Jersey County, Illinois - Chapter 43: Ruyle Township, 1919

Chapter 43: Ruyle Township

Ruyle Township is bounded on the north by Greene County; on the east by Macoupin County ; on the south by Fidelity Township ; and on the west by Jersey Township and Greene County. It is fractional town¬ ship 9, range 10, and sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and the north half of sections 16, 17, and 18, and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 3, are in Greene County. The residue of township 9, range 10, constitutes this township. Macoupin Creek traverses the north side of the town¬ ship, and it and Phill's Creek and their branches give ample drainage. About two-thirds of its surface is prairie, and the land is very fertile, productive soil, the remainder being rolling, and it was heavily timbered.

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, formerly the Rock Island Railroad, enters Ruyle Township at the northeast corner of sec¬ tion 36, running northwest through sections 25, 24, 13, 14, 11, 2, 3 and thence into Greene County. Kemper is the only town and railroad sta¬ tion in Ruyle Township. From this point a considerable amount of grain and other produce and live stock is shipped to St. Louis and Chi¬ cago markets. Here are located stores, shops, schools and the postoffice, it being in fact the only business and social center in Ruyle Township. Its people are among the wealthiest, most independent, intelligent and up-to-date residents of Jersey County.

First Settlements

Rhodes, Benjamin Cleaver, Amos Pruitt, John Twitchell and William Palmer arrived. Between 1830 and 1836 the settlers were as follows: Dennis, Elias and Orin Palmer, who with William Palmer were natives of Vermont, and they made their locations on sections 11 and 14. G. D. Twitchell, who was horn in Vermont, came here in 1833, and settled on section 13, and in that same year, Thomas B. Ruyle came to section 15, and William L. Ruyle to section 28. The Ruyles were from Tennessee. John Gilworth located on section 29, in 1830. John C. Whitlock came here from Kentucky in 1823, and he died in 1879. Samuel and Richard Rhodes arrived as early as 1828. Rev. Jacob Rhodes made his claim on section 36, in 1830. John C. Daniels was married to Mary Palmer, a daughter of William and Mary Palmer., March 28, 1847, and settled on section 11, and remained there until I860,, when he moved to section 12, and lived there until his death. Vilas L. Dodge was married to their daughter, Laura R. Daniels, February 21, 1871, and he resides upon the Daniels homestead on section 12. Richardson and Henry Ryan, Lewis Elliott, Sr., Benjamin Sanders, Reed Gilworth and family, all were among the later settlers. Lewis Elliott, Sr., was married to Elizabeth Reddish, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Reddish, the ceremony taking place in Kentucky in 1826. Benjamin Cleaver was a relative of the Reddish family.