Edgar County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 6 of 24)

We will now follow the history of the Jail. In October, 1823, Mr. Crosier was ordered to put "iron plates into the bottom and top of each window in the lower story of the Jail, one-half inch thick, two and a half inches wide and two feet and a half long; the upright bars to pass through these plates." For this, the County Commissioners bind themselves to make a reasonable allowance. He was also ordered to build the Jail on the southwest corner of Lot No. 8 (one block north of the square and directly north of the Court House). He was again ordered to put iron plates in the upper windows, similar to those below. At the June term, in 1824, Mr. Crosier was allowed, on his own petition, to make the following alterations in the foundations of the Jail : To have

At the March term, 1825, the Court examined the Jail, and "find the same finished according to the contract, except the padlocks." These were soon added, and the first Jail in Edgar County was complete.

At the September term, the gratings of the lower windows were changed, and it was ordered that they "be made of Swedish bar-iron, leaving an aperture of two inches square, said bars to be well riveted together; the gratings to be firmly spiked to the wall with bearded spikes three-fourths of an inch thick, ten inches long, round heads, half inch out ; bars to extend on the logs four inches, and let into the logs the thickness of the bars ; the grating to be on the inside of the windows." John Lycan agreed to furnish and put in these grates, for which he was allowed $15.65, at the March term of Court in 1827. This old Jail, unpretentious as it was, was much safer than many more modern ones whose cost figures largely in the thousands, and whose appearances are grand and imposing. It may be that criminals were not as adroit then as now, for they appear to be learners as well as actors ; but we wager the guess that the old log jails of fifty years ago, built like the one we have described, show a much smaller proportion of escapes than those of to-day.

The old Jail was used until the summer of 1835, when it was replaced by a larger one, built, also, of logs, but having the upper story divided into rooms. By these divisions, those confined could be put in separate apartments. This Jail stood on the site of the first one, which was sold and converted by its pur- . chaser into other uses. The second one was erected by Leander Munsell, who received $900 for it. In addition to the contract price, he was allowed $30 for extra work.

The second Jail continued in use twenty-four years. By that time it, also, had outlived its usefulness, and was condemned. In the spring of 1859, James B. Hannars, N. B. Stage and James W. Parrish were appointed a committee to contract for the erection of the present Jail and jailer's residence. They met at Paris on the 16th of March of that year, and made a contract with a Cincin¬ nati firm, whose price for its erection was $38,000. This included the. Jail and jailer's residence - all in the same building. The building was completed by December, and, at that term of the Supervisors' Court, the committee made their report, turned over the Jail to the county and were discharged. They sold the old Jail to R. Patton for $50, who removed it from the lot before the present one was completed.

The present Jail is built on what is known as the "Cincinnati Plan." The Sheriff's residence is in the front, the female prisoners' room just above and back, while the Jail is in the rear. It is made with iron cells, provided with water and all necessary privileges, and is considered very safe. A long hall runs through the middle of the Jail. On each side of it are the cells, lighted princi¬ pally from the front through this hall. Everything betokens comfort and security.

W e have already noticed the division of Edgar County into the original five townships, as they were termed. It will be well in this political history to review the acts of the county through its Board of Commissioners and Super¬ visors, and note the various subdivisions, the causes relating to such subdivisions, etc., and any other matters coming appropriately under this head.

The original precincts "were Pike, Fairfield, Wayne, Carroll and Ripley. Their areas were widely different, and were not made upon any natural lines. They were so made as to accommodate the settlers in various parts of the county, and for this reason chiefly were they afterward subdivided.

Pike was the smallest precinct, including in its boundaries the Sugar Creek settlement, and in outline was same as Elbridge Township, save that the latter has one more tier of sections on the north. They were, however, added when it was yet Pike Precinct. This precinct has always remained as originally laid out, with but few changes geographically. When the township organization was adopted in 1856, the name was changed to Sims, and under such name, and as the limits were then made, it has since remained.

With the other precincts, how'ever, the case has been entirely different. As they filled with settlers, they were divided for election purposes from time to time.

Fairfield originally included the present townships of Paris, Sims, Grand View, Buck, Kansas, nearly all of Embarrass, and parts of Shiloh and Edgar. This was nearly half the county ; but there was only a part of it settled. On Big Creek and in the edge of Grand View Township were a few families. At the June term of Countv Court in 1824, Fairfield Precinct was altered " so as to include two miles of the northwest end of the road leading from Paris to Terre Haute in Pike Township." Carroll Precinct was also altered " so as to include the west half of Town 15 north. Range 11 west." It was also ordered " that Smith Shaw, John Lycan and William Means be and they are hereby appointed Judges of Election for the voting precinct composed of the townships of Pike, Fairfield, Wayne and Carroll." That one voting precinct was all of what is now Edgar County and about nine miles of the south part of Vermil¬ ion County. The reader can form an idea of the traveling necessary to vote. Ripley Township was at this meeting made a separate voting precinct. It extended indefinitely north. It is not likely that the voters about the military post at Chicago came down here to exercise the elective franchise. Before this arrangement had been made, it was discovered that there was an unassigned tract of country lying north of Pike Township. This the Commissioners, at this same term of Court, ordered to be attached to Wayne.

At a called term of the County Court in July, a petition was presented from the inhabitants of Carroll Township, asking to be made a voting precinct. The petition was granted. This division made two voting precincts in the

-county. At the March term of 1826, it was ordered " that all that part of Edgar County lying in the bounds of Carroll Township be attached to Wayne Township." Why this was done the records do not say. A year after, all that part of Pike Township lying north of the center of Town 13, and west of Sugar Creek, was attached to Fairfield Township. This was a small corner of Pike, rather triangularly shaped, and hence better attached to some other township where the form could be altered. To help this, the western limit of Pike was extended one mile - thaj; much taken from Fairfield.

This arrangement continued until 1830. At the June term that year, it was found, owing to the increase in population in the county, that new precincts must be made ; hence the Commissioners

Ordered, That all that part of this county lying west of a line beginning on the south line of the county, one mile east of the range line between Ranges 12 and 13, and south of Township 15 north, be an election precinct to be called Fairfield, and that the election in said precinct be held at the sclioolhouse near James M. Archer's store, and that Aric Sutherland, Sr., Benjamin Johnson and Thomas Carey be appointed Judges of Election in said precinct.

This divided the original Fairfield Township into two almost equal parts. Paris was now thickly enough settled to want a precinct of its own ; hence the division. The east half containing the county seat and the Big Creek settle¬ ments took the name of the former. William J. Mayo, Myron Ives and Thomas Hicklin were appointed Judges of Election here.

The eastern part of the county comprised in Wayne Township would also admit of a division. A new precinct, to be called Morgan, whose southern boundary was Town 14 north, and extending to Carroll Township, was also made The elections were to be held at the schoolhouse near John W. Riley's. William Lowry, William C. Trimble and Joshua M. Martin were appointed Judges.

The next year, " Union District," as it is termed on the records, was formed. The election was ordered "to be hereafter held at the storehouse of J. W. Riley, in the town of Bloomfield. William Lowry, William C. Trimble and John Mc¬ Kee were appointed Judges of Election. In the formation of Morgan and the " Union District," there appears to be a discrepancy on the records, not at any time explained. There does not appear to be any Union precinct formed.

At the March term, 1832, Pike Township was made one election precinct, the place of voting being the Liberty meeting-house, near the present town of Elbridge. This would now give seven precincts, viz.: Paris, Grand View, Carroll (which had been reduced by the creation of Vermilion County, in 1826), Wayne, Pike, Morgan and the "Union District." In 1834, the name Morgan was changed to Beaconfield. This evidently included the "Union District," as the election was ordered to be held at J. W. Riley's house, in Bloomfield. The same time this was done, the place of holding elections in Grand View Precinct was changed to the house of Joseph McCracken.

Wayne Township appears never to have been an election precinct until 1836. At the June term of that year, the southern portion of this original township was rqade into a township called Wayne. The election was to be held at Josiah Morrison's mill. William Hartley, George G. King and William J. Mayo were appointed Judges of the Election. Previous to this, it will be remembered, it was a part of Paris Precinct, having been attached to old Fairfield several years before.

It is not necessary to follow these divisions further. Enough has been written to show the manner of forming new precincts, and the reasons therefor. As the country filled with settlers, others were formed. Names were changed, boundaries altered, and, indeed, about as much "tinkering" with the territory was indulged in by the County Court as was the habit of the State Legislature to alter old laws and pass new ones.

The government of the county continued under -the precinct system until 1856. By this system, the Court consisted of three Commissioners elected by the people. All business relating to the county was transacted by this Court as it is now done by the Board of Supervisors.

"The system of township organization had its origin, in the United States, in New England. The root of this form of local government may be traced to the districting of England into tithing^ by King Alfred, in the ninth century, to curb the wide-spread local disorders which disturbed his realm. Upon this ancient idea of tithing districts, the Puritans grafted their greatly improved town¬ ship system. The county system originated, in this country, in Virginia, and is also of English origin. The tobacco-planters of the Old Dominion, owning their laborers more completely than did the barons of England their vassals, lived isolated and independent upon their large landed estates, in imitation of the aristocracy of the mother country. They also modeled their county and munici¬ pal institutions, with certain modifications suitable to the condition of the new country, after the same prototype ; whence has spread the county system into all the Southern and many of the Northern States. All of the Northwest Ter¬ ritory, now constituting five States, after the conquest of Clarke, was, by Vir¬ ginia, in 1778, formed into one county under her jurisdiction, called Illinois. The county feature was afterward retained in all the States carved out of this Territory. The county business in Illinois was transacted by three Commis¬ sioners, in the respective counties, who constituted a County Court, which, besides the management of county affairs, had usually other jurisdiction con¬ ferred upon it, such as that of Justice of the Peace and probate business. By the Constitution of 1848, owing to the influence of Eastern or New England settlers in the northern portion of the State, township organization was author¬ ized, leaving it optional for any county to adopt or not the law to be enacted. In accordance with the provisions of that Constitution, and in obedience to a demand from the people in the northern part of the State, who had observed its practical workings in the Eastern States, the first township organization act was passed by the Legislature. But the law, in attempting to put it into prac¬ tical operation, disclosed radical defects. It was revised and amended at the session of 1851, substantially as it has existed till the recent revision in 1871. The adoption of the township system marks an era in the management of fiscal affairs in many of the counties of the State.

" Our township system is not, however, closely modeled after the New England States. There a Representative is sent directly from each town to the Lower House of the Legislature. In New York, owing to her vast extent of terri¬ tory, this was found to be impracticable, and a county assembly, denominated a Board of Supervisors, composed of a member from each town, was then established. This modified system we have copied, almost exactly, in Illinois.

" Townships are often compared by writers to petty republics, possessing unlimited sovereignty in matters of local concern ; and Boards of Supervisors are often popularly supposed to be vested with certain limited legislative powers. Neither is the case. Both the county and the township boards are the mere fiscal agents. They hold the purse-strings of the counties ; they may contract, incur debts, or create liabilities - very great powers, it is true - but they can¬ not prescribe or vary the duties, nor control in any manner the county or town¬ ship officers authorized by law. While the County Court of three members is a smaller, and, therefore, as a rule, more manageable or controllable body by outside influences, there is little doubt that a Board of Supervisors is not only more directly expensive, but also that a thousand and one petty claims of every conceivable character, having no foundation in law or justice, are constantly presented, and, being loosely investigated and tacitly allowed, aggregate no insignificant sum. A Board of Supervisors also acts or is controlled more by partisan feelings. There ought to be uniformity throughout the State in the management of county affairs. No little confusion seems to pervade the laws at the present time relating to our two classes of counties." *

. Whatever may be the opinion of the writer of the foregoing sketch, the system is not without its merits. The fact - a very potent one, too - is that, when once adopted by any county, it is never changed. None have been known, as far as we are able to learn, to recede from the position and return to the old system.

After the law was amended, in 1851, the newspapers of the county began a discussion as to the practicability of Edgar County abandoning the Board of Commissioners and adopting the township plan. It was agitated until 1856, when the Court, in answer to a united desire on the part of the people of the county, ordered an election to be held to determine the question.

This election was held on November 4, 1856, and resulted in 1,349 votes in favor of the township organization and 971 votes against it. This decided the matter. At a meeting of the Board of Commissioners, held soon after, Hall Sims, William P. Dole and William Gains were appointed a committee to divide the county into townships, and give to each a name. For some unex¬ plained reason, there is no report of this committee preserved. Mr. Sims, when asked in relation to the matter, says he was sick at the time and did not act. He does not remember what the other two did. The records simply show that the Board of Commissioners continued in officn until March, 1857, when they retired. At that date, this Board was composed of the following mem¬ bers : James Steele, Judge, James W. Parrish and Johnston Ross. The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held on April 8, 1857, when the fol¬ lowing persons reported elected to that office : John Y. Allison, William H. Barnhill, Charlton Brown, John B. Galloway, John R. Green, James B. Hannars, John Hunter, Theodore F. Little, James W. Parrish, Charles L. Parker, Philip Ross and Napoleon B. Stage - twelve persons in all. Mr. Hunter was chosen Moderator ; a set of rules, presented by Mr. Parrish, was adopted, and the Board of Supervisors and township organization were a reality.

When the vote for the change occurred, there were thirteen precincts in the county. These were, Prairie, lroung America, Bloomfield, Clay, Embarrass, Brouilletts Creek, Wayne, Elbridge, Marion, Grand View, Paris, Pilot Grove and Midway.

Grand View, Young America, Embarrass, Kansas, Ross, Sims (or Syrnmes), Stratton, Prairie, Brouilletts Creek, Elbridge, Buck, Edgar and Paris.

As has already been stated, there is no record of the change of the names of the precincts when they were made townships. The reader will observe that the number of each is the same, a few of the names only being changed. Pilot Grove was changed to Buck, Wayne to Stratton, Marion to Sims, etc.

Since the adoption of this form of government, two new townships have been made, viz., Shiloh and Hunter, making fifteen in all. Formerly, each township was allowed one representative; but owing to the excess of population in Paris Township, it is allowed two. The change also altered precinct officers, giving an Assessor and Collector in each township. Formerly these duties were performed by the Sheriff, who appointed Deputies.

Thus we have traced the progress of the county through the various steps of its advancement from its organization ; from five to fifteen townships, and from one form of government to another. Its court trials and legal proceedings are interesting to those who have participated in them, and, turning our attention to this part of its history, we will devote a few pages to

The Circuit Court

" State of Illinois, Edgar County, to wit: Be it remembered that, at the house of William Murphy, in the county aforesaid, on Monday, the 6th day of October, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, came William Wilson, Esq., Judge of the Second Judicial District in and for the State aforesaid, and thereupon a Circuit Court was begun and held for the said county of Edgar. Present, Hon. William Wilson, Circuit Judge. Jonathan Mayo appointed Clerk, with leave to execute bond during the term of this Court." Following are the names of the first grand jury impaneled in Edgar County : William Lowry, Foreman ; Laban Burr, Joseph Lowry, John Lycan, Daniel Lane, Nathaniel Wayne*, John Cutler, Abram Walters, Alexander Ewing, Alexander Eggleton, Isaac Goyne, Achilles Morgan, Henry Johnson, Jonathan Lyon, Smith Shaw, William Wyatt and Aloysius Brown, who were " sworn a grand jury of inquest for the body of this county, and after having received a charge from John M. Robinson, Circuit Attorney (who was thereunto requested by the Court), retired to consult upon their presentments." The next entry upon the records is as follows: " John M. Robinson and William P. Bennett are permitted to prac¬ tice as attorneys, or counselors at lawT, in this Court." Prominent among the attorneys of that day, and who practiced in the early courts of Edgar, were Justice Harlan, of Clark ; Aaron Shaw, of Lawrence ; Gen. John M. Robin¬ son, of Carmi ; Abraham Lincoln, Gen. U. F. Linder, 0. B. Ficklin, William P. Bennett, of Darwin ; A. P. Dunbar, of Coles ; A. C. French, of Crawford, and Garland B. Shellady, M. M. Dill and John Pearson, of Edgar, and others of note and character. From a little publication entitled " Edgar County/' we make the following extract: "About 1824, Hon. James 0. Wattles, of Edwards County, became Judge. Fie appointed Amos Williams, Circuit Clerk, and presided about two years ; at the expiration of which time, Judge Wilson was again assigned to duty, and immediately reappointed Jonathan Mayo, Clerk, which office he continued to hold until 1848, when it became elective bv the people, under the. Constitution of 1847."

The first case on the docket at this the first term of Court was William Mars, appellant, vs. Ibby Monicle, appellee, upon an appeal from the judg¬ ment of Lewis Murphy, a Justice of the Peace. It was " ordered that this case be dismissed at the proper costs of the appellant, and that the papers in this case be certified to the Justice who gave the original judgment, with direc¬ tions for him to proceed thereon." On motion of Circuit Attorney Robinson, Daniel Lane, one of the grand jurors, was discharged from further service as such, and Otis McCulloch sworn in his place. The bond of William Reed, Sheriff of the county, was approved by the Court, and ordered to be certified to the Secretary of State. The same disposition was made in regard to the bond of George Board, the first Coroner of Edgar County. Apropos, we give the following story of this important officer : Mr. Board, as we have said, was the first Coroner of the county, and held the office for many years. He always attended the sessions of Court, and usually acted as a Bailiff. " Once upon a time," during Court, Hon. William Wilson presiding, a man named Sam Mor¬ gan was discovered lying in the shade of the Court House, dead - drunk. Some person, desiring to have a little fun at the expense of the Coroner, who had never yet been called upon to exercise the functions of his office, entered the court-room and, in a solemn whisper, informed Board that "there was a dead man out-of-doors," and that he had better go and summon a jury. Board arose, and, expanding with the importance and dignity and responsibility of the occa¬ sion, observed : " May it please Your Honor, there is a dead man out here, and I must go and hold an inquest : therefore ask the Court to excuse me."

The grand jury returned into the court-room and presented an indictment against Jacob Poorman - "a true bill," also an indictment against Ebenezer Center - "a true bill" - and "retired to consult further upon their present¬ ments." At this point of proceedings, the Court adjourned for the day. The next day, business was begun by Jonathan Mayo presenting his bond as Clerk of the Court, in the sum of §2,000, to the Governor of the State, for his faithful performance of duty. John Stratton and John W. McReynolds were his bondsmen. The grand jury presented the following additional indict¬ ments : James Love, for "sodomy," a " true bill ; " Daniel Lane and Susannah Lane, for " adultery," a "true bill ; " and having no further business, were dis¬ charged. The remainder of the term was occupied in routine business, and the entire session lasted but two davs. The next term of the Court, which was in May, 1 824, was held also at Murphy's ; but, the county seat having been located at Paris, the October term of this year was held there. The first jury trial was at the May term of 1824, and was "The People of the State of Illinois vs. Jacob Poorman, upon an indictment for retailing spirituous liquors." The jury was as follows: Seth Montague, Solomon Aldrich, Samuel Little¬ field, Edward Wheeler, Ebenezer David, Joseph Clarke, Augustine E. Boland, James Farnham, Adriel Stout, John Bovell, Samuel Frost and James Wilson. The verdict of the jury was a fine of §12 and costs, which verdict the Court affirmed, and ordered the " same to be collected from the said Poorman. But four indictments were found by the grand jury at the first term of the Court ; the May term, in 1825, there were twenty-four indictments. In those days, the term lasted two and three days ; the present terms are twenty-four days in length. Then, there were but two or three attorneys ; now, there is a host of them.

Garland B. Shelladv was the first resident lawyer of the county, and at the present day its bar is as follows: Hon. R. N. Bishop, who has served one term in the State Senate ; Hon. R. L. McKinlay, has served two terms in the Lower House of the Legislature ; J. E. Dvas, Hon. James A. Eads, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1869-70; William L. Foulke, John B. Hannah.

Hon. George Hunt, two terms as Senator from this District ; Hon. A. J. Hunter, one term in State Senate; Col. H. Van Sellar, C. B. Jaquith, E. B. Munsell, T. C. W. Sale, Hon. James Steele, two terms as Circuit Judge; Henry Tanner, H. S. Tanner, present State's Attorney ; A. Tanner, J. G.

Taylor, A. Y. Trogdon, two terms as County Judge, and the present incum¬ bent ; Lucien Capps, George Dole, W. J. Yan Dyke, H. M. Ewers and Rufus Cusick. As we have said, William Wilson was the first Circuit Judge, and after him, James 0. Wattles, who in turn was succeeded by Wilson. Since then, the office has been filled successively by Samuel H. Treat, David Davis (at present in the United States Senate), Justin Harlan, John Murphy, Charles Constable, James Steele, and 0. L. Davis, the present Judge.

Thus it will be seen that the Circuit Court of Edgar County has grown somewhat since that first session in 1823, when, we are informed, that Court was " held out of doors," the Judge and others sitting on the ground," and that " the grand jury transacted their business in an open field."

The first letters of administration were issued on the estate of LTrl Murphy, deceased, and the second on the estate of Laban Burr, who were both early settlers on the "North Arm," in the eastern part of the county. A term of the Probate Court at present is said to be equal in amount of business it transacts to the first ten years of probate after the organization of the county. Lewis Murphy was the first Probate Justice, and held the office for several years. But we have not space to follow the different branches of the Courts through all their legal technicalities, and will pass on to other points of interest. We append herewith, what we deem of considerable importance, a full and com¬ plete list of all

General Features

In the grand march of civilization, the changes that have taken place in this part of our common country in the last half-century is almost beyond human comprehension. When we look around us at the beautiful cities, towns and villages, the magnificent residences and broad, productive fields, the manufac¬ tories of various kinds and the improved machinery in use, thus facilitating man's work and giving employment to hundreds and thousands of human beings, it is almost impossible to realize that fifty or sixty years ago these fertile plains were the abode of savages ; and the few whites, scattered here and there, as little dreamed what to-day would display as ice can foreshadow what the next fifty years may produce. In contradistinction to the handsome residences of the present time, both in town and country, let us go back a few decades and take a glance at the houses our fathers were glad to find shelter in. Rude in their simplicity and simple in their rudeness, they were sometimes scarcely deserving the name even of cabin - much less that of house. In many cases, they were insufficient to keep out snow and rain, and a poor protection against wolves and panthers.

Relating some of his experiences in the early times in Edgar County, J. W. Parrish, Esq., of Elbridge Township, speaks as follows of the houses of the pioneers : " When I came to Edgar County, in 1829, immigration wTas flowing freely in this direction, consequently it made it very difficult to obtain shelter. It was not uncommon for two or three families to be found in a little cabin built of round logs, sixteen or eighteen feet square. I found shelter for two weeks with N. W. Nunnally, after which I obtained leave of the neighbors to occupy a 'round-log' schoolhouse, with a partition wall across one end, making the fire¬ place the full length of the building." This is the experience, not only of Mr. Parrish, but all who came here at that early day. The usual mode of building their cabins seems to have been of round logs, with a kind of partition across one end, forming a fire-place the full width of the building, into which huge logs were piled as the state of the weather demanded. They were covered with "clapboards," or " shakes,"* laid upon "ribs," and held to their place by "weight-poles." (If any of our young readers are ignorant as to the meaning of such words as "ribs," "shakes " and "weight-poles," they can be enlightened by turning "Inquisitive Jack" and asking their meaning of some of the old settlers still left.) The first churches and sclioolhouses were of this same prim¬ itive architecture, as will be found in another chapter. But the changes are not more observable in architecture than in everything else. Ignorance and super¬ stition have given place to civilization and refinement. As pertinent to the point, we quote from the early reminiscences of Eli Wiley, Esq., of Charleston, Ill., whose father was one of the early settlers of this county.

Speaking of a loss sustained by his father, in having a sum of money stolen from his cabin while he and his family were absent from home, Mr. Wiley says : " There was in the country at that time much ignorance and superstition, and it was evinced in connection with this transaction, bv an old man named 'Bray,' living on Big Creek, who said he could find the money by divina¬ tion, and to this end he sat for hours on the banks of that classic stream, with a forked hazel stick in his hand, which he caused to hop up and dowTn, claiming that it would point out and indicate the whereabouts of the missing money." This was but a single instance of the ignorance of the times, and it is with no disparagement to the hardy pioneers who braved the dangers of the wilderness, in opening up the country, that we make the observation. It is a fact patent to all, that "where education is lacking, ignorance reigns," and the generations before our time, had none of the facili¬ ties of learning which we possess. In the plenitude of our refined surround¬ ings, we look back with some pity, tempered with sorrow, as it w^ere, at the limited chances our parents had of obtaining knowledge.

The farming implements of that day, compared to those now in use, show as marked a contrast as in the improvement of houses and schools. Illustrative of the change, we quote from Robert J. Scott, Sr. .In his " Recollections of the

Past," he says: "A farmer settling on the wild prairie in those days, had a team, which consisted of about four yoke of oxen, and a plow, peculiarly con¬ structed, to do the first breaking of the sod. (I used an ax to cut holes in the sod, in which to drop the corn.) The second year, a cary, or some other kind of a two-horse side-plow, was used to turn the dead sod back again. Besides this, a small side-plow, or shovel-plow and hoe, were the implements in common use, until harvest, wdien the old reap-hook, the cradle and the scythe came into play." We quote the following from Thomas H. Brown : " The implements used in farming were of inferior quality. For breaking prairie, we used the cary - moldboard, part iron and part wood, hewed out of the beach or black walnut - and for cultivating our corn, we had a single shovel-plow made out of slab iron, and as for harness, we used chain-gearing altogether." One more quota¬ tion and we will pass on. From the recollections of Col. Mayo, we make the following extract: "We could not get good breaking plows; our two-horse plows had wooden moldboards, which we had to clean with a paddle once or twice in a forty-rod furrow. At first there was but one wagon in the whole set¬ tlement, owned by John Stratton, and one grindstone, owned by Remember Blackman, on which we ground our breaking-plows. We had none but wooden harrows for several years, and were compelled to go to Fort Harrison to get our blacksmithing done, for which we paid double price. Often we had to plow and travel by night, on account of the flies - ' greenheads,' the people called them - which were so bad in daytime, horses could not stand them."

As another feature of the time, we would say a few words as to the state of society, dress, provisions, etc., and for authority will quote from the reminis¬ cences of those already alluded to in the foregoing pages. Said Mr. Parrish : u It was the custom of our people to manufacture, as far as possible, everything that was eaten and worn. Clothing was made by raising flax. Some few had sheep, and, consequently, made linsev and jeans. The women s clothing was made of linsey, also their children's, while the men's every-day wear was linsey hunting-shirts and pants, 'while once in a great while you would see a man who was able to have a suit of jeans. Relig¬ iously, people differed then as they do now. On the Sabbath some would attend divine service at a neighbor's house, or schoolhouse when opportunity offered while others would go into the woods with their guns. It was very common for young ladies to attend church barefooted, in homespun dresses and sun-bonnets. People were generally very social and neighborly, and at the log-rollings and house-raisings were always ready to lend a helping hand. There was but little tea or coffee, and our people used to go to the spice-wood thicket and sassafras grove, and, at our gatherings, this domestic tea was all the go. We had to live prin¬ cipally on wild meat for a considerable length of time, and the first settlers depended on the 'mast' to make, or fatten, their pork." Upon the same sub¬ ject, Mr. Brown says: " The farmers mostly kept some sheep, and made their own clothing, colored, usually, with butternut bark. There were no factories for making cloth, other than to card wool into rolls, and the women spun and wove the cloth at home. So we all dressed pretty much alike. Some raised flax, and made cloth from it, of which were manufactured shirts and pants for men and boys ; also into table-cloths, towels, sheets and pillow-cases.' ' Says Mr. Scott : 44 There were many depredations committed in the southeast part of the county, such as burning barns, killing stock, burning stacks, etc., legal proof of which could not be obtained in our courts, and at length a company of Regulators was organized, which punished some, alarmed others, who left the country, and, when times became tolerable, the company disbanded. It was gratifying to the people when they could believe their property safe while they slept. I think the number of men in Edgar County, in 1825, did not exceed three hundred. Population increased slowly until after the Black Hawk war, in 1832, after which immigration to Illinois increased by the thousand." Referring to the mode of attending church, Col. Mayo says : 44 Once, as I was going to meeting, I saw some young women near the church, sitting on a log, putting on their shoes and stockings, having walked barefoot to the place to save their shoes."

At the time of the first settlements in Edgar County, all kinds of game were plenty. It was no uncommon sight to see from fifty to one hundred deer in a gang. Wild turkeys, together with many others of the feathered tribes, were abundant. Prairie wolves were 44 as the grass of the field " or 44 the trees of the forest." Raccoons, gophers, foxes, opossums and skunks, apparently, were a 44 spontaneous growth." Bee-hunting was not only a pastime much followed, but a lucrative business of many persons in the community. Honey was often brought from the Embarrass timber in barrels by the wagon-load, and sold, sometimes, at 50 cents a gallon. The circulating currency was gold and silver and United States bank-notes, but rather scarce, and what little could be obtained soon found its way to the Land Office. All kinds of produce and stock were extremely low. Corn sold as low as 10 and 15 cents a bushel ; wheat, 37 4 cents a bushel ; a cow and calf could be bought for §8 and §10, a horse for §40, etc., etc. These are some of the inconveniences labored under by the first settlers of this country, and from this primitive beginning it -has developed into the luxurious state we find it to-da}T. And we, who are enjoy¬ ing all the benefits of its wealth, can scarcely realize what our parents under¬ went when they came to it a wilderness.

When the first settlements were made in Edgar County, mill facilities were not so extensive as they are at the present day. Col. Mayo says when he came to the county, in 1817, the nearest grist-mill was near Shakertown, in Knox County, Ind., and Maj. Mark ell built one the next spring on Otter Creek ; another was built in 1819 by John Beard, near the mouth of Brouillett Creek. These were all across the line in 44 Hoosierdom," but patronized by the few- settlers of this county. In 1820, James Murphy built a saw and grist¬ mill at the forks of the Brouillett Creek, which is said by some to have been the first water-mill in the county There are others who believe the first mill to have been built by Andrew Ray in Elbridge Township. He built one on Sugar Creek at a very early day, for which a dam had been made of brush and corn-stalks ; but we are of the opinion that it was not until after the one built by Murphy. About 1825, William Murphy and Aloysius Brown built an oxmill near where the Catholic Church now stands in Hunter Township. This was a grist-mill, with ox instead of water or horse power, and had a large a tread-wheel," upon which the oxen were placed, thus giving power to the simple machinery. The first steam-mill in the county was built at Paris by by Leander Munsell, and is still in operation, known as the Paris City Mills. A carding machine was built in the neighborhood by William Newcomb about the time the ox-mill above alluded to was built, and to this same ox-mill was attached a " fulling-mill " by Alonzo Lapham. He fulled, colored and pressed such cloth as was manufactured in private families. But these sources of industry and convenience to the early inhabitants will be more appropriately noticed in the township histories.

The first goods sold in the county of which we have any account were by James Dudley, whose first effort in mercantile transactions was in the way of a peddler, and afterward he opened a small store at the house of Daniel Lane, living on the west side of the present township of Hunter. He afterward removed to Coles County, where he became a prosperous merchant. In Paris, the first store was kept by Milton K. Alexander, who occupied a little building on the corner of the square, where Sholem's magnificent store-house now stands in proud contrast to its humble predecessor. He was for many years one of the leading merchants of Paris, as well as its first Postmaster, and else¬ where a fitting tribute is paid to his worth. Leander Munsell was another of the early merchants of Paris, and had a store at the southeast corner of the square. A man named Jones also had a store in Paris at an early day. Others soon followed in the mercantile business, and the supply of goods kept up to the demands of the people. The early merchants had not the facilities for receiving their goods that we have at the present day. Then there were no traveling men (drummers) calling upon them every thirty or sixty days, and boring them into buying goods, whether they wanted them or not. But about' twice a year (spring and fall) they would hire teams to go to the Ohio River, at Louisville or Cincinnati, load them with produce here, which they would carry to those points, and bring back goods to fill the unpretending stores.

The first licensed tavern in the county was kept by William Murphy, in 1828. The license was issued by the County Court to him to keep a tavern at his house, in the "North Arm Settlement." Whether he kept a dram-shop in connection with his tavern, or whether he was one of the Murphys engaged in the blue and red ribbon temperance movement, the records are silent. But the next license for a public house was issued at the March term of the County Court, 1825, to Nathaniel Wayne, to keep a " tavern and dram-shop in Paris, in the house formerly occupied by William Wayne," and the following prices were adopted by the Court and authorized to be charged the public:

This tavern was near where the Opera-house now stands, and the license for keeping it and the "dram-shop" was three dollars. Abner Payne and James Archer were among the early tavern-keepers of the county. Archer's establishment stood on the corner where Walker's store is now located, and was subsequently purchased by James Gordon, upon his removal to Paris, in 1840.

John Lycan kept the first blacksmith-shop in the precincts of Edgar County. Before his shop was opened, most of the work in that line was done for the settlers at Fort Harrison, for which, says Col. Mayo, they had to pay double prices. So that when Lycan opened a shop in the neighborhood, about 1820-21, it was a great convenience to the people, and everybody for miles around patronized it to a greater or less extent. Longfellow's " Village Blacksmith " seems so appropriate in connection with this first shop, and never having noticed it similarly used (which appears somewhat strange), we give it entire, without apology :

This little gem contains more beauty arid meaning than at first appears, and very truthfully portrays, as it is designed to do, the - village blacksmith. The old blacksmith-shop of Ly can's has crumbled into dust, and he has joined the shadowy host, while but few now living, perhaps, remember even where stood the "flaming forge'' and the "sounding anvil." Hundreds of others, of like character, have risen up in its place to do the work it once did alone. Another of the early industries of the county was a tannery, opened by Isaac San¬ ford, as in those days the people had their "hides tanned" at home, and manu¬ factured shoes for their own families. Nearly every man was cobbler enough to make his own shoes. Sanford also started the first brick-yard in the county. He seems to have been a public-spirited citizen, as at a very early date he made an effort to form a stock company for the purpose of erecting a steam-mill, which, however, failed. Thomas Brock started a tan-yard near Paris, in 1829, on land purchased from Smith Shaw for the purpose, and upon which there was a fine spring. Rev. John W. McReynolds opened the first cabinet-shop in 1824, where Abram Risser now lives, and James Johnson manufactured the first chairs. Col. Mayo says he bought the first chairs from him that he had after coming to the county, except some he made himself with a saw and auger. The first post office in the county was established on the North Arm, and Hon. John B. Alexander was commissioned Postmaster. He did not hold the office long, however, as it was soon removed to Paris, and his son, Milton K. Alex¬ ander was appointed Postmaster, as elsewhere noted.

The First Birth, Death And Marriage

The first white child born in the county is supposed to have been Charlotte Stratton, a daughter of John Stratton, one of the first five white settlers, who is said to have been the first white man that ate his dinner in his own house on this side of the Wabash. The daughter above referred to was born in August, 1817, and, after arriving at maturity, married Andrew Hunter, a son of S. K. Hunter, of Paris. They had two children and then removed to Platte County, Mo., wdiere the parents died. The children were brought back to Edgar County, and raised by their grandparents. The first marriage of which there is any definite information was that of Edward Wheeler and Miss Narissa Jones, a daughter of Jacob Jones, an early settler of the county. They were married in 1822, by Elijah Austin, one of the first Justices of the Peace. After marriage, they went to New York, his native State, where they remained several years, then returned to Edgar County and made it their permanent home. We would gladly describe the toilette of the bride and the bridal presents, for the benefit of our lady readers, who are always especially interested in such matters, but are unable to do so. However, we doubt not but that they were in accordance with the times and the then custom of the country. As to the truth of the poet's assertion that we cannot answer ; but as both were from good families, and of the highest respect¬ ability, we venture the prediction that they were as happy as they deserved to be. Since that day, there have been "marriages and giving in marriage" in Edgar County. The old, old story, and yet forever new, has been told over and over again, and still the good work goes on. In 1823, the year the county was organized, but two marriages took place. In 1824, there were thirteen couples joined the happy throng, and eighteen in 1825. In 1875, there were 276 marriage licenses issued, 271 last year, and yet people growl about the hard times.

As to the first death occurring in the county, but little could be learned in regard to it. The time has been so long, and so few are now left of those who came here the first few years of settlement, that facts of such occurrences are now almost wholly unattainable. Many, very many of those whose names have been noted in these pages among the pioneers, have long since crossed the "dark river," and are waiting on the "other shore" for friends who still linger behind. "It was appointed unto all men to die," and pretty faithfully have the early settlers of Edgar County obeyed the mandate. The grass has grown over their graves in the "old church-yard," the flowers have bloomed and withered with the coming and waning years, and most of them are gone where the "deathless amaranths bloom." A few more rolling years, and the last of old landmarks will have passed away, and a new generation will fill their places. The reflection is a sad one, but it is in the regular course of human nature.

As already stated, there is little certainty regarding the first death in the county. The first that has come under our notice was that of Dr. Url Murphy, a younger brother of James and William Murphy, early settlers of the county. He died in 1822, and if not the first, was one of the first, that occurred.

Horace Austin, a son of Elijah Austin, Esq., died soon after Murphy. Laban Burr was also among the early deaths. Several other deaths took place within a dew years, but their names and date of death could not be obtained.

Early Roads

The first petition for a road in Edgar County was presented at the June term of County Court in 1823. It was to run " from the State line, near Jon¬ athan Hayworth's, to the Vermilion Salt Works," also, " another road, begin¬ ning at the State line on the dividing ridge betwixt the two Vermilions, said roads to intersect as soon as convenient on the nearest and best ground." The petition was presented by James Butler. As soon as this petition was read, Seymour Treat presented another for a road " from the Saline on the nighest and best way to intersect a road from Coleman's Prairie, on the Wabash, at the State line, between the two Vermilions." The first petition for a road running to Paris, then only located, was also presented at this meeting by William Lowry. It was to run " from the place where the road from Durkee's Ferry crosses the State line near Mark A. Sanders', and from thence to Edward Pur¬ cell's lane; thence to James M. Blackburn's south boundary (of the quarter on which he lives); thence to William Lowry's south boundary; thence to Paris, by the nearest and best route." This petition was followed by Thomas Jones, for a road from Paris to the county line, m the best direction to Darwin, county seat of Clark County ; by a second from Smith Shaw, for a road from Paris to the Vermilion Salt Works, and by a third, from Paris to Terre Haute, by

At the September term, a petition was presented by Thomas Carey for a road from Paris in a southwest direction to the county line, and one by John¬ athan Mayo, asking for a road from near where James M. Blackburn lived, north to the north side of Town 14, and thence northwest until it intersected the road from Paris to the Vermilion Salt Works. Viewers were appointed for all these roads, who, after a time, come into court and report that they have viewed these routes, and recommend their being granted. In nearly all cases it was done. From this beginning until now of making roads, "there has been no end." As fast as the country was settled, new roads were petitioned for, viewed and established. The first State road in the county was established in 1825, by Charles Ives and Jonathan Mayo, appointed by Court to perform that duty. They make their return to the December term of Court. The road ran from Paris to the Wakefield settlement. The State road from Paris to Springfield was surveyed by Amos Williams, who made his return at the March term of Court, in 1826. This road as surveyed, ran from Washington street, in Springfield, through prairie, timber and swamps, past the north fork of the Sangamon River, to Buckheart Grove, and on to the east fork of Embarrass River, from where it ran into the west end of Court street, in Paris. When it was surveyed, the country over which it passed was almost wholly uninhabited.

In order to secure safety to travelers, a furrow was run the entire length. Other State roads were added to these two as necessity demanded.

Edgar County is rich in geological deposits and formations. For the benefit of our readers who take an interest in the subject of geology, we make a lengthy extract from the Geological Survey of Illinois, of the part pertaining to this county. The plates of this work were destroyed in the recent fire at Springfield, and no more copies of the survey can be issued without the expense of an entire new edition, which renders this extract doubly valuable in this history. We therefore deem no further apology necessary for copying it entire in this connection : " The beds of the Drift period do not show any very great thick¬ ness in this county, and only the bowlder- clay member is well developed. They may, perhaps, attain a depth of one hundred feet in the northern part of the county. Where any considerable quantities of these materials occur, they are generally underlaid by a heavy bed of water-bearing quicksand, apparently continuous with that found in Champaign and Vermilion Counties, in the same position. This was encountered at Grand View, in 1869, at a depth of fifty feet, in the shaft attempted by Messrs. Holding in search of coal.

" The rocks exposed within the county all belong to that portion of the coalmeasures which lies above Coal No. 6 of the Illinois Valley section, or No. 7 of the Wabash Valley section, as given in the report upon Vermilion County. Above that level, no workable seam of coal is developed in this region. Immediately upon the borders of the county, however, we find the outcrop of No. 7 and No. 6 is not far below. Both seams are probably workable by shafts in all parts of the county. For the readiest understanding of the geology of the county, I give the following general section :

44 Nos. 1 and 2 of this section are given in general terms from the report of the boring at Sutherland's distillery, two miles north of Paris. The outcrop of the corresponding beds on Sugar Creek, the only point where they were seen, is so disconnected that a detailed section cannot be made. With the exception of the limestone bands of No. 2, of which I can find no trace along the outcrop, I am inclined to accept them as generally correct. Apparently belonging near the top of No. 2, I found, at two or three points, about three inches of shaly coal, overlaid by from one to two feet of black, slaty shale, with pyritous nodules, apparently of coprolitic origin, though no fossils were seen. Of the shaly sandstone next beneath these beds, several layers will yield very fair¬ sized flagstones, though they do not appear .very durable. The coal must repre¬ sent seam 4 No. 13,' according to the numbering adopted in these reports for for the Wabash Valley coals.

44 The bed of limestone numbered 3 in the section, was reported as being twenty-five feet thick in the boring. The best outcrop seen is at the Roman Catholic Church, one mile east of Baldwinsville, where a small stream runs over and exposes twelve or fifteen feet of its lower layers. These are partly com¬ pact, partly shaly, and near the base contain several thin layers of green shaly clay. Fossils are tolerably abundant, but only of the most common species. The higher layers of this bed are more solid, and have been quarried for culverts and foundations, at several points near the southeast corner of Town¬ ship 14 north, Range 11 west. The lower layers have been quarried to a small extent, near Mr. Clinton's, on Lane's Branch, in the northeast quarter of Sec¬ tion 5, Township 13 north, Range 11 west. They are here also quite thin, and with shaly partings, and contain great numbers of firm fossils, such as Athyris subtilita , Spirifer earner atus, S. liveatus , Meekella striato-costato , Pleurotomaria tubiniformis , Gyathaxonia pi olij era, Heliophyllum (?) plates and spines of Palchinus , etc. On the main branch of Sugar Creek, there is exposed out¬ crop of this bed, though the large masses of it lying in the bed of the stream, a short distance above the railroad bridge, may be considered as indications that the bed is not far off. Tumbling masses of this rock are also seen in consider¬ able numbers, just on the county line at Big Creek, but no outcrop was detected in this neighborhood. On Barren Fork of Big Creek, at the Big Creek Mill, in the southwest quarter of Section 1, Township 12 north, Range 13 west, the same bed outcrops with nearly the same fossils as on Lane's Branch. Not more than ten feet of the lower shaly portion of the bed is here exposed. In descend¬ ing this fork, we come to shaly sandstones, which, near the county line, and especially in the neighboring part of Clark County, give place to very heavy, bedded sandstones, forming abrupt banks and cliffs of from ten to perhaps forty feet in height. The connection between these beds and the limestone was not exposed, and the dip was not strongly enough marked to decide their relations ; but my impression at the time was the higher bed. I will not, however insist upon that interpretation of the facts, since it in no way affects my determina¬ tion about the overlying beds ; and Prof. E. T. Cox, who surveyed Clark County, though confessing that he nowhere saw the direct connection of the two sets of beds, is very strongly of the opinion that the sandstone is the higher.

"From the Roman Catholic Church, before mentioned, there is an almost con¬ tinuous outcrop down Brouillett's Creek, as given in tfye section, until we meet the first workable coal-seam just below the State line. A similar section is exposed upon Coal Creek, two or three miles further south, which joins Brouil¬ lett's Creek at the Indiana furnace. On both these streams, Nos. 13 and 18 furnish large quantities of ironstone nodules of fine quality. Number 11, of the section, with its numerous pebbles of black, bituminous limestone, fur¬ nishes a readily-recognized horizon for some miles along the creek, near and below Baldwinsville. Number 12, though quite variable in character within short distances, is noticeable for containing the Canlerpites marginatum , which marks the same level along the Salt Fork, in Vermilion County. Number 14 con¬ tains a few fossils in good preservation, such as Spirifer lineatus , V. planoconvexus , Speriferina Kentuckensis , Pleutoromoria spharrulata, P. Gravillensis, Productus longispinus , Cgathaxonia prolifer a, Astartella , etc.

" The coarsely concretionary structure of No. 19 allies it with corresponding beds in Vermilion County, which there lie perhaps thirty feet higher than coal No. T. With the exception of the limestone No. 3 of the section, whose dis¬ tribution has already been spoken of, the small outcrops along the streams in the southern part of the county are so disconnected, and of such common character, that it would be next to impossible to determine their exact equiva¬ lents in the section. On Clear Creek, in northeast quarter of Section T, Town¬ ship 12, Range 11 west, a few feet of a soft, fine-grained sandstone, some¬ what ferruginous, has been quarried to a small extent, principally for grind¬ stones. It is underlaid by four or five feet of very dark drab clay shale. This may be the equivalent of No. 12 of the section, but I am rather inclined to believe that No. 7 has here taken the form of a sandstone. In either case, it is not impossible that the report may be correct that coal was struck at eighty feet, in a boring made in this neighborhood sometime since. The shales and irregular shaly sandstones, which outcrop just at the railroad bridge over the main branch of Sugar Creek, evidently belong to Nos. 4 and 5 of the section. In going down this creek, wre find no beds of rock evidently in place, except about a mile north of Elbridge, where two or three feet of soft, drab clay shale make their appearance at two or three points, but give no indication of their position in the section. Upon the streams west of Big Creek, in the southwest corner of the county, and about the head of Embarrass River, in the western part of the county, no rock outcrop could be found.

" The boring at Sutherland's distillery seems to have been put down at nearly the highest point in the county, geologically speaking ; and a carefully-pre¬ pared record of it would aid very greatly in the determination of the geology of the county. Such a record was kept by Dr. Newell, of Paris, but was unfortunately lost in the burning of his store, and only general facts have been preserved by memory. It is stated, however, that one hundred and thirty feet of strata were found between the limestone No. 3 and the first workable coal, and about one hundred feet between this and the next one, below which no coal is reported. It would be queer if none of the lower seams should run under here ; but two five-foot seams are enough for several generations, at least.

" The black shale of No. 9 of this section apparently represents coal " No. 7," while Nos. 24 to 26 may represent coal " No. 6.:' No. 30 may possibly be a parting of "No. 6," locally separated from the same seam. There are spots in every coal-seam where the coal is wanting, and this boring, if correctly reported, seems to have been sunk at a point where this is true of both seams. It is possible that the seams do not extend under the southern part of Edgar County ; but I do not believe this to be true. I put no faith in the reports of the sections obtained in sinking several oil-wells in the northwest corner of Clark County and the southeast corner of Coles County, most of which, as reported, contain no coal. I judge that coal can be found under every section of the county, at a depth nowhere exceeding 350 feet ; and along the line of the railroads, 250 feet would probably reach the first seam of coal, "No. 7," in nearly every case, the most doubtful point being at Paris. The distance from "No. 7 " to "No. 6 ' is reported at 100 feet in the distillery boring; but this distance is probably about 70 feet on Brouillett's Creek, and less else¬ where. "No. 7 is quite impure in all this region, and in shafting for coal, it would probably be best to go on to the lower seam, No. 6, wdiich is a much purer article, considerable portions of it being the so-called "block " coal, in most of its outcrops in this region. In consequence of the great variations in thickness in most of the beds exposed along Brouillett's Creek, I have been obliged to give, in the general section, very variable thicknesses for nearly every bed. In calculating from the section the probable depth to any particu¬ lar bed, at any point, the average of thickness should be used. I had hoped -that, before the publication of this report, at least one shaft might have been sunk, so as to determine the exact section at some one point ; but the shaft pro¬ posed at Paris is apparently given up, and the one commenced at Grand View, by Holding Bros., has been temporarily stopped, through meeting with heavy beds of water-bearing quicksand at the base of the bowlder-clay.'' The State Geologist closes his report on this county with an allusion to Dr. Newell, of Paris, and Col. Blackburn, whose assistance in his labors he acknowledges.

The Indians

When the first white people came to Edgar County, there were plenty of Indians in the territory now embraced in its limits. Says Col. Mayo, in his early reminiscences : " The Indians were numerous and troublesome, and at our guard, as an attack was threatened." In 1822, it was estimated that there . were at least three hundred Indians in the county ; also several Indian camps in its borders, and considerable hog-stealing and other little depredations com¬ mitted by them. The Indians occupying this part of Illinois at that time were the Kickapoos. From the Indian history of the State we make the following extract: "The Kickapoos, in 1763, occupied the country southwest of the southern extremity of Lake Michigan. They subsequently moved southward, and at a more recent date dwelt in portions of the territory on the Mackinaw and Sangamon Rivers, and had a village on Kickapoo Creek and at Elkhart Grove. They were more civilized, industrious, energetic and cleanly than the neighboring tribes, and, it may also be added, more implacable in their hatred of the Americans. They were among the first to commence battle, and the last to submit and enter into treaties. Unappeasable enmity led them into the field against Gens. Harmar, St. Clair and Wayne, and to be first in all the bloody charges at Tippecanoe. They were prominent among the northern nations, which, for more than a century, waged an exterminating war against the Illinois Confed¬ eracy. Their last hostile act of this kind was perpetrated in 1805, against some poor Kaskaskia children, whom they found gathering strawberries on the prairie above the town which bears the name of their tribe. Seizing a consid¬ erable number of them, they fled to their villages before the enraged Kaskaskias could overtake them and rescue their offspring. During the years 1810 and 1811, in conjunction with the Chippewas, Pottawatomies and Ottawas, they committed so many thefts and murders on the frontier settlements that Gov. Edwards was compelled to employ military force to suppress them. They claimed relationship with the Pottawatomies, and perhaps wfith the Sacs and Foxes and Shawnees. When removed from Illinois, they still retained their old animosities against the Americans, and went to Texas, then a province of Mexico, to get beyond the jurisdiction of the LTnited States."

But, beyond some petty troubles and annoyances, the citizens of Edgar County were not molested by their red neighbors. Collisions occurred some times, however, but who were in fault it is now impossible to say. In the southeast corner of the county, where had squatted some rather desperate char¬ acters, two Indians were killed - one by a man named John House, and another by John Foster; but as there were no witnesses except squawTs, whose evidence would not be taken in the courts, nothing were done with them beyond an in¬ dictment by the grand jury, and a trial of one of the parties, who was acquitted.

The line noticed on the map, running diagonally through the eastern part of the county, is known as the old Indian Boundary Line. It was the west boundary line of the purchase made by Gen. Harrison of the Indians in 1809. The two lines, the one already alluded to as running through Edgar County, and the other through Indiana, and crossing the Wabash, intersecting the first in Prairie Township, with a third line connecting the base, or the southern ex¬ tremities of the other two, were the limits of a district known as the "Harrison

Purchase.' ' It was purchased of the Indians for the United States Govern¬ ment, as above stated in 1809, by Gen. Harrison, and surveyed and placed in market in 1810 ; while west of this diagonal line the land was not bought from the Indians until 1822, and was then surveyed and brought into market, though settlements had been made in it several years before by the whites.

In 1832, the Indians concentrated for a last struggle in defense of their hunting-grounds, under the renowned chief, Black Hawk. The notes of war reached this sparsely-settled district, and more than three hundred men from this county responded to the Governor's call for troops. Milton K. Alexander, a merchant of Paris, had been commissioned Colonel of the Nineteenth Regiment of Illinois Militia. In 1830, he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Gov. Reynolds, and accompanied him the next year to Rock Island, on business connected with the threatened outbreak. In 1832, he was elected and commissioned Brigadier General of the Second Brigade of Illinois Volunteers, and J. M. Blackburn, still living, and residing in Stratton Township, was commissioned Colonel of the regiment formed in this county, and which composed a part of Gen. Alex¬ ander's brigade. Following, we give the names of the officers and privates of the regiment, so far as could be obtained : J. M. Blackburn, Colonel ; William Wvatt, Lieutenant Colonel ; Stephen J. Shellady, Adjutant ; Leonard Parker, Quartermaster; Drs. Ferris and Huff, Surgeons. In forming the regiment, the companies composing it drew lots for precedence, and Mayo's obtained the post of honor. It was originally officered as follows : Jonathan Mayo, Cap¬ tain : Edward Y. Russell, First Lieutenant; William Wyatt, Second Lieu¬ tenant ; Leonard Parker, Orderly Sergeant. Upon the formation of the reg¬ iment, Wyatt and Parker were promoted, as above, and John S. McConkey was elected Lieutenant, in place of Wyatt, and James Buchanan, Orderly Ser¬ geant, in the place of Parker. The rank and file of Mayo's company (the only one of the three from this county which can now be given, and the roster of it is only on file in the active memory of its now venerable Captain) are as fol¬ lows : Joseph B. Vance, M. M. Dill, E. P. Shaw, Thomas Pinson, Washington Alexander, James Pinson, Robert M. Ray, John S. Dill, Jacob G. Lycan, Isaiah Welsh, Simon Camerer, Matthew R. Scott, are all known to be yec living. The remainder are dead : Thomas Hobbs, William B. Vance, John Matthews, Martin Elder, James Bailey, James Hoskins, John Bradley, Rev. William Philips, Daniel Spencer, Abram Welsh, James F. Fletcher, David Crosier,

Thomas Mogan, Patrick Whalen, Thomas Evans, Samuel Jones, Sanborn Basford, William C. TrirnbU, John Wilson, John Somerville, Enos Martin, Augus¬ tus Wyatt, Reubin Lowry, William Bond, Joseph Barkley, Martin Sisemore, James H. Tenery, Patrick C. Tenery and WTillard Center, and John C. Cal¬ vin, wagoner of the company.

After the troops started out in this campaign, the people who were left at home were often uneasy, and used to discuss the probability of a horde of Indian warriors sweeping down upon them some fine evening and taking a lot of scalps for amusement; but even in this they were doomed to disappointment. We do not purpose following the troops through the campaign. The war and its results are matters of history, and familiar to every schoolboy in the country. It is enough to say that the disaster at Bad Axe proved the Waterloo of the 'Indi¬ ans in Illinois, and buried forever their claims on this side of the Mississippi. A few years later, they were removed to reservations, made them by the United States Government, in the distant West, and, silently and sadly, they took up their line of march to their new possessions. It has been said that the Indians and negroes are the only two races that have been outraged by the American people ; and who shall gainsay it ? In the acts perpetrated by unprincipled white men upon the Indian, may we not find some excuse for the outrages committed by them in retaliation ? Savage they are by nature, we admit, and, rendered cruel by the wrongs heaped upon them, who can blame them for defending their homes and their hunting-grounds ? We do not mean to set up as an apologist or champion of the Indian, but are forced to acknowledge that in many instances he is as much sinned against as sinning.

Celebrations And Amusements

The first Fourth of July celebration ever held in the county was in 1823, in a grove of timber on the place of Daniel Lane. It consisted, we believe, of the usual programme of such occasions, namely, a barbecue, speech, reading of the Declaration of Independence, etc. This is as it should be. The Fourth of July is a day with us that should be held sacred as long as the Stars and Stripes float over a free people. On this occasion, there were toasts and re¬ sponses at dinner; the Declaration was read by Judge William Lowry, but the oration of the day - if there was one - has been permitted to pass into oblivion.. We are sorry there is no record of it; it ought to have been preserved as a memento. Doubtless it did ample justice to the Pilgrim Fathers and the heroes of the Revolution ; drew lessons of warning and instruction from ancient Greece and Rome, and, with visions almost apocalyptic, pictured the future glory of this great country. We say it is a pity that it was not preserved ; its repro¬ duction would be a handsome embellishment to these pages. But it is lost. Such is fame !

In the early times, fifty or sixty years ago, when the modern games of cro¬ quet and base-ball were unknown, the people used to amuse themselves with marbles, "town-ball" - which was base-ball in a rude state - and other simple pastimes of a like character. Col. Mayo says, the first amusement he remem¬ bers in the county was a game of town-ball, on the day of the public sale of lots in Paris, in which many of the "young men of the period engaged." He also mentions a menagerie that' used to pay periodical visits to the neighborhood, as early as 1821, and inspired the juveniles with all the interest that the circus does the small boy of the present day. It consisted principally of two or three cages of monkeys and a Shetland pony. The main performance was by a mon¬ key, which rode the pony, would turn somersaults, jump through hoops (the monkey, not the pony), and perform all the usual tricks. The pony would throw him off, when he wTould pretend to be very angry, and would jump on again to the intense delight of the children. People would go just as far to " see the show" then, and undergo all the inconveniences to do so, that they will now to attend the modern circus. They cared nothing about it, themselves, you know, but only went with the children. Still other amusements consisted in log-rollings, house-raisings, "quilting-bees," dances, etc., while many spent their leisure hours in gunning, and some even carried it to such an excess as to infringe upon the Sabbath. These simple amusements were as great a source of enjoyment to the people then as the more refined and pretentious theaters, operas, balls and select parties are to us to-day.

Other Notes And Items

Prairie fires, those terrors to people living in a prairie country, were not unknown in this section in the early period of its occupancy by the whites. Much damage and loss of property often resulted from their fearful ravages. " In time of peace prepare for war is a trite saying, and could well be applied to the people here. As soon as the grass began to die and dry up in the fall of the year, preparations against fire were commenced, by burning, or plowing roads around fields and farms. But even these barriers were sometimes o'erleaped, and distressing consequences followed to the poor man, who had but little in the start, and, in these fires, lost that little in the twinkling of an eye, almost. This county, lying contiguous to the Grand Prairie, and inter¬ spersed with spurs running deep into it, the inhabitants were often witnesses to those "spontaneous conflagrations" that appeared so "glorious in their grandeur and gloomy in their ruin and waste." The dense smoke arising from them in the melancholy days of the Indian summer, often enveloped the land with the "shades of evening," reminding one of Milton's allusion to an eclipse -

We referred elsewhere to the mode of dress in the early days, and of its home manufacture, from wool, flax, etc. The first sheep introduced into the county were brought here by John Stratton and Col. Mayo, in January, 1822. They purchased 130 head in Kentucky, brought them to Edgar County and sold them to people who were desirous of embarking in the business of sheep-raising, not for speculative purposes, but as a means of economy, and of producing their own and the family clothing. The experiment of growing cotton (as well as flax) for the same purpose, was quite extensively followed for a few years, but not, however, we believe, with any great degree of success, owing probably to the rigorous climate ; and so the effort was abandoned. But these matters will be more fully noticed in the township histories, where every point of interest in the history of the county will be particularized in a manner that our space for¬ bids in this connection.

This, perhaps, is as appropriate a t place as any to say a few words of the poor, and the arrangements adopted for their accommodation. The first step taken in Illinois, looking to the care of its indigent people, was the adopting of orphan children, or, rather, the binding of them out to be raised and brought up to the state of men and women. When parents died and left a family of children destitute and poor, they were taken charge of by the Court, and bound to benevolent (?) persons, who in turn were 61 bound" to raise, educate and clothe them, and, when of age, to give them $100 with which to make a start in the world. As paupers increased, and grown-up people were added to the class, they were also "bound out," upon the stipulation that they were to be clothed, fed and worked. This latter clause was the way by which the party taking them got his pay for the outlay of clothes and provisions furnished. This sys¬ tem not working well, however, led finally to the present mode of caring for the poor.

The first " Poor-farm " owned by Edgar County, was south of Paris, and situated in Sims Township. The county owned and used this place as an asy¬ lum for its paupers for about ten years, when they sold it and purchased the farm now occupied, and which is located in Hunter Township, about the year 1855. In that year, John W. Moffatt was appointed Superintendent of the Poorhouse, and received as compensation for his services $865 a year. Joseph Fisk kept the first Poorhouse in the county, which was that stated as being located in Sims Township. He was succeeded by James Crafton, who is still living in Paris. Moffatt was the keeper or Superintendent at the time of the change from Sims to Hunter Township. It is -at present in charge of Mr. Mapes, and will be again referred to in the history of Hunter Township. In that chapter, a full history of it, since its removal to Hunter, will be 'given, together with all statistical information of any importance.

The earliest attempts to construct railroads in the West originated in the in¬ sane desire to enrich that empire by the system known as " internal improvements. ' ' This fever of speculation broke out in several parts of the United States about the year 1835. It appeared in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois nearly the same time, and, when past, left an enormous debt on each municipality. In Illinois, it amounted to nearly fifteen millions, while in Pennsylvania it was more than double that amount, and in Ohio and Indiana did not vary far from it. Examination of the. legislative acts of the Prairie State, at that period, discloses an almost unbroken line of acts for the construction of some highway, which was destined only to partially see the light of day in detached parcels, some of which still remain as silent monuments of a supreme legislative and popular folly. When the collapse came, in 1837, and work on all was entirely suspended, only the old Northorn- Cross Railroad - now the Wabash - was found in a condition fit to warrant completion, and that only a short distance. It was originally intended to extend from Meredosia through Jacksonville, Springfield, Decatur and Danville to the eastern State line, where it was expected it would be joined to some road in Indiana and be continued eastward. A vast quantity of old fiat-bar rails had been purchased in England by the agents of the State, at an enormous expense, too ; and quite a quantity had been brought to Mere¬ dosia, preparatory to being laid on the track. In the spring of 1838, some eight miles of this old track were laid, and on the 8th day of November, of that year, a small locomotive, the "Rogers," made in England, and shipped here in pieces, was put together and made a trial trip on the road. It was the first that ever turned a wheel in the Mississippi Valley, and, on the day of its trip, carried George W. Plant, as engineer ; Murray McConnell, one of the Com¬ missioners of Public Works; Gov. Duncan, James Dunlap and Thomas T. January, contractors ; Charles Collins and Myron Leslie, of St. Louis.

The first rail on this road had been laid, with imposing ceremonies, on May 9 of the spring before; and, on through the summer, the work progressed slowly until when, as has been stated, the locomotive made the pioneer trial trip in the valley of the Great West. Only twelve years before, had the first rail¬ road train made a trip in the new continent ; and, only a year or two before this, had the first application of steam been successfully made in this manner in England. The first practical locomotive was probably invented by a French¬ man, Joseph Cugnot, of Void, Lorraine, France. He made a three-wheeled road-wagon in 1770, which was used with some success in experimenting; but, owing to the French Revolution breaking out about this time, the machine was abandoned, and is now in the museum at Metiers. One of the first locomotives built for use in America was made for Oliver Evans, who, owing to the incredulity existing at that day, could not get the necessary permits required by the State Legislature to erect one here, and sent to London, where, in 1801, a highpressure locomotive was built for him. It was not, however, until 1830 that one was built in the United States. That year, the venerable Peter Cooper, then an enterprising mechanic and builder, constructed an excellent one for the day, with which, on the 28th of August of that year, he made a public trial, running it from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills, twenty-six miles, at an average speed of twelve miles per hour. From that date, the erection of American locomotives became a reality. Now they are the best in the world.

The first railway in the world was a simple tramway of wooden rails, used in the collieries of the Old World. It is hard to determine when they began to be used - probably early in the seventeenth century.

The covering of the wooden rail with iron was only a question of time, to be, in its turn, displaced by a cast-iron rail ; that, by a malleable one, which, in turn, gave way to the present steel rail. When the use of steam applied to- road-wagons came to be agitated, one of the first uses it was put to was the hauling of these coal-cars to and from the mines. By and by, passengers began to ride on them ; then cars for their use were made ; the roads were built between important commercial points, and, with the improvement of the loco¬ motive and increase of speed, the railway-carriage came to be a palace, and the management, construction and care of railroads one of the most stupendous enterprises in the world.

The first tramway, or railway, in America was built from Quincy, Mass., the home of the Adams family, to the granite quarries, three miles distant. The first railway built in America, on which steam-cars were used, was the Mohawk & Hudson Road, completed in 1831. On the 9th day of August, the pioneer passenger-train of America was hauled over this road, drawn by the third American locomotive, Mr. John B. Jervis, engineer. The train consisted of three old-fashioned coaches, fastened together by chains, which, in the sudden starting and stopping, severely jolted the passengers - so much so, that fencerails were placed tightly between the cars, thereby keeping the chains taut.

From the rugged Eastern States, the transition to the level prairies of the West was an easy matter, culminating in the efforts we have already noted.

When the great collapse of the system of internal improvements came, in 1837, and with its fall left only one small road so far completed as to warrant work to be continued on it, the shock was so great that it was twelve years be¬ fore another was begun and put in working order. In February, 1850, the Chicago & Elgin, nowT Chicago & Northwestern, was completed to Elgin, and a train of cars run from one city to the other. From that date until now, the march of progress in this part of the great enterprises of the day has been uninterrupted and constant.

Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad

The oldest road in Edgar County is the present Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, whose earliest inception may be traced to the speculative fever of 1835. Indeed, three roads in this county may be traced to that period. When the appropriations for different roads were made, a route from Terre Haute to Alton was one designated, and work performed on it in many places. On the eastern end, Mr. Sanford had a contract for getting out timber for bridges and ties, and had considerable prepared when the crash came. Others had graded portions of the road, and were paid in State paper,' which, when the system began to decline, partook of a downward tendency and left the creditors in rather a sad plight. Mr. Sanford took his lumber back in part pay, and after¬ ward sold it down the river, realizing enough to bring him out a little in advance of his outlay.

The country was not aroused from its dormant condition until about 1849. by that time, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had reached the eastern line of Illinois, and stood at that door knocking, that it might come in and cross the

State on its way to St. Louis, its western terminus. At this point, it met with a check which took it years to overcome. A " State Policy" party sprung up, denying the right of any foreign corporation to cross the State, especially when the effect would be to enrich the neighboring city of St. Louis, a city Alton was vainly endeavoring to outstrip in the march of progress, and which she then confidently expected to do.

The u State Policy " party held several rousing meetings in furtherance of their scheme, a scheme delusive in its effects upon the State at large, and confined mainly to the Alton interest. Counter-influences were aroused, meetings held, and an antagonistic party, much the inferior at first, began to appear. The culmination came when the Terre Haute, Yandalia & St. Louis road asked for a charter. The Baltimore & Ohio road had succeeded in their endeavor to build their track across the State, mainly brought about by the press foreign to the State. It had, with one voice, denounced the "policy " as narrow, selfish, mean, contemptible and invidious. It was sustained by the press in the north¬ ern parts of Illinois, and had already begun to open the eyes of many influen¬ tial persons belonging to the Policy party. When the Yandalia road asked for their charter, the Policy party exerted themselves to the utmost to defeat that, and for a time prevailed. While these affairs were agitating the State, Con¬ gress had passed the act granting a magnificent domain of land in aid of the Illinois Central Railroad. The Senators from Illinois wrote letters to many influential men at home, urging upon them the necessity of being more liberal in their acts to foreign corporations, and not attempt to arrogate to the State a right she could not expect to possess. They further urged that the donation from the General Government could not have been secured had not they pledged their earnest effort to wipe out this disgraceful policy. These influ¬ ences had their effect. The "Brough" road, so called from its principal projector, afterward Governor of Ohio, gained a charter and were enabled to begin work on their proposed Yandalia line. In the mean while, influences were working to build anew the projected roads of the improvement period. The grade on the old route from Terre Haute to Alton was, in many places, in a tolerably good condition, and only needed energy to push it to a conclusion. A company was formed, the name Terre Haute & Alton Railroad adopted, and work began. Edgar, in common with other counties on the route, sub¬ scribed aid, giving bonds to the amount of $150,000, bearing 7 per cent interest, and redeemable in twenty years. The Road was completed through this county, and as far west as Mattoon, where it intersected the Illinois Cen¬ tral, then uncompleted. From the west end eastward, it had been finished quite a distance, and in January the breach was closed, and a passenger train made the entire trip from Terre Haute to Alton. For a while, it transferred freight and passengers here to boats, and sent them to St. Louis, so strong was the Alton interest against that city. This, however, could not always endure, and the coal roadvfrom one city to the other, was purchased and trains run down on that. That changed the name to the Terre Haute, Alton & St. Louis Railroad. When the route was extended eastward from Terre Haute to Indianapolis, the name was changed to the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, by which it is now known.

The Paris & Danville Railroad dates its origin as far back as the Indian¬ apolis & St. Louis. It originated at the same time, work was done at different places along its route, only to be abandoned as its contemporaries were, for want of funds. In 1872, a company was formed for the purpose of utilizing the grade, and work on the line renewed. It was continued until the spring of 1874, when the cars began running. In 1875, work on the southern portion was begun, and vigorously prosecuted until done to Lawrenceville, on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, where it ends. The trains are, however, run into Vin¬ cennes on the track of the Ohio & Mississippi road, making that city its southern terminal point. At Danville, it connects and runs in junction with the Chi¬ cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad to Chicago. This latter road was chartered February 16, 1865, as the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad. It was completed in November, 1872. # In June, 1875, it passed into the hands of a receiver, and in April, 1877, was sold for the benefit of the bondholders, for $1,500,000. A new company was- at once organized, the name changed to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, and important Southern connections made. It opens a direct route north and south for the products of Edgar County. The Paris & Danville road operates in connection with it, and affords all needed facilities. When this Road was organized, John C. Short was made President, Hiram Sanford, Vice President, and F. Maxom, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers remained until the sale of the road, in October, 1878. In August, 1875, the road was placed in the hands of Mr. James A. Eads as re- . ceiver, who is yet in that position. Mr. B. F. Mathias is General Ticket and Freight Agent, with his office at the Depot in Paris.

The Illinois Midland

The Illinois Midland Railroad was originally three separate roads, each receiving a separate charter. The first of these, the Paris & Decatur, was chartered February 16, 1865; the second, the Peoria, Atlanta & Decatur, March 16, 1869, and the third, the Paris & Terre Haute, March 1, 1872. Each one was completed and operated by itself, though in conjunction with the others, until the last one was finished and had been operated a short time. Not paying separately, they were consolidated in 1875 under one management, and the name changed to Illinois Midland. Mr. J. Reese was appointed receiver, which position he held until the latter part of December, 1878, when he resigned. Mr. Louis Genis was appointed to the vacancy. When the third part of this road was finished, an excursion train was run from Terre Haute to Paris (Monday, February 16, 1874), where the excursionists were treated to a dinner and speeches at the Court House. It was made a gala-dav for all. The total length of this road is 176 miles, its terminal points being Terre Haute at the eastern end, and Peoria at the western.

The Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield Railroad, passing through the north¬ ern part of the county, like the Indianapolis & St. Louis and the Paris & Danville roads, traces its origin to the days of the internal improvements. It went down with the rest, its grades lying dormant until 1872. A short time before this, a company was organized who regraded it and began laying a track. It is now open from Guion, in Indiana, to Decatur, Ill. In its route through this county, it passes on an air line through the villages Illiana - at the State line - Bonwell, Scotland, Chrisman - where it crosses the Paris & Danville road - Cherry Point City, Metcalf and Hume. At Decatur, it connects with Western roads, and at Guion with the Logansport & Southwestern.