Marion County, Illinois - The whole text, 1909 (part 6 of 27)

Patoka has six churches: the Methodist Episcopal, the Methodist, South, the Christian, Baptist, Presbyterian and Catholic, the latter two congregations being small. They all have good church houses, the Christian church building having been recently enlarged and improved and is perhaps the best equipped. The Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and other lodges flourish, the Odd Fellows having just completed a fine twostory building with an elegant lodge room in the upper story. Patoka has as intimated in the preceding lines begun to take on new life. A fine two-story brick school-house was completed in 1907. A cannery of large capacity went into operation in 1908. A brick and tile works also was started a year or two ago and in 1908, the Patoka Register was started by Mr. Huntoon, who is making it one of the most readable papers of the county. There are stores and shops as well as a bank, so that all things necessary may be supplied at home.

Village Of Vernon

by I). \V. Murfin in 1872. The first building was a large hay barn, built by T. K. Dickey in 1872. The next year Murry & Harris opened a general store. Later three or four other stores were opened and all are still doing business. A good schoolhouse has been erected and also a Methodist church. A neat station-house was erected in 1880, before that time an old box car served as station. Vernon long enjoyed the distinction of being the home of the oldest man in the county, Uncle Frank Binion, who died in 1907, aged one hundred and seven years. Vernon is the home of more veterans of the Civil war than any community of like size, known to us, and its quiet companionship of comrades who are only awaiting the call to come up higher is blessed with old ties and remembrances of the long ago, but the waiting will soon be over, for the Grand Army is passing with the vanishing years.

Carrigan township, named after the pioneer founder of the Carrigan family, is the third township north of the base line in the west tier of townships of the county. The main line of the Illinois Central Railroad traverses the west side of the township north and south. It is drained by the East Fork of the Okaw or Kaskaskia river, which flows in a southwesterly direction across the township, near the middle. East Fork is one of the largest streams in the county and enters the township near the northeast corner and passes out at section 18. Davidson creek, in the southeast part of the township, drains the waters from that part into the East Fork. Along these creeks was originally a heavy growth of fine timber, but it has been largely cleared, although much of the land is covered with a "second growth," which will be of great benefit to the people.

1819 squatted in section 21, but who sold out his partly finished cabin to Frederick Phelps in 1820, and left the country. Samuel Davidson came to this township with Phelps. Phelps was a native of Tennessee, who had moved to St. Clair in 1817. The next year he moved to Clinton county, where he married and moved to Carrigan townshp in March, 1820, where, as above stated he bought Jones's claim and settled in section 21. In March, 1822, he entered the first tract entered in this township, viz. : west half of the northwest quarter of section 21, town 3 north, range i east. Mr. Phelps was a very conscientious man, a devout member of the Baptist church and a good manager and very industrious, and amassed considerable property. He reared a family of ten children to manhood and womanhood. He died September 2, 1845, respected by the entire community. His wife survived him several vears. One son. Sami78 uel Phelps, will be remembered by the older citizens of the county, as the genial host of the Phelps House in Salem, many years ago. Samuel Davidson was a native of Virginia, but his father moved to Lincoln county, Kentucky, when Samuel was a small child, and there he was raised and lived until 1820 when he moved to Clinton county, where he stayed one summer and then moved to Carrigan township and built a cabin on section 36. He broke and planted twenty acres in corn the first year. This was considered a very large crop at that day and as there were no domestic animals within miles of him and fences were no bar to "varmints" which abounded all around him, he raised this crop without fencing it. When he started from his Kentucky home he had a family of ten children. His daughter Betsy was married to Louis Weathers; she sickened and died on the road, when her bereaved husband went back to his old home in Kentucky. All the other nine lived to be married and make homes for themselves in this county. The sons were William, John, George and Samuel, Jr., three of whom were grown when the family left Kentucky. William was the eldest and lived on the original farm. He was a prominent man, having been twice elected Sheriff of the county and once a member of the Legislature. He was married three times, but left only two children, a son and a daughter. He died in 1847 from the effects of a fall from a wagon. The daughters of Samuel Davidson, Sr., married as follows: Maria married Charles Jennings and was the grandmother of that great American, William Jennings Bryan; Ann married Israel Jennings; Sallie married Robert Carrigan and Nancy, James M. Carrigan; Susan was the wife of Stewart W. Faridee.

Samuel Davidson, Sr., was a man who ranked high in his old home in Kentucky. He was a major in the regiment of Col. Dick Johnson, during the War of 1812, and saw much service on the frontier, with that fearless commander and was doubtless, with Johnson's command at the battle of the Thames, where Tecumseh was killed by Colonel Johnson. He died on the farm he had improved in 1848, full of years and honors. His wife died about 1838.

Joel Davis, the third man who settled in Carrigan township, was a Tennessean and remained a Tennessean about half the time, as he moved back and forth to Tennessee and Marion county several times. It seems that when he had been in Illinois a year or two he "hankered" after Tennessee and when he had been in Tennessee a while he longed for Carrigan township and would pull up stakes and move, when the desire seized him. He died, however, in Illinois, in what is now known as Fredonia Prairie, leaving a widow and family.

Zadock Phelps was another eccentric character and seemed never to be content long in any place. He came with Davis and built a cabin on the J. M. Carrigan farm, cleared a "truck patch" and then sold it and started another home, built a cabin, cleared a "truck patch" and again sold, and this he did no less than eight times, starting eight farms in Carrigan township. Of course with this restless disposition, he did not accumulate much property, but evidently enjoyed moving. He was married twice and had a large family of children with each wife and even in old age his roving disposition did not leave him, so he moved to Washington county, Illinois, where he died and at last remained in one place.

James Chance, supposed to have been an emigrant from St. Clair county, settled in this township about 1822 or 1823 and located near the center of the township, and made improvements. He was a first class citizen and lived in this township until 1866, when he died. He was twice elected Sheriff of the county. He was married to a daughter of Robert Nichols, and raised a large family. His widow survived him many years.

Robert Carrigan, a Georgian, settled in 1830, on section 26. The father of Robert Carrigan settled in Clinton county in 1817, and Robert was the man who as a lad led the St. Clair Rangers across the country to the home of the older Jennings, when they rendezvoused at the Jennings homestead to drive out the Goings gang. He died in 1834, leaving a widow and three children, John S., Samuel R., and Nancy J. His widow afterward married a Mr. Huff.

In December following the death of Robert, his brother, James M. Carrigan. settled in this township. James M. raised a family of ten children, but all are now passed away, excepting one, William, who still resides in the township. John M. Carrigan married one of the Davidson family and a few years ago his wife and Mr. Huff were the three last representatives of pioneer days, but they now rest from their labors and their works do follow them, and may be seen in the happy homes of Carrigan. Mr. Huff, who married the widow of Robert Carrigan, was an over-religious man and so austere and stern that he was disliked by his step-children, but nevertheless they treated him with due respect and grew to manhood and womanhood with more liberal views than their step-father possessed. One son, Samuel R., was Sheriff of the county at the time of the death of Frank Leonard, an account of which will be given in the sketch of Salem township, and made heroic efforts to save the life of the unfortunate man. Samuel R. Carrigan is still living in Carrigan township amidst his broad acres, being the largest land owner in the township, having more than fifteen hundred acres and is still a hale, active business man, taking great interest in all the public affairs of his township, and of the county.

Zadock Phelps. Sr., an uncle of Squatter Zadock and father of John, built a cabin near the spring in section 17. He died some years later while on a visit to Lawrence county, leaving a widow and seven children, all of whom are long since dead. Daniel Phelps also settled in this township in 1824. He was something like his cousin, Zadock, Jr., and never seemed satisfied to stay in one place. He died in this township many years ago. A large family, consisting of a father, mother, nine grown daughters and three grown sons, came to the northern part of the township from Clinton county in 1825 and made the second land entry in the township. It was the southwest quarter of section 5. Here he improved a fine farm, and built a horse mill the year he entered his land. One son, Wiley Burton, and a man by the name of Joe Davis, were the first blacksmiths in the township. Gideon Burton and his wife were both extremely large people, almost giants. They were from Tennessee and were first class people. Burton died in 1835 on the farm he settled.

The first preaching in the township was at the cabin of Samuel Davidson, by itinerant ministers of the Methodist church, who made the cabin of Major Davidson a stopping place. The first child born was Lavina Phelps, July, 1821, and the first death was the wife of William Davidson in 1829.

The first school-house was built in 1833 on section 26. It was a small log affair, not fitted as a school-house. R. M. Carrigan was the first teacher. Three years later a better cabin was built and the first teacher in the new building was J. Williams. It was fairly comfortable and was used until 1849, when it burned down. In 1850 another school-house was built in the place of the

Fairman is the only railroad station in the township and is a hamlet of a half-dozen houses, a store and school-house. The place was originally called Hogback and "Hogback" John Wilson, one of the best of men, formerly had a saw-mill here. John Puleston also kept store here and when the postoffice was established, was the first postmaster. They both moved away and later Leander Mathews did a flourishing business here, but later moved to Sandoval, and then to Kinmundy. There is still a store here, but much of the business is diverted to Sandoval, Odin and Patoka. Carrigan township is strictly a rural community made up of the best type of Americans. The farms are large and productive, and where a few years ago stood a cabin in a clearing, now stands comfortable and even luxurious homes amid smiling acres, generously responsive to the husbandman's toil. Schoolhouses well appointed, are at convenient distances apart, and everything bespeaks a prosperous community, unfretted by the mercenary strife engendered by city life.

These townships were one until 1896, and therefore their history is one until that time, and will be treated as one, but the cities of Odin and Sandoval will be given separately. The township is mostly prairie, with a skirt of timber land in the south side. It is a beautiful land, slightly undulating and sloping toward the watercourses by which it is drained. It was early settled by an enterprising and industrious people, and their descendants, with additions from other states, render it a thickly settled and prosperous community, with fine farms, in a high state of cultivation, with many fine and substantial buildings and large orchards set to apple and other trees. To the traveler from older communities it is hard to realize that little more than a generation ago this beautiful township was almost without a white inhabitant. The Illinois Central Railroad, both main line and branch, crosses this township, the main line running almost due north about one mile from the west line of the township, through the thriving city of Sandoval, and the branch from the junction just north of Crooked creek in an almost northeast direction through the city of Odin. Both of these cities are also on the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway, which runs almost due east and west about two miles south of the north line of the township. These little cities are rivals, each of the other, and maintain such an even race, both in the number of inhabitants and material prosperity, that one cannot say which is in the lead. This township is next north of Centralia in the west tier of townships in this county. Crooked creek runs southwest through sections 36 and 35 and is the drainage outlet for the larger part of the township, while the East Fork drains the extreme northern part of the township. A native of Virginia, Thomas Deadmond, was the first settler in these townships. He arrived in the timbered part of the township near the southern line in 1827, intending to go farther north to settle, but as it was late in the year and the weather was extremely cold, he determined to camp for the winter, and set to work to construct a shelter for his family, which he did by cutting small logs and building a shed cabin, the roof sloping to the north and all the south side open. Before this open south side he would drag logs with his team and so maintained a burning log heap before the cabin all winter, which served the double purpose of keeping the shelter warm and was a suitable fire for his wife to do her cooking on, and in this primitive; manner the Deadmonds spent the first winter in their new home. The greatest drawback to the shed as a habitation was smoke, which at times, when there was a strong south wind, filled the shed to almost suffocation, but then the family could adjourn to the other side of the burning log heap and thus keep warm, although covered only by heaven's canopy of blue, but provided with plenty of the hides of animals for beds and bedding, they of that day feared not to sleep on 'the ground and in the open, and as to smoke, who has not seen the old-fashioned fireplace when it was smoking. The early pioneers were used to smoke and were not inconvenienced by it in moderation. Mr. Deamond remained on the land where he passed the winter in section 28, township 2 north, range I east, but did not enter the land, which he had improved, until the I2th day of January. 1837. or ten years later, when he entered the west half of the south- east quarter of section 28. He was for a number of years a Justice of the Peace and lived and died on the land where he camped in 1 827, respected and honored by his fellow pioneers for his sterling worth. Mr. Deadmond raised a large family, some of whom are still living, among them Mrs. Denisha Hays, of Raccoon township, who in her ninety-first year is an active, alert old lady, taking an active interest in affairs of family and church, of which she is an enthusiastic attendant. Two years after Deadmond's settlement Silas Barr came to the township from Tennessee and in 1831 entered the east half of the southeast quarter of section 27. This was the first land entry in the township and is in the Odin side of the township. James N. Barr, who was born in Tennessee, lived on this same tract which his father entered. Isaac G. Barr entered, in 1836, forty acres and made himself a farm in section 26.

Isaac McClelland was born in Pennsylvania and went to Ohio and from there to Illinois and settled at Walnut Hill about 1818. He married Sallie Welch. For the next few years he partially improved three or four places in Centralia township, but in 1830 he settled on section 32 (the Sandoval side of the township) and lived there many years and raised a family of six children. In 1839 Jonas and Jacob McClelland, and in 1840 Alexander and Henry McClelland came to the township and improved farms. Samuel McClelland settled in 1830 near Silas Barr and lived there until his death. He left eight children, four sons and four daughters. Isaac McClelland bought the improvements that Isaac Smith had made in section 32 and then entered the land. Three brothers by the name of Weiburn settled here in an early day. Two of them died here and the other went to Texas. James Adams, Thomas Pigg and John Hill were also early settlers and all raised families and have descendants now living in the county, and are respected for their honest worth. All the farms were for many years confined to the timber, but Bluford Deadmond ventured out into the prairie and picked out a farm near the center of the township, which he improved, but afterward sold out and went to Oregon.

The first school was taught in an empty cabin that stood near Silas Barr's home, in 1834, and was taught by Peter Wilburn. The first school-house built stood near the McClelland graveyard and was built of logs, with puncheon seats.

The oil industry is at the present time getting considerable attention in the southern part of this township, where a company of Salem capitalists and business men and two plucky women have struck oil and are now boring the second well. Other parties have thus far failed to strike oil, but boring is still being vigorously prosecuted, no less than four or five companies being engaged in the work. The oil is struck at a depth of less than six hundred feet, but doubtless a deeper well will develop a more abundant supply, but we must leave the chronicle of the success or failure of the oil fields to a future historian.

In the southern part of this township one of the most profound mysteries was developed in the year 1896, known as the Mc- Clelland mystery. Some years before Mr. McClelland and his youngest son disappeared from the county, but as Mr. Mc- Clelland, who was a widower with no home ties, had once or twice before gone without saying much if anything about going, and after a year or two had returned, and as he had said to some of his relatives that he was going away and not coming back, nothing was thought of their absence, especially as it was thought he had money enough to take care of himself, and it was only regarded as an eccentricity on his part. There was a pond on the old McClelland place, which was owned by other parties, and in 1896 it had become somewhat filled up and the owner resolved to clean it out and make it deeper during a very dry spell. While the work was being prosecuted the workmen found two skeletons staked down in the bottom of the pond, with stakes driven crossways over the bodies. Much excitement resulted and much discussion resulted as to whose bodies they were, some from the first declaring they were the bodies of McClelland and his son, and this seems to be the settled opinion of those best qualified to judge from the size of the skeletons, age and teeth and the filling of some of the teeth, and the settled conviction was arrived at that the McClellands had been murdered and the bodies disposed of in this unique manner. Suspicion pointed her unreasoning finger toward several parties, mostly of kin to the missing men, and some of them men grown old in the paths of right and who stood as high in the county as any men living in her borders. Indictments were found against several parties, among whom was another son of the elder McClelland. One or two were tried, but the state utterly failed to make a case, whereupon the indictments were quashed and the McClelland mystery is still as deep a mystery as ever, and bids fair to so remain until the trump shall sound and the grave give up her secrets. The two little cities, each of which gives its name to one-half township, which is clothed with the powers of a civil town, now demand our attention.

City Of Odin

The thriving little city of Odin is situated in the east side of township 2 north, range i east, and about two miles from the north line of the township. It is at the crossing of the Illinois Central branch and the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroads and is the product of these roads, hence was not built until the roads were. The first building was put up by one John Hill, as a saloon, and with Hill as a saloonkeeper absorbed much of the hard earnings of the railway laborers. It stood south of the railroads and near the tracks. The Illinois Central built their depot in 1856 and in 1860,

April 5th, laid out the town, it being on a railroad section. The house of the section boss, David Dudy, of the Ohio & Mississippi Company, was the first dwelling erected. The first store building was erected by P. Z. Stone, who opened a general store about 1857 or 1858. James Garretson was the first postmaster and hotel-keeper. He built the first hotel in 1859 and called it after himself, the Garretson House. It was afterward called the Hartley House. It still stands, but at present is not used as a hotel. Before 1860 one De Schan, Branson and Lester, and George Craig had opened stores and were doing a country trade and supplying the railroad men and passengers from one road waiting for a train on the other. During the years of the war between the states, 1862 to 1864, the town grew very rapidly, many refugees from the South making it a stopping place and many a permanent home. A woolen mill called the Odin Woolen Factory was built in 1867. It was of brick and two stories high and manufactured jeans and flannel. It was destroyed by fire in 1879, and was never rebuilt. There was a sawmill in connection, which did not burn at that time and was operated for some years by W. E. Smith, but it finally was destroyed by fire. In 1863 a large hay press barn was built by A. M. Woodward & Co., and it was afterward enlarged until it was one of the largest press barns in the country, but it, too, was destroyed by fire in the nineties. It may be well to state for the information of the younger generation that until about 1870 hay was pressed into bales only in barns built for that purpose with presses built in them, and these presses were massive pieces of machinery with a heavy weight arranged like a pile driver, which was drawn to the top of the barn and fell into the press and beat the loose hay solidly together until two hundred or three hundred pounds were beat into a bale, when an immense screw operated from below compressed the bale, which was then "baled" or bound with hickory hoop-poles being passed around them and nailed together. The hay had to be hauled to these barns loose and was much labor and expense. The invention of the modern portable hay press killed the hay barn press, but has been a blessing to the farmer. In 1863 Captain Pierce built a twoburr grist mill. It changed hands frequently and the firm of Morrison & Smart ran it from 1873 to 1880, and then sold to James Warren, the owner when the mill went out of business. Odin has a commodious twostory brick school building and has a corps of six teachers and takes pride in maintaining a first class school. The Methodist Episcopals and Protestant Methodists each have a church in Odin, as also have the Christians and Presbyterians, although the latter is not used of late, only occasionally, as no minister is in charge. Odin Masonic lodge No. 503 was instituted in 1866, under dispensation from the grand master. E. B. Wilcox was the first worshipful master; E. Sidwell, senior warden, and O. F. Ball, junior warden. It was organized with only eleven members. It is now in a flourishing condition. The Modern Woodmen also have a strong lodge in Odin, with about one hundred members. In 1886 a stock company was formed under the name Odin Coal Company, to sink a shaft and mine coal, which was successful in striking a fine vein of coal at a depth of seven hundred and fifteen feet, with a vein of about seven feet in thickness. After undergoing the usual ups and downs of such stock companies, Messrs. Morrison and Secor, with perhaps a few others, obtained a controlling interest, since which time it has been so successfully handled as to prove a valuable and profitable property. Some few years ago electric mining and haulage and electric lighting was installed. The dynamo of the mine also furnishes electricity for lighting the city. During the life of the mine it has been singularly free from fatalities, but few accidents of serious character having occurred. The railroad crossing of the Illinois Central branch and the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern is controlled by an interlocking device controlled from a tower built so as to give the operator a view of both tracks.

The city of Sandoval, like Centralia and Odin, was laid out by the Illinois Central Railroad Company on their own section of land. It is at the crossing of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern and Illinois Central Railroad main line, and is about one mile from the west line of the township and two from the north line, and, like Odin, gave its name to the west half of township 2 north, range i east, when the township was divided. The survey and laying out of the city was on May n, 1855. Two other additions were laid out the same year. Welcome Martin, as early as 1853, put up a frame store house on the Ohio & Mississippi right of way just west of the right of way of the Illinois Central Railroad, and sold goods to the railroad laborers and the general public. The first boarding house or hotel was kept by J. B. Crawford, the original building afterward making part of the Sandoval

House. The city has a fine public school building, in which there are employed six teachers, and also maintains a primary room west of the Central tracks, and like all Marion county towns, is proud of her schools. The Catholic church has a good church building' and parsonage and maintains an organization in Sandoval. The Christian and Congregational churches have each a fine house of worship, while the Methodists have a good, comfortable church house. There religious bodies each maintain a resident minister and are full of good works. The Baptist Brotherhood has recently built a neat little church in the south part of town. Sandoval has one of the finest parks in the county, and here every year the annual reunion of the old soldiers and sailors is held in a three days' session, and Sandoval spares neither energy, time nor money to make the reunion a success. As yet they have not failed, but, on the contrary, each year the success has been more and more pronounced, until the Sandoval reunion attracts attention from all parts of the state.

In 1877 the St. Louis Sandoval Coal and Mining Company began sinking a shaft at Sandoval. After reaching a depth of one hundred and fourteen feet the company went into bankruptcy. The property was sold at Sheriff's sale and bought by the Sandoval Coal and Mining Company, a company composed mostly of Salem men. The new company began work on the shaft in January, 1879, and reached a vein of coal five and one-half feet thick in September of the same year at a depth of six hundred and three feet, being one hundred and twelve feet less in depth than the Odin mine, four miles further east, showing the "dip" of the coal vein to be eastward about twentyeight feet to the mile. The company was involved in long and expensive litigation growing out of the bankruptcy of the St. Louis Sandoval Company, but after years of legal contest the Sandoval Coal and Mining Company established their "right to the property. The cause was carried to the highest tribunal and the Sandoval company's leading attorney, Judge Michael Sheafer, of the Supreme Court of Utah, made such a strong and learned argument that it is recognized as an exposition of mining law. The company's stock was purchased January i, 1903, by Thomas S. Marshall from the holders, who thus became the company. The original shaft was in the eastern part of the city on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern

Railroad, but an air shaft was sunk on the Illinois Central Railroad in the southern part of the city about a half mile from the original shaft. This was now turned into a hoisting shaft with a steel tipple and machine mining implements, and was considered one of the best equipped mines in the state. The old works at the original shaft in the meantime burned down, but were immediately rebuilt. The mine at this time was employing over three hundred and fifty men and taking out as much as ten thousand tons per day. The vast expenditure necessary to thus equip the mine, with other causes, involved Mr. Marshall, and he took voluntary bankruptcy. The mine stood idle some time, but was recently sold to Mr. Middleton, who is running it to its greatest capacity and is not only giving work to a great number of men, but making it a success financially. The Sandoval mine was for many years, while controlled by the Sandoval company, under the superintendence of John Robinson, then of H. R. Hall, and later of C. E. Hull, and was one of the best paying enterprises in the county, and it bids fair to become so again. The Sandoval mine had several quite serious accidents resulting in the loss of life, all of them perhaps the result of carelessness on the part of the victims or of some fellow workman.

In the years from about 1890 to 1895* there was a series of barn burnings in the western part of the county, confined to the townships of Sandoval, Odin, Carrigan, Tonti and Salem. Several of the most valuable barns in the county were burned, evi- dently set on fire, but the incendiary invariably escaped detection, and these burnings occurred so frequently that a feeling of dread and uneasiness prevailed over the entire community. At the time there lived one McKibbon near Sandoval. McKibbon was a fanatic on political subjects, and although in many respects a bright man. was undoubtedly insane on the subject of equality of wealth and had brooded over the unequal distribution of wealth until he was an anarchist on that subject and thought to bring about equality by the destruction of property, but with subtile cunning he kept his thoughts and feelings hid from all but a chosen few, who, like himself, were lawless in thought and also in action when safe to be so. McKibbon was the head center of the clique and managed to escape even suspicion until he approached a youth in Sandoval whom he thought he could control. The young man fell into McKibbon's views, but after studying over the matter revealed the plot to burn the store of John Robinson to his mother, who advised him to go to the marshal and tell what he knew. This the young man did and was advised to carry out the plot and keep the officers advised. A committee of safety was formed and for weeks kept watch armed to the teeth, but so secretly was this done that none but the watchers ever suspected even the organization of the committee. They at last were rewarded by catching the anarchists in the act of trying to blow up Robinson's store.

McKibbon was tried and found guilty, but the jury so misconstrued the law that they fined him five hundred dollars. The fine was paid after some time by McKibbon's relatives and he disappeared from the county. Barn burning ceased with the arrest of Mc- Kibbon and farmers now and for many years past have slept at night with no visions of burning barns and tortured stock confined therein.

Sandoval is a center for the strawberry industry. The celebrated Warfield berry was originated here by Mr. Warfield, from whom it received its name. The Sandoval Packing Company's tomatoes, canned here, are the best on the market, the soil being peculiarly adapted to the raising of tomatoes to perfection. The smelting works in the eastern part of town is also an industry of great importance to the city and is one of the live industries of the county. In 1908 the Marion County Coal Company opened a shaft at Junction City, so called, in the south part of the to\vnship, and at the depth of about five hundred and sixty feet struck a fine vein of excellent coal. In this mine petroleum oil seeped in considerable quantities and led to the opening of the first oil well, which struck oil at the depth of five hundred and seventy-eight feet. Other wells are being bored, but to Sandoval belongs the honor of having the first oil well in the county, but whether or not it will prove a commercial success can only be told by the passing years.

Centralia township was first settled at Walnut Hill in the southeast part of the township by Joseph Hensley, probably as early as 1816 or 1817. He planted an orchard on what was later known as the Captain Creed place. This was the first orchard in the county and was set out about 1817. Captain Hensley was fairly well educated and a stump speaker of considerable force, and often addressed the settlers in behalf of his party. He was a Whig in politics and a zealous partisan. In 1818 he built a horse mill to supply the settlement about the hill, which by this time had several families, among' whom were the Vermillion, McKenriey, Jennings, Ricker, Taylor and Huff families. The first land entered in the township was the west half of the southeast quarter of section 28, since owned by the Coppie family. Vermillion was a ranger in 1812 and later moved to a farm just out of Salem, and is the same known as Black Bear Vermillion. He was foreman of the first Grand Jury of Marion county. He moved to Missouri later, where he died. The second land entered was the west half of the northeast quarter of section 34. This entry was made by Daniel McKinney and was dated February 21. 1820. He had made some improvements as a squatter, but having. sold to Charles Jennings in January, entered the land to make the title good. Israel Jennings entered the west half of the northeast quarter of section 34 as the third entry. It must not be thought that these three farms were all that were being improved in this part of the county, but many settlers picked out forty or eighty acres and began improvements, intending to enter the land as soon as possible thereafter, and these claims were rarely disputed or jumped by others (It was not considered healthy). Israel Jennings was from Kentucky and lived to a good old age. He was twice married and raised a large family. He served one term in the Legislature. He was a man of vigorous intellect, shrewd judgment and sterling honesty. At his death he owned over a thousand acres of land, leaving a goodly heritage to his children, both of material things and of the better things of character. His son Charles entered eighty acres in sec- 27 August 24, 1821. He had bought the McKinney place in 1820, where he took his bride when he married, and where he continued to live until his death. Rufus Ricker entered eighty acres in 1821. but in 1823 he moved to Salem, where, with Mark Tully, he bought out James Roberts, and they carried out the contract between the Commissioners to select a place for a permanent county seat by deeding to the county thirty acres of land in section 1 1 . township 2, range 2. William Taylor came to the Hill settlement. He was a tough customer in a fight, but not disposed to be quarrelsome with his neighbors. Mr. Taylor entered eighty acres in section 30 in 1823 and had improved or settled on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 29. One Daniel White, of

Clinton county, jumped the claim of Taylor by entering the eighty upon which Taylor had built a cabin and fenced a small tract. This eighty was a very desirable piece of land and Taylor was not disposed to give it up. White knew nothing of Taylor's reputation, but was soon to learn from the man himself, for Taylor went to see White, and his ferocious aspect, with face scarred by many battles, one ear gone, and a double row of teeth, which he could champ like an enraged swine, soon convinced White that Taylor was entitled to the land, especially as Taylor told him he would have the land or eat White, blood raw. White and Taylor went before a Justice of the Peace and White made over the land to Taylor, who paid the entry fees.

Samuel Gaston, in 1818, settled at the Hill, but was just over the line in Jefferson county, but afterward the family became active citizens of Marion. Samuel Shook, a Baptist minister, and probably the first preacher to settle in the county, settled here in 1820. In 1823 he entered eighty acres of land in section 23, which is still in the family.

Thomas Kell came from South Carolina and settled at the Hill, but just south of the county line. Here he opened a small store, but afterward was as much interested in Marion as in Jefferson county. The first school-house was built in 1821. It was made of logs and stood east of the Jennings place on the edge of the prairie. This schoolhouse had a dirt floor for several years. William Carrigan was the first teacher and he began teaching before the house was chinked and daubed. Bird M. Simpson taught the second term and John S. Davis the third. This school-house was also used as a meeting house and ministers of the Baptist faith frequently preached to the people there. In those days the settlers would go many miles to "meeting," and whenever a preacher "norated around" that there would be preaching, he was sure of an attentive and large audience. Absalom Frazier came in 1839 and entered land and contracted to have a carding mill built in section 17, but nothing was done until the next year, when his son, Simpson Frazier, came from Indiana, when the mill was built. The machinery was shipped to Shawneetown by river from Indiana and thence hauled by oxen to the mill site. The mill when set up was operated by oxen or horses and was operated until about 1855, when it fell into disuse. It will be observed that the settlement of Centralia township was confined to the southeast portion, nor did other parts of the township receive much attention from the settlers until the Illinois Central Railroad was projected, when the eyes of the immigrants were turned to that part of the county through which it was to pass, and many settlers took up land along the proposed line, and Central City, in the northwest part of the township, was started, and but for the lack of foresight of the holders of the land at Central City, there would be today no Centralia. Central City is near Crooked creek, and at that time was selected by the railroad engineers as a division end, but the land owners refused to grant such concessions as the railroad demanded, and as the officials said asked exorbitant prices for land, thinking- the road must build shops, etc., near water. It will be remembered that the act of Congress gave each alternate section of land for some distance on both sides of the road to the company as a bonus, so when they could not get land on which to build on such terms as they thought right, they went one mile farther south and laid out the city of Centralia on their own section and pumped water to their shops from Crooked creek. From the earliest settlement of Illinois by the Americans after Clark's conquest there had been a class of very undesirable citizens hovering on the borders near Vincennes, Shawneetown and also at Cave-in Rock, on the Ohio, and a regular channel by which these cutthroats and robbers conducted their nefarious barter was kept open, with stations along the way, so that property stolen in the eastern settlements was sold in the west, and that stolen in Randolph and St. Clair counties was sold in the east at Vincennes or Shawneetown. In 1816 an attempt to make a station for these thieves at Walnut Hill was made and several families of these undesirable people settled or rather squatted near Walnut Hill, but their neighbors soon suspected that something was wrong, as counterfeit money was put in circulation and many mysterious strangers were seen to visit them. Word was conveyed to the Rangers of St. Clair county, whoin 1819, under Captains Thomas and Bankson, marched secretly to the home of John Carrigan, who lived in Clinton county near Carlyle. As the men from St. Clair county did not know the way across the country to Walnut Hill and as the expedition was secret, they must have a guide, and a young son of Carrigan's was appointed to conduct them to the home of Israel Jennings, which he accomplished without any one seeing them. It was early in the night when they arrived at the Jennings homestead and young Carrigan was dismissed, and he rode home through the wilderness in the night. A lad of about twelve, alone in the darkness, bravely facing a ride of thirty miles through a trackless wilderness filled with wild beasts and at any moment in danger of meeting lawless men, who, if they knew his mission, would not hesitate to murder him, but of such mettle were the pioneers of our county made. Young Carrigan, with his father, soon became citizens of Carrigan township in this county. The rangers, after reaching the home of Jennings, divided into three parties of fifteen men each, and quietly surrounded the cabins of the outlaws and captured them without resistance, as the outlaws perceived resistance would be useless. The captured cutthroats were known as the Goings gang, and consisted of William. John and Pleasant Goings, Theophilus W. Harring, Tarleton Kane and John Bimberry and others who were not at home, but presumably out on an expedition and not caught. The above named, however, were told that they must leave the country within a given number of days, under penalty of death, and to impress upon their minds that the edict must be obeyed they were all lashed to saplings and given an unmerciful whipping. By the appointed time all had departed and none ever returned. This procedure may seem to us of the present day extremely harsh, and when we reflect that the law was solely in the hands of the rangers in such remote places, and that they were organized by authority for the protection of the frontier, where the law could not reach the offenders, and above all that it was effective, we must, however, reluctantly give our approval.

The City Of Centralia

The county of Marion was formed and its boundaries defined by an act of the Legislature of the state of Illinois, which became a law on the 24th of January, 1823. Centralia is situated near the southwest corner of the county, near the center of Seven Mile Prairie. Central City, older by about two years than Centralia, is located at the point where the Illinois Central Railroad enters Seven Mile Prairie from the north, about one mile distant from the northern limits of the corporation. In the year 1850 the inhabitants of Seven Mile Prairie could have been counted on one's fingers. They were located, with the exception of a halfdozen families, at the edge of the wooded land which surrounded the prairie, and all lived, excepting perhaps an equal number of families, in one-story log houses. There is not, so far as the writer knows, a house now standing in Seven Mile Prairie which is a fair sample of the average residence of the time alluded to. The house was one story in height, the open space between the logs being chinked with small blocks of wood and daubed or plastered with clay. The chimney was on the outside at the end of the building and was composed of a framework of logs and sticks, lined in the lower portion with clay and stones and in the upper portion with clay alone. The roof and often the doors were made of clapboards riven from the trees of the forest. The floor was often made of puncheons split from logs and hewed on one side. It need not be stated that this kind of flooring was never tongued and grooved, and the floor was never air-tight, except when the floor was laid on the ground. Usually these houses contained but one room, in which the family performed all the various offices of indoor life. Here they dressed, talked over the family and neighborhood affairs, received company, courted and were given in marriage and married. Here also the women attended to those never neglected duties of the time, knitting, spinning and weaving, duties which have since almost lost their places among the household arts. The ques- tion occurs: Were these people happy amid such rude surroundings and with such privations of the conveniences of life? We may truly answer, yes. So emphatically true is it that life does not consist in the aboundance of our possessions. Ask those who lived at that time and they will tell you they were happy in those days, and will probably add that the good old times were better than the present strenuous period. Their happiness we may not gainsay, but as to those times being better than this present time, that does not follow. This is another question and one open to very serious question.

In 1851 the Illinois Central Railroad was sureyed and located, and Seven Mile Prairie, in which they had been no marked improvement, began to exhibit more animation. Unknown faces were less rare than formerly and citizens showed more anxiety to increase their landed possessions. In 1852 the work of grading was begun and many foreigners appeared upon the scene, some of whom remained in the country and were valuable additions to its population. The change wrought in the appearance of the county and the habits and pursuits of the people was wonderful. Where before there had been a sort of Rip Van Winkle sleep, all was life, industry and activity. New industries became available and old ones were stimulated by better prices and a home market. The people began to put the good old times behind them. Central City supplemented Walnut Hill as a commercial metropolis of the region. That part of the city of Centralia known as Jones, Eheninger,Mc- Clelland and Spear's addition was laid out in the summer of 1853. In the autumn of the same year A. P. Crosby's addition was laid out. In 1853 Centralia proper was laid out by the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and some lots were sold, but no deeds were executed until after the passage of the law of January 14, 1855, authorizing the railroad company to lay out towns and sell town lots.

The first house built in Centralia was the one-story frame house fronting north on the west side of the last railroad crossing but one in South Centralia, in the east end of which McCord & Davenport sold merchandise ; the west end of the same building was used for a residence ; the next building erected in our city was a one-story frame about ten by twelve feet in extent across the street north from McCord & Davenport's, in which Thomas Douglas, afterward of Sandoval, sold dried herring and liquid refreshments. The first house built in Centralia still stands, but the second and third, which were immediately across the railroad, east from it, being the one-story part of the Hoskins property, built by Joseph Hensley, have long since vanished.

The Illinois Central Railroad Company commenced the erection of their roundhouse, shops and hotel in November, 1853. It was the desire of the railroad company originally to erect their buildings at Central City, and with that object in view negotiations were entered into with O'Melveny and Gall, the then proprietors of the land, but failing to agree upon the price to be paid for land on which to erect buildings and sidetracks, the present site was fixed upon. The work of erecting the buildings once commenced was pushed with vigor until they were fully completed. The first house built in the city of Centralia as laid out by the Illinois Central Railroad Company, was the two-story frame building still standing at the southeast corner of Walnut and First streets. The next house built was a barn, which stood on the present site of the Market Block, on Chestnut street. The roof was better adapted to secure perfect ventilation than immunity from moisture, and in consequence the boarders slept on rainy nights with umbrellas stretched over their heads. The first store in Centralia was that of McCord & Davenport, the second that of A. P. Crosby, both located in South Centralia. The next store was that of J. M. O'Melveny, which stood east of the present site of the Centralia House, but the building was moved by the Illinois Central Railroad Company without any interruption to the business of the occupant to the present site of Saddler's Block. The next store opened was that of Kohl & Warner. In November, 1854. the first regular train over the Illinois Central Railroad passed through Centralia. The first school-house erected in Centralia is a two-story frame building that originally stood near the southern limit of Jones, Ehminger, McClelland & Spear's addition on the east side of the railroad. It was afterward removed to the present site of the Welcome Hall in the south part of the city. It was again removed, this time across the street immediately east, where it now stands, transformed into a residence. The upper story was originally designed for an Odd Fellows' Hall, but for some reason was never used by that order. The first school-house erected in Centralia proper was a small frame building, which stood on the ground where now stands the one-story building occupied by the Star Laundry. The school-houses, still in use, known as the East Side and West Side, school-houses, were built in 1861. The brick school-house in South Centralia, being the same now known as Welcome Hall, was built in 1862. The first house of worship erected in our city was the Methodist Episcopal church built in Crosby's addition in 1854. It stood on the southwest corner of the block on which the brick now stands and fronted to the south ; its first pastor was R. H. Manier, who was also the first resident minister who ever preached in Centralia. He came here in 1855. The house was afterward removed to the northeast corner of Poplar and Fifth streets. In 1864 and 1865 the society erected a brick building at the southeast corner of Broadway and Elm streets. In 1856 the Christian church erected a house of worship, which was afterward burned down, on the ground occupied by the present Christian church. The present building was erected in 1872. In 1856 the first Presbyterian church was erected.

Presbyterian church was built in 1862, the building being sold afterward to the Episcopalians. The First Baptist church was erected in 1864, the German Evangelical church in 1865, the Second Baptist church (colored) was built in 1871 and the Second Methodist Episcopal church (colored) in

. The first physicians to take up their residence in our city were G. W. Hotchkiss and C. W. Dunning, who opened an office here in the spring of 1854. Next came J. M. Gaskill and J. L. Hallam, who opened an office in South Centralia in July, 1854.

Our first lawyer was W. W. O'Melveny, who came here in 1854. The next was W. Stoker, who came in June following. H. K. S. O'Melveny opened an office in Central City in 1853. N. R. Stickney was the first Justice of the Peace. He was elected in 1855 and assumed the duties of the office the following December. The city was incorporated under a special act of the Legislature, which was passed February 22, 1859. The formal incorporation was March i, 1859. The charter was amended in February, 1861, and further amended February 16. 1865. The first officers of the city were: Mayor. Mathew C. Kell. Aldermen: First Ward, J. J. Dimick and J. G. Cormick ; Second Ward, Samuel Storer and D. H. McCord; Third Ward, James Cunningham and G. V. Johnson; City Marshal, A. H. Seley ; Street Commissioner, E. Probst ; City Surveyor, S. Frazier: Treasurer, James Wilson; Assessor, A. H. Crosby; Police Magistrate, Edwin S. Condit; City Clerk,

Lewis Bunce ; Attorney, George C. McKee ; Collector, A. H. Seley. All these officers, with one or two exceptions, have joined the silent majority.

At the Presidential election of 1860 the vote for the Democratic electors was 147 against 197 for the Republican electors. In the Centralia precinct in 1864 the Democrats polled 133 and the Republicans 405 votes; 1868, Democrats 269, and Republicans 544, and in 1872 Democrat and Lib- .eral vote was 271 and O'Conner and Republican 453. Until 1856 the polling place was at Walnut Hill.

In the fall of 1856 D. A. Burton published the first newspaper in Centralia. It was called the Enterprise, and died after an existence of two months. The next paper was the Rural Press, edited and published by M. L. McCord. It struggled along for two years and then suspended. Then H. S. Blanchard tried the newspaper venture, but without success. J. D. G. Pettijohn started the Egyptian Republic November 3, 1859. This paper lived until after the strenuous Presidential campaign of 1860, but went out of existence in 1861. A Mr. Fuller then issued a few numbers of a paper the name of which is not remembered by any one in Centralia as far as can be learned. The Commercial, published by E. P. Thorpe, issued its first number in April, 1867, and survived six months. On May 28, 1868, the first number of the Centralia Sentinel was issued, with E. S. Condit and J. W. Fletcher as editors, but it is said Mr. Condit's editorial connection with the paper was only nominal.

At the expiration of a year J. W. and F. W. Fletcher became the editors and publishers. Jn 1869 J. C. Cooper bought the interest of J. W. Fletcher and the Sentinel was published by J. C. Cooper and C. D. Fletcher .until 1872, when L. C. Wilcox purchased the interest of J. C. Cooper. On January i, 1875, it passed into the hands of J. W. and F. W. Fletcher, who were succeeded by J. W. Kerr. and he by T. L. Joy. The latter took charge October 20, 1888. It is now a daily as well as weekly.

The Centralia Democrat was first published on November 7, 1867, by W. H. Mantz. Afterward Isaac McClelland became nominally a co-editor and publisher -with Mr. Mantz. In October, 1870, the office was partially destroyed by fire, but the press soon after came into the possession of S. P. Tufts, by whom it was repaired, and from the Qth day of February, 1871. the Democrat has been published by Mr. Tufts and his son, who succeeded as editor his father at the latter's death some years ago. It is now published both as a daily and weekly.

Centralia was not surpassed in patriotism by any city in the state during the late war. No less than six companies were organized and sent forward from our city, besides contributing a great number of recruits to companies organized at other points. The first company was organized April 19, 1861. It was Company C of the Eleventh Illinois Infantry, commanded by A. L. Rockwood as captain. The next was Company C of the Twenty-second Illinois Infantrv. commanded by E. Probst. Other companies were organized and commanded, respectively, by Captains Noleman, Cormick, Sommerville and Cunningham. During the war a hospital was maintained by our city for the benefit of sick and wounded soldiers, and many of our ladies are remembered to this day with gratitude by our country's brave defenders scattered over the land, for the kindness with which they were cared for in our city.

No other single industry up to the present writing surpasses or indeed equals the railroad interests of our city. Centralia has been from the first a railroad town, being the headquarters of a division of the Illinois Central Railroad and containing as it does shops with facilities for carrying on every variety of railroad work, and the accommodation of hundreds of employes. During the month of May, 1876, the Illinois Central Railroad Company had two hundred and sixty-two men in its employe who resided in Centralia, to whom the sum of fifteen thousand seven hundred and ninety-five dollars was paid in wages for that month. The monthly payroll is now much larger.

Next in importance is the coal industry of Centralia. A shaft was sunk at Central City in 1857 to the depth of one hundred and ninety feet, passing through ten inches of coal at the depth of fifty feet and another seam of coal twelve inches thick at one hundred and eighty feet. At one hundred and ninety feet the shaft was discontinued and a boring made one hundred and eighty feet.

to a total depth of three hundred and seventy feet, without, however, rinding other seams of coal. In 1857 and 1858 the Illinois Central Railway Company sunk an artesian well near the machine shops in Centralia to the depth of eight hundred and fifty-seven feet for the purpose of securing a supply of water for their shops. The report of the strata passed through in boring that well, though subsequent events have shown it to be unreliable, did much to encourage our citizens to thoroughly test the question of the existence or non-existence of coal in the vicinity in paying quantities. In the fall of 1869 some citizens of our city organized a stock company under the name of the Centralia Coal and Mining Company, for the purpose of testing and setting at rest once for all, either by failure or success, the coal question. The first and only board of directors consisted of F. Kohl, R. D. Noleman, M. C. Kell. E. S. Condit, H. D. Kingsbury, J. L. Hopkins, H. Kurth, C. D. Hay and J. C. Cooper. A contract was entered into with two of our citizens, James Wilson and Thomas Warren, to do the boring. They commenced work about the 2Oth of February, 1870, and continued at intervals until about the 2oth of April, when the work was abandoned at a depth of two hundred and nineteen feet, having passed through six inches of coal at a depth .of eighty feet. The Centralia Coal and Mining Company failed to set the coal question at rest.

meet at the City Hall January 25, 1873, to consider the propriety of organizing a company to establish a nail mill, at which time and place the meeting was held and the project discussed. The conclusion was arrived at that the proposed nail mill would be more certainly successful if fuel could be obtained without the cost of transportation. At a subsequent meeting, held February i, 1873, it was decided to organize a company to be incorporated under the general incorporation laws of the state, to sink a shaft to a depth sufficient to determine with certainty the question of obtaining a home supply of coal. The company was styled the Mining and Manufacturing Company of Centralia, Illinois, and was organized in April, 1873, with a capital stock of fifteen thousand dollars. The capital stock was twice increased, to the amount of five thousand dollars each time. The work of sinking the shaft was begun May 14, 1873, and was prosecuted with varying hopes of success. At the commencement many had strong faith in the substantial correctness of the report of the Illinois Central Railroad Company's boring, but as our hopes based upon it were one by one dissipated, Prof. Engleman, of the Illinois Geological Survey, was appealed to for encouragement by the leaders of the enterprise and did much by his letters and, as the events proved, by his accurate knowledge of the geology of the region, to inspire confidence. Finally, on the 28th of September, 1874, at the depth of five hundred and sixty-four feet, a vein of coal was reached, which proved to be seven feet in thickness and of excellent quality. At about 12 o'clock noon on the 2gth the cannon announced the good news to our citizens; their pluck and energy had been fitly rewarded. Many of them met, as if by common consent, at the City Hall, where the enterprise had been organized, and made arrangements for a grand celebration of the event on Saturday. November 7, 1874. On the day appointed our citizens and many of the citizens of neighboring towns as well as of the surrounding country, turned out, and a grand gala day was had. Our business interests and mechanical arts were all represented in the procession which that day paraded through our city. Our coal mine has since became and will ever remain one of the institutions of our city. In her coal interests Centralia has a permanent industry.

Among the other institutions of our city it is proper to mention the First National Bank, organized in 1865, one of the soundest banking institutions in the state ; the gas works, erected in 1868, and the Union Fair, organized in 1869. There are also many carefully conducted industries in our city. which in time will develop into enterprises of greater magnitude and will prove to be productive industries in our city. Centralia now has a state bank, also both banks are on a solid basis and do a large, though safe and conservative, business.

For several years the Illinois Central Railroad was the only railroad connecting Centralia with the outside world, but about twenty-five years ago a new impetus was given the little city by the building of the

Jacksonville road, and about the same time also the Southern, the first extending southeast and northwest, the latter more nearly east and west, yet tending to the north. The first extended from Jacksonville to Centralia and then southeast, the latter from St. Louis, Missouri, to Evansville, Indiana. The Jacksonville is now a part of the Burlington system, which absorbed the Jacksonville and extended it south from Centralia, tapping the rich coal deposits of Franklin, Williamson and other counties. These roads do a large business and add much to the material prosperity of Centralia. A fair estimate would place one-fourth of our population directly dependent upon the various railroads. Shortly after the building of the Southern the Centralia & Chester Railroad was built. Its northeast terminal was Centralia for a number of years, but was subsequently extended to Salem, which is now the northern terminal of the once Centralia & Chester, but now Illinois Southern Railroad. The coal mining industry now occupies the industry of many hundreds of men and furnishes thousands of tons of coal per day, the output of three extensive mines. The boring for oil on the Bundy farm has developed a water supply of hitherto unsuspected source, but as to whether it can be of any practical benefit to the city or not it is too early to predict. Centralia has a factory for the manufacture of envelopes, with an output of millions of envelopes of every variety. A township high school building of great architectural beauty stands at the east

Town 3 north, range 3 east of the third .principal meridian, is Alma. Who suggested the name is not known, but whoever it was evidently had a sweetheart. Big creek and Dumb's creek drain the township ; the water from the first named flowing into the Kaskaskia, from the latter into the Wabash. Grand Prairie in the north, Summit Prairie in the center and a very small prairie in the southeast is called from a spring there, Red Lick. This township was originally mostly prairie and is now mostly cultivated, and like Stevenson, has fine farms and farm buildings and many orchards. The Illinois Central, Chicago branch, passes across the northwest corner of the township, while the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad crosses it from north to south, leaving the township at the northwest corner of Stevenson township, just touching the southeast corner of Tonti. This railroad was originally the Chicago, Peoria & Memphis. It enters the township in section 3 and bends to the west and passes out as stated.

Marshall Wantland settled on section 35, and his brother, John, on 36, in 1826. They were from Tennessee. It is told of John that he carried a spade and wandered over the country for a radius of thirteen miles, digging here and there and examining the soil, but concluded that section 36 was the best, so settled there. Both moved to Omega township and later Marshall went to Texas and John to Saline county. James Beard, another Tennesseean, with his wife and two children, settled in section 23, but stayed only about ten years, when he moved to Missouri.

A Tennesseean by the name of James Chance, a blacksmith, settled in Salem in 1822. He had a large family. He was elected Sheriff and, served for eight years. He settled in section 1 1 at the expiration of his term of office and remained until 1835 when he moved to Tonti township, where he died in 1863.

Mrs. Letitia Duncan, the widow of a soldier under Jackson at New Orleans, who died in the hospital after the battle, brought her ten children, settled in Tennessee Prairie about 1818, but in 1833 she located in Alma, where she died in 1846. Mark Tully's brother William came from Virginia about 1825, and after remaining in Salem about ten years settled on section 35. Aterward he went to Texas. Peter Bretz and Robert Phillips both came from Ohio about the same time. Bretz had six chil- dren and Phillips had nine, among whom were Israel and John, so long and well known in the east side of the county. J. P. French came from St. Clair county in 1838, and after living in Tonti township until 1855, moved into Alma. The township was first named Pleasant, but later changed to Alma.

The Baptists built the first church in the township in 1848. It stood on the line between sections 35 ad 36. It was a small frame house. The first preacher of this church was X. R. Eskridge. There are now three Methodist churches, one Baptist and one Christian church, besides regular union services are held in the town hall.

The first school was held in an old abandoned cabin and was taught by Isaac Kagy. The cabin stood on what is known as the Wantland (Marshall) place. It was a subscription school and the subscriptions were paid in produce, which in turn was bartered at Rate's store. In 1842 the first schoolhouse was built on the site of Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal church. It was of the pioneer type, log cabin with clapboard roof, held on with roof poles. There are doubtless men and women now living in the township who remember the old school-house of seventy years ago.

1836, and John Beck kept the first store. He failed and went out of business in a short time. He began his store-keeping in 1851, at the house of Squire Siple.

On section 35 the early settlers established a burying ground. It was used about fifteen years and then closed for burial purposes. It was called Mound Graveyard.

This township was among the first to introduce imported stock and has ever since kept the best blood obtainable. Berkshire hogs were introduced in 1841 ; Durham cattle in 1840 by the Hite brothers; English draft horses by John Cunningham in 1852, and Southdown sheep by Thomas White in 1856.

The first doctors were Thomas L. Middleton. William Haynie, Doctor Baker, T. B. Lester and John Davenport, and they traveled many miles in every direction. Their names will be found as the first physicians in several townships. The post-office at Alma, established upon the completion of the Central Branch Railroad, was the first in the township.

In 1841 John Hammers opened a coal mine six feet under ground by stripping, that is, by removing six feet of surface to a coal vein two feet thick, but when the railroad brought coal to Alma the mine was abandoned.

Village Of Alma

The village of Alma is on the northwest was first laid out by John S. Martin, in corner of the township on the Chicago 1854, and the Martin, French and Tilden branch of the Illinois Central Railroad. It addition was platted about the same time.

It was named Rantoul, after an officer of the railroad, but another town in the state had appropriated that name, and it was changed to Grand Mound City, but in 1855 the name was changed to Alma.

Doctor Hutton built the first store house in 1853, and was the first postmaster. Smith and Hawkins conducted the first blacksmith shop and John Ross the first grist and saw mill. Jefferson Hawkins was the first Methodist preacher; John Ross, the first Christian preacher, and was instrumental in building the first church in which he preached several years and from which he was buried, by the writer, about eighteen years ago. The Methodist Episcopal church was built in 1871. The first school-house was burned and the second was built in 1866 and 1867. It was a two-room building, but it is not now used. Some of the members of the Christian church conceived the thought of a Christian college at Alma. The Rosses and others gave land and money and a good two-story school-house, or college, was built and a college opened, but after a few years' struggle the property was

. Alma has grown from a hamlet to a village of two hundred or three hundred inhabitants and is incorporated as a village. It has many business houses and enjoys the trade of a large part of this, Tonti and Foster townships. On the 28th day of December, 1908, fire broke out in a large hay barn and destroyed the entire business part of Alma. Several stores, warehouses, shops and restaurants were burned and as all were of frame, the loss was total, but with true American grit, the ashes were hardly cold before the debris was being cleared away and preparations for brick buildings were under way. In the spring of 1908 the large fruit cannery of Doctor Shrigley's was burned, also quite a serious loss to the business of the village. Alma is one of the chief fruit shipping points of the county. Thousands upon thousands of baskets of tomatoes, peaches and other fruits are annually shipped, while the Alma gem melon requires two or three cars per day during the season, and are the only rival of the Rocky Fords on the markets.

The station of Brubaker on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad is an active little hamlet. It contains two stores, a saw-mill, blacksmith shop and the Alma town house. It was laid out bv E. E. Brubaker, who built a two-story store room upon the completion of the railroad in 1895, and he has conducted a flourishing business ever since. Much produce is also shipped from here, and also live stock. The railroad company just after the Chicago & Eastern Illinois took charge opened an extensive ballastburning experiment and acres of clay was dug and mixed with coal and burned, but for some reason the work was stopped, and all that remains is a considerable body of water, forming an artificial lake.

Red Lick Prairie is also the scene in which is laid the "Stories of New Egypt," by Frank Spittler, Esq., and the tale has a foundation in fact, which is as follows : About 1830 or 1835, two brothers with a small amount of money were journeying westward from Vincennes, when they fell in with a third young man, who had about nine hundred dollars on his person. When in the vicinity of Red Lick, the older brother killed the young man and the brothers appropriated the money and buried the body. They settled near Red Lick Prairie and the older brother became an active member of the band of cutthroats and horsethieves, with headquarters at Cave-in- Rock, and operating all over Southern Illinois, and his house was a regular stopping place for the thieves and their plunder. The suspicions of the rapidly increasing population were directed to the elder brother and he disappeared. The younger brother lived in the township and reared a large and respectable family. Such is the tale handed down by the old men and women at the fireside a generation ago, and doubtless there is some truth at the foundation of the story. It is impossible to say how much.

'Town 4 north, range 3 east, is known in civil law as Kinmundy. Its north line is also the dividing line between Marion and Fayette counties. The watershed between the Kaskaskia and Wabash rivers extends from Alma through this township, the west side being drained by the East Fork, and the east side by the Skillet Fork. The prairie of Alma extends through this township, while heavy timber was originally along the above streams, making the township about half timber and half prairie.

went north in 1827, but soon returned and died. Henry Howell came in 1826 and settled near the Nichols claim, where he died after several years' residence. He raised a large family, one of whom is still living. Abner Stewart came to the township in the latter part of 1828, and in 1829 entered the first land entered in this township. His cabin stood in what is now the corporate limits of Kinmundy city. He built a horse mill, and after three years moved to Missouri. In 1828 three brothers by the name of Gray. James, Joseph and William, came to Kinmundv. (These settlers were all from

Tennessee.) James Gray settled on section 10, but died in 1835, leaving a widow and eight children. The widow entered eighty acres of land in section 10, February 13, 1837, and in the fall forty acres more. She lived until 1844. Her son, the late James H. Gray, lived until about 1899, and died one of the wealthiest citizens of the county. He lived and died on the old homestead. Joseph Gray settled three or four places in the township, but died in 1844. William Gray built a home on section 21, but sold out and went to Missouri in 1833. Isaac Eagan, a single man, came to the township with James Gray in 1828. He drove stage for several years, but married and bought the William Gray place of Abner Stewart, who had bought it of John Eagan, who had bought it of Gray, two sales before any one had title but Uncle Sam. Abner Stewart entered the land in 1837, the same day that the widow Gray entered her eighty. Hugh Eagan came in 1829, but afterward bought the Ross Jones claim north of Salem, where he died. Harrison Eagan, a noted Cumberland Presbyterian minister, was his son. John Beardin came in 1838 and located in Kinmundy. All these settlers came originally from Tennessee.

The first school-house was built in 1837, and Samuel Whiteside was the first to teach in it. Although schools had been taught in cabins before this date. The Baptists built the first church. It was of hewed logs and was in the Howell neighborhood. The Cumberland Presbyterians, however, held meetings frequently in private houses.

City Of Kixmuxdy

Kinmundy, a city of about fifteen hundred inhabitants, is situated on the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad. It was laid out in April, 1857, on section 22, which brings it near the center of the township. W. T. Sprouse laid out the city. Isaac Eagan laid out an addition in 1858. Other additions have been laid out from time to time. In 1895 trie Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, then the Chicago, Peoria & Memphis, was built through the township, and passed through the western part of the city. The city and township are said to be named after a Scotchman, who was a stockholder in the Central when it was built, and visited this part of the county. W. B. Eagan built the first house in 1857, in which he kept a general store and was the first postmaster. The house was two stories and Eagan lived above the store. Eagan had kept a country store two or three years at the old homestead before Kinmundy was laid out. The Illinois depot was built in 1856, and like most Illinois Central depots of that day, was a big barn-like structure. Later a neat little depot was built and the old one used as a freight room. Kinmundy, like nearly all towns along the Illinois Central, is built on both sides of the railroad, and the crossing is dangerous, and deaths from being struck by trains are too often the result of this building of the towns. Several deaths at Kinmundy have resulted, among them that of Miss Cammerer, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Cammerer, about twelve years ago. Miss Cammerer was walking with her mother, and stepping around the end of a car standing on the track, was struck by a fast train, the mother barely escaping the same fate. About the same time an entire family, except one child, were killed at the crossing at Alma. At the south side of the town Willis Wilburn built a small store room and sold goods for a time, in 1855. He built a hotel south of the present depot, about the same time. Doctor Skilling kept the first drug store, and Dr. W. W. Elliott was the first medical practitioner. Henry Eagan was the first "village blacksmith". In 1858 Sprouse built a saw and grist mill, but it was moved away in a short time, but he buit another in 1864. and in 1868 Songer Brothers built the present brick mill. It too, was moved away. Another mill was built in 1877 and passed into

The first bank was the W. T. Haymond & Company's bank, organized in 1870. The capital stock fully paid in was forty-five thousand dollars. This bank was a good business proposition, and was a stable institution. On the death of Mr. Haymond in 1899 a National bank was organized and is at present one of the safe banks of the county. There is a private bank called The Warren Bank, doing a good business.

The building of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad gave an impetus to business of Kinmundy, and several good brick business houses were built, but an extensive fire in 1904 destroyed about one-half of the business part of the town. It has, however, been rebuilt. A short time later another fire destroyed a large part of the remainder of the town. It too, has been rebuilt.

Kinmundy has six churches, the Methodist Episcopal, and Christian churches are fine, modern structures; the others are old style frame buildings, and are xised by the Cumberland Presbyterians, Presbyterians, Methodist Episcopal, South, and Catholic.

The schools of Kinmundy are good, with energetic teachers, and a high school course of three years, but the building is old and unsuited for modern school purposes.

Brinkerhoffs History Of Marion Counts, Illinois

luka township lies along the east line of the county and north of Romine. Its survey numbers are township 2 north, range 4 east. It was a part of the Maguire precinct until 1873, when township organization was adopted. Skillet Fork is the principal stream. It passes north and south near the middle of the township, and Fulton, Jamison and Dumb's creeks drain into it. This township was about three-fourths timber, but is now cleared up and less than one-half is in timber. Ramsey's prairie on the east, projects into luka from Clay county, and Romine prairie on the west from Stevenson township. The part of Romine prairie in luka was first called Bone prairie, on account of the many bones of animals that littered its surface. About 1820 Patrick Conner, a noted hunter and trapper, located in this township, which with Romine on the south and Omega on the north, made it a hunter's paradise. Mr. Jamison settled on Jamison's creek in 1821, but he was killed by the Indians in 1823. A man by the name of Tadlock, built a cabin on the Vincennes road in 1823. but left no record of his life in the minds of the people.

Leonard P. Pyles, a Tennesseean, settled in the township in 1822. He was a man of much force of character and was for many years active in the forming of the new county and directing its affairs. After seven years' residence he moved to Missouri, as this county was settling up too fast, and game was getting scarce. He died in 1872.

Some of his grandchildren still live in this county. In 1825, Jesse Tinkler moved here from Indiana, and Solomon Smith, wife and six children came in a four horse wagon from Tennessee, in 1829. He died in 1846. He first stopped near Salem, but soon moved to luka. George and Ann McGuire and eight children came from Tennessee in 1829. They stopped one winter in Tennessee prairie, then settled in luka, on section 8. They both died in 1833. Mrs. McGuire of cholera.

Thomas L. Middleton, born in North Carolina but raised in Tennessee, came to Illinois in 1831, in a six horse wagon, and was nearly lost in crossing the Ohio river. He settled first in Haines township, but came to luka in 1834. He was a preacher and a doctor, and devoted to the chase. He died in 1876, seventy-seven years old. He had four sons and four daughters, now all dead, but several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are living in the county. One of the sons, B. F. Middleton, long preserved a gun with which his father killed forty-seven deer out of fifty-one shots, a record that one might well be proud of.

John B. Middleton came from Tennessee in 1831. but this family was unfortunate, as most of their children died young. Eight of them are buried in the Fulton graveyard.

Denning Baker in 1832, and Thomas Chapman in 1838, came to luka. Chapman died in 1872. He had twelve children, ten of whom grew to manhood and woman- hood. Rolling Mattingly, a hatter, and Jesse Breese, who was a maker of wooden mould boards for plows, and was also a hunter. James Songer, the father of the1 Songers of Kinmundy, settled here very early. He was a miller.

Between 1830 and 1842 the Litterells, Daggetts, Eblins, Youngs, Hollidays and the Cheeleys settled in this township, all well known names of respectable families in the township. The first school was a select school taught at old Stringtown by Cynthia Cooper, in 1841. The school-house was an old log cabin. The first school-house was the Cooper school in section 8. It was built of unhewn logs, and had a puncheon floor. The first school taught there was by Samuel Dewel, in 1845. The first graveyard was the McGuire burying ground, but it has not been used for more than fifty years.

Doctor Middleton preached the first sermon in a log cabin a short distance northeast of the village of luka. The luka cemetery now occupies the ground where he preached, and he is buried within a few feet of the spot on which he stood when he preached the first sermon delivered in the township.

William Finley, the most active of the early preachers of the Cumberland Presbyterians, often preached in luka township. Preacher Middleton built the first mill, and ground corn for the settlers. The mill had a capacity of ten or fifteen bushels per day.

The first church built in the township was a Cumberland Presbyterian church. A. B. Taylor was the first blacksmith and John McGuire owned the first grocery store.

Frederickton was laid out in 1840 by Robert Shields, and in ten years had one hundred inhabitants. It was a stage stand, and the largest and best business point in the township. Being a stage point toughs from older settlements drifted there. James Fisher built the first house, and F. D. Newell was the first storekeeper. The first postoffice in the township was established here in 1845, with John Lawson as postmaster. After the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad was built the town began to die, many of the houses were moved to Xenia, and others torn down, and today not a vestige of Frederickton remains. Greendale, a flag station on the Ohio & Mississippi, now Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern, Railroad, was a postoffice established in 1873, but now nothing is left of Greendale but a side track and a house. On the completion of the Ohio & Mississippi, now the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, which runs through the township east and west, about two miles south of the north line and nearly parallel with it. a town was laid out on sections 17 and 1 8, on land owned by D. J. and Alfred Middleton, and in honor of the family, was called Middleton. The post-office was called New Middleton. The town was laid out by Songer and Camp in 1856. Jerry Allmon built a small frame house the same year, and kept a store in it. James A. Middleton opened another store soon after. Ned Young kept a boarding house about this time, and a man by the name of Coon opened a hotel. In 1858 James S. Jackson, afterward a lawyer and a captain in the

Harrison Eagan was the first Cumberland Presbyterian preacher, and T. L. Middleton the first Methodist Episcopal minister. L. L. Morgan and T. L. Middleton were the first doctors, and Mary Finch the first teacher. Miss Mina N. Lear taught a select school in 1859. Solomon Smith was the first justice. In 1857 a post-office was established with P. E. Cutler, founder of Cutler & Hays, of Salem, as postmaster. In 1867 the Legislature changed the name of Middleton to luka, at the request of the soldiers who had been in the battle of luka in the Civil war, and thus the township also got its name.

In 1866 Collens Brothers built a brickmill of fifty barrel capacity. This mill has changed hands several times but in all changes the luka flour has maintained its excellent reputation. luka is the greatest point for shipping ties in the county, the average being about one thousand per month. Outside of the village of luka there are three churches in the township, a Cumberland Presbyterian, a Methodist Episcopal and a German Lutheran.

The village has good schools, a bank and a dozen business houses, and numbers about eight hundred inhabitants, wide awake and industrious, and with a justifiable pride in their beautiful little village.

Town 3 north, range 4 east, is known in the civil law as Omega. Why the name of the last letter of the Greek alphabet was given to this township is hard to imagine, unless for its sound, for Omega is not the last place by any means. It is a well watered tract, the streams being Skillet fork, Dumbs creek, Bee branch, White Oak creek and Mountain branch. In this township Skillet Fork has made bottoms of low land, which often overflows and thus enriched there is no more fertile lands in the county than are found in Omega. The township was well timbered, only one-fourth being prairie, but like the other townships, is largely cleared and where the native wood shaded the ground are now fine farms.

Henry T. Pyles, of Tennessee, came to this county in 1820 and settled in Stringtown in luka. In 1829 he married Rachael Tinkler and the next year settled in Omega township. He raised a family of nine children, of whom three are still living : Josiah, at Odin, Lidia Jones at luka and T. B., editor of a paper at Fountain, Colorado.

with his father in 1829, and stopped at Walnut Hill Prairie, where he married Polly Hensley, daughter of Joseph Hensley, first settler of that section, in 1831, and moved to this township, where he died in 1879. His wife, Polly, had died in 1873. Four of their children still live in the county : Woodson and Mrs. Frances Farson in Omega. Mrs. Julia Lacey in Meacham and Mrs. Mary Hammond in Salem.

Daniel Lovell moved to this township in 1832, and David England the same year; Thomas T. Jones in 1834, Thomas C. Smith in 1837. Henderson Hensley came in the same year.

Nicholas Van Dusen, of Massachusetts, moved to Ohio, then to Illinois and in 1840 settled in this township. The late Henry A. Van Dusen, the noted Christian preacher, was his son. Andrew Beard and his brother, John, came in 1840, and John Wantland from Tennessee, first settled in Red Lick Prairie in 1826, and in 1841 moved to this township. Thomas Chapman also settled in this township in 1841. Blackburn Brown, son of Alexander Brown, who was living at Stringtown as early as 1831, came to Omega in 1845, and died here in 1908, about ninety years of age. There are no railroads touching Omega and the township is strictly an agricultural one. Henry Piles built the first house in the township.

John Porter and Mary E. Lovell were married by Squire Samuel Hensley in 1837. This was the first wedding. The first death was a young daughter of Richard Pyles.

She was the first person buried in the Millican graveyard. Small stores were opened by Charles O'Neal, Wesley Beasley, Levi Rollins and Captain Elder. They were small and kept only the necessaries. Most of the business was barter.

The first school was taught by William Hadden in the Lovell school-house. This was a log house with an opening on the north side to admit light. It stood on section 20. A log cabin with a dirt floor next served as a school-house. It stood on section 27. A subscription school was taught here two terms by Silas Litterell. He charged two dollars per pupil per term of three months.

The Presbyterians, Methodist Episcopal and Christians now have churches in the township and each has a large number of communicants in the township. All of the early preachers of the county preached in this township, among them Doctor Middleton, Joseph Helms, Cyrus Wright, John A. Williams and David R. Chance.

A small water mill was built on Lost creek, and was the first in the township. The next mill was on Skillet Fork, and was both grist and saw mill, and sawed the first lumber cut in the township. Both are now only a memory.

The first crime was that one so peculiarly attached to rural districts, horse stealing. Reuben and Robert Black stole a horse from Richard Claflin. They were caught, but one broke out of jail, and was retaken while trying to cross the Illinois river. He had stolen a gun to pay the ferryman and this late as 1874, since which time 'only a few led to his re-arrest. Both were sent to the penaJ offenses have occurred in the townpenitentiary for eleven years. This was as ship.

Village Of Omega

In 1856 Timothy Baldwin laid out the village of Omega, and built the first house. Dr. Lewis Rogers was the first doctor and Captain Elder the first store-keeper. Ralph F. Baldwin was the first postmaster. He was appointed when the office was established in 1855, before the village was laid out. A frame school-house was built in 1856

The village of Omega is a good point for a country store, two being there at present, but the village has not grown and has now less than one hundred inhabitants, but some day a railroad will be built through Omega, which will make it one of the good shipping points of the county.