Coles County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 13 of 21)

M. Odell opened a drug store in 1868 ; a second was soon after opened by Hawkins & Stuart. The grain trade, at one time, was carried on quite extensively at this point. Wampler built a warehouse in 1859, and handled the first grain. John Glassco built a small house, in the fall of 1860, and engaged in the trade. In the fall of 1861, James Wadkins and John Stanley began the business, followed, in the fall of 1862, by A. A. Sutherland. The most important enterprise undertaken, as well as the one promising the most good to the village and the surrounding community, was the erection of a steam-mill. In I860, James Wadkins, Brownlee & Co. built a mill west of the railroad, a short distance north of the depot. This was wholly destroyed by fire in 1870. Its loss was keenly felt by the citizens of the village, as its presence brought a large trade to the town which afterward floated off into other channels. The flour manufactured was of a superior grade, and was in great demand.

Churches, Lodges, Etc

The first church in the village, as has been elsewhere recorded, was moved in from the western limits of the township and located south and a little west of where the Catholic Churtfh now stands. This was used in common by the Methodist and Presbyterian societies for some years. The Presbyterian Church was organized, in 1861, by Rev. H. I. Yenable. Its early meetings were held as above stated. James W. Junken and family, Thomas Danner and family, Richard Hawkins and family, James Boyd and family, G. W. Woods and wife were among the early members. A neat frame church was erected by the society in 1870. The dedicatory sermon was preached in February, 1871, Rev. D. M. Stewart officiating. Revs. James Allison and E. Howell have since served the Church. The present M. E. Church was built in 1873. Rev. D. E. May was pastor at the time. It was dedicated, soon after completion, by S. S. Meginnis, Presiding Elder of the district at the time. The Christian Church was begun in 1865, but did not reach completion till the summer of 1871. This society has labored under great difficulty, being few in numbers and most of its members persons of limited means. Its house of worship, costing over $2,000, is a monument to the liberality of W. B. Hawkins, who contributed more than one-half of the whole amount for its completion. The early meetings of the Church were held in cabin of Hawkins, and Elder Thomas Goodman was the first preacher. Elder James Conner and his sons, James and Samuel W., have since served the congregation. The Holy Angels (Catholic) Church was built about 1870, under the supervision of Father Mangin. Thomas Kilfoyl, Thomas Pendergrast, John Wall and families, Edmund Reagan, Mary Lynch and others were among the early members. Father Mangin was the first priest, and was succeeded by Father Gonin. All the churches are neat frame buildings, and, with their tall spires pointing heavenward, give to the village quite a city-like appearance in the distance.

Elwood Lodge, No. 589, A., F. & A. M., was chartered by the Grand Lodge October 6, 1868. The charter was granted to Jesse B. Gray, George W. Gray^ Alfred Bugh, J. P. Westby, J. M. Wharton, A. Sparks, Joel Stevenson and others. Jesse B. Gray was appointed Master, George W. Gray, S. W., and A. G. Bugh, J. W. Stated meetings Saturday on or before full moon and two weeks thereafter.

Prospect Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., No. 636, was instituted March 21, 1877, by Deputy Grand Master James Hamilton, of Bluff Lodge, No. 605. A charter was granted by the Grand Lodge October 10, 1877. The first officers were W. B. Kennedy, N. G. ; J. D. Denning, V. G. ; Hugh Maxey, Sec. ; 0. M. McNutt, Treas. Regular meetings of the Lodge Wednesday night of each week.

Humbolt Lodge K. of H., No. 1046, was organized April 23, 1878, by JF. Drish and T. E, Woods. The society has a membership of fifteen souls and meets regularly Thursday evening of each week.

Benoni Lodge of Good Templars, No. 377, was organized March 23, 1874. A charter was granted from the Right Worthy Grand Lodge to W. B. Kennedy, John Moore, 0. D. Noe, Horace Wells, Dollie Wells, Sallie Woods, Belle Gray, Annie Burgess, W. C. Lacy and others. These societies all meet for the transaction of business in the same hall, over Gray & Danner's store.

Dr. 0. M. Odell, who came in August, 1859, was the first physician to locate in the village. About four months later. Dr. Wharton located. The medical fraternity at present is represented by Drs. Odell, Brewer and Stuart. The present school building, a neat frame containing two rooms, was built in 1870- A Mr. Stevenson taught the first session in the new house.

Village Incorporated

On the 20th of February, 1866, an election was held at which twenty-five votes were cast for, and five against, incorporation. February 27, the following board of officers was chosen : R. D. Senteney, Police Justice ; Trustees - J. P. Westby, J. C. B. Wharton, H. L. Stewart, William A. Wood and Abner Sparks. Sparks being a non-freeholder, was declared ineligible, and, April 11? William B. Hawkins was chosen to fill the va'^ancy. When the village was first laid out, by common consent of those interested, it was christened Milton. A petition was circulated and then forwarded to the Capitol, praying for the establishment of a post office with the same name. This could not be granted, as an office of that name already existed in Pike County. The petitioners then added the word "Station," and thus amended, the petition was granted and the post office was established with the name Milton Station. A. A. Sutherland was the first postmaster, and the office was kept at his residence for some time. It is at present kept in the store of Gray & Danner ; G. W. Gray is the present postmaster. The citizens, and more especially those engaged in conducting the business of the village, soon became convinced that they had acted unwisely in choosing "Milton " as the name of their village and post office. Not only mail matter, but express and freight intended for this point often found its way into Pike County, and vice versa. April 23, 1875, a petition was presented to the Trustees praying for a change in name from Milton to Humbolt. May 17, the petition was renewed, and at that date an ordinance was passed granting the petition, said ordinance to take effect from and after May 28, 1875. The name of the post office was changed at or near the same time. Humbolt has a popuation of about three hundred. She has three general merchandise stores, two drug stores, one grocery, one blacksmith and wood-work shop, one broom-factory and one grain-warehouse.

This township, situated in the western part of the county, contains thirtysix sections, and therefore agrees with the Congressional township in common with a few others of like size in the county. The surface of the country is somewhat diversified. It is, however, rather inclined to the appearance of an ordinary prairie, save where a stream courses through it. From the fact that a large part of the township is prairie land it was not fully settled till after the advent of the railroads. These coming through the level part, opened a highway for the more speedy transportation of products, and caused the before uncultivated prairie to soon abound in farms, and to change from a condition of nature to homes of plenty. Kickapoo Creek and Riley's Creek are the only streams of water found here. The former, the largest of the two, flows through the township from east to west, a little south of the center, and, after passing on through Charleston Township, finds an outlet in the Embarrass. The creek derived its name from an ancient tribe of Indians who once resided on its banks. Riley's Creek runs through the northern tier of sections from the west to the east, and finds in Charleston Township an outlet in the Kickapoo. Neither of these streams is of sufficient size to afford any practical use, save drainage. Each is skirted by belts of timber, wherein the pioneers found homes partially protected from the rude blasts of the early winters. In the northwest part of the township are one or two small groves, the largest and most notable of which is the Dead Man's Grove, so named from a mournful incident, related in the county history. The groves and timber along the streams furnished, in early days, a good supply of building-timber. This has largely been removed since the settlement began, leaving only a growth inferior in size and quality, and chiefly used for fire-wood. The products of La Fayette Township are the cereals (the chief of which is corn), cattle and hogs. Of late, fine stock has attracted considerable attention among the farmers, and is now taking the place of the inferior quality seen heretofore. Corn is raised in immense quantities, and is largely used in feeding stock. The Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad affords good facilities for shipment East or West, while at Mattoon the Illinois

Central offers equally good outlets to Southern and Northern markets. Of late years, many farmers have borrowed money at 10 per cent interest, which several could not pay, and hence much land has fallen into the hands of non-resident owners. The effect of this policy, in the end, will be to cut large farms into smaller ones, and give the township more freeholders. The policy of borrowing money and mortgaging a farm has proved evil here as elsewhere, and is teaching the farmers that no legitimate business will pay such a per cent and at the same time maintain itself. It will ruin any man ; and while it will effect the deprivation of many of their homes, it will, in the end, as suggested, cut these farms into smaller portions, held at first by renters who eventually will own them.

The Pioneers

" Before them, then, were bending skies ; Behind them, now, proud cities rise ; And where the father's cabin fell, The sons in stately mansions dwell.

" Before them leaped the prairie-fires, Behind them gleam a hundred spires ; And where the panther made his lair. The godly meet for praise and prayer.

" Before them all was waste and wild. Behind them blooming gardens smile ; And where the thorn and thistle grew, The dahlias drink the morning dew.

" Before them stretched a trackless plain. Behind them waving fields of grain ; And where the wild beast roamed and fed. The toiler eats his daily bread.

" Before them lay an unknown land, A myriad homes behind them stand ; And where the hissing serpent crept. The little child in peace hath slept." - George B. Batch.

The picture drawn by Mr. Balch is not in the least overdrawn. Before the pioneer lay a trackless wilderness ; behind him is a garden. The first settlers in this township found it a waste ; those that survive them see it filled with the homes of plenty, largely the work of those pioneers whose memory we now preserve.

During the summer of 1825, several persons were in this part of Illinois, prospecting, hunting and seeking homes. Among them were Samuel Henry and John Robinson, of Crawford County. They spent some time on the Kickapoo, hunting and examining the different sections of country adjacent. Finding an excellent soil, plenty of timber and water enough for all practical purposes, they determined to make this their home. Robinson soon brought his wife to this place, and set about building a camp. Henry, on his return to Crawford County, hired John Veach to bring him, his family and their effects to the new home. Then there were but very few settlers in the present limits of Coles County, and, what few there were, were pioneers in the truest sense of the word. Mr, Veach, not caring for the journey, sent his son Jesse, then eighteen years of age, and an expert hunter and frontiersman. On the 18th of December, he loaded the Henry family into the old Virginia wagon, hitched his ox and horse teams to it, and prepared for the journey. That night they went to the cabin of S. H. Bates, father of John Bates, now well known in Coles County, and remained with them till morning. Mr. Bates was also ready to come with them, having heard of the richness of the soil here, and the promise of a competence in after-life. That night, the two families got to where Isaac Lewis lived, not far from where the present town of Robinson is situated, where they remained overnight. They found, on their arrival here, that Ben Parker, an early settler in Coles, which, it must be recollected, did not then exist in name, was here to take Mr. Lewis back with him. It will be observed that neither Mr. Henry nor Mr. Lewis had teams of their own. They were too poor to own any, and were, therefore, dependent on their neighbors for such accommodations as they could get. The three families made the journey in four days. The first day out, they got as far as Eaton's mill, on the north fork of the Embarrass. The second day, to Long Point, where they camped, there being no habitation near. The third day, they got to a camp, where George Parker now lives, where they got some corn for their teams. The evening of the fourth day, they arrived at the unfinished cabin of Mr. Bates, which they completed, so they could find shelter therein, and remained there for the night. The cabin was inclosed and covered, but no doors made nor any chimney built. The next day, Mr. Veach started for the Kickapoo timber with Mr. Henry's family. He got to the camp made by Robinson about the middle of the afternoon, unloaded his wagon, and returned to the Bates cabin to remain overnight. The next day he started home, reaching it in a few days time.

Mr. Henry and his family reached their new home on the afternoon of December 25, 1825. They were alone in this part of the country - no one west of them for many miles. A few settlers were in the eastern part of the county, but none nearer than the cabin of Mr. Bates, whom they left that morning. On their way up from Crawford County, they met Robinson and his wife with their ox-team going back to the settlement, where they expected to remain during the winter. They informed them an unfinished camp was awaiting them, and told them how they had left, expecting to return in the spring. Mr. Henry and his wife set about, immediately on their arrival, making themselves as comfortable as they could, and, as the winter was rather mild, experienced but little hardship. They found wild honey and game abundant, and suffered none for provisions. They had brought corn enough to supply themselves with corn- bread, and with that and the abundant wild food fared well while alone in the woods. Early in the spring, Robinson and his wife returned with their ox-team, bringing with them the news of the day and the cheering information that others were preparing to follow. During their return visit, Mrs. Robinson had become a mother, and brought back the first baby to the settlement. Both families used the cabin, built the autumn before, until Henry could complete his own, into which he at once moved, and the second home in the township was established. When the season opened, these two men prepared ground, sowed wheat, planted corn, started a small garden for each, and prepared to erect permanent cabins as soon as the crops could be " laid away." Before this was done, however, they were joined by John Wilkinson, from Edgar County, who, hearing of the rich soil and natural advantages to be found here, left that county and located in the northeast part of what is now La Fayette Township, forming the beginning of a settlement there. He remained only one year, however, when he sold to Isaac Parker and went to Texas, where he afterward became a noted man. This same spring of which we are speaking (1826), Samuel Woods came up from Crawford County, selected his claim, planted a crop, with the assistance of a few neighbors raised a cabin, and, in the fall, went back and brought up his family. He settled near the east side of the township, not far from the present Methodist Church, He remained here until his death. Thomas Robnet came the same spring, and located near where H. Nabb now lives. Not liking the location, he moved, soon after, to the farm now owned by Levi Doty, where he lived till 1833, when he sold that claim and went to the Lone-Star State. Whether any other families than these mentioned came this summer, is now very difficult to determine. Mr. Jesse Veach says he knows there were none when he brought Henry's family, in the fall of 1825, and he has not been informed of any more than those named. He went back to Crawford County, the next year went to New Orleans on a flatboat, and, on his return, married and settled in the neighborhood where he had lived. He did not become a citizen of Coles County till 1831. He was up here, however, he says, several times in the interim, and knew pretty well what was being done. As it impossible, at this date, to accurately note the date of each one's settlement before the Black Hawk war, we will give each one as far as we have been able to gather them. Some wilU undoubtedly, be omitted, as no record was kept and no one lives now who can tell to a certainty who came. Among those coming next after those mentioned ,was James James, who came from Edgar County in 1826 or 1827 - probably the latter year. He married, for his second wife, a daughter of Mr. Bates, whose coming has already been mentioned. Levi and James Doty, both young men, came about the same time. They are yet living. James Burns settled near where William R. Jones now lives, but remained only a few years. James Ashmore, from Tennessee, came in this period. It will be remembered that at his house the first election in the county was held. It was rather a central point, and also one well known. He and the entire family of Ashmores became prominently known all over Coles County. On the day of the election, plenty of whisky was furnished by the opposing candidates, as was the custom then, and, as this beverage excited men to unlawful and wicked deeds then, as now, about a dozen fights occurred. It was a " big thing " then to be the " boss fighter," or able to whip any man in the country. It seemed to be a measure of prowess then, as on the frontier now. Mr. John Phipps states that he was at that election, and remembers (he was twelve years old at the time) there were about a dozen fights before the day was over. One champion and his friends would challenge another of equally renowned prowess, and the point must be settled.

Another settler of this period was William Parker, who settled where William Jones now lives. Another was John Veach, who hearing the stories of the fertile land in this part of the country, came here in 1828, and remained. John Phipps came that same year, from Wabash County. He had four or five children, one of whom, John, Jr., narrates the coming of the family, their settlement here, and their own and neighbors' struggles for a start. He says they moved into an old, unfinished cabin they found in the woods not far from where he is now living, and which they occupied some time. It had no floor, was very imperfectly daubed, and was, withal, a poor lodging-place. It was, though, the best they could do, and like many another pioneer family, they did what they could, not what they wanted to. They were consoled in a measure by the fact that some of their neighbors had no better lodging-place, some, even, had none. They, and all others similarly situated, did the best they could in these primitive dwellings till they could get their crops gathered, when they erected closer and better cabins, which they used until circumstances allowed them to build frame dwellings. Mr. Phipps shows now with no little pride, an old wind-mill, sixty-seven years old, his father brought with him when he came to this part of the State. He remembers, in addition to the families named, those of Elijah Gibbs, who came here from Crawford County, and who remained until his death occurred ; William Ewing, from Kentucky; William Williams, who came in 1829, from Kentucky, and who lived here all his life. "Capt." R. E. Y. Williams, a boy then, is now living on the old place. Samuel Williams came with the others, but did not remain long, returning to Kentucky. Others, he remembers, were old Mr. Scott, William R. Jones, Rev. Daniel Barham, a noted Baptist minister, and one of the early settlers in Pleasant Grove, John Gordon, another pioneer, who moved there in 1829, Rev. Threlkeld, and a few others.

To <?o over the ground covered in the general county history, and repeated more particularly in some of the township histories, in describing the mode of life, erection of cabins, hunting, etc., would be a needless repetition here. That part of the life of a pioneer was the same everywhere. The cabins were all of the same pattern ; the hunts for honey, bears, wolves, deer, etc., were the same in all places, and need no further description here. During the period we mention, until the Black Hawk war, about twenty-five families set- tied in La Fayette Township. As all but one or two settled about the Kickapoo timber, quite a community was formed by that time. The county being created in 1830, a voting-place was made at Mr. Ashmore's, until near 1859, when the Vass Schoolhouse, a pioneer among educational institutions here, was used when the electors met to exercise the rights of American citizens, until its removal a little farther east, and change of name to Monroe Schoolhouse, where they now meet for the same privilege.

Until the formation of the townships in 1859, the entire county was made one voting precinct, with several voting-places, Charleston being the chief. A person could vote wherever he happened to be. It is to be recorded to the credit of the people, too, that they repeated votes very seldom. We are told there was but very little of that done, although we have often been informed by men that they voted where they were not well known before they were of legal age. Party politics did not run so high then as now, probably.

The "deep snow" in 1830-31, the ''shooting stars " in 1833, and the *' sudden freeze" in 1836, are all well remembered by those who witnessed them. Their expsriences of these phenomena are the same as others already given, and we will not burden our pages with their recital.^

During these years the settlers must have meal and flour, and also wanted letters and papers. John Robinson early saw the necessity for a mill of some kind, and one of the first things he did on his return in the spring of 1826, was to erect a mill on a branch of the Kickapoo. It was a weak affair, but as it saved the settlers going back to Crawford County, or going to Parker's mill when built, or to Slover's, when it appeared, they came to use it whenever necessary. As Slover's and Parker's mills were improvements on it, however, they came to get the "balance of trade," and it gradually went down. John True, another early settler, built a horse-mill soon after his arrival, and such of his neighbors as did not desire to go several miles over a roadless country patronized his primitive affair, Mr. Threlkeld, in addition to the duties of a frontier minister, found time to build or help a Mr. Michael build one on his place, and to help him run it. Mr. Threlkeld supported himself in all his ministry, believing like many of his co-workers that it was his duty to do so. Indeed, his only hope of a livelihood lay in this direction ; the people were too poor to support a minister, even had they desired to do so. These mills mentioned are about the only ones ever built in this township. Water-power sufficient to run one all the year was not to be had, and the erection of better ones in other parts of the county where better natui'al advantages existed precluded the necessity of their erection here. No saw-mills were built till about 1840. Then Thomas Marshall erected one in the north part of the township on a branch in the grove ; but a freshet carrying it off a few years after, the effort was abandoned. The loss to Mr. Marshall was about $600.

A son of Vulcan set up his forge and bellows here soon after the settlement ^ began. Jacob Zinn, about this time concluded there existed a good opening for such an occupation in this community and opened a blacksmith-shop. He sharpened hoes, axes, barshare plows or any implement brought to him. When the county seat was established in 1831, and shops began to appear there, his customers gradually went there for wprk, and he, not long after, removed his shop elsewhere. He was succeeded by Edw. Cartmell, who remained here a short time and went to Paradise. From there he removed to Mattoon, when that place was started in 1855, and was among its earliest residents.

Among the settlers, about 1836, was Joseph Vanderen, who came from Kentucky. He was quite an extensive land-owner and trader, and brought with him a stock of miscellaneous goods from a store he owned in the Blue- Grass State. This stock he opened in a small log house and gave it out in payment for labor until it was exhausted. Capt. Jones, now living in Stockton^ was a clerk here, and made his first adventure in mercantile life in this little log store. About the time it was closed out, Joseph Eckles opened a store in a frame house standing near where Benjamin Turney now lives. This store came quite prominent as a local trading-point, and, until the railroads were beginging to appear, did an excellent business. A large part of the trade was exchange. The farmers brought eggs, butter, poultry, etc., and received sugar, coffee and other necessary groceries in exchange. The products of the farm Mr. Eckles took to Charleston and Terre Haute and exchanged them again for groceries or whatever articles he desired, and returned with them to his inland store to repeat the experiment. He continued the store eight or ten years, when the continued growth of Charleston, and the expectation of a new town wherever the crossing of the railroads would occur, induced him to close the business. When Mattoon was located, the frame store was removed there and used for various purposes. It was the first house on the plat of that town, but not the first house built there.

The influx of immigration continued steadily for several years after the first settlers came. All confined themselves closely to the timb'^r, and only one here and there was venturesome enough to branch out into the prairie and erect a home there. The financial crisis of 1840 affected people here as well as elsewhere, and for a time retarded the growth of the country. The first seasons were invariably good and produced large crops. This stimulated further emigration from the South and East, and until the exceeding wet season in 1831, consequent upon the great fall of snow the winter before, the crops Avere abundant. As the country filled with people, schools and churches were started - which we will notice further on in a particular manner - the shops spoken of were started, mills and the two stores mentioned were erected, and life here assumed the phases of an old country. Log cabins, one by one, gave way before the march of improvement, and were replaced by frame houses or more comfortable hewn-log houses. Farms gradually began to be fenced. Cattle and hogs were stopped from running at large, for corn and wheat fields became common now, and, moreover, fed-stock came gradually into market. The pig, that in pioneer days fattened on mast, was penned and deprived of his migratory mode of life, and fed and fattened on corn. Wolves and deer, once so plenty, gradually died out till now they are a rarity. Wolf-hunts are a thing of the past our grandsires love 1.0 tell us of; while our grand-dames' old spinningwheels, whereon they made the cloth for the family from the tall nettles or from cotton, once grown here, are relics of the past, standing idle now to remind us what it takes to make a country. Deer do not roam the prairies now in herds of dozens, and come before the cabin so the lord and master can have fresh deer meat for breakfast, and not leave his cabin door to secure it. Chickens and young pigs are not housed to protect them from the prowling wolf. Wild turkeys are a thing of the past. Cultivated farms are everywhere now, and what was once nature's domain is now the home of the husbandman. The agitation of the railroads and their construction from 1850 to 1856 gave a fresh impetus to settlers. Until the opening of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, there were but very few settlers in the part of the township traversed by the road, or more properly its prairie portion. Mr. William Miller says that when he came to his present homestead in 1854, there were only seven families in that part of the township. These families were James, William and Samuel Shoemaker, John and T. C. Mills, Jacob Vanmeter,and Fred G. True who was living on a farm belonging to Col. Marshall, of Charleston. The southern part of the township, both above pnd below the Kickapoo, was well settled then ; but the farms extended outward from the timber, the houses almost always being within its protection. When the prairie land came before the people at the time the railroads made migration easy, they were settled as if in a day. In less than a decade of years there was not an acre of unoccupied land. The election of 1860 showed over two hundred voters in this township, as large a vote as has been polled since. When the reader remembers that six years before, no one lived on the prairie in the township, he can readily see how rapidly it settled. The opening of the railroad brought the city of Mattoon just over the western border of this township, and the village of Stockton in its midst. It also brought easy transportation to tlie products of the farmers, and allowed a closer and more general cultivation of the soil. The majority of the timber of sufficient size to be of practical use in building was by this time about all gone, leaving a growth now used chieiiy for fire- wood. When the re-action from the last war - to which the township sent several soldiers - came, it brought an era of " flush " times, which many farmers erroneously supposed would always continue. Hence now we see much of the land owned by non-residents, persons who loaned the farmers money at a heavy rate of interest and at a value which no one could pay. As the return to specie payments came, the decline in money occurred, and when the time to pay the principal came, the land had shrunken in value till it about equaled the face of the loan. The farm was sold to satisfy the claim, and now many who once were wealthy find themselves starting anew in life. The effect in the end will be, the non-resident does not want the land, and will sell

Mr. John Phipps states that he does not recollect any schools in this township the first winter they came. He thinks, however, there may have been one in some cabin, as there were several children here at that date - 1828. They were probably taught by their parents, unless some adventurous schoolmaster was here and supplied the educational wants of the community. Mr. Phipps says there was a school taught soon after they came, for he remembers attending the school. Whether this was the next winter - 1829 - 30 - or the one a vear later, he does not now recollect. A log schoolhouse was built near a place known as the Sulphur Springs, where an old gentleman named Watson, taught the country youths and maidens the rudiments of education, then rather meager. These ancient pedagogues ruled their scholars by the force of the rod, more than any other way. Moral " suasion " was not much talked of then. The " suasion " generally was a good, limber hickory switch well applied. Rev. Daniel Barham and Theron E. Balch were also among these earlv teachers. The old schoolhouse built by the spring, was followed by others in different parts of the community as the wants of each locality became apparent. One of the early schoolhouses was known as tlie"Ewing" School, in the southern part of the township. In this house, the Methodists organized a class in early days, one of the oldest societies in that denomination, in the county. It was the founder of the present Kickapoo M. E. Church, a history of which appears elsewhere in these pages. This school supplied the wants of this part of the township many years. It is yet continued, though in a modern house and under modern methods. Schools began to appear numerously by 1860, mainly the outgrowth of the free-school system established about 1845. It took several years to educate the people up to the idea of paying for education by taxation. Especially was this spirit manifested in the southern part of the State, where the people were chiefly of Southern origin. They knew only of the old system of subscription-schools, where only those paid who sent children, losing sight of the great fact that to properly educate the masses, insures safety to the populace. The results of the last twenty years have fully verified the pi'edictions of the founders of the free schools, and now are fully exemplified all over the State.

From statistics furnished by Mr. Lee, County Superintendent of Schools, we glean the following items regarding the schools in La Fayette Township:

Number of schools, 9 ; number of academies, 1 ; number of school children - males, 208; females, 183; total, 391; average wages paid to teachers per month - males, $43.24; females, |25.44; length of school term, 6 months; value of school property, $3,551; principal of township fund, $923.

Outside of the village of Stockton, there are four churches in this township - three Baptist and one Methodist. One of these, the Bethel Baptist Church, is one of the oldest churches in the county. It was founded by Father Barham, or William Martin, both of whom were early ministers here. The organization was made in some cabin, probably that of the ministers, with only a few members, and, for awhile, the place of worship was continued there. When the schoolhouse was built, near Sulphur Springs, in 1829 or 1830, the preachingplace was made there, and continued there until about 1835, when a log church was erected near the site of the present Bethel church. The congregation grew with ordinary success until 1840, when, owing to a difference of views concerning points of order, a division occurred, and from that date two congregations appear. Both used the same house now replaced by a better and more commodious structure, until Mattoon was started, when, owing to the fact of several of the members in the withdrawing party being there or near there, a house of worship was built there in 1856, and this part went there to worship. Theirs was the first church in the town. The old body retained possession of the property, and still use the Bethel Church and are known by that name. Thomas Threlkeld had been one of the early pastors here, and remained with them until the division, when he went with the Mattoon church. He remained in the ministry until his death. The Bethel Church still continues prosperous, and supports regular services. The Mattoon church, sometimes known as Missionary Baptists and by other names, remained in Mattoon until about 1869 or 1870, when they sold their property, preparatory to removing to a more central location for their people. They used a schoolhouse a few miles west of Stockton until they could erect a house of worship, which they completed soon after the change, and which they now use. Mr. Threlkeld was succeeded in the ministry by J. G. Sawin, the present Pastor. The number, of members is now about twenty. The Church retains the same name as its original - Bethel Church.

The Nineveh Missionary Baptist Church is of recent origin, having been organized only about four years. Rev. Barker was the originator and chief one in the formation of the Church, and has done much for its advancement. They built a very neat frame church, a few years ago, which they now regularly occupy.

The Kickapoo Methodist Church was organized as a class, probably, before the Black Hawk war. Just when, is not now known. Like all other frontier churches, its members met in each other's cabins and offered up their prayer and praise to the Being who preserved them and gave them the blessings they enjoyed. As soon as the Ewing Schoolhouse was erected, they met there, and continued therein until they could erect a log church, which they used until the erection of their present house of worship, in 1860. They were watched over in pioneer times by ministers who braved the dangers of a frontier life, and who counted it richer by far to save a soul than to gain a kingdom. That they have their reward no one can doubt. The little church, founded by so few, years ago, is now strong, and able not only to bear its own burden, but to help others in their start, knowing by experience the benefit of a little aid at the right time.

One other church in the township remains to be mentioned. As it is in the village of Stockton, however, we forbear any sketch of it here, and pass to the sketch of the village first, whose history will close this chapter.

Stockton

When the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad was completed through this township, a stopping-place was made where Stockton now is, that point being nearly half-way between Mattoon and Charleston. For about seven years, the condition of things remained the same, only a platform being built and a switch made. Capt. B. F. Jones was mainly instrumental in getting even this much of an arrangement, and during all this time, was a constant shipper. He brought the frame building immediately south of the track here, and used it as a storehouse and warehouse for several years. In the fall of 1863, Capt. Jones, who owned the land on which the village is now situated, concluded to lay out a town, and for that purpose had J. J. Peterson, a surveyor, plat the original village. In casting about for a name, Mr. Thomas E. Woods, then connected with the Mattoon Journal, suggested Stockton, and, without waiting to see if there was any other town or post office in the State of that name, it was adopted. When the post office was established here, soon after, another village in Illinois was indeed found of that name, with an office, and the postal authorities refused to christen this one by the name given it. After one or two effiarts, the name Loxa for the post office was suggested and accepted. 'Ihe citizens have several times endeavored to get the railroad company to change the name of the station to correspond with that of the post office, but, so far, have been unable to do so.

Soon after the town was surVeved, John Monroe, who had been connected with Capt. Jones in the shipping business, erected a store. About the same time that he began in the dry goods, groceries, etc., trade, S. Y. Vance came also, and united with him in supplying the wants of the people hereabouts- These two men and J. W. Egbert erected houses, removed families to them and started village life in earnest. Mr. Sawin, Capt. Jones and a few others followed them, and in a few years the village assumed its present proportions. Capt. Jones also erected a store, now used, and when the Cumberland Presbyterians decided to remove their church to the village, he purchased the old church and converted it into a hay-barn. But one or two stores only have been l)uilt here. The village being midway between the county seat and Mattoon, the greater part of the trade of the people about the village goes to one or the other of these places, leaving only a local trade here. A shop or two, the shipping business in town and one or two other commodities complete its trade.

Until about 1870, school was maintained in the district schoolhouse, near the village. About that time, however, the building was erected here, and since then school has been taught in the village. It is still under the township control.

Eight years ago, Prof. Thomas J. Lee, County Superintendent of Schools, opened an academy, which he has made a success. A few years ago, Capt. Jones, who has done much for this town and community, built a very commodious house for the use of the Academy, capable of accommodating over one hundred scholars. Pupils are fitted for teaching here, the curriculum of studies being prepared especially to that end. Prof. Lee received his education at the West Point Military Academy, and brings thoroughness and exactness to bear in his instruction. The school is away from any evil surroundings prevalent in larger places, and fills the void excellently well for which it is intended, viz., a step between the common school and the college. Music is also taught here, and, as the school is centrally located, it is well attended by pupils from the surrounding country. A glance at the catalogue shows a large percentage of its pupils engaged in teaching. As an evidence of the favorable condition of the school, it is noticed that the attendance has grown from 63 pupils the first year, to 111 the last year. During the ordinary vacation. Prof. Lee conducts a five-weeks normal, which is well attended.

The only church in Stockton is the Cumberland Presbyterian, which, as has been mentioned, was brought from the country. The congregation was organized several years before the town was contemplated, in the northeast part of the township, and a church erected a short distance north of the site of Stockton. After the village was started, it was concluded best to remove the place of worship there. Capt. Jones purchased the old frame church, and, in 1868, the present edifice was erected. It is a commodious frame building, and is at present suflSciently large for the congregation. Only occasional services are held here, the congregation not being able to sustain a regular minister.

North Okaw

This township, located in the extreme northwest corner of the county, like the other townships in the northern tier, includes one and one-half townships in its area. In the days when the territory of Coles County was divided into voting precincts, Okaw Precinct extended as far north as the northern boundary of the present county of Douglas, and south to its present limits. The votes of her citizens at that time were cast at the small village of Bagdad, on the old Springfield trace. Some years later, as the population increased, a division was made by a line running east and west about one mile north of the old Springfield trace, and all the territory north of that line was designated North Okaw, and that of which we are now writing was known as South Okaw. The name as originally applied to the precinct, was taken from the river which traverses the township in a general southwestern direction. To this stream the French gave the name Kaskaskia, while the Indians designated it uniformly by the name Okaw. The early settlers adopted the Indian name, and their descendants speak of it to-day as the Okaw, to the utter exclusion of the French name. Perhaps a more accurate description in regard to name would be given by saying, that from Shelbyville to its source, the name Okaw is invariably applied, while from the same point to its mouth it is known as the Kaskaskia. When the county was divided into townships, the citizens met for the purpose of selecting a name. The name Martin was proposed by some, in honor of one of the early settlers. Others, to whom the name Okaw had become endeared from its association with their early struggles and hardships, clung with something akin to filial affection to the dear old name. On the call for a vote, Okaw's standard was lifted up by a large majority. When the name Avas submitted for approval, it became necessary to prefix the word North in order to distinguish more clearly the territory bearing the name, from that of Okaw Township, in Shelby County. Thus, what was once known as South Okaw Precinct, became a few years later North Okaw Township. The Okaw River enters the township at the extreme northwestern boundary, and flowing in a general southwestern direction, passes out at its western boundary about two and one-half miles north of the southwestern corner of the township. This stream with its tributaries, affords excellent drainage for a large portion of the township. Crab-Apple Tree Creek, a small stream flowing from east to west through the southern portion of the township, drains the southern tier of sections. In its primitive state, fully one- third of its area was timber-land, the remaining two-thirds being open prairie. To-day, however, its timber is confined to a narrow belt skirting the banks of the Okaw. There is, perhaps, as great variety of soil in this township, as can be found in any other in the limits of the county. While the prairie is in general rich and productive, and characterized by a deep, black, loamy soil, even portions of it are far more productive than others. The soil of the woodland is far less fertile. Of a light, bluish color, and of shallow depth, it is poorly adapted to the growth of most of the cereals ; a better yield of wheat, however, is obtained from the woodland than from the prairie, and the crop is much surer, as the soil is better adapted to stand the alternate freezing and thawing so common to this climate. Corn, however, is the staple product, and upon the successful growing of this crop the farmer depends almost entirely for his support year after year. The D., M. & S. Railroad crosses the extreme southwest corner of the township, giving not to exceed three-quarters of a mile of railroad within her borders. Her points for shipping and receiving, are Mattoon and Humbolt. Though settlements were made within the present limits at quite an early day, the great influx of population did not occur till about the years 1855 and 1856, at which, time the railroads crossing at Mattoon were rapidly approaching completion. In a few brief years, her population was doubled and even trebled, and the hitherto unoccupied prairie was soon dotted over with human habitations in every direction. And where, but a few short years before, the early settler was accustomed to chase the fleet-footed deer or flying wolf through the tall and matted grass of the unbroken prairie, he saw the rank, luxuriant fields of corn, waving gracefully in the summer breezes. Taken throughout its entire extent, the township compares very favorably with those surrounding it, in point of wealth and productiveness.

The first settlements made in the township were confined to the timber along the east and west banks of the Okaw. To locate and build a cabin onequarter of a mile from the woods would have been considered a hazardous and foolhardy undertaking. Prairies, in the language of the old settlers, were made for the deer, wolves and rattlesnakes, woods and water-courses for man. Hence, we invariably find the earliest improved farms in the woodland or hard by, while the better or more fertile portions are left to fall into the hands of those coming in after-years. Many an old settler toiled and labored almost incessantly, day and night, for months, to prepare a few acres of woodland for cultivation, when, within a stone's throw of his cabin, lay the rich, fertile prairie, inviting him to reap a rich harvest for the mere sowing. The fact that a settlement was in the township as early as 1833, seems to be pretty fully established, and John Whitley and his sons John, Elisha, William and Randall, are recorded as among the first, if not the first, to settle and make improvements in its limits. Their improvements were made along the Okaw, near the southwestern limits of the township.. Elisha and John were on the west side, while William and Randall located east of the stream. The Whitleys came from Tennessee, and must have came to the State at an early day ; from statements made by the elder Whitley, they seem to have passed up the Kaskaskia, making settlements at various points ; so soon as neighbors began to settle in around them, they would desert their places, and, moving up the stream, would again locate, only a few years later to move still higher up the stream. About the same time, but higher up the stream, we find Baily Riddle, from North Carolina. Jesse Fuller came from Virginia in the summer of 1833, and settled east of the river, in the outskirts of t he timber bordering on what is now Humbolt Township. John Bracken, from Kentucky, came in the fall of 1833, and made a small improvement about one-quarter of a mile across the line, in what is now Moultrie County. But few, if any, others were in the township as early as 1833, Henry and Hawkins Fuller, Woolery Coonrod, Thomas Blythe, William Bridgeman, William and Jonathan Graham, Thomas Pay ton, Noah Elrod, Fred Price, Wesley and Isaac Teal were added to the settlement during the jear 1834. The Fullers, however, first settled at what is called Whitley's Point, in Mattoon Township, and, in the fall of 1835, came up into Okaw. The Fullers and Price were from Virginia, Coonrod Blythe and the Teals from Tennessee, Grahams from Kentucky, Payton and Elrod from Indiana. In the spring of 1835, P. M. Ellis came from Tennessee, and the following fall brought in Daniel Boothsby, Lowry Hoskins, Nathan Dixon, James Elder and William Brann. In the spring of 1836, Jesse Ellis and wife, with their sons Wiley and Jesse K., came and settled on the improvement made by John Bracken, which Mr. Ellis had purchased a year previous. Noble Junken, David and Jacob Hoots came in the fall of the same year. Jacob Hoots settled, however, in what is now Humbolt Township. From this time forward, through a period of about two years, there seemed to be a complete cessation of immigration to this point. This may be accounted for in various ways, but perhaps the best explanation that could be oifered, is the following : The year 1835 was an exceedingly wet and sickly season. The sick-list included every person in the settlement, though the list of mortality was small. Pleasant M. Ellis, who came, as has been already stated, in the spring of 1835, says : " It began raining the 16th day of May, and was a daily occurrence, almost, till the middle of August following. The Okaw River was at no time between these dates fordable. Many of the new-comers having ' shook ' to their heart's content, as soon as they were able, packed up ' hook and line ' and returned whence they came." Doubtless the unfavorable accounts they gave stopped, for a season, the tide of emigration to this immediate locality. In the fall of 1838, Alfred Jones and Thomas Ellis, of Kentucky, Samuel Elder, of Tennessee, with, perhaps, a few names not now recalled, came and settled. These all found a location along the east and west banks of the river. The timber-lands in general, at that day, appeared far more beautiful than they now do, for the great fall fires from the prairies swept through the forest and kept it clear of underbrush, consuming much of the fallen timber, so that the timbered land had a clean, pleasant look. The giant old oak stood unmolested, spreading its long, leafy boughs north and south, east and west, forming cool and pleasant shades, beckoning the weary traveler to lie down and rest, while the breezes laden with sweet perfumes from nature's floral garden gently fanned him to sleep. But the whole scene is changed, both timber and prairie. The prairie by the plowshare and the timber by the relentless chopping-ax; and where once grew the lovely flowers, is now the far-stretching cornfield or the wide-spread meadow; and where once stood in its pristine glory the lordly monarch of the forest, it is now thickly overgrown with underbrush. What wonder is it, then, that the woodlands so inviting, should have been the chosen homes of the early settlers, to the utter disregard of the prairies with their dreaded winds and storms. The early settlers of Okaw experienced many of the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life. Mills in those early days were few in number and distant many miles from each other. John Per- vis had a mill on the Okaw some five or six miles south of the settlement, as early as 1833 or 1834. This was about as much a source of annoyance as profit, for it could only be operated when the water was at a proper stage, and as the stream was nearly always either too high or too low, the mill stood idle the greater part of the time. Jesse Fuller had a horse-mill on the east side of the Okaw, in 1836. The settlers on the west side were often compelled to swim the river in order to obtain grinding. They would take their grist by ox-team to the bank, swim their oxen across, then return and bring their grist over in a canoe; then placing the sacks of corn on the backs of the oxen, would jump on top and ride to mill. A like process must be repeated on their return. In a very dry time, they often went to Spangler's mill on the Sangamon, and sometimes to Baker & Norfolk's mill on the Embarrass. Diflficulties, such as would appall the stoutest hearts of the young and rising generation, were met and vanquished by these early settlers at a single blow. Sometimes they were reduced to the extremity of living for months on meal made from frost-bitten corn. Mrs. P. M. Ellis, whose father, William Parker, was one of the early settlers on Kickapoo, says, that the only bread she ate for months soon after coming, was made from meal so offensive that even the hogs would not eat it. This meal after standing for a short time became so compact that it required the aid of a rail maul to separate it in order that it might be sifted and made into bread. And while to-day we would regard it as a very unwholesome diet and the fruitful parent of all manner of diseases, yet they were blest with exceptionally good health. As in other localities, the early settlers of Okaw enjoyed the ministrations of the Gospel at an early day. The settlers gathered alternately once a month at the cabins of Jesse Ellis and old Mr. Simms, and listened to the preaching of Rev. William Martin, one of the earliest ministers in the community. He belonged to the school of Regular Baptists. Occasionally Rev. Thomas Threlkeld paid them a visit. The Separate or Free- Will Baptists built the first house of Avorship in the township, about the year 1850. This house stands on Section 18, near the western limits of the township. Among its early members were Thomas Ellis, Mrs. P. M. Ellis and Micajah Phillips. Revs. James W. Vaughn and John Webb were its early ministers. Rev. Vaughn has labored most of the time for the Church since its organization. As late as 1866, the Regular Baptists built a church near the center of Section 17. Among its early communicants we find the names of Jesse Ellis and wife, Mr. Simms and family, Gideon Edwards, James Elder and family. William Martin and Thomas Threlkeld were the early Pastors of the Church. The Missionary Baptists also built a church on the west line of Section 10, near Cook's Mills, about the same date. The Methodist society held its early meetings in the cabins of Henry and Hawkins Fuller. Among the early ministers were Revs. Roberts, Joseph Lane and Arthur Bradshaw. Quinu Chapel, in the northwest corner of the township, was built about the year 1865, and east of the center of the township, Zion M. E. Church was built in 1872 or 1873. These five churches are all neat frame buildings and their existence indicates that the citizens of this section are by no means indifferent as regards their moral and spiritual welfare.

The early physicians in this settlement were Drs. John Apperson and Seth Montague. Apperson, as has been elsewhere noted, was an early settler of Paradise Township, but his range of practice extended to then the uppermost settlements along the Okaw. Dr. J. T. Johnson came in some years later, and settled among them, and was for many years the leading practitioner in the community. The first post office established in the township was about the year 1852. Dr. Johnson was the first Postmaster, and, for a number of years, the office was kept at his house. It was named, however. Fuller's Point, in honor of Henry Fuller, who lived in a point of timber not far from the site of the post office. The mail was carried on horse-back from Charleston, along a route extending to Decatur. Prior to the establishment of the office at Fuller's Point, the citizens of Okaw got their mail-matter at Paradise, distant some eighteen miles from portions of the township. In 1868, an office was established at Cook's Mills, and Elam Cook was made Postmaster. Though he has not acted in that capacity for a number of years, yet all business connected with the office is transacted through his name. Martin Elder, who came in the fall of 1835, had, perhaps, the first store in all this section. It was just across the line, in what is now Moultrie County. The new enterprise had scarcely become known, however, when Elder suddenly left for parts unknown. It appears that he had been guilty of some crooked transactions in regard to the mails in the section from whence he came, and a United States detective suddenly pounced down upon him, and, having secured pretty much all he had, graciously permitted him to escape. Some years later, David Robinson had a little country store in the northwest corner of the township proper.

A saw-mill was built at the present site of Cook's Mills, in 1864, by Robert Gillan, who, soon after, opened out a general country store. This he sold, together with the saw-mill, to Elam Cook, about the year 1868. Cook, soon after built a steam flouring-mill, the only grist-mill in the township. For some years, this mill was operated very successfully ; but, for the past few years, it has not been of much benefit to the surrounding community. D. A. Crumm is at present proprietor of the store, and has a full general stock.

Schools were instituted at an early day, and among those who wielded the rod of correction and "boarded round," may be mentioned Josiah Hoots, James Hamilton and " Grandpap " Baker. The township has kept equal pace with her neighbors in point of educational advancement. There are seven school districts in the township proper, each supplied, with a suitable schoolhouse. During the past year, schools have been maintained throughout the several districts, an average of seven and one-half months. Male teachers employed, three ; female, five. Highest monthly wages paid, males, $40 ; females, $30. Principal of Township Fund, |2,300 ; interest from same, $230. Special dis-

Three substantial bridges are found spanning the Okaw within the limits of the township. Two of these are wooden structures, and the remaining one a very substantial iron bridge, spanning the river near the southwestern corner of the townshp. This was erected at a cost of some $2,000, and is in every respect a stanch and secure structure. After township organization was effected, John Hoots was chosen first Supervisor ; William H. Smith, first Township Clerk, and Joel Martin and Jesse K. Ellis, first Justices. This position Mr. Ellis has held almost constantly since ; and it may be said to the credit of the morals of the citizens, that during all these years, but one person has been sent to the County Jail to await the action of the grand jury. A trial occurred in an early day, which afforded no little sport and amusement to the entire settlement. Martellus Graham had rented of Samuel Elder, a small parcel of ground, and was to give one-third of the product for rent. Before the division was made, a difficulty arose between Graham and Elder, and on Graham's taking a pumpkin from the field. Elder immediately instituted proceedings against him for theft. The officer, armed with the necessary papers, and accompanied by P. M. Ellis, proceeded to the residence of Graham, and arrested him on the charge of theft. This occurred just before daylight, and, as soon as the morning meal was over, they set out to bring the prisoner before the Court. Hawkins Fuller was the Justice before whom the case was tried. The whole settlement was on the ground to enjoy the sport. The prisoner was arraigned, and pleaded not guilty. The squire and his good wife set about hunting up the law bearing on the case. Mrs. Fuller, who was by far the better lawyer of the two, demanded that the stolen property be produced in court, in order that it might be identified, and, as the pumpkin could not be produced by the prosecution, the case was dismissed at Elder's cost, amounting to some $10 or $12. It was many a day before Elder heard the last of that trial.

As has already been stated, but few families, comparatively speaking, dwelt in the limits of Okaw prior to the building of the railroads in 1855 and 1856. David McCullough, so far as we can learn, was the only person who went from Okaw Township to the Mexican war. During " the late unpleasantness," however, she furnished her full quota of brave boys, and the bones of many of her gallant sons lie bleaching on Southern soil.

The first marriage was that of John Turner to Matilda Simms. This event occurred as early as the fall of 1836. P. M. Ellis lost a child, July 10, 1835, and, a few weeks later, James Ellis, a brother, died. These were, doubtless, the first deaths that occurred in the township.

Bluff Lodge, No. 605, I. 0. 0. F, was organized at Cook's Mills in 1875. A charter was granted from the Grand Lodge to J. H. Crumm, Joseph Perry, David Perry, James Hamilton, George Crume and John R. Hamilton as charter members. Joseph Perry was appointed N. G. ; James Hamilton, V. G. ;

John R. Hamilton, Sec. ; and J. H. Crumm, Treas. The Lodge has a membership of sixty. Stated meetings occur Saturday evenings of each week. Present officers, William Hammer, N. G. ; John Wilson, V. G. ; E. Gilbert, Sec. ; J. L. Skidmore, Treas. ; and J. H. Crumm, Deputy G. M. for the Lodge. Liberty Lodge, in which is conferred the degree of Rebecca, was organized in 1878, and has a membership of twenty-nine. Regular meetings Wednesday evenings before full moon in each month. These societies meet for the transaction of business pertaining to the order in the lodge-room, over D. A. Crumm's store. The present officers of Liberty Lodge are: Amanda Hougland, N. G. ; Elizabeth Wright, V. G. ; La Fayette Alaman, Sec. ; and Mary A. Crumm, Treas. While we have not seen fit to set apart and write up Cook's Mills as a village, it is no more than proper and just that we should speak of its advantages to the township. The saw and grist mill, with a well-selected stock of goods^ the post office, a blacksmith and wagon shop, render it the center of attraction for the township, and the point at which most of the business is transacted ; and but for the lack of railroad facilities, it would, at no distant day, grow into a village of considerable importance. But isolated as it is from all other places of importance, with no avenues of ingress or egress except dirt roads, and these much of the season almost impassable, it must ever remain as it now is, a point of interest alone to the citizens of the immediate vicinity. In closing this section of our history, we can safely say that for industry and enterprise, for social and moral worth, the citizens of Okaw rank second to those of no other portion of the country.

This township is situated in the extreme southwest corner of the county, and is bounded on the north by Mattoon Township ; east, by Pleasant Grove Township ; south, by Cumberland County, and west, by Shelby County. In its primitive state, before the timber and underbrush were cleared away, for the earliest-made farms, three-fourths of iis surface were woodland to one-fourth prairie. Its surface is for the most part rolling, and easily admits of drainage. The Little Wabash, a stream rising a little south of the center of Mattoon Township, flows in a southern direction through the western half of the township, and, with its tributaries, effectually drains the central and western portions. Dry Grove Run, a small stream rising in the northeast corner of the township, and flowing south through a belt of timber of the same name, affords drainage for the eastern half. The extreme eastern and western portions are prairie, while the timber is found lining either side of the Little Wabash. There is, however, a small belt of timber in the eastern portion called Dry Grove, the average width of which does not exceed one-half mile, and its length not more than two miles and a half. How it acquired its name, Dry Grove, we have not been able to determine. The soil, for the most part, is of a deep-black cast, very rich, and prodvices well. The soil of the woodland, in the eastern portion, reduced to a state of cultivation, exceeds in richness and fertility even the adjacent prairie. Like the surrounding townships, it is well adapted to the growth of the various cereals, but corn is the staple product. The western portion produces fine wheat, and, for the past few years, quite an amount has been sown. Taking it one season with another, those possessing woodland farms are much surer of a good crop, than those upon the prairie, as the soil is generally more rolling, and of such a character as to withstand either a wet or dry season better. Much valuable timber has been removed from her groves, since the days of the early pioneers, and still there is much remaining. In different parts may be seen large tracts of woodland, from which the underbrush has been removed, well set in blue grass, which yields excellent pasturage. The Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central Railroad enters the township at the northeast corner of Section 3 and passing through in a general southwestern direction, leaves it at or near the center of the southern boundary of Section 21. The Grayville & Mattoon Railroad just touches the northeast corner of the township. Paradise contains no cities or towns, and but two small villages. Paradise and Etna, neither of which is incorporated. Of these, we will speak more specifically at the close of the township history. To offer, as a complete history of this section of the county, only what may be truthfully written of the township since reduced to her present limits, would be an act of great injustice to the descendants of her pioneers ; and yet, the early history and settlement are so intimately blended with that of the surrounding townships that to separate them with any degree of accuracy will be a task attended with no little labor and diflficulty. Soon after the formation of Coles County, the territory comprising it was divided into three voting precincts, Charleston, Woodbury and Paradise. Paradise, at that time, included in addition to its present limitsall the territory now embraced in Mattoon and Pleasant Grove Townships, a portion of North Okaw and a large scope of country in the present limits of Cumberland County. Thus we find that the name Paradise, as applied to a portion of the county, was almost cotemporary with the formation of the county itself. At a later date, we find it became necessary, in order to retain it, to submit it to a vote of the citizens. In the division of the county into townships. Paradise was made a full Congressional township ; but a few years later, when Cumberland County was erected, she was shorn of her two southern tiers of sections ; this gave her her present limits, four miles north and south by six east and west. When the question of naming the township came before the people, two parties appeared in the field. The one, led by H. B. Worley, proposed the name Wabash, while the other, headed by Aaron W. Hart, adhered to the ancient landmark, and voted for Paradise. Hart and his friends carried the day. It is said by some, that as the village of Etna was just then starting up, and Worley was largely interested in her welfare, he designed, if the name Wabash carried, to go before the Commissioners, and, through his personal influence, secure a change from Wabash to Etna. A decided majority in favor of Paradise put a quietus on all further proceedings in the matter of name.

Early Settlement

No little difficulty has been experienced in the attempt made to determine when, where and by whom the first settlement was made in the township. The statements of the oldest citizens of the present day are very much at variance on this point. The claims of one Daniel Drake seem to be more fully established than those of any other, and perhaps to him may be justly accorded the honor of building the first cabin and making the first improvement in what is now Paradise Township. Thomas Hart, son of Miles H. Hart, still resides in the village of Paradise, and from him we have gained the following statement of facts: In the fall of 1826, the Hart families came from Hardin County, Ky., to Wayne County, 111., with a view to settling there. Silas Hart had settled in Wayne County as early as 1822. Disappointed in their expectations, the Harts determined to prospect the country further north, with the avowed intention of returning to Kentucky should they fail in their attempts to find a desirable location. In the winter of 1826-27, Miles H., Moses and Thomas Hart, Jr., left Wayne County and came north. On reaching that portion of the Little Wabash timber now included in Paradise Township, they determined to locate. Moses and Thomas, both single men, remained, and, during the winter, constructed a cabin, near the site of the present residence of W. B. Ferguson, on what is now known as the Cunningham farm. Miles H. returned to his family in Wayne County, and, in March, 1827, Uncle Tommy and wife. Miles H. and family, came and occupied the cabin erected by Moses and Thomas. Soon after coming, they found, about four miles west of them, on the bank of the Little Wabash, about one mile south of the site of the present village of Paradise, Daniel Drake, from Tennessee, and from the appearance of his improvements, Mr. Thomas Hart is of the opinion that he must have come as early as the fall of 1825 or the spring of 1826. Settlements were made, no doubt, at an earlier date on the South Kickapoo, in what is now Pleasant Grove Township, east of the Hart settlement ; but the evidence is pretty conclusive that Drake was the first man to make an improvement in Paradise Township. It is maintained by some that one Thomas Wilmuth, a sort of second-rate shoemaker, had built and occupied a cabin or half-faced camp east of the Hart settlement, and prior to their coming, in March, 1827, and that he made the first settlement in the township. His claims, however, seem not to be so well authenticated as those of Drake. In June, 1827, Charles Sawyer, who is recorded as the first settler of Mattoon Township, stopped a few days at the Hart settlement, and then moved north and west to his place of settlement. The settlers of 1827 were Daniel Drake, Uncle Tommy Hart and his sons Miles H., Moses and Thomas. There may, indeed, have been two or three other families, but, if so, their names have been lost or are incorporated with those of a later date. In February, 1828,

Silas and Jonathan Hart, the two remaining sons of Uncle Tommy, came up from Wayne County, and settled near their father. During the year, there was quite an influx of population. Among the number dating back to that period, "we find the names of Jefferson Coleman, Jacob Slover, Isaac -Slover and his son Jacob Slover, Jr., then a young man, Ichabod Radley and his sons Nicholas, Samuel, Hiram and Barney, familiarly known as Shoot, Jacob Bales and his sons Jonathan, Mace and Levi. Most of these were men of families. The Slovers, Radleys and Coleman were from Kentucky ; the Bales families came from Tennessee. These all settled in the timber east of the Little Wabash. In the fall of 1829, Dr. John Apperson and family, George M. Hanson and David Hanson came in. Dr. Apperson came direct from Virginia, while the Hansons, brothers-in-law, had come from the south part of the State. Apperson purchased a small cabin from John Graham, a son of Rev. James Graham, one of the early pioneer preachers, whose history is given in connection with Mattoon Township. This cabin stood in the timber about one hundred yards east of the roadbed of the I. C. R. R. He paid for it the magnificent sum of $21, an amount of ready cash not possessed by one in twenty in that early day. Here he lived through the winter of 1829 and 1830. In the spring of 1830, he moved his cabin to the edge of the timber and broke and put in cultivation thirty acres of prairie. George M. Hanson located the farm now owned by John E. Tremble, and David Hanson the farm on which Dr. Apperson passed nearly fifty years of his life. And here an incident of pioneer life occurred which is well worth preserving. David Hanson, desiring to move to the National Road, which was then in process of construction, offered to sell his improvements to Dr. Apperson. The Doctor made the purchase, with the view of entering both Hanson's and his own improvements, so soon as the land should come into market. Before this was done, however, a man of the name of Ike Walker, encouraged by Sylvester Dunbar, his brother-in-law, having learned of Dr. Apperson's purchase, and that his own improvement was not yet entered, posted off to Vandalia, the seat of government, and, taking the necessary steps, " entered him out." Soon the fact became noised abroad, and, in their indignation, the settlers, a few nights afterward, came with their teams, loaded up the Doctor's goods, tore down and loaded up the cabin, with every other vestige of improvement, and moved all to his late purchase. They even went so far as to kill a dog and throw its body into the well, with other rubbish. Having severed its head from the body, they placed it upon a pole and set it up in front of Dunbar's cabin, where Walker was stopping. This simple device was full of meaning, and, as it was a work in which the very best men of the entire neighborhood had played a leading part. Walker felt that, for the sharp game he had played, he had been ostracized. He made no improvement, and soon left the country. Dunbar tarried a few years later, and then also left.

law, Mrs. Yocum, with her sons Ambrose and Thornton, and her daughters Fanny and Mary Jane. Her other daughters, Catharine, wife of Miles H. Hart, and Eliza, wife of Jeiferson Coleman, had preceded her. While these settlements were being made along the eastern edge of the Wabash timber, and in the vicinity of what is now called Dry Grove, we find settlements multiplying ; also on the west of Wabash River. As early as 1828, a man of the name of Joseph Smart made an improvement near the present village of Paradise. Whence he came, or what became of him, no one seems to know. Farther west, we find as early settlers, the Currys, Moores, Mclntoshes, Alexanders, Crosses, Brinegars, Champions and others. Some of these came as early as 1828 or 1829, and all were among the early settlers of the country. A very large percentage of these early pioneers were from Kentucky. A few, however, came from Virginia, some from Tennessee, and still others from North Carolina. About the years 1831 and 1832, the Gannaways, Norrises and Nabbs put in their appearance. From this date forward, additions were constantly made to the various settlements, and to attempt to give the exact date, the names of parties, or the order in which they came, would be a work of supererogation.

Of the early settlements, it may not be out of place to remark that all were made either in, or very near, the timber. The monotony of the vast stretches of prairie on either hand were unbroken by the appearance of a single human habitation. Indeed, the early settlers never expected to see these broad and fertile plains reclaimed from their native wildness and reduced to rich productive farms. But, in a few short years, the tide of emigi'ation swept by, and far away from timber on the open prairie, where once it was thought impossible that man should abide and gain a sustenance, the humble cabin was erected, the tough and matted sod was overturned and the golden corn rustled .and waved in the autumnal breezes.

The people of to-day living in comfortable homes, equipped with the many improvements and inventions of modern times and beautified and adorned by art, have but faint conceptions of the difficulties and privations endured by the early settlers of this Western country. Most of them were men of large families, and poor in this world's goods ; but they were men of stout hearts and willing hands, and, leaving the older-settled portions, came here in the fond hope of bettering their condition. The first care of the early settler, on arriving at the end of his wearisome journey, was to provide for himself and family a suitable shelter from the bleak winds and pelting storms. Their homes, as a a matter of course, were of rude construction, but, by certain appliances well known to the pioneer, they were made very comfortable, and to-day many an old pioneer recounts as among the happiest days of his life those spent beneath the clapboard roof of his little old log-cabin. The homes of the early settlers presented to the eye much the same appearance both internally and externally ; their chief difference consisted in size, most of them being single, while a few were built double. As the manner of constructing them has been accurately portrayed in other portions of this work, we deem it unnecessary to particularize. A house provided, next came the necessity of laying in supplies for man and beast. Game of all kinds abound on every hand. Deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, quails and such like, were here in plenteous profusion. The faithful dog and the unerring rifle seldom fail to bring the fat buck and plump, rich turkey to the cabin-door. Meat is easily supplied, but bread, the mainstay of life, is not so readily obtained. Corn is far away in the older settlements and must be brought by that fast express of early times, the ox-team. And when at hand, often the settler must make a pilgrimage of twenty-five to thirty miles to mill and wait a day and night for his "turn." And, gentle reader, should you wonder why the old pioneer speaks so often of the "johnny-cake" and hoe-cake, to the utter disregard of the snowy, light bread and flaky biscuit which you so much enjoy, let me remind you that one biscuit to each member of the family on Sunday morning of each week, or, perchance, once a month, was a luxury that few families enjoyed. Around the rude table, often consisting of a goodsbox turned on its side, loaded with venison or fat turkey, with his johnny-cake, smoking-hot from the board, and that added luxury, wild honey, obtained from the bee-trees near his cabin, the pioneer, with his family, sat down and fared sumptuously every day. Generally speaking, the pioneers were men of simple habits, noted for their hospitality. They knew how to receive and bestow a favor. In this age of cultivation and refinement, they would, doubtless, be regarded by many as rude and uncouth ; but this was not the fact. The latch-string of their cabin-doors hung out by day, and this was a standing invitation to enter and share their comforts. Often a simple act of kindness has resulted in the establishment of a friendship between those who were strangers at the time which has remained unbroken throughout remaining life. Such an instance occurred in Paradise Township in an early day. Soon after the coming of Dr. Apperson, Silas Hart, in passing near his cabin, concluded to call and form the acquaintance of the new-comers. Riding up to the cabin, he discovered Mrs. Apperson weeping and in great distress. Exchanging the usual salutations with the Doctor, Hart inquired, " How are you prospering, and how do you like your new home?" The Doctor replied that he was well pleased, but that his wife was fearful that starvation would overtake them, as their only supply was a small amount of meal. Without a word of encouragement or sympathy. Hart turned about his horse and rode away. In speaking of this in after years, Dr. Apperson often remarked that, at that time, he looked upon Hart as a man in whose soul there was no sympathy. Hart had not been long gone when the clear, ringing report of his trusty rifle resounded through the woods. He had sighted a fine, fat doe, and the game was his. Hastily removing the entrails, he placed the deer on his horse, in front of his saddle, and, in half an hour from the time of his departure, he again rode up to the Doctor's cabin, and, tumbling oflf his load, quietly rode away, leaving the Doctor in full possession. From this simple act, there grew up a firm friendship between these two men which remained unbroken for almost half a century. Dr. Apperson was Hart's family physician as long as he lived, and for all his services he would never receive one cent of compensation.

But from this digression, we must hasten back to the main thread of our history. The early settlers of Paradise Township were highly favored in many respects, above others who settled in other parts of this and adjacent counties. About the year 1830 or 1831, Jacob Slover, who had settled in 1828, opened a store in one department of his double log cabin, then standing on what is now known as the Moffett farm. This was the first store opened in Paradise Township, and, indeed, in all this section of country. Here the settlers came for miles around to barter their products for such wares and merchandise as they most needed. Wild honey was abundant in those days, and was taken in exchange for goods at the rate of eleven pounds to the gallon. In speaking of this honey, Mrs. Dr. Apperson, who is still living, says it had a much better flavor than any produced at the present day, and that, in appearance, it was so pure and white that strangers before whom it was placed often mistook it for lard. Some time after the opening of the store, Isaac Slover, a brother to the merchant, built a horse-mill in the immediate neighborhood. In point of speed, this was a great improvement on the grater and hominy-mortar. In a few years, these became obsolete, and were only preserved as relics of the past. Though the horse-mill, as has been said, was a wonderful impi'ovement on the former methods of obtaining meal, yet it by no means equaled the water or steam mills of to-day. To grind out a grist of two bushels required a full day. Paradise was blessed with a steam-mill as early as 1838; but as its history belongs more properly to the history of Paradise village, we will defer writing it till the village history is reached.

The spiritual and intellectual culture of themselves and their children was by no means neglected. Many of them were men of deep religious convictions, and not a few were acceptable proclaimers of the Gospel of Peace. Among the early preachers may be mentioned the names of Revs. James Graham, George M. Hanson, Daniel Bryant, Miles H. Hart, Hiram Tremble, Dr. John Apperson, Clemence Goar and others, who are worthy of being here recorded, but whose names have passed from memory. Meetings were held in an early day in the cabins of Miles Hart, Dr. Apperson, John Sawyer and others, and when they met, the men clad in their homespun and the mothers and daughters in their linsey-woolsey, it was not for the young sisters to discuss and criticise the latest fashions, or for the boys to ogle the o^irls, but to engage in solemn devotion to the Giver of all good. Simplicity of manners was characterized by simplicity of dress, which, though plain, was always neat. After a week of hard, laborious toil, it was esteemed a blessed privilege to be permitted to ride five or six miles, on horse-back, to engage in hymning songs of praise to God and to hear the sweet words of Gospel truth, as they were read and expounded by some revered brother. These were not the days of cushioned pews, in which the audience lazily dreamt the hour away, but, gathered beneath the roof of the humble cabin, seated on backless benches, of rude construction, men, women and children gave earnest attention to the preached Word. The impressions made by those early and earnest workmen in the vineyard of the Lord were lasting, and their influence for good has been felt through the ongoing years. Most of the early ministers in this section were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the many flourishing societies of that denomination to-day throughout this section of country bear testimony to their early labors. The first church built in Paradise was in Dry Grove; the exact date of building cannot be ascertained. In 1860, the present church, a neat, substantial frame, was erected. Two others are in the township, one in Paradise village and the other in Etna.

The schoolmaster put in his appearance in an early day, and, as schools were supported by individual subscriptions, the first schools were taught in the most populous neighborhoods. The first school in the township was kept by a Mr. Drake, and some of his pupils, still living, state that he was by no means a successful teacher. The second school was kept by a Mr. Kellar, near the residence of Miles H. Hart. To those already given may be added the names of William Moifett, David Campbell and Ebenezer Alexander. To-day, the township is provided with comfortable schoolhouses in each district, and the children enjoy the benefits accruing from our well-regulated school system.

Going back a little in point of time, we find the winters of 1830, 1831 and 1832 were very cold. The last of November, 1830, there came a fall of snow of thirty-two inches in depth, which remained until March. About the middle of February, it rained part of two days, reducing the snow to a slush, and suddenly turning cold, froze the water and soft snow into ice. The whole face of the country was one continuous sheet of ice. Great difficulty was experienced in caring for stock, as it was obliged to be cared for just where the freeze caught it. It was a complete blockade, and the only way they had of providing fuel was for the men to draw it from the timber on hand sleds, as horses and oxen could not be moved about over the smooth surface. Notwithstanding the difficulties with which they were environed, they often had days of real enjoyment. Three or four neighbors, accompanied by their trusty rifles and all the dogs they could muster, would often engage in what was called the "deer drive." As the fleet-footed deer could not stand on the smooth, glassy surface, and as the dog could make good headway, few that were started up succeeded in making good their escape. It was not an unusual thing to capture some half dozen in a single day ; and so, however meager might be the supply of breadstuff", there was no lack of fat, juicy venison.

When, in 1832 and 1833, the whole Western frontier was thrown into wild commotion by the re-appearance of Black Hawk and his warriors, although the call for troops to repel the invaders did not include the young county of

Coles, yet there were brave hearts in Paradise Township that flew to the rescue of their imperiled countrymen. The following-named persons went from this township: Thomas Ross (Captain), John Shadwell, Thomas Studer, John Young, Moses Hart, Jonathan Hart, John C. Jones, David Hanson, Trusse Hanson and Thomas Hayes. There were others, doubtless, whose names have passed from memory. Mrs. Dr. Apperson has in her possession the snuflf-box of the renowned warrior, taken from his wallet by her brother, David Hanson, and by him presented to Dr. Apperson, on his return from the war. The meteoric display of 1833, and the sudden freeze of 1836, have been treated at such length in other portions of this work, that we feel justified in passing them by without comment.

As early as 1830, George M. Hanson circulated a petition for and obtained from the Government the establishment of a post office. Mr. Hanson was the first Postmaster, and the office was first kept at his house on the farm where J. E. Tremble now resides, in the northeast corner of the township. It was called Paradise Post Office, and was afterward removed to Slover's store, thence to Richmond, in Mattoon Township, and finally to Paradise Village, where it has since remained. This was the first post office established in what is known as the Wabash Point settlement, and differs in some points of its history as here recorded, from the account given in the history of Mattoon Township, and is, perhaps, the more accurate statement of the two.

The fii'st burial that occurred in the township was that of James Nash, who died at his home in Mattoon Township, December 24, 1829, and was buried on Christmas Day, just across the line in Paradise Township, a short distance south of where Capp's mill now stands. The second was that of Grandma Bush, a very elderly lady, whose grave was the first opened in Dry Grove Cemetery.