Ogle County, Illinois - Chapter 13, 1859

Chapter 13

The first newspaper in this county was the liock River Register, the first No. of which was issued in Mt. Morris on the first day of January, 1842, by Jonathan Knodle. We find in the first column of No. three, the earliest copy within our reach, the following :

Tlie Eock River Register will be neatly and tastefully printed on a super-royal sheet of good quality, and published weekly at $2.50, in advance, per annum, or §3, if not paid in advance. SI. 50, in advance, for six months: - otherwise no subscription will be received for less than a year.

TERMS, Provided GOO subscribei-s be obtained: §2, in advance; - $2.50 in posfponemoit. $1, in advance, for six months. g^^'No paper discontinued until all arrearxiges are paid, but at the option of the publisher.

It was a small five-column sheet, printed on paper of a very inferior quality. The -early numbers contains a Thermometrical Register, an Almanac, Market Reports from Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago and New-Orleans. In No. four we find the following :

[Ihcre, that, January 2, A. D. 1842, is tho Mt. Morris nuptial epoch This is the first case of Matrimony which has ever occurred in Mt. Moriis.']

We also find the business cards of Henry Roberts and II. A. Mix, Attorneys at Law at Oregon; James J. Ratty, I*h3'sician and Surgeon, at Mt. Morris; a dun from S. Cumins, and from the same gcHtlemaa a, notice that he has removed to his new brick store, and luis just received a larger and better stock of goods than is found within fifty miles of him; an advertisement of a strjiy bull frum Henry Sharer; one of a stray heifer from Nathaniel Swingley; an administrator's notice in the matter of the estate of "Wni. Driskell ; an advertisement of boots and shoes from 0. V. Palmer; a notice that D. Brayton & Son have have opened in Mt. Morris a large stock of everything usually kept in a country store; one that Miss Shepherd will give instructions in

For Sale At This Office

The "motto" of the Register was credited to Rev. T. .«. Hitt, and reads, "We hope to be recognized as fellow-laborers in the noble work of enlightening the human mind."

No, 3 of the Register for January 15 1842, contains a call for a meeting on the Boundary Question, to be held at Oregon, on the 22d of that month. A subsequent issue contains a report of the proceedings of the meeting, which, as a matter for reference, we copy here :

"At a general meeting of the citizens of the county of Ogle and others, convened by public notice at Oregon City, on the 22d January, inst., for the purpose of considering the expediency of advising and effecting a separation of this section of the State from the State of Illinois and annexing the same to AVisconsin.

-' The following gentlemen were then appointed a committee to draft resolutions expressive of the sentiments of the meeting, viz: S. N. Sample, E. A. Hurd, D. T. Moss, AV. W. Fuller and J. Swan, who retired for that purpose.

to correspond -with other committees and persons on all subjects of this meeting, with power to appoint precinct committees. ThofoUowing gentlemen were elected to compose the central committee, viz : James V. Gale, Joseph B. llenshaw and E. S. Leland.

"Oregon Trecinct - The Central Committee. "Bloomingville - H. Norton and A. Wilbur. "Maryland - N. Swingley and C. Marshall. "Buffalo Grove - J. D. Stevenson and H. Wales.

"Washington Grove - J. Day and C. Rice. "Brooklyn - D. Reed and R. Young. "Monroe - H. Hill and I. Shearer. "The committee appointed to draft resoluions returned and reported the following :

" Whereas, By an ordinance entitled ' an rdinance for the government of the Northrestern Territory,' it was ordained and declared y the Congress of the United States that there houkl be formed in the Northwestern Territoi-y ot less than three nor more than five States; nd that in pursuance of said ordinance the iatee of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were irmcd; And Whrreas, it was also ordained nd declared by the ordinance aforesaid, that the boundaries of those States should be sub- L>ct so far to be altered that if Congress should '.nd it expedient, they shall have authority to orni one or two States on that part of the said Territory wliich lies north of an east and west ino draAvn through the southerly bend or exi-smity of Lake Michigan;' And Whereas, by I'irtuc of tlie last ixentioued power the State )f Mickigan and the Territory of Wisconsin avc l)ccu formed north of said line: And yhereax, it is ordained and declared l)^- the i-iilinance aforesaid, that the fifth article theref. (that whic!i defines the boundaries,) shall J considered one of the articles of corapact '-'tureen the original States and the peoi^le and

Resolved, That in the opinion of this meeting that that part of the Northwest Territory wliich lies north of an 'east and west line through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan' belongs to and of right ought to be a part of the State or States which have been or may be formed notth of said line.

"2d. Resoloei, That Congress has established by said ordinance the southern boundary of the State which may be formed north of the State of Illinois, and that line cannot be altered without the consent as well of the original States as the people in the said Northweet Territory.

"3d. Resolved, That a.s part of the people of the said Northwest Territoi-y, we will not consent to an alteration of said line so as to place us under the jurisdiction of a State to which we do not lawfully belong.

"4th. Resolved, That the lines as originally established by Congress in the 'ordinance for the government of the Northwestern Territory' are better suited to the geographical situation, and to the local interests of the said Territory than any others which can now be made.

"oth. Resolved, That we are decidedly opposed to alter the lines as originally established so as to place any of the territory north of the 'line drawn through the southern extreme of Lake Michigan' within the jurisdiction of a State south of said line, without the consent of the people of the said Nortliwe-t Territory.

"Gth. Resolved, That it is expedient for the people now included in the State and residing north of a 'line draA-rn througli the southerly extreme of Lake ]\Iichigan' to claim to be included in a State to be formed from the territory north of said line.

"7th. Resolved, That it be recommended to the Legislatiu-e of Wisconsin to apply during the present session of Congress to be admitted iiato the Union, claiming as a southeru boundary of the State 'a line drawn tlirough the

"8th. Rcsoived,ThsLtthe liberal appropriation of the Legislature of the State of Illinois for internal improvements -within our district embracing that part of the Northwest Territory claimed by Illinois -was made in good faith, and that we disclaim any intention to absolve ourselves from any pecuniary responsibility created by the Legislature of Illinois for such purposes and hold sacred the legal obligations of the State.

"9th. Resolved, That a committee of nine persons be appointed as delegates from this county to proceed to Madison in the Territory of Wisconsin, -with full po-wer to consult the Governor and Legislature, or either of them, of said Territory, and to take such measures as in their opinion -will most speedily and effectually obtain the ol>ject of this meeting.

"Agreeably to the 9th resolve, a committee appointed to nominate nine delegates to the Governor and Legislature of AVisconsin or either of them, -who having retired for that purpose returned with the following nemiu.itions, viz: W. W. Fuller, Dauphin Brown, Joseph B. IIcnahaAV, Jchiel Day, James Swan, Spooner Ruggles, Samuel M. liitt, Henry Hiestand, August is Austin.

"The above nomination having been submitted to the meeting, they were unanimously elected as delegates with power to fill any vacancies that may occur in their number.

"It was unanimously voted that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the Chairman and Secretary, and* published in the Chicago American aud Dsmocrat, GaUna Gazette, Rock River Register, RocJcford Pilot, and the Madison, 'Wisconsin, papers.

No. 0 of the Register speaks of tlie lloehford Pilot, twenty miles up the river, as its nearest newspaper neighbor. The saiiie paper publishes the proceedings of a meeting held at Oregon on the 22d of January, 1842, for the purpose of forming an "Ogle County Agricultural Society." Spooner Ruggles w?.s Chairman of the meeting, and D. II. T. Moss was Secretary. A constitution wa» adopted, H. Norton, Dr. A. Hurd and James B. Henshaw being the coumittee who drafted the document. In this issue are given some remarks made by llev. T. S. Hitt, at the consecration of Mt. Morris Cemetery, February 2, 1842, and a list of the letters remaining in the Post-Office at Mt. Morris, January 31, 1842, signed by John Sharp, P. M. This list contaiHS thirteen names !

In the Rcgiater of February 26th, 1842, is a notice signed "Many Citizens," to the effect that a petition would be presented to the Legislature for a division of the county by Kock Kiver, north and south.

The same paper contains the proceeding8 of a meeting of the citizens of Stephenson county, at McDowell k, Stoneman's, in Freeport, on tbe 19th of the same month, "for the pui-pose of considering up Ml the best meus'arcs to be adopted by the inhabitants on what is commonly called the 'disputed territory,' for the assertion and maintenance of the rights guaranteed to them by the ordinance of 1787. The meeting was called to order - by 0. W. Brewster, Esq., and on his motion, Maj. John Howe was chosen Chairman, and George Reitzell, Secretary.'

This meeting was addressed byM. P. Sweet aud 0. II. Wriglit, and passed a resolutiou recommendiug that au election be held on the 5th of March, to decide whether or not the people in the proposed territory were desirous of forming an independent State. Judges of election were appointed for the several precincts, who were to make returns to the County Central Comuiittee.

The question of boundary agitated the people of this section for many years, entering into their political conflicts aud exercising aia impjrtant influence. Many of the old settlers, to thh day, condemn the act which fixed the present boundary line. The grounds of complaint are pretty well set forth in the preamble aud resolutions adopted at Oregon.

Ou the 2Gth of February, another meeting was held at Oregon, to hear the report of the Committee sent to Wisconsin to confer with the authorities of that Territory. The Committee reported that they had received assurances of the earnest co-operatiou of Gov. Doty and the Legislature, who recommended that a census of the several counties in the "disputed territory" be taken, with a view to the presentatiuu of a petition to Congress for the formation of a new State.

Subsequent issues give reports of " Boundary Meetings" in various parts of Kui'thern Illinois, showing the feeling to be deep and wide-spread.

No. 12 of the Register bears the Dame» of Kuodle & Stephens as publishers, and announces the death of the Editor, Emanuel Knodle, in the 32d year of his age.

abandoned its neutral position and hoisted the Whig flag, headed with the name of Joseph Duncan for Governor, in opposition to Thomas Ford, the Democratic candidate, and denounced Judge Ford as "a Northern man with Southern principles," inasmuch as he was opposed to removing the northern boundary of Illinois.

The issue for September 16 is dated at Grand Detour, to which place it was removed on account of the mail arrangements - the mail at Mt. Morris "being reduced to a icceMy Jtorsehack."

In the issue for October 14, the Editor writes of "Our Village," (Grand Detour.). After boasting of the healthiness of the place aud the energy of its citizens, he says :

"We liaye two stores, one of -which has sold, upwards of thirty tliousand dollars' worth of goods the past season, and fm-nished a market for a large quantity of wheat, pork and other produce, and a third to be filled in two weeks. One good hotel ; two blacksmith shops ; one Ijlow factory, tin shop, cigar factory, one painter and glazier, two coopers and two carpenter shops, two shoemakers, cabinet shop,, broom factory, one wheelwright and wagonmaker's shop, one turning shop for both wood, aud iron, one tailor, one physician, &c. ; onegrist and flouring mill, which turns out for export from six to eight thousand barrels of flour- ^ per year; one sawmill, and one printing press. Water-wheels are now being put down for propelling a carding and cloth-dressing machine, and the manufacture of cloth.

History Op 0C4Le County

improved to any extent, andwillbe another sca- ^op. Vy'e know of no town where mechanics are better patronized than here, and there is still room for more, and their work is much needed."

The article on Grand Detour seems to have aroused a citizen of Oregon, for on the 28th of October appeared an article "puffing" that town. The writer gives the following business statistics of the plaee : " One clock and watchmaker, one saddler and harness maker, three carpenters, two cabinet makers, two painters and glaziers, one turner, one wheelwright, two masons and plasterers, two shoemakers, one blacksmith, one chair maker, tliree tailors, ten barberr, two stores, one grocery, two taverns, and sis attorneys at law."

Nearly a mouth later, Ave find an article boasting of Northern Illinois, and setting forth its capacities and advantages. In this article is a statement that from June, 1841, to November, 1842, the settlers iu this vicinity had paid at the Land office in Dixon, about §280,000 - showing a rapid progress, as the settlement of tliis section had commenced only five or six years before.

"We have seventeen saw-mills, two Distilleries, one Seminary of learning, sixteen School Houses and places of public worship, ten Stores. The estimated quantity of wheat raised the present year from three hundred and fifty to four hundred thousand bushels to say nothing of other grain, pork, beef, &c. The amount of money paid into the Land Office Miithin the last year, by our actual settlers, is not far from $100,000.

"In addition to the River timber, which extends from one end of the county to the otlier, on either side of the River there arc tweuty-one groves, containing from ono-lialf to six sections, or from three hundred and fifty to three thousand eight hundred and forty acres of timber each ; and so distributed over the whole as to accommodate every township in the county (which embraces twenty-one townships) at ninety-eight sections, or 627L'0 acres, (which we believe is too low from the information we have been able to obtain,) and distributed as it is, it places nearly every quarter section of prairie within reasonable distance of timb«r, which will give about one acre of timber to every six of prairie. We designed to say something of our villages, which are seven in number, but want of room prevontB us this week. The rapid growth and settlement of our county is undoubtedly without a parallel in the history of the settlement of any country in the world."

The first number of the second volume is dated Jaunary 27, 1843, showing that omissions had been made during the previous year. It also purports to be '* published by the Proprietors," but does not inform us who the proprietors are.

In February, we find a notice of the Winnehafjo Forum, a new Whig paper then recently started at Hockford. If our memory serves us correctly, the i'V rum was the immediate predecessor of one of the papers now published in that city.

On the 10th of May, the names of Charles H. Lamb and A. Gr. Henderson -appear in the paper as proprietors. In July, Mr. Headerson withdrew from the concern, leaving Mr. Lamb in sole charge.

No. 26, Vol. 2, of the Register, dated August 25, 1843, is the last one we can find. No notice is given of its suspeu- ,sion, and we are at a loss to know how luiuch longer it survived - probably, however, but a short time.

We have before us No. 7, Vol. 1, of the Illinois Tribune, dated at Grand Detour, December 26, 1844, and published by John W. Sweetland. As this is the only number we have been altle to obtain, we can give no further iniL-iligence con- -ccrniiig it. From its typographical appearance, we should suppose it to be the Register s successor. It contains a notice of the marriage, on the 19th of that month, by Rev. D. J. Pinckney, of Henry A. Mix to Miss Catherine J. Bennett.

In looking over the tiles of the Rock River Register, we have found a great many matters which would be of interest if republished at this time, but our limits forbid our copying them.

[Note. - The statement on page 51, that the county seat was located at Dixon, is somewhat erroneous. The first Circuit iJourt was held there by direction of the County Commissioners, they having the power to direct where the courts should be held. The struggle on the question of a division of the county, in 1838-0, was animated and bitter. Petitions and remonstrances were the order of the day, and much ill feeling was engendered, which has not even yet died out. As many of those taking part in the struggle are still living, we prefer to leave the matter here, without " raking up" any old feuds.]