Douglas County, Illinois - Chapter 4: Township Historical Sketches, 1900 (part 1 of 2)

Chapter 4: Township Historical Sketches

Camargo township enjoys the honor of heing the earhest settled portion of Dongias county, tlie first comers of wliom we have any account iiaving arri\'e(l in i8jy. The townsliip derives its name from tlie city of Camargo in Mexico, and was suggested 1:)y Col. McCown. The first house built in Douglas county is yet standing on section 33. 16, 9. on the lies land, west of the railroad bridge at Camargo ami north of the track. It was raised in 1829 by John A. Richman, the father of John Richman of our day, and well and familiarly known as "Cncle Jack." John A. Richman li\cd lo be over eighty, and even at ibat age would hardly deign to ride a horse, but would gird himself with knife and tomahawk, and with gun on shoulder would "step o\er"" to the Okaw timber, twelve or .iifteen miles back, as coolly as a man of the ])resent day would walk a mile. Mr. Richman came from West Virginia in the year mentioned - some say, however, 1827 - and John Richman, then a lad, made a hand at the

There was a small tribe of Indians camped at Bridgeport, now Hugo P. O., section 12, 15, <j, which was a trading point with them, and a store or trading post was kept by Godfrey Vesser, a Frenchman, or pcrlia]is Vesser & lUdbory.

John 'Hammet and his sons, Wm. S. and Jas. R., arrived in November, 1830. The family lived in a tent the first winter and were \isited by large numbers of Indians who would call and sit around the fire. Their genei'al conduct was such as to leave the impression that they were honest, and although the family of the Hammets was at their mercy, nothing w'as stolen, and they had no fears for their ])ersonal safety. However one or two battles with Indians from the upper Embarrass are spoken oi as having occurred, 1815- rSiS; one with government surveyors, near the creek in Coles county. John Hammet and Harrison Gill, of Kentucky, were the first land owners in tlie area of the county, after the government, lia\ing entered land on the same day. Mr. Hammet took several hundred acres north of Camargo village, and Air. Gill entering two hundred and forty acres in section 35, east of Camargo. The ])aienls for these first entered lands were signed hy .Andrew Jackson, in March. 1830. Samuel .\shmorc entered part of section 36, 15, 10, in 1830 also. Mr. Gill came from Kentucky on horseback and in company with his uncle Robert visited the Indians at Hugo.

Jas. R. Hammet was active in the interests of the new county of Douglas and also in those of the east and west railroad, of which he was one of the incorporators and a director for fourteen years. G. W. Henson, Charles Brewer, John Brown, Martin Rice. John D. Murdock, Alexander Bragg and the Watsons were also of the first arrivals. C. Brewer came in 1855. John Brown, who arrived in 1838. was elected associate justice of tlie county of Douglas in 1865. Mr. Rice came in 1849, and was a resident of what is now Douglas county after 1853. He actively assisted in the movement of the new county, and was a member of the first political convention held in it, in the second year after township organization. John D. Murdock was elected associate justice of Douglas count)', was a member of the first county board in 1859, and re-elected in 1861. Coleman Bright, a native of \'^irginia. came from Indiana to Camargo in ,\ugust, 1850, and was the senior member of the firm of P>right & Jones, of Camargo and Tuscola, .'\lexander Bragg came to the state in 1835, and served in the Mexican war. 1846. W. D. Watson, of this township, was in the state senate at the time of forming the county. Geo. W^. Henson arrived in

The original part of the village of Camargo was laid of¥ in November, 1836, by Isaac Moss, Jos. Fowler, surveyor, and was called New Salem. \\ hen Moss' addition was made it was called New .\lbany. after which it received its present name. It is the most ancient village in the county, and in the long years pending the advent of the I. & I. C. Railway was considered "finished." It was the place of residence of many of the most successful business men of the county. The first county court of Douglas county was held here "under disjiensation," pending the selection of a county seat. The town i)roper composes an area of about eighty acres, lying on the left bank of the Embarrass ri\er and u])on the line of the I. D. & W. Kailwa}-.

Biographical And Historical

The area of the township is fifty-six sections of land or ahout equal to sixty and one-half stpiare miles, some of the sections having over one thousand acres. The township contains thirty-eight thousantl, se\-en hundred and sixtynine acres.

The notable high-handed and desperate rol)- liery of W'm. S. llammet and his liousehokl occurred on the night of June 8, 1870. The family had retired. Air. Hamniet was aroused by a knock at tiie door, and upon opening it was' instantly seized by two armed and masked men, who demanded silence and money. He was unarmed and partly unclothed, taken by surprise, with a loaded pistol pointing directly at and close to his heart, which might at any instant have l)een discharged by the trembling hand of his guard, and after carefully weighing the chances concluded to surrender, a prudence that is commended by men of liravery. He was held strictly under guard until the \illains had obtained watches and jewelry to the amount of two hundred and fifty dollars and a - little mone3^ They had taken care to fasten the door of a room occupied by some work hands, and, ha\ing accomplishetl their j)urpose with dispatch, released Mr. Hammet and disap])eared with great haste in the darkness.

The town of New Boston was laid out by McDowell on section 35, 16, 9, in November, 1837, an<l \-acated February, 1845. Parmenas Watson was made sheriff in November, i860, and S. S. Irwin was superintendent of schools from the fail of 1861, serving two years. Dr. John C. Parcel was elected county

Timber. - One-third of the area of the township is within the original timber limit, which grew adjacent to the river, as is usual here. Many fine tracts of timber yet remain. Cood timber was held as liigh as se\- enty-five dollars per acre, and fifty dollars was a common price ; it was used, after building with it, and for a long time, almost exclusively for fuel first, and then fencing. As the country grew older saw mills were introduced and native boards appeared; but since the multiplication of railroads leading to the easy transportation of foreign fencing and coal, timber land has depreciated, until good prairie is far more valuable. Some large farmers use foreign planks, or hedges, for fencing, and burn coal exclusively, many of them having not an acre of timber.

Railroads. - The 1. D. c^' W. Railroad crosses this township in an east and west direction, coming in on tlie A\est side and near the middle of section 32, township i6, range 9, and runs upon a straight line until shortly after passing the \illage of Camargo, iii section 35, where it defiects to the south about twelve rods, and continues at that distance from the middle line of the section till it leaves the county. It has a substantial bridge, one hundred anti thirt}- feet long, on the west side of the village at the crossing" of the Embarrass ri\er, which resisted the iceflow of the winter of 1882, whilst the wagon bridge, one hundred and fifty feet north of it, gave way.

of fifteen thousand dollars, payable in fourteen years, with ten per cent, interest, and the bonds were refunded in June, 1880, beine: placed with Preston; Kean & Co., of Chicago, at six per cent, interest, whicli transaction was negotiated by Charles G. Kckliart. I'^sc].. of Tuscola.

City Of C.Xm.Vroo

Creation and dci'clopincni. - 'I'lic original town of Camargo was laid off in X^oveniber, 1836, by Isaac Moss, being sur\cyed by Joseph Fowler, and was called New Salem. Mr. Moss made an addition in 1840: the name was tlicn changed to New Albany, the voting precinct being known by the name of .\lbany, and finally, when, upon the suggestion of J. B. Mc- Cown, the name of the precinct was changed to Camargo. the \illage accepted the same name. It is the most ancient village in the county, antedating Tuscola, Areola and Newman, and even the time-honored Bourbon, which was laid off in 1853. Camargo. with her 1836 record, leading Bourbon by seventeen years. This village in the long years preceding the advent of the east and west railroad languished and was long considered finished ; the final completion of the road, however, gave it somewhat of an impetus, that may end in some distinction, it being the ])lace of residence of some of the leading men of the county and the starting point of several of its most successful business men.

Struggle for county seat. - The village of Camargo, from its central position, had claims to the honor of being the county seat, which were strongly advocated, and which could not very well be ignored. She had no railroad, hut cxerybody said she would have one at no distant day, the [. & I. C. having been chartered in 1852, and the route througli the village selected and staked out, and further encouraged by the almost annual appearance of engineer corps along the line through which, amongst other things, the interest was kept up. Pending the selection of a shiretown, Camargo was made county seat pro tem. The election returns of the ci>unty seat contest were stored at tiie place, and rumor hath it that interested i)arties. oI)taining access to the tickets, procured a .set of scales, and ujjon ascertaining the "weight" of" each ])ackage of votes, took s])ecial care that their fa\'orite ])oint should ha\e superior heft. The first meeting of the county court, presided oxer by James Ewing. of Areola, as judge, and johu D. Murdock and Robert Hopkins, as associates. John Chandler, clerk, a special term was held April jS. 1859. up-stairs over Coleman Bright's store, and here it was ordered, amongst other things, that a special election be held ]\Iay 30, 1859, as between Tuscola and Areola, which rival towns, whose vote had not been considered in the first canvass, were found to embrace the choice of the people, upon which occasion Tuscola won.

.Indent prairie tra-rel. - The new officers all met here to get their commissions. The county was almost covered with water, and the county surveyor, being a small man, was mounted u])on a horse about sixteen hands high, and sent from ilourbon to Camargo "by way of .\rcola." at w hich place the owner of the horse had a message to deliver, and told the surveyor it was "on the way," so it was - the way he went; he did not know any better. As there were no prairie fences, or roads, he went straight from Bour- boa to Areola and straight from Areola to Camargo, across the prairie, with a general direction from his advisors, at Areola, to keep the northeast wind in his face, which he proceeded to do as far as possible; but as the aforesaid northeast wind came on that occasion from all points of the compass, he accordingly got lost, as was to be expected. The wind was like old Uncle Jack.s compass, which somebody gave him to use in the woods; no matter how he held it, it would diddle-daddle to the southwest every time.

Churches. - The first church built in the village was put up by the Methodists, and we are informed was erected as early as 1S50, at a cost of about fi\e hundred dollars. It was eventually sold, and the jiresent brick built.

Bourbon township consists of forty-two sections of land in the southwest part of the county, equal to about the same number of square miles, and twenty-seven thousand, one hundred and seventy-five acres. Among the first -aettlers were Geo. Dehart and his sons, Samuel and Lucas. He was road-master in Coles county and his district extended from Sadorus' Grove, on the north county line, to a point six miles south of the Springfield road. ;\llen and William Campbell were also of the first. Allen Campbell was, at the time of his death in 1 875, with one exception, the largest land owner in the county. Isaac Gruelle, Maiden Jones, Israel Chandler and sons, were among the earliest comers. Dr. Apperson was a large land owner and had an e.xtensive medical practice. He was a nephew of Dr. John Apper- .son, who was the first physician in Coles county. Maiden Jones, who came in 1840, was sheriff of Coles county when Douglas county was parted from it. He was elected in 1858, and was elected to the state legislature in 1864 and again in 1866. Lemuel Chandler was the first supervisor of the township and served four consecutive terms. The Dehart sons were well known active business men. Curtis G. and Campbell McGimb were old residents of Coles at the institutiim of the new county. Thomas Moore entered west half mntheast quarter-section 23, 15, 7, in 1831.

John Campbell, called "Uncle Jack," was a brother of Allen and William Campbell, and was probably the , last representative or type of the genuine old-fashioned pioneer, scout and hunter, and wonderful stories were told of his endurance and his ability to follow a trail. He was widely known in the early days, passing the greater part of his time in hunting. He was found dead in the woods. His son Hiram, who died in 1864, had the reputation of being one of the best hunters of the time.

Jacob Moore, Sr., was one of the earliest settlers in the township and became an extensive cattle dealer and large land holder. He was also a noted hunter of great endurance. His first land was entered in section i. 14, 7, in April, 1835. He died July 15, i860, leaving a large estate to numerous descendants.

Isaac Gruelle, of this township, was county C( immissioner of Coles county, being elected in 1843. ^^'tli H. J. .\shmore. The constitution of 1848 provided for a county judge and two associates, and John M. Logan was one of the first two associate justices. Gruelle and Logan have long since passed away, lioth leaving large estates.

area of the norlli part of tlie township, the locahty beiiifj widely known as tlie ''German Settleinent." Tlieir farms, compared with western farms fjenerally. are small hnt exceedingly well cnlli\'ated. and the i)rovcr1)ial imlustry and thrift of this class of citizens it here fnlly e.xeniplilled. The greater ]iart of them arrived with little or no means, and now with hardly an exception they have acipiired good and well impro\ed farms. The pioneer of this commnnity is W'essel Blaasc, who arrived in 1852. There are .several ancient artificial mounds on his place in one of which human bones were found in excavating for a l)uilding.

In the southwest part settled the .\mish, who were preceded here by I\I. Voter, Miller and others in 1864. They much resemble the society of Friends in plainness of attire, integ rity and almost total exemption from pauperism. The name is derived from that of the founder of the society who, in the German states of Europe, saw fit to secede from the Menonites, of whom much has been heard lately, with regard to the emigration of large numbers of them from Russia to the West. The proposed marriages are publicly announced, and a marriage outside of the Society is '"intolerable and not to be endured." They <lress plainly. ])artly to avoid the frivolities of fashion, and ])art]y that there may be no notable distinction between the rich and the poor. They ha\'e no churches or meeting hcnises. but meet at each other's dwellings, as the spirit moves them. The clothing of the men is often confined with hooks and eyes, but the notion that they wear no buttons is erroneous. The heads of the women are always covered with a neat white caj) and over the n.eck and shoulders decorously spreads a plain white handkerchief: this in observance of the hint from the Apostle Paul, .\dults only are l)a])tized and that by pouring. Infants are n(jt entitled to this sacrament, they preferring to teach first, for every descen<h'mt has a birth-right in the church. Of German extraction and long settled in western Pennsylvania, their .speech amongst themselves is an odd mixture of German and I-jiglish. the ".\merican" ]);u"t of v>hich can be readil\- detected by an intelligent observer, and the language is popularly known as "Pennslyvania Dutch." They all speak "American" as well as their neighbors, so that, trusting to the hearing alone, few would susjject the presence of a German speaking person. They are a good class of people in their \vay. but are bigoted in many ways. They do not teach their children the "American idea," preferring that they become isolated from others who are as true, or truer, in their religious principles than they. They are intensely selfish among themselves and seem to "float in the creed" "we shall lie happy in heaven whether we find our (jod there or not!"

The original village of Bourbon, section 14, 15. 7, was laid out by Maiden Jones, in October, 1853, and is the third town in priority, having been preceded b}- both Camargo and Fillmore. .\n addition was made in the following January by Benjamin Ellars. At the institution of the county this was a thriving \illage of .some dozen business hou.ses and the most important trading point in the county. L. C. Rust, Dr. J. D. Gardiner, J(js. Foster, A\'m. Chandler, Benjamin Ellars, G. W. Flynn and others tlourishcd here at the time. The location of the Illinois Central Railroad some four miles to the east, giving rise to Tuscola and Areola, interfered with the future prospects of the place to tiie extent that the merchants, for the most part, not only removed to the new towns on the railroad but took their buildings with them. One of these, a two-story frame, was put upon runners made of large sticks of timber, and with some fifteen yoke of steers, under the c<induct of Uncle Daniel Roderick, was hauled in a nearly straight line over the snow to Areola. "Uncle Daniel" still lives on his farm in section i, 15, 7. He entered this land on March 13, 1838. Samuel Sharpe, of Bourbon, took Rust's store to Areola in a similar manner.

The census of 1890 gives Bourbon eightythree inhaliitants. It has a postoffice, two or three stores, two grain buyers, good church and school.

Isaac Gruelle founded the first store near the place in which for some years Maiden Jones was a partner. Luther C. Rust was a leading merchant in the early days of Bourbon and was well liked. He died suddenly in Areola February 14, 1873. H. C. Niles clerked for Mr. Rust and Abram Cosier served in the same capacity for Mr. Fosler, another early merchant of the village.

Fillmore had been laid out by H. Russell in 1848, on section 35, 15, 7, and the firm of Bales & Throwbridge, afterward Bales, Osborn & Co., controlled the trade of a large area ; but the business of this house was removed to Areola, and Fillmore is among the things that were. Mr. Bales was associate justice of the county in 1861, and supervisor of the township in 1872. Bagdad is a point on the Okaw three miles west of Areola.

township collector. In the following March he disappeared suddenly, leaving between five and six thousand dollars of township funds unaccounted for. Cooper, a recent comer in the neighborhood, was a man of pleasing address and appearance, and that, together with his rather notable l)usiness (|ualifications, inspired confidence in all who had dealings with bun.

On Thursday afternoon, November 4, 1S75, R. P. McWilliams, a well known and highly res]iected citizen of Bourbon township, was instaiitly killed at the highway crossing of the Illinois Midland Railway, west of Areola and near the residence of Jacob Moore. He was driving a mule team attached to a wagon. He approached the crossing and, as he thought, allowed the train to pass and began to resume his way, probably, naturally looking at the train, but he was unfortunately caught by the latter part of the train, which had become uncoupled. The team escaped.

The name of this township is derived from that of Bourbon county, Kentuck}-, which was represented by several of the first settlers. The people voted bonds in aid of the I. M. Railway to the amount of thirty-five thousand dollars.

The township has contributed liberally of her citizens to the public service. John Chandler, the first clerk of the county, was elected in 1859 and again in 1861. Caleb Bales was associate justice for a term beginning November, 1861, and was also supervisor in 1872. Samuel B. Logan was the first sherifif of the county, 1859. Newton I. Cooper was made sheriff in 1870. Lemauel Chandler served as supervisor in 1868-69-70-71, and had also charge of the interests of the county in realizing froiii the state the amount due from swamp lands. M. D. Bartholomew was supervisor ill 1<S73. and was succeeded hv Andrew Ray in 1874. wlio was returned in 1875. j. V. Bouck came from Oliio in 1866 to Bourbon townslii]) and served w itli r. captain's commission in the One Hundred and i'ifty-fcnith Regiment oi that state in tlie war of 1861.

Cliester\-ille is a small hamlet with a postoffice and stiire and one church, the Lhiited Brethren. I'he population in i8(jO was twentyeight.

Arthur, a most progressive village of about seven hundred people, was laid out by tlie Paris & Decatur Railroad Company on the lands of M. Warren, of ]\fouUrie, and the Murpiieys. of Douglas county. The county line divides the village north and south. The Douglas county surveying was done by the railroad engineers, and certified by Mr. Niles, the Douglas ct)unty surveyor. This was in July, 1873. Mm-phy's addition was made January 30, 1873, and Reeves' addition December 30, 1874, both surveyed by Mr. Niles. The first business hou.se was ])nt up by Jacob Sears. W'illiam 11. Ward brcnighl the lirst stock of goods to the village and in the spring of 1873 J. W. P>arrum founded the first drug store. Ai'tlun- wris incov])oratc'd in the county court id" -Moultrie counl\- at the .\])ril term. .\. I). 1877. which was signed by David Crockett, C. G. McComb. Williaiu Ellers, M. Hunsaker, M. H. Warren. B. C. Hoover, H. Dehart, J. \\'. Sears and some forty others. - The court found there were three lumdred and fifty inhabitants residing in the territory. The petition for the election was granted and the election ordered for May 7. 1877. I'nder the act a])proved .\pril 9, 187J, .M. 11. \\ arren and James Ellars were appointed judges of the election, the returns to be made to Moultrie county. There were for \illage organization thirty-three votes, and against it thirty votes. On June 12, i<S77, tlic first election was helil for the choice of six trustees and a clerk, in which the persons chosen were C. G. McComb, W. II, II. Keeder, 11. C. Jones. J. \\', Sears, \. Thom])son and M. Hunsaker, and J. W. Barrum was duly elected clerk.

On the farm of Mr. Blaase .some mounds ha\-e been found from wdiich human remains, ;;i)])arently ancient, have been exhumed in excavating for a building. The idea that several shght elevations near here were the work of human hands is sustained to an extent I)y the fact that ancient luarks upon trees all facing to one point are noticed. On the .saiue farm, w hat was supposed to be a large flat rock, some t\\el\e feet sf|uare, was found and supposed tcj co\er interesting matter. A relati\e of Mr. I'laase dug around it on all sides to a de]3th of about eight feet, but he caiue to the conclusion that the bottom was in China, and the work was abandoned.

./ Hurricatic. - May 14. 1858, a hurricane \isited this ])art of the cottnty from the northwest, on its \\;\y to .\rcola, where it h;id an engagement, doing considerable damage in and near Bourbon \illage, the effects of w hich, however, were luore seriously felt in .\rcola, where several houses were considerably daiuaged, and others altogether oxerthrown. It was a l)usy day at 15ourbon at the time, and it was fun to the i)erfectly cool fellows who were not at

Bowdre Townsiup

Bowdre township has forty-eight and onehalf square miles of territory. ^Vhen township organization was adopted in 1868, this township was called Deer Creek, after the water course of that name which traverses it, and had been a part of Collins precinct in Coles county. The Emharras ri\-er runs through the northeast part and receives Scattering h'ork in the north. The townshi]) is tra\-ersed by the Illinois Midland Railway from the west to the southeast, a considerable defiection having been made in the line of the road that it might pass within a mile of the center of the township, upon which condition antl for other reasons, the people of the township voted bonds in ad of the road to the amount of thirty thousand dollars.

Railroads. - This township is intersected by the Illinois Midland Railway, now the Vandalia system, running generally east and west, entering it near the northwest corner of section 4, township 14, range 8, running thence east along the congressional township line for about two miles; thence .southeastwardly, leaving the township alx)ut the middle of the east line of section 8, township 14, range 10, then making a decided large curve to the north, and back again.

center of the township, upon which conditions the township, by a vote of the people, subscribed township bonds in a"id of the road to tlie amount of $30,000. It was shown that the issue was illegal there being no authority whatever for holding the election. 'J"he ta.K was enjoined, and proper steps taken to abrogate the whole proceedings, \vhich obtained. ';'lie bonds found their way into the hands of innocent parties, who purchased them as a permanent investment.

Early land entries and early settlers. - As to the first entries of land in this township, the earliest date is found to be the entry of June, 1833, by Samuel C. Gill, who took the east half of northeast C]uarter of section 2, township 15, range 9, and other lands. John Davis, in October, 1833, entered west half of northeast (juarter, same section. In 1836, in February, the northeast quarter of northeast C]uarter of section 11, township 15, range 9, was entered by the Barnets, and as in other parts of the county, the great bulk of the lands were entered in 1852 and 1853. Isaac Davidson arrived in 1838. James A. Breeden settled, in 1853, upon section 9, township 14, range 9, and built the first house on the prairie, between the old "Wallace Stand," near Hickory Grove, and the Okaw timber, which was eight miles to the west.

The "Wallace Stand" was the residence of /\. G. Wallace for some years. Mr. Wallace is noted elsewhere in this book. John Davis, who entered his land in 1833, arrived in the state from Brown county, Ohio, in September, 1834. He died in March, 1865. Shiloah Gill arrived in 1852, and settled on the land entered by his father in 1833. (See sketches elsewhere.)

John Barnet. called "Jack" by everybody, came from Kentucky to the Little Vermillion in 1832, and to Coles county, since Douglas, in 1 84 J. The life partners of several prominent citizens were his daughters.

School lands. - Section 16, township 14, range 9 east, the "school" section, was purchased from the state in the first instance of its occupancy, each section 16 having been set apart by law for the use of schools. The sales were made in 1856. John Cofer took four hundred acres, and W. D. Martin two hundred and forty acres. It was surveyed and lotted as required Ijy law. Lot one is northeast quarter of the northeast quarter, forty and two-thirds acres; Lot two is soutiieast quarter of the northeast quarter, forty and two-thirds acres; three is west half of northeast quarter, eighty-one acres; the east half of northwest quarter is Lot four, seventy-seven acres; northwest quarter of the northwest quarter; thirty-eight and one-half acres, is five; and southwest quarter of the northwest quarter is six, which also contains thirty-eight and one-half acres.

The south half of the section corresponds in j)osition and area. This lotting was arbitrary, though the surveyor ostensibly preserved the original areas. In this case, the east half of the section is found to contain .seventeen acres more than the west half. It is fair, then, to suppose that tlie (piarter section corners on the norlli line and on tlie south line must have been found as originally surveyed much too far west.

Section 16, township 15, range 9, another school section in Bowdre bounds, was lotted in forty and eighty acre lots, and found to come out exactly even all around; perhaps it was surveyed in the house. It was aparted into ten lots; east half of northeast quarter was one, and west half was two and three; east half of northwest quarter was four, and west half of northwest tpiarter was fi\e and six; the south half of the section was made into four lots, of e\en eighty acres each.

These school lands were sold all too .soon, and consequently almost sacrificed, bringing in some instances as low as two dollars per acre. It was not believed in those days that the prairie would be settled. The high grass and weeds, and the absence of roads added to the blank, dreary lookout generally, and forbade the idea that homes would ever have a place there.

As late as 1851, John Davis offered to sell lot two, southwest quarter of section 6, township 15, range 10, eighty-four acres, for the entry money he had paid for it, viz., $1.25 per acre; this was seventeen years after he had entered it. It was in Camargo township.

Old iiihabilaiils. - H. L. Thornsbrue is the oldest living person born in Douglas county; Mrs. Mary W'est, relict of Thomas West, was the oldest resident, and settled here in 1834. She died March 3, 1884, aged seventy-nine, after a residence of half a century in the county. Issachar Davis is the oldest male inhabitant, his residence here dating from October 3, 1834. Mr. Davis was a farmer and land surveyijr. He was elected county surveyor in 1863, 1867 and

Churches. - In the southeast quarter of section 16, township 15, range 9, is situated Mt. Gilead Methodist church, which offers conveniences to neighboring church-goers. At Hugo is Antioch church. The Methodists have a church in section 14, township 14, range 9,

Hindsboro Village

Tlie town or vihage of Hindsboro is situated in section 6, 14, 10, and was laid out by the railroad company upon the lands of the Hinds Brothers in 1874, the plat covering about sixty-two acres. The railroad here runs about southeast and the plan of the town is in conformity with it, the principal streets being at right angles and parallel with the line of the road. The place is improving rapidly and has claims as a shipping point which can not be ignored. ' Here Lodge No. 571, I. O. O. F., was instituted April 12, 1875, the first officers of which were : J. Gerard, N. G. ; B.

The town was laid off in 1874, being surveyed by H. C. Niles, from plans furnished by the railroad, which plans, by the way, were changed by the proprietors before the town was surveyed, but after a map of the town had been engraved and published in an atlas map; this, unfortunately, makes the printed map worse than useless. The lots and blocks were laid off parallel, and at right angles to tlie railroad, which here runs altout southeast, and consequently bad "point" lots occur all arcjund the borders of the ])lat. In a country where the cardinal points are almost universally used in metes and bounds, a village plan not "square with the world" has many inconveniences for which there is generally no necessity. The village is improving rapidly and has claims as a shipping and trading point, which are rapidly growing in importance.

Hindsboro is a good business center, having two good general stores and two enterprising grain buyers. Its population is about three hundred.

Hugo has a postoffice and store with a population of about fifty. It is the scene of about the last appearance of Indians in the county, a trading store having been kept there by one Vessar and one Hubbard in 1829-30.

The Indiaiis. - Issachar Davis said that at about the center of southwest quarter of southeast quarter of section 12, township 15, range 9, and on the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 13, near the old trading post, several Indian graves have been discovered and examined. Human bones were found in each, as well as beads and a silver brooch, by William Wiley and John Welliver. A large silver crescent, five or six inches in diameter, and about two and one-half inches wide at its broadest part, was also secured. Samuel Cheney, a former resident, now living near Humbolt, in Coles county, saw the departure of the last band of Indians, in April, 1833. He was a son of James Cheney, who came to the neighborhood in 1830, and the first wife of Issachar Davis was a sister of his. She had a quantity of trinkets, which she had procured from the Indians ])y trading provisions, etc. At another time, the corpse of an Indian was found against a tree, near the Embarrass, and not far from the mouth of Scattering Fork.

A Christian chureh. - A Christian church, ycleped "Antioch," is situated here on the southwest quarter of section 12, township 15, range 9, which was built in i88r, at an expense of about twelve hundred dollars.

Murder. - Bowdre is the scene of the second murder committed in the county, Areola City havinij the first, third and fourtli. At tiie l'\'hruary term, 1871, of Douglas county circuit court, O. P. Greenwood was indited for the murder of George Mussett. He met him in the woods near Hugo and shot him with a rifle. Greenwood was tried at Charleston, Coles county, on a change of venue, and sentenced to the penitentiary for twenty-one years. Having surrendered himself to the officers, and as there was some probability of self-defense, as well as some supposed justification, domestic ilifficulty being the cause of the quarrel, and some other extenuating circumstances, a petition was circulated for his pardon, which prevailed after Greenwood had served about seven years. He was defended by Hon. Thomas E. Bundy and Hon. James A. Connolly. Hon. J. G. Cannon was engaged to conduct the prosecution by several citizens who made up a purse for that purpose. Greenwood afterward lived a while in Tuscola and removed South.

Garreth Townsiiip

Garrett is named in honor of Isam Garrett. Before township organization the area, as an election precinct, was much smaller than at pre.sent. It was Ixnmdecl on the east by the Okaw river, and on the .south by the congressional township line, containing only about thirty square miles. There were added about twenty more when the townships were made, and the east line was extended to the range or townshi]) line on the east, and to the south part was added two tiers of sections off the north end of the congressional township on the south. As now constituted, it is bounded on the north and on the west by the county line, on the south by the township of Bourbon, and on the east by Tuscola, and consists of all of township 16 north, of range 7 east, of the third principal meridian, and .sections i to 12 inclusive, of township 15 north, of range 7 east, the total area in scjuare miles Ijeing 31.^,^ the same being according to the United States government survey 33,171.95 acres.

This is the shape it received upon the adoption of township organization in 1868, a particular account of which is gi\en elsewhere in this volume. A section of land is usually estimated to contain si.x hundred and forty acres, which is indeed the average, the exceptions Ijeing the fractional sections, occurring on the north and west sides of all townships surveyed by the government. The north tier of sections in township 15 north, range 7 east, in Garrett, one to six inclusi\e, are all over one thousand acres in area, and section 6, township 15, range 7, mostly owned byjames Drew, was the largest government section of land in the county, containing 1,148.21 acres; it is over one and onehalf miles in north and south length, and considerably o\-er one mile in east and west measure.

The government surveyors were instructed to make all townships of thirty-six sections to contain, as near as may be, twenty-three thousand and forty acres, that is to say, to be six miles square and include thirty-six sections. Township 16 north, range 7 east, is the only congressional township in the county which "fills the Ijill," the area, according to government sur\ey, being exactly the proposed area in gross. It does not follow that each section is exactly six hundred and forty acres.

Topography, drainage, etc. - The Kaskaskia river traverses the east tier of sections in this sub-division of the county, and, being here near tlie very source of this river, wliich. rises in Champaign county, depends upon the rainfall for its waters. It is therefore about dry in the summer months, while immediately after heavy rains it comes uj) in a hurry, and becomes a rapid stream of a width of from four to six rods, and in the north part, getting out of the banks, has an indefinite extent. The sudden rise of this and other streams in the county is owing materially to the improved system of farm drainage, which of late years has so much obtained. Every man who ditches his land at all in this region is contributing to the waters of the Okaw, the capacity of which to carry off the accumulated waters is comparatively less than of old, which naturally suggests improvement, and it is only a question of time when the improvement of our main streams will be considered the one thing needful in the proper drainage of the farms of the county. A water course known as Dry Fork runs through the middle of the township in a north and south direction, and, falling into the Okaw at the south line of the township, is an important carrier for the prairie lands to the north. Lake Fork, which is Iiorn in Piatt County, comes into Garrett half a mile south of the village of Atwood, and is a contributor to the Okaw in Bourbon township; like all prairie water courses, it is wet and dry by turns and nothing long.

The drainage commissioners of this township have, on petition of interested parties, established a large drainage district, under the statute, which is situated in the southwest part, contains about thirty-two hundred acres of land, and the drains are constructed at an expense of about twenty-eight hundred dollars. These consist of large open ditches, which are by law under the control of the highway commissioners, whose duty it is to keep them in repair from year to year, the same as roads, the expense of which is met by a tax levied u])on the land owners in the district, for the benefit of whom the original district was organized. The ditches will average sixteen feet in width, the cost of construction being about one dollar per lineal rod. C. G. Eckert was the attorney for the cr)mmissioners, who also employed H. C. Niles as surveyor and engineer. The work was regularly staked out railroad fashion, and the elevations taken. These drains were exceedingly popular in their inception, very much the contrary when the tax is made known and collected, and the pride and boast of the people when completed.

The highest point in Garrett township is, probably, near the southeast corner on the "Gruelle" farm, which place, by actual measure, is thirty feet higher than Tuscola; the bottom of the Okaw, near this point, is thirty-five feet lower than this highest point, which is a "divide" near the line of Tuscola and this township.

The great body of timber in Garrett is on the south side, lint the Okaw in its entire length is fringed, as it were, with woods. On the west side, and in the neighborhood of Lake Fork, many small but attractive natural groves occur, notably on the lands of Nathan Garrett and others ; and in the heart of the woods, near the south center of the township, a large "glade" occurs; the original surveyors called it a "draught." Goodson's Grove is situated at the northeast corner of section 33, township 16, range 7. and is a nice little iiiecc of woods. All of these glades, cntoffs and groves were duly noted and mapped by the original surveyors, who did their government surveying in this region in 1821.

Bowlders of granite or other rock are rarely found of anv great dimensions ; in many parts of the county, whether prairie or timber, they are unknown, while in other sections there are enough of small hulk, weighing from one hundred to five hundred pounds, to obstruct to some extent the tilling of the soil; but these are few. The largest granite rock in the county, visible above the soil, is in the southeast corner of section 8, township 16, range 7, upon the farm once owned by Judge Mullen, in this township. It stands above the ground about twelve feet, and is about as much in thickness. All of these surface rocks have been rounded by the action of water, and have evidently been transported by natural agencies from their natural beds. A glacier, for instance, ages ago, was started from the Arties as a frozen ri\er of ice, bearing upon its bed tons of rock, which it deposited as it melted in the summer heat of the then temperate zone. An extensive ledge of limestone, which makes good lime, as proven by actual business, occurs in Sargent townslnp (q. v.).

Railroads. - The St. Louis branch of the 1. D. & \V. Railway, first called the Indi.-uiapolis & Decatur, afterward the Indiana & Illinois Central, and next the Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield, traverses this township from east to west along the middle line of the south tier of sections, in township 16 north, range 7 east, and is a straight line through this township. It was completed here in 1872.

over the Okaw, west side, section 36, township 16, range 7, lialf a mile west of Howe .Station was maliciously burned on the night of July 3, 1873, and as a Fourth of July excursion was on the tapis for ne.xt day, it is difficult to imagine the state of mind of the fellow who did it. By withholding his name, he has lost the distinction of being Douglas county's greatest scoundrel.

Lajid entries. - yVniong the first entries of land in Garrett township we find that Jacob Lease, in December, 1834, entered the northeast quarter of section 24, township 16, range 7; and in 1835, in June, J. G. Devault took the southeast quarter of section 13, township 16, range 7. I. F. Lewis entered the northeast quarter of section 12, township 16, range 7, in 1836; and June 16, 1849, Benjamin Ellars located and patented the west half of lot i, northeast quarter of section 2, township 16, range 7, and other lands. Josiah Hoots owned a large body of land in the southeast corner of the township. He was an ancient settler of prominence and influence. He died in October, 1876, in the fil'ty-eighth year of his age. He was a native of Salem, North Carolina, removed to Indiana at the age of seven, and subsequently to this neighborhood, of which he was a useful citizen for about thirty-eight years. He was biu'ied, Masonically, at Cartright Chapel, three miles west of Tuscola, by Tuscola Lodge, No. ^^2, of which he was an ancient and honored member.

According to legendary report, Lemuel Randall entered, March 16, 1850, the four forties lying around the center of section 34, townshi]) 16, range 7. Thomas Goodson w'as with Randall, and knowing the numbers of the land, got the i)atent for him. This entry was made before the railroad had selected its lands, but, under a mistake, the railroad temporarily got these. Meanwhile, Randall had sold to Nathan Drake, who had transferred to D. Maris. Drake had taken the jjrecantion oi re-entering the tracts, having had intimation of the error. The books at the office still showed it to be railroad land, and finally the land entry book of the county shows that the land was really antl finally entered by J. \V. L. Slavens, February 22, 1865. This is, then, the very last entry of government lands in Douglas county. In short, the railroad never had acquired the tracts, and they w^ere left open to have the distinction of being the last entries.

Thesixteenth section in township 16 north, range 7 east, reserved for schools, the title to which is derived from the state, was taken up in 1854, having been divided into eight lots by the surveyor, containing seventy-eight to seventy-nine acres each, lot i being the east half of the northwest quarter. J. L. Jordan took two, Harvey Otter one, E. T. Romine two, J. C. Wythe two, etc.

Pioneer personals. - Isam Garrett, in compliment to whom the township was named, lived to the advanced age of eighty-two years. He died February 14, 1880. It is the popular opinion that Mr. Garrett never used tobacco or drank spirits, never served on a jury, never was a witness in court, never sued and never was sued, and that he never told a lie in his life. He was an educated free-thinker, and held that life is a terrific problem; that we are placed upon this earth without being consulted, and removed without our consent; and that the golden rule was the only guide; and to "do good and throw it into the sea; if the fishes don't know it, God will."

Dr. Thomas Parsons, of this township, was a noted hunter and marksman, and now, at the advanced age of eighty-three, shows with pride some thirty targets which he has preserved for many years, representing his victories. These are about two inches in diameter, and show the size of a rifle ball repeated to any extent and cutting into each other at all edges. The Doctor was once the preceptor of Caleb Garrett, at Terre Haute, as a carpenter and builder.

Mr. Caleb Garrett, son of Isam, represented the county of Vigo in Indiana in 1842, and was re-elected at the age of twenty-one. He settled in Douglas county in 1847, served on the first grand jury, was justice of the peace in 1854, and for some years after. He was also first supervisor of Garrett township. He first bought land in the west part of the township, subsequently accumulated other and larger tracts, and in May, 1865, sold out and transferred his farming interests to Tuscola township by purchase.

Harvey Otter, James Drew, Jacob Mosbarger, Dr. D. A. Meeker, William Howe and William Ellars were of the early settlers. Howe arrived in the present bounds of Douglas county in 1838. He went to California in J 850, and returned in 1853; he was one of the largest land owners in the township; was elected supervisor of the township in 1876, and again in 1883, and in 1884 William Ellars' family came from Ohio and settled in the Okaw timber near the north line, in 1849, ^^ which time there was not a settler on the prairie to the west.

Thomas Goodson entered the north half of the southwest quarter of section 27, township 16, range 7, July 9, 1850, and other lands: he continued a resident uniil lately, when he died, leavins;- numerous descendants and a large estate. Goodson was a great hunter; he once killed two deer with a single ball, on what is now the farm of William Brian in the northeast ]iart I if the tnwnshii); he assisted in the extermination of the very last family of wild cats found in the Okaw timber. He relates that he cut a large tree for rail timber in the exact spot where he had cut a similar one thirtysix years before. Notwithstanding the large quantities of timber used for building, fuel and fencing in the early days, the question whether the timber is holding its own or not is an open one. It is a noteworthy fact, in this connection, and without the slightest intention of reflecting upon any old settler, it may be stated that the timber belonging to the lands of actual settlers remained in good condition much Icjnger than that of the go\ernment, it being understood that all settlers had a kind of right to use government timber; the timber lands of non-residents, which were called speculator's lands, were included under the same head, and some of the earl)' debating societies had up the questi(;n, whether the owners of such lands had any rights which anybody was bound to respect, and being decided in the negative,"bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke."

John Lester and his sons, Samuel and Sigler H., were of the first comers. Samuel Lester entered his first land in section i, township 15, range 7, in 1835, and up to 1838 had entered all the north half of the section, eight hundred acres. Sigler II. entered, in April, 1836, the west half of the northeast (|narter of section 25, township 16, range 7, and subsequently other lands. These sons died, Sanuiel in i860 and Sigler in 1864. leaving large estates to munerous descendants, which lands, however, by either mischance or choice, have passed out of the hands of the families. The Lesters were men of great natural force and decision of character, and like most other people were great hunters, (joodson related that John Lester once cut a large bee tree, and converting it into a gum, stood it upon end full of honey and covered it with a slab, leaving it for a more convenient season. Goodson had just killed three deer, and finding the gum ready to his hand, filled it up w'ith tallow, and did this to -save it from the ravens, for at that time ravens were plenty; they were larger than the common crow, and are since extinct here. Lester, returning and find-ing tallow in the place of his honey could not understand how anybody would rob him of his honey and leave tallow in exchange, the latter being much more valuable. F. C. INlullen entered his first land in section 28, township 16, range 7, in 1850. He came from Delaware, and was the second county judge of the new county of Douglas. About these days Judge Mullen was traxeluTj' towaril his home from X'andalia, where he had been entering land, and u[)on reaching Sullivan, in Moultrie county, his traveling companion suggested that they should go at once to the tavern and take a drink. Mullen preferred to first take care of the horses, and did so, which made some delay; they then proceeded toward the tavern, and learned that William Campbell, an old resident of this town- shi]), had been rolibed of one hundred and fiftydollars in gold; that every man in the saloon had been searched and the money not found. It is somewhat interesting to speculate as to what might have been the consequences to the Judge on this occasion, if he had not been fortunately delayed, for he had just arrived a perfect stranger and had on his person in gold precisely the amount they were looking for.

The chase. - Hunting at the proper season occupied the attention of the early settlers considerably, and a principal part of the living was venison ; this, with the natural love of the sport born in and with more enterprising and vigorous of the settlers, made the pursuit a favorite. Isaac L. Jordan and his brother "Wash," Caleb and Nathan Garrett, Thomas Goodson and the Lesters were enthusiastic hunters. The Garretts and Jordans had amongst them about twenty-five hounds. In 1853, while on a wolf hunt, Jordan and Garrett had followed the trail from their neighborhood to the present site or Tuscola, eight miles, and the peculiar action of a favorite hound attracting the attention of Jordan, he, with his experience as a hunter, immediately called the dogs off the trail of the wolf, though it had been getting warm, and began cautiously to explore for deer, the nobler game. In a few moments, in the low ground, just about where the Illinois Central Railroad depot now stands in Tuscola, he raised the largest buck ever seen in their experience. The liuck started off southwest and was run down and killed by the dogs in the Gruelle farm, four miles southwest.

On another occasion a trained hound compelled the attention of Garrett and conducted him to a place where the dogs had killed a deer, which they had chased of their own notion. The dogs, after running down, would kill a deer and eat till satisfied, and the only trophies secured in the first case was the head, horns and a foot, as the relics of the "biggest buck." In this flat country there was almost no vantage-ground for the deer; he ran till he coukl run no more, and was too much exhausted to fight. A "stag at bay" was rare, and to be in at the death took rapid riding and good shooting; the horses enjoyed the sport and learned to run by sight.

Many persons remember the reception these h-ounds gave every visitor to the various farms. He would ride up to the house, and if he passed along, all right, but if he stopped and gave the customary "hello !" ten or a dozen hounds rushed toward him, with an open-mouthed deep l)aying salute that would make the hair of a timid man "stand on end," but all he had to do to restore perfect peace was to "light." It was only a bay of welcome, and a notice to the family that perhaps a wayfarer wanted his supper and a bed.

A lynching. - Mr. I. L.Jordan, of this township, informed me that in the case of lynching of "Dolph"' Monroe, of Coles county, in 1854. the entire jury w-as selected from the present area of Douglas county. He shot and killed his father-in-law, N. Ellington, the circuit clerk of Coles county, and was hung by a mob in January. 1855, at Charleston. The jury was composed of William and James R. Hammett, Coleman Bright, Henry Lowe and John Frahme, of Camargo township; Amzi Wildman, I. L. Jordan and Israel Harris, of Garrett; .S. Meyers, Daniel Martin, Squire Adams and Dan Foster; they brought in a verdict of "murder in the first degree." This mob had no occasion to violate the law, but having come to see the show, and fearing disappointment, conchided to liave the show anyway. Mr. Jordan, and others of tlie jury, think they could have prevented it, if present. It is the blackest blot on Coles county, of which Douglas was then a part.

r>y the way. is not the fact that liurglaries and rol)beries in the earlier days were rare, owing to something besides the honesty and .scarcity of valuables amongst the ])eople. The perception, memory and observation of the residents were slmrjiened by llie w;inl of government, and no man could pass through the ct)untry without being especially marked and remembered : not from suspicion - this rarely obtained - but fmrn a li.ibit of observation, born partly of their isolated position. ;ni(l S(iniewhat of their thirst for news. A man on horseback, or "any other man," who went through the country, could be traced a hundred miles, and if necessary, overtaken.

77/1' "spirit (if the times." - The residence of I. L. Jordan, north half of the southwest quarter, and southeast cpiarter of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 16, range 7 (lands which he entered in 1S52), being central in the township, was a point for elections and other public meetings; it was also made a center for the collection of taxes by the sherifif, wlio was tlien "sheriff and collector" under the old regime (before 1868) and county organization. LTpon one occasion, 1859. the first sheriff, Sam Logan, had made his collections at "Jordan's," as it was called, when not only had the people generally met him there to pay taxes according to notice, but Jordan was shelling corn with twelve or fourteen hands. Sam had his saddle-bags with him, containing the results of two or three days' collections, which were augmented at this place. About night, after "Sam" had partaken of the hospitalities of "]kc," which any old settler who knows either will certify were not stinted, he mounted his horse and started for Tuscola, to deposit his money. At about half past ten o'clock - pretty late, in those days, for men who began work ;d four :\. M. - Jordan, in bed, heard the customary "hello," and, as usual, responded ])rom])tly, expecting to entertain a belated traveler. It was "Sam;" and the next word was. of course, "light." lint Sam s.'iid. "No, T can't stop. T Inmg my saddle-bags on the corner of the stable, forgot them, and went off, and now they are not there." Ike, after joking him a good deal, which he couldn't help, handed him to him, and Sam went on his way rejoicing. The saddle-bags contained about twenty-five hundred dollars. This little incident is related to show the spirit of the times. Sam probably took his "pile," ;ind going on to Tuscola quietly deposited - well, simply woke up some merchant, at a store, and, making up his package, a conglomerate mass of wild-cat money issued by almost every liank in North America, slapped it into such a safe as was used, and calmly went on his way, or more likely went to bed where he struck. The only banks were the safes of merchants - Wyeth, Craddock & Co., J. M. Smith, Davis & Ensey, etc. Every fellow called for his money when he wanted it, and always got it. The depositors would often pertuit the merchant to use some of the money, and always got it on call. This mutual confidence was never abused, though they never took receipts.

Atwood Village

west line of tlie townsliip, at the county line, lying partly in both the counties of Douglas and Piatt, and on either side of the east and west railroad, its location being in section 30, township 16 north, range 7 east. Harvy Otter contributed the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and George Nolind the north half of the southwest quarter; Ritchie and others "put in" land in Piatt county. It was laid off on paper by Patterson, first assistant engineer of the railroad, and surveyed by Mr. Niles, the then county surveyor, in 1873. In those years, the county surveyor was, Ijy law, the only person qualified to survey town lots, the law being changed, so that any competent surveyor can now act.

The streets are named East A street, East B street and East C street, etc., and North Front, North Second, North Third, etc.. The Douglas county plat consists of blocks, whicli are generally forty feet front by one hundred and fifty feet; streets, lanes and alleys are parallel with and' at right angles to the railroad, and the whole is compactly and conveniently arranged. The railroad, besides the usual right-of-way reserved of one hundred feet wide, has also reserved a tract north of its line one hundred and fifty feet wide, and extending east from the county line ele\en hundred feet, nearly four acres. The dedication of the lots and blocks, in the signing of the plats for record, was made jointly by the original proprietors of the land, and H. C. Moore, the superintendent of the railway, Hammond, the president, and T. H. Macoughtry, the railroad attorney, the owners of the ground having, for certain considerations, agreed to give these gentlemen a half-interest in all the lots and blocks, with some reservations. This led to some confusion, many deeds having been made witliout the signature of all the parties, but which was finally cured by quit-claiming liack to the first owners of the land.

First store. - The first store in the village was a dry goods establishment by Helton & Barrett, at the southwest corner of County street and South Front street.

Clinrchcs. - The first church erected in the village is the New-Light Christian church, which was built in 1880 at an expense of about fourteen hundred dollars. It is furnished with a good bell, costing eighty dollars, and commands in its membership many of the best citizens. They are not the same as the Disciples of Christ, which is the Christian church, who added the present edifice subsequently, at a cost of about sixteen hundred dollars. This church has also a good bell. These bells chime in loving unison, and in their sweet accord give no intimation of their preferences.

The Methodist church was removed from Mackville as part of the exodus therefrom in 1883. The building is worth about twelve hundred dollars, and the cost of moving it was about two hundred dollars.

We have in little Douglas the Presbyterians and the Cumberland Presbyterians, the Methodist Episcopal, the Methodist Protestant, the Free Methodist, the Episcopalians, the Christian church and the "Old New-Light" Christian church, and two kinds of Baptists, etc., and are thus able to offer facilities to truthseekers not to be surpassed by any county of our size in the state.

Incorftoratioii. - December 14, 1883, a petition was filed with W. H. Eassett, county judge, signed by tiiirty legal voters residing within certain territory, the greater portion of which lies in Douglas county, setting forth a desire to become incorporated as the "village of .'Vtwood;" that the number of inhabitants in the propo.sed bounds was three hundred, 'i'he county judge accordingly fixed u|)iin January 9, 1884, as the time, and the office of J- ^^^ Merritt, ]. P.. as the place, when and where the election should be held, and he appointed as judges of election James -\. Hawks, M. C. Drake and A. L. Marshall, which gentlemen, in due course, made the following report :

There were cast at such election : For village organization, sixtj'-six votes; against \'illage organization, forty-two votes; total, one hundred and twenty-eight votes.

The area of the village. - The territory included in the village incorporation is comprised of the west half of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and the west half of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter, and the west half of the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter, and the north half of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter, and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter in section 31, in Douglas county; and the east half of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter, and the .southeast quarter of the northeast quarter, and the east half of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter, and the east (piarter of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter, and the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter, and the north half of the southeast (|u;u-ter of the southeast quarter in section 36 in Piatt county, all in township 16 north, being in area two hundred and ninety acres, of which one hundred and sixty acres are in Douglas, leaving one hundred and thirty in Piatt county.

.Atwood at present has sever.nl first-class st<ires. a bank, a good hotel, a ne\\si>apcr, good churches ;nid schools and has a poi)uI;ition of about six hundred people.

(jarrett has been represented at the county seat by F. C. Mullen, who was elected county judge in 1861. This was under the oUl style of county organization which stopped in 1S68. I. L. Jordan was elected sheriff in 1864. Caleb Garrett was the first supervisor of the township, elected in 1868. He was succeeded by William Ellars in i86g. who was re-elected in 1870- 71-72, being followed by J. \\'. Hackett in 1873, Thomas Owen in 1874, and by Josiah Hoots in 1875. William Howe was in the same position in 1876, 1882 and 1883; Jason Green was elected in 1877, '^"'^^ '^ the only Democrat placed in that office to date. He was re-elected in 1878-79. Clans Greve, a naturalized German, was sent in in 1880, and Green was returned again in 1881, and returned in 1882.

The village of Garrett has of recent years became rpiite a trading point; with good school and chiu'cb. It has a population of about. two hundred and fifty.

one of its oldest settlers and who was one of the most prominent business and cattle farmers - Snowden Sargent. In the old Coles county days it was a part of "Oakland precinct," set off for election purposes, and that part which remained in Douglas, after the formation of the new county, took the name of Sargent precinct, and was very small, having only about twenty-three square miles. It was bounded on the east and south by the county line, on the north by a line from corner of sections 16, 17, 20 and 21, running east to Edgar county, and it had a southwest boundary at the Embarrass river, which separated it from Deer Creek, since Bowdre township. Sargent at the time of township organization, in 1868, was made into its present shape, aufl is bounded on the east and south by the county line, on -the west by Bowdre and on the north by Murdock and Newman, the north line beginning at the northeast corner of section 9, townshi]) 14, range 14 west, and running thence west on the section lines about seven miles to the northwest corner of section 9, township 15, range 9 east, and thence south on the section lines eight miles to the south county line. It contains fifty-two sections of land, which incltides, however, only 46.45 square miles, and consequently comprise 29,728.94 acres, and in area ranks No. 5 in the county, the discrepancy between the number of sections and number of square miles being accounted for by the fact that many of the sections are very small - those in what is called township 15 north, of range 11 east, running from two hundred to three hundred and fifty acres, their surveyed width being little over one quarter of a mile. The smallest government section of land in the county is in this township - section 7, township 15, range 11 - and has only 198.38 acres.

Surface features. - A large part of the township is prairie, perhaps two-thirds; the balance is the usual proportion of timber land along the borders of the creeks, of which "Brushy Fork," an affluent of the Embarrass river, comes in on the north line, and flows southwesterly toward the west side, when it joins the larger creek, the Embarrass, in section 28, township 15, range 10, and their mingled waters tlicn run southeasterly until they leave the county at the south side of section I, township 14, range 10, running two or three miles in Coles county and re-entering Douglas on the east side of section 15, township 14, range 10. Deer Creek comes in from the west, and also joins the Embarrass in the north part of section 33, township 15, range 10. Several other natural water-courses of smaller dimensions flow into these creeks at various points, and in the west part provide amply for

The southeast part lieing somewhat level, a drainage district is in process of development, under the statute, which, as soon as the advantages are realized, will be followed by others, as is always the case.

The highest point in the township, if not in the county, and at least rivaling in elevation the "Ridge" in Newman township, was, upon the farm of Andrew Gwinn, Esq., where the govermnent erected an obser\-atory. This is a wooden structure of a height of about one hundred feet, from which to take instrumental observations for the connection of the triangular survey of the great lakes with that of the Mississippi river and the gulf coasts.

Old Settlers. - Aniuiii;- the iiicisl prominent of the earliest settlers was Snowden Sargent, for whom the township was named. He made Iiis first visit to tlie state in 1830, and entered four hundred acres of land at the office at Palestine, and passed thmut^h all the usual vicissitudes and pri\;itiiins of ])ioneer life, and became eventually one of the largest land owners in the county; dying in 1875, he left a large estate to his descendants.

.Andrew (Iwinn settled here heforc 1836, from his last location in Indiana, and visited the Richmans in Camargo (who were the fir.st settlers in the county, 1830). His lands, adjoining Mr. Sargent's and together occupying so nuich territory, made the establishment of a school district quite a problem. He had the largest farm in Douglas county - three thousand and one hundred acres.

I. W. Piurgett lived in this township for more than forty years, and controlled about sixteen hundred acres of land, all of which had been accumulated since his residence there. He represented his township for about six consecutive years as supervisor, and afterward for four years more. Mr. Burgett died of typhoid fever February 13, 1884. He was fifty-five years of age, and had resided in the state forty-five years. He was a man of good appearance and fine business al)ility.

Other early settlers were the Reddings. Samuel Allison - Casebeer, B. F. Coykendall, William Hancock and W. F. Murphy. Josephus Redding was born iji Edgar county in 1829, and came to this region in 183 1,, when two years of age. Samuel Allison arrived in 1853, since deceased. Coykendall arrived in 1847, and I. W. Burgett in 1839. W. F. Murphy bought his first land here in 1850.

Lund riitrlrs. - The first entries of land were made in 1830. We find that in this year lands were entered by Kli Sargent, 1. Ashmore, Amos Leslie, Joseph Redding, Jr., David Sears, Samuel Moore, Pharmer Leslie and Hez. Rhoades. North half fif the northeast tpiarter of section i, townshi]) 14, range 10, was entered in this year by Sargent, who also took large bodies of other lands in the vicinity. In 1831, June 1. John Laughlin took lot 2, northwest (|uarter of section 2. township 14, range 10, and other lands. In the same year Stanton Pemberton covered several tracts in section 10. township 14, range 10. Pharmer Leslie, October 29, 1830, entered the west half of the southwest quarter of section 23, township 15, range 10, and east half of the northeast quarter of section 34, township 15, range 10. In 1834 S. and R. S. Williams entered large bodies of land, taking all of section 9, township 14, range 10, and the school section. Joseph P. Winkler, March 11, 1835, took northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 7, township 15, range 14. Daniel Landers, 1836, November 30, northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 14, township 15, range 10. Snowden Sargent, 1835, November 13, northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section t, township 14, range 10, and other lands. Daniel Miller, May 24, 1837, entered east half of the southwest quarter of section 11, township 15, range 10, and Reuben Donalds, 1837, February 22, and May 29, northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section i, township 14, range 10, and east half of the northeast quarter of section 6, township 14, range 14. Henry K. Potts settled in this township in 1856. Robert Matson, 1835, April 20, entered northwest quarter of section 22, town- ship 15, range 10; in 1837, the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 27, township 15, range 10, and in 1839, May 27, the east half of the northeast quarter of section 21, township 15, range 10. There is some account of him in Bowdre township (q. v.). In 1,837, J""e 28, Isaac Wells, north half of the southeast quarter of section 7, township 15, range 10. Same year, June i, John Hopping, southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of sectin t,^, township 15, range 10. Jonathan W. Powers entered, in 1849 to 1857, the south half of the northeast quarter of section 5, township 14, range 14, and other lands. Cornelius Hopkins took the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter or section 7, township 15, range 14, and other lands, August 23, 1849; and Robert Albin, on March 4, 1850, entered the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 7, township 15, range 14, and subsequently other lands. There are few if any entries in the years intervening" between 1840 and 1849.

The railroad crosses the southwest part of the township, entering at the west side of section 9, township 14, range 10, and leaving at east side of section 15, same township, where it crosses the Embarrass river on a substantial bridge of some six hundred feet in length. This road got no subsidy from the township. The Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad crosses the southeast comer in section 4, township 14, range 14, having been constructed along here in 1881.

Villages, etc. - There is no trading point of comparative importance in the township, the business of the people, with regard to shipping points to railroad villages and post office, going

A proposed city called Columbus was regularly laid out in February, 1841, on the land of James H. Hicks, on the west side of the east half of the northeast quarter of section 35, township 15 north, of range 10 east, and contained about forty acres. The land was entered by Eli Sargent October 29, 1830. The town was surveyed by S. Sconce, Coles county surveyor, for Hicks, who does not appear to have had any deed to the land.

County office holders. - Residents, l)oth former and present, of this township have had much U) do with the pul)lic business. William Hancock was the first assessor and treasurer of the new county, having been elected with the first corps of officers in 1859. James H. Shawhan was elected sheriff in 1871, to fill the unexpired term of Cooper, of Bourbon township, \\ho had disappeared in company with Bourbon township funds. I. W. Burgett was the first supervisor.

Erection, etc. - In years, area and population, compared with the other political subdivisions of Douglas county, Murdock township ranks number nine and last, having been created at the December meeting of the board of supervisors in 1882.

The petition for the new township was closely followed by a counterpetition in the shape of a remonstrance leading to a warm discussion of the "pros and cons," it being held and strenuously maintained that the board held jurisdiction only of the inhabitants of the pro- posed new territory, and not of those out of whose area tlie new township was to be made. This nice (hstinction evoh'ed from the ingenuity of tlie attorneys, did not, however, prevail; the matter was taken to the circuit court on apjieal, and at tlie October term. 18S3, the action of the board being conhrmcd. Murdock became an independent township. The name of the township was given in compliment to John D. Murdock, an old resident yet living (see sketch).

lis «;-<-<;. - The area is made up from twenty-two scpiare miles of territory, which were generously donated by the township of Camargo on the west, and about seven from Newman, wliich lie upon the east side. It includes the west twenty-four sections of township 16 north, of range 10 east, of third principal meridian, and sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 of township 15 north, of range 10 east, comprising twenty-eight regular sections, containing, according to the United States government survey, 30.65 .square miles, the same being 19,617.61 acres, being the smallest township in the county.

With regard to the first entries of lands in this township, while there were some very early entries, most of the lands, being all prairie, were taken up along about 1852-53, which years seem to have been at the close of a period in which the go\crnment lands were temjjorarily withdr;iwn from sale pending the location of the Illinois Central Railroad and its selections of lands within the six-mile limit, which limit was afterward extended to fifteen miles to enable the road to supply the quantity of lands not found in the first limit. The latter extended limit takes in all of Murdock.

On February 23, 1853, William Cline entered the east half of the southeast quarter of section 2. tmvnship 15, range 10. This is the extreme southeast eighty acres in the township. The first entry made was by James Brewer June 18, 1847; he entered lot No. 2 of the northwest (juarter of section 31, townsJn']) 16, range 10. and Samuel Roderick took the southeast (juarter of section 30. township 16, range 10, in 1849. J. V. Campbell entered several tracts, as also JoJni Tcnbrook and the Baileys, 1852 to 1855.

Tjik Village Ok Muriiock

This \illage, established and named hefurc the township was made, is situated generally on the north side of the I. D. & W. railroad, and between it and the east and west half-mile line of section 33, tow-nship 16 north, range 10 east. It was laid off by the IMurdocks in September, 1881. It was shortly afterward followed by an addition made by R. F. Helm on the north side of the east and west public road. The railroad has a reserve on tlie north side of its track, aliout eight)'' rods long and one hundred and twenty-five feet wide, and a right-of-way on the south side of fifty feet; a roomy side track is established which gives ample facilities to shippers in the vicinity.

Mr. S. Baxter purchased a few acres directly east of the village, where he erected se\eral neat tenant houses which assist in giving Mm^dock the air of quite a busy ])Iace; this is further assisted by the ele\ator erected by the Murdocks in 1878, and later by Fred P. Rush & Co., of Indianapolis.

it in October, 1882, about as soon as the town was laid out. It has a steeple and a ninetydollar bell, the cost of the structure being in all about eighteen hundred and fifty dollars.

Fairland is a new and thriving village in the northwest part of the township. It contains several first-class stores, good church and school. The business men are mostly young men and are thoroughly in touch with the advance of the times. It has one bank, the Fairland E.xchange Bank, which was recently founded by John Quinn (see sketch).

The first township officers were : Supervisor, Da\id Smith ; assessor, W. C. Whallen ; collector, R. F. Helm; justice, S. Baxter. And in the distribution of county officers Murdock has had a share. Among those who live within the present bounds, Mr. John D. Murdock, from whom the township was named, was elected in 1859 one of the first two associate justices of the county, and was re-elected in 1861. This was, of course, prior to township organization. The county board consisted of a judge and two associate judges. Mr. Murdock served his first term with James Ewing, of Areola, as judge, the other associate being Robert Hopkins, of Newman. In his second term, he was with F. C. Mullen, of Garrett, as judge, and Caleb Bales, of Areola, as the other associate. It was under the care and management of the last named board that the court house was contracted for and begun. A large part of the business of this day, the early days of the county, was the location of new public roads. The board would appoint three commissioners, one always the surveyor, to view the road, and report at ne.xt term. There was cjuite an epidemic of roads these times.

James H. Shawhan, now of the new township, formerly of Sargent, was elected sherifif in 1 87 1, and also served several years with credit as highway commissioner.

The surveyors appointed by the court in October, 1871, were Edmund Fish, of Areola; H. C. Niles, of Tuscola, and A. H. Guy, of Vermilion county. They worked a week at it and reported to court. The case was tried three times for various reasons, and finally settled down to the lines made by the commissioners. Mr. Issachar Davis, surveyor in the neighborhood, gave the board valuable and willing assistance. The confusion mostly arose originally from a proven mistake of the original government surveyors, they having left two corners on the range line, which they recorded as twenty-two rods apart, while, identified, they proved to be only six rods apart. The writer has seen the original figures made by the government surveyor, and the proof on the ground. The controversy arose from the situation of a thirty-five-acre piece belonging to John Brown, which the surveyors in their report dubbed the "John Brown tract." This whole controversy was conducted l)y the interested parties with a manly and fair spirit, much superior to the temper usually manifested on such occasions; though Shiloh Gill says that he and Brown had worn out a certain fence four times in trying to conform to the various opinions of its true place. Each moved the fence every time the other fellow got a new wrinkle from anybody, and the surveying business in the close neighborhood was good until the commission surveyors came along and spoiled the job.

township is derived from that of the city, but the origin of it is involved in obscurity, the most (Hhgent inquiry having failed to disclose its source, or to draw out any account of it which promised satisfaction. Tlascala in Mexico, Tusculuni, in Italy, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, etc., have been suggested as possible bases for a guess, but have yielded no conviction. The idea that the name is of Indian origin has been generally fallen back upon as the only hopeful solution, in which the anxious inquirers are joined by a prominent citizen of a county of the same name in Michigan. Township organization was adopted in 1867 and inaugurated in 1868. Joseph B. McCown, of Camargo, H. B. Evans, of Tuscola, and L. McAllister, of Areola, were appointed by the county court to divide the county into more convenient political subdivisions.

TIic railroads. - The township is traversed by the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, running about north and south, dividing it into nearly equal parts. The road enters at the northeast quarter of section 3, township 16, range 8, and leaves at south line of section 10, township 15, range 8, and is a straight line through the county, varying from true north, however, about seven degrees ; that is to say, it bears to the right just about forty rods to the mile.

This road has a right of way two hundred feet wide through the township, which reserve is inclosed for the most part with a substantial fence as required by law, and occupies twentyfour acres of land for every mile it traverses, being in the aggregate two hundred and forty acres in the township ; the difference to land tax payers along the line of the road was an item of importance and resisted, until by consent, as it were, the railroad, reserve was gradually eliminated from the acres of the adjoining land owner.

The township is also intersected by the St. Louis branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad, which runs east and west through it, along, very nearly, the middle line of the south tier of sections in townshij) 16 north, range 8 east, crossing the Illinois Central Railroad at Tuscola. The road was finished through the township in 1872; was chartered under the name of the Indiana & Illinois Central in 1852, and as Decatur & Indianapolis was legalized in 1853; it remained, however, under the name of Indiana & Illinois Central until 1876, when upon re-organization it received the name of Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield, and finally was known as the St. Louis branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western, having been leased to that corporation for ninety-nine years. The road is now known as the I. D. & W.

A road was surveyed from Tuscola City northeastward, to be called the Danville, Tuscola & Western, which was instituted by Tuscola people. The preliminary surveying was begun in January, 1872, under the direction of James Davis, Esq., assisted by Thomas E. Bundy, the attorney for the road, the chief engineer being H. C. Niles. A year was consumed in the location and in trying to meet the wisiies of everybody, and grading was for the greater part completed nearly to Danville; but the panic of 1872-73 calling a halt, and the railway business generally receiving a sudden check, it was found impossible to build the road with the means at command. It was subsequently completed and is now known as the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.

Early entries of land and first settlers. - Being" all prairie, the township was of the latest settled, the first comers, as a general rule, keeping close to the timber for its seeming protection. The prairie was considered a bleak, barren waste, unfit for habitation or cultivation, the magnificent richness of the soil not being appreciated by men accustomed to hilly woodlands. The timber was convenient for fuel, building and fencing, and men clung to it, for it was considered injudicious to e.xpose one's self and family to the full sweep of the winter storms and the annual and really dangerous prairie fires.

The first entries of land we find are about as follows: Sigler H. Lester, December 5, 1836, entered west half of the northwest quarter of section 30, town 16, range 8; John Hammer, May, 1837, north half of the northwest quarter of section 18, town 16, range 8; 1837, July 22, Jacob Moore took lot 2, southwest quarter of section 30, town 16, range 8; the bulk of the lands entered by him were six miles south ; June 19, 1838, Thomas Lewis entered lot 2, southwest quarter of section 18, town 16, range 8; 1837, Samuel Lester, on lots 3 and 4, northeast quarter of section 6, town 15, range 8, and other large lands; 1849, N\'illiam Brian, north half of the northeast (juarter of section ly, town 16, range 8. Mr. Brian distriliated his lands among his children, otherwise lie would have been the largest land owner in the county. Most of the land entries were made in 1852-53. Up to that time it appears that there was a check upon settlements of lands by entry, or rather the buying of such lands, the district for the most part being withdrawn from sale pending the location of the Illinois Central Railroad, and its selection of the lands granted it by government. In 1853 H. Sand ford entered the northeast quarter of section 33, town 16, range 8, which adjoins Tuscola on the west, and in the palmy days was firmly held at one hundred dollars per acre. Amongst the active and prominent of earlier settlers, as farmers and cattle men, were O. C. and M. F. Hackett, Owen J. Jones and Joseph W. Smith in the south part, and in the north B. F. Boggs, Benham Nelson, George P. Phinney and Caleb Garrett. He emigrated from the adjoining township of Garrett in 1874. Ample notes of the career and influence of many of these gentlemen will be found elsewhere in this volume.

The sixteenth section in every congressional township was, by law, set apart for sale for the use of schools, and so sold by the state. It was required to be surveyed into lots, the utility of which is not clear, as the government subdivisions would have answered every purjiose of description.

Section 16, town 16 north, range 8 east, in Tuscola township, was divided into sixteen lots, each lot being one of the original forty-acre tracts; the numbering began in the northeast corner and ended in the southeast. The purchases were made in 1857. W. P. Carter took six of them ; T. G. Chambers two ; J. F. Parcels four; Le Roy Wiley four. There is no record authority in Douglas county for the numbering, the only guide being the various conveyances, which, however, generally give the number of the lot as well as the regular subdivision.

First toivn meeting. - The first town meeting after township organization was held at Tuscola in 1868. The meeting was called to order by W. H. Lamb; S. D. Stevenson was elected moderator and C. F. Lamb clerk. A committee of five was appointed to divide the township into road districts. It was made up of G. P. Phinney, A. Mc Neil!, J. McGinniss, James Jester and Josiali McKee. The place of this meeting is not given, bnt it was arranged liiat the next shonld be held at J. B. Hart's store, northeast corner of Central avenue and Parke street. Here O. C. Hackett was elected the first supervisor, with a majority of only one vote over \V. B. Ervin. Thomas E. Bundy exceeded the vote of li. C. Sluss by six votes. C. H. Griffith was elected assessor by getting two votes more than J. II. Purely, and S. Paddleford was made the first collector, defeating C. F. Lamb by fifty-eight votes. J. M. Ephlin was the first constable and was chosen at this election. W. H. Wood was the first justice of the peace. The first commissioners of highways, and who were elected on this occasion, were Benham Nelson, Noah Ammen and W. Brian.

The original tozon of Tuscola. - The original town is bounded on the west by the Illinois Central Railroad, and extends eastward to Niles avenue, which is the north and south center line of section 34, and is the street upon which stand the schoolhouse and Methodist church. This avenue w'as begun by Mr. Cannon in his addition to Tuscola, with the generous width of seventy-five feet, but unfortunately the surveyor or proprietor of subsequent additions saw fit to cut it down to sixty feet. The bound of the original town on the south is the south line of the section at the township line, and it is met on the north by Winston's addition, wliich is one-quarter of a mile wide.

JViuslon's addition. - The first addition to Tuscola was made by A. B. Newkirk, of Chicago, and consists of the north half of northwest quarter of section 34, township 16 north, of range 8 east, and was surveyed by H. C. Niles, the county surveyor, in August, 1859, assisted by Henry Beach, who afterward built the first Beach House. The blocks in this addition, nearly four hundred feet square, are divided generally into four lots, which all lay square with the world, except at the railroad. The streets are of the generous width of sixtysix feet, being six feet wider than those of the original town, upon which they join. No street was made between this and the original town. ll'ainslcy & Cannon's addition. - In the .spring of i860 William Wamsley, with J. G. Cannon as manager, laid off into lots and blocks the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 34, town 16 north, range 8 east, making sixteen blocks, the west tier of which was subdivided into quarters, the surveying of which was done by Niles. Niles avenue, on the west, was named in compliment to the surveyor and is seventy-five feet wide, as also is the next avenue east. Both of thfse beautiful streets have been spoiled by the n\istaken economy, or j^erhaps want of information, of the proprietors of the subsequent additions on the north, when they suddenly fell to a width of sixty feet, and not only that, but no regard or attention was paid to the abutting streets in the prior addition; the result is the streets, as it were, hit nowhere even, the lot bounds do not "line," and the people find fault with the surveyors when shown the facts.

Kelly's addition. - Kelly's addition (by the way, there is never any "first" addition), November 15, 1 86 1, followed by his second December 30, 1864, consists of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter and the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section

34, town 16, range 8, eiglity acres, and was sur- \eved by E. C. Siler, county surveyor. In the first addition, however, he was the deputy of Niles. The lots were made large, to meet a seeming demand for such, among which streets, lanes and alleys were very scarce. The progress of the times has eventually forced through several highways. Robert Kelly, of Indiana, was the projector of these additions. He was a Quaker of standing and much business ability.

Mathers' addition. - The next addition made was called Mathers" northeast addition, and comprised the east half of the northeast quarter and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 34, town 16 north, range 8 east, one hundred and twenty acres. It was surveyed July 12. 1864, by E. C. Siler, county surveyor, under the proprietorship of John Mathers, win) had previously accpiired an interest in the lands of the original T()wn Comiiany. The greater |)art of this .addition was laid out into lots or blocks, containing in gross about ten acres, and has since been used almost exclusively for farming lands. The streets in this portion of Tuscola do n<it conform to those in the original town, not only Ijeing of different widths, l)Ut do not fairh' meet the (jriginal streets.

Cornelius' addition. - Cornelius' additiiin C(jnsists of about twenty acres of land in the .southwest corner of the section, being a reserved portion of the original town plat, and lying east of the Illinois Central Railroad, and north of the south line of the section. The lots are of good ax'erage size, with a location not very desirable. It was laid out by P. S. C<n-- nelius and surveyed by Niles August ig, 1870.