Hutton Township (part 1 of 2)

Hutton Township

The township of Hutton forms an important part of the history of Coles County, inasmuch as the first settlement within its present limits by civilized white men was made in this township more than half a century ago. How

-many pages have been added to the history of the world in that period of time ! Empires, kingdoms, nations and principalities have been blotted out, and the remembrance of their glory has almost faded from the minds of men as the " waves of dark oblivion's sea sweep o'er them," scarcely leaving a trace to tell how, or when, or where they sunk. "Thrones tottering have fallen; crowns crumbling have disappeared;" ancient palaces, in whose spacious halls the " mightiest monarchs proudly trod,'' have been, as it were, swept from the very face of the earth. The storm of war has raged through our own fair land, convulsing the Republic from its " center to its circumference," and threatening for a time its total destruction. The tempest roared and howled with terrific force, then passed by, and the olive branch of peace bloomed over the nation fairer than ever. These are but a few of the mighty events that have transpired in the half-century gone by since the first settlement was made here by white people.

Hutton Township lies in the southeast part of Coles County, and is bounded on the south and east by Cumberland and Clark Counties, on the north by Ashmore Township, and on the west by the Embarrass River. It is well drained by the latter stream, and the small water-courses that meander through it. At the time of the early settlement of Hutton, it contained much fine timber-land, though about half of the town, perhaps, is prairie. It is considerably above the size of a Congressional township, embracing within its limits some fifty-four sections of land. No railroads intersect it, but the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad passes in a few miles of its north line, and the Vandalia line a little south of it, so that its railroad facilities are not at all restricted.

Settlement

As we stated above, the first settlement in the county was made in Hutton Township. In 1824, John Parker and his sons, Benjamin, Daniel, Silas and James Parker, and Samuel Kellogg and his wife, made a settlement here, and composed this first colony of pioneers in Hutton Township. But one of the little band of pilgrims is now alive - the widow of Samuel Kellogg, who lives at present in the city of Charleston. They settled on the Embarrass River, just opposite where the Blakeman Mills now stand. Some of the Parkers afterward settled in Charleston Township, where they are noticed among the early settlers of that section. Most of them moved to Texas years ago, as elsewhere mentioned, and where two or three members of the family suffered severely by the Indians, two of them, at least, losing their lives.* A daughter of James Parker was taken prisoner by the savages, and held for some time in captivity, subjected to all kinds of cruelty. She was married to a man named Plummer, who was killed at the fort where the Parkers were living at the time she was captured. During her captivity among the Indians, she gave birth to a child, which the savages killed before her eyes. Her father had a long search for her,

*Since the above was written, we have been informed liy Mr. Hutton that John Parlier, the old gentleman, and two of his SODS, were killed by the Indians in Texas. A mention of the .sons being killed is made in the general county history.

visiting many of the tribes then in Texas before lie found her, but finally did find her, and succeeded in obtaining her release. John Parker (High Johnny, his friends called him) was a Baptist preacher, and one of the first in Coles County. lie was of the old Predestinarian belief, and many humorous anecdotes are related at the old gentleman's expense. One or two of his sons were also preachers ; in fact, the Parkers seem to have been a family of preachers, and proclaimed the Word freely to perishing sinners. They ignored the doctrine, although of divine origin, that "the laborer is worthy of his hire," and would accept no pay for the promulgation of the Gospel, but zealously toiled in the cause of the Master, without money and without price. Taken all in all, they were a remarkable family, and rather above the mediocre in intellect and ability. Daniel Parker, one of the sons, was a preacher, and perhaps the most intelligent one of the name. He represented Crawford County (before their removal to this county) in the Legislature a term or two, and was an able representative as well as preacher. It is told of him, that, although a minister of the Gospel, he would work all the week on his farm, and then take his gun on Sunday, and kill deer enough to furnish his family in meat until the next Sunday. When some of the stricter people spoke to him in regard to such a questionable way of serving the Lord, he told them if he ever got able to live without having to work so hard, and to have time to kill his meat in the week, he would cheerfully do it, but then it was a case of the boy and the woodchuck, "he had to." Daniel Parker is mentioned, in another page, as preaching the first sermon in Hutton Township, and Benjamin Parker as building the first mill.

Another family of Parkers, and not related to those above mentioned, settled in this township in the winter of 1825-26, on what is called Parker Prairie, and from them the prairie received its name. George Parker and his sons, Samuel, Daniel, Jeptha and William Parker composed this settlement. They were originally from Butler County, Ohio, and removed to Crawford County, 111., in 1817, locating south of Palestine, where they remained until their settlement in this town, on Parker Prairie. Samuel Parker went back to Crawford Countv and died there, some of them died here, and Daniel and Jeptha are still living in the township, prominent farmers. George Parker is said to have entered the first land in Coles County.

John Hutton, one of the esteemed citizens of this township, has, probably, been acquainted with Coles County longer than any man now living. There are older residents of the county than he, but none who knew it so early. He assisted the Parkers in moving to this township, in 1824, and spent several days in bee-hunting in the heavy-timbered sections. Says that he was on the ground where Charleston now stands during that trip, and that there is not another man living that can truthfully make the same statement - a fact that is, perhaps, undisputed. While here at that time, he heard the first sermon preached in the present territory ol Coles County. It was in a small log cabin, and though every man, woman and child in the county were present, the house, he says, was by no means crowded.. Daniel Parker preached the sermon, and, at its close, old "Father High Johnny " made the quaint remark quoted in another page : " Brethren, we have wandered far into the wilderness, but even here death will find us."

When Mr. Hutton started back home (he then lived in Crawford County), he took a straight course through the forests and across the prairies to save distance, as around the trail was much further. He had an ox-team, with which he had hauled a load of " plunder " for the Parkers to their new home, and traveled very slowly ; consequently, was several days making the trip. When night came, he would tie up his cattle, and ''camp till morning." One night, a panther " squalled and screamed " around his lonely camp for an hour or two, frightening his oxen considerably, and himself somewhat ; but, as he kept up a bright fire, it finally retired without making an attack. Notwithstanding he traveled through the unbroken country, where no trail had been marked, he made the trip in safety, and without the least bewilderment. So well-skilled were the pioneers in woodcraft, that they read signs in the forest like a printed book, and the very bark of the trees was to them the points of the compass.

Mr. Hutton is a native of Montgomery County, Ky., and came to Illinois, with his parents, when quite young, and settled in Crawford County, in 1816, where he remained until 1834, when he removed to Hutton Township, where he has since lived. His mother came here with him, his father having died in. Crawford County. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war, from the latternamed county, and went out in the company commanded by Capt. Alexander Huston, long a resident of Palestine. He was one of the few "pale-faces" who crossed the Mississippi after the Indians in that memorable campaign. He has always been a prominent and enterprising man in his neighborhood ; was one of the Commissioners to lay off the county into townships, and was the first Supervisor of Hutton Township, an office beheld three terms in succession, and from him the town received its name. He was a great fox-hunter, in his day, and many are the stories he can tell of his exciting chases after Reynard. He kept a pack of hounds for the purpose, and a fox-chase was his most enjoyable pastime. Though in his seventy-ninth year, Mr. Hutton has an excellent memory, and is enjoying fine health for his advanced age. To his vivid recollection we are indebted for many particulars that, but for him, would ere now have been lost.

Kentucky contributed the following early settlers to Hutton Township: The Conleys, the Rennelses, Richard 0. Wells, the Beavers, the Brandenburgs, George and John J. Cottingham, the Goodmans, the Evingers, William Stivers, and perhaps others. The Conleys emigrated to Indiana, and lived some time in Lawrence County before coming to Illinois. Joel Conley, the father of all the Conleys, was a North Carolinian, but removed to Kentucky, and from thence to Indiana, and in 1832, to this township. He died on the farm where his son, Edmond Conley, now lives. His son, Jack Conley, went to Texas, and William to California, where they died. Edmond, Elijah and Washington Conley still live in Hutton Township, and are among the prosperous and energetic men of the community. The Rennelses came from Madison County, and located in what is known as the Rennels Settlement, a mile or two from the little village of Salisbury. James Rennels was the first one to settle in the township, locating on Section 32, in 1832, where he has ever since resided. John Rennels, his father, came to the township in 1837, and settled near by, where he died in 1866, at the ripe old age of eighty-five years. He was a native of the State of Delaware, and emigrated to Kentucky at an early day, when the Indians were extremely hostile, and committing all sorts of depredations in the "dark and bloody ground." William Rennels, another son, moved here at the same time his father came, and settled on the place where he still lives. The Rennels family is a large one, and embraces some of the thrifty farmers of the country. Richard 0. Wells was from Bourbon County, and settled in Hutton Township in 1838. He remained here but a few years, when he returned to Kentucky, and resided there until 1853, and moved back to this township and settled where he now lives. F. M. Wells, a son of his, enlisted in Company H, Twenty-first Illinois Volunteers, and died in 1865, on his way home from the war. It is a melancholy reflection. He had served through the war and the banner of peace again waved over the country, but he died before reaching home, where loved ones anxiously awaited his coming. The Beavers are natives of the Old Dominion, but emigrated to Kentucky when it was in a wild state, and the hunting-grounds of hostile Indians. William Beaver came to Illinois in 1827, and settled in the Rich Woods, in the present bounds of Clark County, where he remained until 1830, when he came to this township and entered the land upon which he now lives. For forty-nine years he has been living on the same farm - a lifetime of itself. When he came to this State, the land was owned by the Kickapoo Indians, who were thick in the neighborhood. He remembers when cutting some "bee trees" at Long Point, of seeing the runners sent out by Black Hawk to summon the Indians to the grand powwow, of Avhich the Black Hawk or Sac war was the final result. Mr. Beaver is over eighty years old, is remarkably active, and seemingly good for another decade. Mathias Beaver came from Meade County, and settled in Hutton in 1833, where he still resides, an enterprising farmer. Albert Beaver was a soldier in the Fifty- fourth Illinois Volunteers in the late war, but was discharged on account of ill-health. Solomon Brandenburg, the progenitor of the Brandenburg family, came to this toAvnship in 1829, and settled on Section 14, where he died in 1861. He first settled at White Oak Point, on Grand Prairie, but did not remain there 'long until he removed to Hutton, as above noted. Among the worthy farmers and citizens of the town, are his sons, James, William, Solomon, Calvin and Charles Brandenburg. George Cottingham was originally from Maryland, but a\ nit to

Kentucky in the early times. In 1836, he, with his family, removed to Illinois and settled in this neighborhood, where he resided until 1859, when he came to Charleston to live with his son. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. and of the war of 1812. In the former he served under Uen. Washington, and professed to have been well acquainted with the Father of his country, and for years made Gen. Washington's shoes and boots. He had a strong desire to live to vote for Stephen A. Douglas, for President in 1860, and claimed to have voted for every President from Washington down. What a history. How many changes he had seen in the country he had fought to free it from British oppression. From the thirteen feeble colonies, he had seen it expand into nearly three times that number, of great and prosperous States. He died soon after the Presidential election of 1860, at the extreme age of one hundred years. John J. Cottingham, his son, came to Hutton Township in 1836, having first settled in Clark County, where he remained but a short time. He removed to the city of Charleston, in 1859, and died there in 1863. There are still many younger members of the family living in the township, and Mrs. Hutton, John Hutton's wife, is a daughter of the elder Cottingham, mentioned above. The Goodman family came from Putnam County, Ind., though originally they were from Kentucky. William Goodman died on the way here, and John and Thomas Goodman settled in the town very early. John Goodman is dead, but Thomas is still living. He is a minister and lives in Charleston. The Evingers were among the early settlers here, and came from the vicinity of Louisville. Of those who were prominent men in the township, were Daniel, Jacob, Henry and Frederick Evinger. There is a large family of them, and they are of the Very best men in the neighborhood. William Stivers came here about 1829-30. He had " run off from Kentucky and left his woman," is the way old friend Beaver put it, and she followed him to this country and took charge of him " whether or no." He was a si ey maker (we do not mean a vehicle on runners, but an "implement " used by our mothers and grandmothers for weaving cloth) and used to manufacture these useful articles, when the pioneer ladies were accustomed to make the cloth whereAvith their families were clothed. Forty or fifty years ago, the people in this country (male and female) wore few "store clothes," but were thankful to have sufficient, even of homespun, to keep them warm. As pertinent to the subject, and in illustration of the times of which we write, we give space to a little poem from the bard of Pleasant Grove :

" I have been charmed by the sweet-sounding lute, Oft been entranced by the organ and flute ; These things I heard, but the music I feel Is the far- oiF roar of my mother's wheel, As with midnight lamp by its side she stood. Still spinning the yarn to clotlie her dear brood.

And as down life's stream my little bark sails, Sweet sounds may often be borne on the gales ; But sweeter by far, on my soul will steal, My childhood's music - my dear mother's wheel."

There are many living in Coles County who will recognize the truth of these simple lines, and doubtless when they read them, memory will roll back over the years that have past, to kindred scenes in their own childhood homes.

John Ashby was a native of North Carolina, but had lived some time in Tennessee before emigrating to Illinois. When he came to this State, he settled in Crawford County, near Palestine, where he remained a few years, and then came to this township about 1828-29. He was a blacksmith, the first of that useful trade in the town ; he died here many years ago. Another old North Carolinian is Jeremiah Cooper. He came to the township in 1837, and is the oldest man now in it, and perhaps the oldest in the county, being in his ninety-fifth year. Nicholas Lemming is eighty-eight years old. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and in early days emigrated to Ohio, then to Indiana, and from thence to Crawford County, 111., where he remained a short time, and, in 1835, removed to Hutton Township, where he still lives, quite an active man of his age.

Grifiin Tipsoward was an early settler in this township, but after a residence of a few years, moved to the neighborhood of Kaskaskia. He was an old soldier of the Revolutionary war, and made application for a pension under a law of Congress passed in 1832, On the early records of the County Court we find the following declaration :

On the ir)th day of October, personally appeared in open court before Isaac Lewis and James S. Martin, County Commissioners for the County of Coles, in the State of Illinois, now sitting, and constituting said County Commissioners' Court, Griffin Tipsoward, a citizen of the United States of America, in the County of Coles and State of Illinois, aged 77 years, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832: That he entered the service of the United States as a Revolutionary soldier under the following-named officers, and served as herein stated, viz.: In General Rutherford's Brigade, Colonel McKatty's Regiment, Major Horn's Battalion and Captain Grimes' Company ; that he entered the service about the 18th of July, 1775, and was discharged by General Washington at the close of the war, which discharge was sunk in the Ohio River. That he was in the engagement at the battle of Eutaw Springs, under General Greene, Col. McKatty, Major Horn and Captain Grimes ; that he was in the battle of King's Mountain, under Col. Slielby ; that he was in the battle of Charleston, under Col. McKatty and Capt. McGwire; that he was iu the battle of Cross Creek, under General Gates, Col. McKatty and Capt. McGwire ; that he was in the battle of Hawe River, commanded by Genl. Greene, Col. Chamberlain, Major Peat and Capt. John Galloway. He states that he was here wounded by a musket-shot from the enemy's gun. That he marched first after leaving North Carolina into the State of Virginia; that he was at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, under General Washington, Col. McKatty and Capt. McGwire. That he lived in the County of Roan and State of North Carolina, when he entered the service ; that he was first drafted for three months ; he then, at the end of the three months, volunteered, and was enlisted during the war. That he was born in the State of Pennsylvania, near the Susquehanna River, in the year of our Lord 176o ; that he has no record of his age that he knows of. That he moved to Kentucky the second year after the expiration of the war; that he settled in the neighborhood of Boonesborough, where he resided until he moved to the Territory of Illinois, in which Territory and State he has resided about twenty years. That he now resides in Coles County and State of Illinois ; that he supposes his name will be easily found on the Continental Rolls. He hereby relinquishes all claims what, ever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension-roll of the agency of any State.

The truth of this declaration is attested to by John Parker and Joseph Painter, Revolutionary soldiers themselves, and who file similar declarations on their own behalf. The honesty and respectability of the petitioner is also attested by another certificate from John Parker, " a minister of the Gospel," and James Nees, after which is a certificate from the County Commissioners, stating that they believe the "foregoing declaration to be true, and that the said GriflSn Tipsoward was a Revolutionary soldier and served as therein stated," and recommended that the pension applied for be paid him.

Stephen Sargent was originally from New Hampshire, but removed to Kentucky when that State was in its infancy. He came to Illinois in 1836, to Hutton Township in 1838, and settled on Section 11, where he resided until his death in 1878. Stephen Stone was originally from Virginia, and was one of the very early settlers of this town. He died here many years ago. Reddick Cartwright, a relative of the famous pioneer preacher, Peter Cartwright, came to this section about 1827-28. He was from Tennessee, and is long since dead. John Wilkerson, John Walker and Hugh Doyle were among the early settlers. Where Wilkerson came from is not remembered ; he removed to Texas a good many years ago. Walker was from Indiana here, and died long ago. Doyle came here from Crawford County, and moved to Missouri, where he died. Andrew Endsley came from Ohio in 1838, and settled near the present village of Salisbury, where he died. A son, Andrew Endsley, Jr., is still living in the neighborhood, one of the prosperous farmers of the country. Charles Harris was one of the early settlers of Hutton Township. He was originally from Kentucky, but had been living in the south part of the State for some time before coming to this section. Charles R. Martin came to Hutton in 1837, and is from Kentucky. He has a clock, one of the old-timers, that extends from the floor to the ceiling, that has been keeping time for ninety years.

David Weaver, one of the pioneers of this township, and who has passed to his reward since we began our work of compiling the history of the county, was a native of North Carolina. In an early day, his father having determined to emigrate to the West, packed his earthly all into a wagon, crossed the Alleghanies and continued the journey until he reached Lawrence County, Ind. Here he located, and, in 1833, David and a brother came to Coles County. David Weaver settled in the eastern part of what is now Hutton Township. He is represented as an energetic and public-spirited man, joining heartily in whatever was calculated to promote the interests of the country. He appears to have been of a rather restless disposition, and not contented long in one place. He entered land, bought land, and would locate, plant an orchard, and, in a few years, remove to another location. At one time, he, with two others, owned a saw-mill in what was called " String Town," and, a few years later, he and George Oliver had a saw-mill on the west bank of the Embarrass River. The following story is told of his attempt to take a flatboat out of the Embarrass River : " During the winter, he built the boat, upon the bank of the river, loaded it with hoop-poles and waited for the spring rain to raise the river. Finally, the anxiously-expected freshet came, and his boat floated down the raging stream. All went well until it reached Newton, the county seat of Jasper County, when it became unmanageable, drifted from the main channel, struck a snag, and became a total wreck." The following extract is from an obituary notice in the Charleston Plaindealer : '' While it is true that he has gone to the land 'from whose bourn no traveler returns,' yet, he is, and will long be remembered, 'by the word he has spoken, the things he has done.' There has, perhaps, been none other of Coles County's pioneers, who did more for the benefit of the county, during its infancy, than Mr. Weaver. Beside furnishing the county with many orchards, he did many other things for its advancement. He aided in surveying and clearing out the Charleston and Westfield road, took an active part in the business of the county, and truly, made himself a necessity to the people in their time of need. By trade, he was a carpenter. As a neighbor, he was kind and generous, always ready to lend a helping hand. He died at his residence in Hutton Township, February 6, 1879, leaving his aged companion to mourn his loss."

William Waldruflf and Anthony Cox settled in the town in 1828, on the Parker Prairie. Anthony Cox, Jr., was a soldier in Company K, One Hundred and Twenty-third Illinois Volunteers, and was killed in the battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862. Jonathan Parker, of Company F, same regiment, was killed in same battle. James Nees, Charles Miller and William Cook settled in the southern part of the township, near the present village of " Dog Town." Joseph Painter* settled in the neighborhood soon after. He, too, was a Revolutionary soldier, and made application for a pension under act of Congress of 1832.

This concludes the early settlers of Hutton Township, together with the time of their settlement, so far as we have been able to learn them. There are, doubtless, many omissions, but, after tlie lapse of all these years, and with the fact that so few of the pioneers are still living, it is not at all strange that names are overlooked that are deserving of record in these pages.

Early History

When the first white people came to this township, the whole country, north and west, was an almost unbroken wilderness, in possession of the aborigines.

* Joseph Painter was a Revolutionary soldier, and filed a declaration in the. County Commissioners' Court, applying for a pension, similar to that of Tipsoward, given in this chapter.

Wild beasts, and men as wild and savage as they, roamed through it at will, its undisputed masters. There are a few still living in Hutton Township who knew it fifty years ago, who have known it ever since. They remember the "pole cabins " put up by the early settlers as temporary shelters from the fury of the elements ; they remember the cabins built of logs split open, " to make them go further ;" the puncheon floors, with cracks large enough for a child to fall through ; the yawning fire-place and the chimney built of sticks and " cats and clay." They, too, remember the old Gary and barshare plows, the slowgoing oxen, the " scythe and cradle " and the wooden-tooth harrow. And they remember the time when they went to the Sangamon and Wabash Rivers to mill, spending a week on the trip, and the time when they pounded their corn in a block, sifted it, made bread of the finest and hominy of the coarser meal. They have seen the wilderness they first knew develop into as fine and prosperous a country as the sun shines on.

The first mill in Hutton Township was built by Benjamin Parker in 1824-25, on the Embarrass River, opposite where the Blakeman Mills now stand. This was supposed to be, as it is, an excellent mill-site, and thus attracted attention at an early day. Before Parker built his mill here, which was completed and commenced operation in the latter part of 1825, the few people then in the community used to go to the Sangamon River to mill, and to the Wabash, near Vincennes. Parker sold this mill to a man named Shaw, and, after operating it for a time, Shaw sold it to Norfolk & Baker, of Charleston. They moved it across the river, to the spot where the Blakeman Mills stand, and where they, later, erected the elegant mills now owned by Blakeman. These famous mills consist of a large frame building, to which there has been added a large brick structure, making altogether quite a huge pile of buildings. Several runs of buhrs are kept pretty busily in motion to supply the trade. A circular-saw mill has been added, which does a large business in lumber.

The first blacksmith in Hutton was John Ashby, mentioned as one of the early settlers, who came here from North Carolina, and opened a shop about 1827-28, not far from the present village of Salisbury. He kept a shop here many years, and finally died in the neighborhood. The first orchard planted in the township was by David Weaver, about 1834-35, on what is now known as the Smoot farm. Previous to this effort at fruit-culture, the people had to content themselves with " sour grapes." Who sold the first goods in the settlement it is hard to say, at the present time, but a little store in " String Town" was perhaps the first. The first man who administered to the ills of the body was James Hite, long a resident of Ashmore Township. He was not a regular physician, but being a man of considerable intelligence and some knowledge of the science of medicine, he could handle the ague and bilious fever pretty successfully, and in such cases did a great deal of gratuitous practice. Dr. Ferguson, of Charleston, was the first regular physician who practiced in the community, and for many years visited the sick of Hutton Township.

The first bridge in this township was built across the Embarrass River at the Blakeman Mills, but just what year is not now remembered. It was a wooden structure, and served for a number of years, and becoming useless was replaced with another of its kind, which, in turn, was finally superseded by the splendid iron bridge now spanning the river at this point. Mr. Hutton was the first person who crossed this iron bridge. Going to Charleston on business one day, the workmen told him they would have the new bridge ready for him to cross on as he came back. As he returned home, the floor not being quite finished, they laid down loose plank so that he could cross over.

Joel Conley and James Gill (the latter now living in Cumberland County) were the first Justices of the Peace in Hutton Township. When the county adopted township organization, in 1859-60, John Hutton was the first Supervisor, and held the office for three terms, successively, and James Rennels was the first Town Clerk. At present, the township officers are as follows, viz. : W. R. Cox, Supervisor ; A. B. Tucker and W. D. Merritt, Justices of the Peace, and Frederick E. Cottingham, Town Clerk.

Religious And Educational

In our meanderings, we discovered nine church-buildings ; how many others are nestled among the hills of Hutton, we are unable to say. Since that first sermon was preached by Daniel Parker, on the banks of the Embarrass, fifty yearsago, the Gospel has spread in this region proportionately with everything else. The town has three Christian Churches, two United Brethren, two " Separate "' Baptist, one Missionary Baptist, and one Methodist Episcopal Church. The latter church was built in 1870, and is located within a few rods of Mr. Hutton's residence. It is a modern frame building, and has a large and flourishing congregation ; Rev. Mr. Burks is Pastor.

The first of the Christian Churches was built at " String Town," about 1836-37, and was a little log building. Before its erection, they held their religious services in the " Hickory " schoolhouse, so called from being built of hickory logs. After using their log church for a number of years, they replaced it with a substantial brick. We do not know if this house was built upon the sand, but were told that; the "winds blew and the floods came and beat upon that house, and it fell." In May, 1876, it was blown down to the floor, during a severe storm. Since then, a handsome frame structure has been built on the old brick foundation. This Church has a large membership, of which Rev. Mr. Young is the spiritual adviser. Northeast of Salisbury, is another Christian Church, a brick building, and, west of it, is also a Christian Church.

North of Salisbury, is a United Brethren Church, and southeast of the little village, three and a half miles, is another of the same denomination. Both of these churches are in the bounds of the same circuit, and Rev. Mr.

History Of Coles Couijty

Collins is the Pastor of both. The first church erected in the township was by the United Brethren, just across the line from Westfield, and was a large frame. It is still standing, but, since the building of the church at Westfield, has been evacuated, and is not used now. There is quite an extensive burying-ground at it, where sleep many of the Hutton pioneers.

About three-fourths of a mile west of Mr. Button's is what is called a " Separate" Baptist Church, and was built in 1857 or 1858. It is a substantial frame building. Rev. Mr. Turner is Pastor of it. A very pretty little cemetery, studded with white marble slabs, is adjacent to this church. Two miles south of Hutton post office is the Missionary Baptist Church, of which Rev. Mr. Thornton is Pastor : and, a mile or two north of the Hutton post office, is another church of the " Separate" Baptists. One of the very early preachers of this town, and the first who ever preached on the " Hurricane" waters, was Rev. Stanley Walker. He was a Hardshell Baptist, but finally joined the "Separate" Baptists. In the village of Diona, just on the line between this county and Cumberland, is a church of the United Brethren and Cumberland Presbyterians.

As to who taught the first school in the township, there is some doubt. One of the first remembered, however, was taught by a man named Ellis ; but whether it was the first of all, cannot be ascertained now. The house in which it was taught was a small log cabin, of the style usually devoted to school purposes in the early times. The town, at the present day, is well supplied with good comfortable schoolhouses, and excellent schools are maintained during the school-term. No township in the county has more extensive school facilities than Hutton.

The first death in Hutton Township was a Mrs. Whitten, the wife of a millwright who was engaged on the Parker Mill, and was the first death in Coles County as well as in Hutton Township. Her death occurred in 1825, and she was buried on the bluff, a few hundred yards east of the mill. The first marriage in the town is lost in the mists of antiquity, and the first birth involved in some doubt. A birth occurred in the family of William Beaver, soon after his settlement here, but whether the first in the neighborhood is not known.

Politics And Patriotism

Hutton Township has always been a Democratic town. In the days when it was a voting precinct, and Whigs and Democrats the prevailing parties, it voted for Gen. Jackson. It is Democratic now by from fifty to one hundred votes. In patriotism, Hutton ranks with any town in the county. It has has always had its heroes in the way of old soldiers. There were John John Parker, Griffin Tipsoward, George Cottingham and Joseph Painter, who faced the legions of King George in our struggle for Independence. Among the heroes of 1812, are George Cottingham, John Scott and Nicholas Lemming, and John Hutton, of the Black Hawk war. In the late war, Hut- and, seizing their " target and claymore," marched for the front. Hutton kept ahead of all the calls of the Government, furnishing her full complement, even before called for. She never had a draft, and could have stood another call without being subjected to one. Several of her sons never returned ; their dust mingles with that of the far-oflf battle-fields where they fell, " victims to atone the war." Peace to their ashes, and lightly may the clods rest upon them.

The Villages

Salisbury or Hutton is located on Section 9, and has scarcely attained to the dignity of a village, being nothing more than a cluster of a dozen or two houses. It is, however, an old place, having been laid out as a village December 28, 1837, and, no doubt, at some remote period of its existence, entertained lofty aspirations of becoming a place of magnitude. But railroads passing within a dozen miles of it, have forever blasted these bright anticipations. It was laid out by George K. Harris and John Hulin. The place was first called Stewart, but when a post office was obtained, there was found " another Richmond in the field," otherwise a post ofiice already of that name, and this then was called Ashby. But this name being so similar to Ashley, the "wrong mail frequently went to the wrong place." The little town by this time had assumed so much importance that one name was found to be insufficient, and so matters were compromised by calling the post ofiice Hutton and the town Salisbury, for Salisbury, N. C, the native place of Mr. Hulin, one of the proprietors of the place. A man named Gilbert built the first house in Salisbury, or Saulsbury as the people call it, and he and a man named Bartness kept the first store. Who kept the post office first, is not now remembered, but it is supposed to have been kept by one of the last-named gentlemen. The present Postmaster is Dr. J. S. Garner, who was First Lieutenant of Company K, Forty-eighth Regiment Kentucky Volunteers, during the late war. Salisbury has no churches or schoolhouses within its corporate limits, but it is surrounded by both just outside of its "embattled walls." It has a Masonic Lodge - Hutton Lodge, No. 698 - which was organized in 1872. The first officers were: George Bidle, Worshipful Master; C. P. Rosencrans, Senior Warden ; John A. Stull, Junior Warden; C. Fuqua, Treasurer; Allen Hill, Secretary ; S. S. Bills, Senior Deacon ; F. E. Cottingham, Junior Deacon, and Owen Wiley Tiler. The present officers are : A. N. Rosencrans, Worshipful Master ; John A. Stull, Senior Warden ; J. B. Lee, Junior Warden ; T. A. Bensley, Treasurer, and F. E. Cottingham, Secretary, with between fifty and seventy members. The business of Hutton is as follows : One store, Endsley & Co. ; one millinery store, Mrs. Sarah McDonald ; three blacksmith-shops, two with wood-

The village of Diona, usually called by the poetic name of " Dog Town," in point of population is about the equal of Salisbury. Small as it is, however, one county is not large enough to hold it, and it is located about equally in Coles and Cumberland Counties. It is divided into four wards by the county line, and the Congressional township line, the latter running through it from north to south, and the county line from east to west. Diona has never been laid out as a village, but is merely an accidental collection of houses, as it were, with a store or two, a post office, shops, etc. Nicholas McMorris is Postmaster. He lives in Cumberland County, but his store and post office are in Coles County. Matthews & Fulkerson also have a store here, and there is a Church of the United Brethren and Cumberland Presbyterians, as elsewhere stated.

"String Town " is merely a nickname given to a rather thickly-settled neighborhood, on account of several mechanic-shops, a saw- mill, a church and a little store formerly kept here. Thomas Goodman kept a store here at one time, also a man of the name of Peppers. But all is past, and the glory of String Town has departed. There is nothing left but the church and one or two residences to tell where erst " String Town " stood.

In a country like ours, the department of history can claim to chronicle no mighty events, nor relate any of those local traditions that make many countries of the Old World so famous in story and song, yet they serve the purpose of directing attention to the rise, progress and present standing of places, which may fairly claim in the future what has made others great in the past. With these lines of preface, we will say a few words of the boundary and topography of one of the finest sections of Coles County.

Oakland Township, or East Oakland, as it is called, lies in the northeast corner of the county ; bounded on the north and east by Douglas and Edgar Counties on the south by Ashmore Township, and on the west by Embarrass River. It is a little more than a full Congressional township, being seven sections from north to south, and six full sections wide in the narrowest place, while in some of the bends of the river it extends in nearly a section deeper. Brush Creek is the principal stream aside from the Embarrass River, but the land does not need additional drainage. The town contained, originally, much fine timber, of all the different varieties common in this portion of the State, and, although a great deal of it has been consumed, there is still left enough for all practical purposes. The Illinois Midland Railway passes through the north part of the town, from east to west, and has added much to the importance of this section of the county. The village of Oakland is a thriving place of four or five hundred inhabitants, and will be more fully described further on.

The Settlement

The first white settler in this vicinity, is supposed to have been Samuel Ashmore. He came to this immediate neighborhood in 1829, though his first settlement was in what is now Douglas County, but included for years in Coles County. He settled on what was known as the Laughlin farm, and now owned ty Andrew Gwinn. Here he remained but a couple of years, when he removed to the present limits of Oakland Township. He was from the State of Tennessee, and was Captain under Gen. Jackson in the war against the Creek Indians, and in the battle of New Orleans, and always retained the warmest veneration for " Old Hickory. When he removed to this section, three of his sons - Clayborne, at the time married, and George W. and Madison, single - came with him. At the time of Mr. Ashmore's location here, Paris and Grand View were the nearest settlements to him. From the Oakland Herald we make the following extract : " Resolving to leave Tennessee, whose chattel-slavery he thoroughly detested, with his brothers William, James and Amos, and all their families, he came to the Wabash country. Here he soon fell into the chronic frontier style of life, common to-day as it was then. First to make an improvement and next to make a sale, and, when that is made, go to chopping upon another claim. If it be true that a rolling stone gathers no moss, it is apparent that the tramp-farmer is a failure. By the help of his sons, he opened a farm near Darwin, cleared oif one hundred acres of bottom timber, built a two-story house and several stables and out-houses; after that, he sold the whole ' caboodle ' to his son-in-law for $600, in order to get to the Embarrass country. * * * Having succeeded in selling his first location to Mr. Laughlin,

Mr. Ashmore moved down to Hoge's Branch, where most of his sons and sonsin-law had by this time settled; he commenced work on what is now known as the Barbour farm. Here, after filling the office of Justice of the Peace, he died in 1838 ; aged, as his tombstone states, sixty years." Mr. Ashmore, as stated, had several sons, who settled in this section at an early day. Some of them came with him, and others a few years later. In 1831, James and Hezekiah Ashmore settled in the neighborhood. These were his sons, and the latter, after remaining here a short time, removed to Ashmore Township, where he is more fully noticed. Samuel Hoge, a son-in-law of Samuel Ashmore, settled here also in 1831. James Black, another son-in-law, came at the same time. They are long since dead.

Stanton Pemberton came in the fall of 1831. He was from Washington County, Va. The Herald, which published some reminiscences* a year or two ago, says of the Pembertons : " Mr. Pemberton was not healthy, and lived but a few years. His widow continued with us till 1854, and lies buried in the upper grave-yard. She was remarkable for three things - her candor, her good cooking and her genuine hospitality. Her son, Alfred D. Pemberton, still lives

reminiscences were published during the summer of 1877, aud contain much pertaining to the early history of this section. Uence we shall make frequent extracts from them.

on the old place, and ' Uncle Jack,' as the children call him, continues with us in the village - a well-preserved specimen of the olden time." Two sons of Mr. Pemberton, A. D. and J. J. Pemberton, and two daughters, are still living in the neighborhood where they located nearly fifty years ago. John King came from Tennessee in 1832, and may be reckoned among the early settlers. He moved to Iowa, where he still lived at last accounts of him.

In 1830, James Reddin and Eli Sargent settled in Oakland Township. Reddin built a horse-mill, the first institution of its kind in the country, and one of great convenience to the scattered pioneers. His descendants still own the land upon which he settled so long ago. Sargent was from Ohio, and located adjoining Mr. Ashmore. He is said to have been a man of considerable wealth, and entered several hundred acres of land. " He, too, brought with him his sons and daughters. The latter made the journey on horse-back, and had a gay old time riding through the wilderness. The world was not so wide then as it is now, and he and Mr. Ashmore soon discovered an incompatibility of temperament, which the narrow bounds of the country aggravated exceedingly."* Mr. Sargent was not a healthy man, and suffered long and severely. He died in 1834, and, says the Herald^ referring to his death, " of his family there survive his daughter, Mrs. Guinn, and his stepdaughter, Mrs. Sargent, of this village, who have the honor, we believe, to be the only ones who remain with us of the immigration of 1830." We make no excuse for the following lengthy extracts from these reminiscences. Referring to a pioneer family, it is of interest as a part of the early history of the country. " After Mr. Sargent's death, his widow bought the Samuel Hoge farm, and with her son, John L. Berry, and her daughter Rachel, made her home there, where she died in April 1847, in her sixtieth year. Afflicted with asthma, she was an inveterate smoker, of course, but possessed uncommon business capacity. Mounted on ' Old Ned,' in rain or sunshine, day or night, she attended all calls upon her professional services, and in this particular alone was an exceedingly useful person. Ned was a favorite - a large, brown, pacing horse, which she had reared from a colt. Within the thirty years of his life, he had carried her everywhere that she went ; three times from the Embarrass to the Scioto. He survived his mistress a year. Reared in Kentucky, Mrs. Berry had been left a widow, with poverty and several young children for an inheritance. Her effects then consisted of twenty acres of ground, her horse, Ned, a slave woman and her children. Sickness came, bread became scarce and the wolf looked in at the door. The slave woman and the horse did the farming, and had it not been for the woman and the horse, her family would have come to absolute want. When she married Mr. Sargent (who was a rich man), she went with him to Ohio, taking Ned and two of the five children of the colored woman. To her she left the land, who, after a trial of eighteen months, left it and went as a cook to a hotel in Louisville. Here she died, and Mrs. Sargent had her other three chil- dren sent to Ohio, and ultimately brought them all to this country. Her most judicious advisers, including her husband, had urged her to sell them, to put them in her pocket, etc., and showed her the 'black laws ' of Illinois and all the difficulties of the situation. But no, the memory ot that woman and horse toiling in the sun, to raise bread for her and her children when she lay sick and prostrate, was not to be overcome. Worldly woman as she was, she possessed a determined will, and she decided never to sell them. * * * Mrs. Sargent was a woman of limited education, and knew nothing about the abstract doctrine of human rights. She was a Baptist, and neither knew nor cared, perhaps, for Wesley's opinion on the 'sum of all villainies,' and of Abolitionism, she concurred in the then common opinion, that its advocates were thieves of a hideous character. What was it that caused her to withstand the pressure of interest ? Was it gratitude, or was it instinct, or was it both ? Thirty years have passed away, but it seems to us as but yesterday that we saw her sitting by her great fire-place, indulging in her pipe, with death awaiting at her elbow ; a picture of stoical calm, which we have never seen equaled within our threescore years of time."

Another of the early settlers in this township, and who deserves more than a mere passing notice, was Thomas Affleck. He came from the "lowlands " of Scotland in 1832, and first settled on the Wabash, near Clinton, but came to this settlement in 1836. His wife is said to have been a most amiable woman, and died in 1840. Mr. Affleck is spoken of as a fine violinist, and spent much time in exercising on the sweet and pathetic airs of " Bonnie Scotia." Says one : " His rendering of ' Roy's Wife of Aldivalloch ' was such as none but a native Scot could equal. With his chin pressed down upon his fiddle, his large head and great staring eyes above, together with his powerful voice, he repeated and practiced the music of his native land." He was a model farmer and spent much time and labor in looking after his farm, digging ditches and otherwise improving it. He had once been a grocer in Dumfries, Scotland, his native place, and though long out of the business when he came to this country, it is said he was almost unequaled in putting up packages of goods, and could put up more coffee, sugar or pepper in a paper than any merchant in Oakland. And that when he had completed a job of this kind, the form of the package and the turns of the wrapping thread would be very artistic. He was quite a hunter, and when he wanted game he would " harness " up a yoke of cattle to his sleigh and strike out for the hunting-grounds, where, turning his cattle loose to feed, he would sit and wait and Avatch for his game, and would rarely miss a single shot in bringing it down. He was a great mechanical genius, and on this point a Dr. Pease, an amateur phrenologist, found his head on measurement to be twenty-four inches in circumference - equal to a No. 9 hat - and his " bump of mechanics" the largest he had ever examined. Referring to his mechanical genius, the reminiscences published in the Herald, from which we have already quoted extensively, say : " One of these was a mode of sandbars and deepening the outlet channels of rivers and harbors. This process, as he often described it to us, was very similar to the jetty system now used by Capt. Eads at the mouth of the Mississippi. It consisted in first confining the water by the means of ballast and piling on each side of the desired channel. This means he held would, of itself, in time effect its purpose, but to hasten it on he next proceeded to drive in the channel, every eight or ten feet, iron piling. These iron piling consisted of two flat bars perforated with inch holes and joined at the points, but designed to be separated above by the distance of an inch or less. He next let down between the bars thus constructed, sections of boileriron, twenty or thirty feet long, to a point near the bottom, where it was secured by pins placed in the bars. Thus, when the work was completed, it somewhat resembled the lower board of a plank fence, and the water forced underneath was expected to tear out a channel. This, in brief, is an outline of his idea. He claimed that he had successfully applied it on the Clyde, and in other harbors in Scotland, and had presented his project and claims to the Board of Admiralty. Of Sir James Graham, the then head of the Board, he spoke with his characteristic bitterness, and, being in lack of means, he turned his back in disgust upon the Old World, to find a home and a grave in Illinois." The Herald, concluding it lengthy notice of Mr. Aftieck, says : " But the habit of strong drink was the evil genius of his latter days, and when under its influence his temper and invective were peculiar and terrific. He thus went on drinking himself to death as fast as he could, hoping, in his unhappiness, soon to be at rest by the side of his deceased wife. His son-in-law. Rev. A. 0. Allen, persuaded him at last to go with him to his residence at Terre Haute, but not until the old man had exacted a pledge of Mr. Mosely and other citizens that they would see to the return of his body when the end should come. He did not stay long ; he parted with the world and its troubles on the 2d of June, 1852, aged 67 years; and Mr. Mosely and the citizens of Oakland fulfilled their pledge and laid him by the side of the wife of his youth."

Lyman, Aim on and Daniel Keyes were from the Empire State, and settled at what is still known as Donica's Point. They are all long since dead. Lyman went to the Mexican war, and left his bones to bleach on the bloody field of Chapultepec. Thomas Blair was another old settler at Donica's Point, but his native place is not now remembered. L. E. Archer was a Vermonter, and came to this settlement in an early day. He was an odd character, and many hard stories are still told "of him. He was very close in his dealings, and always got the best end of a barg9,in in a trade with his fellowmen, even stretching the truth to accomplish his purpose. It is said that his capacity for drinking whisky was almost unbounded, and that he always bought it by the gallon, in order to get it a little cheaper ; less than that quantity did him no good or harm, but after he had drunk a gallon it then began to "fly into his head." He died at the age of eighty-four years, and his family are scattered to the four quarters of the earth. A man named

William Nokes, or "Uncle Billy" Nokes, as he was called mostly, was an extraordinary character that should have special notice in these pages. He was from Kentucky, and came here at an early day in the settlement of Oakland Township. Like the great lawyer we have heard of, he

He was a great romancist, and like the majority of that class, he was usually the hero of his own stories. He used to say that in his younger days in the old Blue- Grass State, he had been a great favorite among the ladies, and had been compelled at a single term of the court at Louisville, to answer to a dozen different suits for breach of promise. From the personal description we received of him,* we do not doubt his power of attraction with the daughters of Eve. He went by the name of "Old Bag o' Shot," a name given him in honor of one of his stories, in which he claimed to have carried a bag, containing half a bushel of shot, along the streets of Louisville, and as the frost had just come out of the ground, he sunk to his knees every step, while the bricks of the pavement piled around his feet. This story, it is said, grew by repetition until the shot became two bushels and the displaced brick reached to his waist. Another story told of him, is that he once went to old 'Squire Ashmore's and made a complaint against a young man of eighteen years, for assault and battery. Though he was considerably "bunged up," the 'Squire persuaded him that it would not look well in a man who had carried two bushels of shot to prosecute a stripling of eighteen years, and so in his good-nature, Mr. Nokes withdrew his complaint. He removed to Iowa many years ago, where he died.

The winter of the '' deep snow " (1830-31) two families encamped on the Embarrass River, near where the railroad crosses. After the melting of the snow, the river rose higher than ever known before or since. One of these families was that of Aaron Collins, mentioned among the early settlers of Morgan Township, the other was a Mr. Mason, who settled on this side of the river, on what is now known as the Naphew farm. He did not remain here long, but sold to a man named William Chadd, a blacksmith, millwright and jack-of-all trades. Chadd was from the White River country in Indiana, possessed considerable means, and by the aid of three sons and seven daughters, soon opened a large farm. He is described as a " little, wizened, dried-up man of sixty, with a large nose and a very full eye." " Old Shad," the people called him for short, like Nokes, often regaled his friends with some very extravagant stories. Speaking of his resources, one day, he said he had a bushel of " cut money" laid by for a "rainy day." Like many of the other early settlers, he took the mill fever, and in addition to his blacksmith-shop, built a " corn- cracker " near by. Being asked one day if he could grind wheat on his mill, replied, " Well, yes, if I had a bolting-cloth ; in fact, I told the boys the other day that we'd try it, so I took a bushel of very clean, nice wheat and ground it. I then took the grist over to Mr. Reddin's and bolted it. Well, sir, I had a hundred pounds of flour and two and a half bushels of bran." Again we extract from the HeraMs reminiscences: " Mr. Chadd was possessed in a high degree with personal dignity. His children treated him with profound respect ; he was no joker, and did not permit anybody to joke him. Any insinuation as to the truth of his stories he promptly resented, for he told them in dead, sober earnestness. Seated on a horse-block one day, conversing with Mosely and Pemberton on the subject of music, he observed that the jew's-harp, if properly made, was the best instrument known. That he had once made one for a boy, a good big one several feet long. The bows or frame he made of " tire-iron " and the tongue was an inch steel bar. 'Why, you could,' said he, 'hear it three miles ! ' At this point Mr. Pemberton stupidly inquired as to how the boy got it into his mouth. Chadd treated the query with contemptuous silence, but afterward remarked to Mr. Mosely, ' Jack Pemberton would like to say something smart if he knew how.' The limits of this article forbids further details. A volume would scarcely contain all the incidents of Mr. Chadd's eventful life. Who has not heard of his duel before breakfast, when in a room eighteen feet square, securely locked, he and his antagonist armed with knives, fought for eight hours, ankle-deep in blood ? Who has not heard of his quarryblast on White River, which required the labor and teams of a hundred men six months to remove ? Who has not heard of his snake story, of his fish story, and his perpetual-motion saw-mill? Mr. Chadd was gathered to his fathers long ago, in the fullness of time and a good old age." We will give one more instance of his India-rubber stories, and then pass on to other scenes. This wa& of his professional experience, which he related to Dr. Rutherford, and exhibited to him his " spring lancet " and his " pullikin," the latter for extracting teeth, and estimated the number of teeth drawn with them, or it, at several barrels, and the blood shed by the "lancet " at the hogshead measure. He stated to the Doctor that he had once been applied to tap a woman for dropsy. From this duty he had shrunk, pleading ignorance and other disqualifications, but as no physician was in reach, he made an eifort, and although the woman was a small one, he drew from her one hundred and twenty gallons of water.

Martin Zimmerman came from Augusta County, Va., in 1836, and settled first in Edgar County, where he remained about a year, and then removed to this township. He resided here until his death, which occurred in 1852. He has many descendants still in the county, who are among the prominent farmers and business men of the country. Enoch Sears and Asa Reddin were also early settlers in this township. David Winkler and the Hoskinses settled on Brush Creek. There are, perhaps, other old settlers whose names should be mentioned, but we have failed to obtain them. And then, after the Black Hawk

emigrants came in so rapidly that it is impossible to keep track of the period of their settlement and where they came from. So we will not attempt to further particularize, but take up other matters of interest.

By reference to the map in the front part of this work, it will be noticed that there is a jog, of two sections in width, in the north line of the county, the full extent of Oakland Township. When Douglas County was set off from doles, says Capt. Adams in his Centennial Address, the village of Oakland was regarded as having "great room for outgrowth and development" (and, we may add, it still retains this expectation of its people). Therefore, Coles County, as well as the people of Oakland, were unwilling that the village should be cut off in a new county ; hence the jog above referred to was made to keep the village of Oakland in this county.

Here, as in all newly-settled communities, attention was directed at an early day to mills ; for, with all the great inventions of the age, there has not yet been one devised by which the human race can live without bread. And in this town, as elsewhere, the mill business was in high popular favor forty years or more ago. To own a horse-mill gave one an air of importance, and a saw or grist mill, as an old settler expressed it, rendered the fortunate owner '-the biggest toad in the puddle." One of the first efforts at a water-mill was by Mr. Laughlin, where the river crosses the northwest corner of Section 12 ; but he was not very successful in his attempt. It passed into the hands of Henry McCumbers, familiarly called "Old Sport." But he never realized much from it, and, after struggling on with it for a few years with a perseverance worthy of a better cause, he finally gave it up entirely. A man by the name of Whitlock also tried ; and after a year's hard work, saw a friendly (or unfriendly) flood carry it away on a " march to the sea." Mr. Chadd referred to as the man of long-winded* stories, in another part of this chapter, had a genius for mills as well as for story-telling. He built a mill near the present railroad-crossing. He tried undershot, turbine, and re-action wheels ; but they amounted to little, and finally a flood took the whole structure away, and sent it after its predecessor, down the river. David McConkey was another w^ho spent more on a mill than he ever succeeded in getting back. It was the same old story - the floods carried it away, and left its owner in poverty. The era of steam-mills will be noticed in the history of the village.

A man of the name of Robert Bell was the first regular carpenter in Oakland Township, and, it is said, was a superior workman. Many specimens of his work still remain to testify to its quality. The finishing-lumber then was rough-sawed poplar, and had to be "dressed" by the carpenter, as planingmills and sash-factories were unknown. Everything needed in the construction of a house, including flooring, molding, etc., had to be worked out by hand, and the frames were generally of hewed material. The erection of a frame house, at that early period, was a much bigger job than at the present day ; and, in the place of the large lumber-yard we find in every town and village now, at that time the market was usually supplied by " whip-saw." At a very early day, Andrew Gwinn, with the aid of " Old Billy " Nokes, ran one of these " whip-saw" mills. Two men could saw 200 feet in a day, and this sold at $4 per hundred.

One of the first wagon-makers was a man named Alpheus Jacques. He, it is said, used to make wagons and buggies out of old rails and " 'most anything he could pick up." His skill with the draw-knife was remarkable, and the rapidity with which he turned out work was truly marvelous. Among the early blacksmiths were David McConkey and William Chadd. McConkey made considerable money as such, and then spent it in his attempts at a mill on the Embarrass, as already stated.

The first store in Oakland Township was kept by a man named Sherifi", an uncle to the present Postmaster at Paris, Edgar County. It was located on the road east of the village of Oakland, and his goods were hauled from Chicago by 'Squire Pemberton. " Chicago, then," says the 'Squire, " was no larger that the village of Oakland is now." The first post ofiice in the township was kept by Wilson Morrison, east of the village. It was on the confines of a large grove, surrounded by oak-trees, and thus received the appropriate name of Oakland - names since bestowed on the village and the township. In was on the mail-line between Paris and Decatur, and the mail was carried weekly on horseback between those places.

Educational And Religious

The name of the first pedagogue in Oakland is not now remembered, but schools were taught in the neighborhood quite early. The people have ever taken great interest in educational matters, and, at the present day, no town in Coles County is better favored with school facilities than Oakland. The matter will be again alluded to in the history of the village.

Church organizations, also, will be further noticed in the village history, as the Presbyterian, the oldest organization in the town, is located in the village of Oakland. The only church- edifice outside of the village is Prairie Union Christian Church, located in the southern part of the township. It was organized in the neighborhood schoolhouse, March 1, 1871, with thirty-two members ; three elders, viz., A. J. Shulse, S. D. Honn and D. W. Honn. The church was built and dedicated the same year the society was organized, and cost $1,830, not including the lot on which it stands. The present Elders are D. W. Honn, A. J. Shulse and John Childress. Previous to the erection of the church, the people of the neighborhood attended divine worship at the village of Kansas, in Edgar County. It is in a very flourishing state, with a present membership of about sixty-five, and a Sunday school during the summer season.

When settlements were first made in this part of the county, there were plenty of Indians in Southern Illinois, and likewise in this section. They were the Pottawatomies, Winnebagoes and the Kickapoos. They were friendly and did the whites no harm. The fright of the Black Hawk war had little effect here, from the fact that at the time it took place, there were very few settlers in this neighborhood. The Indians had a trading-post near the village of Camargo, in Douglas County, established by two men named Vesor and Bulbery, French Canadians. Near this post, the Indians had a burying-ground, and once every year held a grand powwow for the benefit of the departed souls of their deceased friends. In Morgan Township they had a camp, which is noticed in the history of that town.

Oakland Township is Republican in politics at the present time. In the old days of Whigs and Democrats, it was Democratic by a small majority, notwithstanding it gave Harrison a small majority in 1840, and Clay, in 1844. With these exceptions, it was Democratic. In the late war, Oakland did its duty nobly, and sent many of its young men, and old ones, too, to do battle for the Union.

The first Justice of the Peace in this section, was Samuel Ashmore, the old patriarch of the Ashmore family. The present justices of the township are, J. J. Pemberton and William Hunt. When Coles County adopted township or^yanization in 1860, G. W. McConkey was the first Supervisor of Oakland Township. The present Supervisor is H. Rutherford, and N. P. Smith is the present Town Clerk.

This concludes the general history of Oakland Township, and we will now proceed to devote a few pages to the history, laying-out and the location of married oq the 17th of February, 1876, to Miss Mollie A. Arterburn, a dauo;hter of William Arterbura, of Edgar Co., 111. ; she was born in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 11, 1846, and came to Illinois with her parents in infancy ; they have one child - Alta.

JACOB ZIMMERMAN, of the firm of Zimmerman & Monroe, dealers in dry goods, notions, boots, shoes, etc., Ashmore; was born in , Augusta County, Va., Sept. 19, 1836; in 1837, his father, Martin Zimmerman, removed with his family to Edgar Co., 111., where he resided one year, and then settled in the edge of what is now Oakland Township, in 1838; in common with most of the pioneers, he began life in the West with an empty pocket, but with that unconquerable determination to succeed before which all obstacles recede and vanish away ; he entered some land from the Government, to which he added until he owned a fine fiirm of 400 acres, and was regarded as one of the most reliable and substantial farmers in the vicinity ; he died in 1852, leaving a family of eight children. Jacob Zimmerman remained on the home farm about two years after his father's death, and then engaged in farming for himself ; a few years later, he started in the mercantile business in Ashmore ; he has been the agent of the American Express Co., for the past eighteen years ; he served about two years on the Board of Supervisors, and a term or two as Assessor ; he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the village of Ashmore seven terms, and several years, of the Board of School Directors. He was married in September, 1855, to Miss Sarah C. Ashmore, a daughter of the late Hezekiah

JAMES ZIMMERMAN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Ashmore ; a son of Martin and Sarah Zimmerman ; was born in Augusta Co., Va., Dec. 8, 1827, and came to the State of Illinois with his parents in 1837, at the age of 10 years; his father, after spending one year in Edgar Co., removed to Coles Co., in 1838, and settled on a farm in the edaie of Oakland Tp.; this farm is now owned and occupied by John B. Zimmerman, one of his sons. On the 12th of January, 1854, the subject of this sketch was married to Miss Mary A. McDavitt, a daughter of Nortley McDavitt, of Edgar Co., 111. ; she was born in Hampshire Co., Va., Jan. 13, 1830, and came to Edgar Co. with her parents in 1832 ; of seven children of this marriage five are living - William R., Roley 0., Mary I., Ella E. and Cora N. Mr. Zimmerman began life for himself by workingout by the month, and, in 1853, began improving his present home, which was then raw prairie ; he first ennothing but the this he has added at various times, until he now owns some 400 acres of as fine land as is to be found in Illinois, with good improvements and well-stocked, etc. ; he has made a specialty of stockraising, raising what grain was necessary to feed his stock, thus consuming the products of the land upon the farm ; he has never been an office-seeker, nor an ofiice-holder, but has devoted himself to his business of farming.

ELIJAH ADAMS, farmer; P. 0. Diona ; was born in Licking Co., Ohio, Oct. 23, 1824; in the year 1838, his parents, John Adams, who was a native of New York, and Susanna Adams, a native of Maryland, moved to Coles Co., and settled on Sec. 17, where the son now resides, having entered the land ; both died there, his mother in October, 1877, and his father, June, 1878. The subject of this sketch has always resided in this county with the exception of the years 1850 and 1851, when he was mining and prospecting in California. He has held the office of School Trustee and Director for fifteen years, and is such at the present time ; was also Supervisor five years. Assessor four years, and is at present Commissioner of Highways. He owns 200 acres of land. He married Miss Louisa Ander- son, daughter of James Anderson ; her parents were natives of Virginia, and moved to Ohio, and from there came to Coles Co. in the year 1839 ; they both died on the farm adjoining that of Mr. Adams, upon whicli they had settled Aug. 21, 1843 ; Mr. Adams was born May 15, 1822 ; they had eight children, five living - John, born Aug. 17 1847 (and who married twice, his first wife being Miss Henrietta Irwin, whom he married in November, 1868, and who died April 25, 1873 ; his second wife was Miss Martha E. ^ Walters, whom he was married to Jan. 16, 1874; they have three children - Wesley E., Mary E. and Dora E.), Rachel E., (now Mrs. Levi Moore), born March 11, 1850; James W., born Dec. 10, 1852, who married Miss Emily Goodman ; Anor L., born July 25, 1860, and David E., born Oct. 17, 1862, and three died - Susanna (formerly Mrs. Reily Irwin), born July 21, 1844, died Oct. 28, 1877; Mary A.,' born April 11, 1857, died May 7, 1858; and Seth D., born Jan. 18, 1855, and died April 29, 1858.

ELIAS ANDERSON, former; P. 0. Diona ; is a native of Ohio, and was born in Champaign Co. June 16, 1807 ; he remained with his parents until he was 32 years ot age, his father having died about the year 1833; he remained with his mother until her removal to Michigan, where she died in the year 1844 ; Mr. Anderson, before his removal to this county, married, Sept. 20, 1835, Miss Hannah Place, her parents being natives of Pennsylvania ; in the year 1839, they came to this county and settled where he has ever since resided ; they had five children, four living - Thomas, born Sept. 6, 1839, Clarinda, Aug. 14, 1841, Eunice, March 6, 1843, and Jasper, Dec. 28, 1847, and one deceased - Elias, who died Sept. 25, 1868 ; his wife died March 19, 1851 ; he married his second wife (the widow of Isaac Clark), April, 1852; they had four children, all living - Louisa, born Feb. 26, 1853, Bartholomew, March 7, 1855, Rachel, Sept. 25, 1857, and James. Jan. 30, 1862; his wife died Sept. 25, 1865, and on Dec. 13, 1866, he was married to the widow of Henry Brant, who was formerly Miss Margaret Tombs, of New Jersey.

June 6, 1823 ; his parents, William and Nancy, came to Clay Co., Ind., while he was an infant, and settled near Bowling Green, and after remaining there some six or seven years, came to Clark Co., and lived in the " Rich Woods," near Westfield, and about the year 1833, came to Coles Co. Mr. Beavers remained with his parents up to the age of 21, when he married Miss Elizabeth Endsley, daughter of Andrew Endsley, of Hutton Tp., on Jan. 2, 1845 ; shortly after, he came to his present farm on Sec. 13, where he at present resides; he owns 180 acres, mostly improved. Mr. Beavers remembers well when the Indians were encamped near the cabins of the settlers, and was present when they took up their march at the call of Black Hawk. His wife was born Oct, 8, 1820 ; they had nine children, sis living - Albert, born Oct. 15, 1845 ; Matilda J. (^now Mrs. R. Bennett, of Clark Co.), born Sept. 7, 1848 ; Isabel (now Mrs. Andrew Lee, of Clark Co.), born Av%. 28, 1850 ; Nancy E., born April 24, 1854; Sarah C (now Mrs. Owen Lee, of Hutton Tp.), born Oct. 15, 1856, and Louis R.,born May 1,1860, and three boys, who died in infancy. His son Albert enlisted in the 54th Regt. 111. Vols., aud was discharged on account of disability.

WILLIAM BEAVERS, farmer; P. 0. Hutton ; is one of the pioneers of this county, and was born in Loudoun Co., Va., on 23d day of July, 1797 ; at the age of 17, he left home, driving a team to Barren Co., Ky,, remaining there for four or five years. In the year 1818, he married Miss Nancy Bradenburg (daughter of Henry Bradenburg), and after remaining at the home of her parents one year, rented a farm for one year, and, in 1820, went to Clay Co., Ind., remaining there for seven years ; in 1827, he came to Clark Co., 111., near Westfield, and lived there for three years, and, in the year 1830, entered and moved upon the land upon which he now resides, on Sec. 10, near the village of Salisbury ; he owns eighty acres. ^ Mr. Beavers first built a log cabin, with a " puncheon floor." The Kickapoo Indians at that time owned this land and lived all around him ; while cutting some " beetrees " in Long Point, this county, he saw the "runners" that had been sent by Black Hawk calling the Indians together.

Mr. Beavers is remarkably active at his time of life, now being in his 82d year ; his mother died in Virginia while he was an infant, and his father in Locust Grove, Adams Co., Ohio, where he had moved some years before. His wife was born in the year 1803 ; they had seventeen children, seven boys living - Matthias, Henry, Solomon, William, Barnett, John and Joseph ; three girls - Sallie Ann (now Mrs. William Ashby), Nancy (now Mrs. Joseph Dyer) and Martha J. (now Mrs. Andrew StraderJ ; seven deceased - Rebecca M., J. Calvin, Polly, Elizabeth and Fannie, and two who died in inflmcy.

HENRY BELL, farmer; P. 0. Hutton ; was born in Randolph Co., N. C, in the year 1819; his parents Pierce and Rebecca moved to Preble Co., Ohio., in the year 1820, and after remaining about fifteen years, moved to Rush Co., Ind., where they lived for about fifteen or twenty years ; in 1850, they came to Coles Co. and settled on Sec? 16, where his father died at the age of 88, his mother dying the year afterward. Mr. Bell moved to his present farm on Sec. 15 Feb. 14, 1856, containing 80 acres. In 1848, he married in Indiana Miss Sarah Cox (daughter of Isaac Cox, of North Carolina) ; she died in the year 1853 ; they had five children ; one living, Mary (now Mrs. N. Dunbar, of Charleston), born March, 1866; and four died - Jane E., Sarah E., Eh and one that died in infancy. He married his second wife Mrs. Nancy Brewer (widow of Jesse Bell), Feb. 12, 1853; she died Aug. 5, 1875 ; they had eleven children, all living - Jonas v., born Nov. 10, 1854; Jesse^B., Nov. 19, 1856 ; Lucretia, March 17, 1858 ; William H., June 10, 1859 ; Alman, Oct. 14, 1860 ; Louisa, June 23, 1862; John, Oct. 22, 1863; Margaret D., May 14, 1865; Charles M., Oct. 28, 1866; Susanna, August 23, 18()8, and James E., born March 4, 1871.

JAMES BRANDENBURG, farmer; P. 0. Diona ; was born in Hardin Co., Ky., April 20, 1820 ; when he was about 3 years of age, his parents moved to Clay Co., Ind., and from there, in the year 1829, came to this county. Mr. Brandenbursr lived at home, working in the neighborhood, until he was 18 years of age, when he went to Wisconsin and was engaged in teaming for two years ; in 1844, he settled southeast of Salisbury, in this township, and lived there for twelve or thirteen years, when he purchased a farm on Sec. 32, and after being there thirteen years, moved to his present farm on Sec. 7, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Brandenburg is the eldest son of Solomon Brandenburg. He married Jan. 29, 1843, Miss Neety Cooper, daughter of Jeremiah Cooper, a native of North Carolina, who settled in Coles Co. in the year 1839 ; they had seven children ; four living - William, born Jan. 22, 1847,who married Miss Angeline Buley in 1865 ; Lucinda (now Mrs. Isaiah Murphy), born June 19, 1849; Henry L., born Nov. 13, 1854, who married Miss Amanda Gilbert July, 1877 ; Neety (now Mrs. Wm. H. Goodman), born Sept. 26, 1857; three deceased - Milton, born Dec. 2, 1844, died Jan. 8, 1848; Nancy, born Oct. 10, 1851, died April 2, 1852, and Amanda, born Feb. 9, 1853, died March 2, 1853.

William H. Brandenburg

WILLIAM H. BRANDENBURG, farmer ; P. 0. Hutton ; was born in Clay Co., Ind., Oct. 19, 1824, and came to this county with his parents at 4 years of age, and remained with them up to the age of 17, when he went to Wisconsin, working upon a farm for two years, then returned to his parents' home, and, making up a team, returned to Wisconsin, and was engaged in hauling lead for nine years; in 1852, he returned to Hutton Tp. and worked out for two years, when he settled upon the farm on Sec. 13, which he had purchased ; he owns 150 acres of land. He enlisted in Co. H, 10th I. V. C, and served until the close of our late civil war, being mustered out at San Antonio, Tex. He married Miss Elizabeth J. Tucker, of Indiana, in July, 1849 ; she was born in 1828; they had nine children, six living - Sarah J. (now Mrs. John Jenkins, of Hutton Tp.) ; Mary Ann (now Mrs. Irvin Morris, of Cumberland Co., 111.), born June 14, 1850; Zobeda A. (now Mrs. Charles Franklin, of Cumberland Co., 111.), born March 10, 1853; Williard A., July 12, 1858 ; Amanda M., Aug. 30, 1861 ; Almorinda, April 7, 1868 ; three dead - Lydia E., John W. and Alazan.

Solomon Brandenburg Biographical Sketches

early settlers of this couuty, and was born j in Hutton Tp. Sept. 3, 1830 ; at the age of 19 he went to Wisconsin and engaged in hauling lead with his brothers C. P. and Wm. H., during the summer, for nine years ; in the year 1858, he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, on Sec. i 13. He married Mrs. Sallie Smith (daughter of James Cox and widow of George Smith), Feb. 5, 1850 ; they had seven children, five livins; - Ford, born Dec. 27, 1850; Polly, June 23, 1855; Hester A., Aug. 26, 1860 ; Ulysses G., Nov. 2, 1863, and Ilose, born June 30, 1866, and two deceased - James and Barthena. His son Ford married Miss Louisa A. Cooper Nov. 17, 1873 ; he has two children - Marion 0., born Oct. 11, 1874, and Sallie M., born Jan. 4, 1876.

C. P. BRANDENBURG, farmer ; P. O. Hutton; was born in Clay Co., lad., Aug. 24, 1828 ; his parents, Solomon O. and Alezan, were among the first settlers of this county, having settled in the year 1829, on Sec. 14 of Hutton Tp.; his father died in 1861, and his mother went to reside with his brother William H., and died in May, 1875 ; Mr. Brandenburg lived with his parents up to the age of 17, when he went to Wisconsin and engaged in hauling lead during the summer for eleven seasons, returning to his father's during the winter months ; his journey back and forth was through a total wilderness, where for miles not a farmhouse was to be seen, encamping at night; in 1856, he settled on Sec. 14, in this township, having purchased a farm and improved it, there being only a log cabin upon it, which is still standing, now occupied by John Jenkins, on Sec. 14; he owns 210 acres of land. He married his first wife. Miss Mary Cox, of Hutton Tp., on Feb. 28, 1850 ; she died July 5, 1875 ; they had twelve children, seven living - Almorinda, born Sept. 11, 1856; Charles P., born Jan. 13, 1858 ; Theodore, Nov. 25, 1860; William N., Aug. 25, 1862 ; George E., Jan. 11, 1864; Clayborn, Dec. 13, 1866, and Edward, born Oct. 13, 1872, and five deceased - John, born July 18, 1855, died Oct. 16, 1855 ; Thomas J., born July 29, 1852, died Oct. 8, 1870, and three died in infancy. Ho married his second wife, Wisi Nancy J. Baker, of Hutton Tp., July 22, 1877 ; she was born in April,

ABRAHAM BENNETT, minister of United Brethren Church, Westfield ; was born in Meade Co. Ky., Nov. 15, 1828; after remaining at home until the age of 18, he started out in life for himself, flatboating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for some five or six years ; in the year 1852, he commenced traveling in the ministry of the United Brethren Church, having from his youth been connected with that Church ; in the same year, leaving his family in Kentucky, he traveled circuit for some six years in Indiana, when, having returned to Kentucky, was engaged in missionary work through that State for three successive years ; having sold his farm, he moved his family to Harrison Co., Ind., in what is widely known as the " Rippidan Valley," and continued traveling circuit up to the fall of 1864, when he moved to Hutton Tp., Coles Co., and settled upon his present farm when it was a dense wood ; at first, before the establishment of a circuit in Hutton Tp., Mr. Bennett engaged in missionary work until it became a circuit, when he filled the position of a local minister, and was greatly instrumental in building the " West Liberty Chapel " of the tj. B. Church, and also "Weaver Chapel" on the edge of " Park Prairie." He married Miss Martha Jane Chism (daughter of John Chism, of Meade Co., Ky.), on July 4, 1850 ; she was born Jan. 5, 1831; they had eight children, four boj's, three living - John J., James Hand, David S. ; one died - George W. ; and four girls, two living - Laura A. and Martha "j., and two died - Mary E. and Purva C.

GEORGE BIDLE, farmer and .stockraiser ; P. 0. Westfield ; was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Sept. 25, 1833 ; he remained there until he was 17 years of age ; his parents having died in Germany Mr. Bidle emigrated to the United States, landing in New York City in April, 1852, and first went to New Jersey, remaining there four months working upon a farm, after which he went to Louisville, Ky., and worked at the wagon-maker's trade for two years, when he came to Westfield. Clark Co., 111., and from there, in the fall of 1865, moved to Coles Co., and settled upon the farm upon which he now resides, farming

250 acres, all but twenty acres inclosed ; has been Justice of the Peace for nine years, and at present School Director. He married Christiana Airey, of Perry Co., Ohio, in Hutton Tp. of this county, Jan. 17, 1856 ; they have three children - Henry, born April 22, 1857 ; Richard A., Sept. 2, 1858 ; and Charles, Oct, 20, 1860.

MRS. SARAH ANN BRYANT ; P.O. Westfield, Clark Co.; was the daughter of Sanjuel Jack, of Ohio, who was a native of Virginia ; she came to Coles Co. with her parents when she was 19 years of age, where they both died. She married James Parker May 26, 1842 ; he was the son of George Parker, and died May 7, 1864; they had ten children, two only living - Matilda J., now Mrs. John Anderson, of Hutton Tp. ; Harriet R., now Mrs. Wm. Mars, of Johnson Co., Mo. ; eight deceased - Jonathan, who enlisted in Co. "F," 123d Regt. 111. Vols., was killed at the battle of Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862; William J., Jeptha, Samuel, Emeline, Sarah (who married Ashbury Lemaster, of Jasper Co., 111., January, 1869), Melissa A., and one that died in infancy. She married her second husband, Mr. John Bryant, of Indiana, August, 1866 ; he died Dec. 9, 1869. Mr. Parker was a Deacon of Good Hope Baptist Church for many years ; Mr. Bryant was a Methodist and Mrs. Bryant a Baptist.

E. R. CONNELY, farmer ; P. 0. Westfield; was born in Lawrence Co., Ind., March 6, 1829 ; his parents, Joel and Effie Connely, came to this county in the spring of 1832, and were among its earliest pioneers ; having raised one crop, they returned to Indiana, and, in the fall of same year, brought out their family, consisting of six boys and five girls accompanied also by their grandfather and grandmother Pennington ; they made the journey the whole distance in wagons, driving their stock, composed both of sheep and cattle, with them. His grandfather Pennington was a Baptist minister, and among the first in this township. The subject of this sketch was the youngest of the boys, being only 4 years of age at the time of their removal to this county ; he continued to reside with his parents up to the time of their death, his father dying June 8, 1853, and his mother, Oct. 14, 1875, at the ripe old age of 88 ; Mr. Connely has resided upon the homestead ever since, containing at the present time 380 acres; his father's estate consisted of 1,500 acres, and was divided among his children prior to his decease. Mr. Connely has held the position of Supervisor of this county and is at the present time School Director, and has been such since 1856. He has been married twice, his first wife being Miss Rebecca Piatt, daughter of John Piatt ; thev were married near Salisbury (now Hutton P. 0.), Hutton Tp., Oct. 24, 1850 ; she died Sept. 29, 1875 ; they had eleven children, six boys, all living - Emory P., Maiden T., Oscar v., Ellis J. and Willis J. (twins) and Eddie A., and five girls, four living - Addie B. (now Mrs. W. Pentzer, of Iroquois Co., 111.), Ollie M sketch was married Nov. 22, 1849, to Miss Nancy Connely, daughter of John Connely, of Hutton Tp., on the homestead, and a few days afterward removed to his present farm, where he has ever since resided, now containing 140 acres. He has held the office of Supervisor of the County for one year. He had a family of ten children, six boys, five living - Edmund R., Jeremiah S., James W., Joseph M. and Emery A., and one deceased - Silas L.; and four girls - Sarah J., Armilda, Mary E. and Harriot Ann. Mr. Johns' father was one of the pioneers of this county, and endured the many hardships and pri vations of that early day.