1879 History of Greene
County
[Pages 221-327] Help is needed for additional extractions.
Earliest Settlements (Pages 235-248)
[Page 239] The date of the first permanent settlement within the present confines of Greene County it is almost impossible to learn, nor is it less diflficult to ascertain who was the leader of the advance guard of civilization. The fact that as early as 1815 or 1816, a number of families had established themselves immediately south of the Macoupin, has been repeatedly stated but it has heretofore been supposed that they all returned to the older settlements south, at the request of Governor Edwards, just previous to the treaty of Edwardsville, in 1818. It has been supposed and stated that no permanent settlement was made in the county before the Autumn of 1818, but this the writer has reason to believe is incorrect.
In the Autumn of 1815, Daniel Allen, with his three sons, Daniel, Jr., John and James, and James and Paul Harriford, brothers, all from Tennessee, came north of the Wood River settlement and built cabins on the south bank of the Macoupin Creek, opposite the mouth of Taylor's Creek. Their improvements were made within the original confines of Greene County, but just south of the present Greene County line. So far as can be discovered, they were the pioneers of this whole region. The nearest neighbors were more than twenty miles south of them, and north of their humble home the unoccupied prairie stretched for scores of miles away. The war with England had come to an end but the year before, and the country which they had invaded was still in the possession of the Kickapoos. During 1816 these earliest settlers raised a crop of corn and were quite happy in their new home. During the latter part of this year Daniel Allen, Sr., with his sons Daniel and James, moved about six miles west and established themselves on the land in township 9, range 12, south of the residence of General Jacob Fry, now occupied by his
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grandson, E. W. Allen. His son, John Allen, at the same time, made the improvements in township 9, range 11, which he afterward sold to William L. Greene. The Aliens thus became, so far as we can learn, the first settlers within the present limits of Greene County. The Harrifords removed to Chariton County, Mo., but the Allens settled here permanently. These facts have come to the knowledge of the writer from the lips of Hon. John W. Huitt, who, two years later, married Miss Rosanna Harriford, the daughter of James Harriford, above referred to.
Mr. Huitt, although more than four score years of age, is a
gentleman of exceptionally clear head and accurate, retentive
memory, and his statement of the facts would seem to be
indisputable.
But the Allens did not long remain alone. The same year that
they removed to their second location, Thomas Daniels, of
Georgia, built a cabin on the farm now owned by Freeman Means.
The next year, 1817, Mr. Daniels' son, Walker Daniels, also came
into the county, and chose
for his home the land now owned by Rowland Huitt, a short
distance east of the Allen improvements. In the "Atlas Map of
Greene County," it is recorded that, in June 1817, James H.
Whiteside and David Stockton came into the county and
established themselves south of the creek, but no confirmation
of this statement has been found. The following conclusions can
hence be safely arrived at:
1. Permanent settlements were made south of the Macoupin Creek, within the original limits of Greene County, as early as 1815; the first settlers, of whom we have any knowledge, being Daniel Allen, Daniel Allen, Jr., John Allen, James Allen, James Harriford and Paul Harriford.
2. Improvements were made within the present boundaries of Greene County as early as 1816, and the pioneers, so far as is now known, were Daniel Allen and his sons, above mentioned.
3. The dates here given can be relied upon as accurate, but we have no proof that the county did not contain white inhabitants at an earlier day.
I have been thus careful to state these facts clearly and positively because they have been doubted in the past, and very little light has heretofore been shed on the question : Who first settled Greene County?
All this region of country was, at that time, in the possession of the Indians, and the real tide of immigration did not commence to flow until after the treaty of Edwardsville, which was signed July 80, 1818 (authorities differ as to the date). At this time, "Auguste Chouteau and Benjamin Stephenson, on the part of the United States, bought, of the Kickapoo Indians, ten million acres of land lying between the Illinois River, on the north-west, the Kaskaskia, on the south-east, the Kankakee, on the north-east, and the Mississippi River on the south-west. This purchase comprised the whole of Central Illinois, and threw that land open to settlement and survey." Almost immediately immigrants began to pour in, and the fertile acres were soon taken possession of by the representatives of civilization. Among those who came into the county, at this time, was John W. Huitt, who still lives at Carrollton, and is believed to be the last of the Rangers. Mr. Huitt was born in Georgia, Nov. 15, 1793. When he was eleven years old his parents removed to Illinois, and settled, in 1804, in the Goshen settlement. At the beginning of the war of 1812, Mr. Huitt enlisted in Captain Judy's company of
[Page 241] Rangers, and proved himself one of the most skillful and daring Indian fighters in the command. June 13, 1818, he was married to Miss Rosanna Harriford, of Chariton County, Mo., and in the August following, in company with his brother, Hiram Huitt, Thomas Carlin and Samuel Thomas, made an exploring tour over the country north of the Wood River settlement, to choose a new home. All of the party were very much pleased with the country about the Macoupin. Messrs. Carlin and Thomas selected sites north of the creek, but the Huitts chose a location south of the stream, near the mouth of Phil's Creek, which was for a number of vears included in Greene County, although it is now a part of Jersey County. The consideration which led them to prefer land south of the Macoupin, was the fact that that stream was almost always very high, and it was impossible to cross, except by the aid of a canoe. This inconvenient barrier they were unwilling to place between themselves and the '' Old settlement." Mr. Huitt returned for his bride, and, in October of that year, he established his liome on the land he had selected. Here he remained for five years, removing in 1823 to the farm east of Carrollton still owned by him. Mr. Huitt states, that when he arrived, Pliilemon Higgins, from whom Phil's Creek was named, resided on the bank of that stream.
By the year 1819 the little settlement south of the Macoupin had become quite populous. Mrs. Matilda Greene, mother of Esquire William L. Greene, came to the settlement during that year. Among those who preceded her, she mentions, beside those whose names have already been given, Benjamin Allen, Wm. Costley, and Robert Means, of Georgia; John Greene, Wiley Greene, Davis Carter and Joseph Piggott, of Kentucky. A settlement was made, considerably further south, on the Piasa in 1819, and, about the same time, John G. Lofton, John D. Gillham, Joseph White, Orman Beeman, Alfred Hinton, John R. Black, settled in the southern part of the county. Mrs. Matilda Greene was born in Tennessee, in 1800, and was married to William Greene, in 1817. Mr. Greene was a very prominent man in the early history of the county, both on account of his physical prowess and by reason of his natural abilities.
Probably the first dwelling house north of the Macoupin Creek, was built by Samuel Thomas, in August, 1818, on the farm south-west of Carrollton, now occupied by his sons.
Mr. Thomas was born in South Carolina in 1794. His father was a sturdy, rugged farmer, and the young man was educated in all the arts of pioneer life. His parents removed to Kentucky in 1802, and in 1813, his father having in the meantime died, Mr. Thomas with two brothers-in-law came to Illinois, and settled in the forks of the Wood River, in Madison County. The trip was made on horseback, the company camping at night with the sky for a roof over their heads. They crossed the Ohio River at Golconda, and found that nearly all the cabins between that place and Turkey Hill settlement had been vacated by their owners from fear of tlie Indians, who were then waging a war of extermination against the whites. The party from Kentucky were not to be frightened at trifles, but pushed vigorously forward toward their destination. When he set out on the journey, Mr. Thomas had put one dollar and six and a quarter cents in money, but, as soon as he arrived at the settlement, he purchased on credit from his brother-in-law a rifle, in order that he might
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equip himself for joining the Rangers. As a member of this body of vigilant cavalry-men Mr. Thomas did efficient service. He was by nature a brave man, and delighted in an adventurous life. He was very fond of a hunt, whether the, prey was a deer or a red man. In the early part of the year 1814, he joined Captain Judy's company, and afterward became a member of Captain Whitesides' famous band of Rangers. He served through the war and was present at the treaty at Portage du Sioux, when Governor Clark presented a flag to each of the Indian chiefs. During his service as a Ranger, Mr. Thomas had frequent opportunities to observe the fertility of the soil and the beauty of the landscape near the Macoupin. Afterward, with a few others, he passed over this country again, going as a guard, with four hundred cattle, which were being taken to the regular troops stationed near the present site of Warsaw, not far from Quincy, in this State. On the return trip they met the first party of government surveyors, who were crossing the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Illinois. The Indians destroyed the stakes driven by the surveyors, and Mr. Thomas was one of a company of soldiers called upon by the Governor to drive the Indians away. During these trips Mr. Thomas passed repeatedly over the ground where Jacksonville is now situated. In July, 1814, occurred the Wood River massacre, when one of Mr. Thomas's sisters and six children were cruelly tomahawked by the savages. On his return to the Wood River settlement from the Indian warfare, Mr. Thomas planted a crop of corn, and soon after, in 1816, married Miss Elizabeth Isley. It was during this year that Mr. Thomas first visited Greene County, with a view to making it his home. He cut and stacked a quantity of hay on the land on which he subsequently settled, and made other preparations for residence there. He then returned to his family in the Wood River settlement, and, during his absence, the Indians destroyed all the results of his labor north of the Macoupin. For two years the young couple lived in the cabin which Mr. Thomas had built, and, at the end of that time, he had seventeen acres cleared and under cultivation. During these years Mr. Thomas turned his natural mechanical genius to a good account in making looms for the people of that region. The beauty and richness of the lands beyond the Macoupin were constantly in his mind, and his earnings, in this way, were carefully saved and devoted to purchasing the first eighty acres of land Mr. Thomas ever owned in this county. At last, his earnest desire to push still further forward in the vanguard of civilization, could be no longer restrained, and, in the Summer of 1818, he sold his cabin and improvements for one hundred dollars, and prepared to emigrate to the new lands, from which the Indians had just been driven. With him came Thomas Carlin and John W. Huitt, each in search of a suitable tract of land on which to settle. These three men all l)ecame prominent citizens of Greene County, and occupy an important place in its history. They are spoken of elsewhere.
It was in the month of August, and the prairies were fragrant and beautiful. Just before they arrived at the Macoupin - or Maquapin (white potatoe) as the Indians named it, and it was for a long time called -near the present town of Kane, they found one or two cabins occupied by adventurous settlers, but did not stop here. Crossing the creek and the bottom lands, Mr. Thomas ascended the bluffs, passed on
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through the timber and selected a spot for a home about three miles from the stream, on section 33, township 10-12. A beautiful grove and a clear spring of water were among the attractions that fixed his choice. Here Mr. Thomas killed a deer, cut a bee-tree and engraved his name on the bark of a monarch of the forest, to indicate that tlie land was claimed. He also built a cabin, made some other preparations, and returned for his wife and household goods. With these loaded upon an ox cart he arrived at his new home on the ninth day of November, 1818, and thus became the first settler in Greene County north of Macoupin Creek. With him, to assist him in crossing the creek and in other ways, came Rowell Hunnicut, now a resident of Walkerville.
Mr. Thomas's nearest neighbors were the dwellers south of the creek, but north, east and west of him in a circuit of from fifteen to fifty miles, the prairies were solitary and trackless. The only link that con- nected him with civilization was a "blind path" that "meandered among the trees and over the prairies back to 'the settlement' on Indian Creek, or Wood River." Afterward a "three-notch road" appeared, and proved a surer guide. It was several years after Mr. Thomas arrived at his new home, before he became the owner of a wagon, the first which he possessed being made for him by the late Captain Richard Robley.
Thomas Carlin pushed further north, inclining a little more to the east, and chose for his home a fine piece of land, including that on which the city of Carrollton was afterward built. His cabin he erected in the southern portion of the present corporation, and occupied it late in 1818, or the Spring of 1819.
In October, 1818, Michael Headrick (father of Anderson Headrick, coroner of the county), Jacob Headrick, his brother, Abram Bush and Abram Sells, his son-in-law, and Jacob Redden arrived. They were originally from Kentucky but had been temporary residents of Indiana, and had spent some time at the Wood River settlement. They reached a spot about one-half mile west of the present residence of David Wright, Esq., near Carrollton, the tenth of the month. Here they raised two crops, when they discovered that they were on the sixteenth section, which was devoted to the school fund. Mr. Michael Headrick accordingly moved, in 1821, to the farm north of Carrollton, now owned by Absalom Bradley, Esq., which he entered at the land sale. Mr. Redden went north to Morgan County.
At the first election ever held in the county the house of Abram Sells was used for the polls; this was in November, 1820, when James Monroe was re-elected President of the United States.
Soon, other daring pioneers were attracted by the fertile prairies between the two creeks. James Caldwell and Thomas Crane arrived, and built and occupied cabins before Winter, in township 10, range 11, east of Carrollton. Calvin Tunnell commenced an improvement at the same time, but was prevented by illness from occupying it until February of the next year. Luther Tunnell also came about this time, and it was probably in this year that H. P. Clendenen settled in the southwestern part of the county.
In the year 1819, the population of the county was very much increased by immigration. F. M. Bell made a settlement in township 10, range 12; Michael Waltrip built a cabin on section 17, and Joel Johnson
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on section 21, of township 11, range 11. It was in 1819 that the earliest improvements were made north of Apple Creek. The first men attracted by the beauty and fertility of the location were Thomas Allen, Thomas Rattan, James Henderson, and Levi Reader, who, in the Spring of that year, formed a settlement, just north of Apple Creek and east of the road from Carrollton to White Hall, except a portion of Thomas Rattan's improvement, which lay west of the road, the ])lace being known at present as the Roodhouse farm. Of these, James Henderson is commonly believed to have been the pioneer. He plunged into the woods before the ax or the plow had ever entered them, marking his path by blazes on the trees. The stream, now called Seminary Creek, was originally named for him. In order to encourage labor, several, possibly all, of the settlers united and opened a large farm, all in one enclosure, of which each cultivated a part, with the understanding that the labor should be restored in improving their separate claims, by the person to whom this farm should fall, when the land was surveyed and brought into market. In the Autumn of the same year, the settlement was increased in number by Zachariah Allen, John Allen, Isaac Hill, and probably others. Soon a school was organized in the new settlement, and instructed by one Wm. Welch. Thus did the little neighborhood take time by the fore- lock, by giving the cause of education an early start in the wild woods. But those acquainted with the men mentioned above will not be surprised at the interest they manifested in reference to that subject, even at that early day. It is upon the efforts of such men that the cause principally rests for its support. It is a cause they were known to cherish as of the greatest importance to their posterity and their country. The first named (Thomas Allen) was a large man, very corpulent, weighing about two hundred and fifty pounds. He was good-humored and jolly, especially in the society of little romping girls and boys, of whose attentions he was very fond, as most men are who are too fleshy to keep pace with other men. He settled at the place well known as "Allen's Mill" (now Bell's), of which he was the proprietor. At that early day, the people very severely felt the need of a mill in their own neighborhood, as they frequently were compelled to go within four miles of St. Louis for their grinding, and wait a day or two for their turn before they could return; and when Mr. Allen proposed erecting his mill, they gladly left their work at home, and went to assist him, working faithfully until the mill was completed. But it had scarcely begun to supply meal and flour for the settlers, until a flood raised the stream and cut a channel round the abutment, leaving the mill dry. In this emergency, the settlers turned out with alacrity, bringing their teams and tools, and labored faithfully until the breach, being filled with logs, brush, straw, clay, sand, stone, and whatever could be had to answer the purpose, was so effectually repaired as to withstand the floods ever after- ward. But even here their labors did not cease, for another freshet in the stream made an excavation under the mill-house, to the depth of fifteen or twenty feet, which again rendered the mill useless. But once more the men, with their spades, mattocks, axes, wagons, and teams, assembled, and, with stone, straw, and timber, repaired the damages. It was then that they began to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The mill did a splendid business for those days, and became one of the greatest
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conveniences the settlers had in the whole country, and the proprietor, grateful for the kind assistance his neighbors had given him in a time of need, ground their grain for many years free of all charge. He was growing somewhat old, and experienced a great difficulty in breathing, attributed to obesity, that was supposed to have caused his death, which occurred about the year 1833.
It was in 1819 that Benjamin Drummond came from Madison County, to the northern part of this county, near where Roodhouse is now situated. Dr. Thaxton, Jesse Allen, Jesse Morrow, William Waltrip, William Thaxton, Larkin Thaxton, and others, are also set down as arriving during 1819. This was really the first year during which immigration was at all brisk. The country was rapidly filling up and the red man was almost entirely banished, and rapid growth and improvement were the order of the day.
The winter of 1819 and '20 proved to be an unusually severe one. The long grass of the prairies had been destroyed by fires lighted by the Indians or hunters, and much of the undergrowth in the woods was killed by the same element. Before the close of the winter, the pro- visions gathered by them for their stock, from places where it had escaped the ravages of the fire, gave out and they were compelled to cut down trees, from the boughs of which the cattle and horses could procure a scanty supply of food. Many of these wandered away and were lost, while some of them died from the effects of cold and hunger. The supply of food for themselves and families proved to be sufficient, yet their suffering from the cold was often intense. Mr. Seymour Kellogg, who lived in the Mauvaisterre settlement, in his search for some of his stock, one bitterly cold night, lost his way and saved his life only by walking vigorously between two trees standing several rods apart. He did not dare to leave this track during the night for fear of being irrecoverably lost. He did not know how far he was from either his own or his brother's cabin. On the appearance of daylight, he found himself about two miles from the latter place, to which he immediately repaired. His feet were badly frozen during the night, making him a cripple for several months. Notwithstanding these hardships, the residents of the county were not discouraged, but went to work in the Spring with renewed vigor. We hear of very large accessions to the population of the county, in 1820, and important strides were made forward. Immigrants poured in from nearly every direction, and almost every township in the county contained one or more families before the close of the year. Among those whom we find recorded as arriving during this year are Jacob Bowman, Martin Bowman, Silas Eldred and Mrs. Ruth Eldred, south and west of Carrollton; John Greene and James Whitlock, near Kane; John Lorton, Robert Lorton, Thomas Lorton and Isaac Hill, in the northern part of the county: Ransom and Jesse Flatt, near the Illinois River; Zachariah Allen, James Allen, and David Battle, west of Wrightsville; Isaac Norton, south of White Hall; Charles Kitchen, Lewis Roberts and John Thompson, near Roodhouse; David and James Pinkerton, on the prairie named after them; William J. Brown, east of Carrollton; Benjamin Taylor and Isaac Taylor, on the prairie near Rockbridge. "Old Benny Taylor," as he was called, was the first settler on Taylor's prairie. Soon after him came Isaac Taylor with his two sons
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John and Ambrose. Isaac Taylor was born in 1760. At the age of sixteen he entered the service of his country in her struggles for liberty. He came from Kentucky to Illinois and made two crops in Madison County before coming to Taylor's prairie. In this year John and James Beeman came to township 11, range 14, and built a rough sawmill near the present site of Seeley's mill, on Apple Creek. With this they sawed out lumber which they used the same year in the construction of a grist mill. Mr. Vines Hicks, it was said, was fearful the land sales would occur before he could obtain the money to purchase his land, and that some one else would become its owner and deprive him of his improvements. He, therefore, selected for his home a poor, flinty point of the Macoupin bluff, where he felt perfectly secure in the possession of a place so very poor that no other man could be found to want it. But better things were in store for Mr. Hicks than he anticipated, for in spite of the sterility of the soil, and the discouragements incident to the settlement of a new country, he soon found himself too well off to live on so poor a place himself. He therefore deserted it and purchased a tract of valuable prairie and timber along the north side of Apple Creek prairie, where he soon accumulated property and money enough to supply all reasonable wants. Robert Whitaker made a home on the "Andy Johnson farm," during this year, and from him Whitaker's Creek, the stream flowing from the prairie, a few miles west of Greenfield, into Apple Creek, just above Bell's mills, was named.
The land sale of January, 1821, at Edwardsville, was one of the most important events of those days. Before the sale the purchasers had made an agreement between themselves that they would not bid for the land previously selected by another. By this means all collision was- usually avoided, and the settlers obtained the land at the lowest possible government price. The land was sold in lots of not less than eighty acres each, and no bid was received for a less sum than one hundred dollars for each eighty acres. By means of this understanding among themselves, nearly all the land was purchased at this price. It, however, happened that Mr. Eldred and Robert Hobson each claimed to have been the first to choose a very fine piece of land near the present residence of C. H. Eldred, Esq. The Eldreds came here in 1820, from New York State. They had an abundance of money, so much that it is related that their saddle-bags of gold and silver were so heavy that it required two men to carry them into the land office at Edwardsville.
Mr. Eldred and Mr. Hobson did not succeed in coming to an agreement before that piece was sold, and the result was a contest. One of them made the usual bid of one hundred dollars for the first eighty acres, whereupon the other promptly added five dollars to the bid. Neither of the contestants was restrained by the lack of money, and the bidding continued quite spiritedly until Mr. Eldred became the purchaser of the piece at $150. As soon as the tract was sold to him, the latter remarked to Mr. Hobson, "I have plenty of money to continue this thing, and if you buy any land at this sale I will see that you pay one hundred and fifty dollars per eighty for it." Friends, however, interfered, and Mr. Eldred agreed to a compromise, provided that Mr. Hobson would pay to him the extra $50 he had given for the land already purchased. This was agreed to and all went on smoothly. The only other contest of which we have
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mention is that in reference to the site of Mount Pleasant, mentioned elsewhere. Judge Alfred Hinton, who came to this county in 1820, says the surveyors pronounced this section the finest in Illinois, great excitement existed at the sale, on account of the attendance of parties to prevent bids on the settled lands. If there had been any one present to do so they would, very probably, have been mobbed. As an incident showing in what light a thief was viewed in those days, Judge Hinton told of a man who stole a pair of saddle bags at the sale. As soon as the theft was discovered, diligent search was made for the guilty party by all who had horses, notwithstanding the saddle bags contained nothing but a dirty shirt and a few other articles of little value. A justice of the peace was applied to, who issued his warrant, in the name of the United States, commanding any constable, sheriff, or officer of the United States to make legal service and due return to him, or any other justice of the peace, in the United States, of the body of the within named, dead or alive. It was a lucky thing for the culprit that he rode a better horse than his pursuers, backed by such a document.
During this year Jacob Fry became a permanent resident of the county. He was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, September 20, 1799. While quite a young man he came to Edwardsville, and in the Autumn of 1819. made a trip into this county with the intention of meeting General Rector at the mouth of Apple Creek. In this he was disappointed, and after remaining in the vicinity a short time, he returned to Alton, where he went to work as a carpenter for Mr. West, and hewed the timber for the first mill built there. While temporarily staying near Carrollton, in 1819, General Fry is said to have made from wood split from a walnut tree, the first coffin ever constructed in the county. About the beginning of the year 1821, when Carrollton was about to be surveyed, he returned to section 16, township 10, range 12. Governor Carlin offered to give him a lot if he would build upon it, which lie accepted. He cut the timber, split the boards, and built a house, which stood for fifty-seven years. For a long time it formed a part of the ell of the St. James Hotel, and was burned when that block was consumed, in the Spring of 1878. Before General Fry had finished his building, he stopped to assist Thomas Rattan in the construction of a log house at the northeast corner of the Square, on the lot on which Marmon's Building now stands. This was the first building completed in Carroll- ton, and General Fry's was the second. After the organization of the county. General Fry at once became a prominent man. He was a member of the first grand jury ; then he was deputy sheriff in 1822. In 1828 he was chosen sheriff, and held the office for ten years. In May, 1826, he was married to Miss Emily Turney, daughter of General James Turney, Attorney General of the State. General Fry served during the Black Hawk war as colonel, and at its close was elected Major General of the militia. In 1837 he was appointed commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and in 1856 collector of customs at Chicago. During the rebellion he commanded a regiment, which did valiant service at Shiloh. The privations and hardships which he suffered during the war brought on disease, as a result of which he is almost totally blind. General Fry now lives with his family on his farm, south of the Macoupin, and enjoys the affection, esteem, and honor of every one who knows him.
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David Pierson arrived at the new settlement in 1821, from the State of New York. He lived for several years upon his farm, north of Carrollton. Afterward he engaged in mercantile pursuits in Carrollton, finally establishing Pierson's Exchange Bank, which was for many years the only bank in the county. He has been prominently connected with the Carrollton Baptist Church, from its origin, and in his various capacities as farmer, merchant, millowner, or banker has been a valuable friend to hundreds, and in public or private life the influence of his abilities and means has always been felt for good.
Richard Robley was another of the prominent men of the county, who arrived at this time. He was born in Swansey, New Hampshire, May 12, 1791. When he was 17 years of age, he became an orphan, dependent upon his own exertions for a livelihood. About this time he removed to Vermont, and here met, and was married to. Miss Desire Griswold, the ceremony taking place at Vergennes, August 11, 1814. The young couple remained in Vermont for six years. In 1820 Mr. Robley became infected with the Western fever, and, bidding farewell to family friends, started with his wife for the wilds of Missouri. Here they remained but a short time, and in 1821 Mr. Robley built a flat boat with his own hands, and on this he ascended the Illinois River, with his family and goods, landing in the western part of the county. He settled on the land now occupied by his sons, Messrs. Charles, Vilroy and George Robley. Nearly forty years ago Captain Robley was married to the lady who survives him. He died January 3, 1879, of heart disease. He was a man highly esteemed and respected in the community, a good citizen and a kind neighbor.
It was also in 1821 that the first settlements were made in township 11, range 13, in the northwestern part of the county, by John Powell and Davis Carter.
Old Settlers' Association Meeting [Page 315]
The meeting in 1874 was one of the most interesting in the history of the association. The gathering was the largest of the kind ever held in the county. Dr. S. H. Culver, of White Hall, Dr. B. C. Wood, of Carrollton, Hon. Newton Cloud, of Morgan County, and Hon. D. M. Woodson, of Carrollton, made addresses. Music was furnished by a volunteer choir. The death of Samuel Thomas, Heman Goodrich, Titus Vigus. Jesse C. C. Parks, and Everett Griswold was spoken of and appropriate resolutions passed. In 1875 about 3,500 persons attended the annual meeting at the Fair Grounds. Hon. W. C. Flagg, of Madison County, Rev. B. B. Hamilton, of White Hall, and Hon. Joseph Morton, of Morgan County, were the speakers of the day. The death of Dr. J. B. Samuel was reported. We make the following extract from the minutes of the Secretary: "The special committee appointed for the purpose reported the names of the following persons present who were seventy years of age and over:
''Ninety and over. Edward Flatt, 96; Squire Kinkaid, 90; Mrs. Medusa Piper, 90.
" Eighty and over. Capt. Richard Robley, 84 ; Benj. Drummond, 83; John W. Huitt, 84; John Painter, 82; Cyrus Tolman, 81; Mrs. Dr. B. C. Wood, 80; Daniel Kirby, 80.
"Seventy and over. Capt. Wm. B. Pegram, 79; Amos McPheron, 79; John Wagoner, 79; Dr. B. C. Wood, 78; Mrs. Capt. W. B. Pegram, 77; Anthony P. Potts, 76; Mrs. Julia Brace, 76; Andrew Kelly, 76; Jonas Ward, 75; Capt. E. L. Cooper, 75; Joseph Morton, 75; Alfred Hinton, 75; Gen. Jacob Fry, 75; Nathaniel Miner, 74; Wm. Kennedy, 74; R. R. Nichols, 74; Christopher Dodgson, 73; Isham Linder, 73; Abraham Bowman, 73; J. H. Weisner, 72; Martin Bowman, 71; William Thomason, 71; John V. Dee, 71; Philip Gore, 70; Newton Cloud, 70; David Pierson, 70; Mrs. Matilda Robley, L. D. Morris, Mrs. Gen. Fry, Daniel Nail, J. E. Cooper, Enos Grandy, Wm. Parker, Wm. B. Pankey, Archibald Lee, Dr. G. B. Mason, John Benear, Rev. G. W. Reynolds, George Liles, Edward Prather, Maria Prather, Andrew Pinkerton, Eliza Nutting, Naomi Edwards, Benj. Smith, and Mrs. E. M. Smith.
"Edward Flatt, 96, was the oldest man present and is probably the oldest man in Greene County. Mrs. Scates, of Carrollton, is reported at 114 years of age, and is likely the oldest person in the State."
In 1876 the annual address was delivered by Rev. B. B. Hamilton, of White Hall. On this occasion a handsome bouquet was presented to the venerable John W. Huitt, on behalf of a lady present, in honor of the fact that he was the first man to settle in Greene County now living. Rev. Mr. Hamilton also favored the association with an address on the occasion of its sixth annual reunion, in 1877. On this occasion the death of the following old settlers was noticed: Anthony Potts, aged 78 years; Edward Flatt, 89; David M. Woodson, 71; Wm. C. Rainey, 79; William Webb, 85; Mrs. David Wooley, 81; Mrs. Mary Ann Waltrip, 52; Mrs. Elizabeth Pinckard, 80, and James Hall.
Major N. M. Knapp, of Winchester, addressed the society in 1878. The obituary record for the year included the names of Mrs. Eliza Vosseller, aged 69; Mrs. Sarah Gregory, 45; J. W. Gregory, 49; Joseph Cox, 77; Mrs. Sarah Crist, 56 ; Sarah Waltrip, 72; Wm. Griffin, 73.
Since the death of Samuel Thomas, Judge Alfred Hinton has held the office of President of the association. Dr. C. Armstrong, H. L. Clay, and Ed. Miner have been the only Secretaries. The Old Settlers' meetings are, to a large portion of the better class of citizens of the county, one of the most interesting occasions of the year. Next to the fair, nothing draws together a larger number of the substantial people of the county, and the exercises do much to remind the rising generation of the hardships their parents suffered and of the gratitude and honor due the aged.
Extracted from History of Greene County, Illinois: Its Past and Present published in 1879, pages 221-327.
