Crawford County IL Archives History - Books .....Chapter X - Robinson Township 1883
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Book Title: HISTORY OF CRAWFORD AND CLARK COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

CHAPTER X.*
* By J. H. Battle.

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP—DESCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY—GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE
COUNTRY—LAND ENTRIES—ADVENT OF THE WHITES—TIME AND PLACE OF SETTLEMENT—EARLY
SOCIETY—THE BEGINNING OF AGRICULTURE—PIONEER INDUSTRIES AND IMPROVEMENTS—EARLY
MARKETS, ETC., ETC.

   "And nature gladly gave them place,
    Adopted them into her race."
                             —Emerson.

SOUTHERN Illinois is an offspring of the "South." Freed from British control in
1778 by a son of Virginia, and passing its early existence under the colonial
regime as the county Illinois of the State of Virginia, its first American
settlements were founded by emigrants from County Kentucky, and the parent
State. Later, as the territorial possession of the general government, the story
of its beautiful plains, its stately woods and its navigable rivers, spread to
the contiguous States of North Carolina and Tennessee, and brought from thence a
vast influx of population. The early tide of emigration set toward the region
marked by the old French settlements, and reaching out from this point followed
the course of the rivers which drew their sources from the northern interior.
Thus for some thirty years the eastern side of this fair country was almost
ignored, but the military activities involved in the war of 1812 brought many of
the hardy citizens of the south in actual contact with the beauties of the "
Wabash country," and the years of 1814-15 witnessed a concourse of clamorous
immigrants held in abeyance upon the border only by the slow pacification of the
Indians who had engaged in the war on the side of the British. Here and there,
one more bold than the rest, reared his rude tabernacle upon this debatable
ground and occasionally paid the forfeiture of his life for his temerity. But
the barrier once removed, the swollen tide spread rapidly over the coveted land,
and up sprang as though by magic, the log cabins, the teeming harvests, the
mill, the church, the school-house, and all the "busy hum" of pioneer activity.
Such in brief is the history of Crawford County.

   The division of the County to which our attention is now directed, is the
outgrowth of a later development. As settlements increased, precincts were
formed which were afterward subdivided, and in 1868 the present township
organization was effected. Under the original division this township formed the
central part of LaMotte Precinct, and on the removal of the county seat from
Palestine, this became Robinson Precinct, in honor of J. H. Robinson, a leading
attorney and prominent citizen of Carmi. The township thus designated includes
thirty sections of town 7 north, range 12 west, of the government survey,
eighteen sections of town 6 north, same range, sections 1,12, and 13 of town 6
north, range 13 west, and sections 12,13, 24,25 and 36, of town 7 north, same
range, a total of fifty-six sections. The original character of the country
included within these limits was part, "barrens" and part true prairie. These
were irregularly distributed, the latter generally proving to be low levels when
the concentrated moisture prevented the growth of the timber of this region. The
whole surface, however, was such as to afford but little obstacle to the
progress of the regular fall fires, and only here and there a good sized tree
stood out upon the blackened plain as evidence that the whole land had not been
vanquished by the fiery onslaught. But the first settlers found further evidence
of the character of the land, in the roots or "grubs" which still remained in
the ground, and it seemed an aggravation of the usual hardships of pioneer
experience that the condition of the prairie land forced the new-comer to select
the poorer land. The natural drainage of the township is toward the east, south
and west from the central part. Sugar Creek received two small affluents from
the western side; Honey Creek takes its rise a short distance to the south of
the village, and an arm of Big Creek drains the eastern side. The soil is a
strong yellow clay, which has been the chief resource of the community settled
here. Since the early years of the settlement but little attention has been paid
to stock raising, save perhaps in the case of hogs, and a system of mixed
husbandry in which the cultivation of corn and wheat has been prominent, has
prevailed.

   The settlement of Robinson township was not the result of that orderly
succession of immigrants often observed, but checked at the Palestine fort, for
a year or two the immigration gathered such members that when once the fear of
Indian hostility was removed, the cooped-up settlers spread simultaneously in
all parts of the country. A list of the early entries of land will give some
notion of the early comers to the country and their choice of lands, though they
did not all settle upon the lands they entered. The entries in town 7 north,
range 12 west, were on section 9, Jesse Page and Harmon Gregg, in 1817; on
section 10, James Newlin and John Hill, in 1818; on section 11, Thomas Newlin,
Thomas Young and Nathan Mars, in 1818; on section 12, Joshua Barbee, in 1818,
and Enoch Wilhoit in 1820; on section 13, William Dunlap and William Everman, in
1818; on section 15, James J. Nelson, in 1818; on section 17, Armstead Bennett,
in 1818; on section 22, W. T. Barry, in 1818, and in the previous year on
section 27; on section 23, Wilson Lagow, in 1817, and William Nelson, in 1818;
on section 24, William Mitchell, in 1818, and William Barbee in 1817; on section
25, John Mars and William Mitchell, in 1817. In town 6 north, range 13 west,
entries were made by Charles Dawson, in 1818, and Jonathan and John Wood, in
1819, on section 1; and by Richard Easton, on section 3, in 1818. In town 7
north, range 13 west, on section 11, Wilson Lagow made entry in 1817, and Ithra
Brashears, in 1818; on section 12, Lagow made an entry in 1817, and in the
following year, Lewis Little and Barnett Starr, made entries of land. A number
of these entries were made for speculative purposes; other entries were
subsequently relinquished for a consideration or of necessity, and a number of
persons came here who stayed for a few years and moved away without making any
attempt to secure a title to land or staying here permanently, entered land much
later, so that so far as forming any judgment of the actual settlement of
Robinson, these entries afford but little data.

   Among the earliest of the settlers in this township was the Newlin family.
The flattering reports of the character of the Wabash Valley had reached North
Carolina, and leaving his native State, Nathaniel Newlin went to Tennessee,
where his brothers, John and Eli, had settled, to urge them toward the new land
of promise. He was so successful that in 1817 the three brothers moved to the
"Beech Woods" in Indiana. Nathaniel was not then married, but the trip to this
region satisfied him that this was the country to live in, and in the fall he
returned to bring out his father, John Newlin, Sr. In the following spring he
returned to the valley, but his brother not liking their location, he determined
to try the west side of the river, and eventually fixed upon a site on section
10, town 7 north, 12 west. In the same spring, the boys, John and Eli, left
their place on the Indiana side and came to Robinson. When the older Newlin
came, his son Thomas was prepared to move at the same time, but his wife being
sick he was obliged to remain. During the summer Nathaniel returned to North
Carolina, married a lady and assisted his brother, Thomas, to get his goods
together for removal. The latter's wife had so far recovered as to attempt the
journey. The family consisted of the sick wife, his sister, and five children,
with Nathaniel and his bride. With these stowed away in such space as the
household effects left in a large Virginia land schooner, the journey was begun,
the men walking most of the way or riding a spare horse which was the marriage
portion of the bride. Quite a number of families started in company for the new
country, continuing together across a corner of Virginia to Crab Orchard,
Kentucky, where the rest took the right hand road which led toward Indiana, thus
parting company. While passing through Virginia, Mrs. Newlin grew worse, and
finally died, the sorrowing family being compelled to bury her there among
strangers. On reaching this country, they found shelter in the cabin of John
Newlin, Sr., who very soon afterward took up his home in a new but smaller cabin
which was at once constructed.

   In 1817, Thomas Young, William Barbee and Nathan Mars, came to this country
to prospect for a home. The other two men had married sisters of Barbee, and in
the following year they all returned with their families, Barbee settling on
section 25, Mars and Young on section 11. On their return in 1818, from their
native State of Kentucky, they were accompanied by the family of John Wright,
who was also a brother-in-law of Barbee. Jesse Page, a native of Kentucky, came
here in 1817, entered land on the fractional quarter on the southeast of section
9, and in the following spring brought his family to a farm, whence he moved to
Clark County in 1824. Harrison Gregg came here in the same spring, a young
married man with wife and two children, but left this country for Texas some
years later. Joshua Barbee, a brother of William, came in the spring of 1818
from Kentucky, but left for the Lost River country a few years later. William
Everman came about the same time from the same State, and located on section 13.
Armstead and Steven Bennett came from Kentucky in 1818, and located on section
13. This family were in comfortable financial circumstances, and improved a good
farm, but subsequently left for Texas, selling out to Guy Smith. William Mitchel
was a young unmarried man, a new emigrant from England. He entered land as early
as 1817, and perhaps was the first actual settler in Robinson township. After
maintaining bachelor's hall for a number of years, he married Sarah Newlin, and
lived on his place until the day of his death. Enoch Wilhoit was an immigrant of
1820, coming from Kentucky, and settling on section 12.

   The "entry book" indicates an interval of a number of years between the
coming of Wilhoit and the next entry, and it is probable that there were few
permanent accessions to the community planted here before 1830. Under the
peculiar condition of affairs in a new country it was frequently the case, that
people in search of a new home would come to this section, build a cabin, raise
one crop and then move to some locality which promised better results. This was
true to some extent in this township, and later comers found no difficulty in
securing a cabin fitted at least for a temporary abode. Of this later accession
John Nichols was an early settler. He came from Virginia about 1830, settling
upon property which still remains in possession of the family. John Gwin a
son-in-law of Nichols, was another incomer of this time, and located about a
mile and a half north of town. John Cable came here about this time and
purchased considerable land about the site of the village. His cabin was erected
on what is now known as the Dunham place. He was a man of good education for the
time and had formerly engaged in teaching. An active, intelligent farmer, the
prospect of improving a large farm and securing a fine competency seemed bright
before him, when the death of his wife, leaving four little children to his
care, dashed his hopes in this direction. He at once sold his property, and
moving into Indiana engaged in mercantile pursuits, subsequently acquiring
considerable wealth, and rearing his children without the aid of a second wife.

   His old cabin still does duty as a stable for Samuel Maginnis. In 1832 F. M.
Brown came to the east side of the village and entered 160 acres of land. He was
a native of Virginia, from whence he had gone to Garrard County, Kentucky,
thence to Indiana, and finally to Illinois. Nicholas Smith, a family connection
of Brown's, had settled here, and it was through, the representations of the
former that Brown came here. The journey was made in a big schooner wagon drawn
by two yoke of oxen. In this was bestowed the household effects, the wife, and
so many of the eight children as could not make part of the way on foot. Two
cows and a mare and colt completed his whole; worldly possession, aside from the
entry price of his land. On arriving here, the family found shelter in a
deserted cabin built by William Patton, on the site of the old brick-yard.
Brown's land lay just beyond the limits of the present village, to the
northeast, and when the question of erecting a cabin on this property came,
there was a division of opinion. The head of the family had chosen as the
proposed site, a pleasant grove situated on a little knoll just east of the
village, but Mrs. Brown, always accustomed to wooded country, feared such an
exposed situation, and desired the cabin built on lower ground in the edge of
the timber. It was finally left to a vote of the children, who, sharing the
prejudices of their mother, decided in favor of the low land and timber. In 1833
John Blankenship came to the central part of this township. He was an old
soldier of the war of 1812, as Brown had been, and the two had campaigned
together. It was through the influence of Brown that he came here. He built a
cabin where Aldrich Waters now lives, the first residence on what is now the
village of Robinson. He made no entry or purchase of land here, and subsequently
moved elsewhere.

   Succeeding the accessions of this period another interval of some eighteen
years occurred in which there were few or no additions to the settlement in this
township. The removal of the county seat, and the laying out of Robinson
village, however, changed this apathy into a vigorous activity, though the
immediate effect was more apparent in the history of the village than in the
surrounding country, where the last of the public lands were not taken up until
about 1851 or later.

   There was much to remind the first settlers that this was a frontier country.
Following close upon the cessation of Indian hostilities, they found the natives
in undisturbed possession of the hunting grounds they had frequented from time
out of mind; to the north for miles there was but here and there an isolated
cabin, while the nearest village was thirty miles to the southeast. A well
traveled trail led up from Vincennes, through Palestine to Vandalia, and later a
mail route was marked by a bridle path from Palestine through the central part
of Robinson. The whole country, however, was open to travel. There was but
little to obstruct the way, or even the view. Deer could be seen as far as the
eye would reach, and travelers found it necessary only to avoid the low prairie
land which throughout the summer was so wet as to allow a horse to mire to the
hock-joint. These lands have since proven the best farming property in the
country, but were originally so wet as to be entered only as a last resort. The
settler once here, the neighborhood which extended for miles about, was summoned
and a cabin raised. Here there was no dearth of assistance, but in the lower
part of the county, early settlers were occasionally obliged to build a
three-sided shelter until enough men came in to build a cabin. The difficult
method of transportation prevented the bringing of any great amount of
furniture. Beside the family, the wagon load consisted of provisions, bedding, a
few hand tools, and perhaps a chair or two. The Newlins brought in three chairs
strapped on the feed-box, and the first care of Thomas was to go to Vincennes
where he purchased a barrel of salt for eighteen dollars, some blacksmith tools
and a cow and calf.

   The home once secured, attention was then turned to the preparation of a crop
for the next season's support. "Clearing" did not form an onerous part in the
first work of the farm. The principal growth was brush, which necessitated a
good deal of pains-taking "grubbing," and then the firm sod was turned by the
plow. The first of these implements in use here, was the Cary plow with a mold
board, part wood and part iron, hewed out of beech or maple,  which necessitated
a stop once in about twenty rods, to clean with a wooden paddle carried for that
purpose. These were succeeded by the Diamond plow, manufactured principally at
the country blacksmith's. Their construction involved an oblong piece of steel,
12 by 16 inches, which was cut into a rude diamond shape, bent to serve as a
plowshare and point, and welded to an iron beam. This was a considerable
improvement upon its predecessor, and the two forms sufficed for years. The
first crop of corn was very often planted in gashes made in the sod by an ax.
From such rude husbandry an abundant harvest was received, amply sufficient at
least for the support of the family and such stock as needed feeding grain.
Thomas Newlin was a blacksmith by trade, and set up his forge very soon after
his arrival. This shop was a valuable acquisition to this community, and was the
only one for miles about. Here almost everything a farmer needed of iron was
made: plows made and sharpened, hand tools and kitchen utensils. An important
resource of the early community, and one, in fact, without which the settlement
of this country must have been greatly hindered, was the game that found food
and shelter here. Deer were found in almost countless numbers, and in some
seasons of the year as many as fifty or seventy-five have been counted in a
single herd. The settlers who came here were not born hunters, and most of them
had to learn to shoot deer, though fair marksmen at other game. One of the noted
hunters of this region said he missed at least one hundred of these animals
before he ever hit one. Hundreds of them were killed, and so unequal was the
supply and demand of. venison that it was years before a deer with the hide
would bring fifty cents. When the village growth of the county became such that
they could be disposed of at this, price considerable numbers were brought in,
and the money thus acquired saved for taxes. It is related on one occasion a
settler shot a fine deer, dressed it, and took the two hind quarters to
Palestine to dispose of. He met a man newly arrived in the village and when
asked the price of them, the hunter put a big price upon them, charging fifty
cents apiece, but to his utter astonishment the stranger took both quarters and
paid down the cash without a question. Much as he needed the money, the settler
has never been quite sure to this day that the stranger was compos mentis, or
that he did not overreach his immature experience. Occasionally a deer would
turn upon his antagonist and give the sport a zest which did not lessen the
attraction to the frontiersman. One of the Newlins out in quest of deer, got a
shot at a fine buck and dropped him to the ground. Supposing he had killed the
animal instantly, he approached without observing the precaution of loading his
rifle. He had his ax in hand, and just before reaching the animal, the buck,
which he had only "creased," sprang to its feet and made a desperate charge upon
the hunter. Seizing his ax in his right hand, he warded off the horns with his
left and aimed a blow with his weapon, but only succeeded in avoiding the
antlers of the infuriated animal to be knocked down by its shoulder. A second
charge followed which resulted only in Newlin giving the animal a wound but
being again knocked down. A third charge resulted in both falling together, the
animal on top, but stimulated by the exigencies of the circumstances, the hunter
got to his feet first and by a well directed blow of the ax swung in both hands,
crushed in the forehead of the animal as it got to its feet. The favorite way of
shooting these animals was, in the early years, by "still hunt." The hunter
taking a seat on a log near a deer trail, and shooting such animals as came
within his reach. Others watched a "lick" and shot the deer as it came to drink.
Later, as the deer grew scarce they were pursued with dogs, most farmers keeping
one or two and sometimes a dozen.

  Bears were sometimes found, though but few are known to have been killed in
this township. One with two cubs passed near a new cabin that had been raised.
The settler succeeded in catching one of the cubs, but the mother, contrary to
her traditional love for her offspring, lost no time in getting into the timber.
On another occasion a party of hunters started out from this settlement with
several dogs in pursuit of a bear whose tracks they found in the snow. After
following the trail to McCall's prairie they were met by a sudden snow-squall
which filled the tracks and blinded the hunters, but the dogs exhibiting a
desire to rush on, were set loose and soon had bruin at bay. The men pushed on
and found the animal had taken to a tree, but at the approach of the hunters it
came down and was soon at war with the dogs. It was impossible to shoot because
the dogs surrounded the victim, so one of the hunters rushed up with an ax and
struck it a fatal blow while it held a dog in its teeth.

   "Painters," wild cats and wolves were numerous and considerably feared,
though no mishap ever happened to the early settlers here from their attack.
There have been a good many narrow escapes from what seemed imminent danger,
which served to emphasize the fear generally entertained, but these hardly
reached the dignity of an incident. It is related that a hunter following a
wounded deer, after he had expended all his bullets was seriously menaced by
eight wolves, which the trace of fresh blood from the deer had attracted, and
that they came so close that he prudently climbed a tree. He was not besieged
long as the trail of the deer promised better game, and the wolves passed on
depriving the hunter of his game. But while these wolves were not very
troublesome to persons, their attacks upon stock proved a source of annoyance to
the pioneer farmer. There was but little stock in the country. Most of the new
comers brought in a cow and team of horses or oxen, and these were generally
free from attacks. The young stock, however, were often victimized. Calves,
heifers, and occasionally cows were killed, while young pigs and sheep escaped
the voracious jaws of these animals only through the utmost care. A drove of
sheep was early brought to Palestine, and many of the farmers bought enough to
supply wool for their family needs. For years these small flocks had to be
carefully watched during the day and folded at night, the younger members of the
family acting as shepherds. The farmers' dogs soon learned to keep the wolves
off, though it generally needed the presence of some one of the family to give
them the necessary courage to attack.

   Bees were found here in great numbers, and honey and bees-wax became an
article of commerce. Many made honey an object of search and became expert in
hunting this kind of game. The plan was to burn some of the comb to attract the
bees to a bait of honey or a decoction of anise seed, and when loaded up to
watch their course. In this way hundreds of trees were found stored with the
sweet results of the busy labor of these insects that would have probably
escaped the sharpest scrutiny. Some were found containing fifteen gallons of
honey, and the past year is the first, since his residence here, Matthew Newlin
relates, that he has not discovered one of these trees.

   In such a land, literally flowing with milk and honey, it was natural to
expect the Indian to linger till the last possible moment. The treaty with some
of the natives of this region provided for the payment of a certain sum of money
in four or five annual installments at Vincennes. This served to keep these
loiterers here, who in the meantime visited their old time haunts for game.
There was on the whole the utmost good feeling entertained by both parties.
There were several cases of hostility with fatal results in other parts of the
county, some of which threatened to involve the whole country here in a serious
conflict, but the matter was arranged and the peaceable relations existing
between the two people were not disturbed. While the Indians generally respected
the rights of property holders, and are not generally charged with stealing the
settlers' stock, etc., they did not hesitate to take anything they could eat
whenever within their reach. Those who were fortunate enough to have a spring
near their cabins constructed a rude spring house where the milk was kept. This
was free plunder to the natives, and they did not scruple to come in day light
and drain the last drop before the indignant eyes of the housewife. Others were
in the habit of coming to certain cabins just about breakfast time, when they
had learned to expect a large corn-pone fresh from the bake-kettle. The settlers
soon learned to prepare for these visits and so save their own meal. One morning
fourteen of the Indians came to a cabin early, seeking something to eat. A huge
pone was just cooked and removing the lid of the old-fashioned oven the head of
the family pointed to the dish. The Indians understood the gesture and one of
their number thrusting his knife into the steaming bread took it from the fire,
laid it on the table, and dividing into fifteen pieces, took a double share and
left, munching the food with grunts of satisfaction. The rest each took a share,
leaving the family without an important part of their breakfast. Such incidents
were accepted with philosophic composure by the majority of the early white
inhabitants, who had a little more to complain of in regrad [sic] to the
natives. There were others, however, who were ready to charge upon the Indians
the loss of sundry hogs and cattle, though it is generally believed that such
charges were made to account for the hatred they cherished against them. One or
two characters are mentioned who, for some depredations committed by the savages
in Kentucky, took occasion to here avenge themseves upon innocent members of the
same race.

   The natives were chiefly of the Kickapoo and Delaware tribes, and spent
several winters here. They were provided with a canvass wigwam, the top being
open to allow the smoke to escape, and, contrary to the general custom of the
tribes, tilled no corn field, evidently, preferring to depend upon the bounty of
the whites and the results of a little petty exchange which grew up between the
two races. Furs, dressed buckskin, and game were exchanged for corn, bread, and
pork on very good terras for the whites. They gradually became very good company
with the athletes of the settlement, and took their defeats with the best of
good nature. In shooting at a mark, jumping, wrestling and running they were
frequently out-done by the whites, but in feats of long endurance, shooting game
and woodcraft, they sustained the reputation which history has generally given
them.

   The whites, separated from even the crude advantages of a frontier society,
were at first wholly dependent upon their own ingenuity for the commonest
necessaries of life. Most of the early families came from communities where
flour was not considered a luxury, mills were within an easy journey, mechanics
were abundant and the best implements of the time within their reach. But in
coming to this country all these were left behind. Few had money to expend upon
anything save the price of their land, and the absence of stores was not at
first felt to be so much of a privation, but when their first stock of provision
was expended, and this with their clothing was to be replaced, the only resort
was to Vincennes, some thirty miles away. Here another difficulty presented
itself. The farmer had a surplus of corn and but little more. This was neither
legal tender nor good for exchange very often, and later, when it became
marketable, the exchange for a wagon load would not burden a child. Under such
circumstances every piece of coin was husbanded with miserly care to meet land
payments and taxes, and often did not suffice for that. At one time a large
proportion of the taxes, which for the whole county did not amount to more than
sixty dollars, was paid in wolf-scalps and coon-skins. There was absolutely no
money to be had. There was but little wheat sown, as it was believed it would
not grow, and even where the seed was found to thrive the slight demand for it
discouraged its culture. Corn was the great staple, and various means were
resorted to, to make it answer the various demands of the farm and family. The
nearest mill was at first in Shakerville, and subsequently on the Embarras River
in what is now Lawrence County. But these mills were twenty miles away and many
an emergency arose when there was no meal in the cabin, and lack of time, stress
of weather or other obstacle hindered the tedious journey and delay of going to
mill. Hominy mortars were found at many of the cabins, which were generally
used. These were simply formed out of a convenient stump or large block into
which a large excavation was made by fire and tools. Over this a "sweep" was
erected to which was attached a heavy wooden pestle faced with a piece of iron.
In such a mill the corn was beaten to various grades of fineness, the finest
separated by a sieve made of perforated buckskin, was reserved for dodgers,
while the coarsest made the traditional dish of hominy. Jesse Page refined upon
this construction and made a rude handmill which was kept in pretty constant use
by himself and neighbors. An ordinary stone properly dressed was set in an
excavated stump, and another was cut in circular form and fitted on top of it.
An iron set in the lower stone protruded through a hole in the center of the
upper stone, which, provided with a wooden handle near its outer edge, completed
the machine. The corn placed between these stones was converted into very fair
meal with not much exertion or expenditure of time. Later, William Barbee
constructed a single-geared horse-mill near the central part of what is now
Robinson township. This mill consisted of a small run of stone with a hopper
attachment run by a gearing propelled by horses. The mill proper was in a log
cabin provided for the purpose. Outside, a perpendicular shaft carried at its
upper end a large wheel fifteen to twenty feet in diameter, on the circumference
of which was provided cogs to fit in the shaft-gearing which turned the mill. In
the lower part of the upright shaft, arms were fitted, to which two or four
horses were attached and the whole covered with a shed, constituted a horse-mill
of the olden time. This proved a great convenience, the farmers using their own
teams and paying a good toll for the use of the machinery.

   The absence of any considerable streams in the township prevented the
construction of many of those aids to pioneer communities that do much to
mitigate the discomforts of a frontier experience. The horse-mill, while not the
best the country, afforded in this line, was much better than going twenty miles
for better grinding, though at a later period, when wheat became common, it was
found necessary to go to Hallenbeck's mill in York township, or to the Shaker
mill. But at these mills the wheat was not screened nor the flour bolted, and
the bread made from the produce of these mills would hardly satisfy the
fastidious taste of the modern house-keeper. Barbee afterward sunk vats and did
some tanning, which was a great addition to the advantages of this community.
But all were not dependent upon this for their supply of leather. Brown &
Nichols made a tanner's ooze for themselves, and tanned hides in a trough for
years. It was not until about 1849 that the first saw-mill was erected north of
the village, by Barbee & Jolley. One of the Barbees had a small distillery here,
about the same time, but it was in operation but a short time when it was
discontinued.

   The clothing of the family depended largely upon the handiwork and ingenuity
of the women. The flax was grown and the sheep were sheared, but with this the
work of the men generally ceased. To transform these materials into fabrics and
thence into clothing, called for accomplishments of no trivial order, but the
women of that day were equal to their duties. Work and play were intimately
associated, spinning and quilting bees lightened the labor and brought the
neighborhood together for a pleasant interchange of gossip and frolic in the
evening. Linsey-woolsey, a combination of linen and wool was the general wear of
the women, enlivened by the rare luxury of a calico dress for special occasions.
The men wore jeans, the pants generally faced in front with buckskin, a style
generally called "foxed," and in which the women displayed no little originality
in their effort to make the addition take on an ornamental as well as useful
character. Social gatherings were marked by the playing of games rather than
dancing. The latter was a favorite form of amusement, but there was a large
element of "old school Baptists" among the early settlers that did not favor
this form of amusement, which fed to the employment of other forms of
entertainment. Whisky was less in general use here than in many frontier
communities, and drunkenness was at least no more frequent than now, in
proportion to the population.

   The earliest market for the produce of, the farmer was at Lawrenceville, the
merchants of which did much more business forty years ago than now. Here the
farmers drove their hogs and cattle and hauled their corn, which finally found a
market at New Orleans. Later the villages of Palestine and Hutsonville afforded
a nearer market. Fruit, honey, bees-wax, tallow, and even corn, were frequently
hauled to Chicago, the wagons returning loaded with salt. Stock raising,
especially of cattle and hogs, was a prominent feature of the early farm
industry, and brought to the farmer a pretty reliable revenue. Cattle were
sometimes driven to Chicago, but the most of the stock was sold to itinerant  
buyers at the farm, though at marvelously low prices compared with those ruling
at this day. A cow and calf sold for $5 or $6, and a fine fat steer for $6 or
$8. John Hill, Jr., sold, on one occasion, seven fine steers, for $50, a price
which he obtained only through the most stubborn persistence. Garwood, an Ohio
cattle dealer, offered $48 for the cattle, but as Hill was depending upon the
sale for the purchase of forty acres of land, he insisted upon the additional
$2, as there was no money to be got otherwise. For two days and nights Garwood
haggled over the price, when finding Hill unyielding, gave the price and took
the stock.

   Since then, how marked the change. The generation is growing up that will
scarcely believe the unvarnished tale of pioneer experience in this land, and
will only value the advantages of the present when they accurately measure the
sacrifices and achievements of the past.


Additional Comments:
Extracted From:

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD AND CLARK COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
EDITED BY WILLIAM HENRY PERRIN.

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS,
LAKESIDE BUILDING.
1883.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/crawford/history/1883/historyo/chapterx7nms.txt

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