DeKalb Township

Dekalb Township

The first - ttlement in Dp Kalb Township was made on Section One, in what is now commonly known as Coltonville. Like the settlements of other localities, these pioneers came to the streams and wood- to make their homes. The first settlers of the township were John B. Collins and Norman O. Moore. Collins settled on a farm later owned by Captain Burpee and Moore made a claim a mile or two north of him. The spring of 1835 is -j i ven as the date of their coming, but before the close of that year others had settled near the Pottawatomie Village, located on Section One. A man by the name of McClellan made a claim to the south end of the grove, which was afterward sold to Russell Huntley. The central part of the

As has been stated in a previous chapter of the County History, in 1832 the army under General Whiteside, numbering about twenty-two hundred, consisting of one regiment of regulars and tin.' balance of volunteers, marched from Stillman's Run to the month of the Kishwaukee, thence following the south side of that stream to the Pottawatomie village mi section one. where they camped and found some of the plunder taken from Stillman's men by the savages. The Indians had been taken from this locality in about 1S35, lint many marks are found today of their village. When the white men first came to Coltonville they found buried, while a number of papooses were wrapped in bark and suspended among the branches of the trees. It has been stated that a company of United States mounted troops at about 1835 escorted the Indians from this village to Paw Paw grove in the southwest corner of the county, preparatory to removal, and it is also stated that this same company, while marching to their destination, camped on the site of the present village of De Kalb. "While here one of their number attempted to desert ami he paid McClellan a sum of money to secrete him ; but. being threatened by the officer in command. McClellan gave him up again and he was tied to the rear of the army wagon and dragged on foot through the remainder of the route. The neighbors, indignant at McClellan*s treachery, threatened to lynch him and he was obliged to fly the country to secure safety."

In the autumn of 1835, Messrs. Jenks & Company claimed tin' land known later as the Schrvver farm. Here, a little later, they dammed the creek, built a mill and projected a town in the vicinity. The streams were much larger then than now and it was thought that the water power would be of permanent value, but a dry summer or two convinced them of their mistake and they never completed their proposed village. The mill was sold and repaired and the dam enlarged and instead of using the overshot wheel they used the turbine. The same mill was used until the later forties, when it was abandoned and taken down. The site of the old mill is now owned by George Clark.

By way of explanation we will state thai the timber land of DeKalb township naturally divided itself into three parts. 'Flic South Grove, or Huntley's Grove, was separated from the Central Grove, later called Union Grove, by a gap extending east and west over the present site of the Norma] bridge. Another gap was found on the land owned by Phineas Stevens and extending westward, and for a long time these settlements were known by the names Huntley's Grove, Union Grove and Coltonville. The latter became the more populous settlement and had a village that was aspiring to be the county seat and in fact the first court, held in the county after its organization was held at that place.

Mr. Eufus Colton and Phineas Stevens came here at a very early date and. as both bad means, immediately began to improve their village. In (be later thirties there was a store, blacksmith shop and a post-otlice. tbe receipts of which in 1839 were $32.84, which were tbe largest receipts of any office in the county up to that date.

Mr. Phineas Stevens built a distillery, which was located on what is now the Henry Groves farm. This was operated for several years but did not prove a very paying investment. It. was built of timber sawed at tbe old mill, which has just been mentioned.

Eufus Colton built a large hotel, the dedication of which has been mentioned in the County History, and this was for many years the most pretentious building in the county.

To show how valuable the timber lain! was at that dale and how little the pioneers valued the prairie, we will give the following incident. Mr. Russell Huntley, representing a company of capitalists who designed to build mills and carry on fanning and if possible lay out a town, moved to I be siuilli end of the grove and bought the claim id' Jesse Root. This was the period of wild-cat money and it was very plentiful and every one lad some scheme to acquire wealth. Mr. Huntley bough! all of the southern part of the grove, paying for tbe same fifty-three hundred dollars. This purchase embraced about live hundred acres of an agreement with the Brady's of Brody's Grove, about ten miles west of him, that the division line between them should he half way between the two groves ; and he made a similar verbal arrangement with inhabitants of Shabbona Grove on the south."

In the summer of 1836, the first election held in the county was at the home of Captain Eli Barnes, on land now owned by Henry Groves. Voters came from all parts of the county- It was an election for justice of the peace and we must remember at this time that the available settlements of what is now DeKalb county were known as the Kishwaukee district and were a part of La Salle count}''. Stephen Mowry and Captain Collier were elected justices and received their commission from the governor, countersigned by a county officer from La Salle county. Mr. Samuel Miller of Squaw Grove, relates that ten dollars was sent down to him by one of the candidates to pay him for bringing up ten voters and that these voti re carried his election. Mr. Boies says, in his history, that this was probably the first $10 spent to cany an election in this county, but not the last by thousands.

Hard times followed the period of wild-cat money and the people grew very poor and in 1843, when the land that has just been described came into market, Mr. Huntley offered large portions of it for $1.25 an acre. Some of this land is where the city of DeKalb now stands. For twenty years he kept an excellent tavern, built of logs, and in busy seasons of travel it was continually crowded by teamsters who came from as far west as the Mississippi river and were on their way to Chieago with grain. A good picture of this hotel will be found in another portion of the work. As it did not pay at all times to haul the grain to Chicago, thousands of bushels of wheat were fed to cattle without threshing. The people of this locality did not thrive materially until the railroad was built in 1853.

Another settler who came into the county in 1835 and was prominently identified with the county history was Frederick Love, who settled in the timber on the land now owned by his grandson, Frederick Love. Those who came in 1836 were Jacob, Joel and Alpheus Jenks, David Walrod, Samuel Thompson, Solomon Hollister and Levi Barber, with his two eldest sons, Harry and Lyman. Clark Barber came a few months later.

The older Barber made claim on section 15 and Clark L. Barber made his claim on land adjoining. Here he built a log house, the chimney being made of slicks plastered with mud, the roof of "shakes" split from oak timber, and the floor of puncheon. Clark Barber was married in May, 1839, to Mary M. Spring, and this house was their home in with their oldest daughter Louise, now Mrs. Jacob Crawford of DeKalb, was born in 1840. This old place was known far and near as the Barber farm.

W. R. Thompson also came in 1836 and purchased a farm on which was a little log house. It Mas surveyed afterwards as section one and was located on the opposite side of the Kishwaukee from Coltonville.

.The marriage of Russell Huntley and Selina A. Goodell took place September 25th, 1838, and was the second marriage in the township, the first being that of Harry Barber and Rachel Spring, October 5th, 1837, and their daughter Amelia was born in 1838. Previous to this, however, a child, the first born in the township, came into the home of Mr. and Mrs. N. C. Moore.

The first attorney was Mr. A. R. Crothers, who located at Coltonville in 1837. By many he is said to have been the first lawyer to reside in the county.

The first election, after the vote to set DeKalb county apart as a separate organization, was held at the home of Frederick Love. The first regular commissioners' court was held at the home of Rufus Colton, and continued to be held at that place until the county seat was located at Sycamore. Frederick Love also kept a tavern and his home was large and spacious for that time and Mr. Love hoped that sometime the county seat might be located on his farm.

Another early marriage was that of Cornelia Spring to Lyman Barber in 1838. Thus we have three brothers married to three sisters, which transferred the hardships of pioneer life into pleasure.

The first school in the township was held at Coltonville, in a house erected for that purpose in the summer of 1838. Miss Barber taught the summer term and a Mr. Lawrence the winter term. Dr. E. P. Wright also taught a term here. The Honorable Thomas Ford, afterwards governor of Illinois, was the presiding judge who held the first term of court in DeKalb county. Mr. George Clark, at present a resident of DeKalb, is our authority for stating that the first school-house erected in DeKalb township for school purposes still stands on the farm owned by Charles Adee in Coltonville. It stood just east of the house erected by Mr. Colton and has now been moved about fifteen rods to the southwest and is at present a granary.

As late as 1839 Mr. Calvin S. Colton located near his brother Eufus in Coltonville, and he states that as many as fifty bodies of papooses were suspended in a horizontal position among the branches of the trees, for it was the custom of the Indians to dispose of bodies of dead children by covering them with bark and suspending them from the branches of the trees.

In early days fruit was scarce but many of the pioneers, coming from New York state where trees were plentiful, adopted the custom of their native state and set out orchards. The first was set out by Eli Barnes in 1839 and in the following year one was started by William E. Thompson. We have no record left of an orchard being planted before that time.

Wanton Barber came to DeKalb in 1840 and has for a number of years been the oldest resident of that town, still residing within its borders.

Few settlers came in 1840 and 1841, but in the spring of 1842 a native of New Hampshire, Joseph F. Glidden, came to DeKalb and purchased of Eussell Huntley 400 acres of land just west of the Grove, on which he erected a log cabin, where for several years he kept an excellent tavern. Besides farming and acting as landlord Mr. Glidden drove a stage and carried the mail. Joseph W. and Steven H. Glidden bought adjoining tracts of land and for several years the three brothers were in company in the farming business.

Joseph W. did considerable literary work and articles from his pen are found in many DeKalb homes to this day. He died on the old home farm. The people of DeKalb still remember Steven as a great lover of horses, always having a great number of racers on his farm. He died in 1876. Joseph F.. the first to come here, has been of so much benefit to this town that it is with feelings akin to reverence that the people of DeKalb speak of him. It was he who invented barbed wire, furnished a home for the Normal school and has done a number of minor good deeds.

The settlement in 1844 was enjoying quite rapid growth. James Duffy and his sons came in this year and located on tbe prairie one and one-half miles south of the Phineas Stevens farm, and in 1849 they bought the old Duffy homestead two and one-half miles south of the present city of DeKalb.

Myron H. Dermeter lived in a little shanty on the Batherick claim. This and the Duffy's were the only buildings standing out from the timber between Huntley's tavern and Shabbona Grove. H. B. Curler, who .came here in 1856, says that but two trees were then growing between those two places.

In 1844, Jared and Clark Carter, father and son, came here and camped for a while. In 1845 they worked the old Whitmore farm, in 1846 the old Love farm and in 1849 they purchased a claim of Asa Palmer, having a little log cabin and into this the family moved. This is the old Carter homestead, located three and one-half miles southwest of DeKalb.

Christopher and Wilson Love came in this year and they, like others, made their first stopping place near Frederick Love's and have since been instrumental in the permanent growth of De- Kalb.

This same year L. B. King, a Baptist minister, located here. He was the only circuit preacher of this denomination in this section and held meetings in the old Huntley tavern. He was the father of W. B. and Charles King.

The log tavern conducted by Eussell Huntley had done good service and in 1845 was replaced by a little frame hotel, known as the Eagle Hotel, which, though extensively added to and repaired, lias gone down through the generations as the Eagle Hotel, which -till stands but has been removed to another part of the city. It was on the site now occupied by the First National bank. The hotel was not large and many of the teamsters and traveler? were obliged to sleep in the stable.

This was the beginning of the present village of DeKalb. The firs! store kept in what is now the city of DeKalb was by Mr. Goodell and B. Ruby, who was a physician. Dr. F. B. Wright was the first practicing physician in the village. James Goodell and Caroline Batherick were the first to be married in the village.

Huntley's Grove settlement did not grow until the survey of the railroad and a year later, when the first train pulled into the village, may really be said to be the beginning of DeKalb as a city of life and industry. Jacob Haish states that he boarded the train near what is now Maple Park and told the conductor he wished to go to Huntleys Grove. Keeping watch along the road hesaw hut little signs of the village and finally was told by the conductor that he had arrived at his destination. He state- a! that time there was a store, a blacksmith simp and a few residences.

There was n.. established cemetery in DeKalb countv in its early days and it was the custom of the people to bury their dead on their own home under the north end or very near where the Chronicle building now stands. Various other prominent place* about the town mark the resting places of the pioneers, and others were buried where it was most convenient and safe, were taken up in later days and interred in cemeteries.

Early in 1850, Mr. Basil Ruhy built a little frame house divided into two apartments: one end he and his family used tor a dwelling and the other for a drug and notion -tore. It was located a few feet east of the present Ruby residence. The building now stands, having been moved to the east side of First street, a little to the south of its original location. Small as these buildings were, they were sufficient for mercantile and residence purposes. The pride of the town in early days was a two-story building erected by Alvah Cartwright. It was plastered inside and out with mortar and then traced and painted to resemble brick. This beautiful structure of pioneer days stood

Buildings for church services were not availaide in early days and the religious meetings were held in homes. The first meeting in DeKalb was at the residence of Dr. Basil Ruby in 1850. The preacher was from Sycamore and came at the invitation of Dr. Ruby. Two years later a class was organized at the home of Rev. Mr. Brown and from this small beginning the Methodists formed one of the largest organizations of any religious fcy in the city. The school, which takes perhaps as dear a place as the church in the hearts of the people who have made DeKalb county, was naturally an institution of early days. In 1850 the first school-house was built. It was 14x14 and the seats were made of split logs with holes bored in them and sticks driven in for leg-. The first teacher was Jonathan Stone. He was killed by lightning in 1857. Elder Gamhie, a Baptist minister, also preached in this lit- 3i hool-house, which was built in the timber on the site of the present Bemis residence on South First -tieei.

DeKalb was organized in 1850 as a township. It was first called Orange and included parts of Malta and Afton townships. In 1851. Ezekiel Whitehead settled in that portion of the town and began the settlement of what is now Malta. In 1851 tin' village of DeKalb had 29 people. A tailor shop was opened in this year by John P. Jones and was located in the upper part of

Eli B. Gilbert, who moved to DeKalb from Sycamore in 1852 and bought of Eewis Huntley a piece of ground on which was a little house used corn-crib. Mr. Gilbert was elected first justice of the peace in 1853 and built a building with the slahs nailed upright in the corner of his lot. The law was administered to the citizens in that office until I860, when Mr. Gilbert built a twoframe house on Main street, now- owned by Mi-. Owen Beaubean. The upper story was used as a justice office until Mr. Gilbert's death in August, 1895. The old homestead is still occupied by Mrs. Gilbert. The first butcher shop was opened in 1852 by John Till, and the first tin p in the -. i tr by Peter Johnson. Peter Johnson was the first Scandinavian to come into 1 1 i countv.

The right of way was given the North Western road and in many instances the people gave splendid donations aside from the free right of way.

For many years this little town was called Buena Vista, in honor of one of the principal battles of the War with Mexico, which was then fresh in the minds of the people. The battle of Buena Vista was fought February 23d and 23d between 20,000 Mexicans under Santa Ana and a force of little more than 5,000 under Gen. Zach Taylor. In that battle Jefferson Davis, B. E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Albert Sydney Johnson, General Bragg and a host of others who became prominent in the Civil war took part.

The first grist-mill was built in the year 1853 by a man named Brooks. It was erected on what is now Seventh street on the ground where the C. & N. W. in after years had their yards for loading stock.

In 1853, a second frame school-house was built on the present site of the Congregational church. A lot was purchased for $15 and the building was 21x42. There was not money enough to complete the building and two or three dances were held in it, the money thus raised being devoted to the cause of education.

In 1854, the Methodists and Baptists erected little places of worship. The first Methodist church stood on the present site of W. H. Fay's residence. Two years after its erection it was sold to the Adventists and in 1879 the large brick edifice, known as the First Methodist church, was erected at a cost of $10,000, and in 1885 the Baptists replaced their wooden church by a fine brick building.

As the early buildings of the village of DeKalb were largely of wood they would naturally form food for a destructive fire, and in 1870 a large portion of the city was burned to the ground. This was a blessing in disguise and Phoenixlike, on their ashes have arisen many substantial brick buildings of the city. One of them was the Haish three-story brick building called the Bee Hive block, in which was the Barb City bank.

In 1854, a great small-pox plague raged the county and nearly depopulated DeKalb. Mrs. Norris Sweet died November 14th and Mr. Sweet and Bussell Huntley together selected the spot where she was to be buried. It was upon an open prairie but is now known as the beautiful Evergreen cemetery, and a person has only to consult the headstones to see how many dead of our old settlers are sleeping in this silent city. That same year the ladies of DeKalb met and organized the DeKalb Center Sewing society, having for its object the procuring of means for the purchase and care of grounds for burial purposes. They purchased about four and one-half acres, the same as stated above. This is the oldest cemetery in the township.

The pioneer lodges of the place are the Masonic and Odd Fellows and the first DeKalb band were all organized in 1854. The first murder which blots DeKalb's fair history occurred in 1854. It was a drunken row and occurred in a frame shanty on the present site of Benjamin White's residence. Three or four Irishmen who had been laboring on the railroad had been drinking whisky and got in a dispute. One of their number grabbed a chair on which was a tub of water filled with clothes an hit his companion over the head, breaking his neck.

The school building erected in 1861 was built of brick and at that time was considered one of the fine school buildings in this part of the state.

The village was incorporated under the general act of 1856 and in 1861 by special charter, which made the Board of Trustees a member of the Board of Supervisors. William Allen was the first to fill the position.

The hardware store which I. L. Ellwood operated was the first exclusive store of its kind in DeKalb. It was run by Ellwood and J. D. Lott and was a two-story frame building, joining the Cartwright and Hayden store. In 1869 Mr. Ellwood built a two-story brick building now occupied by Mrs. John Burt, and the frame store was moved across the street, It was later occupied and owned by Harry White, who used it as a meat-shop.

In 1860 a Catholic church was built, which was occupied over forty years. The present edifice was built at a cost of about $25,000 and is the largest church building in the county. The parish comprises the largest church organization in the county.

In 1858 the Swedish Lutherans erected a church edifice and organized a society. This has grown to be a society of 600 members and has a new modern church edifice. Aside from the Swedish Lutheran church there have been organized the

Past Ax 1 1 Present Of De Kalb County

In 1860 an agricultural fair was established and ground bought of J. F. Glidden, which was used as a race track and ball park and is now a pari of the Normal School grounds. At one of these fairs, at a later period, occurred the tragic death of Michael McMann. He was assisting Professor Donnelson, who was making a balloon ascension. The balloon was inflated and the order given to let go. when in some way McMann was caught by the rope and drawn up by the leg. The onlookers were fascinated as well as horrified by the sight; when up many hundred feet, by what, seemed an almost, wonderful act, he pulled himself up to the basket, but only for a moment, when his hold relaxed and he came down to the ground, making several revolutions in his descenl and striking on his head and shoulders. Almost ever/) 1 e in his body was broken.

The great political meeting of I860 has been alluded to in the history of the county. That meeting, notwithstanding that the county has double the population that it had in 1860. remains the largest assembly ever gathered in the county.

In ISM, the Honorable J. F. Glidden received his first, patent on his celebrated barb wire, entered into partnership with Col. I. L. Ellwood, commenced the manufacture of Glidden wire, which article has become a household word in all civilized lands. They firs! commenced to manufacture in a little frame building which stood where the Holmes livery stable now is. Mr. Glidden remained in business only two years, selling out to I. L. Ellwood. who in 1879 built the old Superior shops. The business was carried on here for several years, when it was finally moved into two immense factories, one fronting on Fourth and the other on Tenth street. Mr. Ellwood retained a controlling interest in these institutions until 189S, when they were bought by the American Steel & Wire company, and now form one of the plants of that powerful trust.

In 1874, Jacob Haish commenced making his celebrated barb wire in a little building where his lumber yard now is. Mr. Haish and his friends claim that he was the first in the field of invention and for years a suit between Haish and the barb wire combine was carried on until it reached the Supreme court and a decision was given in favor of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing company. His institution has continually grown until it has become one of the large barb wire factories of the country. The building of these two factories and the growing of the barb wire institution have proved a great boon to the city of DeKalb.

In 1891, the DeKalb County Fence company began in a small way to make woven wire on the north side of the railroad track. They enlarged their quarters in 1894 and have kept enlarging until at present their plant covers thirty-one acres of ground. They now occupy the Abram Ellwood factory and have in their employ more than three hundred men. Their product is shipped through the United States and many foreign countries and they cannot supply the demand. E. F. Shellaberger is president of the DeKalb County Fence company.

In 1891 the Wells Shoe factory was established in DeKalb and has been continually growing and at present employs four hundred hands and has a capacity of three thousand pairs of shoes daily. This has proved to be one of the strong manufacturing industries of the county.

The Barb City Manufacturing company was instituted in 1895. A portion of the plant they occupy was originally built by Ed. Beers, who manufactured plows in 1871. The company manufactures many kinds of farming implements and at present is very prosperous, giving employment to several hundred men.

DeKalb has generously given large bonuses to manufacturing companies and at present has grown so as to have a population of nine thousand people. The last achievement in this line was the locating of the Piano Manufacturing company, which employs three hundred hands.

Hiram Ellwood was one of the first citizens of DeKalb to be honored by a county office and was elected in 1859 and again in 1861. Before this time the county officers received but a small salary and there was not much contest as to who should hold the position. In 1864 I. V. Randall was elected a member of the Legislature. In 1868 Hon. C. W. Marsh was elected representative and served several terms.

Daniel D. Hunt was elected representative in 1886, served two terms at representative and in 1890 was elected state senator. After his retirement to his farm he became a heavy stockholder in the New Era Publishing Co., publishers of the New Era readers and other school text books.

S. 0. Vaughn was a man who held local office for nearly a half century. He was a Mason of the thirty-third degree, a P. M. of the the Blue lodge, H. P. of the chapter, E. C. of the Sycamore commandery and I. commander-in-chief of the consistory and grand H. P. of the general grand chapter of Illinois. Except General Dustin was the only grand presiding officer of any of the grand bodies of the state of Illinois elected from our county. In 1867 the Freeport consistory absorbed the DeKalb consistory, as the buildings were not large enough and the territory too small to sustain a Masonic body of such proportions as the consistories of the county have become.

In 1884 the political meeting was held under the auspices of the Democratic party at DeKalb and attracted about 30,000 people. At one time there were thirty-three bands playing on Main street. The orators were Henry Watterson, Gen. John M. Palmer and ex-Governor McDonald of Indiana. Fourteen cattle were roasted at what is now Normal Park, and other edibles were sent in by Democratic organizations throughout the country and distributed free. One thing that will be remembered about this day is the stormy weather. It began to rain in the morning and continued through the day.

The men from the township who have held the position of supervisor were Thomas M. Hopkins, Joseph F. Glidden. Alonzo Converse, Lo Huntley. Marcus White, E. P. Young, Hiram Ellwood, Sila?

Tappan, H. Thompson, Lewis McEwen, D. D. Hunt, V. A. Glidden. Those who have held that position from the city as assistant supervisors were W. Hallen, Silas Tappan, L. Morse, S. O. Vaughan, E. B. Gilbert, W. C. Tappan, Harvey Thompson, William A. Miller L. M. McEwen, William H. Record, J. S. Russell, A. W. Fisk, B. White, H. B. Gurler, J. J. Johnson.