Walshville Township (part 2 of 2)

While owning a valuable farm east of town. Mr. Care} carried on an extensive trade in lumber. Mr. Carey is the father of Mrs. A. X. Banes of Hillsboro. Tt will he remembered thai Mr. Banes is an efficient deputy in the county clerk's office at Hillsboro. W. W. Whitlow, whose name appears above, was for several years a member of the hoard of supervisors from this township ami it was the privilege of the writer to serve with him, and we the most capable men of that board. Martin Brown and John Young are characters that belong to the history of this township. Martin Brown is the father of our present county treasurer, Dan Brown, ami Uncle Martin has long been known as a political factor in his low 1 1 -hip. He has reared quite a family of . hildren who are residents of Montgomery county and who honor in character and service their parents. John Young is of German stock and has served In- township in the capacity of a-^sessor through more years perhaps than any other similar township officer in the county. Much might he said of those who have contributed to the building up of the magnificent homes of this township, of those who settled in this bog like section of Montgomery county and who succeeded in draining these marsh lands and securing to cultivation the richest section of our county. We are told, however, that the history of a people begins when the actors have passed from the scenes of their activity and a- man} remain who were participants in the settlement of tin- section of our county, the story is the more briefh told.

This township is one of the most fertile in the county. The soil belongs to thai class of lands described as black loam soil. In no section of the state Jo we find more fertile -oil than in Bois d'Aiv. Montgomer} county. One of the lirst settlers in this territory was John Henderson in 1825. lie was followed shortly after by a Mr. Hendershot ami these two families were the sole inhabitants of this section for a number of year-. In IS:1,:, a settlement was made at Macoupin's Point by a man named Woods. Here he built a tavern which was a favorite stopping place for travelers making the journey from Springfield to flillsboro. A postoffice was established here soon after and kept h\ Mr. Woods. Louis Sedentop is the present owner of the old Wood homestead. In 1850 Louis 11. and Samuel If. Thomas in making a prospecting trip through this section, were so favorably impressed with the character of the soil that they determined to make their homes in tins section. In L852 they located claims which toda^ are known as the Louis Thomas and Samuel Thomas homesteads. Samuel R. Thomas has been dead for several years, but by his enterprise and industry he secured for Ins family quite a large area of these very rich lands. His family retain the greater part of what the father gathered. Louis II. Thomas, at one time the owner of nearly three sections of this soil, is one of Montgomery county's very best citizens. Unfortunately for Mr. Thomas, within recenl years he was drawn into a railroad speculation that cost him the larger part of this immense estate. Mr. Thomas has been a friend to the deserving of his township and his neighbors relate many incidents illustrating his generosity to those who sought his aid. When a lake the name of failure, for no man of this character can fail. He may lose his material possessions, lmt he may retain his character, which ic. after all. the only possession whose value is not measured by gold. The "Gold Standard" may be the highest known among nations, but it is inadequate in measuring the value of character. Yon mak ask how then shall we estimate such an elusive thing? By comparison this physical world and all the stars that stud the sky can not purchase faultless character, but men and women may have it for the living. Absalom Clark came with the Thomas Brothers and entered the north half of seel ion 7 and the south half of section 8. This he converted into one of the best farms of our county. Among those that wo desire to name are Prior Witt. "William Smith. Joseph Smith. Anthony Almond, John Ward. Frank Dunkley, Mark Risley, Hiram Young, George Rice, Kan ford flow. Peter Christopher, Albert Clayton, John Trice. .lames Woodward. William Garrison. Eenn Weston, Henrv Hathaway.

William ting, George and Cornelius Lyman and Michael Simason. These are perhaps a majority of the names of those who made early settlement in Bois d'Arc township. Some of them are yel living and are glad to relate their experiences in settling up this prairie country. Quite a colony id' [rish settlers located near the line separating Hand and Hois d'Arc townships ami are to-day among the wealthier citizens id' our county. At the time when they made these settlements, this land was covered for the greater portion of tin1 year in stretches of lakes and tall water grass, ami I have thought that possibly these Irish emigrants «ere reminded by the condition of the land of the bog lands of their native country, and that in reality they selected this section from choice. The village of Farmersville sprang up on the new railroad that had been built by D. L. Wing & Company from Peoria to Litchfield, which road is now a part of the Illinois Central, situated in a territory somewhat removed from other centers of trade. Farmersville has made rapid growth and today boasts of several hundred inhabitants. Louis Sedentop. who lives at the old Woods homestead, has contributed very largely to the building of this little town and much the larger part of the present village plat has been made on his lands. A. J. Witt has contributed also in additions to the village. John Ball, the banker, has given assitance in various ways to the upbuilding of this little city. Among the industries located here is a brick and tile factory which does an extensive business. The elevator operated by Nobbe & Son does a large business in grain and hay. They also keep a lumberyard in connection with their grain business. Several stocks of general merchandise that do credit to a village of this size have a wide trade throughout an extensive farming section. Lee Paul, cashier of the Farmersville Bank, is anion,!; the young enterprising business men of Farmersville. and William McLean, who owns an elegant homestead just west of the village, is another who lias served his township faithfully and well. John Newport, who represented this township for several years on the hoard of supervisors, has exerted a wide influence for good in that township. TTnele John is now a very old man and has within the last few years resided in tin' village of Farmersville. Here lie is spending the evening of life as pleasantly as the infirmities of age will allow. Finishing the chapter we feel some little satisfaction in knowing that during a recital of these fey facts, we have in a sense visited some of our old friends in Bois d'Arc township, that the names of some whose friendship we prize just as much may chance to be omitted here results from the lapse of memory and not because of anv desire to neglect.

This township was originally a part of Harvel, but for the accommodation of its citizens, the township of Harvel was divided and the west part was named in honor id' Joseph Pitman. This township is almost wholly within tin' black soil belt of the county. The first settler of this township was Henry Denton, who entered a piece of land in the year L822. lie lived mi this homestead until 1830, when he died and his was the first burial of which we have any record in this township. John ETaynes was another early settler of this section. He came some years later than Denton. llenn and Green Haynes, sons of John Eaynes. were living in the neighborhood of the olrt homestead at last accounts. John Eaynes was a brother of Dr. Baxter Haynes, who i- living at an advanced age in Fillmore township. John L. Rogers in L829 made a settlement in tin' southwest part of the township. Here he built a mill ami operated it for some years. Mr. Rogers died in 1852 and left surviving him three sons and two daughters. These are among the honored citizens of the country. At last accounts the son- were located in different sections of the state id' Illinois. That three families by the name of Rogers settled in the western part of Montgomery county, makes it somewhat difficult to omit tangles in their genealogy. Tin1 daughters of John 1,. Rogers, if we are not in error, were the Misses Jennie ami Mollv, who were for several years teachers in the public schools in the city of Litchfield. ttni' id' these. Miss .Molly lingers, is now the wife of a physician and resides in the city of Charleston. At last account Miss Jennie Rogers was engaged in school work in East St. Louis. Theodore Rogers, son of John L. Roger-, became prominent as a Methodist divine and the writer does not know whether he is living at present or not. Davis Bagby came to this section with his father-in-law. Miller Woods, in is.")-.', and located in the southwest corner of the township. Both were men of excellent reputation ami each did his part in the struggle to subdue the wilderness. Bagby was a soldier id' the war of 1812 ami seems to have won distinction during that memorable struggle. The records are silent with reference to Miller Woods, hut we gather it that

Bagbj lived until 1865, when, worn with the cans of a long and eventful career, he closed his earthly account, and we are informed by those who remember him. that he was a most excellent gentleman and good neighbor. D. G. Whitehorn was another of the earlier settlers of Pitman township, locating a homestead on section 18 in 1831. He married a daughter of the David Bagbv previously mentioned. Miss Katherine Bagby, 1834. This was the first marriage ceremony performed in this part of the country. Another early settler was George Waggoner, lie came to Illinois from Kentucky about 1830, and settled on section 29. Mr. Waggoner died in 1864, and left surviving him several children. In 1833 Frederick Hamilton settled in the western part of the township. He did not remain in this neighborhood for anv great length of time, but removed to the south part of the county and many of his descendants reside in that neighborhood. Fred Hamilton, however, made several trips to Kansas prior to the Civil war and died in that state. His sister was an aunt by marriage to the writer of this article. T notice in a previous history of this county it is stated that Fred Hamilton died in Zanesville township in L835. This is. however, an error, and T am not surprise.! that these mistakes often creep in be as careful as we may. Retween the years of 1837 ami is in Zadok Leach. William King, Tazewell

Past And Present Of Montgomery Countc

Brown, Flower Husband, William Hamilton and L. ('. Richards came from the south and settled in this section. Each of these were valuable accessions to the neighborhood and in marly every case some representative of these families remain. .Most of these pioneers were laid to rest in the old burying ground at Sulphur Spring. Many of their graves are unmarked and the story of their lives must remain a simple tradition. The first school in Pitman was kept by William Mclver, in 1854, in a little school house built by the united effort of the earlier settlers. Pitman township, however, four years later enjoyed the privilege of having a public school, which was kept b\ William King. The first justice of the peace was John L. Rogers, elected in 1840. The church history of this township, like that of the others mentioned, was of a primitive character, hut the religious fervor of the pioneers was just as intense and the devotion of her people was just as sincere as was found in the other settlements. The village of Waggoner situated two miles from the south line and two and a half from the west line of Pitman township, is a thriving little village. Surrounded by an enterprising citizenship Waggoner hids fair to become quite a little town in the near future. Among (hose who have been prominent in the affairs of this township the pasi few years we may name Horace G. Wagg i'. Henry and John Waggoner, Felix Richardson, J. W. White. ('. H. .Ionian. Charles Gillman, S. F. Brubaker, C. IF Burton, who foi' man}" years was school treasurer of his township ami Charle] Treadway, once among the county. I'elix 6. Richardson, whose name appears above, has for several years served his township as a member of the hoard of supervisors. Mr. Richardson is one of the public spirited influential men of Pitman township. The late Horace Waggoner was another of the forceful characters of thai section. Unfortunately he had arrived scarcely at his meridian when the grim messenger called him from the affairs of life, .lames White is another who through the struggles and privations gathered for himself an estate ample for all the needs of ape. Mr. White lias also passed into the beyond, hut he has left several children who are among the best citizens of our county. Frank DeWitt, the political heavyweight of the Democratic parly in Montgomery county, lives in Pitman township. While Mr. DeWitt tips the scales at over three hundred pounds of avordupois, he has a heart proportionately large and a generosity as ample as any man of his means could possibly be. Tins gentleman is well known throughout the country, having been mixed up in some of the political wind -tonus that sweep over our county every four years. While Mr. DeWitt has not succeeded in knocking the political persimmon, it does not follow, however, thai he would not make an acceptable county official.