Livingston County, Illinois - The whole text, 1878 (part 9 of 25)

The record of Belle Prairie was good durino; the late war. Notwithstanding it was usually termed a Copperhead stronghold, but one draft occurred during the war, and it was for but a half-dozen men. Through the energy and enterprise of Ben Walton, then one of the leading spirits of the town, substitutes were procured in three days for those drafted, and at lower figures than any neighboring town had to pay for the same kind of material. While the township claims no Major Generals, or very noted or distinguished officers of any rank, it does feel proud of its brave boys who went in at the beginning and fought it out on that line.

Perhaps but few better illustrations of what resolution, energy and industry will accomplish can be found than that displayed by the rise and progress of the town of Odell.

But a quarter of a century has passed since the first stroke was made which has proved to be the foundation of what is now, in intelligence, wealth and thrift, one of the foremost in the county. Twenty-five years, when looked at retrospectively, seems but a short period of time ; but the changes which it has brought, not only to this community but to the country in general, are remarkable. A quarter of a century has seen what was literally "a desert waste" changed into a series of well-cultivated farms and gardens. Where then roamed the wild deer by the hundred, and skulked the wolf, unscared, now graze the less romantic ox and the more* practical pig and other domestic animals.

Where now stands the prosperous and beautiful little city, with its well-built and tasty residences, its lines of stores and shops, its churches and school houses, and tall trees, shading its well-kept streets, was then - simply nothing but the tall grass ; not even enough more to fill out a well-rounded sentence.

The history of Odell and the township dates back no further than to the completion of the Chicago, Alton k St. Louis Railroad. In fact, we may say the railroad is, in eveisy sense of the word, the foundation of the town and its surroundings. Not only so, but that the whole country through which it passes owes its development to this enterprise is a fact acknowledged and accepted by every one acquainted with the circumstances.

In 1854, with the exception of a few small and unthrifty villages, there was scarcely a human habitation between Joliet and Bloomington. Further west, the Illinois River had attracted many immigrants, and the smaller streams, with their belts of timber, had begun to show signs of settlement ; but on account of the scarcity of fuel and lumber, none dared or even seemed to think of locating on the prairie. But when the road was completed, these, together with all kinds of conveniences common to the oldest settlements, appeared at once, and there was nothing that money or produce could buy but was immediately furnished.

When we reflect that all of these houses, all of the stone, brick and lumber of which they are composed, all of the fences, all of the orchards in their primary state, all of the agricultural and mechanical implements, together with their equivalents in the shape of grain, cattle, hogs, butter, eggs and poultry, have been transferred bv a single line of road, and remember that this is onlv a single point out of several hundreds, we begin to realize the extent and importance of this grand scheme.

In 1847, the Legislature of the State of Illinois passed an act authorizing the building of a railroad from Alton to Springfield, to be called the Alton k Sangamon Raih'oad; and, in 1851, the charter was so amended as to include a line to Bloomington, to which place it was completed the following year.

Also, in 1851, the Legislature granted a charter for the building of what was known as the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, extending from Chicago, by way of Joliet, to Bloomington, thus completing a through line from Chicago to St. Louis. The road was finished through this county in 1854, and the first train passed through on the 4th day of July. The road, in its early years, suflFered many reverses and drawbacks ; but, under its later management, by steady and enduring perseverance and a liberal course toward its patrons, thus gaining their hearty co-operation, the line has become the most important and wealthy in the State, being placed alone by the Railroad Commissioners, in their apportionment, in Class A.

As soon as it was definitely known that a town was to be located here, settlements began immediately to be made, not only with a view of being within the limits of the village, but, also, of opening farms. Indeed, the prospect of the road had been a sufficient incentive to speculation ; and the charter had no more than been obtained when crowds of speculators were attracted hither, and within the three years 1852 - 5, almost all of the land of this township was entered. Scarcely a whole section was taken Avitli a view to improvement, but was entered and held for a rise in the market, which was sure to follow the completion of the railroad. In this the speculators were not mistaken ; and the township of Odell is to-day represented by but few persons who were the original purchasers of the land.

As the immediate point of attraction for this vicinity was the station, so the first settlements were made, quite naturally, as close to it as circumstances would allow. The land on which the town of Odell has subsequently been built was owned, primarily, by James C. Spencer and Henry A. Gardner. They purchased the land of the Government May 4, 1853, exactly a quarter of a century previous to this writing. Spencer owned the north half of the quarter section, and Gardner the south half Of this, Spencer sold, September 3, 1853, his land to William H. Odell, after whom the town of Odell was named, and who subsequently became one of the joint proprietors of the town. On the 7th of June, 1855, Gardner and Odell exchanged deeds of their undivided half interests in their respective pieces of land, and thus became equal partners in the northwest quarter of Section 10, which embraced all of the original town of Odell. A short time after this, June 26, 1855, S. S. Morgan, who has, perhaps, had more to do with the early growth and development of the town and township than any other man, purchased the interest of Odell ; and by Morgan, and for him and Henry A. Gardner, the plat of the town was made.

The town was surveyed and platted by Thomas F. Norton, Deputy County Surveyor, August 10, 1856, the proprietors having previously conveyed to the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad Company fifty feet on each side of the railroad track, extending through the whole quarter section. Thus was the town firmly fixed, and the attention of emigrants consequently turned to this quarter.

For a year after the switch was located, the only inhabitants of the place were the few employes of the road who attended the station and the water tank and who were engaged in keeping the track in order. Of these, Daniel Smith, from New York, was the first agent ; and, as a post office was established about this time, he received the appointment of Postmaster. Mr. Morgan, thougli at the time a resident of Joliet, alternated between that point and this ; and when Smith was superseded by J. H. Link (formerly of Canada) as Station Agent, Morgan was appointed, by James Buchanan, as Postmaster. Though Morgan was principal, yet Link, acting as deputy, had charge of the mails ; and he also brought on a few goods and kept them for sale in the station house.

In the meantime, David Williams, from the town of New Michigan, had come to the place and erected a little shanty and displayed a few basketfuls of groceries and notions. He was, however, a chronic grumbler and chronically sick, and stayed but a few months and returned to New Michigan.

About the time of Williams' exit, S. W. Cuitiss, of Kendall County, established a general store in the warehouse that been erected by the Railroad Company. Curtiss did not make this his home, but employed S. P. Lundgren, of the same county, and known to the people of Odell as " Peter," to take charge. Link, having become disgusted with the store business, and also with the annoyance from the care of the mails, was anxious to turn these two branches of business over to other parties, and in this connection, the following incident is related : Lundgren says that when he stepped off the train, on his first arrival in the Winter of 1856-7, he was eyed sharply by Link (much after the manner of other lynx), who asked him if he was not the man Avho was to have the post office. Lundgren replied that he was an entire stranger, and that he was certain that no such arrangement had been made. He Avas then questioned as to Avliat his business was at the place. Lundgren acknowledged that he had come to take charge of business for S. W. Curtiss, but had not yet had any instruction as to the location of the store. Link then turned to the station house, and, taking the bag in which .he had just received the mail, began crowding into its open mouth, indiscriminately, papers, books, letters and everything pertaining to the office, remarking the while that he knew this was the man, and, having completed his packing, handed him the bag. Lundgren, however, protested that he was neither appointed nor qualified, and that he could not accept it; upon which, Link gently pushed him from the door, throwing the post office after him, and no amount of argument or persuasion could induce him to again permit it to be placed in his possession. Lundgren says that, in this instance, he verily felt that the " office was seeking the man " with a vengeance. After deliberatinoupon the matter a few minutes, and concludino; that there could be nothinocriminal in caring for that which was in a fair way of being lost or destroyed, Lundgren picked up the office and, with it on his shoulder, proceeded to hunt up his other mission, which, in due course of time, he found. A few days after installing himself as manager of the store - there being no Justice of the Peace or other officer qualified to administer an oath in the neighborhood - he proceeded to Mud Creek, where resided one of those worthies, and took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and, as Deputy Postmaster, to transact the business of the office according to the rules and edicts of the head of the department.

At this time, there v^'ere, besides those already mentioned, but four families. Thomas Lyons was an employe of the railroad company, and pumped water for the tank. One night, while in the performance of his duty, he discovered a colored fugitive concealing himself in the building. The fellow had evidently mistaken the newly built railroad for a branch of the "underground," and this point as one of the "stations." Lyon reported the discovery to S. S. Morgan, who says that he found the poor fellow in a bad plight. He was ragged and sore, and his feet were torn and lacerated, and were bound up with some old rags tied on with strips of hickory bark, and he looked as though he were more of the town, this was a large amount to appropriate for that purpose, but it proved to be only the beginning of a very extensive scheme for making the liighways of tlnis township the best in the county. During the year, petitions were presented and granted, for the laying out of thirty-eight miles of new road; and, almost every year since, large appropriations have been made for their construction and improvement. In some instances, as much as $5,000 has been appropriated for that purpose. As a result of this wise course, Odell is the greatest grain market in the county ; and, with two or three exceptions, the greatest on the road.

Supervisor

The names of the balance of the officers for 1878 are : A. G. Goodspeed, for this and the last eleven years. Assessor; G. W. Abbaduska, Collector; C. N. Coe and J. D. Pound, Justices of the Peace ; T. D. Thompson and E. Debraie, Constables ; Z. Supplee, School Treasurer : S. S. Morgan, J. JST. Moore and C. W. Barber, Road Commissioners.

It will doubtless be noticed that "rotation in office," "third term" and like phrases could not have entered largely into politics in this town, the main question being the fitness of the man for the position. B. F. Hotchkiss, whose name appears seven times as Supervisor, Avas a man eminently qualified for such a position, and so highly was he appreciated by the Board, that, while he continued in office, he was honored as their presiding officer. A. G. Goodspeed has been Assessor so long, and knows so well what everybody is possessed of, that he can almost perform the duties without leaving his office. S. S. Morgan, who has had much to do with building the fine roads in this and adjoining townships, has held the office of Road Commissioner for nineteen years.

The first grain was shipped from the station in 1855. by James Henry. This grain was not handled bv anv dealer, but was loaded from the wagons directly into the cars, and this continued to be the principal method of disposing of the products of the farm until 1861. when L. E. Kent, of Pontiac, built the elevator now occupied by C. A. Vincent. Prior to this, the only convenience for handling grain, beside the direct transfer from the wagon to the car, was a small board shanty that had been in use by various persons and for various purposes, and the Kent elevator was considered a fine addition to the business facilities of the place. A. Aerl, who had come from Pontiac two years before, was placed in charge of the elevator, and continued in the grain business for some years. J. B. Curtiss also built, about the same time, the elevator occupied until recently by Z. Supplee. In 1866, J. tfc W. Hossack erected their fine elevator, which, for capacity and convenience for handling grain, has few superiors in the State. The cost of the building was 823.000; it is sixty feet in Avidth and ninety in length, and has a capacity of 60.000 bu.shels. Messrs. J. k W. Hossack buy annually 700,000 bushels, and have handled, some years, over 1.000,000 bushels.

The first school taught in the township was organized in the dwelling house of Joseph French, in 1857. The school was taught by Mrs. H. H. Robinson, and consisted of seven pupils. By the next year, 1858, there were two schools in the township, and the number of scholars in both was twenty-eight.

Village Of Odell

After the survej'ing and platting of the village, alluded to on another page, the lots were offered for sale, and many of the best were purchased for S20 to

|30 each. The business lots, first sold, almost all went at the former price. At first, the east side of the square seemed to be the favorite place for business, and the first respectable sized store building erected was the one into whicli Curtiss & Dewey moved their goods after leaving the warehouse.

This buildino- still stands on the corner, just south of Hossack's ofiice, and is occupied as a saloon. But gradually the west side of the square built up ; and as the newer buildings, owing to a demand for more commodiousstore rooms, were larger and better, the east side, to some extent, fell behind, its smaller buildings serving the purpose of shops and the smaller class of trade. Especiallv was this noticeable when, in 1867, Wm. Strawn erected the hotel, Avith a number of convenient store rooms. At the time of its erection, it was considered, as it really was, the finest hotel in the county. The hotel drew about it, at once, a number of business men ; and, ever since, the west side has had the lead.

We left the post office on the hands, or rather on the shoulders, of Peter Lundo-ren. S. S. Morgan was, at that time. Postmaster ; but, as soon as the duties of the office became such as to need careful attention, he, too, turned it over to other parties. His successors have been as follows : John Williams, A. A. Streator, S. H. Putnam, H. G. Challis, S. H. Putnam and the present efficient incumbent, S. H. Hunt, who was appointed in 1869, and has held the office continuously ever since.

As already intimated, Rev. I. T. Whittemore held the first church service in the town. After a few services had been held in the station, a carpenter shop was erected by Seyftiour & Ni(*liols, who, by the way, were the first resident carpenters in the place ; and in their shop services were conducted for a while. The people all worshiped together, and sect and denomination Avere scarcely thought of, but all were glad of the privilege of hearing the Gospel preached, even in a carpenter shop. When, in 1858, the school house was built, they were more comfortably situated. Mr. Whittemore continued to minister to the people, and with such acceptance that, in 1862, the Congregational Society was organized. Among the original members Avere Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Hotchkiss, Mary P. Camp, Mrs. A. R. Morgan, Mrs. Polly Robinson, Mrs. Sarah Lucas, Mrs. S. C. Putnam.

In 1866, the society, having increased very considerably in numbers and Avealth, and being desirous of possessing a house of Avorship which they might feel was their "religious home," erected their present neat and substantial church building. The house is thirty-eight feet in Avidth and sixty in length, and cost the society ^8,000. At the time of its erection. Rev. L. Leonard was Pastor of the congregation. He Avas a man of much energy and influence, and it was largely due to his zeal and management that the enterprise was begun.

The history of the Methodist Church of Odell is very similar, in many respects, to that of the Congregational just given. The tAvo societies - or rather the two peoples - worshiped together in the depot, in the carpenter shop, and in the school house. Both organized about the same time, and held services alternately in the scliool house, and both built their houses of worship the same year. The Rev. Thomas Cotton, a man whose influence in social and religious matters in Livingston County has, perhaps, been as great as that of any other man of like profession who ever resided in its limits, organized the church in 1860. The prosperity of the society has been (juite marked. Beginning Avith a very few, they have grown in numbers until at present the church consists of 130 members ; and, though laboring under the disadvantages of hard times, high material and expensive labor, erected, in 1866-67, their present tasty and commodious house of worship. It is fifty-six feet in length and thirty-six in width, and cost $6,000. The present Pastor is Rev. W. P. Graves.

The Catholics of this place, in 18T5, completed a very large house of worship. It is forty feet in width by eighty-six in length, and cost $5,300. The society consists of about 120 families. The parish is in charge of Rev. Bernard Boylan.

The citizens of Odell justly pride themselves on their excellent schools. In the selection of teachers, they have always been very successful ; and during the eight years ending with 1873, the Odell school, with one exception, prepared more teachers than any other school in the county.

The Board of School Directors, as now constituted, are : S. S. Morgan, T. 0. Bannister and James Funk. Teachers : W. W. Lockwood and Misses Crawford, Graves, Pound and Bell.

The society of A., F. & A. M. was constituted as Odell Lodge, No. 401, Oct. 5th, 1864. The charter members were L. H. Cordry, E. G. Putnam, Z. Supplee, who were the first three principal officers. The charter was granted by Thomas J. Turner, Grand Master. The Lodge numbers at present sixty members. Odell Chapter was chartered by John M. Pearson, High Priest, Oct. 7, 1870. The charter was granted to Z. Supplee, A. E. Gammon, John E. Williams, A. B. Dunlap, A. P. Wright, J. Martin, C. H. Ellenwood, R. G. Morton, J. Ford, Charles Finefield, E. Williams, A. G. Goodspeed, J. B. Garwood, H. H. Hill and R. B. Harrington. Elisha Williams was first High Priest; Z. Supplee, King, and J. E. Williams, Scribe. The present principal officers are: R. G. Morton, High Priest; D. A. Walden, King; Joel Kidder, Scribe : J. F. Trowbridge, Secretary, and J. A. Hunter, Treasurer.

Company B, Tenth Regiment Illinois National Guards, regimental headquarters at Dwight, was organized June 25, 1876. J. F. Trowbridge is Captain ; E. M. Vaughn, First Lieutenant ; J. L. Trowbridge, Second Lieutenant : Wm. T. Angell, Orderly. The company, as now constituted, contains, besides the officers, fifty-three enlisted men, fully equipped, uniformed and armed with needle guns.

Odell Lodge, No. 464, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered by Thomas B. Needles, Grand Master, Oct. 10, 1871, and instituted by N. J. Pillsbury, Deputy Grand. Master. The charter members were J. A. Hunter, W. Dalley, E. P. Utley, Jerry Clay and I. H. Scovell. B. F. Pound was installed first N. G.; N. E. Wright, V. G.; A. P.Wright, Rec. Sec; J. A. Hunter, Treas. The present officers are : I. H. Scovell, N. G.; E. DeBriae, Y. G.; J. M. Beck, Rec. Sec: T. 0. Bannister, Per. Sec; G. Z. T. Kenyon, Treas.

Several attempts have been made to establish a newspaper at this point, but with indifierent success. Owing to various circumstances, previous to 1877, enterprises of this kind have failed. But, during the year named, J. H. Warner, realizing that the time had come when a paper was really needed, established the Odell Herald, which bids fair to become one of the popular publications of the county. Merchants and other business men are beginning to realize that, to succeed in business, they must let their patrons know what they are doing, and, consequently, must invest in printer's ink.

A True Story Of Charley Ross

Though but little given to sensations, the town of Odell has had enacted within its limits a little drama which, at the time, created the most intense excitement ; and to this time, by many of the citizens who had the most ample means of knowing the facts, it is confidently believed that some of the persons connected with the Charley Ross abduction, together with the child in question, were the persons who figure in the folloAving story : During the Summer of 1874, a woman, giving her name as Hannah Cole, arrived at Odell, bringing with her a child of five or six years of age, and Avhom she called Jimmy Henderson. She was a stranger to the people of Odell ; but subsequent events proved her to be a relative of George W. Murkins, who lived just south of town, and with whom she took up her residence for a time. A few weeks later, another stranger, calling himself Lewis Dungan, arrived from Philadelphia, bringing another little boy, who, as afterward remembered, very much resembled the descriptions given of the abducted Charley Ross. Dungan also went to Murkins' to reside. This, as will be remembered, was just after the abduction had occurred, and the $20,000 reward had been oifered for the return of the missing child. Some of the children at Murkins' had heard the older ones of the family speak of $20,000 that Dungan was expecting to get from the East ; and this item, which soon became known to some of the neighbors, together Avith certain other suspicious movements, excited apprehensions which led to a quiet investigation of the matter. The inquiry, though conducted quietly, was evidently not unobserved by Dungan, for he seemed to take alarm, and procuring a close carriage, and tying the child up in a bag, and placing him under the seat, started at dark for Ottawa. Near Streator, they are known to have stopped and camped in the woods until near morning, when they again pursued their journey to Ottawa. Here Dungan is known to have stopped

Avith a man by the name of Tarr, who. as has since been ascertained, was an ex-convict of the Pennsylvania penitentiary, and a former confederate of the notorious Mosher who was shot in New York and who asserted that his accomplice in that last burglary was one of the abductors of Charley Ross. It is believed that Dungan transferred the child to Tarr, and that he took him to St. Louis, where he was lost sight of It is known that, immediately on Dungan's arrival at Tarr's, he (Tarr) left Ottawa, having expi'essed his baggage to Peoria, in care of Mrs. Ellen Webster, and from there the baggage was expressed to Bloomington, in care of Madame Webster, and thence to St. Louis, in care of Mrs. Webster. While the baggage was at the express office in St. Louis, a party appeared, desiring to open one of the trunks. Procuring therefrom a suit of child's clothing, the party stated that the trunks would be taken away in a few days; but they were never removed, by the owners, from the office. Another circumstance Avhich the detectives hoped would lead to a clue to the mysterious movements (»f the parties was a personal, which appeared in the St. Louis HepuhUeari, which read as follows: "To Christian Ross, Philadelphia - Charley will be given up for- $'),000. Answer." Mr. Ross did answer, accepting the proposition ; but here again, either from the departure of the persons connected with the matter, or from apprehension that thev were being; closelv shadowed, the thread was broken ; and, Dungan (avIio, in the mean time, had been arrested and put in jail), having had his trial and being released, the detectives gave up the pursuit. Reverting to Dungan. after he returned from Ottawa he was arrested and, on a preliminary examination, was held for b»il, which being unable to give, he was placed in jail to aAvait trial. A few days later, he was tried, but no positive evidence appearing, he was released. He subse(|uently sued S. H. Penny. Solomon Bishop. Henry Curtis. E. F. Bolter. Reese Jones, C. N. Coe, J. J. Halm, Carlos Putnam, A. S. Wisner and L. Putnam, for ^50,000, for trespass and false imprisonment. The jury found the first three parties guilty of trespass and allowed the plaintiff damages in the sum of one cent !

Though not marvelous for a Western town, the growth and prosperity of Odell has been not only satisfactory, but much more rapid than ordinary. From a population of about one hundred in 1858, the town has grown in twenty years to a real little city, containing at least 1,000 inhabitants, thus showing an increase, in this respect, of nearly 100 per cent, every six years.

As indicating the amount of business done at this place during the 3'ear ending January 1, 1877, the following items have been kindly furnished by Mr. N. S. Hill. Agent of the C, A. & St. L. R. R., at this place :

Agent, which positions he held for a number of years. C. N. Coe, brother of J. H., was the first Station Agent, being appointed in the yeat 1856. He also bought the first grain shipped from this place, during the same year. Grain was handled in a small warehouse which had been built by Weed, the original proprietor of the town.

Eli Pearson, from Ohio, came in the Fall of 1855, and opened a fiirm just east of the village. He has since removed to the township of Esmen, where he still resides. Hanford Kerr and family, from the same State, came about the

In 1856, the Fish brothers, C, U. Udell and Dr. B. J. Bettleheim arrived. The last named was an eminent scholar and a learned and successful physician. He traveled extensively in China, Japan and other countries. In 1858, he gave a series of lectures at Pontiac on his Eastern travels, and on vai-ious religious subjects, which were interesting and instructive in the extreme.

In 1857, Wm. Skinner, Wm. J. Murphy and a few others settled in the neighborhood. Skinner opened the farm just north of the village, where he still resides. Murphy started a broom factory. Mr. Murphy was also a preacher, and subsequently removed to Pontiac, Avhere he took charge, for a time, of the Presbyterian Church. While at Pontiac, he opened the nursery where A. W. Kellogg now resides.

In 1858, Augustus Coleman, from Troy, Ohio, came in. Coleman was a graduate of West Point, and, on the breaking out of the rebellion, returned to Ohio, organized a regiment and took the field. He was afterward promoted to the oflfice of Brigadier General, but was killed at the battle of Antietam.

David J. Evans opened the first store in 1857, which he continued about a year, when he closed out and was succeeded in the business by John F.

In 1862, D. Hunt built the first warehouse, now owned and operated by C. N. Coe. In 1868. L. E. Kent, of Pontiac, erected the one now operated by him. Though the village compai-es but poorly with many other towns of the county, the business done here is, by no means inconsiderable as will be seen by the following items, as given by the obliging agent of the Chicago, Alton k

Odell Township is situated north of the center of the county. It is exactly six miles square and embraces a full congressional town, and is described as Town 29 north. Range 6 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is cut almost diagonally, from northeast to southwest, by the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, which divides it into two nearly equal portions. With the exception of a branch of Deer Creek, which takes its rise and flows through the southwestern portion of the township in the vicinity of Cayuga, the township is destitute of ruwning streams, and, with the exception of the little groves, here and there, planted by the owners of the land, is also destitute of timber. The soil is of a very rich and fertile character, and well adapted to the raising of corn, immense quantities of which are produced.

This township is situated in the southern part of the county, or south of the center, and is bounded on the north by Owego, on the east by Pleasant Ridge, on the south by Indian Grove, and on the west by Eppard's Point Township. About three-fourths is prairie to one-fourth of timbered land, while the surface is gently undulating, and better adapted to agricultural pursuits than many other portions of the county. It is drained by the Vermilion River ; the confluence of the north and south branches is near the center of the township, and their margins and bottoms afford an abundance of excellent timber for all farm and building purposes. Avoca is known as Township 27 north, Range 6 east of the Third Principal Meridian.

The first settlement was made in Avoca Township in 1830. In December of that year, Isaac Jourdan made a claim here, upon which he settled, but a few days before the commencement of the "deep snow." He came from Brown County, Illinois, but whether that was his native place or not we were unable to learn. His wife was the first white woman in this township. William Popejoy, John liannaman and their families settled in this neighborhood on Christmas Day of the same year, and but a week or two after Jourdan. These latter were from Ohio, and became permanent citizens. This constituted the settlements in this section vq) to 1832, when William McDowell came to the county and made a claim upon which he settled in May, which was the Spring of the Black HaAvk war. He left his old home in Ohio in 1828, and stopped at La Fayette, Ind., on account of school facilities, as Illinois (or this portion of it) Avas then beyond the confines of civilization. He remained there four years, when he came to Livingston County and settled in what is now Avoca Township, as noted above, in the Spring of the Black. Hawk war. His family consisted of five sons - John, Woodford G., James, Hiram and Joseph B. McDowell, and one daughter, who married a Mr. Tucker. They, together with John McDowell, still live in Avoca ; Woodford G. and James live in Fairbury, Hiram is in Kansas, and Joseph is Register of the Land Office at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Soon after the settlement of the McDowells, vague rumors began to circulate through the sparsely settled community in regard to the Black Hawk war, which was raging north of their settlement. But there was no mail nearer than Bloomington, no railroad or telegraph lines, and news facilities were restricted within the nari'owest limits. In illustration of the disadvantages under which they lived regarding the reception of news, several weeks after the McDowells had settled in their new home, a man named Phillips, living but a mile or tAVO distant, in what is now Indian Grove Township, was out hunting some hogs that had stra3'ed away from him, when he came suddenly upon the McDowell encampment, and the astonishment he displayed in having neighbors of whose proximity he was ignorant was almost equal to that exhibited by Robinson Crusoe when he discovered the footprints on his lonely island. Rumors becoming more rife of the Indians and Indian outrages, Mr. McDowell and some of his neighbors went to the Kickapoo town, one Sunday, to church,* Avhere there were several hundred Indians, and their suspicions were aroused at the absence of all warriors from the Indian camp. The Kickapoos informed them that the Sacs had threatened "to come and kill them if they did not join them in the war," and advised the whites, with whom they were on the most friendly terms, to return to the settlements further east. This so alarmed the little colony that, after considering the matter, they decided to return to the Wabash, and on the 29th of May, 1832, they commenced their retreat toward the rising sun. Though this retreat never became so famed in history as that of Bonaparte from Moscow, yet an event occurred upon the route worthy of record in these pages. The first night after their departure, Mrs. Jourdan, who was in a delicate condition, was taken sick, and, notwithstanding their haste and fright, the party agreed to stop a day or two, on her account. But, the next morning, their alarm Avas much heightened by discovering a couple of Indians ride up and take a survey of their camp froni a distant elevation. Believing that an attack would be made, and notwithstanding their arms consisted of but two old fowling pieces, they nobly resolved to stand by the Jourdans. Mrs. Jourdan. however, with a courage and resolution worthy of a Spartan mother, made up her mind to travel, and the cavalcade moved on. The McDowells, who had a large "old Pennsylvania wagon-bed," surrendered it to the ladies, and they converted it into a kind of hospital for Mrs. Jourdan, and all through the long day that heroic woman bore her suffering and pain without a murmur. The next morning, and the second after starting for the east, she was delivered of a daughter, which, here be it said, grew up and made a most estimable lady. Without further incident worthy of note, they arrived at the Indiana settlement in safety.

In the Fall of 1832, after the storms of war had passed by, and the sun of Black Hawk had forever set on the plains of Illinois, the little colony returned to their claims on the Vermilion River, where they made permanent settlements. The mode of making a claim in those days was by "blazing" it out in the timber or staking it off on the prairie. The land was not surveyed until 1833, and every man squatted where it suited his inclination, providing no one else had preceded him.

Of these few early pioneers, who came here before the Black Hawk war and who sought safety in flio;ht, we would say, before passing to other and subse- - juent scenes, that Jourdan remained in the settlement for several years, then sold out his claim and returned to the southern part of the State, from whence he came. Popejoy and Hanneman both died in the neighborhood, the Jatter soon after his return in the Fall of 1832, and Avas the first death in the new settlement. Mi-. McDowell, the old patriarch of all the McDowells, died here in 1834. His widow remained on the homestead ; filled the place of both father and mother toward her children, and died in 1858 at an advanced age.

Before the close of the year 1832, the little settlement was increased by the arrival of Charles Brooks, John Wright and his sister, Mary Ann Wright, who came fiom Indiana. Brooks was related to Popejoy and Hannaman, and came our perhaps through their influence.

M. B. Miller, from Cazenovia, N. Y., came in the Spring of 1833, and bought the claim of Charles Brooks, upon which he remained for a few years, when he sold out and removed to Ottawa.

In the Fall of the same year, Piatt Thorn, from Western New York, settled in this section, but he, too, after a time, sold out and went to Ottawa. About the same time, Isaac Burgit came from New York to this settlement, and, like the other New Y^orkers, finally sold out and likewise removed to Ottawa.

A young man named Richard L. Ball, ver^^ worthy and liighly respected, came out with Burgit. After remaining in the settlement some ten or twelve years, he returned to his home in New York, where he committed suicide, from what cause was never known.

David Terhune and a man named Dean came from New Y^ork in 1834. Terhune bought a claim from Hanneman, upon which he settled, while Dean settled near by.

Elijah Thompson came from Indiana, in 18'33, and made a claim in this section. Perhaps no man Avho had settled here received so warm and hearty a welcome as did Thompson ; and all on account of his having in his family three very accomplished and buxom daughters, who were the first marriageable young ladies in the settlement, and of course great belles. One of them is noticed elsewhere, as the first marriage in Avoca Township. Thompson settled on what, after the lands were surveyed, turned out to be the school section., and, after the survey was made, sold out his improvements and removed " over on Kankakee," where, so far as we know, he still lives.

Thomas G. McDowell, a younger brother of Wra. McDowell, came to Illinois in 1848. He settled out on the prairie, about half a mile from the timber, and Avas the first actual settlement made outside of the timber. It was spoken of in considerable wonderment, and the people used to say that '" Uncle Tommy McDowell had settled away out on the prairie," which was looked upon then as equivalent to being " out of creation." He states that when he came to Avoca there were but three settlements between the Wabash country and this place. The people did their milling at Green's mill, on the Fox River, and their "store trading" at OttaAva. His first trip to mill was to the one above mentioned, and he was four days in making it. He contracted to take twentyfive bushels of grain to mill and have it ground for a man in the neighborhood, for which he Avas to receive fifty bushels of corn, worth then the enormous sum of ten cents per bushel.

Nathan Popejoy, James Blake and Col. George Johnson came from Ohio. Popejoy first settled in Pontiac Township, where he remained but a short time, when he removed to this section and made a permanent settlement. Blake settled here in the Spring of 1836, and in 1852 moved to Iowa. Col. Johnson settled in Avoca in 1835, and died in 1859. He had served in the War of 1812, though not as a Colonel, which title was more honorary than otherwise. He took quite an interest in fighting his battles over again, and imitating "noble war" in drilling the militia, and thus obtained the military title.

Isaac Wilson and James Demoss were from Indiana. Wilson settled in this section in 1837, where he resided until 1853, when lie removed into Pleasant Ridge Township. He was one of the first lot of Justices of the Peace elected after the formation of the county, and has served as such ten years, altogether. He is still living in Pleasant Ridge. Demoss was originally from Ohio, but had lived for some years in Indiana before settling in Avoca Township. He came to the toAvn in 1844, which date scarcely admits of his being termed an '"old settler" in this neighborhood, where settlements extend back to 1830; but his numerous descendants, who number some of the very best families in this section, it seems meet that they should receive notice in these pages. The old gentleman himself is dead, but has left behind him a number of honorable sons, whose honesty and integrity are above reproach.

James Glennin came from Ireland, in 1845, and, like the last mentioned, hardly ranks as an old settler. He was said to have been a man of sterling integrity, and his word, in all cases, was his bond. His family, too, were as conscientious as himself.

The first white child born in what is now Avoca ToAvnship was Charles A. Brooks, a son of Charles Brooks, one of the early settlers of the place, and was born on the 1st day of July, 1833. But for the fright occasioned by the Black Hawk war, which drove the few pioneers from this section back to the Indiana settlements. Master Brooks would have been preceded some thirteen months by the little Miss Jourdan, Avho made her first appearance on the way back to civilization, as already noticed, and which event prevented her being born in the township.

They were married by William McDowell, a Justice of the Peace, who had been elected but a few weeks before, and this was his first official act in tying matrimonial knots. Judge McDowell informed us that his father was very much troubled about a form of ceremony to use on the momentous occasion, and did not know Avhat to do about it. But his Avife came to his rescue. She was an ardent Methodist, and, of course, possessed a Discipline, which she presented to her husband. From this book he committed to memory the entire marriage ceremony of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and used it to unite these two loving hearts.

John Hannaman died in the Fall of 1832, just after the return of the settlers from Indiana, where they had gone to escape the perils of the Indian war. This is one of the first deaths in the county, as well as the first that occurred in this township. His coffin was made of lumber, split out of a walnut tree, and hewed as smooth as possible with an a.xe. Some say that a tree was cut down, a "- cut " split open and the halves dug out like a trough, in which he was put as a coffin. There was no such thing then in this section of the country

McDowell the "Pioneer Methodist Church," a name it bears to this day. The edifice is 32x50 feet, sixteen feet to the ceiling, a good frame, and cost two thousand dollars. It has quite an interesting history. After it was framed and put up, and two sides "weather-boarded" in, "the winds blew and the floods came and beat upon that house, and it fell." Literally speaking, we presume it was not founded upon a rock, but upon the sand - or soil. Any way, it w^as blown down, and not one stone or stick Avas left upon another. They Avent to Avork, howcA^er, with rencAved vigor. A subscription of several hundred dollars had been made, and after the disaster. Judge Mc- Dowell was appointed Superintendent of the work, and directed to push it forward to completion. He had but little of the money that had been subscribed, and but little of his own, as he informed us, yet it so happened that never was there a bill presented to him, for Avork or material for the church, but lie had money enough on hand at the time to pay it. When the building was finished and dedicated, they OAved not a dollar, except to him, and to him their indebtedness Avas $1,400, on Avhich they agreed to pay him interest until the debt was discharged. The financial crisis of '57 followed, and the amount, principal and interest, finally reached $1,900. The Trustees concluded they must have a deed for the property, and came to McDowell, who noAV lived in Fairbury, to know what sum he AA^ould take and give them a deed. He told them to go back and collect all the money they could, and then come and see him again. They did so, and finally returned and told him that $200 was all they could raise. He took the amount and gave them a deed to the church, leaving the amount of his subscription to the edifice, inchiding interest, about $1,700. The first preacher in charge of the church after it Avas completed Avas Rev. James Watson. It was dedicated by Rev. Z. Hall, of Woodford County, another of the old pioneer Methodist preachers of Central Illinois. The present Pastor of the Church is Rev. Mr. Underbill, and, all things considered, it is in quite a flourishing condition. It being the oldest church in this part of the country, many others have been formed, which drcAv on its membership, and thus its numbers are not so large as when it Avas the only house of Avorship for miles around. This church is the final result of the little mission established at McDoAvell's in 1833, by Father Royle, as already noticed.

The first post office Avas established in 1840, and Avas called Avoca. Nicholas Hefner Avas the first Postmaster. The petition for this post office Avas Avritten by Abraham Beard, a schoolmaster of the neigl>borhood, and Avhen sent on to headquarters, was found to be addressed to the " Speaker of the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Illinois," instead of to the Postmaster General of the United States. Education Avas not so thorough in those days as noAV, and many had signed the petition Avithout reading it, Avhile many others had signed it with a X Avho could not have read it if they would. The office was where the village of Avoca Avas afterward located, and was on the mail route between Danville and Ottawa. It continued in active operation until

The first physician who practiced in this section was Dr. John Davis, of Pontiac, and noticed elsewhere as the first physician in the county. Dr. C. B. Ostrander was the first located physician, and still resides on his farm near Lodeniia station. In early times, when his practice extended over a circuit of many miles, he never sufllered any trivial excuse to keep him from the bedside of his patients. We were informed by a reliable party, who had the story from the Doctor's own lips, that he was going to see a patient one day, who had sent for him in a great hurry, and crossing Indian Creek, stopped a moment for his horse to take a fcAv sips of water, when one end of the fore axle of his buggy dropped to the gi-ound. Looking to see the cause, he found that one fore wheel was gone, and he had driven so fast the axle hadn't time to drop doAvn until he stopped. On going back to find the missing wheel, he met his dog, who always followed him, coming on, dragging the wheel in his mouth. He has a fine orchard and devotes a good deal of attention to the cultivation of fruits. It is said that he has shipped gooseberries to Chicago by the car load, and boasts of having raised as much as 800 bushels of cherries in a single season.

In 1854, Judge McDowell and his brothers built a steam saw-mill in Avoca Township, to which was attached one run of stones for grinding corn, but the main business of the mill was sawing. In 1860, he moved the mill to Nebraska, where it Avas chiefly instrumental in locating the county seat of Jefferson County, at the village of Fah'bury, named by the Judge for the town in which he lives. He succeeded in getting a post office and blacksmith shop at the place, then moved his mill there, and after interesting the County Commissioners, they located the county seat at his village. This was the first and only mill ever in this town, except perhaps occasionally a portable saw-mill. In the early times, most of the people of this section did their milling at Green's Mill, on Fox River, near Ottawa. This was the principal mill until one was built at Wilmington. Judge McDowell informed us that he once went on horseback to Blue's horse mill down on Rock Creek, and on his return the Vermilion was too high to cross, and he put his '' turn of meal ' on a raft and ferried it over, and swam his horse by the side of it. At another time, he and his brother-in-law, Hefner, went to Green's Mill, and both of their horses died with the milk sickness before they could get back home.

The first public road through Avoca Township was the State road from Danville to Ottawa, and extending on to the Rock River country. The mail ^as carried along this route on horseback, and was Uncle Sam's first trip through here, except when his armed legions pursued the fugitive Black Hawk and his warriors. The road from Lafayette to Hennepin was also an early liighway of travel through this country. The first ferry we have any account of in the neighborhood was at the crossing of these roads over the Vermilion River, and consisted of a raft of red elm logs, which, when seasoned, are extremely light. When the river was too high to ford, they would put the wagons and freight on the raft and take it across, while the horses were forced to swim themselves over. One day in the Winter or early Spring, a man came along in a wagon drawn by two horses and was very anxious to get over. The river had been frozen for some time and was just breaking up. The man concluded to try to cross on the ice, and taking out his horses led them on to a large cake of ice which broke in tAvo after he had gotten them on it, leaving their fore feet on one piece and their hind feet on the other. With the greatest care he finally managed to get them on one piece and paddled them over in safety. He then recrossed and got his wagon on another ice cake and ferried it over without accident, hitched up his team and went on his way.

Tlie ]\IcDowells and some of the neighbors had a canoe in partnership, which was used for neighborhood convenience. Finally, some of the stockliolders in this enterprise got at loggerheads, and to end the strife and hard feelings, Judge McDowell and his brotherr James went down one day and measured oif their own part of the canoe, and sawed it in two, and carried their half away, and left the other half floating in the river, cabled to the bank.

When the McDowells came to Avoca, they brought with them some young cattle belonging to a friend in Indiana, and which they proposed to "break to Avork " for him. After they had become Avell "broke," Woodford G. and John McDoAvell took them back to Indiana, and returned tlicm to the owner; and as a kind of coincidence, Judge McDowell related to us an anecdote on the 26th of June, precisely forty-six years after he and his brother started with the young cattle for Indiana. There was not a house, at the time, for forty-five miles after leaving the settlement. For the purpose of riding, and as a protection against the rays of a June sun, they had built them a sled, to which they had added a top, and with a good stock of provisions, they started for the classic land of Hoosier. The trail of emigrant wagons had made two tracks, Avith a kind of unbroken middle. While moving on, one day, they discovered, settled on a wild crab-apple bush between these tracks, a SAvarm of bees. In passing each side of them, the oxen struck their legs against tli« mass, knocking them off, and when the young men discovered them, they AA^ere rising around their team in an angry cloud. They whipped up their cattle and ran out from amongst them without serious results. Some distance beyond, they found a man ploAving corn, to whom they related the occurrence. He went back and "hived" them, and on their return told them that their bees were "working " well.

The first bridge in Avoca was built over the south branch of the Vermilion, in 1844. Isaac Burgit, Road Supervisor on the west side of the river, and Judge

Ircuit Court

McDowell on the east side, called out the road labor and built the bridore. It was all hewed out of the neighboring forest, and was a substantial structure.

The village of Avoca was laid out in 1854, by Judge W. G. McDowell, who owned the land on which it was located. It was surveyed by Amos Edwards, then County Surveyor.

The first store in it was opened just before it was laid out as a village, by the McDowells, as noticed in the preceding pages, and for several years it was a flourishing business place. But on the laying out of Fairbury, the sun of Avoca began to decline. Many of the houses were removed to tlie latter place, and the Judge at last got it vacated and discontinued by a special act of the Legislature.

Avoca Cemetery, across the creek from the village, was laid off' by the elder McDowell. He and those of his family who have departed this life are buried there. Susan Philips was the first one to occupy the place, and was buried in it in August, 1833.

Moore Cemetery is a private bur^- ing ground on the west side of the Grove. Jonathan Moore was the first buried in it, and was interred there in 1839.

McDowell village is on the Chicago & Paducah Railroad, about six miles south of Pontiac, and has between fifty and one hundred inhabitants. It was laid out as a village in 1873, by Judge McDowell, who owns the land, and it is named for him. Chas. HeAvitson surveyed it. The first house was put up by McDowell before the village was laid out, and was used as a dwelling. The first ])Ost office was kept by John Cottrell, and was established in 1872. Hugli T. Pound is the present Postmaster. The first store was built and occupied by Ben Walton, now of Fairbury. The village has two stores at present, one kept by R. B. Phillips and the other by Chas. Danforth ; two blacksmith and wagon shops, the one by Henshaw, and the other by Jacob Schide. Frank ]5. Bregga is an extensive grain dealer, but the village has no elevator or grain warehouse. One of the principal features of the place is the stone quarry, (jwned by McDowell, which yields a very good quality of lime rock, quite valuable for foundations, and which makes also an excellent quality of lime. A large kiln is in full operation at present, which turns out about 300 bushels at a burning.

Lodemia Station is on the Chicago & Paducah Railroad, a short distance soutli of McDowell. It contains nothing but a post office and church. Has no depot, but is merely a shipping point, with switch and side track. The post office was established in August, 1877, with Dr. C. B. Ostrander as Postmaster. It k kept at the parsonage, and the minister, Mr. Underbill, attends to the duties. The church, which belongs to the Methodists, was built here in 1876, and is a very neat little frame edifice, which cost 1^2,800. The society was organized in 1858, in the school house, under the pastoral charge of Rev. John W. Stubbles, and the church, when completed in 1876, was dedicated by Rev.

Robert G. Pearce, Presiding Elder of the District at the time. Their present preacher is Rev. Mr. Underbill, and the congregation is large and flourishing J for a country church. I

Champlin is also a station, or rather a shipping point in this township, and is just south of Lodemia : makes no pretensions beyond a side track for shipping grain and stock.

The first school taught in Avoca Township was by Samuel Breese, commencing in the Fall of 1835 and continuing until the next Spring. Mrs. McDowell, the widow of William McDowell, Nathan Popejoy, who first settled in Pontiac Township, and James Blake, built the first school house. It was a little log cabin, 16x18 feet, having a big wood fire-place that would take in a stick ten feet long ; and in this cabin Breese taught the first school as noted above. James McDowell held the office of School Treasurer for twenty-seven years in succession. Lyman Burgit was the first Treasurer, but died soon after his appointment to the office, when McDowell was elected to succeed him, and held the position until his removal into Indian Grove Township. When he was first elected Treasurer, there was but one school district and it embraced the entire township, and the school fund consisted of what was termed the '' College and Academy Fund, "" from which this township drew annually about ^30. The first Board of Trustees were Isaac Burgit, W. G. McDowell and N, Hefner. When McDowell resigned the office of School Treasurer, the fund was about $1,500. At present, R. B. Foster is Treasurer; and from his last report to the County Superintendent of Schools we extract the following :

There are eight school districts in the township containing good, substantial school houses, in which schools are taught for the usual number of months in each year.

The county adopted township organization in 1857, when this town took the name of Avoca, from the village and post office which bore the same, and had been given by Nicholas Hefner, who was the first Postmaster. It is an Indian name, but what its signification is, we are unable to say. The first Supervisor was Wm. Fugate, and the first Town Clerk, Isaac R. Clark. Gideon Hutchinson is at present Supervisor, and J. W. McDowell, Town Clerk. Formerly, this and Indian Grove Township composed one election precinct. At that time, it was largely Democratic and contained, it is said, but seven Whig votes. But in the revolution of political parties, things have changed in Avoca Township, as well as elsewhere, and it now goes as largely Republican as it did Democratic in the old times. In the "eternal fitness of things," it is the Whig sections that have generally turned out to be the strongest Republican, and not often that a Democratic stronghold has made a change of this kind. During the late .war, its record was as good as that of any township in Livingston County, according to the number of its population, and it turned out many brave soldiers to battle for the Union. So far as can be obtained, their names are given in the general war record of this work : their deeds are engraved upon the hearts of their countrymen, and need no commendations hei'e.

Judo;e McDowell was Collector of Revenues in 1844, when Avoca and Indian Grove were all one district, and at that time, as we were informed, there was a premium on wolf scalps. A man who had killed a wolf could go before a Justice of the Peace and make affidavit to that effect, when he would receive a State warrant or order for one dollar, which was good for State taxes, and on presenting this document to the County Auditor, would get an order, which was current for all county taxes. The Judge says he collected almost the entire revenue that year in county orders and wolf scalps, not getting money enough to pay his own per centage on collecting it.

The Chicago & Paducah Railroad was built through this township in 1872, and has been of paramount importance and benefit in uniting this part of the county with the seat of justice. The township of Avoca took f 10,000 stock in the road, and has always shown the greatest interest in the enterprise and its success. There is but one regular station and depot in the town - McDowell - with two other shipping points, viz. : Lodemia and Champlin. These have switches and side tracks, but at present are not provided with depot buildings and telegraph offices.

The only representative of the legal fraternity in Avoca Township was Judge McDowell, who lived in this town, where he practiced, as occasion required, until 1800, when he removed to the village of Fairbury. In 1859, he was elected County Judge, an office he filled with credit. He was Recording Stew ard of the Methodist Church at Avoca for twenty-five years in succession.

Cliatsworth is in the eastern tier of townships, and is known as Town 26 north, Range 8 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is fine rolling prairie, with the exception of Oliver's Grove in the southern part, a grove of, perhaps, as fine natural timber as Livingston County can furnish. Like all the prairie country, the people have devoted a great deal of attention to the planting and cultivation of trees, until beautiful groves of timber are to be found on every section of land in the township. Originally, Chatsworth embraced Forrest and Germantown, and was known as Oliver's Grove Township. But many of the citizens disliking a compound name, petitioned the Board of Supervisors for a change, at their annual meeting, the second year of township organization. William H. Jones, who was the Supervisor at the time, gave it the name of Chatsworth, which it has ever since borne. The name is said to have been taken from an English story he had read, in which "Lord Chatsworth" figures as a principal character.

He came from the State of New Jersey in 1832, and settled here among the Indians, with whom he ever remained on the most friendly terms. When other white people in the surrounding settlements, becoming frightened at the warlike reports of the Black Hawk campaign, retreated toward the Wabash settlements, Oliver remained upon his claim, and "went in and out" among the red men without molestation. His father, he informed us, was a Quartermaster in the Revolutionary war, and man}'^ of the old soldier's ofiicial papers were in his possession until some years ago, when his house was burned and they met the fate of much of his household property. Many of these papers, he said, were rather quaint, and would present a marked contrast, doubtless, to the ponderous accounts and vouchers of a Quartermaster in our late Avar. Mr. Oliver and his family were the only white people in the township for many years. A number of settlements Avere made in Indian Grove and other timbered localities, but not till away up in the "fifties" were other settlements made in Chatsworth. In 1855, Job H. and George S. Megquier settled in this township. They were from Maine, and the former now lives in the village of Chatsworth ; the latter died in 1871.

David Stewart came here from the State of New York in 1856. He bought land and settled in the town, where he remained for a number of years, when his wife died and he became dissatisfied, sold out and moved away.

Romanzo Miller was a Vermonter, and settled here in 1855. He finally sold his land and removed to Iowa, where he still remained, at last accounts of him.

John Snyder and Trueman Brockway were from New York, the Empire State of the Union. Snyder came in 1856 and made a settlement, upon which he died about 1868. Brockway had settled in El Paso in 1855, but came here in 1857. He was a single man when he came to Chatsworth, but after permanently locating, went back to New York, married and brought his wife here to share his Western home.

Addison Holmes came from Indiana in 1855. After remaining for several years, he sold out and removed to Champaign County, in this State, where he still resides.

John P. Hart was from the blue-grass of Kentucky, and came in 1856. A young man named James Greenwood came with him, and worked on his farm as long as he remained here. Hart owned a laro;e tract of land, but finally sold it and removed to Arkansas.

Peter Van Weir came from the "Faderland"' on the banks of the Rhine. He settled here in 1858, but had lived for a while in Panola, Woodford County, before coming to this settlement. He finally removed into Charlotte Township.

Wm. H. Jones came here from La Salle County in the Fall of 1857. His family still reside here, but he, at present, is doing business at Burr O^k Station, in Ford County.

The first birth and death are supposed to have occurred in Mr. Oliver's family, as he was here so long before any other white people settled in the town. The first marriage particularly remembered was Samuel Patton and Miss Nellie Desmond in 1861, and they were married by the Baptist minister, stationed, at that time, in Fairbury. The first birth among the more modern settlers, was a child born to Trueman Brockway. The first death also occurred in his family in 1861. A man - a stranger that no one knew - was struck by lightning soon after the death of Brockway's child. He came to the village of Chatsworth, looking for work, and had been down on the prairie, where his . efforts had failed, had come back, and wliile walking near the railroad track, Avas killed by lightning, not far from Avhere Felker's store noAV stands. The first blacksmith shop in the town was opened by Samuel Patton in 1859. It was then the only shop between Fairbury and Gilman. William H. Jones was the first Justice of the Peace in the town, and held the office when Forrest and Germantown Avere included in ChatSAVorth. Dr. D. W. Hunt Avas the first resident physician. He came here, and still resides in the village of ChatsAvorth, and practices his pi-ofession in the township.

From the school records, we find the first meeting Avas held at the house of John R. Snyder, the 12th of April, 1858, Avhen the toAvn Avas still calleil Oliver's Grove. The folloAvinji Board of Trustees were elected: Franklin Oliver. J. H. Megquier and Franklin Foot. On the 20th of the same month, the Trustees held a meeting and elected Wm. H. Jones, School Treasurer. In the Summer of this year, the first school was taught in the township, by Miss Jennie Adams. At present, there are seven school districts, with good, substantial frame houses in each district. The office of Treasurer was held by Jones until 1872, when J. T. Bullard was elected and still has the office. The following facts are taken from his last report to the Superintendent of Schools : Number of males in township under 21 years of ago, 491 ; females, 444 ; total, 935 ; number of males attending school, 198 ; females, 208 ; total, 406 ; number of male teachers employed, 5 ; female teachers, 11, total teachers employed, 16 ; estimated value of school property, f 15,600 ; estimated value of school apparatus, $225 ; principal of township fund, $8,133.01 ; tax levy for the support of schools, $3,365 ; highest monthly wages paid teacher, $110 ; lowest monthly wages paid teachei', $25; average monthly wages paid male teachers, $66.88 ; average monthly wages paid female teachers, $37.50 ; whole amount paid teachers, $4,751.25. The present Board of Trustees are J. M. Roberts, President : L. T. Stoutraeyer and S. T. Compton. The schools of Chatsworth Township are in a flourishing condition, and compare favorably with those of any other section of the county.

The first township meeting was held at the house of Franklin Oliver on the 6th of April, 1858, and officers elected for thg year for the " Town of Oliver's Grove." The first election resulted as follows: James G. Meredith, Supervisor ; W. H. Jones and J. G. Harper, Justices of the Peace ; C. Hart and B. Harbert, Constables ; John Towner, Assessor ; J. B. Snyder, Collector, and "Charles Cranford, Town Clerk. At the next election. April 1, 1859, William H. Jones was elected Supervisor : Charles Cranford, Town Clerk and Assessor also, and R. R. Miller, Collector. At the meeting of April 3, 1860. Jones and Cranford were re-elected Supervisor and Town Clerk ; I. J. Krack. Assessor, and J. G. Meredith, Collector. The officers of the Township at present are as follows : G. W. Cline, Supervisor ; J. H. Meg(iuier and Peter Shroyer, Justices of the Peace ; Charles Weinland, Assessor ; Charles Reiss, Collector, and Thomas Nash, Town Clerk.

As already stated, Chatsworth, at the time of township organization, embraced the town of Forrest and the fractional town of German town. iVt the meeting of the Board of Supervisors in 1861, Forrest, on petition, was set ott", and became a separate and distinct township, and at the September meeting of Supervisors for 1867, Germantown petitioned for separation, and was set off at this meeting, since which time it has been a separate town. Since these divisions and separations, Chatsworth remains still a complete Congressional township of thirty-six sections.

When the settling up of the town began, about 1855, deer and prairie wolves were the almost undisputed possessors of the soil. In portions of Oliver's Grove, there are still deer to be occasionally seen, but they are becoming very scarce, and will soon all be gone, while the wolf, the natural foe of the settler, is almost if not wholly exterminated.

The first preacher to proclaim the Word of God in this section was Old Father Walker, as he was called, of Ottawa, who in 1832 established a mission among the Indians, whose lodges were then spread in Oliver's Grove. The following extract is from an address delivered before the Old Settlers' Society by Judge McDowell, of Fairbury, at the annual meeting in 1877 : ^' The early footprints of Methodism began in this part of the country in 1832, Old Father Walker, who established a mission at the Kickapoo town (now Oliver's Grove), where there was, at that time, a village of ninety-seven wigwams, one large council house, several small encampments, and 630 Indians in all, men, women and children. Father Walker came out occasionally and held meetings with them, appointed and ordained a missionary minister of their own tribe, who always held services on the Sabbath, when Father Walker was not tlicre. Their prayer book was a walnut board, on which were characters carved with a knife, and at the fop an engraving. They had a great respect for the Sabbath, and no Indian thought of retiring at night Avithout consulting his board." These ministrations of Father Walker were the first we have any account of in this section, and were probably the first in Livingston County. As there are no church buildings in the township, outside of the village of Chatsworth, this part of our history will be again alluded to in connection with the villao-e.

The old Indian trail that marked the dividing line between the Kickapoo and Pottawatomie tribes was plainly visible through this town, long after settlements were made and the pale-faces had become numerous. And there are still settlers living here who can point out the line along which the trail led.

The Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway was completed through the township, and trains commenced running regularly in 1857. This broudit immiia-ants to the neighborhood, and was the means of the rapid settling up of this town and the surrounding country. The amount of grain and stock shipped from Chatsworth Township over this road is truly wonderful. The Kankakee k SouthAvestern Railroad, projected to run from Kankakee City, through Chatsworth Township, tapping the Gilman, Clinton k Springfield, at Gibson City, will probably be in process of construction in a short time, ft is supposed that the Illinois Central is the ''power behind the throne" in this new road, and will push it forward to completion, in order to open to them (the Illinois Central) a more direct route between Chicago and St. Louis. The new Company only ask the right of way through Second street, in the village of Chatsworth, which has been unanimously given.

Politically, Chatsworth is pretty evenly divided on national (juestions. probably Republican by a few votes. Its record during the late war was good for so" thinly a populated section as this was at that time. N. C. Kenyon, the present Postmaster of Chatsworth village, was Colonel of the Eleventh Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, one of the brave regiments of Illinois, that it is said, did as much hard fighting during the war as any regiment from the State. Conrad Heppe, a resident at present of the village, has served nine years in the

United States army, mostly in New Mexico. Many other brave fellows sh<juidered their muskets and went forth from this and from Charlotte Townshij) (which at the commencement of the war was a part of Chatsworth), to the front, where "Avar's red blast raged the fiercest."

The Village Of Chatsworth

Chatsworth is situated on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway, about forty miles from State line, and seventy miles from the city of Peoria. It was surveyed and laid out by Nelson Buck, County Surveyor, June 8, 1859, for Zeno Secor and Cornelia Gilman of New York, who owned the land on which it is located. In 1853, the land was entered by Solomon Sturges, who, in 1857, conveyed it to Wm. H. Osborn, and Osborn and wife in turn conveyed it to Secor and Gilman. The original town occupied 160 acres of land, embracing the south half of the northwest quarter, and north half of the southwest quarter of Section 3. Since then several additions have been made to the original plat at different times. It has been organized as a village under the Incorporation act, and the first board of officers were Jacob Titus, E. A. Bangs, John S. McElhiny, W. W. Sears and Albert Tuttle. Jacob Titus was elected President of the Board, and George E. Esty. Village Clerk. At present its official board is as follows : John Young, President ; W. F. Dennis, A. M. Roberts, C. Spiecher, Samuel Crumpton and C Guenther; R. M. Spurgin, Clerk; W. H. Wakelin, Treasurer; J. M. Myers, Superintendent of Police, and T. S. Curran, Police Magistrate.

The first building was put up in the village in 1859, by Chas. D. Brooks and Trueman Brockway, both of whom Avere from New York. It was a store and residence combined, a frame building one and a half stories high, with rooms over the store. They afterward went into partnership, and after Brockway got married, he lived over the store. A post office was established in 1860, the first, not only in the village, but in the township. Chas. D. Brooks was the first Postmaster, an office he held several years, when Matthew H. Hall received it. He was succeeded by Col. N. C. Kenyon, who is at present Postmaster. The first hotel was built by C. W. Drake, in 1859. It has been converted into a dwelling house, and is now used as such. The only hotel in the village is the Cottage House, kept by Wm. Cowling. The first blacksmith, as mentioned in the history of the township, was Samuel Patton, who is still in the business, on the same old stand. He came from Ohio in the Fall of 1859, and there was at that time but one house in the village (Brooks & Brockway 's store), a little grain house and an old carpenter shop. There Avere tAvo others in sight - the section house, and one tAvo miles out on the prairie, owned by Franklin Foot. Mr. Patton is the inventor of a corn busker, which seems to be a good thing. It husks corn as fast as horses will Avalk, and can be sold at about ^225. He has not commenced the manufacture of them, but designs doing so.

The first school house was built in 1858, on two lots donated by Osborn for school purposes. This was the first school house in both Chatsworth Township and the village. The present elegant school edifice was built in 1870. Two years ago additions Avere built to it, at a total cost of buildings and additions of ^11,000. It is a two-story frame building, with stone basement, and is finished ofi" in fine style. The teachers and Principal of the school for the year just closed* were as follows : Prof J. T. Dickinson, Principal ; Miss M. J. Speer. Grammar Department : Miss Brown. Miss Aiken and Mrs. Tuckerman : Mrs. Palmer, Primary Department.

The Germania Sugar Company built their large factory here in 1865, for the purpose of manufacturing sugar from the beet. The capital stock of the company was ^50,000, which was all owned in Springfield, except $1,000 held in Peoria, The enterprise was projected by a man named Jennet, a German, and. after the company was organized, he had the management. It proved unsuccessful from the lack of water. One well bored on the premises, 1,200 feet deep, cost $6,000, and afforded an insufficiency of water to meet the requirements of the business. It is believed that, with plenty of water, it would have proved a valuable business. The beets jnelded about eight per cent, of their weight in sugar. The factory was in operation here for about five years, when the machinery was taken out and removed to Freeport, where it is devoted to the same purpose as here. The property fell into the hands of Jacob Bunn, of Springfield, who furnished the funds for its operation and removal to Freeport. Though the capital stock was originally $50,000, it cost while here, we are told, about $175,000. The "vacuum pan," as it was called, alone cost $6,000 in Germany, and was an extraordinarily fine piece of machinery. But it was a losing speculation as long as it remained in this village.

A coal shaft Avas sunk near the village of Chatsworth, in 1867, by Capt. Beard, who had some connection at one time with the east shaft at Fairburv. A stock company was formed among the citizens of Chatsworth, of $10,000, but the stock was never all paid up. Enough, however, was collected to pay Beard for sinking the shaft, which was about 218 feet deep. The works were finally abandoned, upon the report of Beard that there was no prospect of coal. It is thought by some that a good vein of coal was found, but for some reason the fact was concealed, or at least never olficiall}^ reported. One of the men employed in the work said to some frieftds one day, that they passed through a vein of coal about five feet thick in sinking the Chatsworth shaft. Whether this is true or false, we are unable to say.

The first grain elevator was built by Charles D. Brooks, in 1861, and was b\n-ned in 1866. He then built another, which he afterward moved to Piper City. Samuel Crumpton built one next, and then Havercorn & Mette built the one now occupied by A. B. Searing. Joseph Rumbold built one, which is now owned by Searing & Crumpton. The next was an old mill, moved up by the railroad, and changed into an elevator by Chas. Weinland, and is now owned by H. L. Turner.

The mill above referred to was originally built by Wright, Williams & Cripliver, and, after several changes, it was disposed of as already noted. Williams then erected his present steam mill, and commenced operating it in December, 1877. It is a frame building, with two runs of buhrs, and is used mostly for grinding corn meal and stock feed.

Another of Chatsworth's manuftictures is the Star Wind Mill, which is put up by David E. Shaw, who is also the patentee of the Marvel Feed Mill, which is adapted to wind mills. Also, the wagon factory of L. C. Spiecher is quite an institution. He works seven hands, and make wagons and carriages principally.

The Chatsworth Plaindeahr is a five-column quarto newspaper, published by R. M. Spurgin, and is one of the flourishing papers of the county. It was t'Stablished in November, 1873, by C. B. Holmes, and in August, 1876, passed into the hands of its present owner. It is an independent paper, and takes no particular side in politics.

The first religious society organized in the village of Chatsworth was the Methodist Church, in 1859, bv Rev. M. Dewev, with about fortv members. The charge, at that time, included Forrest, Five Mile Grove, Pleasant Ridge, Oliver's Grove and Bethel, with Rev. J. W. Flowers as Presiding Elder of the District. The society held their meetings in the school house, two blocks north of the railroad depot, until the year 1874, when they erected a good church building at a cost of about $2,500, in which they have worshiped ever since, having now upon the church rolls about 100 members. Adjacent, is a comfortable parsonage, worth about $500, and both it and the church are free of t-ncurabrance. Rev. Samuel Wood is the present Pastor, and Rev. R. G. Pierce. Presiding Elder of the District. The church was dedicated by Rev. T. M. Eddy, D. D., of Chicago, on the 30th day of November, 1864. The Sunday school of this society was organized in March, 1862. W. H. Wakelin is the present Superintendent, and the average attendance is about 100 children.

The Presbyterian Church was built soon after the village was laid out, ahd the society first organized in the school house, under the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Thomas, who preached here and at a school house in Ford County on alternate Sundays. He then lived at Champaign. The first regular minister in charge of the society was Rev. Oscar Park. The present Pastor is Rev. Geo. F. Mcx'Vfee, formerly of Missouri, but a graduate of the Northwestern Theological Seminary, and has in his charge about eighty members. A very flourishing Sunday school belongs to this church. The Rev. Mr. McAfee is Superintendent, and about one hundred and thirty-five children attend.

The Baptist Church Avas built in 1871, is a substantial frame building, 32x54 feet, and cost about three thousand six hundred dollars. Rev. A. Kenyon is

Pastor, with a membership of over one hundred, and an interesting Sunday school, of which A. H. Hall is Superintendent. There are two German societies, the Evangelical Association and the Lutherans : but they have no church buildings, and we were unable to learn anything definite of their organizations. The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1864, and dedicated, on the 17th of March, to St. Patrick, by Rev. Thomas Roy, President of St. Victor's Col" lege. The building cost about four thousand dollars, is a handsome frame, and was built under tiie pastorate of Rev. John A. Fanning, of Fairbury. Owen Murtagh, Patrick Monahan and William Joyce were the Building Committee. It was made an independent mission on the 22d of July, 1867, when the Very Rev. Learner Moynihan, formerly of New Orleans, and late of Jersey City, N. J., succeeded the Rev. Father Fanning. A flourishing Sunday school is attached, and the attendance, both at it and the church, are good.

Chatsworth Lodge, No. 539, A., F. & A. M., was chartered October 1, 1867, Jerome B. Gorin, Grand Master of Illinois, signing the charter, and H. G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. The charter members were George R. Wells, E. L. Nelson, W. H. Jones, D. E. Shaw, E. A. Simmons, A. E. Anway, James Davis. J. H. Dalton, Charles L. Wells, Ira W. Trask, J. S. McElhiny\md D. W. Hunt. D. R. Wells was first Master ; D. R. Shaw, Senior Warden, and E. A. Simmons, Junior Warden. The present Master is N. C. Kenyon, and W. H. Wakelin, Secretary, with forty members.

Chatsworth Lodge, No. 339, I. 0. 0. F., chartered October 9, 1866, J. K. Scroggs, Grand Master, and Samuel Willard, Grand Secretary. Charter members - Arthur Orr, N. A. Wheeler, Peter Shroyer, T. L. Matthews, H. J. Roberts and G. W. Blackwell. Arthur Orr was first Noble Grand, and N. A. Wheeler, Secretary. C. Guenther is at present Noble Grand, and Arthur Orr, Secretary, with thirty-seven members.

Livingston Encampment, No. 123, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered May 31, ixll ; D. W. Jacoby, - Grand Patriarch, and N. C. Nason, Grand Scribe; J. B. Renne, first Chief Patriarch; Peter Shroyer, Scribe. L. C. Spiecher is at present Chief Patriarch, and P. J. Garhart, Scribe, with about twenty members on the roll.

Chatsworth has a well organized fire department, with a good volunteer company. Their engine is the old "Prairie Queen," formerly used in Bloomington, and this village bought it for $1,300, which, Avith hose and other equipments, runs the cost of the department up to about two thousand dollars. The company has been a valuable acquisition, and has saved to the town more than twenty thousand dollars' worth of property since its organization.

The bar is represented in Chatsworth by Hon. Samuel T. Fosdick and George Torrence, Esq. The former was elected to the State Senate in the Fall of 1876, on the Republican ticket, receiving 5,056 votes over C. C. Strawn, of Pontiac, Democrat, who received 4,313 votes. The Senatorial District is composed of Livingston and Ford Counties.

John Walter, a merchant of the village, has a very ancient relic, and one to be highly prized. It is an old Bible, printed in 1536. The following is the inscription on the fly-leaf:

It is printed in the Swiss dialect of the German language, bound in heavy wood backs, covered with loatlier. with heavy iron clasps and corners. Mr. Walter claims that it is the oldest Bible, but one, in the United States; and, for a book that is 340 years old, it is in a state of excellent preservation. It is profusely illustrated throughout the Old and New- Testaments with colored engravings of Bible scenes and incidents.

The village of Chatsworth has one of the most beautiful little parks in this section of the country. It embraces just one square, or block, in the village, and is very handsomely shaded with young maples, of which there are over 500 in the enclosure, making it a fine place to pass an hour or two of a warm evening, and a lovely pi-omenade for the boj^s and girls, who

Find in their wooing much moonshine yearning, Such as young folks always have when they are learning to be sweet on each other, and yearn for moonlight, solitude and the " mournful cooing of the turtle dove."

Chatsworth Cemetery was laid out January 4, 1864, and an addition made to it March 2, 1865. It is a pretty little burying ground, and the good order in which it is kept shows a high regard of the living for the dead. The first party buried within its silent shades was an old German laborer who lived, at the time, with Patrick Monahan, of Charlotte Township, and was buried on the spot, before the cemetery was laid out. as noticed in the history of the latter township.

At the time of the formation of Livingston County, Saunerain, Sullivan, Pleasant Ridge and Charlotte Townships were comprised in one election precinct, and it so stood until the second year after townsliip organization, when Pleasant Ridge and Charlotte were struck off, as noted in another place. When all four of these towns were embraced in one, it was called Saunemin, after the old sachem of the Kickapoo Indians, and was given to the precinct by Oliver, of the present township of Chatsworth, who settled there when Indians were plenty in the country, and knew the old chief well. The present township of Saunemin is about seven-eighths prairie to one-eighth of timber. The prairie lies in gentle swells, just sufficiently rolling to drain well, but not enough so to wash, or to be termed knolly. The native timber is embraced in Five-Mile Grove, lying along the borders of Five-Mile Creek, and is a body of very fine timber but in the midst of a prairie country, like that by which it is surrounded, it is too small in quantity to be of any material benefit, or very profitable for building purposes.

The first settlement was made in Saunemin Township in 1845, on Five-Mile Creek, in the northern part of Five-Mile Grove. The honor of making this first settlement is given to David Cripliver and his two sons, Joseph and S. P. Cripliver Joseph, who had settled in Wolf's Grove several years prior, came to this section and made the claim, and then the family came on, as stated above, in 184;"). They came from Indiana, and on their arrival in Five-Mile Grove, went into and occupied the old "Survey hut," until they could erect a cabin of their own. Joseph Cripliver says w^hen he first settled in Wolf's Grove in 1841, tliere were but eighty-two voters in the entire county. Criplivers sold their original claim to John Ridinger, then took up the claim where they still live. The elder Cripliver is dead, but his wife is still living, and makes her home with her sons. ,

John Ridinger was the next settler after the Criplivers, and, as already stated, bought their original claim. He was also from Indiana, and settled here in the latter part of 1850^ and is still on the place where he first located. The following settlers were also from Indiana, viz. : Thomas and Robert Spafford and Samuel Scott. The Spaftbrds were originally from England, but had lived some years in Indiana before settling in this township in 18.38. They had made their first settlement in Avoca Township, where they remained two years, when they came to their present settlements. Scott became dissatisfied soon after his settlement, sold out and removed to Missouri. Being discontented there also, he returned to this township within three months from the time he left it, and died in 1874.

Samuel L. Marsh is a genuine New England Yankee, and came from Worcester County, Miiss., in 1856. He settled first in La Salle County, where he remained two years, when he removed to Saunemin, and settled where he now lives. He is an enterprising and thrifty farmer : has a good farm, and is well prepai-ed for a "rainy day.'' whenever it may come. When he settleil here, he found quite a number already in the township, among which were the Criplivers. Ridingers, Scott, and the Spaftbrds. who have aheady been noticed iu the earlv settlements. There were living here at the time. also, the following families, viz : T. W. Bridia. Jason Tattle. Thomas. Oliver and John Smith - three brothers - Joshua Cheseb rough. Thos. Cleland. Rev. Felix Thornton. Wm. Tounof. Robert Miller. John S. Thomas. James Funk and a vouns man named Walter Good. Of these. T. W. Bridia came from the Green Mountains of Vermont orisinallv. but senled first in Green Counrv. in this State, in 1887, where he remained for twentv vears before coming to this neiffhborhood. He made a claim here, upon which he still lives. His wife, however, who shared with him his early toils, has been dead several yeai-s. Jason Tuttle came from New York about 1854. He settled in Michigan, where he remained some years, when he removed to this township, where he still lives. Thomas, Oliver and John Smith, and Joshua Chesebrough were from Ohio, and settled here - the Smiths about 1854 - o, and Chesebrough a vear or two later. Thomas Cleland settled here about the same time. He was a blacksmith, the first in the township, and is now living in Pontiac. Rev. Felix Thornton, who is noticed as one of the early settlers of Sullivan, and as the first minister in that town, settled here in 1858. and some years later sold out and remove! to Iowa. William Young came from New York in 1855. and bought the place where Mariner now lives. He is dead, and his widow is married to Maiiner. James Funk settled in the neighborhood in 1852 - 3, and came from McLean County to this town. He opened the place where Squire Bridia now lives, and. becoming dissatisfied, sold out and removed to Missouri, but after a time came back to this settlement, and died in 1867. His widow lives in the southem part of the township, near the iron bridge over the Vermilion River, between this and Indian Grove. Robt. Miller came from Marshall County, near Lacon, to this settlement in 1856. John S. Thomas was an Englishman, and

He came from Plainfield. in this State, and settled in this township about 1855. As stated, he was from England, and seems to have been a kind of ronng character, as it is said that he had been all over the world. But he permanently settled here, and died in 1873. but his widow still lives on the old homestead. Walter Good, a single man, is among the early settlers of this town, but of him little is known beyond the fact that he enlisted in the army during the late war. lost a hand in battle, and never returned to this neighborhood. These names comprise the settlements made up to a period so modem that all who have come since cannot very well be placed under the head of earlv settlers.