McLean County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 19 of 42)

The Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, main line, was built through the southeast corner of the township, in 1854. Shirley was made a station, and the township had means of shipping from that early date. But thirteen years after this, the Jacksonville Division of the same road passed almost directly through the township from east to west. Covell was made a station immediately, and, being near the center of the township, offered better means for shipping grain, cattle, hogs, etc.

The public highways are numerous enough to answer all the purposes of the farming community. The roads do not cleave to the section lines with the tenacity often noticed in prairie townships, although quite a number of section lines are authorized highways. There is a highway that follows the track of the C, A. & St. L. through the southeast corner. Tt leads from Bloomington southwest. On the second section line from the south, there is a public road which comes in from Stanford, on the west. On the east side of the township, it turns north, then east, and then northeast through the woods to Bloomington. It is the Stanford road to Bloomington. On the north side, there is a well-traveled, important road, leading from the south side of Twin Grove to Bloomington. It cuts through the center of the north tier of sections. It was on this line that the first settlements in the township were made. Then there is a road from Shirley west. There are quite a number of small streams that are crossed by these roads. At these places, bridges are generally found, but none of iron. In some places, it is difficult to make a good road, on account of the difficulty of draining, but most of them are in good repair.

When McLean County adopted the township system, Dale was organized with the present name, and held its first election for township officers April 6, 1858. The result, as recorded in the County Clerk's office, was as follows : Richard Rowell, Supervisor ; Oliver J. Fish, Town Clerk; John D. Lander, Assessor; Edward Wilson, Collector; Jacob Johnston, Overseer of Poor ; Daniel Kent, Henry Merriman, Isaac Mitchell, Commissioners of Highways ; John Mitchell, Alfred Fowler, Constables ; James M. Ward, E. Moberly, Justices of the Peace ; A. D. Benjamin, Overseer of Highways.

The officers of the township at present are as follows : A. J. Wilson, Supervisor; Jacob Brigham, Town Clerk ; Edward Wilson, Assessor ; A. R. Freed, Collector ; Vassal W. Tompkins, James W. Quinn, Aaron J. Moore, Commissioners of Highways ; Charles Dunk and C. M. Reed, Justices of the Peace, and William A. Campbell, Con-

This little village is situated on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, six miles southwest of Bloomington. It is located in the prairie. To the west is Harley's Grove ; on the south, some distance, is Funk's Grove, and northeast is Blooming Grove. The spot on which it is located is higher than much of the surrounding country, particularly that to the north and west. When viewed from these directions, Shirley seems high and dry. The surrounding country is fertile and the farming community seem in easy circumstances, but the little village of Shirley does not grow very rapidly. It is too near to Bloomington, no doubt, so that most of the farmers go up to the city to do their trading.

There was a switch put down at Shirley when the railroad was first built, but the village was not surveyed till a much later date. In the summer of 1859, the west half of Section 36 and the east half of Section 35 were laid off into lots, irrespective of half-section lines. This was done by George P. Ela, who was then Deputy Surveyor for McLean County. Ela's certificate is dated July 8, 1859. The plat of the village, filed in the Recorder's office, bears the certificate of George P. Ela, County Surveyor, and is dated September 14, 1866. The village was laid out and surveyed for John Foster. This survey included 2T65°1J- acres in Lot No. 2, and 23 acres in Lot No. 7 of Section 35, east half.

But there were some improvements long before this. The first residence was built by Emly Moberly. It is still standing, but Mr. Moberly now lives in Bloomington.

The second dwelling was erected by Hiram Quinn. The first house that was used for storehouse is now occupied by the Methodists and Presbyterians as a place of worship. It is called the Union Church. The Funks and the Quinns were the most important element in the early history of Shirley. They are still interested here.

Beside the Union Church, mentioned as being the first storehouse, there is another, erected by the Christians. The Union Church has no regular services at present. The two societies - Methodists and Presbyterians - united their strength and fixed this building up so that it affords tolerably comfortable apartments, but the societies are not strong.

The Christian Church was first begun by Rev. Alexander Hutchinson, who held meetings in the schoolhouse at Shirley in the fall of 1868. There was quite a revival inaugurated, so that they began to build, and finished their church in 1869. At this time, the society of Christians, formed at the California Schoolhouse ten years previously, were transferred to the village and united with those just beginning. The church is 36x56 feet, and cost $2,8.00. At present, there is no regular Pastor. Jonathan Park still lives just north of the village, but does not now preach. The society has a good membership for a country church, and a pleasant house of worship.

We did not learn the particulars of the first school, nor the name of the first teacher. The school-building now standing was erected in 1869. It is a large, twostory frame. It has a large room and two recitation-rooms on the first floor, with a large hall up-stairs. The good people of Shirley must have calculated on a more rapid growth than time has furnished, so far. Only one teacher is employed now, and ten years have gone by since the house was built.

There are quite large elevators in the village, owned by Funk & Douglas. There are two storehouses - one brick and one frame. The brick store is not operating now. It is owned by John Foster. The other store is owned by William B. Lane. Hiram W. Quinn and Benjamin F. Quinn have the house rented and keep a general country store.

The post office is kept in the station-house, by J. L. Douglas, who is also the agent for the railroad. A blacksmith-shop is run by R. M. Browning. Charles Dunk runs a carpenter- shop and metes out justice to the community.

Foster's brick residence, on the east side of the railroad, is the most prominent dwelling in the town, as the Fosters are the big men of the place.

A little cluster of residences on the Jacksonville Division of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, near the center of Dale Township, is called Covell. The only buildings of a public character are a blacksmith-shop, a store, the elevators and a church. The station is situated in the level prairie that occupies so large a portion of the center of the township. Although the place consists of but few houses, yet it must be a lively place for shipping. If it ships other things in proportion to the amount of corn we saw cribbed up there, it certainly does a heavy business for a place of its size. We understand that there is now one-third as much corn here as there is in Bloomington. The elevators are owned by Linebarger & Brother, of Stanford.

Covell was surveyed by G-eorge P. Ela, County Surveyor. Date of certificate of survey, October 15, 1867. This survey included 52-^g- acres from the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of Section 21. The plat was filed, and town laid out by John L. Rowell. This was just at the time of the completion of the railroad through the township.

The first residence here was built by Mrs. Campbell, in the fall of 1867. In the same fall, A. P. Hefner built a shop and lived in one part of it for awhile. His daughter was the first child born in the place. The first building of any kind was a warehouse. In this same fall of 1867, W. Gr. Witherow built a house and kept a grocery store. Piper & Soulty now own this building, but Mr. H. G. Bomgardner keeps a general country store in it. Mr. Bomgardner is also station agent. A. P. Hefner still runs a blacksmith-shop. There is no schoolhouse in the village. The district is large, and a number of the patrons live to one side, so that the schoolhouse is some distance to the southwest.

There is a very pretty country church at Covell. It was built in the summer of 1867, by the united efforts of the Methodists, Baptists and Old School Presbyterians. Each was to have the church one-third of the time. Prominent among the Methodists were William Rogers and Martin Newton. Their first minister was Elder Barger. Their present Pastor is Col. Johnson. Among the Presbyterians may be mentioned Robert and Crawford Campbell, David Hart and Dr. Mills, now of Normal. The Rev. Robert Criswell was their first minister. Thomas Cutting, John Freed and Mr. Ballard were Baptists. They had preaching occasionally, but no regular pastor. There has been one noted revival since the building of the church. This occurred under the labors of Revs. Criswell, Byerly and others. Criswell continued to preach for the Presbyterians for some time. Byerly was a Methodist. The Rev. Mr. Evans now preaches for the Baptists. The building is 32x48 feet. It cost $2,500.

To write the history of this township without making the Funk family the central group would be like an attempt to present the play of " Hamlet with Hamlet left out." We are therefore sure our readers will not feel disappointed or displeased if this chapter partakes largely of the biographical with members of this family mentioned most prominently. Indeed, we are quite certain that those acquainted with the history of the town will fully appreciate the propriety of such a presentation and would criticise us justly were we to write otherwise. The Funk estate, at the death of Isaac Funk, who is the central ^figure of this group, covered about 20.000 acres, or nearly twothirds of the township. For this reason, therefore, if for no other, should the name figure prominently in the history of this part of the county. But, as we shall presently see, the name extends as high as the lands do in length and breadth.

Two years after the first settlement had been made in the county, this region had not yet been occupied by any white man. In the spring of 1824, Isaac Funk and his brother Absalom came to McLean County, and they, with William Brock, with whom they had resided for a short time in Sangamon County. Brock had been in McLean County (or. rather in what is now McLean, as the county had not then been formed), and by his representations of the fine country about Old Town Timber and Blooming Grove, a tour of inspection was taken, resulting in the selection of the grove now bearing the Funk name as their future home. On their arrival at the grove, the Funks declared that this location was all that could be desired, and, though by persuasion of Brock they continued their survey of the country to Old Town, yet their first impressions of this grove were not changed, and even Brock was forced to acknowledge that he had either overestimated his former choice or that Funk's Grove was so much superior that part of the charm of the country further up the creek had been obscured. It was finally agreed to settle here, and arrangements were at once made to lay claim to large tracts of the lands lying in and about the grove. The Brocks erected a little log cabin at the south end of the grove and began keeping house in the pioneer style, and Absalom Funk, being then unmarried, boarded with them. The land in this part of the State was not then in the market, and settlers simply squatted on the lands which they designed afterward to purchase of the Government. Land was plenty then, and no one thought of disputing the slender title. Brock and the Funks claimed as much as they thought they could enter and then went to work to prepare for its entry when it should come into market. None of them had any means, but all had plenty of ambition and a good amount of well-developed muscle. The father of the Funks had been very wealthy, but, during the war of 1812, had loaned large amounts of money to different persons, and the hard times which always follow a war coming on, his debtors were driven to bankruptcy, and he was, in consequence, ruined. In the fall of the year named, Robert Stubblefield, a brother-in-law of Isaac and Absalom Funk, also from Ohio, came out and settled at the north end of the grove, and then the Funks went to live with them. The Stubblefields have been an influential family in this part of the county and second only to the Funks. The family is a large one and, without an exception, they have been remarkably successful in their various callings.

It may not be generally known that Adam Funk, the father of Isaac, Absalom and the other pioneers of that name, ever came to this country, as he died in 1832 ; and but few now reside in this part of the country who lived here at the time. Adam Funk was a native of Virginia, but had lived for a number of years in Fayette County, Ohio. In 1824, his wife having died, he removed, with his other two sons, to this place, and resided, until the marriage of his son Isaac, with his son-in-law, Robert Stubblefield. In 1826, Isaac Funk was married to Miss Cassandra Sharp, of Peoria, then called Fort Clark. From the very first, Isaac Funk was the acknowledged leader in politics and every public enterprise, and his reputation as a shrewd business man was not long confined to McLean County, or even the State. Though he met with some reverses and was obliged to undergo many hardships incident to a new country, his energy and pluck were always equal to every occasion. He believed in the old saying that, what is worth doing is worth doing well, and having fixed upon stock-raising as a business, he pursued it with the same spirit that, had his mind been turned specially to politics or religion, would have made him one of the foremost in either. Mr. Funk never left even the details of his business to hired help, but looked after the most trivial matters. His own eye saw that his stock was well cared for, and when they were to be marketed, always accompanied the herd to their destination. In the early times, it was essential that the strictest economy should be practiced by all, and whether this trait was natural with Mr. Funk, or whether he acquired it by the force of habit, he always practiced it. He was distinguished by his plain clothes after he had acquired a fortune. His outfit in this respect would not compare favorably with that of most young men who receive a salary less in amount than would have fed a dozen of Mr. Funk's steers. As a result of all of Mr. Funk's economy and industry, at the time of his death he was one of the wealthiest men and largest land-owners in Illinois.

Until the organization of the Republican party, Mr. Funk was always a strong Whig, and as such was, in 1840, elected to the Legislature of the State from this district. The agitation resulting from the organization of the Republican party, brought out in Mr. Funk a latent power, of which few were aware that he possessed. In his career as a legislator, he showed no special marks of prominence. He was always accredited with performing the work assigned him with the same care with which he attended his cattle, but it was not dreamed that the plain, plodding farmer would yet make the walls of that same house ring with applause, and that hundreds in every State should acknowledge his strength of character, as well as his goodness of heart. He sympathized deeply with the downtrodden race, and when the war of the rebellion was inaugurated, his great and loyal heart was stirred to great deeds and words. In 1863, he was in the State Senate, when a bill was before that body having for its object the aid of the Sanitary Commission. There were in the Senate at the time several members who were opposed to the bill, and Mr. Funk had set his heart on its passage. The opposition, though not openly antagonizing the bill from avowed hostility to the real object of the appropriation, yet urged economy, and by various pleas and pretenses, well known to legislators, sought to deprive the measure of some of its most important features. Though Mr. Funk was an uneducated man, he was yet quick to detect the real grounds of the opposition, and this so worked upon his mind that, though he had never attempted a speech before, his natural eloquence burst forth, as it were, spontaneously in one of the most telling speeches of the session, a few extracts of which are here given. Mr. Funk said :

Mr. Speaker : I can sit in my seat no longer and see such boys' play going on. These men are trifling with the best interests of the country. They should have asses' ears to set off their heads, or they are secessionists and traitors at heart. I say there are traitors and secessionists at heart in this Senate. Their actions prove it. Their speeches prove it. Their gibes and laughter and cheers here nightly, when their speakers get up in this hall and denounce the war and the administration, prove it. I can sit here no longer and not tell these traitors what 1 think of them, and while so telling them I am responsible myself for what I say. I stand upon my own bottom. I am ready to meet any man upon this floor from a pin's point to the mouth of a cannon upon this charge against these traitors. I am an old man of sixty-five. I came to Illinois a poor boy. I have made a little something for myself and family. I pay $3,000 a year in taxes. I am willing to pay $6,000, aye $12,000; aye I am willing to pay my whole fortune, and then give my life to save my country from these traitors that are seeking to destroy it.

Mr. Speaker, you must excuse me ; I could not sit longer in my seat and calmly listen tothese traitors. My heart, that feels for my poor country, would not let me. My heart, that cries out for the lives of our brave volunteers in the field, that these traitors at home are destroying by the thousand, would not let me. My heart, that bleeds for the widows and orphans at home, would not let me. Yes, these villains and traitors and secessionists in this Senate are killing my neighbors' boys, now fighting in the field. 1 dare to tell this to these traitors to their faces, and that I am responsible for what I say to one and all of them. Let them come on right here. I am sixty-five years old, and I have made up my mind to risk my life right here on this floor for my country.

Mr. Speaker, these traitors on this floor should be provided with hempen collars. They deserve them. They deserve them. They deserve hanging, I say. The country would be better off to swing them up. I go for hanging them, and I dare to tell them so right here to their

Mr. Speaker, I beg pardon of the gentlemen in the Senate who are not traitors, but true, loyal men, for what I have said. I only intend it and mean it for secessionists at heart. They are here in this Senate. I see them joke and smirk and grin at the true Union man. But I defy them. I stand here ready for them, and dare them to come on. What man with the heart of a patriot could stand this treason any longer ? I have stood it long enough, and I will stand it no longer. 1 denounce these men and their aiders and abettors as rank traitors and secessionists. Hell itself could not spew out a more traitorous crew than some of the men who disgrace this Legislature, this State and this country. For myself, I protest against and denounce their treasonable acts.

I said I pay $3,000 a year taxes. I do not say it to brag of it ; it is my duty - yes, Mr. Speaker, my privilege to do it. But some of these traitors here, who are working night and day to get their miserable little bills and claims through the Legislature, to take money out of the pockets of the people, are talking about high taxes. They are hypocrites as well as traitors. I heard some of them talking about high taxes in this way who do not pay $5 to support the Government. 1 denounce them as hypocrites as well as traitors. The reason that they pretend to be afraid of high taxes is, that they do not want to vote money for the relief of the soldiers. They want, also, to embarrass the Government and stop the war. They want to aid the secessionists to conquer our boys in the field. They care for taxes? They are picayune men. They pay no taxes at all and never did and never hope to, unless they can manage to plunder the Government. This is an excuse of traitors.

The whole effect of the speech is impossible to describe. Frequently, his ponderous and honest fist came down upon his desk with a crash that made the walls resound, and that made the objects of his wrath wince. The speech was received with applause and cheers, which the speaker was unable to suppress, and, when he sat down the galleries and the floor joined in a prolonged applause. The speech in full was printed in most of the papers throughout the North, and Mr. Funk received the hearty congratulations of loyal men from all parts of the nation.

hadnved happily for nearly forty years, died within a few hours of her husband, and they were both buried in the same grave, in the Funk's Grove Cemetery, in which the father of Isaac Funk had been interred thirty-three years before, he also being the first.

At the time of Mr. Funk's death he was a member of the Senate, which was then in session. Upon the public announcement of the sad event to that body, Hon. J. W. Strevell, then a member of the same House from Livingston County, pronounced the following appropriate eulogy :

Mr. Speaker : There may be other members upon this floor, whose more intimate and peculiar relations to the deceased better fit them to pay a just tribute to his memory than myself. But his immediate neighborhood to my district, and the endearing ties which I have reason to know existed for many years between him and a large portion of the good people I have the honor to represent, make it at least proper that I should pay an humble but affectionate tribute to the memory of the departed.

Long before it had ever occurred to me to meet Senator Funk personally, I had, by hearing those who knew him in early times relate so many little incidents and reminiscences of him, which go to make up the sum of a great life, become almost familiar with his character. He was one of the pioneers of Illinois ; and it is not singular that a character so marked and positive as his should leave its lasting impress upon those around him and upon the destinies of his State. He knew Illinois in its infancy. He was familiar with it when the old stage-coach was the most rapid means of communication with its distant borders. Bui he lived to see the infant State of his adoption grow to be a giant, embracing within his parental arms two millions of children, from all countries and climes. He lived to see the old stage-coach give place to the iron horse, majestically coursing through his own broad acres, carrying the blessings of commerce wherever civilization is known. All this he was blest to behold ; and in all this development he had borne a part. Ages may roll away, and the name of him who was but yesterday habited for the grave, and confined to its narrow portals, may be forgotten, as all names must be ; yet the influence of his character and life upon the destinies of Illinois will be felt to the remotest day. Whoever does not know that Senator Funk deserves to be classed among the great men of his time, does, in my judgment, but poorly comprehend the true elements of character. Probably the most wealthy man in the United States, save one, who was exclusively devoted to agriculture, he was a representative man of his class. Nor was he distinguished for wealth alone. His patriotic utterances in the hour of his country's darkest gloom, will long be remembered and cherished by a grateful people. His fame was not bounded by State lines, nor indeed by county. Many across the broad Atlantic will read and lament that the Christian, patriot and agricultural king is dead. True, he had none of the embellishments of learning or art, which so well adorn true greatness, and which, too, are so often mistaken for it. But in common sense - which really is most uncommon - in penetrating sagacity, in fidelity to right, and, above all, in genuine kindness of heart, few were his equals. It is only a few days since a public measure came up in this House about the propriety of which there was some doubt, and he opposed it. Few, perhaps, have sought the reason why he did so. " Because," he said, " it would be doing for himself what he did not do for his hired man." Ah! here is the rule of justice and judgment which obtains at the tribunal where he has gone, and where we must go - " Do unto others as ye would that they should do to you," for with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The last time I ever saw Senator Funk, he came into this House to consult with his esteemed colleague at my side, and to ask me to join a portion of my district with his county, in restraining some evil practice of gaming. Little did we then think that these halls would no more echo the sound of his voice. So inscrutable are the ways of God to man. It was then very perceptible that his health was much disturbed. In reply to a question, he said he was far from well. Even then, the grim monster was struggling for his prey. But the proper limits for these few remarks will not allow of any special detail. I would gladly linger over his memory and his virtues.

Illinois will wait long for the coming of another such as he. But I am glad to believe that the enemy did not find him as one wholly disarmed. He marched out of his strong fortress unseen by mortal eye, with the calm dignity so peculiar to his nature, and surrendered up to the King of Terrors. He had, I doubt not, long since learned that

But how instructive this lesson to us. Neither wealth, nor place, nor power could save him from the grave ; for if wealth could beguile death, then he had no need to die.

How unspeakably sad, and yet more beautiful than any creation of romance, was that other death so closely connected with his. The golden cord that binds one heart to another in the world is seldom so strong that it will not bear to be broken. But in this instance, that cord had grown to be life itself. Scarcely had he entered the valley of the shadow of death before she who had been the loved companion of more than forty years of joy and sorrow, without any apparent disease, left all, and followed in swift pursuit. Nearly half a century ago, they started out on life's journey, hand in hand, and now, at the end, they peacefnlly lie down together and draw the drapery of death around them. Erelong they will rise triumphantly, to hail Him Who has conquered death, and the brightness of Whose coming will dispel the gloom of the grave.

Mr. Funk left no will, but a well-understood wish was carried out in all its details by the heirs. No administration was entered into, but all of the children, nine in number, met and divided the vast estate in a perfectly amicable manner, without even the advice of any outside party. Just before his death, Mr. Funk had erected a very fine family mansion on the site of his old house. This, in the apportionment, was set apart to the youngest son, who bears the father's name. A biography of other members of the family will be found in another part of the work.

Of the five brothers who came out in 1823, 1824 and 1825, only Robert survives. There were originally nine children, six boys and three girls. None of the other members of the family prospered as did Isaac. Absalom, who died in 1840, had prospects almost equally bright ; but his comparatively early death came before the most prosperous times of this section were fully realized.

It is said of John Funk, who came out in 1825, that he was utterly oblivious to lands, cattle or money, except just enough of the last-named to have a good time. He was always sure of a living from his two brothers, " Ab. and Ike." At the stores, it was known that John never had anything to pay with, though he would buy with the same confidence as would his two well-to-do brothers. At the end of stated periods, Isaac and Absalom would call for their bills, and as regularly would the merchants present John's accounts, which Isaac and Absalom good-naturedly liquidated. J ohn never made any inquiry about his bills with a view to settlement, but it is supposed he fully expected to pay them himself. The Funks, Stubblefields and Brock, as before intimated, claimed the most of the land adjacent to the timber, and when it came into market, entered the same. The township, therefore, did not settle as rapidly as some others, because there was no more timber-land, and the value of the prairie was not appreciated until a later day. However, when the Illinois Central Railroad was chartered, one-half of the vacant land was given to that company as a consideration for the building of the road. The balance of the unoccupied land was at once raised to $2.50 per acre, at which price it was soon bought. The Chicago & Alton Railroad, completed through this section in 1852, further increased the value of lands, and thus hastened their sale, so that, by about 1856, all of the township of Funk's Grove had been entered. The building of these roads was the real basis for the prosperity of this section. Prior to this, the markets for the products of the farm were Chicago and Peoria, and supplies had to be hauled long distances by wagon. The roads have brought markets almost to the very doors of the producers, and goods are as cheap as in the large cities.

The timber of this township is very fine. Unlike most timber along the little creeks, which is usually of a small, stunted growth of oak and basswood. the timber along Sugar Creek at this point, is of a heavy growth of walnut, maple and oak. A saw-mill was built here at an early date, for the manufacture of the trees into lumber. The large farming and stock-raising operations carried on by Isaac Funk, required a large amount of lumber for fences, sheds, etc.

The mill was put up by Isaac Funk mainly for his own use. Later, Col. J. Straight, of Indianapolis, bought of the Funk family 1 ,200 walnut trees, and brought to the station a mill for the manufacturing of them into lumber. An amount exceeding 2.000 cars has been sawed and sent to New York, where there is a large demand for the product for

Before the building of the railroads through this country, there were two special inducements for building distilleries. There was a large surplus of corn which it was difficult to market, and the consumers of the product of the still were plentier than at present. It was not counted a disgrace to patronize the tavern, which was then the dram-shop; and a small distillery in the midst of a farming community was accounted a good thing for those who brought there their grain for sale, and took back a jug or a barrel of the product. To accommodate those who might wish to patronize such an institution in either way, Robert Funk built a small distillery on Section 17, in about 1840. We are bound to say, however, that the distillery was not a great success. In a few years it was allowed to run down, and the copper stills were sold as old copper. To the credit of the old-time distillers, it is said they made a better article than is manufactured by the more pretentious establishments of the present day.

The first schoolhouse built in this township was a small log affair, erected on the site of the Methodist Church, west of Funk Grove Station. It was built upon the mutnal assistance plan, the neighbors meeting at an appointed time, bringing their axes, saws and such other implements as they happened to possess. This was about 1827, and the Funks and Stubblefields, of this township, and several persons at the west end of the grove, in Mount Hope Township, were concerned in its erection. It is described as being about twenty feet square, covered with clapboards held in place by weight-poles ; as having a clapboard door hung on wooden hinges; puncheon floor and puncheon seats, and with desks made by boring auger-holes into the wall, inserting wooden pins therein, and laying on the pins boards hewed from walnut logs. The warming apparatus was a huge fireplace extending one-half of the whole length of one side of the house, into which could be rolled logs requiring the strength of two of the largest boys to carry. The arrangements, however , were the crowning invention of that time. On two sides of the house, the halves of two contiguous logs of the wall were cut out the whole length of the building. Across these openings, at short intervals, were placed small sticks, upon which paper greased with hog's lard was pasted. This made a translucent window, admitting the rays of light, and, at the same time preventing the children from looking out, and obviating the necessity of blinds. Nothing in modern use, except real stained glass, compares in utility with the windows of this schoolhouse. The fastening to the door, too, was ingenious, and deserves description. The latch was a wooden bar, similar to those now in use on gates or barn-doors, and was placed on the inside of the door. To enable one on the outside of the door to raise the latch, an auger-hole was bored through a few inches above the latch, and through this a leather thong was drawn, and tied to the latch inside. Doubtless this invention gave rise to the saying, " the latch - string is out," as it was used on the doors of most of the cabins at that date.

In this temple of learning, Andrew Biggs and Andrew McMillan taught some of the first schools. One of these taught the first, but we are unable to settle the honor more definitely on either. A little reading, writing and ciphering constituted the full course of study at the Funk's Grove Academy. Jonathan Dow was one of the pioneer teachers at this school, and, from some of his peculiarities, must have been related to

Lorenzo, of evangelist fame. It was the custom in those times for the teacher to " board round," but Dow preferred to board himself at the schoolhouse. He lived entirely on vegetable diet, nearly all of which consisted of apples, potatoes and corncakes, which he had stored in large quantities beneath the floor of the school-room. It was the custom then at Christmas to demand of the teacher a treat, and in the event of any hesitation on the part of the master, he was barred out of the house. The boys, however, never found Dow outside, as he boarded there, and, when Christmas came that winter, the master assumed to have the advantage of the boys, and declined to stand the apples and cider demanded. But the boys were not to be baffled so easily, and with a preconcerted action seized upon the teacher and dragged him, squirming and kicking, from the house. Rushing inside, they closed the door, and another parley ensued, without the effect, however, of bringing the obstinate Dow to terms. At last, after a short council of war had been held by the boys, they opened the door and allowed the master to enter. He thought then he had won the day, but the movement of the boys was only a little strategy to again get him in their hands. He was accordingly again grabbed and carried to the creek which ran close by. The ice was cut, and they were about to immerse him in the chilly flood, when he gave up and promised to treat. Then were disclosed the stores of apples, cider, potatoes and hominy beneath the puncheon floor. All helped themselves to the viands ; a good time was had ; the parents praised their boys' pluck in whipping out the master ; and then the school proceeded as before.

A few years later, a schoolhouse was erected in the southeastern part of the township, in the Kickapoo Creek settlement, and owing to the large tracts of land held by the families heretofore named, and the sparsely-settled condition of the townehip, no other schools were organized for more than twenty years, though the old buildings, with the puncheon floors, seats and desks, long before that time, gave way to better houses. As indicating the progress made in this township, in 1858, there were reported two schools, with fifty-two pupils ; in 1868, five schools, with two hundred and eighty pupils ; and at this time again ten years later, six schools, with about three hundred scholars. In 1858, the total expenditure for sustaining schools was a little less than three hundred dollars, while in 1878, it was nearly as many thousands.

Were we to judge this township by the number of church spires, we should say that there is but little of the article here, as the large township contains but one church. However, the people here are not without all of the church privileges requisite to a high standard of Christianity. The church mentioned is near the center of the township, and this furnishes accommodations for all in its vicinity; while churches at McLean, Waynesville, Shirley and Heyworth count among their strongest supporters citizens of this township. The Methodist Church of Funk's Grove was organized at a very early day. The little log schoolhouse mentioned above was built for religious as well as educational purposes, and here, at about the same time, the church was established by Adam Funk, Robert Funk, Robert Stubblefield, John Stubblefield, Mrs. Brock and a few other women. It may be said that the church at the time was a family affair, as the parties were nearly all related, the two Stubblefields named having married sisters of Robert Funk. The society worshipped in the little log schoolhouse and its successors until 1866, when the present comfortable house of worship was erected. It is a good: frame building, 36x50 feet in size,|and cost $3,500. The country in the vicinity of the church is sparsely settled, there being so many large farms ; and the number of members does not, at present, exceed thirty. Sunday school is sustained during the summer, but during winter it is suspended. Rev. Mr. Shinn is the present Pastor.

Description

Funk's Grove Township is bounded on the west, north and east, respectively, by Mount Hope, Dale and Randolph Townships ; and on the south by DeWitt County. This township consists of all of Congressional Town 22, Range 1 east, and the north third of Town 21, in same range. It is one of the best watered townships in the county, seeming to be the natural home for stock of various kinds common to this climate. Indeed, this has long been a notorious stock region. The Kickapoo and branches of Sugar Creek flow from the northeast to the southwest. The land is of a first-class quality, well adapted to the raising of corn, rye, oats, wheat and vegetables of various kinds. The Chicago & Alton Railroad, built in 1852, passes through the northwestern corner, affording at the station and at McLean an outlet for the vast products of this section. A switch is the only improvement at the station, and was located at the request of Isaac Funk, and for the accommodation of his estate.

There is not a railroad coming into Bloomington, which carries its passengers through a prettier country - a country more attractive to the eye, and one which would attract the attention of strangers more quickly - than does the La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railroad as it passes through Old Town Township. As one travels over this road, he gets a very fair view of almost the entire township. This road extends east and west through the center of the third tier of sections from the north. The rolling prairies stretch far away to the north, while on the south may be seen, extending the entire length of the township, the irregular edge of the Old Town Timber.

This township derived its name from the belt of timber which crosses its southern border. This grove is some eighteen miles long, and two to three miles wide. It follows no water-course, but passes directly east and west, without regard to the " lay of the land." It derived its name from the old Indian town on its northern border. Old Town is an exact Congressional township, and lies just south of the center of McLean County. It is designated Town 23 north, Range 3 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is bounded on the north by Towanda Township, on the east by Padua, on the south by Downs, and on the west by Bloomington Township. It is crossed by the headwaters of Kickapoo Creek. The little stream enters from Padua, at the southeast corner of Section 13. It flows west to the northeast corner of Section 22, and thence south to near the southwest corner of Section 33. All the northern part of the township is prairie, with the exception of Island Grove, a little patch of timber near the center. The prairies are rolling, and are covered by fine farms and elegant residences. The soil is good, and yields largely of either corn or oats. Corn is the principal product. Oats come next. Potatoes and grass do well. A large portion of the corn is shipped, but not all. A considerable amount of hogs and cattle are shipped. Very little wheat is produced. Beside the La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railroad already mentioned, Old Town is crossed by another. The Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway. This road crosses the southwest corner of the township, entering from the southeast, near the southeast corner of Section 32, and leaving near the southwest corner of Section 30. There are two flag-stations in the township - Holder, on the east side, on the L., B. & M. R. R., and Gillum, in the southwest, on the I., B. & W.

When emigrants began to come into McLean County, it was not long before every grove had its cluster of pale-faces. Not only do we find that every cluster of trees brought early settlers, but larger belts were soon surrounded. The first settlement of Old Town Timber was begun farther east than the present limits of the township of the same name. But it was not long until a settlement was made on Kickapoo Creek. In the spring of 1826, William Evans built the first cabin ever erected in Old Town. He came from the settlement at Blooming Grove. He went to work, and, by the spring of 1827, he had enough prairie broken to permit of quite a crop. But all his hopes were destined to be overthrown. In September, 1827, there came a hurricane which demolished his crops, swept away his fences and destroyed his dwelling. After so severe a disaster, he was too much disheartened to rebuild his scattered improvements, so he moved to Blooming Grove. It will thus be seen that the first attempt to establish a dwelling in this populous and beautiful township, was a failure. The elements were against it, and who could prevail ? The same hurricane that dealt such a heavy blow to Mr. Evans, destroyed much of the Old Town timber. Where it passed through, the forest was leveled to the ground. There still may be seen a few trunks of the large trees that were uprooted by the gale. Tbe present growth of timber has sprung up since the storm.

The next man to arrive at Kickapoo Creek, in this township, was, probably, William Maxwell. He came from North Carolina about 1829, or, possibly, as late as 1831. He lived on Kickapoo Creek until his death, which occurred in 1837. He had three sons. They all moved away to Iowa. One daughter now lives in Le Roy. Her husband's name is Henry Dickerson. John Bishop came in 1830. He is now living in Bloomington. In 1833, William Bishop arrived. His wife, the mother of Dr. Bishop, in Bloomington, is still living. At about this time, John Hendryx came. He is not the man who first settled in Blooming Grove, but quite another person, and is no relation. He had several children, the most prominent of whom is Mrs. Lewis Case. On the 26th of July, 1833, Lewis Case and family moved into the little settlement begun on the Kickapoo. Mr. and Mrs. Case are now the oldest settlers living in the township, though there are others living in different parts of the county who lived in Old Town before they did. The Cases came from Seneca, N. Y. Mr. Case was born in 1809, and Mrs. Case in 1810. They have four daughters now living, but none reside in the township. When Lewis Case came, he found Isaac Haner here. Teams were scarce in those days, and even a good pair of oxen were not always to be had, so Mr. Haner had yoked his cows, and with those prepared the soil for the seed. In the fall of 1833, Archibald Martin arrived. He afterward moved over into Padua Township, and died there. In the fall of the same year, Abner Case and family came. Abner

was the father of Lewis, and moved into his house when he first arrived. Mrs. Case loves to tell the story of their winter's residence in the cabin. Lewis Case and family, the family of Abner Case, of Charles Lewis and of Thaddeus Case all lived within the narrow limits of one small cabin. This cabin had but one room, and that was not more than fourteen feet square. A log house was the best kind for this sort of crowding. The logs were bored into and pins driven in, which supported one side of the bedstead. One leg was all that this primitive style of bedstead required, the places of the others being taken by two sides of the wall. The trundle-bed then did its besfc service, for it was not possible to find sleeping-room for thirteen persons within a space fourteen feet square, and this partly occupied by household goods, without the doublelayer system so easily introduced by a trundle-bed. Trunks and boxes of all kinds had to be perched on wooden pins in the wall. And yet those were days in which the fabric of life was fraught with as much joy as are the more recent times, with all the luxuries of a more advanced civilization. How many of the poorest in our midst would dare to brave the hardships of pioneer life ? But the necessity of such trying circumstances is now past. Even the frontier settlements in the Far West are not compelled to endure the trials and privations that were once common in this country.

In 1834, James Cowden came from Kentucky. The family located in the southwestern part of the township, and some of the descendants still reside there. Paul Lebo came later, probably about 1837. He first stopped in Padua, but afterward came into Old Town. He was killed by the falling of a tree. The accident occurred in the Old Town Timber, just south of Lewis Case's residence. Mr. Lebo had succeeded in getting the tree partly down, but it had lodged in another tree. On cutting the second tree, he started to run, and, just as he was about clearing the length of the tree, one of the upper branches struck him on the head and crushed his skull. His son was on the ground at the time, and witnessed the accident.

The Campbell family came in 1837. Mr. Campbell was born in Ireland, but came to this township from Bourbon County, Ky. He was what they called a rich man, in those days. He brought with him $1,400 in money. He had four sons. Tbey own considerable land in the southeastern part of the township, and are prominent citizens of that locality.

From this time on, the immigrants followed each other in such an irregular way that it would be impossible to trace them. It was a long time before the northern part of the township was settled. Although the prairie was as charmingly located as it could be, the early settler did not venture upon it. There were a few who had made their homes on the prairie in 1854. In this year, the first of the settlement now in the northeast corner of Old Town and adjoining townships was made by John R. Benjamin, who came from Columbia County, N. Y. He belongs to the Friends, and was the forerunner of the settlement formed by them.

The first school in this township is very vividly remembered. There are no doubts as to its location, or who was the teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Case were anxious to see their children enjoying the benefits of a good education. There were others, too, that longed to get their little ones within the limits of some educational institution. But the want of a building made it difficult to begin. It was thought that the smoke-house, belonging to Mr. Case, might suffice for the present need ; but on farther consideration, it was concluded to use the spare room in his barn. The barn was a new one ; and, though the thought is diverting, doubtless furnished more comfortable apartments than many of the first buildings erected especially for school purposes. The school was taught in the summer, and, of course, no fire was necessary. The horses could occupy one side and the school the other - at the horses' heads. This barn is standing yet ; and the marks on the old barn-door, which answered as a kind of schedule, long remained to tell the story of regularity or irregularity of the members of that little school.

The teacher of this little flock was Callista Stanton. She had eight pupils. As a compensation for her services, duly and faithfully performed, she received the munificent sum of $1.50 per week. This was the summer of 1838. Miss Stanton was a very fairly educated lady. She remained in the county and continued teaching for a long time. What remuneration she afterward received for her labors as " school ma'am," we do not know, but it is to be hoped that the directors never concluded to reduce her salary on account of "hard times." After this, a log schoolhouse was built, and a male teacher employed. Schools multiplied and houses were built, until now there are eight districts instead of the one in 1838. How many children there were then, under twenty-one, we do not know, but not, probably, more than 25 ; now there are 407. The number, then, between six and twenty-one, was about 15 ; the same heading now shows 264. The number of pupils then enrolled wao 8 ; at present there are 221. No school buildings had then been erected, while seven beautiful schoolhouses now furnish the youth of the township comfortable apartments in which to pursue a course of instruction, without the necessity of sheltering themselves either in smoke-houses or barns. The total amount paid their teacher, had she continued teaching for nine months, would not have reached $50. The actual amount was $15. Now the township pays annually, for teachers, $1,966.07, with a total expenditure of $2,897.06 per annum. The estimated value of school property is $3,100. The highest wages paid for teaching is $45 per month.

The first to hold meetings here were the Methodists. There had been preaching at the residence of Mr. Frankenbarger, in Padua. Mrs. Case tells how thankful she was when they got an ox-team and wagon, so that they could go to meeting. Not everybody could afford a wagon in which to ride to meeting. It was a luxury that was to be appreciated. There was soon a sufficient number of members around the residence of Lewis Case to justify the formation of a class. This class met at the cabin on Sundays for prayer and class meeting, their regular circuit preaching being held during the week. The Rev. Mr. Royal was the the first circuit preacher. Circuit preachers traveled over vast scopes of country and established places of meeting wherever there was an opening. They preached a greater portion of the time, and, consequently had to make many of their appointments on week-days. The members of this first class were Abner Case, Jane Hendryx, Mr. and Mrs. Cusey, Eliza and Paul Lebo, Mrs- Hartley and Rachel Case. A number of the young men who came to prayer and class meeting here, finally became ministers. William Orange held a protracted meeting in the cabin. It was continued a long time and resulted in the addition of many new members to the little class of eight. The cabin, the residence of

Mr. Lewis Case, continued to be the place of meeting for thirteen years. The Presiding Elder on this district when the meeting was first organized, was John Sinclair. Quarterly Meeting was held at one time in the same barn in which was taught the first school. Peter Cartwright, the renowned pioneer of Methodism, used to preach at Old Town Timber, but he never preached at Mr. Case's cabin. There are quite a number of Methodists in the southern part of Old Town, but their place of meeting is in Downs. They have a church and a large and flourishing society there.

The Methodists built a church at what is known as Benjaminville - a clump of houses near the northeastern corner of the township. This was built in 1859. It is a neat little building, 20x32 feet. The society flourished and did well in Benjaminville, but when the L. B. & M. R. R. came through only a mile and a half south, and the little town of Holder was laid out, they thought it would be better to move the church to Holder. Accordingly, in 1873, it was taken down to the station. But the church was sold, in 1877, to the United Brethren, who still own it. The Methodists then built a church in Padua Township, east of Benjaminville, where they now hold services. This society of United Brethren was organized recently. Its pastor is Rev. F. R. Mitchell.

The Protestant Methodists first held their meetings in the schoolhouse near Scammon Rodman's. They had a great revival there. A society was built up, and as a result a church was built. It is called Pleasant Grove Chapel, and is located on the northeast corner of Section 27. It is 28x38 feet, and was built about sixteen years ago. Among the prominent early members, may be mentioned Messrs. Rodman, Fogle and John Brown. There is a very fair society at present, with the Rev. T. J. Gregory as Pastor.

The first and only Christian society in the township was begun about twelve years ago, in a schoolhouse west of Benjaminville. They began with about twenty members. Robert Moore and Harrison Horine were Elders. They organized the Cnurch and were the only preachers for a time. In 1869, they built a church in Benjaminville. The cost of construction was nearly $2,000 ; size 30x42 feet. The coming of the railroad had the same effect upon the Christians that it had upon the Methodists. They, too, moved their church to Holder. The society is not as strong now as it has been. Some of its members have died and others moved away. The Rev. Robert Moore is still Pastor, although they have had others.

In the northeastern part of Old Town and adjoining townships, there is one of the strongest settlements of the Friends that is to be found anywhere in the State. John R. Benjamin may be regarded the father of the society. In 1854,, he came from Columbia County, N. Y. There were very few settlements, at that time, on the prairie. There was an opportunity for making a selection. He bought the south half of Section 1 and the northeast quarter of Section 12, adjoining. In the spring of 1856, two other families came - Joseph Marot and Timothy Benjamin, a brother to John R. Benjamin. Marot moved to Padua, but Joseph Benjamin occupied the northwest quarter of Section 1. Abner Moore, their first minister, came in the spring of 1858. He was a New Yorker, too, and came from near Rochester. After his arrival, they had regular Sabbath services. For this purpose, they used the upper story of a building erected by Mr. John R. Benjamin, and used as a shop below, but with a fair room above. In this hall, they held their meetings for a year and a half. They built their

"first church in 1859. It is three-fourths of a mile south of the northern line of the township. This became too small, and was moved off the church lot, and is now used for public meetings of all kinds. It is a frame house, 24 by 32 feet. TBe second church was built in 1874. This, too, is a frame church, 32 by 42 feet, and cost SI, 800. From the first, the society has continued to grow, and has increased to about twenty-five families. At one time, Sidney Averill taught a Friends' school in the hall over the wagon-shop. He was a preacher, and exercised himself in both teaching and preaching. Before the building of a church here, the members used to go to Putnam County, to attend Quarterly Meetings. Since 1875, the Quarterly Meeting has been held here twice a year. They hold one in Indiana, and one in Putnam County, this State. These are the only Quarterly Meetings held anywhere in the States of Illinois or Indiana, and, as a result, these meetings are attended from long distances.

At the southeast corner of Section 1, and just across the line, in Padua Township, several dwelling-houses were built. Mr. Benjamin built a wagon-shop, and a store and blacksmith-shop were afterward set up. Then came the three churches, so that the place was called a town. No organization was ever effected, but it is known as Benjaminville. There is now a store and blacksmith-shop, with several dwellings. There is not much demand for a village. Holder is only one and a half miles south. Both are quite small, most all trading being done in Bloomington.

There were very few inhabitants here during the Black Hawk war. We found no soldiers of the Mexican war. The late war called out the full strength of the township. There were no drafts. Of those who lost their lives from service in the army, we learned the names of none but Henry Mannen and Samuel Fogle. There probably were others, but they rest in their unknown graves, with no one to herald their deeds abroad or " draw their frailties from their dread abode."

Since the organization of the Republican party, Old Town has been Republican. This township alone gave Lincoln 100 majority. Since that time, the Republicans have not held their own, or what would be, perhaps, a different thing, the opposition has developed more strength. But on all national or State questions, where party contest is direct, the Republicans carry by a greater or less majority. Party spirit does not generally run very high. All are amicable and disposed " to bear the evils that they have," etc. In township elections, only one ticket is put in the field. This is composed of Democrats and Republicans, little attention being paid to parties so long as the candidates are able and willing to discharge the duties of their respective offices according to the best of their ability, and for the good of their constituents.

The first child born in Old Town was Disa Maxwell, and the next was Chloe Bishop. The former was born in 1831. The first marriage was solemnized in 1835. The parties made happy were Alice Hendryx and William Brewer. The husband afterward died, and the widow married William Hartly. She now lives in Bloomington. The first death is supposed to have been that of a little child about a year old. This was in 1834. Mr. Case split out slabs from a basswood-tree and made a coffin. He planed it, and, after considerable labor, made it appear quite pretty, but it was white.

To blacken it, the ladies took straw and burned it, and made a paint of the ashes. They were surprisingly successful, and had the coffin nicely colored.

The Old Town settlers suffered frequently from prairie-fires. No one, who has never witnessed a fire on the prairies, can form any just conception of it. There is nothing that seems more like the indignant breath of the Almighty, or reminds one more forcibly of that passage of Scripture, " The elements shall melt with fervent heat," than does the onward rush of a prairie-fire as it gathers strength from a sweeping gale. It bounds on with a speed equal to that of the swiftest horse, and often overtakes the traveler on the road. We were not informed of any losses of property from these tornadoes of flame, but we learned that Abner Case, in fighting the fire in order to extinguish it, lost one eye.

Game was plenty, and there were a number of hunters along Old Town Timber. The hunters used to make the ruins of Mr. Evans' cabin, that he left on the creek, after the hurricane of 1827, a place of rendezvous. Wolves were numerous on the prairie, with turkeys and bees in the woods.

Some of the customs in the domestic economy were unique, and suggest the adaptability of the pioneers. In salting meat, they used troughs made from logs. For a wash-tub, the ladies frequently used one-half of a salt-barrel. The barrel was sawn through the middle, and thus furnished two to the barrel. The wheel and the loom were the necessary furniture of every dwelling, and to make them often required a vast amount of work. Trees had to be cut down and split into timbers of the proper dimensions, and then hewed and planed and mortised until things would fit all round. Mrs. Lewis Case reports her first wash-board as follows : A stick of wood of moderate size, split in the middle, then smoothed off a little with a plane, then sawed across to a short depth, and tolerably close together; after this, alternate spaces between the saw-cuts, chiseled out with a narrow chisel. This leaves a board on which a pioneer woman could wash and get her clothes clean, by a rough usage of the hands and careful management of the clothes.

A sad affair occurred only a few years ago, which gives another text from which to preach a temperance sermon. Frederic Hendryx had had some trouble in his family ; he went to Bloomington, became intoxicated and started home ; he got hold of a revolver and declared that he would shoot his wife. When he reached home in this condition, his wife became frightened and started to run ; she had only reached' the gate when she was shot by her husband. All the large children were frightened off the place ; but when the people came to the house next morning, they found Mrs. Hendryx lying dead at the gate with her little child in her arms. The child was alive and had been asleep. Farther search revealed the fact that, after killing his wife, Hendryx had gone to the straw-stack and there shot himself, so that the morning found them both dead.

The La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railway was completed through this section in 1871. The cars began running in the fall of the same year. The Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western was finished a short time before. The former extends through the township on the half-section line, two and one-half miles from the north side ; the latter crosses the southwestern corner. These roads both received aid in the way of bonds. Bloomington subscribed heavily ; but Old Town owes them nothing.

While it is questionable whether they have been of any material benefit to Bloomington, there is no doubt about the advantage which the country derives from them. They take the farmers' grain and stock, right at home, almost. They increase the value of - land, since any one who wishes to farm can have ready means of transport for his products ; and any one desiring a country residence, can have it with about all the conveniences of a suburban villa, and at a much smaller cost. These influences cause a thorough development of all the resources of the country. In contrast with the present facilities for shipping grain, Mr. Case mentions the fact that he has hauled wheat all the way to Chicago and sold it at 38 cents per bushel.

There are forty-one miles of authorized roads in the township, excluding twelve miles on the outside lines, kept in repair by other townships ; these are generally kept in good condition. The prairie is sufficiently rolling to permit the drainage of all roads that need it. There is one iron bridge ; it spans the Kickapoo. The old State road from the Big Grove to Peoria, crosses the township a short distance ; it runs along the north line of the township a short distance ; when near the southeast corner of Section 33, it turns obliquely north and west, through Sections 29, 30 and 32. There is another old road that follows no lines on its course ; this is the road to Cheney's Grove from Bloomington. With the exception of these two roads, all follow section lines, most of which are regularly laid out as public thoroughfares.

With the other townships of McLean County, Old Town began her separate organized existence in 1858. It will be seen that some of the men who were elected at the first township election - April 6, 1858 - are now officers of the township. The return made to the County Clerk in 1858 was as follows: Scammon Rodman, Supervisor ; Lindley Hefling, Town Clerk; Samuel Noggle, Assessor; Frederic R. Cowden, Collector; John B. Chores, Overseer of the Poor ; Chalkley Bell, Samuel Sunderland and Elihu Roganr Commissioners of Highways ; John Rowley and James A. Savidge, Justices of the Peace ; Gilbert Tompkins and Samuel Mitchell, Constables. The present officers are : James Rayburn, Supervisor ; J. M. Dooley, J. J. Cowden and J. Fleming, Commissioners of Highways; Jeremiah Whitcomb and J. D. Rowley, Justices of the Peace; Gilbert Tompkins, Constable ; Scammon Rodman, Dennis McBarnes and Archibald Campbell, Town Trustees ; J. M. Dooley, Town Treasurer ; 0. G. Dooley, Assessor ; S. C. Fuller, Collector.

Holder

is a station on the La Fayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railroad, on the east line of the township. It is on the prairie just north of the small stream that is the principal source of Kickapoo Creek. Holder was surveyed in October, 1871, by W. P. Anderson, County Surveyor. Charles W. Holder was the owner of the village, and had it surveyed. It comprised, at first, forty acres - twenty acres in Old Town and twenty in Padua. The portion in Padua was located in Section 18 - ten acres in the northwest corner of the southwest quarter, and ten acres in the southwest corner of the northwest quarter ; but this has been bought back and belongs to the adjoining farms. So, also, has the ten acres on the south, in Old Town. Ten acres is all that is left. This is the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of Section 13. F. I. Bradley has been the station agent from the first. There was never a post office in the township until this one was established here. Fleming Brothers keep a general country store. They also buy and ship grain. William P. Anderson is also a grain-dealer. More corn is shipped than anything else. There is a considerable shipment of hogs and cattle to Chicago by way of the Illinois Central. G. A. Rowley has blacksmith-shop. There are two churches. The history of these, may be found under the heading " Churches," in the general history of the township. There are but few dwellings in Holder, but it does an amount of business more than proportioned to its size.

is a flag-station on the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway, in the southwestern corner of the township. It is on the section line between Sections 31 and 32, near the center from north to south.

Township 25 north, Range 5 east of the Third Principal Meridian. Lawndale is a full Congressional township, but, owing to the fact that its northern tier of sections lay along the " correction line," they are, on an average, a half mile longer from north to south than the standard section, and it makes the township six by six and one-half miles. The name given it was by " natural selection," and -Was suggested from the topographical appearance when in a state of nature. An elevation which but for its continuous stretch would properly be called a mound, extends from the northwest corner of the township through it to the east center. From this ridge, the slope toward the northeast ends in almost a dead level, which stretches away for miles to Indian Grove in Livingston County. Toward the southwest the decline is more gentle and more undulating. Free from any break or unpleasant appearance, the early settler must have looked with real pleasure upon the slope stretching away to the Mackinaw Timber, to the extreme southwestern corner of the town, a scene not easily forgotten by one who viewed this beautiful nature's lawn, now thickly studded with houses, orchards, hedges and all the insignia of healthy cultivation, before a furrow was struck or anything to disturb the eye nearer than the curling smoke of three or four cabins along the stream in the distance. That such beautiful dales should lie open to settlement for twenty years after being brought into market, must ever remain to the younger ones who read these pages, in a great measure a mystery. Standing on this elevation, one cannot fail to partially realize the fear that hung over poor Maj. Darnall's mind on that desperate winter's trip from the Mackinaw to Indian Grove. With but slight help from a tropical imagination, one can almost see hope, fear and dread despair by turn taking possession of him, as his faithful horse flounders through the deep in crusted snow on that never-to-be-forgotten ten-miles trip. No military leader ever led an army on doubtful engagement more fully impressed with the magnitude of the responsibility of his every move than was Maj. Darnall on that lonely, trying ride to his snowbound little family. For the first five miles, his way led gradually up the rise of land, the Indian Grove not being in sight until he had completed the first half. Hardly knowing whether he would ever see the trees which surrounded his home, he pressed on in the terrible snow until this height was gained, after which the way was more easy by the natural declivity of the land, but the difficulty largely increased by the fatigue of his faithful horse. It is not to be wondered at that his relatives on the Mackinaw were so uneasy as to try soon after to make an unsuccessful trip of discovery. The endeavor was abandoned, after making only a portion of the distance, from sheer inability to go on.

The Henline Creek flows from near the center southwesterly to the Mackinaw, which only runs across the southwestern corner of the township. Lawndale was all prairie, except portions of Sections 31, 32 and 33. The name was suggested by Hon. John Cassedy when the township was organized, and readily accepted. The timber along the stream is of the varieties usually found in this portion of the State - oaks, black-walnut and hickory predominating. Along this the early settlers lived without for ten years being troubled by tax-gatherers, neighbors, or other attendants to civilization. They purchased timber-land, but enjoyed the free use of all the prairie-land they wanted, not thinking it worth buying. When the first prairie-lands were bought for SI .25 per acre, the timber-lands were held at, and in fact, some actually sold for from $35 to $60 per acre. With no coal to burn, no Osage orange for fencing, and herds of cattle ranging at will over the country, before the days of cattle ordinances, it was hardly thought safe to commence a farm without a piece of timber-land to furnish fencing and fuel. The first settlement made in the township was by the Henline family, some of whom, with their numerous descendants, stilPreside on the lands that they first brought into cultivation.

Three brothers of the name, who were of German descent, John, George and William, had grown up in Boone County, Ky., and in the fall of 1828, started from that place for this State. It was at a time when Illinois was attracting a considerable immigration, thousands of families leaving; the State to better their condition where they could find cheap land and plenty of it for their usually numerous families. Many of them had become dissatisfied with the effects of slavery, and, with their moderate means, felt that they preferred homes in a free State.

The Henlines came as far as the western boundary of McLean County and remained a few weeks, when John went farther and made a home on the southeast quarter of Section 30 of the present town of Lawndale, about two miles from the stream, on Henline Creek, which took its name from him. He was crippled while on his way from Kentucky, and never recovered ; but this did not prevent an active frontier life. Here he lived, and his family grew up around him, and died in 1869. His wife was a sister of Major Darnall, who was the first settler in Livingston County, at Indian Grove, and who, at this writing, still lives there. His sons, David, William B. and Martin, young boys at the time of their journey hither, became the large landed proprietors of this and adjoining townships, and for many years were known as the leading live-stock men of this part of the county.

In later years, reverses came to them as to thousands of others, who have seen the accumulations of industrious lives swept away by adverse circumstances. William, a brother of the pioneer, made a home on Section 32, nearer to the Mackinaw ; and George, another brother, near by. These three brothers were the only residents of the present Lawndale at the time of the " deep snow " and of the " Black Hawk war " - two of the principal early events of our history.

They will never tire of telling, nor will the reader of reading, of the events of the time. Never in the history of the State was such a snow known as fell early in the winter of 1830-31. The snow fell without wind, and is said to have been fully four feet deep, followed soon by a rain, which was in turn followed by a severe freeze, keeping the snow from drifting and making it almost impassable. Game of all kinds suffered death by starvation, and what seemed at first a real help to the settlers, in the ease with which they captured game and meat, became a loss before spring, in the destruction of that which they largely depended on.

During the time of the snow, the Henlines found it necessary to feed some of the wild hogs, to " keep them along," and picking corn was accomplished industriously by poking the snow away from the stalk and fishing out the ear, about as we hunt young potatoes when we do not wish to pull up the vines. It was not very rapid picking, but the boys did not have to go to school, and the number of head of stock to feed was not many.

Up to the time of the Black Hawk war, there were Indians in this vicinity, and so far from being considered dangerous company, were rather encouraged in their visits.

The Henlines returned on a visit to Kentucky in the fall of 1830, to procure farm implements, stock, etc. Mrs. H., having an eye to future barrels of apple-butter, pulled up a few yearling apple-sprouts, which she carefully wrapped up in cloths, " heeling them in " with earth, and brought them to the Mackinaw. What Phoenix has been doing for the prairies, she did for the early settlement ; and there never was a prouder fruit-grower in all McLean County than was Mrs. Henline when she first picked apples from the orchard which her forethought had given, and which her children and children's children still gather from.

Port Henline

One of the matters about which memory lingers and much has been said was the '» fort" which was built at Henline during the Black Hawk war. So far as the writer knows, no written or printed description of this frontier work exists, and it was his good fortune to get from the lips of one who was active in military operations of this " department," Mr. George Spawr, who still lives with his son in Lawndale, a description of the formidable fortification. Capt. Merritt L. Covel, of Bloomington, was chief in command, and the men of this frontier followed his orders without a murmur. The fort was at John Henline's house, on Henline Creek, about two miles from its mouth and about one hundred and ten rods from the present Evergreen M. E. Church. Logs were cut about the length of a rail-cut and split in two. A trench was dug, about three feet deep, and these split logs were firmly set in the ground, perpendicularly, so as to form a perfect protection against anything in Indian warfare. The inclosure thus made was about four rods by six, giving plenty of room for all to collect if necessary.

A similar one was built at Rook's Creek, for the protection of that neighborhood. Mr. Spawr was one of the mounted guard who ranged the country from the Mackinaw to the Vermilion. About the time of change of guard, Capt. Covel instructed two of the soldiers to give a false alarm, to see whether the militia would come to time in good order, and really for fun, possibly. Spawr gave the alarm, and such another " breaking for the timber " never was known in these parts.

The only Indians in the neighborhood were the Kickapoos, at Oliver's Grove, who, with reduced numbers and long abstinence from warlike adventure, were really more afraid of the whites than the whites were of Indians. They seemed to reason thus : Living here alone, without arms, and almost surrounded by white settlements, within a day's march of civilization, they could be made an easy prey to any hostile demonstration the whites might, from revenge or from sheer desire for blood-letting, engage in. The whites, with a century's experience before them, could hardly be expected to be free from anxiety. They could not well anticipate this disposition on the part of the Kickapoos ; hence the mutual fear.

Happily, the " vigorous prosecution " of the war in the northern part of the State soon relieved the settlers on the Mackinaw from all fear, and, in a few weeks, they were permitted to return to their crops without having seen any actual war. The defeat of Black Hawk removed the last fear of Indian war from this State, and sent in a tide of immigration which lasted till the great commercial crash of 1837.

Martin Batterton came here from Madison County, Ky., where so many of the settlers of McLean came from, in 1833, coming on horseback. He was a cousin of the Henlines, and after looking at the country concluded to make it his home. He purchased the claim of Nicholas Darnall and returned to Kentucky for some tools, with which he went to work. He was skilled in the use of tools and became the handy mechanic of the settlement.

1^1835, the land " came into market," as the settlers say - that is, the United States was slow in making surveys, and settlements ran far ahead of land offices - but on that year the surveys had been made and land offices opened, so that land could be entered and title secured. In many places, there was a good deal of strife in securing land, but here no one attempted to jump another's claim, and, consequently, nobody failed to get the land he lived on, if he wished to. The settlers in Lawndale secured title to their land and purchased such as they wished at the minimum price.

Martin Batterton entered the northwest quarter of Section 32, and built a houseupon it, in which he now resides. He married the following year, and an interesting family of children have grown up around him. His only son, who served faithfully in the war for the Union, and was afterward editor of the Vicksburg Herald, was accidentally killed in 1865. His daughters are married, the one to T. B. Kilgore, one of the most prosperous farmers in Lawndale ; the other to A. J. Moon, a successful merchant in Lexington.

John Smith came to the Mackinaw in 1834. He took up land and, later, entered in Section 30, southeast quarter, where his son, Shelton, still resides, who is well-knowo as an enterprising and public-spirited man. Shelton well recollects the first school which was taught in this neck of timber, as he was about eleven years old and was one of the pupils. The teacher was an Irishman, well-educated, but retaining plenty of the " rich Irish brogue." He taught in what is now known as the Chinese plan. Pupils studied aloud, and teacher, hickory in hand, marched around, shouting his orders like a militia captain on parade day, making himself heard by the superior strength of his voice. He only taught till Christmas and left, it is supposed, in consequence of a determination on the part of the school to " bar him out," according to the custom of the times.

The " sudden change," so often spoken of by the old residents, was, in many respects, a strange phenomenon. Late in December, 1836, the weather had been warmr and the ground was covered with wet, the mud being thin from recent rain and thawing. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a western wind sprung up, and was so cold that the thin mud and slush commenced .to freeze at once. Children who were returning from school were frosted, and the mud froze to their shoes, so that it was almost impossible to walk. The small streams were so frozen over, in about twelve minutes' time, that it was almost impossible to cross. Small animals, unused to such matters, were frozen in the mud ; many were picked up and carried in to save their lives, after they were unable to extricate themselves. Without any weather bureau, and without the aid of telegraphic reports from all along the line, it was difficult to fix the storm-center, area and origin of this peculiarly severe streak of weather ; but from such information as could be learned, it seems to have come from the regions of the usual sudden changes - the history and direction of which are now very accurately understood - to have traveled in an east by southeasterly direction, at the rate of from twenty to thirty-five miles per hour, and that its center was nearly that of the center of the State.

Thomas Smith soon after this took up land on Section 29. William Henline was the first to build a brick house in town, though this happened several years after the date of which the present is a record. From this (1837) until the railroad age (1851), very little can be said of this settlement, more than of hundreds of others all over the West. The general crash which followed the speculative era of 1835 and 1836, the political doctoring immediately following, a bankrupt State, saddled with a debt which seemed to be irredeemable, all tended to prevent immigration. Certain it is that very little' change took place in the real-estate market of Lawndale. The score or two of citizens who inhabited the future town were not of a speculative turn. They held the timber-line close, occupied the prairies back of it freely, raised a few cattle that there was a market for, raised a little pork for sale, and found a market for it at Bloomington, Pekin or Chicago. They did not want to sell their timber-land, and did not want to buy the prairie ; did not encourage immigration ; indeed, they now very unanimously believe that their time would have been a happier one, with fewer regrets and less trouble, had the ante-railroad era continued. They became thoroughly conservative in regard to the influx of new neighbors, from the little experience they had soon after the time that the land upon which they lived came into market - a crowd of hungry speculators, with all kinds of wild-cat bank bills appeared, ready to buy them out, or, if possible, to find where there was an available tract of timber-land to be purchased of the Government. They would " prospect " for " corners " by the day, and, with compass in hand, run lines all over to find what the settlers refused to tell them. There was no end to the devices of these " locusts " to find out where certain lands could be found. It was very natural that the residents should be unwilling to show them any accommodation.

The Railroad Age

Though Lawndale never had a railroad, and some of her citizens undoubtedly think them the sum of villainies, their present prosperity is, beyond question, owing to the building of these great highways. Hon. John Cassedy, with whose name the growth and development of the township has been so identified in its every interest, came here from New York City in the summer of 1851, determined to be a farmer. A sketch of his life, and of his experience, is well worthy of preserving, not more as a memento to a, faithful public officer, than as a preserving of certain incidents and customs that never will be repeated in the time to come, however much history may " repeat itself."

John Cassedy, at the age of eighteen, had received a common-school education ; had helped his father to clear a timber farm in the wilds of Michigan ; was tall, rather slender, not remarkably robust, physically, but mentally of a cast which, as was said of the discoverer of America, would have constructed a new world if he had failed in discovering one. He returned to New York City, the place of his birth, to accept a clerkship which had been offered him, devoting his earnings to assisting his father in the maintenance of the family until his majority. At the age of twenty-three, he had saved from his earnings about $250, $160 of which he paid at the broker's office of Jacob Little & Co., then famous in Wall street, for a 160-acre land warrant; first stipulating that, in case he did not locate it, they would buy it back for $150. He took a railroad ticket to New Buffalo, a point on Lake Michigan, once quite important, but now forgotten, except by those who, coming to Chicago about that time, found that the terminus of the Michigan Central Railroad ; putting the remainder of his fortune in gold, with his land warrant, which he dreamed was his farm, into a belt around his body, he struck out afoot to find a farm. He knew that the Illinois Central Railroad was soon to be built, and that it was to pass through Bloomington ; and, after much study and some considerable doubt about locality, decided to get as near that line of road as possible. The land, for fifteen miles each side of that line of proposed road, had been withdrawn from market when he got to Danville. The fifteen-mile exemption covered the township of Lexington. He procured from the land office at Danville, a plat of Town 25, Range 5, which adjoined the railroad land, and also a plat of Town 26, Range 6 (Indian Grove), intending to locate his land warrant somewhere on the former, and, with $50 of his money, get a forty-acre piece of timber in the latter, for he found no timber-land still in the hands of the Government in the former.

Arriving here, he made the acquaintance of Shelton Smith, with whose aid he soou selected the quarter-section he wanted on Section 18, where he still resides ; but to get his timber land was a more difficult matter. He knew that there were two forty-acre pieces intthe Indian Grove timber still subject to entry. One of these he must have or he could not take the prairie farm, for a prairie farm with no timber land to look to for fuel and fencing was, at that day, practically valueless. Striking out across the country for the Grove, he could not make out the corners so as to find out the particular forties which he wanted to inspect. If he let the residents of the Grove know what land he wanted to buy, there was nothing to prevent their getting to Danville ahead of him and entering it, as he was on foot. They all had land to sell at $40 per acre, but, unfortunately, he could not buy more than one acre at that price, and must depend on his mother wit to find the cheaper land. Another trouble he met was that, learning he was from New York, and still wearing the soiled " Broadway suit," they recalled the sorrowful experience with some Yankee peddler who had recently depleted the cash of the Grove neigh - borhood by selling some new-fangled Yankee invention, which worked very well in model, but which utterly failed to realize the fortune which the imaginative speculator had portrayed. They did not want any Yankees in there, and all with one accord began to make it difficult for him. By strategy, he got sight of his forty, and went to Danville and entered both tracts. At that time, standing on the land of Section 18, he could see the roofs of Pleasant Hill, a few houses along the Mackinaw, and, from the high land north of his house, could see the roof of Ben Walton's house, in Belle Prairie, just then being built. From his farm east to the Indiana line, over the Grand Prairie, there was not probably a house or an inclosure. He returned to New York and continued in the employ of the company that he had clerked for, who sent him to North