St. Clair County, Illinois - Chapter 6, 1928

Chapter 6

neither well made nor of the proper kind. Their plows were a curiosity. They had an iron point, but a wooden mold-board with a straight beam and almost perpendicular handles. They seldom plowed with horses, but used oxen. They also had a strange custom of yoking their oxen by the horns instead of the neck. Sometimes they used oxen to draw their carts, but generally horses were used for this. Reynolds says a wagon was not seen in Illinois for nearly a hundred years after its settlement. The French ox cart was called "bare-footed," because it had no iron tires on the wheels. In a country where there were no rocks to travel over, these all wood wheels answered the purpose quite well. They had no tanned leather for any purpose whatever. They made harness out of raw hide. The French houses were usually one story high and made of wood, tho some were built of stone. There was not a brick house in the country for a hundred years or more after the first settlement. Roofs were sometimes thatched with straw or prairie grass. This sort of roof looked well, and if properly put on, lasted longer than shingles. When shingles were used, they were fastened on with pegs or weights. They were generally made of white oak and were very durable. The doors were plain baton work, mostly of walnut. The windows generally had some glass in them and opened on hinges, according to the French custom. In those days they usually had neat clean wells walled with rock and provided with a windlass for drawing water, so that their water supply was convenient and clean. The costume of the French of that day, hke most of their other characteristics, was rather peculiar. It seems that the masses of this nationality whether in the old world or the new, have a strong preference for the color blue. Blue handkerchiefs were frequently worn on the head by both sexes in place of a hat. It was tastefully tied on and seemed rather becoming, even to men. The capot, made of a white blanket, was the universal dress for the laboring class of people. A kind of cap was attached behind, at the cape, which in cold weather was raised over the head; in the house or in good weather it was permitted to rest on the shoulders like an ordinary cape. The men wore pantaloons of coarse blue stuff in the summer and buckskin in winter. The women did not work as hard as the men and therefore dressed neater and better than the male part of the community. The French fashions from New Orleans or Pans were promptly adopted to the extent of their means and ability. The women generally and the men largely wore buckskin moccasins. Reynolds' history calls this article of foot wear a "mawkawsin." Both men and women were usually provided with some more tasty and attractive apparel for the church and the ball room. With sentiments of true piety it afforded them great pleasure to attend church and perform their religious devotions. After the duties of their religion were discharged, various forms of recreation and amusement were indulged in, even on the same day that they attended church. But it was in the ball room where these merry and innocent people really enjoyed themselves. All care was cast aside for the pleasures of the dance. The French ball room seemed to afford an intense degree of excitement and animation to all classes of the people. The young and old, the rich and poor, all met together in good feeling and hearts overflowing with ecstasies of merriment. They had an ancient custom by which several young men about the last of the year would go around to various houses in the village disguised as beggars, they would enter a house, dancing what they called the Gionie, which was an invitation for them to meet and have a ball to dance away the old year. Then on New Year's eve, both young and old would assemble, each bringing some kind of refreshment, and in good earnest they would dance away the old year. About the sixth of January they were accustomed to hold a celebration called "Le Jour de Rais." A party was held and four beans baked in a large cake. The cake was distributed among the gentlemen and each one who received a bean was proclaimed King. These four kings would give the next ball. These kings each selected a queen and gave her a suitable present, then these eight arranged everything necessary for the dancing party. In these merry parties, no formal dinner was indulged in. The purpose was not to eat, but to make merry. They had refreshments of cake and coffee served at intervals which were sufficient for their needs. Sometimes bouillon took the place of coffee. Towards the close of the party each queen selected a new king and kissed him to qualify him for office. Then each new king chose a new queen and the whole performance was repeated. In this manner the king balls were kept up until the carnival was ended.

In the ball room order and decorum were strictly observed. Two aged and discreet persons were chosen, called provosts, one to select the ladies for the dance and the other the gentlemen, so that each h.id the opportunity to dance in his proper turn. The older people regulated the whole affair, the time to go home and the time to meet again. By this regulation much of the excesses and hirmtul results commonly attributed to dancing parties, were avoided.

Historic Incidents Of Pioneer Life

HISTORIC INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE The "Annals of the West" tells the following incident that occurred in March, 1813, partly in St. Clair County. Rev. David McLain, having started tor Kentucky, had crossed the Kaskaskia at "Hill's Ferry," m the present county ot Clinton, when without warning they were tired upon by a party ot Indians. Young was killed and scalped. McLain's horse was shot from under him, but he, being a good runner, tried to escape by flight thru the thick woods of the river bottom with several Indians m pursuit. He soon outdistanced all but one who was an athletic tellow and seemed determined not to lose his prey. McLain was encumbered with a heavy overcoat, leggings, and spurs. The Indian fired, missed him, and stopped to reload. This gave McLain a chance to throw otF his overcoat, thinking the Indian might be attracted by that and give up the chase. When he was nearing exhaustion and the Indian was about to overtake him he stopped, made' signs of surrender, and then as the Indian came near he assumed an attitude ot defiance and watched the motions ot his enemy. As he was about to fire he dodged quickly and the ball went astray. Then he exerted all his energy to escape until the Indian was about to overtake him again, when he would repeat the performance. He kept up this running contest for more than an hour, during which the Indian shot at him seven times and once wounded him m the arm. He now decided as a last resort to swim the river, and tho he was almost tired out he jumped in and started across diagonally down stream. He watched the Indian, and just as he was about to shoot again he dived into the deep water of the stream and came up close to the other side. At this the disgusted Indian gave up the chase and probably told his fellow braves that he had pursued a "great medicine," who was so charmed that a musket ball could not kill him. After strenuous effort and much suffering from his wound, he reached the Badgley settlement, thirty-five miles away, by the next morning.

ADVENTURE OF THOlvIAS HIGGINS A frontier settlement on Shoal Creek, a few miles east of the present border of St. Clair, had a block house which was one of the stations for the rangers m the War of 1S12, One morning m the summer of 1S14, a company of 12 rangers, including Higgms, started out m pursuit of a band ot Indians who had been seen prowling .iround the fort the day before. They had not gone tar enough to be out of sight of the block house when they were ambuscade J and surrounded by a party of 70 or 80 Indians. At the first fire the commander and three men were killed. Six fled to the fort, but Higgins tarried, as he said, "to have one more pull at the enemy." His horse was shot m the neck, and as he supposed, mortally wounded, so he took to a tree, resolving to avenge the loss of his comrades. When the smoke had cleared away a little, he fired at the Indians ,ind the foremost fell dead. By this time his horse had recovered his feet and Higgins mounted him to ride to the fort. Just then a familiar voice from the tall grass said, "Tom, you won't leave me, will you?" Turning, he s.iw a tellow soldier named Burgess, lying wounded and helpless. "Come along," said Higgins. "I can't," replied Burgess, "My leg is smashed." Higgms instantly dismounted, but while he was trying to get the wounded man on the horse, the animal took fright and ran away, leaving Higgins with the wounded man. He directed him to crawl thru the grass on his hands and one leg while he remained behind to protect him from the In' dians. In this way Burgess reached the Fort. Higgins took another direction to toll the Indians away from his friend. Several of the savages saw and followed him. In the running fight that followed, Higgins killed several of the Indians, but received four bullets into his own body and a blow from a tomahawk had severed one ear and laid bare the skull on one side of his head. The soldiers watched the fight from the fort but were afraid to venture out to help him. At this point a woman in the fort, named Mrs. Pursley, urged the rangers to the rescue, and when they objected, taunted them with cowardice. She then snatched her husband's rifle from his hands, declaring that "so fine a fellow as Tom Higgins should not be lost for want of help," and mounting a horse, she sallied forth to the rescue. Some of the men, ashamed to be outdone by a woman, mounted and followed at full gallop. They reached the spot where Higgins had vanquished his immediate opponents, but had fallen fainting in the deathly struggle, and before the main body of Indians came up, they brought the wounded ranger into the fort. For many days his life was despaired of. There was no surgeon. Some of his friends cut two of the bullets out of his body, and by careful nursing, he recov ered. Some years after, he extracted another of the bullets

John Moredock

John Moredock came to the American Bottom with his brother, Barney, and his step-fiither, Mr. Huff, in 1786. Barney died in early life, and the step-father was killed by the Indians, so John inherited a considerable estate in early life, and without much opportunity for education and development of character. He had little opportunity for education in the schools, therefore his book learning was limited. He could merely read and write, and was acquainted with a few calculations in arithmetic. Making a living in the American Bottom was not difficult and he did not pay much attention to it. His youthful days were spent in a kind of poetic action. He possessed a mind of good ability and let it loose like Childe Harold "He vexed with mirth the drowsy ear of night." But few individuals in any country possessed the vigorous intellect that nature bestowed upon him. But the situation in the country rendered this gift of nature of little use, and possibly even injurious. Physically he was a model of symmetry and masculine beauty. He was above the ordinary size, and rather corpulent. His complexion dark, his eyes were large and black and displayed uncommon brilliancy. In all social circles, among the young or old, with the wild or rehgious, he was always the center of attraction, and the commanding spirit of the circle. He acquired among the French their language and their accomplishments in the dance. He possessed an excellent natural talent for music and performed well on the violin. The necessities of the country taught him the use of the gun and he became an excellent marksman and hunter. Horse racing was a sport in which he took great delight. He was also enamored of various games of cards, the love of which grew upon him and finally ruined him.

He was benevolent and kind, and possessed no malice in his heart. He had no gall in his makeup and was firm and warm in his attachments. Had he been reared under different conditions and had received a competent education, he would have been a great man.

Nature did much for him, so he depended on these natural gifts and did nothing for himself. He was indolent in the extreme in everything except the pursuit of pleasure. Nevertheless, when he reached a mature age, he was frequently called upon to serve the public. In 1803 he was elected to represent St. Clair County in the Territorial Legislature at Vincennes. He acquitted himself in the Legislature to the satisfaction of the public. He was very popular with the ladies. He married a Miss Garrison, who was a step-daughter of Judge Bond. She was an amiable lady and of an excellent family. Moredock and his family lived on his farm in the American Bottom until his death in 1830. He had some talent for military tactics. He served in the War of 1812, first as a captain and later as a major. In 1814 he was elected to represent St. Clair County in the Territorial Legislature of Illinois, at Kaskaskia. He had his foibles and frailties, but on the whole he was a noble pioneer and should be remembered for the service he rendered to his adopted state rather than by the failings he may have had.

The first American school teacher who ever taught in Illinois was John Seely, who taught a school at New Design in 1783, in the present county of Monroe, but that was before any county had been organized. The next was Francis Clark, who appeared later in the same year. He has been accused of not being a prohibitionist. The next was an Irishman named Halfpenny, who taught school in many sections of Illinois for many years. He taught almost all the American children in Illinois in his day, who received any education at all. He might be styled the schoolmaster-general of Illinois at that day. It seems unfortunate that we have no further record, either of the man or his work.

John Murdick

John Murdick was a natural born humorist. If he had lived in a later period and had a good education he would probably have been a writer in the class of Bill Nye or Josh Billings. But living in the pioneer period and without education, he found vent for his native tendency in a continual succession of practical jokes.

He was born in Kentucky in 1790 and came to New Design with his parents in 1796. Soon after that time his father died. His mother tried to send him to school, but she seemed to have very little control over him, and there were no truant officers in that day. So John seldom even went to the school house. After a few years his Mother married George Blair, who owned the present site of Belleville.

John took great delight in playing tricks on his stepf ither. He would slyly pin some sort of appendage to Mr. Blair's coat tail and when the prank was discovered he never laughed or showed the least degree of emotion. But still everybody understood who was the perpetrator. He shaved the hair off the manes and tails of his step-father's horses, so as to "have a joke on the old man." As he grew older, this habit of playing tricks grew on him till not only his step-father, but the whole community grew thoroughly tired of him. He seemed to h.ive been horn with an .mtipathy to anything Hke useful work, and from his childhood to manhood, it cost more m coaxing and threatening to make him work than the work he did was worth. But he would labor for days and even weeks to accomplish some prank in which he was interested, such as to carry rails half a mile in the night to make a fence around some man's front door. He would get up in the night when the rest of the family were asleep, ride many miles to play some prank and be back m bed again before the family were awake. But when it came to work he obstinately refused. At church one day he slyly slipped a deck of cards into the preacher's pocket.

He had little love for a certain Baptist preacher in the neighborhood where he lived. One day during the church services, while the good man was diligently preaching the gospel, Murdick slipped out, and while all the others were interested in the sermon so there were none to watch him, he found the preacher's horse hitched near by m the woods. He took the saddle and bridle off the horse and put them on an old muly ox. The horse ran home, but when the service closed and the people came out to go home there stood the old ox all saddled and bridled and ready for the preacher to ride. The people had a good idea who did these tricks, but they were unable to prove it on him.

He got married, but lived with his wife only at intervals. He made a sorry attempt at being a husband as he did almost everything else. During the War of 1812 he entered the military service and joined the rangers, but he "ranged" with the other soldiers or staid at home almost at his pleasure. The oiEcers couldn't do much with him. While he was still connected with the army, being in camp at Peoria, he provided himself with two black bottles and went to the sutler, the army store keeper, and asked for a quart of whiskey. He had already filled one bottle with water and left the other empty. The sutler put the whiskey in the empty bottle and stood waiting for his pay. Murdick observed m a very grave and serious manner that he was now away from home and had no money, so he wished it charged to his account. The sutler refused. Then Murdick pulled out of his pocket the bottle containing the water and said, "Well, you'll have to pour it back in the barrel then." The sutler put the neck of the black bottle in the bung hole of the barrel and poured the water into the barrel of whiskey. Thus Murdick traded water for whiskey.

On another occasion, at Rattan's prairie, near Edwardsville, he and some of his boon companions played what they regarded as a great joke on a landlord who sold drinks. They had not money to buy ,is much liquor as they wanted. Murdick had but one bit, a small coin used in those days which was worth twelve and a half cents. With this he bought a halt pint ot whiskey. He watched where the pro prietor put the money, and observed that his money receptacle was an old teacup which sat on a high shelf. The landlord, having but little business m the bar room, frequently went to the kitchen to help with the work going on there. In his absence Murdick recovered the bit from the teacup, and when the landlord returned, bought another drink with It. Again the process was repeated in order that Murdick's friends might get drinks. It was kept up at intervals all the day. In the evening the proprietor thought he must have his teacup about full and took it down to count his day's receipts, and found only the one lone coin in it. Murdick and his companions were in high glee over the success of their prank, and they had enough whiskey to make them hilarious. It was the law that the United States Rangers were to furnish their own provisions and outfit. So they were permitted at times to go home, fix themselves up, and return with necessary supplies. Murdick made a visit home. When he returned to Camp Russell, near Edwardsville, he caught a ground hog and put it alive in his saddle bags. When he had hitched his horse near the fort and began greeting his friends, he told one of them that he had "something out in his saddle bags." The friend, who was of the thirsty kind, inferred that it was a bottle of whiskey, so he, alone and on the sly, went out to Murdick's horse and thrust his hand in the saddle bags to get the bottle. Forthwith the ground hog bit him. He jerked his bleeding hand away, and stifling his pain, resolved that since misery loves company. It would be some satisfaction to get some one else into the same difficulty. So he went and told another ranger in an undertone that he got a fine dram out of Murdick's saddlebags. This one, also desiring to quench his thirst, quietly and quickly repaired to Murdick's horse and thrust his hand into the saddle bags. The ground hog, doubtless feeling that he was having his private rights rudely invaded, grasped the hand in his sharp teeth and held on. The ranger, unable to withdraw his hand and suffering from the painful contact, roared for help. This attracted the attention of the camp. Some friends came to his assistance, and Murdick and his friends enjoyed the joke hugely.

Murdick was a man of medium size and erect in bearing, but exceedingly spare-built and almost as thin as a skeleton. He seemed to possess no great passions or ambitions, but the energies of his mind were inclined to such feats as those related above. The pranks of his life would fill a volume. After the close of the War of 1812, he enlisted in the regular army and not long after died in the service.

Dutch Petes Amen

DUTCH PETES AMEN In the early days, before the end of the eighteenth century, religious privileges were rare in the Illinois countr>'. There were no organized churches and only an occasional preacher of the gospel wandered thru the newly-formed settlements and preached to small groups assembled at the cabin of a neighbor. When there was no preacher in the community, sometimes an elderly layman would hold a meeting for prayer and song and religious conference. It was probably in December, 1793,, that Shadrach Bond, Senior, the uncle of Governor Bond, and commonly known as Judge Bond, was holding a meeting of this kind at some house in the New Design settlement. While the Judge was officiating in an informal manner, a stranger came into the meeting. He was a large portly man with dark hair, a florid complexion and regular features. His dress was somewhat superior to the deer skin hunting shirts and Indian moccasins of the settlers. His countenance was grave and his aspect so serious that the mind of the leader was impressed with the idea that he might perhaps be a preacher. So without any information as to his name or standing, he was invited to close the exercises of the hour "if he was a praying man." The stranger accepted the invitation, knelt on the floor and made a fluent, solemn and impressive prayer. There was a man in the group, of small talents and rather narrow views, who on account of his nationality bore the sobriquet of "Dutch Pete. " In the land office his name appeared as Peter Smith. Pete was a zealous Methodist, and when his own brethren or preachers prayed he felt moved by the Spirit to utter "Amen" at the close of every sentence. On this occasion, while the people were on their knees or with heads bowed during the earnest prayer of the stranger, Pete manifested great uneasiness. He fidgeted one way and then another, uttered a low but audible groan and to those near him he seemed in trouble. The very earnest and impressive prayer of the strange gentleman was exciting his feelings beyond suppression. He might not be a Methodist, but Pete thought that he prayed like one. At last he reached a point of fervor where he could hold in no longer, and bawled out at the top of his voice, ^'Amm, at a wenture!" The stranger proved to be Rev. Josiah Dodge, of Kentucky, who was on a visit to his brother. Dr. Israel Dodge, of St. Genevieve, and he was the father of Hon. Henry S. Dodge, who was at one time Governor of Wisconsin, and later United States Senator from that state. Hearing of these religious people being entirely destitute of ministerial instruction, he had come to visit them, and if they wished it, to preach to them. He spent some time in the settlement, preached frequently, and awakened a new interest in religion. In Feb' ruary, the ice was cut in Fountain Creek and he baptised James Lemen, Senior, and Catharine, his wife, John Gibbons and Isaac Enochs. These ^'ere the first persons ever baptised in the Illinois Territory.