Lebanon Township (part 1 of 3)

Lebanon Township

This beautiful and thriving little city is located on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, twenty-two miles east of St. Louis, and about eleven miles north-east from Belleville, the county-seat. It is eligibly situated, on a gracefully sloping hill, and commands a fine view of the surrounding country. The city is nicely laid out, and contains many elegant residences. The streets are broad, with good side-walks, and well shaded. The south-east quarter of section nineteen, upon which the original town was laid out, was entered by Henry White, September 24, 1814. Thri first house was erected by Gillis Maddeaux. It was constructed of logs, and was situated in the south-eastern part of the town, but has long since disappeared. The next was erected by Joseph Akin, and stood just south-east of the present public square, on the lot now owned by Mrs. Flint. Joseph Hathaway built a two-story log cabin on west Main street where Neuman's saloon now stands. Thomas Ray, the proprietor of the west end of the town, built the next, a little west on the same block. Another log house was built just opposite these, on the sam 3 street by Nathan Horner. Adam Vinyard also built a house in the east part of town. The first store was established as early as 1818, by Gov. Kinney, and kept by his nephew, Abraham Kinney. Thomas Ray, Nathan Horner, Mulligan & Sublett, Samuel and Andrew Christy and James Riggin opened stores soon afterwards. These and perhaps a few more log buildings were erected on the present site of Lebanon prior to 1820- In that year Gov. Kinney erected the hotel « Veranda," which is still standing and forms a part of the Bishop House. It is brick, and in those days it was considered a very handsome building. This, then, became a stage stand, being located on the line of the Vincennes and St. Louis stage route. A post-office was established and mails were received by stage twice a day. About this time Gov. Kinney built an oxmill for grinding flour. In 1821 Col. E. B. Clempson erected the first frame house. This now forms a part of H. H. Horner's resi- 43 '

The town was laid out by Gov. William Kinney and Thomas Ray. It was surveyed and platted by Aaron Reed, Jr., and filed in the office of county Recorder July 27, 1825. Since then there have been twenty-one additions made to the original plat. In 1828 there were not more than thirty cabins and houses in the place. There were two stores, one kept by Nathan Horner and the other by James Riggin, a grocery, or saloon, kept by Josiah Crocker, and a log school-house with oiled paper for windows, where school and religious meetings were held. The Lebanon Seminary (McKendree College) was also partially completed and the school established. In the fall of 1832 a large store-house was erected and a complete stock of general goods was opened by Horner and Hypes. Benjamin Hypes, of this firm, was born in Virginia in 1810, and came here from Ohio, and was an early and prominent business man from 1828 to 1863, and is still living here much esteemed by the community. Joseph Hypes, his brother, was also born in Virginia, in 1798. He came here as early as 1821, and engaged in the milling business, and subsequently in the manufacture of carriages and wagons. He is yet living, hale and hearty, at his residence in this city. James Riggin, a Tennesseean, was an early and enterprising merchant, and died here in 1858. His excellent wife survived him until a few years ago. Esquire Thomas Williams built a tannery establishment here in 1829, and operated it successfully and profitably for many years-. He died about 1865, and left a handsome estate. Lyman Adams, an old sea captain, built a hotel here in 1830, known as the "Mermaid House." He was also an early merchant, and an active business-man He died here in the decade of 1850. The hotel " Veranda," mentioned above, was first occupied by Jeremiah Johnson, a noted hotel-keeper. He was for many years proprietor of the old Missouri Hotel in St. Louis, and opened the " Veranda " in 1820, which he occupied until his death, about 1836. Theodore W. Gray, a native of Maryland, located in Lebanon in 1824 and engaged in the tailoring business, at which he acquired a competency, and is now enjoying a retired life, much respected by the citizens. These are a few of the very earliest and most successful business-men of the place.

The first steam flouring mill was erected in the north-east corner of the place, in 18;J2, by Capt. Elbridge Potter & Sons. There was also a distillery built in connection with the mill.

From the Illinois Oazeteer, published by Rev. John M. Peck in 1837, we copy the following: "Lebanon has a steam-mill for manufacturing grain, and an ox-mill for flouring, on an inclined plane ; a post-office, two public houses, seven stores, one grocery ; three physicians ; mechanics' shops of various kinds, and about sixty families. The Methodist college is located in the immediate vicinity." From this the town has grown, and now contains a population of about two thousand, with fine residences, handsome business blocks, good schools, churches, and various manufacturing institutions.

Incorporation. - Lebanon was incorporated as a town, under spcr cial charter, in May, 1857. The first officers were : Joseph Ifypes, president; Charles Blanck, register; Samuel Hypes, Treasurer; H. H. Horner, assessor ; Adam H. Wise, constable ; J. L. Sargept street inspector. Town Trustees were: Hugo Wangeljn, R. F. Cunningham, James Radon and Thomas Jordan.

It was organized as a city, under the general law, August 18, I874, and the following were elected the first officers: H. H. Horner, Mayor ; Louis Zerweck, clerk ; D. R. Lasley, treasurer ; J. F. Webb, attorney ; A- Pyle, street commissioner and city marshal. The council is composed of nine aldermen, three elected \a pach of the three city wards,

The present city officers are: J. Eaiikin, mayor; Louis Zerweck, clerk ; C. H. Sager, treasurer ; J. Eckert, attorney ; Peter Bruecher, city marshal ; George Eiddle commissioner of streets.

Schools. - The first school was taught in a log cabin about 18x20 feet, that was erected just south-east of the square as early as 1818. In this building Kev. John M. Peck organized the first Sundayschool, in the summer of 1821. School was held in this cabin for a period of three or four years, when a small frame school-house was erected by the public, which was also used for religious meetings by all denominations. The public schools were mostly held in churches and halls, rented for that purpose, until 1866, when a fine brick school-house was erected, that cost upwards of $40,000. It stood on the same lot occupied by the present beautiful structure. February 28, 1873, this building was burned, and in the same year the new one was completed, at about the same cost. It is constructed of brick, three stories high, and contains ten rooms, all furnished with the latest improved school furniture. The school is graded and employs eight teachers.

MeKendree College was founded as an institution of learning February 20, 1828. It received its first charter from the state in 1834. and a new charter was granted June 26, 1839. It is a Methodist institution, and has always been largely patronized by the Missouri and Illinois Conferences. On the roll of Alumni there are the names of nearly four hundred persons, many of whom are in high offices of trust both in church and state.*

Illinois Literary and Commercial Institute and School of Art was founded September 20, 1880, by Prof. J. W. Whittlesey. This is a new school, and judging from the patronage it has received, it will be a successful one. Prof. Whittlesey is an energetic, enterprising gentleman, and has an able faculty associated with hira.

Churches. - There are eight churches in the city, all neat and comfortable buildings. - Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, Free Methodist, German Methodist, and Colored Methodist, German Lutheran, Baptist and Eoman Catholic,

Manufacturing Industries - The Veranda Flouring Mill was erected in 1856. It is built of brick, 50x60 feet, and four stories high. It contains six run of burrs, with a capacity of 200 barrels per day, and is now owned by Joseph Mueller & Co. It manufactures several brands of excellent flour, most of which is shipped to eastern markets. The mill is valued at $50,000, and employs thirteen men.

The St. Clair Flouring Mill was built by W. V. Keese & Son, in 1880, at a cost of about $10,000. It is a frame building, three stories high, and contains three run of burrs, with a capacity of 50 barrels per day. The Star Fancy brand of flour of their manufacture is equal to that made by any of the larger mills, and finds ready market at home and in St. Louis.

The Carriage, Wagon and Agricultural Implement Manufactory of J. H. Lehman's, was established in 1861. He has large and commodious buildings, steam power, and all the modern improved machinery for making the best class of work. Employs about ten men The Lebanon Brewery was purchased by J. Hammel, in 1860, who remodeled the building, and enlarged the capacity. This brewery has all the most modern improvements for brewing, and manufactures about six thousand barrels a year. It is sold at home and in all the neighboring towns. Hammel's bottle beer is a good article, and is gaining reputation. Mr. Hammel has a vineyard of several acres, and manufactures considerable wine. He is also engaged in the ice business.

Lebanon Soda and Mineral Water Factory was erected by Charles J. Renter, in 1868. It is a frame building; steam power. Soda and all the various kinds of mineral waters are made and sold at home and in all the adjacent towns. Mr. Beuter has been very successful in this enterprise.

The Great American Cigar Manufactory was established by Julius Hofllnann in 1866. He employs about fifteen men in the manufacture of cigars. They are tine brands, and he has a large trade.

There are also two brick-yards - the Sager Brothers, - is located in the east side of the city, and that of William Boyce's in the northern part, both of which burn a good quality of brick.

Concord Park - is situated in the southern suburbs, and is the property of F. Keitel. It contains several acres, with nicely arranged walks, well shaded with forest and ornamental trees. There are music and speakers' stands, dancing hall and bar, on the grounds. This is quite a popular resort for summer excursions from St. Louis.

Bank. - The Banking House of Baker & Schaefer was commenced in 1873, by Seiter & Ramsay. In 1876 it was changed to H. Seiter & Co., and September 1st, 1880, to the present firm name. The capital is upwards of $200,000, and it is considered a safe and reliable institution.

Business Houses, Trade Of 1881 Biographical Sketches

Who is now one of the oldest members of the St. Clair cc.unty bar, is a native of the county, and was born at Lebanon on the 22il of February, 1821. His great-grandfather emigrated from England, and settled near Baltimore. His grandfather, Nicholas Horner, in the year 1812 removed from the neighborhood of Baltimore to the State of Ohio, and, after living five years near Cincinnati, he came to Illinois, and settled two miles north of Lebanon, where he made a purchase of five hundred acres of land. For the improved part te paid ten dollars an acre, a price which was made high by the cost of labor and material. On this farm Nicholas Horner lived till his death.

Nathan Horner, fiUher of the subject of this sketch, was born in Maryland in the year 1790 He was united in marriage in Ohio to Nancy Hypes, who was born near the James river, in Bottetourt county, Virginia, within seven miles of Fincastle, the county seat.

Her father was Henry Hypes. She was a woman of much intelligence and remarkable energy. After coming to Illiuoii Nathan Horner engaged in farming, and in 1818 or 1819 undertook the mercantile business, and opened the first store in the town of Lebanon He carried on the mercantile business for many years, till prevented from f)llowing it by the infirmities of old age. For a long time he was in partnership with Benjamin Hypes. He died in 1867. He had enjoyed only ordinary advantages for obtaining an education, but was fond of reading, and by this means aci]uired much valuable information. He was a warm friend of education, and was one of those interested in establishing the seminary which was the foundation of the present McKendree college. At a time when this institution was involved in serious difficulties he expended considerable means in assisting to place the college on a sound financial basis. He was one of the leading members and supporters of the Methodist church. His views coincided with those of the Whig party, and he was especially a warm admirer of Henry Clay, but he took no active or conspicuous part in politics. The subject of this sketch was the oldest son and second child. He was brought up in his native town of Lebanon, and obtained his education in McKendree college, from which he graduated in 1841. Having designed to enter the legal profession, he studied law in the office of Judge William H. Underwood at Belleville, and was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1847. He began practice at Belleville, but, after residing a short time in that place, returned, on account of his private interests, to Lebanon, where he has since been occupied in the active practice of his profession. Few members of the legal profession have been longer connected with the St. Clair county bar, and he has lived in the county longer than any other lawyer. Mr. Horner succeeded ex-governor A. C. French in 1865 as dean of the law department of McKendree college, which position he now holds. He was married on the 19th of November, 1857, to Helen M. Danforth, who was born at St. Albans, Vermont. By this marriage he has had six children, of whom four are now living. Of these the oldest, Henry Koland Horner, now resides in Colorado. Wilbur N. is fitting himself for the legal profession. The two daughters are named Hattie H. and Bertha A. Horner. Li his political views he was in early life connected with the democratic party. Like many in that organization, he was, however, opposed to slavery ; and, when the question of the extension of slavery into the territories came to be conspicuously agitated, in common with the free-soil democrats, he assisted to form the republican party, cast his vote for president for Fremont in 1856, and has been a republican from that date to the present. His time has been devoted to his profession and the management of his private business affairs. He was the first mayor of Lebanon, on its organization under a city charter, and held that office two terms. His portrait appears at the head of this sketch.

Hermann J. Blanck

HERMANN J. BLANCK. This gentleman was born at Malchow, Mecklenburg Schwerin, Germany, November 24th, 1835. The names of his parents were Henry and Elizabeth Blanck. He was the second of a family of six children, of whom four are now living. His father was a weaver and manufacturer of cloths. In 1847 the family emigrated to America, and after stopping a few weeks came to Lebanon late in the fall of that year. His father purchased the woolen mill at Lebanon, which had been standing idle for some time, and which he ran successfully for twelve or thirteen years. He died at Lebanon in 1876. Hermann J Blanck, when about twenty, became clerk in his brother's store. On the 17th of April, 1861, he enlisted for service in the war of the rebaliiou, in Cj. B, of the Ninth Illinois reo'iment. Djring the greater part of his three months' service he was stationed at Cilro, aid from thare hU regimant made some excursions into Missouri. He was mastered out July 25th, 1861. Shortly after his return he embarked in business on his own account. He now has the largest store in Lebanon, and carries on a general merchandizing business. He Was married on the 23d of November, 1865, to Mary E. Rankin. He has one child, Katie H Blanck. In his political opinions he is a democrat, and has always voted that ticket, except in 1864, during the war of the rebellion, when he supported Lincoln for the presidency. His time has been closely devoted to his business, and he has filled no public position with the exception of acting as alderman. He is a member of Lebanon Masonic Lodge, No. 110, and of St. Clair Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 119.

Benjamin Hypes

Among those who have been intimately and honorably connected with the history of Lebanon is Benjamin Hypes, who was born near Fincastle, Bottetourt county, Virginia, February 10, 1805. His grandfather, Nicholas Hypes, emigrated from Germany, lived for a time in Philadelphia, and from there moved to Winchester, in the valley of Virginia, where be purchased seven or eight hundred acres of land, on which the town of Winchester is built. His land was lo3t t > tUs heirs of the family by reason of the failure to make the fin.^1 payment of a few pounds. He then engaged in the management of a large iron works in Virginia, and afterward purchased a tract of a couple of thousand acres of land in Bottetourt county. Henry Hypes, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Bottetout county, and married Patience, daughter of John Reynolds. In 1811 he removed from Virginia to Xenia, Greene county, Ohio. Part of his farm is now covered by the town of Xenia. He came to Illinois in 1818, with a view of securing a location for settlement in this state, but concluded to remain in Ohio. His first wife died in that state in 1823. He died in Ohio in 1851.

Benjamin Hypes was nearly six years old when the family made their home in Ohio. School advantages were scarce in those days. His mother was his only instructor till he was seventeen, when a school was established at Xenia, which he attended nine months previous to his reaching the age of twenty-one. In 1828 he became a resident of Lebanon. For two years he carried on an ox-mill, which was then the only means at Lebanon for grinding grain. This mill had two run of burrs, and was considered a superior mill, and manufactured considerable quantities of flour. In the fall of 1831 he became a partner in the mercantile business with Nathan Horner, with whom he was associated till 1840 ; from 1835 to 1837 H. K. Ashley also being a member of the firm. After farming three years, in 1843 he opened a store of his own, which he carried on till 1863. Soon after the inauguration of President Lincoln he was appointed post-master at Lebanon, and retained that ofiice during Lincoln's administration. He was married in November, 1834, to Caroline, daughter of Daniel Murray. She was born in Baltimore in 1814. Her father was one of the early settlers of the county, becoming a resident of Belleville in 1812. His children are, Cornelia Maria ; Adelaide Victoria, wife of Thomas Essex, of Little Rock, Arkansas; William Henry; Mary Julia, wife of A. S. Maguire, a lawyer, of Chicago ; Benjamin Murray, now practicing mtdicine in St. Louis, and Caroline Virginia, who married the Rev. William F. Swahlen, Professor in McKendree college.

He formerly was a whig in politics, and cast his first vote for president for Henry Clay. He has acted with the republican party since its organization. Since 1831 he has been a member of the Lebanon Methodist Episcopal church. He has been one of the pillars of that denomination at Lebanon, and has contributed freely to the support both of the church and the McKendree college. His house has always been the home for the ministers, and nowhere have they met with a heartier welcome or a more generous hospitality. He was a class-leader in the church from 1834 to 1879. He was a member in the first lay conference held at Cairo in 1871, and a delegate to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held at Brooklyn in 1872. He is the only one of the charter trustees of McKendree college now living. He was auditor of the college in 1835 and 1836, treasurer from 1836 to 1873 ; for two years he was president of the joint board of trustees and visitors, and has always been among its warmest friends and wisest supporters.

William Nichols, one of the old residents of St. Clair county, was born in Hardin county,, Kentucky, on the 27th of August 1805. His father, George Nichols, came to Kentucky from Georgia. He married Mary Beard, whose birth-place was on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The subject of this sketch was the next to the oldest of a family of seven children. He was raised in Kentucky. When he was six months old his father moved from Hardin to Christian county,' and there Mr. Nichols spent the early years of his life. He had only ordinary advantages for obtaining an education, going to Fchool in the winter season and on rainy days, when it was impossible to do any labor on the farm. At the age of twt nty-one he came to this state, and settled in the neighborhood of Lebanon. For several'years after coming to St. Clair county he employed part of his time in making rails, and made as many as a hundred thousand at the customary price of fifty cents a hundred. St. Louis was then a place of small size and importance ; and where now is built a portion of East St. Louis, Mr. Nichols w hen a young man split rails and made hay. By means like these he secured enough money to enter eighty acres of land south-east of Lebanon, on which he lived till he removed to that town. He built on this farm a brick house of small dimensions, which at the time of its erection, was considered one of the handsomest residences in that part of the county. His father had previously given him a quarter section of land, unimproved and covered with brush, which was of no benefit to him for many years. This land is still in his possession. He paid taxes on it for fifty years before it brought him any return.

In the spring of 1831 he volunteered his services, and was engaged m the Black Hawk war. He enlisted in a company commanded by Capt. William Moore. He went through the campaign without taking part in any engagement with the Indians. He was man led on the 25th of March, 1833, to Delilah Moore, daughter of Robert Moore, who was horn in St. Clair county, at the old settlement known as Union Grove, three miles south of Lebanon. Her father resided in the county during the war of 1812-14, when many of the inhabitants were obliged to live in forts for protection against the Indians. His first wife died on the 6th of February, 1849. His second marriage occurred October 1st, 1854, to Caroline Virginia Lingenfelter, who was born at Winchester, Clark county, Kentucky, in 1822. Her father was David Lingenfelter, a Pennsylvania. Her mother was Rebecca Hutchinson. In the year 1852 he became a resident of Lebanon, and for some years was employed in the mercantile business. After quitting the store he was engaged for a time in land speculations whiili he made profitable to himself. Various business enterprises at different times occupied his attention. Till within a recent peiiod he has always been engaged, more or less, in handling stock. In 1859 he purchased a saw mill on a tract of laud west of the town of Lebanon, and was in the lumber business until the close of the war. lu 1861 he ran a grist mill at Lebanon. He owned at one time abnut twenty-two hundred acres of land, a considerable part of which he has given to his children. He had seven children by his first marriage, of whom three are now living : Mary J., now the wife of Thomas Moore, of Lebanon ; Mrs. Nancy C. Hendrickson ; and William Lee Nichols, of Lebanon. Of the four children by his second marriage, three are now living : Orrin Nichols, Julia Belle Nichols, and Louis H. Nichols. In early life he was a member of the whig party. His first vote for president was cast for Henry Clay, for whom he voted every subsequent time he was a candidate as he did also for Harrison and the other whig nominees. He was an early member of the republican organization, and has been one of its warmest and strongest supporters. He came to this county without any means, and by his activity and industry, became one of the wealthiest men in the vicinity of Lebanon. He was of an energetic and active temperament ; in the early part of his life he worked hard ; and was always a successful business man. His wealth has been secured by economy and wise accumulation, and is not the result of any sudden, successful stroke of speculation. He has always been straightforward and honorable in his business dealings. He has filled no political office with the exception of eight years as constable, at a time when he was the only constable in the county east of Silver Creek, and was also in 1849 elected justice of the peace.

History Of St. Glair Gounly, Illinois

Michael Seiter, the father of the subject of this sketch, was bom in Baden, Germany, September 17th, 1809, In 1817 the family emigrated to America, and on the passage across the ocean both his father and mother died, leaving him an orphan at the age of eight years. This voyage was made in a sailing vessel, and occupied three months' time. The masters of the ship were hardhearted men, and furnished the passengers with insufficient food, so that some of them landed in an almost famished condition. On reaching Pennsylvania, Mr. Seiter went to live with a farmer in Lancaster county, and was raised by him. Though he had an opportunity to go to school to some extent, it was not nearly as much as had been promised. He would be sent to school one day, and the next two or three kept at home to do some work on the farm. After reaching the age of twenty one, he had better educational advantages, working on a farm during the summer months, and in the winter attending school. He was naturally ready with tools, and learned the carpenter's trade with a man by whom he was employed in Pennsylvania.

Thinking he could get better wages in the west, he came to Illinois in the year 1839. At Lebanon he found work with John Stewart, and helped build a house in that town. In the year 1841 he returned to Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Knott, daughter of William Knott. She was born on the 22d of September, 1804. In 1846 he purchased eighty acres of land north-east of Lebanon, on which he lived till he removed to the farm on which he died. He was a man of energy and industry, and his industrious and economical habits brought him success and enabled him to accumulate a competence. At the time of his death he was the owner of a large body of land, and was one of the wealthiest men in the north-eastern part of the county. His farm, which was one of the most beautiful locations in the state, consisted of three hundred and fifty-three acres, and he owned beside in the county six hundred acres. He was a democrat in politics. He was a man of temperate habits, and in the whole course of his life was never known to be under the influence of intoxicating liquors. He possessed a candid mind, and never hesitated to speak his opinion. His wealth was the result of honest labor, in which he was assisted by a persevering and sympathetic wife. The suspicion of dishonesly never rested on his business- transactions, but he was in all things an upright and honorable man and a good citizen. He had originally a good constitution, but through life performed much hard labor and underwent much exposure. After a week's illness, he died of pneumonia on the 8th of March, 1879. His remains now repose in the College Hill cemetery at Lebanon. His two children were both sons. The oldest, Hervey Seiter, was born Jan. 30, 1843, and died on the 10th of August, la45.

Henry Seiter was born in the town of Lebanon, Sept. 22d, 1845. After attending the district school in the neighborhood of his father's farm, at the age of twenty-one he entered McKendree College, from wnich he graduated in 1870. He also attended a commercial college in Chicago. In March of the ^ame year in which he graduated at McKendree, he also graduated at the law school connected with the University of Michigan, the sessions of which he had attended. In September, 1871, in partnership with Rufus Ramsay, he engaged in the banking business at Carlyle. In August, 1873, under the firm name of Seiter & Ramsay, he entered also into the banking business at Lebanon. This bank was the first ever started in that town. After dissolving his partnership with Mr. Ramsay in 1877, he carried on the banking business at Lebanon till 1880, when he disposed of the bank to the present firm of Baker, Schaeffer & Co. In his politics Mr. Seiter is a warm and active supporter of the principles of the democratic party. He was elected a representative in the state legislature from St. Clair county in 1878, and was one of that body serving on several important committees. In 1873 he married Alice Radefelt of Lebanon, who died May 9th, 1877. He had two children by this marriage, of whom one, Victor M. Seiter, is living at the agOi^of five. His present wife, whom he married Nov. 22d, 1879, was Mamie Badley of Alton. Her father, William Badley, was a native of Dudley, England. He has one child, Orval Roc Seiter, by this marriage. A view of Mr. Seiter's residence. Emerald Mound, appears among our illustrations. His name is worthy of a place in this work, as one of the representative men of the county.

Prof. Samuel H. Deneen

PROF. SAMUEL H. DENEEN. Samuel H. Deneen, Professor of Latin and History in McKendree College, is a native of this county, and was born near Belleville, December 20th, 1835. His father, the Eev. William L. Deneen, was born near Bedford, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th of October, 1798. One of his ancestors was captain of a ship which traded from a French port. The family name is of French origin, and was originally spelled Denesne. When he was two years and a half old the parents of the Rev. William L. Deneen moved to Liberty township, Trumbull county, Ohio. Here he grew to manhood. His opportunities for obtaining an education were limited, but being gifted with a rare natural aptitude for mathematical studies he mastered all branches of the science of mathematics from arithmetic to calculus, with but little help from others. At the age of twenty he went to Vevay, Indiana, where he learned the hatting business, at which he worked for the four following years. Subsequently he taught school. In 1827 he was converted under the ministry of the Rev. George Locke, and in October, 1828, he was admitted to the Illinois conference. His jSrst appointment was Shoal Creek circuit which included the counties of St. Clair, Monroe, Clinton, Marion, Madison, Bond, Jersey, Fayette and Green. His other appointments were Salt Creek circuit, Lebanon circuit, Kaskaskia circuit, Brownsville mission, Waterloo circuit, Edwardsville, Belleville, Upper Alton, Alton, again at Belleville, Waterloo, and Lebanon.

For nineteen years his cares and labors were those of an itinerant minister of the M. E. Church. He had well nigh rounded out his half century of years, when, in 1847, a severe and prolonged attack upon his lungs compelled him to abandon public speaking and to take a superannuated relation as a minister. As soon as his health permitted he engaged in the business of surveying lands, into which he was led by his strong predilection for the science of mathematics, which had grown with his advancing years. He was county surveyor of St. Clair county from 1849 to 1851, and again from 1853 to 1855. His unusual proficiency in mathematics and the remarkable accuracy of his work as a surveyor received the highest testimonials from those most conversant with the business in which he was employed. In repeated instances the decisions of the courts were determined by the weight of his testimony and the reputation of his work. His services were constantly in demand until he had completed his four score years. He died in Lebanon, Illinois, July 11th, 1879. Mr. Deneen was an able preacher, a profound theologian, a true Christian. As a minister and as a surveyor he was strictly conscientious in all his labors. His long life was characterized by active service, eminent usefulness, and spotless integrity. He was married in 1831 to Verlinder B. Moore, daughter of Eisdon Moore. She was born on the 30th of June, 1802, and died June 30th, 1855. Her father came to Illinois from Georgia. Reference to his history is made elsewhere*. The children of this marriage were Eisdon Moore Deneen, bom July 25th, 1833 ; and died December 25th, 1864 ; Samuel H. Deneen, and Sarah A, the wife of the Hon. A. W. Metcalf, of Edwardsville.

The birthplace of Samuel H. Deneen was six miles east of Belleville. He entered McKendree College in 1850, and graduated in 1854. The following year he was engaged in teaching school and in prosecuting the study of the ancient languages. In 1855 he was elected tutor in the classics in McKendree College, and in 1858 was made Adjunct Professor of Ancient Languages. His studies now took a wide range over the field of ancient, and more especially, of Roman literature and he read carefully and critically the entire re- maining works of the principal Latin authors. In 1862 he was elected Professor of the Latin language and literature. In the summer of 1862 he enlisted in the Union army and was commissioned adjutant of the 117th regiment, Illinois volunteers. When his regiment entered the field he was appointed Acting Assistant Adjutant-General of the third brigade, third division, sixteenth army corps. This portion of the Union army saw service in the States of Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. He participated in the marches, skirmishes, and battles of his brigade until thelatter part of November, 1864, when he received an honorable discharge from the service on account of sickness.

In 1865 he resumed his labors in the college as Professor of Latin, the duties of which position had been divided among other teachers during his absence in the war. He engaged in his tasks with new vigor. Through his agency another year of Latin was added to the studies required in the classical course. He had sought in every way to render this department of collegiate instruction as ample and thorough as that found in the best American colleges. He has shared in the interest awakened among scholars in the department of comparative philology and has made a study of the modern tongues yet derived from the Latin, viz : the French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. In recognition of his scholarly attainments the degree of Doctor of Philosophy was conferred upon him in 1876 by the Indiana Asbury University.

He was married in 1859 to Mary F. Ashley, daughter of Hiram K. Ashley, who was born in Tennessee, April 12th, 1802, and died at Lebanon, April 20th, 1865. Her mother, whose maiden name was Sarah A. Horner, was born at Lebanon, May 17th, 1819, and died September 5th, 1846, and was the daughter of Nathan Horner,f one of the early settlers of Lebanon. Mrs. Deneen was educated at the Illinois Female College, Jacksonville, Illinois, and the Wesleyan Female College, Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a graduate of the latter institution. The children of Prof and Mrs. Deneen now living are Edward Ashley, Charles Samuel, Sarah Alice, and Florence.

Formerly a resident of Lebanon, was born at Hartf )rd, Connecticut, in February, 1779 He was connected with the celebrated Adams family of New England. His father was a Presbyterian minister. At the age of eleven Capt. Adams left home and went on board a ship and became a sailor. He followed a sea -faring life for many years, and became captain of a yessel. He was employed in the merchant trade. After quitting the sea he settled in Baliimore, and, for a number of years, was recorder in the police court of that city. During the war of 1S12-14, he commanded a company of militia, raised for the defence of Baltimore, and was present at the battle of Bladensburg. From Baltimore he went to Louisville, Kentucky, and was there employed in the merchandizing and rectifying business.

He left Louisville in the year 1829, came to Illinois, and settled in Lebanon. He opened a dry goods store, and also a hotel. He carried on this hotel, which was called the "Mermaid," for some years. The travel at that time through Lebanon was quite heavy, the town being situated on the main stage line between Cincinnati and St. Louis. His house was well known from Vincennes to St. Louis, and many eminent men were entertained within its walls. At the time Charles Dickens made his journey from St. Louis to the Looking Glass prairie, he stopped over night at this hotel. Benton, and many other public men, were frequent guests. With many of the prominent state politicians of that day, especially those of the democratic school, Capt. Adam? was well acquainted. He was himself an active politician, and a strong supporter of the democratic faith. He served as post-master at Lebanon for many years, was, for a long time, justice of the peace, and also acted as Notary Public. He was a man of good business habits, was popular in the community, and well known throughout the county. He died on the second of July, 1851.

His last wife, whom he married in Louisville, Kentucky, was Matilda Glover. She was a native of Kentucky. Her mother, Mrs. Prudence Glover, who formerly resided in Lebanon, is now living in Cincinnati, and was one hundred and one years old on the twenty-first of June, 1881. Capt. Adams had eleven children, all by his last marriage. Of these three are now living The oldest, Cecelia, is the wife of Dr. Adolph Berger, of Lebanon. The two sons, Albert and Chester Adams, live at Moberly, Missouri, the former a farmer and the latter a physician and druggist.

Charles H. Sager

Charles H. Sagee, dealer in hardware and agricultural implements at Lebanon, is a native of Lancaster county, Ohio, and was born on the 5th of November, 1838. His father, Col. Charles Sager, was born in Hamburg, then belonging to Denmark, on the 10th of June, 1800. At the age of ten he left home, for six years was in the AVest Indies, and when sixteen came to America. From New York he went to Pittsburg, Pennsj Ivania, and was there employed as clerk in a store, working in the day, and at night attending school. He thus secured a good education, and subsequently taught school. From Pittsburg he went to Mount Vernon, Ohio, and at that place, on the 23d of September, 1823, married Jane H, Smith. He afterwards lived in Lancaster, Ohio, where he kept a hotel ; then moved to a little town named Oakland, twelve miles from Lancaster. In 1854 went to Washington, Ohio, and in the fall of 1858 came to Lebanon, to which place he brought his family the next year. He established the business at Lebanon, which is still carried on by his son, C. H. Sager. He died at Lebanon on the 2d of July, 1877. While a resident of Mount Vernon, Ohio, he com manded a regiment of home guards, and thus acquired the title of Colonel, which he carried through life. As a business man he was exact, accommodating, honest and reliable, and had the entire confidence of the community. He was first a member of the Lutheran Church, but assisted in the organization of the first Presbyterian Church of Lebanon, in which he was made a ruling elder, and of which he was a strong supporter. He was active in Sunday-school work.

C. H. Sager, the fifth of seven children, of whom four, two brothers and two sisters, are now living, resided in Ohio till twenty years of age. He then came to Lebanon with his father, with whom he engaged in business. After his father's death he continued to carry on the store, and is known as an enterprising and successful business man. He carries a full stock of hardware, and deals largely in the latest and most improved kinds of agricultural machinery. He was married in March, 1859, to Amelia Starkel, daughter of Charles Starkel. His children by this marriage are - Emile, C. M Sager, Francis, who died at the age of one year, Edgar Grant, James Richard and Jesse Blanche. He has been a republican in politics. He served one term as treasurer of the City of Lebanon. He is connected with the Odd Fellows and order of United Workmen, and is now a member of the School Board.

Samuel G. Smith

SAMUEL G. SMITH Was born at Wilmington, Delaware, August 30th, 1809. His father, John Smith, was born in Western Pennsylvania, learned the trade of a tanner and currier, and at Wilmington married Gertrude Gilpin, daughter of Abigail and Vincent Gilpin. The Gilpin family were Quakers, and lived in Wilmington during the Revolutionary war. Mr. Smith's mother was accustomed to relate how at the approach of the British the Quaker families of Wilmington buried their silver. After the battle of the Brandywine several wounded British officers were brought to their house for treatment. Mr. Smith's father had a large tannery in Wilmington, and built the first steamboat (called the ^tna) which ran on the Delaware as a packet between Wilmington and Philadelphia. He also operated a large rolling mill, five miles from Wilmington. Having lost a considerable part of his means by speculation in hides during the war of 1812-14, he removed to the West in 1819, reaching Carlyle in Clinton county July 5th. He built two large hewn log -houses on the old Vincennes and St. Louis road, two miles east of Shoal creek, and there kept a hotel for a number of years. In 1831, he settled in this county, near where the Pittsburg railroad descends the blufi", opened two coal pits, and hauled the coal to St. Louis. He subsequently moved to a farm in the Looking Glass prairie, and afterward to Lebanon, where he died.

Samuel G. Smith was married in January, 1835, to Orinda Bankson. Her father. Col. Andrew Bankson, was in the ranging service during the war of 1812-14. He was an old settler of St. Clair county, and afterward removed to Clinton county, where he died. Mr. Smith after his marriage was farming in Clinton county till 1846, and then moved to Iowa and settled on the Mississippi, fifteen miles below Dubuque. He there operated a ferry across the river for about twelve years. His first wife died in 1848, On the 2d of May, 1849, he married Mary Ann Peck, the fifth child of Rev. John M. Peck, whose history is referred to elsewhere. In 1858, Mr. Smith purchased the old place, known as Rock Spring, on which Mr. Peck settled in coming to St. Clair county, and has resided there since. Three or four remarkably fine springs on the farm gave the place its name. Mr. Peck's house is still us^d by Mr. Smith as a residence, and a building is also still standing, in which was published the Western Pioneer, the first religious newspaper in the West. This was one of the first printing offices in Illinois. Mr. Smith has eight children living : Mary, wife of Benjamin Moore, now living in Kansas ; John F., who died at the age of twenty-five ; Gertrude G., wife of Thomas Oliver of Chicago ; Andrew Clark Smith, who died at the age of thirty-eight; George W. Smith of Chicago ; William, James 0., De Witt Clinton, and Chester P. Smith, who live in this county ; Sarah Ann, the next to the youngest child, died at the age of eleven. Mr. Smith was first a Whig in politics, voted for Clay in 1832, became a republican when the party was first organized, and has belonged to that party ever since.

Oliver V. Jones

OLIVER V. JONES. This gentleman, editor and proprietor of the Lebanon Journal, is a native of Kentucky, and was born in Caldwell county, in that state, on the 28th of December, 1824. Both his paternal and maternal ancestors were from England. His grandfather, William Jones, was a resident of North Carolina, and a soldier in the war of the Revolution. His father. Fountain W. Jones, was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, and at an early age accompanied his father to Kentucky, and was raised in the latter state. He was married at Dover, Tennessee, to Mary Ann Vanlandingham, who was a native of Kentucky. Fountain W. Jones removed from Kentucky to Illinois in 1830, and settled in Gallatin county, near Shawneetown. He volunteered under Gen. Posey in the Black Hawk war, and served in the campaign of 1832. His company was commanded by Capt. Harrison Wilson, father of Gen. James H- Wilson.

The subject of this biographical sketch was the oldest of a family of nine children. He was six years old at the time of the removal of the family to this state. He was raised in Gallatin county, attending the ordinary common schools^ and having such opportunities for instruction as were common at that day. He had determined, however, to secure a good education, and by making rails obtained sufficient means to enable him to enter McKendree College in the spring of 1847. His studies were interrupted by his being obliged to teach school to secure the necessary means to allow him to prosecute his studies, but he completed the course, and graduated in 1853. After his graduation he was made tutor in mathematics, and was subsequently elected adjunct professor of mathematics and English literature. Afterward, in 1866, he was made professor of mathematics and astronomy. At the time of his resignation, in 1879, he had been connected with the college twenty-six years. During part of the year 1880 he was engaged as a Methodist minister on the Wisetown circuit, in Clinton and Bond counties. For some months subsequently he was a teacher in the Illinois Literary - and Commercial Institute, at Lebanon.

On the 18th of February, 1881, he issued the first number of the Lebanon Journal, which he is now publishing. A newspaper of this name had previously been published in Lebanon. He was married in 1858 to Miss Mary E. Crocker, a native of Lee, Massachusetts. By this marriage he had two children living, one son and one daughter. Since 1846 he has been a member of the Methodist church, and since 1867 has been an ordained minister of that denomination. He was first a democrat in politics, though in common with a great portion of that party he entertained free-soil sentiments, , and on the organization of the republican party he became a republican.

Prop. William F. Swahlen, Ph. D. who occupies the chair of the Greek and German Languages and Literature in McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois, was born at Wheeling, West Virginia, on the 19th of April, 1839. His father, the Rev. John Swahlen, was a pioneer minister of the German Methodist Church, and was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, December 25th, 1808. The family name is spelled in Switzerland, Zwahlen. John Swahlen came to America in 1832, and the succeeding year made his home in Cincinnati, where he was converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was the first member of the German Methodist Episcopal Society of Cincinnati - the first organization of the kind in the world. In 1838 he was sent to Wheeling, West Virginia, as a missionary among the Germans, and established the first German Methodist Episcopal Society in Wheeling. In 1839 he built a substantial brick church for his congregation, which was the first German Methodist Episcopal Church edifice ever erected in the world.

From that time the active years of his life were devoted to missionary efibrts among the German population. He founded many churches, and was the means of doing much good. He was subsequently stationed at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; was at Warrenton, Missouri, in 1842-43 ; Lawrenceburg, Indiana, 1843-44 ;

Sidney, Ohio, 1844-6 ; Baltimore, Maryland, 1846-8 ; Newark, New Jersey, 1848-9; New York city, 1849-51; BuflTalo, New York, 1861-3; Albany, New York, 1853-4; Baltimore, 1854-6; Brooklyn, 1855-7 ; Poughkeepsie, New York, 1857-8 ; Troy, New York, 1858-60; Philadelphia, 1860-2; Elizabeth, New Jersey, 1862-4; Poughkeepsie, New York, 1864-66; was presiding elder of the Philadelphia district, 1866-70, and was stationed in Baltimore in 1870-2. He has since occupied a superannuated relation, except in the year 1876, when he was pastor of a churcli in Philadelphia. He is now living at Evansville, Indiana. His efibrts were of great service to the cause of German Methodism. ' A correct estimate of his character and labors can, perhaps, be formed from a remark of Bishop Simpson, in his Encyclopedia of Methodism, that " long before the organization of the Church Extension Si)ciety, John Swahlen was virtually such an organization in himself."

He was married in the year 1838 to Ann Taylor Gibbons, a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, who was descended from one of the early Quaker families, which made their home in Pennsylvania shortly after the first settlement of the colony by Penn. Her father was named John Gibbons. Her mother belonged to the Cope family, also connected with the early Quaker settlement of Pennsylvania.

William Fletcher Swahlen was the oldest of two children. He has a sister who resides at Evansville, Indiana. During his early life his changes of residence were frequent on account of the itinerant labors of his father, but in several eastern cities he had most excellent educational advantages. At Buffalo his instructor was N. P. Stanton, Jr., afterward Secretary of the State of New York. At Albany he attended the Albany Academy, under the principalship of George H. Cook and David Murray. At Baltimore he was a student at the Light Street Institute, where he had the benefit of two years' thorough instruction by Asbury J. Morgan. In 1856 and 1857, his teacher was Prof. Charles Anthon, of the Columbia College Grammar School. In the fall of 1858 he entered the Freshman class of the Troy University, of which the Rev. John McClintock, D. D., was then president. In 1860 he became a member of the Sophomore class of the University of Pennsylvania, where he pursued the regular classical course, graduating in July, 1863.

Immediately after his graduation he was elected Adjunct Professor of Greek and German in McKendree College, and took his place among the regular corps of instructors, in October, 1863. From that date to the present time, he has been uninterruptedly connected with the college faculty. In 1867 he was elected to a full professorship. ' He was married on the 29th of June, 1873, to Miss Carrie V. Hypes, daughter of Benjamin Hypes, one of the oldest residents of the town of Lebanon. There have been four children by this marriage; Ella Blanche, Walter Gibbons, (now deceased) ; Percy Hypes, and Arthur Essex. Prof. Swahlen, with one exception, is now the oldest member of the college faculty, and has assisted in giving McKendree its reputation for thoroughness of instruction. In 1870, at the annual session of the Southern Illinois Conference held at Lebanon, he was ordained a deacon in the Methodist Episcopal ministry, by Bishop Simpson, and in 1877 was ordained elder by Bishop Thomas Bowman. In 1866 he received the degree of A. M., both from the McKendree College and the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater ; anti in 1877, the degree of Ph. D., from the Iowa Wesleyan University.

Among the former prominent business men of Lebanon the name of Charles Blanck deserves to be perpetuated in the history of St. Clair county. He was born at Mai chow, in Mecklenburg Schwerin, on the 14th of December, 1833. The family had lived in the town of Malchow for several generations, and there was born Henry Blanck, the father of the subject of this sketch. He carried on the business of a cloth manufacturer. The first thirteen years of Mr. Blanck's life were spent in Germany. At the age of six he began attending a school connected with the Lutheran church, the studies in which he completed before leaving the old country. In 1846 the family emigrated from Germany to America, landing at New Orleans on the loth of October, 1846. From that place they came immediately to St. Louis, and after living two months in that city, became residents of Lebanon. Here, in the spring of 1847, Henry Blanck established a wool-carding machine, which he carried on for a number of years. He died on the 8th of April, 1876. His widow, whose name before marriage was Elizabeth Profke, is still living at Lebanon, and was seventy years of age in April, 1881.

Soon after coming to Lebanon, Mr. Blanck went to live with James M. Whittaker, with the object of learning the English language. He made rapid progress, and in after life spoke the English with so much correctness, and freedom from foreign accent, that it could not be told that he was not a native of this country. After remaining a few months at Judge Whittaker's he entered the store of Col. Hugo Wangelin, then in the mercantile business at Lebanon, and was employed by him two years. When sixteen he went to St. Louis with a view of obtaining a situation in that city. He was without friends, and remained at the hotel four weeks, sometimes lonesome and despondent, before he was able to secure anything to do. He was then given employment in a dry goods store, and remained four years in the same establishment. He was active and industrious, and pleased his employers so well that they regretted to dispense with his services, and offered him an increase of salary if he would remain. He had made up his mind, however, to go into business for himself, and in the spring of 1854 came to Lebanon, and purchased, partly on time, a small stock of goods from the firm of Sargeant & Wangelin, and embarked in business on his own account. His only capital at that time was some money which he had saved while in St. Louis. He kept this store in a frame building at the corner of St. Louis and Mill streets, and was afterward in business uninterruptedly at this location up to the time of his death.

and Mississippi railroad through St. Clair county. When he came to Lebanon from St. Louis he was a passenger on the locomotive which made the first trip over the road from East St. Louis to Lebanon, then the eastern terminus. The building of the railroad, and other circumstances, made business active in Lebanon, and Mr. Blanck prospered from the start. He made the best of his opportunities, and rapidly accumulated money. In 1858 the old frame structure in which he made his first attempt at a business career, was supplanted by a substantial brick building, which is still standing, though it was partly destroyed by fire after Mr. Blanck's death, and has since been rebuilt. He was married at Lebanon on the 1st day of January, 1855, to Miss Jennie Cape, who was born in Washington county, Missouri. Her father, William B. Cape, was a native of Virginia, and died in Washington county, Missouri. Her mother, Amy Carty, was bom in Kentucky, and is still living at Carrollton, in this state. The death of Mr. Blanck occurred on the 15th of April, 1878. He was' then in the forty-fifth year of his age, in the prime of life, and in the midst of a business career which up to that time had been more than usually successful.

He was well known as an enterprising and active business man. Though, with the exception of attending night-school in St. Louis, he had no advantages for instruction in this country, yet he had acquired by wide reading, a valuable stock of information, and was a good English scholar. While living in St. Louis he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the French language. He possessed refined tastes, and was a lover of music and works of art. He was identified in some capacity with the government of Lebanon for many years ; first as city register, then as treasurer, and afterwards as member of the board of aldermen, in which he served as chairr man of the finance committee. He was especially interested in the public schools, and was regarded as one of the most active members of the board of education. He was an honest, upright, and useful citizen, and a man who attached to himself many warm personal friends. His death was a loss not only to his immediate family, but to the community at large. He was generous in his disposition, charitable to the poor, and will long be remembered for his many good deeds. His grave in the cemetery at Lebanon is marked by a handsome monument, erected to his memory by Mrs. Blanck. He was a democrat, but took no active or conspicuous part in politics. He had been brought up a member of the Lutheran church, but in Lebanon attended, with his family, the Methodist church, from which he was buried. His oldest child, Ida Belle, is now the wife of James D. Baker, who is engaged in the banking business at Lebanon. The youngest, Amy Elizabeth, married Charles W. Harrison, of Belleville.

Summerfield Precinct

I HIS precinct lies in the extreme north-east corner of the county, the greater part being in T. 2 N., R, 6 W., with a strip one and a half miles wide and four long, from the north of T. 1 N., R. 6 W. It is bounded on the north by Madison county, east by Clinton county, south by Mascoutah, and west by Lebanon precints. The surface is a pleasantly undulating prairie, containing numerous high and beautiful building sites. The soil is rich and productive, and many fine, highly-improved farms may be seen within its borders. Several small streams, tributaries of Silver Creek, flow westwardly through the precinct, and furnish drainage to the lands and a supply of water for other purposes. There are several small patches of timber scattered over the territory, which supply the demand for fencing, etc. The Ohio and Mississippi railroad runs from east to west through the precinct, entering it on section 24 and leaving on section 28. The first settlements in this precinct were made prior to 1810, one mile south of the present site of Summerfield, in what is known as the Union Grove settlement. The earliest settler was Nathan Chambers, who located on section 33, near a small branch of Silver Creek, as early as 1806. Chambers was a man of some talent, and well adapted for the hardships incident to a frontier life. In 1811- 12 he built a fort on his place, which was known as " Chambers' Fort," where the neighboring families gathered for protection against Indian depredations. Mr. Chambers held several minor county offices in early times. We will mention the names of some of the earliest settlers in this vicinity : - Robert and James Moore, John Broom, William Padfield, Robert Farar, Samuel and Alfred Ryle, Henry Button, John Dew, a Methodist minister ; Thornton Peeples, also a Methodist minister ; Dr. Anthony W. Casad, Edmond Randle, Malcom Johnson, Peter Wright, Wm. Lunceford and Samuel H. Thompson - a noted Methodist minister. William Padfield was a native of Kentucky, and settled here in 1815. He had quite a large family, mott of whom married and left descendants. The sons were - Thomas, William R. (who lived in a fine residence in the suburbs of Summerfield) ; Henry, James R., a farmer, residing on section 34; Joseph, Hiram, and several daughters. Wm R. and James R. are the only sons now living. Mr. Padfield was a zealous member of the M. E. Church, and for a number of years had a camp-meeting ground on his farm. Joshua Barnes was an early settler, and also an early Methodist preacher and school teacher. Among the earliest settlers north of Union Grove may be mentioned W. W. Roman, Wm. Frazier, Michael Keith, J. McKeg, John Lord, Mr. Anderson, Joseph Schrougham, John Marney, Capt. Morris, Preston Utley, James Paydon, and others. The following are the land entries in this precinct in 1814, as taken from the county records : Daniel Simons, S. W. i sec. 33, 160 acres, Sept. 26; George Nichols, N. E. i sec. 34, 160 acres, Sept. 15; Pleasant Nichols, N. W. i sec. 34, 160 acres, Sept. 15 ; Nathan Chambers, S. W. i sec. 34, 160 acres, Sept. 15; Francis Swan, S. E. i sec. 34, 160 acres, Sept. 16. The above are in T. 2 N. R. 6 W. Francis Swan, N. E. i sec. 3, 153 im acres, Sept. 16 ; Nathan Chambers, N. W. i sec. 3, 154 acres, Sept. 15 ; Robert Frazier, N. E. i sec. 9, 160 acres, Sept. 10; John Brown, N. W. i sec. 10, 160 acres, Nov. 24; John Nichols, N. E. i sec. 4, 154 /oo acres, Sept. 26; Henry Hutton, 8. W. i sec. 4, 160 acres, Sept. 10, are in T. 1 N. R. 6 W. John Wordsworth, who resides on section 16, is a native of Clinton county, Illinois, and settled in St. Clair in 1830. G H. Appel, a farmer on section 35, was born in Germany, and came to this county in 1834. John H. Calbreath, who resides on section 11, is a son of William Calbreath, who settled in this county about 1804^5. He was born here in 1825. Judge James Whittaker, an honorable citizen who resides in the northern part of this precinct, was an early associate judge, and has held other minor offices.

The first school-house was erected of logs in Union Grove at a very early date, and schools were held there for some time before other school-houses were built in this precinct. A church was also built in this settlement by the Methodist denomination about 1820 ; but soon after it was completed it was set on fire by some evil-disposed parties, and completely destroyed. It was soon replaced by another, even larger and better than the one before. The first mill was built by William Padfield in section 2 of T. 1 N., R. 6 W., about 1826. It was an ox mill, and the largest of the kind at that time in this part of the country. The building was about 60 x 80 feet, and five stories high. It was a grist and saw mill, propelled by ten oxen. Padfield's mill was known and patronized by the settlers for thirty miles around. Mr. Padfield also had a blacksmith's shop and store at this point, and at that early day there was considerable trading done here. The store was kept by Thomas Padfield, and was opened as early as 1818.

Frederick Hecker arrived in the United States in autumn, 1848, a voluntary exile. Hecker was born in Eichtersheim, Baden, September 28th, 1811, had received a splendid education, became a most distinguished jurisprudent and ardent politician. Hecker was the acknowledged leader of republicanism in south Germany, organized as such, an insurrection against the existing monarchy, in the spring of 1848, was defeated at Kandern, and fled into Switzerland. After a brief stay, he emigrated t ) America. Another revolutionary attempt, promising a better success, re-called Hecker to Europe, where he arrived in July, 1849, just in tinie to learn that his most cherished dreams of freedom and popular sovereignty would have to remain dreams for ages yet. Hecker returned the same year and settled in this township, near Summerfield. His home was known as the most hospitable one far or near, and of the thousands that came in the course of years to pay their respects to the revolutionist and philosopher, not one departed but was most favorably impressed with the amiability of host and hostess. Hecker died on the 24th of March, 1881, and was buried on the 28th. His funeral was the largest ever witnessed in St. Clair county. A dozen states sent delegations, and the friends that participated in the solemnizing of the day, are to be numbered by thousands.

Village Of Summerfield

This place, like many others in the west, sprang into existence with the building of the railroad through this part of the county. It was laid out in the spring of 1854, by Thomas Casad and B. T. Kavanaugh. At the time it was laid out, the site was covered with a gr >wth of small timber and underbrush ; not a house was within its limits. The first building was erected by Samuel S. Casad, soon after the survey was made, in the spring of 1854. It was a small one-story frame dwelling, situated on block eight, lot four, and is still standing, and forms a part of. Peter KuUmann's store-house. In one room of this building, Mr. Casad kept a small stock of general store goods, and it was only a few months until a post-office was ^tablished, and Mr. Casad was appointed post-master.

Samuel S. Casad was not only the first resident of the village, but also the first merchant, and did much toward building up the place. He soon erected a second house, on the lot just north of the first, and the following fall, John Wakefield, Eev. Thornton Peeples and Dr. Walker, each erected dwellings about the same time. Dr. Walker was the first resident physician. The present large steam flouring mill was being built in 1854, and a blacksmith shop was also opened in the same year. In the spring of 1855, Andrew Hall and Thomas Casad erected sevej-al tenement houses, and this y&ir the population was considerably increased. A twostory frime building was erected by H. Beetle, who opened a hotel, the first in the place. Mr. Casad continued the only merchant until the completion of a store-house by Rev. Thornton Peeples, in the summer of 1856, when Bradford & Brother, of St Louis, laid in a stock of clothing. The next store-house was built by John Wakefield, early in 1857, and that spring Wakefield & Phillips opened a general stock of goods. In the same year Eev. Thornton Peeples erected another store, and a general stock of goods was opened in it by the firm, Peeples & Dew.' This year a broom factory was erected by a stock company, composed of enterprising men, and operated successfully by Haven & White for several years. In a severe storm the building was blown down, and was never rebuilt. There were several stores and minor enterprises establi hed in 1 857 and '58, and since then the village has grown gradually, and like all places, there have been numerous changes in the business circle. S. P. Dew, Joseph R. Padfield, John M. Casad, Charles Wakefield, Henry Ruth, George Bumb, John Schupp, Dr. A. W. Casad, Garret and Jacob Vogt, Charles L. Dew, Julius- Winkler, Joseph Trenz, George Peters and Jacob Schuster, were among the early residents, and business men not above mentioned.

The first school was a private one, taught in the rear of Rev. Peeples' store-house, in the summer of 1856, by Miss Lucy E Dew. It was a three-months' subscription school. , The first public school building was erected in 1860. It is still standing near the new one, and is now being used by the German parochial school. It is a brick, one story high, 36x40 feet, with two rooms, and cost, when built, $4,000. The present fine brick structure was erected in 1874, at a cost of $10,500, including furniture. It is 40x60 feet, and two stories high. The entrance projects from the main building and runs above the roof, forming a tower, in which swings a bell. It has four school-rooms and employs four teachers.

The Methodist denomination built the first church, which was completed in 1857. It was constructed of brick, in size about 40x60 feet, with basement, where the public schools were first held. This building was torn down in 1874, and their present fine brick church was built on the same spot.

The German Methodist church was erected in 1864. It is a brick building, about 24x36 feet. The Evangelical Lutherans have a brick church about 30x40 feet, which was erected in 1865.

A coal-shaft was sunk at this point several years ago, but was never successfully worked. Coal was discovered at a depth of three hundred and eighty feet ; the vein, however, was but three and a half feet in thickness, which was too small to be profitably worked, Summerfield, situated as it is in the heart of a rich and populous farming district, makes it a good point for shipping and general mercantile business. The precinct and village together have a population of 1 ,676, both well supplied with churches and schools, which are liberally maintained. Summerfield has two secret societies ; the Summerfield Lodge, No. 342, A. F. & A. M., was chartered in 1860, and has a membership of twenty-four. The Summerfield Lodge, No. 163, A. O. W. M., was chartered March 12, 1880, and has twenty-eight members. Both societies are in good working order.

The Summerfield Mills as stated above, was built in 1854, by Casad, Wakefield & Co. In 1859 it was purchased by C. Eisenmayer, the present owner, who enlarged the building and capacity. It is an excellent mill, and contains seven run of burrs and six pairs of rolls, with a capacity of manufacturing two hundred and fifty barrels of flour per day. Several fine brands of flour are manufactured, most of which is shipped to the eastern states and to various parts of Europe. The building is about half brick and half frame, five stories high. Everything is well arranged, and it is among the best mills in the county. A large cooper shop is carried on in connection with the business. Employs in all about thirty-five men

In 1880 Ruth & Whitaker erected an elevator on the railroad, just east of the depot. It is constructed for handling all kinds of grain, and haa a capacity of 5,000 bushels storage.

Biographical Sketches

One of the oldest residents of St. Clair county, was born two miles and a half south of Summerfield, on the 30th of September, 1821. His ancestors formerly lived in Maryland, and from there moved to Kentucky. His great grandfather emigrated from England and settled in Maryland. His grandfather, whose name was Wm. Padfield, was born in Maryland, and during the Revolutionary war served in the American army as the driver of a provision wagon. His father, Thomas Padfield, was born in Maryland, in the year 1792. In 1793, when he was not yet a year old, the family moved to Kentucky, and settled in Christian county, near Hopkinsville. They were among the early residents of that part of the state. Thos. Padfield was one of the Kentucky soldiers under Gen. Hopkins, in the war of 1812-14. He took part in Harrison's campaign against the Indians, and was present at the battle of Tippecanoe. He came through Illinois as early as 1811, and that year also visited St. Louis.

In 1815 Mr. Padfield's grandfather moved with the family from Kentucky to Illinois, and settled about three miles south of the present town of Summerfield, on the place which was afterwards the residence of Col. Fred. Hecker. Mr. Padfield's grandfather made the first improvements on the Hecker farm. He died at this place at the age of seventy-five. The settlement in this neighborhood, called Union Grove, was one of the earliest in that part of the county. Mr. Padfield's father was twenty-three years old when the family made their home in Illinois. Soon after his arrival he opened a store at Carlyle - the first one ever in existence in that town. After carrying on this store for three or four years, the goods were moved to Union Grove, where Mr. Padfield's father continued the business. Thomas Padfield was married at Carlyle to Temperance Hill, daughter of Major Isaac Hill. She was born in Georgia. Her father, Major Hill, was in the war of 1812, and during that campaign commanded a fort near Greenville, in Bond county.

This is the fort near which Tom. Higgins had his celebrated fight with the Indians, and Mr. Padfield's mother was in the fort at the time of the encounter, which was in plairf view of the garrison. Major Hill also served in the Black Hawk war.

After his marriage, Thomas Padfield settled two miles and a half south of Summerfield, on a farm now owned by W. R. Padfield. He moved to Summerfield in 1869, and died in November, 1873. His wife had died previously in 1863. He was a man of industrious habits, and his time was constantly spent in some useful employment. He was first a member of the Whig party and afterwards a Republican.

W. R. Padfield was raised in the country, and attended the oldfashioned subscription schools, held in log school-houses with puncheon floors and slab benches. He went to school as much as he had opportunity, but most of his education was obtained at home, nights, without instruction, by the light of a brushwood fire He was married in June, 1853, to Miss Caroline Alexander, daughter of John Alexander. The Alexander family came to Illinois from Pennsylvania, and settled near Shiloh. She died of consumption within a few months after her marriage. Mr. Padfield engaged in farming on his father's old farm, two miles and a half south of Summerfield, and lived there till he moved to his present residence just west of Summerfield in 1880. A view of this place appears on another page. He owns three hundred and fifty acres of land south of Summerfield. Beside his residence adjoining Summerfield, he is the owner of considerable property in that town. His second marriage took place in the spring of 1863, to Anna Kleiu, a native of Manheim, Germany. She died in the spring of 1874. His present wife, to whom he was married in the spring of 1875, was Elizabeth Klein, a sister of his second wife. She was born on the ocean while her parents were coming to this country. Her father is Powell Klein, of Mascoutah. He has two children by his last marriage, whose names are Damon and Sideros, the former now five and the latter less than a year old. Mr. Padfield has been a member of the Republican party ever since it first started, and voted for Fremont in 1856, the first Republican presidential candidate. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Summerfield. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1874, and has filled that position with satisfaction to the people. One of the characteristics of his administration of this ofiice has been his desire to have parties to a suit settle their disputes without litigation, and in this he has been generally successful.

Dr. Edward Parks Bland

DR. EDWARD PARKS BLAND Is a resident of Summerfield precinct, and was born in Amelia county of the Old Dominion, on the 13th of December, 1813. The family to which he belongs was of English origin, and occupied a good position in that part of Virginia The subject of this sketch was raised in Virginia. He acquired a liberal education, and for a time was a student in William and Mary College. Soon after leaving college he came west, and reaching the neighborhood of St. Louis, took charge of a school at Bridgeton, St Louis county, Missouri. He was only temporarily engaged in this occupation. Having made up his mind to enter the medical profession, he entered the old McDowell College in St. Louis, and attended lectures during the winter of 1846-7. He began practice in St. Louis county, Missouri, but in 1848 became a resident of St. Clair county; and undertook the practice of his profession at Fayetteville. He was a resident of that place for seven years, and then in the year 1855, removed to Mascoutah, where he was engaged in the practice of till 1861.

While living at Mascoutah he married (on the 9th of April, 1856,) Julia Ann Padfield, daughter of Thomas Padfield. The Padfield family was one of the earliest to settle in the north-eastern part of St. Clair county. Mrs. Padfield's great-grandfather was born in England, and on coming to America settled in Maryland. In 1793 her grandfather, whose name was William Padfield, moved from Maryland and settled in Christian county, Kentucky. Her father was born in Maryland, and was not a year old when the family moved to Kentucky. He was in the war of 1812-14, served in General Harrison's campaign against the Indians, and was present at the battle of Tippecanoe. He is said to have opened the first store that was ever in the town of Carlyle. He married Temperance Hill, daughter of Major Isaac Hill, who was one of the fir.-t settlers of Carlyle, and a soldier both in the war of 1812-14 and the Black Hawk war.

Dr. Bland, in 1861, became a resident of the town of Summerfield, where he engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1870 he moved to his present residence in section 35, T. 2 N., R. 6 W.

He has since retired from the practice of his profession, and has been engaged in farming. Dr. Bland has taken an active interest in politics. He was warmly attached to the democratic party. His views have been thoroughly honest and sincere, and of that advanced and positive type which characterized all his mental convictions. During his active life he was a man of much mental activity, and formed his views regardless of the opinions of others. He possessed a mind of great candor, and was free, outspoken and fearless in the expression of his sentiments. He cared little for papular favor. As a physician, he had a good reputation, and was regarded as a man of broad and liberal education.

His two children are - Edward Parks Bland, Jr., and Richard Lee Bland, who are now living at home and employed in the management of the farm. The former received his early education from his father, was for a time a student in McKendree College, and graduated from a commercial institute in St. Louis.

James M. Whittaker

Who has been a resident of St. Clair county since 1838, is a native of Delaware, and was born November 20, 1816. The family is of English descent. His great-grandfather, Henry Whittaker, emigrated from England to Delaware in 1640. His grandfather, James Whittaker, and his father, Henry Whittaker, were born and raised in Kent county, Delaware, near Dover. The Subject of this sketch was the second of a family of six children. His mother, whose maiden name was Sallie Miller, was a daughter of Conrad Miller, and belonged to a German family which had lived in Delaware for several genera tions. Judge Whittaker was raised in Deleware. For a short time he attended school at Dover, the capital of the state. In 1838, then in his twenty-second year, he came West. In the winter of 1838-9 he taught school on Ridge Prairie. In March, 1839, he married Mary Penn, daughter of William and Rhuma Penn. He soon afterward went to farming on Ridge prairie and in 1844 moved north-east of Lebanon. Since 1853 he has resided on his present farm in section two of township two north, range six west. He is the owner of about a thousand acres of land, part of which lies in Madison county. He has eight children, six sons and two daughters. He has always been a democrat in politics. In 1858, under the' old system of couuty judges, he was elected associate judge, and filled that office four years. He was elected as representative from St. Clair county in the Thirtieth General Assembly in 1876, and served during the session of the legislature in the winter of 1876-7.

Joseph K Padfield

One of the old citizens of the north-eastern part of the county, is Joseph R. Padfield, who was born in St. Clair county, Illinois, four miles and a half south of Summerfield, on the 24th of September, 1820. The Padfield family is of English descent, and at an early date emigrated from England and settled in Maryland. Particulars of the early family history may be found elsewhere in the biographical sketch of W. R. Padfield. In 1793 Mr. Padfield's grandfather moved from Maryland to Kentucky. William Padfield, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Kentucky in the year 1796, was raised in that state, and obtained an ordinary education in the common schools. In 1815 the family moved to Illinois and settled at Union Grove, four miles and a half south of Summerfield. William Padfield in 1818 married Mahala Barnes, who was born in Christian county, Kentucky, whose family came to Illinois at about the same time as the Padfields. He lived on a farm south of Summerfield till his death in 1849, at the age of fifty-three. He had ten children, of whom only three are now living. Of those living, Joseph R. Padfield is the oldest. James R. Padfield, another son, r^ides in Mascoutah, and John B. Padfield still lives on the old homestead farm. Joseph R. Padfield, whose name appears at the head of this sketch, was raised in the same part of the county in which he was born, and obtained his education in the early schools of the neighborhood, which, like all the country schools in the county at that time| oflTered inferior educational advantages.

He was married on the 23d of April, 1844, to Susan Tipton, who was born in Carter county, East Tennessee, and was the daughter of James I. Tipton. After his marriage Mr. Padfield went to farming for himself three miles north-east of Mascoutah, and then moved to a farm two miles and a half south of Summerfield. From 1857 to 1864 he lived in the town of Summerfield, and while living there filled the oiBce of constable. In 1864 he moved to his present farm, a mile south of Summerfield. He is the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of land. He has four children, whose names are as follows : Martha, now the wife of Joseph Utly ; Matilda, who married Nathan Fyke, and two sons, Crittenden and Lee, who reside at home. He was first a whig in politics, but after the breaking up of the whig party voted for Douglas for president in 1860, and has been a member of the democratic party ever since. He is connected with the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of Summerfield lodge, No. 342. He is now one of the oldest residents of the county, and has always sustained the reputation of a peaceable and law-abiding citizen, and a useful member of the community. His name appropriately finds a place in this book as one of the old settlers of the county.

Mascoutah Precinct

JHIS precinct is situated on the east side of 'the county, and contains nearly seventy sections, mostly fine agricultural lands, originally about one third timber, but at present not over one fifth of the area is timber. The land lays rolling, and is considered the best of wheat land, and that staple is the principal produc'C'. The precinct is made out of part of four congressional townships as follows : Town one south SIX west, one south seven west, one north six west, and one north seven west, and is bounded on the north by Summerfield, Lebanon, and Shiloh, on the west by Shiloh, Belleville, and Fayetteville, on the south by Fayetteville and St. Clair precincts, and on the east by Clinton county. Silver Creek passes through the western part, from north to south. The Kaskaskia river touches four sections, in the south- east part. Jackson and Rayhill Sloughs drain the east part of the precinct and empty into the Kaskaskia. Loup creek is in the west part of the precinct, and empties into Silver C reek. The first settlement's here were made along the timber edges near Silver Creek, by settlers from Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia, as early as 1810. It is said several of the first families came here on horseback, and brought what little furniture and hoasehold goods they possessed on pack horses, a few used the wagon of that day, a description of which can be found in another part of this work. On the east bank of Silver Creek, in the north-east quarter of section 24 stood Fort Petersburg. It was here near the site of this old Fort, where James Anderson, Sr., built his first cabin upon coming to the territory of Illinois in 1810. Two years later he removed upon the section east, being nineteen, where he lived a number of years ; his death occurred about forty -five years ago. He left three sons : James, Martin, and Abraham ; the latter lived the life of a bachelor. James and Martin improved farms in this vicinity. James Anderson, Jr., was quite a prominent citizen in the county for a number of years, filling the office of County Commissioner, and for some time was a captain in the Black Hawk war. He removed to Bates county, Missouri, a number of years ago, where he died. Robert Abernathy settled in the north part of the precinct on section nine, about 1810. Sept. 10, 1814, he entered 320 acres of land in this section. Miles Abernathy, son of Robert, settled in the south-east part of section seven, one mile east of his fathers in 1815. He put up a cotton gin here the following year, the first in this part of the county, and the settlers for many miles around came here to get their cottons ginned. It is said that some of the larger farmers here raised as much as four and five acres of cotton every year. Job Vanwinkle settled in this neighborhood about 1810 or 12. He entered the south-east quarter of section eight, September 10, 1814. Jas. Bankson and Thomas Crocker settled here about the same time. They entered one hundred and sixty acres each, September 10, 1814. Bankson's was the southeast quarter of section twelve, and his cabin stood near the bank of Silver creek. Crocker entered the south-east quarter of section eighteen. Thomas Kinghton was one of the early settlers on Silver Creek, he entered the north-east quarter of section twenty-five, September 29th, 1814.

Jonathan Gaskill settled one-half mile east of Kinghton's, and December 24, 1814, entered the north-east quarter of section thirty. James Gilbreath settled one-half mile south of Kinghton's, on Silver Creek, and December 29, 1814, he entered the northeast quarter of section thirty-six. William Rittenhouse settled on the west bank of Silver Creek, as early as 1810 ; he settled on section twelve, in the south-western part of this precinct, September 12,

1814, and entered the south-west quarter in the above section. Rittenhouse improved a farm here, where he resideS until his death. His son. Darby Rittenhouse, well known to the old settlers of this county, resided on this tract until about 1852, when he died. Isaac Quick entered the north-west quarter of section seven, January 2,

1815, one-half mile north-east of where Rittenhouse settled. As early as 1825 Moses Hering bought this tract of land, where he lived until about 1837. He then joined the Mormons, and went to Missouri. He afterwards returned to this precinct, where he died. Paul Zugweiler bought out Hering about 1837, and settled on the place. Joshua Clark entered eighty acres on the east side of Silver creek, section twenty-four, extreme south-western part of the precinct, September 17, 1814, where he improved a farm. John Steel started an improvement near where Joshua Clark settled, about the same time. Brice Virgin, a native of Kentucky, settled on section six, a short distance south-west of the present town of Mascoutah, in 1810. He resided here until his death. His sons, William, Hiram and Brice, settled in the same vicinity, and raised families. William Virgin served in the war of 1812, and was in the government employ as a ranger until 1815, and was also in the Black Hawk war. He died on the same section where his father first settled, in 1855. He left his family in very good circumstances. Green Baker settled on section nine, west side of the Jackson Slough, prior to 1824, where he resided until his death- William McNail settled on the west side of Loup Creek, section thirty-five, as early as 1818. He was a ranger here in the war of 1812. He lived here until after 1847, and then moved to Washington county, Illinois. His son, Washington McNail, settled on section eight, south of Mascoutah, about 1832; he left the county the same year his father did. James Reed and John Ward settled on the north side of Hazel Creek, section two, as early as 1818. Lemuel Dupuy located on section twelve, south-east part of the precinct in 1817 or '18. He here improved a good farm, and was one of the prominent farmers in this part of the county in the early times. He was a zealous member of the M. E. Church, and the itinerant preachers of that denomination held meetings at his house. Before 1820 he fitted up a camp-ground here, and for many years there were regular meetings held near his residence every year. He was an honest and very conscientious man. It is said of him that, in the early settlement of Illinois, the corn crop in the northern part of the state was an entire failure ; and the settlers for seventy and a hundred miles north came down into " Egypt " to buy corn for seed, and while old man Dupuy could have received 40 and 50 cents per bushel for his corn on hand, he would not take more than 25 cents per bushel, and would not sell to one man more than four or or five bushels. Speculators could not buy corn of him at any price. He died on the place he improved, and left many friends and no enemies. Three sons of his, George, William and Lemuel, improved farms in the same neighborhood as early as 1825. Simeon Wakefield settled where F. Perring now lives, near Strassburg, as early as 1810. He moved to Iowa about twenty-five years ago.

John Jackson, a native of St. Clair county, settled on section seventeen, south of Mascoutah, about 1828, where he lived until 1835 ; he then moved to Missouri.

Major H. G. Brown, Jarvis Jackson, and George Rayhil) were the only settlers on the Shawneetown road between Middleton's ferry on the Kaskaskia and Silver Creek in 1830. Major Brown served in the Black Hawk war.

Joseph Land settled on section 18, south-west of Mascoutah, as early as 1825. He improved a farm here and afterwards moved to Mascoutah, where he died. His father, Moses Land, was a Revolutionary soldier, and pensioned ; and for a number of years he made a trip to Kentucky once a year to draw his pension. He always made this trip in a one-horse wagon.

William Padfield, jun., settled on section 9, in the north part of the precinct where John B. Padfield now lives. In 1812 he came from Kentucky with his father, who settled two miles south of Summerfield. William Padfield resided on this place until his death, which occurred August, 1849. He left a family of twelve children to mourn his loss, seven sons and five daughters. Only three of the children still survive, and they are residents of the county.

Henry Hutton settled on the same section, just north of Padfields, about 1810, and died on the old place. None of his descendants now reside in the county.

There were no settlements made in the north-east part of Mascoutah Precinct until after 1830. It is a fine rolling prairie, and in the early times (so say the old settlers) could be seen deer, fifty and seventy-five in a drove.

George Swaggard, a native of St. Clair county, was born at East St. Louis in 1821. Has lived in this precinct since 1833, and followed farming for the past twenty years. He has lived in the village of Mascoutah.

Elisha Bagby came to Mascoutah precinct in 1831 with his widowed mother, Nancy Bagby, who bought one hundred and sixty acres of one Samuel Crane, situated three miles west of Mascoutah. This tract of land is now owned by Henry Staub.

Among the first Germans that came to this precinct was John Knobeloch now living on section 27, in the west part of the precinct. He came here in 1831, returned to Germany the same year, and the year following came out with his father and father's family, and settled on the above section. Balthasar Knobeloch, a brother to John, lives in the same section. Thomas, another brother, who came out in 1832, lives two miles west of the old homestead in Belleville precinct.

Peter Fries, now keeping a hotel in Mascoutah, has lived in the county since 1833, and was a great hunter in the early settlement of this county, and now in the bar of his hotel can be seen nailed to the wall, many deer heads that Peter, in his young days, laid low. He is jovial and talkative, and loves to relate his experience of the early times in this county, and of the exciting deer and wolf chases.

John Barth, jun., came from Germany to this county in 1835. He was accompanied by his wife and family of five children. He settled two and a half miles south-west of the present town of Mascoutah. His son, John Barth, jun., now owns the old homestead.