Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 7: More About Mount Vernon, 1909

Courage - nothing e'er withstood Freemen fightmg for their good; Armed with all their father's fame. They will win and wear a name, That shall go to endless glory. Like the gods of old Greek story. Raised to Heaven and heavenly worth. For the good they gave to earth.

Brevity is a necessity at this point, but it seems proper that we allude to these very first settlers and some of their doings in this chapter. Later on, of course, our reference to individuals must cease and our remarks be merged into a more general write-up of what has taken place during the passing years. But these first settlers well deserve our attention and praise. William L. Howell, the man who succeeded Lewis Watkins as Sheriff, was a nice man, but a poor manager, and he had to give up the office on that account. He moved up to Jordan's Prairie, where his little boy was lost in trying to follow his mother to the branch. There were only two paths, one to the branch and the other to the neighbor's. On her return to the house, the mother missed the boy and gave the alarm.

but it was nearly night, and the boy could not be found. For two nights and a day search was kept up. Green Casey lived at the Frank Casey place; he went out to attend to his stock after dusk, and heard a child crying, as he thought, but fearing it might be a panther, went back to the house. Early next morning he took his gun and went out to the point whence came the noise, and there sat the child, quite exhausted. He was soon restored to his almost distracted parents, and joy reigned in that household. A burying ground was laid off at Old Union, and Aunt Milly Tyler was the first woman to be buried there, and then McBride's wife, and Roaring Billy Woods. Thomas Tunstall bought the Kirby Tavern, and kept it and sold groceries. He bought and sent South a great deal of stock; he gave a set of plates or a set of knives and forks, for a yearling. He gave Nolin forty coWs and calves for a race horse. He erected the tread-mill that stood near the Asa B. Watson place, and brought John Summers, from Shawneetown, to run it. Summers afterwards married and the long line of Summerses followed. Elisha Plummer took the William Casey house, and started a blacksmith shop and two cabins on what is now South Eleventh street. He was a cabinet maker, his wife a sister to Jarvis Fierce; Colonel Reardon, the preacher, was his son. Joel Pace built his first cabin about a hundred yards east of where Governor Pavey lives. Doctors Adams and Glover came, boarded at the H. T. Pace corner, but soon Glover went to McLeansboro, and Adams married Jane Tunstall; some years afterward moved to Moore's Prairie, and died. Downing Baugh came, married Milly Pace, went to Vandalia, to Collinsville, finally located in Mount Vernon, where he sold goods and was Justice of the Peace. He built a twostory house on the north side of the square, and put up another grocery store. McClenden built a small house west of the courthouse. Joseph Wilbanks came in and took charge of the tavern.

and bought the McClenden house for a store room, soon after went » South and died, and Governor Anderson married his widow. Burchett Maxey built the H. T. Pace corner. Among those who did business on the square in those days, and who bought in and sold out, were William Hamblin, James Black, E. H. Ridgway, W. W. Pace, James Bowman, John Johnson, Harvey Pace, Stinson Anderson and scores of others whose names we have not been able to secure, but business went on and the town grew as the new settlers came in, mostly from where the original settlers came from.

In 1822 a new court-house was decided upon, the wall to be brick, thirty-two by twenty-four feet, two stories high, etc. Mc- Bride took the job, worked on it, handed it over to Thomas Jordan. It cost three hundred and twelve dollars, but stood unfinished until 1829, when it was ordered repaired, furnished and painted with three coats of Spanish brown. The work was done by Cannon Maxey and Stephen G. Hicks, the painting being done by Jarvis Pierce ; a few feet east of this new court-house were the logs of the old court-house, bought by H. B. Newby, and he put up a house with them at his old place (now known as the Gibson Place) ; the old Clerks's office disappeared and provision was made for the Clerk's office in the new court-house, so we see the seat of justice moving up to a higher plane, but we find it important to leave the other improvements in the hands of the proprietors and builders, while we gather up more valuable facts.

In 1824, William Casey sold ninety rods off the west side of the southwest quarter section 29, to James Gray, and the conveyance totally ignored the fact that Mount Vernon is in the heart of the tract. This land was laid off and added to the town and called "Storm's Survey, of Gray"s addition to Mount Vernon." After this Mount Vernon began to "spread" herself, and a new and larger court-house was in demand, and the Commissioners appointed

Noah Johnston, J. W. Greetham, Downing Baugh and A. M. Grant to advertise and plan for the building of a new court-house. Still other commissioners. Barton Atchison, James Sursa and William Bullock, mounted their horses and went to Carmi, to examine the White county court-house, and when they returned they ordered that the Clerk shall advertise for the building of a new court-house after the plan and size of the court-house at Carmi. William Edwards (known as Uncle Billy) got the contract. He was induced by Governor Casey to come to Jefferson county and buy lands, and got here just in time to get the contract for five thousand five hundred dollars. He was a Methodist preacher. His eldest son, Francis, became a physician, married Colonel Hick's daughter, located at Sandoval, and recently died there. His youngest son, Joseph, also a doctor, has long been a resident of Mendota, and paid Mount Vernon a visit last summer. The court-house was finished in 1 840, but the county had to borrow money to pay for it. This court-house was forty feet square, square roof, court room below, four offices above with stairs at the southern corners, with doors on the south, east, and west, altogether making quite a formidable appearance. And in this building many of the political giants of the state were at one time and another, listened to by Jefferson county's hardy yeomen. In this court room took place the noted altercation between our former fellow citizen. Doctor Green and Gen. John A. Logan, during the war for the Union.

Up to the building of this court-house, the town had not begun to "put on airs," so to speak, but now the Mount Vernon Academy was being built, the old church was finished, the town was incorporated and prosperity seemed headed this way, when men like Eddy, Castles, Baltzels, Phillips, Doctor Short, Schank, Hinman, Thomas, Wingate, Nelson, Haynes, Scates, Roe, Gray, Rahm, Stephenson, Palmer, Barrett, Tromly and others were locating and building in the "old town." During this swell of prosperity. Dr. W. S. Van Cleve was instrumental in having the public square enclosed, and the weeds cut, which gave the new court-house quite a "said and aforesaid" appearance, the only eye-sore being the old log jail, which graced, or disgraced the eastern side of the new building. Thus during the first twenty years of Mount Vernon's existence, it had three so-called court-houses, but they were not "permanent," like the seat of justice.

Thus far there had been but little incentive to grow crops, for there was no market. Each settler raised his own corn, potatoes and "garden sass," but no more than enough for home consumption. Hard times were the rule especially by the time spring put in its appearance. About all the settler had to trade with were hen's eggs, pelts, hides, etc., except occasionally the men and children would go into the woods and dig "ginseng," which would bring about three dollars per pound, and that would make the whole family feel aristocratic. The cattle and hogs wintered themselves - as to fresh meat, there was no trouble ; the head of the family would take down his gun and go a little way into the woods, bring in game of different kinds, for breakfast, dinner or supper, whenever needed, and everybody had a little corn patch for bread, but there were no means to reduce the corn to meal except with those who were lucky enough to have mortars and pestles, or those who would hollow out the top surface of a big stump and beat the essence out of it with a hammer or stone. There were no mills for a long while, until this prosperous period just recorded.

Perhaps there could be no more appropriate closing of this chapter than to give the life-sketch of the next character to the two prominent citizens given in the preceding chapter, in no less a personage than known to all in his day and generation. He has passed away, but still liveth. He liveth today in history, and in the memory of the people where he had his earthly existence. His life stands out as it were a friendly guide board, ready to point out to the traveler the rocks and snares on the road of life. He was a gentleman of the old school - a gentleman by nature. His life and labors were long and eventful and along the line of march he spent few idle moments. With active thought and mind he suffered but few events to pass unheeded. He was a grand man, and worthy of being a citizen of the best county in the best state of the Union. As a boy we almost idolized him ; as a man, we remember him as the ideal of what an American citizen should be. He lives in the hearts of his countrymen. He was born in Virginia, 1 799, came to Jefferson county, via Kentucky and Indiana. He married Mary Bullock in Indiana, and they came to Jefferson county and raised their family. Here, in storm and sunshine they trod the road of life together, doing what they could to better the world and now their bodies lie together in the cemetery, while their spirits are basking together in that bliss unknown to earth.

At first the major was engaged in farming and merchandising, but was not very successful. In 1 838 he was elected to the State Senate, to represent this and Hamilton counties, and during his term of four years much important legislation was passed upon. During the term the state capital was removed from Vandalia to Springfield, where for some years the Legislature was held in a church. Abraham Lincoln was a member of the same session and led the removal project, together with other prominent men from the central part of the state. In 1 852, Major Johnston, Abraham Lincoln and Judge Dickey were appointed a commission to take and report the evidence on claims filed against the state on account of the construction of the Illinois Canal. In 1845 he was enrolling and engrossing clerk of the Senate, and under his inspection passed the entire revision of 1845, which is said to be the best the state ever had. In 1846, he was elected as a "floater" to the General Assembly, from the counties of Jefferson, Hamilton and Franklin. After his return home, he was appointed army paymaster, and ordered to St. Louis for duty. The bond was two hundred thousand dollars, and he did not feel like asking anybody to go on it, but his friends rallied around him and made his bond good. He reported for duty and opened and took charge of the office. At one time he went to Leavenworth with two hundred thousand dollars, and in the spring of 1 848, crossed the plains with one hundred thousand dollars. He traveled twenty-five thousand miles, received and paid out two million dollars and never lost a cent. While in this position the major, by economy, saved enough from his salary to relieve him of his financial embarrassments.

In November, 1 854, Finney D. Preston resigned the office of Clerk of the Supreme Court, and Major Johnson was appointed in his stead; elected to same in 1855 and 1861 . In 1866 he was again elected to Legislature, from Jefferson and Franklin counties. Besides these places of honor and trust, he served on a board to superintend the construction of the Supreme court-house, as Justice of the Peace, as postmaster (although he permitted Daniel Kenney to draw the pay) and was deputy United States Marshal under Stinson H. Anderson and president of the First National Bank.

He was a man of good, hard sense, no surplus words, a wise and honest counsel, and enjoyed the confidence of all with whom he had dealings. He witnessed every material improvement and advancement made by our county and state, and has contributed largely to the same. As a partisan he was a Democrat of the old school, always ready to give a reason for the faith that was in him - a friend to the churches and the schools, and every improvement that was worthy of support. In no position, public or private, was ever lodged the least stain on his character, straightforward, plain, frank, honest, the noblest American of them all. Born in 1800, he departed this life just before his eighty-eighth birthday, lamented by the people of the entire county. He was buried beside his wife in Oakwood.

Edward N. Johnston, youngest son, is the sole survivior of the family, and resides at the old homestead, which he has improved and modernized. He has many characteristics of his revered father, and is a staid and substantial citizen, engaged somewhat in farming, and a stockholder in the bank of which his father was at one time president.