Hanna Township

Hanna Township

The first church organization in the Township of Hanna, also the first in the county, was at the house of P. K. Hanna, in the Fall of 1835, where the Methodist Society was organized. Rev. Colin D. James was the first pastor. Among the active workers of the church were : John P. Hanna, C. Renshaw, James Searle, Thomas Hill, William Shafer, as class leaders ; P. K. Hanna, and Daniel Walsh, as local preachers. And also Henry Hand, who deserves to be mentioned as one of the most earnest supporters of the church.

In 1854, the society built a brick church at a cost of three thousand dollars, known as the " Rock River Chapel." This was used by the society until the Fall of 1875, when they built a much finer church in the village of Cleveland, at a cost of four thousand five hundred dollars. The board of trustees are P. K. Hanna, Henry Hand, Thomas Hill, Will Shafer, J. H. Sale, J. A. Sawyer, and Milton Hill. The present membership is eighty ; Sabbath-school attendance, one hundred. Rev. P. K. Hanna and wife, Geo. A. Colbert and wife, Mrs. Sullivan and two daughters, were among the original members.

The Evangelical Church was organized March 25, 1873, in school-house No. 7, of Edford Township, in whicli place services had been held some time previous. The original membership was twenty-three persons, among whom were the following : Geo. Pobanz, Jno. Hintz, F. Pobanz, Wm. Pobanz, Jno. Neumann, Jno. Erdmann, Julius Parpat, Carl Nitz. Their present church-building was erected at a cost of $3,000, and is under the pastorate of Rev. Gustav A. Regier. The membershio is now sixty-two, and the Sunday-school fifteen.

The Calvary Presbyterian Church of Rock River Presbytery, was organized Jan. 2, 1868, at 10 A. M.. in the Methodist Episcopal Church, on the north line of Burns Township. The organization was effected by the following committee of Bureau I3resbytery : Rev. J. C. Barr, Rev. J. Milligan, and Ruling Elders Alex. White, Charles M. Priestly, Rev. J. S. McClung, and Moses Thatcher. Rev. J. C. Barr preached a sermon from Isaiah xl., 31. John Fleming was at this meeting elected, ordained and installed as Ruling Elder of the church. Their earliest meetings were held in school-house No. 4, on Sec. 27.

In 1870-71, a church was built on Sec. 27, N.W. corner of S.W.J, at a cost of $3,500. Rev. J. S. McClung was stated supply of the church from the date of its organization until March, 1871. The present pastor, Rev. F. I. Moffatt, served the church as stated supply from October, 1871, up to Dec. 10, 1872, when he was installed pastor, in which capacity he still officiates. The original members were : H. S. Rogers, Mrs. Phoebe Rogers, W. W. Winters, Mrs. Virginia Winters, Win. Allen, Mrs. Margaret Allen, Thomas Rowland, Mrs. C. T. McClung, Mrs. A. C. Torence, John Fleming, Mrs. Mary A. Fleming, Mrs. Sarah A. Calender, A. E. Benedict, Mrs. Harriet T. Benedict, Gabriel Romig, James J. Dickey, Mrs. Caroline E. Dickey, Isaac Callender, James Orr, Alexander Walker, W. H. Torrence. The present membership is seventy-three ; Sabbath-school attendance about forty.

Source changes here: from Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County, Illinois : Containing Full-page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together with Portraits and Biographies of All the Governors of Illinois, and of the Presidents of the United States; Also Containing a History of the County, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, published 1885; 1,391 words in this source stream.

Hanna Township

HE second train of immigrants to arrive in Henry County and " stick stakes " was known as the Hanna crowd. At the second annual meeting of the "Old Settlers," in 1876, a statement as to the details of their coming was made by those who were of the party and are, therefore, the most reliable that it is possible to obtain. The statement was prepared by J. A. Sawyer, J. H. Sale and F. P. Olmsted from facts furnished them by George Brandenburg and P. K. Hanna and probably others of the company. The following is substantially their statement:

In June, 1835, a small party left Knoxville for the purpose of exploring the lands of the adjoining and unsettled portions of Illinois. They visited what is now Henry County. The party consisted of Rev. George A. Colbert, Rev. P K. Hanna, J. P. Hanna, J. B. B. Tabor, Samuel and Neely Withrow. They found the family of Dr. Baker living in a wagon on section 16, near the mouth of Green River - now Colona Township. From this point they followed the Black Hawk trail about 20 miles in a northeasterly direction, camping at what is now known as McHenry's Ditch, in Phenix Township. They then returned to Knoxville, where they remained about two weeks. Then P. K. and J. P. Hanna and Robert Land (Land was from Carmi, 111.) returned to Henry Connty, camping the first night out at White Oak Grove, on Edwards River, From this grove they traveled north, and reached the banks of Rock River in the month of July, 1831; . Here they unhitched their team and went into quarters on section 33, township 18, range 2. In their immediate peighborhoQd. were the Wjnnebagg

Indians. Here they found Earl P. Aldrich and family, who bad come only a few days before. After remaining here in camp a few days and looking around at the country, the party again returned to Knoxville, and after a few days preparation P. K. Hanna, with his family, started for the new home he had selected, arriving at their destination August 13, 1835 (just 50 years ago). This was the first family, to settle in what is now Hanna Township, and the fourth family in the county. On the 9th of September of the same year came George Brandenburg, from Ohio. He located on section 6, in Hanna Towriship. Later in the year he removed to section 1, In what is now Colona Township, and here, in October, 1836, in company with Mark M. Atkinson, laid Out the town of Dayton. Here he erected a log house and moved into it on Christmas Day, and havirig a real log house he opened what soon became vvidely knpwn as Brandenburg's Tavern, the first thing of the kind in the county. He was soon appointed postmaster, and. in the first tavern was kept the first postoffice, by the first postmaster in Henry County. This house was the first polling place at the first election, June 9, 1837, when the people voted on the question of county organization, and the first county officers were elected, namely: P. K. Hanna, Ithamar Pillsbury'and John Browning, County Commissioners ; R. McCullough, Sheriff ; Roderick R. Stewart, Coroner; Joshua Harper, Recorder; A. M. Seymour, County Surveyor, Here, too, June 27, 1837," was held the first term of the County Court, which appointed James M. Allan County Clerk, and Charles Atkinson Treasurer, and a license was granted to John P. Hanna and George Taylor to keep a ferry at Cleveland.

In 1838 arrived George Albert and E. Walters and families, and Henry and Samuel Sullivan, with mother and two sisters, and settled in what is now Hanna. In the winter of T835, Collin D. James, of Rock Island, organized a religious society. Services were held in P. K. Hanna's cabin. James preached to the little colony until succeeded by Rev. A. D. West. In the spring of 1836 arrived in this settlement, J. D. Tabor, J. P. Hanna, Charles Atkinson and George Taylor and families, and by the springtime of 1836 there was a population of 41 souls. Here, Feb. 7, 1836, occurred the first marriage: James P. Dodge and Samantha Colbert, daughter of Rev, G. A, Colbert,

In the early part of 1837, William Paddelford purchased land in this settlement, and in the fall of the same year located, with his family; and in 1838 he removed and opened a farm where his son James H. now lesides.

The first frame building in the county was erected in Cleveland, by Atkinson and Wells, in 1836. The settlers in this neighborhood and those of the. New York Colony, at Geneseo, in the winter of 1836, organized a temperance society and held meetings, and opened up the war on Gen. Budge.

The first school was taught here in 1836, by Narcissie Stewart, who quit attending to other peoples children, married Huntington Wells and removed to Moline, 111.

In 1836, Thomas and Anderson Miller and. Dr. Gawzer settled in this neighborhood. In 1837, came Henry Hand, and he ran the first chartered ferry, at Cleveland. Also in this year came D. P. Gave, John Williams, John Searles, Columbia Aldrich, William and James Bernard, Rev. Woodruff and son, all of whom settled in what is naw Hanna township. The same year, Sanbro settled in the east part of the township, where tie lived until his death. -He was much esteemed and respected by all.

In 1838, William Whitehead, Thomas Hill, Adrian Van Winkle, and Wesley Hanna came. From 1838 to T845 the settlement increased rapidly. A few, as now remembered by these early settlers, of the number were J. W. Taylor, H. R. Taylor, Adam Hooker; the Linnells, Heningers, Quillans, Meads, and James Miller and families.

3LEVELAND is the oldest platted and laid- I - ..- a out town in the county, the date of its exist- \§f ence extending back to 1836. It is on the ,,.,., south bank of Rock River, section 31. Its ' *- sponsors were Charles Atkinson and Geo. D. Tabor. At the time of its platting this was Knox County. It was located on the river and on the stage road from Knoxville to Galena. The first buildings were put up - two log cabins - in the summer of 1837 for George Tyler and Charles Atkinson, the latter's being a double cabin, and part of which was used for a store. Thomas Glenn and George' Brandenburg did the work oh thern, In the course of time these two buildings were torn away to make room for better ones. In 1837, Whiteside, this town, was included in what is now Whiteside County, then Whiteside precinct. At the August election of this year - when Martin Van Buren was elected Presi- " ident - the whole number of votes cast in the entire precinct was seventy-two, three of which were Democrat. It must have made the wily " old fox'- tremble in his boots, particularly if the first returns that reached him were from this precinct.

In 1869 a grist-mill was erected by the Cleveland Hydraulic Company. It was directly on the river bank and was a water power. The principal population of the town for some years has been miners and proprietors of mines, operating the extensive coal mines in this immediate vicinity. A fine vein of coal, valuable for shipping purposes, is found-here, a full account of which is given in another chapter. The general depression of the coal trade the past few years has somewhat crippled the prosperity of the place, causing a loss of population and business, which is expected to return as soon as there is a revival of business over the country.

A hotel and three stores and a few shops have been able to do all the business of the place. In 1875 a comfortable district school-house was ereeted in the place. Here was formed the first religious society in Henry County, which action was due to the pious energy of P. K. Hanna. It was a very small band at first, and for years they found plenty of room to worship in the little crowded cabins of the vicinity. But its growth was regular and even stiong, and eventually they erected a commodious and comfortable house of worship.