Afton Township

Afton Township

FTON Township lies in the third tier from the south, and is bounded on the east by Pierce, on the north by De Kalb, on the south by Clinton, and on the west by Milan. The land is a beautiful rolling prairie, well adapted to all the cereals peculiar to this latitude. The head-waters of Little Rock Creek are on section 14. It is said that John A. Hayden, one of the early settlers of the township, was a great admirer of the song, " Flow gently, sweet Afton," and persisted in calling this stream " Sweet Afton," from which the township derived its name.

W. R. Campbell is given the honor of being the first settler and John. A. Hayden the next. Among other early settlers were Daniel Washburn, Timothy Pierson, John McGirr, Benjamin Muzzy, Charles Ward, Francis Bemis and Alexander Folger.

Afton was one of the last townships in the county to be settled, on account of there being no timber in proximity to it. While having no village within its boundaries it is considered one of the best townships in the county.

On the adoption of the township organization law, in 1850, and the creation of civil townships, the northern half of Afton was attached to De Kalb and the southern half to Clinton. The township was organized in 1855. The first election was held at the house of Sanford A. Tyler, on section 14. Timothy Pierson and Orson Pearl were elected Justices ; Sanford A. Tyler, Town Clerk ; Clark Glidden, Assessor and Collector. Since that time the following named have served the township as members of the Board of Supervisors :

1856 the school section was sold, the township was divided into two school districts and a good schoolhouse was built on the northwest corner of section 24, in district No. i, which comprised the east half of the township. The township was subsequently divided into nine school districts.

The following items in regard to educational matters in the township are gleaned from the report of the county superintendent of public schools for the year ending June 30, 1884: There were 387 persons under 21 years of age, of whom 307 were over six and under 21, of which number 269 were enrolled in the public schools. In each of the nine districts lying within the township was a good frame school-house, the total value of which was $5,850. During the year 16 teachers were employed, at an average salary of $35.75 per month, the highest being $45 and the lowest $25. A tax was levied for school purposes amounting to $2,529.

In reference to the part performed by this township in the War of the Rebellion, Boies remarks : " Afton manfully did its part in the war. Eightyone men went from that thinly populated township to fill the ranks of the Union Army. Its total population by the census of 1860 was but 516. Fiftynine men had volunteered when the necessity of the Government called for more men, and seven more, were procured. In the summer of 1864 an additional tax.was voted upon the township, amounting in all to $14,000, and 15 .more recruits were enlisted. Among those who gave their lives in defense of their country were Charles Elliott, Dempster Wheeler, Alexander Campbell, Emerson T. Knight, Lewis Olverson and L. De Forest."

Afton Township has 22,363 acres of improved land, assessed in 1884 at $315,412. The personal property was assessed the same time at $68,386. A total of $383,798. The State Board of Equalization reduced this to $339,603. Among the items of personal property enumerated were the following : Horses, 666; cattle, 2,738; mules and asses, 23 ; sheep, 204; hogs, 2,931; steam engines, 3; carriages and wagons, 193; watches and clocks, 101 ; sewing and knitting machines, 75 ; organs and melodeons, 23.

Source changes here: from Past and Present of DeKalb County, Illinois, by Gross, Lewis M, published 1907; 890 words in this source stream.

Afton Township

The early history of Afton is not filled with Indian atrocities, as it had neither Indians nor people for them to harass, in early days. After the wooded portions of the county were settled, the prairie land of Afton began to be populated. W. R. Campbell claiming the honor of being the first settler. He was soon followed by John A. Hayden, to whom the credit is given for naming the town. The head waters of Little Rock creek are in this township, and while working along its banks, Mr. Hayden was constantly reminded of the song. "Flow Gently Sweel Alton." and persisted in calling the stream "Sweet Alton." The name always clung to the land.

While the place was sparsely peopled the country was included under the government of DeKalb and of Clinton, and while in this condition was settled by Daniel Washburn, Timothy Pierson, John McGirr, Benjamin Muzzy, Charles Ward, Francis Bemis, Alexander Folger, T. R. Elliott, Michael Fennin, Patrick Brock. William. Osborn and Sanford Tyler. Silas Tappan. E. Noble and Mr. Farrell.

By the time the year of 1853 had been ushered in. the community decided to be organized into a township. Ezekiel Noble prepared the petition and circulated it. There were twenty-one signers of the petition, but only nine of them were legal voters. The others became voters before the spring election. The first election was held in the house of S. A. Tyler, April, 1856. Ezekiel Noble was elected supervisor; Sanford A. Tyler, town clerk; Clark Glidden, assessor and collector; Timothy Pierson and Orson Pearl, justices of the peace.

About that time the school lands of the town were placed on the market and sold to settlers, making the school fund of the town about seven thousand dollars, which now remains intact. About this time the town was divided into two school districts. The east half was the first district, the west half the second district. The east half was taxed to build a schoolhouse, costing five hundred dollars. The contract was Lei to E. Noble, and the building was completed to hold school during the winter of 1856. The next year the town was divided into nine districts of four sections each, and has remained so up to the pn sent time, with few changes. The settlers flowing in rapidly, the schoolhouses were built in the center of each district, as circumstances required. The center schoolhouse is a neat building, standing near the A Eton center church.

The church was built in 1867, mainly through the efforts and monej furnished bj William Watson, others contributed somewhat t<> its erection, and now the entire surrounding country helps in its support. It is of an Advent denomination, but. being the only church in the township, is naturally attended by all of the people with religious inclinations. \ cemeb ry lias been established near the church.

The early settlers were rapidly reinforced by newcomers, so that by the time the war broke out the following families hail taken up their abode in Afton: J. W. Ward. C. W. Broughton, John Jones. John 1'. Newhall, Clark Glidden, Mr. Lawther, B. Pierce. L. DeForest, M. DeForest, John Pooler. E. L. Mosher. TT. P. Bollins. William Watson, E. .1. Farmer, the Makarrolls, James White. Sr., James White. Jr.. H. Kingsley, James Carter. Richard Boyce, J. .1. Pent. Dana Earl. Judge Parks. D. B. Striker. Daniel Lattin. Edward Boland. John and Martin Lyons, John Mc- Dole. John and Reward Sturtevant, Walker Bent. Benjamin Mosher, Orson and Julius Pearl, Alexander Gamble. T. Knights. Xewell Thompson, Harrison Burt. 0. M. Tanner. George King. Erastus Dean. Enoch Darwell, Moses Chambers and Enos Morrell. Eighty-one men were furnished during the war and the township paid bounties to the amount of twenty thousand dollars.

Afton was known only as a farming community until 1884, when the Northern Illinois branch of the Northwestern road was built diagonally through the township and a station begun. It was named Elva in honor of Elva Glidden Bush, wife of William II. Bush, of Chicago, a daughter of Hon. J. F. Glidden, of DeKalb. The station is scarcely more than a shipping point and a mail office, although it contains a creamery and a general store. It being on a branch line of the main railroad and near the large town of DeKalb, it will probably never grow to any great proportions.

The growth and the changes since the town was first inhabited are not marked, but they are numerous, and the old settlers, with few exception^ either passed to their long home or have moved to the west or east, or to the cities, to take their ease during tic remainder of their days, and their places are occupied by sons or tenants, as the case may lie. The only persons now living in Alton township of the early settlers are J. W. Ward. Michael Pennin and E. Noble.

The principal offices of the township have been held as follows: Supervisors, E. Noble, C. W. Broughton, Henry Kingsley, S. W. Patten. John Ryan and I. Woods; town clerks. S. A. Tyler, Julio- C. Pearl, 0. W. Baker. Xewell Thompson. S. W. Patten, E. (inn-. Martin Lyons. Bernard Lyons, J. W. Ward, E. L. Mosher, E. Noble, Grant 1-'.. Mosher. Other offices were filled by too many different ones to mention.