Elbridge, Illinois

The reader can readily trace the outlines of this township on any map. He will also observe that the outlines of Pike are almost synonymous with the present outlines of Elbridge Township. It gave to it an arm running from the north line of Section 27 nearly three miles long, and in no place exceeding one-half mile in width. The township remained in this form some time. Its oddness and inconvenience, however, became manifest as the country settled, and the " arm " was taken off, the part above- the north line being attached to Stratton, or, as it , was formerly known, Wayne Township. Pike Township was also enlarged by attaching one tier of sections to the north, thereby giving it its present dimensions.

Passage source: The History of Edgar County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County--its Cities, Towns, &c. : Directory of Its Tax-payers; War Records of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Edgar County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c. Illustrated, published 1879.

It is now seven sections long by six wide, hence contains forty-two sections or square miles, equal to 26,880 acres. The surface of the country is somewhat diversified. Along the water-courses it is broken and hilly, while on the uplands the surface becomes undulating. There are no natural prairies in this township of any size, hence the entire surface is devoid of that even exterior seen in prairie countries. Formerly the township was covered with a magnificent growth of native forest-trees, prominent among which the oak in several varieties, hickory, walnut, beech, sugar-tree, elm and other kinds flourished. Interspersed among these grew a great number of small trees of the same and different varieties, which, with their more powerful fellows, were ruthlessly cut down by the pioneer in the establishment of his home. Many grand old forest-trees were felled to the earth by his powerful arm and keen ax - trees which, could they be produced now, would yield him a handsome revenue. Yet they stood in the way of progress, and, as there were no mills or manufactories to use them, they were consigned to the log-heap and destroyed. Grand, sound walnuts, of a cent¬ ury's growth, so large that when felled an ordinary man could not see over them in a direct line from his eve were cut down, sawn into lengths so thev could be handled, and rolled to the log-heap to meet the fate of others equally as sound and large, though of n different kind. Such trees as these - whole forests of them - stood on the hills, along the streams and in the valleys in what is now Elbridge Township when first the white man made his home here. Here had they stood for ages. Under their outspreading branches had the Indian lover wooed and won his dusky mate ; had he pitched his wigwam home, reared his savage familv. and been at last laid away at rest among his ancestors. The savage beast, the fleeting deer, the heavy buffalo, the swift bird, the ravenous wolf had all lived here in undisturbed security, or been the delight of the native hunter in his exciting chase. The limpid waters of the streams had furnished him a rare feast, while in their depths he had bathed his limbs, or over their surface paddled his light canoe.

Passage source: The History of Edgar County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County--its Cities, Towns, &c. : Directory of Its Tax-payers; War Records of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Edgar County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c. Illustrated, published 1879.

The first settlers in the present confines of Elbridge Township, located in the years 1818 or 1819. Just when, cannot now be definitely determined, nor can the name of the first settler be ascertained. Mr. Hall Sims, now over eighty years of age, came to this county in March, 1821, and settled near where he now lives. He states that when he arrived, there were living in what is now Elbridge Township, the following persons and their families : Thomas Y ilson, Alexander Ewing, John Hay, Thomas Eoster, Thomas Rhoades, James Eggleton. Dr. James Love, John Elliott and James Knight. There is yet standing an apple-tree planted by Mr. John Elliott, in 1820, which is now nine feet and four inches in circumference, five feet from the ground. It is in all probability the largest apple-tree in Edgar County. It is doubtful if a larger tree of its kind can be found in Illinois.

Passage source: The History of Edgar County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County--its Cities, Towns, &c. : Directory of Its Tax-payers; War Records of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Edgar County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c. Illustrated, published 1879.

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 Elbridge Township - it names this place 48 more 48 times.