1810 or 1812. On Aug. 11, 1814, (the 23d anniversary of his birth^^he was married to Miss Eunice Beebe, in Chenango county, N. Y. About the year 1820 he re- moved to the town of Howard, Steuben county, N. Y., which was then a frontier county. Here he remained until the spring of 1832, 708 HISTORY OF HAKOOOK COUNTY. when, pursuant to an arrangement between himself and his brother- in-law, Mr. Jabez A. Beebe (the latter having come West the pre- vious year and purchased land where Fountain Green now stands), with his family, consisting of a wife and 6 children, he started "West by the way of the Alleghany, Ohio and Mississippi rivers, via Cincinnati and St. Louis. His intention was to come down the Alleghany river to Pittsburg on a lumber raft, but in consequence of low water was detained at Olean Point, N. Y., until some time in the fall. When Mr. Ferris got ready for another start he was joined by Wm. Stearns (an early settler in this county), and a man named Carman, with their families. They purchased a flat-boat, which they covered and provided with the necessary facilities for cooking and lodging for their families. In this boat they journeyed leisurely with the current. They arrived in Cincinnati some time in October, having been about nine weeks on the river. Here they sold the flat-boat and transferred themselves and goods to the steam- boat Niagara, bound for St. Louis, Mo., at which point they ar- rived about Dec. 1. While in Cincinnati Mr. Ferris and Mr. Carman were approached by a man named Austin, who endeavored to persuade them to divert their course to Texas, offering to each several leagues of good land free of charge if they would go there with their families ; but, having made other arrangements, they declined the tempting offer. Austin was afterward prominently identified with Texas and its struggle for independence from Mexico. The town of Austin, now the capital of Texas, was named after him. On the arrival of the steamboat Niagara at Jefferson Barracks, eight miles below St. Louis, it was obliged to wait some eight hours, unloading Government stores. It happened that the celebrated Indian Chief, Black Hawk, was a prisoner of war at the barracks at that time, and Mr. Ferris, accompanied by his son Hiram G., then 10 years old, went up to the barracks and saw the chief and talked with him. Arriving at St. Louis, it seemed as if the lateness ot the season would compel the party to seek winter quarters in that vicinity; but luckily a small steamboat called the William Wallace was about to attempt the trip to Traders' Point, now Keokuk. Mr. Ferris engaged passage for himself and family, although the Cap- tain would not agree to carry them to any particular point in view of the possible closing of navigation at any hour. On arriving at Quincy the Captain declined going any farther unless liberally paid for it. Mr. Ferris and others paid the price demanded, and the avaricious Captain — who was in addition to his rough manners a 'brutal fellow — came on to Traders' Point, landing there about the 10th or 11th of December. At that time Traders' Point com- prised three or four log cabins at the base of the hill. The popu- lation consisted of three or four traders and their families, and 100 or so of Indians and half-breeds who were loafing about. There was no house where Hamilton now stands. The first house ab6ve HISTOET OF HANOOOK OOUNTT. 709 Fort Edwards (now Warsaw) was the cabin of Abraham Smith, about two and a half miles above the present town of Hamilton. Desii'ing to cross the river to Mr. Smith's place, Mr. Ferris paid a man $16 to ferry his family and personal effects across the river. The boat was a crazy affair, very leaky and not at all adequate to the biirtheu imposed upon it. After loading the boat with its living freight and household goods, it was towed some three miles up the river by horses, and from that point " poled" across. In the boat, in addition to Mr. Ferris' family and effects, were Mr. Stearns and his family and effects, and a horse and wagon. After various and exciting besetments -with the rapids and rocks, the boat, about one-third full of water, was finally landed not far from Mr. Smith's cabin, and the long and tedious journey by water was ended. As landed upon the shores of Illinois, Mr. Ferris' family com- prised himself and wife and 6 children, as follows: John M., the eldest son, now a prominent citizen of Carthage; Leonard T., second son, now a prominent physician at Fountain Green; Fran- cina K., the eldest aaughter, afterward the wife of S. H. Tyler, Jr. (died at Fountain Green in fall of 1859) ; Hiram G., third son, now President of the Hancock County National Bank, of Carthage; Dorothy L., second daughter, died atFouiitaiii Green, Sept. 6, 1842, in her 17th year, unmarried; Fidelia B., third daughter, first wife of Dr. A. J. Griffith, and mother of W. H. Griffith, Esq., of this city. This lady died in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 2S, 1849, in her 19th year. Her remains wei-e brought back and buried at Fountain Green. The crossing at Tradei-s' Point was made on the 13th of Decem- ber, 1S32; and on the following day Mr. Ferris and his son John M. walked across to Horse Lick Grove (now Fountain Green), some 22 miles, where they employed a man named Geo. W. Howard to haul his family and goods to their destination. The trip was made with an ox team to haul the household goods, and a one-horse wagon to haul the family. They arriyed at Fountain Green Dec. 15, 1832. Mr. Beebe and family, having arrived the year previous, had a comfortable double log house, which he shared with Mr. Ferris' family until spring. Mr. Ferris then purchased of Mr. Beebe 110 acres of land, upon which, on the ground now occupied by Mr. McClaughry's resiaence, in Fountain Green, he built a com- fortable log house; in the spring of 1833 he opened out the farm and built a small tannery. The latter, after a fair trial, proved impracticable on account of scarcity of bark. Some five years later he built a small saw-mill on the creek not far from Fountain Green. Thia proved unprofitable, and tlienceforward until 18-15 he gave his attention mainly to farming. July 15, 1836, he sold the most of his farm to Mr. McClaughry. Sept. 14, 1860, his wife died at Fountain Green. Then he came to Carthage and made his home with the family of his son, Hiram G. Ferris, where he lived, with few absences, until his death, which occurred on the evening 710 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of November 29, 1876, while on a vi^it at the house of his sod, Dr. L. T. Ferris, in Fountain Green, at the age of 88 years, 3 months and 18 days. He was buried in the village grave-yard by the side of his wife, where lie the remains of other members of his family. Stephen, G. Ferris, besides being one of the earliest pioneers in this county, is given the highest tribute, by those who knew him best during his life-time, as being in an eminent degree an honest man, a good neighbor, a kind friend and Christian gentleman. In early life he became a member of the Baptist Church, and main- tained that membership and the faith it taught until his death. When he first settled at Horse Lick Grove there were not to exceed 200 people within the present boundaries of Hancock county. The nearest mill was 60 miles distant; and in lieu of flour, people had to be content with coarse meal pounded from dry corn in a wooden mortar. These, among others, were some of the vicissitudes and hardships endured by the pioneers, that we might enjoy the con- veniencies and luxuries of the present day. John Fletcher, farmer,sec. 21; P. O., Carthage; is the eldest son of William and Ann (Davidson) Fletcher, and was born in Scotland in August, 1831. When five years of age his parents emigrated to America, stopping one year in Canada, and located in Hamilton county, O., the following year, where they resided until Nov., 1841, at which time they settled in this tp ., where he is still living, in the 79th year of his age. His respected wife has attained her 80th year. The subject of this sketch was married in 1853, to Miss Amanda Powell, a native of Ohio. By this marriage 5 chil- dren have been born, 4 of whom are living: Margaret A., William A., Edward IT. and Minnie ; Mary E., deceased. After marriage he settled south of his father's farm, on his present estate, in the fall of 1863, which he improved, and erected a tine, commodious dwelling! This farm, consisting .of 300 acres, is valued at $55 per acre. Mr. F. has dealt considerably in stock since 1862, besides attending to the farming interests, and the duties of his public position. He has filled the office of Chairman of the Eiepublican Committee for 15 years. Justice of the Peace five years. Commis- sioner of Highways, Treasurer of the Board, and School Director a number of years, was elected Collector in the spring of 1880, and has otherwise been prominently distinguished. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, and in a strict sense of the word is a self-made man. He commenced life in very limited circumstan- ces, but, through energy and good management, has attained success. Being an active politician in the Kepublican ranks, he exer- cises considerable influence, believing that the principles of Hepub- licanism are the only ones calculated to advance the best interests of this country. The family number among those of the early and respected families of the county. George Flynn, farmer, seo. 3; P. O.. Carthage; was born in Ireland in 1835, emigrated to America in 1860, and settled in Butler county, O., where he worked on a farm and teamed it be- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 711 tween that point and Cinciunati. In 1858 he came to this county, and rented until lie had, by prudence, secured enough means to purchase a portion of his present estate, now consisting of 160 acres, with 50 acres on soutli side of the road. This farm is one of the most valuable and productive in the tp. ]\Ir. F. was mar- ried in 1859, to Miss Delia Donohue, a native of Ireland, who died in 1876, leaving 6 children, all of whom are living; George O., Frank, John, William H., Mary J. and Delia. His present wife, Ellen A. Kelly, is a native of Ireland and daughter of Laurence Kelly, of Rock Creek, who came to this county in 1850, is still a resident of this tp., and in the T8th year of his age. By this marriage, one child has been born, Catherine. The family are members ot the Catholic Church at Carthage. Mr. F. values his land at $50 per acre. He dealt largely in stock during the wai', and is considerabh- engaged in that business at this time. Political]}', he does not bind himself to an}' party, but votes for the man most worthy of support. JoJin L. Foutch, merchant, firm of Foutch «fe Shultz, was born in "Washington county, Md., March 3, 1S24:; is a son of William and Catherine (Caashter) Foutch, natives of Yirginia, who emigrated to Maryland, where they both died. He came to this State in 1847, and located in Springfield; same year he removed to Canton, Fulton Co., where he lived until 1S57, when he moved to this city. He was a blacksmith and worked at his trade until he enlisted in 1S62, as 2d Sergt. in Co. K, llSth I. Y. I., and served until Oct., 1S65. He participated in tlie battles on the Yazoo. Ark. Post, Milliken's Bend V icksbnrg, Thompson's Hill, Raymond, Champion Hills, Black river bridge, siege of Yicksbnrg, Port Hudson, Baton Rouge, and all the smaller engagements in which the regiment was engaged. He was mustered out Oct. 1, 1865; was mai-ried March 14, 1849 to Miss Mary Cutler, a native of Erie county, N. Y. Two children have been born to this marriage, one of whom is living, Amanda, wife of A. C. Shultz. Mr. F. is a member of the Baptist Church, and is Republican in politics.' CJias. W. Ooodrich^ farmer sec. 22; P. O. Carthage; is a son of Neshach Groodrich, who was born in Rensselaer county, iST. Y. in 1794. When 16 yeai-s of age he went to Shenandoah county, Ya., where he was married in May, IS 15, to Miss Rebecca Ruddell. a native of the same county. In ISIS he purchased the land of his present estate of 160 acres from the soldiers, it being patent land, and settled on the same in 1839. He raised a family of 12 children, 7 of whom are living, Susan, Sarah and John, all residents of San Francisco; Charles. Amanda, wife of Wm. Raleigh, a descendant of Walter Raleigh, residents of Chicago; James, who lives in the township, and Frank, of McDonough conuty. Mr. G. was drafted in the war of 1812, but the retreat of the British secured him his discharge. He is one of the oldest living pioneers of the county. For two years past he has been an invalid, and confined most of the time to his bed ; he became associated with the Christian 712 HISTOET OF HAKCOOK C&TTNTY. Church when 19 years of age and has always led a devout Christian life. The subject of this sketch was born in this township in 1843. He was united in matrimony to Miss Mildred D. Davis, a native of Virginia. Their children are : Ada E., John F., Charles E. and Emma M. Mr. G. has resided on the homestead all his life; has a farm of 60 acres, and 40 acres in sec. 26, and numbers among the pioneers of the county. Politically, is Democratic. The family are lineal descendants of the Goodrich family that emigrated to America in the days of early pilgrimage, and are extensively known. A. J. Griffith, physician, was born in Highland county, O., in 1822; is son of L. L. Willin and Hannah (Hope) Griffith, who emigrated to Illinois in 1842, and settled in Fulton county, where they resided until 1866, when they moved to this county and settled in Fountain Green where his father worked at his trade, wagon-making. He began the study of medicine in the office of P. S. Secon, at Fountain Green; was educated at Missouri Medical College, and attended medical lectures at the Jefferson Medical School at Philadelphia; in 1846 he began the practice of medicine at Fountain Green. In 1848 he was married to Miss Fidelia, youngest child of Stephen G. Ferris, a native of ]^ew York, who died in 1849 leaving one child, "William. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, where he remained two years. In 1854 he moved to this city and followed his profession for some years, when he retired from practice, and in 1865 became associated with the Hancock National Bank, of which he is Yice-President and a large stockholder. He was again married in 1854 to Miss Margaret McOlaughry, a native of iNew York city, by whom he has two children, Kate and Kalph. Mr. G. is largely interested in the Eepublican press of this city, has ' been a member of the Masonic order since 1846, and is one of the prominent business men of Carthage. Politically is a Democrat. WilUam Griffith, cashier Hancock National Bank, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in Jan., 1849, an'd with his parents settled in this city, where he has since made it his home. In Sept., 1867, he was called to fill his present position in the bank, where he has been continuously engaged ever since. He served as Town Clerk one term and Town Treasurer two terms. He was married Oct., 1873, to Miss Clara M., daughter of David E. Head. By this marriage they have one child, Ethil. Mr. G. is a member of the A. O. U. "W". and of the Baptist Church. Artois Hamilton. — This pioneer settler, whose portrait is given on another page, was born in Tolland, Mass., Aug. 15. 1795; he moved to Montgomery county, N. Y., in 1822, and was married to Miss Atta Bentley, of that county, February 22, 1827. In 1835 Mr. Hamilton removed his family, then consisting of his wife and four children, to Hancock county. 111. ; he traversed the entire distance with horse teams, consuming nearly two months on the road. He arrived at Carthage July 22 of that year. During the first two ^^^-^ .^ . A// 'h^y^U/rv^X- HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 715 weeks that he spent in Carthage, himself and family slept in their wagons and prepared their food hard by on the prairie. He fed his horses on the grass which he cut as needed on the open prairie, where the court-house now stands. At the end of two weeks Mr. Hamilton leased a dwelling on the site now occupied by the dwelling of Mrs. Dr. Randolph, where he lived some three months. In the spring he purchased a small log house, into which he moved with his family. To this house he added other rooms until it was large enough to entertain travelers, and his dwelliag thereafter became by common consent the hotel of the village, which he kept uninterruptedly until 1851, and maintained its repu- tation above the reproach of either "saint" or "gentile." He, withal, had leisure time to enter and improve five or six quarter sections of land in the vicinity of his new home. Close attention to his accumulating interests and prudent management soon made Mr. Hamilton the wealthiest man in the county. During the eventful period of the Mormon war, he was neces- sarily a spectator to most of the stirring events of that time. His hotel being the general headquarters for the traveling public at Car- thage, very frequently he was compelled to entertain guests at the same hour holding the most antagonistic views on the Mormon question. "When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed at the Car- thage jail, Mr. Hamilton, as soon as he heard of it, went to the jail with a wagon and conveyed the bodies to his house, where he con- structed rude coffins in which they were placed. On the following morning, accompanied by two of his sons and two neighbors, he conveyed the bodies in a wagon to ]SIauvoo and delivered them to their friends. For this humane act he was cordially thanked by the Mormon people, and was also offered substantial tokens of their gratitude. The last, however, he declined. Daring the hostiities that followed between the Mormons and Anti-Mormons, an artillery company at Carthage had, for some cause, disbanded, and a six- pound iron cannon belonging to it had, to some extent, be- come public property. Mr. Hamilton, learning that a Mormon squad headed by one Jo Backenstos, a "Jack Mormon" leader, was coming to take away the cannon, unlimbered the gun and hid it in a cornfield, where it staid until the arrival of the State forces, to whom he gave it up. In July, 1851, a great calamity fell upon Mr. Hamilton, in the loss of five members of his family by cholera. One sister and a daughter died on the 16th; his wife, on the 18th; his oldest son, Marvin, on the 19th, and his remaining sister, on the 23d. In 1852 Mr. H. married Mrs. Susan Smith, who survives him and still re- sides at Carthage. In 1855 Mr. Hamilton laid out the town, now city, of Hamilton, opposite Keokuk. This enterprise did not prove a pecuniary suc- cess. His reticence during his life relative to this enterprise neces- sarily abridges what would doubtless have been a valuable and in- teresting portion of the history of the " City of Hamilton." It Is 42 716 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. said by some that Mr. H. never had but one hobby in his life, and that was the 4th of July. It was his habit from childhood to regard the day as one of peculiar significance to Americans, — a day to be observed and honored with ceremonies appropriate to its patriotic inspirations. He was a leading and directing spirit in every 4th of Julv celebration taking place in the town or vicinity. For the celebration of the 4th of July, 1873, at Carthage, Mr. Hamilton had spent much time, labor and expense. The programme for the day was mostly gotten up by him. It was to consist,, in a large part, of a military display and mock battle by the "Army of the Eevolution," as Mr. Hamilton delighted to call it. This army consisted of some 300 boys, for whom military hats and wooden guns had been provided by Mr. H. The military parade took place, the mimic battle was fought to the satisfaction of all, and the general programme for the day was carried out as the old vet- eran had devised. The troops were then mustered into line and marched to his residence, after which arms were stocked, and the troops were dismissed. While there, assembled at his well, he made the boys a little speech. "Boys," said he, "you have done nobly to-day ; you have acted like patriots and gentlemen, and I am proud of you. This is the last 4th of July I will ever celebrate, boys, and I want you to remember this : Mind you'r parents and remem- ber the 4th of July, and you will all make good men and be an honor to the country." The boys then dispersed to their homes. Mr. Hamilton then sat down on the porch of his home to con- verse with his family and visiting friends. In a short time he com- plained of feeling sick. He went into the house and lay down, while his daughter fanned him. Shortly he said he felt better. His sons, William and Elisha, were with him, and he conversed with them easily and cheerfully some minutes. Soon he ceased to con- verse, and lay with his eyes closed, as if asleep. It was then dis- covered that his limbs were quite cold, and that he was unconscious. Physicians were sent for and restoratives applied, but he was beyond the aid of medical skill, or the kind offices of friends. The old patriot was dead. He passed away as pes^cefully as an infant falls asleep in its mother's arms. The precise moment of his death is not known, but it could not have been far from one-half past six o'clock p. M., or about one hour after he had dismissed the " boy soldiers," at his house. Thus lived and died the patriot citizen; doubtless had he been permitted to select the hour of his death, he would not have wished it differently. The celebration he had planned and labored for with such zeal, had happily passed off to his complete satisfaction. He had said, " Boys, this is my last 4th of July." He evidently thought that it was, and thus feeling, he doubtless welcomed the summons to rest. Four of his children yet survive him, whose names are as follows: William R. Hamilton, who was born in Johnstown, N. Y., Nov. 5, 1829; he was elected Sheriff of Han- cock county in 1858, and has filled various other offices of trust HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOUNTT, 717 and honor, among which is Supervisor, etc., etc. He now resides at Carthage. John D. Hamilton was also a native of Johnstown, N. Y., and born April 30, 1833. He served as Sergeant Major in the 16th 111. Vol. Inf. during the war of the Rebellion. He is now a Clerk in the Illinbis Penitentiary, at Chester, 111. Mary B. Hamilton, the only surviving daughter, lives at Carthage. Elisha B. Hamilton was a soldier in the late war, and acted as 1st Lieut. Co. B, in the 118th 111. Vol. Inf. He is a lawyer by pro-" fession, and resides in Quincy, 111. He is now Inspector General of the Illinois National Guard, and a member of the Governor's StaflF. Elisha Bentl&y Hamilton, youngest son of Artois Hamilton, was born Oct. 5, 1838, at Carthage, 111., in the old house there, then known as " Hamilton's Tavern," situated on north Main street. Spent his early life about the farm, saw-mill and tavern, and in 1856 entered Illinois College, at Jacksonville; graduated in June, 1860, with the degree of B. S. Enlisted as a private, in August, 1863, and assisted in raising Capt. McClaughry's company, which became Co. B in the 118th Inf. Vols., and on the formation of regiment at Camp Butler, was appointed Quartermaster Sergeant ; was promoted to 1st Lieutenant Co. B, Nov. 14, 1863. Served almost continuously with the regiment, which was with Sherman at the first attack on Vicksburg, at the capture of Arkansas Post, through the Vicksburg campaign and capture, capture of Jack- son, Miss., Franklin's campaign in Western La., in 1864, and Gen. Davidson's march to the Gulf. [See Hist, of 118th EegL] Was mustered out with the regiment at Springfield, Oct. 13, 1865, having served over three years. In June, 1866, Lieut. H. entered the office of Warren & Wheat, at Quincy, 111,, to study law, and was admitted to practice in the State Courts June 1, 1868, and the U. S. Circuit and District Courts in January, 1872. On admis- sion to the Bar, he was taken as a member of the firm, which became Warren, Wheat & Ha,milton, afterward, Wheat, Ewing & Hamilton, at present, Ewing & Hamilton. On March 3, 1868, Mr. H. was appointed Surveyor of Customs for the port of Quincy, by Pres. Johnson, and re-appointed by Pres. Grant April, 1872, which office he resigned July, 1875, and recommended its abolition Jan. 14, 1873. Mr. Hamilton was commissioned by Gov. Oglesby as 1st Lieut, of the Quinc;j National Guards, a fine military organ- ization, and was. May 26, 1876, commissioned as Captain of the ►Co. by Gov. Beveridge. By direction of Gov. CuUom, he took command of the 8th Eegt. of I. N. G., and went to East St. Louis, during the riots of 1877, and received for his course on that occa- sion warm praise from the commanding General. Feb. 26, 1878, was placed on the staff of Gov. CuUom, as Brig.-Gen. and Chief of Artillery; and on Jan. 5, 1880, was commissioned by the Gov- ernor as Inspeetoj General of the I. N. G., which position he now holds. In June, 1878, Illinois College voluntarily conferred on 718 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Gen. Hamilton the degree of M. A. Married Sept. 10,' 1878, to Miss Mary E. Fisk, at Qnincy, 111. William B. Hamilton, Deputy Circuit Clerk, is a son of the venerable Artois Hamilton, whose biography is given elsewhere in this volume, and was born in Johnstown, Fulton county, N". Y., Nov. 5, 1829. He was married in this county in June, 1854, to Miss Martha H., daughter of "Warren Miller, a native of Elmira, ]N". T., by whom he has 3 children: Ida A., Willard C. and Herbert. In 1855 Mr. H. was appointed Census-taker, and com- piled the records of the census of that year. He served as Super- visor five years in Prairie township, and was elected Sheriff in 1858, serving two years ; in fact, his whole life has been spent in an official capacity. Mr. H. is one of the oldest pioneers of Hancock county, and at present fills the position of Deputy Circuit Clerk. He is grandson of Gad and Ann Hamilton, the former born April 12, 1768, and died May 8, 1848; the latter born March 11, l'^76, and died Aug, 3, 1851. William T. Hannon, physician, was born in Wood county, O., in 1839. He commenced the battle of life without means, and ac- quired his education by his own energy and industry. His early schooling was obtained at Waterville, O., and when 17 years of age took charge of the seminary in Coles county, 0., which he conducted one year with satisfaction. He then read law one year, and commenced the study of medicine with P. G.Corkins, of Lib- erty, Adams Co. When the dark cloud of Kebellion broke over the land he enlisted in Co. D, 4th I. Y. I., and served one year; was severely wounded on the Gasconade river, Mo., while on picket duty, by a minie-ball through his foot and two bayonet thrusts in his body. He was confined in the field hospital some time, and taken to the home of a local physician, where he was kindly cared for until able to return home in May, 1862. He returned to his stud- ies with Dr. Corkins, and attended lectures prior to his army ser- vice at Ann Arbor, Mich. In 1869 he received his diploma from the Iowa University. He instituted the class of anatomy in that school, and was connected with that college for four years. He first began practice in Denver, Hancock Co., and in 1871 moved to this city, where he has since been in active and successful practice. In the fall of 1863 he married Miss Emma S. Young, a native oi Fort Madison, Iowa, and daughter of Colonel Thomas E. Young, of Pennsylvania. They have 5 living children : Mary L., "William H., John T., Bertha J. and George E. The Doctor is a member ot the Masonic order and one of the most prominent and success- ful physicians of the county. Politically, he usually votes the Democratic ticket. His parents, John and Fannie (Barr) Hannon, were natives of Ireland. His father was born in Narragansett Bay, while the vessel was en route to America. He settled in Ohio, in 1826, where they both died during the boyhood days of our siibject. 8am,uel E. Harnest, farmer, sec. 25; P. O., Carthage; is son of John and Anna (Spitler) Harnest, natives of Upshur county, "W. Va., HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 719 and was born in Champaign county, O., in 1835. His parents em- igrated to that State at an early day, and to this county in 1838, and resided in Hancock tp. nntil 1863, then moved to this tp., where he died In 1866. The mother- still survives, in the 71st year of her age. The subject of this sketch was married in 1861 to Miss Matilda A. Walton, a native of this county, and their children are: Mary E., John "W". and Frederick E. Mr. H. has a farm of 240 acres, valued at $40 per acre; has been School Director, and is one of the early settlers of Hancock; is a member of the Baptist Church, and is well and favorably known. George W. Saynie, iarmer, sec. 27; P. O., Carthage; was born in Scott county, 111., in 1839. His parents, Henry and Nellie (Hight) Haynie, were natives of Kentucky, and settled in the above county in 1820 or 1821. His' father entered land in that county, and moved to this county in 1853, and located in Wythe tp., where he died inDec, 1872; his mother died in March of the same year. He was one of the oldest settlers of Scott county, and a pioneer of the State. The subject of this sketch enlisted in 1861 in Co. F, 60th Kegt. I. Y. I., and served three years. He participated in the battle of Ft. Henry, Donelson, siege of Corinth, Corinth, Eeseca, and was honorably discharged in 1866. He was united in matrimony to Miss Charlotte, daughter of Henry Bartlett, of Lee county, Iowa, and their two children are Nellie and Henry E. ■ Mr. H. came to this county in 1853, and settled on his present farm in 1869. It consists of 80 acres, valued at $65 per acre. This valuable land is said to be the best 80-acre farm in the county. He is School Director, and member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically is Kepublican and was a strong Grant man. H. C. Halladay, M. D., was born in MoDonough county, 111., in 1852; is son of John and Catharine (Fugate) Halladay, natives of Kentucky and Virginia, who settled in Lamoyn tp., McDonough county, in 1832, where he became prominently distinguished, serv- ing many years as Justice of the Peace, and filling many other offices. In 1877 he moved to Carroll county. Mo ., where he now resides. The subject of this sketch began the study of medicine with Dr. D. G. Fugate, of McDonough county, and attended medi- cal lectures at the St. Louis, Mo., Medical School in 1873-'74. He then entered the medical college at Keokuk, Iowa, and graduated at that institution in 1878. He began the practice of his pro- fession at Elm Tree, Hancock county, where he resided until the spring of 1880, when he moved here, and became associated with Wm. F. Hannon of this city. This firm have established them- selves on the Public Square and have a large practice. Dr. H. was united in marriage June 5, 1877, to Miss Clemmie White, a native of Harrison county, O. They have one child, Blanche. The Dr. is a member of the Hancock Medical Society, and the family are members of the M. E. Church; politically he is a Demo- crat. 720 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. John JBelfrich, proprietor of meat market, Carthage, was born in Germany in 1834; emigrated to America in 1849, and settled in Hamilton county, O., where he was engaged in farming for eight yeats, then started for California, going only to New Or- leans, La., where he stopped one year. In 1855 he moved to this city, and in 1860 established himself in his present business. The same year he married Miss Josephine Loring, a native of this city, by whom he has 7 children, — Edward, Mary, Stella, Charles, John, George and Burt. In 1862 Mr. H. enlisted in Co. B, 118th Kegt. I. V. I., and served until the close of the war. He partici- pated in the battles of Yicksburg, Yazoo Kiver, Port Gibsonj Champion Hills, Black Kiver, the charge on Yicksburg, Jackson, Miss., Apaloosa, Ala.-, and all the battles in which that Regt. was engaged. Two years of this service he had the position of Bugler Mr. H. is a member of the Catholic Church, a member of the A. O. U. W. and one of the oldest and most respected business men of Carthage. Politically he is a Republican. William W. Hughes, dealer in harness and saddlery, Carthage, was born in Bourbon county, Ky., in 1821, and son of William and JSTancy (Hayden) Hughes, native of Maryland, who emigrated to Kentucky, where they both died. He came to this country in 1854, and opened the first harness sliop in the city, where he has since been actively engaged. He served an apprenticeship at his trade, in his native State, and at one time ran a drug store, har- ness shop and farm in this county. His advantages for education were limited, and he began work in a cotton factory when a boy. By industry and perseverance he has realized success, and has ac- cumulated a nice property, and is one of the oldest and respected merchants of Carthage. He was married in 1846 to Miss Eliza- beth Payne, a native of Kentucky. He is a member of the Ma- sonic order, and of the Christian Church. He erected the store he now occupies in 1876, and" has a very lucrative trade. Politically, is a Democrat. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have 4 children, — Perry, Leroy, Albert and Henry. George T. Sunsaher, hardware merchant, was born in Fayette county, Pa., in 1820. His parents, Jacob and Mary (Troutman) Hun- saker, were natives of Pennsylvania, and settled in Butler county, O., in 1821, where his father died in 1863; his mother died at Cin- cinnati, in 1832. He came to this county in the fall of 1860, and was for some time engaged in the express and postoffice. He then opened a dry-goods house on the North Side, and the follow- ing year engaged in the grocery trade. In 1865, he opened his present place of business, where he has since been industriously at work. He was married in 1844, to Miss Amelia Coddington, of Cincinnati, and they have 4 children: Anna, Abbie "W., wife of Prof Easterday; Walter J., of the Gazette, &nA. Robert L. He was acting Postmaster two years, and express agent same time. Is a member of the I. O, O. F., and of the Presbyterian Church. Po- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 721 Ijtioally, is an ardent supporter of Republican administration, and a citizen highly esteemed by all who know him. John, i7i?cA;sore, proprietor of the Stevens House, Carthage, is a son of William and Lettie (Ellis) Jackson, who came from Kentucky, their native State, to this county in 1862. Four years afterward they settled on the original Pilot Grove farm in that tp., where he died in 1874. John J. was born in Bracken county, Ky., in 1848. Was married in 1870 to Miss Anna Brunk, widow of Richard D. Haines, a native of Schuyler county. Mr. J. remained on the homestead until the fall of 1879, when he assumed the proprietor- ship of the Stevens House, which he is now conducting success- fully. The house, under his management, commands the patron- age of the'best traveling public. James Q. Johnson^ manufacturer of corn-huskers, was born in Jefferson county, Ky., Dec. 24, 1827, and moved with his parents, George and Eleanor (Guthrie) Johnson, to Adams county, 111., in 1831, where his father died in 1869. He was entensively engaged in the nursery business, and was reputed the oldest nursery man in the county, and was extensively known throughout the county. His wife and mother, who survive, reside in that county. The sub- ject of this sketch came to this county in 1855, and located in Dur- ham tp., where he resided nine years. After a residence of three years in Elvaston he moved to Carthage. In 1871 his ingenious faculties worked out a corn-husker, upon which he obtained a patent, and he is now largely engaged in the manufacture of this article, with which he has a large and increasing trade. He erected a fac- tory on the lot in the rear of his residence, and has completed all arrangements for this trade. Mr. J. was married in 1850 to Miss Melvina J. Thomas, a native of this State. Their two children are Ella and Alice. Mr. J. is a member of the A. O. U. W. and of the M. E. Church. His early education was limited, and his success is wholly due to his energy and natural inventive talent. Politically he is a Republican. Geo. M. Kellogg, M. D., was born in Chautauqua county, N. T., in 1830. He received his collegiate education at Oberlin College, O.; then he entered the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, and began practice in that city. He spent the years 1857 and '58 in Minnesota, and the following year moved to Keokuk. At the outbreak of the war he enlisted as Surgeon in the army, and served in the Department of the Cumberland under Buell. He had charge of the general hospitals at Lebanon, Ky., and in April, 1862, was sent to Yirginia, and assigned to the Kanawha Division, and Chief Surgeon of the 8th Army Corps. He served until the close of the war and returned to Keokuk, continuing his practice. He became interested in the ^tudy of anatomy, and delivered the lectures of eight sessions at the Keokuk Medical College. In the spring of 1875 he moved to Carthage, where he has since followed his profes- sion. He was married in 1866 to Miss Sarah W.^Brown, a native of Tennessee, where she was left an orphan. She was educated in 722 HISTOET OF HANOOOK OOTTNTT. the Female Seminary, at Buffalo,!^. Y., and graduated with honors at that school — a person of cultivated taste, refinement, educa- tion, and a fluent writer. She is a correspondent of some of the popular magazines published in the country. To this union 3 chil- dren have been born, 2 of whom are living, Marion and Julia. The Doctor is a member of the Mutual Aid Association and Medical Examiner, and a physician of great experience. Thomas J. Lome, farmer, sec. 36; P. O., Carthage; was born in Hancock county in 1841, and is a son of Frederick W. and Julia A. (Rucker) Lane, who came to this county in 1839; located one year in Chili tp., and moved to Bear Creek, where he resided till his death. The widow and mother and 10 children survive. The subject of this sketch was married in Sept., 1861, to Miss Mary E. Jones, a native of Cincinnati, O. They have 4 children : MaryV., Lawrence D., Wilemina K. and "Walter S. After marriage they settled on his present estate of 80 acres, valued at $35 per acre; he also owns 80 acres on sec. 35; same valuation. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. H, 118th I. V. I., and served until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Yazoo River, Arkansas Post, Thomp- son's Hill, Jackson, Miss., Baker's Creek, Black River bridge, siege of Vicksburg, Jackson (2d), and other skirmishes. He was wounded at Thompson's Hill in the knee by a spent ball, and lost a finger in a skirmish in the rear of Yicksburg, May 14, 1864. Samuel W. Layton, County Superintendent of Schools, was born in Sussex county, Del., in 1831, son of John and Elizabeth (White) Layton, natives of that State, where they both died. The subject of this sketch came to this State in 1864, and settled in Adams county, where he engaged in teaching. From 1850 until 1863 he followed this calling in Marion county. Mo. He received his edu- cation at the Baptist Seminary at Palmyra, Mo., and he became a thorough student in the mathematical and scientific branches. In 1865 he removed to this county, and in 1868 was married to Miss Mary J. Henderson, a native of Adams county, 111. He served as Collector and Assessor in St. Alban's tp. and has always been iden- tified with the interests of the county. He was elected to his present position in 1877. He is also member of the Independent Mutual Aid Insurance Company, and of the Methodist Church. He is the father of 4 children, 3 boys and one girl ; Charles, Robert, James and Julia. Ch/ris. T. Long, Postmaster, is a son of Christian and Catherine (Yetter) Long, natives of Lancaster county. Pa., who emigrated to Ohio in 1837, where they resided until 1866, when they moved to this county and settled in this tp., where she died' with cholera in 1848. He is a resident of this tp. They had 4 children, 2 of whom are living: Mary A., wife of Joseph A. Deahner, and the subject of this sketch, who was born in Marion county, Ohio, in 1842. He followed farming ' until 1861, when he enlisted in Co. K 32d 111. Vol. Inf.; was promoted to 1st Lieuten- ant and served until the close of the war. He participated in the CARTHAGE , HISTOET OF HANOOOE COUNTY. 726 battles of Pittsburg Landing, where he was wounded, and confined in the hospital at St. Louis. Eecovering, he returned home on a furlougli of 60 days and rejoined his regiment. Was engaged in the siege of Corinth, Hatchie Eiver, siege of Yicksburg, and with Sherman on his march to the sea, through the grand review at Washington, and mustered out at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Ke- turned home and went to Pontiac, 111., where he was engaged with a dry-goods firm one year, when he came back to this county and followed farming three years. Subsequently he filled a clerkship until appointed Postmaster, October 28, 1873. Was re-appointed in 1877, and has filled that office to the general satisfaction of the public. He was married in 1865 to Miss Sarah E. Weir, a native of Washington county, Ind., where she was born in 1848. Their two children are Mabel and Pearl. In July, 1877, he organized Co. G, of the 8th I. JST. G., was elected Major and commissioned Sept. 16, 1877. His grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Young) Long, descendants of the family of Longs who were sold for their passage from Germany to America in 1760, to the Captain of the vessel that conveyed them to American soil. Edward Lowery, farmer, sec. 4; P. O., Carthage; was born in Tompkins county, N. Y., in 1814. He was married in 1841 to Miss Harriet Crossen, a native of Dutchess county, If. Y. Two years afterward he moved to this State and located in Schuyler Co. where he resided until 1866, at which time he moved to this tp and on his present estate in 1875, consisting of 110 acres, valued at $45 per acre. Mr. L. has been connected with the M. E. Church for 40 years, and numbers among the enterprising farmers of this tp. He has raised a family of 6 children, all of whom are living, —James, Mary A., John, Andrew, Asbury and Harriet. Wesley H. Manier, son of John and Ann G. Manier, was born Oct. 2, 1829 ; married Oct. 26, 1854, to Sarah A. Allen, in Car- thage, 111.,- who was born in Montgomery co., Ky. He had the fol- lowing brothers and sisters: Mary J. Manier, born Dec. 3, 1831, married Aug. 18, 1863, to James J.W. Kelly, in Winchester, Ky., and afterward to William O'lSTeal. She died Oct. 21, 1865, in Carthage, 111., leaving 2 children, Anna Liza and Josephine Maria Kelly. John W. F. Manier, born Aug. 7, 1834, and died 'Hov. 24, 1860, in Carthage, 111. Martha E. Manier, born May 24, 1837, and married Nov. 17, 1853, in Winchester, Ky., to John W. Rose; died in Mt. Sterling, Ky. Robert F. C. Manier, born April 24, 1839, and died July 27, 1860. Joseph W. Manier, born Feb. 18, 1842, now deceased. Ann A. Manier, born June 15, 1846, and died Oct. 17, 1848. Thomas J. Manier, born June 11, 1847, and died Jan. 18, 1865. Tracing the ancestry backward, his father, John Manier, was born Aug. 4, 1804, and married Ann G. Williams Dec. 18, 1828, and died in Mt. Sterling, Ky., March 17, 1866; his wife died Sept. 16, 1^63. His father was also John Manier, who was born Dec. 18, 1779, in Virginia; his parents were Jonathan Manier and Magden 726 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Manier, and he died in 1856. He was married four times, to the following persons, by whom he had children as follows: John Manier, Sr., was first married Dec. 9, 1801, to Sibba Howell, in Virginia, when they came to Kentucky' and settled in Fleming county, on the Licking river, near Gill's Mills. His first wife died Oct. 1, 1810.. 2. To Jerusha McCarty, Aug. 15, 1811, who died Jan. 13, 1827. 3. To Sallie McKinzie, Dec. 18, 1827, who died Sept. 13, 1846. 4. To Polly A. 'Feron, Sept. 26, 1847, who sur- vived him. The following are his children and the dates of their births, deaths, etc.: Polly Manier, by Sibba Manier, born Oct. 19, 1802, who was married to James Harty and died Aug. 18, 1835. John Manier, by Sibba Manier, born Aug. 4, 1804; married Deo. 18, 1828, to Ann Gr. Williams; he died March 17, 1866. Howell Manier, by Sibba Manier, born Aug. 7, 1809, was married to Nancy Lindsay, of Mt. Sterling, Ky. ; he died June 22, 1843. Sibba Manier, by Sallie Manier, born Oct. 29, 1828, and was mar- ried to Daniel Orear in Montgomery county, Ky., and is still liv- ing. Jonathan Manier, by same wife, was born Jan. 3, 1831. Martha Manier, by the same wife, was born May, 29, 1833, who was married to her cousin, Jonathan Manier. Nancy Manier, by the same wife, was born Sept. 1, 1835, and was married to Geoi^e Berkley in Mt. Sterling, Ky., where he is still living. Lydia Ma- nier, by the same wife, was born April 1, 1838. Jonathan Manier, the father of John Manier, Sr., wasborninVir- finia in the year 1759, was killed in his twenty-fourth year, by the ndians, in 1783. He married Magdalen Peavler, by whom he had 8 children ; Polly, who married Sailers in 1777 ; John Manier, born Dec. 18, 1779, and Jonathan Manier, a few years younger. John Manier, or Mvnneer, father of Jonathan Manier, wa,s born in Germany and was married to Fox. They came to this country before the Revolution and settled in Virginia. The subject of the present sketch came from Montgomery county in May, 1851, to Quincy, Illinois, then just past twenty-one years of age. He immediately commenced the study of the law, in the law office of Williams & Lawrence, the firm consisting of the Hon. Archibald Williams, afterward appointed United States District Judge for Kansas, and Charles B. Lawrence, afterward and for many years Judge of the Supreme Court of this State, now a resident of the city of Chicago, where he has a large and lucrative practice. He was admitted to the Bar to practice law by the license of the Judges of the Supreme Court, then composed of the Hon. S. H. Treat, Lyman Trumbul, and John D. Caton. His license was issued in 1852. He came and located in Carthage, Hancock county, about the 1st of June, and opened a law office. In the course of the year he formed a partnership with John M. Ferris, with whom he re- mained in the practice as partner until in the spring of 1856 or 1857, when a new firm was formed consisting of the Hon. B. F. Scofield, John M. Ferris and himself, which was continued some six or eight years, the practice proving rather lucrative. After the HISTOET OF HANCOCK CODNTY. 727 dissolution of that firm, he formed a partnership with Bryant F. Person, and in a few years afterward John D. Miller was admitted into the firm, which continued for quite a number of years. His partner now is Mr. Miller, who was admitted to the Bar while a student in the office of Manier & Peterson, who has made great proficiency in the practice of the law, and now stands deservedly high as a young adyocate and counselor. For the last six years the subject of this sketch has been devoting the most of his time in assisting the reporter of the Supreme Court in preparing head notes of adjudged cases, which frequently calls him away from home and his office. His politics are Democratic, but not of so decisive a cast as to make him forfeit the friendship and esteem of many who are opposed to him politically. In matters of religion he does not ally himself with any particular tenets or dogmas, but is rather disposed to take a liberal view in all such matters. His portrait is given in this work. WilliaTn E. Mason, State's Attorney, is a native of Harrison county, W. Virginia, where he was born in 1852, son of Peter and Tabitha (Shinn) Mason, native of Connecticut, and grandson of Isaac and Nancy Shinn, who settled in W. Virginia in 1810, and were the original founders of Shinnstown, so named in honor of the family. His parents came to this county in 1854 and settled in Durham tp., on sec. 33, where they at this time reside. The subject of this sketch received his early education at the La Harpe high school, and afterward completed his studies at Adrian College, Adrian, Mich., at which institution he was graduated in 1872. iSie same year he was married at Adrian, Mich., to Miss Helen, daugh- ter of H. Osborn, a native of Seneca Co., N. Y. The following year he was admitted to the Bar, and began the practice of his pro- fession in this city. Was elected State's Attorney in 1876, which office he fills to the entire satisfaction of his many friends ; although young in his profession he has at this time prosecuted a number of important cases at Springfield, 111., with marked success. He is the father of 3 children, — Penfield E., "Waldo O. and Vera H. James Madden, farmer, sec. 6; P. O., Carthage; was born in Ireland in 1819. He was married July 22, 1840, to Miss Mary Wright, a native of Ireland, and the following year emigrated to America, stopping a short time in Canada, and locating in Rut- land county, Vt. Here he obtained employment on the railroad, and secured work in any available capacity. He traveled consider- ably over the diiferent States, and Nov. 6, 1856, settled on the spot of ground he now occupies, which, by his energy and industry, now consists of 740 acres. He also owns two quarters in Rock Creek tp., one quarter in Prairie, and 80 acres in Pilot Grrove. He erected his fine and commodious residence in 1861, which is the finest farming residence in the tp. He had no advantages for edu- cation, and when he landed in America he had but 50 cents in his pocket. Of the several children that have been born to him, 6 are living, — Frank, Eliza, Ellen, Sarah, Mary and Susan. The deceased 128 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. are Mary, James, William, Thomas, Edward and Charles. The family are members of the Catholic Church. Matthew McClaughry was born in Delaware county, N. Y., Jan. 17, 1803. He settled in Hancock coiinty. 111., at Fountain Green, in 183T, and resided there until his death, which occurred August 12, 1879. His mother was born in County Antrim, Ireland, and was a first cousin of Gen. Eichard Montgomery, who fell at the storming of Quebec. Matthew McClaughry was thrice married. His first wife, Margaret Seal, died in 1833, and was buried in New York. Her daughter Margaret still survives, and is the wife of Dr. A. J. Griffith, of Carthage. His second wife, Mary Hume, whom he married in 1838, was the daughter of Robert and Catha- rine Hume, both natives of Scotland, born near Abbotsford, the home of "Walter Scott. By this wife he had 3 children, 2 of whom, E. W. McClaughry, of Joliet, and Mrs. Eev. D. G. Bradford, of Princeton, still survive. The youngest, Mrs. S. S. Findley, died in Carthage, May 19, 1878, aged 34 years. Mrs. Mary Hume McClaughry died at Fountain Green July 5, 1852, at the age of 89. His third wife was Miss Eliza Campbell, to whom he was married in New York in the fall of 1853, and who still survives him. Judge Sharp, who knew him well, thus speaks of him in the Gazette of August 20, 1879 : " Mr. McClaughry was a man of great industry and energy of character, but his manners were always quiet and unobtrusive. We became acquainted with him in 1841, and have always known him as one of the most useful, public- spirited and benevolent men of the county. He was widely known among the old settlers, and was prominent in Mormon times, as a staunch, reliable, but discreet opponent of Mormon aggressions. In his intercourse with his fellow-men he was always on the side ot religion and morality; charitable, but unostentatious in his chari- ties. He was the friend of the deserving poor, and was ever ready to help those who were willing to help themselves. He was a good man in all the relations of life, and set an example in his daily walk and in his intercourse with his neighbors, that young men would do well to follow." Major Robert W. McOlaughry, the present able and efficient Warden of the Northern Penitentiary at Joliet, is a native of this county. He was born July 22, 1839, in a log house, where now is the village of Fountain Green. His father, Mr. Matthew Mc- Claughry, settled there in 1 836. His mother's maiden name was Mary Hume. She was the daughter of Eobert Hume, a Scol;chman, who traced his family back to the " Lord Jlome," of whom Sir Walter Scott speaks in one of his poems. Mr. McClaughry was raised on his father's farm, attending school at the village during winters, until the winter of 1853-'4, when he was sent to^school at Macomb, 111. The winter of 1854-'5 was also spent in Macomb, and in November, 1856, he entered Monmouth College, where he graduated in 1860. The year after his graduation was spent in teaching in the same institution, when he was tendered the Profes- HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 729 sorship of Languages, whicli he declined on account of ill health. In July, 1861, Mr. McClaughry came to Carthage, and in com- pany with his brother-in-law, Dr. A. J. Griffith, purchased of G. M. Child the Carthage Bepuhlican, and issued the first number under the new management Aug. 1, 1861, Mr. McClaughry as editor. Under Mr. Child it had been, as is well remembered, a Democratic journal, strongly opposed to putting down the Eebel- lion which was then raging, by force of arms. The battle of Ma- nassas was fought July 22, 1861, and the last editorial written by Mr. Child was an argument to prove by its results the impossi- bility of putting down the Kebellion, and the necessity of letting " the wayward sisters go in peace." Mr. McClaughry had been an ardent Douglas Democrat, and supported him in nothing more heartily than in his declaration that Rebellion must be crushed by force of arms, and so long as it existed there " could be but two parties, patriots and traitors." Consequently he was a pronounced "War Democrat," and so conducted the Republican. As recruiting was at thajt time going quite briskly for the Union army, he was often called upon during the fall of 1861 to attend meetings and speak in favor of enlistments. In this way he helped recruit the 2d III. Cavalry, the 7th Mo. Cavalry, part of which was raised in Hancock county; and, in the spring and summer oi 1862, the 78th 111., the 84th 111., and the 118th 111. Inf. Major McClaughry was married on the 17th of June, 1862, to Miss Elizabeth C. Madden, of Monmouth, 111. On the 16th of August he enlisted as a private, in what was afterward known as Co. B, 118th 111. Yols. Upon the completion of the company organization, he was v/nanimously elected Captain, receiving every vote except his own. He proceeded to Springfield and tendered his command to Gov. Yates, who at once commis- sioned him to take command of the five companies then organized in Hancock county, under the call of July, 1862, and conduct them to the rendezvous at Camp Butler, near Springfield. This mission he fulfilled, and after reaching camp, the 118th regiment HI. Vols., was completed, of which he was elected Major. In this capacity he served with his regiment in the campaign against Yicksburg, conducted by Gen. Sherman in the winter of 1862 ; the campaign against Arkansas Post, under Gen. McCler- nand in Jan., 1863 ; also the campaign under Gen. Grant, which resulted in the capture of Vicksburg in July, 1863; participating with it in the battles of Champion Hills (May 16, 1863), Big Black (May 17), t^e investment of Vicksburg (May 19), and the move- ments and battles of May 20 and 21, which culminated in the bloody but unsuccessful assault unon the Eebel works. May 22, 1863. He also took part in the siege of Jackson, Miss., July 1863, after which was ordered with his regiment to Port Hudson, and afterward to New Orleans, reaching the latter city Aug. 16, 1863. About the middle of October of that year, his health failing, the Major came home on sick leave; but before he was able to 730 HISTOEY OF HAUCOOK COUNTY. rejoin his command, he was detailed by Gen. Banks, then command- ing Department of the Gulf, on recruiting service, and spent the early months of 1864 on that duty in Illinois. In June, 1864, he was transferred from the field to the Fay Department, ordered to Springfield, and there served as Paymaster until Oct. .14, 1865, when he was honorably mustered out of ser- vice, having served three years and two months through some of the most diflBcult and exciting campaigns of the war. But the Major was not long permitted to remain in private lifer In November, 1865, he was elected County Clerk of Hancock county, and held the office until Dec. 1, 1869. In 18C9 and '70 he was associated with Messrs. "Wm. Patterson, Wm. Timber man and Guy Wells, of Keokuk, in furnishing stone for the foundation of the new State House at Springfield, and also for the piers of the bridge spanning the Mississippi between Keokuk and Hamilton. It may here be proper to mention that he was one of the original incorporators of that Bridge Company, and voted steadily along with Col. Alexander Sympson, H. G. Ferris, A. J. Griffith and F. M. Corby, Esqs., against transferring the charter to its present owners until they would contract and bind themselves to make said bridge a wa^on and foot iridge as well as a railroad bridge. They fought over the matter all one day with Mr. Strong, of Keokuk, and others, who represented the railroad, who urged that a wagon bridge could not be built in connection with a rail- road bridge. Major McClaughry and his associates maintained that it could and rnust be so built, or they could not have the char- ter, and finally carried the point, to the great benefit of Hancock county and the community generally. In 1871 the Major removed to St. Louis to look after some quarry interests he held at St. Genevieve, but the venture proving unsuc- cessful, and his health failing, he returned in 1873, and was resid- ing at Monmouth when appointed Warden of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet, Aug. 1, 1874, which position he still holds. Major McClaughry possesses remarkable executive ability, which, associated with good judgment and a kindly disposition, qualifies him pre-eminently for the position, and we but echo the prevailing opinion among the State officials and people, when we say that the penitentiary has never been under better management. The Major is a good writer and fluent speaker, and in addition to the services rendered during the recruitingi days, before alluded to, in behalf of the Union cause, he has since made many effective speeches in aid of the Republican party. Francis W. McClellan, principal of Highland School, Car- thage, was born in Washington county, N". Y., in 1831, son of Robert and Eliza (Small) McClellan, both natives of that county, who emigrated to Will county, 111., in 1850, where they resided until the fall of 1857, when they moved to Russell county, Kan., where they yet reside. The subject of this sketch was educated in his native county and began teaching in Will county, 111., where he HIBTOBT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 731 was enjjaged until 1856, when he moved to Tama county, Iowa. Here he engaged in teaching and served as Captain of Militia in the Home Guard. In 1863 he enlisted as Lieutenant in the ith. Iowa Battery and served until the ,close of the war. Upon his return in 1865, he was appointed principal of the Wills School, Iowa, where he officiated six years. In 1870 he purchased and set- tled upon a farm of 160 acres in Prairie tp., this county, and engaged in farmiTig until appointed to his present position in 1879, when he moved to this city. He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah A. Selvey, a native of Kendall county, 111., who died in 1859. She was a daughter' of Walter Selvey, Esq., a pioneer who participated in the Sauk war. He had one child by his first wife, Francis H. He was again married June 9, 1870, to Miss Sarah R., daughter of Peter Jackson, and a native of Ohio, and they have 2 children living — Ethel C. and Myrta L. Mr. McClellan served as Assessor two terms in Tama county, Iowa, and was Justice of the Peace four years, and is a member of the Masonic order. Politi- cally is a Republican. James W. McKee, farmer, sec. 16; P. O., Carthage; was born in Brown county, O., in 1840. His parents, James and Mary (Pang- burn) McKee, were natives of that State, and emigrated to Illinois in 1857, and settled in this tp., where they resided until their death. The subject of this sketch was married in October, 1869, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Wm. Weir, a native of this county. To this union 7 children were born, 5 of whom are living: Ida, Al- bert A., Margaret J., Effie and Maud; Edgar and Clarence are de- ceased. Mr. M. settled on his present estate in 1865, consisting of 40 acres, valued at $60 per acre. Also owns 33 acres of timber in Hancock tp. He is Road Commissioner. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. M. endorses Repub- lican administration. ^ jy. P McKee, dealer in agricultural implements, is a native of Brown county, O., where he was born in 1845, and is the youngest liv- ing child of James and Mary N. (Pangburn) McKee, natives of Penn- sylvania, who settled in Ohio at an early time, and moved to this county in 1857, and died in 1859. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and his father, James, was a relic of the Revolutionary war. She died in this tp. in 1860. The subject of this sketch engaged in farming until 1862, when he enlisted in Co. F, 7th Mo. Cav., and served until the close of the war. He participated in the bat- tles of Lone Jack, Marks Mills. Prairie Grove, and others in which the regiment was engaged. He was principally engaged in scout- ing and hunting guerrillas. He was honorably discharged and mustered out at Little Rock, Ark. Returning home he engaged in farming two years, and in 1869 joined a partnership and entered the mercantile trade. Three years afterward he was appointed Constable and served one year. The following two years he served as night watchman in the National Bank of this city. He then became interested in the sale of agricultural implements, and has 732 HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. established a good trade. In 1870 he was married to Miss Ella R. Johnson, a native of this State. To them have been born 2 chil- dren: William T. and Irwin G. Mr. McKee is First Lieutenant of Co. G, 8th Regt., I. N. G.; is a member of the Masonic order, and of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is a Republican. Thos. J. McMahon, farmer, sec. 31; P. O., Carthage; was born in Hancock county, Ill.,in 1845, son of Andrew and Mary (Craw- ford) McMahon, natives of Kentucky, who emigrated to this county in 1832, and settled near Chili, where he entered land. The follow- ing year he moved to Wythe tp. and secured the second farm taken up in that township. Grandfather Crawford also came in at the same time, and took up land, and the families are among the early pioneers of Hancock. Thos. J.'s mother died in 1870. His father resides in Wythe tp. Mr. McMahon has always been engaged in farming, and by indnstry and energy has made it a complete suc- cess. He was married in 1870 to Miss Anna, daughter of J. K. Shinn, a native of this county. By this marriage 3 children have been born, 2 of whom are living: Argyll J. and Letta May. Harry C. is deceased. The farm of 170 acres is valued at $60 per acre. He also has a large tract in Harmony tp., valued at $30 per acre. Mr. McM. is School Director at the present time, and member of the Christian Church. Politically he is Democratic. F. B. Miller, of the firm of Berry & Miller, grocers and grain dealers, Carthage. The subject ot this sketch was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., in 1842; son of Erastus and Sophia (Gaylord) Miller, natives of Herkimer and Oneida counties, who emigrated to Han- cock county in 1864, and settled in Dallas tp., where he resided until his death in 1871. He was extensively engaged in the dairy business in Herkimer county, N. Y., but lived a quiet and retired life during his residence in this county. The wife and mother sur- vive him, and are residents of Ilion, N. Y. Our subject first be- came engaged in the IJ. S. mail service, running between Ft. Madison and Davenport, Iowa. Two years afterward he began opera- tions in the dairy business in Dallas tp., in which he has been en- tirely successful. His stock farm at that place, consisting of 476 acres, is considered one of the finest stock farms in the county. With a large and convenient factory, and from 75 to 100 head of cows, he does a thrivingtrade. Mr. M. was married in December, 1871, to Miss Kate M. Black, a native of Pennsylvania, and their 4 children are — Grace, Frederick B. , Henry B. and Maud, The eldest daughter is deceased. In November, 1879, Mr. M. commenced under the present firm name in the grain and grocery business. The house is one of the solid concerns in Carthage. He also has a farm of 185 acres of land in this tp., and is always busy in some department of his trade. He has been a member of the Masonic order for 12 years, and is a member of the A. O. TJ. W. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is a Republican. William H. D. Noyes, M. D., was born in Bowling Green, Pike county, Mo., in 1834. He received his collegiate education at CARTHAGE HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Y35 Shurtleff Oolle_a;e, 111., and attended medical lectures at the Mis- souri Medical Collegej at whicli institution he graduated in 1861. The appeal of the Government for troops awoke his enthusiastic nature, and he enlisted in Co. K, 16th I. Y. 1., and after a service of four months was appointed as Surgeon in the U. S. navy, and assigned to the bark Brazzalier, of the Korth Atlantic Blockading Squadron, stationed at Cape Hatteras. Subsequently he was trans- ferred to the flag-ship "Southfield," of Burnside's Division, and participated in the battles of Eoanoke, Newbern, and other smaller engagements. From this department he was transferred to the hospital service, and assigned to a vessel running between St. Louis and Vicksburg. After a faithful service in this department he re- signed and began the practice of his profession at Pittsfield, Pike county. 111., where he remained until he came to this county in 1864, and settled in this city, where he has since been in active and successful practice. He was married in 1863 to Miss Elizabeth Lynde, a native of Griggsville, 111., who died in 1872. The Doctor was again married in 1874 to Miss Laura Miller, a native of l^ew- ville, Cumberland county. Pa. They have had 2 children — Fannie E. and Mary C. One adopted daughter, Haidee, completes the family record. The Doctor was elected Supervisor the spring of 1880, and fills the office of Master in Masonry. Politically he is a strong advocate of Republican principles and administration. His parents were M. J. and Eliza (Tate) ISToyes, natives of New Hampshire and Kentucky. They ■^ere married in 1816, and the following year moved to Missouri, where they resided until 1842, when they moved to Pittsfield, 111., where he founded the first newspaper in that county, and died in 1867. He was a farmer, but was promi- nently identified with the interests of his township (Bowling Green Mo.). Mrs. N. is, at this time, a resident of Pittsfield, 111. William Ogil/oie, farmer, sec. 8: P. 0., Carthage; was born in Columbiana county, O., in 1808. His parents, George and Isa- bella (Forsyth) Ogilvie, were natives of Scotland and emigrated to America in 1800, and the follovsdng year settled in Ohio, where they both died. The subject of this sketch was married in 1832 to Miss Hannah Campbell, a native of 'Armstrong county. Pa. ;to them 9 children have been born, 8 of whom are living, as follows: Belle, George, Elizabeth, John, William, Hannah J., James and Willie. Mr. O. settled in Schuyler county in 1850, where he re- sided until the spring of 1853, when he settled on his parents' es- tate in 1859, consisting of 80 acres, valued at $35 per acre. He is Town Trustee at the present time, and has been a member of the Presbyterian Church for 40 years. Politically he is a Democrat, "dyed in the wool," as was his father before him. A. W. 0''J3arra, lawyer at Carthage, was born in Adams county, 111., in 1857. His parents, Jefi"erson W. and Paulina (Robertson) O'Harra, were natives of Indiana and Illinois, and settled in Adams county in 1845, where he became prominent in the town- ship where he resided. He moved to this county in 1859 and set- 43 736 msTOBY OF hancook county. tied ia Bentley, where he now lives. The subject of this sketch began the study of law in the office of 0. J. Scofield, of Carthage, where he entered the Carthage College, and was graduated at that institution with second honors of his class. He began the prac- tice of his profession in 1879 in this city, and though young, is an able and active practitioner. Thomas H. Owen while residing in the county was one of its well-known and conspicuous men. He was born in Buncombe county, N. C, June [25, 1797. His father, Mosby Owen, was a well-to-do farmer in that section. At about 19, he, with his par- ents, removed to Franklin county, 111., and settled in the town of Frankfort, April 2, at the age of 21, he was married to Miss Mary Wren, a native of Kentucky. About eight years afterward he became a professor of religion, and united with the Old-School Baptist Church, and soon after became an ordained minister, which position in good standing he ever afterward held. Mrs. 0. also became a member about the same time and continued faithful through life. In 1831 he removed with his family to Hancock county and set- tled six miles east of Carthage, — at that time not laid out. Mr. 0. soon became prominent, religiously and politically. He led in constituting the first and all theBaptist Churches organized in the county while he was a resident,ihaving sometimes the supervision of three or four, preaching alternately. He was long a member of the Middle Creek Church. Mr. O. was strongly attached to the Democratic school, and was very popular with his party. He was several times elected to the Legislature, and held other offices of honor and trust, as will ap- pear in the course of this history. His friends claim that he was a strong Anti-Mormon — "Held Mormon doctrines in perfect ab- horence, considering them a great nuisance and detriment to the country, and encouraged every lawful means to get rid of them; but disapproved of many of the unlawful measures taken by the party. He was a law-abiding man, and approved of the course that Governor Ford took in regard to sending troops to quell the disturbances and keep peace,-" In the winter of 1846 he sold his farm to Joseph Craven, and purchased property near Nauvoo and removed there. The same year he was appointed Postmaster at Nauvoo, to succeed Almon W. Babbitt. In 1849 he sold off all his effects, and started for the gold field of California, accompanied by his two sons, L. F. and J. C. Owen, leaving wife and younger children with his son-in-law, Newton Cauthorn. They were over a year on the way ; took the southern route, and did not reach California till the spring of 1860. Hesettled on a farm in Suisun valley, Solano Co., 50 miles west of Sacramento, and sent for the remainder of his family. In the fall of 1852 he was elected to the California Legislature on the Democratic ticket, and served through the term, thus terminating his official career. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 73Y JiOnging for the Church privileges to which he had been accus- tomed, he began to look about for the scattered members, and found enough to organize a Church of the O. S. Baptists, at Santa Uosa, Sonoma Co., the first of that order ever founded in the State. In 1860, Mr. O. wrote a book, entitled " Eise and Progress of the Church," many of which are now in possession of his friends in Hancock. In 1867 he located in Napa Co., where he resided till 1876. Here his wife died in the 79th year of her age. Latterly, Mr. O. resided with his children at Santa Rosa, broken in health of body and mind, till the 27th of Feb., 1880, when he quietly passed away, in the 83rd year of his age. The deceased left a number of children, some of whom were well known in the county, viz: Adaline, eldest daughter, married in 1835, to A. B. Welch; died in Appanoose 1852. Mosby Riley, eldest son, married to Miss Henrietta Patten, of Knox Co., in 1842; taught school in Hancock; studied law in Peoria and served as Mayor of the city; to Quincy in practice of law; thence to Benton, Franklin Co., 111., where he was killed in the Rebellion troubles in 1862. John Wren went to Cal. in 1851; to Arizona in 1864, as Captain of a volunteer Co. ; was elected to Territorial Legislature, held other Government positions, and died there in 1877. Leander married a daughter of Joshua Hobarts; resides in California. Minerva, now Mrs. Newton Cauthorn, of Middle Creek, Carthage township. 111. Carroll, Ellen (Mrs. Cannon), Thomas Jefferson and Martin Yan Buren all reside in California. William A. Patterson, one of the early settlers (coming here in 1836), was born in Patterson, Putnam Co., N. T., Jan. 24, 1811; leaving Somerstown March 2, 1836, he came the whole distance to this State by horseback, arriving in Coles county the 21st of that month ; in April he came to this county, having spent a week in Iowa; this year he bought J of sec. 29, Prairie tp., and at once commenced work. He built a log house 16 feet square on this place in 1839 and moved into it, where he kept bach part of the time, and part of the time had a family with him. In 1842 he married Mrs. Georgiana Allen, and continued to live in this cabin and another until 1847. This farm and one on sees. 5 and 6, Bear creek tp., also one on J sec. of 22, Prairie tp. and a J of sec. 27, were all first improved by Mr. Patterson. His health failing in 1847, in March he removed to Carthage, where he took a prominent part in the politics of the coijnty, running in 1848 for Sheriff on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by 75 votes majority; being a candidate again in 1850, he was elected ; at the expiration of his term of office he erected the "Patterson House," on the southwest corner of the public square, opening it to the public; in the fall of this year (1853) he was elected County Treasurer, 738 HISTOKY OF HANCOCK. COUNTY. which office he held three terms. He kept the hotel until 1857; this year he sold the hotel and entered into partnership with Jacob Shoel in mercantile business; three ^ears afterward they dissolved; in 1866 he entered partnership with Mr. Hunsaker, and three years subsequently they dissolved; in 1872 he bought back the "Patterson House," which he conducted until 1879; but since 1877 he has been keeping one of the largest stocks of groceries, crockery, etc., in the city. Matthew Patterson, the grandfather of the subject of the sketch, was an officer in the British army, and came to America connected officially with the engineer corps, during the French and Indian war, and was retired on half pay; he settled in Putnam county, N. Y., where he was living at the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. His son, Alexander K., married Elizabeth Palmer, a native of Connecticut, and they were the parents of Wm. A., the subject of this notice. Her father, Ebenezer Palmer was a minute-man during the Revolution. The Palmers were of English descent, of Puritan stock, and emigrated to 'New England in an early day. An amusing instance of pioneer history we will record here, as it occurred in the early days of Mr. Patterson's residence in this county, and when a small log building was the court-house. The Grand Jury held its meeting under a tree in a ravine near by, and the Petit Jury was holding its meeting in the open air at a little distance, when a thunder-shower began to approach. The Constable in charge, anxious to have his Jury agree in time to get in-doors before the rain commenced on them, and seeing that they were not likely to agree, threw off his coat and declared that if they did not instantly come to an agreement he would thrash every one of them. They instantly agreed, — so the story goes. The Constable was brought up before the Court and fined, but the fine was remitted. Mr. Patterson as well as being an early settler has done much toward developing and improving this county, and always threw the weight of his influence as well as substantial aid, in favor of education, temperance and good order. He is one among & very few of the " Pioneers " that are still living, and we present his portrait on another page. £uke P. Prentice, retired farmer, was born in Otsego county, N. Y., in 1817, and is a son of Nathan and Eliza Briggs, natives of N"ew York and Connecticut, who emigrated to Illinois in 1836 and settled in McDonough county, where they resided until 1846, when he moved to this county and settled in Nauvoo, where they both died. He was an early settler of both counties, and residing on the main road for many years, was widely known and highly esteemed by all who knew him. The subject of this sketch was married in 1847 to Miss Christiana Hall, a native' of Erie county, N. Y., who died in 1853. Two children were born to this marriage, Lucia 1., wife of William "Walters, residing at Dallas City, and Mary E., wife of James Gill, deceased. His present wife, Lydia Quimby, is a native of Ohio. They have had 3 children, Wm. H., Ella HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 73 9 and Addie. Mr. P. still owns the homestead at Nauvoo, and has for many years been largely engaged in real estate transactions. He was Alderman of Nauvoo many years, and served one year on the Town Board. When Ford called for troops, he was one to respond to the call with the militia of McDonough county. His opportunities for an early education were quite limited, but by dint of energy and frugality he^has accumulated a handsome property. In 1874 he settled on his present estate, where he is living in re- tirement from all active pursuits. The family are members of the M. E. Church. Politically he is a Eepublican. Jesse B, Quinby was born in Harford county, Md., August 5, 1822. His parents settled in Wilmington county, O., where he was converted and joined the M. E. Church. In 1841 he came to Knox county. 111., and qualified himself for the ministry at Abing- don College. In 1848 he entered the ministry of his chosen Church, serving his first year on the Macomb circuit, the next year on the Carthage circuit, the next on the Nauvoo, to which place he moved in 1851. In the latter place, April 25, 1852, he married Miss Elizabeth H. Betts, and their children were: Mary Elizabeth, Erasmus Collins and Wilbur Chaffee, the second of whom only now survives. Mr. Quinby continued in the ministry until 1862, when he was on the Kickapoo circuit in Peoria county ; here his health began to fail and he returned to" Abingdon and engaged in merchandising. At this place, April 22, 1864, his wife died, and the same year he removed to Carthd|ge, continuing in the same business, and adding agricultural implements to his trade; in this place he married Miss Mary R. Sympson, of Car- thage, daughter of Alexander and Nancy Sympson. By this mar- riage were born Nancy Addie, Mattie 'Bell, Mary Sympson and Jessie May; the latter died in infancy. Nov. 21, 1878, Mr. Quinby ran a nail into his foot at Ferris, which eventually produced lock- jaw and intense suflFering, resulting in his death, Dec. 4 following. He retained his faculties till the last, being able to converse intel- ligently except when under the strong influence of opiates. The funeral, which was one of the largest ever in the place, was con- ducted by an old friend of the deceased, Elder F, M. Chaffee. The burial was under Masonic honors. During a residence of less than 14 years in Carthage, Mr. Q. did more for the prosperity of the city than any other citizen in the same length of time, having built a dwelling house in the, sum- mer of 1865, and in 1867 he erected a business block, on the north side of the square, at a cost of $6,000. The Gazette oflice still occupies the upper floor of this building. His loss to the business community was deeply felt, and his character and principles will last so long as life and reason endure. The wife and mother who survives is a daughter of Col. Alexander Sympson, who was born in Green county, Ky., Nov. 8, 1807. In 1829 he was married to Miss Nancy Caster, and in the spring of 1837 settled in Mc- Donough county, Illinois. In 1844 he moved to Carthage whilg 740 HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. the people were agitated by the Mormon question, and took strong Anti-Mormon ground. In 1855 he was elected a clerk of the Illi- nois House of Representatives, and at the demise of the Whigparty went with the Kepublicans. At the outbreak of the Kebellion he threw his whole soul into the conflict as a supporter of the Union, and accepted a commission as Captain and Quartermaster, and afterward was assigned to the staff of Gen. Chittenden, where he soon obtained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. At Stone river he displayed great personal gallantry and took part in the Chicka- mauga campaign, and received the thanks of Gen. Kosecrans for the performance of his duties at Chattanooga. In 1864 he resigned his commission in consequence of his shattered health, and that of his wife ; subsequently he was awarded the contract for grading the Carthage & Burlington Eailroad, in which he was engaged at the time of his death, Aug. 15, 1867. His character as a private citizen was too well known to need comment from the pen of the writer. He was a man of strongest convictions, a neutral upon no question. His hospitality was unbounded. He would befriend the poor and assist the needy, regardless of his own wants. At his death he was Treasurer of the Carthage Koyal Arch Chapter of Masons, and was buried with honors by that fraternity. The bereaved widow and mother survived his loss until Dec. 14. 1867, when her spirit winged its way to its brighter and happier home. She was born in Halifax county, Virginia, June 30, 1803, and emigrated to Green county, Ky., in ]|er youth, and was the last of 'a family of eight children. Mr. Qninby's portrait appears in this book. Dr. J. M. Randolph was born in Adams county, near Gettys- burg, Pa., Aug. 26, 1818 ; he attended the colleges of Gettysburg and Cannonsburg, but on account of declining health he relinquished his studies before graduating ; in 1840 he came to Illinois and studied medicine under Dr. Pearee, of Canton, 111. ; he then attended medical lectures at Cincinnati two terms, and afterward located for practice at Birmingham, Schuyler Co., 111. ; in a year or two he became part owner of a mill at Lamoine, McDonough county, to which place he removed, meanwhile continuing the practice of medicine ; in 1850 he was elected to the Legislature from Mc- Donough county ; in 1851 he abandoned the medical profession and removed to Plymouth, Hancock Co., where he engaged actively and successfully in the mercantile business ; in 1856 he established a branch store at Carthage; he ultimately disposed of his Plymouth trade and moved to Carthage, in October, 1867. Sept. 25 of this year he married Miss Anna G. Walker, youngest sister of Hon. Pinckney H. Walker, of Rushville. Dr. Eandolph, being a firm believer in the principles of temper- ance, entertained but little hope of the growth of Carthage until the question of license was settled by an overwhelming vote of the citizens against further tolerating liquor-selling. His energies were thenceforward devoted to building up the town. As a pre- liminary step, the establishment of Carthage College received his HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 741 warmest support; in 1873 he erected a handsome brick residence, which, together with subsequent improvements, cost nearly or quite $20,000; in 1875 he built a fine two-story brick business block on the north side of the public square, at a cost of $5,000; the same year he built two tenement houses, and in other ways he did much to build up and improve Carthage. In 1874 or 1875 he disposed of his dry-goods business in Car- thage to W. D. Bennett, who had long been with him as a sales- man; a branch store at Burnside he continued to own until his death, which occurred April 12, 1876, from paralysis; his widow and two sons, James and Arthur, survive him, and reside at the homestead, in Carthage. Walter, another son, was killed at Fort Madison, June 16, 1879, as he was attempting to get aboard a train of cars. Dr. R. was a reticent man concerning himself and private affairs, but in all his dealings with his neighbors and the public, he ever maintained the highest integrity, and was generally considered one of the most perfect men, morally, in the county. He was a Presbyterian, but had never transferred his Church membership to this city. He was a constant attendant at Church services, and lib- erally supported the interests of religion . As one of Hancock county's most hoiiored, beloved and respected citizens, who have passed away to that world from which none re- turn, we present on another page of this volume a portrait of Dr. Randolph, engraved from a picture taken at the age of 40 years. A. B. Begnier, insurance agent, is a son of Dr. Felix Regnier, now living with him, who is a native of Otsego county, N. Y., and came to Marietta, O., with his parents when two years of age. He was born Dec. 25, 1801, was educated at Marietta, and studied med- icine with Dr. Hildreth, a celebrated author and scientist of early days . He received his diploma from the Medical Society of Ohio, and began the practice of his profession at Gallipolis about 1824. He was married in 1826, to Miss Eliza DeVacht, a native of G-alli- polis. In 1831 he removed to Jacksonville, and in 1833 returned to Ohio on account of his wife's declining health, but buried her on the way home. One girl, Josephine, now deceased, was the only child. Mr. R. afterward became successfully engaged in the prac- tice of his profession at Harmon, Ohio, a suburb of Marietta, where he married Elizabeth Barber Sept. 24, 1835. She was born in Harmon, Feb. 24, 1807, and died Aug. 22, 1859. By this marriage 3 children were born, all of whom are living: Austin B., Felix, Jr., and Charles F. He was again married, May 1, 1861, fo Miss Julia C. Gardiner, a native of Ohio, who was born July 24, 1823, and died July 10, 1877, leaving one child, Earl. The grandfather of our subject was Dr. John Baptiste Regnier, who was born in Paris, France, in 1769. His maternal grandfather was Colonel Levi Barber, of Harmon, O., who represented his district in Con- gress, was president of the Marietta branch of the State bank of Ohio, and held various other responsible trusts. Tlie subject of 742 HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. this sketch, Austin B., was born at Harmon, O., May 13, 1835, on the site of the old block house at the confluence of the Muskin- gum and Ohio rivers, the place where the first settlement by whites was made west of the Alleghany mountains. He graduated at Marietta College in 1857, and began the study of law with Judge Arius Nye, and David Alban. In 1859 he graduated at the Cin- cinnati law school, and began the practice of his profession in that city. Subsequently, his health failing, he abandoned his profession, and engaged in various out-door occupations. He moved to this county in 1866, and followed farming for 14 years. He has recently removed to Carthage, and is engaged in the business of fire insurance. Among his companies are the old Continental, of N . Y., and American Central, of St. Louis. He was married June 21, 1860, to Miss Eunice E. Anderson, of Marietta, O., who was born April 4, 1841. Their children are: Austin B., Jr., Louis E., Eunice A., Mary E., David A., Felix and Gertrude. Perry Beger, a farmer, sec. 27; P. O., Carthage; is a native of Upshur county, W. Ya., where he was born in 1836. His parents, Abram and Pamelia (Roherbaugh) Reger, were natives of that State; came to this county in 1859, and settled in Carthage tp., where he resided until 1876; then he returned to Virginia, and is now in the 88th year of his age. He was an early pioneer of Yirginia, a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and the father of 23 children by two marriages. His first wife died in 1872. The subject of this sketch came to this county in 1858. He was married in 1860 to Miss Susan F. Boothe, a native of this county. Of their chil- dren 6 are living; namely, John A., Nancy A., Peryger, Maggie, George F. and Victoria. Mr. Reger located on his present farm of 80 acres in 1876. Politically he has always endorsed the Demo- cratic platform. James W. Richard, Professor of Latin and History, Carthage College, was born in Frederick county, Va., in 1843. He received his early education in the Roanoke school at Salem, Virginia, and entered upon a course of studies in the college at Gettysburg, Pa. He graduated at that institution in 1868, and served as tutor eight- een months prior to his coming to Illinois. He was a thorough reader and student, especially of the sciences, and devoted three years of his life to the study of theology. In 1871 he accepted a pastoral call of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Sterling, 111., where he was married the following year, to Miss Matilda E. Tress- ler, a native of Perry county, Pa. They are the parents of one child, Mary L. Prof Richard became a resident of Carthage in Aug., 1873, since which time he has been engaged in his "pres- ent position. He has always taken an active interest in the cause of religion, and his life has been consistent with his profes- sion. He is a devout member and supporter of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and fills the ofiice of Secretary of the Synod of Central Illinois, and is Pastor of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Carthage. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 745 Edward M. Bobbins, dentist, was born in Lagrange county, Ind., in 1842; is son of Eppaah and Mary (Clark) Robbins, natives of Pennsylvania and New York, who came to this county in 1861. He is a practicing physician and a resident of Osage, Kan. Edward M. came to this county with his parents and settled in Nauvoo, and in 1862 enlisted in Co. H, Y8th IlL Yol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Chicka- mauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Kidge, Lookout Mountain, Buz- zard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Bentonville, with Sherman on his march to the sea, and through the grand review at Washington. During the entire service he was absent from his command but two days. He was married in 18Y0 to Miss Mary Brownlee, a native of this county, and daughter of Samuel Brown- lee, and their children are: Eulalie, Eddie and Sammy. Mr. Bobbins has been in his present place five years, and has a large pi-actice. He is a member of the A. O. Q. W., L O. O. F. and Knights of Pythias; family are members of Trinity Lutheran Church. Politically, is a strong Republican . George J. Rogers, la\vyer, was born in Albany, N. Y., in 1824; son of Pennel and Mary (White) Rogers, natives of that State, who emigrated to this State in 1865 and settled in Quincy, where his mother died in 1867. His father is at this time a resident of that city. George J. secured his classical education in the office of Jas. R. Dayton, of Quincy. He was admitted to the Bar in 1848, and read law in the office of Almeron Wheat until 1849, when he crossed the plains to California. In two years he returned and began the practice of his profession at Quincy. In 1854 he moved to this city, and in the fall of 1857 was married to Miss Mary F., daughter of Major John Scott. Mr. Rogers was City Clerk at War- saw, and in 1860 was appointed TJ. S. Marshal to take the 8th census of the county, which he executed with ability and satisfac- tion. He was a member of the Board of Education some years and was elected County Clerk in 1869. This office he filled until 1877 and then returned to the duties of his profession, to which he has since devoted his time. He is the father of 7 children, 5 of whom are living: Minnie, wife of Lieutenant J. W. Carlin, U. S. Navy; Hiram S., Anna, Nellie C. and John W. Politically Mr. R. is a Democrat. Charles O. RoJirer, proprietor of the Rohrer House, was born Mar. 15, 1843 in Asch, Austria; is a son of John Adam and Reginia (Wald- zeek) Rohrer, natives of that empire, where his father died in 1S60. His mother with one child emigrated to America in 1861, and resided in this city. Charles G. emigrated to this country with a younger sister in 1860, and settled in Vicksburg, where he was engaged in hotel business for two years, then entered the mer- cantile business which he disposed of in 1863, and turned his attention toward the liberation from Confederacy. He was a strong adherent of the Union cause, and during his confinement in the Confederate lines was subject to many trials and suflferings. He came to this county in 1863, and worked at his trade, painting, and T4:6 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. in 1866 returned to Yicksburg where he remained two years, then came back to Carthage, where he has since made it his home. He was married in 187Y to Miss Kate L. Dedwiler, a native of Chester county. Pa. He opened his fine residence as a hotel in June, 1878. The house under his charge has an extended reputation, and is patronized wholly by the traveling public and commercial men. The cuisine and all appurtenances are of the best. Mr. E. is agent for the Northwestern National Insurance Co., of Milwaukee, the German, of Freeport, a member of the Masonic and I. O. 0. F. orders, and the family are members of the M. E. Church. He is the father of 2 children, Willie L. and Ealph G. A. J. i?MC^er, farmer, sec. 27; P. O., Carthage; was born in Grant county, in 1830. His parents were James M. and Julia A. (Loyd) Rucker, natives of Virginia, who came to Illinois in 1835, and settled in Schuyler county, where he resided until his death. His mother also died in that county. He was married in 1852, in Schuyler county, to Miss Abigail Lashmet, a native of North Caro- lina. He came to this State when three years of age. Mr. and Mrs. E. have 3 living children — William E., John T. and Mary E. They came to this county in 1865, and settled on his present estate, consisting of 160 acres, valued at $50 per acre. Mr. E. is School Director, and is an old settler of Illinois; is a well-known and honored resident of the county. His advantages for education were limited, and his success has been attained by his own industry. In politics he is a Democrat. E. Bucher, farmer, sec. 29; P. O., Carthage; was born in Kenton county, Ky., in 1826. His parents, William M. and Julia A. (Loyd) Eucker, were natives of that State, and moved to Schuyler county, 111., in 1835, where they both died. He was married in 1843, in Schuyler county, to Miss Polly A. Lashmet, a native of Virginia and daughter of John Lashmet, a pioneer of that State. Mr. E. has one adopted daughter, Adaline, wife of Thomas Metcalf, of this tp. He came to this county in 1865, and located on his present farm, consisting of 160 acres, valued at $50 per acre. His advantages for education were limited, but through energy and industry he has secured a good farm and comfortable home. Politi- cally he has been an advocate of Democratic principles, and always voted that ticket. Wm. W. SaoTcman, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., Carthage; was born in Jefferson county, Va,, in 1816; is a son of William and Susanah (Wright) Sackman, who settled in Morgan county. 111., in 1828, where he purchased patent land and resided until 1835, when he moved to Schuyler county, Mo., whei-e he died in 1874. His wife died previously in Ohio. He was for 50 years a minister, and was well known throughout the State. The subject of this sketch was married in 1842, in Schuyler county, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John Baker, a native of Tennessee. By this marriage 3-children have been born, 2 of whom are living, William F. and Erastus B. Mr. S. came to this county in April, 1847, and settled at West Point, in St. Alban's tp., where he resided until 1856, when he HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Y47 moved to his present home. He has a farm of 201 acres, and is one of the eany pioneers of the county and State. He was Magis- trate for 20 years, and is well and favorably known. In politics he is a Democrat. James Sample, furniture dealer, is eldest son of Eobert and Jane (Hawthorn) Sample, natives of Pa., who emigrated to Illi- nois in 1850, and settled in Canton, Fulton county. The following vear he moved to this county and settled in Hancock tp., where Mrs. Sample died in 1868. Mr. S. has been prominently identifi- ed with the interests of Hancock tp., and resides with a sister. The subject of this sketch was born in Lancaster county, Pa., in 1S26. He remained on the farm until 1852, when he was married to Miss Eliza, daughter of Samuel Spangler, a native of Cumberland count3', Pa. He moved to Carthage and opened a shop, where he applied himself to his trade, cabinet-making, and undertaker of the city. "When the war broke out he enlisted in Co. B, 118th Regt. I. V. I., was promoted to Lieutenant, and participated in the bat- tles of Haines' Bluff, Arkansas Post, Yicksburg, Thompson's Hill, Champion Hills, siege of Vicksburg, where he was sent out on a reconnoitering expedition 20 miles from that place, and while in command of the company was ambushed and shot through the shoulder. He was secured by the rebels, and carried to a rebel house, where he was left for dead, and afterward rescued by the Union forces, and conveyed to a farm house, where he was kindly cared for, and confined to the house six weeks, when he was sent home. For several 3'ears he was greatly disabled by this wound, and his resignation was accepted with ofiicial inducements to occupy other positions, which he declined. When able, with the little accumulations saved from his army service, he began at his trade on a small scale, and by energy and industry is enabled to occupy a good position in the business community of this city. In 1875 he erected the store he now occupies, 20 by 70 feet, and car- ries a stock of $4,000, and enjoys a liberal patronage. The}' have one child, adopted, Katie. The family are members of the Pres- byterian Church. Politically Mr. S. is Republican. Charles J. Scqfield, lawyer, was born in Carthage, 111., in 1853; is son of Charles and Elizabeth (Crawford) Sconeld, natives of Kew York and Eentucky, who emigrated to this county in 1850, where he died in Jan., 1857. She died May 27, 1877. Chai-les J. began tJie study of law in the office of Scofield it Hooker, of this city, and attended school at Canton University, Mo., where he was graduated in 1871. Three years afterward he took the degree of A. M., and began the practice of his profession in this cit}'. In June, 1875, he was appointed Master in Chancery, and in March, 1879, the partnership of Dayton ».V: Scofield was formed. In 1876 he was united in marriage to Miss Rosa, adopted daughter of Dr. A. Spitler, of this city. Mr. S. served as Town Attorney; is a memoer of the I. O. M. A., and a member of the Christian Church. Politically, is a Democrat, and although young in years, is oue of the most earnest and able workers in the legal profession. Y4:8 I HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. T. J. Soofield, lawyer, is a son of Charles E. and Elizabeth (Craw- ford) Scofield, early settlers of this county, where they both died. He was born in Carthage in 1856; began the study of law in the office of Edmunds & Hooker, of this city; was educated in the Carthage College, and after graduation was admitted to the Bar in 1878. He was married in 1877, to Miss Georgia H., daughter of Judge H. Edmunds, of this city. She is a native of this county. They have 2 children, whose names are Charles J. and Jessie. Mr. S. spent a portion of 1877-8 in Colorado, and began practice in this city in the fall of 1878, forming partnership with J. C. "Williams. He is a member of the I. O. M. A., and politically is a Democrat. Thomas CoJce Sharp was born Sept. 25, 1818, at Mt. Holly, N. J. His father, Rev. Solomon Sharp,' was a native of the eastern shore of Maryland, and a noted pioneer Methodist preacher of the Philadel- phia Conference. His mother was a member of the extensive Budd family, of Pemberton, Burlington county, N. J. The earliest recollections of Thomas C. were of Trenton, N. J. After that his father was stationed at Philadelphia, then Wilmington, Del., Salem Circuit, N. J., Christiana Circuit, Del., Smyrna Circuit, Dover Circuit, and thence back to Smyrna, when, on account of age and disease, he was placed on the superannuated list, and died soon after. In 1835 Thomas entered Dickinson College, Carlisle, Penn., but took only the scientific course. In August, 1837, he entered the law school of Judge Heed, Carlisle, supporting himself during the last 18 months of his law course by teaching the male high school of the town, which he took charge of at the age of 20 years, and during a six months' absence of Prof. McClintock was a tutor of mathematics in Dickinscn College. He graduated in the law school and was adm/itted to the Cumberland County Bar, April 14, 1840. In July of the same year he started West, arriving at Quincy August 11. Here he opened a law office, but after a few weeks became discouraged with the prospect and changed his residence to "Wareaw, where he arrived Sept. 24, 1840; remained there continu- ously until Dec. 26, 1865, and then removed to Carthage, where he has resided ever since. On his arrival at Warsaw he opened a law office and continued the practice for about a year, but being afflicted with a dullness of hearing, which seriously interfered with him in the trial of cases, he became discouraged, abandoned the practice, and did not resume the same until 1858, since which time he has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession. At the time of his arrival in Warsaw the only newspaper pub- lished in the county was the Western World, which had been established in that town by D. N. White, afterward of the Pitts- burgh Gazette, in May, 1840. Mr. W., becoming convinced that Warsaw did not offer sufficient inducements for him to remain there, determined to return to Pittsburgh, and offered to sell the office to Mr. Sharp and James Gamble, his foreman, who was an HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTV. 749 excellent practical printer, now an eminent physician of Le Clerc, Iowa. The boys (Mr. S. being the oldest, and only 22 years of age) bit at the bait, and on the 6th of November, 1840, became pro- prietors. They were both green in business matters, but managed to make a paper which was highly complimented by citizens and the press for its typographical and editorial excellence. It was Whig in politics, but in the spring of 1841, Mr. S., who had been raised a Jackson Democrat, and who had been drawn into the Harrison ranks by the cry of retrenchment and reform, raised in the hard cider campaign of 1840, drifted back to his first love, as soon as the tariff and financial schemes of the Whigs developed themselves in Congress, and from that time on the paper main- tained a neutral position in politics. In May, 1841, the proprietors ■deeming the name of the paper too big for the size of the town it was published in, changed it to Warsaw Signal. In Nov., 1841, Mr. Gamble retired from the firm, and from that time until the summer of 1842 the paper was conducted by Mr. S. alone, when, becoming convinced that the establishment could never pay the debt accumulated upon it, he gave it up, and it again went into the hands of D. N. White. At the time Mr. S. came to the county there was but little feel- ing discernible on the surface against the Mormons, but the syco- phancy of politicians to the Mormon leaders had disgusted some of the people, and the Mormons themselves, who were very humble and docile when they first came, were daily 'growing insolent and overbearing. The conduct of the Legislature in 1840-41 in grant- ing the charters they asked for with all the powers they sought to have inserted, and the anxiety of both Whigs and Democrats to cater to them with the evident purpose in each party that the other should not get the lead in securing Mormon favor, created much dissatisfaction; but it appeared but little on the surface. Judo-e Douglas was appointed to the circuit in which Hancock was situated, and presided for the first time in the Hancock Circuit Court at the March term, 1841. To placate the Mormons who had become embittered against the Democrats in Missouri, appeared to be a part of his mission, and he came under a promise to appoint J. B. Backinstos, a Jack Mormon, Circuit Clerk; but the Judge saw signs of dissatisfaction, which caused him to pause, and J. C. Davis received the appointment. At the June term, however, the Judge appointed Gen. J. C. Bennett, of the Nauvoo Legion, Mas- ter in Chancery. This appointment, it was thought, was made in order to give the Mormons the oflicer who had power to issue writs of habeas coi'pus in the absence of the Judge, and thus defeat any attempt that might be made to transport any of the Mormon lead- ers to Missouri, under a requisition from the Governor. On the makino- of the appointment, tlie Signal opened fire and denounced the toadying manifested by politicians to the Mormons, particularly referring to the appointment of Bennett as one not fit to be made. This article brought to the surface all the latest disaffection which 760 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. had been smoldering in the breasts of the people, and the result was a sudden outburst of indignation from members of both political parties. The Mormons were also terribly excited. The Signal followed up its assaults on the politicians and the Mormons, until the matter appeared to be ripe for action, when, on its own hook, it called a convention to nominate an Anti-Mormon ticket. The first attempt was a failure, owing to the notice being too short, but the few who met adjourned to a subsequent day, when a full con- vention assembled and a ticket for county oflBcers was nominated. Some of the Democrats got up an opposition, but the Anti-Mor- mons carried the election by a good majority. By the next year the Mormons had increased to such an extent that they and their friends carried the county, as they did at all subsequent elections during their stay. The Signal continued, however, to pour hot shot into the Mormons until its suspension. On Sept. 6, 1842, Mr. S. was married to Mrs. Hannah G. "Wil- cox, widow of John E.. "Wilcox, one of the original proprietors of Warsaw, and lived with her until her death, which occurred at Carthage, Oct. 3, 1879. She was a lady highly esteemed and re- spected by all who knew her. She was the mother of 6 children, one by her first husband, still living, and 6 by her last, 3 of whom survive her. After the suspension of the "Warsaw Signal, Mr. S. employed himself in clearing land, intending to engage in farming, but after about eighteen months' experieiice, concluded that nature did not intend him for a tiller of the soil, and made an arrangement for re- suscitating the "Warsaw Signal, which was efiected in Feb. 1844, succeeding the "Warsaw Message, conducted by Mr. Gregg. As the organ of the old settlers or Anti-Mormons of Hancock county, the Signal, after its resuscitation, became famous through- out the whole country. Upon the head of its editor, whose slash- ing articles made the fur fly, the wrath of the Mormons was potired with concentrated venom. He was the subject of their vitu- peration and ridicule, and was more dreaded and hated by the whole Mormon tribe than any other Anti-Mormon in the county. The editorials of the Signal were extensively copied into other papers throughout the country, and from their pugnacious and violent character, people at a distance were led to believe that " Old Tom Sharp" (as the Mormons were accustomed to call the young man who wrote them), was a perfect walking arsenal, his person bristling with bowie knives and pistols, who would rather fight than eat, instead of the mild-mannered, good-natured and rather conservative individual that he has always appeared to his most intimate acquaintances. At the time of the resuscitation of the Signal excitement in the county ran high on the Mormon question, and the advent of such a hot-blooded, slashing writer as Mr. S. at the head of the Anti- Mormon newspaper, was not calculated to allay it. "While the Signal was lashing into fury the blood of the Gentiles, outside of HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 751 Nauvoo, internal dissensions sprang up within the city, caused by the secret propagation of Jo Smith's famous revelation, sanction- ing polygamy and enjoining its practice on the Saints, and the secret practice of polygamy under the name of spiritnal-wifeism, by many of the leaders. Against this doctrine and the practice under it, several of the most influential and wealthy of the Mor- mon brethren rebelled. Great excitement ensued, and finally the protesting brethren bought a printing office and commenced the publication of the Nauvoo Expositor. The first number ap- peared filled with proofs of the existence of the revelation, which the leaders had not dared to publish, aud of attempts made by sundry Mormon leaders to seduce virtuous females, under the guise of "Thus saith the Lord." The crisis had become immi- nent; it would not do for such literature to be circulated in the Holy City, and therefore the city council was convened, an order passed declaring the Expositor a nuisance, and the Marshal was ordered to suppress it, which he proceeded to do by breaking up the press and furniture, and scattering the type through the streets. The dissenting Mormons fled the city, seeking refuge with the Gentiles in the various towns; and the story of their treatment, added to the fiery appeals of theWarsaw Signal., lashed the Anti-Mormons into a perfect foam of excitement. Writs were issued for Jo and Hyrum Smith, an officer sent to JSTauvoo to arrest them, but they refused to obey. The Governor was appealed to, the mil- itia of neighboring counties ordered out, and soon Gov. Ford in person appeared in Carthage. In the meantime Jo Smith had declared martial law, and converted the city of Nauvoo into a camp, allowing neither [ingress nor egress without a pass. Writs were now issued against Jo Smith and otliers for treason, and officers sent to Nauvoo to make the arrests ; but their mission was futile. Governor Ford then commenced negotiations with Jo Smith and the Mormon leaders, and by promises induced them to surrender. To the Anti-Mormons, who understood the situation, the whole affair had now assumed the form of a broad farce. Jo Smith controlled a large majority of the votes in the county, he elected whom he pleased for county officers, these officers selected the jurors ; and what fear need Jo and his fellow prisoners have of a conviction when they could, through their minions in office, select the jurors that were to try them 1 Jo Smith did not fear, and had no need to fear the law, no matter what outrage he might commit on life or property. The only thing he feared was the mob. When Mr. S. who was in Carthage heard of the determina- tion to disband the troops, knowing that the Warsaw force was already in motion to Nauvoo under previous orders issued by the Governor, he borrowed a horse and rapidly rode toward Warsaw to stop the further progress until official oraers could reach them. He met the advance at Prentice's shanty, a halt was called, the men formed in line by Mayor Aldrich, who was in command, and the announcement made that orders had been countermanded, and 752 ■ HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. that they would halt where they were until official orders were re- ceived. The .men called on Aldrich for a speech, but he declining, Sharp was called for and he addressed them in his usual fiery style, but declined to recommend any course of procedure. He then mounted his horse and returned to Carthage, meeting the Gover- nor's messengers a mile or two away. After he had left, volunteers were called for to go to Carthage, and the result was, that a part of this force marched to Carthage, and killed Jo and Hyrum Smith. This occurred on the 27th day of June, 1844.* The death of their leaders broke the power of the Mormons in Hancock, and the riddance of the county of the whole tribe became only a question of time. The indignation against the Anti-Mormons, on account of the killing of the Smiths, was intense outside of the county, and the Signal was kept hot in its efforts to vindicate them. In September, 1844, occurred the famous "Wolf Hunt "War." Handbills were issued announcing a wolf hunt on a certain day, and giving the programme in the usual style. The getters up of the handbills designed nothing more than a hona fide wolf hunt, and had not the most distant idea of any interference with the Mor- mons; but, after the bills were out, the Saints began to suspect that maybe they were the wolves which were to be hunted, and expressed their suspicions to some Anti-Mormons. The wags took the hint, and soon stuffed the Mormons with the most enormous stories of the thousands and tens of thousands that were coming from Mis- souri and the surrounding counties to take part in this wonderful hunt. The Saints, who had grown timid since the death of Jo Smith, became seriously alarmed, and sent deputations to the Gov- ernor asking for protection. The Governor allowed himself to be humbugged, and fealled out the uniformed companies of Springfield, Jacksonville and Quincy, and ordered them to proceed to Hancock to disperse the expected mob. Col. E. D. Baker (afterward killed at Ball's Bluft) was put in command of this force. The army came, accompanied by the Governor, but when Hancock was reached, and the truth became known in the camp, the position of the Governor became highly ridiculous. He was simply furious, and to redeem himself, concluded he would accomplish at least the arrest of some of the Anti-Mormon leaders, whom rumor pointed to as being con- cerned in the killing of Jo Smith. "Writs were therefore issued in ISTauvoo for Sharp and Williams. A constable named lElose went to "Warsaw and arrested Sharp, but was told by him that unless the citizens of "Warsaw so advised, he would not go to Nauvoo. The citizens objected, and Eose left town. Ford's army was then ap- proaching, and Sharp and Williams skipped across to Alexandria to await developments. The Governor and his soldiers finally en- tered Warsaw to find that the birds had fiown. The whole perform- ance had become exceedingly ridiculous, and Ford seemed anxious to get out of his scrape, by accomplishing at least something by the expedition, which was highly expensive' to the State. He therefore sent Col. Baker to Alexandria authorizing him to negotiate with 1 Sir, . . ^^sfci^^V ,^ ,Sf ^^^^ L Ju^C^., is, as its name implies, all prairie land, ex- cepting about two soctions of dwarf woodland on the breaks of Lous;- crock. Tiviug so far inland, it was not sottlod as early as thoso portions oV the county noai>er the borders; but latei- it began to fill up witli oi\torprisiu}jf farniei's, and has now become one of the best impi-oved townships in tlie county. It is favored with more r&ilro)\d lino tlian any other township. It has the T., W. it W. running aoross it fi-oiu Elvaston to Carthago, six miles; about the sanio longth of tlio T., P. it W., northeastwardly ; and fully seven miles of the Q., C\ I'i- H. runninj; southwiu^dly. There is no point in the township, exeept its extreme nortliwesr oorner, that is more tlian two miles fivm one of these roads. Ueiuii-iu tlie center of the great llanoook prairie, it contains the highest l.'Uid between tlie river and Crooked creek, and witli Uock Creek township, constitutes the dividinjj line between those watei-s. Its one vilL-tsii^ is the thriviugaud plesisant town of Elvaston. on its west line, laid out Ma V, IS5S, by Albert L. Connable andCeori::e R Smvthe, of Keokuk; '^^ C. A. Cnshnian, of ILamilton, and "\V. L, Jmlson, of Elvaston. Ainouii' the ejvrly settlers of Prairio ^^most of whom had pre- viously ivsided in other townsiiips'i we name "William R.Hamilton, Kbonezer K;md and his sous, James Tweed, Joseph ^V. Hawler, L. Wells, <.teorge Wells, William A. Moore, Henry Walker, John Livelv, "\V, II, Moore, the Kwings, Uohrboughs, etc. UJCl lUlOl S rKOOKKSS. At El\i\ston there are two or three Chmvh organizations, each with smsUl but neat and substaixtial church edifices. The Presby- terian and the M. E. societies have been org;\nized ten or twelve vejus, }«nd have now regular services and good and increasing eon- givc;»tions. A larii-o portion of tlve people of l^rairie, on its eastern border, boixleriu:;- on Carthagt\ conmvt themselves witJi the Churches at the county-seat. BlOGRArniCAL. We continue the history of Prairie township, by tviving detailed biograohic.al accounts of the most promiiient residents, so far as spaio jK-rmits; />'■. Th*>t»^:^< BouJ('. an old settler iu this county, ^vas born in Bracken couutv, Kv., June IS. ISOO; his parents were ,1 ohn and 772 HISTOET OP HANCOCK COUNTY. Ann (Thome) Boude, the first a native of Lancaster, Pa., whose fia,ther was Joseph Boude, a native of France, and reared in England. He came to America in 1740. Ann (Thome) Boude was a native of Scotland, and was married at Marietta, Pa. Her husband, a farmer, died in Brown county, 0., and she died at the residence of one of her children in Bracken county, Ky. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Ohio and at the Acad- emy of Ohillicothe, 0. He commenced his medical studies at the age of 21 with Dr. Mackie, of Augusta, Ky., remaining with him about four years, attending one course of lectures at Lexington, Ky., and one at Philadelphia, Pa., also practicing with the Doctor the latter part of this four years. In 1826 he moved to Felicity, O., where hepracticed medicine 15 years. May 20, 1824, he married Martha B. Sharpe, a daughter of Thomas Sharpe, of Bracken county, Ky., and formerly of Maryland. Dr. B. came to this county April 8, 1854, locating on sec. 14, this tp., where he has resided to the present. On settling here he bought 480 acres of land, a part of which he has since given to his sons, so that now the homestead consists of 187 acres. The improvements on this place were mostly made by the Doctor. His children are Mary A., John Knox, Edgar Austin and Charles Eugene, besides 2 deceased; Thomas, who died in infancy, in Felicity, O., and Euphrasia J., who died at the age of 17, at Oxford, Butler county, O., where the Doctor resided 12 years. The first 10 years of his residence in this county the Doctor followed his profession, but since then has de- voted his attention to farming, in which he has been quite suc- cessful. One season he raised 1,800 pounds of honey. Mrs. Boude died Sept. 11, 1875, a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was laid at rest in the cemetery at Carthage. Dr. B. was formerly a Whig, but is now a Republican. He is also a member of the Presbyterian Church, which relation he has now held for 50 years. William Clark, farmer, sec. 18; P. O., Elvaston; was bom in Adams county, O., in 1823. His parents, John and Elizabeth (Gall) Clark, were natives of Ireland and Yirginia, who settled in Ohio, where they both died. The subject of tiiis sketch came to Illinois in 1847, and located on a farm in Peoria county. In 1863 he moved to this county and settled on his present estate of 100 acres, valued at $50 per acre. Mr. C. has never been married. He is a man of unostentatious manners, and follows a quiet, unobtrusive life in the enjoyment of his home, which is properly carried on by a sister. Politically he was a strong abolitionist, and now is an earnest advocate of Republican administration. Henry Davis was bom in Bedford county, Pa., Dec. 9, 1815, and is a son of William and Maria (Putt) Davis (deceased), also natives of the same county. Mr. Davis was reared on a farm, and at the age of 18 he removed with hi* parents to Zanesville, Ohio, where he engaged as pilot on a steamer between Zanesville and Dresden, for three years. He then went to Jackson county, Ohio, where he operated a steam grist and saw mill for about five years. He then, /n^ O^T^-r^o^^^c^-^t.^v^ Pf?AIRIET,E HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 775 in 1846, came to this county and settled in Prairie tp., where he still resides, and is engaged in farming and stock-raising. He was married in 1840 to Miss Mary Ann Tyler, by whom he has had 8 children; of these, 4 are living; viz., Jane, James A., Maria E. and Richard Edwin. His son James A. served three years and four months in the late war, for Uncle Sam, in Co. B, 118th I. Y. I., and participated in the battles of Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, Thompson's Hill and others. He was sick and at the point of death at Raymond while in the service. He was a member of a scouting party at Baton Rouge for some time. John W. Ewing, farmer, sec. 29 ; P. O., Elva^ton ; is a son of John C. and Isabel (Huston) Ewing, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, who came to this State in 1847 and located in Adams county. Three years afterward they moved to this county and passed the remainder of their lives upon earth. The subject of this sketch was born in Brown county, O., in 1828. He was united in matrimony with Miss Mary, daughter of James Tweed, in 1860. To this imion 7 children have been born, — Emma E., James E., Wesley C, Ella E., EflGie E., Ida M. and Alice. Mr. E. settled on his present farm in 1876, consisting of 178 acres of valuable and productive soil. He fills the office of School Director, and is highly esteemed. Politically, he is always Democratic. James F. Kcvrper, M. D., Elvaston, was born in York county, S. C, in 1819, and is a son of James and Nancy (Dodds) Harper, natives of that State, who settled in Obion county, Tenn., in Feb- ruary, 1825, where they both died in December, 1838. The subject of this notice began the study of medicine at Tipton, Tenn., with an elder brother; studied the English and Latin branches thoroughly, and attended lectures at the medical school at Memphis, Tenn., in 1846-7; began the practice of his profession in Tipton county, Tenn., where he continued with success until the breaking out of the war, when he moved to Clayton, Adams county, 111., in October, 1862. Seven years afterward he moved to this county, settling in Elvaston, where he has since been in successful practice; but prior to this, he had graduated at the medical school in 1870. In 1844 he married, in Tipton county, Tenn., Miss ■ Elizabeth S. Johnston, a native of South Carolina, and of their 5 children 2 are living ; Margaret J., wife of Salem Anderson, of Adams county, who nave 5 children — Nina, Frank, Robert, Lena and Everett; Ella, wife of "William Mack, who have 2 chlldren,Pearl and Nellie; the deceased children are Nancy C, and 2 who died in infancy, and Martha A., wife of W. H. Marshall of this county; she died in December, 1877, leaving 2 children — Ruby, and one not yet christened. Since 1843 the Doctor has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an Elder for 20 years, but is not now acting in that capacity. As a physician he has a successful practice, and as a citizen is highly esteemed by the com- munity. 45 776 HISTOBT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. George Johnson, grain and coal dealer, Elvaston, was born in Franklin county, Pa.,- in 1816; his parents, Samuel and Hannah (Araby) Johnson, were also natives of that State, both deceased; he was married in 1840 to Miss Mary McClintock, a native also of the Keystone State, and in 1849 they located in Ohio, where they re- sided until 1866, when they moved to McDonough county. 111., and in 1875 to this county. By trade Mr. J. is a carpenter, and has devoted the most of his life to this business and farming. He established himself in his present business in 1875, in which he has a large trade. He has 7 living children: Harriet, Susan, Francis, Samuel, George, Jane and Finley. Joseph Johnston, of the firm of Watt & Johnston, grain deal- ers, Elvaston, was born in Scotland in 1832; he came to America when 16 years of age, and for many years was engaged in the cot- ton business in New Orleans. In 1858 he married Miss Jennie Young, a native also of Scotland. His health failing him, he visit- ed Europe in 1870, being absent four years. As he returned to •this country he stopped one year in Detroit, Mich., and the fol- lowing year he settled in Elvaston. In 1876 he was admitted to partnership with A. Watt in their present business, in which he has since been successfully engaged. The firm deal largely in grain and hay, and are the largest business house in Elvaston. Mr. J. is a Freemason and a Presbyterian. William JV^. McCall, farmer and grain dealer, is a son of Robert S. and Jemima (Nelson) McCall, natives of Tennessee, both de- ceased. He was born in Washington county, Tenn., in 1817; he was married in "Virginia in 1845, to Miss Sarah S. Lyon, a native of the same State; he moved to this county in 1851, and upon his present estate the following year. His farm consists of 244 acres, valued at $40 per acre. Mr. McCall has served as Supervisor, Assessor, Town Clerk and Postmaster at "McCall's" station, named in honor of him ; he has also been Justice of the Peace seven years, and is now tilling his second term in that office. Of his 11 children 9 are living: Eobert F., Amanda L., John W., Florence E., George W., Tennessee A., Wm. H., David B. and Charles W. Mr. McCall is a Democrat. Thomas McFarland was born in Clermont county, 0., in May, 1837; his parents were John and Phcebe (Smith) McFarland, na- tives also of Ohio, the first of Scotch-Irish descent and the last of German ancestry. They came in 1842, to Adams county, 111., where Mr. McF. now lives, his wife having died there in 1844. Thomas was educated in Hancock county common schools and the seminary at Warsaw ; at the age of 25 he rented land and put in 30 acres of corn. The following year he bought 65 acres more of land east of Carthage, where he lived one year. He then went to Idaho and Colorado, where he followed mining, etc., for eight months; returning, he bought 60 acres of land in Carthage tp. ; one year afterward he moved to McCall's station, where he bought 80 acres; then moved two miles south and bought 160 acres, N. W. HIBTOBY OF IIANOOOK COXTNTi'. 777 Quarter of sec. 16. After living here two years, he purchased 20 acres on sec. 2, where he now resides. He n.ow owns 288 acres of land. He has been successful in his present business, that of stock-raising. In January, 1862, he married Louisa McColm, daughter of John McColm, of Clermont county, O., and of Irish descent. They have 4 children, namely, A. Homer, Charles T., Jennie Rachel and May. Mr. McF. has served in his tp. as Collec- tor, Eoad Commissioner, etc., filling nearly all tp. oflSces. He is a Democrat. Samuel P. MoOaw. — The founders of the family in America, of whom our subject is a descendant, was John McGaw, a native of the north of Ireland. In company with his brother William he emigrated to America some years previous to the Revolutionary war, and located in Abbeville district (now county). South Carolina. John McGaw served in the Continental army under Washington. He died in Abbeville county, leaving a large family, namely, John, the grandfather of our subject, Samuel, Benjamin, Josiah, Moses and others. John, the last mentioned, was born and raised in South Carolina, where he lived until tiO years of age and over, when became to Illinois and settled at Little York, Warren county, where he died. He married a Miss Cochran, and his 4 children wore, Agnes, the mother of the subject of this sketch, Mary, now deceased, Jane, also deceased, and Jolm P-, who is living in Bates c, J 839. Judge Williams died at bis son-in-law's, Sam'l L. Spangler, May 12, 1870. In all the public offices which he filled he snowed great cotnpetency and ability, and won many friends by his integrity. He was of a lively and genial disposition and possessed great conversational powers. His great mental capacity fitted him for almost any position. For many years he was a member of the Methodist Church. • As in his private life and business relations, so he was in religion, free from all ostentation. He was also a member of the Masonic order, and was buried with full Masonic honors. Wesley Cutler Williams, second son of Wesley W. and Ruth (Sooby) Williams, now resides on sec. 16, Prairie tp. He received his early education at the common subscription schools of this county ; in 1S52, when about 19 years of age, he went to California, overland, leaving here March 7 and arriving Sept. 12 at Colusa and Red Bluft', Cal. When near Humboldt he bought two ponies for another man and himself, and in company with another ot the train, struck out for themselves. While camping out on? night the In- dians stole their ponies. On waldng in the morning and finding them gone, they commenced'looking around for them. Mr. Williams was the only man who had a revolver, and one of the party asked him for it, saying he would go and look for water, leaving him in a small patch of sago brush. Soon hearing a hallooing, lie looked over the brush and saw his two comrades cliased by 12 Indians. He fell in with the others and ran, expecting to be overtaken and killed every minute. Mr. W. says he tried to pray, and the only thing he could think of to say was, "Now I lay me down to sleep! ' They finally outran the Indians, and footed the rest of the distance, some 800 miles. While in California he was engaged nearly all the time in the freighting busiiieas, in which he was quite successful. In 1851) he returned to this county, and June G, 1859, he married Miss Mary E. Moore, daughter of Andrew Moore, an old settler in this county, who located in Bear -Creek tp., in 1835, He and his wife now reside in Marion county. The subject of this sketch has principally been engaged in farm- ing and raising and dealing in stock. In politics he is a Democrat. Ho served as Supervisor of Bear Creek tp., in 1871-'2, and in the town of Carthage in 1873 ; in the spring of 1880 he was elected to that office in thetp. where he now resides. The first time he was elected on an independent ticket, but the. last two times on the Democratic. Mr. and Mrs. W. have a family of 4 children, all boys : Homer G., -born July 13, 1863 ; John W., Nov. 18, 1865; Archibald, March 21, l^tiS ; and Robert, Sept. 20, 1873. Tlie first child, Hebe, born Sept. li, 1861, died the 30th of the same month, and Edward, born Dec. 2, 1869, died Aug. 11, 1870. Mr. Williams, like his father, is eminently respected bv all, not 788 HISTOEY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. only for his business integrity, but for his social qualities and con- versational powers, as is proven by bis being elected as Supervisor in a Eepublican township, where they voted for the man and not the "party." As one of Hancock coimty's substantial and representative citi- zens, we present Mr. "Williams' portrait in this volume. -George Wills, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., Elvaston; was born in Cay- uga county, N. Y., in 1830. In 1842 he came to this county with his parents, Lorenzo and Lucy A. (Lowry) "Wills, both natives of the same State. They settled in Carthage tp., and in 1846 moved to Prairie, and located one mile east of Elvaston. His house was open for entertainment to travelers, dnd was the first hotel in the place. He was widely known throughout the county, and highly esteemed by all who knew him. Both died at this place. The subject of this sketch was married in 1851, to Martha, daughter of Thomas Bedo, of Anderson county. He erected his present residence in 1868, and is largely and successfully engaged in farming. His farm of one-half of sections 31 and 32 is valued at $40 per acre. He also has a farm of 160 acres in Montebello tp., and 20 acres in Bear Creek. His educational advantages were very limited, and his success is entirely due to his industry and economy. He is a mem- ber of the Town Board, and is a well-known and highly-respected citizen. William L. Whittlesey, County-House Superintendent, was born in Butler county, O., in 1837, and is a son of Samuel and Eosanna (Lewis) Whittlesey, who emigrated to Illinois in 1850 and located in Adams county, where Mrs. "W. died Feb. 3, 1864. The same year Mr. "W. and children came to this county, where they resided until his death, Jan. ] 5, 1875. The subject of this sketch was married in 1863 to Miss Mahala Prather, a native of Indiana, and of their 6 children 3 are living: Sarah E., James E. and Ida B. Mr. "W. was elected to his present position in 1877, which he has filled to the highest degree of satisfaction. Politically he has always been a stalwart Democrat, and endorses the principles of that party. The family are members of the M. E. Church. OFFICIALS. The Supervisors, Clerks, Assessors and Collectors who have served or are now serving Prairie township are about as follows: SCTPEEVISOBS. Wm. N.McCall 1855 David Mack 1866 Dennis Smith 1858 "William A. Patterson 1867 Lorenzo Wells 1859 Boyd Braden 1868 Wm. N.McCaU 1861 Wm. R. Hamilton... 1870 Lorenzo Wells 1863 J. R.Miller 1875 Wm.N. McCall 1863 Saml. P. JMcGaw 1876 Elmore J. Rohrbough 1864 Wm. H. Moore 1879 Wm. N.McCall 1865 W. C Williams 1880 HISTOKT OF HAHOOOK COUNTY. 789 CLERKS. Ebenezer Rand 1855 T. B. Wallace 1857 James S. Miller 1858 Wm. M. Ewing 1860 Ebenezer Rand 1863 James M. McCall 1863 T. G. Moore 1865 John B. Heniy 1866 Wm.N. McCall 1868 John Ashlock 1869 John R. Karr 1870 Hugh Markey 1873 J. H. Lemon 1874 J. S. Spangler 1875 M. H. Cochran 1876 John J. Randlemon 1877 M. H.Cochran 1878 Washington Enlow 1880 ASSESSOES. D.W. McCall 1855 Henry Davis 1856 Thomas Gill 1858 D. W. McCall.. 1859 James S. Miller 1860 Charles Abbott 1861 D. W. McCall 1863 Wm. R. Hamilton 1863 Joseph Miner 1864 G. W. Zern 1865 Wm. Rohrbough 1866 John R. Miller 1868 John Ashlock .' 1870 David Miller. 1871 Wm. N. McCaU 1872 James Tweed 1874 E.J. Rohrbough 1875 J. S. Spangler ' 1876 Thomas G. Moore 1877 James Tweed 1878 JohnL. Rand 1880 COLLECTOES. ThomasP.Gill 1855 D. C. MiUer 1856 Wm. N. McCall 1858 Orlan Abbott 1859 Thomas T. Gill 1860 Wm. Rohrbough 1861 Wm.]Sr. McCall 1863 J. W. Ewing 1863 Wm. A. Moore 1864 E. J. Rohrbough 1865 A. E. Boude 1866 James Tweed 1867 Wm. A. Moore 1868 Thomas McParland 1869 A. J. Moore 1870 Isaac Roseberry 1871 Henry S. Batchelder 1878 A. J. Moore 1874 S. P. McGaw ■. 1875 Thomas McFarland 1876 WUson M. Wetzel 1877 Thomas J. Ruddell 1878 George S. Walker 1880 MONTEBELLO TOWNSHIP. This township, numbered 5 — 8, was probably named for Monte Bello, in France (now the practice to write it Montebelld). Who had the honor of naming it, we do not know. There were French- men about the fort and along the river when the village on the rapids received this cognomen, but none of its proprietors were Freiich. It was laid oiit in 1832 by Luther "Whitney and William Vance, on the southwest of sec. 18, the place now owned by 0. F. Darnell, two miles above the present site of Hamilton. This township, containing the settlements of John Waggonner, Luther Whitney, Kich and Cheney and others of the period pre- ceding organization, may be called one of the oldest settled in the county. Who made the actual first settlement in the township, may now never be known ; but we can learn of none earlier than that of Mr. Waggonner in 1824. There were several in it, however ,before organization (1829), settled along the river and on its contiguous blufts. Among them, we can recall the names, besides Messrs. Waggonner, Whitney and Cheney, of Wm. Vance, Isaac R. Camp- bell, John Johnson and Hazen Bedell. Among those of a later period are Oliver and Cyrus Felt, Samuel Steele, John Gordon, John Cochran, A. P. Cochran, Abram Smith, Enoch D. Brown, Frederick Loring, James and Mathew Gray, Dr. Adolphus Allen, Homer Brown, Ebenezer Carrier, H. R. Dickinson, Bryant Bart- lett, Austin Wardwell, Gen. K. F. Smith and others. Messrs. O. and C. Felt, with Major Wm. Smith, of La Harpe, came to the county with a stock of goods; and while the latter went to Crooked Creek with a portion, the two brothers established on the rapids at Montebello. The elder Felt died a few years after- ward, and Cyrus continued the business. The County Court was held there for several terras, and at that day Montebello was one of the most important points in the county, rivalling Venus at the head ot the rapids, and competing with her for the county-seat. It is now dead and vacated. We have above mentioned the men of the township previous to organization. Others are also worthy of mention. Of these was Isaac Newton Waggonner. His name stands on the record of the Hancock County Pioneers' Association, as (at that date) the earliest living settler in the county. Isaac N. was a youth of about 15 in 1824, when his father settled on the homestead at Riverside. He soon took to the water, first as assistant on the keel-boats, then running the river, and as a pilot to steer them, under Captain James White (whose daughter he married), and afterward for many years on steamers plying between St. Louis and the lead (790; HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 791 mines of Galena and Dabuque. He was first pilot apprentice with Capt. Throckmorton (name of boat not recollected), and afterward with the same officer, on the celebrated Warrior and was on that vessel at the time of the capture of Black Hawk on the upper Mississippi. Mr. W. was a pilot on the river almost continuously, sometimes ,as part owner of the boat he steered, for many years; and he knew as much of the Mississippi sloughs and bluffs, and sand-bars, whirlpools, snags and eddies, and how to manage a steamer in all the vicissitudes of river navigation, as perhaps any other man who ran its waters. Later in life he left the river and devoted himself to the duties of his farm and the care of a steam mill and shipping house at Riverside. He was a remarkably quiet and unostentatious man, firm in his convictions, and respected by all his neighbors. He died Jan. 27, 1877, aged about 68 years. Hamilton is now the only town in the township, including Oak- wood, a separate survey, but united by act of incorporation. It lies at the foot of the rapids, opposite Keokuk, Iowa, between which, across the Mississippi river, lies the great iron railroad and wagon bridge. It was la?d out in 1852, by Bryant Bartlett, Wm. E. Hamilton, Powers Ritchey, Henry E. Dickinson, Sanford Faught, Henry Davis and George Edmunds, Jr. The late Artois Hamilton, of Carthage, was an active proprietor, but we find the record uses the name of his son, William E., who was then a young man. Samuel Gordon, residing at the place, was also inter- ested, having furnished a portion of the land, but his name does not appear of record. In the Hamilton Dollar Monthly of June, 1873, is a notice of the origin of this town , which we reproduce in part in this place: " The eight or ten square miles of territory — embracing bluif, river-bottom, slough, hill and dale, woodland and sand-ridge — lying opposite Keokuk, the " Gate " of Iowa, is dignified by act of General Assembly with the title of city — the City of Ham- ilton. People abroad might very naturally conclude that it received its name, as all the other twenty odd Hamiltons in theU. S. did, from Alexander Hamilton, one of the Fathers of the Eepublic; but it did not. " There is a legend that runneth in this wise: That in the years of the dim past, in the beginning of the embryo city that was to rival th^ then thriving village across the water, a conclave of the proprietors was held to give the bantling a name. Of these pro- prietors we can only now name the following: Bryant Bartlett, who had supplied much of the hard labor and a good deal of the o-as- Henry E. Dickinson, also a hard worker on the foundation of the city; Samuel Gordon, who had resided on the spot, as child and man, from the time whereof the memory of man 'runneth not to the contrary, and who furnished a goodly portion of the land; 792 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. and Artois Hamilton, of Carthage, who was supposed to hold pretty considerable sized money-bags. Money, ' the root of all evi],' is also considered the root of some good, and in this case was regarded as the ' one thing needful,' so it was decided to give the new town the name of the holder of the aforesaid money-bags, in the hope that the honor might induce him to ' shell out.' Of course other names were presented and duly discussed, — as ' Bart- lett,' 'Gordon,' 'Kapids City,' 'East Keokuk,' etc., etc. But the question of finance outweighed all others, and it receired the name it now bears. "And Mr. H. did 'shell out' for a time, -and commendable efforts were made by all concerned to build up a city. But the fates were against them, and a contrary decree had gone forth. The city would not come. They planned, they strove, they gassed; they planted stakes, they run streets and alleys, they laid out wharves and dykes. In their very desperation *they invoked the aid of the Commonwealth, and its august representatives at Springfield came to their aid, and passed an act compelling it to be a city at any rate, — for, said they, the people will come to it afterward. But with an unpardonable lack of discernment and hard common sense, the people still stay away — congregate in other places. And so he of the money-bags, long ago seeing how things were going, — or standing still, rather, — shook the dust off his feet and left in disgust, and the city which once knew him so well, now knows him no more. ***** " But, seriously, there was a wrong committed. The place should have been called ' Bartlett.' In Mr. Bartlett's fertile brain it was first conceived. He originated the thought. He labored hard, in and out of season, to put it on its legs; not always wisely, perhaps, but with a zeal that knew no abatement, an energy that never flagged, and a conviction that seemed prophetic. He struggled against difllculties; indeed he overcame difficulties that would have disheartened many other men. It was the object of his affections and the burden of his thoughts for twenty years ; and they failed in duty to him when they 'gave it the name of another. We are not aware that he ever aspired to the honor, or desired such a result. Certain it is that he labored as zealously after the naming as before, and for long years continued to cherish the hope of his earlier days. But even his faith at length gave out, and he, too, pulled up his stakes and planted them in another field." Oakwood was laid out in June, 1855, by John Morse, Thomas J. Potts and T. Dewitt Carey. It lies a half mile east, and now comprises the third ward of Hamilton. Hamilton was incorporated into a city in 1859. Besides originating the city of Hamilton, Messrs. Bartlett and Dickinson, by their untiring zeal and energy, in conjunction with Henry W. Sample, Esq., of Keokuk, and others, succeeded in es- tablishing a steam ferry between the two points. At that time the :^^/MiM:i-^ AUGUSTA. HISTOBT OF HANOOOK COUNTr. 795 whole river bottom was covered with dense timber and fallen trees; and numerous sloughs and sand-bars rendered the construc- tion of a road across and a landing place at the shore, a matter of great difficulty. These were gradually made to disappear, at great labor and cost; and when the bridge was built and the ferry sus- pended, a crooked dyke was left, which has since been taken and improved by the bridge company, as an approach to the bridge. THE KEOKUK AND HAMILTON BRIDGE. A railroad and wagon bridge was built under a charter from the States of Illinois and Iowa, ratified by Congress, and was opened to the public in June, 1871. It is constructed entirely of iron, excepting the road bed, which is of heavy-sawed white-oak lumber. It was about two years in building, delayed at several different times by ice and high water. Its cost was one million and five thousand dollars ($1,005,000). It is two thousand one hundred and ninety-four (2,194) feet long, and rests on eleven stone piers, exclusive of the abutments. Its draw, for the passage of steam- boats and other river craft, is 378 feet in length, turned by steam machinery on a pivot in the center. One end of this draw, when in place, rests on the abutment at the Iowa shore — the main chan- nel of the river being on that side, as it sweeps around the point. The bridge was built by the Keystone Bridge Co., of Pittsburg. As a matter of public interest, and for future reference, we insert below its BATES OP FARE. For a foot passenger , $ .05 For man and horse 15 For one-horse vehicle 20 For two do. do. 25 Head of cattle, each 10 Head of sheep and hogs, each 05 President of the Bridge Company, Andrew Carnegie, New York; Theodobjs Gilman, Treasurer, New York.- .- Hazen Bedell was the first Postmaster in Montebello, appointed bv President Jackson in 1829, and holding it till 1835, when he died. Was succeeded by John Johnson till his death in 1836; then Cyrus Felt, till 1841 ; then Enoch D. Brown for about a year, when it was removed to Dr. Allen's town, Des Moines city, and there kept by Levi Jackman. In 1843 again at Montebello, E. D. Brown, P.M. In 1845 Mr. B. removed to Quincy, and B. B. Gates was P.M. Brown returned in '47, and was reappointed, and held it till 1853, when it was removed to Hamilton. Here Dr. Githens was first P.M., then John C. Cox to '57, Thomas Keid to '61, Benjamin J. "Welch to '64, E. C. A. Cushmau to '66, James Nolan to '69, Thomas Gregg to '76, and then and ever 46 796 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COtlNTT. since Dr. Githens again, after an interregnum of a quarter of a century. RELIGIOUS PROGRESS. The first preaching in Montebello remembered by Mr. Gordon, then quite young, was by Kev. John Lawton, of Carthage, in 1834, '5 and '6. As Eevs. Peter Williams and Charles Eobison both resided in the vicinity precedent to organization, there doubt- less must have been preaching years before Mr. Lawton came to the county. Of this, however, we have no proof. The first Church organization of which we have any account, in Montebello, was at Riverside, about 1859, Rev. Joseph Mason officiating as Pastor for some six months. The membership was limited to nine, six female members and three males, namely: John Morse, "William Donald and A. H. Leavings. Mr. Mason was followed by Rev. John G. Rankin, of "Warsaw, Rev. Mr. Henry, and by Rev. "Wm. C. Merritt, who remained its Pastor till 1856. About this time the society built a new house of worship at Oakwood, and soon afterward Rev. Mason again became its Pastor, and so remained until in 1859, when such changes in his doctrinal views occurred as led to his removal. Daring the early period of the Rebellion Rev. E. N. Bartlett, who had been driven from Missouri for his Union sentiments, was engaged as Pastor between this Church and the young Church at Hamilton. This Church was organized in 1859, with a membership of fifteen persons, names not obtained. Mr. Bartlett remained two or three years. In course of time the Presbyterian element becoming pre- dominant, the organization was changed to Presbyterian. They were without a church building until 1874, when a neat little church was erected, the society previously using the Baptist church part of the time. The Baptist Church (Missionary Branch) was organized in 1852 by Elder Henry Davis, who removed to Texas in 1856. In 1857, Elder Caleb M. Sewell organized a Free-"Will Baptist society, and the Brick Church was soon after built by them. Mr S. resided in the town, and remained its Pastor mainly until his death in Nov., 1875. Since his death the society has been without a regular Pastor most of the time. Latterly Rev. D. C. Miller, a physician of the town, occasionally supplies the pulpit. The M. E. organization was effected about the time the town was laid out, with a small membership. The church building they oc- cupy was erected say six or eight years thereafter. Latterly its membership has been about 60, which is as large as that of any of the others. PERSONAL SKETCHES. Short biographies of many of the most prominent settlers and resi- dents of Montebello township afford the most interesting feature of its history, and they here follow: HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 797 J. A. Anderson, Hamilton, was born Sept. 25, 1816. He was taken by his parents, Robert and Nancy Anderson, when quite young to Clark Co., Ohio, where he was reared to manhood. In 1850 he engaged in the manufactory of cars and agricultural imple- ments in Springfield, Ohio. He continued at this business until 1865, when he went to Minnesota. He was one of the framers of the constitution of that State, and also served in the 2d Minnesota Legislature. He came to this county in 1873, where he has since resided. Mr. A. was first married in 1843 to Catharine Miholland, who died in 1856. In 1859 he was again married to Louesa Hitch, by whom he has had 3 children. He also had 3 children by his former wife. R. W. Alvord was born in Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y., Dec. 29, 1823. His parents were Samuel and Ursula (Smith) Alvord. Mr. Alvord was raised on a farm, and received a common-school education. He came to this county in 1846, and was engaged in farming. He was married in 1850 to Miss Angeline Sullivan, by whom he had 4 children, of which only one is living; namely, Susannah (now Mrs. Amasa Hager). Mr. Alvord is engaged in fruit-growing and gardening. JSev. Samuel Alvord, father of the above, was born in Mass., Mar. 16, 1784, and died in Hamilton, 111., Aug. 13, 1871, in the 88th year of his age~. In 1804 moved to Madison Co., N. Y. ; in 1810, to Lockport; in 1825 to Chautauqua county; in 1830 to "Warren Co., Pa., and finally, in 1846, to Hamilton. Was twice married; to Miss Bates in 1809, and afterward to Miss Ursula Smith, with whom he lived nearly 51 years. United first with the Presbyterian Church at 17; afterward, 1809, with the Baptist. Licensed to preach in 1812, was a successful and earnest preacher. Pastor of several Churches in 'N. Y. and Pa. Never resumed pastoral labor in 111., but frequently preached to destitute Churches, as op- portunity offered. He was a great sufferer during the latter years of his life, but calmly awaited the end. Sev. B. Ajppleiee is a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, where he was born Sept. 5, 1820. He is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Ghoist) Applebee. At the age of 17 years he was brought by his parents to Fulton county, 111., where he remained till he was of age. He was educated at Marietta, in that county. He is conversant in all languages connected with his ministry. He was licensed to preach, July 25, 1845, and was ordained Elder in 1860. In 1847 he traveled Carthage circuit, which then oornprised all of Hancock county and a part of both McDonough and Schuyler counties. His work in this itinerancy was blessed with glorious results; on the above named circuit the first and second years. Two hundred and twenty-five accessions were made to his societies. He re-organized the societies which had been scattered by the Mormons. He also organized the first Methodist society in Hamilton. Eev. Applebee was Pastor of the M. E. Church at the following important stations: 798 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Carthage three years ; Galesburg, and built the first church there ; Peoria tour years, and many others. He is the present Pastor of the M. E. society in Hamilton, and is closing up the 35th year of his ministry. The following is an extract from the J!^auvoo Independent: " The Rev. B. Applebee is a minister of great convictions, of ministerial obligations, as well as marked pulpit and revival ability, and a leader in the great moral and religious reforms of the age. He was the first Pastor of the M. E. Church in Hancock county to re-organize Methodist societies and Sunday-schools, after the Mormon trouble, throughout this county. In 1847 he came to Carthage, as I have before stated. He was a most eflficient minis- ter, then a young man acting a prominent part in the public gatherings connected with Sunday-school celebrations; and on the 4th of July, 1848, he Tisited the city and addressed the Sunday- school which assembled on that day in the Hibbard Grove, south of the city. He visited the city again in 1856 and conducted a quarterly meeting. He is now (Feb. 20, 1880) again in the city, and has met with a cordial welcome in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz, besides the love and respect of many others." Kev. A. was joined in the bonds of holy matrimony, Feb. 12, 1849, to Miss Catharine Gardener, daughter of an early pioneer of this county, 4 children being the fruit of this union; viz., Mary M. (now Mrs. D. B. Spencer), of Iowa; Jabez O., a fine scholar, having gi-aduated in the Wesley an University; John W. (dec.) and Pytsea B. J. M. Berry is a native of Merrimack county, N. H., and was born April 25, 1821. He is a son of Joshua and Patience C. Berry, who y^ere both natives of the same State. In 1858 he was joined in marriage to Miss Harriet M. Berry, of his native State. This union was blessed with 3 children: of these only one is living, Mary (now Mrs. Gilman), who resides in Burlington, Iowa. Mr. Berry came to this county in 1858 and settled in Montebello tp., where he has since resided, engaged in farming and stock- raising. He owns a farm of 123 acres in sec. 36. Homer D. Brown was born March 9, 1846, in Quincy, 111,, and is a son of Homer and Hannah Browui He was married, Oct. 26, 1869, to Miss Alice Harvey, by whom he has 2 children: Nellie and Harvey. Mr. Brown is the proprietor of the Montebello Nur- series, of Hamilton, and has a large local trade. In 1880 he was unable to supply the demand. He makes a specialty of the Ben Davis apple; has this year (1880) over three acres of this kind alone. Mr. Brown is also proprietor of the Wildcat Springs, that are becoming popular as a place for summer resorts. Dr. Thomas J. Bull, dentist, Hamilton, was born July 6, 1810, in New York. He was brought by his parents to Ohio, where he was reared to maijhood. He staid there until 1855, when he came to this State, and soon after to this county, where he has since resided, engaged in the practice of his profession. He was educated HISTOET OF HANOOOE COUNTY. 799 in this business in St. Louis. The Doctor was married Dec. 16, 1834, to Nancy A. "Westcott, by whom he has had 12 children; 9 living, — 5 sons and 4 daughters. J. M. Campbell, farmer, sec. 24; P. O., Elvaston; was born Jan. 28, 1843, in Pennsylvania. He was brought by his parents, James and Eliza Campbell, to this county in 1852, when nine years of age. Here he was reared, and in 1862, when he was only 19 years old, he enlisted in the military service in Co. A, 118th Reg. 111. Mounted Infantry. He was mustered out Nov. 7, 1862. He par- ticipated in the battles, siege, and surrender of Yicksburg, Cham- pion Hills, Thompson's Hills, Arkansas Post and many others. He returned home in October, 1865, having served three years. Mr. C. was married Nov. 21, 1872, to Harriet Houston, and of their 4 children 3 are living; viz., James "W., Anna G. (deceased), Her- bert L. and Thomas O. M)enezeT Carrier was born in Connecticut Sept., 1811; came to this county in 1840, and was married the same year to Martha S. "Winans, daughter of Alfred L. Winans, an early pioneer of this county. Mr. Carrier has resided in Hamilton ever since his settlement in this county. He took an active part against the Mormons, at one time just escaping death at their hands. They stole wood from him and he had them arrested and tried at Warsaw, and was coming home after night when they, intoxicated, took him out of the wagon to kill him, and would have succeeded had it not been for Mr. Hyde. Joseph Cate, who has traveled from ocean to ocean, and wit- nessed many interesting sights, was born in Staflfbrd county, N. H., Jan. 20, 1811, and is a son of Walter and Polly (Wiggins) Cate, the latter of whom is deceased. He was reared on a farm and educated in a common school. He came to Quincy, 111., in 1837, where he became acquainted with Miss Sarah J. Wilson, whom he married March 8, 1838. They have had 5 children, of whom 3 are living; viz., Margaret J., George A. and Horatio W. The latter is now in California. Another son, Joseph, was tilled at the siege of Vicksburg in the struggle for liberty during the late war. During the first gold excitement in 1849, Mr. Cate went overland in an ox wagon to California. In 1851 he returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama. In 1862 he again went to California, and returned in 1854. In 1855 he removed to this county, where he still resides. He was a farmer until he became disabled, when he sold his farm and removed to Hamilton, where he now resides in that portion of the town known as Oakwood. ChOfTles L. Cochran was born Feb. 20, 1823, in Eandolph county, this State. He was brought by his parents, John and Mary Cochran, to this county when eight years of age (1831), where he was reared to manhood. His educational facilities were much limited. He went to the first school that was taught in Mon- tebello tp. The school was held in a log structure about 14 by 16 feet, by Mrs. McKinney. About that time the Black Hawk war 800 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. was under way, Gharles L. had one brother, who was a soldier of the "band of rangers." Time rolled on and nothing transpired worthy of note till the rise and trouble of Mormonism, when the Smiths were killed. About this time he took an active part in expelling them from the State. Mr. Cochran remained here until 1854, when he went to California. He remained in the "Western Territories and along the Pacific coast for 17 years, when he returned home. His vocation is that of farming, etc. His father died Jan/ 10, 1843, at the ripe age of 12. Mr. Cochran is Vice-President of the "Old Settlers' Association." Dr. Sylvester L. Comer, deceased, was born Sept. 9, 1830, in Ohio. He was brought by his parents, when a child, to Carthage, this county, where he was reared and educated. He also at- tended school at Jacksonville, and after studying medicine under some very skillful physicians here, he attended the Chicago and the Keokuk medical colleges, at the latter of which he graduated with honors. During the war Dr. Comer was Surgeon in the Keo- kuk hospital. After the war closed he came to this county and followed his profession till his death, March 3, 1879. Dr. Comer was married Sept. 2, 1862, to Alice Griswold. To them were born 4 children, 3 of whom are living — Hattie L., Samuel H., Frank G. Emulous Carlos Allen Cv^hman was born at Hartford, Yt., June 5, 1811. His father, Joshua Cushman, was born Sept 20, 1778, at Mansfield, Conn., and his mother, Mary Dorman Bridge- man, was born Nov. 24, 1783, at Hanover, N. H., near Dartmouth Cellege. Mr. Cashman was a descendant of the Cushmans who were connected with the expedition of the Mayflower, and a relative on the one side of the celebrated Laura Bridgeman, and of Char- lotte Cushman on the other. At Lebanon, N. H., Mr. Cushman in his youth, learned the trade of machinist, which, however, he never followed, except as manager. On May 30, 1838, having emigrated to Ohio, he was married in Muskingum county to Miss Margaret A. Bainter, who still sur- vives him. In Licking county in that State and afterward in St. Louis, Mo., he was engaged for several years in the manufacture and sale of the Parker Reaction and Percussion Water-wheel. He removed to Ohio in 1834, to St. Louis in 1840, to Hancock county (Pilot Grove) in 1851, and to Hamilton in 1853. Here he was one of the first settlers, and was ever one of its most public spirited men, frequently holding office under the town and city government. His main business was that of real estate and insurance, but he also long held the position of Justice of the Peace and Notalry Public and that of Postmaster. During the Bebellion he was enrolling and drafting officer for this district. And in all these positions, public and private, he was esteemed for his courtesy and kindness of heart. He was, in addition, one of the charter mem- hoi's of the Black Hawk Lodge and Royal Arch Chapter of Masons, and held high office in each. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 801 Mr. Oushmau was never connected with any Church, but was chosen trustee of the Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, which he held from its organization till his death, always taking an interest in its welfare and contributing liberally to its support. He made no profession, yet was a firm believer in the Christian religion, and died trusting in the Savior. He died May 21, 1879, having gained the esteem and affection of his friends, and much lamented .by all. Clw/rles Dadant, a very prominent bee-culturist in this tp., was born in France May 22, 1817; came to this country in 1863 and settled in this tp., where he has since resided, engaged in the keeping of Italian bees (imported). He has at present 500 stands of these, all raised from two stands. He also manufactures bees- wax (refined). In the year 1879 his bees made 15,000 lbs of honey. Mr. D. was married in 1847 to Gabrielle Farison, and they have had 3 children: Mary D., Emile D. and Eugene D. His post- office address is Hamilton. Hemry It. Dickinson was born in Keene, N. H., Dec. 10, 1818. His education was limited to the .common schools of the town, in those days not remarkable for their excellence. At the early age of twelve he engaged as an apprentice to the carpenter's trade, which he followed industriously for six years in New Hampshire, and then, at the age of about iS, emigrated to Grreene county. 111. At Carrollton, the county seat of Greene, he followed the business till, in 1849, he removed to and settled in Hancock. His first loca- tion here was in a cabin in the woods, near the big spring, on the present site of Hamilton. This was two or three years before the town was laid out. In 1850, in conjunction with Bryant Bartlett, his brother-in-law, a charter for a ferry was obtained between Keokuk and this shore ; and in 1852 the town of Hamilton was laid out by them and other parties, a notice of which will be found elsewhere. At great expense and an immense amount of labor a roadway was constructed across the bottom to the river shore, and landings built, much of which had to be renewed every year, till finally the steamer Salina was put on and the ferry fully estab- lished, Mr. Hugh W. Sample, of Keokuk, becoming associated with them. In this enterprise Mr. D. and his co-partners are thought to have expended not less than $40,000 in securing the ferry road and approaches, independent of all other expenses. But it proved a success and a great public benefit for many years, until it was superseded by the great iron bridge. Much of its success was due to Mr. Dickinson's energy and means. He withdrew from the concern a number of years before it was discontinued, and has since employed his time and means in carrying on two or three farms, and in the lumbering business in the town. Mr. D. is the parent of 7 children — 5 sons and 2 daughters, the eldest of whom, Oscar, was one of the first men killed in the 16tb regiment. (Sec page 487.) The others are still living. Mr. Dickinson has held several offices of honor and trust: that 802 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. of Mayor of Hamilton for two terms; Alderman for six or eight years, and several times Assessor of Montebello township. He has also long been a member of the Masonic order, in which he has held responsible positions. Dr. T. J. Dodge, the renowned " magnetic healer," is a native of Fnlton county. 111.; born Jan. 24, 1844. He is a son of Henry and Lorana Dodge; was principally raised in McDonough county, this State. He received a common district-school education. He engaged in general business until 1871, when he started as a Bap- tist evangelist; traveled for 6 successive years, and wonderful were the results of his preaching. Sometimes infidels would fall as if the shaft of death had pierced their hearts, so afiecting was his preaching. About the year 1875 he perceived that he had the ''gift of healing," and frequently and instantaneously healed persons of various diseases while in Church. Dr. Dodge was an infidel in belief prior to his conversion, which occurred Feb. 5, 1860. He soon after felt convinced that he should preach, and immediately entered the ministry. In 1877 he had strong convictions to cease the work of an evangelist, and to devote his time principally to healing the afflicted. Jan. 1, 1878, Dr. Dodge entered partnership with Dr. Eingland in the " Eiverside Institute." His treatment is followed by unprecedented success in the permanent healing of patients. His first cure wrought in the Kiverside Institute was a case of apoplexy of several years' standing, which he cured in less than five minutes' time. Dr, Dodge has a wonderful magnetic power, and at will can make a person stand or sit unmovable as a statue. He frequently preaches at the Institute and in the surrounding country. Dr. D. was united in marriage Sept. 25, 1863, with Caroline Atwater, and they have 8 children — 5 sons and 3 daughters. He is now 36 years of age and weighs 310 pounds. Charles Dorman was born in Gloucester county, If. J., Nov. 28, 1817, and is a son of James and Amy Dorman. He served an apprenticeship at blacksmithing when but a boy, at Good Intent, a manufacturing village of his native State. His; father was a cabinet-maker. Mr. Dorman followed blacksmithing until 1863, when he enlisted in the 133d 111. Vol. Inf., and served as a soldier in the late war. He was married in April, 1838, to Miss Anna M. Northrop, by whom he has had 7 children; of these, 5 are liv- ing; viz., Albert, James, Hattie, Amy and Anna. Mr. Dorman engaged in the mercantile business in 1865, in that part of Hamil- ton known as Oakwood, where he carries a stock of about $2,000, consisting of hardware, groceries and notions. His grandfather, Ned Parker, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and his father was an officer in the war of 1812. James B. Gilliland, i'&rmer, sec. 12; P. O., Elvaston ; was, born in New York city, and was raised there and in Philadelphia. He was married in New York, Oct. 27, 1836, to Miss Margaret S. Glenn, daughter of David Glenn. (The Glenns were early settlers of Philadelphia.) Eleven children were the fruit of this union, of Durham Tp. HISTOKT OF HANCOCK OOtJNTT. 805 whom 6 are living; viz., Stephen E,, George W., "William M., James P. (missionary in S. America), and Sarah (a Holiness preacher). Mr. Gilliland and family came to Pekin, 111., in 1854, and to this county in 1858. While in Philadelphia, Mr. Gilliland engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods, but is now engaged in farming. Dr. W. H. Gitkens was born in Ohio, Dec. 11, 1826; he is a son of John Githens, who was a native of New Jersey. He was reared and educated in his native State. He also began the study of medicine there about the year 1847, and in 1850 came to Keo- kuk, Iowa, where he finished his course of medical study, and graduated; in 1852 he came to this county and began the practice of medicine. March 4, 1849, he was married to Sarah P. Robbins. To them were born 10 children; only 4 are living; viz., Louise I. (now Mrs. Anderson), Wm. E., Helen M. and Mary A. Mr. G. was a Surgeon in the 16th 111. Vol. Inf. for a time, when he came to Keokuk and was in the Government service, in the hospital of that place, for one year, when he went back and served the remainder of the war, under Gen. Sherman. He partici- pated in the following battles; viz., Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, V icksburg, Lookout and Kenesaw Mountains, and many others. Samuel Gordon, one of the pioneers of this county, was born in Peterboro', N. H., May 3, 1825; emigrated with his parents to Montebello, in Hancock county, when it contained less than 500 inhabitants, in Oct., 1831. In the spring of 1833, he removed to the farm on which he now resides, twenty years before the city of Hamilton was laid out. He received his education from the com- mon schools in the neighborhood. Mr. Gordon has been an office holder ; held the office of Clerk of Montebello township for 14 years, between 1857 and 1874; was 20 years a member of the School Board ; two years City Clerk ; six years City Treasurer, and twice a member of the City Council of Ham- ilton. In Aug., 1862, he enlisted as a private in Co. C, 118th 111. Inf. Yol.; was on continuous duty for three years and two months, until Oct. 13, 1865, when his regiment was discharged. He partic- ipated in the following battles: Chickasaw Bluffs, near Vicksburg, Dee. 26 to 30, 1862; Arkansas Post, Jan. 10 and 11, 1863; Thomp- son's Hill, May 1, 1863; Champion Hills, May 16, 1863; Black river bridge. May 17, 1863; siege of Vicksburg until after the assault of May 23, 1863; Grand Caton bayou, Nov. 3, 1863; as- sault on Port Hudson, Apr. 7, 1864. He was married Apr. 3, 1851, to Miss Perraelia Alvord, bora in "Warren county. Pa., Aug. 3, 1832; youngest daughter of Eev. Samuel Alvord, of Oakwood. John Gordon, father of the above, was born in Peterboro', N. H., Dec. 10, 1790; married Elizabeth Smith, Dec. 31, 1819; emi- f rated to Hancock county, and settled in Montebello tp. in 1831. [e died Apr. 3, 1839, aged 48. His widow died Aug. 12, 1846, aged 61. They had 6 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters ; 3 died in 806 HISTOEY OE HANCOCK COUNTY. infancy. They brought 2 sons with tKem ; the eldest, Jonathan J., died March 27, 1879, aged 16. The grandfather, also named John, was born in Ireland in 1732 ; emigrated to America prior to 1750, and settled in Massachusetts. Was a volunteer during the Revolution, with Washington on his retreat through the Jerseys. He emigrated to New Hampshire and settled in Peterboro' in 1780 ; died Dec. 2, 1818, aged 86. Dr. H. P. Oriswold was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1814. Received a common-school education, and was entered at 16 at Fairfield Academy, and at 18 entered Union College, Sche- nectady, Ijabing a scientific course, which he continued for two years. Studied medicine with Dr. Brown, of Salisbury, Herkimer county. In 1837 he emigrated to Hancock county and settled at Plymouth, at which place he resided and continued in the practice of medi- cine for thirteen years. In 1850 he purchased a farm in Wythe township, about six miles east of Warsaw, to which he removed, still continuing in the practice of medicine until the year 18 he removed to Hamilton, where he still resides. About 1841 Dr. Gr. commenced the nursery business on a small scale at Plymouth, which he followed for five or six years. From his nursery most of the old orchards in St. Mary's and Round Prairies were supplied, and the general good character of their fruit attest the soundness of his judgment in the propagation of varieties. On his removal to Wythe township, he transplanted from his nursery a large orchard at his new home, which has borne much excellent fruit. It is now in possession of E. McCune, Esq. In removing to Hamilton, Dr. G. retjred from practice, prefer- ring to live at his ease in the enjoyment of a moderate fortune, and in the cultivation of fruits and fiowers and the adornment of his home. Charles Oruhh was born in Lehigh Co., Pa., Nov. 8, 1822, and is a son of Samuel and Catharine (G-roff) Grubb, also native^of Penn- sylvania. He was married in 1844 to Miss Dinah Davison, by whom he has had 11 children; of these, 9 are living; viz., Wayne, Eras- mus, Garret, Lizzie, Ida, Kate, George, Louisa and Ellen. Mr. Grubb learned the blacksmith's trade when young, at which he worked five years. He came to this county in 1859, and purchased 100 acres of land on sec. 35, Montebello tp., where he still resides and is engaged in farming, stock raising. Himself and 5 brothers were in the war, and all returned without a wound. Ephraim Gruhi, deceased, brother of the preceding, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1824. He was reared on a farm, but at th,e age of 18 learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in after years. He emigrated to Adams county. 111., in 1845, where he followed his trade until 1850. He then came to this county, settling on sec. 26, this tp., where he engaged in farming until his death, save the time he served in the late war. He, however, became disabled by sickness while in the service and was discharged for this reason before his time expired. He mSTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 807 was married Jan. 7, 1849, to Miss Susan Grubb, daughter of Jonas and Sarah Grubb (dec), who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Adams county, 111., in 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Grubb had 5 children, of whom but 2 are living; viz., Frances and Olive. Mr. Grubb was a worthy member of the Presbyterian Church and had lived a devoted Christian life since quite young. He filled the office of Commissioner of Highways several times, and was always found upon the side of temperance and morality. He was always ready to assist the needy and lift up the down-fallen; in fact, he was a public benefactor, for no truly charitable enterprise ever passed by him unnoticed or unaided- He died Sep. 21, 1866, loved and respected by all who knew him. The family lost a kind husband and father, and the community a valuable member of society in the death of Mr. Grubb. William L. Outhrie, Assessor of Montebello tp.; P. O., Hamil- ton; was born in Kentucky July 1, 1832. His parents, John P. apd Sarah Guthrie, were both natives of Kentucky, who came to this State in 1839 and settled near Quincy, and in 1857 he came to this county. W. L. has been Deputy Sheriff 12 years. In 1857 he was married to Amanda Breckbill. To them were born 8 children, 4 now living; viz., James P., "William E., Laura A. and Ida M. Edw. J. Hall was born June 12, 1836, in Baltimore, Md. He is a son of Robert G. Hall, M. D., who practiced medicine for 40 years in this State. He was reared and educated in Illinois. His voca- tion used to be druggist, in which he was eugaged for about 25 years, until 1862, when he came to Hamilton, where, he still resides. He is at present engaged in business with Daniel F. Tie- man (ex-Mayor) & Co., of J^ew York city. Mr. H. was joined in marriage to Emily K. Kerr, of Jacksonville, this State. £. F. Hambleton is a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and was born A pril 23, 1826. His parents were James and Martha Hambleton, natives of Eastern Pennsylvania. They were members of the Society of Friends (or Quakers), and each lived to the age of 81 years. James Hambleton and two of his brothers, Benjamin and Charles, emigrated to Ohio in 1814, and located on Little Beaver Creek, in Columbiana county, where they engaged in milling, farming and mercantile business. This was carried on in partner- ship until 1838,. when the firm dissolved. Our subject worked in a woolen factory in Ohio for three years, and in 1846 he helped drive a flock of sheep from Ohio to Mahaska county, Iowa, ^e returned to Ohio the same fall, and in 1851 moved to Iowa to make his home in the "West. In 1854 he settled in Keokuk, where he engaged with Connable & Smith, wholesale grocers, for about three months. He then was employed with Moody & Thompson, whole- sale boot and shoe merchants. This firm dissolved and he remained in Mr. Moody's employ in the same house until 1863, when he became Mr. Moody's partner. In 1864 Mr. Moody's health failed, and Mr. Hambleton formed a partnership with H. C. Huiskamp, who remained in the business until 1873, when Mr. H. sold his 808 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTT. interests to Hniskamp & Brother. Mr. Hambleton, however, had removed across the river to Illinois in 1871. He was married in 1853 to Miss Maria E. Thompson, daughter of Eev. Aaron F. Thomp- son, a Presbyterian minister, now of "Winchester, 111. T^is union has been blessed with 5 children, of whom 4 are living; viz., Clarence, Cora, Arthur and Helen. Mr. H. now resides in "a large stone dwelling, on a beautiful eminence overlooking the Mississippi river and a portion of the city of Keokuk. He owns the Imperial Flouring Mills, of Keokuk, and also a large interest in the whole- sale grocery store of Collier, Robertson & Hambleton, in Keokuk, besides farming and raising stock to some extent. Daniel Hanson was born April 23, 1832, in Pickaway county, Ohio. He is a son of Daniel, Sr., and Barbara. Hanson, natives of Yirginia. He was brought to this county by his parents when young, and here he was reared to mature years. His educational advantages' were limited, as he received but a common-school edu- cation. Mr. Hanson was married April 16, 1866, to Emma Hol- comb, by whom he has had 4 childreij ; viz., Grace M., Minnie, DeWitt Clinton and Freddie. Mr. Hanson's father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his father was a soldier in the Revolution- ary war. Mr. H. is a farmer on sec. 25 ; P. O., Elvaston, 111. Da/Old Honce was born in Monmouth county, IS. J,, Sept. 10, 1822. His parents were Hendrick and Elizabeth (Rogers) Honce, the latter deceased. Mr. Honce was raised on a farm, and was engaged some years in the oyster trafiBc, a saloon and bakery. He was married in ]S"ew Jersey, in 1857, to Miss Rachel Williams, by whom he had 7 children; of these, 5 are living: Orval, Oliver, "Wm. H., Sarah E. and Georgia M. He came to this county in 1861, where he is engaged in farming and stock-raising on sec. 15, in this tp. His son William lives in Colorado. William H. Honce, brother of the preceding, was born in Monmouth county, N. J., in July, 1820; was reared on a farm, educated in a common-school; was married Nov. 27, 1848, to Miss Sarah J. McBroom, daughter of Andrew and Jane McBroom. This union has been blessed with 7 children, of whom 6 are living; viz., Lydia J., Elizabeth, Alphia, Anna, Olive and "William R. Mr. Honce removed to Adams county. 111., in 1851, and to this county in 1854. He resides on sec. 9, Montebello tp., and is en- gaged in farming and stock-raising. Harlow Hosford, sec. 10; P. O., Hamilton; was born in Brook- field, Ohio, March 26, 1824, and is a son of Truman and Elizabeth Hosford. He was reared on a farm, and received a common-school education. He came to this county in 1835. He was married in 1850, to Miss Mary "Wright, by whom he has 6 children; viz., Harris T., Anna E., Isaac N., Edwin "W., Harriet O. and Mary J. Mr. Hosford was a soldier in the Mormon war, as were also his father and brother, participating in the battle at ISTauvoo. Mr. Hosford is engaged in farming and stock-raising, on sec. 10, and owns 475 acres of valuable land. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 809 Henry Ikerd, deceased, was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, Jan. 19, 1806. He was a son of John and Margaret Ikerd; was married Feb. 2, 1823, to Nancy Fish, by whom he has had 10 children; viz., David J., Sarah A., "William Y., Malinda 0. (now Mrs. Head), Mary J. (now Mrs. Douglas), Margaret E. (now Mrs. Horton), Henry L., Logan H., Mary L. (now Mrs. Stumpp). Mr. and Mrs. Ikerd came to this county in 1855, where they settled and resided until the union was broken by his death, Oct. 5, 1866. His wife is yet livings at the advanced age of 70. Aaron S. Eingdey, deceased, was born April 21, 1807, in Genesee county, N.,Y., and was a son of Solomon Kingsley (dec), of New York. Solomon Kingsley was a farmer and a tanner, at both of which businesses our subject worked in early life. He received a com- mon-school education in New York. He went to Canada in 1834, where he became acquainted with Miss Cynthia M. Piggott, whom he married Dec. 24, 1838. She is a daughter of James Piggott, who removed from St. Louis, Mo., to Canada prior to the war of 1812. Mrs. Kingsley's grandfather. Captain James Piggott, of Kevolutiouary fame, was an early settler of St. Louis. He estab- lished a fort not far from the bluff in the American bottom, west of the present town of Columbia, in Monroe county. 111., which was the largest fortification erected by the Americans in Illinois at that day; Captain Piggott was a native of Connecticut. His service in the Kevolution was principally under Generals Wash- ington and St. Clair.- He died in 1799. Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley had 8 children, of whom 5 are living; viz., Virgil, Jennie (now Mrs. Augustus Bakeman), Anna (now Mrs. Geo. W. Eichardson), Nellie (now Mrs. Geo. H. Edmondson) and Clara. The Kingsley family removed to this county in 1846. Mr. Kingsley taught school for two years after arriving here, and then was in the mercantile business for the period of two years. He then engaged in farming until his death, which occurred Feb. 4, 1878. He was a consistent Christian and worthy member of the M. E. Church for about 45 years, but was not connected with it at all times. Sarah D. La/wton, eldest daughter of Eev. John Lawton, was one of the first school ma'ms in the county. She came "West with her father in 1834, and taught that year in Quincy; at Warsaw, 1835; at Montebello, 1835-6; at Carthage, 1836, at "Warsaw again, 1840-'l-'2, and at intervals thereafter, and at Hamilton, 1860. She was married to Mr. Gregg of the Garthagenian newspaper Nov. 10, 1836. Her father was a native of Massachusetts, and was a graduate of Middlebury College, Yt. He studied for the ministry while prin- cipal of an academy at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and was afterward settled for ten years as Pastor of a Congregational Church at Wind- ham, Yt., and subsequently at Hillsboro' Center, N. H. In 1834 Mr. L. was sent to supply destitute places in the West 810 HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOUiTTY. I by the Presbyterian Board of Missions. Located at Carthage, he for a number of years preached in that community and other sections of the county, and assisted in organizing several Churches. While here he was mainly instrumental in procuring the charter for the Carthage Female Seminary (see page 435), and was appointed by the trustees to procure aid for it in the East. Going East, he soon afterward died there in April, 1842, aged 62. His other children are: Joanna C. (now Mrs. Ebenzer Hand) who preceded her father West, and taught school in Payson and at Yenus in 1833 ; Abigail N. (the deceased wife of the late Frederic W. Symonds of Carthage), Jacob (now of Kansas), Harriet N. (Mrs. Lucius Parker, formerly of Carthage, now of Keokuk Junc- tion), John H. (of Plymouth), and Anne E. (wife of the murdered Lieut. F. E. Worrell, and widow of the late Dr. Hewitt, of Hanni- bal). John A. Leas, foreman of the freight department of the T., P. & W. and W., St. L. & P. railroad, office at Keokuk, P. O., Hamilton, 111., was born June 22, 1837, in Pennsylvania, a son of Francis and Sarah Leas. At 13 years of age he went out on the great theater of life to act for himself. He spent most of .his early manhood with a corps of civil engineers, assisting in the location of several railroads in Pennsylvania. In 1856 he came to Keokuk, and was for a while one of the city engineer corps, and afterward engaged in hotel business, in which he continued until 1866, when he came to Hamilton and re-engaged in engineering. Aug. B5, 1858, he married Lydia A. Tully, and they have had one child, Charles H. In 1876 Mr. Leas went to his native home in Pennsylvania, and also spent some time at the "world-renowned" Exposition (i.e., Centennial). He has one brother (Thomas H.), who is Quarter- master-General at West Point. His ancestors were long-lived people. His mother died in 1877, at 86, and his father some years ago, aged 62. John Matice, farmer, sec. 6 ; P. O. , Hamilton ; is a son of Peter and Sarah Matice, and was born Jan. 1, 1834; was brought to this country by his parents in 1843. In 1869 he married Adelaide Allen. In Feb., 1865, he enlisted in the military service in Co. I, 156th Reg. 111. Inf., and was discharged at the close of the war, having served eight months. He then returned home and resumed his former occupation. To Mr. and Mrs. Matice were born 6 chil- dren, 3 sons and 3 daughters. His father-in-law, Dr. A. Allen, was an early pioneer of this county and built the first ' mill in the county at the mouth of Allen's or Golden's creek, and ground the first corn that was ground in the county. His father was a soldier, both in the Eevolutionary war and war of 1812. Wm. T. McLellcm was born April 16, 1835, in the town of Thomaston, Maine, and is a son of Thomas and Nancy McLellan, who brought their family to this county about 30 years ago. He was married Oct; 15, 1868, to Miss Mary K. Debitt, daughter of Wm. and Eosetta Debitt. Of their 4 children 3 are living; viz., HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 811 Arthur H., Edward E. and "Willie D. Mr. McLellan is conductor on the Wabash Eailroad. Dr. D. C. Miller was born in Saratoga county, N. Y., inside of the entrenchments of the battle-ground of Bemis Heights, Sept. 26,1820. His parents were Newell and Matilda (Carter) Miller. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools, and Troy Academy, at Troy, N. Y. At the age of 23 years he studied medicine, but feeling it his duty to engage in the ministry he went to Wisconsin in 1846, where he labored as a missionary in the em- ploy of the Free-Will Baptist Home Mission Society several years. He then labored for some time without any aid from the mission- ary society. His labors while there were very great. He has ridden 60 miles and preached three sermons all in one day. He drove his team 5,582 miles in one year, besides traveling to some extent on cars and steamboat. He was married, June 17, 1847, to Miss Eliza Babcock, by whom he has had 9 children ; of these 5 are living; viz., Eugene A., Alvin A., D. Gay, Effa and Harry T. Alvin and Eugene are married. Mr. Miller met with a severe accident in 1869, in this wise: While the train he was on was standing at a station about eight miles west of Madison,Wi8., an extra (or "wild") train came up behind and ran into this one, causing a fearful wreck. Th^ Doctor practiced medicine some prior to leaving the ministry, but as his disability rendered him unable to preach, he has since devoted his entire attention to the practice of medicine, and has attained a good patronage. F. J. Potts, a native of New York, was born Aug. 23, 1816. When 16 years of age he entered the machine shops and spent five years in learning that trade. He came to this county in 1845, where he followed the same business. Mr. Potts was first married Feb. 15, 1840, to Mary J. Bredett, who died in 1843 ; he was again mar- ried in 1848 to Emily Bredett. She died in 1876. Mr. P. was married the third time Dec. 6, 1878, to Mary H. Smith. Samuel F. Pray, farmer andstock^dealer; P. O., Hamilton ; was born in New Hampshire; was principally reared in Massachusetts. He spent two years of his early manhood in clerking in a dry-goods store; in 1842 came to this county and settled near Carthage. There he lived until 1858. Three years of this time was spent as diver in the Mississippi river seeking for wrecked boats. In 1850 he went to California, and returned in 1851. He has resided near Hamilton since 1858. Mr. Pray has been a stock-dealer and shipper for about 23 years. He owns a farm of 800 acres and a fine residence. He took an active part against the Mormons, was appointed com- mander of the "Carthage Kiflemen," and was at their head in tlie skirmish at Nauvoo, which lasted 2J hours: 14 of his men were wounded ; but one proved fatal. Mr. Pray was married Nov. 26, 1849, to Frances J. Haggard. He is of English ancestry. His father had two brothers that fought in the Kevolutionary war His progenitors were among the early settlers of America. 812 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. A. Puntenny is a native of Adams county, O., where he was born Feb. 10, 1834:; is a son of John and Araminta Puntenny, both natives of Ohio. He came to Keokuk, la., with his grand- father in 1846, and lived with him till he was of age. In Febru- ary, 1865, he enlisted in the army. Op. K, 156th Regiment, 111. Inft., under Colonel A. F. Smith; was mustered 'out Sept. 15, 1865, and the 28th of the same month he was discharged and returned home. He was married Feb. 16, 1861, to Isabella Kerr. They have had 5 children, 4 are living — 3 sons and 1 daughter- His occupation is farming; P. O., Elvaston. MalacM Richardson was born in Bucks county. Pa., Jan. 28, 1802, and is a son of Clement and Catharine (Baker) Kichardson (dec). He was raised on a farm until 16 years old. He engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods in the town of Butler, Pa., for fifteen years ; removed to Cincinnati, O., in 1839, where he engaged in silver-plating with a brother-in-law for about ten years. He then removed to Hamilton, O., and again engaged in the woolen business, which he cai'ried on for about eight or nine years. He came to Keokuk, la., about the year 1856, and to this county in 1857. While in Keokuk, he owned a farm near that place. He has been married three times, and is the father of 11 children. He was married to his first wife, Miss Sarah Patterson, Apr. 1, 1823, in Butler, Pa. ; to his second wife. Miss Margaret Finney, Sept. 30, 1852; and to his present wife, Mary A. Campbell, Dec. 27, 1864. His children are, Elizabeth A., Catharine J., Sarah F., Mary A., Susan P., James C, Selina E., John N. (dec), Wm. B., Malachi H. and Loyal C. The last named died while in the service during the late war. James C. is President of the Halderman Paper Mills, of Cincin- nati, O. ; Malachi is a member of the firm of Stephens & Co., gro- cers, on Fourth street, Cincinnati, O.; Wm. B. is Government Ganger of Liquors at Cincinnati, 0.; Elizabeth is now Mrs. Kev. Henry Allen, of Jersey City, ]!>f. J.; Catharine is Mrs. David Combs, of Indiana; Sarah is Mrs. Eobert French, of St. Louis, Mo. ; Mary is Mrs. R. B. French, of Cincinnati, O. ; Susan, widow Combs, of Clinton county, Ind.; Selina, Mrs. John Monroe, of Chicago, 111. Our subject resides in section 24, Montebello. Dr. E. B. Ringland was born in "Washington county, Pa., Jan. 4, 1845, and is a son of ]S"ewton and Jane Ringland, also natives of Pennsylvania. He is a grandson of Colonel Thomas Ringland, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Pennsyl- vania Legislature two terms. Our subject received a common-school education in his native county, and received a medical education in Dr. Trail's Hygeio- Theraputic College, near Philadelphia, Pa. He is also a graduate of the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons. He married Miss Sallie E. Weir, in May, 1869, and opened the Riverside Health Institution in 1871 ; since that time he spent 4 DURHAM. TP, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 815 two years with Dr. Paul Carter, of Otturawa, la., using his cele- brated Swedish movements in Caster's establishment. He reopened the Riverside Institute in 1878, and has secured the ser- vices of Dr. Dodge, the noted magnetic physician. Hundreds of cases of paralysis, rheumatism, deformities, epilepsy, etc., have been speedily cured at Hiverside by the combined influences of his magnetic power. Dr. Eingland's Swedish movements, and the water cure. Dr. Eingland was two years and a half in the late war. He enlisted in the medical department, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Thomas Buggies was born December 13, 1825, in Davis county, Indiana, and Is a son of Jacob and Henrietta (McDonald) Kuggles, natives of Kentucky. He was reared on a farm and received a limited education in an old log school-house in his native State. He has since that time educated himself by his own exertionfe, and afterward became an attorney at law. He obtained law books of his uncle, David McDonald, who was afterward appointed U. S. District Judge by Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Ruggles came to this county in 1848, where he engaged in farming a few years ; and then engaged in the mercantile business for several years, with a Mr. Allen. He has served as Justice of the Peace for 12 years, and was Supervisor several terms,' and was one of the first Trustees of the town of Hamilton. He was married in 1849, to Miss Elizabeth Waller, by whom he had 4 children ; only one is living; viz., Kate. Mrs. Ruggles died in 1857, and Mr. R. again married, in 1858, this time to Miss Hannah Q. Choate, by whom he had 6 children ; 4 of these are living; viz., Thomas G., Clara, Edmond and Leon. Mrs. R. died in 1872, and Mr. R. married his third wife in 1874, Mrs. Anna B. Mason. Mr. Ruggles came to Illinois alone and on horseback, being attracted here by the reports of Mormon troubles. He is now an attorney at law. Stephen F. Safford and Louisa Hunt, the former born at New Ipswich, Mass., July 7, 1809, the latter at Peterborough, B.H., Oct. 11, 1812, were married May. 17, 1836, settling in Quincy, 111., where Mr. Safford had located when he emigrated to the "West, in 1832. They resided in this county until the fall of 1856, when they re- moved to Hamilton, Hancock county, 111. The first few years of their Western life were devoted to teaching school, after which they became the owners of a small farm, and from this beginning, by prudence, industry and perseverance, grew to become the owners of a comfortable estate free from any dishonorable stain. Always active in religious, philanthropic and educational work, they did much for the best interests of Hamilton, and the death of Mr. Safford, Jan. 7, 1860, deprived the community of an earnest worker and public- spirited eitizen. The writer of his obituary says : " He was universally esteemed for his rectitude and strict integrity in his dealings and intercourse with his fellow-men. He had a deep and abiding reverence for the practical excellencies of the Christian religion, and ever seemed prompt to evince it by his ready 47 816 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. succor of the needy and distressed, and kind and obliging conduct to a]l. Naturally of reflective mood and with a large share of practical sense, he attached more importance to the substance of things than the form, which made him, though not an ultraist in opinion, more than commonly liberal and tolerant. Though not obtrusive of his views, he was an independent thinker and spoke his convic- tions with freedom and decision." He was early interegted in the cause of the colored race, and more than once imperiled his life by his protection of fugitive slaves. After his death Mrs. Safford remained on the home farm, devoting herself to the care of their children and the management of the estate, until the spring of 1874, when she moved into a pleasant home in the village of Oakwood, where she now resides. Of 7 children 5 are now living, 3 sons and 2 daughters. S. E. Simpson is a native of Cayuga county, Ohio, and was born Jan. 5, 1823. His parents were Sylvanus L. and Susannah (Harrington) Simpson. He was reared on a farm, and educated in a common school. In 1860 he married Miss Sarah N. Reed, by whom he has 3 children ; viz., S. Ensign, Cassius A. and Empire L. He came to this county in the autumn of 1861, and settled on sec. 8, Montebello tp., where he still resides, and is engaged in farming and stock-raising. His grandfather, Alexander Simpson, . was a soldier in the Revolution, and his father served in the war of 1812. Mr. Simpson went overland to California in 1853 ; from there to Mexico, and returned by ship in 1857. While in Mexico he was taken prisoner by the Mexicans, but they were compelled to release him. Gen. Robert F. Smith. — This gentleman was born in Phila- delphia, Pa., August 2, 1806, and is a son of John and Mary (Ray- mond) Smith, natives of London, Eng.; was reared and educated in his native city, where he learned the harness and saddlery trade; he came to this county in the spring of 1833, but returned the follow- ing autumn; June 19, 1834, he married Miss Amanda Benton, and came back to this county. Their 14 children are all living; namely, Emma, Louisa, John, George, Robert, Henry, Mary H., Clara D., Franklin "W., Annette, Edward H., Alexander S., Eleanor S. and Cora. Mr. Smith was an oflScer in the Mormon war, and was wounded in the neck at the battle of Nauvoo; he also served with distinction in the late war, enlisting in Co. G, 16th 111. Yol. Inf., in 1861, of which Co. he was made Captain; he was soon afterward commissioned Colonel; he took part in the battles of New Madrid, Island No. 10, Tiptonville, Corinth, the bombardment of Fort Pillow and others, and was in reserve at Stone River. His regiment was ordered to Northwestern Missouri to protect the transportation line, where it remained during 1861-'2. The Colonel became disabled by the bursting of a torpedo, and left the command when at Atlanta, Ga., but joined it again in about three months and remained in the service until the close of the war. He was bre- veted Brigadier General. He is now farming and raising stock, residing on sec. 27, this tp. P. 0., Hamilton. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 817 Samuel Steele (deceased), one of the pioneers of this county, was a native of Hillsborough county, !N". H., born- Sept. 1, 1796. He was reared in his native State, educated in a New Hampshire academy, and in after years followed school-teaching to a consider- able extent. He came to this county in 1830, when but few settle- ments were made; he was a soldier of the band of "rangers" during the Black Hawk war. He was quite active in the expulsion of the Mormons, main- tained the right of executive power, and aided in carrying it out against those unchristianized, troublesome people. He was Justice of the Peace for 28 years, and also Assessor for several terms. Dec. 25, 1832, he married Jane Cochran. He was a farmer and lived in peace with all his neighbors. He died Nov. 30, 1861 ; his wife is yet living, at a very advanced age. George Torher was born in Germany, May 16, 1822, and is a son of John and Sophia Torber. He was educated in the high school at Farchin, Mechlen burgh, Germany; came to New York in 1847, where he engaged in the manufacture of pianos for four years; then went to Louisville, Ky., where he remained until 1856, when he removed to Tennessee. In 1860 he emigrated to Ohio, locating in Toledo in 1861. He came to this county in 1878, and engaged in the furniture and undertaker's business in Hamilton, in company with Chas. Dregeer. They also deal in the Palace organ, which is a very fine instrument, both in finish and in quality of tone. Mr. Torber was married, in 1852, to Miss Margaret Kachelman, by whom he has had 9 children : of these, 4 are living, viz., Augusta, Emma, George and Edward. Albert Urton, son of Burr and Mary Urton, of Prairie tp., was born Sept. 12, 1856, in Ohio. His parents brought him to Peotia county, 111., in 1856 or 1857, where they remained until 1866, then removed to this county. Our subject was married, Jan. 7, 1880, to Miss Emma J. Benson, daughter of Wm. Benson, of Mendon, Adams county, HI. Mr. Hrton is a farmer a,nd resides on section 35, Montebello tp., on a very beautiful and fertile tract of land. His future prospects are bright, for his energy and diligence will crown him with success. A. Ycmaermcm, farmer, etc., sec. 22; P.O., Hamilton, 111.; was born in New York, March 24, 1823; is a son of Abram and Christina Vanaerman. He received but an ordinary education; came to this county in the fall of 1864, and has since resided within its limits. In 1861 he enlisted as a soldier in Co. A, 1st Eeg. Iowa Cavalry (an independent regiment); participated in the following skirmishes: Prairie Grove, Boonville, and Bice Mertra; at the last named place he was shot through the wrist, which disabled him, and he returned home, Aug. 6, 1864, having served three years. He was married. May 2, 1846, to Susan Wardwell, by whom he has had 4 children; viz., Geo. M., Chas. H.,"Wm. B. and»Kanson D. li. M. Wilson, farmer, sec. 9 ; P.0-, Hamilton ; is a native of Ohio, and was born April 16, 1841. His parents, Robert and Mary Wilson, 818 HI8T0EY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. were natives of Penn. He was reared in his native State and received but a common-school education. He came to this county in 1871 and has since resided here. He was married, Dec. 1, 1870, to Mary A. Buchanan, and their 2 children are Mary E. and Flora 13. Mr. W. owns a fSrm of 160 acres in sees. 4 and 9. OFFICIALS. The following is a list of the Supervisors, Clerks, Assessors and Collectors that have served in this township since its organization, with the years in which their respective terms began. STJPEEVISOES. EobertF. Smith 1850 Thomas Ruggles 1867 Samuel Steele 1853 Jonathan m! Berry 1868 Eobt. F. Smith 1853 James Beynolds 1870 Thomas Ruggles 1858 Jonathan M. Berry 1871 Thos. McLellan 1859 Thomas Ruggles 1872 Ephraim Grubb 1861 David Hanson 1874 Thos. McLellan 1863 Ehenezer D. Crouch 1875 Wm. O. Sanford , 1863 Sylvester L. Comer. 1876 Thomas Ruggles 1865 Henry C. Hanson 1877 William Stewart 1866 CLEEKS. Gideon Alkire 1855 George D. Sayller 1875 Samuel Gordon 1858 S. P. Hubbard 1876 D. W. C. Harris 1863 George D. Sayller 1877 Francis J. Russell.. 1865 Frank C. Crane 1878 Samuel Gordon 1866 Marshall B. Lane 1880 Wm. O. Sanford 1874 ASSESSOES. EnochD. Brown 1858 J. C. Paxton 1867 A. L.Miller 1859 Cyrus H. Wright 1870 Benjamin J. Welch 1860 Henry R. Dickinson 1871 Thomas Gregg 1861 J. R.Marshall 1872 E. C. A. Cushman 1863 O. J. Loring 1874 Edward Law 1863 James Burchard 1875 Edward F. Humphrey 1864 Henry R. Dickinson: 1876 Henry R. Dickinson 1866 W. L. Guthrie 1879-1880 COLLECTOES. Samuel Gordon 1855 John McClaughry 1870 William H. Githens 1858 John R. Marshall 1871 Thomas Reid 1859 James E. Morrison 1872 Enoch D. Brown 1860 William C. Peake 1874 E. C. A. Cushman 1861 Edgar Stewart 1875 Thomas Reid 1863 David buter 1876 Horace J. Mack 1868 Ezra H. Stuart.'. 1877 Thomas J. Potts 1865 DavidSuter 1878 P. K. Tuttle 1866 Albert E. Connable 1879 .Tohn R. Marshall 1868 EdwardGrubb 1880 FOUNTAIN GREEN TOWNSHIP. The beautiful village with fanciful name gave title to township 6 n, 5 w. It is agreeably diversified with woodland and prairie, and about evenly divided. Its timbered and broken lands lie along the several branches of Crooked creek. The village of Fountain Green was laid oftt in 1835, by Jabez A.- Beebe and Stephen G. Ferris, two of its early and enterprising settlers. The township also contains the town of Webster. This was originally a Mormon town, laid out in 1840 by Wm. WigTit- man, and called Kamus, or Macedonia. After they left, its name was changed to Webster. Its population in 1845 had reached about 600, mostly Mormons. The villages are only about a mile apart; the first is much better built than the latter, and seems to be in a more flourishing condition. This township now contains a large number of excellent and well-improved farms and substantial farmers, many of them descendants of early settlers who have passed away . A few of them are yet remaining, their heads whitened by the frosts of many winters. The earliest settler in the township "is supposed to have been Ute Perkins, who came in 1826. The next was John Brewer, in 1827; followed by Abram, James and Mordecai Lincoln, Benjamin Mudd, John Day, Andrew and Pittillo Perkins and Wm. Saylors, all in or about 1830. Then Wm. Duff, Jabez h.. Beebe and Jona- than Prior, 1831; Stephen G. Ferris, 1832; Amos Hobart, 1833; Wm. AUton, 1834; Jary White, 1835; Martia Hopkins, 1836; Col. Thomas Geddes, 1836; David AUton, 1836. James Lincoln was the first Justice of the Peace in the town- ship, from 1832 to 1836. From his docket, still extant, in the hands of L. Yandyne, Esq., of Webster, we obtain the following additional names, either as parties in cases or jurymen: William Robertson, Eben Wiggins, James Gray, Edward Farley, William Shipley, George W. Howard, John Secrist, John Massingall, Nich- olas Jarvis, Leney Bloyd, Edward Shipley, Ira Gridley, Samuel Prentice, Evan lilartin, John Shelton, Jacob Coffman, Jacob Clark, Thomas Whitaker, Samuel Brown, Daniel Prentis and Anson Hobart. Charles Hungate succeeded to the docket in 1836. On the tombstones in the Fountain Green cemetery we find the following: (819) 820 ,HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTT. Died. Aged. Died. Aged. Stephen P. FreSman 1860 70 Stephen H.'Tyler, Jr 1855 43 Wm. Bullock 1873 65 Hannah Tyler 1874 84 James Westfall 1858 50 Eunice Ferris 1860 73 Jary "White 1844 57 Thomas Callihan 1863 83 Lucena White 1864 74 Margaret Callihan 1869 80 BasilWright 1865 56 Jared Prentis 1857 53 Matt. Curry a864 46 John Campbell 1858 54 Matt. Curry 1870 88 James Campbell ;..1877 71 Matt. Curry 1876 73 Jabez A. Beebe 1871 83 Stephen H. Tyler, Sr 1871 85 Some of the foregoing were very probably residents of other townships, and some may not have been among the pioneers. The first child born in the township is said to have been Thomas J. Brewer, son of John Brewer, in 1829; the second, James Day, son of John Day, August, 1831 ; and third (perhaps second, date not obtained), Alexander Saylors, also in 1831, son of "William Saylors. The first death was that of Pittillo Perkins, Sept. 15, 1834, who died from the eflfeots of poisonous herbs taken for the ague. Wm. Duff died 1837, killed by a limb falling on him from a tree. The Perkinses joined the Mormons at Ramus, and went with them to Salt Lake. Andrew Perkins was a County Commissioner at the time, and left his seat vacant. The Lincoln brothers were from Kentucky, and were cousins to President Lincoln. They were connected by marriage with Day and Mudd. The latter left years ago for Missouri. All three are deceased years ago; Mordecai, the latest, in 1866. He had lived a bachelor. David Alton was born in Connecticut about the year 1786, and was married to Lucy Farwell, a native of Yermont. Mr. A. died at Fountain Green about 1850, aged 64 years. Mrs. Alton survived him till the month of May, 1880, when she passed away, at the ad- vanced age of 92. A postoffice was established two years before the town was laid out, in 1833, and Jabez A. Beebe appointed Postmaster. The first regular school-teacher is supposed to have been Judge John M. Ferris, son of S. G. Ferris, and now of Cartilage. The first school house was erected about 1836. Mr. Beebe was a New Yorker, born July 1, 1789; came to Fort Edwards previous to dfeep snow, and wintered on the Aldrich place in the vicinity; in the spring settled in Fountain Green, where he died July 2, 1871, aged 82. Who was first to open store in the village we are not advised ; but Martin Hopkins (at present living there), Mathew McClaughry and Stephen H. Tyler, junior, carried on general merchandising busi- ness there as a firm for many years. They were all prominent and much respected men in the community. Wm. Saylors was born in Tennessee about 1.802, came to Foun- tain Green with the Perkinses in 1830; died in 1850, aged 48. John Brewer was a Kentuckian, died about 1852; was oiit in a campaign in the Black Hawk war. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 821 Hickerson Wright, born in "Virginia, 1791 ; came to the county in 1833; died, January, 1877. Jary "White, Sr., was born in "Wales about 1790; came to America in 1811, and settled in Fountain Green in 1835; his death occurred September 8, 1844; aged 57. John Day, born in Kentucky, 1796; came to Hancock in 1830; date of his death not given ; Mrs. D. still living at an advanced age. Daniel Prentis, still living in the village, was a native of Vermont, son of a Revolutionary soldier, and was born in 1799 ; came to Fountain Green and settled in 1833; was engaged in merchandis- ing in Carthage about 1835, and under the wild scheme of internal improvements had a contract with the State for grading a portion of the "Warsaw & Peoria Railroad, in 1838-'9. 'Trentis' Shanty," on the line of said road, was for years a well-known landmark, EELIGIOTJS PBOGEESS. Revs. Abell, Logan and Lawton are remembered as among the earliest gospel ministers in Fountain Green. There were a num- ber of Catholic families in the neighborhood, and a Catholic So- ciety was organized at an early day, and a house of worship erected about the year 1838. The organization was kept up but for a few years, when the edifice was sold. This organization was effected through the instrumentality of Rev. Mr. St. Cyr. Of the several Churches in Fountain Green we have only been able to procure the history of the Presbyterian, for which we are indebted to Rev. Thomas M. Walker, its Pastor. The Presbyterian Church of Fountain Green was organized Nov. 27, 1840, by a committee of the Presbytery of Schuyler (O. S.), consisting of Revs. Wm. Stewart and James M. Chase, of Macomb, in the, district school-house in the village. Members enrolled: Thomas Geddes, Susan Geddes, James McConnell, Margaret McConnell, Martha McConnell, Samuel Glass, Rachel Glass, Jane Seal, Wra. Foy, Ruth Foy, Irene Foy, and Mary McClaughry; Thomas Geddes and James McConnell, Elders. The congregation was supplied by the before-named ministers till the summer of 1849; then for nearly two years by Rev. Ralph Harris, residing in Carthage; afterward by Rev. Joseph Worrell, of Chili. In June, 1852, an invitation was extended to Rev. Thomas M. Walker to become the stated supply, and iu 1853 he was regularly installed Pastor of the Church, and from that time to the present (1880), he has, almost without interruption, ministered to this congregation. Other Elders: Aug., 1852, James Blair, John M. Walker and James Miller; March, 1855, James Campbell and John McClaughry; Oct., 1874, Solomon Kions, Joseph Spangler and Cyrus M. Geddes. The present session consists of Thomas Geddes, John M. Walker, Joseph Spangler and Cyrus Geddes. A neat and comriiodious house of worship was erected in 1851, costing about $1,000. In 1872 this property was disposed of to 822 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the M. E. Church, and the new one now occupied, erected at a cost of about $6,000. This is a neat and handsome church, 34 by 62 feet, with a full-size basement, all suitably furnished. This Church has enjoyed at least an ordinary degree of prosperity. In the winter of 1873 an extensive revival of religion added about forty to the number of its membership; and again, in 1876, seven- teen more were added by profession of faith. But while there have been additions, there have also been losses by almost contin- ual emigration to the West, so that this Church has stood in the relation of a feeder to many newer congregations in the localities beyond the Mississippi, and to some nearer home. There were 115 reported as members in the spring of 1879. BIOGEAPHIES. As personal sketches are the most interesting and important part of the history of a community, we give a number of them here : William Allton was born in Lewis county, N. Y., in 1811. He is of a family of 11 children, 7 of whom are living. The father, David Allton, was of English descent; was a farmer by occupation; emigrated to Western JSf. T. in 1820, and in 1836, to this State, settling in Fountain Green tp. He died in 1848, 65 years of age. The mother, who died recently, at the advanced age of 91, was also of English descent and a native of the same State. The oldest daughter, Salona, the wife of Conrad Cratzenburg, died in this county in 1854. David F., the elder brother, was married in New York; emigrated to this State in 1834, and died in 1871, leaving a widow and 8 children. Lucy, the oldest sister, is the wife of Cyrus Kyes, of New York. Betsey, wife of Henry E. Yro- man, emigrated to this State in 1834; her husband dying, she married Clement Logston, of Macomb, who died in 1 866. W. S., N. A., Elliott and Miles, are farmers of this county. Miles died a soldier before Yicksburg, in 1865. William, the subject of this sketch, the third in age, in early life a farmer, emigrated to Rushro in 1833; was educated in the common schools. He was married in 1840, to Mary A. Gibson, who, with one child, died in 1843. He then came West to Indiana, where he was engaged for a time in merchandising at Crown Point. Here he remained eleven years, returning in 1854 to New York, and settled as a farmer. In 1860 he came to Knox county, near Galesburg, where he engaged in farming. He was married again, to Sarah Meredith, who became the mother of one child, Wm. B., who died with his mother in 1866. He was married again in 1874, to Miss Maggie Fitch, of New York, with whom, and their sweet little girl Lillie, he is now enjoying the greatest blessings of a domestic lite. Mr. A. resides within a quarter of a mile of the village of Fountain Green, where he settled on a farm of 80 acres, in section 33, also 40 of timber. His neat and commodious SON O RA TP, HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 825 residence stands upon a rise of ground so as to give him a view of the surrounding country to be seen in no other part of the tp. Mr. A. has never been before the people as a candidate for office, but from his extensive library, and his genial, social qualities, he would not be an unfit servant for any position in which his friends mififht place him. Richard Branden was born in Adams county. Pa., in 1809, and died at the age of d.*), near Iowa City. He was an early settler of this tp., and. the father of a family of 11 children, 6 of whom are living. The mother, whose maiden name was Mary M. Favorite, of the same nativity, and of French-German descent, is living, at this writing, in good health, and enjoying a happy life at the old homestead. The family came from Ohio to McDonough county in 1839, and in '46 to the farm now occupied by Mrs. B., on sec. 15, consisting of 160 acres. The oldest daughter, Teresene, is the widow of Daniel Kimport, of Fa. She now resides in Macomb. James F., now a widower, is salesman for the McCormick Reaper Company. He has 3 little children — Ernest, Richard B. and Myrt Mabel. Lizzie, the third in the family, is the wife of Robert Geddes, a farmer of this township. Richard B. died in the late war. Edward E. died in infancy. Mary A. died near the date of the father's death, at the age of seven. Elias M. (wife, Susan Hay) has one child, Bessie. Julia F. is the-wife of John Miller. Edward B. is now carrying on the farm with his mother. George was born in McDonough county in 1842. His early experience was on the farm and in the common schools. He was married in 1871 to Miss Laura Geddes, daughter of Col. Geddes, a lady devoted not only to her husband and children, but to her Christian work. Mr. B. has a family of 2 sons and one daughter — Maud, Royle and Robert G. The Branden family are Presbyterian in religious faith and Repub- lican in political principles. George was with the memorable 118th under Col. Fonda; was gone three years, and was discharged when the war was over. He moved to his farm in 1871, and in 1876 built the neat residence which may be seen three-fourths of a mile south of Fountain Green. George is a wide-awake citizen, and from his movements does not intend to rest complacently and see the world drive unless he is one of the drivers. John Bullock was born in Western Canada in 1819, his father emigrating from Scotland a short time before. Mr. B. is of a family of 8 sons and 4 daughters. Five of the sons came to this county. John came in 1853, ten years after his brother William, who is reckoned among the early and most progressive settlers. His father and mother died at an advanced age, at their old home in Canada. John stayed with his father until he was 26 years of age, when he began farming on his own hook. He was married in 1834, to Miss Jennet Anderson, a Scotch lady of refined taste and manners. She is now the mother of 8 living children — Margaret, the wife of A. M. Cratzenburg; Thomas, Gilbert, John, Jennet, William and Mary (twins) and Gracie, the youngest. 826 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Mr. B., learning of the agricultural features of this country, and being a farmer, came here for the purpose of staying. He makes wheat-raising a specialty, and considers it as sure as any other crop. He owns .260 acres of good land on sec. 16, all in cultivation or pasture. Himself and lady have been members of the Christian Church for 16 years. Mr. B. is not a Radical in politics, and the treatment a stranger receives at the hands of the family is indica- tive of their generous Scotch hospitality. William JiuUooh, father of John H., was born in Glasgow, Scot- land, in 180Y; came to Canada in 1818 with his parents, settling at Lanark, in Lanark county. He was married about 1830, to Miss Christina McDougal, a Highland Scotch lady. His children were all born in Canada, namely, Catharine, Thomas A., John H., An- drew K. and James S. Mr. B. came to Hancock county in 1842, and resided in Fountain Green tp. until his death, June 23, 1872. His wife died May 24, 1845. Two of Mr. B.'s sons were in our last war, Thomas A., a member of Co. A, 118th 111. Yol. Inf., and John H. in Co. G, 2d 111. Cav. The company was raised by Col. B . F. Marsh, as good a commander as ever drew a saber. Thomas Campbell was born in Franklin county. Pa., in 1805. His father, of the same name and nativity, died at his old home at the age of 68. Mr. C. was of a family of 2 sisters and 8 brothers. His mother, whose maiden name was Isabel Elder, was buried be- side his father in 1816. He began to learn the hatter's trade, after- ward taking an interest in the business, and carried on the factory for 39 years. He was married at the age of 22 to Margaret Camp- bell, of the same county and State, daughter of John Campbell. Mr. C. and lady have raised a family of 9 children, 2 sons and Y daughters, who are scattered from Eastern Pennsylvania to West- ern Kansas. Henrietta is with her parents. Mr. Campbell emigrated to this State in 1853, settling in this tp. directly south of the village of Fountain Green, where he purchased a farm of 80 acres ; built a commodious residence, and after occupy- ing 'it for nearly 20 years, he engaged for a short time in mer- chandising. He is now living a retired life in the attractive little village of " The Green." Mr. C . was a "Whig before the war and has been a Eepublican since. He sacrificed one son, John W., in the memorable trials before Vicksburg on Black river. Mr. C. and family are con- nected with the Presbyterian Church, and are among the faithful ones who have preserved the fair name of their little village from being tarnished by intemperance. John M. J. Cox was born in Breckenridge county, Ky., in 1820. He was the 3d in a family of 6 children; Benjamin and Elizabeth, the father and mother. The father was born in Westminster county. Pa., in 1774. The mother, whose maiden name was Mid- cap, was a Virginian by birth-. Mr. Cox was a farmer in early life, receiving the merest benefits of the subscription schools, traveling four miles to procure what he did. He has one sister in HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 827 this tp., the wife of George McElvain. After spending a few years on the farm with his rather, he began teaching, and followed that business during the winter terms for eight or ten years. He was married to Miss Elizabeth E. Welch, the daughter of James Welch, an early settler of this county. They have no children. In 1872 Mr. Cox purchased an interest in the store run by Kiley & Wright in 1873, but sold out to Smith & Booze. In the sprang of 1876 he engaged in business with John B. Welch, who went West in 1878. He then moved the goods to where he now holds forth in the village of Webster, doing a general merchandising business. He was appointed Postmaster in 1876, which position he now holds. Mr. 0. has held the office of Justice of the Peace 20 years. He is a sound Republican and a genial friend; this, with the pleasant address of his lady (which is a characteristic of the Welch family), cause all to feel comfortable in their presence. Benjamin Crdbill was born in Shenandoah county, Va., in 1815. His father, John 0., of G-erman descent, died at the advanced age of 91. His mother died in Ohio, nearly 70 years of age, where the family had emigrated a few years before. Mr. C.'s school days- were like the Irishman's potatoes, few an.. 1874 Bobert P. Geddes 1876 W. W. McCullough 1877 And.B. Bullock 1878 John M. Bainter 1879-1880 OOLLECTOES. Henry Alton 1856 John F. Mooney 1858 Thomas J. Campbell 1859 Daniel Kimport 1860 William Calllhan 1861 A. W. McConnell 1862 Miles Alton 1863 James Midcap 1864 C. C. Bobbins 1866 A. D. Williams 1867 Robert N. Withrow 1868 John H. Bullock 1870 Doil. C. Salisbury 1871 J. P. Braadon 1872 Jas. Miller 1873 J. S. Bullock 1874 W. W. Glass 1875 Wm. Calllhan 1876 A. W. McConnell 1877 George Latherow 1878 Jesse W. Taylor 1879-1880 PILOT GROVE TOWNSHIP Numbered 6-6, was named for a grove of timber, which stood alone in the prairie, in the early days, near the old Indian Trail, or what we in Hancock county termed the " Rook Island Trail." This trail ran from point to point on the prairie, following the general course of the Mississippi, avoiding thus its many tortuous wind- ings. In Hancock county it ran from Green Plains to Grolden's Point, thence past this grove and through Durham, to some point in Henderson county, and so on to Kock Island. It had apparently been long traveled, and when the white settlements began, it became a much-used local road. This township was settled mainly by people from Yirginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and New York. They are mostly a thrifty and hospi- table class of immigrants, and have come generally to stay, as may be judged by the appearance of their farms and residences. They have a cemetery, but claim that it is seldom used, except for the interment of those who die of old age, or who come in from other parts of the county. What was a wide expanse of prairie, covered with ducks and deer and Waving grass and wild flowers forty years ago, is now as one beautiful checkered farm, with not a single open quarter section. Grain and stock are the chief products, Peoria furnishing the principal market for both. Politically, this town- ship has usually given from 20 to 40 Democratic majorities. The first postoffice was called Pilot Grove, and was kept by Nelson Andrews; afterward removed to the village of Burnside. The first J. P.'s were Isaac C. Howd, Nathan Mason and John Huckins. William Glaze is the oldest man in the township at this time, aged 86 ; and Mrs. Perkins is the oldest woman, aged 85. She says she came there early enough to have Indians about her door, and to have to hide her meat from the wolves. Probably the first settler in the township was one Franklin, a few miles northeast of Carthage. This was about 1830. This claim was bought by Ephraim Perkins, in 1835, a son of Ute Perkins, who was about the first settler in Fountain Green. Among other early settlers in the township, we have the names of Neill McKay, Joseph Lionberger, Thomas Perkins, Elting Thompson, Wm. E. Wilson, Wilson Wright, John Hamrick, Ralph Gorrell, James Goldsburg, Mr. Dellart, Dr. Cheney, and Nelson Andrews — all now deceased. Among those living are, Merrill Andrews, Nathan S. Cheney, Isaac Cooper, John Bailey, Solomon Elifritz, Harry Earles, James Gibson, Wm. Gorrell, Isaac C. Howd, Mr. Hath- away, John Huckins, John Manering, Nathan Mason, Samuel F. Pray (now of Montebello), Neil Rice, John Roth, Joseph Thomp- 842 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. son, Geo. C. "Wagoner, Wm. and L. V. Aleshire, Smith Howd, Benjamin and J. W. Lionberger, J. B. McMillan, Wm. G. Mc- Oubbin, William Tjner, Miles B. Mann, I. K. Jacobs, J. Hem- mingway. Pilot Grove stands well in the line of common schools. Her people are fully up to the standard in that respect. She now counts nine school houses used exclusively for that purpose. Beginning in the northeast, they are named — The Bock, Pilot Grove, Madi- son, Liberty, Burnside, Oak Grove, Cottage, Jubilee, and Grant. The Burnside school building has two departments, and is well suited to the wants of the people. This and the Cottage are men- tioned as creditable to the community. In Mormon times John Huckins formed a company of Anti- Morinon warriors, which were called the " Brick-Batters." Pilot Grove sports one very pleasant little village on the line of the T., P. & W. Kailway, Burnside. It was laid out by J. B. Mc- Millan in 1868. It now contains near 300 inhabitants. There are 10 business houses and one mill doing a good business. And far from the least item to its credit, it has no saloon, and few who would patronize one. Another, La Crosse, also on the line of the railway, is on the extreme eastern edge of the township, on land owned by John "W". Lionberger, who was its first P. M. It has but two or three busi- ness houses and thirty or forty inhabitants. Both La Crosse and Burnside are surrounded by fine farms and thriving and enter- prising farmers. EELIGIOUS PEOGEESS. Concerning early religious work in this township we have little data. The village of Burnside contains two churches. The Christian church was built in 1873, at a cost of about $4,000. The Metho- dist Episcopal church was built the next year, costing about the same amount. The Jubilee school-house, in the southwestern portion of the township, was formerly also used for church purposes, and very likely others also. BIOG]^APHICAL SKETCHES. Following are sketches of many of the pioneers and eminent citizens of Pilot Grove township: William Aleshire was born in Meigs county, Ohio, in 1814; emigrated to this State, Fulton county, ill., in 1842, and to this county in 1848, where he has since resided. He received no other education than such as the common schools of his day afforded him, but has been generally successful in life, and has raised a con- siderable family. His father, Ephraim Aleshire, was a native of Ohio, and after moving to this county, died in 1864. His mother PILOT GROVE TP. HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 845 whose inaidea name was Elizabeth "Williams, and ^yho was a native of the same State, is still living and in good health; she is now 83 years of age. Mr. Aleshire was married in 1837 to Sarah Ewing; she is a native of Ohio, and of Scotchlrish descent; she is the mother of 10 children, 8 of whom are still living, 2 girls and 6 boys; the oldest, Sanford, is a merchant of Ooburg, Iowa; Levi is a farmer in this township; William is a teacher, and is now travel- ing in Southern Illinois; Edward is in Stanbury, Mo., an attorney at law; Albert is still with the family at home; Oscar E.j who is a youth of 18, is attending school at Carthage College, in the third year of his course. The girls, Angeline and Margaret, are married, and are the wives of two industrious citizens of this tp. Mr. Aleshire has spent the greater part of his life as a farmer, but is now running a hotel in the village of Burnside, this tp., where he has been en- gaged for six years past. He has passed through several financial discouragements, but has accumulated a reasonable amount of real and personal property. Besides his hotel he owns a small farm in this vicinity and some personal property. John A. Barr is of light complexion, medium stature, weighs 160 pounds, and wears a genial smile upon his countenance, indica- tive of his natural good humor. He was born in Breckenridge county, Ky., in 1851, and emigrated with his parents to this county in the spring of 1859, settling in Rock Creek tp. His father, Charles Barr, is of German descent, and a native of Kentucky; a farmer by occupation, and a member of the Methodist Church. His mother, whose maiden name was Sallie Beaucham, is of French descent, and a native of Kentucky. She is a zealous mem- ber of the. M. E. Church, and the mother of 11 children, all living, 5 boys and 6 girls. The Doctor received his literary education at the LaHarpe Seminary of this county, and after graduating at the Keokuk Medical College he received a diploma f^om the faculty of the Jefferson Medical College, Indiana. He is now a practicing physician, having good practice at Burnside, this tp., where he has been located for four years. He is a member of the Hancock County Medical Society; also belongs to the Christian Church of his village. The Doctor is a young man for one of his experience, unmarried, and owns a beautiful and comfortable residence, besides a liberal share of personal property. He visited Philadelphia and the Kew England States during the Centennial of 1876; has been very successful in the business operations of life. He now holds 80 acres of well-improved land in Rock Creek tp., besides an undi- vided interest in the home farm of 160 acres. WiTliam Bray vj2i&\iQvn in Somerset, Ky., Jan. 7, 1826; his father, Nathan Bray, is of English descent and a native of North Carolina; he is a hatter by trade, in later life becoming a farmer, and is now 81 years of age. William's mother, nee Catharine Ranard, was of Welsh descent and a native of Kentucky; of her children, 2 daughters and 4 sons, William is the only one in this 846 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTT. county. Mr. B. received his education in the Indiana State Uni- versity, and was engaged for a time as teacher in Mississippi. He ■was married in Indiana to Martha A. Foster of Monroe county, of that State; she has raised a family of 9 children, 5 sons and 4 daughters. Mr. Bray, a farmer by occupation, moved to this county and settled on sec. 20 of Pilot Grove tp., where he now has 300 acres of land and a plain and unassuming but commodious resi- dence; does not court public note nor political favor, yet he is awake to the necessity of moral and political elevation of our nation. Mr. B. and lady have been for thirty-five years connected with the Church known as the Disciples Church, with which he has labored as Elder for several years. He is politically a Republican but not a radical; has represented his township as Supervisor several terms, and is now enjoying the highest blessing shared in this life, i. e., a quiet country home with a kind wife and a happy group of children. William B. Burhridge is small in stature, quick in movement and wears an expression indicative of his knowledge, sagacity and determination. He was born in Paris, Boiirbon county, Ky., in 1846. His father, Robert Burbridge, was a native of Kentucky, ^ and of French-German descent. He was a Baptist minister by faith and profession, and died at the age of 61, at Paris. The grandfather, with 6 brothers, were a part of the crew with LaFay- ette, in 1777. Mr. B.'s mother, whose maiden name was Mary Rader, was a native of Nashville, Tenn., and of Anglo- Prussian blood. She died at the age of 59, in Tazewell county, of this State. ' Mr. Burbridge began as an apprentice to learn the blacksmith trade in 1862. After engaging in steady business in a plow factory, he was married in 1868 to Josephine Blizzard, of Mason county, 111. She was the mother of one child, now a bright little girl of 10 years, and died when Annie was seven, leaving her and her father, the only members of the household. She was buried in the McKay cemetery, in the vicinity of Burnside. She was a member of the Christian Church,, and of the Eastern Star order. Mr. Bur- bridge was married the second time. May 9, 1880, to Miss Annie Stefiey, of Basco,Ill., a worthy 'and accomplished young, lady. She is the daughter of a highly educated widow lady of Eastern birth, and an early member of the M. E. Church. Mr. B. has been generally successful ia his business, having traveled as salesman for J. H. Power & Co., Cincinnati. He has gained by this means a thorough knowledge of men and things, and has a very neat little residence, a shop, and other town property. He is doing a fair business and enjoys life in an eqiially high degree. Charles B. Coleman was born at Zanesville, O., in 1828. His father, John C. Coleman, was a native of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch descent; emigrated to this State, settling in Fountain Green tp., in 1842, where, after spending a few years with his children, he died, at the age of 82. His mother, whose maiden name was HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 847 Lntitia Erwin, of Scotch descent, died in May, 1855. Mr. Cole- man had the poorest advantages of thei common-schools for an education, but is practical in business and has spared no pains in g'ving his family all the benefits his circumstances wouldpermit. e was married to Nancy M. Huckins, daughter of John Huckins, who is one of the early settlers of this county, and has been iden- tified with the history of Pilot Grove tp. for more than 30 years. He has had 6 children, 6 of whom are still living. The 3 younger are Mattie E., Edwin G. and Lula M. The 3 older, Charles O., Anna A. and Addie, began a general merchandising business in LaCrosse, in 1878, but in a short time a sad misfortune left the young firm with but two members. Addie, a kind and loving sister, was burned to death by the explosion of a kerosene lamp. Charles and Anna still remain, having the postoflice added. They are not only esteemed in business circles, but socially their genial hospitality makes them many friends. Zalus Davis, medium-sized, man weighing 140 lbs., was born in Preston county, W. Ya., in 1824. At the age of 18, he enlisted as an engineer upon the packet Irene, running from Cincinnati to Parkersburg, W. v a. He followed the Ohio as an engineer for 14 years, and during the war had charge of the Tigris, the headquar- ter vessel of Gen. Grant and Com . Graham during their river engagements up the Tennessee and Cumberland. He was present at the noted battles of Pittsburg Landing, Ft. Andrews and Ft. Henry. His father, James Davis, a Virginian by birth, was an early pioneer of the "West. His mother's maiden name was Mar- garet Hughes; she was also a native of Virginia. Mr. Davis was married in Kacine, O., in 1850, to Margaret Bailey, a native of that State. Mr. Davis emigrated to Kichland county, 111., where he remained but a short time, when he removed to this county and settled in Dallas City. He remained here six years and moved to Clinton, Iowa, and after six years stay at this place, he came to Burnside, this tp., where he purchased a grist-mill and is now doing a good business in this line. Mr. Davis has 7 children liv- ing, 4 boys and 3 girls. He traveled westward during the year 1872, exploring the Indian Territory and New Mexico. He has struck a bonanza in the business in which he is now engaged , and is enjoying the comforts of a pleasant life with his happy family. Cromwell Gibson is the son of James Gibson, one among the oldest settlers of this county, and a native of the Emerald Isle. He was born in 1813, and emigrated with his father to New York, when very young. His father, Kobert Gibson, removed to this State in 1837; he died and is buried on Green river in Bureau coun ty. The mother of James, whose maiden was name Jane Black, was a native of the same country, and died in New York, aged 33. James was married in New York,- to Angeline Bennet, and their children are 3 girls and one boy. She died in 1860, and is buried in the McKay cemetery. He next married Mrs. Hannah Duffield, HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. whose maiden name was Halbertson. She was of German descent, born in Pennsylvania, and came to this State with her former hus- band. « Mr. G. received little of the advantages of the common schools of his day; has been remarkably successful in his business transactions, being a man who has never shrunk from the hardest manual labor. He has the hard-earned results, consisting of two farmS in this tp., comprising 156 and 230 acres respectively, each well improved and upon each a residence, both extensive and beau- tiful. His two eldest daughters, Achsah and Mary, are residing with their husbands in this county. His son, Kobert Cromwell, was married in 1873 to Hattie Lowry' of Schuyler county, this State. She is the mother of 3 boys, Elmer, Charles and James F. He and his accomplished lady are enjoying all the blessings of a domestic life together, residing 2^ miles southeast of Burnside. Cromwell is a farmer by occupation, and is a jolly one, for he does not allow the "blues" to settle over himself nor any one with whom he associates. John L. Ooldsberry is the son of James Goldsberry, who was born in Hampshire county, Ya. ; emigrated to Illinois in 1839 ; went back to Virginia, married, and came a second time, in 1843 ; removed to Kansas in 1856, and died near fifty years of age. The mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Gibony, was a native of Worefield, Va., is buried in the McKay cemetery, this tp. Mr. G. has one brother, George H., who is a farmer residing in this county, Carthage tp. John was born here in 1844; has served the faithful life of a farmer, and now resides on his 90-acre farm, on sec. 34. He spent his years from 11 to 16 in Kansas, and in 18T5 took a trip to California; was married in 18Y0 to Elizabeth Knowles, daughter of Captain Knowles, of a merchant vessel at Baltimore, the same Captain Knowles who saved a crew at Jersey Island, for which the Government presented him a fine telescope. She was born in Baltimore, Md., is of English descent, and the mother of one son and 3 daughters: Charley C, Annie M., Edith A. and Sarah E. Mr. G.'s grandfather was one of the few who survived the expedition with Lewis and Clark in the West. Dr. John 8. Gordon was born in Greene county, Penn., in 1825. His father, Bazel Gordon, was a native of IMew Jersey, and of Scotch descent. He was killed in his 28th year, by accident, at a house-raising. His mother, Sarah nee Shriver, was of German de- scent, and a native of Virginia; she died in Pennsylvania, 46 years of age. The Doctor, after his parents died, made his home with his uncle for a time; received a limited education in the common schools ; afterward attended Green Academy, teaching through the winter and attending the Academy through the summer. He be- gan studying medicine under Dr. Alexander Shaw, now of Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated at Jeflferson Medical College; and began the practice of medicine in Pilot Grove tp. in 1860, where HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 849 he has since been located. Dr. Gordon has been a remarkably suc- cessful physician, and has become the owner of considerable real estate. He occupies a choice residence in the north part of Burn- side, where he shares the comfort of his own home with his many friends. He owns 295 acres of land in this county. The Doctor was married in 1850 to Lucinda Whitlatch, a native also of Penn- sylvania, and of English descent. She is the mother of 4 boys, 3 of whom are living: Sylvanus H.,Thomas J. (who died at 22), Albert M., now a dentist in Keokuk, and William M., a youth of 16, at home. Mrs. JE. A. HamricJe was born in Muskingum county, O. Her father, Henry Baty, was a native of Virginia, and died in Ohio at the age of 56. Her mother, whose maiden name was Mary A. "Watts, was a native of Kolt, Md., and emigrated to Ohio with her parents when only three years old. She is living at this writing, at the age of 78. Wm. M. Hamrick was a native of Clarksburg v a., and was married in 1852; emigrated to this tp., and settled, in 1853. Mr. Hamrick was a farmer by occupation, and after a successful career as such, he died in May, 1873. He left a comfortable resi- dence and a good farm of 310 acres to his wife and heirs. Mrs. H. has 6 children living, 3 girls and 3 boys — Alice, Delia, Frank, "Willie, Alva and Effie. Alice, the oldest, is attending school at Carthage College, and paying some attention to music. She is active, energetic, and seems to be the chief operator of the Ham- rick farm. Her mother is a lady much respected in her community, and has a business tact seldom equaled by her sex. Smith Howd was born in Camden, ]S". Y., in 1827. His father, Isaac Howd, a native of New York, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1832, thence to Hlinois, where he settled in Carthage in 1836, and where he remained five years, after which he settled in this tp., the first time on sec. 16. He died at Pontoosucin 1856. His mother, whose maiden name was Annie Johnson, died when he was but four years old. Mr. Howd was in this county too early to have the ben- efits of a common-school education. He went "West in 1854 and traveled in Nevada and California, remaining ten years. He was a miner, and one of the successful ones. He understands the meaning and use of "sluice," "box," "rocker," "flume," etc. "When he came back to Hancock he purchased land, and in 1864 was married to Catharine Yetter, of this county, who is now the mother of 6 children, 5 of whom are living — Emma, Curtis, Flora, Joel and Barr. Mr. Howd has been equally successful as a farmer and stock- raiser, and now owns an extensive farm, fertile and well improved, consisting of . four 80's, besides several timber lots, — 433 acres in all. Mr. Howd has met with few financial discouragements through life, and has had general good health, attending strictly to his farm duties. Stephen Jacob, aged 69, was born in Eensselaer county, JST. Y., and emigrated to this county in 1837. His father, Udney H. , was a native of Massachusetts, and of German descent. After remainini,' 850 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. here for several years he went to Utah (soon after the Mormons were driven from this county), where he died, nearly ^8 years of age. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Hubbard, the mother of 7 children, all of whom lived to be men and women. The elder son, Norton, built the first mill in this county, run by "Wilcox & Co., at Warsaw, in 1834. Mr. Jacob has been a farmer during his past life, and was married in New York, to Minerva Ostrander, of Saratoga county. She is of German descent, and the mother of 5 sons and i daughters — Margaret A., a milliner, of La Harpe; Abraham, Mary, Marvin, Emma, Elisha P., Eliza J., Prosper H. and Stephen. Two of the above are at home; two are dead.* Eliza, after teaching four years, died a few months since with consump- tion, contracted by exposure. Mr. Jacob is one of the old pioneers of this county, but took no part in the Mormon war. Wellington Jervney was born in "Wheeling, "W. Ya., May 14, 1820. He is of large stature, weighs 240 lbs., and bears a dignified yet unassuming appearance. He emigrated to this county, Dur- ham tp., in 1860 ; after remaining 6 years he removed to where he now resides in this tp., on sec. 7. His father, Andrew Jenney, was a native of Massachusetts, of English descent, and was in early life a farmer, later a sailor and river captain, running the first steamboat that was ever run up tlie Wabash river. He died in West Virginia, after a few years of retired life, at the age of 62. Mr. Jenney's mother, whose maiden name was Eliza Copeland, was a native of Massachusetts, and of English-German diescent. She died in Marshall county, "V'a. Wellington, her only son, was married to Sarah Wayt, and by her has 7 children living, — Annie, Eliza, Charles, a teacher by profession, Ella W., William, Laura and Perry L., a youth at home. Mr. Jenney, when a boy of 19, began life at his own risk as a teacher, and afterward became a farmer. He represented his dis- trict in Virginia, in 1849-'50, as a member of the General Assem- bly; was sent from this county to Illinois Legislature in 1876. He also- served as Supervisor from this and Durham tps., for six years. He is now living with his second wife, a kind and loving mother and a worthy member of the M. E. Church. After passing through the financial disaster of four years ago, which shook the faith of so many farmers of this community, he is now afioat with the following real estate: 80 acres in Rock Creek tp., well improved, and a home farm of 80 acres, where he now resides. Mr. Jenney deals no longer in the uncertainty of politics, but is contented with the domestic endearments of a home life. John W. Lionherger was born in Page county, Virginia, and emigrated with his father to this county in 1835, finally settling on sec. 12 of Pilot Grove tp.; his father, Joseph Lionherger, was of German descent, also a native of Virginia ; he was a farmer by oc- cupation, but built the first saw and grist mill in the township, on HISTORY OF HANOOOK OOTJNTT. 851 Crooked creek, in 1888. He made this the chief care of his busi- ness life, but was also engaged in merchandising with a man by the name of Grove, in LaHarpe. After raising a large family, died at 74 years of age, and was buried in the Andrews Cemetery, January 15, 1868. His mother's maiden name was Esther Burner, and she was of German-English descent, a Calvin istic Baptist by faith, and a native of Virginia; she died nearly 73 years of age, and is buried be- side her husband. She was the mother of 7 children, 4 sons and 3 daughters. J. W. is the youngest living son, and resides now on the old home farm ; though quite young at the time he took an active part in the Mormon difficulty, being one of the Artillery Corps of gun number two; he was among those who bid the un- fortunate Brighamites a last farewell at Nauvoo, as they took their departure for Zion. Mr. L. was the recipient of instruction such, as the common schools of 1844 afforded, but he did not stop with this; by faithful practice he gained a fair business education. He was married in 1850 to Philena Roberts, a native of New York, and of Scotch- English blood; she is the mother of 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters. The eldest, Mary, is the wife of W. A. Pickernell, a farmer of this tp.; Edward, Clara, Eobert and John are still under the parental roof. Mr. L. has been tortured with the official honors of his tp., all the way from Supervisor up to School Director, and is still suffering a like oppression. He was the founder of the little village of LaCrosse, and was the first Postmaster, in 1868 ; he has been actively engaged as a grain and stock shipper for several years past, and makes it still his chief care. He has been remarkably successful in his business operations, as a census of his estate will show. Home farm, 200 acres; timber, 180, and 80 acres on sec. 10. Mr. L. is a hard worker and takes special care that none with whom he comes in contact escape his genial hospitality. Miles B. Mann was born in Buffalo, ]S. Y., in 1813; his father, Nathan Mann, a native of Massachusetts and a mechanic by occu- pation, died soon after settling in New York. His mother, whose maiden name was Cynthia Blakely, was of English descent, a Methodist by faith, and died in Wisconsin in 1872, at 81 years of age. Mr. M., now 67 years of age, has two brothers and two sisters living, at last accounts. He emigrated to this county in 1839, and was employed for a time with Streets & Bro., then doing an exten- sive merchandising business in Carthage; during the time he was married (1842) to Amanda Hamilton, who was born in Ohio, and of German origin ; she is the mother of 9 children, only 3 of whom are now living: Delia M. is the wife of Charles Hyslop, a merchant in Missouri; Celestia M., who was one of the successful lady-teach- ers of this county in 1873-'5, is now the wife of R. S. Woodruff, of Iowa; Mary E., a girl at home. Mr, M. has had his full share of misfortunes to bear, yet he has maintained a high repute as a citi- zen, and has accumulated a reasonable share of real estate, chattels, etc. His farm of 240 acres lies on either side of the Dallas and Carthage road, and is under high cultivation and improvement. 852 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Mr. M. has acted as Justice of Peace eight years, and has assessed his township seven times; he was among thoste of his time who worked for his board and paid his own tuition while attending school, a rare circumstance now, but common then. Sidney C. Mendenhall is thesonofNathanMendenhall, whohas been so long identified with tli^ history of Durham tp. The father is a native of Madison county, Ind., but his forefathers, formerly from England, settled in North Carolina. He emigrated to Sangamon county, 111., in 1835, thence to Henderson, and to Hancock in 1837, settling in Durham tp. He is now engaged in farming, near Appleton City, Mo., St. Clair county. His mother, whose maiden name was Lucy "W. Lincoln, was born in I^ew York and is still liv- ing, 55 years of age. She with her husband have been identified with the Christian Church 29 years. She is the m'other of 4 sons and 5 daughters. Milo, a boy of five, died in St. Clair county. Mo.; Nathaniel died in this county, at the age of three years; Eliza died in 1856, an infant of one year, as also did Lucy J.; Paris J. is now a young man of 20, with his father; Lucetta is the wife of Wm. H. Hutchison, a farmer of Bates county, Mo.; Mary Etta is the wife of John D. Smith ; Sidney C ., the subject of this sketch, was born in Durham tp., in 1853, is of medium stature and weight, dark hair and eyes, wears a piercing yet sin- gularly pleasant expression upon his countenance. He left the farm at 18, after sharing the benefits of the common schools of this county, and the graded schools of Appleton, Mo., and engaged as an artist in the last named place. He went from this place to Girard, Kansas, thence to Oswego, of the same State, where he was married Dec. 3, 1875, to Alice V. Kinnear, formerly from Indiana. Her father, John L. Kinnear, emigrated to Missouri in 1866 and to Kansas in 1873. He was a mechanic by occupation, and of Irish descent.. Mrs. Mendenhall is the mother of one child, a little girl, one and a half years old; belongs to the Christian order. Mr. M. is identified at present with Ross & Springer, as salesman. He owns a neat little residence in the little village of La Crosse, where he and his young, wife share all the joys of a wedded life. John D. Miller, now permanently located on sec. 2 of this tp., was born in Scott county, 111., and is a son of Wm. Miller, a native of Eastern Tenn. Mr. Miller's father was a farmer by occupation, and died when his son was but four years of age, after he had emi- grated to this county in 1837. William's mother, whose maiden name was Margaret Dixon, was of Irish descent and also a native of Tennessee. She died in Durham tp., at the age of 50, in 1866. Mr. Miller was married first in this county,' in Dec, 1857, to Mary E. Eiggins, who died ]?eb. 18, 1879, leaving 7 children, one girl and 6 boys, whose ages range from four to 20. He was married a second time, to Yictoria Sayr, of this county, with whom he now enjoys the comforts of home and family. Mr. M. began life with no resources other than his good will and muscle, ^and by this means has sncceedod in gain- ^ e^ S),c^^^,r^^^^ ROCK CREEK TP. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 856 ing a well-improved farm of 120 acres, a neat and comfortable res- idence, besides his personal property. He had the advantages of instruction such as the common schools afforded, and has a special delight for works of art and history. Thomas Nioholson, a native of Carlisle, England, was born in 1850. He emigrated to Boston, Mass., in 1832, where he and his father were employed in the cotton factories. He was the son of George Nicholson, a flax-dresser by occupation, who died soon after settling in this tp., in 1837. His mother died in Winsington, Mass., in 1834. Mr. N,, who has never bowed before the hymeneal altar, or assumed the cares and responsibilities of a wedded life, is enjoying his happy old days of seventy-five years, the principal light, life, and substance, of the little village of LaOrosse. Mr. If. has two living sisters and one brother: Wallace, Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth is the wife of Calvin Westfall, a farmer of this tp. Mary McCollock, a widowed lady who cares for the domestic interests of Mr. N., is the younger sister, and the mother of 2 chil- dren. "Uncle Tommy" is of a genial turn of mind, always in a good humor, and with his appearance, the " blues " and all despondent feelings must vanish. During his better days he took a tour to California, Central America, and New York; was one of the boys who gave the Mormons their special invitation to cross the Mississippi. He resides on his farm near LaCrosse, where he owns several business houses and lots. Mervry Pennock is the son of Sylvester Pennock, who was a native of New York, and came to this county in 1840. After staying ' one year in Fountain Green, he settled on sec. 22 of this tp., where the old residence still stands. He died in 1862, and his remains are interred on the old home farm, where he raised a large family. His mother, also a native of New York, died in Jan., 1880, and lies buried beside his father. She was a Methodist by faith and the mother of 5 sons and 5 daughters. Henry, the oldest son, is of medium stature, weighs 145 lbs., and was born in N. Y. in 1834. He is a farmer and stock-raiser, and resides on sec. 22, where he owns 345 acres of land. He also owns 80 acres in sec. 3. He was married in 1859 to Margaret Tyner, a daughter of Squire Tyner, of Burnside. She is the mother of 5 girls and 2 boys: George, Virginia, Lucy, Murry, Florence, Ethel andLula; and are all at this time, on the home farm. Mr. P. shared with many others the financial disaster of 1876, but otherwise has been a successful manager. He has one of the best farms in the county, and a very neat residence in which, with his happy family, he spends his leisure hours. Alexander PhilUppi is a farmer by occupation. He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. His father, George Phillippi, was a native of Penn., and of German ancestry. He is a member of the Church of IJnited Brethren. He is living, at this writing, aged 78 years. -His mother, who died (1837) when Alexander was quite young, 49 856 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. was of Irish descent, and a member of the United Brethren Church. Her maiden name was Mary McOlellan. His step-mother, Catharine Knomire, was of German descent and a native of Penn. She is still living, and is but seven days his father's junior. Mr. Phillippi emigrated to Fulton county, 111., in 1862. He was married in that county in 18.56 to Martha Burnett, a native of the same county. She died July 6, 1865. Her only child, George, is now a boy of 17. Mr. Phillippi was married the second time to Mrs. Mary Frye, of Fulton county, in 1868. She at that time was the mother of two girls, Alma and Emma. Alma is now a teacher. Ella and Frank, aged respectively twelve and seven, are of the last union. Mr. Phillippi received an education such as the common schools of his day afforded. He has been successful as a farmer, and now owns 28 acres of well-improved prairie land, on which he has recently constructed a comfortable residence and barn costing ■ nearly $3,000. Joseph F. Place was born near "Winchester, Frederick county, Va., Feb. 13, 1816; parents' names, Abraham and Sarah (Kin- drick) Place, both natives of Ya. Abraham Place was of English descent, his father having come from " Merry England." When the subject of this sketch was six years of age, his parents moved to Muskingum county, Ohio, taking him with them. One year afterward his father died in that county. His mother then moved to Pickaway county, Ohio, near Circleville. About one month after her arrival in that county, she also died, leaving a family of 8 children, 6 at home, our subject, Joseph F. Place, being next to the youngest. Thus, at the tender age of seven years, he was thrown upon the world. His mother's brother, Thornton Kindrick, took him home, where he lived some six years. During his uncle's absence he returned to Muskingum county, 0., and liyed with a brother-in-law, George Gayer, six years. Then being about nineteen years of age, he commenced working on his own hook, at seven dollars per month, on a farm. During the following two years he attended the district school, two months each winter, in all four months . This, with intervals of a few days at differ- ent times, was all the opportunities for educationthat Mr. Place ever had. He estimates that ten months would include all his time spent in school. Mr. P. worked in this way up to the fall of 1839, when he sowed a crop of thirty acres of wheat on shares. Before this was harvested he entered 120 acres of land in Putnam county, Ohio. This cost him $150 in money that he had saved while work- ing by the month. He then " cropped" with Samuel Baxter for the next two years, at which they were successful. In 1842 he was married to Eliza Garsuch, who died in February, 1845. He followed farming and cropping on his and other lands until 1^46,. when he engaged in trading and dealing in sheep, driving them to market across the Alleghany mountains into Yirgima and Maryland, selling to farmers, etc. In 1848 he was married to his HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 867 S resent wifej whose name was Eleanor Baxter, daughter of Samuel laxter, a native of Yirginia. About this time Mr. P. turned hie attention to farming and stock-raising on a larger scale than he bad previously, renting large farms of 300 acres, and giving half of what was raised— the same as $2,000 per year. He followed farming in this way until the war broke out. He then bought twenty-three acres of land on credit of four years. Before this time expired, he bought fifty acres more adjoining, at $50 per acre. In 1864 he sold this seventy-three acres for $5,500, and came to Illinois, locat- ing on section 15, Pilot Grove tp., June 5, 1865. The homestead now consists of 140 acres of good farm lands and 36 acres of timber. Mr. Place has a family of S children — Rilla F., Charles B., who married Mary James, and now lives in Disco (they have one child), and John B., who lives at home with his parents. Mr. Place is a Republican, and while in Ohio served as Super- visor, School Trustee, and County Clerk. He has the repu- tation of being a thoroughly honest and conscientious man in all dealings with others, and generous and hospitable in an eminent degree. When quite a young man he was often selected by neigh- bors to arbitrate and settle difierences where they existed, they having the utmost confidence in his good judgment and impar- tiality in deciding any case presented to him. As an acquaintance who has known him for years says, he is " honest" for the pure love of honesty. A higher compliment could scarcely be paid to any one. We give Mr. Place's portrait in this volume, on page 843. Joseph Thom/pson was born in Wayne county, 0., in 1823. His father, Archibald Thompson, was a native of Virginia, of Scotch origin, and a mechanic by trade. He died at the age of 74, and is buried in Wayne county, O. His mother's maiden name was Martha Fitzsimmons. She was of Irish descent, a native of Penn- sylvania, and she died a Presbyterian by faith, at the age of nearly 74, in Ohio. Mr. Thompson is a farmer, and has had good health during his entire life. He was married in Crawford county, 0., in 1847, to Sarah E. Harper, of Pennsylvania. She is the mother of 4 daughters and one son: Jennie, Mattie, Alice, Walter and Hettie. Alice is a teacher of acknowledged ability and seven years' experience. Walter, a young man of 20, has taught one term, and is now attending Carthage College. Mr. Thompson shared but few of the benefits of the schools of his day, and is wisely profiting by his own loss, in giving his chil- dren due encouragement. He has weathered through all financial disasters. Has a comfortable home of 174 acres, on sections 9 and 17 of this tp., where he settled' in September, 1854. William Tyner is one of the oldest settlers in this tp.; is 64 years of age, weighs 180 pounds, and has enjoyed good health dur- ing his entire life. He was born in Franklin county, Ky., in 1814, and emigrated to this county in 1846. He has been a resident of this tp. 34 years. His father, Solomon Tyner, was a native of South 858 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK. CODNTT. Carolina, and of Scocth descent. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and a Calvinistic Baptist by faith. His mother, whose maiden name was Jemima Henderson, was also of Scotch descent a member of the same Church as his father, and a native of South Carolina. His parents in early life emigrated to Franklin county, Ind., thence to Hancock county of the same State, where they remained until death. Mr. Tyner was married in 1832, to Susan Egan, of Franklin county, Ind. She is a worthy member of the Christian Church, and the mother of 9 children, 8 of whom are now living — 3 boys and 5 girls. Mr. Tyner received his education at the Greenfield (Ind.) Seminary, and was sent to the Legislature from Hancock county, in 1856; has acted as Township Treasurer of school funds 28 years, and Justice of Peace 24 years. He has, been very successful in his business, which has been chiefly farming. He is now making loans and dealing in notes, bonds, etc. He has a large and beautiful residence in Burnside, where he makes the eomfort and happiness of his family the chief object of his life. Oeorge Waggener is the son of James Waggener, an early settler of Kentucky, formerly from Virginia. George was the only son in a family of 3 children. He was born in Jefterson county, Ky., afterward removing to Todd county, where, after his father died, he was the overseer of a large farm. His mother was also a native of Virginia, and died in Todd county, Ky. After his mother died, George emigrated to this ^tate, and settled on sec. 31, of this tp., in 1837. He had such advantages for educa- tion as the subscription schools of that day afforded, which were very meager. He was married before he emigrated, in 1835, to Mary F. Anderson; nativity, Kentucky; parents, from Virginia. She is the mother of 3 sons and 2 daughters, all living; James N., William J., Jasper B., Sarah E, and Mary O., all residing in this vicinity, except "William, who is farming in Jasper county, Iowa. Mr. W. by occupation is a farmer and stock-raiser; also has a small farm or two and a handsome income, which amply provides for his declining years. Although a man of 60, he has the business snap of most men of 30. He was an active operator in the Mormon difficulties, not one of those who did the shooting, but the man who hauled the amunition for those, who did. He was first into the jail when the Smiths were killed, and picking up the revolver which Smith had emptied, presented it to the authorities when called on the Coroner's jury. Uncle George is loyal from the ground up. He had 2 sons, William and Jasper, in the 2d 111. Cav., under Col. Marsh; were in several battles, among which were Holly Springs, Vicksburg, etc.; were taken prisoners at Organza. Uncle George and lady belong to the Missionary Baptist society. He and Stephen Jacobs are the only pioneers of 1837 remaining in Pilot Grove tp. Henry G. Yetter is a man of medium height and weight, quick movement and the appearance of a shrewd, sagacious business man. He was born in Dayton, O., in 1843; came to this county in 1853, and HISTORY OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 859 settled in this tp . His father, Louis Yetter, was a native of Pennsyl ' vania, and afarmer by occupation. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Bear. She was a native of the same State; her chief characteristic was the interest she took in the moral advancement of her community, and an honored member of the Christian Church. She lies buried in the Fountain Green cemetery, beside her husband. Mr. Yetter was married Sept. 2, 1877, to Miss Ida McGee, of Zanesville, O. Her parents removed to this county, and now re- side in Kock Creek tp. This marriage has been blessed with 2 children, one boy and one girl. Mr. Yetter has suffered no mate- rial financial losses in his time, and is now engaged in the drug business. He is in easy circumstances, living a happy life with his little family, at this place. He is, politically, a Republican in every sense of the word. He belongs to no particular religious denomination, yet is a hearty supporter of temperance, and the highest moral standard of his community. He has had charge of the Burnside postoffice 10 years ; served a term of three years ih the late civil war. He was in several very warm engagements, among which were the battles of Champion Hills, Fort Gibson, Black river bridge, siege of Vicksburg, besides several minor skirmishes. He received an honorable discharge at Baton Rouge , and arrived safe in Hancock county, without the slightest scratch. TOWNSHIPj OFFICIALS. Following is a catalogue of the officers, with the years in which they were elected, that have served this township since its organ- ization : SUPEEVISOES. Samuel K. Richey 1850 John W. Lionberger 1870 William .Tyner 1851 Wellington Janney 1871 William Bray 1858 William Pettit 1873 Thomas Jones 1863 C. H. Phtips 1873 Thomas Nichelson 1863 Wellington Janney 1874 William Tyner 1865 William Black 1875 John W. Lionberger 1866 Wellington Janney 1877 William Tyner 1868 William Bray 1879 Wellington Janney 1869 Alexander Phillippi 1880 CLBEKS, James W. Roath 1855 M. E. Jacobs 1871 Merrill Andrews 1856 Neil O. McKay 1873 J. K. Duffleld 1858 Ed. E. Aleshire 1877 W. W. Simms 1861 Jas. McCormick 1878 Neil O. McKay.. 1863 Jas. H. Jackson 1879 J. P. Lair. 1868 D. C. Tyner 1880 Wm. H. Doss 1870 8^60 HISTORY OF HANOOOK COTTNTT. ASSES30BS . James Westfall • .1855 James Waggoner 1858 M. B. Mann. : '. .1861 Alfred Pettit 1862 Peter Cheney 1863 Iroby S. Perkins , 1865 Thomas, McGhan 1866 Isaac Cooper '. 1867 Alfred M. Glaze 1868 William Pettit 1870 Alfred M. Glaze 1872 James E. Decker. ; 1873 John W. iiionberger 1874 Ed. E. Aleshire 1878 Hiram Sears .' 1879 Slater Shrirer .1880 COLLEOTOBS. Merrill Andrews 1855 Clinton Cutler ". 1856 Merrill Andrews. . 1858 J. 8. Perkins 1861 Wm. W. Simms 1862 John W. Lionberger 1863 William Pettit 1865 John M. Springer 1867 Neil O. McKay 1868 Wm. H. Grove '. 1869 ■ Wm. H. Boss 1870 , M. E. Jacobs 1871 Solomon Saulsbury 1872 Thomas McGhan. 1874 Jas. McCormick 1875 Josiah Hemingway 1876 M. V. Riley 1879 John W. Lionberger 1880 ROCK CREEK TOWNSHIP. This township, 6-7, as elsewhere stated, is all prairie land. I^arry's creek, emptying into the Mississippi, and Eock creek and Pilot Grove creek emptying into Crooked creek, all head within its, limits, and yet none of them have any timber. It contains aboui; three miles of the T., P. & W. across its southeast corner, and six miles of the C, B. & Q., on a due north line. The villages of Eerris and Adrian are two pleasant little places, within its limits.. The first laid out, June, 1869, by Charles G. Gilchrist and Hiram G. Ferris, is at the crossing of the T., P. & W. and C, B. & Q. roads. Adrian, on the latter, was laid out by Warren Yaple and G. "W. J.acks, September, 1873, and named from Adrian, Mich,, by Arthur Eice, son of Orrin Kioe, then running as postal clerk on the-C, B. & Q. Railroad. Orriii Kice was born in New York, came froni Cincinnati, O., about 1857, to Oakwood, and settled in this town- ship in 1866. , Among the first settlers in Eock Creek township may be named the Ellisons, Lamberts, Saulsburys, Yaples, McCalls, Baileys, Abbotts, Alstons, Terrys, Thornbers, etc. Isaac Eoseberry, George Singleton, Isaac Bellew, Jedediah Bellew, John Bellew, are old settlers in the neighborhood. ! For the following statement concerning the first school taught in the township, we are indebted to Mr. M. Alston, a present citizen there. The first meeting held for the election of school officers, was at the residence of Mr. John Alston, a log cabin 15 feet square, located on the southwest quarter of sec. 9, now no more, having, gone into stove-wood. [We have before us a sketch of this cabin for insertion, but must omit it, as we could print little else if we undertook to insert all the log cabins of 1847.] The meeting was held Oct. 16, 1847, nine voters present, electing Henry Thornber, TiiQothy Terry and Matthew Ellison, Sr., for Trustees, and John Alston, Treasurer. After the election of ofiicers, the next thing must be a school. But there was no school-house, and no funds to build one. So it was decided to employ Mrs. Ann Alston, wife of John Alston, school to be taught at their residence. A bargain was made for her to teach ten weeks for $20.00. School began in January and ended . in March, 1848. The following are the names of the pupils, ten in number: Thomas Ellison, Margaret Ellison, Mary H. Ellison, Ealph Ellison^ John Terry, Sarah Terry, George Terry, Ellen E.> Terry, Matthew Alston, Ellen Jane Alston. The old original schedule of said school is still in possession of John Alston. (861) 862 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Our correspondent refers to this as a school of the "pioneer times," and it is for that prairie township; but he will find men- tion herein of schools taught fifteen years earlier in the county. There are a number of neat school buildings in this township at present, indicating that educational matters have progressed at even pace with other improvements from that first small beginning. EELIGIOUS PKOGEESS. Our information of Church matters in this township is very limited. There is a Methodist church edifice and society at Adrian, number of members not stated ; and one, if not more churches and societies, at Ferris, of which we have no account. There is a congregation of the Keorganized Church of Latter- Day Saints (commonly known as the Josephite Mormons) located near the west line of the township. It was organized in 1863, by Elder James Burgess, with about 20 members. It was composed principally of persons who, having belonged to the old organization, rejected the polygamy doctrines and other teachings and practices of the Brighamites, and chose to remain behind, rather than follow a false prophet into the wilderness. This branch continued steadily to increase, and now (1879) numbers 40 or 50 members, Elder Lambert being its Pastor. The snug little building for worship erected for this branch is situated near Mr. Lambert's residence, and was put up several years ago. BIOG-RA.PHI0AL SKETCHES. Charles Ahbott, being an earlier settler of the "West, deserves more than a passing notice in a work like this. He was born in Lorain county, Ohio, Dec. 8, 1833, and is a son of Orlan and Lucinda Abbott; he came with his parents to Schuyler county. 111., in 1840, and to this county in 1844; at that time wild animals were numerous ; he saw at one time sixty deer in a single drove. Mr. Abbott was reared on a farm and educated in a subscription . school. "When they first located in Illinois there were no schools of any character within his reach; he attended the academy at Carthage about eight months, but in the main he is a self-made man. He has taught school for eighteen winters, farming in the summer. He was married'in 1850 to Miss Nancy J. Jones, a native of Tennessee; they have had 11 children, of whom 6 boys and 3 firls are living. Mr. Abbott also owns an agricultural store in _ 'erris, in which he keeps all kinds of agricultural implements, and is doing a good business. 'His brother George was a soldier in the late war; his father resides in Jefierson county, Kansas, at the age of 75 years. David AJcin was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, October 12, 1809, and is a son of John and Jane ("Weatherspoon) Akin; the former was a blacksmith, and our subject early learned to sling the hammer and make the anvil ring. He worked at this trade the ."5^- vWyw^e^:^ ROCK CREEK TP. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 865 greater part of his life, and also added wagon work to it, which gave him a great deal of work both in iron and wood. He was married in 1831 to Miss Hannah Cooper, by whom he has had 4 children; of these, 3 are living; viz., James F., John W. (a Doctor in Tennessee, Illinois) and Eachel Jane. Mr. Akin came to Schuyler county, Illinois, in 1859, and to this county in 1868; in 1875 he engaged in the sale of agricultural implements in the town of Adrian; in this he has been very successful; he also sells a great number of wagons; he resides on sec. 9, Eock Creek tp. W. O. Alphin. — This enterprising young business man was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, February 26, 1850, and is a son of Henry and Hannah Alphin ; the former laid out the original first part of the town of Adrian, in 1871. W. O. was reared on a farm and educated in common schools and Hedding College at Abingdon, Illinois*; he was married in 1874 to Miss Mary Leonard, by whom he has had 3 children, 2 of whom are still living; viz. , Llewella and Adda. . Mr. Alphin came to this county in 1874, and engaged in farming for three years ; he commenced the drug busi- ness in Adrian in 1877, and now carries a full line of drugs, notions, groceries, cutlery, etc., and is doing a good business. One very remarkable feature in his business is, he is strictly a temperance man, and neither keeps nor sells spirituous liquors. Matthew Alston is, ?L r\a,tive of Hancock county. 111., and was born December 11, 1842. His parents, John and Ann Alston, removed to Chicago when Matthew was but two years old, where they remained three years. His niother taught the first school in Rock Creek tp. Mr. Alston was reared on a farm and educated ir the common schools. He served three years in the late war, in Co. F, 50th Kegt. I.Y. I., and participated in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Resaca and others. He was mar- ried October 14, 1867, to Miss Tabitha A. McConkey, by whom he has 2 children; viz., Robert H. and David J. Mr. Alston owns 106 acres of valuable land, and is engaged in farming and stock- raising, on sec. 4. J. B. Atkins was born in "Wake county, IS". C, March 26, 1826. His parents were "Wm . L. and Frances Atkins. Mr. J. R. Atkins was reared on a farm and educated in a subscription school. He was married in 1848 to Miss Roxana Hargraves, by whom he had 12 children; of these, 7 are living; viz., Robert, Alexander, Benja- min, William, Charles, Eva and ]S"ettie. Mr. Atkins removed to this county in 1850, where he still resides and is engaged in farm- ing and stock-raising. Mr. A. began life with nothing, and now he owns 200 acres of valuable land. Mrs. Atkins died Jan. 16, 1876. Wright B. Bcdley was born in Harrison county, Va., Oct. 7, 1810, and is a son of Samuel and Agnes (Hudson) Bailey (dec. . The latter was a descendant of the noted Henry Hudson, who first discovered and sailed up the Hudson river. Mr. Bailey was reared on a farm and received a very limited education in a sub- 8'66 HIB'rOEY OF HANCOCK OOUNT'j. sfeription school. His text-books consisted of a Testament, a speller, and an arithmetic. So' anxious was he to learn to write, that he procured a piece of soapstone from the creek and dressed its sidesmobth, and when a neighbor would happen in, he would have him make the letters of the alphabet at the top of this rude slate, ahd Mr. B. would sit for hours imitating the copy. He never heard a grammar lesson recited in school. He was married in 1834/ tb' 'Miss Melinda Bailey, by whom he has had -9 children: of these, ' 7 are living; viz., Margaret, Sallie, Colbert, George, Maria, Vic- toria and James C. They removed to this county in 1850. Mr. Bail6y is a farmer and stock-raiser, on sec. 4. Alfred E. Barnard was born in Canada July 14, 1841. His parents were John and Freelove Barnard (dec). Mr. Barnard was reared on a farm near Kockville, Canada, on the St. Lawrence river. He was educated in a common school taught in a ,log house. He went to Buffalo, New- York, in 1859, where hie learned the carpen-, t6r's trade. He came to this county in 1866, and pursued his trade for 2 years. He was married May 18, 1867, to Miss Mary ' Alston, and they have had 4 children, of whom two are living, Anna Q-. and Frances T. Mr. B. erected a store-house in 1874, in Adrian, and engaged in the drug business for two years there, when he sold out and commenced farming. He has been Justice of the Peace for Kock Creek tp. for 3 yeiars, and is the present incum- bent. Dr. B. W. Barr was born in "Wood county, Ohio, April 7, 1847. He was reared on a farm and received a common-school education. He served 2 years in the late war, being a member of Co. A., 14th O. V. I. He first went into the war merely as company for some of his friends, as he was at that time but 14 years old. But he soon afterward enlisted, and carried a gun, too. He was taken' prisoner at Shenandoah Valley, and held for one year. He was kept three months in the noted Libby prison, and his brother John was also kept 40 days in the same place. Dr. Barr participated also in the battles of Wildcat, Cumberland Gap, Mill Springs,' Pittsburg Landing, "Wilmington and others. He was present and. saw Gen. Frye shoot and kill Gen. Zollicoffer at Mill Springs. The Doctor was married in 1873,' to Miss Genevra E. Lynd, by whom: he has had 2 children; viz., "William H. (dec.) and Frederick. Dr. Barr is a graduate of the KiCokuk College of Physicians alid Surgeons, and began the practice of medicine in Ferris, this county, in 1872, and by close attention to business and the consci- entious discharge of every known duty, has won the confidence of the people, and has thus built up a large practice, which is steadily increasing. James H. Campbell was born in McDonough county, Illinois, May 1, 1836, and is a son. of Nicholas and Mary (McGee) Camp- bell; pioneers of McDonough county. Mr. C. was reared on a farm ahd received a common- school education. He came to this county with his parents in 1851; was married Aug. 9, 1856, to Miss HISTORY bF HANCOCK COUNTJT.' 8G7 America Frakes, by whom he has 2 children; viz., Francis M. and Ida A. Francis M. is a leader of the Ferris Cornet Band, which was organized in 1877. Mr. Campbell took a "Western tour' in 1864, through Montana, Idaho, Utah, and other "Western coun- tries, visiting Salt Lake City and other noted cities in the "West. He resides on sec. 33, engaged in farming. Samuel Coleman, deceased, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, March 16, 1850, and was a son of John and Letitia Coleman (dec); was reared on a farm and received a common-school education. He was married in March, 1842, to Miss Jane Bennett, daughter of Silas and Lucinda Bennett (dec). They have had 9 children, of whom 7 are living: Letitia, John W., Lucinda M.', Eosaltha, Charles, Martin L. and Harry I. A son, Clifton T., died in Colorado, Jan. 11, 1879, Mr. Coleman and family came to Greene county, 111., in 1843, and to this county in 1844. He was a farmer by occupation. He died May 9, 1874. .Christian Cramberg was born in Prussia, July 2, 1835, and is a son of John Y. and Martha E. Cramberg: he was reared and educated in the town of Niederdorla, Prussia. He came to this country in 1851, by way of New Orleans and St. Louis, stop- ping in Adams county. 111. While at New Orleans he came near losing his life when bathing in the gulf. He there labored on a farm. He was married in 1857 to Mary Weisenborn, by whom he had 8 children ; viz., Emily, George, Sophia, Ida, Johnnie, Tillie, Anna and Oscar. He came to this county in 1872, He owns 160 acres of valuable land on sec. 3, and is engaged in farming. Benjamin FramMin Dwoall was born in Todd county, Ky., May 24, 1836; his parents names were Moses and Martha (Butler) Duvall, the former of Yirginia, and of French ancestry, and the lat- ter of Kentucky and of Irish descent; they both died in Todd county, Ky. He was a farmer and stone-cutter. Benj. F. lived in Todd county until nearly 21 years of age, when, in November, 1866, he came to Harmony tp., this county; attended school the first winter here; in the spring commenced working as a hired hand on a ferm, at $16 or $17 a month; taught school the following two winters. September 2, 1858, he married Sarah J. Burnett, who died Feb. 22, 1863, leaving 3 children, Martha E., William H. and Joseph J., who are still living. Mr. D. lived in Macoupin county, 111., from the time of his marriage until his wife's death. In the fall of 1863 he returned to this county and bought 60 acres on sec. 16, Harmony tp. ; sold it the next year and purchased the N.W. i of sec. 23, Rock Creek tp., a piece of raw prairie land. He immediately built a small house, 16 by 24, and also put up barns, fences, orchard, etc. January 1, 1867, he married Miss Mary F. Mil- ler, a native of Kentucky and a resident of Macoupin county at the time of marriage. Their children are: Charles E., George F., Fred- erick A., Albert G. and Clara A. In the spring of 1872 Mr. D. exchanged the last-mentioned farm for his present one, which is the 868 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. N. W. i of sec. 15, this tp. He carried on the grain and commis- sion business at Ferris for several years, but at present his chief occupation is that of agriculture, the raising of live stock, etc. ; pays considerable attention also to the buying and shipping of stock. Being left a half-orphan at the age of 14, his father having died, he was early thrown upon his own resources, and he was the eldest of 8 children. They were obliged to rent land, and young Benjamin was virtually the head of the family until he left home. Through his exertions all the children received some education. At the age of 20 he was given time by his mother, and he imme- diately came to Illinois. In politics, Mr. Duvall is a Democrat, and is now serving his eighth year as Supervisor; has also been Justice of the Peace four years. Mr. Duvall's portrait is given in this book, on p. 853. Oilbert Earl was born in Schoharie county, 1^. Y., Jan. 3, 1823, and is a son of John E. and Hannah Earl, also natives of New Tork. They were the parents of 7 boys and 3 girls, of whom 5 boys and one girl are living. Gilbert was reared on a farm, and received a common-school education. In 184:4 John E. Earl and family (except his eldest son, Stephen D.) came to this county by the following circuitous route: Bj' boat on the Erie canal to Buffalo; thence on Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio; thence by the Ohio canal to Portsmouth, Ohio.; thence down the Ohio river to Cairo, and from there on the Mississippi river to Warsaw. They were three weeks and three days in accomplishing the journey. The Earl family are considerably scattered. Three are in this State, two in Minnesota, and the sister in Kansas. Mr. Earl was married in September, 1853, to Miss Arsula Thompson, by whom he had 7 children; of these but 2 are living^John and Frances. Mrs. Earl died April 10, 1863. Mr. Earl was again married April 22, 1865; this time to Miss Minerva A. Jackson, by whom he has had 4 children ; of these, 3 are living — Elizabeth, Charles G. and Jane. Mr. Earl was a soldier in the Mormon war, and stood guard over some fire-arms while the Mormons were crossing the river in their flight from Nauvoo, to prevent their being stolen by the Mormons. He took an active part in the battle of Nauvoo, and has corrected the statement that seven of the citizens were killed in this contest. He states that 13 men were wounded, and one mortally wounded; but not a man was killed outright. Mr. Earl is a farmer by occupation, but now has his farm rented, and resides in Ferris, where he owns four houses and as many town lots. His elder brother, Stephen D., who came from New York in the fall of 1879, now resides with him in Ferris. It would be proper here to remark that when the Earl family arrived in "Warsaw in 1844, the father had but $2.60 in money, and but very little if anything with which to begin keeping house. HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 869 Thomas Ellison, farmer, sec. 9; P. O., Adrian; was born in Yorkshire, England, Nov. 18, 1830, and is a son of Matthew and Jane Ellison (deceased), who emigrated to this county in 1843, set- tling in Rock Creek tp., and was among the first who made im- provements in the tp. When the Ellison family arrived here there were four men in Rock Creek tp. ; viz., Timothy T. Terry, Abraham Shaw, Richard Lambert and a Mr. Spencer. Mr. Ellison was reared on a farm, and received a common-school education. He was married Nov. 12, 1874, to Miss Eleanor, daughter of John Davison, of this tp. Mr. and Mrs. Ellison have one child, Ida. Mr. E. is engaged in farming and stock-raising, owning 620 acres of valuable land. John Spicer JEwell. — Mr. Ewell, whose portrait is given on page 868, was born in Greene county, Pa., April 4, 1835. His parents' names were Thos. H. and Abigail (Phillips) Ewell, the former a native of Yirginia, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Plesy Ewell was the father of Thos. H., and lived in Virginia. John S. Ewell's advantages in an educational way were limited; his father being a farmer, his time in the summer was employed on the farm, and he attended school only in the winter and very little at that. In May, 1857, Mr. Ewell was married to Miss Nancy Schriver, a daughter of Abraham Schriver, of Monongahela county, Virginia. Mr. Ewell afterward took up his residence in that county and com- menced farming. On the breaking out of the war of the great Rebellion he, being an ardent-Union man, felt it-to be his duty to enlist as a soldier tor the defense of the nation's life. With' this purpose in view, he left his family to the care of his friends and enlisted in the 14th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry in 1862 ; with this regiment he served three years, being one year a prisoner of war. He was with his regiment at the battles of Martinsburg, Va., Williamsport, Md., and Little Petersburg, Va., and partici- pated in the battle of "Floyd's Mountain," Va.; in this engage- ment he was shot three times : first, on the upper lip ; second, on the left shoulder; and third, under the right arm. Each was made by a musket ball. None of these wounds was of a very serious nature and did not discommode him. He with 35 men belonging to his company were detailed to take care of the wounded on the battle- field, and while doing so were captured by Rebel cavalry under command of John Morgan. The battle occurred on May 9, 1864; and toward the last of May he and his comrades, 36 in all, found themselves inmates of Anderson villeprison, Georgia. At this "prison pen " he with the others suflFered untold misery- from hunger, thirst, filth and disease; and saw prisoners subjected to all manner of cruelty and abuse, even in some cases shooting them in their sleep. Mr. Ewell had dwindled nearly to a skeleton, when the news of Gen. Sherman's famous march alarmed the prison authori- ties and they ordered the prisoners removed to other quarters for safer keeping. After leaving Andersonville the prisoners were " corraled " in camp at a place called " Black Shear." Mr. Ewell and a comrade succeeded in making their escape in this wise: 870 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. There were guards or sentries stationed all around the camp. Mr. E. and comrade approached one of the guards and requested to he allowed to step out a few feet to gather some pine knots to build si fire, as it had been raining; and the guard, being a good-natured fellow, granted the request. Not over 50 feet from the camp was ^ dense swamp. They commenced (as the guard doubtless thought) picking up pine knots, but in reality getting nearer the edge of the swamp ; and while the guard's back was turned, on a signal from Mr. E., both jumped into the edge of the swamp, as it was dowii a bank and in dense bushes. They of course were out of sight, though they expected to be fired upon by the guard instantly, but were happily disappointed, and never could account for this fact, except that the guard was afraid to attract attention to the escape, as his part in allowing . them to pass might be discovered. They struggled through the swamp, and that night at great risk approached a house which they found occupied by a gay party of dancers, Kebel oflBcers ; in a cellar near this house they dug out some sweet potatoes, even while people were passing in a path 15 feet away, but were not discovered. They immediately retired to the timber, built a fire and ate roasted sweet potatoes until morning. The next day or so they were given food by a negro, who also pi- loted them on their way toward the Union lines. Finally one morning they were discovered by some citizens, when they took refuge in a swamp, which was immediately surrounded by a picket guard; but that night they crept through the guard, and when only 12 miles from the Union lines they were captured again by the Rebels. Thus it had been nearly six days since their escape; had lived on sweet potatoes all the time, and had traveled over 250 miles. After an absence of 12 days they were sent back to " Black Shear " camp, and some time afterward returned to Andersonville. April 28, 1865, Mr. Ewell was released from Andersonville, he and two others being all that were left alive of the 36 that were taken prisoners at the same time. As the war was about ended, the regiment was some time after-, ward ordered to Columbus, Ohio, to be mustered out. Mr. E. had not heard a word from his family for over a year. Before going to, Columbus, he went home. In passing up a path, approaching his, farm, he met a woman, who proved to be his wife; and after the, first words of greeting and surprise had passed, told him that her- self and all his friends had heard that he was dead. It was a glad surprise to all. On his return Mr. Ewell again went to work on, his farm, but believing that Illinois offered a better field for his energies, in 1867 he moved to the State, locating in Eock Creek, tp., on northwest J of sec. 11, buying 80 acres. When Mr. EwelL first came to this tp., there was not a house where Adrian now stands. In the fall of 1871, Mr. Ewell entered the mercantile business, opening a store for that purpose at Adrian, and in which he has been engaged up to the present time. He keeps a general stock of goods, and his sales amount on an average from $25,000 to HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ' 871 $30,000 per year. He also deals largely in buying and shipping stock and grain of all kinds; has two warehouses, which have a capacity for 10,000 bushels of grain. He ships, on an average, frorn 250 to 300 cars of grain per year, and 75 cars of stock. Mr , Ewell also owns the southeast J of sec. 14, in this tp. Mr. and Mrs. Ewell reside at Adrian, and are surrounded by a family of 5 children, whose names are Marion D., Marvin Ellsworth, "Wateman T. Willie, Daisey and an infant. Mr. Ewell is a Republican in politics, and has been Postmaster at Adrian since 1871. William JR. Frakes. Being a native of this county, Mr. Frakes is identified with its history, and therefore is entitled to more than a passing notice in a work like this. He was born, June 15, 1835, and is a son of Thompson and Elizabeth Frakes (dec.), early pioneers of this county. He has followed the pursuits of farming and plastering. His education was received, for the most part, in a subscription school. He was married in August, 1871, to Mrs. Amy (Camp) Fisher, by whom he has had one child, William E. Mrs. Frakes has one child by her former husband, Katie Fisher, Mr. Frakes is engaged in farming and resides on sec. 33. His two brothers, Daniel and Joel, were soldiers for Uncle Sam in the late war. Benton Heath is a native of Crawford county, 111., and was born Jan. 28, 1834; His parents were Eenick and Malinda Heath, early settlers of that county. Mr. Heath was reared on a farm and educated in a common school. He was united in mar- riage in the year 1860, with Lydia A. Stiles, by whom he has had 7 children; of these, 4 are living;'viz., Malinda, Eleanor, Silas and Lester. Mr. Heath came to this tp. in 1857, where he now re- sides, on sec. 2, engaged in farming. His father was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. Elijah B. Hughes was born in Butler county, O., liTov. 10, 1845, and IS a son of Daniel and Elizabeth Hughes. He came with his parents to Adams county,, 111., in 1855. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common school. He was married in 1867, to Miss Laura Powell, by whom he has had 8 children; of these, 6 are living — Emma E., Mary L., Annie E., Ella K., Elijah B. and an infant girl. Mr. Hughes came to this county in 1879, and resides on sec. 22, where he is engaged in farming and stock-raising. ^4cAa?'^ ZamSert was born Nov. 17, 1822, in Yorkshire, Eng., where he was reared and educated. His parents were Eichard and. Patience Lambert. He emigrated to ]S"auvoo in 1840. In 1841 he went to Carthage, where he engaged with Marvin & Charles Street,^ as clerk and overseer of the warehouse, for the period of 15 months. He then, in 1842, located in this tp. He was married in 1843, to, Miss Jane Thornber, by whom he has had 15 children; of these, 12 are living, 6 boys and 6 girls. Mr. Lambert owns 240 acres of valuable land, and r sides on sec. 7, this tp., where he is engaged, in farming and stock-raising. He is a, very prominent worker and Elder in the, re-organized church of the Latter Day Saints. 872 HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOTjNTT. John W. Lowrey was born in Schuyler county, 111., Aug. 23, 1845, and is a son of Edward and Harriet Lowrey, now residing in Carthage tp. He was raised a farmer's boy, and received a common- school education. He was married Dec. 22, 1870, to Miss Anna A. Boice, by whom he has had 4 children; of these, 3 are living; namely., William E., Clara M. and Lina Irena. Mr. Lowrey is en- gaged in farming on sec. 26 ; postofiSce address, Ferris. " Robert F. MoCall was born in East Tennessee, Jan. 10, 1847, and is a son of Wm. N. and Sarah S. (Lyon) McCall, who removed to Adams county, 111., in 1852, where Mr. McCall taught school one winter. They removed to this county in 1853. Our subject's grandfather, Asher Lyon, was a soldier in the war of 1812. He died during the late war. Mr. McCall was reared on a farm. He attended the academy at Fort Madison, Iowa, for two years, when it was conducted by Prof. Knight, and afterward taught one month. He was married March 18, 1873, to Miss Catherine Stewart, by whom he has 2 children — William W. and Bertha E . Mr. McCall is engaged in farming and stock-raising, on sec. 36. William O. McCubbin was born in Green county, Ky., Nov. 28, 1820, and is a son of Joseph and Eleanor McCubbin. He came with his parents to Hancock tp., this county, in the year 1834. He was raised on a farm and educated in a subscription school, as there were no free schools here in the days of his boyhood. He was married May 4, 1854, to Miss Zilpha E., daughter of Ephraim and Eda Perkins, who were very early settlers in this county. Mrs. Perkins was the first white woman tci reside in McDonough county, 111. She lived there two years, when she came to this county. She learned to speak the Pottawatomie language, and can still speak the language, though rather broken. She resides at Pilot Grove, in this county, and is in her 84th year. Our subject's father resides in Hancock tp., at the age of 84 years. Mr. McCubbin taught school in his younger days, but has been a farmer for the most part through life. He owns 260 acres of land, besides a nice residence and other property in the town of Ferris, this tp. He is also a local agent for the Hartford Fire Insiirance Company. He is a member of the Christian Church at Ferris, of which he is Elder. He is ever an uncompromising temperance worker. He belongs to no political party, and in no case will vote for an intemperate man for any office whatever. He has always managed, by the aid of a few other temperance workers, to keep all saloons out of the town or village in which, or near which, he resided. Several times have the bad folks tried to establish a saloon in Ferris, but Mr. McCubbin is always at his post to fight against the monster, and has thus far been victorious in every battle. George McKellips was born in Erie county, N. Y., near the city of Buffalo, Dec. 29, 1837, and is a son of Dennis and Elizabeth McKellips, who brought their family to Adams county, 111., in 1840. Dennis McKellips was a contractor on railroads and other public works, and died in 1863. The McKellips family removed to this SONORA Tp. HISTOBT OF HANCOCK OOUNTT. 875 county in 1851, when this township (Eock Creek) was then a wild prairie. Tlie wolves and deer were very numerous. The wolves would catch the chickens in the yard, and Mr. McK. has shot deer in the corn-field. He was married in May, 1861, to Miss Ellen A. Gill, of English ancestors. They have had 8 children, of whom 6 are living; viz., Cecilia, Emma, Frank, Dora, Georgia and Mary. Mr. McKellips was laboring in the South at the time the war broke out, and in 1861 or '62, when he returned, he was arrested, no one knew for what. He was held a prisoner for some time, and then released. He has spent several winters in Mississippi. He now resides on sec. 20, engaged in farming and stock-raising. Welch Newman was born near Louisville, Ky., Feb. 2, 1832, and is a son of John and Charity Newman. His parents removed with their family to Pontoosuc, this county, in 1836. This was in a very early day, and Mr. ITewman was early inured to pioneer lif^. He saw the Indians at diff'erent times. He was reared on a farm, except four years he worked in a wool and carding mill near Payson, 111. His early educational advantages were very limited, he having attended school but 12 months. Mr. Eewman spent six years of his Western life in Adams county. 111. He was mar- ried in 1857 to Miss Juliett Dnff, by whom he had 5 children; viz., William "W., Mary E., Thomas W., John A. and Bertha A. Mrs., Newman died Dec. 1, 1876. She was a loving wife and a de- voted mother. Mr. N. resides on sec. 16, engaged in farming. George Singleton was born in Ireland, Aug. 15, 1819, and is a son of Thomas and Ann (Mitchell) Singleton. He was reared and educated in Ireland and came to Philadelphia, Pa., in 1845, where he engaged for a time as a coach-driver. He then engaged in farming until 1854, when he came to this county. Mr. Singleton is a farmer on sec. 2, raising and feeding stock. He has been emi- nently successfnl, and has done a 'great deal toward improving and making this township. He owns 580 acres of valuable land, 20 of which is timber. He was married in Philadelphia in 1851, to Miss Rebecca "Wilson, by whom he has 7 children; viz., Anna, Margaret, Kebecca, Thomas, Almira, George and "William. Mr. and Mrs . Singleton are members of the Presbyterian Church. H. M. Sleater was born in Bath, England, Dec. 30, 1838, and is a son of Robert and Mary Sleater, the former a native of Ireland, and the latter of England. He was reared and educated in Eng- land, and came to America with his parents in 1852. The first work he did was to assist the Circuit Clerk in his duties at Car- thage. In 1854 he engaged as a clerk in a dry-goods store in Car- thage, where he remained until 1862. He then enlisted as a private in Co. B, 118th 111. Vol. Inf., in the late war. He was soon promoted Sergeant Major, afterward 2d Lieutenant. During the time he was Lieutenant, he was acting Adjutant of the regi- ment. He participated in the battles of Chickasaw Bluffs, siege of Yicksbnrg, Black river bridge, Jackson, Miss., Champion Hills, Thompson Hill, and others. He then was transferred to the De- 50 876 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. partment of the Gulf, with mounted infantry. He was married in 1862, to Miss Emmaretta Mack, by whom he has 5 children: Kobert, William, Louisa, Nella and Helena. He was Deputy County Treasurer for this county two years. He was clerk, pay- master, etc., for Major McClaughry at his stone quarries for two years. He removed to his farm in Eock Creek tp., on sec. 16, in 1869. He began business in Adrian, in 1872. He carries a large stock of dry-goods, groceries, hardware, q ueen's-ware, etc., and does a large business. He also buys and ships grain. He was en- gaged in the grain business here, alone, for five years. John Stevenson^ farmer and stock-raiser, sec. 8, was born in Leicestershire, Eng., Oct. 31, 1833, and is a son of Thomas and Ann Stevenson, of this tp., also natives of England . They came to Nauvoo in the winter of 184:6-'7, and remained a short time, when they removed, in the year 1847, to Clarke county, Mo. In 1848 the family came to this (Rock Creek) township. Mi*. S. was married, September 13, 1855, to Miss Mary Ellison, by whom he has had 9 children. Of these, 7 are living; namely, Mary A., Thos. M., Ralph W., Emma L., Susannah E., John E. and Alice J. Mr. Stevenson is engaged in farming and stock-raising, and owns 234 acres of valuable land. Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson are members of the Latter Day Saints' Church, more commonly known as Mormons. Wm. Stevenson^ a prominent farmer on sec. 8, is a native of Nottinghamshire, Eng., and was born July 23, 1831. His par- ents, Thomas and Ann Stevenson, are also natives of England, and emigrated to America with their family in 1846, arriving at Nau- voo in the winter. Early in 1847 they settled in Clarke county, Mo., remained there only until in 1848, when they located in this tp. Mr. S. was married in 1863, to Miss Elizabeth Pilking- ton, by whom he has 8 children; viz., Magnolia, Alice J., John, Adam, "William, Ira M., Marlow and Ida. Mr. Stevenson is a prominent member of the Church of the Lat- ter Day Saints, which order has a thriving organization and a com- modious church edifice in this tp. He gives us the following information concerning Joseph Smith, the original leader of the true Mormon Cliurch. Mr. Smith was opposed to polygamy in any form whatever, and never taught spiritual-wifery as was charged upon him. He had but one wife himself, and never would permit the nefarious practice of polygamy among his people. Mr. Stevenson also states that the true Mormons think Smith's death was indirectly caused by the polygamists. He further states that the great crime of stealing, which the Mormons were charged with, was largely committed by prejudiced Gentiles, who would take the stolen property and place it in the fields and lots of Mor- mons at Nauvoo, and then return and tell the owners of the miss- ing property, that they had seen their property at a certain place; and the owners would go and find it as the persons had informed them they would. And further, the polygamists would steal the HISTOEl- OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 877 property of the non-polygamists, placing it in the temple lot at Nauvoo; and when the owners attempted to take their own prop- erty, " they were shot down like dogs." These statements just related were submitted to several leading'men of Kock Creek tp., and were all corroborated, especially that one concerning the stealing of property by the prejudiced Gentiles; for after the con- flict was over, the Gentiles acknowledged and boasted of it. Henry Thornber is a native of the county of Lancaster, Eng- land, and was born Jan. 10, 1816. His parents were Richard and Anna Thornber, also natives of England. Our subject was reared and educated in his native country. He then learned the trade of wooden-shoemaker. He set sailJan. 12, 1842, and arrived at New Orleans March 9 of the same year. He then came up the Missis- sippi river to Ifauvoo, where he remained four years. He then, in 1846, removed to this tp., where he still resides and is engaged in farming and stock-raising. He was married July 11, 184:'5, to Miss Lucy Ellison, by whom he has had 8 children; of these, 6 are living; viz., David R., Mary H., John T., Lucy M., William H. and James M. Mrs. Thornber died Jan. 25, 1866. Mr. Thornber again mar- ried, March 3, 1868; this time, Margaret Pilkington, and they have one child, Joseph. Mr. Thornber resides on sec. 6, and owns over 1,000 acres of valuable land . Sylvester T. Turney, whose portrait is given (Tu page 763, is a native of Fairfield county. Conn., where he was born July 30, 1833. His early years were spent on his father's farm in that county. His advantages for an education were limited to attendance at the common schools, mostly in the winter, until about the age of 17, when he, being the only son, employed his winters in assisting his father in cutting and hauling ship timbers, and in the summer working on the farm . This manner of life he followed until the age of 22, when he left his father's house and commenced life's labors on his own account, lo6ating in Delaware county, N. Y., where he remained three months, and then went still farther West, arriving in Chicago, HI., in the fall of 1855. In a day or two he started for Peoria by rail, and from that point by stage to Canton, Fulton county. At this point, finding his means had dwindled so that his worldly possessions amounted to only one $20 gold piece, he immediately looked up something to do, and soon found work on a farm at $17 per month, at which he worked two years. In 1857, realizing the usefulness of the Osage orange as a hedge, he went into the business of raising hedge plants for market, and planted 30 acres on land rented for the purpose. Owing to the hard times of this year (1857), he found very little sale for the plants in that section, and was obliged to haul them as far as 80 or 99 miles for a market. In 1858 business revived, and in 1859' he turned his attention to contracting with parties and planting the hedge himself, at $112 per mile. This spring (1859) he planted 30 miles of hedge in Hancock and Henderson counties. This same year Mr. T. came to this county, locating at La Harpe, and in 1860 878 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. planted 15 acres of hedge in Durham tp. This crop failed to come up, and in 1861 he planted another 15 acres; this turned out well, and he sold $3,760 worth of plants and set out about 15 miles of hedge fence for parties besides. Mr. T. was the first to successfully introduce the hedge fence in this section, his setting being about the first that did well. In 1861 Mr. T. was married to Miss Kittie A. Barr, born March 16, 1842, in Kentncky, and a daughter of Elias and Sallie (Beau- champ) Barr, both natives of Kentucky, and came to this county in 1859. The next year after his marriage he bought the southwest one-fourth of sec. 1, Rock Creek tp., which was raw .prairie; not a fence or improvement had been placed upon it by the hand of man. He immediately erected a frame house 16x24 feet, one and one-half stories high, which in those days was con- sidered No. 1. He also built a frame stable. The house is still standing*near his present residence. This season Mr. T. bought five yoke of cattle and started them, on one large plow, breaking prairie, and, as he said, it was as much as they could do. The country was covered with hazel-bush and willow, and it required all the power of the five j'oke to tear up their roots. He fenced the whole with a four-board fence, and that fall sowed 60 acres of wheat, which turned out 1,000 bushels. In 1864 he put in 120 acres of wheat, doing all the work himself, with the assistance of a boy to drive a harrow. This turned out 2,000 bushels, which he sold at $1.75 per bushel. These were the only two wheat crops he ever put in. Since that time he has turned his attention to raising corn and feeding it to hogs and stock; never sold but two crops of corn, — one, 2,000 bushels at 85 cts. ; and one, 2,500 bushels at 75 cts.; has turned off in one year as high as 90 head of cattle and 200 hogs; on an average, 60 head of stock. In 1871 Mr. T. turned his attention to breeding and raising a fine grade of draft horses, of Norman stock, and introduced the first imported Norman stallion (" Eothamagus") ever introduced into this country. Since that time he has made it his whole business; has on hand now two thoroughbred stallions, and eight graded stallions from one-half to seven-eighths, and 27 brood mares of graded stock, as high as seven- eighths. This business, besides being a benefit to the country at large, in furnishing superior draft horses, has proved a paying invest- ment to Mr. Turney. Mr. T. has since added to the home farm, so that now it consists of 240 acres. Mr. T. also bought and improved the northeast one-fourth of sec. 10, Eock Creek tp., but sold it in 1875, when he erected his present fine residence, at a cost of $6,500. It is a 2-story frame, 50x33 feet, lOiTeet ceiling below and nine feet ceiling above stairs; is fitted with all modern im- provements; has hot and cold water up stairs and down. The place is one of the pleasantest and best -improved in the county; has also fine barns, etc., etc. In politics Mr. Turney is a Democrat. Mr. and Mrs. T. have a family of 3 children — Lowrie E., born HISTOET OP HANCOCK COUNTY. 879 May 11, 1862; Everett Z., born March 29, 1866; Abarilla P., born July 31, 1874. The Turneys are of English descent; the Barrs of German, and Beaxichamps of French origin. Marshall YanBusMrh, deceased, was born May 18, 1821, was a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he resided until 1850, when he crossed the plains to California; there he sojourned until 1858, having twice visited in that time his old home; he then returned to the place of his nativity; the same year moved to Peoria, Illinois. He was a tailor by vocation, but on account of failing health he abandoned this business and began traveling. Becoming tired of traveling, after he arrived at Peoria, he purchased a farm in Schuyler county, Illinois, near the town of Huntsville. At the latter place he married Miss Anna Baxter, in 1858, and they have had 4 daughters and one son, of whom but two are living; viz., Annie May and Hattie E. The names of the deceased were Marshall, Mattie and Elsie. Mr. YanBuskirk was made a Mason by J. L. Anderson, Lodge iNo. 318, located at Augusta, this county. He was a worthy member of the M. E. Church and a con- sistent Christian ; he was also a member of the Chapter and Council of Augusta, Knighted in Almoner Commandery No. 32, Augusta, on the second day of April, 1859. He was also a charter member of Huntsville Lodge, A. F. and A. M., number 465. In 1869 he removed with his family to his farm one mile east of Adrian, and became a member of the Dallas City Lodge, A. F. and A. M., num- ber 235 . He died February 12, 1879, with triumphs of living faith in a crucified Kedeemer. He was a favorite among the citizens of the different localities in which he dwelt , and was widely known and a very prominent man ; none knew him but to love him. ' Bwight Whitcomb was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, iN'ovem- ber 12, 1830, and is a son of Wyman and Lura Whitcomb, the former a native of Yermont and the latter of New York. Our subject was brought to Adams county, Illinois, by his parents in 1842; he never saw a school-house until he was ten years old. The citizens of the locality in which he spent his boyhood days erected a school-house of split frame work and shaved boards; in this rude benches were placed, upon which the little Suckers would sit and " lam their spellin' lesson." Mr. Whitcomb came to this county in 1853, and in 1856 was married to Miss Mary H. Ellison, by whom he has had 13 children; of these but 5 are living; viz., Wyman T., Farnham M., John D., James A. and Lewis M. Mr. Whitcomb is engaged in farming and stock-raising on sec. 6, this tp., and owns 410 acres of valuable land. John Wmshij) was born in Franklin county, Yermont, Feb. 19, 1833, and is a son of Josiah and Rebecca, also natives of Yermont. He was reared mostly on a farm, and received a common- school education. He was married in the spring of 1869, to Miss Mary 0. Eamey, by whom he has 4 children; viz., Llewella, Frances E., Wm. E. and Annie E. Our subject went to New York in 1842, and came to Bureau county. 111., in 1856, where he engaged in farming until 1861, when he removed to Schuyler county, 111 . He 880 HISTORY OF HAKCOOK COUNTY. came to this county in 1863, where he now resides, in the town of Ferris, engaged in farming. He is also proprietor of the Ferris House, which, by the way, is a good hotel. A brother, Horace Winship, died in the' late war at Fort Birancus. Warren Ya/ple was born in Madison county, 111., Mar. 20, 1824, and is a son of John and Alice (Squires) Taple. The former a native of New York, and the latter of Connecticut. Mr. Yaple was reared on a farm and educated in a common school. He early learned the carpenter's trade. His parents renioved with their family to this county in 1831, and located in Pontoosuc township; but at the beginning of the Indian troubles, just prior to the Black Hawk war, they greraoved back to Madison county. Warren came to this county in 1865. He married Miss Elizabeth Bates, in 1846, a daughter of Joseph H. Bates, and they have had 11 children, of whom 9 are living; viz., Joseph J., Alice J., Leander J., Belle M., Albina H., Thomas M., Letitia A., Artimisia E. and Mary B. Mr. Taple and family spent two years in Sedgwick county, Kansas. He is now engaged in farming and stock-raising on sec. 12, owning 165 acres of valuable land. OFFICIALS. Here is a list of the men who have served this township in an official capacity, both past and present: STJPEEVISOES. EdwinMcNeal 1856 Wm.H.OdeU 1863 Alexander Roseberry 1858 John Davison 1864 John Davison , 1859 Benj. F. Duvall 1870 Wni. H. OdeU 1860 John Davison , 1874, David T. Starkey 1862 Benj. F. Duvall 1877 OLEEKS. A. H. Osman 1856 Benj. F. DuvaU 1870 " ?e Davis Trites 1858 W.S.Ramsey 1871 WilUam H. OdeU 1859 Richard 0. Emert 1874 Simon Loop 1860 ' George W. Thompson 1875 George D. Trites 1861 0. O. Jenney 1877 Richard O.Emert.' 1864 J.A.Allison.. 1878 Benj. E. Washburn 1868 George W. Carlisle 1879-1880 ASSESSOES. J. McNeal 1856 Elias BaiT 1863 Charles Abbott 1858 Charles Abbott 1865 John Jenkins 1860 Hb-am Tennehill 1870 John Davison 1861 Elijah Haines 1873-1880 Hugh McCreary 1863 COLLEOTOES. B. McNeal 1856 Jas. T. Anderson 1867 George Hemy Pratt 1858 8. W. French 1869 Isaac Roseberry 1860 Richard C. Emert 1871 John Davison 1863 W. P. McCoUum 1873 DavidW. Orr 1863 J. W. McCormick 1875 Thomas Lionberger 1864 A. B. Atkins 1877 Wm. McMurphy 1866 James H. Campbell 1879-1880 SONORA TOWNSHIP, Numbered 6 — 8, lies oa the rapids, extending from the head of Nauvoo to the mouth of Larry's creek. The bhiifs of tliis stream and of Chandler creek below Nauvoo, with those alon^ the river shore, supply considerable timber; and the land is very broken over most of the distance for a mile or two, inland. The east two- thirds of the township contains some handsome prairie land. So- nora contains some as valuable and well-appointed farms as are to be found in the county. A portion in the northeast is very flat, and not well adapted to grain. The first settlers were along the river. Several of the first jury- men were in this township, at date of organization, among whom we can name the Moifitts, Hugh Wilson and his son James and son-in-law Dunn, Kev. Charles Robison and others. Later settlers were Abram Golden and his sons. Dr. Adolphus Allen, Christian Kreymeyer, Abel Casto, the Sheridans, Roger Hibbard, Hezekiah Bradley. Still later we find the names of Geo. Benner, G. W. Black, J. J. Gardner, D. G. Luce, Christopher Smith, Joseph Miller, George Smith, Samuel Brownlee, O. J. Hall, John Brown, W. H. Fulton, George Edmunds, Hezekiah Brant, Isaac Thomas, Henry Benner, and others. Sonora Landing is the business center on the river line, and Son- era postoffice, at the same point, is the only postoffice in the town- ship. The township seems to be well provided with school -houses, they being, with one exception, located in three 'rows in each di- rection across the township, and equi-distant from each other. No other township in the county, except Hock Creek, approaches this regularity. Golden's Point, of noted fame in the history of the county, received its name from Mr. Abram Golden, one of the early settlers in the edge of the prairie. The place was at a point of timber projecting into the prairie, at or near the farm since owned by Mr. Chris. Smith. Mr. G. was born in New Jersey, and raised in Kentucky. "Was a volunteer under Gov. Shelby at the battle of the Thames, when Tecumseh was killed ; and tells the story that he saw that chief's hide stripped ofi" him, by the soldiers, after he was killed, to make razor straps of ! Mr. Golden was born in 1780, and died aged 86. Mrs. G. died in 1875, at about the same age. The famous Sonora stone quarry is located on the river, about a mile above the mouth of Larry's creek. Large quantities of build- ing stone have been taken from this quarry, and shipped to various points for use in public buildings. (881) 882 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. EELIGIOUS PROGEE88. The only churches within Sonora, are; first, a Christian Church in the forest near Larry's creek, just north of the Montebello line;, and another, free to all denominations, situated on the prairie above Sonora Landing. The Christian Church must be 20 or 30 years old; has had a good congregation, now somewhat reduced, and has been for some years past without a regular Pastor. The building is a frame, has been neglected of late, and looks dilapi- dated. The free church is a few years old only, and was built by a union of the different sects with outsiders, a plan to be com- mended by sparsely settled neighborhoods. Settlers in the north part of the township attach themselves to the different Churches iu Nauvoo. PERSONAL. Following are short biographical outlines of many of the well known residents of this township. Isaac Baxter is a native of this county, and was born Jan. 13, 1855; he is a son of David and Catharine Baxter, both natives of New Jersey. He was reared in this county, educated in the college at Carthage, but was deprived of the privilege of securing a complete education on account of his father's ill health. His father lived until June, 1879, when his disea,se became acute, and death was the result. Isaac stiU runs the home farm. His mother is still living, at the age of 61. Dec. 31, 1879, he married Miss Eugenie Kellogg, of this county. UeseMah Brant, whose portrait is presented on page 873, is descended from British ancestry, but whether of Scotch, or English, or both, is not certain. At all events the first of the family in America were very early settlers here. The first by the family name was John Brant, a soldier in the Revolutionary war, under Washington, and a resident of Maryland. After that war he moved to Kentucky, then to Indiana, near Evansville, where he died about 1834 or 1835, aged about 82 years, leaving one son, John, Jr., and 2 daughters. The son was married in Indiana to Sybil White, a native of New York, near Buffalo, and a daughter of Anson White, of English origin, and also a Revolutionary soldier. Soon after marriage John moved to Wabash county. 111., taking with him his wife and one child, Hezekiah, the subject of this sketch, who was born Jan. 1, 1826. They located on Barnett's Prairie, on a farm, although Mr. Brant was a cooper by trade; about six years afterward they moved to Vincennes, Ind., where Mr. B. followed coopering several years. He then moved to Law- rence county. 111., where he died about 1836, leaving 6 children: Hezekiah, Alfred, Silas, Horatio, Johnson and John, all yet living 11 except John, who died in infancy. The widow married again, and rj >^- ^ i^ 4, i/Jn 'a^X. LA HARPE HIBTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. , - 885 died in Clay county, 111;, March 1, 1879, aged about 75 years, being at this time the grandmother of 44 children, and the great- grandmother of 6 children. Her last husband was Mr. Chrisman. Mr. Hezekiah Brant's early advantages for a school education were limited, his father dying when he was but 10 years of age and the eldest of 6 children, and all in rather destitute circumstances. He never learned a letter of the alphabet until he was 13 years old, whep he commenced to attend school some in the winter, but all together he never attended school more than six months in his life. The family rnoved to Clay county. 111., in 1839. The first work Mr. B. did was on a ferry-boat at Viiicennes; next he was hired out by his mother to work on a farm at $40 a month; in seven months he met with an accident which disabled him from work, and when he went to his landlord for pay, the latter refused to pay more than $5 or $6. Mr. B. worked at farming and other work until 1844, when he commenced to labor at brick-making, which business he followed two years ; at the age of 16 he went to Yincennes to learn the blacksmith's trade with John B. Dunning, where he remained until Jan. 1, 1847, when he went to Clay county and ran a black- ' smith shop six months; then he followed the same trade at Dicks- burg, Ind., until 1850. June 6, of this year, Mr. Brant married Isabella Dick, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a daughter of James and "Wilhelmina ("Watson) Dick. She came to this country, landing at New Orleans in October, 1837. Mr. Dick had come the previous spring. His family, consisting of wife and 4 children, namely, Marian, Isabella, Wilhelmina and Jemima J., all but Mrs. Brant now deceased, sailed from Liverpool on the " Tallahassie," arriving at New Orleans only two hours after Mr. Dick's arrival there to meet them. The latter located in Knox county, Ind., where his uncles had lived, and where he had visited when 18 years old. Here Mr. Dick lived many years and became a prominent man in the State, being a Member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1850. He was a Democratic lawyer and a stump speaker. When a youth he learned the tanner and courier's trade, and followed the business a little after coming to this country. In Scotland he was brought up on a farm. His father, Wm. Dick, was a first cousin to the great scientific theologian, Thomas Dick, LL. D. His wife, Wilhelmina, nee Watson, was a daughter of itobert Watson, an architect, of Edinburgh, who died while on a visit to this country. James Dick followed farming, as well as the law, owning about 1,500 acres of land. He died at the age of about 57 years, Nov. 24, 1863, leaving a family of 5 children, 8 children having previously died. Mr. ferant, after his marriage, moved to Olney, 111., where he carried on blacksmitbing from" 1860 to 1855, wheii he moved with his family to apiece of land in this tp., the patent to which his father-in-law had bought in 1840. Mr. Dick had paid no attention to the land represented by his patent except to come and look at it. He often talked about his "land in Hancock county," speaking of 886 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. its fertility, etc. One day while Mr. Brant was visiting him this land was mentioned, and the former asked in a joking way what he would sell it for. Mr. Dick replied that he would give it to him, which offer was accepted and the deed was drawn up and signed. Mr. B. afterward ascertained that the land had been sold 21 times, for taxes. He bought the tax claim for $90. This was the N. "W. i of sec. 34, Sonora tp. The homestead now consists of 560 acres. He has since erected a very large, substantial stone house in 1873, at a cost of $5,000. He has also a fine barn and other farm build- ings. Ifldeed, Mr. B. has put on this place all the improvements that are now on it. He raises grain and stock. Politically, Mr. Brant is a Democrat, and he has served his tp. in various local offices. His 8 children are: James D., married and living on the home farm; Hezekiah "W., married and living in Nodaway county. Mo.; Clianncy M., married and residing with his father; Mina S., John N., Herman S., George M. and Susan J. Joel H. Bolton was born Aug. 16, 1849, and is a son of George and Mary Bolton, the former a native of England and the latter of Ohio. Our subject was taken when young to Schuyler county, Missouri, where he was reared and educated. In 1860 he returned here and staid until 1871, when he went to Colorado and engaged in gold mining. He remained there until 1874, when he returned to this county. He is at present a dealer in live stock. May 10, 1876, he married Floretta Z. Golden, by whom he has had one child; viz., Ada. Our subject's grandfather on his mother's side was 1st Lieutenant in the war of 1812, and he was also a private soldier in the Union Army of 1st Missouri cavalry. John Brown, deceased, is a native of Berks county, Pa., and was born July 18, 1808. He was a son of George Brown, who also was a native of the Keystone State. He was reared in Ohio, and was educated in one of the Ohio universities. Eighteen years he spent in teaching school. He came to this State in the year 1860 and set- tled in this county the same year. He resided here until his death, which occurred July 10, 1879, at the advanced age of 72. He was joined in marriage in 1827 to Sarah Seiferd, his now bereft wife. They had 8 children; of these, 5 are living; viz., Michael, John 0., Luther A., Jacob S. and William H. The heirs own a farm of 320 acres in this tp., which their father procured in his industrious life. David J. IJcerd was born January 13, 1827, in Lawrence county, Indiana. He is a son of Henry and Nancy Ikerd, both natives of North Carolina. Oar subject went to Jasper county, Iowa, in 1854, and staid there until 1856, when he came and located in this county, where he resided until the time of the war, when he was drafted as a soldier in Co. A, 57th jReg. III. Inf. He was one year in the military service and then returned home and resumed his former occupation, namely, farming and stock-raising. He was married December 28, 1848, to Bernetta Meglemre, by whom he has had HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 887 7 children; viz., William H., Jemima A., Nancy E., Thomas A., Beadj' A., Susan E. and Meredith J. James A. Jones is a native of Jefferson county, Kentucky, where he was born September 11, 1852, a son of Carter T.Jones; he came to this county with his parents in 1869, and here they have since resided. The mother of James A. had one brother, who was killed while a soldier in the Union army. Thomas J. Lewis is a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he was born April 19, 1831. He came to this county in 1853, where he resided until January 1, 1864, when he enlisted as a soldier in Co. H, 2d Illinois Field Artillery, under Captain Steinbeck. He became a veteran January 1, 1864, and was mustered out August 6, 1865. He participated in the following battles; viz., Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Chickamauga, and last at Nashville. When peace was declared he returned home and resumed his former business ; viz., school-teaching. He was edu- cated in his native county. John Lightner is a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and was born January 17, 1817; is a son of William and Esther Lightner, both natives of Pennsylvania. He came to this county in 1852, and settled near Nauvoo,- where he has since resided, a farmer and hor- ticulturist. He was married May 6, 1874, to Ila Balmer, of Nauvoo, and they have had 2 children; viz., John and Minnie. J.R.McBroom is a native of Butler c9unty,Ohio,and born August 3, 1832. He is a son of Andrew McBroom, who was a native of Kentucky. J. E. was reared and educated in Butler county, Ohio, and came to this State in 1853, and settled in Adams county, where he stayed until 1873, when he came to this county and located in Sonora tp., where he has since resided, engaged in farming and stock-raising, He owns 160 acres of land in Adams county. He was married in 1855 to Miss Susan A. Lowless; they have had 11 children; of these, 8 are living; viz., Mary E., John L., Olive S.,' Cora M., Susan M., Anna D., Milton and Ethel K. Jamies Ogden is a native of Lancashire, Eng-, and was born March 30, 1829. He is a son of Dennis and Elizabeth Ogden, both natives of England. James emigrated to this country with his mother in 1842, his father having died in England. He first set- tled in Nauvoo, where he made his home until in 1850; during the great gold excitement he went to California, where he engaged in gold mining until 1854, when he returned home, and remained during the winter of 1855 ; then he went again to California, where he staid until 1859 and then returned to this county, where he was married to Miss Elnora Eisse, of this county. Kemaining here until April 22, 1862, he then started with a four-mule team across the plains to Washington Territory, where he remained until March, 1863, when he went to Idaho and engaged in mining. August of that year he started home and arrived Nov. 5, 1863. In January, 1864, he went to New York city, and from there to San Francisco, via Panama. There he engaged in gold-mining HISTORY OF HANCOCK COTTNTT. until December of the same year, when he returned to this county, where he has since resided, engaged in farming and stock-raising, on a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Ogden has had 9 children, of whom 6 are living; viz., Eliza J., James L., Samuel J., William A., Barnhard J. and Levi H. Mr. O. took an active part against the Mormons. He was then living at Augusta, and was coming to Nauvoo to see his mother; when near Carthage he was impressed by the Anti-Mormons as a soldier to banish them from the State; and he participated in a skirmish the next day after the soldiers camped in Nauvoo. Henry T. Pitt is a native of England ; and was born July 15, 1837, and was brought here by his parents, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt in '41 and first settled in Nauvoo, where they remained for one year, when they moved out in Sonora tp., where they have since resided. Dec. 12, 1861, Mr. Pitt married Huldah J. Stevens, and they have had 8 children, 7 of whom are living; viz., James E., William O., Ida M., Hattie C, Henry T., John E. and Milton W.- Alice Ann is deceased. Mr. Pitt's educational facilities were much limited; notwithstanding this, he attained a fair education, mainly by reading. He is a prominent officer in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. John Pitt. — The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Robert Pitt, a native of "Herefordshire, England. His wife's maiden name was Hannah Hill. They lived and died in the above- named place. Thomas Pitt, his son, was the father of John, and a native also of Herefordshire, England. He was married to Char- lotte Hardwick, of his native place. He lived for several years after his marriage in Herefordshire, following work at his trade, which was that of a carpenter and millwright. When- his family had increased to 10 children (two of whom however were married), he began to think of emigrating to the United States. In conform- ity with plans thus laid, he sent his wife and part of the family in the spring of 1841, with a company of friends and acquaintances. His son John (the subject of this sketch) followed in the fall, all arriving safely in Hancock county. 111. The father, Thomas Pitt, after settling his affairs in England, arrived in this county in the spring of 1842, being one year after his wife's arrival with part of the family. The names of his children that came to this county were: James, now deceased ; John, the subject of this notice; Rob- ert, who has been in California the past 30 years; Henry and Walter, of Sonora tp. ; and Caroline, now the wife of Henry Ellar, also living in Sonora tp.; Ellen, Ann, Emily and William are deceased. The names of the two children that were married and left in England were Eliza, who is now the wife of John Parsons and lives in the city of Hereford, and Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel Barnes, and lives in Moorehampton, all of England. Thomas Pitt did not work at his trade in this county, but bought a .small farm on sec. 11, this tp., on which he lived with his family until his death, in his 78th year, mourned by his family and a large circle of HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 889 friends. He was a very temperate, exemplary man in all his habits, and was respected by all. His widow, now aged 82 years, is still living at the old homestead, and for her age is still very active and enjoyingexcellent health. John Pitt, the subject of this sketch, is one of the largest and most prominent farmers of Sonora township. He was born in -the village of Dymmock, Gloucestershire, England, Dec. 30, 1827. This village is situated on the line where three counties joined, the names of the same being Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worces- ■ tershire. He was in his 14th year when he came with his father's family to this county. His advantages for an education were very limited, and were chiefly obtained in the subscription schools before leaving England. After arriving in this county his early youth was employed in working on his father's farm. When he arrived at the age of 19 years he was given " his time" by his father, when he went to Macomb, 111., where he worked on a farm during the summer; with the proceeds of this summer's work he bought him a horse. The next winter he worked at chopping wood and split- ting rails, and with the proceeds of the winter's work he bought another horse. He now had a teara. The following spring he returned home where he rented land and put in a crop of corn, wheat, oats, etc. This crop, assisted by plenty of hard work, turned out prosperous. For the first few years he continued to rent land, during which time he bought and ran a threshing machine for several seasons. During the past few years he has become more independent and forehanded. He married in March, 1853, Mary J. Chadsey, who was a native of Indiana; soon afterward he bought 40 acres of land on sec. 11, Sonora tp., where his present residence now stands. He has since added to the homestead, so that now it consists of 270 acres. He has also 313 acres in other precincts, making his landed possessions amount to 583 acres in all. Mr. Pitt is a Republican in politics and has served his tp. in various local oflBces. Mr. and Mrs. Pitt have 10 children living, 5 6ons and 5 daughters. Their names are as follows: James j^., Charlotte J., Mary M., Wm. H. S., Lillie ¥., John T. F., Charles R., Eva J., Frederick C. and Cora E. James A. married Ida Datin and lives in this tp.; Charlotte J. married Duncan Cummings and lives near Avon, Minnesota; Mary M. married "Wm. Chadsey, of Rushville, 111., and lives in Rock Creek tp., this county. A portrait of John Pitt is given on page, 823, made from a picture taken at the age of 53 years. Charles Stevens is a native of Maine, and was born April 6, 1828. He was taken by his parents, Daniel and Mary Stevens, to Meigs county, Ohio, where he was reared and educated ; came to this county in 1853, where he purchased a farm of 50 acres in this tp. Here he resided until the war, when he enlisted as a soldier in Co. F, 151st 111. Vol. Inf., a division of General Sherman's army. Mr. Stevens served one year in the military service; he also had two brothers who were soldiers in the army, Grin and Edwin C. Orin 890 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. was a soldier from the first of the war to the last. Edwin C, his other brother, participated in the first attack on Vicksburg, in which he was wounded January 2, 1863, from the effects of which he died in a few days. A day or two previous to his death he wrote the following letter: — January 4, 1863. Dear Father and Mother: — I take perhaps the last opportunity of writing you a few lines. I received a severe wound on the boat before leaving the Yazoo, by a shot from one of the Rebel skirmishers, who attacked the boat just before we left, killing one instantly and wounding three others. The ball struck me in the mouth and lodged in the left side of the neck, carrying several of my teeth with it. To-day, while I was gurgling some water in my throat, it caused bleeding, and I came near bleeding to death before it could be stopped. I have no hopes of ever getting well. If I should not, don't mourn for me, but remember that I died an easy death, and in a good cause. Dispose of the little property I have in a way that will make you most comfortable. The expedition that moved against Vicks- burg proved a failure, a great many men lost and nothing accomplished. The skirmishers fired on our boat; the fire was returned by our boys, killing several. The gun-boats opened on them which soon put them to flight. Respectfully, (Signed) Edwin C. Stevens. Charles is of Welshl ancestry ; his grandfather on his father's side was a soldier in the Revolutionary war under Gen. Washington. His wife's grandfather was a private in the same war, and was present when the Declaration of Independence was signed and declared. Mr. S. was married April 30, 1851, to Mary J. Bellous; they have had 6 children; viz., Luella T., Emma V., Orin 0., Edwin C, Tillie and Hattie D. J. T. Thomas, a native of Nelson county, Kentucky, was brought by his parents, James and Abigail Thomas, to Adams county, this State, when only three years of age, where he was reared and educated. There were but nine houses in Quincy when his father came there. Our subject left his parental roof in 1852, and came to this county and located in Sonora tp., where he has since resided. He is one of the most prominent farmers in that township; he owns a fine farm of over 600 acres, and a good resi- dence. JVLr. Thomas was married in 1850, to Louisa Nichols, 9 children being the fruit of this union; of these, 8 children are living; viz., Laura A., Lilburn T., William H., Sarah L., Naoma J., Martha E., James H. and Purliet. D. R. Thornher was born July 20, 1849, in this county. He is a son of Henry and Lucy Thornber. The former is a native of Lancashire, England, and the latter of Yorkshire. Our subject was reared and educated in this county, and has for several years devoted his time to school-teaching, all his education being attained in a common district school. Politically he is a Greenbacker, and of the most radical school. He was the man who established the paper known as the Labor Tribune, of Keokuk. The paper is still published, and has an extensive circulation. Mr. T. was married April 6, 1871, to Sarah J. Haigh. To them have been born 5 children, of whom 4 are living; viz., Lucy S., Mary E., Maggie A. and Phebe J. HiBTOET OF hancoce; couhtt. 891 TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS. Below we give a list of the Supervisors, Clerks, Assessors and Collectors of this township since its organization: SUPERVISOES. J. Gardner 1851 Christopher Smith 1868 William Coe 1853 James Moffltt 1871 Geo. Edmunds, Jr 1858 Christopher Smith 1873 Robert Davis 1859 Geo. Edmunds, Jr 1873 James Moffitt 1861 John Brown 1874 Samuel Brownlee 1863 Christopher Smith 1876 James Moffltt 1863 James Mofflitt 1879 William C. Paine 1866 J. N. Datin 1880 CLEBKS. C. P. Golden 1858 Darwin Edmunds 1870 Harvey Collins 1859 Chas. P. Golden 1871 Corydon Bradley 1861 John Brown 1873 James Bolton 1863 James Bolton 1873 Geo. W. Black 1863 John Horton 1874 C. P. Golden 1866 J. N. Datin 1875 O. W. Fulton 1869 John C. Brown 1876-1880 ASSESSORS. W. H. Fulton 1858 George Benner 1873 Wm. S. Williams 1859 John L. D. Horton 1876 John Page 1861 J. N. Datin 1878 John Brown 1863 John L. D. Horton 1880 APPANOOSE. Benjamin Riter 1858 William Jackson 1863 George T. Thompson 1859 Charles C. Ritter 1867-1880 COLLEOTOES. Christopher Smith 1858 John G. Weber 1873 Erastus Rossltter 1859 Milo P. Fulton 1874 George Benner 18H1 J. J. Moffltt 1875 William L. Temple 1863 Luther A. Brown 1876 John C. Brown 1869 John Kendall 1877 C. G. Robison 1870 Gust. Siegfried 1878 Myron A. Black 1871 William Temple 1879 John Datin 1873 John Datin 1880 LA HARPE TOWNSHIP. Township 7-6 occupies the northeast corner of the county. Nature has done much for it. It is well timbered, skirting two branches of Crooked creek, and it has as excellent a body of prairie land as can be found in the county. "What is known as "North Prairie," lying in the north part of the township, has always been noted for its productiveness. Its settlers combine a goodly mix- ture of Yankee, Middle State and Southern blood. Time has been, before railroads changed things about, when La Harpe township sold more wheat in the Warsaw market than any other, except per- haps, Fountain Green, the north prairie being capable of 25, 30, and even 40 bushels per acre. It may take the lead still. The name given, first to the village, is that of one of the early French explorers, who traversed the Illinois wilderness and prairies 200 years ago. The town was laid out in 1836 by Major William Smith and Marvin Tryon; previous to this date it had been called Franklin, but was changed because Uncle Sam refused to give the postofBce that name, there being enough Franklins already. In 1831, Maj. Smith settled there from N. H. with a stock of goods, though to whom he expected to sell his goods is a mystery. Another member of the firm was Mr. Oliver Felt, at Montebello, with a portion of the stock. This can be understood, for all "along shore" were squatters and keel-boat men and half-breeds and whole breeds (red and white) for customers. Mr. Smith's was thus the first store in the township. The La Harpe concern only lasted about three years, the trade being too limited. Louis K. Chaffin was the first Postmaster, a position which he held till 1846 . When Mormonism spread itself over the county, Mr. Chaffin, among some others of La Harpe, embraced it; and when they left, in 184Y, he left with them, and the last his old neighbors heard of him he was a missionary of that sect, proselyting in the wilds of Australia. La Harpe is well supplied with railroads, the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw entering it from the east, and running to the city, where it divides, the Warsaw branch running southwardly, and that to Burlington taking a northwest course and crossing the line at Disco Station. La Harpe is the only town in the township . It has become a place of considerable business, the business center for all the north- east portion of the county. It sports a bank, a good complement of well stocked business houses, and a proportionate number of tradesmen and manufactories and a newspaper. Its population is (893) ^^.^,^4^^ LA H A R P E TP. HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 895 a stirring and intelligent class, and manages to keep well even with the people of other towns in the county. Who succeeded to the office of Postmaster, after Louis E. Chaf- fin, we are not advised, though we find Henry Coulson in the office not long afterward. Then followed Mr. Bliss, Mr. Coquillette, Mr. John "Warren, succeeded by his son, E. L. Warren, the present incumbent. Among the first settlers we may mention Jacob Compton and Abraham Brewer, the former of whom sold to Major Smith. These settlements were made about 1830. After these come Wright Riggins, L. K. Chaffin, Mr. Hendricks, Mr. Hobraker, Jonathan Wassom, Job Clinkenbeard, John Scott, Mr. Eobinson, Jesse Sey- bold, Isaac Sears, George Sears, Daniel Drake, Marvin Tryon, Samuel White, Lot Monit, Jeremiah Smith, Lewis C. Maynard, Henry Comstock, Charles Comstock, James Gittings, Dr. George Coulson, Daniel N. Bainter, Hezekiah Lincoln, Jasper Manifold, John Warren, Benjamin Warren, Joseph W. Nudd, James Rey- nolds, Dr. Richardson, George Oatman, Mr. Johnson, Lyman Wil- cox, Joel Bradshaw, W. C. Bainter, H. H. Barnes, Smith Bryan, Samuel Cogswell, L. S. Cogswell, John Manifold, Wm. F. Mani- fold, H. R. Painter, M. D. Sanford. EELIGIOUS PEOGEESS. We are not advised as to the beginnings of religious work in this township, the earliest obtained being that of the Congrega- tional Church in March, 1836. In that month a Congregational Church was organized, consisting of sixteen members. The names of these members have not been obtained. Twelve years there- after a re-organization took place, under the ministration of Rev. Warren IN'ichols, with the following named 12 members: Sam- uel Hutton, Henry Comstock and wife, L. C. Maynard and wife, Lauren Tuttle and wife, Henry Bliss and wife, William Leavitt, Mrs. W. A. Nichols and Mrs. S. W. Nudd. April 2Y, 18-i8, Lewis C. Maynard was chosen Deacon. The church edifice was erected about 1854. Of its earlier Pastors, we have the names of Revs. Apthorp, Hawley, Williams, Rankin, Perkins, Babbitt, JS'ichols, Henry, Johnson, Pennoyer and Atkinson. For the foregoing we are indebted to a memorial pamphlet, pub- lished by the Illinois Association in 1863. Repeated applications have failed to elicit any data from the other Churches in La Harpe. There is a Methodist Episcopal organization, a Protestant Method- ist, a Christian and a Catholic, all of which, we_ believe, have regular services, and most of them church buildings. There is also a Protestant Methodist Church on North Prairie. BIOGRAPHICAL. Here are sketches of many of the well-known citizens of La Harpe township: W. A. Bamter, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Muskingum county, 0., in 1825, and is a sou of Peter and Mary 51 896 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. (Emaler) Bainter, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania, who came to this connty in 1853, settling in this tp. Both reside in La Harpe. The snbject of this sketch was married in 1849 _to Miss Leran Kel- ler, a native of Welden county, Va. , and they have had 5 children , all living, — William L., Susan, Linda, Carrington A. and Martha. He resides on the homestead, which consists of one-half section of land, valued at $40 per acre. He is School Director, which oflSce he has filled 16 or 17 years ; is also a member of the Masonic order. Politically, he is a Democrat. H. H. Barnes, jiistice of the Peace, was born in Madison county, N. Y., in 1820; in 1837 he came to Illinois and located on a farm in Henderson county; in 1839, he went to the pineries of Minnesota, then a Territory, and with ten others engaged in lum- bering, near the St. Croix river. The Chippewa Indians were exasperated at this intrusion and called a convention of war, and the whites were driven away. They were met by the Government Agents who were sent to make the first payment for territory to this tribe. Blankets and money were paid them, and the party came away with 600 logs. He afterward returned and spent 11 months there, being kindly treated. On his return to this State, he located at Peoria, and engaged in staging between that point and Burlington, Iowa. In 1848, he came to La Harpe and engaged at his trade, harness-making; subsequently he opened a salesroom for wagons and carriages, and had a large trade; in 1853, he was elected Constable and served three or four years; also, he has served as Deputy Sheriff 12 years, and City Marshal nine years; was Mayor two terms, and Alderman a number of years; has been Justice of the Peace since 1873. He also deals largely in horses, handling from 400 to 500 a year, making purchases and selling to the Gov- ernment. Ill 1844 he married Miss Mary, daughter of George Coulson, and they have 4 children, — Eobert, Franklin, Edward and Harry. Willis G. Bernethy, farmer, sec. 22; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Bond county. 111., in 1832; his parents, James and Elizabeth (Gilliland) Bernethy, emigrated to that county, about 1826; sub- sequently they moved to Canton, Fulton county. 111., and to La Harpe tp. in 1835. He was a farmer, and although solicited to fill many ofiices. of trust, preferred the quiet of his home. He raised a family of S children, 4 of whom are now living, — Eobert G., James H., "Willis G. and Jane. His death occurred at the homestead Jai^uary 19, 1877; the widow, cow in her 79th year, resides on the homestead with her son and daughter, "Willis and Jane. The farm, consisting of 90 acres, is well improved. Joel Bradshaw, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., La Harpe; is one of the oldest citizens of the county. He was born in "White county, "West Tennessee, Sept. 15, 1812; when quite young he was brought by his parents, John and Fannie Bradshaw, to Madison county 111.; they afterward removed to Morgan county, where they diea, re- corded " Early State pioneers." The subject of this notice was HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 897 married in 1833 to Miss Catharine, daughter of Hu^h Dickson; she was born near Knoxville, East Tenn.; they have had 10 chil- dren, of whom Y are living: Jane, Emma, Eliza, Wm. D., Geo. "W"., J. S. and James M. Mr. 13. settled on his present estate in August, 1837; his farm of 188 acres is valued at $60 per acre, being under a high state of cultivation. He is a Democrat. William D. Bradshaw, farmer, sec. 30; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Morgan county, 111., in 1837, and is a son of the preceding. In 1867 he married Mary E., daughter of Samuel M. Bainter, an early pioneer of the county. He has one 6hild, Sarah M. Mr. B. settled on his present estate in 1867; it consists of 160 acres, and is quite valuable. He is School Director. John W. Bra/y, deceased, was born at "Welsh Pool, Wales, Dec. 24:, 1806, and married Miss Ann Wilkinson May 22, 1830, and a few years later emigrated to America, settling near Philadelphia, where he worked at his trade, that of tinsmithing; in this business he succeeded well and accumulated some property. In 1840 he joined the Freemasons and soon became an enthusiast in the principles of the order. He was a charter member of the La- Harpe Lodge No. 195, and was the organizer of Bristol Lodge No. 653 I. O. O. F., at Bristol, Pa. In the former order he was S. W., W. M., Select Master, and when he died he was Scribe. He emi- grated to Carthage in 1852, and the following year he started in business with his son Thomas. _ 'He was one of the first of the city fathers, and was serving as Alderman at the time of his death, Sept. 4, 1879. After dinner one day he lay down, and when he was called and no response was heard, he was found dead. He was a good and true man. Thomas S- Bray, son of the preceding, was born in Bucks county, Pa., in 1836; in 1862 he married Miss Emma, daughter of Wm. Leavitt, an early settler of this tp. He has served on the Board of Education six yeafs; has been an Alderman, and is one of the oldest and most respected merchants of La Harpe. He has 3' children living: Edwin, Annie and Winnie. Politically Mr. B. is a stalwart Kepublican, as was hi^ respected father. Oeorge W. Bra/ymer, dealer in sewing machines, wall-paper, etc., was born in Montgomery county, Pa., in 1829; in 1855 he came to La Harpe engaging in mechanical work nntil he opened his present trade in 1870. In 1851, in his native State, he married / / Sarah H. Griffith, of the same State, and of their 7 children all are living: Emma, Adell, Linford, Edward, William, George and Bessie. Tor years Mr. B. has been Superintendent in, the Method- ist Protestant Church, and is one of the active business men of the community. He is a Eepublican. E. C. Broc%ett,i'a.rmer,see,. 23; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Trumbull county, O., in 18-^0; his parents, Hosea, and Aurilla (Nntt) Brockett, were natives of New York and Ohio, and came to this county in 1854, settling on the present farm. The home- stead farm consists of 200 acres, valued at $45 per acre. The sub- 898 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COTJNTT. ject of this sketch was married in 1873 to Miss Mary E. Biggs, a native of this county, and their 2 children are Eya O. and Clarence "W. Mr. B. is a son of one of the old settlers of the county and tp. His father is a resident of California, and his uncle lives on the homestead. Politically Mr. B. is a Republican. S. J^. Bryan, farmer sec. 9j P. O., La Harpe; was born in Mercer county, Pa., II>fov. 1, 1-832; when eight years of age he was brought to this county by his parents, Jacob and Mary (Bagler) Bryan, in May, 1840; he settled in thistp. and engaged in farming many years, in which he was successful. He moved to La Harpe, where he now lives in retirement. The ages of these respected pioneers are 86 and 75 years. The subject of this notice in 1859 married Miss Dolena, daughter of Joseph T. Painter, who settled on his farm in 1836, where she was born in ]t^ovember of^that year. Eight of their 9 children are living: Emma Y., Joseph P., John F., "William E., James P., Mary, Charles C. and one not yet christened. The homestead farm consists of 160 acres, valued at $50 an acre. It has a flow of living water upon it. This point is historic, as the cabin of La Harpe stood but a short distance from it, as also the rem- nants of an old fort supposed to have been occupied by a pre-his- toric race. William 0. Butler, dentist, La Harpe, is a son of Noah and L. C. (Dickinson) Butler, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee, who settled in La Harpe in 1851 ; father was a graduate of the Missouri Medical College, and was a practicing physician in this city until his death in 1876. He was prominently identified with the inter- ests of the community. His estimable widow and five children survive. The subject of this biography was born in Clarke county, Mo., in 1860; he completed a course of study in the Missouri Medical College and graduated at the Dental School of Pennsyl- vania, and is the only graduate dentist in the county. In 1873 he married Miss Kate Lisk, a native of La Harpe, and their two children are Clyde and Edith. Dr. B. is an Alderman, a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the A. O. U. W., and of the Illinois State Dental Association. He is thoroughly devoted to his pro- fession. He established in practice here in 1873, and has a good patronage. William T. Campbell and sisters, dealers in dry goods, millinery and notions. La Harpe, established themselves in business here in 1872, and now control a large trade. They are the children of James and Eliza (McCulloch) Campbell, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to this county in 1853, settling in Fountain Green tp.; in 1874 they moved to La Harpe, where the father died in 1877; the widow and eight children survive. William T. was born in Franklin county,Pa.,in 1839 ; in 1870 he married Mary A. Barr, a native of the same State, and they have one boy, Charlie. Mr. C. served as Clerk of Fountain Green tp., and is now an Alderman, a Superintendent of the Sunday-school connected with the Congregation a,l Church, HISTOET OF HANOOOB COUNTY. 899 and is one of those enterprising men who have given prestige to the business of La Harpe. ' I. W. Cassell, principal of La Harpe Seminary, is a native of Knox county, O., where he was born in 1839. He was educated at "Wittenburg College, Springfield, O., and graduated at that insti- tution in 1866. In September of the same year he entered the college at Adrian, Mich., as Professor of Greek and Latin, where he officiated six years. He organized and superintended the public schools at Lincoln, Neb., in 1872, where he was engaged two years. On his return to Illinois he settled on a farm in this tp., where he has resided until called to fill his present position. He entered the ranks of the Union sojdiers in Co. A, 20th O. V. I., in 1861 for three years' service, and was discharged at Bolivar, Tenn., on account of sickness, after one year of service. He was a participant in the battles of Fort Donelson and Pittsbnrg Landing. In 1871 Prof. C. was married to Miss Mary, daughter of James Gittings, an early pilgrim of Hancock county. Their living children are Abbie, Robert and Ort. The Professor and his wife are members of the Methodist Protestant Church. A. Glaycomh, proprietor of the Tremont House, La Harpe, was born in Breckenridge county, Kentucky, in 1812; his parents, Coonrad and Nancy (All) Claycomb, were natives of that State, both deceased. Mr. C- was on a farm until thirty years of age. In 1835 he traveled extensively through the Western States, selling goods, but returned to his home, where he was married in 1847 to Miss Sarah Barr, a native of Kentucky. In 1853 he moved to La Harpe and purchased the hotel on the site of the present house, which was burned to the ground in 1871. He erected a new build- ing the same year, which also was destroyed by fire, January 31, 1879. In these conflagrations he lost about $3,500, besides the family wardrobe. Not discouraged by these losses, he erected the present house (" Tremont ") at a cost of $3,000, which is the only first-class hotel in La Harpe ; it has the iDest improvements, and a livery stable attached, and commands the best trade of the traveling public. Mr. C. also has a farm of 160 acres in St. Clair county, Missouri, under a good state of cultivation. He is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, and the father of 2 children: Harry E., who assists his father in the hotel, and Delia, deceased. Albert Gomstoch, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., La Harpe; was born in this tp. in 1843; his parents, Henry and Lucy (Crocker) Comstock, natives of Conn., and Mass., came to this county in the fall of 1836, and settled on this place; here they resided until his death, in 1879, at the age of 85. His widow survives, aged 81 years. He was an active man, identified with the interests of the county, and was highly esteemed. The subject of this biography was married in 1866,' to Miss Narcissa Strong, a native of this State. They have 7 children, all of whom are living: Grant P., Chesley H., Joseph, Alfred, Ernest, Orpha S. and Kobert E. The homestead farm consists of 200 acres, valued at $45 per acre. Member of the Con- 900 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. gregational Church and the A. O. U. "W. The family are among the oldest and most respected of the county. Charles W. Comstock, farmer, sec. 23; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Hampden county, Massachusetts, July 28, 1828, son of Charles and Sophia (Bonner) Comstock, natives of Connecticut and Massachusetts, who came to this county in the fall of 1836, and settled on the farm of the present estate, consisting of 120 acres, valued at $40 per acre. He was among the earliest settlers of this tp., where he resided until his death in January, 1880, in the 81st year of his age. She died in 1867. He was a quiet, unostentatious man and devoted to the Church. The subject of this sketch was married in 1852 to Miss Julia A. Haggerty, a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky. They are the parents of 5 children, 4 of whom are living: Laura M., wife of Pliny A. Maywood, resident of this tp., Thomas D., Charles J., who died in June, 1879, in Sacramento, California, in the22d year of his age, Leonard A. anc} Herbert H. Mr. C. assessed the town in 1866, and is School Trustee at the present time. He has been a member of the Masonic order since 1865. Politically he is a Republican. He was drafted into the service of the army in 1864, and served until July, 1865; partici- pated in the battles of Kingston, North Carolina, and was honorably discharged. WiTHam IN. Comstock, farmer, sec. 26; P. O., La Harpe; was born in Hampden county, Mass., Jan. 20, 1825; is a son of Henry and Lucy (Crocker) Comstock, natives of Connecticut and Massa- chusetts, who came to this county in the fall of 1836, and settled in this township, where they resided until his death in Jan., 1879. His widow and 8 children survive. The subject of this sketch was married in 1850 to Miss Sarah Nutt, a native of Trumbull county, O. They are the parents of 4 living children — Fannie, Mary, William and Frank. In 1869 Mr. C. settled on his present estate, consisting of 280 acres, valued at $45 per acre. He is Commis- sioner of Highways, and is one of the early living pioneers of the county; is a member of the Masonic order, and is favorably known throughout the county. Politically he is a Republican. George Coulson, hardware merchant. La Harpe, established in the grocery business in 1870, and in his present business Jan. 1, 1879. carries a stock worth $3,000, and has a good trade. Mr. C. was born in this county in 1843. His parents. Dr. George and Nancy (Cossitt) Coulson, were natives of Yirginia and Connec- ticut, and came to this county in 1834, settling in this place. The father was one of the first practicing physicians in La Harpe, and one of the earliest settlers. In 1840 he moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he resided until his death, in 1851. Mrs. C. died in this city in 1866. The subject of this sketch was married in 1869 to Miss Maggie, daughter of Daniel Bainter, of this tp. She died in 1878, leaving 2 children, George and. Mary, both living. His present wife, Rebecca Mayer, was a native of this county. They were married in 1879. Mr. C. filled the office of Assessor four HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 901 years; is a member of the I. O. 0. F., and one of the oldest living settlers of the county. Politically he is a Democrat. Ja/ntes C. Coulson, editor of the La Harper, was born in La Harpe, Sept. 24, 1844. His first experience in the newspaper business was at Raritan, Henderson county, 111., where he started the Raritan Bulletin,, a small paper 10x12 — a four-page weekly, which he afterward enlarged to a five-column quarto; afterward continuing this about one year. In November, 187Y, he sold out to his partners, Barnes and Butler, and in March, 1878, he bought the oflBce and good will of The La Harper, of Mr. L. S. Cogswell, and he has continued its proprietor and editor since that time, con- ducting the paper as an independent in politics. It is a five-column quarto, and has a circulation of about 600 . Its advertisements are all of a local character. It is a live paper, and is in a very pros- perous condition. Chas. P. Crum, farmer, sec. 6; P. O., Disco; was born in Cass county, 111., in 1853; is a sDn of James and Christina (Ream) Crum, natives of Indiana and Ohio, who settled in Cass county in 1830, where she died in May, 1878. He survives' The subject of this sketch was married in 1875 to Miss Salina, daughter of A. J Janes, a native of this county. They have 3 children, Roy, and twins, not yet christened. Mr. Crum came to this county in the spring of 1876, and engaged in the grain and mercantile business at Disco, but kept up his farming. In 1878 he disposed of his grain business, and turned his attention wholly to farming. He has an excellent farm of 160 acres, valued at $60 per acre, which is under a good state of cultivation and well improved. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the Methodist Protestant Church. Politically he was raised a Democrat, but is now a staunch sup- porter of Republican principles. J. G. Figley, miller. La Harpe, is a native of Columbiana county, O., where he was born in 1824. In 1846 he visited this county, and returned East. He married in 1849 Miss Elizabeth Hamilton, a native of Pennsylvania. In 1851 he came to this county, and . located at Warsaw, where he resided until 1862, when he enlisted in Co. C, 111. Yol. Inf., and served in the Quartermaster's depart- ment until the close of the war. In 1868 he. moved to Clarke county, Mo., and in 1875 went to Kohaka, "Wis., and for two years engaged in the mercantile business. This he disposed of and pur- chased the mill at La Harpe, upon which he has expended about $3,000 in repairs, and he is now having a large and lucrative trade. Mr. F. is serving his second term as Alderman; is a member of I. O. O. F., and one of the active, enterprising merchants of La Harpe. His parents, David and Dorcas Figley, were natives of Washington county, and are both deceased. The following are his six living children: Mary, Jasper M., Cora, Curtis, Isola and Birdy. Cha/rles Firmey QUI was born in Antwerp, Jefierson county, N . Y., Oct. 22, 1829,' a son of Daniel L. Gill, who was born in 1783, 902 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COITNTT. in Yermont, and was during his life-time a farmer, and during tlie war of 1812 was Captain. He removed from New York to Indiana in 1837, where he bought a farm a half mile from Muncietown, Ind., and where he died in 1838, leaving a widow and 6 children, in comfortable circumstances. Her maiden name was Sallie Cogs- well, and she was also a native of Vermont and of Scotch ancestry; in 1841 she moved to Illinois with her children, locating in Foun- tain Green tp., on sec. 5; she died in Nauvoo Dec. 25, 1845. Charles' education was limited to that of the common schools in the winter, from 12 to 19 years of age. At 12 he commenced to work on a farm for $4 a month, continuing with the same man nntil he was 19, when he was employed by Geo. A. Chittenden in Warsaw, as clerk in the forwarding and Commission business; six months afterward, in company with David Bettisworth, Mr. Gill bought out Mr. Chittenden and continued six months longer, when Mr. G. bought out Mr. Bettisworth' s interest, and continued until 1852, when he went to California with three others, with 5 yoke of oxen; in California he engaged in various pursuits, but none of them proving to be permanent, he returned home in 1853, in Feb- ruary; but in March he started for California again, taking 165 head of cattle, and he succeeded in getting them through, which proved a profitable investment. In the spring of 1855 he returned overland, by mule train, and went to steamboating between St. Louis and St. Paul, at first owning an interest in the " Julia Dean " and "Minnesota Belle," and followed the business until 1858, when he bought a farm of 365 acres, the south ^ of sec. 29, Pon- toosuc tp., where he lived nine years; he then came to La Harpe and put up a large brick building and opened a private bank, which he conducted from 1867 to 1875, when he sold out, on account of failing health, to Hungate &Ward, and spent two years in the South for his health. Mr. Gill was married, Dec. 20, 1865, to Lucy S. A. Bainter, in Fountain Green tp., a native of Ohio and daughter of Daniel N. and Sarah Bainter, who came to this county • in 1836, and are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Gill are now resid- ing in La Harpe, in a very pleasant residence, with 4 children, whose names are Ella, Charles F., John and Sarah M. Politically; Mr. Gill is a Eepublican ; in 1877 he represented the 24th district in the Illinois House of Representatives, which position he filled with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. Since 'that time his chief occupation has been the care of his property, which consists of about 600 acres of farm land in this county, some town property, securities, etc. He also carries on a general prdduce and grocery store. He has been Treasurer of La Harpe for the last eight or ten years. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Gill's portrait will be found on page 883. William W. r CLc^y^ ^-4Ctti^Q4 DURHAM TP. HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 921 improved land. In politics he was a decided "Whig, and in 1848 was a nominee of his party for the State Senate. In this county he had nothing to commence with, but in time came to be one of the wealthiest men in this section. He was a man of the strictest integrity, whose word was as good as his bond. In his habits he was very temperate, and in all respects he was honored and respected by the community. He was a member of the Catholic Church. He died November 7, 1869, aged nearly 79 years, leaving 10 chil- dren, who were all married at the time, and are all living at present. He had a family of 15 children, but 5 are deceased. William K. Gittings, the third child of the former, was born November 5, 1822, and was on his father's farm until 26 years of age, when he was married January 9, 1849, at the Church of St. Peter, JSTauvoo, Illinois, by Father Griffin, to Amelia E. Hardy, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Ivo H. and Mary (Riley) Hardy, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Kentucky, and of English descent. Ivo Hardy and wife moved to this county in 1835; he is now dead, and his widow is now living with Mr. W. K. Gittings. On Mr. G.'s marriage he immediately moved upon a farm on sec. 1, Durham tp., consisting of about 80 acres, which he had bought some time previous to his marriage. The first house he built was a small log cabin 14 by 16; in this he lived one year, when he built a small frame; in 1860 he erected a large two-story and L, which he has since occupied. In politics Mr. G. is a Democrat, and he has been Supervisor four terms, and was one of the first Road Commissioners after the organization of the county. He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church. He has since added to the home farm until it now consists of 720 acres, and he has given to two of his children who are married 320 acres besides; his children are: Mary Ellen, now the wife of "Wm. L. Dean, of this tp. ; Julia A., now Mrs "Wm. Yager, also of this tp.; Cory I., now Mrs. John Arnold, and living in Henderson county, near Burlington; Ivo James, Henry Mar- cellus and Catharine Matilda, at home. Wm. Berry, Rose Ellen and Sarah May are deceased. Jason K. Jacob, who has been a resident of Durham tp., Hancock county, 111., for over 40 years, is a native of Connecticut, and was born Aug. 24, 1806. His parents' names were Udna and Elizabeth, who were natives also of Connecticut. His father was a farmer, also a mechanic by trade, and taught school some in his early life. Mr. J's grandparents were early pioneers of Connecticut, and his father removed from Connecticut to New York about 1812, when his son Jason, the subject of this sketch, was quite young. Here he lived -until 1820, when he went to Indiana, and living there 6 or 7 years he again returned to New York, his son Jason returning with him. Afterward, in 1838, his father and family came West and settled on sec. 34 of Durham tp., where he (Jason) still lives. Mr. J. was married in 1839 to Sarah A. Thompson, who is the mother of 6 children, of whom 6 are living: Orson, the oldest, who is now 922 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. traveling for S. Hamill & Co., Keokuk; Milton, who is now running a store and buying grain in Sciota, 111. ; ^Richford, who is farming in the same tp. ; Viola, who is the wife of Marshall Terry, a clothier in Blandinsville, 111. ; and Horace, who is still farming at home with his father. Mr.. J. owns 30 acres of land where he now lives, which is pretty well improved and worth about $2,000. His advan- tages for an education were only such as log houses afforded. Politically he is and always has been a Democrat, and has held several offices, such as Magistrate eight years in this county. School Director, Trustee, and Commissioner of Highways. , He and his wife are both members of the Christian Church. James Edison Manifold.— This, man's father, George Manifold, was a native of Tennessee, and came to Hancock county in 1836, bringing with him a family of a wife and 8 children. The names of the children were: "Sarah, deceased; Elizabeth, Nancy, William Fleming, Joseph N., James E., Benjamin, Jashur and John, all living in this county except Joseph N., who lives in Kockford, 111. Geo. Manifold's wife's maiden name was Mary Persley, and she was a native of Tennessee. He died in this county a year and a half after settling here. His occupation was that of a farmer, and his farm consisted of three quarter-sections, and his residence was one and a half miles west of La Harpe. He died somewhat in debt for his land, but the widow and family afterward succeeded in paying all balance due. She died about ten years ago, and her son John now occupies the old homestead. James E. Manifold lived on the old place with his mother, sharing in clearing the place from debt, until he was 24 years of age, having received such a limited education as was afforded in the primitive log school-houses of the day. In the spring of 1853 he bought 160 acres on sec. 9, Durham tp., for which he paid $1,160, $500 down, which latter sum he had made in raising a crop of wheat on rented land. On this farm was a small log cabin and some slight improvements ; 100 acres of it was raw prairie ; but the farm is now one of the best cultivated in the county, with fine improve- ments, fences, etc. The farm now comprises 280 acres, and Mr. M. has also 240 acres on sec. 28, and 80 on sec. 20. Mr. Manifold has had but $200 given him in his life, and that was after his mar- riage; and he has therefore made all his present possessions by direct earning. He follows stock farming to some extent, feeding on an average from 100 to 200 head of stock per annum; raises on an average 80 to 90 acres of corn, all of which, besides more, he feeds; he raises wheat, oats, etc., for market. His residence is on sec. 9, and he is very pleasantly situated. In politics Mr. M. is a Republican, and in religion he has been a member of the Methodist Church for the last fifteen years; Mrs. M. has been a member of the same Church since she was 18 years of age. Mr. Manifold was married Nov. 17, 1853, to Elizabeth Logan, near Dallas, in Henderson county; she was born in Indiana, Nov. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 923 28, 1830, and was a daughter of "Wm. and Elizabeth (McCarty) Lo»an, formerly of Marion' county, Ind., and moved to Hancock county in 1835, locating on Camp creek, in Durham tp., where he bought land, of which he finally owned a large quantity; he gave each of his 9 children 80 acres, and at his death left 160 acres. He died in this county in 1847; his wife died in 1843. In coming to this county he brought 9 children with him; namely, Sarah, James M., Benj. J., Wm. H., Enoch M., Jonathan B., Samuel W., Jane and Elizabeth. These are all living, and gone further west (Mis- souri and Kansas) except Elizabeth and Enoch, who live in Mercer county. 111. Mr. Manifold's portrait is given in this volume, p. 423. J.B. MoMillen, is the son of James McMillen and Eleanor (Bernethy) McMillen, and was born in Brown county, O., in 1828. Coming to Illinois in 1849 he first settled in La Harpe tp.; living there one year, he went to Fountain Green, thence to Pilot Grove, where he remained for 20 years. While here his occupation was a farmer and at the same time was engaged in the drug business at Burnside for a number of years with L. V. Aleshire. And after- ward he removed to Durham tp. in the spring of '75, where he now lives on sec. 34. He was married in the fall of 1854 to Miss Mar- garet S. Evans, who is still living; from this marriage they have had 8 children, of whom all are living except one. Their names are: Eleanor A., the wife of John L. Heller, who is a druggist in Abingdon, 111.; Ethel, who was recently married to W. W Glass, now a farmer of Fountain Green tp.; James E., who is a farmer in Durham tp.; Christina P., who is the wife of James Lionberger, a farmer in Pilot Grove; Cyrus Grant, Sarah B. and John Oscar, who are still at home. Since he removed to Durham tp., Mr. McM. has been an extensive farmer and stock-dealer. He has a large farm consisting of 350 acres where he lives, and 115 acres in Pilot Grove, on sec. 3. All of it is pretty well improved and he estimates it at about $45 per acre. He has on his land a large and commodious stone barn, probably the best in the tp. This building is 40 by 60 ,feet in size and holds about 50 tons of hay ; has a basement story for 20 horses and 60 cattle; and altogether, is a conveniently arranged structure. Mr. McM. has only one brother, John, who is a preacher and retired citizen of Winterset, Iowa, and 3 living sisters, 2 of whom are in this State and one in Iowa. His educational advantages were only such as were afforded by a district school. Politically he is a Republican. He and family are members of the Christian Church, and all are highly esteemed bv those who know them. " James Hills, son of William Mills and Sarah Morrison, was born in Ohio county, Virginia, near Wheeling, in 1816. He came to Illinois in 1853 and settled in Durham tp., on sec. 20; here he still resides, together with his three maiden sisters, Caroline, Sarah Jane and Minerva Zane, who keeps house for their bachelor brother James, the subject of this sketch. Mr. M. owns 160 acres 924 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of pretty-well-improved land which is worth about $50 per acre. He has never held any ofBce and never belonged to any secret organization. His educational advantages were only such as were offered by subscription schools. Politically he is a Republican. Mr. M. stands high in his community as a gentleman of sterling worth, and as a man whose integrity all admire. Sarah Morris, the daughter of William Gather and Elizabeth Gillet, ytiho were of Yankee and Irish descent, was born in Penn- sylvania in 1836. Coming to 111. in 1851 she fii-st settled in Hen- derson county, where she resided one winter and then came where she now is, on sec. 12 of Durham tp. In 1856 she was married to John Morris, who died in 1876; from this union she is the mother of 6 children, 4 of whom are now living: Elizabeth, Day- ton, Sumner and Charles. She owns 20 acres of good land which is pretty well improved and is worth about $45 per acre. Her educational advantages were somewhat limited. She is a member of the Methodist Church. Politically her husband was a Republican. Her mother is still living. Y. I*. Parmelee, a merchant of Durham tp., is the son of Ormin Parmelee and Phebe (Lyons) Parmelee, and was born in Conn., in 1853. His parents, who were of English descent and natives ot Conn., are now both dead. He came to Illinois in 1870 and set- tled in Durham tp., where he has been ever since. He went into business at Durham Corners three years ago, buying the dry-goods and grocery store formerly owned by C. M. Thomas. He is now doing a very good business and has a good home trade. He carries a stock of about $1,500, and by fair, square dealing and prompt attention to business, has gained the confidence of his many friends in the community. Politically Mr. P. is a Democrat and now holds the office of Town Clerk. Before going into business here he was a farmer. His father was also a farmer and stock dealer. Reynolds c& Sohertson, merchants, Disco. This young and enter- prising firm established business in October, ] 879. They carry a stock of $5,000, and have a lucrative trade. The senior partner of this firm, W. H. Robertson, was born in Lancaster county. Pa., in 1856, and came to Illinois with his parents, "William and Ann E. (Pennell) Robertson, who are residents of Terre Haute, Hender-' son county, Mr. R. had a large experience as clerk in the mercan- tile houses of Terre Haute, and has adaptation and energy for suc- cess. He was married in 1878, to Miss Jane Forseman. Edla is their only^ child. The junior member, Mr. Reynolds, is a native of Clinton county, O., where he was born in 1848. His parents are residents of Henderson county, where they settled in 1879. Mr. Reynolds was engaged in farming until the present partnership was formed. He was appointed Postmaster at Disco, Jan. 1, 1880. Josiah Bitchey, a farmer of Durham tp., was born in Tennessee, in 1830. He is the son of John M. Ritchey and Catherine Dough- erty. He came to this State in 1851, and settled in Adams coun% ; after living there one year he came to Hancock, and first settled in HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 925 Dallas tp., where he resided until 1862, when he removed to Dur- ham, and settled on sec. 29, where he now lives. In 1854: he was mar- ried to Miss Amanda F. Knowles, ,who is now 44 years of age; from this union she ,is the mother of 9 children, all of whom are living: Hiram C, Philip M., John M., Sarah L., Margaret E., Catherine, James H., Lncy M. and Dora B. Mr. E. has 80 acres of well-improved land which is worth about $45 per acre. Has never held any oflSce except School Director, two terms. His educational advantages were very much inferior to those of to-day. He has two sisters living, one in this tp., and one in Iowa. His father is dead but his mother, 76 years old, is living in this tp. Politically, Mr. R. is a Democrat. He and family are members of the United Brethren Church. James Rhea, one of the most prominent farmers of Durham tp., is a native of Kentucky, and was born in 1834. His parents' names were William aud Ann, who were of Irish and Dutch descent. He came to Illinois in 1850, and first settled in Adams county, where he resided until 1856, when he came to the place on which he now lives, on sec. 31. He was married in 1855 to iNancy J. Smith, who died about four years after their marriage; and was mar- ried a second time shortly afterward to 'Harriet I. Smith, a sister to his former wife. His first wife was the mother of 2 children, of whom one, whose name is Thomas, is now living. His second wife is the mother of 7 children, of whom 4 are living. Their names are: Theodore F., George, John and Adaline. His advan- tages for an education, when young, were very poor, being com- pelled to go four or five miles to attend school. Politically, he is a Hepublican. Mr. E. owns in Durham tp., where he lives, 117 acres, all of which is well improved. He has a fine two-story house, size, 28x32, with an L, which he built in 1872, at a cost of about $3,000. He has, also, one of the finest barns in the tp., size, 44x68, which he built in 1874, at a cost of $2,000. Besides the land on which he lives, he owns in Pilot Grove tp., 240 acres of well-irnproved land , the average value of all of which is about $40 per acre. Bv hard work and strict adherence to the principles of right and justice, Mr. E. has accumulated considerable wealth, and has suc- ceeded in establishing a reputation beyond reproach. Robert Thomas, one of the old settlers of Durham tp., but of late a retired citizen of Carthage, 111., was born in Kentucky, in 1807. His parents, whose names were James and Sarah (Childers) Thomas were also natives of Kentucky, and of English and Welsh descent. Emigrating to Illinois in 1829, he first settled in Adams county, where ne lived about 25 years. He next came to Hancock county, in 1856, and settled at Durham Center, on sec. 16. He was married in 1830, to Miss Kebecca Thompson, who is now 56 years old and the mother of 9 children, 6 of whom are living: Mel- vina, Mary, Eobert, Helen, Charles and George. His educational advantages were rather poor, although he reads 926 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. considerably now. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for 48 years. O. W. Vandruff, son of Joseph and Lavina (Nichols) Yandruff, ■who were natives of Pennsylvania, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1820. His descent is Holland Dutch. He emigrated to Illinois in 1849 and first settled at Mendon, where he lived three years ; he then went to Henderson county, where he remained about a year and a lialf; thence he came to Hancock county, where he has resided ever since; he is now on sec. 14. He was married in 1847, to Miss Hettie Gillet, who died in about 25 years. He was mar- ried the second time in 1873, to Susan Smith, who is now 52 years old, and the mother of 5 children, all of whom are living. Mr. V. owns 321 acres of land, which is well improved and worth about $50 per acre. When a boy, he attended a subscription school in a log cabin, where they had greased paper for windows, and roughly hewn boards for seats. He has held the offices of Collector and Eoad Commissioner. He is now a member of the Masonic fraternity; he and his wife are both members of the Church of God, of which there is a small denomination in his community. Politically, he is a sincere Greenbacker. / ZdmiS L. Wilcox, a prominent farmer of Durham tp., was born in Haddam, Middlesex county, Conn., July 6, 1819. He is the eldest son of Lyman and Emily (Hubbard) Wilcox, both natives of Middlesex, Conn., and until 16 years of age he was on his father's farm; he then spent three years as an apprentice at the tanner's trade; then taught school one winter in Connecticut. April 3, 1839, he married Miss Abigail Burr, of the same State, and imme- diately removed to Hancock county. 111., settling in LaHarpetp. ; the following winter he taught school in La Harpe, and his wife taught the same winter in a log school-house one and one-half miles east. In 1841, Mr. Wilcox rented land in La Harpe tp., and the next year he purchased the northeast quarter of sec. 22, Dur- ham tp., which place he improv^ed and occupied until 1856, when his wife died, in Connecticut, July 12. While on a visit to his native State in 1849> with his family, he became interested in a chain pump, which he was the first to introduce at any point west ot the Alleghany mountains. He manufactured and sold the article for about four years, employing six to twelve men. After the death of his wife, as before men- tioned, he built a portion of his present residence, which was enlarged by additions and completed in 1872, at a cost of $2,300. His barn, erected in 1869, is one of the best An the country. Everything on the premises is neatly arranged. Has a milk cellar communicating with an ice-house, a very convenient contrivance for taking off the wagon bed and keeping it in an elevated position, out of the way, an arrangement for loading corn (can load 40 bushels of shelled corn per minute), cultivator wheels usable also for a hand cart, and various other conveniences wherein he is " lit- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COtTNTT. 927 tie ahead" of most of the world. He began life poor, but by hon- est diligence has acquired a competence. He practices the cash system in all his dealings. He has taken a prominent part in the " farmers' movement," and was Master of the first Grange organized in the northern part of the county; was originally a Whig, then a Republican, and now is a prominent Greenbacker; has been a member of the M. E. Church for 42 years, and has been Recording Steward. Mr. "Wilcox has been twice married. By his first wife, already mentioned, he had 5 sons and 2 daughters, 3 of whom are living — Daniel W. , Cynthia E. and Edward A. Oct. 6, 1858, he married Fannie M. Buell, of Killingworth, Conn., and of their 4 children 3 are living — Ellsworth F., Collins H. and Freddie. Mr. "W". has three sisters — one in this tp., one in Elvaston, and one in Kansas. He has two brothers — one in Good Hope, McDonough county, 111., and one in Kansas. Mr. "Wilcox is an intelligent, industrious and influential citizen, and as a prominent man of his community, we present on page - 803 a portrait of him, from a photograph taken when he was 40 years of age. TOWN OFFICERS. Here follows a list of the men who have served this township oflBcially, both past and present: SUPERVISORS. James Porter 1850 Jason K. Jacobs 1865 Jesse Duffleld 1853 Kobert Inghram 1868 Jesse Avise 1856 David Byler 1869 David Byler 1858 I. M. Morris 1874 Robert Inghram 1860 Wm. K. Sittings 1875 Wellington Jenney 1863 Stephen Eckles 1879 David Byler 1864 CLERKS. John McGuire 1855 Wesley Huston 1869 A. B. Stevens ,-...1859 Wesley Pershin 1875 Stephen Eckles 1864 Geo. W. Hendrix .1876 Wellington Jenney 1865 L. W. Buell 1877 John McGuire 1866 Ed. Wilcox 1878 William Scott 1867 V. P. Parmelee 1879-1880 Stephen Eckles 1868 ASSESSORS. James Porter 1855 Stephen Eckles 1870 William Scott 1858 Robert Inghram 1871 J B Barr I860 Stephen Eckles 1873 Stephen Eckles 1863 Wm. E. Atwater 1874 Jesse AYise 1863 J. N. Burr 1875 Walter Stiles 1864 Stephen Eckles 1876 John W. Hartzell 1865 Joseph Gittings 1877 Robert Inghram 1866 J. N. Bradfleld 1878 John C. Ammons 1867 Francis Wilson 1879-1880 Wesley Huston 1868 53 928 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. COLLEOTOES. Stephen Bckles 1855 David Pershin 1859 Stephen Eckles 1860 William Eckles 1863 "William Scott 1864 Stephen Bckles 1865 William Scott 1867 ' Noah M. Hartzell 1868 George W. Vandruff 1869 Wesley Huston 1870 Francis Wilson 1872 Wesley Huston 1873 S. W. Yager 1874 R. L. Phillips 1875 John W. Byers 1876 J. B. Rice ; 1878 Henry Reiselt 1879 Josiah Dickson 1880 PONTOOSnC AND DALLAS TOWNSHIPS, Eorming together township 7 n— 7 w, lie on the north line of the county and on the river, which cuts off about half of the upper tier of sections in Pontoosuc. The stream known as Snake Hollow (we never heard of any big snake story connected with it, though there must be one, of course) empties into the river at Pontoosuc. Camp creek runs northeastwardly through the southern portion of the township, into Durham. There is much valuable farm land in this township, and is well settled with an intelligent and thrifty community. The township is divided for political purposes; the two and a half tiers of sections on the east side being Dallas, and the three and a half on the west side comprising Pontoosuc. The town of Pontoosuc is on the river and was laid out in April, 1837, by Hezekiah Spillman, Marvin Tryon and James W. Brattle. Dallas City is also on the river, three miles above, and was laid out Oct., 1848, by John M. Finch. This is a town of considerable trade, and has a population of perhaps 1,000 souls. Colusa, on the C. B. & Q. railroad, in Dallas township, is a small village five miles south of Dallas City. Perhaps the first settler in this township was Hezekiah Spill- man, and one of the earliest permanent settlers in the county. Th£ exact date we have not been able to fix, but he was a citizen when this was a part of Pike in 1825. Spillman's Landing, on the river, has been a place of note among all the early settlers; and it was here that he, with a few of his neighbors constructed a rude block house during the Black Hawk war. His death occurred 20 or 30 years ago. Of the other early settlers we can name Mr. Taple, Major John McAuley, Esquire Bennett, George Meyers, John Welch, Brant Agnew, Jesse Wimp, Elijah Pease, Johnson Clark, Thomas Harris, Edward Davis, Louis Smith, Thomas Stevens, Israel Atherton, Andrew Daubenheyer, John K. Tull, Reuben Tull, William Tull, Alexander Martin, William Pratt, Eobert Atherton, Aaron Ather- ton, John E. Atherton, William H. Bennum, John Garner, Henry Williams, Matthias AUis. The first postoflice in the township was called East Bend, Thomas Stevens, first Postmaster. In 1846- Jeremiah Smith, since of La Harpe, was Postmaster at East Bend. At Dallas City, J. M. Finch was first Postmaster, succeeded by E. M. Brewer, he by Mr. Finch again, then G. H. Ames, then B. Mendenhall. The present one is Mr. Tandy. (939) 930 . HISTOET OF HANCOCX COUNTY. The first common school taught in the Spillman's Landing settle- ment, was by Mr. Keuben Tull, in a little cabin near the river. In the fall of 1839 a hewed-log school-house was put up. This, like most other school-houses in those days, was used for meetings of all kinds, religious, political, social, etc. "Without doubt the oldest person resident of Hancock county is Mrs. Lofton, the mother of Mr. N. Lofton, of Durham, and Mr. J. Lofton, of Dallas, and now residing with the latter. We are re- liably informed that she was 102 years old on the lith day of Feb- ruary last (1880), having been born that day, 1778. It was only about two years ago that she was in any way afflicted mentally, and is yet in comparatively good health physically, but confined to her bed. EELIGIOUS PEOGEESS. The first religious movements about Spillman's Landing, was the preaching of Mr. Bennett from Adams county, of the Protestant Methodist Church. In the spring of 1888, Kev. Enos Thompson was sent into the section by the Illinois Conference. He organized the first M. E. society, with the following named members: John R. Tull and wife, Alexander Martain and wife, Wm Tull and wife and William Pratt and wife, with Mr. Pratt as leader. A Presbyterian minister from Port Madison, sometimes came over and preached on Sunday afternoons (date not known) near the river, under the shade of trees, the audience seated around on the grass. Mr. Thompson occupied the field forabout two years preaching every four weeks, his circuit being extensive. This afterward took the name of Carthage circuit. The first quarterly meeting in t^he north part of the county was at the house of Wm. Pratt, Eev. Richard Haney, Presiding Elder. The first Sunday-school in the. section was on April 18, 1841, John K. Tull, superintendent. It was composed of the Tulls, Athertons, Yan Tassels, Lakes, Loomises, Pratts, Ollises, Martains, Bennums, Neals, Yaughns and McAuleys, 37 in number, nearly half of whom are now in the spirit world, the remaining ones nearly all members of Churches. There was also preaching (date not given) at an early day, by a Baptist minister, at the residence of Mr. Stevens. The first church built in Dallas City was of stone, by the United Brethren in 1855, of which we have no further data. Tlie Congregational Church of Dallas City was organized Jan. 17, 1859, by Rev. William Salter, of Burlington, and Rev. Andrew L. Pennoyer, of La Harpe, with 19 members; viz., Geo. H. Ames, Mrs. Frances Ames, Henry F. Black, Mrs. Mary N. Black, Thos. C. Patterson, Mrs. Catharine E. Patterson, John F. Thomas, Mrs. Jane Thomas, Mrs. Marietta Rollosson, Stephen Jackson, Mrs. Sarah Jackson, John D. Jackson, Mrs. E lizabeth Jackson, Lyman B. Rand, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 931 Miss DiantliaMcMullen, Miss Amanda Sayres, Miss Eachel Ann Sayers, Miss Emma Stoops, Mrs. Julia M. Bryan, some of whom were members of other Churches. In 1860, a brick church, with stone basement, was built, 30 by 45 feet. Later data not obtained Of the other Church organizations in Dallas and Pontoosuc, we have no record. PERSONAL SKETCHES OF PARTIES IN THE TOWNSHIP OF PONTOOSUO . As biographical sketches of well-known residents are interest- ing, and as they legitimately" constitute an important part of the history of a community, we now give a few: Alexander Ahemethy is the son of Dr. "William Abernethy, who was one of the first settlers of this county, a native of Canada, born in 1813, and who settled in this State in 1846, locating in Pontoo- suc township, engaging in the practice of his profession, which he continued until 1875, when he retired from active practice and en- gaged in mercantile business, which he continued until his death, June 22, 1878. Dr. Abernethey was the first physician in the township, and was known as the " Pioneer Doctor." He took an active part in expelling the Mormons from the county, and captured several prisoners and a quantity of arms and ammunition. He was married in 1836 to Miss Lucy E. Kreps, of West Virginia. They have had 7 children, 5 of whom are now living. The Doctor was for 19 years Postmaster at Pontoosuc, and held other oflSces of importance in the township. Alexander Abernethy was born in 1844, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and came to this State with his parents in 1846. He was engaged in teaching for nine years, and upon the death of his father he bought the drug store his father had established, and has since been engaged in trade. He is now Postmaster at Pontoosuc, being the successor of his father in office. He has the only drug store in the place, and does a large and remunerative business. He has held a number of township offices of importance. He was a volunteer in the 16th Wis. Inf., and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. F, C. Little was born in Ohio in the year 1829, and emigrated with his parents to this State in the spring of 1847. His parents settled in Pontoosuc tp., in the fall of 1847, on sections 16, 17 and 20. Mr. Little now resides on sec. 16, having one of the best pro- ducing farms in the tp. He was married in the spring of 1849 to Miss Nancy McAuley, daughter of Major McAuley, of Pontoosuc. She died in 1877, leaving him and five sons and four daughters to mourn her loss. Mr. Little has a large number of friends and ac- quaintances, and is well and favorably known throughout the county. Captain James Logan, one of the pioneers of Hancock county, was born in Indiana in 1816. He came to this State in 1835, and 932 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. settled in "Warren county, where he lived until 1838. He settled in Durham tp., this county, in 1841, where he resided a short time, and then came to Pontoosuc, where he now is. Mr. Logan was one of the principal men in effecting an organized force to oppose the depredations of the Mormons. He was Captain of the noted com- pany known as the." Bloody Pontoosucians," through whose efforts principally the Mormons were driven out of ISTauvoo. Captain Logan was married in Fort Madison, Iowa, in 1860. Mr. Logan was engaged for a long time, in mercantile business at Pontoosuc ; also managed and owned a large Brick-yard at the same place. He is one of the self-made men, and is now in his .old age enjoying the fruits of his industry and energy in esfrly life. He has many friends and acquaintances in Pontoosuc and the surrounding country. John Moyes, another of the early settlers of this county, is a na- tive of Scotland, and was born in 1809; came to this country in 1833, and settled in New York city. He moved to Ohio in 183'6, and came to Illinois in the spring of 1839, stopping a short time in Springfield; he then came to Pontoosuc, where he has since resided. He was in the U. S. Army during the Mexican war, and was with Gen. Scott's division when they captured the city of Mexico. He was married in Brooklyn, "N". T., in 1835, to Miss Catharine Fur- geson. Mr. Moyes is one of the oldest residents now living of the village of Pontoosuc. He has held a number of the town and county offices, and has the confidence and esteem of the entire com- munity. W. J. Riggins, the second son of Right Kiggins, one of the pioneer settlers of Hancock county, was born in La Harpe tp., this county, in' J an., 1837, where he resided with liis parents until 1858, when he started out in life for himself. He- was married to Miss Eliza A. Peck, of Durham tp., in 1857; moved into Pontoo- suc tp. in 1876, and purchased a farm on sec. 27, where he has since resided. His wife died in 1871, leaving him and their children to mourn her loss. Mr. Eiggins has been identified with every move- ment for the advancement of the township interests, having held all the offices of importance and trust in the township. Mr. K. has always been engaged in farming, and now has a farm of 160 acres under a high state of cultivation. John M. Sclvramm. was born in Germany Feb. 19, 1809, and came to this country in 1837, settling in Pickaway county, Ohio, where he resided nine years ; he then came "West and located at Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained a short time; then went to Burlington, Iowa, and built a fiouring mill, which he ran for one year, and then moved back to Keokuk. In 1846 he came to this State and settled in Pontoosuc, this county, where he now resides. He built a large flouring mill and was superintendent of the same for a number of years. In 1841 he was' married to Miss Annie Miller, of Ohio. She died in 1843, leaving her husband with two small children. In 1845 he was united in marriage with Miss Eliza N. Swinhardt, of .Ohio. They have 4 children now living. HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 933 Mr. Schramm has been engaged in milling ever since he came to this country, and he, in company with his three sons, now owns the only flouring mill in the tp., the mill having a capacity of 40 barrels per day of 10 hours. They have a large trade, giving especial attention to custom business, and are popularly and favorably known in this and adjoining townships. Mr. S. also has a farm of 40 acres near town. Mr. Schramm is one of the self-made men, and has acquired his large property by his own industry and efforts. He has been a life-long Democrat, and a strict adherent to the party and its principles. John JR. Tull was born March 26, 1807, near the bank of Nanti- coke river, Sussex Co., Delaware. His parents and grandparents were Asbury Methodists, the first churches in that country hav- ing been planted by Bishop Asbury and his co-workers. They re- mained on the same place till John was about twelve years old, when they removed to a large farm three miles off, over in Mary- land. Here they remained six years, when they came West to Ohio, and settled on the Miami, eighteen miles north of Cincin- nati. Arriving at manhood, Mr. Tull returned to the place of his na- tivity, and married Miss Nancy Langford, daughter of Littleton and Hannah Langford. Here he lived two years and then returned to Ohio, where he resided in various localities till 1836. In the spring of that year he came with his family to Hancock county, and squatted beside a hazel thicket on the southeast quar- ter of sec. 7, in 7 north, t west. Here he obtained help to put up a log cabin 16x18 feet, and moved in, with the ground for a floor, himself, wife and four children. He then rented a few acres of land from Hezekiah Spillman. About that time his brother, Reu- ben Tull, arrived with a span of horses for him, and they soon got the ground planted to corn, potatoes, etc. But bread becoming scarce, and none to be obtained, he succeeded in purchasing from a steamboat that stopped to wood at Spillman's Landing, a barrel of flour for $8.0({, which sufliced awhile longer. Mr. Tull's experience in procuring corn for bread is given. He heard of some for sale down below Lima, in Adams county. This he procured, paying 37-| cents per bushel, and after a hard drive of forty miles and back, got it home; but now it was to be ground into meal, and the nearest mill to get it done was down on Crooked creek, some fifty miles away. To this he went, obtained the meal, and returned, after a travel altogether of 180 miles. This lasted till roasting-ear time. . Then the family had roasting ears for break- fast, for dinner, and for supper; and when the corn became too hard, they grated it for meal. By the time it became dry enough to grind, there had been a horse-mill erected near Commerce. In the fall deer and turkeys were plenty, and living was excellent. At this time there were settled in the neighborhood Edward White, Jonathan Lamme, John McAuley, John E. Atherton, Brant 934 HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Agnew, John Garner, Henry Williams, Kobert Atherton, Alexan- der Martain and Aaron Atherton, perhaps others. In the spring of 1837 Mr. T. received from the Shaker Yillage, in Ohio, a lot of grafted apple-trees, which he planted. They all grew, and this was the first orchard of grafted fruit set out in the north part of the county . Mr. TuU was throughout an active and discreet opponent of the Mormon aggressions ; and his personal experiences with that peo- ple were of an interesting and often highly dramatic character. Some of them are told in other chapters of this book. For notice of his career as a nurseryman, see also chapter on " Nurseries and Horticulture." Mr. T. has been through his long and useful life, an active and devoted member of the M. E. Church, and since 1850, a licensed minister in its pulpit. He assisted in organizing the first Church and Sabbath-school in his neighborhood, and was ever among the foremost in sustaining them. His residence is still on the land on which he settled 44 years ago ; and its fine condition and neat surroundings bear testimony to a life of labor, industry and taste. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. The Supervisors, Clerks, Assessors and Collectors of the town- ship of Pontoosuc are as follows: SUPEEVISOES. JosephKidson 1850 B.P.Hewitt 1867 H. C. McMurphy 1853 Henry Walker 1868 I.M. Agnew 1855 John S. Campbell. 1870 B.F.Newton 1858 Jolin W. Maxwell 1871 Henry Walker 1859 Samuel Lamb 1875 .1. B.Agnew 1860 Thomas H. B. Walker 1879 SamuelLamb 1861 William Eiggins 1880 CLEEKS. 8.JH. McDonald 1855 J.I. Lionberger 1869 E.M. Sanford 1856 Jas. L. Sanford.. 1870 J. H. Brooks 1858 John S. Harper 1871 E.S.McIntyre 1859 W. A. Feldhausen 1872 E.M. Sanford 1861 Wm. Englehardt 1873 John C. Woodworth 1863 Alexander Abernethy 1876 Henry Walker 1864 Riley Thomas 1878 Jacob Hettrick 1866 John Moyes 1879 Isaac N. Fisher 1868 Wm. Englehardt .■ 1880 ASSESSOES. James N. Johnson 1855 Robert Alexander -. . . 1867 E. M. Sanford 1856 John S. Campbell 1868 JohnR. TuU 1858 Waterman S. Wood 1869 John Bailey 1859 Riley Smith 1872 Henry Walker 1861 Joseph D. Riter 1875 JohnR. Tull 1862 Heniy Walker 1876 Robert Alexander 1863 John Lamb 1877 Joseph D. Riter 1865 Franklin C. Little 1879-1880 John M. Schramm 1866 Dallas HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 937 COLLECTORS. S. R. Fortna 1855 Samuel Lamb 1872 John H. McDonald 1856 J. W. B. "Wood 187a John Lionberger 1859 Jacob Hettrick 1875 L. C. Barker i860 Thos. H. B. Walker 1877 Jacob Hettrick 1861 Samuel "Wright 1878 John R. Newton 1866 Jacob Hettrick 1879-1880 Jacob Hettrick 1868 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES of early settlers and prominent residents in Dallas township. Iris Bailey was a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in Lycoming county in 1834; he emigrated to this State in 1852 and settled in this county. He was married to Miss Martha J. Kedson, of this State in 1857. Mr. Bailey began life as a "cabin boy" on the Mississippi river, which he followed for about two years; he then engaged in farming and running a threshing machine, which busi- ness he continued tor twelve years ; he then engaged in trade on the Mississippi, making trips" from New Orleans to the North. In 1870 he engaged m the grain and stock trade at Colusa Station, this county, and in 1871 opened a dry-goods and grocery store in con- nection with his other business. In 1877 he sold his interest in the store, and is now exclusively engaged in the stock and grain trade. He owns and operates the elevator at Colusa, which is supplied with all the modern improvements and has a capacity of 52,000 bushels. He also owns a fine farm near the station. Mr. Bailey began life for himself by working out, receiving for his labor 12J cents per day. He is a self-made man, having begun at the bottom round of the ladder, and has worked his way up, being at the present time the most extensive grain and stock dealer in this part of the county. Airam Clark was born in this township in 1831 and is one of the oldest settlers here; his father, Johnson Clark, emigrated to this State from Virginia, and located in Dallas township in 1830, on sec. 11, where he resided until he died. Mr. Clark was married to Miss Mary J. Farr, of this county, September 9, 1858. He has been engaged in farming the greater portion of his life, and now lives on the old homestead where he was born. His brothers were volunteers in Captain Logan's company during the Mormon troubles. Mr. Clark has a large farm in a high state of cultivation, arid is one of the prosperous farmers of this township. Joseph F. Dietrich was born in Pennsylvania in 1826, emigrated to this State in 1865, and located in Dallas tp., this county, in 1867; was married in 1852 to Miss Sarah Ann Benner, of Pennsylvania; in 18()2 she died, leaving him with 5 children; in 1865 he was married to Miss Sarah E. Wolfe, of Pennsylvania, and they have 5 children now living. Mr. Dietrich has been' engaged in farming since he has been in this State; he has a fine farm under a very high state of cultivation, on sec. 13, and he has the reputation of 938 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. being the mode] farmer of the tp. Mr. D. has been a life-long Democrat and always a zealous supporter of his party and its nomi- nees. He has held several offices of trust in the county, and is the representative of Dallas fp. on the Board of Supervisors. Thomas Dixon was a native of Pennsylvania, having been born near Little York, in Troy, in 1789; he moved with his parents to Knoxville, Tenn., when about 18 years of age. He was married to Mrs. Susan Green, of Virginia, in the year 1811. They raised a family of 9 children. In 1830 he moved to Alabama, and in 1831 he came to this State and located in Morgan county, and in 1833, to this county, locating in Durham tp., where he lived until 1855. He then moved to Dallas City, where he lived until he died. Mr. Dixon was a volunteer in the war of 1812, under Gen'l Johnson; he was in the battle of Horse Shoe Bend, and many other engagements. In 1832 he agSin enlisted in the U. S. Army, and re'mained in the service during the Black Hawk war. He was thefirst settler of the township of Durham. The nearest postofSce was 12 miles dis- tant, where the mail arrived about twice a month. Mr. Dixon was present when the Sihiths, the leaders of the Mormons, were killed, and was Captain of the LaHarpe company of volunteers, during the Mormon troubles. His son, Thomas L. Dixon, was born in the State of Alabama, in 1828, and came to this State with his parents in 1831. He staid at home and worked on the farm, until the year 1857, when he traveled through the Southern States teaching penmanship; returning in 1860, he settled in Dallas. In 1864 he removed to Chicago, and was engaged upon public works as foreman six years. He was married in 1861 to Miss AUine A. Hendel, of Waterbury, Conn. They have 4 children now living. He was a volunteer in Capt. Jim Logan's company during the tight with the Mormons in this county. He has held many offices of importance in the township and county. John M. Finch was born in Pennsylvania, in 1815, and came to this State in 1838, locating in Rock Island, and engaged for a short time in stearaboating and speculating, being then the owner of one of the best steamers on the Mississippi. In 1841 he went to New Orleans and bought a very large stock of groceries, and land- ing them at Warsaw, hauled them. with teams to Nauvoo, where he engaged in trade with Mr. Eollosson, the firm being known as Finch &Ilollossoti. They continued in business at Nauvoo until the killing of the Smiths, then the leaders of the Mormons, and it not being safe to remain there longer, they moved their stock to Appanoose, where they were stored for some time. They then moved to Pontoosuc and opened a store there, also opening a branch store at Appanoose and La Harpe. Subsequently Mr. Finch came up the river to where the city of Dallas now stands, and after looking over the country, he and Mr. Rollosson built a large ware- house here, it then being the only building except a log farm house, which Mr. Finch now owns, andjwhich is now a part of his resi- filSTOEY OF HANOOOK COUNTT. 939 deuce. _ The firm engaged in the grain and cattle trade and opened a packing house. ^At this time they bought the best quality of winter wheat for 25 cents per bushel, and corn, shelled, ready for market, at CJ cents, and dressed pork for $1.26 per cwt.; and it was a losing trade, even a,t these rates. The next year Mr. Finch bought the Atherton farm and subsequently the Thompson farm, constituting what is now the city of Dallas. The firm added the grocery business to the warehouse trade and moved their families here the same year, and made the first plat of this city. They then built a flouring mill and distillery, that turned out 100 barrels of flour and 20 barrels of whisky per day. The mill and distillery burned down the fol- lowing spring. They continued in business here until the death of Mr. Eollos- son, Mr. Finch continuing in business until 1875. Mr. Finch was actively engaged in the mercantile business for over 40. years, and is one of the oldest merchants in Hancock county. He has been identified with all enterprises of the city, and has done more to advance the interests and build up the city than any other man now living here. He was the first Postmaster of the city, and could easily carry all the mail matter in his pocket; his first quar- terly returns to the Government was $1.06J-. He has been Mayor several terms and held other offices of importance and high trust. He was a volunteer in Oapt. "Jim " Logan's company of " Bloody Pontoosucans," during the Mormon troubles. He has been a life-long Democrat, and expects to live to vote that ticket for many years to come. John Hooker was born in Cruz, Germany, March 9, 1845, and came to this country in 1867, landing in New York city on the 27th day of September, and went to work on a farm, which busi- ness he followed until 1862. He then went to Dunkirk, N. Y., and engaged in sailing on the lakes- until the fall of 1863. Dec. 16, 1863, he enlisted in the 22d Eegt. N. Y. Oav., and was in all the battles of the army of the Potomac, from that time until his discharge. He had his horse shot under him twice, but was never wounded. He was discharged in August, 1865, and again engaged in sailing, which he followed until May 29, 1869, when he came to this State and located at Dallas City, and engaged in butchering and in buying and shipping cattle, and has been in that business ever since. By strict attention to his business he has a large and lucrative trade, and he i» one of the progressing and enterpris- ing men of the city. Manford G. Harris was born in Wheeling, Ya., in 1841. He migrated with his parents to this State in 1853, locating in Dur- ham tp. He worked upon a farm until 1861, and in August of that year he enlisted in the 50th Ills. Yol. Inf., and served as a soldier three years and two months, and was honorably discharged. He was in the battles of Shiloh, Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing and 940 HISTORY OF hancooe; county. Corinth. In 1873 he located in Dallas City, and entered the mer- cantile business, in which he is still engaged. He was married to Miss Sarah G. Hagerty, of Dallas City, Dec. 17, 1866, and they have fonr children. Mr. Harris is one of the leading men of Dal- las City, and has a large circle of friends and acquaintances in the city and vicinity. L. W. Zcmdaker, M. D., was born in the District of Columbia, March 3, 1820, where he remained with his parents until 1838. He then went to Winchester, Va., and in the following year com- menced the study of medicine with Dr. David T. Sulinstyne, remain- ing with him four years. In 1840 he emigrated to Licking county, Ohio, and engaged iij the practice of medicine in Licking and Knox counties, Dr. Eggleson being associated with him a part of the time he was there. In 1854 he came to this county and purchased a tract of land in Dallas, and in 1856 removed his family to this place, and commenced the practice of medicine and surgery, which has been his exclusive business ever since. Tlie Doctor was married to Miss Elizabeth Garrett, of Knox county, Ohio, on the 4th of July, 1847. They have 6 children now living; viz., Napoleon O'Brine, Helen Eoecene, Justice Greenbury, Elizabeth Josephine, Virginia Lee, and Claybonieur. His wife died in January, 1865, and the same year he was again married to Miss Barbara Hocker, of Dallas City. His second wife died June 10, 1872, and he was mar- ried to Miss Eurena Humer, of Dallas City, in June, 1878. Dr. Landaker is one of the pioneers of this township, and one of the oldest physicians in the city of Dallas, has always had a large and successful practice. David S. Ijionberj>er was born in Licking county, O., August 2, 1827, and emigrated to this State in 1838, locating in Dallas tp., this county, where he remained a short time, and then moved to Adams county, where he lived until 1851, when he returned to this county and located on sec. 13, this tp., where he has since resided. Mr. Lionberger has-been engaged in farming nearly all his life, and is one of the well-to-do farmers of the county. He was married to Miss Mary Brown, of Pike county. 111., in 1851. He has repre- sented Dallas tp. in the Board of Supervisors three years, and has held other offices of trust in the tp. He is a member of the Ma- sonic Lodge in Dallas City, and is one of the leading men in the township. John M. Lionberger was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1835, and came to this county with his parents in 1839 and located in Pilot Grove township, where they remained a short time, and then moved to Adams county, and settled in Payson township. In 1851 he returned to this county and located in Pontoosuc township, and followed farming for several years, and then went into the nursery business with J. R. Tull, which he continued until 1870, when he entered partnership with his brother and they engaged in the nurs- ery business in Dallas township. He was married to Miss Margaret J. Tull, daughter of J. E. Tull, in October, 1861, and his HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 941 wife died March 7, 1865. In the fall of 1862, he, in partnership with his brother, went out with the 118th Eeg. 111. Vol., as sutler, and' remained with the regiment until it returned and was mustered out. In the fall of 1866 he went to Quincy and studied dentistry, and after the completion of his course of studies he located in Dallas City. He is a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, and Council. He is also a member of the order of "Knights of ■ Pythias." Dr. Lionberger has on sec. 12, this tp., one of the finest fruit farms in the county, having over 1,000 fruit-trees. He has also •fitted up and pnt in excellent order a fine driving park, known as the " Lionberger Driving Park." The Doctor is the only dentist in Dallas City, and has a large and lucrative business. He is one of the prominent men of the city, and has many friends through- out the county. Benoni M&ndenhall, the youngest son of Jacob Mendenhall, is of Quaker origin, and was born Nov. 6, 1827, on Highland creek, county of "Washington, Ind.; removed with his parents in 1830 to Tazewell county, this State, near Pekin. In. 1833 they again re- moved to Warren county, this State, opposite Flint Hills, near Burlington, la. ; again removed to Camp Creek, this county, in 1836. Having obtained his majority, Benoni assistfid his father on the farm, and agreeably to an old custom, received the old home- stead as a remuneration for taking care of his parents in their old age. In 1845-'6 he was a volunteer under Thos. Carlin, to assist in expelling the Mormons from the county. In 1852 he, in com- pany with 20 others, crossed the plains to the gold fields of the Pacific coast. In 1854 he returned to the old homestead and was united in marriage with Miss Margaret L. Phillips, March 30, 1854. In December, 1856, he removed to Dallas City and engaged in the mercantile business with his cousin, P. C. Mendenhall, which vocation he has followed, with a few short intermissions, ever since. In 1861, being then Captain of an independent mili- tary company, he immediately offered his company to the Govern- ment for active service. On account of an aged invalid mother, he resigned his command and waited until her death,, vsi'hen, under the call for 600,000 volunteers, he enlisted as a private in Capt. Allen's company (Co. H, 78th 111. Vol.), serving two years and six months, when he was honorably discharged at Camp Butler by reason of the Surgeon's certificate of disability. Jan. 1, 1866, he was ap- pointed Postmaster at Dallas City, which position he held for 11 years, then resigned. He has filled several offices of trust, and is now a merchant. The portrait of Mr. B. Mendenhall is found on page 935. It is engraved from a photograph taken at the age of 46. John Mendenhall came from England about 1685, with one brother and one sister. He was cotemporary with Wm. Penn in settling Pennsylvania. John married Elizabeth Maris, 5th month, 1685 ; she dying, he again married Esther Dix, 8th month, 1708 942 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. By his last wife he had 3 sons and 4 daughters: Mordecai, the eldest, married Charity Mills, and removed to New Garden, N. C, (now Springfield), and had 8 sons and one daughter. .Their names were John, Mordecai, Moses, Thomas, Stephen, Isaac, Aaron, Charity and Eichard. Isaac, the seventh son, married Kachel Hoggatt and had 8 children; viz., Ruth, Isaac, Jacob, Aaron, Zadok, Mordecai, John and Miles. Jacob removed, when a young man, to Washington county, Ind., then an Indian territory, and married Rachel Lamb, and they had 3 sons and 2 daughters; viz., Zadok, Milo, Madison, Mary and Ruth. His first wife dying, he married ISTancy Hoggatt, and had 3 sons and one daughter; viz., Owen, Nathan, Rachel and Benoni. The first are all dead; of the last only 3 are living, — Owen, Nathan and Benoni, of Dallas City. Jacob Mendenhall was born Oct. 10, 1784, in Guilford county, N. C. Living with his parents until he attained his majority, he was importuned by his father to remain at the old homestead, but he had a yearning desire to try the new country then known as the Northwestern Territory. So he bade adieu to home and the old red hills of North Carolina, mounted his nag and made his way through the States of Tennessee and Kentucky; crossing the Ohio at Louis- ville (then a small village) and landing at a point where New Albany now stands, he struck out through the back woods, intend- ing to halt at Salem, Ind. There he went to work clearing up the beech forests, fencing a patch and building a cabin . Obeying the divine injunction, Jacob Mendenhall was united .in marriage to Rachel Lamb, in the 27tli year of his age, in January, 1810, by whom he had 5 children. Fortune smiled on his efforts, and after six years of toil, he engaged in the mercantile business, which proved very disastrous, and wound up by the Sheriff levying on and selling everything in his possession (there were no exemption laws then), even to the knives and forks of the dining table. Misfortunes never come single; his faithful wife sickened and died; still he bore up, kept his family of small children together; was united again in marriage to Nancy Hoggatt, in 1818, by whom he had 4 children. Again misfortune frowned on him. Although considered the stoutest man in Washington county — being six feet two inches in his stocking feet — yet by exposure and hard- ships he was attacked by inflammatory rheumatism, which com- pletely prostrated him for six months. Recovering, he resolved once more to try the West, and with his family sought the wilderness prairies of Illinois. Arriving at Pekin, on the Illinois river, he was advised to go no further, as " old Black Hawk" was about to levy war on the whites. Here the oldest son, Zadok, enlisted under Capt. Adams, and was killed at the defeat of Maj. Stillman, on Rock river. Remaining at Pekin until the war was over, he again faced westward, and settled ejght miles east of Burlington, which then contained only a few log huts; was the first man that located the mill-seat and town of Warren now in Henderson county. Finally settling in Hancock county' HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 943 he selected two qirarter- sections in township seven north, six west, on Camp creek; he paid the entry fee and secured the United States patent. Here he found a resting place, and commenced permanent improTeraents, in 1834. Putting up a large double cabin, and fencing in a small patch of ground, he returned to Warren county (now Henderson) to winter. In the spring of 1835 he brought his family with him, and went to work improving his new farm on a larger scale. The nearest neighbor was then eight or ten miles. Deer, wolves, and other wild game, were in abundance. Prairie chickens were trapped in the door-yard; deer were frequently killed in the small fields close to the house. For several years after settling on the Camp creek farm, the wolves were very trouble- some, and made nightly raids on the pig-pens and sheep-folds . But , a plan of trapping soon developed, and the old gray wolves were made to succumb to the cunning of man. For a term of eight years or more Jacob Mendenhall carried on an exterminating war- fare against the wolves. Jacob Mendenhall was noted for his kind and liberal heart and square dealing. On his first settling in the county of Warren, he was elected a Justice of the Peace, and many were the angry dis- putes he was called on to settle between neighbors. Being reared in the staid old Quaker school, he was noted for his urbanity and just decisions. When removed to Hancock, he was again and again called on to fill the office of Esquire. His house was ever open to the poor and needy; the stranger and emigrant seeking a home in the "West, found a resting place under his roof. "When the Mor- mons were driven out of Missouri, and settled at Commerce, they woiild go out through the county begging for the necessaries of life; they never went away from the door of Jacob Mendenhall without being supplied and getting employment, if desired. This kindness was ill repaid by them when they were ordered out of the county, as they took d horse, saddle and bridle from him, and killed one of his best cows. This was so aggravating, that, Quaker as he was, he freely consented to driving them out of the county. Prosperity crowned his latter days, and wealth finally came to him in the shape of a large farm, with a good brick dwelling, large barn, apd other substantial improvements. But age was coming on, and the days of his pilgrimage were drawing to a close. Arranging his earthly affairs, like a true man, he prepared to pass over the river, which he did on the 31st of January, 1857, in the 72d year of his age. He survived all his children but 3, who are still living; 2 near the old homestead, and one in Missouri. Dr. Benj. F. JSFewlon was born in Louisville, Ky., July 27, 1833, and emigrated with his parents, in infancy, to Edgar county. 111., who settled near Paris, where he was raised. He was educated at the Edgar County Academy; he received his medical education at Peoria, 111., under Dr. Shubal York. Dr. Newlon first came to Hancock county in 1846, and in 1847 located at Dallas City, and commenced the practice of medicine in partnership with his elder 94i HISTOET OF HASrCOCK COUNTY. brother, Dr. John F. E^ewlon, which partnership continued for five years. His brother then moving to Kansas, he continued the practice alone. He had a large and lucrative practice until 1862, when his health failed him, and he had to give up active business for a time. He then formed a partnership with a younger brother. Dr. Wm. L. Newlon, who relieved him of the laborious part of the business; this partnership lasted for five years. Dr. ISewlon has practiced in his present location over 30 years, and has perhaps given more medicine in that time than any one physician in the «ounty. He has given medicine to 84 persons in one day of 24 hours. In early times it was more sickly than of late years, and there were fewer physicians. There is a family now living in this vicinity who were all sick at one time, that Dr. Newlon visited, and before he left the house, issued 77 doses of medicine. Dr. Newlon has been identified with all the enterprises of this city; was present when the town was first surveyed and laid ofi'. He wrote the charter of the city, and was sent with Col. Kollosson, in 1859, by the people, to Springfield, to lobby it through the Legislature, and was suc- cessful. He penned the present ordinances of the city, that were adopted when the city was first chartered. He was the first Mayor of the city, which office he held two years. He has held the office of Supervisor five terms. Dr. Newlon was the founder of Dallas City Lodge No. 235, A. F. & A. Masons; was its first W. M., and is now and has been for many years in that position ; was one of the charter members of Dallas Chapter No. Ill, and was its High Priest. He has also been Dis- trict Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Illi- nois. He has represented his Lodge and Chapter in their grand bodies very frequently, and is regarded by those who know as ■" bright " in Masonic lore. He has also been a close student, not only in science, but in the literature of the day. He at one time edited the Dallas City Democrat, frequently corresponded with the publications of the country, and his nom de plume, " Don Osso," is well known and appreciated by the reading public. Dr. Newlon was married three times, first to Mary Walker, •daughter of William Walker, an old citizen of this place. She died in less than a year. His second wife was Almira A. Eichards. She <3ied, leaving 3 girls and one boy. His third and present wife was Kate Gassaway, daughter of Jas. Gassaway, of this place, by whom he has 2 children, a son and a daughter. Dr. Newlon studied law in his youth, and was admitted by the Supreme Court of this State, ■ but never practiced. He is a life-long Democrat, was a staunch Union man during the war, and is liberal in his religious views, and has many friends wherever known. He is one of the three surviv- ing first settlers of Dallas City. Hon. W. H. Rollosson was born in Williamsburg, Ya., Jan. 8, 1816. He received a classical education at William and Mary Col- lege, Yirginia. In 1840 lie emigrated to the West, and settled in Nauvoo, 111., where he engaged in mercantile business until June, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 945 1844, when, owing to the trouble with the Mormons, he moved his goods to Appanoose, where they were stored for a short time; and in the fall of 1844 he commenced business in Pontoosue, having branch stores in Appanoose and La Harpe. In 1846 he came to Dallas City and built a large warehouse and store-room, and began business, being largely engaged in the grain trade and pacldng, and in the fall of 1847,he built a large flouring-mill and distillery. He was one of the founders of the city of Dallas ; he platted and laid out the original site of the town; drew its charter and secured its adoption by the State Legislature. He was mar- ried in 1855 to Miss Marietta Bostwick, of Fort Madi- son, Iowa. Mr. KoUosson continued in business in Dallas City until his death, Oct. 9, 1864, leaving a widow and three sons, and a large circle of friends and acquaintances to mourn his early loss. He was a strong adherent to the Democratic party. In 1861 he received the nomination of his party, and was elected a Eepresentative in the Illinois Legislature. In 1858 he was appointed by Gov. Bissell Inspector General of the State troops, with the rank of Colonel. During his residence in this county he was actively engaged in business pursuits, with the varying fortunes incident to commer- cial life, but has ever maintained his character for honor and integ- rity, and has done much to advance the material prosperity and develop the resources of the country. Col. HoUosson was no ordinary man — a perfect gentleman in his manners; a ripe scholar; a states- man; noble, generous and brave; none knew him but to admire him. Possessed of all the attributes calculated to adorn society, alleviate want, he failed not to make a proper use of them. Whilst living he was an honor to his family, the pride of his friends, the benefactor of his race. 0. E. Bussell, the second child of Jonas Galusa Russell, was born near Eochester, I^. T., Nov. 25, 1840. In 1848 he moved with his parents to Pioneer, Ohio, where he resided until he was 16 years old, when he entered Hillsdale College, Mich., where he re- mained between three and four years; he then went to Ohio and taught school for about 18 months, and returned to Pioneer in June, 1861, and read medicine with Dr. J. G. Gordon ; in the fall of the same year he attended medical lectures at the University of Michigan, where he remained and pursued his medical studies for two years. He was married to Miss Eosalia Morrison, of Ann Ar- bor, Feb. 17, 1872, and now has one son, James G. In 1863 he lo- cated at Amboy, Mich., and commenced the practice of medicine, where he remained a little over a year. In the spring of 1865 he came to this State and taught school in Fulton county, and after traveling through Missouri and Iowa, not being pleased with the country, concluded to return . to New York. At Toledo he met a friend who induced him to return to Illinois; he came to Henry county, and located near Cambridge. During the spring of 1865 his father moved to Missouri : in the fall he visited his father, and on his return he stopped at Keokuk, and attended medicaj lectures 54 946 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. at the University of Iowa; then located there, where he remained until he graduated in 1866. He then settled in Freedom, this State, where he practiced medicine for two years ; he then moved to Gilman, where he remained one year. In the spring of 1869 he was again married, to Mrs. Julia L. Gilman, of Galesburg, 111., and moved to Northern Missouri, where he lived about a year. He then returned to Illinois, and in 1872 located at Dallas City, where he has since resided and followed his profession, having a large and lucrative practice. Hon. William Scott is a native of Indiana, having been born in Pennsylvania county, Dec. 26, 1827. He was married June 28, 1849, to Miss Caroline Dickey, and came to this county, locating in Fountain Green tp., where he resided three years; then moved to Durham tp., where his wife and one child died, Nov. 3, 1860, leaving him with six children. Dec. 31, 1861, he mal-ried Miss La- vina Dickey, of this county. Until 1861 Mr. Scott was engaged in farming and teaching. In the fall of 1861 he was elected County Su- perintendent of Schools, and in the spring of 1862 he removed to Carthage and attended to the duties of his office. In the fall of 1862 he was the unanimous choice of his party for re-election to the office he then held, but failed to be elected by about 27 votes. In the fall of 1863 he returned to Durham tp., and resumed his former oc- cupation. He moved to Henderson county in March, 1868, and same year was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he has held ever since. He was elected Eepresentative to the State Legislature in 1872 from the 24th Senatorial district, and served through two sessions of the General Assembly. In 1876 he was elected State Senator from this district, which office he now holds, and has served through the 30th and 31st General Assemblies. In April, 1877, he bought the Central Hotel in Dallas City, which he repaired and refurnished, and opened to the public. His wife died October 6, 1877, leaving him with the care of seven small children. He was elected Mayor of Dallas in 1878, and re-elected in 1879. He has also held other offices of importance in the county and city. Mr. Scott is a self-made man, and one of the prominent men of this Sen- atorial district, and is possessed of many social qualities that endear him to his many friends and acquaintances. Marh Tandy was born in Burton tp., Adams county, in April, 1848. He remained in Adams county until 1872, working part of the time on a farm, and part of the time was a clerk in the city of Quincy. He then came to Dallas City and engaged in the mer- cantile business, in which he has continued ever since. In 1869 he was married to Miss Laura Tibbets, of Payson, 111. In July, 1877, he was appointed Postmaster at Dallas City, which office he now holds. His father, William H. Tandy, was Sheriff of Adams county for several terms, and during the Mormon troubles in this county, was called on to assist in expelling them. He was one of the first settlers of Adams county, going there from Kentucky in 1832. He has one of the finest geological collections in this county. HISTORY OF HANOOOK OOTTNTr. 947 In business he has a large and lucrative trade, and is one of the leading business men of this city. Edward H. Thomas, editor and proprietor of the Dallas City News, was born at Pittsburg, Louisa county, Iowa, Sept. 14, 1841. Commencing in 1863, he served an apprenticeship of four years at the printing business in the office of the Wapello (Iowa) Intelli- genoer. He worked at printing up to the commencement of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the 19th Iowa Infantry, and served until the close of the war. Since the war he has been connected with the following papers, as publisher and part owner: "Wapello (Iowa) Republican, Keithsburg (111.) Kerana, Nauvoo (111.) Inde- ? indent, and Burlington (Iowa) Monday Morning News. Mr. homas issued the iirst number of the Dallas City News April 6, 1878. Owing to the many failures in the newspaper business in the place, he had many difficulties to contend with in the establish- ment of a new paper, but his experience of over 20 years in the business, and a determination to succeed, enabled him to overcome all obstacles and gain the confidence of the people; and the News is now in a prosperous condition, receiving a large advertising patronage from the merchants of Dallas City, Fort Madison and Burlington. Henry Walker. — This gentleman is a native of the Buckeye State, and was born in 1808. He lived in Ohio 42 years; he worked nine years at the carpenter trade, then engaged in farming until 1850, when he emigrated to this State ana settled in Pontoosuc, where he now resides. He embarked in mercantile pursuits, which he followed until 1860, when he sold out and again engaged in agri- culture,' and is now one of the best farmers on the Mississippi bottom. He was Postmaster at Pontoosuc for nine years, and has represented his township on the Board of Supervisors several years. He was married Oct. 13, 1836, to Miss Margaret Agnew, of "Ohio. They have 5 children now living. Mr. Walker has given consider- able attention to political affairs, and is considered a leader of his party in this township. He is a staunch Democrat. Jesse Wimp was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in the year 1803. He moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1813, and came and settled in Dallas township in 1830 . He was married in 1826 to Miss Elizabeth Simmons, and they have had eight children. His entire life was spent in agricultural pursuits, and by his careful management and industry he acquired a large property. He took an sCctive part in the Mormon war, and captured and held until after the troubles were settled, a brother of the prophet Brigham Young. He was a member of Capt. Logan's famous company of " Bloody Pontoosucans." Mr. Wimp was one of the first settlers of Dallas tp. He died April 24, 1876, leaving a large circle of friends and acquaintances to mourn his loss. His youngest son, Jesse Wimp, who is now living on the old homestead, was born in 1840 in this township, where he has always resided. He was married in 1868 to Miss Susan Eolan, of this 948 BISTORT OF HANCOCK COUNTY, county. They have i children. He is one of the leading farmers of the county, having a fine prairie farm of 350 acres. He is also an extensive dealer in stock. TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS. SUPEEVISOES. , ^ John M. Finch 1861 B. F. Johnson 1868 John Gibhs 1863 David S. Lionberger 1873 Benjamin Lionhcrger 1863 B. F. Newlon 1876 JohnM. Finch 1867 J.F.Dietrich 1880 CLEEKS. Jonathan Rice 1861 D. E. Johnson 1873 8. Gates 1863 John 0. Hupfer 1874 H.O.Johnson 1864 . Lawson. S. Bliss.. ...1876 Walter B. Loring 1869 Wm. A. Felthausen 1877-1880 H.C.Johnson 1870 ASSESSORS. John Gibbs 1861 Henry Howard 1869 Benoni Mendenhall 1863 William V. Banks 1870 William Jolly 1864 J. 0. Hupfer 1875 Theo. Rhea 1866 John H. Rauck 1877 William V. Banks 1867 Thomas L. Dixon 1879-1880 COLLECTOES. Owen Mendenhall 1861 Thomas Shaw 1873 Henry Howard 1862 William Ramsey 1874 B. F. Johnson 1866 J. M. Carper 1875 Henry Howard 1867 Thomas L. Dixon; 1877 Walter B. Loring 1868 J. F. Dieti-ich 1879 John K.Ruth 1871 Vernon Bmith 1880 J.B.Duffy..; 1872 APPANOOSE TOWNSHIP. Fractional township numbered 7-8 lies above the bend of the river at Nauvoo, and is the northwest township in the county. It loses about one-third of its dimensions by the river; one-third is broken timbered bluff land, and the remainder prairie. The south and south-eastern portions of the township are composed mainly of beautiful prairie land, embracing some fine farms owned by rich and prosperous farmers. Three or four streams enter the river from the south, heading out in the open prairie. Chief of these are Tyson and Kollosson creeks, which furnish considerable bodies of timber. The early settlers were Edward "White and Amzi Doolittle. Chauncy Hobison was an early settler in the county, though not in this township till after the Mormon exodus. The celebrated big prairie moimd is located in this township, on section 25, on the summit of which the late Amos Davis built his fine residence, and where his widow still resides. The portion nearest to Nauvoo is partly settled by some German and French foreign immigrants, who came to the county after the Mormons left the city ; some of them belonged to the Icarian community. They are generally industrious and thrifty citizens. This township sports two towns, as yet very small ones. Appa- noose, from which the township was named, was laid out by Edward White and Amzi Doolittle in 1836, nearly opposite Fort Mad- ison, Iowa. Niota, a later town, near the mouth of Tyson creek, also on the river, two miles below Appanoose. This was laid out by John H. Knapp, "William Adams, George P. Eaton and J. P. Harper, in 1857. Appanoose was named for an Indian chief of the Sac and Fox Indians, well known in those days about Fort Madison. This township, lying on tlie river above the rapids, is supposed to have been the residence of several of the settlers previous to 1829, but who left the county at an early day. We know of no one in the township who was there previous to the Black Hawk war. Many Mormons settled in this township and in Sonora, in the vicinity of Nauvoo, and since they left, their places have been sup- plied by newer immigrants. BIOGEAPHIES. Below are personal sketches of many of the old settlers and leading citizens of this township. (949) 950 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Amos Davis, deceased, was born Dec. 20, 1814, in Vermont, where he grew to manhood; was educated in one of the universities of his native State; emigrated to this county in 1841, settling first in Nauvoo ; was one of the leading merchants of that city at that time. He followed that business until 1857, when he moved npon his farm in Appanoose tp. When he first came to the county he had only $1.60 in money, but by industry and economy he accumu- lated considerable property, owning at the time of his death 1,300 acres of very fine land, mostly in this tp. He knew well the achievements of self-education and experience. He despised not the day of small things, and by and by great things were added to his successful efibrts. He was joined in marriage April 12, 1866, to Mary J. Isenberger, and they had 4 children; viz., Amos, Jacob W., Mary J. and Guy. Mr. Davis' death occurred March 22, 1872, and in that event the community lost one of its most enterprising farmers and worthy citizens. Samuel T. JEgan, one of the leading farmers of Appanoose tp., was born in Franklin county, Ind., Dec. 14, 1819. His parents, James and I^ancy, were both natives of Pennsylvania. His father dying when he was but a small boy, and his mother when he was 16 years old, he was early thrown upon his own resources for a training for the vicissitudes of life. The seeds of pure morality, however, having been . sown in his youthful heart, he persevered through life, and has won a success far beyond that of many who have had better early advantages. He has now a fine farm of 285 acres, on sec. 34, a good residence, etc., all acquired by his own management and industry. Nov. 19, 1846, he married Cordelia M. Maynard, and they have had 8 cliildren, 7 of whom are living — 4 sons and 3 daughters. His wife died Feb. 24, 1869, a m'ember of the Methodist Church. Samuel Y. Elliott, farmer and school-teacher, Nauvoo, was born in Tioga county. Pa., May 12, 1845; was brought to this county by his parents in 1850, where he grew to manhood and enjoyed more extended advantages than many others at that day, especially farmer boys; he received his education at the Fort Madison Acad- emy; he now follows farming in the summer and teaching school in the winter. March 27, 1873, he married Alice Cwerden. His father died in 1875, aged 65 years; and his grandfather, John Rey- nolds, was a soldier in the war of 1812. James E. Green, farmer, sec. 34; P. 0., Appanoose; was born in Pennsylvania, Nov. 8, 1820, and is a son of Samuel and Jane Green, who also were natives of the Keystone State. James E. emigrated from his native place to St. Louis, in 1853, and the same year came to this county, where he has since resided, following farming. Dec. 28, 1858, he married Anna Bolton, a native of England ; she' died in 1860, and he again married in 1865, this time Eliza J. Eeed, and they have had one child. John Haigh, farmer, sec. 13; P. O., Appanoose; was born in Philadelphia, Pa. , July 26, 1821, and is a son of John, and Mary HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 951 Haigh, natives of England ; he was reared in his native city, but was deprived of the advantages of an early education; at a very early age he was placed in the Tecoraa cotton mills, which were built by his father. It was among the first in that city. The sub- ject of this sketch worked in -that establishment for seven years, that is, until 1838, when he went to work in Gambol's morocco works, of Philadelphia, and learned the art of dressing morocco; he continued in this business until 1853, when he came to this •county, where he settled and has since resided, engaged in farming. He owns a tine farm of 210 acres in this tp. In 1842 he married Sarah Falcrod; she died soon afterward, and in 1846 he married Sarah E. Sheward. James Samtnond, farmer, sec. 13; P. O., Fruitland; was born in England Dec. 17, 1842, and was brought to this country by his parents, Thomas and Mary A. Hammond, in 1843, first settling in ITanvoo, where they lived until 1844, and then they moved to their farm in this tp., where our subject has since resided, except a few years. Feb. 4, 1862, he enlisted in Oo. B, 17th Iowa Inf., in which he served till 1863, shortly after the siirrender of Vicksburg, when he was transferred to the Signal Corps, a division of the regular army, where he served until April, 1865, when, on the expiration of his term, he was discharged. He then returned home and has ever since followed farming. In the fall of 1867 he married Mary S. Boyle, and they have had 6 children, 2 sons and 4 daughters. John Hohis, deceased, was born Dec. 4, 1801, in Pennsylvania; he went to Knox county, O., in 1823, and came to this county in 1856. Dec. 27, 1825, he married Anna Shipley, who died May 1, 1863; March 27, 1856, Mr. H. again married, Kebecca S. Zeigler, and they have had one child, Alice May, deceased. Mr. Hobbs lived near Nauvoo from the time he first settled in this county until his death, Jan. 6, 1871. He was a man highly respected by all who knew him, for his generosity and good manners. His fu- neral was very largely attended. L. A. HoUbs was born Oct. 26, 1835, in Washington county. Pa., and is a son of John (deceased) and E"ancy Hobbs ; he was taken to Knox county, O., by his parents, when quite young, where they re- mained until 1850, and then they removed to Delaware, 0., where he received a college education. He came West the first time with his father in 1854, remaining here about six months, when he re- turned to Ohio; during the following winter (1855) he attended and graduated at the Cleveland Commercial College; in March, 1855, he came to Nauvoo, where he engaged as book-keeper in the store •of John B. Icking. In May, 1856, he returned to Ohio, and the next fall came back to Illinois, and spent two years in traveling and other business. E ov. 26,1858, he married Miss Julia A. Henry, and they have had 5 sons and 3 daughters. Mr. H.'s father died in March, 1871, aged 70 years. Hugh, Jackson was born Sept. 23, 1837, in Falton county, N. Y., and is a son of James and Mary Jackson, farmers by occupation and 952 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. distinguished for intelligence apd piety ; they were in comfortahle circumstances and gave their children a good education ; they were natives of Scotland and came to America in 1832; at the age of 18 Hugh left the paternal roof in Albany county, N. Y., whither they had removed from Fulton county, and came to Illinois, settling in Hancock county with but little of this world's goods; he had but $5.25, but by industry and integrity, having during three years saved some little money, he joined a party of friends and went to Pike's Peak, thence to New Mexico and thence to New Orleans, where he spent the winter; he then returned to Illinois for a short time; after traveling some months in Missouri and this State, he returned in the spring of 1861 to this county, where he has since remained. In 1865 he married Mary H. Hammond, a native of England. Mr. J. is a Presbyterian. liobert Jackson was born in Albany county, N. T., a brother of the preceding; he grew to manhood in his native State, where he received a common-school education, and after he came here he at- tended school at the Fort Madison Academy. April 13, 1865, he enlisted in Co. E, 118th 111. Yol. Inf.; was discharged at the close of the war, having served about six months. William Jackson was born in Scotland June 27, 1808, and is a son of James and Isabella Jackson, natives also of Scotland; he emigrated to the United States in 1834, and lived in New York until the fall of 1838, when he came and settled in this tp., where he has since resided. During the Mormon troubles he took no part on either side. He was here at the first immigration of the Mor- mons, and heard Joe Smith make his first speech in Illinois, and saw the corner-stone of the temple laid. An anecdote of Joe Smith Mr. J. relates as follows: At that time live-stock was running at large everywhere, and application was made to the city council to adopt a law prohibiting this ; they applied to Joe Smith, Mayor, to make a proclamation to that effect; Smith refused to do so, but said he would come out and make a speech; he did so, and said that if any person had any more dogs than he could keep at home and feed, he was one of the dog breed himself; and made a similar re- mark concerning the people allowing hogs to run at large. In the fall of 1844 Mr. J. married Allisa Winning. Mr. J. has for four- teen years been township Treasurer, and has also been Supervisor and Assessor for awhile. He owns a farm of 120 acres on sec. 29. John Kemiedy, deceased, was born in 1815, in Ireland, and came to this country in 1830, first settling in Delaware county, Pa. ; in 1850, while there, he married Eliza Scanlin; in 1853 they came to this county, locating in this tp., where they lived until his death, Feb. 15, 1880. He was a very estimable citizen. James Lindsay, Jr., was born Aug. 27, 1853, in this county, and is a son of James and Anna Lindsay ; was reared on a farm, re- ceiving a common-school education; April 24, 1879, he married Ella Ikerd, of this county. His grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, serving also 18 months in the war of 1812. HISTORY OF HANOOOK OOTJNTT. 953 James A. OZ^fs, farmer; P. O., Appanoose; was born Sept. 8, 1828, in Montgomery county, Ind., and is a son of Matthias and Catharine Ollis, father a native of England and mother of Ohio. James A. was reared on a farm and received a common- school edu- catioQ. March 2, 1864, he married Martha Brown, and they had 5 children, 4 of whom are living: James A., Mary C, Sarah 0. and Elizabeth A. ^Mrs. Ollis died March 28, 1880, a consistent mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church, which she had been for 18 years. Mr. O . is also a member of the same Church. Ohaunoy Bohison was born March 27, 1805, in Oneida county, N. T.: came to .this county with his parents, Charles and Jerusha Eobison, in 1829; here he spent his early life, while the county was first settling up. He had one brother, John K., who was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. Chauncy entered as register in the land-office at Quincy, in which position he remained until 1837, when he went to Carthage, and there engaged in clerking in a dry-goods store, which he followed till August, 1839, when he was elected County Recorder, in which office he served eight years ; he then went to Louisiana, where he spent the winters of 1847-'8, for the benefit of his wife's health; in the spring of 1847 he came to Nauvoo, where he lived until 1850; he then purchased a farm in Appanoose tp., where he has since resided. In 1841 he married Hannah D. Hughes, of Carthage, and they have had 4 children, only 'one of whom is now living, Ella M., now Mrs. Deusenburg. Mrs. K. died March 27, 1861. Mr. R.'s grandfather on his mother's side was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, under Gen. Washington. Lewis Sleight, deceased, was born March 2, 1819, in New Jersey; when sixteen years of age he emigrated to St. Louis, where he resided sixteen years, then came to Naiivoo, and was Captain of the ferry-boat that ran from that place to Montrose, Iowa, from that time, 1851, until his death, June 2, 1872. He was married in 1842 to Sarah Frisby, and they had 3 children : Emma L., now Mrs. Violett; Luln.L. and Ada. Several of Mrs. Sleight's ancestors were valiant soldiers in both the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812. James B. Wehh, son of "Wm. and Harriet Webb, who came to this county in 1841 with a company of Mormons, was reared here and educated in the common school. December 21, 1869, hfe mar- ried Mary E. Tyner, and they have had one child, Hattie U. Mr. W. owns 80 acres of land on sec. 27. John Zingree, physician and surgeon, Appanoose, was born in Switzerland September 14, 1830, was educated at the Military Academy of Berne, was Ist Lieutenant of the 3d Division of the Swiss army under Gen. Doriass, one of Napoleon's old generals. The Doctor came to this country in 1851, and the next year com- menced the study of medijeine under Dr. Branton, an eminent physician of Cleveland, Ohio. In the spring of 1854 he graduated at the Western Missouri Medical College, and soon after came to Nauvoo, where he commenced the practice of medicine. He 954 HI8T0ET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Nauvoo, where he coirunenced the practice of medicine. He remained in Nanvoo till 1856, when he purchased a farm opposite Fort Madison and moved upon it, where he has since resided, engaged in farming and practicing medicine. He married his last wife, Hattie Knapp, in April 1877. Dr. Z. owns about 2,000 acres of land in Illinois and Iowa. TOWNSHIP OFFrCIALS. ' The town Officers that have served or are now serving this town- ship are about as follows: SUPKEVISOES . James A. McCance 1850 I. D. Stone 1868 Fred. R. Prentice. . . .-. 1853 Amzi Doolittle 1869 Williiim Jackson 1853 I. D. Stone 1871 Wm. P. Logan 1858 Samuel Elliott 1873 William Jackson 1860 Hugh Jackson 1873 Samuel Elliott 1863 Johti Jackson 1874 Peter Wilsey ..1866 George H. Rudisil 1876 Amzi Doolittle 1867 Leonard A. Hobbs 1878 OLEEKS. GeorgeT. Thompson 1858 Charles G. Pish 1873 Hugh Jackson 1863 John Trouthart 1874 L. A. Hobbs 1866 Charles G. Pish 1876 Hugh Jackson 1869 John W. Bertchi 1879 Samuel V. Elliott 1870 Alexander Haymart 1880 ASSESSORS. Benjamin Ritter 1858 "William Jackson 1863 Geo. T. Thompson 1859 Charles C. Ritter 1867-1880 COLLECTOES. Robert Mackie 1858 James Webb. 1871 Gershom Pope 1863 James Hammond 1873 Robert Mackie 1864 Wm. G. Webb 1873 John D. Johnson 1865 Leonard A. Hobbs 1874 L. A. Hobbs 1866 George H. Rudisil 1875 Hugh Jackson 1867 Leonard A. Hobbs 1876 George Elliott 1870 John W. B»rtchi 1877-1880 NAUVOO TOWNSHIP. This city of " pleasant land " is a towriship by itself. It embraces two small fractional townships, lying in the bend of the Mississippi, and numbered 6 and 7 north, 9 west, the township line dividing them striking the river a little north of the extreme point of the bend, and dividing the city into two nearly equal parts. It embraces within its limits what was once the site of Venus, as well as the town of Commerce and the later Commerce City. The portion on which the Mansion House and famous Nauvoo House stand, is part of the farm originally pre-empted and owned by Capt. James White, the first settler; and that on which the Temple stood was a portion of the farm of Daniel H. "Wells, Esq., now Gen. Wells, of Utah. The stone from which the temple was built was obtained partly from the great quarry a little below the town in the river bluff. We cannot learn from the records that there was ever any laid out town at Yenus. The name was given to it perhaps by Mr. White, and that is the name Uncle Sam used for the postoffice there, the first ever established in the county. It contained Alex- ander White's store, and the residence of his father, and of George T. Cutler (in the same vicinity), but whether near enough together to constitute a village, is unknown. Commerce was laid out by Joseph B. Teas and Alexander White^ in 1834. Commerce City was laid out in 1837, by Horace E. Hotchkiss and John Gillett, two speculators from Connecticut, and lies a little above its namesake on the river. These plats seem not to have been vacated; so that they are included in, but not a part of, the plat of the city. Nauvoo was laid out in 1839, by Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon and George W. Robinson. Afterward, at inter- vals, down to May, 1843, it received as many as fifteen additions by Hiram and Ethan Kimball, Hyrum Smith, Daniel H. Wells, Davidson Hibbard, Herringshaw and Thompson, Geo. W. Robin- son, Joseph Smith, James Robison's heirs, Benjamin Warrington and John T. Barnett. The situation of Nauvoo is most commanding and beautiful. But few, if any, sites on the upper Mississippi can compare with it. The Mississippi, which opposite Commerce is over a mile in width, gracefully sweeps around its rock-bound shore in a semi-circle, then falls off to the first chain of the rapids. Above the city the river approaches in a westerly course; below, it glides winding over the rapids southward, presenting a long reach of green and wooded bluffs on either side, to Keokuk and Hamilton, twelve miles below. (955) 956 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. From the immediate bank of the river — some feet above high water mark — the ground is nearly level for six or seven blocks, when begins a gradual ascent to Temple Block, where, after a rise of 60 or 70 feet, it again falls oif level, away back into the prairie. There are, however, some bad ravines and broken bluffs within the city limits, which break the monotony and give variety to the landscape. The curve of the river around the city forms a somewhat pointed half circle. A straight line back of it, from where it intersects the shore above and below, will measure about four miles ; while the water-line measurement around its western side is nearly twice that distance. Some of the additions lie in Sonora township. The towns of Commerce and Commerce City are laid out square with the shore opposite them; but the whole of Nauvoo and all of its additions are laid out on due east and west lines. The streets of the city are named mostly after Mormon dignitaries — as Sidney, Parley, Eipley, Kimball, Young, Knight, Hyrum, Carlos, Samuel, Kobinson, "Wells, "Woodruff, Page, etc. Major General Bennett, Bishop Lee and Orrin P. Eockwell seem to have been slighted. How many of the earliest settlers resided within the limits of Nauvoo, it is hard to tell. Mr. White and his sons were there; George Y. Cutler and Davidson Hibbard were there; Daniel Van Burkloe is supposed to have been there also (there was a V"an Burkloe , there when the Mormons came) ; but of all the other oflBcers and jurymen at organization, none other is now known to have resided there, though numbers were in the vicinity. The history of this city from 1840 to 1847 can be found in the chapter on the Mormon period. After those people left, an entire new class of citizens appeared, from all parts of the country and from Europe. THE MOEMON TEMPLE Was burnt October 9, 1848. Who the vandal was that applied the torch has never been known, and it is not believed that good grounds exi&t for suspicion against any one. There was a report, some years since, that Mr. Joseph Agnew, late of Pontoosuc, was the guilty person and had so confessed on his death-bed. After diligent inquiry we find that there is no foundation whatever for the story. Mr. A.'s friends, while admitting that he was a pro- nounced and daring Anti-Mormon, scout at the idea that he was capable of such an act. A large reward was offered for the appre- hension and conviction of the criminal, by the citizens of ifauvoo, but the perpetrator was never found. But whoever it may have been, public opinion abroad has fixed the stigma upon the Anti- Mormons. This has been unreasonable and unjust. Without pre- tending to assert that it may not have been done by some reckless Anti-Mormon, we do know and affirm that the great body of them . everywhere condemned the act. We heard no other expression HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 957 among them at the time but stern denunciation of the deed. There is another theory in regard to its destruction that is quite as likely to be the true one. The truth is, that, now that the Mormons were leaving the city and State, the temple had become quite a large elephant on their hands. It had cost them, as they claimed, twelve hundred and fifty thousand dollars. In it the rank and file had invested a large amount of their surplus earnings for years; and however suited it may have been for a Mormon Temple for worship, it was evidently fit for nothing else. It had been spoken of for an institution of learning; and it is said had actually been contracted for by New York parties, for such a purpose. Two hundred thousand dollars had been asked for it; but it was evident that sum expended on a new building, properly con- structed, would be a more economical investment. Yet still it was an object of interest and an ornament to the city, and no one, except the merest fanatic, could have desired its destruction. There was dissention among the brotherhood ; two or three parties existed among them, all claiming to be the true Church, and the others as heretics, and they hated each other. It has been guessed, and we think not without reason, that some fanatical and over- zealous member of one of these parties may have destroyed it in order that the other should not reap the benefit of it. At any rate the question so stands: The Mormons and many others believe that the deed was committed by the Anti-Mormons; the latter, without being able to establish the contrary, think it just as likely the deed was consummated by some of themselves. As stated, the temple was burned on the night of Oct. 9, 1848. It was a beautiful night, and about two o'clock fire was discovered in the cupola. It had made but little headway when first seen, but spread rapidly, and in a very short period the lofty spire was a mass of fiame, shooting high in the air, and illuminating a wide extent of country. It was seen for miles away. The citizens fathered around, but nothing could be done to save the structure, t was entirely of wood except the walls, and nothing could have stopped the, progress of the fiames. In two hours, and before the sun dawned upon the earth, the proud structure, reared at so much cost — an anomaly in architecture, and a monument of religious zeal — stood with four blackened and smoking walls only remaining. If anv party or parties had been contemplating the purchase of the temple, for any purpose, its destruction, of course, put an end to the scheme. THE ICAEIAN COMMUNITY. In the year 1848, M. Etienne Cabet, a distinguished French communist, conceived the idea of establishing in America an ex- perimental colony of their sect. Accordingly a number of them were landed at New Orleans, who proceeded to establish in Texas what he termed an Icarian Community. But Texas not being deemed 968 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. suitable, it was decided to remove and settle at Nauvoo . In the spring of 1849, a company of them, to the number of 75 or 100, settled in that city, and during the ten years that followed, con- tinued their organization there, under the presidency and manage- ment of their eminent leader. Daring their stay in that city they increased by ac:'essions to between 500 and 600. Without undertaking to state correctly the principles of their organization, we may say that their chief tenet seemed to be a community of property and interests. While their family rela- tions were kept up, each maintaining a separate household, all were required .to eat at the same table, and to contribute of his and her labor to the common fund. The children were regarded rather as the wards of the Community than of the parents, and were re- quired to be taught in the same school and with the same care and attention. They purchased the Temple Block and the remains of the struc- ture, and were about to repair it, so as to make it habitable, when a storm blew it down. Afterward, from its ruins, they constructed a long, low stone building, which was used for the school. The Community is said to have been composed mainly of intelligent, moral and industrious men and women, and were well esteemed by their neighbors. They carried on many branches of business, such as farming, the manufacture of flour and lum^ber, and the various mechanical trades. They also ran a distillery for a period. Soon after establishing, they issued a weekly newspaper called the Popular Tribune, under the editorship of M. Cabet. This was afterward changed to the Hevue Icarienne, and was printed partly in French and partly in English. While President Cabet was in Europe, the paper was left in charge of M. Piquenard, a young man who has since been conspicuous as architect of the new State House at Springfield. But the Community could not hold together; dissatisfaction arose; and in or aboiTt 1857 a considerable body left. In 1859 the concern broke up, most of the members leaving; but a remnant, consisting of less than a hundred persons, held together and re-es- tablished in Adams county, Iowa, where the colony still exists. These people were nearly all French. On leaving the Commu- nity a number of them settled in the county at various points, and are generally regarded as good citizens. At the time the Mormons were leaving Nauvoo, a great many persons, influenced by the hope of obtaining cheap property, settled in and aronnd the city. A large portion of those in the city soon afterward left, and their places became gradually filled by foreigners, most of whom came to establish permanent homes, and still remain, a class of industrious, frugal and peaceable citizens. These people brought their European habits and customs with them, and Nauvoo to-day is perhaps more of a German town than any in the country. Beer, the national beverage, flows like water; and the latter, though pure and good^ has gone out of fashion. HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. 969 The business of grape-growing and wine-making is quite exten- sively followed by these people, and the city and suburbs are thickly dotted with well-planted and neatly kept vineyards. The business, however, it may be observed, has met with its disappoint- ments, and the golden anticipations of many who entered into it have not been realized. Among the early German settlers about !N^auvoo, we mention the following : George Bratz, a native of Wurtemburg, came in 184Y ; John G. Bratz, eldest son of the above, served in the 67th 111. Vol. , and was afterward Mayor ; Leonard L. Bratz, merchant ; Frederic Baum, from Baden ; John Bauer, a Bavarian, Justice of the Peace, Notary, and Postmaster for many years; John B. Kisse, a Prus- sian, a lawyer, elected County Judge in 1869, and still holds the position under successive elections ; John Dornseif, Frankfort-on- the-Main, has held several offices, among others that of Supervisor; Qnistav Eberdt, Max Keinbold, Peter F. Wahl, Albert Person, John Engler, F. Mauck, G. H. Henckler, and others. Among the native citizens since the Mormon period, we mention Christopher E. Yates, Samuel Slocumb, Bryant Whitfield, L. C. Bidamon, "Wm. Clifford, Nathan Prentice, Luke P. Prentice, Adam Swartz, Bryant Bartlett, Daniel Brown, R. H. Loomis, Milton M. Morrill, Wm. McLennan, Prentice Pond, S. M. Wather, George Edmunds, Eeuben Mason, John Gearhart, D. B. Smith, Thomas H. Owen. RELIGIOUS PBOGEESS. There are four Church organizations in the city — all in posses- sion of handsome and substantial church edifices. Of the most of them we know but little. The Catholic has for its Pastor Rev. H. T. Keinbold, who has served several years. The German Lutheran, with Eev. Hertel for Pastor. The Methodist (German) Eev. S. Saegesser for its Pastor. The date of organization of any of these, or their condition, we are unable to state. For the following facts concerning the Presbyterian Church, we are indebted to the courtesy of Adam Swartz, Esq., its clerk : Organized March 18. 1855, at the Seventies' Hall, by Rev. N. W. Williams, of Keokuk, with the following named members ; Samuel Chapman, John Rice Mrs. H. Elliott, Mrs. Louise Walthus, Mrs. H. A. Carey, Mrs. John Rice, Mrs. M. E. Powers, Miss Sarah Dewey, and I. D. Stevens: Chapman, Rice and Stevens, ruling Elders. Revs. Mc- Cuistion, Waldenmeyer and Rice served as Pastors occasionally, or by regular engagement. Later particulars not stated. Mr. Swartz became a member at an early date, and has acted as its Clerk since 1868. BIOGEAPHIES. Following are sketches of several citizens of Nauvoo township : John JSauer, one of Nauvoo's influential citizens, was 960 HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTT. born April 14, 1807, in Khinish Province of Bavaria. He was the voungest of three sons of Jacob and Catharine (Deidesheimer) feauer. His father followed through life various businesses, of a mer- cantile, mechanical and agricultural nature. He attained eminent proficiency as a business man, an able cooper, a successful raiser of the vine, and manufacturer of wine. He died in 1847, mourned by a host of friends and relatives. Our subject received a common- school education when young, and has been a close reader through life. His memory is very retentive, and his powers of observation very discriminating. At the age of 20 he began life in agricultural pursuits making the cultivation of the grape, its proper grafting, training, etc., a specialty. In 1833 he came to America and settled in Ohio, where he remained for several years, engaged in various pursuits. He was also County Eecorder in Ohio three years. In 1850 he came to Freeport, Stephenson county, Illinois, where he remained one year as a successful merchant in the boot and shoe business. He then came to Nauvoo, where he has since resided ,|engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits; and he has held many public offices, such as Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, Alderman and Super- visor, and was also Postmaster of Nauvoo during the administra- tions of Pierce and Buchanan. In 1833 he was married to Mar- garet Ever, a native of Bavaria, by whom he had 13 children. She died in 1858 in Nauvoo. In 1862 he was again married, this time to Elizabeth Fleck, a native of Prussia; she became the mother of 3 children, two of whom are living. Politically Mr. Bauer is an enthusiastic Democrat, of the Jacksonian and Stephen A. Douglas school. Although he started in life poor, his situation is now very prosperous. Mr. Bauer was the first to introduce the making of wine in Nauvoo. Emil Baxter was born in St. Quentin, France, in the depart- ment of the Aisne, and is a son of John and Agnes Baxter. He came to America in 1846, and returned the same year. He came to JS^ew York in 1847, where he engaged in importing dry-goods until the financial crisis of 1857; in 1858 he came to Wauvoo, where he engaged in the culture of the grape and the manufacture of wine. He tried many experiments, and made many improvements in grape culture. He has made such improvements in the work that he has in his possession 18 silver medals awarded by the Illinois State Board of Agriculture at different times for the best wines from different varieties of grapes. He is the most extensive ^ape and wine pro- ducer in the country, and ships his wines to St. Louis and Chicago, being unable to supply the demand. Mr. Baxter has premiums and diplomas for his wines from societies elsewhere. He was married in 1852 to Miss Annett Powel, by whom he has 6 children, viz.: Emil E. J., Alfred, Annett, Thomas, Cecil J. and HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOTJNTT. 961 Bertha. Mrs. Baxter died in 1863. He again married in 1864; this time Mary Wimer, by Vhom he has one child, Adele. Emil E. J. Baxter, son of the preceding, was born in Newark, K. J., May 13, 1853. He was educated in the common school and at the Academy of Denmark, Iowa. He was married June 21, 1877, to Miss Eugenia Dadant. He studied law under McKinnie one year, in Il^auvoo, and one year under John Lyle King, a prom- inent lawyer of Chicago. He now is engaged in the culture of the Italian bee, having a branch apiary oi Charles Dadant's large institution of Montebello township. Mr. B. has 100 stands of bees in his care, and is doing a large business. He is at present a member of the City Council of Nauvoo, and was Supervisor for this township last year (1879). Joh/n, U. Bechtold, ex-Mayor of Xauvoo, is a native of Switzer- land; was born July 3, 1837; he emigrated to this country in 1865, and settled in Naijvoo, where he has since made it his home. While In the old country he learned the business of blacksmithing, at which he labored in after years. In June, 1861, he enlisted in Co. K, 8th Mo. Inf, under Col. Morgan L. Smith; this company was a division of Gen. Sherman's army. He fought in the battles of Yicksburg, Shiloh, Corinth, Fort Donelson, Jackson, Atlanta and Chattanooga, and was with Gen. Sherman on his " Meridian March." He was discharged in August, 1864, and returned home. Of late years he has been directing his attention to the culture of the vine. The year 1879 he manufactured 1,309 gallons of wine. He was married in 1866 to Margaret "Wolff. They have had 4 children; viz.,, Caroline, Angeline, Mary and Johnnie. Mr. Bech- told served as School Treasurer for 11 years,, and Mayor for 3 years. Maj. Louis O. Bidamon was born in Virginia in 1806; came and settled in Fulton county, and was a resident there during the early Mormon troubles in this county; was a Lieutenant Colonel of the 32d Eegimient of Illinois Infantry. He removed to Nauvoo in 1846, and thence took an active part among the new citizens in the then existing difBculties; was married to Mrs. Emma Smith, the prophet's widow, in 18—, and joined her in keeping the Mansion House; now occupying the new unfinished mansion at the Riverside. Thomas Blake, agent for the Keokuk and Northern Line boats, is a native of Dublin, Ireland, and was born in 1836; came to this county in 1860, and first settled in New York; remained there till 1869, when he came to this city, and for a time engaged in quarry- ino- for the Dubuque and Galena custom-house. He worked at that tilTl862, when he went to Tennessee; was in the P. T. Hughes commission house there till 1868, when he returned to Nauvoo and engaged in the above-named business." He was married in 1860 to Alice Murphy, by whom he had 9 children — 2 sons and 7 daughters. Ohas.O. Burmeister was born Dec. 10, 1840, in Germany; was brought by his parents to this country in 1848 ; they first settled 55 9t)2 HISTOEi' OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ia St. Louis ; there Charles grew to manhood and received his ed- ucation. In 1866 he went to Iowa, and in 1868 back to St. Louis. In 1871 he came to Nauvoo, where he has sinee followed wine-mak- ing. He was married, in 1866, to Magdalena Beckerle, by whom he has had 6 children; 5 of these are living. A. W. Burt was born N'ov. 28, 1836, in Marion county. 111. He was taken by his parents, Benjamin B. and Adaline Burt, to Iowa, where he was reared to maturity. He received but an ordinary ed- ucation. He came to this city in 18-56. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. E, 118th 111. Inf., mounted; was mustered out Oct. 1, 1865. He fought in the battle of Vicksburg and others, being princi- pally in the Gulf Department. He was married, May .2, 1871, to N. J. Moffitt. Have had 4 children, 3 of whom are living. Hugh D. BurU proprietor of the Knob Mills, Nauvoo, was born April 17, 1842, in Marion county. 111. He built the mills in October, 1879, at a cost of $7,000 ; they have a 30-horse-power engine, and all first-class machinery and latest improvements. The capacity of the mills is 20 barrels of " Fancy Merchants," flour per 12 hours. Mr. Burt followed milling in Kansas nine years. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Co. F, 7th Mo. Inf , and participated in tha battles of Yicksburg, Fort Gibson, Champion Hills and in the famous " Peach Orchard Charge," in which all were killed except 10. He was also with Sherman on his Meridian raid. He was discharged in August, 1864, having served three years for the liberty of our country. Mr. B. was married January 9, 1866, to Louisa Tepper, and of 5 children born to them, 3 are sons and 2 daughters. A. Burton was born in France, Dec. 24, 1816. He came to I^ew Orleans and St. Louis in 1833. He has been an active busi- ness man through life, being engaged in trafficking in different lines. He was married in 1853 to Miss Rosanna Dowell, by whom he has had 2 children ; of these, 4 are l^iving ; viz., Theodore L., Adda L., Vinne and Douglas. Mr. Burton was a sutler in Gen. Taylor's army in the Mexican war. He went to California ia 1849, and re- turned in 1853, and came to this county in the fall of the same year. Mr. Burton owns 300 acres of land near Nauvoo, besides lands else- where, and property in St. Louis, New Orleans and San Francisco. He was formerly the most extensive grape-grower in Nauvoo. Joseph N. Datin was born in the town of Bullitsville, Ky., Dec. 17, 1828, and is a son of Noel and Nancy (McDonald) Datin, who removed with their family to Hannibal, Mo., in 1829, or rather to the place where Hannibal now stands, for there was no town there then ; but instead, there were catamounts, wild-cats, bears and other wild animals. Our subject had a vivid recollection ol playing with wild turkeys in 1833. He also saw the " stars" fall the same year. He used to catch numerous turkeys by digging a narrow pit in the ground, about six feet in length, and erecting a rail pen over one end of it. Over this pit, on the inside of the pen next to the rails, he placed a broad board or other material so the turkeys could walk over it, leaving the pit open in the middle of the HISTOET OP HANCOCK COUNTY. 963 pen. The turkeys would go into the pen through the pit, and rise at the other end of the pit, only to find themselves caught ; for although they came in through the pit, they knew not how to get out ; for a turkey always looks upward instead of downward when he wants to get out of a confined place. Mr'. D. was married in 1848 to Miss Catharine A. Sparks, by whom he has had 15 children ; of these, 12 are living. Mr. Datin came to this county in 1849, and resides on sec. 10, Sonora tp. He is engaged in the sale of agri- cultural implements, grass seeds and school furnitui'e in ISTauvoo, and is doing a large business. His sales amount to $20,000 annu- ally. His sales on the 22d day of May, 1880, reached only the round sum of over $800. Henry Disse, physician and surgeon, Nauvoo, was born in Germany, Feb. 22, 1828, and was reared in the "old country" and educated in medical department of the Berlin -University. Oct. 8, 1853, Mr. Disse, in company with Dr. Fred Kuithan, started on a tour to South America. He visited the places of note, and after nearly a year spent, he returned to Germany. He came to this country in 1854 and first settled in Hamilton, Ohio, where he prac- ticed medicine till 1855, when he went to St. Louis; here he con- tinned in medical practice till 1872, when he came to Nauvoo. In 1859 he was married to Minnie Opermann, by whom he has had 4 children; viz., Ida, Anna, Frank and Eichard. The Doctor owns a fine vineyard of 6 acres. I>r. L. O. Ford was born in Keokuk, Iowa, July 4, 1852, and is a son of Dr. E. E. and Margaret Ford, of Keokak. The Doctor received his medical education at the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons. He began the practice of medicine in Keokuk, in 1875, and in 1876 he located in JSTauvoo, where he has built up a good practice. He was married October 16, 1878, and has one child, L. C. The Doctor's father came "West in 1834, and laid out Ford's Addition to Keokuk, and was City Treasurer, and a promi- nent banker of that city. He was also one of the incorporators of the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons, and .was a Profes- sor in said institution for some time. The Doctor's mother was the first white child born in the city of Keokuk. John Haas is a native of Black Forest, Germany, where he was born December 8, 1849; was brought to America and this county by his parents in 1859. They first settled in Appanoose tp., where our subject staid till 1863, when he went to Keokuk. In 1872 he went to Fort Madison, and in May, 1874, he came to Nauvoo. He was married April 8, 1875, to Eosa Humbrecht, and they had 2 children, John A. and Emma M. Mr. H. is the pro- prietor of the City Hall saloon. BrooTiS B. Hamilton, M. D., physician and surgeon, Nauvoo, was born in Pennsylvania, April 21, 1837, and is a son of William and Margaret Hamilton. He was brought by them to Knox county, III, when eight years of age. There he was reared to man- hood. ' He received an academic edacation, and in the spring of 964: HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COXJNTT. 1859 he began the study of medicine. He completed his medical course in the spring of 1862, and Sept. 4, the same year, he enlisted in the army. He was appointed 2d Lieut, of Co. 1, 126th Eeg. 111. Inf.; in February, 1864:, he was promoted Captain of Co. B, of 126th Begt. He served in that capacity till the close of the war; he was mustered out August 1, 1865; he then returned home, having served nearly three years; he fought at Yicksburg, Little Kock, and in many other minor engagements. Soon after he returned home he attended the medical department of the Iowa University, at which he graduated, and soon after came and located in Nauvoo, where he has since resided, engaged in the practice of his profession. He has an extensive and continued patronage. In July 1859, he was married to Margaret O. Periton, by whom he has had 3 children, 2 living: Emma H., Wm. W. and Edgar K. (deceased). Politically, Mr. H. is a Kepublican. He served one term as Representative in the lower House of the General Assembly of Illinois. ^ £riiest Seek wsia horn in Germa.nj, May 19,- 1817; his parents were Ernest and Louisa (Heifrick) fleck. He was educated in his native country, and emigrated to St. Louis, Mo., in 1845, and pur- chased a farm afterward within three miles of. Herman. He came to this county in 1868. He has been married twice, and is the father of 7 children, of whom 4 are living; viz., Wilhelmina, Emma, Ida and Ernest. He is a sugar reiiner and farmer by occu- pation; and was also engaged in the culture of grapes, and the manufacture of wine to some extent, while in Missouri. Mr. Heck returned to his native land in 1865, and in 1867 he attended the Exposition at Paris, France. Mr. H. has been a hard worker, and by good management has laid by a goodly share of this world's goods, which will make him comfortable in his old days. William D. Sibiard^ attorney at law, Nauvoo, was born in this county, Oct. 22, 1848, and is a son of Wm. T. Hibbard; was reared in this county and educated in Notre Dame University. He began the study of law when seventeen years old, and was admitted to Bar, in the District Court in Madison, Iowa. He came back to Nauvoo, in 1870, where he has since resided, following his profession. He is also Police Magistrate and ex-officio Justice of the Peace. Mr. Hibbard was joined in marriage December 31, 1868, to Mittie "Whitefield, and tlieir three children are: Wade T., Emma and Eobert I. Mr. H.'s grandfather was among the earli- est settlers of this county, settling here in 1829. For a more com- plete sketch of that pioneer's life, see Chap. II. Phineas Kimball is a native of West Fairlee, Orange county, Yermont, and was born May 1, 1822. He is the eighth of ten chil- dren, whose parents were Phineas and Abigail (Colton) Kimball. They were natives of Yermont, and people distinguished for piety and intelligence. They were both ardent members of the Congrega- tional Church. His father, known as Capt. Phineas Kimball, held HISTOKT OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 965 the rank of captain in the war of 1812. In 1842, when the sub- ject of this sketch was 19 years of age, he left his parental roof in Vermont and came to Nauvoo. He first engaged as clerk in the mercantile business for his brother Hiram, who had preceded him some years, and was one of the earliest settlers in the place. Mr. Kimball was here during the Mormon troubles. He delivered the cartridges to the cannoneer during the battle, which lasted over two hours. And after it was over, and the excitement had sub- fiidtd, he and a friend drove over the battle-field in a buggy. Clear and vivid are his recollections of that noted day. Mr. K. continued in the mercantile business until 1849, when he went to the gold regions of California to try his fortune. In 1852 he returned to Vermont, having bettered his fortune materially. He etaid in his native State about six months and then returned to Nauvoo, where he has since resided. The same year (1852) he engaged in the foundry business, and continued at that for several years. Of late years he has turned his attention to raising live stock. He owns a farm of 700 acres, besides several other large tracts. He also owns his homestead in Yermont. He started out in life poor and he well understands the value of self-acquired experience and property. In 1857 he was united in marriage to Louisa Bartholomew, a native of Vermont, and a daughter of Erastus Bartholomew, a prominent manufacturer and business man of that State. His wife departing this life, he was again married, July 25, 1866, this time to Dina Icking, a native of this State. Mr. Kimball is the father of 8 children, 6" of whom are living. .Polit- ieallv he is a strong Democrat. He has always been temperate. Temperance in language, action and social intercourse is with him a rule of conduct. His name is intimately identified with the inter- ests and early career of Nauvoo. Mr. Kimball was well acquainted with the leading men of the Mormons. He had the esteem and respect of them all; and refers with pleasure to his visits to Brig- ham Young in Utah. Socially, he is pleasant and afi^able, and is fond of company and conversation. He is a man who loves his family, and he is very hospitable and friendly. He has a business turn of mind. He divides his time between his home in Nauvoo and his business interests in New England. George A. Lane was born in Pennsylvania, July 13, 1830. He is a son of James B. and Jane Lane; the former a native of Penn- sylvania, and the latter of Scotland. Our subject was reared in his native State. In 1849 he went to St. Louis and some time after came to Nauvoo. He went to Kansas in 1873; staid a short time, and then returned to Nauvoo. His father and grandfather were both soldiers in the Revolution- ary war under Gen. Washington. Frank A. Marsh is a native of Quincy, 111., and was born Sept. 14, 1856. He is a son of Augustus 0. Marsh (dec), a prominent man in Quincy. The father was for several years President of 966 HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOTJNTT. the First Nationa]. Bank, of that place and was in that position at the time of his death, April 6, 1866. He came to Quincy in 1847. Mr. Marsh was reared and educated principally in his native city. He was clerk in a dry-goods store for several years in Quincy. He is also a school-teacher.. December 25 -(Christmas day), 1877, he was united in marriage to Mattie "Ward, daughter of Edward and Betsie Ward, of LaPrairie, Adams county. Mr. "Ward is one of the leading farmers. in that county. Mr. and Mrs. "Ward are natives of England; 'emigrated to this country in 1845. Mr. Marsh came to Nauvoo in 1878. Here he has since resided. Joseph Nelson, editor of the Nauvoo Independent, is a native of Nauvoo, and was born Sept. 15, 1850. His parents, George and Anna E. Nelson, died when he was an infant, and as soon as he was old enough he went out to work by the month, as he had no guardian. At the age of 17 years he started from his former home with a fowling piece, a bloodhound, and five dollars in money, to seek his fortune. He soon obtained some money by hard labor and close attention to business, and at his own expense attended an academy in Missouri. He then taught school for some time. In the autumn of 1874 he became editor and proprietor of the Nauvoo Independent, on which he is still engaged; this is a spicy little sheet, which has a good circulation. Mr. Nelson was mar- ried Oct. 2, 1879, to Miss Catharine L. Knaust. Samuel Pahner, dealer in all kinds of musical instruments and musical books, Nauvoo, was born in 1825, in Licking county, O., and is a son of Eev. Ezekiel Palmer, a minister of the Christian Church. Samuel was brought up in his native county, being educated at Lee's Institute, in Franklin county, O.; he was for many years school and music teacher. In his doctrinal views he is a radical, being a decided materialist, etc. He came to this State in 1853, locating in Chicago; in 1857 he went to Iowa, and in 1860 to this county. April 25, 1861, he enlisted in Co. C, 14th 111. Vol. Inf., and served eight months, and was discharged on account of disability. In 1846 he married Phoebe Dickson; she died in 1854, and in 1863, Mr. P. married Poline Mahin, a sister of the editor of the Musca- tine Journal, and of their 4 children 2 are living: Lily M. and Charles. Dr. B. M. Pa/rker is a native of Madison county, IS.. T., and was born March 21, 1818. His parents were Leonard C. and Betsey Parker, natives of Massachiisetts. The Doctor was educa- ted in his native country. He received a medical education in the Homeopathic Medical College, of Rochester, N. Y. He moved to Cincinnati in 1845, where he built up a large practice. . Having a desire to " go "West," he removed to St. Louis in 1863, where he remained in the practice of his profession until 1866, when he removed to JSTauvoo. He has a large practice here, which is still on the increase. He is the father of 2 children: J. "Willy and Bessie G. Mrs. Parker died inSeptember, 1878. HISTOEY OF HANCOCIK COUNTV. 967 Een. H. I. Eeimbold, was born in Cologne, Prussia, May 31, 1842. His father, John Reiinbold, after extensive travels in Europe and Asia, held a position for some time under the Turkish Government. On returning to his native city, Cologne, he engaged several years in the real-estate and lumber business. In 1848 he and his brother, Dr. Peter Keimbold, together with their families, came to America, and after a short stay in Cincinnati, linally, within the same year, located in Nauvoo, Hancock county, 111. Being of an enterprising disposition, he soon entered quite extensively in the grain trade. In the autumn of 1849 he returned home from a trip to St. Louis in poor health, having contracted a serious cold, from ^hich he never recovered; health continuing to decline, he resigned himself to the will of God, and died March 22, 1850, at the early age of 39 years. Of an amiable disposition and pleasing address, he was highly esteemed by all who knew him. Henry I. Heimbold, the eldest of his 4 brothers, then almost eight years old, remained with his moth- er and brothers after the death of his father, until 1857, when he was sent to Eotre Dame University, near South J3end, Ind. Having devoted four years to study, and feeling himself called to the sacred ministry, he was sent in Sept., 1862, to St. Mary's Sem- inary at Chicago, and after due preparation was ordained priest for the diocese of Chicago, August 2, 1866, then being appointed to the office of Yice Rector of St. Mary's Seminary, which position he held till July 1, 1867, he was then appointed Pastor of the Catholic congregation at Nauvoo ; entering upon his new duties Jnly 4, 1867, and continuing in the same charge since. Dr. Peter Reiinbold, brother of John Reimbold, soon became the leading physician of the county, retaining his popularity until death, which occurred June 21, 1861. Max Reimbold, one of his sons, is now a leading merchant in Nauvoo. "Wm. Reimbold, Sr., brother to John and Dr. Peter Reimbold, came to America and located here in 1850. He is still living in the spacious residence which he had erected. Vitus Sohaefer was born in Baden, Germany, June 4, 1821. He emigrated to this country in 1845, and first settled in Marion county. 111. Here he remained until 1851, when he came to Nau- voo, where he has since resided, engaged in harness-making. Mr. Schaefer was married in 1851, to Catharine Steffin. Mr. S.'s father wa§ a soldier in the Franco-Prussian war. Adam Swartz, attorney at law, Nauvoo, 111., was born in Adams county. Pa., in 1814, and is a son of Adam Swartz (dec.) Mr. Swartz" was left an orphan at the age of eight years, and had to battle with the world alone. He resided with a Mr. Marshall a few years, and then went to live with Peter Eyster, a farmer and tanner, who resided within 11 miles of Gettysburg; here he re- mained for the period of five years. At the age of 15, he served a three years' apprenticeship to the shoemaker's trade. He then worked as a journeyman at his profession for five or six years, 968 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. mostly in different towns of Pennsylvania, but a portion of the time in Baltimore, Md. He then formed a partnership with a Mr. Dillion, in Carlisle, whicli partnership was dissolved after three years. In 1838 he engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe busi- ness in Carlisle, and in 1843 he removed to Macomb,' 111.,. bringing a stock of boots and shoes with him. He remained in this place for three years, when, in 1846, he came to Nauvoo. Mr. Swartz is a self-educated man. In the year 1857 he was admitted to the Bar as an attorney at law, and has since been engaged in the practice of this profession. He was married, March 12, 1840, to Miss Emily K. S. Denys, by whom he had one daughter, Mary Y. (dec). Mr. S. again married, Dec. 26, 1844, this time Mary E. Prentice, by whom he had 2 children, William and Josephine (dec). Mr. Swartz is a member of the Presbyterian Church, iS. M. Walther, dealer in hardware, furnishing goods, etc., Nau- voo. 111., was born in 1821, in Bavaria, Europe. Came to America in 1838, settling in Missouri; afterward went to Louisville, Ky., and in 1849, came to Nauvoo. He has ever since then been en- gaged in his afore-named business. Mr. Walther was first mar- ried, in 1842, to Elizabeth Garner. She departing . this life, he married Frances Leach. Julius C. Wright, Jr., is a native of Scott county, Illinois, and was born Sept.. 14, 1836. He is the son of Julius C, Sr., and Louise Wright. His father was a native of Germany, and his mother, of Ohio. When our subject was 16 years of age he attended the Denmark' (Iowa) Musical Institute. He attended school at the above-named place for four years. He was leader of the Montrose Brass Band for four years. July 30, 1861, he recruited a music band for the 6th Eeg. Iowa Infantry. Of this he was leader. He was in the service for one year; was mustered out Aug. 27, 1862. He returned and resumed his former business, teaching and training bands. He traveled for four years as leader of the band of the Champion Circus Show. He then stopped at Bloomfield, Iowa, for one year.. Then went as leader of the band one summer for the Forest Dramatic Company. He then joined a concert troup called the Davis Family; traveled with them all over the western country during the space of three years. While at Topeka, Kansas, he instructed the city band and also took the first premium at the State Fair, which they were competing for. He instructed bands in Chicago, St. Louis, and many other places: also traveled with a troup from St. Louis over the Southern States. May 16, 1876, he was married to Martha Wessenbourn, to whom were born 2 children : Clarence L. and Thad C. (dec.) Mr. W. still pursues music as his business, instructing the bands of the neigh- boring cities. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTV. TO'WNSHIP OFFICIALS. Nauvoo township has had the following officers: SUPEEVISOES. James Irving 1850 J.W. Phillips 1853 George Kraum 1856 John B. Icking 1858 John Bauer , . 1863 Adam Swartz 1863 August Begar 1864 Milton M. Mori-m 1865 John Dornseif 1869 AlpnzoW. Burt 1874 Gustav Eherdt 1875 John Bauer 1880 CLERKS. Ed. Farrell 1856 John A. Hammond ' 1863 JohnP. Thomas j 1864 fieorge Bratz 1873 Wm. D. Hihbard 1879-1880 ASSESSORS. Warrick M. Cosgrove 1856 John P. Neibhour 1858 J. B. Bisse 1860 J. J. Heffleman 1865 John B. Risse 1866 JohnP.Thomas 1870 Anton Fischer 1873 Andrew Heberger 1876 Albert Person 1878-1880 COLLECTORS. EdwardFarrell 1856 August Begar 1858 George Bratz 1863 Anton Fischer 1866 Gustav Eberdt 1870 John Machenheimer 1875 Michael Baumert •. 1876 Jacob Kemler 1879-1880 ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHIES CONTINUED PROM PAGE 570. WALKBK TOWNSHIP. Charles Carter was born in Massachusetts I^ov. 6, 1846, and is a son of Philip and Martha E. Carter, natives of the same State. Dec. 22, 1878, Charles married ' Miss Marietta Archer, and they have only one child, Mabel. Mr. C. came to this county in 1850, settling in Walker tp ., on the farm where Morleytown stood, which numbered 100 houses, and where he yet lives, engaged in agricul- ture and stock-raising. His farm comprises 270 acres, and is on sees. 31 and 32. A. J. Ewing, Tioga, 111., carries a stock of about $4,000 in dry goods, groceries, hardware, medicines, ready-made clothing, hats, caps, boots, shoes, 'etc., etc., and his annual cash sales amount to about $7,000, besides credit accounts. He was born in Brown county, O., Oct. 28, 1838, the son of Jackson and Catherine Ewing, who moved to Kentucky in 1841, and to this county in 1846, where the subject of this sketch followed the farm until 1870, when he began mercantile business in his present place. He has distin- guished himself as an enterprising citizen. Feb. 8, 1863, he mar- ried Miss Minerva Gray, and they have had 2 children, of whom only one is living, Pink Ionia. Jbr. D. M. Harris, dealer in drug's, medicines, paints, oils, wines, liquors (for medicinal purposes), etc.. Tioga, 111., was born in Ken- tucky in 1827; began the study of medicine in 1847, and in 1850 graduated with honors in the St. Louis Medical College; soon after- ward he commenced the practice of medicine in Kentucky. In 1853 he came to fiasco, then called Somerset. He changed the name of the place to fiasco. In 1859 he removed to Tioga, where he has since followed his profession with unequaled success, both as phy- sician and surgeon. In 1851 he married Miss Mary E. Thornton, who died in 1863 ; they had 4 children — J. IS"., Crete, Arlie and Effie. The Doctor owns a farm of 200 acres, on sees. 29 and 32, besides 73 town lots. George W. Kmkade, dealer in drugs, medicines, paints, oils, toilet and fancy articles, etc., Breckenridge, 111., was born in Adams county, this State, Sept. 21, 1847, the son of L. D. Kinkade; came to this county in 1855, and followed farming until the commence- ment of the war, when he enlisted in Co. B, 34th 111. Vol. Inf., under Col. Kirk, in a division of Gen. Sherman's army ; was taken with smallpox, and placed in the hospital at Cleveland, O.; recov- ering his health he returned home and resumed farming and raising stock until October, 1879, when he purchased the drug store which (970) HJ8T0ET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 971 he now conducts. In 1870 he married Miss Nancy A. Lockwood, and of their 3 children, Oklena E. and BeUe are living. Rev. Frederick JLippe, Presbyterian minister, was born in Breslau, Prussia, Sept. 11, 1835; educated in Elizabeth College in his native place; came to America in 1852; began studying for the ministry in 1863, finishing the regular course in 1867, soon after which he entered the ministerial work, in Osage county, Mo., where he labored acceptably for nine successive years. He then removed to New Frankfort, Saline Co., Mo., where he remained two years, and .then came to Hancock county, where he has since resided, following the gospel ministry. He organized the Salem congrega- tion, a Presbyterian Church of 36 members. He is a very efficient Pastor. In 1867 he married Miss Sophia Nullmeyer, and they have had 6 children, of whom 5 are living — Grodfred, Clara, Calvin, Gabriel and Martha. Dr. M. C. Pocock, physician, Breckenridge, was born in Jeffer- son county, O., Nov. 1, 1817, son of Lloyd and Nancy Pocock; came to Adams county, III., in Oct,, 1887, entering medical practice. He commenced his medical studies in 1832, and graduated with high honors at both the Cincinnati and New Orleans regular med- ical colleges. He now enjoys a very good run of practice. In October, 1839, he married Miss Mary C. "^anderveer, and they have had 5 children, namely: Nancy A., now Mrs. Baxter; Lloyd A., who married Susan I. Ewlallen; Mary E., now Mrs. Reemtsen; Amy J., now Mrs. Adair, and Elizabeth J., now Mrs. Paydon. The Doctor was again married, in August, 1857, to Margaret E. Mahon, and they have had 3 children, as follows: Sarah C, George H. K., and Waldo B. James Eamvpley, Jr., was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1844, son of James Rampley, Sr., who emigrated with his family to Adams county, Illinois, in 1847, and in 1849 to this county. In the last war he served nine months in Co. G, 58th 111. Yol. Inf. Dec. 8, 1872, he married Miss Nancy E., daughter of Edward E. Newman of St. Alban's tp. , by whom he had 2 children, namely ; Sarah E. and James E. Mr. Railipley owns a farm of 120 acres on sec. 27, this tp. , George Walker was one of the oldest and most respect,ed citi- zens of this county who have departed this life. We give his portrait on page 351 of this volume. He was born in Maryland in 1804, his parents being John and Mary "Walker, both natives of Maryland and of German ancestry. They moved to Campbell countyj Kentucky, when George was four or five years old; he remained at this place until 1833, when he first came to Hancock county. Pre- vious to this, when he was 21 or 22 years of age he married Rachel Clark, in Campbell county, Kentucky, who was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1808. In removing to this county he brought with him his wife and four children: Henry M., born March 21, 1827; John E., born February 12, 1829; Mary Jane, born in 1831; and Rebecca, born in 1833; all within ten miles of 972 HISTOET OF HANOOOK COUNTY. Cincinnati, in Campbell county, Kentucky. On arriving in tliis county he located on sec. 8, Walker tp.; being the third family who settled. He first bought the southwest J of sec. 8, but the first year he lived on rented land, the northeast J of sec. 8. In the fall of 1834 he built a hewn-log house 18 by 24, in which he dwelt until 1849, and where 3 of his children were born, namely; James Eli, who died at the age of eight or nine years ; George P. and Susan. In 1849 he erected a brick house near the old cabin, where two more children were born, Henrietta and Charles P. George Walker was a very large land-holder in this county, own- ing at times during his life as much as 2,000 acres of land. He gave to each of his children about a quarter section; and at the time of his death he had about 1,000 acres in this county and 500 or 600 acres in Florida, where he had a large orange grove of 1,500 trees, to which he devoted his time every winter for ten years previous to his death, October 9, 18T9. During the last five years of his life he made several trips to California, visiting two daughters, Mary Jane, the wife of James Caples, and Rebecca, the wife of Joseph W. Her, who live in Sacramento county. At the age of 85 Mr. Walker was ordained a Baptist minister, and he served the society in that capacity in this county until he was about 65 years of age. He erected on his own place a log church building about 24 by 30 feet, principally at his own expense, and by his own labor, except a very little assistance from neighbors. This building was afterward used as a school-house; it is now torn down. * In politics Mr. W. was a Democrat, and he took a prominent part in public afi'airs; indeed, he was a leader in his township, although not an oflice- seeker. He was elected to the Legislature twice, the first time in 1848 and the second time in 1854. He was for many years Justice of the Peace and Supervisor, Commissioner, etc. He may be classed as one of the fathers of the county, par- ticularly of the settlement of his part of the county. He was a man of deep religious convictions, of sterling integrity and well calculated to leave an impressive mark in the woi-ldin favor of justice and humanity. His widow still resides at the old home- stead in Walker tp. Mrs. Elizabeth Woodworth, wife of Charles Woodworth, deceased, was born in Yirginia in 1812, married November 24, 1829, and had 7 children, of whom these 6 are still living: Ann G., Edwin, John W., James, K. P., and George. The last named married Kebecca Shipe, and had two children, Mary Alice and Anna. Mr. Charles Woodworth was a hatter by occupation, and died December 3, 1841. The family moved to this county in early days when the country was quite wild, and Mrs. W. has seen the many and wonder- ful changes that have converged to make this land a land of plenty and refinement. She has had but six months' schooling in her life, but she now owns and enjoys a quiet home near where once stood HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 973 the Mormon village of 100 houses, and where she has heard Jo Smith and other Mormons preach their peculiar doctrines. FOUNTAIN GREEN TOWNSHIP. CHIbson H. Dorothy is the son of Eobert Dorothy, an old settler of McDonough county who died in 1878, aged 82; was of English descent and born in Fairfax county, Ya. The two sons, Gibson and Nathan, now reside in this tp., are well-to-do citizens, engaged in farming and stock-raising. Their mother, whose maiden name was lihoda Stenate, was a native of Kentucky, and died at the old homestead, aged QQ. Gibson remained with his father until 20 years of age, when he was married to Miss Elizabeth Wright, daughter of Basil Wright, an early settler of this tp. In 1866 Mr. D. purchased a farm of 80 acres on sec. 8, afterward 48 acres on sec. 17. Mr. D. has a family of 3 children, whose names are: Charles B., John M. and Kachel; the latter is the wife of Samuel McPherson, a farmer of this tp. Mr. D. is now on the decline of life, but still is found plodding away on his farm preparing to make life less burdensome in the future. His liberal Church and politi- cal views make his social life a pleasure both to himself and those with whom he comes in contact. He has been extensively engaged in shipping stock for nearly 20 years. John M., now the only son at home, is still carrying on the business. Mrs. D. can tell of many severe and trying privations through which the early settler had to pass when she was quite young. ' Alexander WalJeer, now deceased, was born in Franklin county, Pa., Aug. 19, 1814, and came to Illinois, in Nov., 1838, settling in this.tp., where he had friends and relatives. In 1841 he went, in company with Eobert Gsddes, to New Orleans, where they were engaged in business for eight years. Returning to this county in 1849, Mr. Walker began improving the farm on sec. 20, where he died Dec. 25, 1879. The Walker family is of Scotch-Irish descent and of the Presbyterian faith. Mr. W. was married in 1843, to Miss Martha McConnell, .whose parents had emigrated to this county a short time after he came. Mrs. \¥alker is still living, on the old homestead, with her youngest son, John M. She is the mother of 5 children. Samuel received a severe kick from a vicious horse and died from the effects of the injuries. Maggie died when quite young. Alice is the wife of Dr. R. I. Law, a practicing physician in Fountain Green. James is a farmer of this tp., was married Nov. .28, 1872, to-MissMary E. Young; resides on a farm on sec. 32; has a family of 3 children — Martha R., Maggie M. and Ambrose O. John M., the youngest son, is now residing on the homestead farm; was married Mar. 21, 1878, to Miss Eva AHton, daughter of Miles Allton, of Fountain Green. The favored pet of his little family is the little boy, Clarence, a year and a half old. John has that peculiar quality of dispelling the " blues " from those he meets and never permits any one to pass 974 HISTORY OF HANCOCK OOTTNTY. through his door with out sharing his hospitality. He is a farmer by occupation and a Kepublican in political principles. ST. mart's township. Thomas B. Brumhach. — Daniel Brumback, by descent a Ger- man, the great-grandfather of Thomas B. Brumback, came from Pennsylvania in an early day, to Virginia, and settled near New market; was a Baptist preacher ; had several children, but there are only two that we know anything about, John and Henry. John settled in Page county, Va.; afterward moved to Ohio. He was the grandfather of David and Henry Hanson, who are now liv- ing near Oakwood, Hancock Co., 111. Henry Brumback, the younger brother of John, improved a farm on the Shenandoah river; he married Mary Grove, and their children were 11 in num- ber, — John, Susan, Barbara, Anqa, Samuel, Elizabeth, Jacob, Jo- seph, Mary, Frances and Henry; all remained in Yirginia except Barbara, who married William "Wood and settled in Atchison county. Mo., and Jacob, who married Nancy Grove in Yirginia, Feb. 5, 1836, and settled on sec. 30, St. Mary's tp. Nancy Grove was the daughter of Samuel Grove, of Yirginia, who married Mary Lionberger, the sister of Abraham, Joseph and Jacob Lionberger, who moved to Hancock Co. in 1835. Samuel Grove was the father of 9 children: Susan, John, David, Nancy, Barbara, Samuel, Mar- tin, Mary and Isabella., He, with all of his children, except John, moved to Hancock county in 1835, in company with his son-in-law, Jacob Brumback. Both bought farms in St. Mary's and improved the same. Jacob B. bought on sec. 30, 240 acres, and was at his death the owner of 1,100 acres. He was noted as a man of great industry, a good financier; never united with any Church, but had a decided preference for the Old-School Baptist ; was a Democrat; held no offices. He died Jan. 5, 1853, aged 43 years. His chil- dren were 8 in number, — Joseph S., Thomas B., Henry P., Mary E., Susan F., Emily E., John H. and Laura A.; 3 of whom died in childhood. Thomas B. Brumback was married Feb. 10, 1861, to a very esti- mable and accomplished young lady. Miss Abbie D. Southwick, who was born in Massachusetts, and is a daughter of Baruch and Mary (Fowler) Southwick, also natives of that State. The latter came to this county in 1856, with 3 children, locating in St. Mary's tp., where Mr. S. resided until his death, July 16, 1871. His widow is still living, and resides with her daughter, Euth, who is now the wife of George Shingle, of Harmony tp. Mary F., another daughter of Mrs. South wick's, is now the wife of John Walton and resides in Augusta tp. These three are the children brought in immigration to tlie West. The Southwicks are of English origin, and were very early settlers in America, coming here only 10 or 11 years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. The first settler's name was Lawrence Southwick, and he located at Salem, Mass. In religious HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 9Y5 belief they were Friends, and tliey suffered many persecutions in common with many of their brethren, banishment being one of the penalties. Mrs. Brumback's grandfather was George Southwick, also a native of the Bay State. Henry P. Brumback married Susan Kendall, and lives in St. Mary's tp ; has 2 daughters and one son. Mary E. Brumback mar- ried Roland B. Cannon ; lives in St. Mary's ; has 6 daughters and one son. Emily E. Brumback married John W. Lewis, of Lafayette county. Mo., and settled there; has 3 sons and 3 daughters. Laura A. Brumback married John W. Grove, of Yirginia, and is living there at this time. T. B. Brumback, the subject of this biography, was born in St. Mary's, Hancock Co. , 111., March 4, 1838, on the farm where he now lives ; at the age of 14 his father died, leaving him, with his mother, in charge of the farm. His advantages for an education were but few. The first summer after marriagp he lived in a log cabin on a part of his mother's place; in the following fall moved back to the homestead where he now resides. Was Supervisor of his township in 1864; Assessor in 1868-'9;was again elected Supervisor in 1875, and served two years; was elected to the Jjegislature in 1878. His business is farming and stock-raising; owns 600 acres of land. He has but one child now living, Arthur H., the eldest, born March 31, 1862; the others, 4 in number, one daughter and 3 sons, died in childhood. "We give Mr. Brumback's portrait on page 297 of this volume. DTJEHAM TOWNSHIP. James Rhea, of whom a sketch is given on page 925, furnishes the following items additional. His great-grandfather on his father's side was a native of Ireland, and his mother's grandfather a native of Germany. On emigration to this country they first set- tled in Old Yirginia ; thence Wm. Ray (so spelled then), the father of James, emigrated to Jefferson, Ky., 16 miles from Louisville. In this new country he was offered two acres of land for riving 2,000 boards, in the heart of what is now the city. In this neighbor- hood were four families spelling their name Ray, and in each family a John; they therefore concluded to distinguish each from the other by orthography, if not in pronunciation; namely, Ray, Rea, Rhea and Reaugh. Before this the Johns were distinguished by epithets, — Long John, Short John, Tobacco John and "Whisky John. James Rhea was but one year old when his father died, and but seven when he left his mother, and he, the youngest of 8 children, was thus left an orphan. At the age of 16 he left Kentucky and came to Adams county, 111., where until 21 he worked by the month, at $7 to $12 a month; at this age he married and removed to this county. His father-in-law, Philip K. Smith, is a native of Kentucky, who married Rachel Gilliland, also a native of that State. Dates of his children's birth : Thomas J., Jan. 16, 1858; 976 HISTOEY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Theodore F., Dec. T, 1860; George W., May 1, 1864; John H., Oct. 17, 1866; and Adaline C, Aug. 2, 1875. In politics Mr. E. is a iJepublican, and in religion he makes no profession. He belongs to no society of any kind. When Mr. Rhea came to his present place in 1865, he hauled the hewed frame timbers with him from Adams county, and on arrival here he had to get a neighbor to tell him where his land was, and he unloaded his timbers in prairie grass as tall as the horses. For lumber and shingles he had to go to Fort Madison. CHAPTEE XXVI. THE CRIMINAL RECORD In this work must be brief, — not because there have been no crimes to record, but partly for reason of the difficulty in procur- ing the proper data to make an intelligent report in each case. The criminal records show, of course, that John Doe or Richard Hoe was indicted on such a day for murder, or burglary, or arson, as the case may be, and on such a day was tried, convicted and sen- tenced to the penitentiary; but they do not show who was the sufferer, or where, when or how, the deed was committed. The bare mention of a scamp's trial and conviction, we take to be not a matter worthy of a place in history, in these days when human life has become so cheap. Besides, we have a strong conviction that the frequency with which these things are brought to the pub- lic gaze, has a tendency to increase the evil. Since the organization of the county in 1829, we judge that not less than a quarter of a hundred indictments for murder have been . recorded. Of the defendants in all these cases, only one has been hung; and we take a special pleasure in recording the fact, that only once in our history has that relic of barbarism, the gallows, been seen on our prairies. A dozen others, perhaps far more guilty, have escaped punishment altogether, through inefficiency of prose- cutors, finely drawn scruples of jurymen, or insecurity of jails. Not a few have shown themselves more fleet of foot than the sheriff. There have been a few cases, however, that from the enormity of the offense, or for some other reason, have attracted unusual public attention . Some of these we shall endeavor to notice. In a preceding chapter the case of the first murderer — Hankins — ^has been reported. He escaped from the log-cabin jail, at Quincy ; though one might conclude that log-cabin jails would be quite as secure as are the jails now-a-days, built of iron and stone. Fielding Frame. The next is the case of him that was hung. The crime was committed in Schuyler county, in a saloon, at the village of Fred- eric on the Illinois river. The indictment read : " The People vs. William Fraim," but he gave his name as Fielding Frame; was a deck hand on the steamer " Hero," plying on the Illinois. The indictment was fonnd at the June term, 1838, in Schuyler county, and was tried here on a change of venue. The murdered man was 56 " <9^') 978 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. William Neathaumer. Henry L. Bryant, of Fulton, was prosecut- ing attorney; Ralston, Judge; Dickey, attorney for defense, assisted by Abraham Lincoln. The latter moved an arrest of judgment for several causes, the paper being now on file among the others in the case at Carthage, in Mr. Lincoln's own handwriting. Frame was found guilty on the 24th, after trial, at the April term, 1839, and sentenced on the 26th by Judge Ralston, to be hanged on Saturday, May 18, between the hours of 12 (noon) and two o'clock in the afternoon, on a gallows to be erected within one mile of Carthage. Audit was done; the site selected was in or near the ravine running southeasterly from town, the spectators lining the sides. The Mormon diifieulty trials are reported at length in other chapters. Joshua Vance. The next case we report is that of "The People vs. Joshua Vance," for murder ; on change of venue from Adams county; verdict rendered at the April term, 1849. In a drunken brawl at Lima, Yauce had killed a young man named Harness. The verdict read — " The jury find the defendant, Joshua Vance, guilty ■of feloniously slaying Jackson Harness, in manner and form as charged in the aforesaid indictiaent, and -affix the term of his im- prisonment in the penitentiary at eight years." Sentenced for eight years — one month solitary confinement^-the remainder hard labor. This case is more worthy of mention from the fact that it was so ably prosecuted and defended. Robert I. Blackwell was prosecutor, and he was assisted by Col. Edward D. Baker. The defense was conducted by O. H. Browning, assisted, we believe, by Cyrus Walker and Calvin A. Warren. Perhaps no three or four more el- oquent and logical speeches were ever made in that court-house than were made on that occasion. Alfred Logan. At a singing-school one night in Sonora township, Alfred Logan stabbed and killed Charles Yates. They were bott boys and associates at school ; quarreled about some trivial matter, and the result was the death of the latter. At the June terra of Court, 1871, Logan was put upon his trial ; prosecuted by Wm. G. Ewing, public prosecutor, assisted by B. F. Scofield and George Edmunds; and defended by Nehemiah Bushnell and R. W. McKinney. The jury rendered a verdict of guilty, and fixed the punishment at 25 years in the penitentiary. We believe that after several years' ser- vice Logan was reprieved by the Governor. John Rose. . The next case we shall report is that of the murder of Jesse Rose, of Carthage tp., by his son, John, aged 18, on Oct. 4, 1866. The HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 979 murdered man was what was called a " shiftless" man — not a good Jrovider ; passionate and sometimes abusive to his wife and chil- ren ; and was at times given to liquor. The father and sons seem to have been possessed of a rather low order of intellect, of but lit- tle education and moral sense. The murder was committed in the night, as the father was returning home, with an ax, and the body left lying in the road till morning, where it was found by a younger son. In his confession, the young man said he did it because his father abused his mother; and that seems to have been the only impelling motive. The young culprit was immediately arrested and placed in jail. On Monday following, the 8th, the Circuit Court being in session, a special grand jury was summoned, who on the same day found a bill against him for murder. He plead guilty, but was assigned counsel (Messrs. John D. Miller and Henry W. Draper) and afterward placed on trial, pleading not guilty. The testimony adduced was that the culprit lacked ordinary sense or knowledge of human responsibility ; and therefore counsel agreed to enter the plea of manslaughter. This was done, and the Court sentenced John Kose to the penitentiary for life. Zach Wilson. The murder of Thomas McDonald, at Plymouth, by Zachariah T. Wilson, on Aug. 14, 1876, was a peculiarly atrocious one. It was the result of a quarrel between the two, growing out of a grievous wrong done the daughter of the former by Wilson. They had quar- reled a few days before and on this fatal day again met, when the quarrel was renewed. James Wilson, a brother of the murderer, participated, and advised the shooting of McDonald, afterward procuring a double-barreled shot-gun and' loading it for the pur pose. The parties separated, and all had become quiet, when Zach took the gun and, passing to the door of Dr. Wade's drug store, on the counter of which McDonald was sitting, snapped a cap at him. McDonald slipped from the counter and drew his pistol. Wilson again fired, killing McDonald instantly. The pistol was discharged almost at the same moment, the ball penetrating the counter. Zach immediately fled, and soon met Newton McDonald, the mur- ' dered man's brother, at whom he snapped the gun again, struck him with it, and again fled. McDonald pursued, discharging three shots at the fugitive, but without eifect. Zach escaped, and was not afterward heard of until the 15th of October of the same year, when he was delivered to the Carthage jail by a detective who had been on his track. He was arrested near White river, in Arkansas. Arraigned for trial, he obtained a change of venue to McDonough county, and while there escaped, and is still at large. The brother, James, was taken and brought to Carthage jail. At the March term, 1877, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for 14 years. He, too, escaped after conviction. 980 HISTOET OF HANCOCK COUNTY. and was at large until May, 1879, when he was arrested near his home, delivered to the Sheriff, and safely deposited at Joliet. MUEDEB OF DOOTOE PIEESON. Edwd/rd Ferguson, Marion Hetnok, John Avey omd L&roy Worhwig. But perhaps the most atrocious and most astounding murder ever perpetrated in Hancock county or the State, was that of Dr. Daniel Pierson, of Augusta, on . Saturday night, Nov. 22, 1878. Dr. P. was a well-known, honored and respected, quiet and peace- able citizen, and had resided there for many years, in the enjoy- ment of a good practice, and without a known enemy. From the Augusta Herald of the 29th, we obtain the following facts in re- gard to the murder: Between 9 and 10 o'clock at night a man met him. in the street, and represented himself to be a messenger from Mrs. James Garwood, residing two or three miles northwest of the town, saying that she was sick, and desired his attendance at. once. The doctor informed his family of the call, and soon after started on his errand of mercy, from which he never returned alive. He was found with his head dreadfully bruised and mangled, lying in the road, about an hour after leaving home, still living, but unable to utter more than a few incoherent expressions. Near by him lay an iron bar, with which the horrid deed had been done. He was conveyed to a drug-store in town, where he soon breathed his last, no one sus- pecting who the man was till after his death. This murder produced intense excitement in Augusta and throughout the whole country. No clue could be obtained suffi- cient to turn suspicion upon any one. No known cause existed for the commission of the deed. Thus matters stood for a month, everybody watching everybody else, and ready to fasten upon every word or deed that looked like guilt. It was very generally believed- that the man who had been seen riding after the doctor on a gray horse was the one who had committed the deed. But who was the man, and whose was the horse? The fact that such a man and horse had been seen, a little later, going in the same direction the doctor had taken, was certainly a strong point in the case. Another fact was, the doctor's watch was missing. In the meantime a number of leading citizens had been quietly working together, to penetrate the mystery. For some cause their attention had been drawn toward a colored man named Edward Ferguson. In January, Ferguson had left town and gone to Min- nesota. The suspicion became so strong against him, that it was determined to bring him back. George Tarr was dispatched for that purpose, and in a pawn-broker's shop there found the watch, and soon afterward arrested the negro, and returned with him. On the return, Ferguson made confession, and implicated three other men, Marion Hetrick (one of the men who had first reached the HISTOET OF HANCOCK OOTTNTT. 981 murdered man and helped convey him to town), John Avey and LeEoy Working. These were at once arrested, tne former at home, and the other two in Iowa. They were immediately remanded to jail at Carthage. At the June term, 18T9, Hetrick, Avey and "Working obtained a change of venue to Adams county. At the September term they were placed upon trial at Quincy, prosecuted by State's Attorney Mason, assisted by W. H. Manier, of Carthage, and W. H. Covert, of Adams. They were defended by H. W. Draper and C. J. Sco- field, of Carthage. The jury acquitted all three. Ferguson obtained a continuance. March, 1880, he was brought to trial, found guilty and sentenced for 24 years in the peniten- tiary. These two trials furnish a curious chapter in criminal proceed- ings. Ferguson's testimony was used as against his accomplices, and his confession against himself. In the latter case it was taken for truth; in the former it was rejected. If true, it certainly was conclusive against himgelf ; but would only convict him of being an accessory — equally guilty, perhaps, with the others. Yet there could be no accessory without a "principal. He was not proven to have participated in the actual killing; then the question is. If Hetrick, Avey and Working didn't kill Daniel Pierson, who did? If the verdict of the Adams jury was a correct one, then it is clear that the murderers of Daniel Pierson are yet at large. But sup- posing the verdict to have been wrong, it would not excuse a Han- «ock jury from the performance of a solemn duty, because an Adams jury had failed to do theirs. CHAPTEE XXYII. HANCOCK BAILWAY8. The county of Hancock contains within its limits one hundred and eleven miles, and three thousand seven hundred and eighty- nine feet of railway line, supplying convenient transportation for most of its citizens. The townships least favored with regard to them are Hancock on the east; Nauvoo, Appanoose and Sonora on the north-west; and Kocky Run, Walker and Wythe on the south- west. Yet there is no township but has some portion of it within five miles of one of these roads. Prairie contains more miles of road than any other — all the roads in the county, excepting the Chicago and Quincy running through it. The Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw, including the Burlington branch, has a length of 47 miles and 3,848 feet within the county, through the townships of Wil- cox, Montebello, Prairie, Rock Creek, Pilot Grove, Fountain Grreen and La Harpe, and touching Durham. The Wabash has 22 miles and 909 feet from Elvaston through Prairie, Carthage, Harmony and Chili. The C, B. & Q., including both lines, has 41 miles and 1,576 feet, from Dallas City through Dallas, Rock Creek, Prairie, Bear Creek and St. Alban's. The bridge road line measures 2,736 feet. These roads are assessed for taxation purposes at valuations as follows, viz.: The C, B. & Q. at $229,414, and a total— other values included— of $387,730. The T., P. & W. at $123,738— total, $169,091. The T., P. & W. branch at a total of $13,084. The T., W. & W. at 77,603— total, $127,945. The Bridge road at a total of $1,046. Making a grand total of $698,896. It would be nearly or quite as impossible to state what these roads have cost the people of the county, as to estimate their bene- fits. The former has been much more than has generally been supposed ; while the latter can be hardly overstated. To give a brief outline of their history, we must go back to the winter of 1836-'7. Under the Internal Improvement Act, passed by the crazy Legislature at that session, the State undertook the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, together with a score or so of railroads. One of these, as part and parcel of the vast scheme, was to be the Warsaw & Peoria railroad — 119 miles in length. Surveyors were set at work all over the State, running routes and planting stakes, and many of them were put partly under contract and work begun as early as 1838. In that year this W. & P. road was surveyed and sections at both ends put under contract. In a year or two thereafter, when the State became (983) HISTOKT OF HANOOOK OOUNTr. 985 bankrupt, it was graded at the "Warsaw end and some culverts made as far as Carthage, with intervening portions unfinished. This looked like being the end of railroad building in Illinois for many years to come. Gradually the work of building them by chartered companies gained ground, and charters were as liberally granted as before had been the legislation to build them at State cost and with State effort. The necessity for a railroad or other improvement around the rapids was early felt on both sides of the river; and we believe the first charter obtained after the great collapse, for any road in Han- cock, was one granted in 1839 for the Des Moines Rapids railroad Company. Under this books were opened at points along the river for subscriptions to the stock. How much was subscribed we do not know, but not enough to ensure success, and the project was abandoned. A few years afterward, 184:7 or thereabouts, the War- saw and Nauvoo project was revived and a charter obtained, or the old one modified ; and subsequently, in 1851, the plan was enlarged so as to include both rapids, and the Warsaw & Rockford railroad company was chartered. About the same time, or later, the Mis- sissippi & Wabash company was chartered. Subsequently it was divided into sections, to be independent of each other, and com- missioners appointed to each; the first section to embrace the line between Warsaw and the Northern Cross railroad. In the mean time, on petition, the County Board had ordered a vote on the question of subscription of $100,000 to each road, which was carried (see Elections Chapter) ; and in 1869 an act was passed, among other provisions, legalizing this vote and subscription. But the matter dragged ; and to this day the Warsaw & Rock- ford railroad and the Warsaw & Nauvoo railroad are things of the future, if ever to be realized. The subscription of $100,000 has gone " where the woodbine twineth ;" but the bonds based thereon, like Banquo's ghost, continue to rise up to vex the tax-payers. The MT & W. was more successfuk Other charters were obtained, and repeals and amendments, too numerous to follow. One of these charters was the Springfield, Keokuk & Warsaw; another the Illinois & Southern Iowa, and through and by these, or a combi- nation of them all, the original route was changed in the direction of Springfield. By the spring of 1858, the work had so far progressed as to begin the laying of ties in April; and that summer construction trains were running upon the prairie, we believe asjfar as Carthage. The Peoria route had not been abandoned, and in 1864, that road was built through the county, and subsequently the branch from La Harpe to Burlington added. Following, in 1868-"rO, the Quincy & Burlington branch was bnilt, under the auspices of the 0., B. & Q. This road (the old road,, from Quincy to Gales- burg), had been in progress, we believe, before work had been begun on any of the other routes; and in 1855 the first car was run in Hancock county on that road, through Augusta and Ply- mouth. HANCOCK CENSUS 1870—1880. Townshi/pa. 1870—1880. Augusta 1992—1894 St. Mary's 1650—1538 Hancock 926—1130 Fountain Green 1476 — 1254 La Harpe ..1741—1898 Chili 1601—1418 Harmony 1457—1246 Carthage 2448—2686 Pilot Grove 1217—1229 Durham 1019—1098 St. Alban's 1147—1280 Bear Creek 1117—1189 Prairie 1380—1229 Kock Creek 1201—1444 Pontoosuc and Dallas 1949 — Pontoosuc — 789 Dallas —1144 "Walker 1474—1612 Wythe 1219—1136 Montebello 2130—1977 Sonora 1485—1399 Appanoose 1018 — 846 Eocky Kun » 656— 855 Wilcox 475— 588 Warsaw 3583—3106 Nauvoo 1578—1399 35,935—35376 Loss , 659 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. LAWS. The courts recognize two kinds of law, Statute and Common. Statute law is that which is enacted by the Legislature. Common law consists of all the law of England, — whether Statute, or Com- mon, which was in force in that country at the time of our inde- pendence, and recognized by our courts, and which has not since been repealed or disused. We have what is called established law. For this branch of common law there is no authority excepting the decisions of the courts; hence the value of the reported decisions which are pub- lished by official reporters. The law presumes that every body is acquainted with it. Mistakes of fact can be corrected by the courts, but not mistakes of law ; no man being permitted to take advantage of a mistake of the law, either to enforce a right, or avoid an obli- gation; for it would be dangerous and unwise to encourage igno- rance of the law, by permitting a party to profit, or to escape, by his ignorance. One is required at his peril to know the law of his own country. JURISDICTION OF COURTS. Justices have jurisdiction in all civil cases on contracts for the recovery of moneys for damages, for injury to real property, or tak- ing, detaining, or injuring personal property; for rent; for all cases to recover damages done to real or personal property, by railroad companies; in actions of replevin; of actions for damages for fraud; in the sale, purchase, or exchange of personal property, when the amount claimed as due is ndt over $200r They have also jurisdic- tion in all cases for violation of the ordinances of cities, towns, or. villages. A justice of the peace may orally order an officer or a private person, to arrest any one committing, or attempting to com- mit a criminal offense. He also,, upon complaint,, can issue his warrant for the arrest of any person accused of having committed a crime, and have him brought before him for examination. 990 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. COUNTY COURTS Have jurisdiction in all matters of probate (except in counties having a population of one hundred thousand or over ), settlement of estates of deceased persons, appointment of guardians and con- servators, and settlements of their accounts; all matters relating to apprentices; proceedings for the collection of taxes and assesments, and in proceedings of executors, administrators, guardians, and conservators, for the sale of real estate. In law cases, they have concurrent jurisdiction with Oircuit Courts in all cases where jus- tices of the peace now have, or hereafter may have, jurisdiction when the amount claimed shall not exceed $1,000; and in all crim- inal offenses, where the punishment is not imprisonment in the pen- itentiary or death, and in all cases of appeals from justices of peace and police magistrates, except when the county judge is. sitting as a'justice of the peace. Oircuit Courts have unlimited jurisdiction. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. The commissioners of' highways in the different towns, have the care and superintendence of highways, and bridges therein. They have the power to lay out, vacate, regulate and repair all roads, build and repair bridges, and divide their respective towns into as many road districts as they shall think convenient. This is to be done annually, and ten days before the annual town meeting. In addition to the above, it is their duty to erect and keep in repairs at the forks or crossing-place of the most important roads, post and guide-boards, with plain inscriptions, giving directions and dis- tances to the most noted places to which such roads may lead; also to make provisions to prevent thistles, burdock, cockle-burs, mus- tard, yellow dock, Indian mallow, and jimson weed from seeding, and to extirpate the same as far as practicable, and to prevent all rank growth of vegetation on the public highways, so far as the same may obstruct publiS travel; and it is in their discretion to- erect watering places for public use, for watering teams at such points as may be deemed advisable. Every able-bodied male inhab- itant, being above the age of twenty-one years, and under fifty, ex- cepting paupers, idiots, lunatics, trustees of schools and school di- rectors, and such others as are exempt by law, are required to labor on highways in their respective road districts, not less than one, DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 991 nor more than three days in each year. Three days' notice must be given by the overseer, of the time and place he requires such road labor to be done. The labor must be performed in the road district in which the person resides. Any person may commute for such labor by paying the equivalent in money. Any person liable for work on highways, who has been assessed two days or more, and has not commuted, may be required to furnish team, or a cart, wagon or plow, with a pair of horses or oxen and a man to manage them, for which he will be entitled to two dSys' work. Eight hours is a days' work on the roads and there is a penalty of twenty -five cents an hour against any person or substitute who shall neglect or refuse to perform. Any person remaining idle, or does not work faithfully, or hinders others from doing so, forfeits to the town $2. Every person assessed and duly notified, who has not commuted, and refuses or neglects to appear, shall forfeit to the town for every day's refusal or neglect, the sum of $2; if he was required to furnish a team, carriage, man or implements, and neg- lects or refuses to comply, he is liable to the following fines: 1st, For wholly failing to comply, $4 each day; 2d, For omitting to furnish a man to manage team, $2 each day; 3d, For omitting to furnish a pair of horses or oxen, $1.50 each day; 4th, For omitting to furnish a wagon, cart or plow, 75 cents each day. The commis- sioners estimate and assess the highway labor and road tax. The road tax on real and personal property can not exceed forty cents on each hundred dollars' worth. The labor or road tax in villages, towns or cities, is paid over to the corporate authorities of such, for the improvement of streets, toads and bridges within their lim- its. The legal voters of townships, in counties under township organ- ization may, by a majority vote, at their annual town meeting, order that the road tax may be collected in money only. Overseers. — Their duties are to repair and keep in order, the high- yvays in their districts; to warn persons to work out their ro^d tax at such time and place as they think proper; to collect fines and commutation money, and execute all lawful orders of the commis- sioners of highways; also make list, within sixteen days after their election, of the names of all inhabitants in his road district, liable to work on highways. For refusal to perform any of his duties he is liable to a fine of 992 DIGEST t)F STATE LAWS. As all township and county officers are familiar with their duties, it is here intended only to give the points of law with which the public should be familiar. The manner of laying out, altering, or vacating roads, etc., will not be here stated, as it would require more space than can be spared in a work like this. It is sufficient to state that the first step is by petition, addressed to the commis- sioners, setting out what is prayed for, giving the names of the owners of the lands, if known (if not known, so state), over which the road is to^pass, giving the general course, its place of beginning, and where it terminates. It requires not less than twelve freehold- ers residing within three miles of the road, who shall sign the peti- tion. Public roads must not be less than fifty, nor more than sixty feet wide. Koads not exceeding two. miles in length, if petitioned for, may be laid out not less than forty feet wide. Private roads for private and public use may be laid out three rods wide, on peti- tion of the person directly interested; the damage occasioned there- by shall be paid by the premises benefited thereby, and before the road is opened. If not opened in two years, the order shall be con- sidered recinded. Commissioners in their discretion may permit persons who live on or have private roads, to work out their road tax thereon. Public roads must be opened in iive years from date of filing order of location, or be deemed vacated. FENCES. The town assessor and commissioners of highways shall be fence viewers in their respective towns in counties under township organ- ization. In other counties, the county board appoints three in each pyecinct, annually. A lawful fence is four and one-half feet high and in good-repair, consisting of rails, timbers, boards, , stones, hedges, or any other material the fence viewers may deem sufficient. The electors at any annual town meeting may determine what shall constitute a legal fenfce in the town. Division fences shall be made and maintained in just proportion by the adjoining owners, except where the owner shall choose to let his land lie open; but after a division fence has been built by mu- tual agreement or otherwise, it shall not be lawful for either party to remove his part of said fence, so long as he may crop or use such lands for farm purposes, or without giving the other party one year's notice in writing, of his intention to move his portion of the DIGEST OF STATE- LAWS. 993 fence. Adjoining owners should endeavor, if possible, mutually to agree as to the proportion that each shall maintain of the division fence between their adjoining lands; and the agreement should be reduced to writing, each party taking a copy. When any person shall enclose his land upon the enclosure of another, he shall refund the owner of the adjoining lands a just proportion of the value at that time of such fence. The value of such fence, and the propor- tion thereof to be paid by such person, and the proportion of the division fence to be made and maintained by him, in case of his inclosing his land, shall be determined by two fence viewers of the town. Such fence viewers liave power to settle all disputes between ' owners as to fences built or to be built, as well as concerning repairs to be made. Ea6h party chooses one of the viewers, but if the other party neglects, after eight days' notice in writing, to make his choice, then the other party may select both. It is suflBcient to notify the tenant, or party in possession, when the owner is not a resident of the town in which such fences are situated. The two fence viewers chosen, after viewing the premises, shall hear the statements of the parties. In case they can't agree, they shall se- lect another fence viewer to act with them, and the decision of any two of them shall be final. The decision must be reduced to writ- ing, and should plainly set out a description of the fence and all matters settled by them, and must be filed in the office of the town clerk. If any person who is liable to contribute to the erection or repa- ration of a division fence, shall neglect or refuse to make or repair his proportion of such fence, the party injured,after giving sixty days' notice, in writing, that a new fence shSuld be erected, or ten days' notice, in writing, that the repair of such fence is necessary, may make or repair the same at the expense of the party so neglecting » or refusing, to be recovered from Iiim with costs of suit; and the party so neglecting, or refusing, after notice in writing, shall be lia- ble to the party injured for all damages which shall thereby accrue, to be' determined by any two fence viewers. "When a person shall conclude to remove his part of the division fence and let his land lie open, and having given the year's notice required, the adjoining owner may cause the value of said fence to be ascertained by fence viewers as before provided ; and on payment or tender of the amount of such valuation to the owner, it shall prevent the removal. 994 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. A party removing a division fence without notice is liable for the damages accruing thereby. Where a fence has been built on the land of another through mistake, the owner may enter upon such premises and remove his fence and material within six months after the division line has been ascertained. Where the material to build such a fence has been taken from the land on which it was built, then before it can be removed, the person claiming must first pay for such material) to the owner of the land from which it was taken ; nor shall such a fence be removed at a time when the removal will throw open or expose the crops of the other party; a reasonable time must be given beyond the six months to remove crops. The compensation of fence viewers is one dollar and fifty cents a day each, to be^ paid in the first instance by the party calling them; but in the end all expenses, including amount charged by the fence viewers, must be paid equally by the parties, except in cases where a party neglects or refuses to make or maintain a just proportion of a division fence, when the party in default shall pay them. DRAINAGE. Whenever one or more owners or occupants of land desire to con- struct a drain or ditch, through another man's land, the right can be had only under legislative authority, or is granted or exists by prescription or by consent of the owner. Dripping water from one house upon another can be allowed only where the owner has acquired the right by grant or prescription; and no one has a right to construct his house so as to let the water drip over his neighbor's land. TRESPASS OF STOCK. Where stock of any kind breaks into any person's inclosure, the fence being good and sufiicient, the owner is liable for the damage done; but where the damage is done by stock running at large, con- trary to law, the owner is liable where there is not such a fence. Where stock is found trespassing on the inclosure of another as aforesaid, the owner or occupier of the premises may take posses- sion of such stock and keep the same until damages, with reasonable charges for keeping and feeding, and all costs of suit, are paid. Any person taking or rescuing such stock so held, without his con- sent, shall be liable to a fine of not less than three nor more than DIGEST OF STATE LAWS.. 995 five dollars for each animal rescued, to be recovered by suit before a justice of the peace, for the use of the school fund. Within twen- ty-four hours after taking such animal into his possession, the per- son taking it up must give notice of the fact to the owner, if known ; or if unknown, notice must be posted in some public place near the premises. ESTRAYS. Stray animals are those whose owner is unknown, any beasts, not wild, found on one's premises, and not owned by the occupant. Any animals found straying at any time during the year, in counties where such animals are not allowed to run at large, or between the last day of October and the 15 th day of April in other counties, the owner being unknown, may be taken up as estrays. A party who wishes to detain property as an estray, must show an exact compli- ance with the law. In order to vest the property of the stray in him, such acts must appear in detail on the record. No person not a householder in the county where the estray is found can lawfully take up an estray, and then only upon or about his farm or place of residence. Estrays should not be used before advertised, except animals giving milk, which may be milked for their benefit. Notices must be posted np within five days in three, of the most public places in the town or precinct in which the es- tray was found, giving the residence of the taker-up, and a partic- ular description of the estray, its age, color, and marks natural and artificial, and stating before what justice of the peace in such town or precinct, and at what time, not less than ten nor more than fif- teen days from the time of posting such notices, he will apply to have the estray apprised. If the owner of an estray shall not have appeared and proved ownership and taken the same away, first paying the taker-up his reasonable charges for taking up, keeping, and advertising the same, the taker-up shall appear before the justice mentioned in above notice, and make an affidavit as reqiiired by law. All subsequent proceedings are before the justice who is fa- miliar therewith; therefore we omit them here. Any person taking up an estray at any other place than about or upon his farm or residence, or without complying with the law, shall forfeit and pay a fine of ten dollars with costs. Ordinary diligence is required in taking care of estrays, but in case they die or get away, the taker-up is not liable for the same. 996 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. If a man finds estrays in his field he is not bound to retain them for the owner, but may dri-ve them off into the highway without being liable to an action. But a person who chases a horse out of his field with a large fierce dog, commits an unlawful act, and is liable for any injury which the act occasions. A person who takes an estray to keep for the owner, but does not pursue the course pre- scribed by statute, is not liable to an action unless he uses the same or refuses to deliver it on demand. Riding a horse to discover the owner is not " use." HORSES Are animals of a domestic nature. Under the age of four years they are called colts. A borrower of a horse is liable for negligence, misuse, or gross want of skill in use. The lender is liable in case the animal lent is unfit or dangerous, as he thus may occasion injury. The animal should be used only for t,he purpose and to the extent stipulated, and not by a servant. If he dies from disease, or is killed by inevitable accident, the bor- rower is not liable. Defects which are manifest, open and plain to an ordinary observer, and those also which are known to the buyer, are not usually covered by a general warranty. The former requires no skill to discover them, and the latter may be objected to or acquiesced in at the time of the purchase. In the case of latent defects existing in such a condition that they could not be detected by the buyer, and are known to the seller, who fails to disclose them to the buyer, the latter practices a constructive fraud, unless the animal is sold "with all faults." By consenting to purchase the horse " with all faults," the purchaser takes upon himself the risk of latent or secret defects, and calculates the price accordingly. But even this kind of a purchase would ,be voidable if the seller had purposely, and to deceive the purchaser, covered, filled up, patched, plastered, or otherwise practiced fraud to conceal any defects, and he would be liable. Hiring out a horse and carriage to perform a particular journey, carries with it the warranty of the person letting the horse and carriage, that each of them is fit and competent for such journey; but, if a horse is hired for one purpose, and is used for another and is injured, the hirer is liable for the damage sustained. The hirer is in all cases answerable for ordinary neglect. If he uses the hired horse as a prudent man would his own, he is not liable for DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 997 any daraaga which the horse may receive. If, however, he keeps the hired horse after a stipulated time, or uses it differently from his agreement, he is in any event liable. If the hirer sells the horse, the owner may recover its value of the purchaser, though the pur- chaser had in good faith given the hirer full value for it, as the hirer could give no better title than he had himself. Mischievous animals render their owners liable when known to them to be so, and they are responsible for the damage they may do when they permit them to go at large. Any person may justify the killing of ferocious animals. MAKES AX1> BKANDS. Owners of cattle, horses, hogs, sheep or goats, may have one ear- mark and one brand, which shall be different from his neighbors', and may be recorded by the county clerk of the county in which such property is kept. The fee for such record is fifteen oents. The record of siich shall be open to examination free of charge. In cases of disputes as to marks or brands, such record is prima-facie evidence. Owners of cattle, horses, hogs, sheep or goats, that may have been branded by former owners, may be rebranded in presence of one or more of his neighbors, who shall certify to the facts of the marking or branding being done, when done, and in what brand or mark they were re-branded or re-marked, which certificate may also be recorded as before stated. ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. An agreement is virtually a contract by which a certain person (or persons) agrees or contracts to perform certain duties within a specified time. Good business men always reduce an agreement to writing, which nearly always saves misunderstandings, and long and expensive lawsuits. No particular form is necessary, but the facts must be clearly and' explicitly stated ; and there must be a reasonable consideration, else the agreement is void. Unless it is expressly stipulated that the agreement is binding for a longer time, the contract expires at the end of one year. Every agreement should state most distinctly the time within which its conditions are to be complied with. A discovery of fraud, or mis- representation by one party to the agreement, or changing of the date, renders the contract void. Each party should retain a copy of the agreement. 998 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. GENEEAL FORM OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement, made the third day of November, 1878, between Damon Clarke of Macomb, county of McDonough, State of Illinois, of the first part, and William fiays, of the same place, of the second part. WITNESSETH, That the said Damon Clarke, in consideration of the agreement of the party of the second part, hereinafter contained, contracts, and agrees to, and with the said William Hays, that he will deliver in good and marketable condition, at the city of Gales- burg, 111., during the month of December of this year, nine hun- dred bushels of corn, in the following lots, and at the following specified times, namely: one hundred bushels by the fifth of Decem- ber, three hundred bushels by the fifteenth of December, and the balance by the thirtieth of December. And the said William Hays in consideration of the prompt ful- fillment of this contract on the part of the party, of the second part, contracts to, and agrees with the said Damon Clarke, to pay for said corn fifty cents per bushel as soon as delivered. In case of failure of agreement by either of the parties hereto, it is hereby stipulated and agreed that the party so failing shall pay to the other, one hundred dollars, as fixed and settled damages. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands the day and year first above written : , Damon Clarke, William Hays. , NOTES. A note is legal, worded in the simplest way, so that the amount and time of payment are mentioned. The following is a good form: $100 Chicago, III., May 1, 1879. Thirty days after date I promise to pay F. M. Chapman, or order, one hundred dollars, for value received. S. T. Lewis. To make a note payable in anything else than mouey, insert the facts instead of the sum of money alone; unless paid when due, it is payable in moiiey. To hold an indorser of a note, due diligence must be used by suit in collecting of the maker, unless suit would have been unavailing. Notes payable to person named or to order, in Qrder to absolutely transfer title, must be indorsed by the payer. Notes payable to bearer may be transferred by delivery, and when so payable, every indorser thereon is held as a guarantor of pay- ment unless otherwise expressed. The limit of time in which action may be brought on a note is 10 j^ears. * DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 999 If the note is payable to a person or order, or to a person or bearer, to a person or his assigns, or to a cashier of an incorporated company, such notes are negotiable. When transferring a note, the indorser frees himself from respon- sibility, so far as the payment is concerned, by writing on the back, above his signature, without recourse to me in any event. A note is void when founded upon fraud. Thus a note obtained from a person when intoxicated, or obtaiped for any reason which is illegal, cannot be collected. A note given on Sunday is also void. No defense can be made against negotiable paper purchased before maturity for good consideration in the usual course of busi- ness, without knowledge of facts impeaching its validity, except fraud was used in obtaining the same. Thus if A gives his note to B forv $150, receives in consideration a shawl and five pieces of cloth. The former was represented to be worth $75, and the cloth the best imported English goods. When, in fact, the shawl was only worth $8, and suits made of the cloth wore out in less than six weeks, long before the note was due. B, however, had sold the note to 0, who did not know the circumstances, and before it was due — A would be obliged to pay it. JUDGMENT NOTE. For value received I promise to pay Ewing Summers, of Gales- burg, or order, two hundred dollars, with interest, on the first day of January next. And, further, I do hereby empower any attorney of any court of record in Illinois, or elsewhere, to appear for me, and after a declaration filed therefor, to confess a judgment against me in the above sum, as of last, next, or any subsequent term, with cost of suit, release of error, etc., with stay of execution until said first day of January. ' Witness my hand and seal at Galesburg, 111., this sixth day of March, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine. [seal] John Jones. INTEREST. Interest is the compensation which is paid by the borrower of money to the lender for its use. When the debtor expressly under- takes to pay interest, he is bound to pay it; but if a party has accepted the principal, he cannot recover interest in a separate action. Daring the course of dealings between parties, a promise to pay is implied, and the debtor is bound to pay. So also on an 1000 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. account stated, whenever the debtor knows precisely what he is to pay, and when he is to pay it, after a demand of paynaent; but interest is not due on a running account, even when the items are all on one side, unless otherwise agreed upon. Where the terms of a promissory note are that it shall be paid by installments, and on the failure of any installment the whole is to become due, interest on the whole becomes payable from the first default. Where, by the term of a bond or promissory note, interest is to be paid annu- ally, and the principal at a distant day, the interest may be recov- ered before the principal is due. Interest is collectible in the following cases: For goods sold and delivered after the stipulated term of credit has expired; if there be no credit, then from the time of ^ale; on judgment debts, from the rendition of judgment; on money obtained by fraud, or where ii has been wrongfully detained (for whoever receives money not his own, and detains it from the owner unlawfully, must pay interest therefor: hence a public officer retaining money wrongfully is lia-' ble for tlie interest); on monej' paid by mistake, or recovered on a void execution; on money lent or laid out for another's use; and rent, from the time that it is due. When the rate of interest is specified in any contract, that rate continues until full payment is made. A debt barred by the statute of limitations and revived by an acknowledgment bears interest for the whole time. Computing Interest. — In casting interest on notes, bonds, etc., upon which partial payments have been made, every payment is to be first applied to discharge the interest; but the interest is never allowed to form a part of the principal, so as to carry interest. When a partial payment is made before the debt is due, it cannot be apportioned part to the debt and part to the interest, but at the end mterest shall be charged on the whole sum, and the obligor shall receive credit for the interest on the amount paid until thef interest becomes due. The legal rate of interest is six per cent. Parties may agree in writing on a rate not exceeding eight per cent. If a rate of interest greater than eight per cent, is contracted for, the penalty is a for- feiture of the entire interest, and only the principal can be recovered. In computing interest or discount on negotiable instruments, a DIGEST OF STATE. LAWS. • 1001 month shall be considered a calendar month or twelfth of a year, and for less than a month, a day shall be figured a thirtieth part of a month. Notes bear interest only when so expressed; but after due they di-aw the legal interest, six per cent., even if not stated. Notes payable on demand or at sight draw no interest until after presentation or demand of the same has been made, unless they provide for interest from date on their face. If "with interest" is included in the note, it draws the legal rate from the time it is made. If the note is to draw a special rate of interest, higher than the legal, but not higher than the law allows, the rate must be specified. WILLS. The legal declaration of a person's mind, determining the man- ner in which he would have his property or estate disposed of after his deallh, is termed a will. No exact form of words is necessary in order to make a will good at law, though much care should be exercised to state the provisions of the will so plainly that its lan- guage may not be misunderstood. Every male person of the age of twenty-one years, and every female of the age of eighteen years, of sound mind, can make a valid will. It must be in writing,' signed by the testator, or by some one in his or her presence, and by his or her direction, and attested by two or more credible witnesses. Care should be taken that the witnesses are not interested in the will. The person making the will may appoint his or her executors ; but no person can serve as such executor if he or she be an alien at the time of proving the will, if he be under twenty-one years ot age, a convict, a drunkard, a lunatic, or an imbecile. Persons knowing themselves to have been appointed executors, must, within thirty days after the death of deceased, cause the will to be proved and recorded in the proper county, or present it and refuse to accept. In case of failure to do so, they are liable to for- feit the sum of twenty dollars per month. Inventory to be made by executor or administrator within three months from date of let- ters testamentary or administration. The person making a will is termed the " testator " (if a female, the "testatrix"). A will is of no force and effect until the death of the testator, 10()2 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. and can be cancelled or modified at any date by tbe maker. The last will made annuls the force of all preceding wills. A will made by an unmarried woman is legally revoked by mar- i-iage; but she can take such legal steps in the settlement of her property before marriage as will empower, her to dispose of the same as she may choose after marriage. No husband can make a will that will deprive the wife of her right of dower in the prop- erty; but the husband can will the wife a certain amount in lieu of her dower, stating it to be in lieu thereof. Such bequest, however, will not exclude her from her dower, provided she prefers it to the bequest made in the will. Unless the husband states distinctly that the bequest is in lieu of dower, she is entitled to both. In case a married woman possesses property and dies without a will, her husband is entitled to administer upon such property in preference to any one elsfe, provided he be of sound mind. Notice requiring all claims to be presented against the estate shall be given by the administrator within six months after being qualified. Any person having a claim and not presenting it at the time fixed by said notice, is required to have summons issued noti- fying the executor of having filed his claim in court. Claims should be filed within tw;o years from the time administration is granted on an estate, as after that time they are forever barred, unless other estate be found that was not inventoried. Married women, infants,* persons insane, imprisoned, or without the United States, in the employment of the United States, or of this State, have two years after their disabilities are removed to file claims. Claims are classified and paid out of the estate in the fol- lowing manner: 1st. Funeral expenses. 2d. The widow's award, if there is a widow ; or children, if there are children and no widow. 3d. Expenses attending the last illness, not including the physi- cian's bill. 4th. Debts due the common school or township fund. 5th. All expenses of proving the will and taking out letters testamentary or of administration, and settlement of the estate, and the physician's bill in the last illness of the deceased. 6th. Where the deceased has received money in trust for any purpose, his executor or administrator shall pay out of his estate the amount received and not accounted for. . DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1003 _ 7th. All otTier debts and demands of whatsoever kind, without regard to quality or dignity, which shall be exhibited to the court within two years from the granting of letters. Award to the widow and children, exclusive of debts and legacies or bequests, except funeral expenses: 1st. The family pictures and wearing apparel, jewels and orna- ments of herself and minor children. 2d. School books and the family library to the value of $100. 3d. One sewing-machine. 4th. Necessary beds, bedsteads and bedding for herself and family. 5th. The stoves and pipe used in the family, with the necessary cooking utensils; or, in case they have none, $50 in money. 6th. Household and kitchen furniture to the value of $100. 7th. One milch cow and calf for every four members of her family. 8th. Two sheep for each member of her family, and the fleeces taken from th§ same, and one horse, saddle and bridle. 9th. Provisions for herself and family for one year. 10th. Food for the stock above specified for six months. 11th. Fuel for herself and family for three months. 12th. One hundred dollars' worth of other prop^ty suited to her condition in life, to be selected by the widow. The widow, if she elects, may have in lieu of the said award, the same personal property or money in place thereof as is or may be exempt from execution or attachment against the head of a family. GENERAL FOEM OF WILL FOB EEAL AND PEESONAL PEOPEETY. I, Samuel T. Lewis, of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, being aware of the uncertainty ■ of life, and in failing health, but of sound mind and memory, do make and declare this'to be my last will and testament, in manner following, to-wit: First. I give, devise and bequeath to my oldest son, Franklin M. Lewis, the sum of Four Thousand dollars of bank stock, now in the First National Bank, Chicago, Illinois, and the farm owned by myself, in Ontario township, Knox county, Illinois, consisting of pne hundred and sixty acres, with all the houses, teneme;its, and improvements thereunto belonging; to have and to hold unto my said son, his heirs and assigns, forever. Second. I give, devise and bequeath to each of my daughters, Lida Louan Lewis, and Fannie Antionette Lewis, each two thousand 1004 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS, dollars in bank stock, in the First National Bank of CRicago, Illinois, and also each one quarter section of land, owned by myself, situ- ated in the town of Delavan, Tazewell county, Illinois, and recorded in my name in the Kecorder's office of said county. The north one hundred and sixty acres of said half section is devised to my elder daughter Lida Louan. Third. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Fred Davis Lewis, five shares of railroad stock, in the 0., B. & Q. Railroad, and my own one hundred and sixty acres of land and saw-mill thereon, situated in Astoria, Illinois, with all the improvements and appurtenances thereunto belonging, which said real estate is re- corded in my name, in the county where situated. Fourth. I give to my wife, Tryphena Lewis, all my household furniture, goods, chattels, and personal property, about my house, not hitherto disposed of, including ten thousand dollars in bank stock, in the First National Bank of Chicago, Illinois, fifteen shares in the Oliicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and the free and unrestricted use, possession and benefits of the home farm, so long as she may live, in lieu of dower, to which she is entitled by law; said farm being my present place of residence. Fifth. I bequeath to my invalid father, Sarnuel T. Lewis, Sr., the income from the rents of my store building, at Canton, Illinois, during the term of his natural life. Said building and land there- with revert to my said sons and daughters in equal proportions, upon the demise of my said father. Sixth. It is* also my will and desire, that at the death of my wife, Tryphena Lewis, or at any time she may arrange to relinquish her life interest in the above mentioned homestead, the same may revert to my above named children, or to the lawful heirs of each. And, Lastly. I appoint as executors of this, my last will and testament, my wife Tryphena Lewis, and my eldest son, Franklin M. Lewis. I further direct that my debts and necessary funeral expenses shall be paid from moneys now on deposit in the First National Bank, Pekin, Illinois, the residue of such moneys to revert to my wife, Tryphena Lewis, for her use forever. In witness thereof, I, Samuel T. Lewis, to this, my last will and testament, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this third day of March, eighteen hundred and seventy. [L. S".] Samuel T. Lewis. Signed, sealed and delivered by Samuel T. Lewis, as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of us, who, at his request, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have sub- scribed our names hereunto as witnesses thereof. Fred D. Selleck, Chicago, Illinois, Erastus Child, Oneida, Illinois. DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1005 CODICIL. Whereas, I, Samuel T. Lewis, did, on the third day of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventy, make my last will and testament, I do now, by this writing, add this codicil to my said will, to be taken as a part thereof. Whereas, by the dispensation of Providence, my daughter Lida Louan, has deceased, November fifth, eighteen hundred arid seventy- four, and, whereas, a son has been born "to me, which son is now christened Charles Burchard Lewis, I give and bequeath unto him my gold watch, and all right, interest and title in lands and bank stock and chattels bequeathed to my deceased daughter Lida Louan, in the body of this will In witness thereof, I hereunto set my hand and seal, this fifth day of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine. [L. S.] Samuel T. Lewis. Signed, sealed, published and declared to us by the testator, Samuel T. Lewis, as and for a codicil, to be annexed to his last will and testament. And we, at his request, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto, at the date hereof. Erastus Child, Oneida, 111. E. C. Johnson, Chicago, 111. DESCENT. When no will is made, the property of a deceased person is dis- tributed as follows: First. To his or her children and their descendants, in equal parts; the descendants of the deceased child or grand child taking the share of their deceased parents, in equal parts among them. Second. Where- there is no child, no descendant of such child, and no widow or surviving husband, then to the parents, brothers and sisters of the deceased, and their descendants, in equal parts, the surviving parent, if either be dead, taking a double portion; and if there is no parent living, then to the brothers and sisters of the intestate and their descendants. Third. When there is a widow or surviving husband, and no child or children, or descendants of the same, then one-half of the real estate and the whole of the personal estate shall descend to such widow or surviving husband, absolutely, and the other half of the real estate shall descend as in other cases where there is no child or children, or descendants of the same. Fourth. When there is a widow or surviving husband, and also 1006 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. a child or children, or descendants of the latter, then one-third of all personal estate to the widow or surviving husband, absolutely. Fifth. If there be no child, parent, brother or sister, or descendants of either of them, and no widow or surviving husband, then in equal parts to the next of kin to the intestate in equal degree. Collaterals shall not be represented except with the descendants of brother and sister of the intestate, and there shall be no distinction between kindred of the whole and the half-blood. Sixth. If any intestate leaves a widow or surviving husband and no kindred, then to such widow or surviving husband; and if there is no such widow or surviving husband, it shall escheat to and invest in the county where the same or the greater portion thereof is situated. DEEDS; A deed is a sealed instrument in writing, conveying lands and appurtenances thereon from one person to another, and special care should be taken to have them signed, sealed, delivered and properly acknowledged, with the proper seal attached. Witnesses are not necessary. The law in this State provides that an acknowledg- ment must be made before certain persons authorized to take the same. These officers are: Master in Chancery, Notary Public^ Circuit or County Clerk, Justice of the Peace. United States Com- missioner, or any Court of Record having a seal, or any Judge, Justice or Clerk of any such court. The instrument shall be attested by the official seal of the officer taking the acknowledg- ment, and when taken by a Justice of the Peace residing out of the county where the "real estate to be conveyed lies, there shall be added a certificate of the County Clerk under his seal of office, that he was a Justice of the Peace in the county at the time of taking the same. A deed is good without such certificate attached, but cannot be used in evidence unless such a certificate is produced or other competent evidence introduced. Acknowledgments made out of the State must either be executed according to the laws of this State, or there should be attached a certificate that is in conform- i ty with the laws of the State or country where executed. Where this is not done the same may be proved by any other legal way. Acknowledgments where the Homestead rights are to be waived must state as follows: " Including the release and waiver of the right of homestead." DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1007 To render a deed valid, there must be a sufficient consideration. To enable a person to legally convey property to another, the fol- lowing requisites are necessary: 1st, he or she must be of age; 2d, must be of sane mind; and, 3d, he or she must be the rightful owner of the property. Any alterations or interlineations in the deed should be noted at the bottom of the instrument, and properly witnessed. After the acknowledgment of a« deed, the parties have no right to make the slightest alterations. An alteration after the acknowledgment in favor of the grantee vitiates the deed. The maker of a deed is called the "grantor;" the person or party to whom the deed is delivered, the "grantee." The wife of the grantor must ackowl- edge the deed, or else, after the death of her husband, she ^ill be entitled to one-third interest in the property, as dower, during her life. Her acknowledgment of the deed must be of her own free will and accord. By a general warranty deed the grantor engages to secure the grantee in any right or possession to the property conveyed against all persons whatsoever. A quit-claim deed releases what interest the grantor may have in the land, but does not warrant and defend against others. We do not give form for a deed, as printed forms are used by all. Deeds should be recorded without delay. M0RT6A61ES AND TRUST DEEDS Are conditional conveyances of estates or property by way of pledge for the security of debt, and to become void on payment of it. Special care should be taken to have t^em signed, sealed delivered, and properly acknowledged, with the proper seal attached. All kinds of property, real or personal, which are capable of an absolute sale, may be the subject of a mortgage. Mortgages of personal property need not be under seal. In the absence of stipulation to the contrary, the mortgagee of personal property has the legal title thereto, and the right of possession, and he may have an action against any one taking them from the mort- gagor. And although the mortgage contains no express stipulation that the mortgagor shall remain in possession until default of pay- ment, and with a power to sell for the mortgagee's debt, the mort- gagee may nevertheless sustain trover against an officer attaching the goods as the property of the mortgagor. 1008 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. A mortgage must be in writing when it is intended to convey the legal title. It must be in one single deed which contains the whole contract. ■ Redemption must be made within one year from the sale. "Where, however, the mortgagee takes the property for an absolute discharge of the debt, then the equity or right of redemption is barred. Satisfaction, or release of a mortgage, may be made on the margin of the record, or by an instrument duly acknowledged. The wife need not join in this release. TRUST DEEDS. Trust deeds are taken generally in preference to mortgages, especially by non-residents, for in case of foreclosure under the power of sale there can be no redemption. Advertisement, sale, and deed is made by the trustee. Mortgages of personal property, or chattel mortgages, can be given for a period of only two years, and cannot be renewed or extended. Acknowledgment may be had before a Justice of the Peace of the town or district in which the mortgagor resides. If the mortgagor is a non-resident, then before any officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments. Foreclosures may be effected upon default, and possession, and sale of the property taken and made; any delay will invalidate the mortgagee's lien. LIENS. Any person who shall by contract, expressed or implied, or partly both, with the owner of any lot or tract of land, furnish labor or material, or services as an architect or superintendent, in building, altering, repairing, or ornamenting any house, or other building or appurtenance thereto on such lot, or upon any street or alley, and connected with such improvements, shall have a lien upon the whole of such lot or tract of land, and upon such house or building and appurtenances for the amount due him for labor, material or services. If the contract is expressed, and the time for the completion of the work is beyond three years from the com- mencement thereof; or, if the time of payment is beyond one year from the time stipulated for the completion of the work, then no lien exists. If the contract is implied, then no lien exists, unless ■ the work be done, or material furnished, within one year from the commencement of the work or delivery of the material. As DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1009 between different creditors having liens, no preference is given to the one whose contract was Inade first; but each shares pro rata. Incumbrances existing upon the lot or tract of the land at the time the contract is made do not operate on the improvements, and are only preferred to the extent of the value of the land at the time of making the contract. The above lien cannot be enforced unless suit is commenced within six months after the last payment for labor or materials shall have become due and payable. Sub-con- tractors, mechanics, workmen, and other persons furnishing any material, or performing any labor for a contractor, as above speci- fied, have a lien to the extent of the amount due the contractor at the time the following notice was served upon the owner of the land who made the contract: To : You are hereby notified that I have been employed bv [here state whether to labor or to furnish material, and substantially the nature of the demand] upon your [here state :u general terms description and situation of building], and that I shall hold the [building, or as the case may be], and your interest in the ground liable for the amount that may [is or may become] due me on account thereof. [Signature] . Dated, . If there is a contract in writing between contractor and sub-con- tractor, a copy of it should be served with the above notice, and such notice must be served within forty days from the completion of such sub-contract, if there is one; if not, then from the time pay- ment should have been made to the person performing the labor or furnishing the material. If the owner is not a resident of the county, or cannot be found therein, then the above notice must be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, with his fee, fifty cents, and a copy of such notice must be published in a newspaper pub- lished in the county for four successive weeks. When the owner or agent is notified as above he can retain any money due the contractor sufficient to pay such claim; if more than one claim, and not enough to pay all, they are to be paid pro rata. The owner has a right to demand in writing a statement of the contractor, of what he owes for labor, etc., from time to time as the work progresses. The liens referred to cover any and all estates, whether in fee for 1010 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. life, for years, or any other interest whicli the owner may have. To enforce the liens of sub-contractors, suit must be commenced within three months from the time of the performance of the sub- contract, or during the work or furnishing materials. Hotel, inn and hoardvng-liouse heejpers have a lien upon the baggage and other valuables of their guests or boarders brought into such hotel, inn, or boarding-house, by their guests or boarders for the proper charges due from such guests or boarders for their accommodation, board and lodging, and such extras as are furnished at their request. 8talle-lceej>ers and other persons have a lien upon the horses, carriages and harness kept by them for the proper charges due for the keeping thereof, and expenses bestowed thereon at the request of the owner, or the person having the possession of the eame. Agisters (persons who take care of cattle belonging to others) and persons keeping, yarding, feeding, or pasturing dsmestic ani- mals shall have a lien upon the animals agistered, kept, yarded or fed for the proper charges due for such service. All persons who may furnish any railroad coi-poration in this State with fuel, ties, material, supplies, or any other article or thing necessary for the construction, maintenance, operation or repair of its road by contract, or may perform work or labor for. the same, are entitled to be paid as part of the current expenses of the road, and have a lien upon all its property. Sub-contractors or laborers have also a lien. The conditions and limitations, both as to contractors and to snb-contractors, are about the same as herein stated, as to general liens. BILL OF SALE. A bill of sale is a written agreement to another party for a con- sideration to convey his right and interest in the personal property. The purchaser must take actual possession of the property. Juries have power to determine upon the fairness or unfairness of a bill of sale. COMMON FOBM OF BILL OP SALE. Know All Men by this instrument, that I, B. F. Lewis, of Chi- cago, Illinois, of the first part, for and in consideration of six hun- dred and fifty dollars, to me paid by Columbus C. Chapman, Astoria, Illinois, of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have sold, and by this instrument do convey unto DIGEST OF STATE LiWS. 1011 the said Chapman, party of the second part, his executors, admin- istrators, and assigns, my undivided half of ten acres of corn on my farm in the town of Deer Creek, Illinois ; one pair of horses, twenty sheep, and five cows, belonging to me, and in my possession at the farm aforesaid; to have and to hold the same unto the party of the second part, his executors and assigns, forever. And I do, for myself and legal representatives, agree with the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, to warrant and defend the sale of the aforementioned property and chattels unto the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, against all and every person whatsoever. In witness whereof I have hereunto afiSxed my hand this tenth day of October, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine. B. F. Lewis. DATS OF. GRACE. No check, draft, bill of exchange, promissory note, order, or negotiable instrument, payable at sight or on demand, or on pre- sentment, shall be entitled to days of grace. All other bills of exchange, drafts or notes are entitled to three days of grace. All the above-mentioned paper falling due on Sunday, New Year's day, Fourth of July, Christmas, or any day appointed or recommended by the President of the United States or Governor of the State as a day of fasting or thanksgiving, shall be deemed as due on the day previous; and should two or more of these days come together, then such instrument shall be treated as due on the day previous to the first of said days. LIMITATION OF ACTION. The limit of time in which action may be brought on certain things is as follows: Open accounts, five years; notes and written contracts, ten years; judgments, twenty years; partial payments or new promise in writing, within or- after said period, will revive the debt; absence from the State deducted, and when the cause of action is barred by the law of another State, it has the same effect here; assault, slander, libel, replevin, one year; personal injuries, two years; to recover land or make entry thereon, twenty years; and sealed and witnessed instruments, as action to foreclose mortgage or trust deed, within ten years. All persons in possession of land, and paying taxes for seven consecutive years, with color of title, and all persons paying taxes for seven consecutive years, with color of title, on vacant land, shall be held to be the legal owners to the extent of their pa^er title. 1012 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. RECEIPTS. Receipts should always state when received and what for; and if receipt is in full it should be so stated. We give two forms: FOB MONET ON ACCOUNT, Received, Knoxville, 111., Nov. 10, 1878, of J. C. Cover, sixty dollars on account. $60. J. H. Feanklin. FOE MONET ADVANCED ON A CONTEACT. Galesbueg, III., Jime 9, 1868. Received of Fernando Ross, one hundred dollars, in advance, on contract to build for him a brick house at No. 76 Kellogg street. Samuel J. Chapman. EXEMPTIONS FKOM FORCED SALES. The following personal property and home worth $1,000, — Lot of ground and buildings thereon, occupied as a residence by the debtor, being a householder and having a family, to the value of $1,000. Exemption continues after the death of the householder for the benefit of the widow and family, some of them occupying the homestead until the youngest shall become twenty-one years of age, and until the death of the widow. There is no exemption from sale for taxes, assessments, debt or liability incurred for the purchase or improvement of said homestead. No release or waiver of exemption is valid unless in writing and subscribed by such householder and wife (if he has one), and acknowledged as conveyances of real estate are required to be acknowledged. The following articles of personal property owned by the debtor are exempt from execution, writ of attachment, and distress for rent: The necessary wearing apparel, Bibles, school-books and family pic- tures of every person; and one hundred doUars'worth of other prop- erty, to be selected by the debtor, and in addition, when the debtor is the head of a family and resides with the same, three hundred dol- lars' worth of other property to be selected by the debtor, — provided that such selection and exemption shall not be made by the debtor or allowed to him or her from any money, salarj' or wages due him or her from any person or persons or corporations whatever. When the head of the family dies, deserts, or does not reside with the same, the family shall be entitled to and receive all the benefit and priv- ilege which are by this act conferred upon the head of a family residing with the same. No personal property is exempt from exe- DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. ' 1013 cution when judgment is obtained for the wages of laborers or ser- vants. "Wages of a laborer who is the head of a family cannot be garnisheed except for the sum due him in excess of $26. LANDLORDS AND TENANTS. The principal obligation on the part of a landlord, which is in fact always to be implied as a necessary condition to his receiving any rent, is, that the tenant shall enjoy the quiet possession of the premises,— which means, substantially, that he shall not be turned out of possession of the whole or any material part of the premises by any one having a title paramount to that of the landlord, or that the landlord shall not himself disturb or render his occupation un- comfortable by the erection of a nuisance on or near the premises, or otherwise oblige him to quit possession. But if he be ousted by a stranger, — that is, by one having no title, — or after the rent has fallen due, or if the molestation proceeds from acts of a third person, the landload is in neither case responsible for it. Another obligation which the law imposes on the landlord, in the absence of any ex- press stipulation in the lease, is the payment of all taxes chargeable upon the property, or any ground rents or interest upon mortgages to which it may be subject. Every landlord is bpund to protect his tenant against all paramount claims. And if a tenant is compelled, in order to protect himself in the enjoyment of the land in respect of which his rent is payable, to make payment which ought, as be- tween himself and his landlord, to have been made by the latter, he may call upon the landlord to reimburse him, or he may deduct such payment from the rent due or to become due. But the land- lord is under no obligation to make repairs, or to rebuild in case the premises should be burned; nor does he guaranty that they are reasonably fit for the purpose for which they are taken. And it is not in the power of a tenant to make repairs at the expense of his landlord, unless there be a special agreement between them author- izing him to do so; for the tenant takes the premises for better or worse, and cannot involve the landlord in expense for repairs without his consent. Even if the premises have become uninhabitable by fire, and the landlord, having insured them, has recovered the insurance money, the tenant cannot compel him" to expend the money so recovered in rebuilding, unless he has expressly engaged to do bo; nor can he in such an event protect himself from the payment of rent during the unexpired balance of the term, unless exempted 1014 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. therefrom by statute or the terms of the lease. The uninhabit- ableness of a house is not a good defense to an action for rent. If the landlord expressly covenanted to repair, the tenant cannot quit and discharge himself of rent because the repairs are not made, un- less there is a provision to that effect; and if a landlord is bound by custom or by express agreement to repair, this obligation, and the obligation of the tenant to pay rent, are independent of each other, so that the refusal or neglect of the landlord to repair is no answer to a demand for rent. The tenant is answerable for any neglect to repair highways, fences, or party walls. He is also liable for all injuries produced by the mismanagement of his servants, or by a nuisance kept upon the premises, or by an obstruction of the high- ways adjacent to them, or the like. One of the principal obligations which the law imposes upon every tenant, independent of any agree- ment, is to treat the premises in such a manner that no substantial injury shall be done to them, and so that they may revert to the landlord at the end of the term unimpaired by any willful or negli- gent conduct on his part. A tenancy from year to year requires sixty days' notice in writing to terminate the same at the end of the year; such notice can be given at any time within four months preceding the last sixty days of the year. A tenancy by the month, or less than a year, where the tenant holds over without any special agreement, the landlord may termi- nate the tenancy by thirty days' notice in writing. When rent is due, the landlord may serve a notice upon the ten- ant, stating that unless the rent is paid within not less than five days, his lease will be terminated; if the rent is not paid, the land- lord may consider the lease ended. When a default is made in any of the terms of the lease, it shall not be necessary to give more than ten days' notice to quit or of the termination of such tenancy; and the same may be terminated on giving such notice to quit, at any time after such default in any of the terms of such lease; which notice may be substantially in the following form : To , You are hereby notified that, in consequence of your default [here insert the character of the default], of the premises now occupied by you, being, etc., [here describe the premises], I have elected to determine your lease, and you are hereby notified to quit and deliver up possession of the same to me within ten days of this date [dated, etc]. DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1015 The above to be signed by the lessor or his agent, and no other notice or demand of possession or termination of such tenancy is necessary. Demand may be made or notice served by delivering a written or printed, or partly either, copy thereof to the tenant, or leaving the same with some person above the age of twelve years, residing on or in possession of the premises; and in case no one is in actual possession of said premises, then by posting the same on the prem- ises. When the tenancy is for a certain time, and the term expires by the terms of the lease, the tenant is then bound to surrender possession, and no notice to quit or demand possession is necessary. DISTEESS FOE BENT. In all cases of distress for rent, the landlord, by himself, his agent or his attorney, may seize for rent any personal property of his ten- ant that may be found in the county where the tenant resides. The property of any other person, even if found on the premises, is not liable. An inventory of the property levied upon, with a statement of the amount of rent claimed, should be at once filed with some Justice of the Peace, if not over $200; and if above that sum, with the Clerk of a Court of Eecord of competent jurisdiction. Property may be released by a party executing a satisfactory bond for double the amount. The landlord may distrain for rent any time within six months after the expiration of the term of lease, or when terminated. In all cases where the premises rented shall be sub-let, or the lease assigned, the landlord shall have the same right to enforce lien against such lessee or assignee, that he has against the tenant to whom the premises were rented. "When a tenant abandons or removes from the premises, or any part thereof, the landlord, or his agent or his attorney may seize upon any grain or crops grown or growing upon the premises, or part thereof so abandoned, whether the rent is due or not. If such grain or other crops, or any part thereof, is not fully grown or matured, the landlord, or his agent or attorney shall cause the same to be properly cultivated, harvested or gathered, and may sell the same, and from the proceeds pay all his labor, expenses and rent. The tenant may, before the sale of such property, redeem the same 1016 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. bj tendering the rent and reasonable compensation for the work done, or he may replevy the same. EXEMPTION. The same articles of personal property which are by law exempt from execution, except the crops, as above mentioned, are also exempt from distress for rent. If any tenant is about to, or shall permit, or attempt to sell or remove from the premises, without the consent of his landlord, such portion of the crops raised thereon as will endanger the lien of the landlord upon such crops, for the rent, it shall be lawful for the landlord to distress before rent is due. CRIMINAL LAW Is that branch of jurisprudence which treats of criminal offenses. The extreme importance of a knowledge of criminal law is self- evident; for a mistake in point of law, which every person of dis- cretion not only may know, but is bound and presumed to know, is in criminal cases no defense. This law is administered upon the principle that every one must be taken conclusively to know it, without proof that he does know it. This doctrine has been carried so far as to include the case of a foreigner charged with a crime which was no offense in his own country. And further, the criminal law, whether common or statute, is imperative with refier- ence to the conduct of individuals; so that, if a statute forbids or commands a thing to be done, all acts or omissions contrary to the prohibition or command of the statute are offenses at common law, and ordinarily indictable as such. When a statute punishes a crime by its legal designation without enumerating the acts which constitute it, then it is necessary to resort to the common law for a definition of the crime with its distinctions and qualifications. So, if an act is made criminal, but no mode of prosecution is directed or no punishment provided, the common law (in the absence of a statute to the contrary) furnishes its aid, prescribing the mode of .prosecution by indictment, and its mode of punishment by fine and inprisonment. So far, therefore, as the rules and principles of com- mon law are applicable to the administration of the criminal law, and have not been altered or modified by legislation or judicial decisions, they have the same force and effect as laws finally enacted. DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. lOlT The following are some of the leading principles of the criminal law: 1. Every man is presumed to be innocent till the contrary is shown ; and if there is any reasonable doubt of his guilt, he is en- titled to the benefit of the doubt. 2. In general, no person can be brought to trial till a grand jury on examination of the charge has found reason to hold him to trial. 3. The prisoner is entitled to trial by a jury of his peers, who are chosen from the body of the people with a view to impartiality, and whose decision on questions of facts is final. 4. The question of his guilt is to be determined without reference to his general character, previous history, or habits of life. 5. The prisoner cannot be required to criminate himself, nor be compelled even to exculpate himself by giving his own testimony on trial. 6. He cannot be twice put in jeopardy for tl^e same ofiense. 7. He cannot be punished for an act which was not an offense by the law existing at the time of its commission; nor can a serverer punishment be inflicted than was declared by the law at the time of its commission. Crimes are sometimes classified according to the degree of pun- ishment incurred by their commission. They are more generally arranged according to the nature of the offense. The following is, perhaps, as complete a classification as the subject admits: I. Offenses against the sovereignty of the State — 1, treason ; 2 misprision of treason. II. Offenses against the lives and persons of individuals — 1, murder; 2, manslaughter; 3, attempt to kill or murder; 4,, may- hem; 6, rape; 6, robbery; 7, kidnapping; 8, false imprisonment; 9, abduction; 10, assault and battery. III. Offenses against public property — 1, burning or destroying public property; 2, injury to same. IV. Offenses against private property — 1, arson; 2, burglary; 3 larceny; 4, obtaining goods under false pretenses; 5, embezzle- ment ; 6, malicious mischief. Y. Offenses against public justice — 1, perjury; 2, bribery j 3, destroying public records; 4, counterfeiting public seals ; 5, jail breach" 6, escape; 7, resistance to officers; 8, obstructing legal process; 9, barratry; 10, maintenance; 11, champerty; 12, con- 1018 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. tempt of court; 13, oppression; 14, extortion; 15, suppression of evidence; 16, compounding felony; 17, misprision of felony. YI. Offenses agai/nst the publio peace — 1, challenging or accept- ing a challenge to a duel; 2, unlawful assembly; 3, rows; 4, riot; 5, breach of the peace ; 6, libel. VII. Offenses against chastity — 1, sodomy; 2, bestiality; 3, adultery; 4, incest; 5, bigamy; 6, seduction; 7, fornication ; 8, lascivious carriage ; 9, keeping and frequenting houses of ill-fame. VIII. Offenses against puhlio policy — 1, false currency; 2, lot- teries; 3, gambling; 4, immoral shows; 5, violation of the right of suffrage; 6, destruction of game, fish, etc.; 7, nuisance. IX. Offenses against the curi'ency, and public and private securities — 1, forgery; 2, counterfeiting; 3, passing counterfeit money. X. Offenses against religion and morality — 1, blasphemy; 2, profanity; 3, Sabbath-breaking; 4, obscenity; 5, cruelty to ani- mals; 6, drunkenness; 7, promoting intemperance. XI. Offenses against the puhlio^ individuals, or their property — 1, conspiracy. TAXES. The owners of real and personal property, on the first day of March of each year, are liable for taxes thereon. Assessments should be completed before the fourth Monday in June, at which time the Town 'Board of Review meets to examine assessments, hear objecCions, and make such changes as ought to be made. The County Board have also power to correct or change assessments. The tax-books are placed in the hands of the Town Collector on or before the tenth day of December, who retains them until the tenth day of March foUowin'g, when he is required to return them to the County Treasurer, who then collects all delinquent taxes. ISo costs accrue on real estate taxes until advertised, which takes place on the first day of April, when three weeks' notice is required before judgment. Cost of advertising, twenty cents each tract of land, and ten cents each lot. Judgment is usually obtained at the May term of County Court. Costs six cents each tract of land, and five cents each lot. Sale takes place in June. Costs, in addition to those mentioned, twen- DIGEST OF STATE LAW8. 1019 ty-eight cents each tract of land, and twenty-seven cents each town lot. Keal estate sold for taxes may be redeemed any time before the expiration of two years from the date of sale by payment to the County Clerk of the amount for which it was sold, and twenty-five per cent, thereon if redeemed within six months, fitty per cent, if redeemed between six and twelve months; if between twelve and eighteen months, seventy -five per cent., and if between eighteen months and two years, one hundred per cent. ; and, in addition, all subsequent taxes paid by the purchaser, with ten per cent, interest thereon ; also, one dollar each tract, if notice is given by the pur- chaser of the sale, and a fee of twenty-five cents to the Clerk for his certificalte. SUBSCEIPTION. The selling of books by subscription is so frequently brought into disrepute by agents making representations not authorized by the publishers, that the public are often swindled. That there may be more general knowledge of the, relation such agents bear to their principal, and the law governing such ca^es, we give the foUowin^jules, which, if followed, will save a great deal of trouble and perhaps serious loss. A subscription is the placing of a signature below a written or printed engagement. It is the act by which a person contracts, in writing, to furnish a sum of money for a particular purpose: as, a subscription to a charitable institution, a subscription for a book, and the like. In the case of a book, the consideration is concur- rent that the publisher shall publish the book named, and deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay the price named. The prospectus and sample should be carefully examined before sub- scribing, as they are the basis and consideration of the promise to pay, and not the too often exaggerated statements of the agent, ■who is merely employed to solicit subscriptions, for which he usually receives a commission /or each subscriber, and has no authority to change or alter the conditions upon which the sub- scriptions are authorized to be made by the publishers. Should the agent assume to agree to make the subscription conditional, or modify or change the agreement of the publisher, as set out by the prospectus and sample, in order to bind the publishers, the 1020 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. subscriber should see that such condition or change is stated over, or in connection with his signature, so the publishers may have notice of the same. When several persons promise to -contribute to a common object, desired by all, the promise of each may be a good consideration for the promise of others. In general subscriptions on certain condi- tions in favor of the party subscribing, are binding when the acts stipulated are performed. Subscription is in the nature of a con- tract of mutual promises. All persons should remember that the law as to written contracts is, that they can 7iot ie altered, varied^ or rescinded verbally, but if done at all, must be done in writing. It is therefore important that all persons contemplating subscribing should distinctly understand that all talk before or after the sub- scription is made is not admissible as evidence, and is no part of the contract. Persons before signing their names to any subscrip- tion book, or any written instrument, should carefully examine what it is; if they cannot read, they should call on some one dis- interested who can. Persons who solicit subscriptions are known to the trade as can- vassers. They are agents appointed to do a particular business in a prescribed mode, and have no authority to do it in any other way to the prejudice of their principal, nor can they bind their principal in any other matter. They* can not collect- money, or agree that payment may be made in anything else than money. They cannot extend the time of payment beyond the time of delivery, nor bind their principal for payment of expenses incurred in their business. Where you pay money to an agent you should satisfy yourself of his authority to collect money for his employer. CONTRACT FOR PERSONAL SERVICES. When a contract is entire and has been only partially fulfilled, the party in fault may nevertheless recover from the other party for the actual benefit received and retained by the other party, less the damages sustained by such other party by reason of the partial non-fulfillment of the contract. This may be done in all cases where the other party has received benefit from the partial fulfill- ment of the contract, whether he has so received the same from choice or from the necessities of the case. Where D hired B to work for him for seven months at $15 per month, and B worked DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1021 for D only fifty-nine days, and then quit without an^ reasonable excuse therefor, it was held that B might nevertheless recover from D for what the work was reasonably worth, less any damage that D may have sustained by reason of the partial non-fulfillment of the contract. SEWSPAPER LIBEL. Allowing the most liberal rule as to the liability of persons in public employment to criticism for their conduct in which the public are interested, there never has been a rule which subjected persons, private or public, to be falsely traduced. No publication is privileged except a bona fide representation, made without malice, to the proper authority, complaining on reasonable grounds. The nearest approach to this license is where the person vilified presents himself before the body of the public as a candidate for an elective office. But even then there is no doctrine which will sub- ject him without remedy to every species of malevolent attack. TENDER. If the tender be of money, it can be a defense only when made before the action was brought. A tender does not bar the debt as a payment would, for in general he is bound to pay the sum which he tendered, whenever he is required to do so. But it puts a stop to accruing damages or interest for delay in payment, and saves the defendant costs. It need not be made by the defendant person- ally; if made by a third person, at his request, it is sufficient; and if made by a stranger without his knowledge or request, a subse- quent assent of the debtor will operate as a ratification of the agency, and make the tender good. Any person may make a valid tender for an idiot. If an agent, furnished with money to make a tender, at his own risk tender more, it is good. So, a tender need not be made to a creditor personally; but it must be naade to an agent actually authorized to receive the money. If the money be due to several jointly, it may be tendered to either, but must be pleaded as made to all. The whole sum due must be tendered, as the creditor is not bound to receive a part of his debt. If the tender be of the whole debt, it is valid. If the obligation be in the alternative, one thing or another, as the creditor may choose, the tender should be of both, that he may make his choice. To make a tender of money valid the money must be actually produced and 1022 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. proffered, unless the creditor expressly or impliedly waives this production. The debtor is not bound to count out the money, if he has it and offers it. No conditions must be annexed to the tender, which the creditor can have any good reason whatever for objectiTig to; as for instance, that he should give a receipt in full of all demands. The tender should be made in money made lawful by the State in which it is offered. Generally, a tender is valid and effectual if made at any time after the debt is due; and a demand made after the tender if for more than the sum tendered, will not avoid the tender. Certainly not, if the demand is for more than the real debt, although the excess was for another debt truly due. Tender of Chattels. — The thing tendered may not be money, but some specific article. If one is bound to deliver chattels at a partic- ular time and place, it may not be enough if he has them there; they may be mingled with others of a like kind which he 'is not to deliver. Or they may need some act of separation, or identifica- tion, or completion, before they could become the property of the other party. Generally, if no time or place be specified, the articles are to be delivered where they are at the time of the contract, unless collateral circumstances designate a different place. If the time be fixed, but not the place, then it will be presumed that the deliverer was to bring the articles to the receiver at that time, and for that purpose he must go with the chattels to the residence of the receiver, unless something in their very nature or use, or some other circumstances of equivalent force, distinctly implies that they are to be left at some other place. It may happen, from the cumbrons- ness of the chattels or other circumstances, that it is reasonable and just for the deliverer to ascertain from the receiver, long enough beforehand, where they shall be delivered ; and then he would be held to this as a legal obligation. So, too, in such a case, the receiver would have a right to designate to the detiner, a reasonable time beforehand, a place of delivery reasonably convenient to both parties, and the deliverer would he bound by such directions. If no place be indicated, and the deliverer is not in fault in this, he may deliver the chattels to the receiver, in person, at any place which is reasonably convenient. And if the receiver refuses or neglects to appoint any place, or purposely avoids receiving notice of a place, the deliverer may appoint any place, with a reasonable DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1023 regard to the convenience of the other party, and there deliver the articles. If the promise be to pay at a certain time, or deliver certain chattels, it is a promise in the alternative; and the alternative belongs to the promisor; he may do either the one or the other, at his election ; nor need he make his election until the time when the promise is to be performed; but after that day has passed without election on his part, the promisee has an absolute right to the money, and may bring his action for it. A contract to deliver a certain quantity of merchandise at a certain time means, of course, to deliver the whole then. If by the terms of the contract certain specific articles are to be delivered at a certain time and place in pay- ment of an existing debt, this contract is fully discharged and the debt is paid, by a complete and legal tender of the articles at the time and place, although the promisee was not there to receive them; and no action can thereafter be maintained on the contract. But the property in the goods has passed to the creditor, and he may retain them as his own. DRUNKENNESS Is the condition of a person who is under the immediate influence of intoxicating liquors. This condition presents various degrees of intensity, ranging from a simple exhilaration to a state of utter unconsciousness and insensibility. The common law shows but little disposition to afford relief, either in civil or criminal cases, from the immediate effects of drunkenness. It has never considered drunkenness alone as a suffi- cient reason for invalidating any act. When carried so far as to deprive the party of all consciousness* strong presumption of fraud is raised ; and on that ground courts may interfere. Courts of equity decline to interfere in favor of parties pleading Intoxication in the performance of a civil act. The law does, iiowever, recognize two kinds of inculpable drunk- enness, viz.: that which is produced by the " unskillfulness of his physician," and that which is produced by the "contrivance of enemies." To this may be added cases where a party drinks no more liquor than he has habitually used without being intoxicated, and which exerts an unusually potent effect on the brain in con- sequence of certain pathological conditions. 1024 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. MARRIAGE CONTRACT. Marriage is a contract, made in due form of law, by which a man and woman reciprocally engage to liVe with each other during their joint lives, and to discharge towards each other the duties imposed by law on the relation of husband and wife. Tlie marriage contract is in law a civil contract, to which the consent of the parties is essential. The marriage relation can only be entered into, main- tained, and abrogated as provided by law. It is dissolved by death or divorce. A marriage which is valid by the law of the country in which it is contracted, is valid in this State. To make a valid marriage, the parties must be willing to contract, able to contract, and have actually contracted. All persons are able to contract marriage unless they are under the legal age, or unless there be other disability; the age of consent at common law is fourteen in males and twelve in females. When a person under this age mar- ries, such person can, when he or she arrives at the age above speci- fied, avoid the marriage, or such person or both may, if the other is of legal age, confirm it; if either of the parties is under seven, the marriage is void. If either of the party is noii compos mentis or insane, or has a husband or wife living, the marriage is void. The parties must each be willing to marry the other. If eitner party acts under compulsion, or is under duress, the marriage is voidable. The husband is bound to receive his wife at home, and should fur- nish her with all the necessaries and conveniencies which his for- tune enables him to do, and which her situation requires, but this does not include such luxuries as, according to her fancy, she deems necessaries. He is bound to love his wife and bear with her faults, and, if possible, by mild means, to correct them; and he is required to fulfill towards her his marital promise of fidelity. Being the head of the family, the husband has a right to estab- lish himself wherever he may please, and in this he cannot be con- trolled by his wife; he may manage his affairs in his own way, buy and sell all kinds of personal property, without her control, and lie may buy any real estate he may deem proper; but as the wife acquires a right in the latter, he cannot sell it without her consent. A wife is under obligations to love, honor and obey her husband, and is bound to follow him wherever in the country he ma}' go and establish himself, provided it is not for other causes unreasonable. DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 102.'j She is under obligation to be faithful in chastity to her marriage vow. A-wife has the right to the love and protecting care of her husband; she has the right to share his bed and board; she can call upon her husband to provide her with the necessary food and clothing, according to her position in life, and if he neglects or re- fuses to do so, she can procure them on his account. MAEEIED WOMEN May bargain, sell, and convey their real and personal property, and enter into contracts with reference to the same. The wife may be the agent of the husband, and transact for him business, making, accepting or endorsing bills or notes', purchasing goods, rendering bills, collecting money and receipting for the same, and in general, entering into any contract so as to bind him, if she has his authority to do so. And while they continue to live together, the law con- siders the wife as clothed with authority by the husband to buy for him and his family all things necessary, in kind and quantity, for the proper support of his family; and for such purchases made by her he is liable. The husband is responsible for necessaries sup- plied to his wife, if he does not supply them himself, and he continues so liable if he turns her out of his house or otherwise separates himself from her, without good cause. But he is not so liable if she deserts him, (without extreme provocation) or if he turns her away for good cause. If she leaves him because he treats her so ill that ^he has good right to go from him and his house, this is the same thing as turning her away; and she carries with her his credit for all necessaries supplied to her. But what the mis- conduct must be to give this right, is uncertain. But the law un- doubtedly is, that the wife is not obliged to stay and endure cruelty or indecency. It is also held, that if a man lives with a woman as his wife, and represents her to be so, he is liable for necessaries sup- plied to her, and her contracts, in the same way as if she were his wife- The statutes intend to secure to a married woman all her rights. But many women about to marry — or their friends for them — often wish to secure to them certain powers and rights, and to limit these in certain ways or to make sure that their property is in safe and skillful hands. This can only be done by conveying and trans- ferring the property to trustees; that is, to certain persons to hold the same in trust. 1026 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. ^ A married woman may sue and be sued. At the death of tho husband, in addition to the widow's award, a married woman has a dower interest [one-third] in all real estate owned by her husband after their marriage, and which has not been released by her, and the husband has the same inter^t in the real estate of the wife, after her death, i SCHOOL MONTH. NUMBER OF DAYS IN A SCHOOL MONTH TEAOHEES' HOLIDAYS. The law of this State says that a school month shall comprise twenty-two school days, actually taught. It also provides that teachers shall not be required to teach on legal holidays, thanks- giving or fast-days, appointed by State or l!fational authority. SCHOOL children's- STUDIES. The rulings of courts are that the trustees of a school district may prescribe what studies sliall be pursued, and may regulate the classification of the pupils ; but that a parent may select, from the branches pursued, those which the child shall study, so long as the exercise of such selection does not interfere with the system pre- scribed for the school ; that the child cannot be excluded from one study simply because he is deficient in another; the rule requiring his exclusion is unreasonable, and cannot be enforced. IXFAJfTS Can make a binding contract for necessaries only. An infant can never bind himself even for necessaries when he has a parent or guardian who supplies his wants. "What are considered necessaries depend upon the rank and circumstances of the infant in the par- ticular case. All his other contracts are considered voidable and void. An infant's contract on a bill or note is voidable. His liability may be established by ratification after full age. The confirmation or ratification must be distinct, and with aknowl- edge that he is not liable on the contract. A mere acknowledgment of a debt, or a payment of a part of it, will not support an action an such a contract. When an infant indorses negotiable notes or bills he does not pass any interest in them as against himself; his act is voidable, but -neither the acceptor nor subsequent indorser can oblige his infancy to evade their liability; nor can the drawer of a bill set up the infancy of a payee and indorser as a defense to DIGEST OF stat;: i-.".ws. 1027 an action thereon against himself. An infant may sue on a bill, hut he sues by his guardian or next friend, and payment should accordingly be made to him. Parties contracting with an infant assume all the inconveniences incident to the protection which the law allows him. In law infancv extends to the age of twenty-one years. ADOPTION OP CHILDREN. Children may be adopted by any resident of this State by filing a petition in the Circuit or County Court of the county in which he resides, asking leave to do so ; and, if desired, may ask that the name of the child be changed. Such petition, if made by a person haiving a husband or wife, will not be granted unless the husband and wife joins therein, as the adoption must be by them jointly. The petition shall state name, sex, and age of child, and the new name, if it is desired to change the name; also, the name and resi- dence of the parents of the child, if known, and of the guardian, if any, and whether the parents or guardian consent to the adoption. The Court must find, before granting decree, that the parents of the child, or the survivors of them, have deserted his or her family, or such child, for one year next preceding the application ; or, if neither is living, that the guardian (if no guardian, the next of kin in this State capable of giving consent) has had notice of the presentation of the petition, and consents to such adoption. If the child is at the age of fourteen or upwards, the adoption cannot be made without its consent. CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS May be legally made by electing or appointing, according to the usages or customs of the body of which it is a part, at any meeting held for that purpose, two or more of its members or trustees, war- dens or vestrymen, and may adopt a corporate name. The Chair- man or Secretary of such meeting shall, as soon as possible, make and file in the oflice of the Recorder of Deeds of the county an afiidavit substantially in the following form: State of Illinois, ] ^^ County. Ij — , do solemnly swear [or affirm, as the case may be] that at a meeting of the members of the [here insert the name of 1028 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. the church, society, or congregation, as known before organization] held at [here insert the place of meeting], in the County of and State of Illinois, on the day of , A. D. 18 — , for that purpose, the following persons were elected [or appointed; here insert the names] trustees, wardens, vestrymen [or officers by whatever name they may choose to adopt, with power similar to trustees],- according to the rules and usages of such [church, society, or congregation], and said adopted as its corporate name [here insert name], and at said meeting this affiant acted as [Chairman or Secretary, as the case may be]. Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of , A. D. 18—. [Name of affiant] . Which affidavit must be recorded by the Recorder, and shall be, or a certified copy made by the Recorder, received as evidence of such corporation. N o certificate of election after the first need be filed for record. The term of office of the trustees, and the general government of the society can be determined by the rules and by-laws adopted. Failure to elect trustees at the time provided does not work a dis- solution, but the old trustees hold over. A trustee or trustees may be removed, in the same manner, by the society, as elections are held by a meeting called for that purpose. The property of the society rests in the corporation. The corporation raay hold, or acquire by purchase or otherwise, land not exceeding ten acres, for the purpose of the society. The trustees have the care, custody and control of the property of the corporation, and can, when directed by the society, erect houses or improvements, and repair and alter the same, and may also when so directed by the society, mortgage, encnm'ber, sell and convey any real or personal estate belonging to the corporation, and make all proper contracts in the name of such corporation. But they are prohibited by law from encumbering or interfering with any property sq as to destroy the effect of any gift, grant, devise or bequest to the corporation; but such gifts, grants, devises or bequests must in all cases be used so as to carry out the object intended by the persons making the same. Existing churches may organize in the manner herein set forth, and have all the advantages thereof. 64ME Consists of birds and beasts of a wild nature, obtained by fowling and hunting. The last few years have shown a general interest by DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1029 the people in liaving,wise and just laws passed for the protection of fish and game. It is apparent to all that, unless these laws are vigorously enforced, the time will soon come when fish and game will be so scarce as to be within the reach of only the wealthy. Under proper regulations our streams of pure running water would all be filled with fish, as in other years, and our prairies, fields and forests alive with their great variety of game. It is a question that interests all, and the game laws should be enforced. The following are sections 1 and 6 of the Game Law of 1873, of this State, as amended by the act approved May lith, 1877: Sec. 1. That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to hunt or pursue, kill or trap, net or ensnare, destroy, or attempt to kill, trap, net, ensnare, or otherwise destroy any prairie hen or chicken, or any woodcock, between the 15th day of January and the 1st day of September in each and every year; or any deer, fawn, wild turkey, ruffed grouse (commonly called partridge), or pheas- ant, between the 1st day of February and the 1st day of October in each and every year; or any quail between the 1st day of Feb- ruary and the 1st day of November in each and every year; or any wild goose, duck, snipe, brant, or other waterfowl between the 1st' day of May and the 15th day of August in each and every year: Provided^ That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to net any quail at any time after this act shall take effect and be in force: and -provided further. That it shall be unlawful for any per- son or persons who is or are -non-residents of this State to kill, ensnare, net or trap any deer, fawn, wild turkey, prairie hen or chicken, ruffed grouse, quail, woodcock, wild goose, wild duck or brant, or any snipe, in any county of this State, at any time, for the purpose of selling or marketing or removing the same outside of this State. Every person who violates any of the provisions of this section shall, for each and every offense, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be fined not less than five dol- lars ($5) nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25) and costs of suit for each and every separate bird or animal of the above enumerated list, so unlawfully hunted or pursued, killed, trapped, netted, ensnared, or destroyed or attempted to be killed, trapped, netted, ensnared, or otherwise destroyed, and shall stand committed to the county jail until such fine and costs are paid, but such imprison- ment shall not exceed ten days. 1030 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. Sec. 6. No person or persons shall sell or expose for sale, or have in his or their possession for the purpose of selling or expos- ing for sale, any of the animals, wild fowls or birds mentioned in section 1 of this act, after the expiration of five days next succeed- ing the first day of the period in which it shall be unlawful to kill, trap, net, or ensnare such animals^ wild fowls or birds. And any person so offending shall, on conviction, be fined and dealt with as specified in Section 1 of this act: Provided, That the provisions of this act shall not apply to the killing of birds by or for the use of taxidermists for preservation either in public or private collec- tions, if so preserved. The fifteenth of January, it will be observed, is the date when the prohibition begins to work as to prairie chickens and woodcock; the first of February is the date for most other sorts of game, except waterfowl. And five days after the prohibition against kill- ing goes into force, it becomes unlawful to sell or expose for sale the prohibited game. preservation of other birds. It may be appropi-iate to mention here that Sections 3 and 4 of the act of 1873, which are not changed or affected by the act of 1877, are as follows: Sec. 3. No person shall at any time, within this State, kill or attempt to trap, net, ensnare, destroy or kill any robin, bluebird, swallow, martin, mosquito hawk, whippoorwill, cuckoo, woodpecker, catbird, brown-thrasher, red-bird, hanging-bird, buzzard, sparrow, wren, humming-bird, dove, gold-finch, mocking bird, blue-jay, finch, thrush, lark, cherry- bird, yellow-bird, oriole, or bobolink, nor rob or destroy the nests of such birds, or either or any of them. And any person eo offending shall on conviction be fined the sum of five dollars for each and every bird so killed, and for each and every nest robbed or destroyed: Provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the owner or occupant of lands from destroying any of the birds herein named on the same, when deemed necessary for the protection of fruits or property. Sec. 4. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to destroy or remove from the nests of any prairie chicken, grouse or quail, wild turkey, goose or brant, any egg or eggs of such fowl or bird, or for any person to buy, sell, have in possession or traffic in such DIGEST or' stat;: laws. 1031 eggs, or willfully destroy the nest of such birds or fowls, or any or either of them. And any person so offending shall on conviction be lined and dealt with as specified in Section 3 of this act. MILLERS. The owner or occupant of every public grist-mill in this State shall grind all grain brought to his mill, in its turn. The toll for both steam and water mills, is, for grinding and bolting wheat, rye, or other grain, One-eighth part; for grinding Indian corn, oats, barley, and buckwheat not required to be bolted, one-seventh part; for grind- ing malt, and chopping all kinds of grain, one-eighth part. It is the duty of every miller, when his mill is in repair, to aid and assist in loading and unloading all grain brought to his mill to be ground; and he is also required to keep an accurate half-bushel measure, and an accurate set of toll dishes or scales for weighing the grain. The penalty for neglect or refusal to comply with the law is $6, to the use of any person suing for the same, to be recovered before any Justice of the Peace of the county where the penalty is incurred. Millers are accountable (except it results from unavoidable acci- dents) for the safe-keeping of all grain left in their mill for the pur- pose of being ground, with bags or casks containing same, provided that such bags or casks are distinctly marked with the initial letters of the owner's name. PAUPERS. Every poor person who shall be unable to earn a livelihood in con- sequence of any bodily infirmity, idiocy, lunacy or unavoidable cause, shall be supported by the father, grandfathers, mother, grand- mothers, children, grandiihildren, brothers or sisters, of such poor person, if they or either of them be of sufficient ability; but if any of such dependent class shall have become so from intemperance, or other bad conduct, they shall not be entitled to support from any relation except parent or child. The children shall first be called on to support their parents, if they are able; but if not, the parents of such poor person shall then be called on, if of sufficient ability; and if there be no parents or children able, then the brothers and sisters of such dependent person shall be called upon; and if there be no brothers or sisters of sufficient ability, the grandchildren of such per- son shall next be called on ; and if they are not able, then the grand- parents. Married females, while their husbands live, shall not be 1032 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. liable to contribute for the support of their poor relations excep*' out of their separate property. It is the duty of the State's attorney to make complaint to the County Court of his county against all the relatives of such paupers in this State liable to support, and prose- cute the same. In case the State's attorney neglects or refuses to complain in such cases, then it is the duty of the overseer of the poor to do so. The person called upon to contribute shall have at least ten days' notice of such application, by summons. The court has the power to determine the kind of support, depending upon the circumstances of the parties, and may also order two or more of the different degrees to maintain such poor person, and prescribe the proportion of each, according to his or her ability. The court may specify the time for which the relatives shall contribute; in fact it has control over the entire subject matter, with power to enforce its order. Every county is required to relieve and support all poor and in- digent persons lawfully resident therein. " Kesidence " means the actual residence of the party, or the place where he was employed; or in case he was in no employment, then it shall be the place where he made his home. When any person becomes chargeable as a pauper who did not reside in the county at the commencement of six months immediately preceding his becoming so, but did at the time reside elsewhere in this State, then the county becomes liable for the expense of taking care of such person until removed ; and it is the duty of the overseer to notify the proper authorities of the fact. If any person shall bring and leave any pauper in any county in this State where such pauper had no legal residence, knowing him to be such, he is liable to a fine of $100. In counties under town- ship organization, the supervisors in each town are ex-officio over- seers of the poor. The overseers of the poor act under the directions of the County Board in taking care of the poor and granting tem- porary relief; also, in providing for non-resident persons not pau- pers who may be taken sick and not able to pay their way, and, in case of death, causing such persons to be decently buried. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CONVEYANCES. When practicable from the nature of the ground, persons travel ing in any kind of vehicle must turn to the right of the center of the road, so as to permit each carriage to pass without interfering DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1033 with the other. The penalty for a violation of this provision is $5 for every offense, to be recovered by the. party injured; but to re- cover, there must have occurred some injury to person or property resulting from the violation. The owners of any carriage traveling upon any road in this State for the conveyance of passengers, who shall employ or continue in their employment as driver any person who is addicted to drunken- ness, or the excessive use of spirituous liquors, after he has had notice of the same, shall pay a forfeit at the rate of $5 per day ; and if any driver, while actually engaged in driving any such carriage, shall be guilty of intoxication to such a degree as to endanger the safety of passengers, it shall be the duty of the owner, on receiving written notice of the fact, signed by one of the passengers, and cer- tified by him on oath, forthwith to discharge such driver. If such owner shall have such driver in his employ within three months after such notice, he is liable for $5 per day for the time he shall keep such driver in his employment after receiving such notice. Persons driving any carriage on any public highway are prohib- ited from running their horses upon any occasion, under a penalty of a fine not exceeding $10, or imprisonment not exceeding sixty days, at the discretion of the court. Horses attached to any car- riage used to convey passengers for hire must be properly hitched, • or the lines placed in the hands of some other person, before the driver leaves them for any purpose. For violation of this provision each driver shall forfeit twenty dollars, to be recovered by action commenced within six months. It is understood by the term " carriage " herein to mean any car- riage or vehicle used for the transportation of passengers, or goods, or either of them. WAGERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. Wagers upon the result of an election have always been consid- ered as void, as being contrary to sound policy, and tending to im- pair the purity of elections. "Wagers as to the mode of playing, or as to the result of any illegal game, as boxing, wrestling, cock- fighting, etc. , are void at common law. Stakeholders must deliver the thing holdeh by them to the person entitled to it, on demand. It is frequently questionable who is en- titled to it. In case of an unlawful wager, although he may be jus- 1034 ■ DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. tifiedfor delivering the thing to the winner, by the express or im- plied consent of the loser, yet if before the event has happened he has been required by either party to give up the thing deposited with him by such party, he is bound to deliver it; or if, after the event has happened, the losing party gives notice to the stakeholder not to pay the winner, a payment made to him afterwards will be made to him in his own wrong, and the party who deposited the money or thing may recover it from the stakeholder. SUNDAY. Labor of whatever kind, other than the household offices of daily necessity, or other work of charity and necessity, on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is in general under penalty pro- hibited; but all persons do not come under prohibition. If a con- tract is commenced on Sunday, but not completed until a subsequent^ dav or if it merely grew out of a transaction which took place on Sunday, it is not for this reason void. Thus, if a note is signed on Sunday, its validity is not impaired if it be not delivered on that day. DEFINITION OP COMMEKCIAL TERMS. $ means dollars, being a contraction of U. S., which was for- merly placed before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now. United States currency. £ means pounds, Englijh money. @ stands for a^ or <(?/ lb iov pound; bbl. for barrel; and f for per or hy the.' Thus, butter sells at 20@30c. '^ ft, and flour at $6® 10 ^ bbl. \„ stands for per cent., and '^ for number. In the example "May 1 — wheat sells at $1.05@1.10, seller June," seller June means that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering it at any time during the month of June. " Selling short" is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or stock at a fixed price within a certain length of time, when the seller has not the stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling " short" to depress the market as much as pojsi- ble, in order that he may buy and fill his contract at a pr«jfit. Hence the " shorts" are termed "bears." LEGAL WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. "Whenever any of the following articles shall be contracted for, or sold or delivered, and no special contract or agi'eement shall be DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. 1035 made to the contrary, the weight per bushel shall be as follows, to- wit: ftlS. ft)S. Apples, dried 34 Hemp seed 44 Barley. . . 48 Hair (plasterine;). 8 Beans, white 60 Lime, unslacked 80 Beans, castor. . . , 46 Onions 57 Buckwheat 52 Oats 33 Bran 30 Potatoes, Wish 60 Blue-glass seed 14 Peaches, dried 33 Broom-corn seed 46 Potatoes, sweet 55 Coal, stove 80 Rye 56 Corn, in the ear 70 Salt, fine 55 Corn, shelled 56 Salt, coarse 50 Corn meal 48 Turnips 55 Clover seed 60 Timothy seed .-...: 45 Flax seed '. 56 Wheat 60 BEES. Bees, while unreclaimed, are by nature wild animals. Those which take up their abode in a tree belong to the owner of the soil in which the tree grows, if unreclaimed ; but if reclaimed and identi- fied they belong to their former owner. If a swarm has .flown from the hive of A, they are his so long as they are in sight, and may easily be taken ; otherwise, they become the property of the first occupant. Merely finding on the land of another person a tree containing a swarm of bees, and marking it, does not vest the property of the bees in the finder. They do not become property until actually hived. DOGS. Dogs are animals of a domestic nature. The owner of a dog has snch property in him that he may maintain an action for an injury to him, or to recover him when unlawfully taken away and kppt by another. When, in consequence of his vicious propensities, a dog becomes a common nuisance the owner may be indicted, and where one commits an injury, if the owner had knowledge of his mischievous propensities, he is liable for the injury. A man has a right to keep a dog to guard his premises, but not to put him at the entrance of his house, because a person coming there on lawful business may be injured by him, though there may be another entrance to the house. But if a dog is chained, and a visitor incautiously goes so near him that he is bitten, he has no right of action against the owner. 1036 DIGEST OF STATE LAWS. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Whoever shall willfully overdrive, overload, overwork, torture, torment, beat, deprive of necessary and proper "food, drink, or shelter, or cruelly kill any such animal, or work an old, maimed, sick, or disabled animal, or keep any animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner, for each and every offense shall be liable to a line of not less than $3 or more than $200, to be recovbred on complaint before any Justice of the Peace, or by indictmcEj. The word "animal" used shall be taken to mean any living 61*6^ ture. NAMES. Any person desirous of changing his name, and to assume another name, may file a petition in the Circuit Court of the county where he resides, praying for such change. Such petition shall set forth the name then held, and also the name sought to be assumed? together with his residence, aud the length of time he shall have resided in this State, and his nativity. In case of minors, parents or guardians must sign this petition; and said petition shall be verified by the affidavit of some credible person. A previous notice shall be given of such intended application by publishing a notice thereof in a county newspaper for three consecutive weeks, the first insertion to be at least six weeks prior to the first day of the term of the court in which the said petition is to be filed.