Marion County, Illinois - The whole text, 1909 (part 1 of 27)

Author'S Preface

In writing a history of Marion county it is necessary that the author present a brief outline of the history of the state of which the county forms a part, in order that the reader may refresh his memory of the conditions and difficulties to be met and overcome by the men and women of an age which demanded the best and bravest and called for, not only an indomitable spirit, but a body as well, inured to privations and hardships, inseparable from a pioneer life. The youth of today can hardly realize, surrounded as they are by every convenience and many of the luxuries of modern life, the utter lack of conveniences and comforts that faced the pioneer of a century ago in the then wilderness of Illinois; and brave, indeed, was the man who with his family traversed the woodland and the plain to literally hew out with the axe the home which he must defend with the rifle; upon which he also must largely depend for sustenance.

Yet it is of these we must write, if we are to preserve the records of our people and trace the character of the men of today back to its foundation in the lives of those who have gone before, and instill into the life of coming generations that love of liberty and independence which characterized the fathers and made the hardy American pioneer the noblest work of the Creator, unsung heroes and heroines whose bones rest peacefully in the soil their energy conquered, and left a rich heritage to succeeding generations.

Index

Snodgrass, John A Soger, John Songer, A. W. . . . , Stevenson, Noah R Stonecipher, John S Stonecipher, Jesse Stonecipher, Thomas Storer, B. W Storment, S. A

Related Illinois History

Illini, "the river of men," a title of the confederacy of Indian tribes, occupying the territory now included within the limits of the state, which is known by the slightly changed name, Illinois. Many evidences of an earlier occupation than that of the red men are to be found within the borders of the state, especially along the watercourses, in the form of earthworks or mounds, many of which were built with the exactness of modern science, and give undisputable evidence of a civilization, crude though it may have been, that evidenced constructive ability of no mean order, since its traces remain although the people who wrought are lost in the darkness of the receding centuries. The mound builders were, but are not, and the works of their hands are eloquent with the silence of the ages, and the red child of the forest and plain who occupied the land when the white man first viewed the inland empire, void of all save savage life, were as ignorant of who their predecessors were as we are today, and conjecture is useless, as it must prove to be only conjecture still. The reliable history of Illinois begins with the discovery of the Indian occupants of the soil by the white men in the year 1673. All before is myth and mystery, the traditions of the tribes or the imaginary events of their people as told by their sages and medicine men.

Shortly after Columbus had made known the practicability of a westward passage to what was thought to be. the Indies, but was soon discovered to be a hitherto unknown land, the powers of Europe planned to lay claim to all they might be able to grasp and hold, with an exquisite disregard of the rights of the occupants and of each other.

In 1498 Henry Cabot, sailing under a commission from Henry VII of England, laid the foundations upon which was builded the English claim to Illinois, although no thought of the vastness of the territory claimed had occurred to the discoverer or his sovereign.

France based her claim to what is now Illinois on the discoveries and explorations of Verrazanni, who in 1525 explored the coast from Florida to New Foundland, claiming all territory included within those points westward indefinitely.

In 1513 Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, and as he was an adventurer acting under a grant from the government of Spain, he, in the spirit of the times, laid claim to all territory north, south and west, that Spain might be able to seize and hold, and thus setting up a right to all North America from the lakes to the gulf, which shadowy claim overlapped the claims of both England and France, which in turn overlapped each other. No very serious attempt was made, howrS

The grant, by patent, in 1606, and by charter, in 1609, by James I of England, to a company for the purpose of colonizing Virginia, reinforced England's claim and as the grant extended from the fortyfifth degree of latitude on the north to the thirty-fourth degree on the south and extended westward to the Pacific Ocean, it included the territory of the Illini, although the same territory was claimed by the French as a part of their new France.

In 1671, France made a treaty with the Indian tribes of the West, by which the territory west of the Alleghany mountains was to become French territory, thus reinforcing the claim of France to that which England also claimed, but as the English made no attempt to explore or occupy the Northwest, France took possession without the use of the sword; although the English never admitted the French title to be good.

To the spirit of the enthusiasm which filled the soul of the French missionary priests, and chevaliers, is due the first exploration of Illinois, a passion for the conversion of the Indians was the motive which induced the heroic spirits of Marquette, Jolliet and their co-laborers in the labors, perils, and hardships of a life, devoid of all, that to the most of mankind is regarded necessary to existence, regardless of summer's heat, or winter's cold, facing the icy blast that swept over almost boundless prairies, or the heatburdened winds, dangers by flood, dangers from a lurking, savage host, with their lives in their hands, these heroes of the Cross blazed the way to the present greatness of Illinois.

Indian Confederacy

When the first white men visited Illinois it was inhabited by five tribes of Indians, which formed the confederacy of the Illini, viz: the Mitchiganis, a tribe that had been admitted to the confederacy from the west side of the Mississippi river and have left their impress on the nation in the name of a great state - Michigan.

The Kaskaskias, a powerful tribe, occupied the northern portion of Illinois and roamed as far south, perhaps, as the present city of Shelbyville. Their name is perpetuated in the largest river of the state, namely, the Kaskaskia, or Okaw, and also in the first capital of the state, now only a memory to be spoken of more fully with the organization of the state. The Peorias have their name perpetuated in the city of Peoria, about which site the tribe held sway. The American bottoms and eastward were the huntinggrounds of the Cahokias, and for them is named the village and creek of Cahokia and also Cahokia mound. Southeast of the Cahokias roamed the Tammarois, probably holding what is now Marion county, as their territory. They are remembered in the name of the flourishing little city of Tamaroa, in Perry county. Our state perpetuates the name of the confederacy, and one of our principal rivers also is called from it - the Illinois.

its power, to a great extent, at the time the white men invaded their territory. Having been a prey to the more warlike, and fiercer tribes, to the eastward, ten or twelve thousand is perhaps a just estimate of the number of Indians within the boundary of Illinois, at the time the French explorers first set foot on the soil; about 1679. Membre estimates about seven or eight thousand souls at the principal villages; this number dwindled until only a remnant remained and they confined in the southern portion of the state. The Kaskaskias drifted to the juncture of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi, under the leadership of their Mission priest, who had gained considerable influence over them. This migration took place about the year 170x5, and within forty years the remnants of the other tribes had been absorbed by them. A numbering of the tribes in 1736 shows only about six hundred warriors, and because of the murder of the great chief, Pontiac, at Cahokia, by an Indian of the Illini, this number was almost extinguished. In 1778, Hutchins gives the total number of the fighting men of all the original tribes of the Illini at three hundred. In the year 1800, according to Governor Reynolds, only about one-half that number remained with Du Quoin, a French half-breed, as chief. The name of Du Quoin is perpetuated by the prosperous city of that name in Perry county ; after Illinois became a state and the government of the United States took the Indian lands by treaty, the miserable rem- -nant of the Illini was removed to the Indian Territory, and the new state of Oklahoma

First Explorers

Father Marquette, the chevalier, Jolliet, and five other white men, were the first to explore any part of Illinois, as far as authentic history gives us proof. Marquette was a Jesuit priest, and while yet a young man, joined the colony of new France in what is now Canada. He was filled with a zeal for the conversion of the Indians that amounted to a passion - such a passion as makes heroes of men, even though the reward be suffering and death and an unknown grave. Jolliet was American-born, of the city of Quebec, and was also educated as a priest, but became a trader, then an explorer, and while still a young man, cast his life with Father Marquette. Together they discovered the "Father of Waters," and for a considerable distance followed its winding. On their return they followed the Illinois river and thus traversed a considerable portion of Illinois. Marquette died - in the summer of 1675, and other hands took up his work. In the spring of the same year a mission was established and has had a continued existence A mission was also founded in 1693 at Starved Rock and the records of the church are still preserved. But the field of research is too rich to be further explored in a work of this character. Suffice it to say, that the French, in an early day, left the impress of their lives and character of the history of II- linois, and it is doubtless due to their treatment of the Indian that the soil of Illinois was not reddened by the white men's blood until after it had passed out of their control. Illinois was claimed by the French, and also by the English. Under the name of Louisiana, the French claimed the Mississippi country and all lands watered by its tributaries, in the name of Louis XIV, basing their claim on the explorations of the Chevalier, La Salle, who in 1682, set up a cross and under the flag of France, took possession of the country in the name of his sovereign, and added this vast but indefinite territory to new France, thus surrounding the English from Nova Scotia on the north, in a great arc, to the mouth of the Mississippi, and these conflicting claims later involved the colonies in three wars, and were only definitely settled by the expulsion of the French from Canada. Under the name of Virginia, after the "Good Queen Bess," Illinois was claimed by the English and made their claim good with the victory of the English over the French in the last of the French and Indian wars, in which the colony of Virginia bore a considerable part, both in men and money, and in the last of which a Virginian learned the art of war against the French, and who afterward, with French aid, was to defeat the aggressions of the British crown and give to the world a new nation, bom of a new idea of human liberty and human responsibility in a republican form of government.

The Old Forts

Spain, Boisbriant was sent to the Illinois country to aid in its protection from the Spaniards who might attack from the southwest, where they had flourishing missions and considerable settlements, and the intervening so-called Great Desert was not reckoned a barrier awful enough to deter an attack from that quarter by men to whom the spirit of adventure was the very life. Boisbriant began the erection of Fort Chartres, which for many years was the strongest fortress in America. Fort Chartres was built on the east side of the Mississippi, seventeen miles northwest from Kaskaskia. The company of the west, which had succeeded to the commercial rights of the Louisiana territory, built their warehouses near the fort also. Fort Chartres, as described in 1770, consisted of an irregular quadrangle, the sides of the exterior quadrangle was built of stone, two feet two inches thick, and four hundred and ninety feet long and, being built only for defence against Indian attack, was more than strong enough to resist any assault, except by artillery. There were two portholes in the faces and two in each bastion, around the inside, three feet high, ran a banquette, upon which the men could stand and fire at the foe through the loopholes, with which the walls were pierced. Within the walls, occupying the square, was the commandant's house, ninety-six feet long by thirty feet wide and was divided into a kitchen, a dining room, a bed chamber, one small room and five closets for the servants, and beneath a cellar, and here all the pomp and stilted etiquette of the French court of that day were strictly enforced, as far as the circumstances would permit. Also within the walls was the commissary's house, an exact copy of the commandant's ; also a storehouse and guardhouse, each ninety feet long by twenty-four feet wide. The storehouse was divided into two large rooms and was built over a large vaulted cellar, a large room, a bed-room and a closet for the storekeeper. The guardhouse consisted of a guard-room for officers and soldiers, a chapel, a bed-room and closet for the chaplain, and an artillery storeroom. Within the bastion was a prison, a bakehouse and a powder magazine. The soldiers' barracks consisted of two rooms each, twenty-five feet square, with a narrow hall or passage between. About forty families lived in the village nearby at the time of the transfer of Illinois to the English; also the parish church of St. Anne, under the care of a Franciscan friar. These, with the exception of three or four families, removed across the Mississippi river to live under the flag of France, rather than remain under the rule of the English, whom they hated with an hereditary hatred.

Fort Chartres. in 1756, was nearly onehalf mile from the bank of the Mississippi. By 1760, the river had washed away the bank and was now within eighty yards of the fort. A sand bar had formed and was now an island, covered with a growth of young cottonwoods, and the main channel, forty feet deep, was between it and the fort. In 1772 the American bottom was covered many feet by a great freshet, and the west wall of the fort and two of the bastions were carried away by the flood, and Fort Chartres was abandoned by the British garrison, and the seat of government was removed to Fort Gage, which occupied a bluff opposite Kaskaskia on the east bank of the Kaskaskia. The remains of Fort Chartres are but faintly to be traced, and now stand about one mile from the Mississippi, that fickle stream having again sought a passage to the west of the then sandbar island. A heavy growth of timber now stands where in 1772 rolled the turbid waters of the mighty river, and where once the pioneer, the soldier, and the savage mingled their joys, their sorrows, and their fears, peaceful fields lay smiling in a sunny silence or wrapped in the ever-changing robe of nature's handiwork.

From 1763 until the War of the Revolution, the history of Illinois contains nothing of grave importance, but continued much in the same condition as before the treaty of Paris. The Indians, under the guidance of the priests, were partially tamed and thorougly over-awed and were a sneaking, thieving set of vagabonds, but too cowardly and too lazy to be of any serious moment and as north, east, south and west of the Illini tribes were fierce, powerful tribes, the Illini sought the protecting nearness of the white man.

The scene of the white man's activity had shifted from the Peoria region, to the mouth of the Kaskaskia and a church had been erected on the point of land between the Mississippi and Kaskaskia rivers and the French town of Kaskaskia became the seat of government, and the center of all social life as well, while along the river to the . north, French settlements were established at Prairie Du Pont and Cahokia, near which it is thought the first grist and sawmill was built - crude affairs, no doubt, but sufficient to grind corn and cut plank to supply the few wants of the settlers.

In 1775 active hostilities broke out between the English colonies and the mother country, and the county of Illinois of the colony of Virginia, was to be involved before the conflict was brought to a close, although a bloodless campaign, yet one filled with hardship, privation and suffering, an account of which reads like a romance of the heroic age.

The Conquest Of Illinois

Old Fort Gage was built on the top of a bluff, some two hundred feet above the Mississippi and on the east side of the Kaskaskia, about one-half mile from and over-looking the town of Kaskaskia. The town was built on a tongue of land east of the Mississippi river and west of the Kaskaskia, and a short distance above the juncture of the two rivers, and the town was under the direct command of the fort. The fort was built of huge logs of native wood, squared and built upon an earthwork. It was two hundred and eighty feet by two hundred and fifty-one feet, oblong in form and of sufficient strength to withstand any attack likely to be brought against it. In 1772 only one officer and twenty men composed the garrison. To such a state of fear had the Indians of the Illini been reduced that they rather regarded the white man as a protector from the fierce tribes of the north and east, than as an enemy, and thus the savage of America, the peasant of France, the trader and the chevalier dwelt together, and over all the tolerant rule of the priest, which was more the rule of a father than of a master. It is true that a foreign flag - the English - waved over them, but the English rule was not felt so far from English power, and English dominion was but an empty name, so far as the people were concerned. From Kaskaskia two trails led, one to Detroit in the far north and distant hundreds of miles, with a wilderness of forest and prairie land between, over which only the god of silence reigned. The other led from Kaskaskia to Fort Vincennes on the Wabash, distance about one hundred and fifty miles direct, but by the trail considerably farther. Both trails crossed what is now Marion county, but slight indications of either trail now remain. The French in Kaskaskia had two well-trained companies of militia in 1772, which, with the twenty men in Fort Gage, was the total military strength of the Illinois country. But the Treaty of Paris, in 1763, had forever extinguished the French claim to the territory, for the possession of which so much French energy, toil, suffering and privation had been freely bestowed ; and never again were the Kaskaskians to see the Lillies of France wave its protecting folds over them as the symbol of their coun- try. They had accepted British dominion in good faith, and were, outwardly at least, content. Rumors of a struggle between the English colonies, nearly a thousand miles to the east of them, and the mother country reached them, but they were secure, for a wilderness lay between and not even an echo of the war was likely to reach them to alarm their fears or disturb their calm. In 1778 a Frenchman, M. de Rochblave, was in command at Fort Gage and not a British soldier was on duty, and the military was Frenchmen and Breeds, but under the English flag, acting under the hair buyer of the English army, General Hamilton's orders, when such orders reached them, which was at infrequent intervals, and this was the situation when General George Rogers Clark began the march for the conquest of Illinois.

General Clark

General Clark was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, November 19, 1752, and enjoyed only such opportunities to acquire an education, as the country afforded in that part of Virginia. He studied surveying and practiced his profession as opportunity offered until the breaking out of the Dunmore's war, when he enlisted as a staff officer, and served in that capacity until the close of that war, taking part in the campaign on the Scioto river during which unfortunate campaign he conducted himself so gallantly as to attract attention, and for which conduct he was offered a commission in the British army, but the spirit of revolution was in the land and the war cloud threatened, the storm that was to burst into action at Lexington and to rage over the colonies through long, weary years, until the sun of liberty rose resplendent over the field of Yorktown, and young Clark refused the offered commission, that his native land might benefit by his patriotism should she ever need his brain or brawn. The spirit of military adventure led him to the frontier, as Kentucky was then, with the expectation of finding that adventure in the struggle of that dark and bloody ground, with the hostile tribes then conducting a merciless warfare with the settlers. He found the Kentuckians greatly excited over the question as to whether they belonged to Virginia or as a body of land sharks maintained, belonged to North Carolina. Clark was instrumental in calling a conference of the settlers, and a paper was prepared setting forth the grievances of the pioneers, and Clark and Gabriel Jones were appointed to lay the same before the Virginia legislature, and they started on their perilous journey, but before reaching the capital they learned the legislature had adjourned and Jones returned home, but Clark continued the journey and visited the Governor, Patrick Henry, who was sick in Hanover county, Virginia. Governor Henry approved of the action of the Kentuckians and gave Clark a letter to the council. When the legislature met in the fall of 1776, Clark and Jones presented their petition, and in spite of violent opposition by the land speculators, succeeded in having the county of Kentucky formed, with boun- daries coinciding with those of the present state, Virginia also presented the new county with five hundred pounds of powder (nothing- now, but then a pearl of great price), to the pioneers, as not only their living, but their life depended upon the use of powder and ball. Clark was placed at the head of the Kentucky militia and believing the British at Detroit and Vincennes, as well as Kaskaskia, were inciting the Indians to ravish and murder, sent two men - More and Dunn - as spies to ascertain the truth of the reports. They reported great activity among the militia and Indians. Clark also believed that the fear of the "Long Knives," as the Americans were called, and which fear had been instilled into the French and Indian mind by the British emissaries, who related tales of the fierce atrocity of the American soldiery could be easily overcome by actual contact and just treatment, began to plan for the conquest of the Illinois country and to wrest it from the grasp of the English, and making it a part of the commonwealth of Virginia, in fact, as it had been in theory, since the close of the last French and Indian war.

General Clark again visited Governor Henry and captivated that brilliant man with the plans he had formed and also secured the powerful aid of Thomas Jefferson, and Messrs. Wyth and Mason, who pledged their aid in securing a grant of three hundred acres of land as a bounty to each man who should take part in the projected campaign. And as the success of the expedition depended upon all knowledge of its object being kept from the British, all proceedings were taken with the avowed object of protecting the Kentucky frontiers. Governor Henry gave Clark one thousand two hundred pounds depreciated currency, and an order on the commandant of Fort Pitt for ammunition, boats and other necessary equipments to forward the enterprise, and also gave him two sets of instructions, one open and public, the other secret and known only to Clark and those close to him. The first set of instructions authorized Clark to raise seven companies of militia of fifty men each, for the defense of Kentucky. The secret intsructions were as follows: "Lieutenant Colonel George Roger Clark: "You are to proceed with all convenient speed to raise seven companies of soldiers, to consist of 50 men each, officered in the usual manner, and armed most properly for the enterprise ; and with this force attack the British force at Kaskaskia. It is conjectured that there are many pieces of cannon and military stores to a considerable amount, at that place, the taking and preservation of which would be a valuable acquisition to the state. If you are so fortunate, therefore, as to succeed in your expedition, you will take every possible measure to secure the artillery and stores, and whatever may advantage the state. For the transportation of the troops, provisions, etc., down the Ohio, you are to apply to the commanding officer at Fort Pitt for boats, and during the whole transaction you are to take especial care to keep the true destination of your force secret; its success depends upon this. Orders are therefore

"It is earnestly desired that you show humanity to such British subjects, and other persons as fall into your hands. If the white inhabitants of that post and neighborhood will give undoubted evidence of their attachment to this state, for it is certain they live within its limits, by taking the test prescribed by law, and by every other way and means in their power, let them be treated as fellow-citizens, and their persons and property be duly respected. Assistance and protection against all enemies, whatever shall be afforded them, and the commonwealth of Virginia is pledged to accomplish it. But if these people will not accede to these reasonable demands, they must feel the consequences of war, under that direction of humanity that has hitherto distinguished Americans, and which it is expected you will ever consider the rule of your conduct, and from which you are in no instance to depart. The corps you are to command are to receive the pay and allowances of militia and to act under the laws and regulations of this state now in force as to militia. The inhabitants of this post will be informed by you that in case they accede to the offers of becoming citizens of this commonwealth, a proper garrison will be maintained among them, and every attention bestowed to render their commerce beneficial ; the fairest prospects being opened to the dominions of France and Spain. It is in contemplation to establish a post near the mouth of the Ohio. Cannon will be wanted to fortify it. Part of those at Kaskaskia will be easily brought thither or otherwise secured as circumstances make necessary. You are to apply to General Hand, at Pittsburg, for powder and lead necessary for this expedition. If he can not supply it, the person who has that which Captain Sims brought from New Orleans can. Lead is sent to Hampshire by my orders, and that may be delivered to you. Wishing you success, I am your humble servant,

It will be seen from the above that the campaign was to be of such a character that the men themselves were not to know more than that the service was to be on the frontier and against the Indians and British, as they well knew the British were secretly in league with the Indians and furnishing them with the munitions of their cruel and treacherous warfare.

The Last French Fort

Clark succeeded in raising three companies, whose rendezvous was Corn Island, nearly opposite the present city of Louisville, then a wilderness. A part of one company deserted, but many of them were induced to return, and with some additional recruits were formed into a fourth company. Some seven or eight families with the troops afterward founded Louisville in 1780. The four companies totaled one hundred and fifty-three men and were captained by Joseph Bowman, John Montgomery, Leonard Helm and Howard Harrod. On the 24th day of June, 1778, as the little army which was to wrest the empire of Illinois from the Britton's hand were descending the Falls of the Ohio, a total eclipse of the sun occurred, and the little band took it as an omen of success, and that they were to forever dim the lustre of the British arms in the Illinois. The voyage down the Ohio was in keel boats, with a double row of oars. Working day and night, they arrived at an island near the mouth of the Tennessee river, where they landed and had the good fortune to meet with a party of eight American hunters, who had been at Kaskaskia a few days before ; Clark induced them to join the expedition and one of them, named John Saunders, undertook to guide the force to Kaskaskia. On the evening of the same day they ran their boats into a creek about a mile above Fort Massac, which at that time was not garrisoned but was abandoned and falling into decay.

Fort Massac was the last of the French forts built in the chain of forts extending from Quebec to New Orleans like a great bow around the English colonies. It was built by Lieutenant Massac, in October, 1758, after the taking of Fort Duquesne by the English, but relinquished when the Illinois country was ceded to Great Britain after the fall of Quebec. There is no probability that the English ever garrisoned it, and at this time it stood a silent monument over the dead dream of a French empire in the new world. On the next morning the little army took up the line of march for its objective point, the seat of empire in the Illinois. The men were without uniform, each clad in his own, in the style of the backwoods of that day, and armed with the rifle or musket, as circumstances had decreed. With ax and hunting knife at their belt, an undisciplined force, yet all dominated by a master mind and a master presence in the person of Clark. Kaskaskia was distant about one hundred and twenty miles, with an unbroken wilderness between. There was no trail from Massac to Fort Gage and each man carrying four days' supply of food, they set their faces to the northwest and plunged into the forest that had never echoed to the tread of the white man's foot. Through forest dark, dense and tangled, across glades of intervening prairie lands which were often covered with reed-like grasses higher than the head of the tallest among them, over hill and through valley, often without water for hours, save only that which each man carried, under the blazing of a southern Illinois summer sun, without transportation of any kind, no horses, no wagons, no tents, no baggage, no artillery; this band of heroes led by a hero, pressed on. When in the confines of what is now Williamson county the guide, Saunders, became confused and lost his bearings and the troops believing he was betraying them, were on the point of wreaking summary punishment on him for his suspicioned treachery, when he recognized a point of timber which he said marked the way to Kaskaskia.

march and faces scratched and bruised by brambles and briar, footsore and weary with the labor of forced marching and want of proper rest, with only the sod for a bed, and the canopy of heaven for a covering- when at night they lay down for a few hours' sleep in strict silence, not a shot being fired for fear its echoes might be heard by some prowler and the news of their approach carried to the enemy, they arrived in the evening of July 4th at the Kaskaskia river, about three miles above the village. So secretly had the expedition been planned and so well had the secret been guarded that not a whisper had reached the ears of Rochblave, who was in command at Kaskaskia, and who never dreamed of any attack from the Americans of Virginia, by way of the Ohio, as no trail led that way, and one hundred and twenty miles of wilderness, unbroken, was thought to be a barrier sufficient to deter any foe. As soon as the night grew dark enough to cover the movement of the troops, Clark divided his command into three divisions of about fifty men each, and marched silently to the ferry, about a mile above the village, where boats sufficient to carry two divisions across the river were secured, while the other division was to attack Fort Gage, on the bluff.

The division whose duty was to take the fort silently crept up to the works and were admitted, by ruse, and found the commandant in bed by the side of his wife, and the first intimation he had of a foe within a hundred miles was the demand for his surrender, which demand was instanly complied with. The two divisions which crossed the river surrounded the town and arrested the authorities. Within fifteen minutes every street was secured and runners were sent through the town, warning the inhabitants to keep within their houses, none being allowed to appear on the streets under penalty of death. Thus, without the firing of a gun, without the shedding of one drop of blood, an empire was added to Virginia, which was destined to become one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of states.

By daylight the next morning every inhabitant had been disarmed and all were in deadly fear of the terrible Long Knives, which the British emissaries had taught them to believe were devils in human form, and which the harsh orders of the night, to keep within doors on pain of death, seemed to confirm. Captain Helm commanded the division that captured the town, and the afterward celebrated Simon Kenton, that division which took the fort. As the morning advanced, the people requested permission to go to the church for prayer, General Clark granting them this permission, and when the whole town had assembled, he took the opportunity to address them and allay their fears of personal violence. He assured them that they came not in a spirit of vengeance, but as friends, to relieve them from the thralldom of the British yoke, and assured them that the rumors that had reached them of the alliance between France and the colonies were true, and told them if they would accept the American rule, they should be treated as brothers, and have all the rights of Americans. Gladly were the terms accepted, and beyond doubt faithfully observed, as the dominion of England was most cordially hated, and today, Illinois has no more loyal citizens or truer men and women than the descendants of those who covenanted fealty to the American cause with their captor, George Rogers Clark.

The Garrison At Fort Gage

From July 4, 1778, until February 7, 1779, Clark, with a portion, at least, of his followers, remained as the garrison of Fort Gage, cultivating the most friendly relations with the inhabitants of Kaskaskia. The Americans freely mixed with the people, and friendship sprung up that later had an influence in procuring enlistments from the ranks of the Kaskaskians into the ranks of the army, which Clark was in contemplation of raising, with a view of capturing Fort Sackville, on the Wabash, about one hundred and thirty miles to the east, and north from Kaskaskia.

Clark found a few Americans at Kaskaskia, and they, too, aided in cementing the friendship of the French to the American cause. He learned that at Cahokia was another party of Americans dwelling in amity with their French neighbors. On the 5th of July he sent a detachment of thirty men, under Captain Bowman, to that settlement, and there the American party was strong enough to persuade all the villagers to take the oath of allegiance. The position of Vincennes.

on the road to Detroit, made it important that that post be held by the Americans. Clark was assured of the friendly spirit of the French inhabitants of that village. The British, with singular lack of judgment, had withdrawn most of their troops from the west, and Vincennes was held by only the local militia, and that was favorably inclined toward the Americans, and would not make a very strenuous resistance. Pierre Gibault was the priest of the parish at Kaskaskia ; he was much beloved by the inhabitants of the French settlements, over which he was the cure, and was to them, indeed, Father Gibault. He was favorably disposed toward the Americans, and the just treatment of the French by .Clark made this broad-minded man a partisan of the Americans. He assured Clark that, as there was no British force at Fort Sackville, that he could persuade the French at Vincennes to cast their lot with the Americans, and, accompanied by Dr. Jean Baptiste Lafont, who was to act as civil magistrate or agent, he journeyed to distant Vincennes, with a small company of followers, one of whom was a spy in Clark's employ. A proclamation was prepared to the people of Vincennes, reciting the fact that Governor Hamilton had issued orders to various officers to assemble savages and conduct them, and to furnish them with supplies, and incite them to assassinate the inhabitants of the frontiers, and that these orders were being carried out, and that the murder of women and children called for vengeance. It seems to be a fact that Governor Hamilton offered a bounty and paid

The Proclamation

The proclamation, in full, was as follows : "George Rogers Clark, colonel commanding the troops of Virginia at the Falls of Ohio and at the Illinois, etc., addresses the inhabitants of the Post of Vincennes. The inhabitants of the different British posts, from Detroit to this post, having, on account of their commerce and position, great influence over the various savage nations, have been considered as persons fitted to support the tyrannies which have been practiced by the British ministry from the commencement of the present contest, the Secretary of State for America has ordered Governor Hamilton, at Detroit, to intermingle all the young men with the different nations of savages, to commission officers to conduct them, to furnish them all necessary supplies, and to do everything which depends on him to excite them to assassinate the inhabitants of the frontiers of the United States of America which orders have been put in execution at a council held with the different savage nations at Detroit, the I7th to the 24th day of the month, June, 1777. The murders and assassinations of women and children, and the depredations and ravages which have been committed, cry for vengeance with a loud voice.

and concluded treaties of commerce and alliance with the Kingdom of France and other powerful nations of Europe, His Excellency, the Governor of Virginia, has ordered me to reduce the different posts to the west of the Miami with a part of the troops under my command, in order to prevent longer responsibility for innocent blood. According to these orders, I have taken possession of this fort and the ministrations of this country and I have caused to be published a proclamation offering assistance and protection to all the inhabitants against all their enemies and promising to treat them as the citizens of the Republic of Virginia ( in the limits of which they are, and to protect their persons and property, if it is necessary, for the surety of which the faith of the government is pledged provided the people give certain proofs of their attachment to the states by taking the oath of fidelity in such case required, as prescribed by law, and by all other means which shall be possible for them, to which offer they have voluntarily acceded.

"I have been charmed to learn from a letter written by Governor Abbott to M. Rocheblave that you are in general attached to the cause of America. In consequence of which, I invite you all to accept offers hereafter mentioned, and to enjoy all their privileges. If you accede to this offer, you will proceed to the nomination of a commandant, by choice or election, who shall raise a company and take possession of the fort and of all the munitions of the King, in the name of the United States of America, for the Re- public of Virginia, and continue to defend the same until further orders. The person thus nominated shall have the rank of captain, and shall have the commission as soon as possible, and he shall draw for rations and pay for himself and company from the time they shall take the fort, etc., into pos- -session. If it is necessary, fortifications shall be made, which will be also paid for by the -state.

The Capture Of Vincennes

Father Gibault and Doctor Lafont, with this proclamation and several letters from French Kaskaskians, proceeded to Vincennes to make what was to prove a bloodless capture of Vincennes, which was effected in a few days by their explaining the advantage to them and by persuading them, as Frenchmen, to join with their brothers on the Mississippi. The entire population, with a few exceptions, and they British -emissaries, took the oath, the few adherents -of the British immediately leaving the vicinity. The oath subscribed to by one hundred and eighty-two inhabitants was as follows : '"You make oath on the Holy Evangel of Almighty God to renounce all fidelity to George the Third, King of Britain, and to his successors, and to be faithful and true subjects of the Republic of Virginia as a free and independent state and I swear that I will not -do or cause anything or matter to be done which can be prejudicial to the liberty or independence of the said people, as prescribed by Congress, and that I will inform some one of the judges of the country of the said state, of all treasons and conspiracies which shall come to my knowledge against the said state or some other of the United States of America in faith of which we have signed, at Post Vincennes, July 20, 1778."

Father Gibault and party, with a few of the inhabitants of Vincennes, returned to Kaskaskia early in August and brought the oath of Vincennes and soon the French villagers were rejoicing over the news that the Wabash country was with them in the support of the Americans against the British This condition was of but short duration. Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton, late in the fall, retook Vincennes, and again became a menace to American interests in the Illinois country, but owing to the lateness of the season deferred operations until the next spring and dispersed the Indians and many of his troops, but the victory of the soldier of the Cross, Father Gibault, was not empty, but bore fruit in the reception of Clark by the French in his taking of Vincennes.

Clark now saw that he must act before the British could gather an overwhelming force in the spring and attack him at Kaskaskia, and sent word to the French of Vincennes to expect him, with what troops he could raise. They kept the expected attack from the British, and welcomed Clark when - his worn and exhausted soldiers arrived.

timberlands of Southern Illinois, it was summer time. Soft winds wafted the perfume of flower-sprinkled prairies, and the fragrance of the woodlands about the marching troops, the water of the streams was comparatively low and the swamp lands were firmer to the tread of their moccasin-clad feet. The canopy of sky and cloud was covering enough by night, and while the blazing of a June sun was far from soothing to spirits or temper, it was not to be compared to the hardships to which the troops on the march to the capture of Vincennes were to encounter.

On the morning of February 7, 1779. General Clark, with his little army partly made up of re-enlistments from the men who marched from Massac to Kaskaskia, and partly of recruits from among the French of the settlements, set out upon the march to retake Fort Sackville and Vincennes. They crossed the River Kaskaskia, or Okaw, as it is more frequently called, in Marion county, and followed the old trail, as most writers affirm (and we see no good reason to think they are mistaken) ; passing through what is now Washington county and through the southern part of Marion county eastward, crossing many creeks and flatlands, at this time submerged under the water from one to four or five feet ; during a February, in this most changeable climate, carrying their accoutrements in packs on their backs, excepting the ever-ready and often necessary rifle, which was is hand all day and at hand all night, wet oftimes to the neck, by the icy waters of a February thaw in southern Illinois, the water-soaked ground, with mayhap a water-soaked blanket for bed and bedding, they crossed the Little Wabash in a canoe they made for that purpose, on the I3th of February, having built a scaffold on which to put their baggage to keep it out of the water. They proceeded as rapidly as the exhausted condition of the troops would admit, many of whom seemed to be unfit to march a step farther. At the crossing of the Little Wabash, Clark cheered them on, and called to his aid an Irish drummer, celebrated for his fund of droll and comic songs, the singing of which, at a time when the men were chilled almost to freezing by the icy waters through which they had been wading, sometimes for an hour, up to their armpits, would put new life into the men, and again they would struggle on. What a picture ! What melody can equal the living picture of this band of heroes or the song of this wild Irishman's singing? The painters of the picture have passed away. The song of the singer is stilled forever, but truly their works live after them.

The party, on the i8th, heard the morning gun of Fort Sackville, at Vincennes, and when they reached the Wabash, below the mouth of the Embarrass river, they were exhausted, destitute, and starving - literally starving, with no means of crossing the river, which was overflowed and was several miles wide. On the 2oth of February, a party of French, in a boat, was hailed and came to the little army. From them Clark learned that the French of Vincennes were true to the oath of Vincennes, which thev had taken the previous summer, and that the British garrison had no knowledge of the approach of the expedition, indeed, had no knowledge that an expedition had even been planned, much less had they thought it possible that men would undertake so hazardous an expedition, and one which, if undertaken, must, as they thought, result in the death of every soldier from the hardships of the march. And now, with the facts before us it seems to us they accomplished the impossible. By wading and rafting, they managed to cross to the highlands, below Vincennes. Clark immediately sent the following notice to citizens of Vincennes: "To the inhabitants of Post Vincennes: Gentlemen: Being now within two miles of your village, with my army, determined to take your fort tonight, and not being willing to surprise you, I take this method to request such of you as are true citizens, and would enjoy the liberty I bring you, to remain, still, in your houses. Those, if any there be, that are friends to the King, will instantly repair to the fort and join the hair-buyer general, and fight like men and such as do not go to the fort, and shall be discovered afterwards, they may depend on severe punishment. On the contrary, those that are true friends to liberty shall be treated as friends deserve. And once more I request them to keep out of the streets, for everyone I find in arms on my arrival I shall treat as an enemy.

Carty, and one company from Kaskaskia. commanded by Captain Charleville, and were composed of French, and the rest, about seventy men, were Americans of his old command, in all not over one hundred and seventy men, were made to appear to the villagers' minds as much greater by this peculiar note, and to still further deceive them and to make the garrison believe a large force was about to attack them, Clark marched his men back and forth among some mounds in the prairie, changing the flags, so that the British believed many times the true number of fierce Kentuckians were about to assail them, as the British only knew them as Kentucky bordermen, and had no thought that more than half were Illinois French. At about sunset on February 23d, Lieutenant Baylay was sent with fourteen men to make an attack on the fort. He led his men to about thirty yards of the fort, where they lay concealed behind a bank of earth, protected from the guns of the fort. Every one of the Americans was an expert rifleman, and whenever a porthole was opened a storm of bullets whistled in, killing or wounding the men at the guns, so that none would work the cannon. At nine in the morning of the 24th, while his men were eating the first breakfast they had had for several days, Clark sent the following note to the British commandant:

"Sir: In order to save yourself from the impending storm which now threatens you, I order you immediately to surrender yourself, with all your garrison, stores, etc. If I am obliged to storm, you may depend upon such treatment alone, as is justly due a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or hurting one house in town, for, by heaven, if you do, there shall be no mercy shown you.

This note may seem brutal to modern minds, but when it is remembered that it was addressed to a man who was paying a bounty to the merciless savage as a reward for the murder, not only of the American men, but of helpless women and innocent children, it is not too harsh. Governor Hamilton was deeply impressed by this note, it is certain, by the meek reply returned by him, which is as follows:

"Governor Hamilton begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clark that he and his garrison are not to i>e awed into any action unworthy of British subjects."

About midnight, of the 23d, Clark had cut a ditch near the fort, and in it, secure from the guns of the fort, the riflemen lay, with watchful eye and unerring aim. They poured in a steady fire, and in fifteen minutes had silenced two pieces of artillery and killed every gunner approaching them or had driven them away from their guns, horrorstricken, at the certainty of death or of wounds, if but the smallest portion of their person was exposed but for an instant. This terrible fire was kept up for eighteen hours. This incessant fire convinced the garrison that they would be destroyed, and Governor Hamilton sent Clark the following note :

"Governor Hamilton proposes to Colonel Clark a truce of three days, during which time, he promises, that there shall be no defensive work carried on in the garrison, on condition that Colonel Clark will observe, on his part, a like cessation of offensive works, that is, he wishes to confer with Colonel Clark, as soon as can be, and promises that whatever may pass between them two and another person, mutually agreed on to be present, shall remain secret until matters be finished, as he wishes whatever the result of the conference may be, it may tend to the honor and credit of each party. If Colonel Clark makes a difficulty of coming into the fort, Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton will speak to him by the gate.

"Colonel Clark's compliments to Governor Hamilton, and begs to say that he will not agree to any terms other than Mr. Hamilton surrendering himself and garrison at discretion. If Mr. Hamilton wants to talk with Colonel Clark, he will meet him at the church, with Captain Helm."

A conference was held and Clark demanded a surrender, otherwise he threatened to put the leaders to the sword for the gold paid for American scalps. He was in earnest and the garrison so understood. In an hour Clark dictated the following terms of surrender, which Hamilton accepted:

"Agreed to for the following reasons : First, remoteness from succor; second, state and quantity of provisions; third, the unanimity of the officers and men in its expediency: fourth, the honorable terms allowed, and lastly, the confidence in a generous enemy.

"Lieutenant-Governor and Superintendent.'' On the 25th, this surrender took place. Fifty thousand dollars' worth of arms and stores were turned over to Clark. Governor Hamilton, Major Hay and some other officers were sent under guard to the capital of Virginia, seventy-nine prisoners were paroled and sent to Detroit. Thus ended the conquest of Illinois, for Vincennes in the hands of the enemy, could control, and the conquest was completed by Illinois troops for liberty, honor and glory of Illinois. The heroes of that day sleep in the soil of the land they loved and their descendants loving it as well as they, stand ready to protect it under all circumstances, with a devotion as heroic as animated their fathers.

In 1878, all the country embraced in the triangle formed by the great lakes on the north, the Ohio on the east or southeast, and the Mississippi on the west, was known as the Illinois county, and John Todd was appointed by the Virginia legislature as "County Commandant." By act of congress, September 6, 1780, all states holding waste or unappropriated lands, in the western country, were requested to relinquish all claims to the same to the United States. On January 2, 1781, Virginia made a cession of her claims to the Illinois territory, under certain stipulations, which were accepted, and the Northwest Territory was formed. By the Ordinance of 1787, provisions were made that not less than three, nor more than five, states should be formed from this territory : "The eastern state shall be bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio, and the Wabash rivers, and a direct line drawn from Post Vincennes north to the boundary line between the United States and Canada." This included Illinois and Wisconsin of today. The ordinance provided for a governor, a secretary and a court composed of three judges. The governor and the judges, or a majority of them, had power to make laws, subject to approval by Congress, until a General Assembly should be organized. The Governor

On February ist. General St. Clair was appointed Governor of the Northwest Territory, after the revision of the Ordinance of 1787, and its acceptance by Virginia, St. Clair was re-appointed, and the seat of government was established at Marietta, Ohio. In the spring the Governor visited Illinois and established a county, named after himself, and was the first county established in what is now Illinois. It covered about one-fourth of the present state, and embraced the present county of Marion. The St. Clair county boundary was as follows: "Beginning at the mouth of the Little Michilnakinack river, thence running southerly in a direct line to the mouth of the little river above Fort Massac, upon the Ohio river; thence with the said river to its junction with the Mississippi, thence up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Illinois river, to the place of beginning, with all the adjacest islands of said rivers - Illinois and Mississippi." At this time the entire population of Illinois was estimated at two thousand. The same year that St. Clair county was organized, a belief in witchcraft was prevalent among the French inhabitants of the Bottoms, as the flatland between the Mississippi river and the bluffs is called, led to the hanging of one negro and the shooting of another for being witches. Singularly enough, the belief confined the evil power to African negroes, and not even the negro of American birth was capable of becoming a witch. This delusion never made much headway, as the good sense of the better educated French and of the Americans put a stop to such utter foolishness. In 1795, St. Clair county was divided, and the southern part was called Randolph county.

Marion was still a part of St. Clair County. These two counties were the only organ - ized counties in Illinois. In 1800, what is now the State of Ohio was cut off from the Northwest Territory, and the rest of the Northwest was erected into the Indiana Territory, and Gen. W. H. Harrison, afterward President, was appointed Governor, with Vincennes as seat of government, and Illinois sent delegates to the territorial assembly at Vincennes. In 1809, Indiana Territory was divided, and Illinois Territory was created, its eastern boundary, as now, but extending north to the Canadian line. Ninian Edwards was appointed Governor. At this time Illinois contained about twelve thousand people. In 1812, Illinois was made a territory of the second-class and three new counties formed from the original St. Clair. viz: Gallatin, Johnson and Madison. New counties were rapidly formed: Edwards, in 1814; White, in 1815; Jackson and Pope, in 1816; Crawford, in 1816; Bond, in 1817; Franklin, Union and Washington, in 1818, all carved out of the original St. Clair.

When Illinois Was Admitted To The Union

the state, much interest to the citizens of Marion county took place. The settlements were growing away from the Missisippi, farther and farther toward the interior, and a tide of immigration had set in, mostly from Virginia and the South. Indian depredations continued until the victory of "Mad Anthony" Wayne broke their spirit, after which only widely scattered murders were committed, but some of these were most cruel and were generally swiftly and terribly punished.

The first lawyer in the country was John Rice Jones; the second, Isaac Darnelle, and the first regular minister of the Protestant faith was James Smith, a Baptist preacher, from Kentucky, who came in 1787, to New Design. Before his advent, in fact, in 1781, the families of J. Moore, Shadrack Bond, Robert Kidd, James Garrison, Larkin Rutherford and J. Piggott arrived and settled near the New Design. In 1785 they were joined by the families of Captain Joseph Ogle, Joseph Worley aend James Andrews. In 1786 they were joined by James Lemon. Sr., James McRobirth, George Atcheson, and David Waddle, and they, or descendants from nearly every family, had much to do with the development of Marion county, and many of their descendants now reside within its borders. None of the above were members of any church, but had been trained up by moral and religious parents, and had been taught to regard with reverence the day set apart to the Lord's service. They met on Sundays at the various houses alternately, and services were conducted by Shadrack Bond, Junes Piggott, and James Lemon.

who read the Scriptures, especially the Psalms, read sermons from books, and sung hymns. No prayers were offered at these meetings, but order and morality were promoted. When Smith came, in 1787, he preached much to the people and was very successful in his labors ; many of the leading pioneers were converted, among whom were James Ogle and James Lemon. Elder Smith went back to Kentucky, but returned again in 1790, and many more became deeply interested in the Gospel.

On May iQth, Mr. Smith, with a Mrs. Huff and a Frenchman, on going to the little village, were fired on by a party of Kickapoo Indians. Mrs. Huff was wounded, Smith's and the Frenchman's horses were wounded. Smith threw his saddlebags in the brush and crawled to the edge of the bluff, where he prayed while the Indians were murdering Mrs. Huff. The Frenchman made his escape. Smith, who was a large, portly man, was captured, and loaded with spoils, was forced to rapid inarching, and soon grew fatigued. The Indians held a consultation and some proposed to kill him. He opened his coat and dared them to shoot, pointing upward. The superstitions of the Indians were aroused, and as they had found him praying, they thought he must be a great medicine man that held converse with the Great Spirit. They took him to their town on the Wabash (probably Prophets' Town), where some French traders, from Vincennes, interceded and procured his release, the people of New Design paying one hundred and seventy dollarsransom. The second minister was Rev.

Joseph Lillard, who came to Illinois in 1793. He formed a class and appointed Capt. Josephus Ogle class leader. Several of the descendants of Mr. Ogle now reside in Marion county. The next preacher who visited Illinois was. Rev. Josiah Dodge, who was on a visit to his brother, Dr. Israel Dodge, who was the father of Governor Dodge. Mr. Dodge preached frequently for the people, who were without a minister (Smith and Lillard both being in Kentucky), and in February, he baptized James Lemon and his wife, Catharine, John Gibbons and Isaac Enoch, the ice in Fountain creek being cut that the ceremony might be performed. Governor Reynolds says these were the first persons ever baptized in Illinois (See Pioneer History).

For the next two years there was no minister in Illinois. The Methodists and Baptists were not organized, but united to hold prayer meetings from house to house. At these meetings sermons were read, the Scripture was also read, prayers offered, and hymns of praise sung to the God whom they worshiped in their sincere, though primitive way and in whom they implicitly trusted. In 1796 the first Protestant churcli in Illinois was established by Elder David Badgley and Lay Elder Joseph Chance, with twenty-eight members. The church was also called New Design church. Mr. Chance left numerous descendants, many of whom reside in Marion county; some have lived here more than sixty years and are among those who helped make the country what it is. This family will be more fully treated in the chapters devoted to the county after its organization. William Riggs came in 1803, and was long a local preacher in the Methodist church. Benjamin Young came to Illinois in 1804 as a missionary and was the first Methodist circuit rider under the direction of the conference, and from this time on there were supplied by immigration, ministers enough to meet the growing demand for religious teaching.

Depredations Of Indians

The War of 1812, so-called, was ushered in as early as 1807 by Indian depredations in the northwest, and in consequence, the settlements of Illinois were in constant alarm and required constant vigilance on the part of the settlers. Soon after the establishment of the Illinois Territory, Ninian Edwards, of Maryland, was appointed Governor. He was a lawyer, and had been for some years living in Kentucky, where he had become Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals, and upon the recommendation of Henry Clay, President Madison appointed him Governor of the new territory. He was reappointed in 1812 and served until the state was admitted in 1818. He was then elected one of the first Senators from the state, Jesse B. Thomas being the other.

In 1811 the Indians became more troublesome and Governor Edwards used his utmost power to protect the settlers, but their safety was largely dependent upon themselves. Companies of rangers were formed and captains chosen and self-pro- tection was the entire object of all military organizations, which were indeed of the very loosest sort, and no man was a soldier or ranger save from choice. But by constant watchfulness and prompt action, the Indian murders were kept to an increditably small number, under the circumstances.

Until 1799 the public lands could not be sold in tracts of less than four thousand acres. In 1799 General Harrison, afterward elected President, was elected delegate to Congress, and succeeded in having a bill passed permitting tracts of four hundred and twenty acres to be sold, and afterward this amount was reduced to forty acres as the minimum amount of public land that could be sold. The reduction of the amount of land that could be bought from the public domain was an important factor in the growth of the territory, and immigration was greatly stimulated.

In 1810 the census returned 12,282 inhabitants in Illinois, and this number increased so rapidly that in 1818 the population had increased to such an extent that the territory was admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. In 1820 the censusgave Illinois 55, 211. The act admitting the state was passed April 1 8, 1818. A convention was held in Kaskaskia, and a state constitution was framed, which was adopted August 26, 1818, and ratified by Congress on the 3d of December following.

An election for state officers had been held in the meantime and Shadrack Bond was chosen Governor, and Pierre Menard, Lieutenant-Governor. Governor Bond was inaugurated on the 6th of October, 1818. Kaskaskia was chosen capital of the new state, and a new era was thus entered upon by the people of what was soon to be one of the great states of the American Union.

The counties of Alexander, Clark, Jefferson and Wayne were formed in 1819, and the county of Marion was a part of Jefferson as then formed. The first Legislature also selected Vandalia as the capital of the state and the government was moved to that place in 1820. In 1821 the counties of Lawrence, Greene, Sangamon, Pike, Hamilton, Montgomery and Fayette were formed. The state now had twenty-six counties all east and south of the Illinois river, and confined to the southern half of the state, except Pike, which embraced all of the state west and north of the Illinois. Pike county was more than one-third of the state in extent, had a population in 1823 estimated at seven or eight hundred, and Chicago, then a village of Pike county, had about twelve houses and about seventy inhabitants, and now, only eighty-eight years after, that same village of Pike numbers its people by millions, and its commercial transactions affect the markets of the world.

The first legal execution in the new state took place at Belleville on the 3d day of August, 1821. The circumstances leading to the hanging were as follows : On March 8, 1819, on an occasion of a gathering of a large number of people at Belleville, a scheme was proposed to have a sham duel between Alonzo C. Stuart and Timothy Bennett. Everybody, save Bennett, understood it to be a hoax, for the purpose of getting a laugh at Bennett's expense. The second?, Jacob Short and Nathan Fike, pretended to load the rifles, but did not put bullets in t'lem, but Bennett, suspicious of foul play, slipped a bullet in his gun. The principals were placed forty yards apart, and at the word "fire," Stuart was shot in the breast and killed. Bennett broke out of the Belleville jail and escaped, but was afterwards captured and excuted after due trial. Thus a foolish practical joke caused the death of two good citizens, as citizens go, and the remorse and regret of many others. At the court convicting Bennett, John Reynolds was Judge, W. A. Beard, Sheriff, and John Hay, Clerk.

Edward Coles was elected Governor in 1822; there were three other candidates, and the votes were so nearly equally divided that out of 8,606 votes cast, Coles received only 2,854 votes, yet he was elected by a plurality. This campaign was on the slavery issue, and although the Ordinance of 1787 prohibited slavery, yet it kept agitating the politics of the state from time to time. Coles was anti-slavery, as was one of the other candidates. The administration of Governor Cole was a good one, although somewhat troublous on account of vigorous opposition to his plans for public improvements. In 1825, General LaFayette visited the state, being entertained at Kaskaskia. and later at Shawneetown. During the year 1823, Edgar county was formed, January 3d; Marion county, January 24th; Fulton, January 28th, and Morgan, January 3ist.

Marion county was erected from the north half of Jefferson county, of which it formed a part. The bill creating Marion county was introduced by Zadoc Casey, Representative from Jefferson, who was instrumental in having it named after his father's revered and beloved commander of the Revolution, under whom he had served in the Carolinas. The full text of the act creating the county is as follows :

"SECTION i. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to-wit : Beginning where- the base line intersects the third principal meridian; thence north along said third principal meridian twenty-four miles; thence east along the lines dividing townships four and five twenty-four miles to the range line dividing ranges four and five east ; thence south with the said range line twenty-four miles to the base line; thence west to the place of beginning, shall constitute a separate county, to be called Marion.

"SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, That for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice for said county, the following persons are appointed commissioners, viz: Andrew Bankson, William Hicks and John G. Fitch, which said commissioners or a majority of them, being first duly sworn before some judge or justice of the peace, in this state, faithfully to take into view the convenience of the people, the situation of the settlement, with an eye to the future population, and the eligibility of the place, shall meet on the second Monday in May next, at the house of James Roberts, in said county, and proceed to examine and determine on the place for the permanent seat of justice, and designate the same; provided the proprietor or proprietors of the land shall give to the said county, for the purpose of erecting public buildings, a quantity of land not less than twenty acres, to be laid out in lots and sold by the county commissioners for that purpose; but should the proprietor or proprietors of the land refuse or neglect to make the donation aforesaid, then, and in that case, it shall be the duty of the commissioners to fix on some other place for the seat of justice of said county, as convenient as may be to the inhabitants of said county, which place being fixed and determined upon, the commissioners shall certify under their hands and seals, and return the same to the next county court, in the county aforesaid, which court shall cause an entry thereof to be made in their books of record.

"SEC. 3. Be it further enacted. That until public buildings shall be erected for the purpose, the courts shall be held at the house of James Young, in said county.

"SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That the said county shall constitute a part of the second judicial circuit, and circuit courts shall be holden therein at such times as may hereafter be fixed bv law.

"SEC. 5. Be it further enacted, That an election shall be held at the house of James Young on the second Monday of April next, for one sheriff, one coroner, and three county commissioners for said county, who shall hold their offices until the next general election, and until their successors be qualified, and that James Roberts, Joseph Hensley and Joshua Piles be judges of said election; provided, that said judges may appoint their own clerk and that said election shall in all respects be conducted according to the provisions of an act regulating elections, passed at the last session of the General Assembly.

"SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, That the citizens of Marion county shall vote for senators and representatives to the General Assembly in conjunction with the citizens of Jefferson and Hamilton, at such precincts as may be laid off by their county commissioners agreeable to law.

"SEC. 7. Be it further enacted, That each of the commissioners appointed to fix the county seat of Marion county shall receive a compensation of two dollars per day for each and every day they may be necessarily employed in performing that duty.

There were only about five hundred inhabitants in the county when it was established, as the record of a census of the county, taken in 1825, by R. C. Chance, and filed with the county clerk November 26, 1825, shows the total population to be five hundred and fiftyseven, of which two hundred and seventythree were white males, two hundred and eighty-two white females, and one negro man and one negro woman slaves.

At this time there were but one hundred and seventeen voters in the county. Money was scarce and stock low in price, a good cow not being worth more than from six to ten dollars, and horses from twenty to forty dollars; hogs at two cents per pound were considered well sold, and grain in proportion. Of the entire population, only one was a mechanic - G. Burton, who was a blacksmith - all the rest were farmers and more or less hunters, both as a pastime and as a means of adding to the family larder.

Is Square In Shape

Marion county is a square of twenty-four miles on each side and has for its west line the third principal meridian of the United States survey, from which the ranges, every six miles east and west, are numbered. Its south line is the base line of the government survey from which the towns are numbered every six miles north and south, and contains sixteen townships, six miles square, of thirty-six sections each, each section being one mile square and contains six hundred and forty acres, so the township contains twenty-three thousand and forty acres and the county, three hundred and sixty eight thousand six hundred and forty acres, nearly every acre of which is susceptible of cultivation, and would support a population of many times that now dwelling within its borders. The towns are in all government surveys and are numbered north and south from the base line and the ranges east and west from the principal meridian, so that the southwest township is town one, north, and range one, east. The town north of this is town two, north, range one, east; the next north is town three, north, and range one, east, and the next town still furher north is town four, north, and range one, east, which is the northern town in range one, in Marion county. Then again, beginning at the base line with town one north, and range two, east, until we reach town four, range two, east, when again the numbers begin on the base line with town one, north, and range three, east, and so on until town four, north, and range four, east, is reached, which is the town lying in the northeast corner of the county. The county is, therefore, one of the few in the state that is a perfect square. The sixteen school, or government survey townships, are the same in boundary and extent as the civil towns, except townships 2 north, i east, which is divided north and south through the center into the towns of Odin and Sandoval, each, three miles wide from east to west, and six miles long from south to north.

The county is about two-thirds timber land and one-third prairie, and the soil is well adapted to all the productions of the central temperate zone. Corn is grown in considerable quantities, and wheat was, until within a few years, extensively raised, but for some reason a comparatively small acreage is now sown. The timber land was thickly covered with a magnificent growth of oaks, white, black, red ; of hickory ; walnut, and maple, with numerous other woods in lesser quantities, but these forests have now largely disappeared and the timber of today in this county consists mostly of elm, sycamore and such other wood which the pioneer regarded of no value, but which the present owners hold as an item of considerable value. Small fruits thrive and produce abundantly, so much so that the Illinois Central and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railways run fruit cars, and even trains, during the season, to carry these products of the garden and field to the markets of Chicago. In some parts of the county vegetables: beans, peas, beets, cabbage, etc., are raised for shipment and usually bring fair returns to their producers, while strawberries flourish to such an extent that Centralia, in the southwestern part of the county, is known far and near as the "Queen of the Strawberry Belt." While several canning factories consume the product of many hundreds of acres planted to tomatoes, beans, corn, etc., all of which industries will be more particularly described under the head of the several townships. The county government was at first under the system of County Commissioners or, as they were called, coun- ty judges. It will be remembered that Andrew Bankson, William Hicks and John G. Fitch were appointed commissioners to select a county seat and that an election was held on the second Monday in May, 1823, and that all the voters of the county cast their votes at one polling place, viz : the house of James Young, at which election, John Edington, Benjamin Vermillion and John Walling were elected and constituted the first Board of Commissioners. They received this certificate of election: "We do hereby certify that John Edington, Benjamin Vermillion and John Walling were duly elected County Commissioners for the county of Marion, at an election held at the house of James Young, on Monday, the I4th of April, 1823. Given under our hands this day, above written.

The three commissioners took the oath of office, which was administered by Rufus Ricker, whom they in turn appointed Clerk of the Commissioners' Court, or in other words, the County Clerk. Ricker-filed his official bond with Jesse Roberts as bondsman. William Marshall was appointed County Treasurer, his bondsmen were Jesse Roberts and John Edington, and the bond was in the penal sum of two thousand dollars, which was quite enough when we consider that the total value of all the property in the county was less than fourteen thousand dollars at this time. The same parties also went on the bond of Jesse Wade, who was appointed constable for East Fork. William Marshall was recommended to the Governor as a fitting citizen to be appointed justice of the peace for the east fork of the county, and John Walling for the Middle settlement. The county was divided into two districts, known as the North and South districts. The dividing line was as follows : beginning where Crooked creek crossed the third principal meridian on the west line of the county, thence up the said Crooked creek to the range line between towns two and three, thence east to the east line of the county.

In that day there was always present at the humble fireside of the settler a spectre of dread, and although no Indian troubles were at that time existing near the county, yet well they knew that some thieving band might at any time commit some overt act, hoping to escape to their towns in northern Indiana, Wisconsin or Canada unless overawed by a show of military preparation for pursuit and punishment. The County Commissioners ordered that all citizens subject to military duty be organized and divided into two companies, one in the North district and one in the South district; also than an election of officers be held on the 28th day of June, in the South district at the house of Joseph Hensley, and that Dornton Baldridge, Samuel Huff and Samuel Martin act as judges ; and on the same day, in the North district, at James Roberts' with Alark Tully,

Aaron Hicks and William Nichols as judges. Unfortunately no record of the result of these elections is obtainable at the present day. Samuel Huff and John Wilson were appointed overseers of the poor for the South district and William Nichols and William Davidson, in the North district. The first order for making an assessment for a tax levy was also made on the second day of June, 1823, and the assessor was ordered to list for taxation. horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, distilleries, pleasure carriages, indentured servants and slaves, and that he extend the tax at one-half of one per cent, at this first meeting of the Commissioners, viz : on June 2, 1823. The commissioners to select a county seat, made their report. It was in ful as follows:

John Fitch

"Marion Co., 111., May 13, 1823. "We, the commissioners who were appointed by the legislature of the state of Illinois, to fix the seat of justice for the county of Marion, after being duly sworn, according to law, have proceeded to view the situation of the county, and after examining the donations offered, have decided that the permanent seat of justice shall be fixed on the east half of Section n, in Township 2 north. Range 2 east, the land of James Roberts, who donated thirty acres, to the county for that purpose. Signed by JOHN FITCH WILLIAM HICKS."

1826, the title to the land in the meantime having passed to Rufus Ricker and Mark Tully, who completed the gift by making the following deed : "This indenture made this 6th day of June, A. D. 1826, between Rufus Ricker and Lydia, his wife, and Mark Tully and Suky, his wife, all of the county of Marion, and state of Illinois, of the first part; and John S. Davis, Leonard P. Piles and Benjamin Vermillion, County Commissioners for the county aforesaid, witnesseth : that in conformity with an act of the legislature of the state of Illinois, passed at the Third General Assembly of the state, entitled 'An Act Establishing Marion County,' approved January 24, 1823, that the parties of the first part have given, granted, bargained and confirmed and by these presents do give, grant, barga'T and confirm unto the said parties of the second part, County Commissioners for the county of Marion, and to their successors in office, for the use and benefit of said county of Marion, in conformity with the laws of this state making donations for county seats, all that tract or parcel of land situate and being as follows, to-wit: commencing at a stake standing at the northeast quarter of section 1 1 , in range 2 east, town two north, thence south seventeen chains and thirty-two links to a stake standing on the southeast quarter of said section n, thence west seventeen chains and thirty-two links, thence north seventeen chains and thirty-two links, thence east seventeen chains and thirty-two links, to the place of beginning, containing thirty acres of land, together with all and singular the hereditaments and appurtances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereof, and all the estate, right, title, interest, claim and demand whatsoever of the parties of the first part, either in law or equity, of, in and to the above bargained premises, with the said hereditaments and appurtenances, to have and to hold the said piece of land to the said parties of the second part, for the use and benefit of the said county of Marion, and to the sole and proper use and benefit of the said county forever - and the said parties of the first part, for themselves, their heirs, executors and administrators, do covenant, grant, bargain, promise and agree to and with the said party of the second part, and their successors, the above bargained premises in the quiet and peaceable possession of the party of the second part and their successors in office against all and every person or persons lawfully claiming or to claim the whole or any part of the above mentioned premises, will forever warrant and defend.

"Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of John Davidson and William Omelvany. This deed was acknowledged before Leonard P. Piles, justice of the peace. This deed is recorded in Book A, pages 14, 15 and 1 6, by Rufus Ricker, the first clerk and recorder of the county."

When the report of the commissioners was received on the I3th of June, 1823, there was no delay on the part of the county board, but they immediately accepted the offer of James Roberts, and ordered that the seat of justice for the county be known and designated by the name of Salem. It is generally said that the name Salem was given to the county seat by Mark Tully, but from the records it appears that the name was chosen by the county court. Mr. Tully may, however, have suggested the name to them, and as he was a man of influence in his clay, may have impressed the name upon the minds of the commissioners. The clerk was instructed to advertise the sale of thirty lots, a part of the thirty acres promised. The advertisement was to be in the Illinois Intelligencer, and the sale was held on the 2d of March, 1824, and brought the county nine hundred and eighty-six dollars and fifty cents, in state scrip, worth three hundred and twenty-eight dollars and eighty-three cents in money, the state paper having at that time depreciated to that extent.

When Licences Were Cheap

which license he paid the sum of four dollars, and the board fixed the following rates : each meal, twenty-five cents; keeping horse all night, fifty cents ; single feed, twenty-five cents; lodging, twelve and a half cents; whiskey, half pint, twelve and a half cents; rum, twenty-five cents. T. Baldridge also got license for one year for two dollars per year. Rufus Rick was also allowed eighteen dollars, state paper, worth about six dollars in specie, for books, stationery, etc., supplied the county. This seems to be the extent of the business done at this first meeting of the County Commissioners of the new county of Marion. The court, as the sessions of the commissioners was in name and in fact, then adjourned to July 7, 1823.

At the second, or July term, of the county court, which met pursuant to adjournment, the question of a courthouse received the attention of the court, and a contract was entered into with Aaron Hicks to build the same at a cost to the county of four hundred and ninety-nine dollars. The specifications called for a log building, without windows, twenty by thirty feet, one and onehalf stories high, with a log partition, seven inches thick, of hewed logs, and extending to the roof, with good hewed or sawed joists enough for two loose plank floors, with two good doors, one through the partition, and the other through the wall, with good iron hinges and lock and key for the outside <loor ; to be covered with boards and weight poles (spelled polls), the cracks to be well chinked and daubed - all to be completed by the first day of June, 1824. The contract was let to the lowest bidder and Hicks won. The courthouse was completed according to plans and specifications, and received by the commissioners on the tenth day of April, 1824, and was used as a courthouse until August i, 1837.

The first public road laid out by the commissioners was petitioned for by Dornton Baldridge. It began at the county line near William Carrigan's and led past Samuel Eblen's, Israel Jennings' and Benjamin Vermillion's, in a direct line to Crooked creek bridge, near Gillmore's, and had been viewed by John Bandy, Samuel Huff and William Taylor. Dornton Baldridge was appointed supervisor of said road and William Pursley supervisor of the northern part of the Vandalia and Golconda road as far south as William Marshall's, and Samuel Martin of the south part to the county line. L. P. Piles was made supervisor of the Vincennes road from the east county line to the ford of the creek, and Aaron Hicks from the ford of the creek to the west line of the county and also of the road from William Marshall's to Crooked creek. As treasurer of the county, William Marshall made the first assessment of the county in 1823, for which work he received the sum of three dollars. The amount of taxes levied was seventythree dollars and forty-four cents. The collector's commission was four dollars and sixty-nine cents, leaving a balance to be turned into the treasury of sixty-eight dollars and seventy-five cents, which, with twelve dollars from licenses and fines, made up a total revenue for the county of eighty dollars and seventy-five cents. William Marshall resigned as Treasurer and Assessor December i, 1823, probably because the duties and responsibilities of the office far exceeded the very scanty pay received for the same. The first board did not fill out their full term. John Walling was succeeded by Aaron Hicks in October, 1823, and when John Edington resigned in January, 1824, Leonard P. Piles was elected to fill the vacancy, the election being held February 2, 1824. When William Marshall resigned as assessor and treasurer, John S. Davis was appointed to fill his place, and for his service in making tax lists, he received ten dollars, and for his service as treasurer he received ten dollars and twenty-four and one-half cents. Truly a scanty recompense, but when it is remembered that that salary, small as it was, was equal in value to about fifteen acres of land, it does not appear so small.

The second board of commissioners was composed of Benjamin Vermillion, Leonard P. Piles and Aaron Hicks, and they were elected to serve from 1824 to 1826, or two years, but a vacancy was caused by the death of Hicks, in 1825, and John L. Davis was elected to fill out the remainder of the term. The taxable property for the year 1825 was sixteen thousand four hundred and sixteen dollars, and the estimated tax for county purposes was eighty-two dollars and eight cents, just think of it - eighty-two dollars and eight cents to run the county of Marion for one year, only eighty years ago. The third board was elected to serve from

1826 to 1828, and was composed of the following gentlemen : John Edington, William King and C. P. Black. Edington seems to have been quite popular, and to have received the suffrages of his fellow-citizens whenever he would consent to run for office. There seems to have been a necessity at this time for a jail and the board contracted with William Davidson and Henry Ware to build one at a cost of two hundred and seventy dollars. The county was also divided into two election precincts by the board at this meeting, the precincts to be the same as those before provided for the justices of the peace, and were called the North precinct and the South precinct, and the South precinct was again divided in 1827 into Walnut Hill and Romine precinct. The tax list for 1826 providing county revenues for 1827, showed a total value of all property in the county of twenty-two thousand two hundred and sixty dollars, and produced a revenue of one hundred and eleven dollars and thirty cents. The tax was collected in full. It may be wondered at that, with so small a revenue, a courthouse and jail had been erected, costing many times the entire tax, but we must not forget that all the lots in the county seat belonged to the county, and the public buildings were paid for from the proceeds from the sale of lots from time to time.

The fourth Board of Commissioners served for the years 1828 and 1830, the term being two years. It was composed of Hardy Foster, William King and L. P. Piles. They ordered ten more lots sold,