Edgar County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 5 of 24)

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it ; but if not he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi¬ nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec¬ tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment), shall be presented to the President of the United States, and before the same shall take effect shall be approved by him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and lim¬ itations prescribed in the case of a bill.

To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States ;

And Its Amendments

To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries ;

To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the disch pline prescribed by Congress ;

To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful buildings ; and

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any depart¬ ment or officer thereof.

Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev¬ enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.

No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expeditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : and no* person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confeder¬ ation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit ; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.

No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States ; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.

No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

Section 1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same term, be elected as follows :

Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress ; but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

[ * The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Pres¬ ident of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Rep¬ resentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President ; and if no person have a ma¬ jority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the vote shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the Electors shall be the Vice-President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice-Presi¬ dent.]

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the Electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President ; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty -five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-Pr.esident, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabil¬ ity, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall then act as -President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the dis¬ ability be removed, or a President shall be elected.

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com¬ pensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States or any of them.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Sec. 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the army and. navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardon for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present con¬ cur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law ; but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

Sec. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress informationof the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such mea¬ sures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may on extraordinary occasions convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagree¬ ment between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.

Sec. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con¬ viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Section I. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases of Admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ; between a state and citizens of another state ; between citizens of differ¬ ent states : between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects.

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction.

In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury ; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall liave been committed ; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.

Sec. 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levy¬ ing war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the tes¬ timony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open eourt.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.

Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime,, who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime.

No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation, therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.

Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ; but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the Legislatures of the states concerned, as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state.

Sec. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the Execu¬ tive (when the Legislature can not be convened), against domestic vio¬ lence.

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the ap¬ plication of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when rati¬ fied by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by con¬ ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi¬ cation may be proposed by the Congress. Provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adop¬ tion of this Constitution shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.

bers of the several state Legislatures, and all executive and judicial offi¬ cers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying the same.

Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

Geo. Washington

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre¬ scribed by law.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio¬ lated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous -crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in -cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor ; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or sub¬ jects of any foreign state.

The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall name in their ballots the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice- President, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest number not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from twothirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a Presi¬ dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disabilitv of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice- President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be the majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major- ity; then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris¬ diction.

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any persdn within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Sec. 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per¬ sons in .each state, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice- President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the execu¬ tive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the num¬ ber of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.

Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or Elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previ¬ ously taken an oath as a Member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state Legislature, or as an execu¬ tive or judicial officer of any state to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.

Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author¬ ized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and boun¬ ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be ques¬ tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall pay any debt or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any loss or emancipation of any slave, but such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Electors Of President And Vice-President

Note. - It is generally assumed that the gross weight of Hogs diminished by 1-5 or 20 per cent. of itself gives the net weight, and the net weight increased by % or 25 per cent, of itself equals the .gross weight.

Rule. - Multiply (by short method) the number of cubic feet by '6308, and point off one decimal place - the result will be the correct answer in bushels and tenths of a bushel.

Miscellaneous Information

Note. - In estimating corn in the ear, the quality and the time it lxas been cribbed must be taken into consideration, since corn will shrink considerably during the Winter and Spring. This rule generally holds good for corn measured at the time it is cribbed, provided it is sound and clean.

Rule. - Multiply the square of the mean diameter by the depth (&1I in feet) and this product by 5681 (short method), and point off ONE decimal place - the result will be the contents in barrels of 311- gallons.

Rule. - Under the square of the mean diameter, write the length (all in inches) in reversed order, so that its units will fall under the tens ; multiply by short method, and this product again by 430 ; pointoff one decimal place, and the result will be the answer in wine gallons.

Rule. - Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and divide the product by 12 - the result will be the contents in square feet.

Rule. - Multiply the width, the thickness, and the length together (the width and thickness in inches, and the length in feet), and divide the product by 12 - the result will be square feet.

Bricks are usually made 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and two inches thick ; hence, it requires 27 bricks to make a cubic foot without mortar* but it is generally assumed that the mortar fills 1-6 of the space.

To find the length of the rafters, at one-fourth pitch, multiply the width of the building by .56 (hundredths) ; at one-third pitch, by .6 (tenths) ; at two-fifths pitch, by .64 (hundredths) ; at one-half pitch, by .71 (hundredths). This gives the length of the rafters from the apex to the end of the wall, and whatever they are to project must be taken into consideration.

Note. - By yi or }£ pitch is meant that the apex or comb of the roof is to be X or }£ the width of the building higher than the walls or base of the rafters.

Rule. - Level the grain ; ascertain the space it occupies in cubic feet ; multiply the number of cubic feet by 8, and point off one place to the left.

If the corn in the box is in the ear, divide the answer by 2, to find the number of bushels of shelled corn, because it requires 2 bushels of ear corn to make 1 of shelled corn.

In measuring land, the first thing to ascertain is the contents of any given plot in square yards ; then, given the number of yards, find out the number of rods and acres.

The most ancient and simplest measure of distance is a step. Now, an ordinary-sized man can train himself to covei* one yard at a stride, on the average, with sufficient accuracy for ordinary purposes.

To make use of this means of measuring distances, it is essential to walk in a straight line ; to do this, fix the eye on two objects in a line straight ahead, one comparatively near, the other remote ; and, in walk¬ ing, keep these objects constantly in line.

Farmers and others by adopting the following simple and ingenious con¬ trivance , may always carry with them the scale to construct a correct yard measure.

Take a foot rule, and commencing at the base of the little finger of the left hand, mark the quarters of the foot on the outer borders of the left arm, pricking in the marks with indelible ink.

Rule. - Multiply the square of one-fifth of the circumference in inches, by twice the length, in feet, and divide by 144. Deduct 1-10 to- 1-15 according to the thickness of the bark.

Rule. - The reciprocal of the rate is the time for which the interest on any sum of money will be shown by simply removing the decimal point two places to the left ; for ten times that time, remove the point one place to the left; for 1-10 of the same time, remove the point threeplaces to the left. >

Note. - The reciprocal of the rate is found by inverting the rate ; thus 3 per cent, per month, in¬ verted, becomes % of a month, or 10 days.

U. S. Government Land Measure

The sections are divided into quarters, which are named by the cardinal points. The quarters are divided in the same way. The de¬ scription of a forty acre lot would read : The south half of the west half of the south-west quarter of section 1 in township 24, north of range 7 west, or as the case might be ; and sometimes will fall short and sometimes overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain.

A league is three miles, but its length is variable, for it is strictly speaking a nautical term, and should be three geographical miles, equal to 3.45 statute miles, but when used on land, three statute miles are said to be a league.

How To Keep Accounts

Every farmer and mechanic, whether he does much or little business, should keep a record of his transactions in a clear and systematic manner. For the benefit of those who have not had the opportunity of ac¬ quiring a primary knowledge of the principles of book-keeping, we here present a simple form of keeping accounts which is easily comprehended, and well adapted to record the business transactions of farmers, mechanics and laborers.

Interest Table

Multiply the principal (amount of money at interest) by the time reduced to days; then divide this product by the quotient obtained by dividing 360 (the number of days in the interest year) by the per cent, of interest, andt/ie quotient thus obtained will be the required interest.

Miscellaneous Table

Virginia. - The oldest of the States, was so called in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen,*' in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made liis first attempt to colonize that region.

Florida. - Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida on Easter Sunday, and called the country in commemoration of the day, which was the Pasqua Florida of the Spaniards, or " Feast of Flowers."

Texas is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that section of the country was called before it was ceded to the United States..

Paris

AS we go up the ascent of time, past history shrinks and shrivels up into points, the light specks only making the darkness visible. While this is true of nations, it is especially true of individuals, however great in their day, and however important the results achieved through their instrumentality. In this respect history does not repeat itself. It must be reproduced as far as pos¬ sible with all its original antecedents and surroundings ; otherwise, much that the world cannot afford to lose will pass silently, but no less surely, into the remorse¬ less gulf of oblivion. The past, with all its momentous changes, has ever been regarded as important, and richly deserving of record. Long before letters were invented, legendary tales and tradition were employed to perpetuate a knowledge of important events, and transmit the same to succeeding generations. Hieroglyphics were afterward used for the same purpose. But all these forms of memorial have long since given place to the pen and the type among civil¬ ize! nations. The introduction of modern alphabets made writing less difficult, and the invention of the art of printing afforded facilities for publishing books before unknown. The thirst for knowledge produced by the press and the Ref¬ ormation, and the growing taste for history created by the latter, brought out a host of historians, rendered their works voluminous and scattered them broad¬ cast over the world. Many of them, read in the blazing sunlight of civilization, have all the fascination of a romance, and hut increase in interest as time rolls on. The papyrus roll of ancient Egypt, containing mysterious records of the Dark Ages, and the ponderous folios of Confucius, that antedate tradition itself, were not more valuable to the sages and philosophers of old, than the printed page of the nineteenth century is to the scholar and enlightened individual of to-day. It is hoped, therefore, that the present effort to select and preserve some gleanings and reminiscences of early days in this section of the State, will not be deemed unimportant, nor wholly destitute of interest.

Although Illinois has contributed much to enrich the pages of history, her resources are by no means exhausted, and it requires but the historian's pen to cull from the chaotic mass important facts, and present them in a tangible form to the reader. And with all her vast wealth of historical lore, no part of the great State possesses more of genuine interest than this section. A period of time which would be considered remote in Northern Illinois, would be regarded as recent in Edgar County. Pioneers here were beginning to look upon them¬ selves as " old settlers when Chicago consisted of but a fort and trading-point of trappers and Indians. Even before the bright star answering to the name of Illinois . appeared in the azure field of the Stars and Stripes, 'the pale-face had begun to dispute with the red man for these fair lands, the smoke of his cabin to ascend from their forests, and his "civilized war-whoops" to awake the echoes of their hills and brakes.

Boundary And Topography

Edgar County lies in the eastern part of the State, and is bounded on the north by Vermilion County, on the west by Douglas and Coles, on the south by Clark County, and on the east by the State of Indiana. It is nearly a square, being about twenty-three and a half miles wide by about twenty-seven miles long, and thus containing something less than six hundred and forty square miles. The eastern and southern borders of the county, comprising perhaps two-fifths of its area, are occupied by the timbered land adjoining the banks of the streams which run toward the Wabash River. The remainder, with the exception of a few sections about the head of Embarras River, in the western edge of the county, is occupied by the Grand Prairie, some arms of which also run quite deeply into the timber, along the divides between the different creeks. The timber is mainly the same as that of the timbered lands to the northward; but in the southeastern part of the county, beech begins to take a prominent place, arid a considerable number of pines find congenial soil above the heavy-bedded soil ; but, in some of its eastern extensions into the timber,* this is mostly wanting, and the soft, dark-brown clay of the subsoil comes nearly to the surface. The bottoms of the prairie sloughs generally contain more or less of the light-brown, marly clay, in which may be found fresh-water shells. The State Geologists' Report, from which we shall make occasional extracts in these pages, says that some years ago the almost per¬ fect skeleton of a mastodon was obtained from one of these prairie sloughs, which, after having been exhibited through all parts of the United States, was sold to a Philadelphia museum, and that fragments of skeletons of this animal are not rare in this section. The beds of the "Drift Period" we shall notice more fully under the head of Geology, to which subject a chapter will be devoted further on in this work.

We have said that a period remote in the history of Northern Illinois, would be regarded as recent in Edgar County. Look at the dates, 1817 - 1879! Sixty-two years are between these milestones, standing along the highway of Time. Sixty-two years ! Twice the chances of human life. Thirty years are a generation's life-time, and thus the allotted span of two gen- erations has run out since white men first came to the wilds of Edgar County - one year before Illinois was admitted into the Union as a State. The entire State was then a " waste, howling wilderness," peopled by Indians, wolves, panthers, bears and other wild and savage animals. Lo, the change that threescore years have wrought ! The Indians, the original owners of the soil, are fading away, as it were, in the distant West; the panthers and wolves are almost forgotten, and "the wilderness has rejoiced and blossomed as the rose," while hundreds of happy and prosperous homes dot its forests and prairies. A large proportion of the citizens of Edgar County are Americanborn. From the pine forests of Maine to the palmetto groves of South Caro¬ lina and the cotton-fields of Tennessee, her population has come. Every State lying between these points has contributed more or less to the settlingup of the County. The hardy sons of New England, with their thrift and Yankee ingenuity, the stirring New Yorkers, the Pennsylvania Quakers and Dutch, the far-seeing Buckeyes, the industrious Hoosiers, the dignified Vir¬ ginians, the warm-hearted Southerners, the courageous Kentuckians, are here grouped together, forming a class of people that for native intelligence, favora¬ bly compare with those of any section or country ; while one of the results of the late war was an importation of Sambo, who has been denominated " God's shadow on the dial of American Progress." The first settlement in Edgar County was made along the timbered margin of the "North Arm" of Grand Prairie, which extends deep into the county on its eastern side, and was originally known as

This precinct embraced in its boundaries the present townships of Hunter, Brouillett and Stratton, with the northern tier of sections of Elbridge, and was one of the five original townships or precincts into which the county was divided at the time of its organization. Here, early in the spring of 1817, Bemember Blackman, John Stratton, Anthony Sanders, William Whitley and Aloysius Brown located, and are acknowledged as the first white settlers in Edgar County. Stratton, Whitley and Brown were from Kentucky, Blackman was from the Empire State, and Sanders from North Carolina. They arrived in time to prepare land and cultivate small crops of corn. Aloysius Brown finally moved to Wisconsin and died there years ago. Whitley remained in this sec¬ tion of the county but a few years, then sold out, moved into Paris Township and settled on the place now owned by Elliott. Stratton lived here many years, and finally sold out and moved up near Kankakee, where he died. Black¬ man died in the township, and Sanders left his wife, went down South, and married another Woman. In the township histories more extended notices will be given of all the early settlers.

In the fall following the settlement of those above given, Col. Jonathan Mayo came to the county and settled in the immediate neighborhood of them, and, during the winter, Barna B. Reynolds came in. Both were from Kentucky here, but Mayo was originally from the Old Dominion. He and his wife are the only two persons now living in the county who came to it that first year, grown up people. A few are to be found who were small children at the time of coming. A man of considerable prominence, and for years officially con¬ nected with the affairs of the county, we shall have occasion to quote exten¬ sively from Col. Mayo in these pages. Although blind and 'feeble in bodily health, his memory is undimmed by age, and we acknowledge in the beginning of our work our indebtedness to him for many historical facts and to Hall Sims, Col. Blackburn and many others of more modern date, without whose aid our history would be meager indeed. Mayo settled on the "North Arm," where he remained until 1827, when he removed into the city of Paris, and is still living on the place where he located on his removal to the city. Reynolds was related to Aloysius Brown, and removed from the country with Brown. They were zealous Catholics (Brown and Reynolds), and a brother of Rey¬ nolds attained quite an exalted position in that Church, as well as a daughter of Brown's, who is at the head of the Convent of St. Mary's, near Terre Haute.

In 1818 the little settlement was increased by the arrival of Daniel Lane, Augustin E. Boland, George and Daniel Beckwith and William Reed. Lane was from New Hampshire, and came first to Vincennes, where he remained a short time, and then came to this settlement. He died here many years ago, and upon his old homestead stands a Lombardy poplar that is known as a way-mark all over the country, and to which is attached quite a his¬ tory, more particularly referred to in another page. Boland was a native of Connecticut, and drifted westward while serving as a soldier of the war of 1812. He was discharged, when the war was over, at Vincennes, Ind , and from that place came here, as stated above. His name is still perpet¬ uated here by several sons, who rank among the worthy citizens of Hunter and Paris Townships. The Beckwiths were from New York, and were men of intelligence and enterprise. They removed to Vermilion County, before its organization, however, and after its formation, became active men, and Daniel represented it in the Legislature one or more terms. William Reed came from some of the Eastern States, but which one, we could not ascer¬ tain. He was also in the war of 1812, and after the formation of Edgar County, was its first Sheriff. He went to Vermilion County, where he died several years ago.

The following arrivals occurred during the year 1819 : Jacob Jones and family, Samuel Littlefield, Rev. Joseph Curtis, Lewis Murphy, and the Van Houtins. The Joneses and Littlefield were from Maine, and settled on. the "North Arm." now embraced in Hunter Township, where they remained until 1826, when they changed their location to Brouillett Township. Being rather prominent men, they will be more fully noticed in the chapter devoted to that town. Rev. Joseph Curtis* hailed from the Buckeye State, and is supposed to have been the first minister to proclaim the word of God in Edgar County. He established a class at Col. Mayo's house, of which Mayo and his wife and Curtis' widow are the only survivors. This fact will be referred to again in the church history. Murphy was from Virginia, and was the first Judge of Probate in the county. He died many years ago. All whose names have so far been given settled in what is now Hunter Township ; the Van Houtins, however, settled in the present town of Stratton. Benjamin Van Houtin was born in New Jersey, and his brother, Thomas Van Houtin, in New York, after the removal of the family to that section. Both still live in Stratton Township, and are among the enterprising farmers of that community. The next year (1820), the population of the settlement was increased by the coming of Joseph Lowry, John Lvcan, James and William Murphy, Otis McCulloch, Alexander McDon¬ ald, Alonzo Lapham, James Dudley, Col. J. M. Blackburn, and Trueman Blackman. Blackburn, Lowry and Lycan were from Kentucky, the "Dark and Bloody Ground," lying " beyond the beautiful river." The two latter settled in Hunter, and Blackburn in what is now Stratton Township. Black¬ burn took an active part in the Black Hawk war, and commanded a regiment during that brief campaign. He is still living in the township, retaining much of his former energy, and a vivid recollection of facts pertaining to the early history of the county, and will be further alluded to in the history of Stratton Township. The Murphys were from Virginia. The first Circuit Court after the formation of the county was held at the house of William Murphy, who lived adjoining to Col. Mayo, and upon which place he died many years ago. James Murphy built a horse-mill near the present line of Hunter and Stratton, and afterward a water-mill near by, which is referred to elsewhere. McCulloch and Lapham were from New York, and Dudley from Massachusetts. The lat¬ ter was one of the first merchants in the county ; finally removed to Coles County, and, it is said, grew very wealthy. Lapham built a "fulling-mill," in the early days of the county. McCulloch was not particularly distinguished, beyond being a worthy citizen. McDonald came from Tennessee, and Black¬ man from Ohio. Of McDonald little is known, and Blackman lived for years in Stratton Township.

In 1821, but few additions were made to the little settlement. Among them were Dr. Url Murphy, Hon. John B. Alexander and Nathaniel Morgan. Dr. Murphy wras a younger brother of the Murphys above mentioned, and was a young physician who had come to the "Far West" to establish a practice in the healing art, but found, instead, an early grave. Alexander was from North Caitfiina, and was a man of considerable note in the country, as elsewhere stated. Morgan was from Kentucky, but otherwise little is known of him. In 1822, James Lowry, the Gillams, George Board, Rev. John W. McReynolds, James Hensly, Squire Newlon, Laban Burr and Edward Wheeler came to the settlement. Lowry jwas a brother to those already mentioned in this chapter. John, Thomas and David Gillarn were from Indiana; and, after remaining here a few years, returned to the Hoosier State. Board settled in what is now Stratton Township, and was the first Coroner of the county. Rev. McReynolds was one of the early preachers of the time, and was a brother-in-law of Col. Mayo. Burr was from New York, and settled near the present line of Paris and Hunter Townships, where he died in a few years. Hensly was from Kentucky, and Wheeler from New York. The latter is more particularly referred to in Brouillett Township. Squire Newlon is still living ; was origi¬ nally from Virginia, and settled in Stratton Township.

There seems to have been a lull in the arrivals for a year or two, or rather in this section, as we find no new-comers in 1823-24. In 1825, Rev. William J. Mayo, William S. Wilson, Robert J. Scott, John Brown and Andrew G. Fitzgerald came in. Rev. Mayo, the father of Col. Mayo, was from Kentucky, and was one of the pioneer Methodist preachers of the county. Wilson is from North Carolina, and settled in Stratton, while Rev. Mr. Mayo settled in Hunter Township. Scott and Brown settled in Brouillett Township, and are referred to in the history of that town. Mr. Scott came from Ohio, and Brown from Kentucky. Fitzgerald came from North Carolina and settled in the sec¬ tion now embraced in Stratton Township. In 1826, the following accessions were made to the population : Jonathan and Sanborn Basford, Col. D. A. Morrison, William Hurst, Sylvester Barker, William C. Trimble, John Wilson and John Somerville. The Basfords (father and son) were from the Green Mountains of Vermont, and located in Brouillett Township. Col. Morrison is from Kentucky, and is still living in Stratton Township. Hurst was from Ohio ; but of him little could be learned. Barker was from New Hampshire, and lives now in the city of Paris. He is extensively noticed in the history of Brouillett Township. Trimble, Wilson and Somerville were from Kentucky, but of them little is remembered. In 1827, 1828, 1829 and 1830, Thomas Evans, Joseph Barkley, the Parkers, Enos Hobbs, Matthew R. Scott, William Allen, the Hunters, Godfrey Wilkins, John Clarke, Isaac Wilkins, Jesse Moore and Daniel and Lewis Camerer came to the county. Evans, Barkley and Moore were from Kentucky, and located in the present township of Brouillett. The Parkers, M. R. Scott, Clarke, the Wilkinses and the Camerers were from Ohio, and settled, also, in Brouillett, where some of them and their descendants still live. Hobbs and the Hunters were originally from Tennessee ; the latter set¬ tled in Hunter Township and the former in Brouillett. Allen is a Virginian, and lives, at present, in the village of Chrisman. Additional settlers in this section of the county were : William Huffman, James Carney, Willard and Ebenezer Center, Enos Martin, William Bond, Thomas Hobbs, George' W. Haws, Isaac Sanford and James A. Gillespie, most of whom we have been unable to learn anything definite regarding their native place or the time of their settlement in the county.

As we have already stated, the county, at the time of its formation, was divided into five civil townships, or election districts, of which Wayne Township comprised the territory embraced in Stratton, Hunter and Brouillett Townships, with a narrow strip of Elbridge Township. Immediately south of this district and lying in the southeast corner of the county, was another of those early divisions, and was known as

Pike Precinct

This precinct, or civil township, embraced the present territory of Elbridge Township, with the exception of the north tier of sections which belonged to the division just described, as noted in another page, with a kind of arm from Pike extending north between Sugar Creek and the range line to w'here the creek crosses it. It was scarcely one-fourth the size of Wayne Precinct, but for a time had nearly as great a population as the whole of that district. Among the early settlers of this township, were some of the roughest charac¬ ters that, perhaps, Edgar County ever knew. We do not wish to be understood to say, however, that all there were of 'that character ; for Pike had many who were of the very best and most honorable citizens, and who succeeded, in a few years, in getting rid of the turbulent ones, until, at the present day, this sec¬ tion compares favorably with any portion of the country.

One of the first settlers in the original Pike Township or Precinct, was John Ray, who came from Tennessee in 1818, and settled in the southern part of it, but a short distance from the present line of Clark County. While he is sup¬ posed to have been one of the first, it is not altogether certain that he was the very first settler in that section. And there still exists some doubt upon the point, many believing that the Elliotts, Ewings and Rhoadeses came about the same time. Hall Sims, now living in this district, but who settled in what is now Sims Township, says when he came to the county in 1821, he found John Ray, Alexander Ewing, Thomas Wilson, Thomas Rhoades, James Love, James Eggleton, James Knight and Arthur Foster living in what was known as Pike Township. Wilson, Rhoades, Eggleton and Foster were from Kentucky, and settled here between the years 1818 and 1821. Ewing was from Tennessee, as well as the Rays. Knight was likewise from Tennessee, and is said by some to have been a Revolutionary soldier. We are inclined to doubt that fact, however, and think that if a soldier at all, it must have been in the war of 1812. Love was a pretended doctor, but seems to have been of rather questionable standing in the community, and remained but a few years. Where he came from, no one now can tell, nor seems to care whither he went. He figured in the early courts of the county in a manner not in the least to his honor or credit.

In 1822, Eleven Tucker and David Role came to the settlement from Ohio. Tucker came at the same time as the Meanses and Beard, who settled first in Vermilion County, and afterward in Paris Township, in this county, where their history is given. Andrew B. Ray was from Tennessee, and settled in Pike in 1823, and served in the Black Hawk war of 1832. Abner Lamb set¬ tled in the neighborhood in 1823, and was from Kentucky. Thomas Hicklin was also from Kentucky, and came to the settlement the next year after Lamb.

John Elliott came in 1825, and Solomon Trogdon in 1826. The latter was the father of Judge Trogdon, of the County Court, and settled here upon com¬ ing to the country, but, later, moved into Stratton Township. William Hanks, James W. Parrish and George Mack came to the county in 1829. Hanks hailed from Kentucky, Parrish from Tennessee and Mack from North Carolina. I. Cummins, J. H. Marley and other members of the Ray family came in soon after the last named above. This embraces all who came prior to the Black Hawk war, whose names we have been able to learn. Next in the settlement of the countv comes the original

Fairfield Precinct

This district embraced in its limits the present townships of Paris, Sims. Grand View, Kansas, Buck, the larger portion of Embarrass, with a tier of sec¬ tions off of the south ends of Edgar and Shiloh. Settlements were not made in this precinct as early by two or three years as in Wayne and Pike. Of the first in this section, we may note Hall Sims and his father-in-law, Thomas Jones. The latter was from Kentucky, and settled in what is now Paris Town¬ ship, in July, 1821, where he died some years later. Sims was likewise from Kentucky, but was born in North Carolina. He is still living, though several years past his fourscore. He settled originally in what is now Sims Township, where he lived from 1821 until a few years ago, when, as old age crept upon him, he dissolved his household and went to live with a son in Elbridge Township. Mr. Sims has always been a prominent man in the county, and a public-spirited, citizen. He served two terms in the State Legislature, and held other impor¬ tant offices. He and Mr. Jones were the only settlers in Fairfield, in 1821, of whom we have any information. The next year, the following additions were made to it, viz.: Samuel Vance, Smith Shaw, Thomas Tenery, Charles Ives, Jacob and Thomas Rhoades, John Cutler, John and Thomas Darnall, Thomas Brown, the Sutherlands, William Janes, Moses Williams, Isaac Johnson, Sam¬ uel Wells and Thomas Cary. The present site of the settlement of Mr. Vance is now included in the city limits of Paris. He donated twenty-six acres of land for the county seat, as noticed in another chapter. A son, together with many other descendants, still resides in the county. Shaw's original settlement is also in the city limits ; and a son, Major Shaw, owns it. A more extended notice is given these pioneers in the chapter devoted to Paris Township. Tenery was supposed to be from Tennessee, but of him little could be learned. Charles Ives was from New York, and settled in the southern part of Paris Township. He was one of the first County Commissioners, and afterward a Representative in the Legislature. The Rhoadeses first settled in what is now Elbridge Township, but soon afterward removed to the present town of Sims. John Cutler was from Ohio, and settled in that portion of Fairfield now known as Grand View. Thomas Brown also settled in Grand View, and was from Ten¬ nessee. The Darnalls were from Kentucky ; Thomas settled in Grand View and John in Sims, where the latter died the next spring after his settlement.. Thomas Darnall raised a large family of children, none of whom, we believe, are living except William D. Darnall, a present resident of Paris, and to whose excellent memory we are indebted for many facts pertaining to the early times. The Sutherlands came from New York, and consisted of Aric Sutherland, R. B., Daniel and Charles Sutherland, all of whom settled in Grand View Town¬ ship. Many representatives of this family still live in the county. William Janes and Moses Williams were from Kentucky, and settled in the present town of Sims. Isaac Johnson was from Ohio, and located in that part of the dis¬ trict now embraced in Grand View. Thomas Cary was from New York, and also settled in Grand View. Samuel Wells came from Kentuckv, and made his claim in Sims Township.

In 1823, the population was increased by the arrival of William Whitley, Nathaniel Wayne, Gen. M. K. Alexander, Washington Alexander, Isaac Alexander, Leander Munsell, William Means, William Beard, David Crosier, Adriel Stout, Isaac Brimberry, Moses and Aaron Darnall, William Flood, William Craig and William Young. Whitley first settled in Wayne Precinct, and was noticed in that chapter. Nathaniel Wayne settled in Paris, and was one of the early hotel keepers, but in a few years removed to Embarrass Town¬ ship, where he is noticed as one of the early settlers of that section. Gen. Alexander and his brothers, Washington and Isaac, settled in Paris. Gen. Alexander took a prominent part in the Black Hawk war ; was one of the first merchants of Paris and the first Postmaster, after his father, Hon. John B. Alexander, who is noticed as one of the early settlers of the original Wayne Township. Washington Alexander is still living in Paris, and Isaac was one of the early school-teachers in the county. Munsell settled in Paris and was one of the early merchants. He has a son, a lawyer, still living in the city. Means, Beard, Crosier and Stout were all from Ohio, all came together and all settled in what is now Paris Township, where they are more particularly referred to. Brimberry settled in Grand View, and was a captain in the campaign against Black Hawk. Moses and Aaron Darnall were from Kentucky and settled in Sims. They were brothers of John Darnall, who settled here a year previous and died, when they came and took charge of his claim. Flood, Craig and Young settled in Sims also.

Newman, Isaac Craig, the Dills, the Redmons, G. B. Shellady, Robert Brown, the Johnsons, the Pinsons, Solomon McGwire, George Moke, the Olmsteads, Anson Phelps, James and Benjamin Johnson, the Hendersons, William Roley, Ledston Redmon and Joseph McCracken. The O'Hairs, Hanly, Adams, New¬ man and Craig settled in the present township of Sims. The Dills, of whom there were a large family, settled in what is now Paris Township, where mem¬ bers of the family still live. M. M. Dill, a son of Abner Dill, is a prominent citizen of Paris, and one of the proprietors of the Edgar County Mills. The Redraons also settled in Paris Township, and George W. Redmon, a son of the early settler, George Redmon, lives in Paris, and is likewise one of the pro¬ prietors of the Edgar County Mills. A more extended notice will be given of the Dills and Redmons in the chapter devoted to Paris Township. Garland B. Shelladv located in Paris, and was the first resident lawyer of Edgar County. Brown was from Kentucky, settled in Paris Township and died more than forty years ago. Madison and William Johnson settled in what is now Pans Township, and William is at present one of the proprietors of the City Mills. The Pinsons were from the Old Dominion, and settled near Paris. Aaron Pinson died here; his sons, Thomas and James, moved away. McGwire and Moke settled in what is now Paris Township. Moses and John T. Olmstead settled in the present town of Grand View. They were from New York, as was also Anson Phelps, who settled in the town about the same time. James and Benjamin Johnson came from Ohio and located in the present town of Grand View. The Hendersons were from the old Blue-grass State, and consisted of John, Andrew and Hugh Henderson, and' made their claims in Grand View Township. William Roley was from Virginia, and settled also in Grand View. Ledston Redmon and McCracken also settled in this section, and were from Kentucky.

Among the additions made to the settlement up to and including 1830, we may note the following : Thomas Brock, Lawson Kimble, the Bovels, John Matthews, John Arterburn, James Hoskins, the Pinnells, James F. Whitney, John Montgomery, Thomas Morgan, the Whalens, Robert M. Ray, W. K. Payne, William and John Shrader, James Miller, John and Joseph Perisho, J. R. Wilhoit, Daniel and Emanuel Zink, and John Archer, Joseph Hite, John Umphrey, Rev. J. Y. Allison, Squire Boyer, John Milburn, Frederick Rudy, Jacob Augustus, John Cuist, Nathaniel Wayne, Benjamin Wayne, George Roberts, Thomas Dohhette, Joseph Smart, James Scott, James Flack, Henry Owsley, Robert Downs, Middleton White, William Laughlm and Isaac Neeley. Thomas Brock settled near Paris, as did also Lawson Kimble, who is still living, and was originally from the Buckeye State. The Bovels were from Tennessee and located in what is now Paris Township. Matthews, Hoskins and Mont¬ gomery were Kentuckians and located near Paris. Whitney was also from Kentucky and died with the cholera. He was Sheriff of the county at the time of his death. Patrick and Bartholomew Whalen settled in Paris Town¬ ship ; the latter is still living where he originally settled. Patrick is dead. Robert M. Ray settled also in Paris and was twice Sheriff of the_ county, and one of the early merchants. W. K. Payne, the Shraders, Perishos, James Miller and the Zinks settled in what is now Grand View Township, where they are more fully noticed in the township history. Also John Archer, Joseph Hite, John Umphrey, Milburn, Rudy and Augustus located in GrandView, and will come under the. notice of the township historian. Arterburn. Wilhoit, the

Pinnells, Rev. Allison and Boyer settled in what was Grand View Township, but is now known as Kansas Township, and, for several years after township organ¬ ization, a part of the former. The Waynes settled in what is now Embarrass Township ; Nathaniel had previously settled in Paris Township where he lived some years. Cuist, Roberts, Dohhette, Smart, Scott, Flack and Owsley also settled in Embarrass, and were mostly from Kentucky. Further mention is made of them in the history of the township. Laughlin, Downs, White and Neeley were also from Kentucky and settled in Sims Township, where they will again be referred to. Thus we have taken a brief glance at the original settle¬ ment of old Fairfield Township or Precinct. The north part of the county as now bounded was originally called

Carroll Precinct

This division, at the time of forming the county, extended to the center of Township 18, in Vermilion County, and is the north line of Carroll Township in that county. It was very sparsely settled at the time of this division of the county, which will account for the extent of its territory. It included in its limits the present towns of Prairie, Edgar, Ross, Young America and Shiloh, and extended, as before stated, to the north line of Carroll Township, in the present county of Vermilion. The first comers to this section, of whom we have any account, were Joshua and Enos Martin and William C. Trimble who came to the neighborhood in 1824 and 1825. Joshua Martin settled in what is now Edgar and Enos in Ross Township. Trimble also settled in Ross, but moved the next year into Wayne, where he is noticed among the early comers. In the district known as Carroll Precinct, up to and including 1830, we may mention the settlement of the following persons, viz.: James Mars, William Lowry, William Drake, Abraham Cowrey, James Gordon, John McKee, Hamson and Hubble Sprague, Col. William Wyatt, Solomon Bond, J. W. Riley, Ensign Mitchell, Frank Lowry, Augustus Wyatt, Horatio Blanchard, Christo¬ pher Ward, Thomas Holden, Joshua Van Fleet, Elijah Bacon, Joseph Conover, Richard Jones, Sylvester Barker, John Jackson, Edmund Clarke, John Hannah and Samuel Lowry. Mars, Lowry, Drake, Cowrey, Gordon, McKee, the Spragues, Col. Wyatt, Bond, Riley and Mitchell settled in the territory now included in Edgar Township. Col. Wyatt was from Kentucky, and was Lieu¬ tenant Colonel of Blackburn's regiment in the Black Hawk campaign. Gordon, McKee and Bond were also from Kentuck}^ the former of whom is now living in the city of Paris. The Spragues were from Vermont, and Cowrey from Ohio. Of the others, we were unable to learn their native States. Frank Lowry, Augustus Wyatt, Horatio Blanchard, Ward, Holden and Van Fleet set¬ tled in what is now Ross Township. They were all from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, and from them have descended some of the worthy citizens of the county. Richard Jones, Barker, Jackson, Clarke, Newcomb and Hannah settled in the present town of Prairie. Jones was the son of Jacob Jones, mentioned among the early settlers of Wayne, and located where the town of Scotland now stands. Barker soon removed to Brouillett Township, where he is noticed as one of the early settlers. We were unable to learn much of the others. This comprises a number of the first settlers in this section of the county, much of which is rather new, as compared to other portions. The present towns of Shiloh, Buck and Young America are of more recent settle¬ ment than the east and south parts of the county. The fifth and last of the old original townships was known as

Ripley Precinct

This precinct or town extended from the north line of Carroll Precinct to Chicago, and so remained until the formation of Vermilion County, when it was included in it. At the March meeting of the County Commissioners' Court of Vermilion, we find that that county was divided into two townships or districts, called respectively Carroll and Ripley Townships. As all this sec¬ tion was once embraced in Edgar County, we deem it appropriate in this con¬ nection to glance briefly at the settlement of the original Ripley Township. The first settlement was made at or near the old Salt Works, by a man named Seymour Treat, who came to these Salt Springs as early as 1820, for the pur¬ pose of making salt. A man by the name of Blackburn came with him. These rings were known to the State at the time of its a in 1818, and were reserved to the State when Vermilion County was organized. The State passed sundry laws for the regulation of the "Vermilion Saline.'' Mr. Treat, after remaining at the Salt Springs for several years, settled the village of Denmark and built a saw-mill. James Butler came in the latter part of 1820, and was the first settler at Butler's Point, now called Catlin. The beautiful farm settled by Mr. Butler is now owned by Harvey Sandusky. Henry Johnston was the first white settler on the Little Vermilion, and came about the same time of Butler. Two of his brothers-in-law settled near by in a short time after. Harvey Luddington settled at Butler's Point in 1822, and after¬ ward removed to the Salt Works. He improved several farms on Salt Fork, west of the Saline, and then removed to Danville. He was in the war of 1812, and participated in the battle of Lundy's Lane, in 1813, when but twenty years of age. George and Daniel Beckwith, noticed among the early settlers of th& original Wayne Township, were among the first settlers in Ripley. They came to the Salt Works, and Daniel afterward entered land, at present embraced in the city of Danville. Hon. John B. Alexander, another of the early settlers of old W ayne, removed to this section, where the remainder of his life was passed. When Mr. Luddington settled in Ripley Township, four years before the formation of Vermilion County, he found but eight families in all that section, viz.: the Beckwiths and Treat, at the Saline; Butler, at Butler's Point; Achilles Morgan, at Brooke's Point; Henry Johnston, on the Little Vermilion, and his two brothers-in-law. Alexander McDonald settled on the Little Vermilion, and Asa Elliott at Butler's

Point, the next year. Benjamin Canaday settled near the present village of Georgetown, in 1823; John and William Current came in 1825. Among the early settlers of Ripley Precinct or Township, we may notice in addition to the names already given, William Bandy and James A. Davis, Hezekiah Cun¬ ningham, Moses Thomas, Jonathan Lyon, John B. Thomas, James Davison, Joseph Gundy, Joseph Kerr, and many others whose names are forgotten. As already noted, Ripley Township extended to Chicago, and for several years after the organization of Vermilion County, as well as when Vermilion was a part of Edgar, the city of Chicago, which was then concealed in the swamps of Lake Michigan, was embraced in these districts. William Reed, the first Sheriff of Edgar County, and removing to Vermilion became the first Sheriff there, as such had to collect the taxes of Chicago, or Fort Dearborn, as it was then called. Harvey Luddington, as we have been informed, having business in the "extreme north part of the county," agreed to collect Chicago's taxes, provided the county would pay his expenses. The latter amounted to about ten dollars, and taxes collected from the future metropolis of the Northwest was three dollars. The next year, to save exppnses, Sheriff Reed paid Chicago's taxes out of his own pocket. It amounted, we are told, to a few cents over three dollars.

Thus we have taken a brief glance at the early settlement of the county, giving the dates of settlement in each of the original divisions, viz. : Wayne, Pike, Fairfield, Carroll and Ripley Townships. That inaccuracies exist in many points is not only possible, but altogether probable. Stretching back over a period of over sixty years to the time of the first settlements in its terri¬ tory, it would be wonderful in the extreme for the mind of man to collect with perfect accuracy all the names and dates mentioned in these pages. If, there¬ fore, names have been omitted which are entitled to come in the list of early settlers, it is unintentional, and deeply regretted. We have noticed only those who settled in the county previous to 1830, and have spared no pains to obtain the names of all who came before that date. But, as very few of those early pioneers are still living, it is highly probable, as before observed, that many omissions have been made. In the township histories which follow, the settle¬ ment of each particular section will be more fully given, and many additional facts noticed, together with the names of those coming in to a later period than given in this connection. With these few apologetic words, parenthetically, we will pass now to the

When Illinois was admitted into the Union as a State, in 1818, it was com¬ posed of fifteen counties. One of these, Crawford, included what is now Edgar County. The farthest north of any of these counties was Bond, whose northern boundary was limited only by the State-line. Indeed, it would have been rather difficult for a geographer to have definitely pointed out the exact limits of any county on its northern boundary. Only about one-fourth of the

State was really embraced in these counties. u The settled portions of Illinois were all south of a line drawn from Alton via Carlisle to Palestine, near the Wabash ; but within this area were large tracts of wilderness country, of several days' journey in extent, the settlements being mostly scattered along the borders of the great rivers. All the vast prairies north of this line, comprising the most fertile lands of the State, nearly every acre of which was susceptible of cultivation, ready cleared and provided, as it were, for the hand of the hus¬ bandman, was a howling wilderness, uninhabited save by the red savage and the prairie wolf."

The organization of the State drew the attention of emigrants toward itr and a consequent enlargement of the settlements. This necessitated the forma¬ tion of more counties, for men then, as now, considered themselves fully capa¬ ble of managing their own governmental affairs, and, consequently, among the early acts of the Legislature appear the creation of counties almost as fast as the bills therefor could be presented and acted upon. The influx of immigrants to the northern portions of Crawford County, in 1819 and 1820, led to the formation of Clark County, which, by a similar manner, in the spring of 1823, suffered a division, and Edgar County was the result. The act for its forma¬ tion we have been unable to obtain, and must, therefore, omit its insertion in this connection. For the benefit of our readers, however, we would state that the bill authorizing its formation as a county was passed by the Legislature January 23, 1823, and was approved and signed by Edward Coles, then Gov¬ ernor of the infant State. In pursuance of the act of organization, an election was held in the spring of 1823, when John B. Alexander, Elijah Austin and Charles Ives were elected County Commissioners.

The election referred to was not, however, the first held in what is now Edgar County. Col. Mayo states that, in the spring of 1818, an election was held in his house, on the "North Arm," to choose delegates to the Convention to form the State Constitution. He says there were 14 votes cast, 3 of which came from Sugar Creek. In the fall, another election was held in the Colonel's house, for Governor, Congressmen and a member to the Legislature. The next election was doubtless after the county was formed, and was the one already referred to. When the county was organized, Judge Wilson appointed Col. Mayo Clerk of the Circuit Court. It was his duty now to put the county in proper shape to hold the election for County Commissioners. He went to Clark County, where he took the oath of office. Gov. Coles had appointed him Recorder and Notary Public, and, on his return from Clark County, he swore in Lewis Murphy as Judge of Probate Court, and all the Justices of the Peace that had been commissioned by the Governor. William Reed was appointed Sheriff, and as soon as the Commissioners were elected and qualified, Edgar County was a reality.

The county received its name from Hon. John Edgar, one of the first three Judges of the Illinois County, when that municipality was a part of the " Old

Dominion." He was a resident of old Kaskaskia when Gen. St. Clair arrived there, in February, 1790, under instructions of Gen. Washington. His wife was one of the most accomplished women of that day, and was a devoted Amer¬ ican. Her husband had been an officer in the British army in the War of Independence ; but, owing to the intense loyalty of his wife, was induced, mainly by her, to join the patriot cause. Mr. Stuve, in his admirable history of Illinois, thus speaks of these two persons :

"This accomplished woman, the center of fashion for remote Illinois, in the olden time, presided for many years, with equal grace and dignity, over her husband's splendid mansion, at Kaskaskia - the abode of hospitality and resort of the elite for near a half-century. It was in the spacious and elegantly-finished parlors of this house that La Fayette, on his visit to Illinois, in 1825, was sumptuously entertained by a banquet and ball. Mrs. Edgar's name merits high rank in the scroll of Revolutionary heroines. By birth, education and sympathy, she was American ; but her husband, John Edgar, was an officer in the British navy, fighting against the colonies in their struggle for independ¬ ence. By her talents, shreAvdness and, above all, her patriotic devotion to her country, she won over, not only the heart of her husband to the American cause, but was the projector of many plans by which soldiers in the British army were induced to quit and join the ranks of the patriots. She had, upon one occasion, arranged a plan of escape for three soldiers, and was to furnish them guns, American uniforms, etc., and all needful information to enable them to reach the patriot camp. When they came, she was absent from home; but her husband, a confidant of all her operations, notwithstanding his position in the enemy's navy, supplied them with the outfit prepared for them by her. But the deserters were apprehended, returned to the British camp, and compelled to divulge the names of their abettors. This implicated Edgar, and he fled. Remaining awhile in the American army, he deemed it safer for his life to seek greater seclusion, and came to Kaskaskia. His property was confiscated, but the rare sagacity of his wife, who remained back, enabled her to save from the wreck some $12,000, with which she joined her husband, two years afterward, in his Western home. Their union was childless ; but they were for many years the npost wealthy family in Illinois. Edgar was a large, portly man. A county of the State perpetuates his name."

The Commissioners met at the house of William Murphy on the first Mon¬ day in April, 1823, chose Amos Williams Clerk of Court, and were ready for business. The first thing on record is the report of John Boyd and John Houston, Commissioners appointed by the Legislature to locate the seat of jus¬ tice for the new county. At this meeting, they presented the following report :

" We, the undersigned Commissioners, appointed by the act of authority of the State of Illinois framing the county of Edgar, in obedience to said act have met at the house of William Murphy, in said county of Edgar, on the first Monday of April. 1823, for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice of said county of Edgar; and after having duly examined the present population of said county of Edgar, with an eye to future population ; and after being duly sworn, before Lewis Murphy, Esq., to perform the duties imposed upon us by the above-recited act, have and do hereby declare that the seat of justice for the said county of Edgar should be and is hereby located on twenty-six acres of land, the property of Samuel Yance, being the north¬ west quarter of Section 1, Township Xo. 13 north. Range Xo. 12 west ; and we do farther, in the discharge of the duty aforesaid, declare and make known to all persons to whom these presents shall come, that the said county seat or seat of justice shall, from and after this day. be styled and known by the name of Paris : aDd we do further certify that Samuel Vance, the proprietor of the land whereon the said county seat is located, gave, as a condition to the county aforesaid, the quantity of twenty-six acres of land for the use of said county, for which he has executed his bond to the said county, which is herewith inclosed and made a part of our report.'5

The bond referred to was in the sum of 810,000. payable to the county in case Samuel Yance failed to deed to it the twentv-six acres "to be laid off,' it provided, " in one square block, the lines to run north and south, east and west, and so as to include a ' Jack oak ' tree blazed and marked Paris in the center of said twenty -six acres.

It was ordered that the land be surveyed before the 14th of June (the deed was to be given by the loth of April), and on the third Monday in June the lots were to be sold at public vendue.

Thus providing for the county seat, the Commissioners proceeded to lay out the county into "townships.'' as they term it, though these were not known in the W est then, precincts being meant, it is a noticeable fact that in all the early records the words "township,'' "precinct" and "district" are used synonymous. Townships were not adopted legally until 1856. hence precinct is the proper term until that date.

"Beginning where the range line, between Ranges Eleven and Twelve west, crosses Sugar Creek, thence south on said line to the south boundary of Edgar County ; thence east to the State line ; thence north on said line to the center of Township Thirteen north ; thence west to Sugar Creek ; thence up saidcreek to the place of beginning to be called Pike Township.

" All that part of Edgar County lying west of Range Eleven west, and south of Township Fifteen north, shall constitute one township, to be called Fairfield.

" All that part of Edgar County lying north of Pike Township, and east of Range Twelve west, and south of Township Sixteen north, shall constitute one township, to be called Wayne.

" All that part of Edgar County lying north of Wayne and Fairfield Town¬ ships, as far north as the center of Township Eighteen north, shall constitute one township, to be called Carroll.

If the reader will turn to the map of the county in the front part of this work, he can readily trace out the boundaries of these divisions. They are fully described elsewhere in these pages, and repetition here is not necessary.

After the Court had performed this duty, it appointed Smith Shaw, Jasper Starr and Samuel Brimberry, Trustees of the School Sections; George Board and William Whitley, George Beckwith, Absalom Starr, Thomas Rhoades, Con¬ stables in their respective townships, Trustees for the Poor in each, and Will¬ iam Reed as County Treasurer. His bond was $2,000, John Stratton becom¬ ing his surety. He withdrew his bond at the June term and John Stratton was appointed to the place.

At the June term of this Court, the Surveyor made his report concerning the plat of the county seat. His assistants in this work were William Lowry, George Board, Samuel Yance and David Crosier. The first two were allowed $3 each for their services, the next one $2 and the last one $1. The Surveyor was allowed $16.

Numerous road petitions were now presented to the Court at its sittings, road districts were marked out, Supervisors appointed and other county busi¬ ness, as it came before the Commissioners, disposed of. Further on in these pages, sketches of the first courts appear where the names of the first juries appear, and also some of their acts. Taxes on real and personal property were ' assessed, the collection of which and custody did not require much time or space.

At the September term, the plans of the first Court House and Jail were determined and contracts for their erection let. As it is a matter of history, and as an evidence of the progress of the times, we here append the plans as they now appear on record. It was ordered

" That the following shall be the plan of the temporary Court House in the town of Paris : Length, 32 feet ; width, 22 feet ; sills, 10x12 inches, placed on 8 white-oak blocks, 18 inches long, 2 feet in diameter, set 6 inches in the ground ; 11 sleepers, 10 inches at the small end, and 4 cross-sills, 10x12 inches, framed into the sills with a bearer under the center of the sleepers ; 4 corner-posts, 10 inches square ; 2 center-posts 5x10 inches ; studs in both stories, 4 inches square, 2J feet apart from center to center, except receiving the doors and windows ; 4 joist-posts, 9 inches square, for the broad side of the building; 2 end-plates, 6x9 inches square; 11 joists, 5x9 inches; 2 plates,

7x9 inches, 32 feet long; 2 end-plates, 5x8 inches, 23 feet 6 inches long; 9 joists, 3x8 inches, 23 feet 6 inches long ; 11 pairs of rafters, 4x6 inches, 13 feet long ; 32 braces, 4x5 inches. The building is to be covered with joint shingles, 18 inches long, 5 inches to the weather, made of poplar or wralnut, 4 to 5 inches wide, § of an inch in thickness ; lath, 3 inches broad and 1 inch thick ; weather-boarding, f of an inch thick; 8 inches wide, lapped 2 inches ; door in the center of the end of the building, 3 feet 2 inches wTide, 6 feet 6 inches high, batten shutter ; 3 24-light windows in the lower story - one oppo¬ site the door, one on each side of the house, 10 feet from the corners opposite the door ; in the upper story, two 20-light windows in the front in the center of each room ; glass for all the windows to be 8x10, with batten shutters for the three lower windows, and sash and frames and the glass well puttied in ; lower floor plank, 1 J inches thick, 7 inches wide, two 10-penny nails in each board at each sleeper, jointed down with square joints ; the plank to be of good wdiite oak, well seasoned ; the upper floor, poplar planks, planed on the upper side, plowed and grooved, and nailed down as the lower floor ; stairs to run to the jury-rooms of 3-inch bearers ; stairs to be 3 feet wide, and plank to be planed, with newel-post, hand-rail and banisters ; a partition to inclose the head of the stairs, with a door to enter into each jury-room, and a partition to divide the second story into two rooms of equal size ; the partitions and doors in the upper story to be planed, tongued and grooved ; the doors to be well hung, good hinges and locks. The first story to be 10 feet between floors ; the sec¬ ond, 8J. The weather-boarding to the front and back to be planed.

The building was to be completed in ten months, and was " purchased," a & it is termed in the records, by Ebenezer Center, whose bid was probably the lowest, his contract for building it being $690. It stood on the south side of the square, the broad side of the building facing the square. A Court House as good for the times as could be expected was the result of this definite plan. It was received by the Commissioners, and stood good service until replaced by its present successor, which now has the appearance of being on a very serious, decline.

Its position was detrimental to the business growth of the town, and it was finally decided to sell the old structure and build a new one in the center of the square. Mainly through the efforts of Mr. Hall Sims, so long on the Board, was this accomplished. He urged the erection of a brick Court House, and at the June term of Court it was ordered that the Commissioners meet again in Paris on the first Monday in July and receive proposals for the erection of the new Court House. In the mean time, the County Clerk was to advertise extensively in the papers in surrounding towns. After various delays, a contract was entered into with Leander Munsell on October 9, 1832, to erect a brick Court House, two stories in height, at an expense of $4,250. The old

Court House was ordered sold by the Sheriff at the September term in 1833, the new one being by that time done, and accepted at that term of Court. A year from that date, the contract for fencing the public square was let to Hiram Jewett and Jesse Waller for$100. They were required to complete it .by the 1st of March of the next year.

Both Court Houses were often used for religious meetings when churches were not yet built, and both have heard the speeches of men prominent in State and national life.

At the same term of Court that the first Court House was planned, it was decided to erect a Jail, and proposals were invited. The Commissioners decided upon what kind of one they wanted, and, judging from the plans recorded, it must have been a pretty good safeguard.

"The foundation to be dug out two feet deep and filled with white-oak blocks, two feet long, set on end, and not less than two feet in diameter. The lower floor to be laid with squared timbers twelve inches thick ; both walls to commence on this floor ; the timbers for each wall to be twelve inches square, with a space of six inches between them, if filled with stone ; if filled with good, sound, hard timber, to be eight inches between the walls. The walls to be well dove-tailed, and the logs to be let down close. The lower story to be seven feet, and the upper, seven and a half feet above the floors. The second floor to be laid with squared timbers ten inches square, to extend across both walls" - giving a cross-floor at the bottom twenty-two inches thick - "the upper floor to be of squared timbers eight inches thick. Rafters, four by five inches, twelve and one-half feet long. The gable-ends to be studded and weather-boarded. Two windows to be in the lower story, opposite sides of the building, set in the inner wall ; in the outer wall grating, four inches from center to center, were to be set six inches in the logs. A trap-door to be in the center of the upper floor, two feet wide and three feet long, and to be made of three-inch oak planks, ironed with a pair of hinges extending across the door ; an iron bar three-fourths of an inch thick and two inches wide, extended across the door, secured at one end with a staple equally as thick to go through the floor and clinch, at the other end to be fastened with a padlock of the largest size and double bolts. The door shutters were to be two feet wide, six feet high, to be made double, of good oak plank nearly two inches thick ; the front planks to stand upright, the inside ones to cross, all to be tongued and grooved, and well spiked with spikes three inches long, well clinched, not more than two inches apart. The hinges were to go clear across the door, were to be nearly two inches thick and fully that wide, and were to be well riveted with fourteen rivets each. The hooks on which the hinges hung were to be one inch in diameter, and were to be driven into the logs ten inches. Cheek-pieces six inches thick and twelve inches wide, riveted three inches for the tenon of the lo^s to go in, and to be tenoned into the sill of the door four inches deep, with three- inch tenons, and at the top of the door in like manner. The door-shutters were to have a good ten-inch stock lock and key, and were to be secured with a bar of iron nearly an inch thick, two inches wide, and of sufficient length for the bearded staples to be driven into the logs ten inches. The bar to be secured also with a double-bolted padlock of the largest size."

This plan comprised the main building. It was to be sixteen feet clear in the inside ; was to have steps secured with a banister and railing leading to the door, and was to be completed in " ten months from date, in a good and suffi¬ cient workmanlike manner/' Twto windows were added to the plan, to be placed in the upper story (the roof to be made in a corresponding strong man¬ ner) similar to those below'.

The payments were to be made like those for the Court House, i. e., onefourth in four months, the remainder in ten and sixteen months ; the builder to entitled to a proportionment allowance of silver, did it happen to be in the treasury.

When the bids for its construction were opened, David Crosier became the "purchaser," agreeing to build it for $645 State paper, and entered into bonds for the faithful fulfillment of his contract.

Immediately following the plan of the Jail is one for a Stray Pound, to be made of wThite-oak posts set two and one-half feet in the ground, standing six feet above. The inclosure "to be forty feet square, and so made as to keep any pigs, horses or cattle that might be necessary to confine in it." The erection of this was " purchased" by Allen Isaac, for $16.50, who was required to finish it by the 1st day of January following.

Before the Commissioners adjourned, they heard the report of William Lowry and John Stratton, appointed to open a road, who report " that the flies had been so bad they were prevented from viewing the road from Paris to the Vermilion Salt Works." They were allowed until the next term of Court to complete the task.

William Murphy was given a license to open a tavern in his house (the first license of the kind granted in the county), and was also allowed $6 for the use of his house for Court purposes. As his tavern license cost him $5, he did not have a large sum for the rent of his house.