Stark County, Illinois - Chapter 2, 1876

Chapter 2

Our First Settlers - Isaac B. Essex - Various Groups of Settfers at Osceola, Wyoming, Lafayette, West Jei^sey, and Valley Township. - The Circtonstances that Environed them - Anecdotes - Eirst Marriage, Birth and Death in what is now Star/c County. - Where and how the Jirst Houses ivere built - Character of our Early Settlers - The Impression they have left upon our County.

In the latter part of April, 1S20, a solitary, heavily laden wagon might have been seen slowly wending its way from the hospitable home of ]Mr. French, at Prince's grove, about half a mile north-west of the present town of Princeville, toward Spoon river, probably crossing that stream at a point since known as Boardman's ford, or, as others think, near the seat of Cox's mill, and moving on toward section fifteen in what has since been known as Kssex township. The weather was warm and balmy considering the season. The prairie burnt over by the Indians in the fall was already green with sprouting grass. Accompanying this vehicle were, as it might seem a guard of good men, and true; "neighbors" they calle<:l themselves, although they must have lived many miles apart, some of them thirty or forty from the scene of their present friendly labors, having come from LaSalle prairie, from Chillicothe and PeK)ria. They were neither hunters or warriors, they feared no enemy, and sought not the " spoils of war." It wa* a peaceable expedition, and its leader was the occupant of the wagon, Isaac B. Essex, then in the strength of his manhood, and with him came his young wife and infant children to found a home in the wilderness. The " Neighbors " were Daniel Prince, Stephen French, Simon Reed, Frank Thomas, and two Baptist ministers, Elclers Silliman and Allen. The former of these two was the father of our much respected townsman, Minott Silliman, Esq., the first treasurer of Stark county. It is possible there may have beeu one or two more in the company, but if so, 3Ir, Essex fails to recall their names after the lapse of so many yeai-s. And these men had come so far to raise a cabin ! Mr. Rssex had been out and made his chiim in 182S, and in the fall of that year cut the logs and split the clap-boards for his house, probably all of which were on the north-east quarter of section fifteen. They now proceeded to haul them together and get them in shape on the proposed building site. They all camped in the woods the first night, but toward sundown of the second day, the cabin was raised, the roof on, and as Mr. PIssex graphically says " we cut a log out and moved in."

This was emphatically The Pionc-er Cabin, the first home of civilized man within the present limits of Stiirk county. Hence we have given it special mention, not that it differed materially either in the style or circumstances of its construction from its successors, but rather that it might serve as a sample of scores that soon nestled in the sheltered nooks for miles around. It was of course rough, and bare of all ornament, we might almost say of all convenience, but still it was a home, the fountain-head of those elevating influences, that are of priceless value to humanity. Then Mr. Rssex was a natural pioneer, "to the manor born," and his wife, if we may judge by subsequent developments, was not wanting in spirit, in that sort of spirit, properly called pluck, a quality that always commanded a premium in frontier settlements. They were contented and knew how to make themselves confortable in their new abode. The rich prairie sod was soon broken, and they raised a good crop of corn, potatoes, and beans the first year, without a fence. Game of all kinds was abiuidant. Deer and turkeys supplied them with nieat. From the river they got fine fish, often pike weighing twenty or thirty pounds, and fully four feet long. Occasionally they made a visit to ]Mr. French's family, their nearest white neighlwr, a distance of seven miles. The Indians were much nearer, and were not bad neighbors when sober. A remark, we opine, that might apply to many people not red skinned.

The second cabin within our present county limits, was l)uilt by John B. Dodge, in the autumn of 1829, on section fourteen, Fssex township. Of this we know no particulars. Dodge left this part of the country many years since, dying probably in the new state of Texas. The third was built and occupied by Benjamin Smith, in March, 1830, on the same section with his son-in-law, Dodge. These three cabins, all in Essex township, constitute<l the only habitations of white men within our present county limits prior to 1831.* This year William D. Grant made an improvement

* For this and many other lUcts in this fbaptcr, we art- i:ul(bteLl to Gtncral lltiidcrsun's " Address to the oUl &>ttU're,'' sjivcn in 1805.

where Judj^e Holjxate now resides, and John E. Owinss had moved into the settlement, and occupied the cal)in Iniilt by John B. Dod<>e. There were in 1S;U the following named settlers in what is now Stark county, viz: Isaac B. Essex, Thomas Essex, jun., Thomas Essex, sen., Benjamin Smith, Greenleaf Smith, Sewel Smith, William P. Smith, John B. Dodpe, David Cooper, William 1). Urant, John C. Owings, Harris W. Minor, David Gregory, and Sylvanus ^Nlore.

At an election held in August 1834, there were in six townships of Stark county, then included in " Old Putnam," thirty-three votes polled, and as the election was a very important one, prol)- ahly every voter was out. Befercnce to the poll liook of that election, shows that since 1881 the following additional inhabitants had settled in the territory referred to, viz: Jason Hopkins, Jesse W. Heath, John P. Hays, Pardon B. Dodge, James Holgate, A. Baker, John IMegill, James ^tcClennahan, Kol)ert 'Mc- Clennahan, Elijah 3IcClennahan, sen., Elijah McClennahan, jun., Elias Love, John l^ove, Hugh Montgomery, T. Leeks, Thomas Winn, Charles Pierce, Hugh White, Peter ]Miner, Lewis Sturms, James Morrow, and ^Nlinott Silliman.

At an election held in August, iMoG, there were in the six townships liefore referred to, fifty-four votes polled, and from the names recorded upon the poll book, the following persons spem to have settled within their limits, say from January first, 1884, to January first, ls8(i, viz: General Samuel Thomas, Cajitain Henry Butler, S. G. Worley, Henry Seeley, Henry Sturms, ^Matliias Sturms, W. E. Buckingham, William ^NLahany, Jarville Chatfee, Joseph Newton, Adam Day, Israel Seeley, Simeon Ellis, Peter S. Shaver, Dexter Wall, Ira Ward, Cyril Ward, Samuel Love, Henry Sweet, Asher W. Smith, Lewis Perry, Adam Perry, Luther Townsend, H\muel Butler, Eliphalet Elsworth, Daniel Dobbins, Christopher Sammis, Lemuel Dorrance, llichard Dorrance, Henry Breese, Hugh Erail.

In 1S()."), «-even of the last list were known to be dead, while only ten then resided in our county. The last decade has doubtless thinned their ranks afresh, and now in 1875 but a very small number of our old settlers still linger with us. The indifi'erent reader must i)ardon tliis [lerhaps, wearisome array of names ; they can easily be igncn-ed by those who take no interest in them, l)ut these are our pioneers, and we should cherish their memory as such. Of many of them we have but little to record, save their names, so ditftcult is it, even now, to arrive at the true story of their (juiet lives ; doubtless could we do so, they might teach us many valuable Ies--ons, for is not bioora])]iy, hi.stoiy teaching by At any rate we who enjoy in so large a degree the fruits of their labors and sacrifices, could not deny their names a place in the liistory of Stark county. Of course as years roll on, and settlers multiply, we do not design to record all transient i)c()- ple, mere adventurers, " here to-day and gone to-morrow." But of those who came early and brought their families, and have dwelt among us, heli)ing to mould our county and make it what it is, we would not willingly omit one from these ])ag(^s.

In December, 1S35, a numl)er of resolute men had pushed their way from Peoria, to what has since been called Osceola Orove. Among them were Mr. .James Buswell, Isaac Spencer, Thomas ^^'atts, (aies C. Dana, Peter Pratt, and Dr. Pratt. They came out vmder the auspices of INIaj. Robert Moore, who had ol)tained a maj) of the lands in townshi]) tburteen north, range six east, designating the patent and uncjitered lands ; and he now encouraged enngration hither, with a view to Iniilding up a town, which he had surveyed and called Osceola. ^lajor INIoore was an intelligent active, busine^^s man, ever ready to take advantage of circumstances, and fond of adventure. He subsequently went to Oregon with one of the tirst parties that ever crossed the mountains, whither his family followed him some years after, with the exception of his youngest son, Ro))ert IMoore, Esc^., who is at tiiis date a resident of Toulon. But at the time of which this narrative treats. Major jNIoore owned a ferry that crossed the river at Peoria, and to this he gave his personal supervision, and as enugrants crossed, wliich they did frefiuently, he would take the opportunity to recommend the Osceola country to them. In this way ])robably originated the company he led there in 183o. (iuoting Clifford's history in regard to this enterprise. "The parties above named were all from Vermont - which Saxe says is a go(Kl state to ijome. /ro)/i but a i)Oor (;ne to go to - except JNIoore, ^\-ho was from one of the southern states, and I^ay who was from Massachusetts. When these persons reached the Grove there was no one living there excei)t Henry Seeley, who then had a cal)in near Avhere he lives now, and Lewis Sturms. A jjortion of the party stopijed the first night at Sturms', and were hospital)ly entertained. It was a dark, dreary, rainy night; they all slept on the floor in the sniall cabin, and from the day's fatigue, having come on foot fr(jm Prince's Grove, they soon fell asleep to l>e disturbed soon after by a loud hallooing outside, occasioned by the arrival of the Sturms family pro]jer, the number of whom our informant was unable to state, further than they filled the little cabin

V'liiK'k fu!l ;' tlioy Avore made up of men, woinon and children, wet, worn, lUti<rued, ;uul hun*;ry. Our inlbriuant !^uys one ol" the women came on horsebaek Mith twins in her arms, and in a sorry pliiiht from havinji' been 'pitched off' lier hor<ie in slouahs and u'uHies coneeiUed by the darkness of the niii'lit. Some of tlie party were taken over to Sei'k-y's wliile the remainder tilled the floor. The next day the balanee of the l*eoria party came in from Boyd's (Irove, having- lost tlu-ir reekoninys and strayed out of their direction. The whole party then moved west for tlu' ])urpose of surveying and makiny' their claims. For one week they camped out in the t;i>verest weather of tlie mo'.ith of December, that week being" the colde.st of any during- the whole seivson. The provisions which they had brought with them from Peoria were exhaustwl, anil nothing was now left them to sustain life, excei)t c(trn they hud brought to feed their horses during the excursion. For the la.st day or two they subsisted entirely upon nubbins of corn burned by the tire, which culinary operation was performed in the morning, each one taking a few burnt nubbins of corn in their pockets for dinner. At night they varitnl this luxury by burning the corn, pountling it up, and making 'coffee' of it." Clifford further states that the parties named moved upon their claims in ]\Iay, 1S;](). This is certainly a slight mistake as r(\gards some of them. They probably built cabins as soon a^ that, or sooner, but some of the families referred to, did not arrive in the settlement till later in the summer, or in the fall. Tliere i*i no doubt, however, that during some i)()rtion of that year many new names nuist be adiUKl to our list of pioneers. In June came William Hall and wife, llobert Hall and their sister 3Iary, now Mrs. Hasard of Xeponset, and occupied for a short tinu^ the cabin owned by 3[r. liuswi'll, who was still with ins family in Peoria. With the Halls came the A'andyke brothers, Archie and Charles, the former bringing his wife with him, and INEr. Prady Fowler who had been their companion up the river, soon followed them to the Grove. Myrtle G. Brace, Esq., (father of our present county treasurer,) F. S. Prodhead, and a large family by the name of Davis, the latter from the tlien frontier land of Tennesse.', all locuiod in this neighborhood about the same time. The Sturms family had some of them reacluHl Seeley's Point in 1834, and detachments continued to arrive from time to time, making claims near the south j)art of Osceola Grove, till they had a settlement of their own. They were regular frontier's men, every one "mighty Inmters:" of tall stature, combining strength and activity in an unusual degree. Wearing an Indian garb of fringed liuckskiiis, their feet ciicascc! in nioccasiiis, witii bowic knife nt the belt and riMe on tlie shoulder ; no wond'T many a new coiner started from them in afTri^'Iit, sai)i)osin^' tliey had eneountered j!,x'nuine " scalpi'i's." Hut these men were l>y no m^'ans as savag'e as they seemed, lint had hearts to which friend or stranj^-er never appealed in vain. \'ery many old settlers yet remember they }4'ot their first slice of meat from a Stm'ms' pork baiTel, their first meal of corn or potatoes from their fields. And as early as 18;}(> they had horses, cows, and ho.'^-s to sell, and in this way aided others not so w-'il provided. Wiiile these events wer" transl)iriiiM- in one part of our territory, to tlu; west and south-west were added names since become familiar. The Dunbars, IFod^'esons, I.akes, ("liattields, Simmermans, Trickles, ^|o{!itts, Siieets, and Dunns. Also Jacob Smith, Nehemiah Wycoff, \7. \V. We!>- ster, the liarnetts, the Eckleys, and tlu> lOmerxs. Col. Henderson also settled aI)out on(> mile south of Toulon in is;','i, brinji,'inf;- his larc>-e la.mily of sons, who to^'ether with himself lilled so larp,'e a place in our political and social history in subsequent years. By this time the Mc(*!ennahans and William INrahaney had improvements about two miles south of Toulon. AN'esley INIiner had a cabin when; the old Indian villa.t;-e luul been, near the present site of Toulon, up.')n the jjremise-i now owned by Mrs. Ff)llett. Jlarris Miner had a cabin at a j^'i'ovfi three or four miles north-west of Toulon, and Fraker had settled at the i)oint of timl)er near the present site of Lafayette. Judj^'e ITolj^-ate had settled where he now lives, upon tlu^ imi)rov(>ment started by William 1). (irant, Lemuel l)orranc(> further up Spoon river, above lIoljj;-ate's. (General S. Thomas was at Wyominjif. A man came with him by the name of William (Jodley. (xoori^o. Parker and Thomas Hradford came in about ISii-VO, and settled on Jack creek, in Toulon township. There were some other improvements i)rior to \x'W>. Harris W. ]Miner, (usually called AVesley ]\riner) who stopjied for a time at I'rince's Urove, as did many of our first settlers, made his first improvement within our present county, at a ]K>int of timber a little north-east of Wyomin<>', in is;{2 or is;',;}; it is said that he broke the lirst acre of land and built the first cabin in Toulon township, this beinjj^ on the Culbertson homestead, just north of the town ; also that his marria<^(^ with ^Nliss Nancy (Jross was the lirst marriafn'c solemnized between white j)eoi)Ie in this rei^ion ; the ceremony was performed by Hir.im M. Curry, Esij., then living- near Peoria. The second marriage was that of Nero AV'. Mounts, to the widow ^lartindale, in is,",2, and tiiis time tliere was a resident Justice of the Peace to officiate, Benjamin Sniitli, Esq., who with Jolm C. Owino:s was elected in Au«:ust, 1881. We regret we can give our readei's no particulars of these interesting events ; doubtless there was much that would strike us as unique in the costumes, and style of the alTairs generally, but as it had not then become customary to jnake these details matters of newspaper notoriety, they are lost ill the mists of years. However, in Februa:*y, 1831, there was a wedding at the house of Mr. James Ilolgate, of which we can tstill learn something. This was between a gentleman ])y the name of ]Mc(_'lure and a sister of Mrs. Holgate, Miss ]Marsh. The j^uests were, ^Iv. and ]Mrs. Sylvanus Mr. and Mrs. lireenleaf Smith, 3Ir. and ]Mrs. .John Dodge, ^Ir. and Mrs. Sam'l Seeley and Jesse Heath. Whether Squire Smith or some wandering preacher i)erformed the ceremony, Mr. Holgate did not inform us, Init said he had in IS-M, but a cabin sixteen feet scpiare, and well tilled with the usual comforts of pioneer life. They took the door from its hinges to add to the table, and as the weather wa.s mild for the season, the men stood outside A\hile the feast \va.s si)read. Then " bee gums " were brought in and i)uncheons laid on them for seats, and they had an excellent dinner, no scarcity of anything Init room. The repast over, the men had jvgain to retire to the " sky parlor " until the table could be cleared and the door restored to its place, when they all managed to get inside and had a gay time. But the toilets must be left to the imagination of the reader.

The lirst child born in the county was a son of Isaac B. Essex, in 1829. The flrst death was that of a little child of David Gregory's, who lived for a time with Sylvanus Moore, near where 3[r. Joseph Cox now resides.

Let us glance for a few minutes at the circumstances that environed these settlers even forty years ago. These marriage licenses must be obtained at Hennepin, the county seat of old Putnam ; and to get them a man might have to " face floods or flames," for as the town is on the o[iposite side of the river from us, with a low bottom intervening, subject to overflow, and by a sudden change in the weather to freeze more or less, sometimes rendering it impassable either for team or boats, men were often reduced to iitraits as ludicous as trying, probably thinking less however of their own peril than of the anxiety and susi)ense of the group around some dear fireside who were racking their brains to account for the unexpected delay. Thus one man tell us he had to urge his horse to its utmost speed to escape the sweeping prairie .fire, another had to pay the ferryman double and treat him be- sides, before he g'ot his courag-e up to the point of daring the ice current that was rolling l)etween him and the ol)ject of his lieart's desire. Finally, lover and preacher were landed, and once more on their way to the place where the ceremony was to be performed. But a new obstacle presented itself. The east fork of Spoon river was over its banks, and great ragged blocks of ice threatened madly any one who braved their fury, Init, the wcndd be married man plunged in, and he and his horse were soon clambering: up the opposite bank thoroughly wet and benumbed with cold. But now the preacher declined to take his chances, and the i)ros. peel did not brighten at all. But after a hurried consultation at the house of the l)ride elect, it was decided to call in a neighbor who had lately l)een made a Justice of the Peace ))y the suffrages of his countrymen, and have him i)roceed to tie the nuptial knot. The officer was in a painful state of mind ; the possil)ility of such .services being retiuired of him had perhaps ne\-er been considered. But he was not the man to fail his friends in an emergency, so putting a copy of the statutes for such cases made and provided, under his arm, he set out resolutely to do his duty. But the novel situation was too much for his nerves ; he would have preferred facing Indians. Standing l)efore the young couple he seemed smitten with palsy, or shaken by a sudden ague. His teeth chattered, his kiiec>s knocked together, and great l)ea(ls of sweat stood on his brow, making altogether such a picture of suflering, that pity al)Sorbed every other emotion in the observers. It was with difficulty he uttered the words i^rescribed ))y law, few as they are; but he did utter them, and to good purjMjse, for they have )x)un(l two willing hearts these forty years, and have not been annulled l^y divorce, Asiiich is more than can be said for many fashionable ceremonies since those days. But marriage was by no means the only business that involved the performance of long journeys, and hair 1)readth escapes.

To pre-empt their lanil they must go to Galena, Quincy, or at a later period to Dixon. With no roads, no bridges, no places of shelter, nothing to direct their course save the sun or wind, (which latter would sometimes sadly deceive them by an unnoticed change,) and sometimes an Indian trail; these, were reliable guides wherever they existed, and were followed with perfect confidence by the true backwoodsman. Then think of the nearest market being Galena or Chicago, and no railroads ! Wheat was hauled all thc^se weary miles to be sold at fifty cents a bushel, or less. The farmers usually forming little companies for the trip as the road was infested at times with a sort of banditti that made it unsafe for a man to travel alone; then they bivouaced in company, tryinii' no doubt to have some fun to compensate for the fatiu'ues and exposure of surh jaunts. Many are the tales tohl us of these times; every old si'ttler has his stock of them ; we ^hall venture to record one only, as told by Robert Hall of Osceola. He, in company with hi< brother William, W. W. Winslow, and Robert Coultass, the hitter a stout Enulishman liviuij in Bureau county, undert<iok to drive a lary-e <U'ove of hog's to Oalena, in the dei)th of winter. Winsh)\v and the Halls started with theirs from Osceola Grove, C'oultas- was to join them witli Ids, near where Sheflft?ld now stand-, which he did, and they got ixlowy slowly of course, but without any serious ditticulty until they struck the great prairie beyond the Kdwards river, was then a stretch of sixteen miles without a halting- place. By this time provisions were growing scarce, and they dispatched William Hall ahead witli the wagon to obtain some, and have them in readiness at their next camping si)ot l)eyond the prairie. But hardly had he left them, till the wind changed, and soon blew a gale directly in their teeth ; a driving snow filled the air and almost blinded them, and the hogs most positively refused to face the storm. And tliese were no pen bred liogs ; but huge animals that had fattened in the woods, they knew the use of legs, and t'ould travel almost e<iual to horses. So the drovers had hard work to prevent a general stampede back to the settlement they had left. To advance a step was utterly impossilde. As they were on the open prairie, without fire, food or shelter, a "council of war" was called, and it was decided that there were but two horns to the dilemma, they must either perish there or follow -the hogs home again. But jn~t at this juncture the Peoria and Galena stage, drawn by four stout horses, came dashing alongcutting a path through the snow, and for some reason known only to themselves, the hogs took after the stage, fairly pursuing it for nnles, squealing furiously, and running at a rate that almost kept them abreast of the horses, to the great relief of the drovers who thereby soon reached a shelter for the night, and voted " all's well that ends well." In the course of time they arrived at Galena with their drove, and made arrangements for doing their own slaughtering as was then common. Some man furnished them yard, board and fire, and all conveniences for the work, and in return took the rough tat. So on the whole it turned out a fortunate venture for those days.

A-Nd Its Pioneekh

kets ; not even flour nearer tlian tlie Illinois river, for many years ; and in tlie autunui of 1S;}S, the river being too low for navigation to Peoria, all stores had to be hauled up from St. Louis, whieh of course made tliem very expensive, far to(j much so, for the meagre purses of our pioneers, and great were the privations endured by the aged and invalids among them. At this time in the Osceola settlement, they had to grind wheat or buckwheat in a coffee mill for bread, or grate corn on a huge grater i)ut down in a tub as we now put our washboards. One coffee mill and one corn grater had to do service for a whole neighborhood, making daily rounds from house to house. Many still living can testify how tender Angers often bled over that cruel grater. But men must eat, and A\-omen must work then as now, and although every substitute for ])read was tried, it seems as if nothing else could fill its place, and meal must be had at any i)rice. Great was the rejoicing when an Irishman by the name of Cook set up a large hand mill at ]Mr. AVinslow's place, and ground for the settlers at so much per (^uart. Of course, near the same state of things obtained in all the neighboring settlements. Attempts had been made to build mills on Spoon river, but they proved a poor dependence. Harmon Leek built one not far froi\^ the In-idge on the Toulon and Wyoming road, as early as 1S;];5 or is.M. It had one run of stone, and there was a saw mill attached to it. They cut the logs and sawed them to order. The dam was made of brush, hay and gravel, and the whole thing was poorly constructed. In the winter of 1S85 or is;j(;, ]Minott Silliman rented the entire concern for the coming year tor thirty dollars. But the high waters of the opening spring swept dam and mill away, to the dead loss of Silliman, of the thirty dollars paid in advance, and an equal amount of prospective profits. If sickness came in those days no physician could l)e obtained nearer than Peoria, and if death, then a minister must come from that point, if the bereaved would listen to the words of religious consolation, or see the solemn rites they had been accustomed to, performed above their dead. Well we recall a funeral in the woods, perhaps in .July or August of I.^.'jT. a little girl had died, a coffin was made ))y Mr, Cal\'in Winslow, from a packing ])ox, as boards could not be obtained of course, and the tiny thing was conveye<l to her grave by loving hands. The cliildren dropped flowers upon the coffin lid, a few voices sung the hymn beginning

And we left her to sleep on the hill side - no tolling bell, no hearse with nodding plumes, none to say " Earth to earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

We trust our readers will pardon this little digression ; we must sometimes illustrate the spirit and practices of those days, by incidents-drawn from memory when nothing better is afforded us.

A good deal has been said in regard to the first improvements being all made in the timber, as if it implied any lack of judgment on the part of the men who made them. It certainly was not strange that people who had always lived in the shelter of groves, should select such sites for their new homes. To many of them prairies were untried experiments, and it was a prevailing opinion that timber would soon become very scarce, a fear without foundation, as events have proved. So the settler laid his first claim on a timber quarter, kncnving when the state of his exchequer perftiittetl, there would be jylenty of prairie land to buv if not to enter. Then these cabins were many of theni poor haPf finished affairs, and protection from the driving storms was very desirable ; the timber also sheltered stock till such times as sheds and out buildings could be erected. That the time soon came when intelligent enterprising farmers saw their interest lay in improving prairie farms, and ceased clearing fields, when there were boundless acres presenting no obstacle to the most perfect cultivation, argues nothing against the policy of sheltering for a time in the woods. Forty years, yes even thirty years ago, scarce anything could have been seen through this portion of the state, in the way of a human habitation, save these log cabins. Probably the fii'st frame building in the county was a small store room, occupied by Whitney Smith at Wyoming, and not long after, there Avas a smiUl room or two, built at Lafayette, and used as shops or stores. About this time a frame barn was raised by Dexter Wall on his old homestead near the mill. The writer remembers seeing it before it was inclosed, and still recollects with what interest it was visited l)y many. As soon as it was sufficiently finished to furnish protection from the weather, it was used for church purposes, and considered a very desirable place by the church goers of those days. But though so recently these log houses were all that we had, so entirely have they disappeiu'er^ before the march of iiiiproveinent, that but few, if any are inhafrited to-day. ^Nlany of the cliihh'en p^rowing up now, have never seen one, and can liardly iniajiine how their fathers and mothers lived happily and contentedly amidst such rude surroundings ; but that they did so live (Uu-ing the best years of their life, mainy can still attest. Of course, the character of those early homes differed with the character of the occupants, just as our more expensive homes do to-day. There were then, as now, the thriftjr and tlie unthrifty, the tidy and the untidy, the cultivated and the uncultivated, and these differences contrived to impress themtselves, even upon a lo*;- cabin. The very first ones, were nrwlv alike in j^^eneral construction, being usually one lower room wit!« a loft; a puncheon fioor, a door of rough clap-boards, with a wooden latch, and the traditional string always supposed to be out. There was the large fireplace built of stones, or sticks i)Iit.s;- tered with nuid, a mud hearth, a huge skillet, in which the family baking was done by means of placing hot embers under and over; and perhaps a tea-kettle or coffee pot ; and in the corners farthest from the fire, bedsteads, made by boring holes in the logs and inserting poles which were fastened to short posts at the foot. These frames were then covered withe clap-boards or "shakes," and you were ready to "make up your bed" if yow were fortunate enough to have such a luxury ; if not, then you could throw some clean straw upon it, or if in the autumn, gather fresh knaves, throw on them a quilt or Iniffsilo robe and it woufrl do for a new comer. A rough table made from the remains of packing boxes, or something of that kind, a few benches or stools and a shelf for the table ware, and you have the interior and furniture of a pioneer cabin. 8ome of them had a log sawed out ta admit the light, and the aperture was closed by a curtain at night. Few of the very first had any glass for windows ; some were constructed without the aid of nails, though hardly without tlie sound of a hammer. "Weight-poles" were used in such casesv, to hold the roofs on, and wooden pegs where v/e should use naiff^^ But the better class of settlers soon found means to impro'^-e uiKni this state of affairs. The southerner built himself a double cahiss with an open space between, such as he liad been accustomed to in the warmcn- land from whence he came. This open space Ik"- ing roofed i)i, made a pleasant dining room in summer, and in winter the seed c(n*n hung from tbe rafters, and it served as a store house for things "generally. Each room of this establisFinient had its open fire, the one used as a kitchen, perhaps sportefi; a "craiu'" from wliich dan^ikHl tlu' cookinii' utors'.ls ; tlic otluT was tlu- host room, l)ut hoth contaiiu'd lu'ds, as tho tU'iuaiuls niton the ]iosi)itaUt.v of these pioneers, were almost nn(H>a-5n,u- ; and as another expresseil it, thongh there was ahvady a uuest for every pnneheon in tlie Hoor, the stranger was snre of a weleome, and room wonkl be made for him by the U>o- tire. Soon story-anda-half eabins ]);':>'an ti> tower aloft, and then a lo.\n-t!) and p;>ri'h male a very comf »rtiible r.^sidenee, if a rou;4h oa \ Pe )ple e nnin^- from neijihborin.ij- states eontrivwl to brino- sash and jilass for windows, and perhaps a bedstead and a eonple of ciiairs weri> stowed in the .i>reat wag-on somewliere, and adorned the front room, after they yot to honseket'pinu'. Then the taste of the thrifty honsewife wonld be called into requisition t;) eover up whatever m as unsii,ditly, and make the most of every vestigv of comfort tiiat circumstances permitted. Perhaps a shelf supported by peg's drivi'n in the wall, held tlu' little stock of glass and crockery ware that had survived the vicissitutles of the emigration ; from this slie would hang a curtain, and behind it set or hang, all the rougher cooking utensils. The vinegar Itarrel stootl in one corner, for your jtioneer housekeeper must make her own vinegar as well as her own soap and candU>s ; this she also curtained, and the top made a passable stantl. Then if she was fortnnate enougli to jtossess a small tabU> to stand under her window, it was surprising to st'e how soon a few books and a vase or glass of iiowers madetluMr way to it. The bedstead was adorned with a " tester " and curtains; sometimes made of the snowy sheets brought so carefully from former homes, but more frtnpiently of dark rich prints or chintz, eitlier of which gave an air of comfort to the bed and secured privacy to the ot-cupant. (Jivi'awoman of tact, hammn- and nails, needles and thread, and plenty of calico, and there is no end to the transformation slie will accomplish, said an old settler as he SLepi)ed into his garnished cabin, as jtroudly as if it had been a tapestried chamber in some ancestral mansion of Europe.

The dwellers in these houses were a heterogeneous groui> ; tlu'y had come from the north and from the south, from the -east and (I had almost said the west,) to clasp hand> on these prairi(s. From the Atlantic coast, from ?sew Kngland homes; from the green mountains of \'ermont ; from the l)eautiful " Valley of Wyoming;" from "Old Luzerne;" from the sunny vales of tliesoutii, from A'irginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee; from the border-land of Ohio and Indiana. Others had crossed the sea. Jolm lltdl, w ith his sturdy Knglisli nature, and all his national prejudice- rilV- witliin liini ; albeit tenipercfl now l)y a j-i-owinj;' love of free institutions and a dawninj;' sense of the f>TeatiK'SS of his adopted counti'v. "J'Jie Scotchnian too, \\'rap]»(d in his shepherd's plaid, self-reliant, self-eontained, and se]f-(h*nyin<j:, nieetin;L;' all hardships cheerfully, stridinj^- steadily forward toward future wealth and distinction. And last hut not least, the Irishman, with his ready wit, and rollickinji' love of fun, throwing' as it were, the hriyht lij^hts on a j)icture otherwise too sombre to l)e })erfect. lU^n^ then, if anywhere on earth was a chance for diversity of character, and din-rsc^ they certaiidy were, hut still, usually the utmost good will pivvailed. There were no doubt, some worthless and many rouj^h specimens amonji;* them, yet taken as a body it may be averred understandinyly and mdiesitatin<4ly, that Stark county may well be j»roudof her j)ioneers. Probably at the date of their settlement, not one of tliem all, could have been called a rich man. They M'ere mostly youny, and had come west in hope of winnin<i- a comix'tence, and they carried the elements of success within. They conformed to circumstances, and must often have presented a rouj^'h exterior, but they were not ignorant boors, or lazy louts, or unprincipled adventurers such as we r(!ad of in the settlement of the newer states. Had tliey l)een, our county would never hav(^ risen to its )»resent proud position, for with cojomunities as individuals,

Their courage, and industry, enterprise and culture, niay t>e inferred from the work they accomplished, and the families they be(|ueathed to their country. l'^)r among the newer names that now attach themselveV to c)ur records and reflect credit upon the land they inhabit, the sons of the i)ioneers still deserve honoral)le mention. They have represented their countrymen in legislative halls, led them on hard fought battle fields, and many of them freely gave their lives for the honor of the o\d flag; and henceforth we can but wreath tlieir graves with fresh garlands, as an assurance that we are not ungrateful. And what shall be said of the daughters of the i)ioneers? What mon? could be said than that they were worthy to be the wives and sisters of these men ! Their mission has l)een fulfilled for the most part within t!ie ;piie<^ precincts of home, but doubt it not, they have had their share in moulding the present generation ; in giving tone to so!'iety an<l color to events.