Edgar County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 10 of 24)

The Hunters came from Greencastle, Ind., to Hunter Township, but were originally from Tennessee. The family consisted of the elder John Hunter, and six sons, viz.: John Hunter, still living in Hunter Township ; S. K. Hun¬ ter, living in Paris ; William, Christopher, Andrew and George, the latter locat¬ ing near the line, a part of his land lying in Indiana and a part in Edgar County. They (the sons) came here in 1828, and entered land, returned to Indiana, and removed to the county in 1832, the elder Hunter coming the year previous. John Hunter is still living upon his original settlement in this township ; Christopher died in Paris ; George, on his farm, near State line, and William and Andrew died in Missouri. The father was of English descent, and died in 1832, soon after removing to the county. His wife was of Scotch origin and died in 1857, at the age of eighty-three years. She was the last of a family of six children, whose combined ages at the time of death were upward of six hundred years. John Hunter is a man of consider¬ able prominence in the community. He served two years as Deputy Sheriff, and later as United States Marshal, to take the census of Putnam County, Ind. After his removal to Edgar County, he was elected Sheriff, in 1846, serving two years, afterward (in 1851 and 1852), as Deputy Sheriff'. He was also the Chairman of the first Board of Supervisors of the county. Hon. A. J. Hunter, of Paris, is a son of John Hunter, and a lawyer of merit, wrho has distinguished himself, not only at the bar, but in the Legislature of the State.

In the early days of the country, Henry Clay, the great Kentucky states¬ man, entered two or three sections of land in this township, embracing what is still known as Clay's Prairie. He also entered Section 21 for Hon. William A. Burwell, Member of Congress from Virginia, and a warm, personal friend. He caused his own land to be improved, well stocked with fine Kentucky bluegrass animals, and placed one of his sons, Thoma-s Clay, in charge of it, as a means, perhaps, of breaking and weaning him away from dissolute companions, about his old home, at Lexington, Ky. But the change of scene effected little chano-e in the course of his habits, and his father determined to take him home and sell the land. Negotiations were opened between him and the Hunters, the result of which was the sale of 1,600 acres of land on Clay's Prairie to John and S. K. Hunter, and which still remains in their possession. This sale was made about 1849 or 1850, and we here give space to an autograph letter from the "Sage of Ashland'' to the Hunters, in regard to some of the pay¬ ments on this land :

I leave home to-morrow, for Washington. You will greatly oblige me by remitting to me, at that city, a check of the Bank of Terre Haute, on New York or Philadelphia, for the amount of the installment due next Christmas for the land you bought of me. The premium on the check, of course, must be paid by me, and deducted by the Bank from the amount remitted. The let¬ ter and the Bank will always afford evidence of the amount of the payment. I herewith enclose your note, canceled, due last Christmas, which I thought you might like to have, altho' you have sufficient other evidence of the payment.

This letter of the great statesman, Hon. A. J. Hunter has in his possession, handsomely framed, and which he prizes very highly. The trip to Washing¬ ton, referred to in the letter, was the last one ever made by Mr. Clay to the national capital. When he returned again to his home, it was in his coffin. As a memento of their friendly relations, he gave Mr. Hunter a pair of fine blooded cows.

James Carney is a jolly old bachelor, and came from Madison County, Kv., in 1834, and located where he now lives. Like all old bachelors, he has his peculiarities, one of which is, that his land lies about equally in Illi¬ nois and Indiana ; his house stands directly on the line, and is so located that he dines in Illinois and sleeps in Indiana. As he sits in his sanctum he can look out of its south window over the plains of Hoosierdom, and a single pace will place him in the dominions of Gov. Cullom or Gov. Williams. J. R. Morehouse came from New Jersey in 1833, in a one-horse wagon, and five in family - his father and mother and three children, himself fourteen years old at the time. They stopped in Indiana, where they remained from November 23, to Christmas, living all this time in the wagon. About the middle of March, moved into an unfinished cabin in Vigo County, Ind., where they remained sixteen years. In the mean time he had grown up and married, and, in 1849, came to Edgar County and settled in this township, where he still lives. This includes the names of all the early settlers whose history we have been able to gather. If omissions have been made, which is altogether probable, with the first settlements extending back to such a remote period, it was uninten¬ tional.

The Early Times

In the early development of a country, the pioneers usually fare hard for a time. They leave all the luxuries and comforts of civilization behind them when they emigrate to a new country and give themselves up to toil and exposures- from which many of us would shrink in dismay. Think of what the people had to con¬ tend with when they came here sixty years ago ! Of going forty or fifty miles to mill ; of half a dozen families crowding into one small cabin for weeks at a time, until each could provide himself a cabin of his own. Says Col. Mayo, "we went to the 'big field' after corn, which we hauled home on a sled." This "big field," was east of Terre Haute, and had been opened by Mrs. Mayo's grandfather. It contained eighty acres - all in corn - and was considered a very large field of corn for those days. Then people grew their flax and cotton, and some raised sheep, and manufactured all their clothing at home. Cardingmills, or machines were established, at which the wool was carded into rolls. The rolls were spun by the wives and daughters on the "big wheel" and then woven into cloth, and by the same dexterous fingers made into garments for them¬ selves and their families. And the men, their mode of farming was so far then behind what it is to-day, that our young men, could they see some of the means used in those primitive times for farming, would, perhaps, deem them a greater curiosity than our fathers did the locomotive, when they saw it for the first time steaming over the prairies. The old "Cary plow," for instance, with its moldboard, part of wood and part of iron ; what a curi¬ osity it would be now to see a man trying to plow with it. Would we not feel a kind of pity for one reduced to such an extremity? "We had to stop," says Col. Mayo, "two or three times in a forty -rod furrow, and scrape it with a paddle carried for the purpose, in order to plow with it at all." Harrows with wooden teeth were quite a contrast to the splendid implement of that class now in use. And the small, inconvenient cabin in which they had to live, glad to get any kind of shelter that would protect them from the rigors of winter and from the wolves and bears. The regulation cabin seems to have been from sixteen to twenty feet square, daubed with mud, covered with "clapboards," a log cut out for a window, with greased paper in lieu of glass, and a kind of partition across one end forming a fire-place the width of the cabin. Often, the cabin had nothing better than a dirt floor. Their furniture was such as the settler himself could manufacture with an ax and an auger ; for the mechanic does not often go to a new country to establish himself in business, at least not till the population will justify the expectation of his getting work. Bedsteads were often made by boring a hole in the cabin-wall, putting in pins, supported by others from the ground, a j>ole laid across the structure, and straw filled in. This composed the bed, as well as the frame, and, though scarcely as soft " as downy pillows are," sufficed the humble dwellers until a more luxurious couch could be afforded. Chairs were blocks of wood, with holes bored in them and legs put in : and tables were puncheons or slabs split out of trees, with similar legs as the chairs. But, even under all these trying circumstances, they enjoyed life better, perhaps, than we do to-day. People were more sociable then, all were neighbors for miles and miles, and the term neighbor came nearer the meaning the Master gave it eighteen hundred years ago than it does now. A man would divide his last crust with another, and loan him anything he had - except his wife and babies ; and, to know that a man needed help to " raise a cabin," or "roll his logs," was all the invitation required. And when trouble came upon one, genuine sympathy was tendered from all around, and in a simple manner that carried with it conviction of its sincerity. Not as it is in the present age, as pictured by a late writer : " ' Is he dead ? ' is the solemn inquiry of a few as they pass to their work. But none miss us but our imme¬ diate connections, and in a short time they forget us and laugh as merrily as when we sat beside them." It is too true. The world is growing more selfish every day, and human nature becoming' more hardened, and more indifferent to the woes and troubles of others. It is rather a dismal view of things, but our daily surroundings prove its correctness and truth.

First Mills, Shops, Etc

The first settlers of Hunter Township used to go all the way to Shakertown to mill, which was near Vincennes, Ind. Maj. Markel built a mill, in 1818, on Otter Creek, six miles north of Terre Haute, which drew most of the custom from this section after it commenced operation. In 1819, John Beard built a mill near the mouth of Brouillett's Creek, near the township-line. This was still more convenient to the people of Hunter. Beard was a Dutchman, and was, perhaps, from Pennsylvania ; but what became of him, no one can now tell. Still later, an ox-mill was built near where the Catholic Church now stands, which was of great convenience. The power was made by oxen on a treadwheel. Alonzo Lapharn added a fulling-mill to the ox-mill, for the purpose of "fulling" such cloth as was manufactured by the inhabitants; and William Newcomb built a carding-mill near by, on which the people had their wool carded into rolls. Newcomb brought his carding-mill from Bloomington, and, after running it several years, moved to De Witt County and took it with him.

About 1820-21, John Lycan opened a blacksmith-shop in Hunter Town¬ ship, not only the first in the town, but the first in the county, as mentioned in the County History. It was near where Abraham Risser now lives, and prior to it the settlers had to go to Fort Harrison for blacksmithing. Rev. Joseph Curtis planted a nursery about 1820, the first effort of the kind in the county, and a business, which is still continued by his son, a notice of which is made in the County History, Rev. John W. McReynolds opened a cabinet-shop in the neighborhood in 1824, but at that early day there were few demands for that class of goods, and most of the people manufactured their own furniture. James Johnson, who settled in the neighborhood aS early as 1819, was a chairmaker, and made the first chairs in the county, some of which are still to be found. Tanyards were also among the early conveniences to the settlement. In those days, the people manufactured everything at home used in the family. Their tea was made of the sassafras, sweetened with maple sugar, their clothing of home man¬ ufacture, and made from cotton, wool and flax. But all those relics of bar¬ barism, if we may use the expression, such as the carding machine, loom, tanyard and cotton-gin have long since passed away.

Elijah Austin is supposed to have been the first Justice of the Peace in Hunter Tow'nship. The first Sheriff of the county was also of Hunter. Indeed, Hunter seems to have furnished nearly, if not all of the first county officers. The first Circuit Clerk, and first Judge of Probate, and last but not least, the first Coroner, George Board, who is referred to in other parts of this work. The first County Commissioners were also from this settlement, as also the first Representative in the Legislature, and the first election in the county was held here. It was for the election of delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1818, and before the county was created, and wTas at the home of Col. Mayo. It was the scene of the first session of the Courts after the formation of the county. Hunter, it appears, was for some time the " hub," the center round which the entire county was wont to revolve ; but with the location of the county seat at Paris, its power, to some extent waned, and its glory departed forever.

Birth, Death, Marriage

The first birth in Hunter Township was a daughter of John Stratton, who was horn in 1817, the first year settlements were made in the country. The circumstance is mentioned elsewhere as the first birth in Edgar County, a fact probably that is undisputed. The first marriage was Narissa Jones and Edward Wheeler, also mentioned in county history as the first occurring in the county. They were married by Elijah Austin, a Justice of the Peace, and the license was from the Clerk's Office of Clark County, "before Edgar was." It is told of this marriage that, when the 'Squire had performed the ceremony, he walked across the room, threw his arms around and kissed his owrn wife, leaving the bridegroom to follow his example if he chose. We do not know if he did or did not. Sylvester Barker, now living in Paris, married a sister of the bride just mentioned, on the authority of the first marriage license issued from the Clerk's office of Edgar County. The first death in the township was Dr. Url Murphy, a young physician, who came to Illinois from Virginia to build up a home and a practice, and died within a year. His death is recorded in 1822. Horace Austin, a son of Squire Austin, died soon after Dr. Murphy. The latter was the first physician in the settlement, and also the first in the county, and it is said was a young man of much promise. He was highly thought of, and his loss wras seriously felt in the little community. Before he came to the country, and for some time after his death, a Dr. Durkey, living across the Wabash, some ten or fifteen miles distant, made professional visits to this section when the state of health required it. With this limited board of health, some of the more hardy of the citizens would console themselves with the reflec¬ tion that doctors and officers were not needed, as " everybody behave^ them¬ selves and nobody got sick." This would not have applied to all parts of the county a few years later.

One of the sources of pastime for the young people in the settlement was Mr. Boland's singing school. To this they used to flock of Sunday afternoons, at some neighbor's cabin, and occasionally at night, each family taking it by turns furnishing house-room for "the singing-school," and the young people taking it by turns furnishing tallow candles, to light the scene. Doubtless our young friends of this fast age would elevate their Grecian, aquiline and pug noses to an angle of forty-five degrees at such simple amusement.

Churches And Schools

The first sermon preached in Hunter Township, and perhaps in Edgar County, was by Rev. Joseph Curtis, a local preacher of the Methodist Church. He came to the settlement in the spring of 1819. During that year, he formed a class at the residence of Col. Mayo, consisting of himself and wife, Col. Mayo and wife, John Stratton and wife, and Sally Whitley, of whom there is still living, Col. Mayo and wife and Mrs. Curtis. He preached occasionally, as also did a Rev. Mr. Love. During the winter of 1822-23, Rev. John W. Mc- Reynolds, who has been noticed among the early settlers, came in, and the next spring succeeded in getting this class included in the regular work by Confer¬ ence, and the Rev. H. Yreedenburg was appointed the first circuit-rider, the house of Col. Mayo being used as the house of preaching until he moved to Paris, in 1827. The first camp-meeting ever held in the county, was near this spot, in August, 1823, Rev. Mr. Yreedenburg in charge, assisted by Rev. Mc- Reynolds and Dr. James. At this meeting occurred more than twenty conver¬ sions. Rev. Mr. Yreedenburg was returned to the circuit, and is termed the founder of Methodism in Edgar County. There are now four churches in Hunter Township - two of the Methodist denomination, one Catholic and one Christian Church. The "Old North Arm Church " as it is called, is the one just mentioned as established by Rev. Joseph Curtis, in 1819. As stated, it was organized at the house of Col. Mayo, but in a short time they moved their place of meeting to Mr. Curtis' house, where, for twenty -four years, they worshiped. At the end of this time, the North Arm Church was built and dedicated. The first ministers to occupy the new church were Rev. Mr. Har¬ graves and Rev. Mr. McReynolds. The present minister is Rev. Mr. Hedges, and the present church edifice was built in 1876. St. Aloysius' Catholic Church is attended by Father Hasse, of Paris. It is a substantial brick structure, and was built about thirty years ago - the first Catholic Church, not only in this, but any of the' surrounding counties. Its membership is about forty families. The other churches are of more recent origin, and are all large and elegant buildings, and have good congregations.

The first schoolhouse in the town was built near where Abram Risser now' lives, and wras one of the first temples of learning erected in the county. Amos Williams taught the first school in it, also supposed to be the first in the county. But as the time has been so long, there is really not much certainty about it. There are now five schoolhouses in the township, which is a tier of sections below the allotted size of a regular Congressional town. They are good, comfortable buildings, and schools are maintained the usual number of months during the year.

As stated in the beginning of this chapter, Hunter was originally a part of Stratton Township, and so remained from the time the county adopted township organization until the March meeting of the Board of Supervisors, 18t>l, when a petition was presented to the honorable Board, by John Hunter, and signed by ninety-three of the citizens, for a new town to be made from Stratton and Brouillett, most of it, however, from Stratton. At the same meeting, Mr. Van Houtin presented a remonstrance, signed by 243 of the citizens. In the face of this remonstrance, the new township was made by a vote - not 8 to 7 - but of 7 to 6. And thus Hunter became a township, and was given the name Hunter for Mr. Hunter, who was instrumental in getting it. It is bounded as follows : north, by Brouillett Township ; west, by Paris and Edgar ; south, by Stratton, and east by Indiana.

The first Fourth of July celebration which took place in the county, occurred in this township. It was held in a grove on Daniel Lane's farm, very near the present line of Stratton and Hunter, and consisted of the usual ceremonies indulged in on the "glorious Fourth " in early times. A regular old-fashioned barbecue dinner, toasts, responses, etc., and the Declaration of Independence read by Judge William Lowry. The usual oration was omitted.

War, Indian And Other Items

We have already said much of the Indians and of the Black Hawk war, in these pages, and hardly deem it necessary to go into details here, as the result would be considerable repetition. There were plenty of Indians in this part of Country for nearly a score of years after white people settled in it. When the Black Hawk war broke out, many of the people of the North Arm shouldered their guns and hastened to the front. In the Mexican War, Hunter sent out a number of soldiers - some who carried muskets, and some, or one, at least, who wore shoulder-straps. A Mr. McReynolds, from Hunter, was a Lieutenant in the Mexican war. In the last great war, when the Southrons raised their impious hands against the Government and the old flag, the brave men of Hunter responded nobly to the call for troops. In another department of this work will be found the names of all who went, not only from this township, but from other sections of the county as well, so far as they could be obtained.

Prairie fires used to be a great source of trouble and fear, and often destruc¬ tive. Stacks of grain and hay, fences and sometimes houses fell a prey to and we have it from a reliable source, that people would actually get lost in daytime, it being so dark in the forests, owing to the thick smoke, they could not see their way. To guard against prairie fires was the farmer's first thought after getting his crops garnered, and his failure to do so often proved dis¬ astrous.

The " green-head " flies were the worst pests the people had to contend with in those early times, and many contend that they were more to be dreaded than prairie wolves. People often had to travel and plow by night, on account of their being so troublesome. Their bites we have been told by many who remember them, were quite as severe as the sting of a yellow-jacket. They made their appearance about the 1st of June, and disappeared between the 1st and 10th of September. Col. Mayo relates how they once played a joke on the "green-heads" by setting an old hair trunk out in an exposed place. They watched it for a time, and Mr. Green-head would make a dive at it, but never succeeded in drawing blood.

Hunter Township is without railroads. The iron-horse has never yet made a track through its forests or over its prairies. Its wagon-roads are as good as are to be found in the county, or, perhaps, in this section of the State, except the many crooks and turns and jogs to which they are subjected. In Hunter, perhaps, more than in another section of the county, is this the case with the roads. Why it is so, we cannot say. The township is drained by Brouillett Creek and some other small brooks, which run toward the Wabash River. It is also well timbered, possessing both timbered and prairie land, and being pretty well divided between the two.

The Villages

Hunter Township has had more villages and hamlets than any other town¬ ship, perhaps, and none of them have ever amounted to anything. Cambridge City is the oldest city or town in the county, the record of the plat bearing date- August 2, 1820. Just where it is or was located (for there is not a trace to mark its site), no one can tell, except by consulting the records. From them we learn that it was on the northeast quarter of Section 9, Town 14 north. Range 11 west, which is now embraced in Hunter Township. This " city " was intended for the future capital, and was laid out with much care. The blocks or squares were 18 rods each way, and a public square of the same dimensions, the entire plat containing 71 acres and 87 rods. The four princi¬ pal streets were 82 feet 6 inches in width, and the four lesser streets were 57 feet and 9 inches. It was surveyed and laid out by John F. Thompson. It presents a very beautiful appearance^ - on paper - and that it failed in becoming the seat of justice was, doubtless, a disappointment to many. It never, so far as we have been able to learn, did anything in the way of business. The lay¬ ing-out of Paris, soon after, and the locating of the county seat there, forever put an end to the bright hopes and anticipations of Cambridge City.

Baldwdnsville, at a later period, we believe, absorbed Cambridge. A post office and store was once kept here, by a man named Baldwin, and went by the name of Baldwinsville Post Office. But it has long passed away, and the site of the place is now a cultivated farm. Huffmanville was called after David Huffman, on whose land it is located, and who kept a store and a post office there since the discontinuing of that at Baldwinsville. The post office has been discontinued at this point, but the store is still in operation and carried on by Thomas McFall. J. DawTson now keeps a small store in the township, and also has a post office, which is called Dawson Post Office. The place consists only of a store, post office and a blacksmith-shop.

When Edgar County was created, in 1823, it was divided into five civil divisions, known as townships. One of these was named Pike. Its boundaries were described as follows :

" Beginning at the range line between Ranges 11 and 12 where it crosses Sugar Creek, thence south to the south line of the county, thence east to the State line, thence north to the center of Congressional Township 13, thence west to Sugar Creek, and northward up Sugar Creek to the place of be¬ ginning."

The reader can readily trace the outlines of this township on any map. He will also observe that the outlines of Pike are almost synonymous with the present outlines of Elbridge Township. It gave to it an arm running from the north line of Section 27 nearly three miles long, and in no place exceeding one-half mile in width. The township remained in this form some time. Its oddness and inconvenience, however, became manifest as the country settled, and the " arm " was taken off, the part above- the north line being attached to Stratton, or, as it , was formerly known, Wayne Township. Pike Township was also enlarged by attaching one tier of sections to the north, thereby giving it its present dimensions.

It is now seven sections long by six wide, hence contains forty-two sections or square miles, equal to 26,880 acres. The surface of the country is somewhat diversified. Along the water-courses it is broken and hilly, while on the uplands the surface becomes undulating. There are no natural prairies in this township of any size, hence the entire surface is devoid of that even exterior seen in prairie countries. Formerly the township was covered with a magnificent growth of native forest-trees, prominent among which the oak in several varieties, hickory, walnut, beech, sugar-tree, elm and other kinds flourished. Interspersed among these grew a great number of small trees of the same and different varieties, which, with their more powerful fellows, were ruthlessly cut down by the pioneer in the establishment of his home. Many grand old forest-trees were felled to the earth by his powerful arm and keen ax - trees which, could they be produced now, would yield him a handsome revenue. Yet they stood in the way of progress, and, as there were no mills or manufactories to use them, they were consigned to the log-heap and destroyed. Grand, sound walnuts, of a cent¬ ury's growth, so large that when felled an ordinary man could not see over them in a direct line from his eve were cut down, sawn into lengths so thev could be handled, and rolled to the log-heap to meet the fate of others equally as sound and large, though of n different kind. Such trees as these - whole forests of them - stood on the hills, along the streams and in the valleys in what is now Elbridge Township when first the white man made his home here. Here had they stood for ages. Under their outspreading branches had the Indian lover wooed and won his dusky mate ; had he pitched his wigwam home, reared his savage familv. and been at last laid away at rest among his ancestors. The savage beast, the fleeting deer, the heavy buffalo, the swift bird, the ravenous wolf had all lived here in undisturbed security, or been the delight of the native hunter in his exciting chase. The limpid waters of the streams had furnished him a rare feast, while in their depths he had bathed his limbs, or over their surface paddled his light canoe.

His possession of these primeval forests could not always be. A white race, more powerful than he, was already close in his footsteps, and warned by the experience of his comrades farther east, he was preparing to vacate, and follow the western sun. The white man had his home on the banks of the Wabash, while south and west of him. hardy venturers, determined to find a home for themselves and their families in this then outpost of civilization, were encroach¬ ing closely on his domain.

Illinois, made a Territory in 1809. had so grown in population, that the second grade of government was determined upon, and in 1818, it was admitted into the Union and became a sovereign State. At this date, only the lower part of Illinois was settled, and that in neighborhoods, as it were, for, often large tracts of wilderness country would be met in passing over the country, while the north was an uninhabited domain still under the rule of the native Indian. Chicago was yet a small trading-post with no thought of its future greatness.

The first settlers in the present confines of Elbridge Township, located in the years 1818 or 1819. Just when, cannot now be definitely determined, nor can the name of the first settler be ascertained. Mr. Hall Sims, now over eighty years of age, came to this county in March, 1821, and settled near where he now lives. He states that when he arrived, there were living in what is now Elbridge Township, the following persons and their families : Thomas Y ilson, Alexander Ewing, John Hay, Thomas Eoster, Thomas Rhoades, James Eggleton. Dr. James Love, John Elliott and James Knight. There is yet standing an apple-tree planted by Mr. John Elliott, in 1820, which is now nine feet and four inches in circumference, five feet from the ground. It is in all probability the largest apple-tree in Edgar County. It is doubtful if a larger tree of its kind can be found in Illinois.

Mr. Wilson came with his family from Kentucky. The common route then was to cross the Ohio below the mouth of Salt River, at the place known as Tobacco Landing; then go up through Golconda and Paoliatothe New Albany and Vincennes road, which they followed to the latter place. Here they gen¬ erally crossed the Wabash River, and by different routes went to their new homes. Those days, almost all settled first inwThat is now Clark County. After awhile the disease known as milk-sickness, drove many awTay, and desiring a higher and healthier location they came northward. By these means the first settlers of Edgar County came hither. The majority of them came from the South, and brought wTith them their Southerncustoms and habits, just as those who settled the northern part of the State brought their customs from the East. A peculiar individuality thus became stamped upon each part of the State.

Mr. Ewing and Mr. Ray were both from Tennessee. A great many of the emigrants from the States south of Kentucky came through it on their way to Illinois, a majority of whom remained in the Blue-grass State awhile, some of them long enough to become residents. By these means, often in the history of Edgar County, when mention is made of an early resident coming from Kentucky, his real place of nativity would perhaps be North or South Carolina. From his stay in Kentucky, he would, however, give his place of starting as that State, as it was at the time his residence. Thus Mr. Foster and Mr. Rhoades came to Illinois from the blue-grass land, while the first-named was a native of the Keystone State, and had been raised there. He had moved to Kentucky on attaining his majority, and by the pioneers of Edgar County, and even by himself, was considered as from their own hearthstones. All these men brought families and came about the same year. Their circumstances, too, varied but little. All were poor, and all equally desirous of bettering their fortunes. Like all pioneers, they were kind to a fault, and ever ready to do a favor. They came with a meager outfit of this world's goods, but strong in faith and hope, expected to increase their worldly store and provide a home in old age. Some came in frontier wagons, drawn by horses or oxen, and some used the more primitive pack-horse as a means of migration. Either way was slow, compared to the more modern modes of travel ; but as they then knew of no other wray than that mentioned, unless a river lay in their course, they were content. While on the journey, if away from the settled route, their encamp¬ ment for the night was made wherever night overtook them. A fire was built by the wayside, over wLich an iron kettle was suspended, in which the evening meal was cooked. The father's gun through the day provided abundance of fresh meat of the choicest varieties, for squirrels and wild turkeys were common, and deer could be had almost for the asking. Yet, let the advantages of the journey be the best, and it was one of toil and privation. Then there were no bridges over the streams, no fences by the roadside, no well-trodden highway. Each emigrant followed the general trail, but each sought a new track for his own team. This cut the way into innumerable ditches and ruts made by the wheel of the wagon or the hoof of the horse or ox. If the season was one of much rain, the swamps they were often compelled to cross, would be almost impassa¬ ble, and the roads wrould be heavy. If dry, the road was rough, so that at its best, the journey could not be said to be pleasant, yet the way was often cheery, and when the wild prairie, brown with the somber hue of autumn, stretched out miles upon miles on either side, or the forests were all that nature could desire, the emigrant passed on joyously, despite his wayside troubles. He could endure trial, hunger and pain, if a home stood at the end of each day's journey beckoning him on to its cheerful domain. Faith and hope are two anchors of the soul, without which the poor mortal on life s pathway would indeed be cheerless on his way.

The emigrant on his arrival began at once preparations for a shelter. Dur¬ ing this period, the family lived in the wagon, though the cooking and washing were performed by the women under the shade of an outspreading tree. Ofttimes a rude pole cabin, wdth no floor save the mother-earth, and no windows save the interstices between the poles forming the walls of the cabin, wTas tem¬ porarily erected, and should the time of arrival be spring, this structure sufficed for a house until the crops were sown. After that important work was done, he had a season of comparative leisure, during which he made preparations to erect a more comfortable abode.

Mr. Sims states that when he arrived he found the settlers generally provided with tolerably comfortable cabins. Dr. Love was the only physician in the community. His stay was not long, however, as a few' years after, he removed to Little Rock, Ark., where in after years he died.

Mr. James Knight was an old man when he settled here. He was a soldier in the war 'which gave America her freedom, and was one of the few7 w7ho lived in Edgar County and drew pensions for his services in that war. He remained on his old place until his death. Mr. Ewdng, like Mr. Knight, died on his home farm, which he brought to an advanced state of cultivation, and on which he passed his declining years in ease and comfort. It has been but a few years since some of these first settlers have passed awTay, and wffio can help but pause and reflect at the wonderful changes in this country since their arrival. Mr. Wilson lived a quiet life on the farm selected by him when he emigrated, and on it he passed away. Mr. Ray brought two grown sons, Martin and Isaac, wTho may be counted as among the pioneers of that day. He, like some of his associates, lived a useful life in Elbridge Towmship, and at its close died on the old homestead. Thomas Foster followed his recreant son Jack, as he w7as always known, who was, for his misconduct, driven out by the Vigilantes to Missouri, where he aftenvard died. James Eggleton came from Tennessee, through Kentucky, to Elbridge Township, about a year before the arrival of

Hall Sims. He went from there to the salt works on the Vermilion River. While on the way, he was badly frozen, and .laid up for some time in conse¬ quence. He had stopped at Palestine in Clark County on his first coming to the country, where he had resided some time. A short time after his recovery from the effects of the freeze, he returned to Palestine and continued to reside there.

The next settler is Mr. Hall Sims, already mentioned. He was born in the Carolinas before the dawn of the present century. He early emigrated to Kentucky, and, in 1815, came to Clark County, Ill. The State was yet a Ter¬ ritory, and Clark County existed only in territory - the name was not there. Here the scourge of milk-sickness drove him to seek a more elevated region of country, and in the month of March, 1821, as has been noted, with the assist¬ ance of his father-in-law, Thomas Jones, he came to Elbridge Township, then, like Clark County in 1815, existing only in locality. They arrived on the 10th day of the month, and were put down at the hospitable cabin of Mr. Thomas Wilson. There they remained until Mr. Sims could cut logs and, with the assistance of the neighbors, whose names have been given, raise and cover a cabin. When he moved into this pioneer affair, he says he had a good wife, four children, a rifle, two dogs and a scanty supply of household furniture. When he came to the State, he traveled on foot, having only a pack-horse to carry his effects. His cabin, like all others of that day, was made of unhewn logs, notched at the ends so they would fit closely together. Between the logs, chunks split from, the heart of an oak were fastened with pegs and daubed over with mud until the crack was closed. The earth in the interior of the cabin was trodden firmly down and was used for the floor. A door was cut in one side, a small window on the other, the huge old-fashioned fire-place made in one end and the cabin was complete. The description of Mr. Sims' cabin would apply to all cabins of that day, save that in many, puncheon floors were laid. Mr. Sims states he did not get one laid in his until autumn, when he hired two young men to come from Palestine and saw with handsaws some slabs, which were used for this purpose. Puncheons for the floor and clapboards for the roof were almost always split from sound oak-trees, the former being held in their place by their own weight, while the latter were held on by weight-poles, kept a suitable distance apart by short sticks of wood placed between them, the bottom one secured at the ends by the last end-log, which projected out some dis¬ tance from the eaves. Ofttimes it extended four or five feet from the main building. In such cases, the roof would be continued to the ends of the logs, a floor laid underneath and a long, low porch be the result. To this may, no doubt, be ascribed the custom so often seen in the frame houses succeeding these primitive cabins of having a large porch in front. On this, in the warm even¬ ing, might be seen the farmer as he passed the twilight of the day in company with his family, enjoying the cool of the evening. Here, too, could be seen the busy housewife or industrious daughter engaged at the loom or with the old- fashioned spinning wheel. These scenes are pleasant to refer to, and are lingered fondly over by the old people who enacted them in their younger days. They love to tell the present generation of times gone by - to them the " good old times " - and which they say they have never seen since their youth. We honor them in their belief, and recognize an element in human nature ever the same in all ages and under all conditions. The slave in the South before the war, had he been brought from the shades of heathendom, longed for a return to that land, though he were treated ever so well here. The emigrants from foreign countries cling to their old-time ways, and think none so good. We of J;o-day, strong in the race of life, and with a future before us boding only good, cannot but love to linger over childhood's happy hours, and think with the kindliest feelings of days gone by. Yet these were not the best days. Every day is the best day in reality, and is all that is allotted to us here.

The crops raised by the earliest settlers were generally corn and wheat. Other cereals were but little grown until the country began to settle more thickly and an increase of comforts and wealth was procured. When corn was thoroughly dry, it was crushed in a mortar or ground in one of the horse or water mills. At the date of which we are are now writing, no mills existed in this part of the State. The pioneer was obliged to go to a mill a few miles below Terre Haute or to one of the settlements further north, whose inhabitants had accumulated a few comforts in their short stay. Mr. Andrew B. Ray stated that at one time he built a water-mill on Sugar Creek, one of the first mills of the kind in the county. He constructed a dam of corn stalks and brush. When this mill was built, there was certainly no other water-mill for grinding grain in this part of the country. The dam could not withstand the spring freshets, and during a heavy flood was swept away, practically ending the working of the mill. Horse or band mills were more commonly used after the old mortar became too slow a way to grind. They were cheaply constructed and were a great improvement on their more simple and laborious predecessors. Another method was the grater, made by perforating with numerous small holes the bottom of some worn-out tin pan, which, being bent into a concave form, with that side outward, presented a number of sharp points, against which the dry corn was vigorously rubbed until worn to the cob. This old grater was an eve-sore to most juveniles, as it occupied the greater portion of their leisure time at noon or evening. It might be fun at first, but it soon became real work and an exceedingly tiresome monotony. Still food must be had, and men, now grown, recount with some feelings of mirth their experiences with this backaching task. Such labors and tasks as these were alloted to the early settlers of the Prairie State. The Rays, Rhoades, Fosters, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Sims and others, settling in what is now Elbridge Township, endured all these discom¬ forts in subjugating this country and making it the land it now is. There were other settlers, too, that joined in this good, though hard, work. Although the names of all may not appear here, yet the majority are given, while in the

From 1821 to the Black Hawk war, settlers came to the country rapidly. This is shown by the fact that, in 1823, the county was created, and was so well settled for that day as to admit of being divided into five civil districts.

Among those who came in 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825 and later, may well be mentioned David Roll, John Vaught, J. W. Parrish, Thomas Hicklan, William Hanks, Eleven Tucker and Abner Lamb. Of these named, Mr. Roll lived the quiet life of a good citizen, and died on his old homestead. John Vaught, wrho came about the same year with Mr. Roll - 1822 or 1823 - settled on what is now the Benjamin Morton place. A few years ago, he sold his farm and went to Kansas, where he died. James W. Parrish is yet living. He came from Tennessee, in 1829, with his family ; served, with others from this neighborhood, in the Black Hawk war, and now lives to see the country well populated and prosperous. Abner Lamb came from Kentucky, with his fam¬ ily, settled in this township, and, after a prosperous life, passed away on his some time a resident of this township. Thomas Hicklan and William Hanks were both from Kentucky. The former died several years ago, in the neighborhood of Grand View. The latter came the same year with Mr. Parrish, and died on the farm he entered. The Ewings, already mentioned, were a prominent family in this township. The Rays, of whom there were several, counting the grown sons, were also well known. Samuel Trogdon, father of Judge Trogdon, came to Illinois, on a prospecting tour, as early as 1815. Being pleased with the country, he returned to his native State, North Caro¬ lina, arid, in 182T, emigrated to the West, settling in this township. He remained here, however, but a few years, when he removed to what is now Stratton Township, where he resided until his death. He was a blacksmith by trade, but carried on a farm and tannery. In the capacity of blacksmith and tanner, he was a most valuable adiunct to the vouthful settlement. He could mend their wooden moldboard plows, sharpen their hoes and grubaxes, repair broken irons, and save them thereby a trip to some shop more remote, say to the county seat, then an enterprising village of perhaps a dozen log cabins, log Court House and log Jail. His tannery was, probably, one of the first in this part of the county. It consisted simply of a vat, made, likely in a hollow log, and a pole or two on which to rub and cure the hides. Boots, at that early day, were not a common article of wear ; moccasins were more prevalent. Strong shoes were the common article of feet-covering, and even these were considered so valuable that young ladies walked barefoot to church, and when near the sacred temple of worship, paused, sat down on some fallen log by the pathway, and, after carefully dusting or wiping their feet, put on their stockings and shoes and then entered the house of God. After the service, they would walk a short w'ay from the church and remove these lux- uries, returning home they came. Old settlers tell us this was not an uncommon sight in the early settling of the Western country. Sometimes they ask us of to-day, Would your sisters do this? We reply, did occasion demand the sacrifice, they would not only do this, but willingly endure any privations necessary to preserve our -welfare. For proof, we point to the emi¬ grants of to-day, who, in frontier life, endure the same trials, the same priva¬ tions and the same discomforts as their ancestors, and do it as willingly and cheerfully. Human nature is ever the same. Under all conditions, in all ages, in all lands and among all nations, heroic deeds are on record, attesting the truth of this statement. All honor to our ancestors, who subju¬ gated these wilds and built luxurious homes, in which we can now dwell. But the race they left behind them inherit from them the same indomitable spirit, and will do their share in the world's advancement.

When the first settlers came to Sugar Creek, Indians, principally of the Kickapoo tribe, were quite numerous in this part of the State. They were harmless, and no fears were entertained of them until the Black Hawk war, in 1831-32. The Winnebago -war of 1827 was too far north to excite the fears of the people in Edgar County, and few* if any volunteers went out in that short campaign from this part of the State. The Kickapoo Indians passed their time in the common pursuits of the Indian's life. They w*ere often engaged by the traders at Terre Haute and Vincennes as guides, and in this capacity were very useful. They knewT all the choice parts of the country ; could point out the best and clearest water-courses ; could tell where game most abounded, and, with the peculiar instinct of their race, were unerring in their accuracy. They were, however, fond of w*hisky, and when under its influence, like their white brothers, were often quite quarrelsome. Sometimes murders would be committed by them at such times, but were generally confined to their own race. No mention is made of their killing any w*hite persons, while two or three instances are on record where white men of a lawless kind, killed Indians. It is remembered by the oldest residents, that one day, two Indians, named Bob Johnnycake and George Washington - names given them by white men - getting rather drunk, became turbulent, and finally got into a fight. In the melee, Bob Johnnycake, who it seems had a grudge against George Washing¬ ton, killed him. As they were two Indians simply, no notice seems to have been taken of the affair ; at least no mention is made of Johnnycake's appre¬ hension and punishment. He probably ran away, more to avoid the vengeance of Washington's relations and friends, than through fear of a lawful trial.

Among the first settlers there were, as there always are, where courts are a rarity, or distant, several lawless or worthless characters. The first settlement of the country offered a fine chance for horse-thieves to ply their nefarious occu¬ pation with little dread of detection. They could so arrange their plans, that accomplices would always be in readiness to swear to any mitigating circum¬ stances tending to defeat the intent of justice. It must not be supposed that these persons as a -class, are ranked among the first settlers of the West. They can hardly be called settlers. They were always of a restless, migratory dis¬ position, remaining only long enough in any locality to accomplish their wicked schemes, or until detected in their crimes and compelled by the enraged inhab¬ itants to leave. They were seldom land-owners, and had, to all appearances, no visible means of support. To this latter fact was generally attributed their detection ; for to the real pioneer, the appearance of any individual with or without a family, who did not labor in some way for his daily support, gave rise to suspicions, and suspicions gave rise to inquiry, which must be satisfied. Some¬ times, however, sons of pioneers, whose taste for real hard labor was rather lukewarm, and who were easily dazzled by appearances, were led off by these rascals, and in time became assimilated with them. Among this latter class may be mentioned "Jack " Foster, as he was always known, John House and Harrison Taylor. They and some others had been committing various acts of lawlessness, such as burning buildings, stacks of grain or hay, cutting the mane and tails from horses, and kindred acts of wickedness, for which the settlers could obtain no redress. Finally a vigilance committee was formed, embracing the greater part of the county, and having such men in it as Augustus C. French, elected Governor in 1846, Col. Miner, Maj. Moke, Thomas McCord and Hall Sims. The organization took the punishment of this class of offend¬ ers into its own hands, and succeeded in banishing them from the country. One of the acts for which John House was accused, an act cowardly to the extreme in its nature, was the wanton murder of an inoffensive Indian. At the time, the Indian "was in his wigwam, quite unwell. House went to see him, smoked the pipe of peace with him, and enjoyed his hospitality, only to turn in the doorway of the wigwam as he was leaving, and shoot him dead. Two squaws witnessed the affair, and immediately fled with all their might. Afterward, when House was indicted by the grand jury for this offense, the squaws, the only witnesses to the deed, were debarred from testifying by the law, and he was allowed to go free. The affair well-nigh broke up the grand jury, as some among its members had suffered by the hands of the Indians and had no regard for them. The Vigilance Committee, however, took the case in hand, and House left the country. Foster and Taylor were each rather severely whipped and obliged to leave. Whatever may be said in mitigation of the acts of the Vigi¬ lantes, and though the circumstances may have justified their actions, yet such modes of punishment are unlawful and should not be encouraged. Justice should be so administered that criminals will respect the law, and stand in whole¬ some fear of its power.

Through all the years of which we have been writing, settlers had steadily been coming to this locality. Numerous claims had been made, cabins built, fields cleared and, in some instances, better houses and buildings were seen. Paris had been laid out, and contained quite a number of inhabitants. Trades¬ people were there, artisans had located, and now the comforts of life could be enjoyed. A post office bad been established and though letters cost from 10 to 25 cents each, they were eagerly welcomed, and came with a commendable regularity. The social life of the people had grown also. A church had been built in this neighborhood, a school or two had been opened, and though each structure was rude in its outlines, yet it imparted a tone of progress to the resi¬ dents, and was playing an important part in their lives. The settlers on Sugar Creek went to Terre Haute, at first, for goods and their mail. After Paris was located, they went there. The county seat is generally the objective point in all new counties, and as Edgar County was no exception, it rapidly rose to the dignity of a town. It remained the chief post office for the Sugar Creek settle¬ ment until 1836, when Elbridge village was platted by Mr. James Ray, and through the influence of Rev. John V. Campbell, a Presbyterian clergyman, Pastor of a small congregation who worshiped then in a log church a short dis¬ tance south of the village, the post office was established in the embryo town. It is claimed by those living in its locality to be the second post office established in the county. The village has something of a history, and will be found further on in this narrative.

Another adjunct to the pioneer's existence, and one that often entered largely therein, was the enjoyment, or necessity, of hunting. Wild game was very plenty in the early day in the West, so much so that often the settler was obliged to cease work and with his neighbors join in a kind of crusade. Wolves were destructive to the young pigs, or to any domestic fowls straying far from the house. Hogs could be fattened on the wild mast found in the timber, and needed care only when too small to resist the wolves, who seemed inclined to feast on fresh pork whenever a chance occurred. These marauders of the forests were gradually exterminated, however, with the advance of civilization and are no longer seen. They were endowed with marvelous powers of endurance, and could tire down several dogs and horses in a protracted race. Venison wTas one of the staple articles of food when white men first subjugated this part of Illi¬ nois. In the early discoveries of the West, deer were often seen in vast herds, as they wandered over the plains, or gathered on some prominence. Their flesh furnished an excellent article of food, while the skin, especially of the younger ones, when properly tanned, made very durable clothing. It was commonly well tanned, and made into hunting-shirts and leggings. For many years after the settlement of the country began, buckskin pants were a common sight. Buffaloes were never in great abundance in this part of the State. They pre¬ ferred the prairies, and could be found on them in vast herds. With the advance of civilization, they, like the Indians, gave way before the white man, and retired westward.

But few bears were found here. They prefer a colder climate, and were a dreaded foe to the Indian, who experienced the keenest delight in hunting them, and who had almost exterminated them when the white race occupied this part of the red man's domain.

Bees and their product, honey, entered largely into the luxuries of the pio¬ neer's life. Bee-trees were very plenty, and in their hollows were often stored large quantities of honey, which dripped, in tempting sweetness, from the broken combs, when disturbed. It wTas not uncommon for three or four men, when hunting for honey, to find in a few days, enough to fill two or three barrels. Mr. Sims states that he and three others brought home, as the result of a week's hunt, one barrel of clear liquid and one barrel of comb honey. In addition to this amount, they had wasted considerable. Nowadays, when one visits his neighbor, he is asked, " Do you take sugar in your coffee ? " Then, the inquiry commonly used until after maple sugar was made, was, "Do you take honey in your coffee?" In this and kindred capacities, it was often used, filling a want poverty prevented them from supplying in any other manner. The woods, however, were growing immense and numer¬ ous sugar-trees, and before the settlers had been here many seasons, they had learned to utilize these, and maple sugar and maple molasses were among the ex¬ ports of the pioneer. It is proper to remark here, that all surplus corn, wheat, pork, honey, or whatever could be obtained here, including peltries of various kinds, were hauled to the Wabash River, sold to merchants at Terre Haute or Vincennes, and by them taken down the river in flatboats. The great market at that day was New Orleans. The journey thither required a great deal of time, as the boat was commonly allowed to float with the current. After the cargo was sold, the trader was compelled to foot his way back or row up the river in a canoe, either way very laborious and tiresome. When steamboats began to ply the Western wTaters, this slow way of travel gradually gave way to more advanced and rapid methods. That mighty harbinger of progress,, steam, first made its appearance on the Western waters in 1811. Six years after, on August 2, 1817, the first steamboat to ascend the Mississippi River from its junction with the Ohio, arrived at St. Louis. From these dates it will be observed by the reader, steam navigation wTas in use when Edgar County was first settled. Still, many of the pioneers adopted the plan pur¬ sued by their ancestors, as the flatboat provided a very cheap mode of trans¬ portation, and as time was of but little account then, it was commonly used for several years after the settlement of the country. The return trip of the trader was much easier and quicker made by the steamboats, and if he kept out of the hands of the gamblers, who made early steamboats an insecure place, his journey would be one of pleasure as well as profit.

By the commencement of the Black Hawk war, in 1832, the county was, especially in the south and eastern parts, well settled. Good crops of corn and other cereals were raised ; clothing of an earlier day was superseded by a more becoming, if not more durable, garb ; sod-corn, planted between every third furrow, was replaced by crops that would admit a plow between the furrows ; frame houses were taking the place of log cabins, and much of the labor of the pioneer was now a thing of the past. Instead of being obliged to go to Pales- tine, Terre Haute or Vincennes for blacksmithing, or to the primitive shop of Solomon Aldridge, southeast of Paris, and built by him about 1822 or 1823, they could go to a forge of considerable importance at the county seat. Band-mills, mortars, graters, and other early appliances for grinding corn, were superseded by water-mills, whose supply of water was so well regulated they did not need to depend on a heavy rain or a spring freshet. Though all products were cheap, they were plenty, and no one suffered. It is not uncommon now to hear some one, rather chronic in his tastes, cry out for the "good old times." Does the complainer stop to think that pork in those u good old times" brought from 31 to $2 per hundred ; that corn often sold for 10 cents per bushel, and other things on that basis ? To any one who desires to repeat the toils neces¬ sary for the reduction of a country from nature's to man's domain, there is a w'ay open in the uncultivated and unbroken West, where he can work to his will.

Elections in the early days of this, as well as all other townships, were no inconsiderable part of their history. Mr. Sims says that after his arrival they went to John Laswell's house, or the north arm of Coal Creek, to vote, and that William Lowry was the first Representative sent from this region. Until the adoption of the township organization of 1848 - modified in 1851 - all counties governed themselves by three Commissioners. The act was not adopted in Edgar County until 1856, when a Supervisor was chosen from each township, this body constituting the County Court. During the regime of the Commis¬ sioners, Mr. Hall Sims, from this precinct, served eight years. He was also sent to the Legislature for two terms. In the early day, several precincts would be grouped together for election purposes, owing to the sparseness of the pop¬ ulation. As the country settled, these limits would be narrowed down from time to time to suit the convenience of the people. This necessitated a change in the voting-places. At first, elections were held at the cabin of a settler centrally located. As soon as schoolhouses were erected here and there in the settle¬ ments, the voting-place was made at one of these. Mills or stores were also used, if built in some prominent locality. The records in the Commissioners' Court show that Elbridge Township - then called Pike Precinct - was made a separate voting-precinct at the March term, 1832. The election was ordered to be held at " Liberty Meeting-house.'' At the June term, 1836, the place of voting was changed to the schoolhouse near Elbridge village, then not platted, only contemplated, and containing but one house. At this same term, it was ordered that the election to be held in Wayne Precinct occur at Josiah Morri¬ son's Mill.

Changes were quite often made at this date, as the Black Hawk war, four years before, had settled the Indian question so far as Illinois was concerned, and settlers were coming rapidly into her borders. Another thing tending to augment the tide of emigration westward, was the dawning of the era of the internal improvement system, which, though it blazed out with comet-like splen-

The precinct is named " Pike" on all records in the Commissioners' Courts till 1850, when the name " Elbridge " appears, a name given it to coincide with the post office and village in its bounds.

Religious And Educational

The religious and educational life of the settlers grew with them as the years went on in their frontier home. At first, religious services were held in the most commodious cabin found in the settlement, or, if the weather was fine, in some large grove convenient to all. As the forests were cleared away, and new homes were created, a schoolhouse was erected in this settlement ; and, while it did duty on the week-day as a shelter of learners in their search for knowledge, it was not allowed to be idle on the day we all observe as a day of rest. From these beginnings grew the early congregations, containing often a large membership. It has been stated, and by reliable authority, too, that the first church erected in Edgar County was built in Pike Precinct. It stood a short distance from the present town of Elbridge. It was built of round logs, notched at the ends so as to fit tolerably closely together. The cracks were not chinked or daubed, and admitted, on a cold day, plenty of invigorating air. The seats were made from split slabs, with long wooden pins in them for legs, and did not enjoy the more modern luxury of backs. The preacher was some¬ times allowed an old splint-bottom chair ; but this was something the members did not allow themselves. In one end, a huge fire-place gave out a great heat, burning those next to it and allowing those near the door to enjoy the other extreme. We are not informed whether this pioneer church was ever honored with a stove and ornamented with windows. It may have been. It probably had a puncheon floor. It was built by the Baptists, principally, though minis¬ ters of any denomination were allowed to occupy it. They were always sure of an audience, were the services sufficiently advertised. It was not hard to do this in early days here, as every one took the precaution to inform his neighbor ; and a man's neighbor in those days often lived ten or twelve miles away.

Another church was built on what was called the " North Arm," almost as early as the " Liberty Church," which we have just described, and in which the first elections in the precinct were held. Mr. Hall Sims says it was erected a few years after his arrival. It was not so much a part of the Sugar Creek Settle¬ ment, however, as its predecessor, and must have drawn a considerable portion of its membership from what is now Stratton and Hunter Townships.

Some of the early emigrants along Sugar Creek, especially in the south part of the township, professed the Presbyterian creed, and, soon after the Black Hawk war, erected a house of worship a mile or so south of the present town of Elbridge. It stood in a fine grove of timber, and on the warm summer and autumn days services were commonly held in the open air, immediately in front of the house. Along the front, a long porch had been made, whichserved for a pulpit, the minister being shielded from the rays of the sun by the projecting roof or the thick branches of the trees. What hallowed memories

The people, those days, were all poor, and could not give of their abun¬ dance to the support of the ministry. The preacher, Paul-like, generally worked with his own hands, if not at tent-making, he could at shoemaking, at which honest avocation Rev. John V. Campbell, the first preacher in the Presbyterian Church here, supported himself. It is said he was a good preacher and faith¬ ful worker, but that his shoes were not made for state occasions. As the people had more use for durable than showy articles, his handicraft met with a ready sale in his own neighborhood. It was through his instrumentality that the vill¬ age of Elbridge received its name, and that a post office was established therein.

Old " Liberty Church " gradually gave way before the encroachments of time, and was superseded by another and more comfortable structure. It was of hewed logs and was quite a comfortable affair in comparison with its prede¬ cessor. It, in time, also, became old, and was superseded by a frame house, now the schoolhouse in Nevins. This frame structure was another step in the the path of progress, and was, in its day, considered quite a commodious build¬ ing. But the growth of the country demanded still better and neater struct¬ ures, and as a new schoolhouse was needed in the Franklin district, it was decided to accept the offer for the frame church and erect the present house of worship, standing now in the village of Nevins, that being a more central loca¬ tion for the members of this congregation, who had changed, in all these years, almost as often as the houses of worship. Now, a neat church stands in the eastern part of the village, in which a small congregation meet weekly for divine services.

The Presbyterian' Church referred to as being in the Ewing neighborhood, has a history somewhat analogous to -that of the Baptist Church. After its log church became too small and worn out, it was replaced by a very comfortable building, which is yet standing and is occasionally used. The congregation was at one time very large, and exerted no little influence in this township. As time went on, the members moved out of its bounds to such a number that it could no longer support a regular ministry, and now only occasional services are held.

In the villages that have grown since the advent of the railroads, are several churches, each of which is noticed in the sketch of the towns, but omitted in the present narrative.

From all accounts, it is learned that the first schoolhouse built in this town¬ ship was erected in 1823. Like all houses of the time, it was built of unhewn logs, had a great fire-place in one end and greased paper for window-lights. Seats for the scholars were made from slabs, with short sticks of wood for legs.

and no backs. On one side of the room was placed a long slab, on pegs driven into auger holes in the wall, on which the pupils daily practiced writing. Goosequills were used, one of the requirements of the teacher being that he knew howT to make them into pens. Persons wTho learned to use these in their youth often refuse any other, and it is not an uncommon sight to see old people still writing with a quill pen. The youngest scholars were given a Webster's Ele¬ mentary Spelling-book, and were considered ready for the school. The more modern idea of a slate being placed in their hands before they had learned to cipher, was not entertained. What time the juvenile was not engaged in recitaing his lessons, he could u dog-ear " his book or swing his tired legs, his feet seldom touching the floor. Singing the capitals of the States was the common exercise in geography. It does not seem to have entered the teacher's mind that State capitals were the invention of man, and, like him, were liable to change, or that new States were occasionally created. Nevertheless, from

The advance in education kept apace with the advance in everything else. One schoolhouse wras not enough in the precinct, and another was built, near the southern part. As early as 1825 or 1826, a log schoolhouse was erected on Big Creek, in what is now Sims Township, and had answered for the youth of a portion of Pike Precinct. Some went there even after the one mentioned was built in their own district. The second one erected on Sugar Creek was better than the first, and, as each one came into being, it was an improvement on its predecessor. Who the first teacher in this precinct was is an unsettled ques¬ tion. Mr. Sims thinks it was James McNutt, an emigrant from Tennessee. Mr. Parrish, who came in 1829, says he moved into an old cabin that had been built and used for a schoolhouse some time, and that some of the settlers sent their children to Big Creek, then, to school ; but does not remember the teach¬ er's name, or to have heard who had taught in the house he was occupying. These pioneer schools continued, with varying success and short terms, until the passage of the present school law, in 1855. Public money was, however, in the treasury as early as 1886. It came from the sale of the public lands, and later, from the sale of every sixteenth section of land, generously donated to the State by the General Government in its organic act. More than thirty years, the friends of popular education labored with great diligence to obtain an act of the General Assembly placing the common schools on a firm foundation. Local prejudices, apathy, popular antipathy against taxation, and kindred causes all were to be conquered ere this could be done. Yet these men worked bravely on, succeeding, as early as 1825, in securing a good common-school law, only to behold it destroyed by the next Legislature. Again and again were bills passed ; but such were the difficulties to be overcome, that not until the date already mentioned were the people educated to the required standard, and the cause of education firmly fixed in Illinois. Now, no State has a greater pride in her common schools or does more for them than she. Good schoolhouses are to be found in nearly all communities, in which school is regularly conducted from four to nine months in the year. In Elbridge Town¬ ship, these schoolhouses appear at occasional cross-roads or in shaded groves by the roadside, while in them are often found teachers whose ideas are apace with the times. To the cause of popular education the American people can truth¬ fully attribute their prosperity, and at all times it should merit their warmest and most substantial support and approval.

The Villages - Elbridge

Commencing with this hamlet, the oldest in the township, we will pro¬ ceed to give a history of each. It was laid out by Mr. James Ray, on his own land, in August, 1836. Mr. Brown Wilson was the County Surveyor at the time, and a little over a year after, in December, 1837, he laid out an addi¬ tion to it for. John Campbell. It will be noticed in the history of the township that the Ray family are among the oldest settlers. Mr. John A. Ray, whose death occurred in December. 1878, lived on the farm entered in 1818 by his father, John Ray. Mr. Andrew B. Ray, another member of this family, died March 25, 1876, at the age of eighty- two. Only one of his family, Mrs. Eliza¬ beth Crow, is now living.

Mr. James Ray evidently saw the need of a village in this part of the county, and, as soon as he grew able, platted the town. His own house stood on the plat, and may be accounted the first thereon. It is now standing in Ferrell, owned by the Masonic Lodge, which occupies the upper story for its rooms, and rents the lower to Mr. Thomas Pearce, for a store. About the time the town was contemplated, a Mr. Elbridge G. Howe, a colporteur, was selling religious books and tracts about the country. Rev. John V. Campbell, already men¬ tioned, was Pastor of the small Presbyterian congregation south of the proposed village. He, like the first apostle to the gentiles, made a good share of his living with his own hands. Though not a tent-maker, he was a shoemaker and cobbler. He, with others in the vicinity, wanted a post office here, and, in his petition to the Postal Department at Washington, named the embryo office Elbridge. This name was also attached to the village. The reader can very readily observe where the name originated.

was now exactly reversed in the case of Elbridge. Here he couldn't see the town because there were so few houses. The residence of Mr. James Ray alone occupied the village site. The town had, however, been well advertised for that day, and before the winter came on, a store was opened by John Cal¬ vin and Reuben Owens. A Mr. Lightfoot kept store here also. After Mr. Owens' death, the store in which he was interested went down, and Mr. Lightfoot continued alone in business .some time. About 1855, Henderson Burson built a third store, and for awhile carried on a good trade. He after¬ ward moved to Vermilion. His successors were Foreman & Piper, who soon sold out and followed Mr. Burson. They left Swisher & Elliott in the mer¬ cantile business, who, however, gave way when railroads began to exert an influence on the towns, and it was discovered that away from them a village had little hope of success. Now there is only a small store kept by H. K. Hitch, the majority of the trade going elsewhere, while the post office is removed to Ferrell, on the railroad.

The first church in the village was erected by the Methodists about 1838. It was a log structure and was used until the congregation by removals became so diminished that the organization was disbanded. A year or tw^o after, the Disciples of Christ organized a congregation and met for divine services in the members' houses or in a schoolhouse. When they became able, in conjunction with the United Brethren, a frame house of worship was erected, which a year or two ago was sold to the district and is now used for school purposes in Elbridge.

The first school in Elbridge was taught by Dr. Peter Yeargin. He began on February 21, 1837, and continued a few months, receiving $16 from the public funds, the balance from the parents in the district. The school was taught in a part of Mr. James Ray's old cabin. The interior arrangements were rather meager and the school crowded. The Doctor says he had about fifty scholars, showing a considerable population at the time, though it must be borne in mind a school district then embraced a large scope of country. The Doctor says he remembers there were tw~enty-six boys attending the school, and as the two sexes are generally nearly equally represented, his school must have enrolled fully the number given. Schools continued to be taught in private houses in this part of the township until 1850, when the district erected a small frame house at an expense of $225. It was used until 1876, when, becoming too small and worn out, it was replaced by the purchase of the church referred to. Dr. Yeargin came to the township in 1836, from Randolph County, North Carolina. He made the journey in a wagon, occupying seven weeks on the way. He settled at first about two miles north of Elbridge village, but came to it to live as soon as it became fairly started, where he yet resides. His pred¬ ecessor in the healing art was Dr. James Love, one of the first settlers in the precinct, and withal a rather disreputable character. One or two others followed him until Dr. S. J. Meldori, an Englishman, came, who, after a resi¬ dence of five or six years, went to Newport, Ind., leaving Dr. Yeargin. At the time of his arrival, he states the settlers still resided principally along the water-courses, leaving the intervening country unoccupied.

The completion ofr the Illinois Midland Railroad through the township in February, 1874, was the touchstone that deprived Elbridge of its growth. It has more of a history than any village in the township, but cannot hope to succeed against its more fortunate rivals.

The charter for the Parish Terre Haute Railroad was obtained March 1, 1872. The line was the extension of the Midland Railroad, and had been built from Paris to Decatur a year or so before. Its completion through Elbridge Township was the signal for the starting of some new towns. One of these, the largest, is Nevins. It was surveyed by George W. Foreman, County Sur¬ veyor, for James W. and B. F. Parrish and Ashier Morton, early in 1874, on land belong-ino; to them. Mr. Morton and his brother John erected a store soon after, in which they opened a general stock of goods. A post office was secured and named in conjunction with the town in honor of Mr. Robert N. Nevins, of Paris. The store is now owned by John W. Staples, who does a good business. A warehouse was built by John W. Morton, about two years ago, from which considerable grain is shipped. Soon after the town was laid out, a blacksmith-shop was erected by Robert Osborne, who is yet in business. For awhile, a shoe-shop was kept here; but the business proving unremunerative, owing to its nearness to the county seat, it was closed. These business enterprise comprise the trade of the village. It is yet in its infancy, and cannot be expected to furnish a long history.

The Baptists have a very neat church here. The congregation is the out¬ growth of the old u Liberty Church," of which mention is made in the town¬ ship history. The building preceding the present one is now used for school purposes.

School has been regularly maintained in this locality many years ; first in the old log schoolhouse, then in a hewed-log one, and lastly in the presen frame building originally built for a church. The number of scholars in attendance is now about fifty. The town is not incorporated, and the school is under the district control.

About one-half mile west of Nevins is a very neat house of worship, built by the Christians. The Methodists also hold services here, neither congrega¬ tion being able to support a regular ministry.

As the village is new, the buildings have a fresh appearance, and, should / prosperous times prevail, it will grow to considerable proportions and command an excellent trade. A few miles north is a regular stopping-place for the trains, but no effort to start a village there has been attempted.

Mar Ley

a few miles south of Nevins, was laid out by Mr. Foreman, in April, 1874, for Mr. W. D. Marley, on whose land it is located. At present, there only is a store, a warehouse, blacksmith-shop, depot and a church. The store was opened here by 0. S. Jones & Co., soon after the railroad was finished. It is now owned by James Marley and E. P. Brown, who have a good local trade. Mr. W. D. Marley controls the warehouse, and ships large amounts of grain annually. It was mainly for this reason - affording a near market to the sur¬ rounding farmers - that the station was established here.

The church is a very neat frame building, erected in 1877, almost entirely by Mr. W. D. Marley. It cost #2,130, and is under the control of the Meth¬ odists. Rev. S. A. Long was the first minister here, and succeeded in estab¬ lishing a good congregation. It is now prosperous, and sustains regular .services.

is the farthest south of the towns on this road in the county, and is, very prob¬ ably, the outgrowth of old Elbridge. That town being nearly a mile from the railroad, very naturally had a depot erected for its own use, which sagacious residents saw could be a town outrivaling its predecessor, and at once put the thought into action.

Ferrell was laid out the last week in March, 1874, by Mr. Foreman, on land belonging to Mr. I. C. Ferrell, from whom the village very deservedly obtained its name. The first store here was opened by Stephen Maddock and IT. R. Hicks, who removed their store from Elbridge. After a year or more, they sold to I. C. Ferrell, who is yet in trade. He is also Postmaster. When the Masons removed their building from Elbridge here, they repaired it, painted it, and rented the lower story to Thomas Pearce, who, after an absence, is still in business. M. H. Ferrell erected a warehouse, which he is still controlling, and from which he ships considerable grain. A flouring-mill was built here by Mr. George Mock, at a cost of nearly #7,000. He is still running it. Mr. Mock is one of the early settlers in this locality. He is a native of North Caro¬ lina, and was for some years a resident of Ohio, where he was married. He came to this county in 1829, settling near Paris. After a residence there of a few years, he came to this township, where he since resided and contributed much to its advancement. The Ferrell family are also one of the most promi¬ nent in Elbridge Township.

As yet, no school or church has been started in Ferrell. The children are sent to. Elbridge, as the district embraces both towns; while those who desire religious privileges attend some of the country churches.

Sandford And West Sandford

The first named of these villages (both really one) lies wholly in Indiana ; the second is in Illinois. As both enter considerably into the history of Elbridge Township, their history will be given together.

Sandford proper, was laid out in the winter of 1854-55, by Hiram Sandford, whose father, Isaac Sandford, was one of the early residents of this locality, and an active man in its advancement. He was here when the original survey of the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad was made, and furnished timber to be used in its construction. The failure of the system left him with a lot of depre¬ ciated State bonds and a large part of his timber on hand. The latter he sold "down the river," and realized something for it. The bonds were not then a profitable investment. They were based mainly on the faith of the State, not the recognized standard of value in the markets of the world, especially when the faith was controlled by a fluctuating Legislature.

Mr. Sandford remained here, and, to accommodate the adjoining population, and further increase his own wealth, opened, in 1842, a small store. There he retailed a multitudinous variety of commodities needed in those days. Thi& store and his mill were the two principal houses in the embryo village for some time.

The re-opening of the railroad in 1855 caused a more general desire for a town at this place, and Mr. Hiram Sandford, who had by this time become part owner here, laid out the village of Sandford, in Indiana. The store and mill, however, were in Illinois, the former standing nearly on the State line. Thenext year, he platted the part in Illinois. Shortly after, Mr. Ephraim Wolfe built a small frame house (the worn-out shell of which is now standing on the east side of the depot) in which he opened a stock of goods. In 1 858, Jacob' H. Hussong built a third store, which he operated till the breaking-out of the late war, when he sold his goods and enlisted. Shortly after Mr. Wolfe opened his store, George Beucamp either purchased his stock or started in a similar enterprise. This brought quite an influx of business to the young town in its incipiency. The post office was soon opened, the mill began an increasing run of patronage, and improvements of various kinds were of daily occurrence.

After Mr. Sandford conducted his store a few years, he sold to Mr. J. B. Armentrout, who continued in business, and Mr. Sandford continued operating his saw and grist mill until destroyed by fire. He was succeeded in this business by Mr. David Fuqua, who erected a grist-mill on the site of the present one,, however, was also unluckily destroyed by fire. In 1874, Mr. J. H. Hussong erected the present mill, which he operated until October, 1877, when he sold it to Daniel Kibler, who is now running it. It has a very fair custom, and ships yearly a large amount of flour.

The mill, three or four stores and a blacksmith-shop constitute the main busi¬ ness part of the town. Mr. Hussong, since his retirement from the grist-mill, has erected a steam saw-mill, which he has just completed and got in running order. It promises good results, as timber is yet plenty in this region.

The Methodists occupied this part of the country at an early day. Dr. Minier, who lived in Paris several years prior to his death, organized a class a few miles northeast of the present village, long before it was started. By 1854, the number of members had so increased that a church was resolved upon, and that year a very comfortable one built in Sandford. Before this, they had worshiped in private houses and in schoolhouses. The church was a small, comfortable frame building. It was used until late in 1877, when it was destroyed by burning. A new one was at once erected on its site. The number of members is now about one hundred and fifty. The present Pastor is' Rev.

Although Sandford was early incorporated under the general law of Indiana, the school is still under the district control. A good school has always been main¬ tained here, and as the incorporation of the town is about practically annulled, the educational affairs will probably remain in the hands of the township.

A Masonic lodge was organized here in 1867. It owns the present depot building, built by Mr. Wolfe, and designed for a store. The enterprise not meeting his expectations, he sold the building to the lodge in 1878. The lower story is used as the depot and post office, the agent acting in both capacities The present officers of the lodge are: D. E. Van Houghton, W. M.; James M. Duck, S. W. ; J. W. D. Wolfe, J. W. ; T. L. Storey, S. D. ; Cyrus Seldonridge, J. D. ; J. M. Bolton, Secretary; J. W. Watts, Treasurer; A. French, Tiler.

Far across the dense woodlands of Indiana, beyond where Ohio's broad waters roll onward on their way to join the Mississippi, in its course to the great ocean, and yet still further on, among the graceful forest-trees and gushing springs and fertile plains of Kentucky, rests, in quiet beauty, a shady hillside, a bright, green valley and a dancing water-brook. Near the lane which passes this spot and crosses the little stream of water just beyond, may be seen a fine old farmhouse, surrounded with towering elms and fronted with evergreens of different varieties. But not with this place, as it exists to-day, has our narrative to do. True, the surroundings have changed but little in a half-century. The trees are much larger, and the house has been so metamorphosed that its former owner would not recognize it ; but the hillside and the brook, the valley and the forest, pre¬ sent the same appearance as when, fifty-odd years ago, the scene which we are about to describe might have been witnessed. It was no uncommon occurrence that was taking place there, but because of its being a usual circumstance it becomes of the greater importance, and is described the more minutely. To the parties concerned, however, it was a matter of the greatest moment. The family who had for years occupied this place had heard of the wonderful coun¬ try just beyond the Wabash. One of their neighbors had been traveling in the newly-made State of Illinois, and had brought back glowing accounts of the broad prairies, the fine belts of timber, of the richness of the soil, the abundance of game, and the many other real and fancied advantages to the emigrant bold enough to face the dangers and privations incident to a pioneer life. The matter had been talked over for many months. The children talked it'over, and wondered at length of the journey, the exciting incidents of the trip and the novel scenes that awaited them in their new home, little compre¬ hending the hardships to which they would all be subjected. The mother and wife had said but little, but naturally shrank from the trial of leaving relatives, friends and home and taking up her abode in the wilderness. She could scarcely reconcile herself to the life of privation, and perhaps danger, that awaited her and those she loved. But the father argued that the little farm on which they lived and rented by the year, but barely gave them a support ; that the prospect there, as much as he liked his neighbors and as highly as he prized the social and other privileges, was very feeble for an independence. He was advancing in years, and the children would soon arrive at manhood and woman¬ hood, with no provision for old age for himself and wife, and with nothing for the young folks with which to begin life. And so, it was concluded to remove to what seemed the land of promise.