Camargo, Illinois

Camargo Township enjoys the honor of being the oldest settled portion of Douglas county, the first comers of whom we have any account having arrived in 1S29. The township derives its name from the city of Camargo in Mexico, and was suggested by Col. McCown. The first house built in Douglas county is yet standing on section 33, 16, 9, on the lies' land, west of the railroad bridge at Camargo and north of the track. It was raised in 1829 by John A. Richman, the father of John Richman of our day, and well and familiarly known as "Uncle Jack." John A. Richman lived to be over So, and even at that age would hardly deign to ride a horse, but would gird himself with knife and tomahawk and with gun on shoulder, would "step over" to the Okaw timber, twelve or fifteen miles and back, as coolly as a man of the present day would walk a mile. Mr. Richman came from West Virginia, in the year mentioned - some say, however, 1S27 - and John Richman, then a lad, made a hand at the raising. This house was for a long time the headquarters for elections and military musters.

Passage source: History of Douglas County, Illinois, published 1876.

Mr. John Hammet and his sons, Win. S. and Jas. R., arrived in November, 1S30. The family lived in a tent the first winter and were visited by large numbers of Indians who would call and sit aruund the fire. Their general conduct was such as to leave the impression that they were honest, and although the family of the Hammet's was at their mercy, nothing was stolen, and they had no fears for their per- sonal safety. However one or two battles with Indians from the upper Embarras are spoken of as having occurred, 1S15-1S1S; one \\ ith Government Surveyors, near the creek in Coles county. John Ham met and Harrison Gill, of Kentucky, were the first land owners in the area of the county, after the Government, having entered land on the same day. Mr. H. took several hundred acres north of Camargo village, and Mr. Gill entering 240 acres in section 35, east of Camargo. The Patents for these first entered lands were signed by Andrew Jackson, in March, 1S30. Mr. Gill is still living in Bath county, Kentucky. Samuel Ashmore entered part of section 36, 1 ^, 10, in 1S30, also. Mr. Gill came from Kentucky on horse-back and in company with his Uncle Robert visited the Indians at Hugo. His Uncle told the "boss" Indian that Gill, being about to enter land, wanted a wife. Upon hearing the news the "ladies" at once gathered around the candidate for matrimonial honors as if they meant business. All of them wanted a white man, "if he could hunt." Mr. Gill only got out of the difficulty by informing them that, much to his regret, he was a "poor hunter," and so would make but a sorry husband. The two winters immediately succeeding the arrival of these early settlers, were the hardest known in the history of the State, that of 1 S3 1 -2 being known as the winter of the great snow. The milling of the neighborhood was done principally at Eugene, Ind., a distance of forty miles.

Passage source: History of Douglas County, Illinois, published 1876.

Jas. R. Hammet was active in the intesests of the new county of Douglas and also in those of the east and west railroad, of which he was one of the incorporators and a director for fourteen years. G. \Y. Henson, Charles Brewer, John Brown, Martin Rice, John D. Murdock, Alexander Bragg and the Watson's were also of the first arrivals. C. Brewer came in 1S55. Jonn Brown, who arrived in 1S3S, was elected Associate Justice of the county of Douglas in 1S65. Mr. Rice has been a resident of the State since 1S49, and of what is now Douglas county since 1S53. He actively assisted in the movement of the new county, and was a member of the first political convention held in it. In the second vear after township organizntion - 1S69 - he was elected Supervisor of Camargo Township, re-elected in 1S73 and every year since, being a member of the present Board. John D. Murdock was elected Associate Justice of Douglas county, as a member of the first County Board in 1S59, and re-elected in 1861. Coleman Bright, a native of Virginia, came from Indiana to Camargo in August, 1S50. He has been a merchant about ever since, and is now senior member of the firm of Bright & Jones, in Tuscola. Alexander Bragg came to the State in 18^5, and served in the Mexican War, 1S46. W. D. Watson, of this township, was in the State Senate at the time of forming the county. Geo. W. Henson arrived in 1S44. H. L. Thornsbrue, of this township, is probably the oldest living person born within the area of the county - 1S30.

Passage source: History of Douglas County, Illinois, published 1876.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Camargo Township - it names this place 5 more 5 times.