Pecatonica, Illinois

This^township was settled in 1835. The first settlers were Ephraim Sumner, now of Rockford; William Sumner, Mrs. Dolly Guilford (sister to the Sumuers), Elijah Guilford, her son, and Thomas Hance (erroneously called Hame on page 236). After the county was organized in 1836, and the county machinery put in motion, seven justices' precincts were established, to- wit: Yellow Eiver, Rock Grove, Peeketolika, Kishwaukee, Rockford, Rock River, and Eelvidere. Peeketolika embraced the townships now known as Pecatonica, Seward and Burritt. The first election for county officers was held on Monday, August 1, 1836. Wednesday, August 3d, the County Commissioners met, organized and started the county machinery. Besides establishing the seven precincts above named, they fixed a date - August 27 - for the election of justices of the peace and constables. In this precinct (Peeketolika), Ephraim Sumner and Isaac Hance were elected justices, and William Sumner and Thomas Hance were chosen as constables. This was one of the precincts that honored the Commissioners' order by holding elections on the day fixed. At a subsequent session of the Board, another day was fixed for the election of justices in the precincts that had failed to elect in August - the time so fixed being the 14th of October following.

Passage source: The History of Winnebago County, Illinois : Its Past and Present, Containing ... a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1877.

This township has the honor of being the birthplace of the first white child born in the territory now included in Winnebago County - Ogden Hance, the son of Thomas Hance, who was born during the early part of 1836.* by Daniel Reed, Sr., in 1846. Soon after purchase, Mr. Reed settled upon it and commenced reducing its wild sward to farm tillage. In 1852, after the Hne of the Galena and Chicago Union, now the Chicago and Northwestern raih-oad, had been established, and the grading, etc., well under waj, T. D. Robertson and John A. Holland, of Rockford, appreciating the advantages it offered for a railway station, being in the heart of a rich and rapidly developing agricultural district, bought from Mr. Reed an interest in the land, and "laid off"" the town, the plot of which was filed and entered of record in December of that year. Before this, however, while the railroad was building, N. F. Maynard built a small house on the west side of Main street, a little north of the railroad track, in which he opened a small stock of groceries, provisions, etc. That building - the first business house in Pecatonica - is still standing, and is now occupied as a tenement house. Some time about December, of the same year, Messrs. Reed & Smith opened a dry goods store on the opposite side of the street from Maynard's grocery. Those two business houses were the only trading places known in Pecatonica until after, or at least until about the time the railroad was completed, in August, 1853. In the late part of the summer, or early fall of 1852, Mr. Reed commenced the erection of the Pecatonica Hotel, now kept by James O'Brien, at the corner of Main and Third streets. Until after the completion of the railroad, it was occupied as a residence - notably so during the winter of 1852-3, when the three Eastman families. Dr. B. D.,Samuel C. and Stephen S. Eastman lived there; the latter died in March, 1853, his funeral obsequies being the occasion of the first sermon preached in the embryo village, in the summer of 1853, Dr. Eastman opened a drug store on the east side of Main street, in the building now occupied by R. B. Coleman as a grocery and provision house.

Passage source: The History of Winnebago County, Illinois : Its Past and Present, Containing ... a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1877.

A short time after the opening of the railroad to public traffic, Sullivan Daniels, Reed's son-in-law, took possession of the hotel building, christened it tiie " Pecatonica House," and opened its doors to the entertainment of the traveling public. The first shipment of freight from the Pecatonica station, Josiah Stephens, agent, was made September 1, 1853. From that time forward, during the period of the Crimean War, and until the financial panic of 1857, the growth and prosperity of Pecatonica was wonderful. At one time there were twelve to fifteen large dry goods stores in successful operation. Crops were good. Wheat at that time was the staple production, and commanded two dollars per bushel. Money was plenty, and everybody was happy. But the panic came, and failure followed failure, and, for the time, Pecatonica's glory departed. Notwithstanding it has always been a place of considerable local trade importance, those were its palmiest and best days. To enumerate, there are now three large dry goods stores; one clothing (exclusively) store; twelve grocery and provision stores; three millinery establishments; three hardware stores; one boot and shoe store; three harness shops; six blacksmith shops; five carriage and wagon making shops; two meat markets; two butter houses; one large grist mill; one egg house; one brewery; one book store; one hotel; five carpenter shops; two tailor shops; two drug stores; three dressmaking establishments; one steam machine shop; one saw mill; one grain elevator; one livery stable; two large furniture establishments; two agricultural implement warehouses; two jewelry stores; one bank; one lumber yard; one tine, large art gallery; two barber shops; three restaurants; one bakery; and one good local newspaper, established in December, 1872, by the Colby

Passage source: The History of Winnebago County, Illinois : Its Past and Present, Containing ... a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1877.

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 Pecatonica Township - it names this place 87 more 87 times.