Rankin, Illinois

Butler township embraces all the northwest corner of the county which is in town 23 north, range 13 west, of the 2d principal meridian, all the east half of town 23, range 14, two tiers of sections off" the north end of town 22 north, range 13, and six sections in the northeast corner of town 22, range 14, making in all seven t}M;wo sections, or equal to two full congressional townships. The land was originally entirely prairie, and, although embracing some of the finest land in the county, did not come into cultivation till 1855, and as late as 1872 broad strips of its rich prairie had not been vexed with the plow; indeed, as late as this present writing some of the beautiful high rolling prairie along the line separating towns 23 and 22 is yet in prairie-grass, and scores of the farms south and southeast of Rankin are guiltless of either fence or hedge to mark their boundary lines. No considerable stream crosses the town. From its southern side the little streams and rivulets stretch away toward the middle fork of the Vermilion, from its eastern border they run into the North Fork, while from its northern half the water sheds to the head-waters of the Illinois River. High, rolling, rich and healthy, it can but seem wonderful, and must ever remain in a great measure mysterious, how the land of such eligible portions of the county were left uninhabited until long after the western half of the state, and Missouri, Iowa, and portions of Kansas and Nebraska, were largely filling up with settlers. People living along the Middle Fork, not twenty miles away, pulled up and moved to Missouri, on poorer land than could be found within half a day's ride of their homes, and this, after it had been demonstrated that people could live on the open prairie with less labor, just as much comfort, more health, and surer returns for their labor, than on timber farms. It cannot be pleaded in this case that these prairies were unknown. The Chicago road, the great highway of travel before railroads were built, passed directly over this beautiful tract, and the road leading from Danville to Ottawa, along- which thousands of men went from the Illinois River country to Danville to enter land, and the road from Attica to Bloomington, along which hundreds of people passed each year, visiting their old homes in Indiana and Ohio, both crossed this arm of the Grand Prairie. The old scholars had an adage which, being liberally translated, runs, "In matters of taste there is no use in disputing." Just so; there is no law against a man's going through the woods and picking up a crooked stick beyond.

Passage source: History of Vermilion County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest, Gleaned from Early Authors, Old Maps and Manuscripts, Private and Official Correspondence, and Other Authentic, Though, for the Most Part, Out-of-the-way Sources, published 1879.

The Lafayette, Bloomington & Muncie railroad runs directly through the township from east to west, on a line nearly one and one half miles from its northern line, having on it the three little villages of East Lynne, named from the charming novel of Mrs. Anna S. Stephens, Rankin, named from Hon. David Rankin, the proprietor of a portion of the town and of a large amount of land in the neighborhood, and Pellsville, named from W. H. Pells, who was co-proprietor of it.

Passage source: History of Vermilion County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest, Gleaned from Early Authors, Old Maps and Manuscripts, Private and Official Correspondence, and Other Authentic, Though, for the Most Part, Out-of-the-way Sources, published 1879.

Daniel Stamp came from New York and bought land in section 14 (23-14), in 1855. He sold to A. B. Lucas, and he to Samuel Johnson. Lucas lives in Pellsville. Johnson sold to Williams, and went to Kansas. Fred Stamp settled about the same time, and made a farm on section 15. He lives now in Paxton. James Dixon settled on section 11, where Mrs. Johnson now resides. John Jones the same time made a farm on section 19, just north of Schwartz. Caleb T. Beals came in 1856, and took land in section 3 (22-13). He still lives near there, in section 9. John Dopps commenced farming in section 15 (23-14) in 1855. He afterward sold out and went to Kansas. David Dopps commenced a farm in the same section. These men were pioneers of the Methodist church, and the first class was formed at the house of their brother Eli, across the line in Ford county.

Passage source: History of Vermilion County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest, Gleaned from Early Authors, Old Maps and Manuscripts, Private and Official Correspondence, and Other Authentic, Though, for the Most Part, Out-of-the-way Sources, 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 Butler Township - it names this place 37 more 37 times.