John M. Hamilton House

The territorry now included in the township of Bloomington is a part of our common county, and as such entitled to its share in the interest attaching to the general history of our State and nation ; but when we take it upon ourselves to learn the history of the six miles square called Bloomington, we find it almost impossible to divest general history from the local interest of the tract of land under consideration. It would be pleasant to go back to the time when all the country, north of the Ohio, was a French possession ; to glance at its first American baptism, in the year 1778, when Gen. Clarke with his Virginians captured the whole region from the British, who had taken it all from the French in 1763 ; to learn something of its early history as a portion of Virginia after Gren. Clarke returned from his expedition, at which time the whole tract was a dependency of Virginia, called Illinois County ; to look at the same country jiears later, when it was called the Northwest Territory, and to follow its fortunes as the Territory of Indiana, then as the Territory of Illinois from 1809 down to 1818, when the State of Illinois entered upon its independent career. In all these varying changes, the little spot of land we are now examining had a territorial share, but was peopled only by wild and savage Indians, who may have been intelligent enough to know the French from the English, but who were not citizens of whatever power for the time being was in possession of the land. It was not till 1822 that the territory now known as McLean County possessed a single white inhabitant ; and when, in that year, the families of John Hendrix and John W. Dawson made a selection of sites for homes, they were the first permanent settlers in the county, and were also the first in Bloomington Township, of which we now propose^to give an historical sketch. We have a right to suppose that long previous to the date we have mentioned important events transpired here, in which white people took important parts. It was here in this very region that Gen Hopkins' army was embarrassed in 1813, ia his fruitless expedition from the Wabash toward the fort which was then standing at Peoria. It is probable that many a party of French and friendly Indians have camped in our old woods when on their way from Lake Michigan to Cahokia and Kaskaskia. Possibly the early Indian traders and hunters may have built trading-stations and occupied them for long periods, at points where our first settlers found partial clearings in the original forests. But perhaps it is not best to indulge ourselves in much speculation or supposition on these topics, as we shall find our path obscure enough, following as we go the best authenticated records that are now available.

Passage source: History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois, published 1879.

All this region of country now known as McLean County, east of the Third Principal Meridian, was situated in the county of Fayette, and thus remained until the development of the country several years later rendered it absolutely necessary that this immense tract should be subdivided into several counties. We will attempt to give the names of only a few of the first settlers of this township, mentioning some of the most prominent, but may, through inadvertence, omit others equally deserving. In 1822, John Hendrix and John W. Dawson, with their families, settled in the southern portion of Blooming Grove. There was with them in the same year a single man of the name of Segur, who, however, did not stay long in the settlement, he having sold his claim in 1823 to Mr. William Orendorfi". Mr. Dawson remained four years, when he removed to near the site of the old Indian town in Old Town Timber. During these four years, while his family lived at the Grove, there were no less than fifteen difi"erent families who made their homes here, so that Blooming Grove very soon became a wellsettled community. Mr. Hendrix is entitled to the honor of being the first settler, as Mr. Dawson's family did not arrive till after Mr. H. had been here some weeks. Of the family of John W. Dawson, who came in 1822, we will here remark that two are now living in the city of Bloomington, having moved from Old Town many years ago. The oldest is Mrs. William Paist, whose first husband was Maj. Owen Cheney. She was about eight years old when her father moved to the Indian town. She was a great favorite with the Indian squaws, who often carried her to their homes, keeping her for days at a time, where the little girl was greatly pleased and interested. Mrs. P. does not even yet appear aged - scarcely elderly. She takes a great interest in society, and it seems hardly possible that this active lady has seen the full growth and development of Blooming Grove, of Bloomington City and of McLean County. Her brother, John Dawson, is the next oldest pioneer now living in our city.

Passage source: History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois, 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 Bloomington City Township - 72,613 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.