Hancock County, Illinois - Chapter 3: The Advance Guard, 1880

Chapter 3: The Advance Guard

Who the iirst man was to settle within the limits of the county of Hancock, after the most diligent inquiry we have been unable to ascertain.

When Illinois became a member of the Union in 1818, the county of Madison with eight or ten others had been formed. Out of Madison, Pike was formed in 1821, and in 1825 several counties were formed from the latter, among which were Adams and Hancock - the latter being attached to Adams until such time as its population would justify a separate organization.

Whether there was at the date of the State's admission a single white inhabitant, other than the garrison at Fort Edwards and its attachees, within the limits of tiie county, may never be known. The Frenchman named hereafter, it seems resided amoog the Sacs and Foxes, on the site of Quincy, as long ago as the year 1811; and it is probable that others were settled in the vicinity of Forts Johnson and Edwards. There were French here at date of organization, but we have no knowledge of them beyond that fact.

There was a garrison at Fort Edwards from the date of its erection in 1814 to 1824, when it was abandoned ; and it is reasonable to conclude that it would draw traders and settlers around it. But all those around it when it was vacated are now gone. We have the fact that when Adams was separated from Pike in 1825, there were in Hancock certain residents, some of whose names we have been able to obtain ; and also that before this event, certain Hancock people are mentioned in the records of Pike county.

The following extract from a " History of Quincy," by Henry Asburv, Esq., will come in jilace here. It is from the Quincy TFA2>"of Dec. 31, 1874:

" ISll - Bauvet, a French trader, had a trading-post here. Was supposed to have been killed by Indians, "1813 - An Indian village of the Sauk tribe here'. " 1813 - Two regiments of .mounted rangers, from Missouri and Illinois, commanded b}' Gen. Howard, passed over the present site of Quincy and destroyed the village, the Indians having decamped." of this expedition, Davidson & Stave's "History of Illinois" says: "The march was continued up the Mississippi. On the present site of Quincy they passed a recently deserted camp and village, (210t supposed to liave contained 1,000 Sac warriors. At a point called the 'Two Kiver?,' the}' struck out eastward and across the high prairies to the Illinois, which was reached near the mouth of Spoon river." Who can now tell the location of the point called the "Two Kivers?" The expedition was against the hostile Indians on and about Peoria lake, and had set out from Camp Russell, in Madison county.

On the jury lists for this first term of court in Adams county,we find the names of the following Hancock county citizens, to-wit: Morrill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney, Hezekiah Spillnian, Curtis Caldwell, Peter Williams and Benjamin McNitt.

The first county court held in Pike, after separation from Madison in 1821, was held at Cole's Grove, near Gilead (now in Calhoun county). We notice that James W. Whitney, the " Lord Coke " of the Quincy and Hancock bar afterward, was appointed its Clerk.

At its session of June 5, 1821, Daniel Shinn, John Shaw and John W. Smith, were appointed to view and locate a road from Ferguson's Ferry, on the Illinois river, to Fort Edwards, on the Mississippi river; and it was "Ordered, That all that part of the Fort Edwards road lying north of the north line of section 27, township 6 south, range 5 west, compose the fourth district of said road, and that John Wood, (ex-Lieut.-Gov.) be appointed superintendent of that district, and to have control of all the hands living within three miles each side of the road."

June 6, 1821 - "Ordered, That the militia of the county be organized into a regiment, etc., and that all north of the base line be and compose the Third Company District" (this included Hancock county).

July 6, 1821 - " Ordered, That the report of the Commissioners to view and lay out a road * * * through Cole's Grove to Fort Edwards, be accepted as far as the north line of section 27, town 6 south, 5 west; that being as far as said Commissoners were able to proceed, owing to the excessive vegetation; and it is further ordered (time extended) until after the vegetation shall be destroyed hy frost,'''' etc.

And on March 7, 182.5 - " Ordered, That a ferry license be granted to Peter Williams to keep a ferry across the Mississippi river at Fort Edwards, on his paying a tax of five dollars besides the Clerk's fees; and that the following rates of ferriage be established, to-wit:

This was the first legalized ferry ever established within the limits of Hancock county. The last entry is in relation to the Fort Edwards road again, April 27, 1825:

" Ordered, That Levi Hadley, John Wood, and Willard Keyes be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to survey and locate that part of the Fort Edwards road, commencing at a point above Mill creek and continuing on to Fort Edwards on the bluffs, or where they think the best ground; provided, that said Commissioners will perform said service gratuitously and without expense to the county."*

The first session of the Adams County Court was held at Quincy, at the house of Willard Iveyes, on Monday, the -ith of July, 1825; Peter Journey, Willard Keyes, and Levi Wells, Commissioners; Henry H. Snow, Clerk.

At regular September term grand jurors were ordered summoned, and we find the following residents of this county: Morrill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney, and Beuj. McNitt; and of the petit jurors: Hezekiah Spillman and Peter Williams.

Nov. 9, 1825 - "Ordered, That the attached part of this county be set ofi" into an election precinct, to be called Fort Edwards precinct, and that all elections for civil ofiicers be held at the house of Lewis Kinney in said precinct ; Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney and Peter Williams, Judges of Election."

Dec. 6, 1825 - Jeremiah Hose, John Wood and Henry H. Snow were appointed to view a road leading' east to intersect Fort Edwards road, laid out in June, 1825, by Pike county.

Luther Whitney, Lewis Kinney and Truman Streeter, appointed to view a road from Bear creek (where the viewers appointed by Pike county left ofi") to Fort Edwards.

Dec. 15, 1825 - " Ordered, That Luther Whitney be appointed Supervisor of all roads from Bear creek to Fort Edwards, and that he have charge of all hands between said points."

* For the foregoing extracts from the records of Pike county we are indebted to W. B. Grimes, Esq., the gentlemanly Deputy County Clerk, at Pittsfield.

June 5, 1S26 - Lewis C. E. Hamilton appeared in open court, and entered as a matter of record, the emancipation of a certain negro boy named Buck, born the 16th day of December, 1S17, - and entered into bond for his maintenance as tlie law requires.

Dec.6, 1S26 - Hezekiah Spillman, Peter Williams, James White, Russell Farnham, Morrill Marston, Lewis Kinney, Luther Whitney, Benjamin McNitt, John Waggoner, and Curtis Caldwell (all of Hancock), on jury lists.

Sept. 6 - Ordered, Tliat the Sheriff be authorized and required to have the court-house (log cabin 22 x IS, costing $185) suitably prepared fur the reception and accommodation of the next Circuit Court; that he provide a suitable place for the Judge's seat - to be nine feet long and platform one foot high - four 10-feet benches, and two 7-feet ditto, and a temporary table for the use of tlie bar.

March 5, 1S27 - On the application of Wesley Williavns, ordered, that a certificate of good moral character be granted him, for the purpose of obtaining a license to practice law in this State.

James White, Peter Williams, and Luther Whitney, appointed to view and stake a road frotn Fort Edwards to the head of the rapids of the Des Moines - a road from thence to the settlement on Crooked creek in township 6 north, 5 west, and thence to Fort Edwards.

Said viewers reported to dispense with the road from the head of rapids to Crooked creek and thence to Fort Edwards, and say: " We set out from Fort Edwards a southeast direction, and turned a north direction as soon as we could get around the brakes, thence through prairies and timber a north direction, until we got opposite the rapids, thence we went a course a little north of west to the head of said rapids."

Sept. 5, 1827 - Wesley Williams appointed (afterward substituted by Levi Wells) to draw the revenue of Adams county from the State Treasury, conditioned to " exchange it for specie, at not less than 70 cents to the dollar."

1828 - James White elected a County Commissioner. John Harding, John Gregg, Jolin Clark, Hugh White, Henry Nichols, John E. Wilcox, Robert Wallace, Edson AVhitney, Daniel Crenshaw, William Flint, and Andrew Vance (of Hancock) appear as jurors.

Sept. 14, 1839 - [Hancock organized] and " Charles Holmes appointed Treasurer, to fill vacancy occasioned by the removal of Wesley Williams from the eounty."

Fkom Records Of Adams Circuit Court

"Please to take notice that 1 have appointed the fifth Monday in October next for holding the Circuit Court in and for the county of Adams and State of Illinois. Given under my hand at Atlas, this 28th day of May, 1825. J. Y. Sawyer, Judge of tlie First Judicial Circuit."

"The first trip ever made by a steamboat from St. Louis as high up as Galena, by private enterprise, was made in the spring of 1827, by Capt. James May, with the steamer Shamrock. Steamboats had been employed by the Government some three years previously, to carry military stores and soldiers to Forts Armstrong, Crawford and Snelling." - [Charles Nkgds, before Van Buren {Iowa) Pioneers.^