Jersey County, Illinois - Chapter 30: Jersey County Historical Society, 1919

Organization

On October 5, 1895, Jonathan E. Cooper died in his eighty-ninth year. For many years he had been the main support of the Old Settlers' Association of Jersey County, and from the time of his death interest seemed to die out with reference to the society, and many of its records and the material gathered by the members were destroyed. Some of the most representative of Jersey County's citizens, desiring that the original history of the settlement of Jersey County, and the experiences and incidents connected with that settlement, be preserved and protected as far as possible, issued a call which was published in The Jersey County Democrat and The Jersey ville Republican for a meeting to be held at the courthouse, in the city of Jerseyville, on September 9, 1909. At that meeting 0. B. Hamilton was made temporary chairman for the purpose of organizing the Jersey County Historical Society, and John W. Vinson temporary secretary, and after due consideration of the subject of the meeting, it was determined to organize this society. 0. B. Hamilton was elected president ; John W. Vinson, secretary, and H. W. Pogue, treasurer, and the meeting was then adjourned, subject to the call of the president for the election of other officers. The meeting was called for May 25, 1910, with the object of further perfecting the last organization and making it permanent, and upon motion of J. W. Becker, the following permanent officers were elected: 0. B. Hamilton, president; John W. Vinson, secretary; H. W. Pogue, treasurer; Dr. Augustus K. Van Horne, Mrs. Virginia C. Harbert, and Jarrett T. Grimes, vice presidents. On motion, Edward Cross, Joseph W. Becker and Dr. H. R. Gledhill were appointed a committee to report rules and by-laws for the organization, and the meeting adjourned to June 3, 1910. At that meeting, rules and regulations for the society were duly adopted, and the objects of the society were stated to be as follows :

"The object of this society shall be to collect and preserve all books, writings, manuscripts, papers, documents, public and private, legends, traditions, incidents, old letters, manuscripts, maps, atlases, histories and documents of all kinds. ' ' This section further proceeds :

"There are many closets, garrets and trunks, chests and other repos¬ itories that doubtless would yield a rich harvest to the antiquarian, could he explore their mysteries."

"The object of this society can only be successfully accomplished by the hearty and cheerful co-operation of our people who feel an interest in this work."

At a meeting of the society, held July 1, 1910, it was determined to celebrate the seventy-first anniversary of the organization of Jersey County August 5, 1910, by holding a public meeting at the courthouse in Jerseyville. At the meeting held July 8, a general committee to have supervision of the anniversary celebration was appointed as follows : O. B. Hamilton, Dr. Augustus K. Van Horne, Dr. Henry R. Gledhill, Joseph M. Page and Joseph W. Becker, and auxiliary committees were appointed to assist in the preparation for this celebration as follows : Invitation, John W. Vinson, chairman, Mrs. Cornelia Shephard and Mrs. John N. English; Music, Prof. Edward B. Shafer, chairman, John M. Beaty and Everett Alexander; Parade, Hon. Jett A. Kirby, chair¬ man, Joseph R. Fulkerson, William H. Fulkerson and Jesse K. Cadwallader; Finance, Edward Cross, chairman, Paul M. Hamilton, Harry S. Daniels, Clarence G. Reddish and Harry B. Hill ; Auto Parade, Joseph M. Page, chairman ; Reception, Hon. James H. Smith, mayor of Jersey¬ ville, chairman, George W. Herdman, Alexander F. Pitt, Stephen H. Bowman, Joseph M. Page, Hon. Theodore S. Chapman, Col. William H. Fulkerson, Augustus Cochran, Benjamin F. Calhoun, Hon. Jett A. Kirby, Edward Vaughn, Elias Cockrell, Paul M. Hamilton, Hon. Har¬ rison W. Pogue, Judge Charles S. White, R. C. Gledhill, Leslie Cross, Joseph W. Becker, Hon. Henry A. Shephard and Charles E. Miner. The ushers were Hiram P. Noble, chairman, Augustus Christy and George H. Van Horne.

State badges were printed and distributed to the members of these committees, and they, the members, contributed largely to the success and enjoyment of the day.

gram, Jersey ville, 111., August 5, 1910. Ten o'clock A. M., historic par¬ ade on streets; eleven o'clock A. M., music by the White Hussar band in the aerodrome ; address by Hon. Edward Miner of Carrollton ; twelve to twelve-thirty, basket dinner in the courthouse yard; one-thirty P. M., music by the White Hussar band in the aerodrome ; recitation, The Jersey County Fair, by Julia Barr Carlin; two-fifteen, address by Judge Adams A. Goodrich, of Chicago ; three-fifteen, Reminiscences, addresses by old soldiers; three-thirty, automobile parade, free ride to " Thirty -niners " ; four o'clock, music by the White Hussar band on courthouse lawn. Baseball game was played in the afternoon at the National Park. It was impossible for Judge Goodrich to attend on account of other engagements, and addresses were made in the afternoon by Judge George W. Herdman, IT. W. Pogue, Rev. Calloway Nash and Edward Kendall of Mexico, Mo. Mr. Kendall was a son of Samuel T. Kendall, who was a candidate against John N. English for sheriff at the first election in this county, and was defeated by a majority of one by Mr. English, who was afterwards elected as the first representative from Jersey County to the Legislature. A few moments after Mr. Ed¬ ward Kendall had concluded his address, he was taken suddenly ill, and died in a few minutes, which melancholy event cast a gloom over the further exercises. His remains were taken in charge by the Jerseyville Lodge No. 394, A. F. & A. M., and duly cared for, and on the morning of the following day they were escorted to the depot of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, placed upon the train and taken to Mexico, Mo.

There was a very large attendance at this anniversary meeting of the citizens of Jersey County, together with many former citizens who had removed from the county. Later it was determined to hold these anniversary meetings on August 5 of each year, and they have been so held annually since that time with great success, the attendance reach¬ ing from 5,000 to 10,000 each day.

At the meeting in 1911, Hon. John M. Woodson, of St. Louis, Mo., son of Judge David M. Woodson, long judge of the circuit court of this county, was the orator. In 1912, Hon. Lawrence Y. Sherman, senator from Illinois, was the orator. In 1913, Hon. A. N. Bell of Carlinville was the orator, and addresses were also made by Hon. Henry T. Rainey, member of Congress from this district, E. S. Wells and Minor S. Gowins. In 1914, Hon. Thomas J. Selby of Calhoun County, ex¬ member of Congress from this district, was the orator, and at the Old Settlers' meeting, William A. (Farmer) Scott of New York was the speaker. In 1915, Hon. George W. Ware, one of the oldest settlers now living in Jersey ville, was the orator. In 1916, Hon. Benjamin F. Cald¬ well, ex-Congressman from the Springfield district, and a former resident of Greene County, was the orator. At the January meeting, 1917, it was determined by the society that inasmuch as preparations were being made for a centennial celebration in 1918, and committees had been appointed in each of the counties to take up the subject, that the Jersey County Historical Society abandon the anniversary celebration for 1917 and 1918, and transfer all action of that kind to the Centennial Com¬ mittee for those two years. The Historical Society, through the courtesy and kindness of the county board, have secured a room in the basement of the courthouse for their meetings, and for the collection of old books, relics and other matters concerning the early history of the county, in which may be noted that they have all of the original maps of Jersey County that have been published, and all histories of Jerseyville and Jersey County. They also have the file of the Jersey County Democrat running back to the later years of the sixties, and many other books and papers of value to the antiquarian. They also have copies of the address of Hon. Stephen V. White at Chautauqua in 1900, and of his address delivered at the dedication of a tablet to Joseph Chandler in the Noble Cemetery, a Revolutionary soldier, and to his wife, Eliza Chandler White, who was president of the "Daughters of the American Revolu¬ tion" in Brooklyn, N. Y., and specific mention should be made of a book entitled "The Story of a Common Soldier," dealing with army life in the Civil War by Judge Leander Stillwell, late of Company D, Sixty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, published in 1917. Another valuable book is the diary of Stephen Beck, which deals with his services during the Civil War. Both these men were reared and educated in the Otter Creek settlement, and received their education at the Hamilton Primary School.

"I was born September 16, 1843, in Otter Creek Precinct, Jersey County, Ill. ; I was living with my parents in the little old log house where I was born when the Civil War began." He enlisted in Company D, Sixty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, on January 6, 1862 ; re-enlisted for three years, February 1, 1864; was honorably mustered out of the service as first lieutenant September 27, 1865, at Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill., arriving at his Otter Creek home the next day. Later he attended the Albany Law School, and was admitted to the bar. He removed to Kansas in 1867, and settled at Erie, Neosha County, in that state, where he practiced his profession for several years. Still later he was elected to the Legislature, and then was made district judge, which latter office he held for more than twenty years. For four years, during President Taft's administration, he was first assistant com¬ missioner of pensions at Washington, D. C.

Present Officers

The present officers of the Jersey County Historical Society are as follows : Oscar B. Hamilton, president ; Thomas A. Kraus, secretary ; Dr. A. Iv. Van Horne, vice president; Edward Cross, treasurer, and Mrs. Rose Wedding, librarian. The township vice presidents are: R. L. Smith, J. L. Seago, T. H. Craig, R. C. Gillham, V. L. Dodge, William Dougherty, W. H. Bartlett, E Meysenburg, H. C. Dunham and James Wedding. The executive committee is composed of the following mem¬ bers : Edward Cross, chairman, 0. B. Hamilton, C. H. Van Horne and J. W. Becker.