Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 16, 1883

IN our systems of agriculture, we are exhausting our soils, regardless of the lessons which the history of by-gone peoples teach us, and with no thought of the perils which the present system of robbing the soil will inflict upon future generations, when barren fields shall fail to yield the necessary food for the teeming population which our vast resources of fertile land is so raj)idly calling into existence. The exhaustion of soil in this country is being accomplished much more rapidly than was the case with older nations centuries ago. We are living in a faster age, in a time when the means of transportation are so much superior to those of former times, as not to admit of comparison. The markets of the whole world are open to the products of our fields, and we are taxing ovx soil to its utmost capacity in order to meet the demand, without making judicious use of the means at hand to replace what this continual drain is taking from the land. The almost inexhaustible fertility of the soil, especially the soil of Illinois, which has been spoken of much and praised so highly, is already being shown to be something of an idle boast. The prairie land as a general thing looks much richer than it really is, and most of the cultivated fields at the present time would respond gratefully to a liberal application of barn yard litter. This is an agricultural section; this township is devoted wholly to farming, and the above remarks are applicable and should be heeded by the farmers. All the manure and refuse matter about the barns should be carefully preserved and spread upon the fields. Because land is still fresh and productive is no reason why it should not J be manured and improved. There is nothing like beginning in time to improve the quality of the Land and of restoring its exhausted strength. McClellan Township lies southwest of Mount Vernon, and is bounded north by Shilob Township; east by Dodds; south by Elk Prairie; west by Blissville; and is designated as Township 3 south, Range 2 east. It is diversified between woodland and prairie, and somewhat rough and broken along the streams. The prairies are all small, and are Town Prairie, named for the county seat; Wolf Prairie in the southwest part, together with a jjortion of Elk Prairie which extends into it. The timber is mostly hickory, oak, ash, wild cherry, walnut, etc. Along the streams the timber originally was rather heavy, but much of it has disappeared before the woodman's ax. The principal water-course is Big Muddy Creek, which flows in a southward direction almost through the center of the township, and Rayse Creek, passing through the southwest corner, and emptying into Big Muddy a half mile north of the township line. A few small and nameless branches feed this stream and contribute their share to the drainage of the township.

The first settlement in this township was among the first in the county. Isaac and William Hicks settled in the northeast part in the fall of 1817. The Hickses were natives of South Carolina, but had been living down on the Ohio River for some time before coming here. Isaac Hicks had a son - Thomas - born soon after he moved here, and supposed to have been the first child born in the county. He (Isaac Hicks) was an exemplary man and a member of the Baptist Church. John Lee came in 1819, and was from Tennessee, but was a native of South Carolina. He settled where his son, John

Lee, now lives, and had a large family of children. Israel Lanier was, perhaps, the next settler in the township to the Hickses, but of him we learned little beyond his settlement. A man named John Still well came about 1821 and settled in what is now McClellan Township. He is described as quite a sociable sort of a man, one who cared little for the world's wealth and took but little pains to accumulate property. He was fond of hunting, and to range the woods with his gun upon his shoulder was the sum total of his earthly happiness. But once upon a time he took his last hunt. He and the Abbotts went into the woods one day in pursuit of game in the vicinity of John Lee's, and during the day he became separated from them. This caused no uneasiness, as he was an experienced woodsman, and they expected him to make his appeai'ance at any time. But a heavy snow storm came on, and when his prolonged absence had excite'l strong apprehensions of his safety, search was made. He was never found, however, and the supposition was that he became confused in the snow storm, lost his course and wandered about until he perished with the cold, or else fell a prey to wolves. Several years after, a gun barrel was found in Elk Prairie together with a few bones. These were always believed to be poor Stillwell's. After search for him was given up, a little fund was raised by the neighbors for his wife, and she returned to Indiana, whence they had come.

James Dickens settled here about 1821-22, in Section 12, and was a cooper by trade. He started a cooper shop in 1825-26, and did a considerable business in that line. He, too, was quite a hunter, and spent much time in the woods. He afterward moved up and for some time had charge of Tunstall's mill. His death is described as novel and peculiar. He was at the house of one Harlow, at some kind of a public gathering, and while at dinner choked to death with a piece of pie. It seems he was a rather rapid and hearty eater, and having his mouth well filled with pie, something amusing oceuiTed, when throwing back his head to laugh, the pie went the wrong way, choking him, and he died at the table in a very few minutes.

William and Jonathan Wells came into the township in 1828 and settled in Wolf Prairie. Jonathan was a blacksmith and had the first shop in the township. He did the work for the entire community for several miles around. W^illiam Wells, Jr., still lives in the township and is in good circumstances. Simon McClellan settled here in 1823, on the place now owned by Samuel Jones, and it is said the township was named for him He has a son now living in Texas. Other additions to the settlement of the township were James Quinn, James Bodine, Philip Osborne, Joseph Hays, Solomon Ford, Thomas Porter, and perhaps others, whose names we have failed to obtain. Quinn came in 1826 and settled in the north part of Elk Prairie, where his son Washington now lives. Bodine settled near Quinn and is still living.

Osborne first settled in Dodds Township, but moved into this about 1830 and settled in the north part of Elk Prairie. Hays settled on the place where Dickens had lived. His death is supposed to have been the first to occur in the township. He was among the early pioneers laid away to their last sleep in Old Union Cemetery. Ford settled in the western part of the township and is still alive, and one of the old landmarks of the county. Proctor came in 1830; he was a plain farmer and lived well.

ally were better than they are now; that peo pie were more social, more disposed to help one another, far more honest and confiding than in the present degenerate times. A neighborhood was a kind of brotherhood - a mystic band of Freemasons, ever ready to lend a helping hand to the needy. They were brave, generous and strictly honest, and despised meanness in any shape it might present itself. It was true there were neighborhoods with a rough element in them always ready for a disturbance. These, upon the slightest provocation, would get up a fight, and in the old rough-and-tumbleknock-down-and-drag-out style. Yet, the fight once over, they were read}" to drink friends, get roaring drunk and savagely friendly. The bill of fare was often meager, and consisted of coarse and homely food. The pioneer's ritle supplied the meat; bread was provided often from meal pounded in a mortar. In summer, there were plenty of berries on the prairies and in the woods, and crab apples and wild plums were abundant. Crab apples were gathered and buried in the ground for winter use. These, cooked in honey, made delicious preserves, and wild honey was plenty and to be had for the finding. Thus the life of the pioneers passed, if not always in peace and plenty, at least enjoyable to a certain degree.

Among the pioneer improvements of Mc- Clellan Township were roads and mills. The first roads were merely by-paths through the forests and over the prairies. As the people increased in wealth and provided themselves with wagons and teams, roads became necessarv, and were made by cutting out the timber along these trails where they passed through the forests. At first and for a number of years there were no bridges over the streams, but as _the people could afford it, bridges were built and travel thus rendered

One of the tirst mills was a little horsemill built by Jonathan Wells, which had a capacity of only a few bushels of corn per day. Prior to this, some of the early settlers used to go to the Ohio Eiver near Barker's Ferry to mill. A number of neighbors would join together, and with teams and pack horses take the corn of the neighborhood and get meal in return. It took about three weeks to make a trip, and while they were gone the men who were left in the settlements would visit every family daily to see that they were not molested by Indians or wild beasts. This means of procuring the "staff of life" was resorted to until mills at home rendered it no longer necessary. A saw mill was started in the township a few yeai-s ago, and sawed up considerable of the timber, which was used mostly by the people on their farms.

John Lee put up a distillery in 1866, which he used exclusively in distilling fruit. It closed business in 1878, and, to the credit of the township be it said, it is the only enterprise of the kind ever within its limits. To educate the masses is the grand aim of this great country of oiu-s. That every child shall have a chauce to obtain an education is the great objeiit of our excellent common school system, and the times are near at hand when every child will not only have a chance, but will be compelled to attend school. Many of the States are passing compulsory educational laws, and soon these laws will bH enforced. This is as it should be, for, while education leads to enlightenment and pr(jsperity, ignorance is a direct road to crime and all sorts of lawlessness.

When the settlements were still very sparse, schools were established. These were rude, when compared to our present system, but they were better than no schools at all. The first teacher, or one of the tirst to wield the birch in this section was Judge Baugh He taught in a small log cabin on J. W. Lea's farm. It was of small round logs, about 18x20 feet in dimensions, and had been built by the Christian Church for a temple of worship in 1837. A second schoolhouse was built on Silas Rogers' place very early. At present there are six schoolhouses in the township, conveniently located, comfortable in arrangement and well fui'nished. They are located respectively on Sections 1, 8, 14, 17, 24 and 26. In these, schools are maintained each year for the usual terms.

There are not many church buildings in the township, but it does not follow that the people are not religiously inclined. Several of the schoolhouses are used for church and Sunday school purposes The first chiu-ch edifice erected was the one already referred to as having been used for school purposes. It was, as already stated, erected by the , Christian denomination, and among the early members were John Lee and wife, Rev. William Chaffin and family - they were from an adjoining township - and John Scott and family, from what is now Dodds Township. The Chi-istians now have a church in Wolf Prairie - a frame building about 40x60 feet. Services are held in it every Sunday, either by the Christians, Baptists, Methodists or Universalists. A Sunday school is carried on, which is attended and supported by all denominations.

John A Merrill was a clerical fraud in the early days of the township. He came into the community early and represented himself as a Baptist preacher. He stopped at Isaac Hicks', and held meetings in the neighborhood for several days. While this was going on, he stole Hicks' books, passed several dollars of counterfeit money, and, instead of making himself the exemplary shepherd of a flock, he turned out to be one of the very blackest sheep.

McClellan Township is thoroughly an agricultm-al region. The people are beginning to pay some attention to stock and to fruit. It was for many years that sheep could not be raised on account of the wolves, and even now the worthless dogs of the county prey on them nearly as fatally as the wolves used to do. The early settlers invented many devices for ridding themselves of the wolves that infested the country in the early days, and trapping wolves and wolf hunts were among the most exciting sports of the pioneer. After a premium was offered for wolf scalps, the animals began to disappear rapidly. As the dangers from them were lessened, farmers paid more attention to shee^J raising. Were they to carry it still further, it would be so much the better for them. There is but little question that Southern Illinois is bettor adapted to sheep than wheat raising. The sooner the farmers here turn their attention to stock and fruit, the more remunerative they will find their farms.

As a matter of some interest to our readers, we append a list of township officers since township organization, which took place in 186U. The first officers, however, were elected the next year. The list is as follows:

McClellan Township is without villages, towns, manufactories or railroads. Its ship- ]>ing point is Mount Vernon, which is but a mile or two from the northeast corner of the township, and by hauling to that city railroad facilities can be obtained for all the best markets of the country. To sum it up, the farmers of McClellan Township have a prosperous future before them, and they only need to be true to themselves and to guard their interests faithfully to reap a golden harvest at no distant period. They have good lands and valuable farms, and must sooner or later attain all else that is desirable, if they only work to their own advantage. To this end, then, they should look more to stock-raising and fruitgrowing and less to grain.