Morgan County, Illinois - The whole text, 1878 (part 7 of 21)

" On the twelfth of October, 1819, a society was organized in the city of New York by the name of the New York Emigration Society, of which George D. Cooper was secretary, the object of which was to provide for the exploration of such parts of the United States as might be adjudged desirable, and obtain information for the benefit of personsintending to remove to those States. David Berdan (the father of our Judge James Berdan), Isaac Fort Roe, and George Nixon, were appointed the exploring committee, who were required to proceed to Buffalo, and from thence to and through the upper part of the State of Ohio, and through the States of Indiana and Illinois, on such routes as they might determine, and return by way of Pittsburg and Easton to the city of New York. The committee was required to purchase one section or two half sections, and the fractional part of one or more sections in the States of Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois, on some large creek or navigable river, 160 acres of which was to be laid out in village lots, four to the acre, including streets, and the residue in lots of five acres including roads and passways. The committee was also authorized to purchase as many quarter sections of land as might be subscribed for, adjoining the land required to be laid out in village and out-lots. Eighty-five dollars were advanced to pay the first installment to the Government, and the expense of purchase. No member of the society was allowed to subscribe for more than ten village lots, two out-lots, and four quarter sections of land. The price of village lots was fixed at two dollars each, and of out-lots at twelve dollars each. The committee left New York on the 15th of October, 1819, and traveling by the routes required, reached Vincennes on the 20th of December, the ground being covered with snow, which had fallen the previous night to the depth of nine inches. They crossed the Wabash River on the 20th ; crossed the Mississippi River on the ice -to St. Louis on the 31st, leaving their horses at ' Boullard's Inn,' in Illinois. On the 5th day of January, 1820, they visited Edwardsville, where they remained in consequence of rain and continued snow storms, until the 12th, when they left for the mouth of the Illinois River. That day they reached Judge Lofton's, in what is now Jersey County. The next day the judge accompanied them to the mouth of the Illinois, and they returned to his house that night. The next morning it was snowing violently, yet, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, the parties set out for the Sangamon country, and at four o'clock p. m. reached Hammon's, on one of the head branches of Macoupin Creek. ' This,' says the journal, ' proved a severe day for us, as the storm raged violently throughout the same. Hammon's house being in a very unfinished state rendered our situation very uncomfortable during the night. The floor we laid on before the fire was in a very unfinished state, and the stormy wind passing between the logs of the cabin annoyed us greatly.' The next day they reached the house of Isaac Keys, distant forty miles, ' situated in the edge of the timber land, on the east side of Sugar Creek, about a mile below the mouth of Lick Fork.' That night they were visited again by a violent storm which continued through the next day, which being the Sabbath, the parties remained indoors. Starting on January 12th, they passed the heads of branches by a circuitous route to Brown's, on Lick Creek. From here, with Brown for a pilot, they passed around the heads of streams emptying into the Sangamon and Illinois Rivers, to Seymour Kellogg's, between Indian Creek and the Mauvaisterre. From here they passed the heads of the south branches of this creek to the timber of Sandy Creek, and from thence, pursuing a western course, they, on the 23d of January, 1820, passed this grove which they named ' Diamond Grove.' Continuing southwest they reached a small camp, recently entered by Stephen Olmstead, near what was formerly called Swinerton's Point, at the base of the mound on which Mr. Adam Allison now resides. This mound being covered with hickory, they named it 'Hickory Grove.'

" They spent the night at this camp. The next day they set out, with Mr. Olmstead as a guide, the snow eighteen inches deep, for the mouth of the Mauvaisterre. They reached the hills and bluffs of that stream about three o'clock p. m., when their guide informed them ' that he had missed the way, and knew not where he was or how much farther they had to go to arrive at the mouth of the creek.' They then returned to the camp, where they remained that night. With reference to the region of country passed over between Kellogg's and the mouth of the Mauvaisterre and its supposed outlet, the journalist says : ' It appears as if nature intended this point as the grand outlet of this most fertile of all counties lying east of it, and which will in due time become the most populous and wealthy section in the United States.'

" From this camp the party returned to Kellogg's, and from thence, by a circuitous route, through snow twenty inches deep, they arrived at Key's, where they remained during the night, and from this place they traveled the prairies between the streams running into the Sangamon River ; crossed the river on the ice a short distance below the junction of .the north and south forks, and after exploring the country north and south of the river, they returned to Mr. Key's, and then by a circuitous route, passing the heads of creeks and branches, they returned to Edwardsville, where they remained until the 7th of February, when they separated. Messrs. Berdan and Nixon started for New York, Mr. Roe for the ' Diamond Grove,' the place selected for the future residence of himself and such of his friends as might be induced to follow him.

" In this month of February he put up a log cabin for his residence, and subsequently made a small improvement. His earthly home was in this grove until October 12th, 1821, when, at the age of forty-eight years, he departed to that world of spirits to which we are all hastening. He was the son of the late Dr. Ozel Roe, of Woodbridge, New Jersey. Dr. Chandler, his attending physician, in a recent letter says : ' He was a man of highly cultivated mind, of religious tastes and habits, and of gently, pious character.' Referring to his burial, he says : ' There was not a plank to be had to make a coffin. Judge Wilson and others cut a tree, split out puncheons, hewed and planed them, and made as yood a coffin as they could under the circumstances. He had no relations to mourn his loss ; no sermon was preached, no prayers were said, scarcely D

" Mr. Roe had never been married. He had been a merchant in the city of New York, and, having sustained a heavy loss by failures of customers, reducing his means below what he thought essential to success in business, he came West. His companions, David Berdan and George Nixon, also merchants, had been more fortunate ; their losses during the crash of 1818 and 1819 had not so reduced their capital as to make it necessary to seek new places of business.

"Now, to perpetuate the memory of Mr. Roe as one of the first settlers in the county, the first in this grove, and the first to die in the limits of the present Counties of Morgan, Cass, and Scott, and the fact connected with his settlement and death, Messrs. Joseph Morton, Huram Reeve, Judge Whitelock, and myself, acting by appointment of the County Court, have caused this monument to be erected."

This narrative states that Mr. Roe was one of the first three settlers in the county. He was said to be the first to erect a log cabin therein, but had been preceded by two others. They were Seymour and Elisha Kellogg, who probably erected what is known as rail-pen cabins. These two had penetrated to the territory, now comprising Morgan County, in the Autumn of 1819, and had a camp at the grove where they were found by the three explorers, to whom they furnished corn for their horses, and shelter for -themselves. One of them also piloted the adventurers to Mauvaisterre Creek, but, as the narrative shows, became bewildered, and the entire party returned to the camp. Jeddediah Webster, a soldier of the war of 1812, who passed up the Illinois River to the mouth of Mauvaisterre Creek, often spoke of assisting to build the first cabin in this county - referring to the one built by Mr. Roe. This assertion being true, there were in the Winter of 1819-'20, in the confines of the three counties often alluded to in these pages, all of whom afterwards were included in Morgan County, four settlers. They were the Kelloggs, Mr. Roe and Mr. Webster. It was during the Spring of 1820 that the first ground was broken here for the purpose of cultivation. During the same Spring the following persons are known to have located in this then western wilds : John and William Wyatt, Isaac Reeve, James B. Grain, Isaac Dial, Thomas Smith, James Deaton, Robert James, Jesse Ruble, Ancil Cox, Joseph Buchanan, Samuel Scott, Isaac Edwards, Archibald Job, Stephen Olmstead, Michael Arthur, James Buckley, Aaron Wilson, and Isaac Smith. Mr. Reeve settled on Sandy, southwest of the Diamond Grove on what has since been known as the Deed's farm. Being a blacksmith he brought with him his anvil, hammers, and bellows. As the season advanced and the plows of the infant settlements began to need sharpening, Mr. Reeve extemporized a blacksmith shop, the first in the county, in the open air. His anvil was fastened to a stump and his bellows to two saplings, his forge being a very primitive affair. To this shop the neighbors, though many of them lived miles away, came to get their little jobs of smithing done. It has been claimed by some of the early residents about Winchester, in Scott County, then a part of Morgan, that their date of settlement precedes that of the settlers already named. This is evidently an error, as Mr. James Gilham, one of the oldest residents there, in a recent conversation with Mr. Huram Reeve, narrates the fact of coming from that settlement on horseback carrying two plow shears to Mr. Reeve's airy shop for the purpose of having them sharpened. He remarked to Mr. Huram Reeve that he would not have done this had there been a shop in his own immediate neighborhood.

Of the settlers we have named Messrs. John and William Wyatt settled on land now occupied by Alexander Edgemon. Mr. Deaton and his son Lewis made their claim about four miles northwest of the present city of Jacksonville, on the Meredosia road. Mr. James settled in the same neighborhood. During the same Spring, 1820, but somewhat later, settlements were made in two other neighborhoods. Mr. Swinerton, Mr. Olmstead, and Mr. Pierce, fixed their location and commenced improvement at Olmstead's Mound, now known as Allison's Mound ; and on the north fork of the Mauvaisterre settlements were made by Samuel Scott, and Seymour and Elisha Kellogg. The latter settled on the north side of the creek, and the first improvements were commenced on what is now known as the Huffaker place, by Isaac Edwards. Mr. Buchanan settled near the head of the south fork of the Mauvaisterre. The same Spring Mr. Roberts and his sons settled at Island Grove. The Kelloggs with their families, being the first permanent settlers within what is now Morgan County, deserve a more extended notice. When the erection of the monument to the memory of Isaac Fort Roe, took place, it was supposed that he was one of the first three settlers in the territory of which we are writing. He was one of the three explorers passing through this region, as narrated in the article of Judge Thomas, and was the third settler in the present limits of the county. Mrs. Minerva Richards, now living in Jacksonville, a daughter of Ambrose Collins, distinctly remembers the settlement of the Kelloggs. She states that in the Summer of 1818, her father, a native of Ontario County, New York, left his home with his family, a few articles of household furniture and provisions enough to last some time, came with two wagons to the Alleghany River, above its junction with the Susquehanna, where he procured a flat-boat on which he embarked his possessions, and proceeded down the Ohio River. His designation was the southern part of Illinois. On the way down the river he fell in with Seymour and Elisha Kellogg, who with their families were proceeding in a similar conveyance to the same destination. Mr. Collins and Seymour Kellogg had been acquainted in their native State. The latter had been a Colonel in the war of 1812, and was known by that title. At Shawneetown they disembarked and proceeded in their wagons to. Carmi, on the little Wabash River. They remained here during the winter, and the following summer. Early in the Autumn of 1819 they loaded their effects again into their wagons, and went oh westward to Edwardsville. Here Mr. Collins was taken sick and was compelled to remain through the winter. The Messrs. Kellogg with their families and Charles Collins, a son of Ambrose Collins, with their teams, some cattle and provisions for the winter, started for the Sangamo country. They followed a more northern route than that generally adopted by emigrants. Their only guide was the compass and a few indistinct trails, made by the roving Indians or adventurous bee hunters. Late in the Fall of 1819, they arrived near the head B" Mauvaisterre Creek, erected two cabins arid made provisions for the inter, now rapidly approaching. The country lay about them in all its native wildness. No signs of life were seen, save foot-prints in the brown paths, worn by Indian feet ; and the shy, frightened birds, squirrels, or deer, that darted away into the wildwood, at the approach of the emigrants. No foot of white men save that of the adventurous scout, or wandering hunter, had pressed the sod of these wild prairies, or roamed through the trackless forests. Mauvaisterre Creek had not known the abode of a white man. Anxious to build homes where they could rest secure, and where they could gather the fruits of a life-time, these pioneers braved the dangers of a frontier life and founded their homes where now are :

The winter of 1819 and '20 proved to be an unusually severe one. The long grass of the prairies had been destroyed by fires lighted by the Indians or hunters, and much of the undergrowth in the woods was destroyed by the same element. Before the close of the winter, the provisions gathered by them for their stock, from places where it had escaped the ravages of the fire, gave out and they were compelled to cut down trees, from the boughs of which the cattle and horses could procure a scanty supply of food. Many of these wandered away and were lost, while several of them died from the effects of cold and hunger. The supply of food for themselves and families proved to be sufficient, yet their suffering from the cold was often intense. Mr. Seymour Kellogg in his search for some of his stock, one* bitterly cold night, lost his way and saved his life only by walking vigorously between two trees standingseveral rods apart. He did not dare to leave this track during the night for fear of being irrecoverably lost. He did not know how far he was from either his own or his brother's cabin.- On the appearance of day-light, he found himself about two miles from the latter place, to which he immediately repaired. His feet were badly frozen during the night, making him a cripple for several months.

Early in the spring Charles Collins returned to Edwardsville with his wagon and team, to aid his father, should he be sufficiently recovered, in bringing his family to the new settlement. It was just before his start to Edwardsville that the three explorers, whose names and explorations we have already recorded, came,, and one of them, Mr. Roe, settled at the place to which he gave the name " Diamond Grove." Mr. Collins with his family started on their journey about the first of March. On the way they were compelled to camp out two nights, there being no settlers between Edwardsville and their destination. On their arrival, they remained one night with Seymour Kellogg, and then went to an unfinished cabin, erected by Mr. Olmstead, who had been exploring this country, and had built the cabin entered temporarily by Mr. Collins. The location not being a desirable one, Mr. Collins selected his claim, erected a cabin thereon as soon as possible, and moved his family to it. When Mr. Olmstead returned with his family, he was not satisfied with the claim he had selected, and chose another, afterwards known as " Olmstead Mound," where he made his permanent home. In 1820 Dr. George Caldwell, the first physician in the county, located.

We have now fully described the earliest settlement in what is now Morgan County. We have also stated the names of others who came here during the spring of 1820, and noted the places of their settlement. We have described at some length the settlement of the Kelloggs - Charles Collins being then a young man, not making a claim or founding a home for himself, can hardly be termed one of the early settlers - because they were the first settlers of the county, and deserve more than a passing notice. The information can be relied on as correct, as Mrs. Richards distinctly remembers the emigration and settlement of these families.

These and the other pioneers came from the southern part of the State, generally about Edwardsville, where some had remained but a short time on their journey to a western home. They came in emigrant wagons over the unbroken prairies, through the wild forests, fording unbridged streams, and encamping wherever the shades of night overtook them. They were seeking a home that in old age would afford them protection and comfort. Upon reaching their destination, their first care was the erection of a cabin in which to shelter themselves and their families. As these primitive abodes were generally built alike by all pioneers, we will note hastily their manner of construction. A site was generally selected under the shelter of the timber, near a spring or running stream. And / soon " the ax rang sharply 'mid those forest shades which, from creation, toward the sky had towered, in unshorn beauty." Suitable trees were selected, which, after being felled, were cut into proper lengths with the ax. The lengths, after being split open with the maul and wedge, were rived into clapboards, to be used in covering the cabins. These boards were held to their places on the roof by weight-poles laid on them as each layer was placed, the eave-pole being pinned fast, and each succeeding weight-pole up to the comb being kept from slipping toward the eave by blocks placed at each end and in the center between them. The rail cabin being raised and covered, a door was cut out, jams pinned on, and a clapboard door made and hung with wooden or leather hinges, to be fastened, when closed, with a latch or pin. Dry grass was then collected for under bedding, clapboards fastened over the cracks, or bed-quilts hung up over the walls to keep out the wind and rain. The next proceeding was to mark out the boundaries of each claim, each settler being entitled, under the rules of the frontier, to so much land as he thought he could pay for when the land came into market. The claim lines were marked by blazing the trees through the timber with an ax, and driving stakes into the ground at short distances over the prairie. The lines thus established were respected by new comers, and if they did not happen to correspond with the government surveys when made, the claim title of the settler to parcels cut off or divided was not affected, and transfers were often made between neighbors after the land had been entered, in order to make the old claim lines good to each particular owner. The next step was to mark out five or ten acres of ground in the young timber skirting the prairie, as a patch for the first crop of corn. The timber land was selected as being better fitted for immediate cultivation, and more easily broken than the tough, wild prairie sod. The work of making rails for fencing was now commenced, to be followed by the clearing, grubbing, and breaking of the ground, and planting of the crop. The corn having been planted in the fresh soil, required but little further attention for some time, enabling the settler to finish his fencing, which was usually done at this period and during the intervals of working the crop. This was the experience of the pioneer settlers of Morgan County during the first season.

The settlers mentioned as locating in 1820, brought with them sufficient provision to last them until the crop could be gathered. It happened however, that Mr. Deaton and his son exhausted their supply of corn meal and bacon sometime about the first of June, compelling them to leave their partly made crop and travel a distance of eighty-five miles, to Edwardsville, to renew their supply. The journey was made chiefly at night, to avoid the greenhead flies of the prairie, which would, in the day time, almost bleed a team to death. Shaping their course by the stars, and without a road or trail, they started on the trip provisionless. Their first camping place was on Apple Creek. The country had been pretty well cleared of game by the Indians, but here they were fortunate enough to kill a squirrel, which they roasted at their camp fire. During the next day they succeeded in killing a deer near where the town of Jerseyville now stands, and thus they were enabled to reach Edwardsville in excellent condition and good spirits. They returned with a sufficient quantity of provisions to last until their crop of corn was gathered. Although, at this period, game was exceedingly scarce, having been killed out or driven off by the Indians, bees were abundant, and in the fall, after the corn crop had been made, the first settlers reaped a rich harvest in honey and wax, the latter constituting at that time, in connection with furs, the circulating currency of the frontier. Successful bee hunters would often find a half dozen or more bee trees in one day. In later years Mr. Wyatt is known to have found twelve bee trees in one day. The wax, when a sufficient quantity was collected, was taken to Edwardsville, or St. Louis, and bartered for articles of household use. Wax or coon skins was about the only money in use among the settlers. Diamond Grove was a favorite resort for bees, the luxuriant prairies abounding with wild flowers afforded them a rich field from which to gather their stores. Honey was commonly used to sweeten tea and coffee, and, until maple sugar was made, was indeed the only article kept by the settlers for such purposes. The common query of the good housewife now is, "do you take sugar in your tea or coffee?" Then it was, do you take honey in your tea or coffee ? If the land did not flow with milk and honey it certainly abounded with the latter, and to the settlers was an article greatly prized.

As the new corn began to harden it was made into coarse meal for family use by rubbing the ear on a tin grater until the grains were rasped off close to the cob. Of this meal bread, very sweet and palatable, was made. -The work of grating was very laborious, and the youngsters of that day would often spend an unwilling evening hour in preparing meal on this old grater for the family use. Late in the autumn, after the corn became hard enough to grind, Isaac Fort Roe and Jedediah Webster constructed a hand mill at " Diamond Grove," to which the settlers repaired to grind their corn. Like all other mills of this class it was quite primitive in its construction. Two stones of the kind known as " lost stones," some two feet in diameter were procured; these were dressed into mill-stone shape and a hole drilled in the center of the one intended for the upper stone, which, by an ingenious contrivance, was made to revolve on the lower. A hole was drilled in the upper side of the top stone, near the outer edge, into which a short handle was inserted. By this means it was revolved the same as a common mill-stone. While the stone was turned with the right hand, the left was used in slowly pouring the corn into the center hole. When the corn was ground it worked its way out from between the stones, where it was caught in a vessel used for that purpose. If the grater required strength and tired its operator, the hand mill was little better in this regard. It would, however, grind much more rapidly and produce a finer quality of meal. This mill could be changed into a horse mill by fixing it firmly between two posts and attaching a sweep to it. Another contrivance for making meal was the mortar; this was made by burning or excavating the end of a stump or log. As the hole in the stump or log became deeper, it was narrowed until it came to a point. A pestle was made to fit closely into this aperture; in the end of the pestle an iron wedge was fixed. When the pestles were made of great weight they were attached to a sweep, made like a well sweep; by this means they could be raised and dropped into the mortars. Meal1 was made in this manner by simply breaking or pounding the corn until it was thoroughly pulverized. The mortar in this country was probably the invention of the Indians, as it was in use when discovered by the white men. The hand mill is spoken of in the Bible, and is probably as old as the world.

After the hand mill and mortar came the hoi'se mill, made after various plans, which, in its day, was considered a great improvement on its primitive predecessors. During the first years of the settlement of Morgan County, the pioneers of that time, did they desire better accommodations than that furnished at Diamond Grove, were compelled to go to Edwardsville, eighty-five miles away. The settlers were greatly dependent on each other during this period, and were noted for their hospitality and kindness toward one another and to strangers. Their latch strings were always out, and though frugal their fare and humble their accommodations no one was ever allowed to go away hungry or uncared for. Long journeys would have to be made to procure tools to use in their daily avocations. It was not uncommon for men to go fifteen or twenty miles for an iron wedge, an ax, a chain, or any such articles when needed.

The rail cabins built by the settlers afforded shelter only during the summer months. After the corn and other crops were well cultivated and laid by, as the settlers termed it, each one made preparation to erect for himself a comfortable log cabin. Logs of the proper length were chopped, puncheons and clap-boards were split, and necessary preparations made to erect these frontier habitations. As the manner of constructing these cabins has been described in the article on Agriculture, printed elsewhere in these pages, it is unnecessary to repeat the description here. The raising of these cabins was always the occasion of a neighborhood gathering, each one of the pioneers deeming it not only a duty but a pleasure to assist his neighbor in establishing a home. By the time the crops were gathered all the pioneers we have mentioned were provided with homes, and the settlement of Morgan County had become a reality.

Aside from the settlers already mentioned, no others are known to have settled here during the Summer of 1820. Late in the Autumn of that year Mr. John Bradshaw visited the settlement, and marked out his claim on what is now known as the "Chestnut" farm, lying a mile southeast of the present city of Jacksonville. He did not, however, remain during the winter or make any improvements until the following spring, when he returned and began cultivating his claim.

Gen. Murray McConnell, a gentleman afterwards well known throughout the county, and who has held many important offices of trust in the State, also made his first visit to the new settlement in the Autumn of 1820. He made his settlement on the place now owned and occupied by Milton Riggs, Esq., in what is at present known as the Gilham Neighborhood, within the present limits of Scott County, but did not commence improvements or remove his family to his claim until the following spring.

Under date of July 11, 1867, Murray McConnell contributed to the columns of the Jacksonville Sentinel, a highly interesting sketch, descriptive of the valle}7 of the Illinois River and its early settlement. After some prefatory remarks he says :

" Take as one diversion of the State, the valley of the Illinois River, including all the country drained by that stream and its tributaries : then the reader can cast his eye over the map and see that said river drains nearly one-third of the surface of the State, properly known as central Illinois.

" You might say, without fear of successful contradiction, that a more fertile and beautiful region of land of the same size, lying in one body, can not be found on the continent of America. The river and its tributaries pass from the east-north-east to the west-south-west, fully across the State, draining about an equal amount of country on each side, formed into long arms of beautiful, dry, rolling, fertile prairie lands, and csfresponding lines of timber land, much narrower in width than the prairie land, but so distributed as to be convenient to any section of prairie land. The surface of the timber land is equally rolling and healthful as the prairie ; and upon every section of the timber and prairie living water may be had.

" This Illinois River is the central water line of the great upper valley of the Mississippi. It lies and runs in a deeper groove in the earth than any other river emptying into the Mississippi. The fortieth degree of north latitude crosses it in Cass County, about midway of its course across the State, and on that line of latitude the country rises as you follow it east from this river to the Alleghany Mountains, and west to the Rocky Mountains : there not being one spot of land or water on that line east or west from that river that is not higher than the land near the mouth of Indian Creek, near where the line of north latitude crosses the river. As an evidence that this river lies deeper in the earth than any other stream in the upper valley, it is known that it is the last river to freeze at the beginning of winter, and the first to thaw in the spring, among all the streams in the valley crossed by that line of latitude.

" This fact accounts for the total absence of extensive swamps and morasses in the valley of this river, such as are found upon the upper portion of the Wabash valley, in Indiana. The central hydraulic groove is cut so deeply in the earth that all the adjacent country is drained ; yet living springs of pure and healthful water abound in all its parts.

" Why so beautiful, rich, and. healthly a country should have remained unsettled so long - occupied only by savage men and wild beasts - while the sterile hills and rocks in the freezing climate of New England, and some similar parts of the Middle States, became densely populated, is a question which arises, but which I will leave others to solve, and will now turn my attention to the history of the first settlement of the valley by white men.

" It is known by those who have looked into this question, that the first white inhabitants and Christian civilized people that located anywhere in the country now known as the State of Illinois, came in the seventeenth century, from France, by way of Quebec and Montreal, up the line of the lakes to Mackinaw, and up Lake Michigan across into the Illinois River : all the way by water, and down that stream to the Mississippi, and across the country and down the Wabash River, and formed the settlements at Peoria, Kaskaskia, Kahokia, Dupro, Carondalet, and St. Genevieve, on the Mississippi River, and Vincennes on the Wabash River.

" The French also afterward came by way of New Orleans. No settlements worthy of note were made on this long line from Detroit to- Kaskaskia with a view to a permanent location, for many years after these last-named settlements were made. Trading-houses were established as depots of commerce with the Indians at many places ; but no farms were made and houses built with a view to a permanent settlement. The people were traders, navigators, trappers and hunters, and were people without homes, and were called by the French inhabitants ' voisseres.'*

" This was the situation of the inhabitants of the country in the year 1775, or about that time, when some French inhabitants from Kaskaskia, being attracted by the beautiful lands on the western banks of Lake Peoria, near a trading-house some distance above, where the city of Peoria now is, made a permanent location with a view to building a village and farming a common field to raise grain, which was the French mode of settling the country. There was a tradition of there having been an earlier ettlement, and as early as 1717 the King of France made a grant of all he Mississippi country, including Illinois, to John Law ; and in 17*23 John aw granted thirty thousand acres to one Phillip Renaults, which was upposed to include this land on Lake Peoria, on the west side of the Illinois River. But the calls of the grant were evidently written out by a person who had never seen the country, and knew nothing about its localities, and were so vague and uncertain that the grant never could be located ; and consequently it is uncertain as to whether it included tliis land or not, and consequently it is doubtful whether any settlement was made here before 1775 by the French colony from Kaskaskia.

in 1775 one John Bapties Malet, and several other French families, made a permanent settlement, and built houses and fenced and planted land at a place above the present city of Peoria, and in 1778 a settlement was made at the foot of the lake, where Peoria now stands.

" Those settlements were permanent, and continued until the war of 1812, at which time a large number of Americans, as they were called, settled in the southern part of Illinois, opposite St. Louis, and south to the mouth of the Ohio. The French people took very little interest in the war. They were mostly traders, and spake the Indian language as well as they spake English, and often better. The Indians were allies of the English, and made war upon the Americans, but made no war upon the French. Thus it came about that the French were charged with aiding the enemy, and the French colony at Peoria was charged with furnishing the Indians with powder, and lead, and guns, to murder the whites down on Wood River, near where Alton now is ; the Indians having made a raid on that settlement and murdered several families, which occurred in 1813.

" This induced Governor Edwards, who was governor under President Madison, to send a couple of keel boats with a company of militia, all Americans, up the Illinois River to Peoria. If the Indians and French had been disposed, they could have captured these boats and the men in a dozen places before they got to Peoria ; but the French people paid no attention to the movement, and did not seem to know that they were regarded as enemies.

" When the boats arrived at Peoria, Captain Craig did not land at the village, but anchored out in the lake, and opened no correspondence with the people on shore. During the night, some three or four guns were fired from the shore, it was said at the boats, but nobody on board was hurt ; nor was it known whether Indians or French fired the guns, or whether they were fired at the boats. Be that as it may, Captain Craig made that an excuse for hoisting anchor and landing a short distance above the village, and in the dark commenced an indiscriminate slaughter upon the sleeping inhabitants of the town, killing many and taking all the balance prisoners, and burning every house in town and country. No American was hurt, nor was an Indian found in the country.

" The prisoners, women and children and all, were put on the boats and taken to St. Louis in triumph. That was the end, for the time being, of the Peoria settlement.

"When the Peoria settlement was destroyed, in 1813, no white inhabitant was left residing in the valley of the Illinois River, or upon any of its tributaries. There was then a small stockade, a garrison of a few soldiers, and a few white settlers on the bank of Lake Michigan, where Chicago now is. This settlement was broken up by the Indians, and most of its inhabitants massacreed, that same year. This act at Peoria was made an excuse for all sorts of British and Indian barbarities on the Western frontier.

" I have given you a historj'- of the first settlement by civilized man in the valley of the Illinois River - the date of its beginning and its tragical -end.

" I came to Illinois Territory in December, 1817, then a lad of sixteen years, and I have been in or about Illinois ever since. I have seen its

" In 1819 I went up the Mississippi 'and Illinois Rivers from St. Louis. I saw the burnt remains of the French settlement at Peoria. I went in the same boat, which was loaded with furs and peltry, across the country, from the Illinois River through the Oplain and Grass Lake into Lake Michigan at the mouth of Chicago Bay, now called Chicago River, where the great city of Chicago has since been built.

"At the mouth of that river we met the other boats, from Mackinaw, loaded with Indian goods. We exchanged our furs, etc., for goods, and our boat returned over the same route. We went back to St. Louis, where, from some old papers I have, I find we landed on the 15th of May, 1819."

About the same time that Gen. McConnell and Mr. Bradshaw settled on their claims, the Rev. Samuel Bristow, a Baptist minister, brought a colony, composed of the Box, Reid, Curlock, and Bosher, or Boyer, families. These were organized into a church, which is in all probability, the first religious organization in what afterward became Morgan County. This little colony settled about five miles northwest of the present city of Jacksonville, in the vicinity of Box Creek, which derived its name from one of the families who settled near its banks, on what now is known as the McDonald farm. This Baptist Church continued in existence for many years, but the organization has for some time been disbanded. The preaching of the Rev. Samuel Bristow was probably the first religious services of this kind, held in the settlements. The Methodist ministers are generally found with the advent of settlements, and are almost always among the pioneers, proclaiming the good news of salvation. It is not definitely known whether any were here during the years of 1820 or '21. Mr. Huram Reeve, one of the earliest pioneers, and with his two brothers, the only men now living in the county, who located here in 1820, says, that the first Methodist preacher that he remembers being in the settlement, was the Rev. Joseph Easy. Rev. Samuel Thompson was the first presiding elder here, and held a camp meeting on Walnut Creek, within the present limits of Scott County, in 1822 or '23. Mr. Reeve remembers attending this camp-meeting, and thinks his recollection is correct. Mr. Levi Deaton afterwards familiarly known as " Father Deaton," in a letter to the Rev. Wm. Rutledge, of Jacksonville, in regard to this subject, says : " The first sermon preached in the county, so far as I know, was by the Rev. John Glanville, at my father's house, in 1822. A class was then organized, consisting of my father and mother, and a brother named Johnson and his wife. The first quarterly meeting, was held the same }rear at Father Jourdan's - father of John and William Jourdan - in the east part of Jacksonville. The first campmeeting in the county, was held on Walnut Creek, near Lynnville, by Rev. Peter Cartright." At Father Jourdan's house, to which Mr. Deaton refers, were held' the first meetings of this denomination in Jacksonville. The class formed there, grew into a church,which is now known as the Centenary Methodist Church of that city. Mr. J. R. Bailey, for seventeen years editor of the Illinois Sentinel, and afterwards of the Illinois Courier, wrote a history of the first few years of the county, which he published in his paper, several years since. In speaking of the

Methodist Church, he says : " The first preacher, Rev. Joseph Basy, of the Methodist denomination, came into the settlement in 1821. He held meetings and preached occasionally at the houses of the settlers, until a regular circuit was established, a few years later."

The Cumberland Presbyterians were also among the pioneers in religious organizations in the settlements. They had a camp-ground and church six or eight miles northeast of Jacksonville, and here they maintained regular religious services for many years. No records of their organization can now be found, nor can any one now living remember the year when this church was founded. Mr. Huram Reeve remembers they were holding camp-meetings in 1824, and thinks their organization had been in existence but a short time. Others concur in this view, although some maintain that this church is as old as any in the county. The latter view is in all probability incorrect, for had such a church existed in 1821 or '22, it would have been well remembered by the settlers of that time. This church was probably organized about the year 1823, and though it does not exist at present was one of the oldest in the county.

The season of 1820 is remembered as being remarkably dry. One of the settlers remembers that no considerable fall of rain occurred from April, 1820, to the same date the following year. A good crop of corn and other field products, owing to the natural richness of the soil, and the heavy dews, was however grown. The next season considerable cotton was raised, and a cotton gin erected by Mr. Johnson, on the farm now owned by C. M. Dewey, Esq., on the Meredosia road. To this gin the neighbors from far and near brought their raw cotton to have it ginned. Esquire Sears, who with Mr. Johnson and some others settled early this year, is reported to have raised one thousand pounds of cotton on four acres. The cotton when woven with hemp or flax made an excellent article of clothing. Until cotton and flax was raised the clothing of the settlers in some cases gave out, and they were compelled to supply the deficiency as best they could. Deer skins, when properly tanned, made a good article of clothing, much worn by the early pioneers. As soon as cotton and flax could be raised they were spun and woven into cloth by the women, who used the spinning wheels, often brought from their former homes, and the old-fashioned wooden loom. To have a good supply of spun and woven articles with which to begin housekeeping was one of the aims of the majority of the young ladies of that day ; and considering the necessities of the times was an aim worthy of commendation. A corresponding desire existed among the }^oung men to have a home in readiness, and to be "a good provider."

During the spring of 1821, a storm occurred, in which a tree was blown down upon the roof of the cabin of James Crane. The roof was crushed in, and Mrs. Crane was badly injured. One of her arms was broken and one shoulder was put out of place. The broken arm was set by a man named Langworthy, but his limited medical knowledge did not lead him to discover that the shoulder was out of place, and in consequence Mrs. Crane remained ever afterward a cripple.

It was during the summer of 1 821, that Dr. Ero Chandler located and began his practice. He erected his house and office on the ground now occupied by the Grace M. E. Church, in Jacksonville. He proved a useful man in his profession, and in after years accumulated considerable property. It is related of him that he came into the settlement on a broken down horse, and with but the single suit of clothes he was wearing. When in his pedestrian visits to his patients his clothes were rent by underbrush or briars, he was accustomed to borrow a needle and thread and repair the damage himself. His medical fees would be regarded as exceeding moderate these times, his charge for a visit made on foot and not occupying a whole day being seventy-five cents. When the visit occupied a day, and he had to borrow a horse to accomplish the distance, his charge was a dollar. But the doctor prospered with the growth of the country, and he afterward owned the eighty acres of ground in Jacksonville on which the Academy stands, and on which Chandler's Addition was platted, now occupied by many of the most valuable residences in the city ; and by him the Rockwell House was built. His memory is warmly cherished, and his usefulness remembered by the early settlers.

" Point or Turn-round " Brown built the first tavern in the county in 1821, at a place about seven miles south of the present county seat, on what was then the St. Louis road, afterward the upper road. The accommodations afforded by this tavern would not compare favorably with those furnished by the hotels of to-day. The sleeping arrangements consisted of two beds, one of which was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and the other a large square bedstead, in which the children slept. The children were placed with their feet to the center and their heads out on the four sides, thus enabling them to economize sleeping space. Travelers of that day usually carried a few bed quilts with which they *' turned in " on the floor ; but when a bed was called for at the tavern, the old folks gave up their bed and crowded in with the children.

The first bridge in the county was built this Summer (1821) over the Mauvaisterre Creek, at a place east of the city on the Springfield road, where Rock bridge now stands, by Col. Joseph Morton, Mr. Levi Deaton and a few others. The long sills intended to span the creek, were drawn to the bank by cattle, and the work of getting them to their place was accomplished by splicing together a sufficient length of log chain to reach across the creek, one end being attached to the sill and the other stretched to the opposite bank, where the oxen were hitched to it and the sill drawn over to its place. Split puncheons were then pinned on the sills for flooring, and the bridge was finished, to be used until the next flood carried it off, when the work had to be repeated.

The section of country drained by streams heading in the Grand Prairie, and emptying into the Illinois River between Alton and Peoria, was known as the Sangamo* country. By this name it was known in the South and East, and at the time of the settlement of the part comprised in Morgan County, it was the destination of all emigrants to the central or southern part of the State.

It must be remembered by the reader, that at the time of which we are writing it was a part of Madison County, and that the State was at this time but a few years old. It will also be borne in mind that in

*The word "Sangamo" is of Indian origin, and was given this country by the Pottawatomies, as expressive of their idea of the country. It meant in their language " a land where there is much plenty."

the early formation of Morgan County it included the present Counties of Scott and Cass. It will be therefore be fitting to include in these pages some sketches of the early settlers in what is now embraced in these two counties.

Mr. Archibald Job, of whom mention is made in the Political history of this county, settled on what has since been called Job Creek, in Cass County, in the year 1820. Mr. Job at that time was accustomed to regard the Diamond Grove settlement as in his immediate neighborhood, and frequently visited the primitive blacksmith shop of Mr. Isaac Reeve at that place. Here, while waiting to have his smithing done, he, as well as others, was in the habit of learning the general news of the settlement and in discussing the topics of the day. As there was no rapid means for the transmission of news the discussion generally related to neighborhood occurrences. The little shop became thereby like country stores and village post-offices now-a-days - the headquarters for collecting and distributing news. Not only was Mr. Job one of the pioneers of 1820, but he was the first representative of Morgan County in the legislature under the county organization, and afterwards served in the State Senate. During a long and active public career he was a prominent man in the county, and when the seat of government was removed from Vandalia to Springfield, he superintended the erection of the new State House. It is related of him that he fenced his first corn patch in 1820, by felling saplings around his clearing so that they interlocked, thus forming a line of rough fence which protected his first crop. Mr. Job, after an active life, died on the farm where he first settled when he came to this county, at the good old age of ninety years.

The settlers of 1819, '20, '21, and '22 have already been mentioned. Some account of their privations is given, and the difficulties they encountered in founding their homes. Enough had now gathered to form a settlement worthy of note by the State legislators, and at the session of that body in the Spring of 1823, Morgan County was created. It had formerly been part of Greene County, and when erected was attached to J}hat commonwealth for judicial purposes. No one can now tell how the « name Morgan was given to the new county; probably some aspiringlegislator, wishing to perpetuate the memory of a friend of that name* arose when the act was presented and moved it be called Morgan - and it was thus christened.

Emigration was great to the Sangamo country during the intervening" years between 1822 and the "Deep Snow." To give the names of all who located during that time is impossible. The principal families, however, were those of Jonathan Atherton, Thornton Shepherd, Rev. John Breach, James Mears, George Hackett, Henry Wiswall, Jacob Deeds, Daniel Daniels, William Jackson, Elijah Bacon, Jacob Redding, Montgomery Pitner, William C. Posey, John Redfern, Aaron Wilson, Daniel Richardson, William Hays, William Huffaker, Sr., Mr. Buckingham, William Scott, Mr. Scroggin, Sr., Abner Vanwinkie, James Evans, Sr., James Green, Andrew Karns, Elder Sweet, and Peleg Sweet.

Mr. J. R. Bailey, in his history of the county, published in the Sentinel, while he was its editor, gives a condensed resume of the earliest years of Morgan County. Although it repeats, in a manner, some facts before stated, it is well worth preserving, and is here given. He says :

44 Martin Lindsley settled at Camp Hollow, since known as the Fisher Place, near Beardstown ; and Timothy Harris and John Catrough accompanied him. Harris settled on the north side of the creek opposite the Bluff House; but Catrough remained with Lindsley for some time afterward, and during a prairie fire came near losing his life, his jeans clothing being burned to a crisp. On December 20, 1820, Julia A. Lindsley, daughter of Martin Lindsley, was born ; supposed to be the first white child born in the county. In 1821 Mr. Lindsley moved to Peoria, where he remained one season, then proceeded down the river and stopped for a time at the mouth of the Mauvaisterre, from thence returning to Camp Hollow. He was killed by the caving in of a well in the year 1830 ; his family remained at Camp Hollow until 1855.

" Mr. Thomas Beard came to Beardstown in 1820, but did not commence improving until 1822. It is related that he built his cabin over a den of snakes, and for some time the inmates were annoyed by the reptiles crawling through the crevices of the puncheon floor. In 1826 he married Miss Sarah Bell, I. R. Bennett, Esq., of Emerald Point, performing the ceremony. After the location of the seat of justice at Beardstown, it became an important shipping point, and Mr. Beard became wealthy. Elisha Lenn, Mr. Waggoner, Simeon Lenn, Solomon Bery, John Baker, and Nathaniel Herring were among the earliest citizens of Beardstown.

" The first steamboat ascended the Illinois River in 1826, the river being navigated, prior to that time, only by keel-boats, flat-boats, and canoes.

44 Bees were very plenty, and two of the settlers, Messrs. Buckleman and Robinson, collected in 1824 fourteen barrels of honey, selling the wax for money enough to enter their claims.

44 Mauvaisterre Creek is said to have been named by the early French voyagers on' the Illinois River. Indian Creek is supposed to have been named by the early rangers under General Whitesides, from the fact that while pursuing a marauding band they killed an Indian on that stream, in 1814. Archibald Job, subsequent^, for many years a noted public man, settled on Job Creek, in Cass County, in 1820. With his family he left Pittsburg on a keel-boat, on the 30th of October, 1819, and landed at St. Louis early in February, 1820, having been obstructed some time by ice. Leaving the keel-boat in charge of his wife and children, Mr. ~ob came up the river located his claim and built a cabin. He broke welve acres the first season, fencing it by felling saplings with their tops terlocked. About the 12th of May, 1820, David and Thomas Blair ettled in Mr. Job's neighborhood, and during the same season went for heir families. On the authority , of Mr. Job, it is understood that the rst Baptist preacher was Rev. Samuel Bristow ; Rev. William Sims and ev. William Crow being next in order. The first camp-meeting was held at the head of Walnut Creek, near James Gillham's farm, in 1826 ; Rev. Mr. Thompson being the presiding elder, assisted by Rev. Peter Cartwright. The first Cumberland Presbyterian church in this county was organized by Rev. John Berey. Mr. I. F. Rbe was the first settler in the vicinity of Jacksonville, in 1820. He made his claim at the Diamond Grove, but afterward sold to Joseph Coddington and settled on the Couch place, where he shortly after died, and was the first white man buried in the

" In the year 1820, Mr. Thomas Arnett settled near the present reservoir for the Insane ; he was the first justice of the peace in the county, and one of the proprietors of Jacksonville. He sold his first claim to John Leeper and moved to the Loar place.

" Col. Joseph Morton and John Bradshaw came to Morgan County in 1820, and located claims, but did not remain. They returned the next season and commenced improvements. Col. Morton used a wooden cart - in which there was no iron to be found - when hauling his rails and doing farm work. They fenced eighteen acres the first season. Mrs. Minnie Conover settled on Indian Creek about 1821. The public lands in this section were surveyed in 1821 and brought into market in 1823. Mr. Charles Robertson settled at the head of the southern fork of Mauvaisterre Creek in 1820 ; his money capital was twenty-five cents, and he invested that in whisky to make bitters for curing the ague. He hunted bees for a time, and sold wax enough to enter the first eighty acres. He afterward became wealthy.

" The first school taught regularly in the county, was held at Isaac Edwards' farm, on the Springfield road - now owned by John Shuff - Mr. Palmer being its teacher.

" After Rev. Joseph Basey, Rev. John Miller was the first local Methodist preacher, but Rev. Newton Pickett rode the first Methodist circuit established in the county. Rev. Levi Springer traveled from Indiana to Morgan County, Illinois, in company with his wife, each on horseback, in the fall of 1823. From Paris they started on the ' lost trace,' crossing the Grand Prairie to the head of the Sangamon River. They were two nights on the prairie, sleeping on the grass, with no protection save their blankets, which they carried, the wolves howling all about them. Reaching Springfield, they found only a few cabins, and thence proceeded to Crow's Point, on Indian Creek, near which place they settled.

" Abel Richardson and his sons Daniel and Benjamin settled on the Mauvaisterre in 1821, on the place now owned by Benjamin Richardson, three miles east of Jacksonville. During the same year Judge I. R. Bennett located at Emerald Point. He was one of the early justices, and performed the ceremony between Mr. Beard and his first wife. He afterward served in the legislature, and as associate county judge.

" Joseph Slattern settled in 1821, on the O'Rear place. In the year 1823 Enoch Marsh came, and afterward built the Exeter mills, being one of the proprietors of Exeter, and holding the first sale of lots, in the fall of 1828.

" Roland Shepherd came to the county about 1821, and in 1823 built a band-mill, which was run by horse or ox power. It was located on what is now the William Taylor farm, situated on Indian Creek.

"Beaton's mill was the next built, and Magill's mill was afterward erected on the northern fork of the Mauvaisterre. John Wyatt afterward built a horse-mill.

" Rev. John Brich came to the county at a very early day, and left it many years ago. He perished in a winter storm in the wilds of one of the northern countries, while pursuing his missionary labors. Finding himself overcome by the cold, he took his will from his saddle-bags, signed it, and hung the saddle-bags on a bush. He was afterward found dead near the bush, the saddle-bags leading to the discovery.

" The first census of Morgan County was taken by General Murray McConnell, in 1824 ; but the returns were lost with other county records by the burning of the first court-house. At that time, in a northeasterly direction from Crow's Point, the country was wilderness. Led by the barking of a dog in that direction, General McConnell found a family encamped ; but upon inquiry, and examination of a blazed line and witness-tree, he found he was on the line of Sangamon County, and that the camp was in Sangamon.

" The James Slattern place was settled in 1824 or '25, by Joseph Carter. Mr. Slattern established his home on the Rusk place, but bought and moved to Carter's improvement in 1827. During ' the deep snow,' which commenced to fall on the 14th of December, 1830, and remained until the 14th of February, 1831, Mr. Slattern was compelled to turn his cattle into the corn-field, having no corn gathered at the time. Allen I. Lindsey settled in Jersey Prairie in January, 1820, on a place since owned by John Crum. In 1826 Mr. Lindsey, one of the judges of the County Commissioners' Court, came, and for many years took an active part in public affairs. Jesse F. Barrows arrived and settled the William Stevenson place in 1829.

" The first election under the county organization was held at Swinerton's Point - where the county -seat was temporarily located - in August, 1824. The judges of the election were John Clark, Joseph Kline, and David Lieb ; Dennis Rockwell and Joseph M. Fairfield being the clerks. The county commissioners were elected for two years. The first board, elected in 1824, consisted of Seymour Kellogg, Peter Conover, and Thomas Arnett. The second commissioners, elected August, 1826, were James Deaton, Allen I. Lindsey, and James Gillham. The board elected in 1828 consisted of Joseph Fairfield, Samuel Rogers, and John Wyatt. The commissioners elected in 1830 were William Gillham, James Green, and William Woods.

" The first Circuit Court was held in the log-cabin of Mr. Olmstead, at Olmstead's - since Allison's - Mound : John Reynolds, judge ; Dennis Rockwell, clerk ; Mr. Green, sheriff. The petit and grand juries held their deliberations in the open grove. The second term of the court was

" Alexander Johnson located on Indian Creek, near Mr. Atherton, at about the same time, and the place is now owned by Henry Johnson, Esq., of Jacksonville ; he remembers that when a very small boy, the Indians used frequently to call at their house. During the Black Hawk war, mistaking for Indians a party of rangers who stopped for refreshments, he crawled under the bed, and finding a cat-hole leading underneath the puncheon floor, he forced himself through and remained perfectly quiet until they had left. He then found it impossible to return in the same way, and it was necessary to take up a portion of the floor in order to get him out.

" Rev Thornton Shepherd came to Morgan County from Tennessee, iu the Fall of 1830. He first stopped at the Jesse Barrows place, but soon after obtained the use of a large unfinished cabin on William Scott's farm, on consideration of finishing it. The fireplace was so large that it would take in a log nine feet long. Here Mr. Shepherd wintered with his family. About the middle of December, he had occasion to visit the northeast corner of Greene County, for the purpose of marrying a couple, and on his return was caught in 'the deep snow.' His sister-inlaw accompanied him, both riding the same horse. It became too cold to ride, and they were obliged to walk through the deep snow, the journey occupying the entire day. The snow continued to fall, to a great depth ; covering the corn in the fields - very little having been gathered - and the settlers were compelled to turn in their stock to gather for themselves. Mr, Shepherd had nineteen head of cattle at the time, and threshed wheat with a flail for Mr. Magill, in exchange for the straw, which he had to haul home the best he could. As the threshing was obliged to be done in the open air, the tips of his fingers were frozen in the attempt to obtain straw for his cattle.

" Mr. Shepherd bought a farm of Levi Fanning, and moved to it March 8th, 1831. He made his first well-bucket by chopping off a section of a log, boring an auger hole through it, and lengthening and enlarging the hole with a chisel until nothing remained of the block but a thin rim. He then fitted in a bottom. A split appearing in the side, he was compelled to take his bucket to Fielding Griinsley, the nearest blacksmith, to get it ironed. That individual, when questioned as to what he was doing, dryly replied that he was ' hooping Shepherd's folly.' Mr. Shepherd was a '-hardshell ' Baptist preacher, and was highly esteemed for noble traits of .character and strict rectitude. He remained on Big Sandy until his death, a few years since, and left a large family.

" When the Robertson family came to Morgan County, in 1821, and struck the northern fork of the Mauvaisterre, where they settled, the only white men living on Indian Creek, were Roland Shepherd, who was settled at Taylor's Point, and his son, Peter Shepherd, who had made an improvement at Adams' Point. The Kelloggs had built two cabins in the neighborhood, in 1820, one on what is now known as the Roach place, and the other on the place settled by Alexander Robertson. They vacated these cabins and claims, for a location further west, in the Gillham neighborhood. The Kellogg cabin, on the Robertson place, was

" The first school-house in the settlement, was built a little south of the burnt cabin. A school was kept by a stern, old Yankee, a teacher of the olden type, named Soule. He was strict with his pupils, and first taught in Mr. Jones' kitchen,while the school-house was being erected. On the last day of school, his scholars demanded that he should treat or be turned out. He refused to do either, and a fight ensued. One of the pupils knocked him against the log mantel, and all the large boys piled on him; but he was stout and 'plucky,' and soon turned the tables on them, quelling the rebellion, and remaining master of the field. Mr.. Soule left the settlement, with his old mare and cart, and little wife, going west. Captain Bennett, Colonel Samuel Matthews, and Wm.. O'Rear, afterward each taught schools in the neighborhood - all in log cabins.

" The Corrington farm on the Mauvaisterre, was settled in 1821, by Mr. W. Miller. Stephen Jones settled the Cassell place, and Joseph Slattern made the first improvements on the O'Rear place.

" Billy Robinson, an old, white-haired hunter, made an improvement north of Antioch Church, on which Bennett Jones afterward settled. Isaac Edwards and Mr. Scott located north of the Curts and: Reeve places.

" John Anderson settled on the Lay ton place ; James Taylor taking the farm west of the Stephen Dunlap place, on the northern side of the north-fork. ' Mr. Murray was the first settler on the Dunlap farm, and Mr. S. Berey took possession of the quarter-section east of it.

" Rev. Peter R. Boranau was one of the early Methodist preachersin the county ; he became a noted revivalist, and died in Chicago, someforty years ago."

During the period between 1823 and 1827, there was a constant increase of emigration to Morgan County, principally from the southern Bounties of the State.

The southern section of the State was called " Egypt," from the fact that the early settlers of the more northern counties were compelled to jo there for their corn and grinding. Hence, when the settlers of Morgan, Sangamon or Greene found themselves under the necessity of laking a trip to the southern counties for provisions, they called it "going down into Egypt;" and in consequence, that part of the State las ever since been known as Egypt.

But little trouble with the Indians was experienced by the early settlers of Morgan County. There were none in its limits after tke white len entered, save straggling hunters or small roving bands who came ta some parts, especially those near the river, to fish or hunt. The western part of the county contains several Indian mounds of great antiquity. Just above Meredosia, on the east bank of the river, is a beautiful level plateau containing about fifteen acres. This was the village home of atribe of Indians, and it was here that Antoine D'Osia, a French priest from whom the lake and present town of Meredosia received its name, labored for the good of these sons of the forest. The Indian village and its dusky inhabitants have long since gone, but the name of D'Osia will live as long as Meredosia and its lake remain. During a visit of some Indians to Washington City, not many years ago, they stopped at Meredosia while on their way, where one of them nearly ninety years of age, related how he had roamed over various parts of the county, and pointed out many objects of interest to his companions. He also related to one of the citizens of Jacksonville, while they were encamped at the fair grounds, many interesting stories of his youthful days. He had hunted .and fished in the woods and streams near the present city, when no thoughts of the white man existed in his mind, and when he and his comxades were sovereigns of this country.

No depredations by the Indians were ever committed among the rsettlers of Morgan County, and no record of the killing of any white -men after the settling of the county is known to have occurred. The settlers north of the Illinois River were, however, not so fortunate. In 1827 occurred what is known as

The Winnebago War

Fully described in the following article, written by Judge William "Thomas, for the weekly Journal of August 17, 1871. As it gives an -accurate account of the participation of several Morgan County men in this conflict, it is worthy a place in the history of the county:

" But few of the actors in this war remain among us. In 1827, General Edwards received information on which he relied, that the Winnebago Indians had attacked some keel-boats, which had been employed conveying army supplies to Prairie du Chien, on their return down ths river, and that settlers and miners on Fox River were in imminent danger of an attack from a band of these and other Indians. The general ordered -* the commanders of the different regiments and odd battalions of General Harrison's brigade on the eastern side of the Illinois River - excepting the 20th regiment - to take immediate steps for detaching into service, according to law, one-fourth of their respective commands. And should -any part of the frontiers south of Rock River be invaded by the savages, the colonel, entitled by law to command the detachment, was ordered to inarch with the least possible delay to the support of the point attacked, "without waiting for further orders.'

" The governor also sent by express - a messenger on horseback - to -Colonel Thomas M. Neale, of Springfield, commander of the 20tl regiment, an order saying: ' You will accept the services of any numbei of mounted volunteers, not exceeding six hundred, who will equip themselves and find their own subsistence, and continue in service thirty days, .unless sooner discharged ; they will rendezvous at Fort Clark - Peoria - where you will organize and take the command of them, and march with all possible expedition to the assistance of our fellow-citizens at Galena, where, if you find an officer of the U. S. army entitled to a superior command to yourself, you will report to him and receive his orders. In your progress you will avoid rashly exposing your men to unequal contests, but it is expected that you will not overlook any proper opportunity of repelling any hostile incursions of the savages.' The facts reported to the governor on which he acted have never, as far as I have known, been made public. Acting upon this order of the governor, Colonel Neale called for volunteers from the Counties of Sangamon and Morgan. Threecompanies were raised in this county, one commanded by William B. Green, then sheriff of the county, numbering nearly one hundred, with John Wyatt first, and James Evans second lieutenant. Jesse Ruble was orderly sergeant. The second company was commanded by William, Gordan, and numbered not more than forty. Nathan Winter was first lieutenant. Captain RodgeiV command numbered the same as Captain Gordan 's. The names of the other officers I do not now remember. I was a volunteer in Captain Graves' company. My messmates were Doct- H. G. Taylor, McHenry Johnson, Enoch C. March, Samuel Blair, and a man named Biggs, a visitor from Kentucky. Of these I am the only survivor. We were required to take ten days' provisions, during which time it was expected we would make Galena, where additional supplies could be obtained. During our preparations to start we had constant,, heavy rains, which raised the rivers, creeks, and branches to an unusual height. The companies from this county made their way to Peoria in? messes and squads, swimming the streams not bridged. Upon the arrival of all the companies at Peoria, Colonel Samuel T. Matthews was elected! lieutenant-colonel, and Elijah lies, of Springfield, major, who, becausehe rode a mule, was called the ; mule major.' So soon as organized we left Peoria. James D. Henry (afterward General Henry), was appointed adjutant, Dr. G. Jayne, of Springfield, surgeon, and Dr. Taylor assistant. William Smith, a merchant of Springfield, was appointed quartermaster, and I was quartermaster's sergeant. The heavy rains had extended to Rock River, and the prairies were so saturated with water, so that we could only travel in a walk, our horses breaking the sod at every step. Following a trail made by the Indians, and persons going to the lead mines, on the fifth day from Peoria we reached Rock River (now Dixon). During this march we had to drink the water standing in swamps, pools, and holes in the prairie. On reaching Rock River, seeingthat it was a beautiful clear stream, with a gentle current, we expected a good drink of water, but to our surprise we found it no better than the water of the swamps through which we had passed. Dozens were made sick by swallowing the water before tasting. We forded the river in the afternoon on a Sunday, those riding small horses swimming, and encamped oh the bank until the next day. Beyond the river we found the countrydry. By this time our ten days' provisions were almost exhausted - we had in a baggage wagon only two barrels of flour, and some crackers, and nearly a barrel of whisky, which we divided that evening, and prepared for an early march the next morning. On the morrow we made an earlystart, and about twelve o'clock we found a beautiful spring of clear water,, the first we had had since leaving Peoria, and of which we partook with a will. We took dinner here and let our horses graze for more than an hour ; we then continued the march until sundown, when finding a good spring we encamped, having marched, as we supposed, thirty-five or forty miles that day. The next day, by a forced march, we reached Gratiot's- Grove, fifteen miles from Galena, where we were unable to obtain supplies, and where we remained the next day, when we removed our encampment to the White Oak Springs, near a tavern house occupied by a Mrs. Nabb, from Springfield. We neither found or could hear of any officers of the U. S. army, nor of any hostile Indians.

" Capt. Smith of Sangamon, and Capt. Rodgers of this county, agreed to go to Prairie du Chien with a report from Col. Neale to the commanding officer at that post. They started without a pilot or compass. They were gone several days and finally returned, reported that they had lost their way and had not been able to reach the garrison. The thirty days being then about expiring, and all apprehension from the hostility having -ceased, Col. Neale decided to disband the army ; the men were supplied with provisions enough to supply them home, and returned in companies, squads, and messes. During the Winter of 1826-7 and the Spring of 1827, .an immense number of adventurers and pioneers had gone to the Fox River country expecting to make fortunes by working the mines, who, upon the alarm that the Indians were threatening them, returned in haste by the first means or conveyance. Most of them came down the river, because it was not considered safe to attempt to pass down the land route, -and here originated the name of ' sucker,' the fish of that name, it was .said, passed down the river at that season of the year, and citizens of southern Illinois were said in their flight to follow the example of the fishes."

" On occasion of a pleasant entertainment at Petersburg, Virginia, Judge Douglas gave the following humorous account of the origin of the term ' Suckers,' as applied to Illinoisans ; the account is valuable further, and confers a proud distinction upon Illinois, in that it clears up all doubt regarding the discovery of that important and inspiring beverage called 4 mint julep,' a momentous question heretofore covered with obscurity and beset with many doubts, but now in the light of these facts, happily placed at rest. It is not improbable that a glass of the animating beverage served to quicken the memory of the honorable Senator on the occasion :

" About the year 1777, George Rogers Clark applied to the governor of Virginia, and suggested to him that as peace might be declared at any time between Great Britain and the Colonies, it would be well for us to be in possession of the Northwest Territory, so that when the commissioners came to negotiate a treaty, we might act on the well-known principle of uti possidetis, each party holding all they had in possession. He suggested to the governor to permit him to go out to the Northwest, conquer the country, and hold it until the treaty of peace, when we would become possessed of it. The governor consented arid sent him across the mountains to Pittsburgh. From there he and his companions floatec down the Ohio on rafts to the falls, where Louisville now is. Aftei remaining there a short time, they again took to their rafts and floatec clown to the Salines, just below the present Shawneetown, in Illinois. Here they took up their march across the country to Kaskaskia, where the French had an old settlement, and by the aid of a guide they reachec" the Oquaw River, and encamped near Peter Menard's house, some little distance from the town. You see I am well acquainted with the locality. Next morning, Clark got his little army of ragamuffins together (for they had no army wagons with supplies, no sutler, and no stores, and by this time looked ragged enough), and took up his line of march for the little French town of Kaskaskia. It was summer and a very hot day, and as he entered the town he saw the Frenchmen sitting quietly on their little -verandahs, in front of their houses, sucking their juleps through straws. He rushed upon them, crying, ' Surrender, you suckers, you ! ' The Frenchmen surrendered, and from that day to this Illinoisans have been known as ' suckers.' That was the origin of our cognomen, and when George Rogers Clark returned to Virginia he introduced the juleps here. Now I want to give Virginians fair notice, that when they claim the honor of a Jefferson, of a Madison, of a Marshall, and of as many other distinguished sages and patriots as the world ever saw, we yield ; when you claim the glory you achieved on the field of battle, we yield ; when you claim credit for the cession of the Northwestern Territory, that out of it Sovereign States might be created, we yield ; when you claim the glory of never having polled a vote against the Democratic party, we yield ; but when you claim the glory of the mint julep, hands off ; Illinois wants that."

Another account of the origin of the name Sucker is attributed to the custom of early emigrants who, when passing through the State and finding a scant supply of water on the prairies, would thrust a sharpened stick three or four feet down into the loose, porous soil. A short time after the stick would be withdrawn, the hole would partially fill with water. The emigrant would then insert a long, hollow reed through which he would suck up sufficient water to quench his thirst. From the custom of sucking the water through these hollow tubes the early inhabitants are said to have derived the appellation of Suckers.

Still another source of the derivation of the term is given. It is related that one spring during the early settlement of the State, the rain fell in such abundance, and the ground remained so long wet after the corn had been planted, that the settlers raised very little if any corn, as it all grew to " suckers," and when the settlers who left the State were asked where they were from, were always ready to reply, " from the Sucker State."

" We found the flux prevailing as an epidemic all over the mining country. All the doctors in the country were constantly engaged. The extent of the fatality I had no means of knowing, but there was necessarily much suffering for want of medical and other attendance among the sick, and many deaths.

" During that campaign many incidents of amusement occurred, ilthough the march through mud and water was by no means pleasant, either to man or beast. We had several false alarms from the night sentinels, and in consequence calls to arms, intended to test the discipline and courage of the officers and troops. Upon the first alarm, one Captain Greene, was suddenly taken very ill, and so continued until the apparent danger was over. We encamped the second night out near the present village of Tiskillwa (Bureau County), where Sergeant Teas, of Sanga- -mon County, found a bee tree, from which he and his mess obtained a good supply of honey. One morning Adjutant Henry and myself, hoping from the appearance of the country miles ahead, that we could find run- ning water, rode in advance of the regiment, intending to mix the water with part of a bottle of whisky in my saddle-bags ; we found several pools of stagnant water, but every drop of the whisky had leaked through the corn-cob stopper of my bottle, so that we had to drink of the stagnant water without the benefit of the whisky. We saw no deers or wolves on the route, but prairie rattlesnakes afforded numerous opportunities for the skill of our marksmen. When we reached the White Oak Springs, our quartermaster, whose duty it was to purchase supplies, deserted us ; and this duty devolved upon the sergeant, who discharged it to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Crossing the Winnebaga Swamps, or marshes, many of our horses became mired so that the riders had to dismount, and occasionally the horses had to be drawn out by the use of the halters and bridles. Forage for horses was out of the question, and they subsisted on the prairie grass. After leaving the settlements we saw no greenhead flies, though they were exceedingly troublesome on the boats at Peoria.

" The governor's order was dated July 4th, at Mt. Vernon. The regiment composed of independent farmers and mechanics was raised, organized, marched to the White Oak Springs, and returned home in not exceeding thirty days. Two of our Morgan County men were drowned in a branch of Crooked Creek returning home. We had no baggage wagon from this county. My mess had a very good tent, which very few of the other messes had. Having no baggage wagons, and having to carry our provisions, arms, and equipments on horseback, we had but little room for tents, even if they* had been supplied. We slept on saddle-blankets, with our heads on saddles, and for covering had overcoats and blankets ; but during that season of the year we had but little use for covering other than overcoats.

" The question of pay was not considered of much consequence ; it was well understood that this depended on the action of Congress, and no fears were entertained of the success? of General Duncan, our representative in Congress, in obtaining the necessary appropriation. We were not disappointed, for appropriations were made by the Congress of 1827-8, and we were paid in the Spring of 1828, the following rates : Each sergeant major and quartermaster-sergeant, $9 per month ; each drum and fife major, $8.33 per month ; sergeants, $8 ; each corporal, drummer, fifer and teamster, $7.33 ; each farrier, saddler and artificer included as a private, $8 ; each gunner, bombardier, and private, 86.66. In addition to which we were paid for the use of horses, arms and accoutrements, and for the risk thereof, except for horses killed in action, ten cents per day. For rations, 25 cents per day, and one day's pay for fifteen miles travel to the place of rendezvous and returning home."

Nothing of interest occurred in the history of the county from the close of the Winnebago -war until the fall of the " deep snow," which happened in the Winter of 1830-31. Quite a number of persons had settled in the county during this interval, and population and improvements had largely increased. This fall of snow was indeed a remarkable event. Nothing like it had ever occurred in the annals of the Northwest. The Indians relate that years before the discovery of the Mississippi River, a great snow fell to the depth of a man's waist. Wild animals perished in great numbers, and the suffering among the Indians, which followed the loss of so much game, was severely felt. In the early days of Kentucky a snow fell to a depth of more than a foot, causing great privation among the settlers ; it however did not equal the " deep snow " of 1830-31.

The Deep Snow

In the latter part of November, 1830, snow commenced falling and continued to fall at intervals until January, 1831. As one snow fell upon another, the wind at times blowing very hard, there soon accumulated a depth in places from seven to twelve feet, covering fences and small buildings entirely, and causing great distress to the inhabitants, as well as to stock and wild game. In the heavy timber, where the wind could not get the power to drift, the snow was said to be three feet on a level. The sun shining occasionally melted the surface, and the cold nights would freeze it hard enough to bear a man or beast. The roads often ran over stake-and-ridered fences, and although good for persons of leisure, if there had been any for sleigh riding, was very inconvenient for farmers who had not gathered their corn, and had to go into their fields and reach under the snow for the ears of corn, and carry them home in a bag or basket to feed their hungry horses, cows, and pigs, and even to get their bread. As they could not go to mill, their corn was put in wooden mortars and pounded until broken so that they could cook it by boiling or baking. Many suffered severely, both for food and warmth, not having , made any preparation for such a change in the weather. For years beforethe weather had been very mild until after Christmas, sometimes continuing so all winter, so warm and open that cattle could browse and feed with but little care from man. Many instances of individual suffering might be given in these pages, but as so many of them have been reported in neighborhood circles, and others published in newspapers and books, it would seem like needless repetition to insert them here. The winter of the "deep snow" is referred to by all the early settlers, forming a data to refer to, as any incident happening so long a time before or after it.

The old settlers of Morgan, Cass, and Scott Counties, in the organization of their society, fixed that as the period of membership, and for a few years none were admitted to become members of the societj' unlessthey could date their residence here previous to the " deep snow." Since then the time has been extended to 1840.

Shortly after the events just narrated, troubles with the Indians in the north part of the State began again. That part of Illinois lying between the Rock and Mississippi Rivers was an inviting place of settlement for the whites. It possesses unusual natural scenery, is well watered, and is very fertile. The Indians then occupying it refused to vacate it for the white people who desired to settle there, and the result was

The Black Hawk War

In the history of the Northwest, printed elsewhere in this volume, a condensed account of this war is given. It, however, relates to the war in general, not specifying any section of country, or giving the experiences of any volunteer from any county in Illinois. Morgan County furnished a number of men in this conflict, and their reminiscences are worthy of record, and merit a place in the county's history. Judge Wm. Thomas was one of the volunteers, and with his accustomed faithfulness preserves an account of his and his comrades' campaign. We give it as he narrates it, in a letter to the Jacksonville Journal, under date of Dec. 3, 1871. He says :

" In 1827, under the administration of Governor Edwards, we had what was called the ' Winnebago War.' A regiment of mounted volunteers from the Counties of Sangamon and Morgan, under command of Colonel Thomas M. Neale, marched to the neighborhood of Galena, for the defense and protection of the settlers and miners in that region, against a supposed threatened invasion of the Winnebago Indians.

" In 1829 - 30, a number of families settled on Rock River, a few miles below Rock Island, in the absence of the Indians, who had previously occupied that land, between Rock River and the Mississippi. In the Spring of 1831 the Indians returned, and claimed their former possessions, which our settlers, having made arrangements for raising a crop, were reluctantly compelled to surrender. Black Hawk and his followers claimed that this neck of land still belonged to the Indians ; that the treaty by which it had been ceded had never been assented to by the legal owners. Out of this claim of Black Hawk grew the first of the Black Hawk war - having no connection with the Winnebago war. Governor Reynolds ordered out a brigade of mounted volunteers, to proceed to the disputed territory and repel the Indians. Governor Duncan, being then a major-general of militia, took the command of the brigade, by order of the governor. The brigade was hastily organized, and in quick time was on the scene of proposed action. The Indians, however, being aware of the approach of the army, abandoned their wigwams and possessions, and crossed the river into Iowa. Whilst this brigade was marching across the country, General Gaines was moving up the Mississippi on a steamboat with some companies of the regular army. The general, intending to avoid any personal conflict with the Indians, or the shedding of blood, anchored his boat a short distance below the mouth of Rock River, and sent a messenger across the country to meet General Duncan, with orders to join him on the Mississippi, a movement which would give the Indians notice of the approach of the militia, and time to escape, of which they readily availed themselves by retiring to what they esteemed a place of safety. General Duncan reached General Gaines in the afternoon, encamped, and remained until next morning, when both companies started up the river - General Gaines on the boat, and General Duncan at the head of his brigade - intending to meet and co-operate together at the Indian village. It commenced raining early that morning, and continued until the afternoon. Before General Dun- can reached the place of crossing the Rock River, General Gaines had ascended the river as high up as the stage of the water would permit, and signalled General Duncan by the firing of cannons, as had been previously agreed on.

" Being quartermaster of the brigade, and having been informed of the intended movement, and also of General Gaines' expectations that the Indians would escape, I was not surprised at hearing the cannon ; but the rank and file of the militia thought the firing was the beginning of a fight, and a book might be written representing the speeches and describing the actions of these uninitiated militia, as they passed up the river to the place of crossing. We first crossed a wide, shallow slough, on to an island thickly set with undergrowth of saplings and bushes. We then reached the main river at a place supposed to be fordable : our advanced guard following a pilot reputed to be well acquainted with the road, crossed the river, but it was deep, and the bottom covered with large rock, or boulders, as they were called. In crossing, some of the horses striking these boulders, fell, and threw their riders into the river, to make their way across as best they could ; other horses had occasionally to swim. With the loss of a few guns and the ducking of a few riders, the guard reached the bank - no one drowned or badly hurt. The main army went a short distance below, opposite the Indian village, where some craft were found on which the men could cross, and the horses were made to swim. Whilst crossing the river, the rain fell in torrents. I found a log-cabin on the bank, into which, with my horse, I took shelter until most of the army had crossed, and the storm abated.