Shiloh Valley Township

Shiloh Valley Township

In Rsynolds' Pionser History of Illinois, we find that in the summsr of 1807, Bishop McKendree, whose name has been perpetuated in the Methodist College at Lebanon, was one of the earliest Methodist ministers to preach in this vicinity. He had erected at Shiloh a log meeting-house, which was one of the earliest churches of this denomination in Illinois. He also organized and held a camp-meeting at this point the same year. There have been four churches erected by this denomination on the same spot. The present one is constructed of brick, and is a neat and costly edifice.

The first house erected in the village proper was by Edwin Pierce, in 1845. It is still standing, just in the rear of the church, and is known as the Gaag house. The next dwelling was built by Robert Dorey. Jacob Canmann erected the first store-house and opened the first stock of goods for sale, in 1845. Andrew Haege erected two or three houses, and his brother Jacob erected a dwelling and blacksmith shop about the same date. Jacob Haege was the first blacksmith. A steam saw-mill was erected by Edwin Pierce, Philip Scott and Charles Alexander, about 1847. The village is located in the north-western part of the precinct, near the O'Fallon line, and was laid out by Martin Stites and James Atkins.

One mile east of the village is situated the saw-mill of Albert C. Reuss & Co. It is a frame building, constructed in 1880; they have steam power ; considerable hard lumber is sawed, and a large stock is constantly kept on hand.

Biographical Sketches James Pakk

The family from which Joseph Griffen is descended was of Welsh origin, and at an early date came to America, and settled in the State of New York. His father, Jacob Griffen, resided in Duchess County, New York, and in that part of the state was born Joseph Griffen, on the 23d of September, 1796. His birth-place was the town of Clinton in Duchess County. His father afterward moved with the family to Albany County, New York. He secured an ordinary common school education. He left home at the age of nineteen and began life on his own account, without any means on which to rely except his own industry and energy. He went to the western part of New York State, and for about a year was employed on a farm in the vicinity of Kochester. When he reached the age of about twenty-one he determined to strike out for the West and find what opportunities existed in a new country. His first trip to Illinois was made by way of the Ohio river, which he descended in a flat boat. His first stopping place in this State was in the vicinity of Kaskaskia.

After a couple of years he returned to New York, making the trip in a one-horse wagon. But after remaining in the East a short time he came back to Illinois, making the entire journey on horseback. When he first cume to Illinois he was employed part of the time in a saw mill at Walnut Hill. He managed to accumulate a little money, and after returning from New York invested his means in a stock of goods which he sold throughout the country, carrying the goods around in a one-horse wagon. In those days stores were scarce to what they are at the present time, and the settlers often found their only opportunity to purchase goods from the itinerant merchants who traveled over the country. In exchange for his goods he was obliged to take considerable produce, money at that time being a scarce article. He sold this produce, especially large quantities of honey, at advantageous prices, and gradually obtained sufficient money with which to buy land in Horse Prairie in Randolph County. He lived there till his removal to St. Clair county.

Oa comiag hare he first resided on Turkey Hill and there two of his children are now buried. In the year .1828 he purchased for four hundred dollars the south half of the south-east quarter of section fourteen of township one north, range seven west. He had not then sufficient means to make the whole payment on the land. This place was subsequently his residence till his death. At the time he moved on this land only a small part was under cultivation. Mr. Griffen worked industriously at improving the farm. He was a man of great energy and activity. He had good business qualifications, and at the time of his death was one of the largest land owners of the Shiloh valley. -His first marriage took place in February, 1826, to Mrs. Mary Shepherd, whose maiden name was Foulks. Her death occurred on the 5th of February, 1841, at the age of thirty-nine. She was born in Pennsylvania on the 5th of February, 1802. His second marriage was on the 13th of October, 1841, to Sally Ann Collins, who was born near Greenville, New York, on the 1st of December, 1805. This marriage occurred at Amsterdam, New York, while Mr. Grifien was in that state on a visit to his brother.

He had in all twelve children, whose names are as follows : - Jacob Fardon Grifien, born on the 6th of February, 1827, died on the 15th of November of the same year ; Smith Grifien, who was born in 1828 and died in 1831 ; Harriet Jane Grifien, born August 10, 1831, and died the succeeding 15th of November; Joseph Grifien, who was born in 1832, and is now living in the Shiloh valley; Caroline Grifien, born in 1834 and died in 1835; Sarah Ann Grifien, born March, 1836, now residing in Macon county, the wife of James H.Alexander; Mariah Grifien, now Mrs. Wm. D. Howard of Lebanon ; Rachel Grifien, who was born in 1840 and died the same year ; Boon Grifien, who was born July 27th, 1842 and died May 4, 1862 ; Alletta Grifien, who 'was born in 1843 and died in 1844 ; Charles Griffen, born February 20, 1845, and Jane, who was born in January, 1849, and died in September of the Boon Griffen was a student at McKendree college at the time of the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. He enlisted at St. Louis in a Missouri regiment, not then nineteen years old, and was in the three months service under General Fremont. After the expiration of his term of service he returned to his studies, but died of consumption in 1862, while a member of the college graduating class. He would have graduated had he lived till June.

For a number of years, subsequent to 1841 , Joseph Grifien served as Justice of the Peace, and in that capacity gave satisfaction as an upright man, and a just and impartial magistrate. He was a man who believed in upholding the rights of others, and never, if he could prevent it, would he allow the weak to be imposed on by the strong. He was respected as a good neighbor and a worthy citizen. His religious views coincided with those of the Baptist church, though he was an active member of no religious denomination. He was seldom away from home and paid close attention to his business afiairs. He was originally a Whig in politics, and was attached to that party till the dissolution of the Whig organization, and the foundation of the Republican party, when his views on the subject of slavery led him to become a Republican, and he acted as such during the remainder of his life. He was never ambitious to hold public ofiice, preferring to devote his time to his business and farming operations. He was interested in agricultural matters, and was a good practical farmer. He assisted in organizing the fair association of St. Clair county, and was the first president of the society. By industry and good business management he secured considerable wealth, and at the time of his dieath owned over twelve hundred acres of land in St. Clair, Washington, and Macon counties. His homestead farm in the Shiloh valley partook of the general excellence of the land in that part of the county. He died on the 24th of October, 1874, at the age of seventy-eight years, one month and one day. His widow survived him till the 7th of April, 1876, when she died at the age of seventy years, four months, and six days. As an honest man, a kind neighbor, and a useful citizen, his name deserves perpetuation in this work.

who now resides on the old homestead farm, was born February20, 1845. His education was mostly obtained at a school on his father's farm, and he also for a time attended a commercial college in St. Louis. While his father lived he assisted in the management of the farm, and has since continued to live on the homestead. He was married on the 10th of June, 1873, to Martha M. Park, who was born in the Shiloh valley, December 23d. 1848. Her father, Jamas Park, was born near Frankfort, Kentucky, on the fourteenth of December, 1799, and was one of a large family of children, sixteen in number. His father was of Scotch descent. At the age of sixteen he left Kentucky and came to Illinois. He first resided in Sangamon county, and afterward became a resident of St. Clair county. His first wife was Mary Scott, daughter of Joseph Scott, one of the earliest settlers of St. Clair county. After her death he married a ]Miss Talbot, of Columbia, Monroe county. His third wife, Mrs. Griffen's mother, was Julia A. Clark, who was born and raised near Richmond, Virginia. The Clark family emigrated from Virginia and settled in St. Clair county, not far from Collinsville. Mrs. Griffen's grandfather, on her mother's side, was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. James Park, when the school land was sold, bought land in section sixteen, (township one north, range seven west) on which he lived till his death. This is the farm now owned by James Alexander. Mrs. Griffen's mother died on the 25th of January, 1868, at the age of fifty-eight years. Her father died on the 4th of April, 1879, at the age of eighty. He was a man of great activity for his age, and retained much of his youthful vigor till within a short time of his death.

In politics Mr. Grifi'en is a republican. He is one of the enterprising farmers of St. Clair county. He is the owner of six hundred and ninety-seven acres of land, two hundred and fortyseven of which he has purchased since his father's death. His farm is made up of the best farming land in St. Clair county, and is well-improved and under excellent cultivation. Since his father's death he has built a substantial and handsome addition to the old house, and his residence is one of the finest in that portion of the county. A view of his residence and farm is shown elsewhere. He has two children, whose names are Cyril Albert and INIyrtle. At the head of this sketch appear the portraits of his father, Joseph Grifi'en, and of his wife's father, James Park.

Dr. Adolphus Reuss, whose portrait appears above, was one of the old residents and leading citizens in the vicinity of Shiloh. He was descended from a wealthy family who formerly lived at Amsterdam, Holland, and belonged to the old Dutch population of that country. Benedict Reuss, the father of Dr. Reuss, was born at Amsterdam. He subsequently became a resident of Frankfurt on the Main, one of the free cities of Germany, where, he engaged in the mercantile business. He had considerable wealth, and was a successful business man At Frankfurt, on the 28th of November, 1804, was born Adolphus Reuss. His mother, Johanna Basse, was a native of Westphalia. Dr. Reuss spent his early life at Frankfurt. He was the youngest of a family of eight children, composed of seven sons and one daughter. He early showed a disposition for literary pursuits, and after* having passed through his preliminary studies, entered the University of Gottingen. His natural tastes and inclinations led him to adopt the profession of medicine. He was' graduated from the university of Gottingen in 1825, receiving the degree of doctor of medicine. After leaving Gottingen, he pursued his medical studies at Paris and Berlin, and there secured as comprehensive a knowledge of the science of medicine as could be obtained in the European universities.

After completing his studies, he entered on the practice of his profession in his native city of Frankfurt, where he was employed as a physician as long as he lived in Germany. At Frankfurt occurred his marriage to Margaretha C. E. Jucho, who was a native of that city, and was born on the 17th of January, 1818. Like a great many of the educated young men of Germany at that day, he took an active interest in political affairs, and his sympathies were strongly in favor of a republican form of government as opposed to the strong monarchical system existing in Germany. His sentiments on this subject were the cause of his emigration to America. He ilesired to live in a 'free country' under free institutions. He came to this country in 1832. After traveling over the states of Ohio, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, he concluded that St. Clair county offered better advantages as a place of residence than any other location, and he accordingly bought two hundred acres of land in sections three and four of township one north, range seven west, on which he settled and resided during the remainder of his life. When he purchased this tract of land it was nearly all covered with timbsr, only ten acres having been brought under cultivation. The German residents of the county were then few in number, compared with the great body of emigrants from the fatherland who poured in at a later day. It may be presumed that his previous modes of life in the cities of Germany gave him no particular fitness for a residence in a new country, but he adapted himself as best he could to circumstances, engaged in the work of improving his land, and at the same time carried on the active practice of his profession. His first vvife died on the 8th of March, 1841. He had by her no children. He was married again to Carolina Raith, who was born at Gottingen, Germp,ny, on the 7th of March, 1824. She was the daughter of Frederick Raith, who came to this country in 1833, and settled at Turkey Hill, in St. Clair county.

of tie atkst physicians in the county. The nature of his practice in a rural neighborhood entailed much hard labor and constant riding over the country, but a naturally strong and robust constitution enabled him to withstand without injury a large amount of exposure and hardship. He took an intelligent interest in the institutions of the country, and the political movements of the times. He adopted the views of the democratic party with which he acted till the question of slavery became the absorbing topic of the day^ and a new party was formed on the issue of the extension, or repression, of the slave system. His warm free-soil sympathies made him a republican. He became connected with the republican party on its first organization, and was devoted to its principles throughout the remainder of his life. He never held any political office, and always refused to become a candidate for any public position, preferring to give his Avhole attention to his professional practice. He possessed liberal and independent views on all subjects, and in religious matters was a free-thinker, though he respected the opinions of others, and, never sought to bring his own private beliefs into public prominence. He was a man of literary attainments and culture. In his youth he had been a thorough student of languages. He was fond of reading, and accumulated a large library of books in Greek, Latin, Italian, French, German and English, with all of which he was conversant. His health was good until the time of his death, which occurred on the 7th of May, 1878. His wife had died previously, on the 5th of August, 1870. He was a man of good physical proportions, measuring five feet, ten inches in height, and weighing about two hundred pounds. His hair in youth wasdark, but in the latter part of his life it turned gray, and at the time of his death was of snowy whiteness. He accumulated considerable property, and when he died owned four hundred and fifty acres of land.

Dr. Eeuss was the father of nine children, of whom eight are now living. The oldest son, Henry Eeuss, now resides on the old homestead. Julius Eeuss is engaged in farming in section three, of township one north, range seven west. The oldest daughter is named Lena. Eosa died at the age of twenty-three. Albert C. Eeuss lives in section four of the same township. Augusta L. is the wife of Charles Fischer of St. Louis. The other children are Johanna, Mary, and Ferdinand L. Eeuss.

Albert C. Eeuss, a representation of whose farm and residence is shown on another page, was born on the twenty-fourth of September 1852. He lived in St. Clair county till the age of fifteen, when he' wras sent to Germany to secure an education. He attended school at Stuttgardt, Germany, for three years, and then returned to America. On the 19th of September, 1878, occurred his marriage to Kate Pierce, daughter of Hiram A. Pierce, one of the leading farmers of the Shiloh valley. Her grandfather, Daniel Pierce, was one of the early settlers and influential citizens of the county, removing from Pennsylvania, and settling near Shiloh, in the year 1812. He established an ox-mill on his farm, which was one of the popular institutions of that part of the county, receiving a patronage from the distance of many miles. He was a man of far more than common enterfrite aid lufiness ability, and aeketch of his history is given elsewhere. Mr. Eeuss has two children, whose names are Ida L. and Albert L. Eeuss. Beside carrying on the business o^ faiming, he is also the proprietor of a saw-mill. In his politics he is a republican. He is known as one of the enterprising young men of that part of the county.

DANIEL PIEECE (deceased), One of the early settlers in the vicinity of Shiloh, was born in Bradford county, Penna., May 15, 1788. He received a common-school education, and afterwards learned the blacksmith trade. He was married at Tioga Point, (now Athens) Bradford county, Penna., November 10, 1811, to Alice Tozer, a native of Connecticut. Her father, Col. Judas Tozer, served in the Eevolutionary war, and moved from Connecticut to Bradford county, Penna. Daniel Pierce moved to St. Clair county. 111., in 1812, and settled in Sec. 10, Tp. 1 N., E. 7 W., purchasing a small improvement which had been previously made. Some time after settling here, he built an ox mill, which was a great convenience to the early settlers, and to which people often came to get their grinding done from a distance of twenty or twenty-five miles. He subsequently erected a distillery adjoining the mill, which was carried on for several years. He was a man of great industry, and of a persevering disposition, and possessed much more than ordinary enterprise. He was one of the men who in 1837 undertook the building of a railroad from the blufi'to the Mississippi. This was the first railroad constructed in the state. Gov. Eeynolds was one of the men interested in it. The road was successfully built and put in operation, but proved a disastrous speculation to the projectors of the enterprise, the cost largely exceeding the original estimates. This venture, together with the payment of security debts to a large amount, swept away a great portion of his property. He died on the 17th of May, 18^5. His widow died February 21st, 1852. He had seven children : Juliet C; Emily J., who married Daniel S. Osborn. of Lebanon, and is now deceased ; Hannah, now Mrs. Sciota Evans,' who resides in Iowa; John O., who resides near Bunker KiU, Macoupin county; Daniel E., who now lives in Iowa; James A.,' who died on the old homestead where his family still reside, and Hiram A.

HiEAM A. PiEECE, now one of the leading farmers of the Shiloh valley, was born August 22, 1822, on the farm on which his father settled on coming to St. Clair county. For one year he was a student in McKendree college. February 18, 1847, he married Mary Amj Middlecoff, daughter of George and Sarah Middlecoff. Mrs. Pierce was born in the Shiloh valley. In March, 1861 Mr! Pierce purchased his present farm in Sec. 3, Tp. 1 N E 7 W " which consists of three hundred and thirty-six acres ' The im' provements are of an excellent character. He owns altogether .five hundred and ninety-five acres of land ; he has devoted much attention to the raising of fine stock. He has eight children and in his politics IS a democrat.

Oasbyville Precinct

|HIS is one of the northern tier of precints, bounded on the north by Madison county, east by O'Fallon, south by O'Fallon and French Village, and west by East St. Louis. It contains twenty-three sections or about 14,720 acres. It is drained by Canteen creek and its affluents in the northern and eastern part, and the Grand Marias in the south-western. Caseyville, situated a little north of the geographical centre of the precinct is the only village within its borders. The Ohio & Mississippi, and the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroads enter the western part of the precinct and run side-by-side until they reach Caseyville, when the latter takes a north-easterly course and passes out on section three. From Caseyville the 0. & M. runs in a south-easterly course and passes out on section 27. The surface of the precinct is divided between bottom lands And bluffs. The line separating the two passes through Caseyville in nearly a north-eastern and southwestern direction from that point. In early times the bottom lands included in this precinct were covered with water the greater part of the year, and only for a few years back have they been drained so as to insure crops when sown. The bluffs in the region of Caseyville are very rugged, and mostly covered with a heavy growth of timber. They are composed principally of sand, clay and gravel. Hence, from these facts, the territory embracing Caseyville was not so early settled as some of the precincts adjoining it.

Below we give the lands that were entered in what is now Caseyville precinct, in the year 1814, as taken from the county records which may show the names of some old settlers. In T. 2 N. E. 8 W., we find the following : Joseph Cornelius, S. W. }, Sec. 5 153 acres, Sept. 28 ; John Swigart, 324 acres in Sec. 7, Aug. 31 ; heirs of J. R. Simpson, S. W. i, Sec. 10, 160 acres, Dec. 22 ; Joseph Baird, W. i of the N. W. }, Sec. 18, 89 acres, Dec. 2 ; Robt. Marlott, 96 acres in Sec. 18, Sept. 29, in T. 8 N. R., 9 W., we fiud^ heirs of Solomon Brown, S. E. J Sec. 13, 160 acres, Sept. 28, 1811 In 1826 George Moffett, a native of Delaware, settled near the Madison county-line. He was quite a wealthy man, and purchased considerable land in the vicinity. He left several descendants. The same year Marcus Pelham, a South Carolinian, located at the edge of the bluffs, near the present site of Caseyville. He and part of his family are buried here, and at this writing none are residing in the neighborhood. Simon Kingston, also from South Carolina, came with Pelham and located just south of him. His son, Simon Kingston, a druggist in Troy, Madison county, is the only descendant of his now living. He and his wife were buried in the bluffs near Caseyville. A man by the name of Decker, settled early in the decade of 1830 on the bluffs east of Caseyville, and afterwards moved to California. One McClanahan settled near Decker, on the present farm of T. Hueckel, and subsequently emigrated to Minnesota. Mr. Kennedy, an Irishman, settled in the same neighborhood about 1834. He left a small family. Levi Nichols, who resides about four miles from Caseyville, settled here at an early date. Dommique Morback, a native of France, settled in this county in 1838, and owns a fine property on section 15 of T. 2 N. R. 9 W., where he now resides. Joseph Delorme, who lives on section 12, T. 2-9, is an ative of this county born in 1837.

Coal mining is the leading interest of this precinct. On the Vandalia line there are three" mines. The Abby shaft N"o. 1, was sunk by Mauleand Williams in 1868.' It is 160 feet in depth, and the vein will average six feet. The Abby shaft No. 2 was sunk in 1873 by the Abby coal mining company, the present operators. The depth and vein is about the same as the other mine. They employ about 160 men and boys. The Springwell mine, still east of the others, was sunk in 1874, by the Bartlett Coal Company, and is now operated by the Springwell Company. Coal is reached at 160 feet, and the vein is full six feet in thickness. The other mines will be mentioned in the history of the