Sublette, Illinois

The settlement of Sublette township dates from 1837. Jonathan Peterson came to Ottawa, Illinois, in October 1836 ; he had come from New Hampshire by Lake Erie to Detroit, and thence afoot to Ottawa. Plere he spent the winter of 1836-7, and in February started for Lee county. The same summer he made a claim in the northwestern part of Sec. 4, Sublette, and after building a log cabin just over the line in Lee Center, he went back to his native state and was married, returning with his wife the following year. In June, 1837, Sherman Hatch arrived in Dixon and came across the country to Lee Center township to Chas. F. Ingals, who had settled there the previous year. The same summer or fall he settled on the southwest part of Sec. 7, taking possession of and completing a log house that had been partly built b}' four young men from Chicago, who had abandoned their claim. In the fall of 1837 Mr. Hatch returned to Vermont. He came back the next year with his wife, whose marriage he had recently celebrated. He claimed a half section of prairie and nearly as much timber in the vicinity of his first settlement, but did not enter much of it, having loaned most of his money to parties who were unable to pay him when the land was offered for sale. The same fall Thomas and William Fessenden, with their families, came on from New Hampshire, Thomas Fessenden having been west as early as 1834 and returned the same year to New Hampshire. They claimed land on Sees. 6 and 7, and built a log house on the southeast corner of the N.W. ^ of Sec. 7, and moved into it in December, having lived in the meantime on the " Blunt place," Amboy township. This was the first real settlement in Sublette, and the nearest neighbor of the Fessendens at that time was Joseph Doane, who was living about half a mile from the "Blunt place." The following year William Fessenden built half a mile north, on the southeast corner of the S.W. | of Sec. 6, where John H. Long now lives. In 1838 Joseph Knox and his famil}' settled at the south end of the grove which bears their name. The same year Sylvanus Peterson settled on the S.E. ^ of Sec. 5. Before 1840 John Morton and R. E. Goodall settled north of him on land now owned by William Long, jr., and Russell Phillips on the southwestern part of Sec. 5, claiming forty there and forty opposite in Sec. 8. In 1839 Daniel Baird settled where ElijaJi Austin lives, on the La Salle and Grand Detour road, on Sec. 17. Mr. Baird settled in La Salle in the fall of 1836. The same year (1839) Phineas Rust built the first frame liouse in Sublette, on Sec. 30, half a mile south of where Ambrose Angier is now living. Mr. Rust never lived here, but sold his claim, the N.E. ^ of Sec. 30, to Philo Stanard and Thomas Angier late in 1840. The same year Thomas Tourtillott built a frame house 16x20 on Sec. 31, and O. Bryant settled on the " Old Chicago road " on Sec. 35. In 1842 Thomas Angier built a frame house where his present buildings are located. Gilbert Thompson also built on tlie site now occupied by Mrs. Fauble, on the S. i of S.E. J Sec. 31.

Passage source: History of Lee County, published 1881.

But little was seen of the Indians by the settlers of Sublette. Old Shabona, however, with his followers, was an annual visitor for several 3^ears, passing, as he did, across the town on his way from his reservation, in DeKalb county, to the swamp near Walnut grove, in Bureau county. Shabona was a noble red-man, and on account of his friendship shown the settlers in the Black Hawk war, became very much endeared to them.

Passage source: History of Lee County, published 1881.

Township Organization. - Soon after the organization of Lee county the west half of Sublette, and what is now May, were known as Bureau precinct; the polls were held at the house of Daniel Baird. The east part of the township was incorporated with a part of Brooklyn, with their voting place at Kuox Grove. In 1849 the county was divided into townships. This town was first called Hanio. The railroad company having named their depot Sublette, it was desired to have the name of the township correspond, and consequentl}^ a petition was sent in the winter of 1856-T to John Y. Eustace, representative in the Illinois legislature. The name was accordingly changed to Sublette. This name was first employed, it is said, because of the frequent subletting of the grading of the road in this vicinity. The first town meeting was held on the second Tuesday in April 1850, "for the purpose of electing town ofticers, dividing the town into road districts, and for the transaction of other business." Alphens Crawford was chosen moderator and Daniel Baird clerk for said meeting. A tax of 12-| cents on every $100 of taxable property was voted to be assessed and collected. Stock was prohibited from running at large from lioveniber 15 to April 1 of each year. The first election resulted in the choice of Daniel Baird for supervisor, Henry Porter clerk, Whitlock T. Porter assessor, Silas D. RenifF collector, Daniel Pratt overseer of the poor, Hiram Anderson and W. H. Hamblin highway commissioners, Samuel Averill and Thos. S. Angier constables, Alpheus Crawford and Andrew Bertholf justices of the peace. The town was divided into nine road districts two miles square. April 17, 1851, the highway commissioners ordered that district number " 10 " be formed out of the east half of Sees. 20 and IT, and the west half of sections 16 and 21. At an election held in the school-house in district "3" April 6, 1852, forty-six votes were cast for supervisor, forty-seven for assessor, forty-five for collector, and forty-seven for town clerk. It was voted that the next annual town meeting be held at the house of Daniel Pratt, at Knox Grove. In 1854 the annual meeting was held at the house of Daniel Wilcox on Sec. 15, and in 1855 at the house of Daniel Maxwell. At this meeting $1,000 was voted for the erection of a town-house in the village of Sublette. Thomas Angier, H. Benton and Prescott Bartlett w^ere appointed a committee to report a site for the same. At a special meeting held in December, Thomas Angier, John Tourtillott, S. Reniff", Thomas Fessenden and Horatio Benton were appointed a committee to build a house one story high, and of a size to correspond with funds voted for that purpose. At a meeting held in 1858, $150 was appropriated to bridge Bureau creek at the old army trail. At the annual meeting in 1860 a fence law was passed declaring what should be considered a legal fence, whether of wire, rails or boards. In 1860, 150 votes were cast for the supervisor, and the same number for town clerk, 152 for assessor, 147 for collector. In 1866, 177 was the highest vote cast for any oflice : Silas Reniff M^as unanimously chosen assessor. For justice of the peace T. Angier re- ceived all but one (176), and A. L. Wilder the same number for town clerk. In 1881 about 220 votes were cast. The supervisors of Sublette have been : Daniel Baird three years, S. Peterson one year, T. Angier eighteen years, Albert Linn one year, Jonathan Peterson three years, John Theiss, five years, G. M. Crawford one year. The justices of the peace have been T. Angier thirty-one years, Alpheus Crawford six years, A. Bertholf one year, James Brewer one year, W. F. Wilder one year, A. B. Linn eight years, Daniel Barton three yeai's, Isaac Clink one year, ]^. W. Smith twelve years. Silas D. Reniif was elected assessor of Sublette in 1854, and except three years has assessed the town ever since. A. L. Wilder with one exception has held the office of town clerk since 1864.

Passage source: History of Lee County, published 1881.

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 Sublette Township - it names this place 47 more 47 times.