Sangamon County, Illinois - City of Springfield 563, 1881 (part 17 of 25)

At about 10 o'clock the meeting was called to order by S. G. Jones, and Rev. Francis Springer was introduced. After imploring Divine guidance upon the meeting, Mr. Springer proceeded to address the audience. His remarks took a wide range with reference to the progress of the country.

At the conclusion of Mr. Springer's address, General Anderson was introduced and made a speech in which he reviewed the organiz3,tion of the county, and related several anecdotes illustrating early times in Sangamon county. He stated that he came to this county in 1829 and had $30 in money when he came. He borrowed money to pay for the first eighty acres, for which he paid fifty per cent, interest. In the course of his remarks, he gave an account of how he labored in the field while his wUe worked in the house manufacturing cloth to clothe the children. He had raised twelve children, and had been able to give each one a home and had enough for himself.

Elislia Price, of Menard, next made a few remarks, when David England M'as introduced, and made a characteristic speech. He was followed in turn by Samuel A. Grubb, of Springfield; Samuel Williams, of Rochester; Thomas Bond, of Taylorville; Joab Wilkinson, of Macon county, and Job Fletcher. The following is the address of Mr. Williams:

Samuel Williams

" I was born in Windsor county. State of Vermont, on the 24th day of April, A. D. 1800. When I was about four years of age, my father, with his family, emigrated to ICssex county, in the State of New York. But few improvements had been made among the forests and there were still some deer in the woods, and I remember that, after a long chase, my father and several of the neighbors killed a large moose.

"During .the summer of IBOti I attended school three months. I was present on the day of the great eclipse of the sun, when stars were seen.

"In the summer of I807 my father removed again, to Tioga county, Pennsylvania; where the improvements were small and some considerable distance apart.

" Marvelous stories were told by persons from their recent travels in the new State of Ohio. Such wheat, rye, oats and corn had never before been seen as grew on Sciota and Miami river bottoms. They said that they grew so high and thick that if a hen were thrown into the field of grain, there would be no possible chance for it ever to get out by its own exertions, and the corn grew so large and high that when the women went for roasting ears they had to take an axe and cut down the stalks before they could obtain a supply. One morning, my father returned from the lower ])art of town, and said to his family, 'I have sold the wagon and horses, and engaged our passage on a boat to Ohio, and by night we had embarked, with two other families. After numerous delays, we disembarked, five miles above Cincinnati. We lived three years on the Little Miami river, two or three miles above tlie mouth of the river. Here, in 1810 and 1811, between spells of the ague, I went to school, three months more, at a distance of three miles.

"In 1812, my father removed to Butler county, near Oxford. The timber was tall, large, and of very thick growth, and ray younger brother and myself were engaged in chopping and clearing most of the time for several years.

"One spring, I remember taking part in eighteen log-rollings. It was the custom to select two captains, and they to choose their men; then the ground was carefully divided into two parts. Three or four gallons of whisky were furnished by the proprietors of the premises, as was said, to make the men better able to endure the toil of the day.

" There was generally considerable ambition as to who was to get done first. When all was completed, the proprietor was generally called on to furnish a bucket of eggnog, as a sequel to the occasion.

" There were no temperance societies then ; but, seeing the evil resulting from the prevailing custom of dram drinking, I determined never to indulge in the useless and pernicious habit. The sneers and taunting remarks that I had to endure on these and other public occasions, as being the only one who would neither taste the raw liquor or any of its combinations, may not be imagined. But, though strictly temj^erate for more than half a century, I think my health will compare very favorably with anyone who has used it for any length of time. During the year 1814, I attended school three or four months more. At the end of the term, I could read readily and spell better than some of my mates who had more favorable opportunities.

"I could not write very much, and had onl}' proceeded as far as simple reduction in arithmetic; but resolved to improve my stock of knowledge. During the winter I usually labored at chopping; at night I would take home a load of hickory bark, for a light; and after my l)rothers had retired I would frequently spend three or four hours at my studies, four or five hours of sleep being as much as I required out of the twenty-four.

"I also improved other spare minutes at my studies or in trying my skill on mechanical principles, such as cross-bars, wind-mills, etc., etc.

"My stock of tools consisted of a Barlow knife and a gimlet. On June 29, 181Y, I confessed my faith in Christ, and was baptized into His church.

"In 1819, my father emigrated to Indiana, where he settled near the head of a stream called the 'Little Flat Rock.' There were no persons, except one family, living within six miles of us.

"In the spring of 1821, my father purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, situated in the north part of the bounty tract, between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Having made the purchase, he commenced making preparations to move to it, as early in the fall as possible.

"During the intervening time, an old acquaintance of my father, in Ohio, living on Hlue river, named Elias Thompson, concluded to accompany us to the State of Illinois. Some time early in September, Orange Babbit, a brotherin-law of Mr. Thompson, on his w^ay with his family from New York to Illinois, called on Mr. Thompson and insisted that he should make immediate preparations, and with bis family, accompany him to Illinois, which, after some meditation, he concluded to do. My father was not ready; he had several head of cattle, besides his two ox-teams, and Mr. Thompson had several head of cattle and some hogs which he wished to take along. After consultation, it was determined that the stock should be put together, and that I should accompan}^ Mr. Thompson and Mr. Babbit and assist in driving the stock, while the range by the way was still good. JMy father and the rest of the family to follow as soon as possible.

"So, being ready, we started with one ox-teara and Mr. Babbit's fatigued two-horse team, he had driven from New York; so we could make but moderate progress. After some days' travel we reached the White river, and saw as we passed down its bottoms that quite a number of persons had settled here at different points. They had suffered much from ague, and some had left their houses vacant and returned to their old homes. After leaving White river the next we arrived at was Terre Haute, then known as Fort Harrison. We had to lay by here for repairs to our wagons and recruit the teams, for it rained more or less for seventeen days, making the roads very bad.

" When ready we started again, crossed the Wabash river, and after traveling a few miles through timber, we came to the edge of the prairie just at sunset, on a beautiful October

"The next morning we commenced crossing the prairie. For a road we had only the track made by a party who had preceded us perhaps not more than four or five weeks, and after several days' travel, we arrived at a grove on a high eminence in the prairie. The growth was almost exclusively lynn, and many of the trees had been peeled by the Indians; I have since been informed that this was a camping place during the war of 1812.

"The next evening we arrived at a beautiful grove on the principal branch of the Okaw. We arrived among almost suffocating cloiids of smoke, which arose from the immense amount of burning grass, set on fire for hunting purposes, by a large party of Indians, most of whom encamped in the grove not far from our wagons. They were very civil.

"After perhaps about three days' drive we came to the head of some timber on a considerable stream of water, approaching the North fork from the south, perhaps nearlj^ opposite Decatur.

"Next niofht we camped at the head of the timber on Mosquito creek. One blustry day's travel more brought us to the beautiful grove of large timber near the head of the Buck-heart creek. After a late start in the morning, on account of rain, when we had traveled five miles or more the way the track led us, about sun-set the hogs lield up their heads and all started to the south on a running gait for a mile or more. I endeavored in vain to stop them, when in the dusk of the evening, to my great surprise, I came to a fence, around a field of Illinois corn. It was situated near Campbell's point, in Christian county. The teams soon came up. Mr. Titus Gragg, who lived there, received us very kindly, and we slept in a house that night, the first one we had seen since we left the Wabash river.

"From Mr. Gragg's we crossed the south fork of the Sangamon river and Clear creek, and tarried over night with Mr. Jacob Gragg, who then lived about a half a mile south-east of where Brecl<enridge's mill now stands.

"After careful in(iuiry, we could learn nothing of a road leading to the military bounty lands, or even to the Illinois river, and the range having been killed by hard frosts, we concluded to spend the winter somewhere in the neighborhood.

"Mr. Babbit made an arrangeraent'with the widow Knotts, living on the west side of Sugar creek, to gather her fine field of corn for her for one-fourth of the crop, she to find him house room for his family. I accej^ted Mr. Babbit's proposal to winter Math him, and to assist him in gathering the corn. My part was sufficient to winter the seventeen head of cattle which I had driven from Indiana.

"Mr. Draper and family wintered in a small log cabin near Mr. Funderburk's. Under the puncheon floor a former occupant had dug a large hole, as a repository for potatoes. In this Mr. Draper, being short of bedding, put a quantity of prairie hay, and at night he would raise up the end of one of the broad hewn puncheons and put his children down, where, among the hay, they would sleep soundly till morning. Thus it was that a Boston merchant's family spent their first winter in Illinois. I think Mr. Draper went to Morgan county, where, as I heard a year or two after, he filled the oftice of sheriff with much ability, and I have never been able to hear from or see him or his family since.

"On our way to Mrs. Knott's residence, Mr. Babbitt obtained a supply of cornmeal at a band horse mill, owned by Mr. Joseph Drennan; the meal cost twenty-five cents per bushel.

"Having arrived at winter quarters, Mr. Babbitt and I commenced gathering corn. On unfavorable days for gathering corn, we made rails for a Mr. Pulliam. Such rails as pleased him (large ones) we made for thirty-seven and a half cents a hundred, in trade, and found ourselves.

"After the corn was gathered, I called in one evening at Mr. Pulliam's, where, for the first time, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Mr. Charles Wright (a brother of Mr. Erastus Wright, of Springfield, 111.), who was soon to commence teaching school near the band-mill spoken of before. In course of my conversation with him, I told him that for years I had regretted my inability to attend school, as my inclination to become a good scholar was very great, and it was now seven years since I had been able to go even a single day. I found Mr. Wright a very affable man. He invited me to attend his school whenever I could, if for only a few days at a time; he would consider it a pleasure to render me all the assistance he could.

much in my reading, writing and spelling during my twenty-one days. While attending school, I would take my arithmetic and slate home with me and cover it with examples, which I would carry to Mr. Wright for his examination, after which I was ready for another day's hard labor.

" From the commencement of the single rule of three to that of square root, I did every example by rule, with but little assistance. With this start, I was able, by the assistance of the rules in my arithmetic, to pass through exchange, the cube root, and other succeeding rules without assistance.

"In January, my parents and a family named Deardoff and George Brunk arrived. They encountered a severe storm, and with much difficulty escaped losing their way on the smooth burnt prairie, on the day of their arrival at the large grove above the Okaw timber.

"In the spring of 182::i, my father rented a part of a farm in Fork Prairie, of Field Jarvis. (He raeaisured six feet and eleven inches in height.) The premises now belong to Robert Bell (the south part of his farm).

"There were many swarms of bees here in the timber in 1822, not having been hunted out so early in this part of the State as the north part. Early this spring, my father and I concluded on a bee hunting excursion. Being ready, we put into a covered wagon two large new vessels, as a repository for honey, two or three buckets, some cooking utensils, provisions, corn for the oxen, axes, a tent cloth, some dressed buckskin, and thread to repair torn pants, two or three books, etc. About the 10th of March, we started east. The first night, we encamped in the Buck Hart grove, the second night on Mosquito creek, opposite to the two mounds in the prairie. The next day being too cold for bees to liy, we passed on to the creek before spoken of, entering into the north fork from the south. Here we pitched our tent, and remained three or four weeks, not more than one or two days, or parts of days, in a week being warm enough for bees to fly.

" Here, on one very favorable day, I found ten, the greatest number I ever found on one day, the common average on good days being from two to seven.

" Soon after our arrival at home I went to town to sell the wax, in company with two or three other persons This was my first visit to Spi'ingfield. The south fork of the Sangamon was high. Here, for the first lime, I saw Mr. Edward Clark and his brother Philip. They with several hands, were busy preparing timbers for their mill. They sent over a man and their canoe to assist us in crossing. We had to swim our horses over by the side of the canoe, one at a time. When all was over we proceeded on to town. Mr. Elijah lies was the only merchant here then; he kept his store in a log house, some distance northwest of what afterwards became the public square. I found him at leisure, he was quite social, and we soon made a trade, he giving me twenty-five cents per pound, chiefly in goods. There was not more than a dozen houses in town, if that many. In the fall, my father and I went out again to hunt bees; camping the first nights at the same localities as in the spring. We proceeded on slowly, hunting up the North Fork timber till we came to the place where we struck it when moving. The bees were not plenty on this stream; we found about forty bee-trees this time. My father was unwell here for several days, which detained us longer than we had anticipated.

"There was much rainy weather at this time. During the first afternoon of our encampment here, a Pennsylvania Dutchman arrived at our camp on horseback, in a drenching rain. He was on his way to the Military Tract, to examine a piece of land. He passed the night with us, and seemed quite intelligent on general matters, but was much discouraged.

"Looking down the blufi" at the North Fork he enquired its name. On being told, he seemed much dejected, and exclaimed, in his Dutch accent: "If that is the Sangamon river, of which I heard so much, I was badly deceived." He was on the point of turning back for home when, from the number of his land, my father thought it might be valuable, and pursuaded him to go and see it.

"He returned the day before we were intending to return home. He was in good spirits, now that his one hundred and si.xty acres were valuable, and he intended to make his final home there. He was very thankful to my father for

" Duringall our travels of these two excursions we saw no white man save the Dutchman. On the fourth day of March, 1823, my father and I started east for another bee-hunt. The third day being warm, I found three trees on Mosquito creek, near its head. From this point we struck off to the right of the North Fork and found seventy trees on the first branches of the OkaAv, or Kaskaskia, river. We cut forty and left three others to stand till fall. In August my father died, and in the fall one of my brothers accompanied me to cut the bee-trees left standing in the spring. In the spring and fall of 1824, I w^ent in the employ of Mr. Thompson to hunt bees.

"I think at the end of the season we came out even, finding one hundred and fifty trees each. If Major lies has his oldmerchantile books they will show that Mr. Thompson and I dealt with him on a liberal scale in bees-wax. In all our hunting this year i'or miles up and down the different branches of the Okaw, Ave found no place where a white man had either settled or commenced an improvement. We admired much of the beautiful prairie situated on the east and south sides of the North Fork, and some situated on the Okaw; but we entertained no idea that one hundredth part of what we saw would sell for Congress prices during a common life time.

"Late in the fall of 1822, my father and I started on foot for the military bounty land to examine the land, and ascertain the situation of the one hundred and sixty acre-tract, purchased while in Indiana. We passed north from Springfield, crossed the Sangamon river at the ferry, near where the bridge was afterwards built. Then we soon turned to the left and crossed Salt creek near its mouth.

"Not far from this we saw the ashes, yet fresh, where a Mr. Hawley had encamped on his way to convey a widow woman to some place, but in attempting to ascertain the depth of the ford, was drowned. Though I had never seen the man, my sympathy went out to his bereaved family when they heard the sad news. We went on till near the Illinois river, where we saw a man, but he could tell us little about the country. He thought there might be one or two settlers on the south side of the Spoon river, eight

"W^hen we arrived at the Illinois river we got some Indians to take us over in a canoe. The land we wished to see lay in township twelve north, range two west, the southwest quarter of section thirteen. We traveled west from the river for some distance, and after a long search in the timber found a surveyor's corner. I knew how the sections were numbered, beginning at the northeast corner of each township. On examination, I found we were about sixty miles south of the land.

"Mr. Babbit's land lay in town, five or six north, range two east. We got to it, finding it a rather broken, hickory and oak land. It appeared poor to us and so we reported it to him, buit perhaps it is valuable now. Our provisions run short, and finding no game, we turned down Spoon river but could find no houses. We tried to cross over to the Ross settlement, but the river was very high, running swiftly over the bottoms, and we could not cross, so we concluded to return; and re-crossed the Illinois river where we did before. We had now traveled sixty or seventy miles, over the military lands. Part of our route was over rough, broken timbered land, and part over rolling prairies. We did not see one white man or a bouse, west of the river. From this point we returned home by the same road that we came.

"Sometime in September, 1825, 1 started alone to see the military lands. I rode part of the way this time, and besides other necessary things took a hatchet with me, to cut off the new growth which now partly covered the surveyor's marks. I crossed the Illinois and Spoon rivers, near the mouth of the latter, and passed the night at a house, perhaps twelve miles distant on my way.

"In the night my horse escaped and could not be found in the morning. So with my hatchet and some provisions, I started ori foot to prosecute my purpose. I found the way rather rough for some distance in the vicinity of the Spoon river and some of its tributaries, but as I passed further, I found beautiful, rich rolling prairies, extending far to the north, intersected occasionally with points of timber. After miles of travel I arrived at a small stream of water surrounded by beautiful timber, and running a northwest, course for several miles.

the southeast corner of the land which I wished to see. I had to gaiess as nearly as I could where the land lay. I passed on until I supposed I had reached the center of the tract. The stream I supposed to be a branch of Henderson river, passed through the land; it was here about twelve or thirteen inches deep, with a swift current. It was now growing dark, my tinder had become damp and with only my knife and flint I could not start a tire, and being unable to do better, I laid down by the side of a big fallen tree with a light blanket over me, in a rain storm till morning. When I arose, so far as I could ascertain, there was no settlement or road leading in the direction of this land nigher than thirty-flve or forty miles; hence, the idea of attempting to settle on it under existing circumstances, while good land was plenty in Sangamon county, seemed to me to be unadvisable.

" On my return, having walked a hundred miles or more, and camped out every night, I was glad to obtain my horse again. The man at whose house I staid over had found it soon after I left. After two or three days travel I reached home not caring much for the one hundred and sixty acres, except that it had been the primary means of inducing us to leave the back country for the l)eautiful State of Hlinois. These events all occurred before the close of the fall season in 1825.

"Among the numerous privations endured by some of the earliest settlers of Sangamon county, none Avas felt more sensibly than the lack of schools. In different localities one or two families might be found having few or many children.- The parents felt anxious to see their intellectual faculties cultivated; but what were they to do? three or five children were too few to constitute a school. In connection with this, if in some neighborhoods a small school could be made up, where was a competent teacher to be found to instructthem? But this state of things could not long- last in Sangamon county. Emigrants were coming in from both the Southern and Eastern States, and children in sufficient numbers to make up schools would not long be lacking.

"In the summer of 1824, Daniel Parkinson and one or two others insisted that I should teach their children. I was aware that my limited education and experience rendered me inadequate to perform so great a task, and I expressed my feelings freely to Mr. Parkinson. In reply he said that the few children in the neighborhood greatly needed instruction; that the most of them had never been to school, and that to teach them to read and spell was all that was necessary in the present instance. After some hesitation I coiiisented to teach for a few days - not for any limited time.

" With a little band of ten or twelve dutiful children I labored for the space of three months. Tiie children made good progress in their studies, and at the end of the school I had the pleasure to know that my employers were well satisfied.

"Mr. Parkinson, Mr. Warwick, and one or two others were patrons of the school. Also Francis Cooper, who afterwards married George Dickson, attended.

" I placed but little confidence in the predictions of some that in process of time the inexperienced teacher would become a good schoolmaster.

" About this time Mr. Parkinson loaned me Lindley Murray's Grammar to peruse; it was the first grammar I think that I ever held in my hands.

"I soon saw that it would afford me much useful knowledge, so purchased it for my own private use, not supposing at the time I would ever teach again.

"Late in November, 1823, Mr. Thomas Black, who lived on Sugar creek, Rent word that he wanted to see me. I went and found him in his cornfield, with his boys, busily engaged gathering corn. He was glad to see me, and said he had heard of my teaching in the 'forks' (of the Sangamon river), and had sent for me. He went on to state that there were several children in the neighborhood who ought to be at school, but not persons enough who would send to make up a school by subscription. Under these circumstances, he had concluded to hire some one to teach three months for the benefit of his own children and others that could be induced to attend. He proposed if I would teach to give me |12 in trade per month and board me, I to teach all children that should attend for a term of three months. I told Mr. Black that my opportunities for obtaining an education had been very unfavorable, so much so that I knew I was not well prepared to teach school. He thought as none of the children were far advanced, and the most of them Avould have to commence with the a, b, c's, I would be fully competent to teach the school. After some hesitation I accepted the offer.

"About the 1st of December, 1823, I commenced. I cannot now recollect the names of the persons who sent to this school, but will name those who are remembered: Thomas Black, James Patton, William Woods, Herman

Husbands, Widows Paine and Stout, Mr. Crow and Noah Mason. Besides these, Ezekiel Drennan (son of old William Drennan) attended most of the winter and Charles D. Nnckotis several days; most of the scholars called him Dab Nuckolls. Such orderly and studious scholars as attended this school are a credit to any community. I now considered my position as a very responsible one, and I, not to betray such confidence as had been reposed in me, therefore improved my spare hours in studying my grammar, dictionary and other available helps, that I might improve myself and be the better able to teach my pupils.

In December, 1824, I commenced a school on Horse creek. The employers' names were, as far as I can remember: Joseph Dickson, Henry Funderburk, Mn Neely, two of the Fergusons, Mordecai Hamilton, Elias Thompson and James Snodgrass, Jr. Besides these, some other persons sent occasionally.

"In the summer of 1825 I taught in the Soiithwick settlement. The employers were Mr. Southwick, Dexter Pease, William Seeley, Zackariah Peter, Mr. Stout, Widow Paine, Mr. Twist, and a Mr. Harty. I still remember with pleasure many agreeable hours spent with my employers ai'ound their social firesides.

"In December, 1825, my brother Elias and I concluded to go to Edwardsville to see a man who had advertised some land to sell in the Military Tract. We hoped to be able to obtain some on terms within our reach, and if we did not succeed in this, we would search for employment for which we could obtain our pay in money; there being no chance to obtain money in Sangamon. With some provisions in an old knapsack, and between two and three dollars in money, and not a garment except those in use, we started on a clear bnt cold December day for Edwardsville. We reached Macoupin point late in the afternoon, but thought we could make the nearest point on the St. Lonis (twelve miles distant) road before dark, but got on the wrong road and had to travel about eight or ten miles farther, when we came to a Mr. Stewarts, seven miles from Hillsboro; we enquired how far we were from Macoupin Point, and he said twentyone miles. The reason I mention this is to show how far it was in 1825 from Macoupin Point to the first house on the Hillsboro road. As we proceeded toward Edwardsville the houses became rather more frequent. On inquiry we found that the man we had come to see was not at home, and as we could get nothing to do, w^e proceeded on toward St. Louis; the weather being very cold. We tarried over niglii at a house in the Great American Bottom, but could hear of no demand for labor in this neighborhood, so started the next morning for St. Louis. When WQ arrived at Wiggins' ferry, opposite St. Louis, we found we would have to Avait, as the boat could not cross on account of running ice in the river. We here met Governor Ed-wards, who was very talkative and jolly. The Governor came to us and asked us where we were going, and where we were from? When I had told hira what had induced us to leave our home in Sangamon, he said as it was now winter, and as there are many blacks in St. Louis, I think the chances for employment there must be unfavorable; but times are good down Missouri, at the lead mines, on Sandy creek, thirty-five or forty miles below St. Louis, and I think you can da better there, as labor is in demand. We told him that we were used to hard labor, but that we had heard that there were many rough characters at the mines, so felt a degree of hesitancy about going to that place.

"The Governor replied: 'I am aware that what you say is true, but I think you can do well at the mines; industrious men who are quiet, will find friends, and be respected there, and he added: I am acquainted with Mr. Glasgow and Bryant, proprietors at the Sandy Mines, and if you will conclude to go down I will write a line or two to them, and state your case to them.'

"After some consultation with Ellis, we concluded to go to the mines. To think that so intelligent a man as Governor Edwards should manifest so warm an interest in behalf of two youthful strangers, was very encouraging to us.

"After taking leave of the Governor we started for the lead mines. About night of the second day we arrived at the ferry opposite the Herculaneum. The ice was still running in the river, in the morning. After some delay we crossed and reached the mines, eight miles distant, in good time. We staid there fifteen months, cutting cord wood and working in the lead mines. We then went to Galena, where we staid two years and nine months, making in all about four years we were in the mines."

Fourth Annual Meeting

Cherry gi'ove, or Irwin's grove was selected as the place for the fourth annual meeting of the Old Settlers of Sangamon county. Cherry grove is a beautiful and romantic spot, containing forty acres of most magnificent timber, perfectly cleared from undergrowth and brush, and preseuLiog a deep, unbroken shade, with a carpet under your feet of the deepest green. The speakers' stand was beautifully decorated with wreaths, evergreens and bloomiu'^- tio vers, over which floated that grand old banner, the stars and stripes. A large number of dignihed looking old settlers, attired in their best, and appearing as young as the youngest settlers in the crowd, graced the platform. Among others were William Drennan, Wilson Dodds, Elijah lies, S. (t. Nesbitt, Samuel Cloyd, Samuel Grubb, John B. Weber, J. C. Bone, Henry Converse, Isaac and E. B. Hawley, Jacob Ball, R. Coley, George Miller, Job Fletcher, Robert Wilburn, James Parkinson, D. Wadsworth, James W. Patton, Squire Campbell, E. Barnes, George Weaver, P. Wyman, James Scott, Ui'iah Mann, D, H. Shennan, Joel Johnson, J. R. Coleman, John Brownell, Davis Meredith, John DeCamp and William Sutton, together with Mother Archer, seventy-eight years of age, and who has lived in the county since 1821, making her the oldest lady settler.

After prayer by Daniel Wadsworth, the President, Preston Breckenridge, called the meeting to order and expressed his gratification at meeting so many old friends. Samuel Williams vv^as then introduced and made a few remarks, after which John M. Palmer was introduced and proceeded to deliver one of his happiest and most effective speeches. He said ii was a true, sincere pleasure to be present at this meeting. He saw gentlemen before him who had known this county when it contained less than three hundred people; when Springfield existed only in name. We can hardly comprehend the past and its difference from the present. Youngladies can hardly comprehend that the women of other days could be beautiful, wearing only their own hair, and yet those women were as lovely as those of to-day. Thank God, this idea will last for a life-time. We see not the change in the faces of those we love, but love them more and more as time goes steadily on. He knows a wealthy citizen of Sangamon who came here on foot, with only a horse, axe and gun. That was the stuff of the old settlers. We love and honor the memory and associations of men of the past, for they are worthy our love and respect. At one time in his life he thought the driver of a six-horse team occupied the highest position in the world. He had been strongly democratic in his opinions in regard to the rights of the people, among which were cutting timber where they wished, and taking up hogs running at large. The people in early days considered this legitimate, and he must confess at this time he thought so to. He remembered how sparking was performed forty years ago, and had taken a part in it himself. The best plan was to take a sweet young lady behind you on horseback, and this method was thought style. If you had no horse, you must do your sparking in some other style, for it had to be done. He wore a linsey coat down to his knees, and his father a dress coat, brass buttons, and a bell-crowned hat. He granted the superiority of the educational advantages of to-day, yet education could not make purer, sterner, better men than the men of the past. Now the noblest of all colleges, the common school, is open to all, and God bless the efforts of our young men to make themselves great and good. His reading book was called " Citizen of the World," and each scholar read such works as he could get. He remembered the singing schools, when the girls sang "fine hand," and squealed high up. The men who are passing are worthy the imitation of the present generation, and it was his fervent prayer that they would follovv tiie bright example set them by their fathers, who liad gone before. The Governor concluded with a brilliant and touching tribute to the old settlers, and was greeted at its close with three hearty cheers.

A letter of regret was read from John A. Mc- Clei'nand, and short speeches were made by James H. Matheny and John T. Stuart. The following resolution was then adopted:

That whereas his Excellency, the Governor, an eminent statesman and profound lawyer, in his address this morning, clearly showed that two of the old settlers of this county, to-wit: Weber and Hawley, were not entitled to vote, in consequence of their being unnaturalized citizens, not having had the ague or chills and fever during their residence of forty-nine or fifty years; that it respectfully requests that his Excellency, the Governor, and all good citizens, unite in using their influence in effecting the passage of an act of the next legislature of the State, whereby the said parties may be properly entitled to the rights of franchise."

Fifth Annual Meeting

The thirtieth day of August, 1872, was the day set apart for the fifth annual meeting of the Old Settlers' Society. On that day the pioneers again met together.

As a change in the usual programme, the society proceeded at once to the election of officers for the ensuing year. Job Fletcher was elected President, with seventy Vice Presidents, and Noah W. Matheny, Secretary, After dinner, General John A. McClernand was introduced and spoke about three-fourths of an hour in a chaste and eloquent style. The next speech was by Rev. William J. Rutledge. He said that thirtythree years before he had run a saw-mill on Spring creek and sawed stringers used in laying tlie track of the lirst railroad ever built in the State of Illinois. The latter part of his speech was exceedingly humorous and closed amid a roar of laughter. Major Elijah lies then took the stand and in a conversational way related many interesting incidents of his experience among the early settlers. He was followed by Revs. J. D. Randall, of Edwardsville, and AVilliam S. Prentice and F. H. Wines, of Springfield. George R. Weber made the closing speech, and the meeting adjourned.

Sixth Annual Meeting

This meeting was held at Irwin's grove, near Pleasant Plains, August 29, 187:3. Job Fletcher called the meeting to order, and John Slater, of Pleasant Plains, delivered an address of welcome. John M. Palmer was the first speaker. He said:

" Fifty years may be easily spoken - it is easy to pronounce the words - yet the term includes the lifetime of the majority of men and women of the country, and speaks the entire history of the State. If I inquire what was the condition of the country fifty years ago, Major lies, or other ladies and gentlemen here, could tell; yet if I were to tell the young people here of the comforts and conveniences of those early times, they wouldn't believe it.

"You have now more comforts, but no more happiness, than had we; you have a great many things to be thankful for, and so had we; and you have things to make you uncomfortable that we didn't have. Look over the young ladies' t I'jgery of to-day - the flounces, the rufties, and - Idon't know what you call them. Thirty or forty years ago, we didn't have them, and didn't even know what they were. Now a young gentleman and lady about getting married, or, raiher, just married, require a house with six rooms, while we had no trouble, forty or fifty years ago, getting along with but one room, and to have two rooms and a kitchen was considered extravagant. Then we had only an axe, a saw, and an augur with which to build a house; then

"Now, I will just make two heads to my speech, and will speak to the young first; they will be the old settlers hereafter. The number behind you, young people, is becoming more numerous, and the number before you less. By and by, you will go into an audience, and find yourself among the oldest. It was so in my case. I used to find myself in an audience when I was among the youngest; then again I would find myself younger than a few present; but now it is frequently occurring, in a chance meeting, that I am the oldest in the party. I said a little while ago that the young here wouldn't believe, if told what the country was forty or fifty years ago, and the reason is plain. A boy here cannot realize a country without railroads, for since his childhood he has seen the railroad. Young people can't realize the fact that forty or fifty years ago men traveled by 'taking a point,' for there were no roads, and by thus sighting a direction, made their way. I have, myself, within forty years, sighted a point, and, as it were, struck out on a 'bee line,' meeting plenty of deer on the prarie; but there are no deer now.

No, the young people cannot realize this. I came into Madison county forty-two years ago. It was not common to be sued then; it was considered disreputable, and a suit was called a ' patch upon the back.' To have a mortgage upon your farm was whispered around as a calamity. The habits of life then were frugal and simple, and the people were simple and plain, and perhaps as corrupt as now. I was talking to a gentleman, the other day, who was speaking of the corruption now, and its lack in the past; but, as I said to him, there was nothing to steal but a horse. A horse then was the most valuable property, and if a man stole a horse, he was apt to hear of it again; then the means of catching a thief were more simple and direct than now. Horse theft was a capital offense, and killing a man a - serious offense."

" The houses ol that day Avere not like those of the present. I recollect of but one brick house between Madison and Sangamon - it was near where Waveily noAV stands. [Water was here handed the speaker in a gourd, and drinking it, he remarked it smacked of old times.] In those days when a young couple married, the neighbors turned out to make boards for the house, and puncheon floors were put down. Still the couples were happy; as happy as couples are now. Now when a young couple many, the carpenters come, and the upholsterers, and prepare the house, and thousands of dollars are spent in fixing it, and often with regret that there was no more money to spend.

"I recollect attending a wedding party when I was quite a young man. There was no band, but instead, the real old-fashioned orthodox fiddle. After dancing all night, my feet were quite sore in the morning, but I had enjoyed myself. The reason my feet were sore was because I danced in my bare feet; but my partner did the same. There was a story told about finding toe nails upon the fioor ( it was a puncheon floor ) - but I didn't believe the story.

"You young ladies and gentlemen have ideas about social pleasures that we knew nothing about. You have carriages; and coming here to-day I noticed one young lady and gentleman riding on horseback, but they had two horses. We didn't do that way, one horse only being used, and the girl was taken up behind. I well recollect the pleasantest ride I ever had in my life. I had the finest horse, but as the saying was, it was a 'borred one.' I took the girl to church, seven miles, and she rode behind me. I felt ticklish and bashful and so was she, and she could hardly take hold of rae at first to hold on, but she got used to it, as, nearing the church, she found others mounted the same way. There was always a strife as to who had the i^rettiest girl and the best horse, but I always thought I was ahead in that respect. Now we couldn't ride double, as the lady is even larger than myself, and I am no pigmy; and we couldn't get a horse to carry us. But now let a gentleman ask a young lady to ride, and she will say, 'Where is the buggy?' I didn't know what a buggy was then; I knew about a 'Dearbon' and a 'gig.' The first gig I ever saw Judge Smith, of Madison, owned. I was proud when I got a gig afterwards. I got it when at court in Montgomery county, and was so proud that I got my wife a new dress that cost $4.50, and there was seven yards iu it."

Referring to the arduous duties of the pioneer wives, to whom he paid a glorious tribute, the Governor related an anecdote of a woman returning to Tennessee, who declared that "Illinois was a good place for men and horses, but the devil on women and oxen."

'-We had indeed our troubles and trials, and the abandoned graves of early settlers are a part of our early history; for we sorrowed then as now. We, too shall pass away, and fifty years from now these young people will meet here to tell theyoung people of that day the customs, then doubtless considered outlandish, of this time. Civilization will continue to advance. We can scarce conceive progress of the ails and sciences of the next fifty years, but I do not wish to see it. I do not wish to be ti'ampled upon by the rapidly advancing strides of civilization; and it is a dispensation of Providence that having acted our part, having fulfilled our destiny, having done that work which was set apart for us to do, we can then depart and peacefully pass to the other shore. To the old women lei me say: No wives ever so well acted their parts as the wives of the pioneers; and passing away they will not be forgotten. So of the pioneers - not in monuments, but in more lasting memoirs, the works which 'live after them,' will their memories be cherished by their descendants for whom they have worked."

Upon the conclusion of Governor Palmer's address, and music by the band. Captain Fletcher, the president of the society, with humorous alhision to the food of other days - venison, corn bread and onions, and that about noon was the old settlers' dinner hour, declared the celebration adjourned for dinner.

Among the old settlers present at this meeting were Mrs. Peter Cartwright, Mrs Richard Latham, Mrs. James Parkinson, Elijah lies, John Williams, M. K. Anderson. Job Fletcher, Martin Heuber, S. M. Wilson, Edwin Perkins, Joel Johnson, George R. Webei', the Mathenys, and others.

" If I live a month or two longer I shall have lived in the State fifty years, and my memory goes back to the time of the cotton gins. I remember the removal of the seat of government from Vandalia to Springfield; and I recollect, too, the grumbling of the people when it was said that the capital had been removed way up in the Indian country.

" I remember the picking of flax and of cotton, and the meeting at night for that purpose. The wearing apparel of that period, to which allusion has been made, I do not forget. There were no schools then. Governor Palmer has spoken of the young men of the present day, felicitously situated with reference" to educational facilities, and as they are; but the youth of those days struggled hard for an education. It was not an illiterate age, nor an age of ignorance or lack of mental culture. I have no reputation to lose

" Governor Palmer referred to the felicitous situation of the young men of the present day in other respects. Do they recollect the hardships of the past? I have seen young men and women who had walked bare-footed to the church door putting on and lacing their shoes previous to entrance.

" The tribute paid to the wives of pioneers, by Governor Palmer, thrilled me. His eulogy of the hard-working women of that day I most heartily endorse, because in these days there is a tendency on the part of the people to degrade the working women, to characterize the attendance to domestic duties as domestic servitude."

" They were religious in the primitive and orthodox manner. Why, had it been announced that the great man, the pioneer preacher, whose honored remains, I understand, lie in your vicinity, would preach upon a certain occasion, not a house, not a barn, scarcely any buildingwould contain the people who would flock to hear him expound the gospel. How different now in this materialistic age! Who cares who preaches next Sunday in Springfield? How fewl Is the fame of your preacher so limited? Then you heard nothing of the protoplastic theories of this materialistic age. 'Twas religion pure and simple then. To the moral ideas of that time, thus inculcated, is due the prosperity of Illinois, and I bear testimony to that fact.

" The early settlers in these manifold trials grappled with the Indians; grappled with diseases and overcome them. They spent honored and glorious lives, and who does not honor those who have placed this State fourth in the Union, with more acreage under cultivation than any other State, and given it better settlers than the State ever before had. For all this you are indebted to the old settlers at this re-union to-day.

" May the departure of the old settlers be a I'eaceful one, and may we gather at the river and be permitted to enter the shining gates upon the other side."

Russel Godfrey, of Menard county; John Thompson, of Cass county; R. W. Diller, of Springfield; Isaac Cogdell, of Menard county; M. K. Anderson and George R. Weber, each made remarks.

Seventh Annual Meeting

The seventh annual meeting of the society was held September 10, 18V4. Crow's mill, a most romantic spot, situated about eight miles southeast of Springfield, was the place selected. The day was excessively warm, but still all seemed to enjoy themselves well. In a dense and beautiful grove the stand was erected. Upon the stand were seated many of the oldest and best known citizens of the county, among whom were R. W. Diller, George Gregory, A. B. Irwin, Craig White, S. G. Jones, Davis Meredith, Joseph Meredith, William Burtle, J. W. Keyes, Dr. Shields, S. G. Nesbitt, Philomen Stout, M. Wilmot, Preston Breckenridge, D. Funderburk, Job Fletcher and Jacob N. Fullenwider.

The first speaker introduced was the genial and popular old settler, James H. Matheny. The Judge was in his happiest vein, and appeared fully to enter iato the spirit of the occasion. His speech was one of his best and happiest efforts, replete with wit, poetry and sentiment, overflowing with genuine and pure eloquence. It sparkled, it flashed and dashed full of ha})py conceits and beautiful thoughts. He recalled the days of the early settlement of the county; paid an eloquent and deserving tribute to the old settler; spoke of his privations and trials, and gave him all due and proper credit for his exertions, his efforts and his toils.

John M. Palmer, Andrew Simpson, William M. Springer, Joseph Meredith and Mr. Slater were called out, and responded with appropriate remarks.

Eighth Annual Meeting

Can trail's Grove, in the north part of the county, was the place selected for the eighth annual meeting, and Menard county old settlers had been invited to meet with the old settlers of Sangamon. The meeting was late in being called to order. Eev. Mr. Vawter, of Cantrall, delivered the address of welcome and offered prayer.

Governor Palmer was the first speaker. After a general introductory the Governor luade some home thrusts in opposition to the fulsome flattery often indulged in on old settlers' days. He quoted and expanded upon a remark of Judge Gillespie that they might talk now'-adays about " women's rights," but it took the old settlers to do justice to the question; for a striking characteristic of the old settler was an indisposition to meddle in the affairs of women, who, in these days, were quite secure in all their prerogatives. Who ever knew an old settler to do his wife's milking, or to lend her any help whatever about the house?

Isaac Cogdell, of Menard county, was the next speaker, and was followed by D. L. Phillips. The last speaker paid a glowing tribute to the old settler, and also to the civilization of the nineteenth century. " For this sturdy civilization," said the speaker, "we are indebted to the old settler more than we know. But the life of an old settler was at best but a hard one; deprived of the advantages of free schools and condemned to labor. Governor Palmer, in his speech, had ascribed happiness to the old settlers; but they could not be so happy as now under more favorable circumstances, and in fact they did not expect it. The very preaching of that day was of trials and troubles, and the necessity for submission. A gloomy, sombi'e view of life was taken, and the teachings of that day was to expect no ease or comfort here, but to look for it beyond." The speaker compared the lack of advantages for farming as late even as the period of 1840, with the facilities now offered for the production of crops; and his account of going to mill, in his boyhood, astride of a bag of corn, to wait all day and all night for his grist, was well told.

Elder John England, of Ogle county, in response to a call, said that he would indulge in a few off-hand remarks. This gathering, said he, was one of old settlers. His father had come here in 1818, and, had he time, he would like to recount incidents connected with his playing with Indian boys - for fear of Indians was not then one of the trials and tribulations of pioneer times. The old settlers met now to show what it cost to lay the foundation of such a civilization as the present. They often went to church bare-footed, and like Governor Palmer, he was proud of his first pair of boots, which, by the way had been made for him by Wyatt Cantrall, now here on the platform. Hospitality distinguished the early settler, as well as liberality of religious sentiment. A traveling preacher was gladly entertained, his denomination not asked, and he was received by all as a brother.

Ninth Annual Mkkting

The ninth annual re-union of old settlers was held at the Fair Ground, near Springfield, August 31, 1876, and attracted an audience numbering thousands. Among the old settlers occupying places in and about the stand were R. A. liaziett, W. T. Boyer, Albion Knotts, George Mc- Daniels, S. T. Cantrall, J. W. Jones, H. U. Lyon, Moses Laswell, Horace Hickox, J. R. Sanders, W. A. Whiteside, Mrs. J. R. Sanders, George B. Merryman, Mrs. George B. Merryman, James M. Reed, John Sims, M. K. Anderson, J, H. Fullenwider, S. Wood, E.R. Perkins, John M. Matthew, W. H. Herndon, J. H. Matheny, John North, S. E. Wilcoxson, Goodrich Lightfoot, Samuel Miller, E. F. McConnell, George R. Weber, W. H. Marsh, C. S. Cantrall, A. R. Robinson, H. Alkire, Mrs. Elizabeth Sollers, John Capps, William Shumate, Joseph Shepherd, R. D. Brown, John Busher, William S. Burch, Preston Breckenridge, Mrs. N. J. Le Claire, D. P. Robinson, Russell Godby, James Good, J. D. McMurray, James Parkinson, J. M. Cartmell, J. H. Ellis, Samuel Fredge, M. A. Cartwright, A. J. Kane, John De Camp, William A. Grant, Isaac Berry, John Williams, J. L. Shinkle and others. "The meeting was called to order by M. K. Anderson, who introduced James H. Matheny, who made one of his old-fashioned speeches. Alfred Orendorff was next introduced. He referred in glowing terms to the progress beingmade in the development of the countrj^ and the part the pioneers bad taken in the work. " Illinois," said he, "the State they had reclaimed from Indian barbarism to civilization had a grand history, and especially so Central Illinois. The State's career of prosperity now ranked it third in the Union. But look at her men; look at her brilliant coterie of intellect which thirty years ago moved amid these scenes - Baker, the orator and soldier; the gallant Shields; our own Judge Logan, still with us, the illustrious lawyer of that time; Stephen A. Douglas, the statesman and patriot, whose last act was to sacrifice partisanship in the interest of patriotism; and then Lincoln, a name synonymous through the world's greatness, with honor and fidelity and goodness; a name reflecting the world's honor upon this section of country. With such a history Sangamon county should be proud and go on in its career of prosperity."

William H. Herndon, the next speaker, had never, save last year, attended the Old Settlers' re-union. He came now prepared to speak in his own way. On behalf of the President of the Society he extended a hearty welcome to all present. "Look into the history of Sangamon county. Geographically, it is abont the centre of Illinois, and nearly the centre of the United States. Here is fertility of soil greater than elsewhere, and people the equal of any. But this was not always so. The advantages now enjoyed, our prosperous condition, was largely due to the pioneers who coming here grappled with the trials incident to a pioneer's life. It took men and women of nerve to battle with life in the wilderness, and the result of that battling was seen here to-day in our prosperity and the happy presence of the old settlers and their decend^nts. It was well. The like of such pioneers we should never see again, unless in the far west." The speaker illustrated the trials of pioneer life by an incident in his childhood's days, when, his father being absent, his mother, by almost superhuman exertions, saved her family from an attack of an Indian war band. Alluding to the mode of life in early days, he said crime was almost unknown; social life was characterized by the largest hospitality to strangers. Now selfishness ruled - " every man for himself." Early religious effort was fervent; men and women were unmistakably pious; there was true worship. Now we mainly worship form and fashion rather than the Deity. He paid a high compliment to the missionary zeal of Peter Cai'twright, one of whose sons occupied a place on the platform. There were now great changes; but having faith in an illimitable Supreme Being, he hoped the changes might be improvement, opening to a grander sphere. Specifically alluding to these changes, Mr. Herndon said: - "Now let us look at some of these changes, wonderful changes that have taken place since the county of Sangamon was organized. First, let us look at this question commercially, and to do so we will take the substance of a merchant's advertisement in the Sangamon Journal of 1836:

" 'The undersigned will keep constantly on hand a splendid assoitment of dry goods, hardware, cutlery, groceries, drugs, medicines, books, boots and shoes, harness and saddles, queensware, glassware, nails, iron chains, etc., etc., which will be sold cheap for cash or country produce, such as beeswax, dry hides, feathers, butter, bacon, pork, etc., etc'

" Now what a change. Dry goods, groceries, hardware, etc., are sold in separate stores. The old kind of stores are split up into specialties, where only one thing is sold, such as drugs, boots and shoes. Instead of being merchants of all things they are merchants of but one. Thus professions, trades, callings of every sort divide.

split and develop into a special, and here lies the cause, so to speak, of the progress of mankind. "Agriculturally, the sickle gave its place and power to the cradle, and it in time gave its place and power to the reaper. The wooden mould board plow gave place to the iron one, and the common little bar shear gave place to the shovel, and it to the double shovel, and it in turn to the cultivator. The short, old Dutch-English scythe gave place to the blacksnake, and it in turn gave up its place to the mower. In these cases, as in a thousand others, the muscles of man was relieved by the muscles of the horse and the powers generated by mechanics, and so it is and ever will be, and yet we in the West are hewers of wood and drawei's of water, and yet I dare not say 'and so it is and ever will be.' God forbid. The wooden flail gave place to the treading, round-going ox, and he to the thresher. The cotton sheet, in a storm of wind, cleaning the grain, was succeeded by the fanning mill, and all these gave up their place and power to the threshers. The wooden rake has been succeeded by the horse rake. The whip-saw has given up the ghost before the mill-saw; the muscles of man to the forces of nature. Originally in the West the ox did all the work; he hauled everything, worked everywhere, and at all times ; he hauled goods from St. Louis at one dollar per hundred, and from Beard stown at forty cents per hundred ; he plowed, threshed, hauled, tread the mill ; if not obedient was goaded and whipped by their angry masters, and for his great services was fattened, killed and eaten by those whom he had enriched. God, it is said, is merciful to man, but how is it with the poor ox? It was once shortly and pungently said that 'Illinois was hell on oxen and women.' The ox-mill and the horse-mill, as well as the water-mill, that ground out every hour about as much as a good hazle-splitting sow with a litter of pigs could eat, has succumbed - has all been surpassed by the steam mill grinding out its thousand barrels daily. The mode of travel, originally, was by two-horse stage ; it was followed by the four-horse stage, with two seats, and it by the nine passenger. Now our mode of travel is by rail on iron tracks, and driven by steam, having many cars, with thousands of seats and carrying thousands of passengers across the continent in a few days. We now live by steam, and die and write our will by electricity. The flax wheel and the large wool and cotton spinning wheels, as well as the hand loom, driven by the hand and foot of woman, have all in their place given way to the power loom, etc., driven by steam. You know the little wheel, the larger one and the hand loom, how they all used to whirl, whiz, sing and slam and crash, and you know the loom house where it used to stand, and know how it looked, and saw your old mothers sitting there toiling away night and day shoving the shuttle. Do you? If so, remember the past, and the good, gone up, up to Heaven. The little old log cabin, with deerskin door, clapboard roof, puncheon floor, stick chimneys, daubed with clay and straw, covered with boards taken from the oaks by hands, and held down by weight-poles, have given place to palaces, so to speak. The old log school house, with slab benches, puncheon floors, greased paper for glass, together with the illnatured school master, w^ith his ferule and whip, thank God, are gone, and in their place we have schools and colleges on every hand. Our court house, costing some -t/O, has been succeeded by one costing some $200,000. Our State house, costing some -$3,000 or $4,000, has been succeeded by one costing as many millions. Originally, we sent letters and messages by horse, now we send them by steam and electricity, as it were, beating in speed, time itself. So we have lived, are living, and will continue to live. The past is nothing, the present is nothing, the great future will be all. Man, the race of man, is but in its infancy - is a mere child, yet rocked in the cradle of Mother Nature. The world is young, time is long, and the race eternal, with unbounded forces. His capacity has no bounds, and his progress no limit. He will master everything but the unmasterable, know everything but the unknowable. He will be free and unfettered in all the walks of life or drench the world in blood. He will be master of himself; he will have no fetters on his limbs, his tongue, nor his brain, nor his business; he will be master of the forms of matter and the forces of nature; he will make these work for him, toil for him, groan and sweat and bleed for him, so to speak, while he climbs towards his anticipated, lookedfor heaven."

Oil the conclusion of Mr. Herndon's address, the meeting adjourned for dinner, after which short speeches, recounting the time of their arrival, reminiscences of their early life here, and amusing anecdotes, were delivered by George R. Weber, Godbey, D. W. Clark, M. K. Anderson and others.

Tenth Annual Meeting

The tenth re-union was held at Loami, September 4, 1877. The number estimated present on the occasion was from five to seven thousand. The meeting was called to order by William McGinnis, and prayer offered by Rev. J. G. White. James M. Turpii] delivered the address of welcome. John T. Stuart was then introduced as the orator of the day. The address of Mr. Stuart will be found on page 194.

At the conclusion of Mr. Stuart's address, Alexander B. Irwin, of Pleasant Plains, delivered one of his pleasant, off-hand talks. After dinner R. W. Diller read one of Will Carlton's poems, " Betsy and I are out," in a style that would have done credit to a professional elocutionist.

Preston Breckenridge, an ex-President of the society, and John Carroll Power, the historian, were introduced together. Mr. Breckenridge said: "Mr. Power, I have the pleasure of presenting you, on behalf of myself and other friends of yours among the early settlers, with a copy of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, as a slight token of your herculanean labor of writing and publishing your History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County." Then, turning to the audience, he continued by expressing the opinion that it had no equal in any county in the State, and perhaps not in the United States, and that in fifty years from now it would be consulted with even greater interest than at the present time.

Mr. Power responded by saying that he was placed in a position requiring him to make an Old Settler's speech, a thing that he never expected to do in his life, that he could not do the subject justice, but that he would treasure the work as a reminder of two of the most pleasant years of his life - the two years spent in visiting from house to house among the early settlers, while gathering material for the history. "Ordinarily," said he, "I would recommend every family in the United States to supply themselves, first, with the Bible and then with a copy of this dictionary; but for Sangamon county a good library would be a copy each of the Bible, Dictionary, and the History of the Early Settlers of this county."

Characteristic speeches were then made by Reverends J. G. White and J. L. Crane. Mrs. Elizabeth Harbour was introduced and some events of her life related by William McGinnis. At ten years of age she was with her parents in Hill's Fort, near what is now Greenville, Bond county, and witnessed the fight that took place there August 27, 1814, when the Indians undertook to capture the fort. She saw Thomas Iliggins as near shot and cut to pieces as a man could be and live; she also saw John Journey, John Grates, and Major William Hewitt killed, the latter of whom was in command of the fort. Mrs. Harbour had with her the chain used by her father, Simon Lindley. After the town of Springfield was laid out there was a discrepancy between that town and the former town of Calhoun. Mr. Lindley was called on to re-survey it, which he did, harmonizing all diiferences. She keeps that chain as an heirloom. Mrs. Harbour also remembers the Indian ranger who died and was buried, September, 1813, at Sulphur Springs cemetery. His name was William Hewitt.

Elevf.Xth Annual Meeting

The following account of the Old Settlers' Meeting, on the occasion of the eleventh annual meeting, held at Pleasant Plains, August 22, 1878, is taken from the Sangamo Monitor, and was doubtless written by the editor:

"The day was only a little too hot for comfort, but pleasant when the shade was found, and the cooling breezes fanned the brow and converted the shade of the tall trees of the forest into bowers of comfort. These retreats for the weary ones who sought them to rest their bones or talk over events and stir up memories full of pleasure to both the narrator and listener, were perfect havens of rest to many an old settler on the occasion.

"The grounds had been well selected and but few places present so many natural invitations to partake of its shades and grassy carpet, to enjoy the gentle zephyrs that waft themselves through the magnificent foliage as that of the grove selected by the committee for the purpose of celebrating the nineteenth anniversary of the organization of the Old Settlers' Association of Sangamon county. The stand stood in the south of the amphitheatre, protected from the rays of Old Sol, and decorated with green boughs and emblems of the free. It was so arranged as to accommodate the patriarchal portion of the association, and those who were to take part in the services to add another pleasure to declining days and a new ray of hope to fading lives.

" On the right were seated the choir, selected and trained for the occasion by Professor Griffin, one of the most indefatigable and patient vocal instructors in the county. This choir is made up of not a few who have made reputation for voice and musical talent, in other d,iys and on similar occasions. Its composition is as follows: Miss Fannie Meredith, organist; leading soprano, Miss Ida Crow, Misses Belle Johnson, Ettie Shoup, Lizzie Stout and Mollie Forbes; alto. Misses Delia Herndon and S. J. Lockridge; tenor, Clark Dragoo, Will Knotts, AVilliam Dodds and J. R. Lockridge; basso, C. C. and E. R. Headley, Job Megrady and George Harnett. During the day's performance the choir performed in a most decidedly musical and popular manner the following programme: 'Glory to the New Born King,' 'Ijovc Divine,' 'The Hunters,' 'Pilgrim Fathers,' 'Hold Your Head Up Like a Man,' 'My Boyhood,' and closed the day with ' Merrily Onward We Bound.' Too much cannot be said of the pleasure contributed by these ladies and gentlemen in the exercise of a talent which none who heard their efforts can refuse to accord to each of them.

"On the left sat the 'cause of it all,' the venerable and honorable landmarks of the past to whom the present are indebted for all the glory of a Christianized civilization. As they sat there with uncovered craniums, some of them as hairless as a billiard ball, others with silvered strands Mowing as gracefully as the flaxen wavelets from the head of infancy, a new veneration for age seemed to possess the youthful portion of the vast throng as they would speak the names of their grand sires in the most reverential tones of affection and tenderness.

" We saw there the venerable, and we might add handsome. President of the Association, Davis Meredith, Esq.,with the honors of fortynine Illinois winters whitening his locks. Preston Breckenridge, Esq., with forty-four years of labor in the soil of Suckerdom to entitle him to honor from her sons and daughters; and Joshua Dillon, .lohn Miller, Nathan Carson, Maxwell Campbell, William Batterton, Isaac Wallace, Abner Knotts, John Gaines, James Parkinson, Jacob Epler, Samuel Williams, Robert Cummings, R. W. Diller, the patriarchal Captain Job Fletcher, and the returned pilgrim to other lands, who fifty years since was the ruling spirit of the young and vigorous manhood of Springfield, Major Mobley, and Alexander Irwin, John Harrison, Logan McMurry, B. E. Baker, William M. Butler, John Slater, Mat Cartwright, Thomas and John Garrett, two of as noble representatives from the Isle Erin as ever made a track in a furrow and lived to enjoy the fruit of their honest toil. And there sat John Lightfoot with the flowing beard, the youngest old man in America, and the tall form of William Yates was seen looming above the others, and D. G. Kalb, the well proserved old settler of Round Prairie. These were on the stand as specimen bricks from the 'Kiln of Time' during the times that might well be said to have ' tried men's souls.' These were not all of the 'old folks at home' who had come out to the 'Eating Bee' at the Plains, and as we stroll around the 'grounds we shall try to introduce some of them to you.

"It is a little remarkable that it should be, and not so much to be wc ndered at either, that all picnics must be decorated with chin music. But it is deplorably the case that the programme of fifty years since must still be religiously adhered to, if it 'break a trace.' The speaking was not so numerous as it should have been, although some of the very best.

"The Rev. John Slater was never more happy than when welcoming the vast crowd to the hospitality of his fellow citizens of the Plains and the Association. We have such an utter repugnance to the publication of speeches on such occasions that we never allow ourselves to take more than outlines, on the principal that they are made like Tom Lewis' butter used to be made - for present use - and those not there were the losers, while those who heard them are satisfied. Brother Slater's speech was welltimed, sensible and well spoken, just as those who know him would expect him to j^erform a task of the kind, and we will cover the whole case in a word, when we say it was pleasing to those who heard it and detracted no laurel from the Rev. Johns' brow, earned in days gone by.

"Judge Matheny was an ' Old Settler' in earnest, dealing in reminiscences of the days of puncheon floors and 'honest people, delivered in the conversational or narrative style. It was full of the most graphic and pleasing incidents of men and the times and held his audience like a vice. We have too much regard for Colonel Matheny to mar the pleasure he gives an audience of any character by attempting to place on paper the peculiar phraseology and the more peculiar Matheny-oratory with which he gives his speeches to his hearers.

"Of him it may be said more truthfully than of any other speaker we now have in remembrance, 'his speeches must be heard to be fully and deservedly appreciated.'

"If success in first forcing the human face into its greatest length by some serious line into which he may choose to lead his listeners; then spreading their mouths like the lease of a poor man from ear to ear, now o'ercasting their face with the most sympathizing cast of countenance and causing the briny messengers of grief to chase each other down the furrowed and fat cheek alike, then banishing gloom as the God of day would the mist of a foggy morn, is effective speaking, then our County Judge and cherished Matheny is your man; but dont ask the Monitor man to waste time and printers' ink in an effort to report him. We will leave that to newspapers who^e reporters believe in quantity and not quality.

Mr. James Stout's recitation was well done, well received, and reflected credit on the good taste of the gentleman, both in the selection and recitation of tlie poem.

'"Oijit of the old house into the new,' by the worthy son of a noble sire. Rev. W. H. Milburn, the ' sightless orator of America,' whose face and form begin to show the marks of time - since he first aroused in the souls of his hearers of years ago, a holy love and veneration for the God in whose service he had embarked - was among the many attractive features. He is still the soul of eloquence, the fountain of oratory, who with his mine of finished gems, when unlocked by the key of some soul-ins]3iring theme, has astonished thousands in his native land, and by our neighbors over the waves which separate the continents, established his repute as one of the most gifted of America's orators.

"As we beheld him in his graceful gestures with his rivited audience hanging on every word uttered, leaning to catch his brilliant gems of thought as they left him clothed in the most attractive style, we scarcely knew which to most admire, the genius of the speaker or the respectful attention of his hearers. His speech furnished food for thought, which we doubt not will be carried to many a home, and, like the bread cast upon the waters, the work of the 'blind man eloquent' will be seen growing in many a homestead when he has filled the measure of his days and gone to gaze upon the scenes of Heaven, of which the beauties he is now deprived of seeing are but the faintest type.

"Rev. Mr. Short, of Jacksonville, we learned, made another speech after the meeting had been announced as closed, and many had gone, but which we also were informed was well received. These comprised the services at the stand, except in one particular. The music of Butler's Band was no small factor in making the attractions at that and other points during the day. The band was out in full force, and never played better to a more admiring crowd. Indeed, the performance at the Old Settlers' pic-nic would have been tame, had it not been for the inspir- ing notes from the instrumental efforts of this reputable band. Their playing was timely, music appropriate, and in no company of players can be found those more proficient in their calling.

"Ah! gentle reader of the Monitor, this account would be incomplete and a failure, most inglorious, did we allow the very thing above all others for which the Old Settlers and the new settlers were bent on doing in style when they started for the grounds on yesterday morning. To get a good view of an Old Settlers' pic-nic, or, in fact, any kind of a pic-nic, you have got to take them at feeding time. Now, to do this, by a hungry reporter, is no small task. It requires a good deal of self-sacritice, and as newspaper men are supposed by some people to subsist on wind, we thought we would not rob them of the delusion, by being caught in an attempt to fill oitr yearning vacuum. We took a cold snack from our friend, Tom White, of the Plains, and with Faber in hand and Ed. Bierce to hold copy, we made a dash around to see who was there and what they ate.

" W. G. and Oscar and Aunt Jane Purvines, E. S. Bone, and Tom White were trying to fill Uncle Joe Ledlie, Ed. Bierce, and the hungriest-looking newspaper man on the ground. They were abundantly repayed, however, by the solemn style of the newspaper man's vote of thanks for their success in astonishing Bierce with a square meal, and fattening Uncle Joe until his best friends fail to recognize him. Mr. Sam Valentine and family were hiding chicken on the double quick style, with a board fence to keep them away from Ben Trenary, Billy Parker, A. C. Smith, and their families, consisting of about forty-seven young Rock Creekers, all in good health. -

"Then we spied Charlie Watson and his estimable better half, fooling away about sixty-five pounds of wholesome and delicious, in an effort to inflate Ezra White, Garret Elkin, and a squad of 'Pharaoh's lean kine' of folks of the Ed. Bierce stripe of eaters.

"There sat Jack Gardner and his family, engaged in a similar sport. Then we ran head first against ' Hi' Gardner, trying to get rich keeping boarding house with Ben Caldwell, Colonel Mobley, Henry Latham, Will Gardner, of Chatham, and all their families, particularly Henry Latham's. As we left the scene, we pitied Miss Kendel, Miss Gardner, and some young lady friends who were well-nigh worked out in their effort, and Ben Caldwell's little blonde baby crying for more.

"And there sat John Hardin and Billy Barrett foraging on one of Sangamon's cleverest men, Wm. Stitt, who had called to his aid Berryman Hurt, Esq., and still failed, for Hardin was coax-- ing our old friend Epler, whose white table cloth gleamed with chicken and ham, to give him a drum-stick to chew on. Had it not been for Squire Hamilton, Purvines, Ware, and their families, who protected friend Epler, we guess John would have got enough.

" There sat J. P. Smith, Joe Hayes, Dr. Atherton, Dan Staples, of Beardstown, a relic of the Black Hawk times, and Johnny Wolgamot, with their families, looking for all the world as if they had been boarding with Noah in the Ark, and the provisions had given out after twenty days of the storm.

" Here we are in front of Will Converse and Tom Little, and the old gentleman, Henry Converse, with children, grand-children, and great numbers of children, swinging in a hammockj and eating ' yaller-legs,' until they all looked like Methodist preachers, particularly Grandpa Tom.

" 'How are you?' said we, as approaching a nest of croics with more mooves than any county can turn out, and more to eat than would have fed a whole company of clever folks like 'em.

" Then we saw Old Man Yeakle and Squire Waddle trying to outeat Hardy Conant. Captain Bradford was at the same time performing a friendly office in helping a lady friend who had eaten until she got down with the exercise.

"If one desired to see a company of ' old settlers' when they tackled a table, behold the array: Captain L. Smith, George McMurphy, F. B. Smith, S. L Lindsey, B. O. Pearl and Cash Lynch, assisted by several other good judges of 'wittles well done' - of the female persuasion. Ah! there is my friend H. F'ayart, and our friend Shibley and their families, taking the rural snack and washing it down with pure juice of the grape. ' No, I thank you, we have had our dinner or you bet we would;' and we pass on.

" Ed. Elkin and Joe Reavely, Will Mowery and Harm Gatten, and several other fellows just as hungry looking as Ed., are making the grub look as if the table had been struck by a tornado, and no help arrived.

" Then John Harnett, J. H. Classpill, Rev. Wilson and Professor Griffin had been running a boarding house for the tuneful ones who furnished the music. But it was no go. Mrs. Pond and Miss Annie Wilson, and Thomas Wilson, the Grand Marshal, all looked weary in well doing, and the voice of the singer still sang for more.

"But here is the place to get a nice dinner. It is on watermelon, or at least that is all the Monitor man saw them investigating when he took a view of their table, about eleven feet long and covered with melons. Misses Ida Hughes, Frankie London, Helen Sanders, Dora Adams, and her sisters. Miss Caddie Priest, and Messrs. Saunders, Dow Matheny, M. Furlong, Sam Runyan, and Elliott, all taking melon straight.

"We became so tired watching others we give it lip before we got around, and concluded to stand and see who wei'e there and what they were at. Old settlers began to crowd around us, who we failed to see on the stand, and many was the grasp of the hand we gave and took as we met our friend Captain R. H. Constant, of Black Hawk fame. There goes Bob Pirkins. Here comes Bill Springer, as happy as a new nominee. Henry Converse shakes with Hardin Ellmore, S. Q. Harrison passes looking as young as he did twenty years since.

"We spied Wm. Lynn, Riley Pirkins, Wm. Houghton and 'Hickory,' his brother. Squire Fink, and Ellis Wilcox with his cane, and Henry Foster, George Harmon, both no older, only more hairless; Isaac Hawley and Bin)^ Burch, from the city; Peter Cox, from l>all; Billy Brown, who must now be considered an O. S., from Berlin; Newt. Purvanse, Thomas Watts, and here comes George Trumbo and our friend Hall, from Mechanicsburg. How do you do, Mr. Arnold and M. A. Carter, of the Plains. John Hardin is now an O. S.; and so also is Harness Trumbo and Henry Bugg, 'Brug.' Pirkins and J. B. Pirkins when he can boast of a big grandson.

"Here is Thomas Hessy and John DeCamp and Zim Enos and Doc. Jayne - all ri])e Old S.'s. So is Tom Averett and Tom Talbott, and 'Doc' with his family of great big sons and lovely daughter.

"There stands Joshua F. Amos, one of the first carpenters that ever struck Springfield; James L. Hill, John Fagan, C. W. VanDeren and Christian Crow, from Cass county; and there is Ed Watts and his family, and our farmer friend, Elliott B. Herndon, Esq., who, with his better half, had viewed the land between Springfield and the plains behind the faithful horse. Here comes John A. Miller, of Rochester, and Ira Winchell, the honest smith, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, from east of the city, and here is our friend J. M. Turpin, from Loami, and W. F. Foley, B. F. Short and B F. Cummings, who were both born about the same time and came to the State together.

"Young settlers who demanded some of our attention while passing around: Miss Dora Bennett and the Misses Bevens, Jas. A. Winston, Dr. Correll, Mrs. McElhany, Miss Burchett, Mrs. Sibley, Mrs. Fayart and Mrs. Cross - passing around on a review of the outside world, wherein peanuts, pop-corn, patent blacking, horse swings. and rope-walking were the attractions, and in which they were joined by nearly the entire young settlers and all of the old.

" Mrs. S. H. Richardson, the Misses F^ink, our old friends of twenty years since, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Tomlin, and Mrs. Dr. Harrison and her two single daughters and married one, Mrs. Beekman. The very prince of old settlers, Noah Mason, Esq., and Ben. Caldwell and Al. Watts trying to find out which of the babies had the blondest head of hair. Marshal Stevens and our very clever young lady friends. Miss Julia Routh and Julia Frohner, Mrs. Whitcomb, Mrs. Maxwell and the venerable wife of the new President of the society, Mrs. Campbell, Bob Hazlett and Miss Belle Bradford and a thousand others we have not room to name."

Twelfth Annual Meeting

" The annual reunion of the Sangamon County Old Settlers' Society was held on Wednesday, the 2Uth ult., in Abell's grove, just north of the pleasant village of Rochester, and it proved to be a grand success in every point of view. The day was line, although a trifle warm, the attendance was immense, and the exercises were of a more interesting character, if possible, than is usual on such occasions. The committee, assisted by the good people of Rochester, had made ample preparations for the accommodation of the crowd. A stand for the speakers and musicians had been erected, seats sufiicient to accommodate a large number of people were in position, and a number of barrels of ice Avater had been provided. The people from the siirrounding country came flocking in at quite an early hour in the forenoon; a large crowd went out on the Ohio & Mississippi road on the nine o'clock train, another on the ten-thirty train, and still another on the one p. m. train. The appearance of the ground did not differ materially from what one is accustomed to see on such occasions. There were acres of horses and vehicles, and 'oceans' of people - old people, middle aged people, young people, men, women and children - rich men and poor men, stylishly dressed women, with the flush of health on the cheek and the sparkle in the eye - women - good old mothers of Israel, with furrowed cheek and agedimmed eye. Then there were the usual number of refreshment stands and catch-penny contrivances that have been so often seen and just as often described, and upon which we do not propose to dwell, preferring to talk more particularly of the old people and the exercises in which they were interested.

"On and immediately around the stand Avere many old men and women, to whom we are indebted for much of the civilization that we now enjoy. Among the number, the Megister reporter noticed Mesdames Daniel Barr, John Cassity, John Lock, David Crouch, Melvina Miller, Polly Bashaw, Jane Butler, Eliza Taft, Polly Torrance, Rachel Poft'enbarger, Eliza Miller,

Giger, George Green, L. Kidgeway, S. R. Sanders, Rev. A. Hale, Abner Knotts, Henry Johnson, A, Barber, Daniel Wadsworth, M. G. Wadsworth, Harness Trumbo, Samuel Williams, Dr. Able, Dr. Babcock, J. M. Morse, Moreau Phillips, L. P. Matthews, J. E. McCoy, M. D. Mc- Coy, John Lock, Strother Jones, William Shumate, C. W. Van Deren, Isaac Watts, Uriah Mann, J. Palmer, Henry Converse, John De Camp, Philemon Stout, and last, but not least, the venerable John T. isenham, bending beneath the weight of ninety-one years, and who was doubtless the oldest man on the ground.

"The exercises at the stand commenced at about half-past ten or eleven o'clock. M. D. Mc- Coy called the assemblage to order, and a choir, led by Mr. McCoy, sang, with fine effect, 'All hail the power of Jesus' name.' Then Rev. G. W. Dungan, pastor of the Rochester Methodist Episcopal Church, invoked- the blessings of Almighty God upon those present, and upon the occasion, after which the choir sang 'Rock of Ages;' then Dr. E. R. Babcock, of Rochester, delivered a neat address of welcome. Alex. B. Irwin, of Pleasant Plains, one of the vice presidents of the society, then took charge of the meeting, having been requested to do so by President Campbell, who was absent. After a few preliminary remarks, he introduced Hon. Milton Hay as the orator of the day, and that gentlemen proceeded to deliver a highly interesting and instructive address, of which we can present but a brief synopsis.

" The speaker said the printed programme advertising an ' oration' from h)m, on this occasion, was all wrong. He had promised only to make a short talk. Judge Matheny should be called upon personally to make good the promise set out in the programme, as he was abundantly able to do it. Addressing himself to the occasion, he said: ' The Old Settlers' Society of Sangamon had now become one of the permanent institutions of the county, as it rightfully should be. It might have been the idea of the founders of the society that it was to be kept up only as long as the few pioneers who began our earliest settlements should survive, but we have outgrown that idea. As one generation succeeds another, the elder generation yet upon the stage of life would always constitute and bear the relation of 'old settlers' to the new growth of population. In that sense we should always have old settlers amongst us, and hence we would have the elements and material for an old settlers' society. In the process of time the society, it is true, would lose its characteristic of being composed of the first settlers, but it could still retain its characteristic of being old settlers. The old as well as the poor, we shall always have with us.

"In this comparatively early history of the society, however, we had the advantage of having amongst us as yet, so that we meet them, face to face, a few of the very earliest pioneers; men and women who had stood, as it were, upon Mount Pisgah, and gazed upon the trackless prairies and forests of these regions; men who saw that the land was fair and who were the first to enter upon it and take possession. The experience of these old settlers was an experience that no other generation of settlers could possibly have. At that early day these regions were not considered so inviting as to cause any rush or haste in their settlement. A few located doubtingly and cautiously, and these at considerable intervals of time. It was no part of the expectation of these pioneers that they would realize suddenly great wealth or great success of an)^ kind by being the first upon the ground. But little information had been disseminated as to the chaiac'.e. of the country, but there was a general irapiess on that its characteristics were tho.<e of a d'isert.