Toulon Township (part 6 of 6)

Col. ^Villiam H. Henderson, one of the early settlers in Toulon Township and a man who i)layed an important part in the early history of Stark County, was born in Garrard County, Ky., November 16, 1793. At the beginning of the War of 1812 he enlisted in the Kentucky ^Mounted Riflemen, commanded by Col. Richard ^L Johnson, and with his regiment was at the battle of the Thames, October .5, 1813. T^pon retiring from the army he located in Stewart County, Tenn., where he was married on ;Tanuary 11, 1816, to Miss Lucinda W^imberly. He served as sheriff of Stewart County and afterward removed to Haywood County, in the western ])art of tile state. In 1831 he visited Illinois and selected lands in what is now La .Salle County, about fifteen miles north of the present City of Ottawa. In the spring of 1832 his father and mother, two of his brothers and a man named Robert Norris, with two of his wife's brothers, set out for the new possessions. Just then the Black Hawk war came on. Robert Norris was killed ])y the Indians and the other members of the family were comi)elled to vacate their claims. Colonel Henderson therefore remained in Tennessee and in 183.5 was elected to represent his district in the State Senate. He resigned his seat.

however, before the exijiration of his term, and on July 2, 1836, landed in Stark County. Plis work in securing the organization of the county is told in another chapter; the first session of tlie Circuit Court of Stark County was held at his house; he was a member of the last Legislature that met at ^^andalia and the first that met at Springfield, and was otherwise active in public affairs. In 184o he removed to Iowa and died in that state on January 27, 186-1. His son, Thomas J. Henderson, was colonel of the One Himdred and Twelfth Illinois Infantry in the Civil war.

In 1841 the county seat was located at Toulon and much of the history of Toulon Township is intimately associated with the county seat. It is therefore told in connection with the history of the City of Toulon in another chajiter. The Peoria & Rock Island (now the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific) Railroad was built through the township in 1871.

According to the Ljiited States census for 1910 the population in that year was 2, .379, which included parts of the cities of Toulon and Wyoming. There are nine school districts in tlie township, outside of the City of Toulon, in which ten teachers were employed during the school year of 1914-1.5. and in 1914 the taxable value of the property, including railroad property, was $1,401,244.

Valley Township occui)ies the southeast corner of the county and embraces Congressional Township 12 north, range 7 east. It is bounded on the north bj' Penn Township; on the east by ^Marshall County: on the south by Peoria County, and on the west by the Township of Essex. Previous to the introduction of the township system in 18.53, this part of the county formed a part of the ^Vyoming Precinct. AVhen the county was divided into townships the name "Valley" was conferred ujion this political subdivision for the i-eason that it occupies the broad, fertile valley at the foot of the highest divide in the state. Camping Run flows in a westerly direction through the northern part and ]Mud Run through the southern part. With a generally level or slightly rolling surface and a productive soil, some of the finest farms in the county are in Valley Township.

With the exception of section 16 - the public school section - and a few isolated tracts here and tliere. practically the entire township was claimed by veterans of the War of 1812 under the ^lilitary Bounty Act. Following is a list of soldiers' land Avarrants located between the years 1817 and 1820:

Section 1, Charles Gibhard and Linus Gilbert; section 2, Justus Cobb and Thomas Edwards; section 3, Joseph JMcCord and Jtjhn Thornburg; section 4, John ^'inchane and Charles Youn<>': section .J, Welcome Rutterworth (320 acres) ; section (i, Jolm Sargent and James Sawyer; section 7. Isaac Paulding and Samuel P. Stegner; section 8, Isaac Cliihis, John Erskine. Hugh IJobh and Xeheniiah Wood; section D. Richard Ilorton. \Viniani Ilerrald, William W. Sickles and Nicholas Xau Stcyke; section 10, Renjamin Fall, Caleb Johnson, Leverett Richardson and John Vanderbeck; section 11, John Green, David Page and Edward Wyman; section 12, William Heath, Thomas PI. Parker and John Pritchard; section 13, Robert Rrown, ]*hilip Clarke, Robert Cockk's and Thom])son White; section li, Zerah Call, John Coffey, 01i])hant Coleman and Charles Kitchen; section 1.5, Eodowick Rlackley, James Rriggs and Jolm ONeil; section 17, George Armstrong, John Concannon, Hampton Owens and John Thom])son; section 18. Isaac Ackerman, James Reardwine, Pleasant ]Meredith and Peter Rotis; section 19, John Ringham, Norman Collins and Renjamin R. JNIeredith; section 20, Daniel Rurns, "William Dillon, Philip Kinston and Nathaniel White; section 21, John Rooth, Cierard (iibson, Jolm Ij. Griswold and William "Walker; section 22, David Durand and Charles Tabor; section 23, John Andrews, Isaac Garrett and Nathan Hall; section 24, Charles Curran, William T. Graves, William McGlynn and Owen Riley; section 25, Sanuiel Adams, Thomas Carty, James Sproul and Joseph Yates; section 2G, Frederick Cook. Frank liowder. John ^NlcCormack and Renjamin Tarr; section 27, Ichabod Colby, Thomas Harris and Conrad ^Mandell; section 28, Clement C. INIinor; section 29, David Guthrie, David Rringman, Francis Dudley and ]Moses Hamphill; section 30. John .Ai'chibald, Renjamin S. Snyder and Alexander \Yaistcoat; section 31, John Ayler, Henry Emery, INIichael Gebhart and Daniel Palmer; section 32, Silas Reverstock, Sanniel Chatterton. Calvin Iloyt and John Lackey; section 33, William Hearn, ^Villiam JNIartland, Aaron Turner and Horton Wood; section 34, Peter Holloway, Isaac Snn'th, William Tajjp and Daniel Woolford; section 3.3. Putnam Conouss, Aha/, Cook and James II. Rowland ; section 30, Luke Rarton, iMoses Davis and Zeba Parmeley.

As in the other townships of the county, these military titles subsequently caused numerous misunderstandings and retarded settlement to some extent. Among those who entered lands along in the '30s for actual occupation were Edwin and Titus Hutchinson, William C. Cunnnings, Joseph Sulliman, Charles Pope and a few othei-s. The scliool section was not disposed of until 18.51.

On July 17, 1847, the first scliool trustees - David Rouse, Z. G. Bliss and William C. Cunmiings - were chosen at an election held at the house of David Rouse, and the township was soon afterward organized for school purposes. There were then hut nine families, with forty-one children, and only two districts were established. Since then the two original districts have been subdivided until in 1915 there were eight. The eight schoolhouses in the township were then valued at $8,(j.50 and during the school year of 191-4-15 ten teachers were employed.

Valley is fairly well provided with transportation facilities, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad passing through the western part and the Chicago & Northwestern through the southeastern portion. Stark on the former and S])eer on the latter are the only railroad stations. In 1910 the population was 821. an increase of 33 during the preceding decade, and in 1914 the assessed value of the proj^erty, including railroads, was $806, 836.

This township is situated in the southwest corner of the county and includes Congressional Township 12 north, range 5 east. The surface is gently undidating and the only stream of conseciuence is Walnut Creek, which flows in a southerly direction through the western half. Some coal and fire clay deposits have been found in the township. With the exception of a small tract of sandy land called the "Barrens," the entire townshiiJ is well adapted to agriculture and produces fine crops of corn, wheat, oats and other farm products suited to this section of the state. Fruit growing has received considerable attention in recent years and West Jersey boasts some of the best orchards in the county.

For some reason the Walnut Creek ^^alley was not looked upon with favor by the veterans of the War of 1812 and comparatively few military "floats" were located in this section. Solomon INIarshall entered by military land warrant the northeast quarter of section 1 ; Daniel Trash, section 4; Hezekiah Adcock, section 17: Charles Davis, section 20; Benjamin Sherman, section 21; Nicholas Walsh, section 22; George Dearborn, section 2.5; Sheldon Clark, section 28; Charles Higgins, section 29; Charles Hoover, in the same section; Elijah Smith and Ebenezer Nichols, section 32; John Scott and Peleg Tupper. section 33; Robert C. Jackson and Edward Stewart, section 34; Cromwell Bullock, Cato Bunnell and Henry S. Hunt, section 33; Da\ id Bowen and John Phillips, section 36.

Tlie first actual settler in tlic township was Jacob B. Smith, who came from Fulton County. 111., in February, IB.'U?, entered the southeast (quarter of section ;5.), built his lot)- c-abiiiTuul began the work of I)uil(lins4' uj) a home in the wilderness. George Kckley came soon afterward with his wife and five children from Seneca County, Ohio, and located in section 2.). Before the close of the year 18;j() rhilip Keller. Michael Jones, Washing-ton and Stei)hen Trickle, Fphraim Jiarnttt. John Brown and a few others settled in various ])arts of the townshij). The year 18.'i7 witnessed the arrival of \N'illiam W . Webster, Nehemiah WykofF, Newton JNIatthews. John Pratz and some others. Josej)!) Palmer came almut this time and on .July 4. 1838, a "celebration" was held at his house, near Walnut Creek. Forty-six ])ers()ns took dinner with Mr. Palmer. Caleb North delivered the oration, and'the affair wound up with a dance, William Mason furnishing the nuisic. George A. Clifford says Mr. JNIason li\ ed near the present City of Toulon and that he received nine dollars on this occasion, "the fii-sf money he ever took in for music."

Jose])!] I'almer, at whose house this celebration was given, was a native of Brattleboro. A"t.. where he was born in 1802. When about twenty-five years of age he decided to "Go West and grow u]) with the country," and located in iVshland County. Ohio, where he married a ]Miss ^Nlary Slocum. In ]8;}7 he came to Stark County and purchased 320 acres of land in what is now AVest Jersey Townshi]). In 1844 he was elected a member of the old board of county commissioners and served one term. After the Civil war he removed to Galesburg. 111., where he ])asscd the remaining years of his life.

Jacob B. Smith, the original jjioneer of \Vest Jersey, was born near Beading, Pa., in 1801. He afterward went to Ashland County, Ohio, where he married Mrs. ^laria JMurphy, nee Trickle, and in IS.'}.) came to Stark County as above stated. His first dwelling here was a log cabin sixteen feet square. After a residence of several years in Stark County, he removed to Galva, 111., and died there in September. 1884.

WHien Stark County was organized in 1839 the territory now coniprisitig the Townshij) of West Jersey was included in justice's district No. 3, which afterward became known as ^Massillon Precinct. Be-, tween 183(5 and 18.50 several families from New Jersey settled in this part of the county. Among them wei'e the Bodines, Boyds. Ha/.cns, A\'ileys. Voungs and some others. W^hen the townshi]) .system was introduced in 18.)3 these people re()uested that their township be called West Jersey, which request was granted and in that way the townno HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY ship was named. Some say the township was named after the village of West Jersey, hnt that is a mistake, as the village was not platted until three years after the townships of the county were oi-ganized and named.

Washington Smith, a son of Jaeoh Smith, was the first white child hoiii in the toAvnship. The first frame house was built by Washington Trickle in 1838. The first school was taught by ]Miss Columbia A. Dunn, a sister of Rev. R. C. Dunn, and the first schoolhouse was built in 1837 or 1838. In 191.5 there were eight public schoolhouses in the township, valued at $8,200, and one teacher was employed in each district during the preceding school year.

West Jersey is one of the two townships of Stark County without a railroad. The people living in the northern half of the township find railroad accommodations at Toulon or Lafayette, and those living in the southern part are within reach of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, which runs through the northern part of Peoria County.