Edgar County IL Archives History - Books .....History Of Young America Township 1879
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Book Title: History Of Edgar County, Illinois

YOUNG AMERICA TOWNSHIP.

ORGANIZATION.

   On the 9th day of March, 1851, at the meeting of the Board of Supervisors, an
order was passed creating a precinct in the northwest part of the county, whose
name and limits should be as follows:

   " Ordered, That an election precinct, to be known as Young America Precinct,
be established and bounded as follows, viz.: Beginning at the northwest corner
of the county, thence south with the county line to the south part of Township
16, Range 14 west; thence east to the southeast corner of Township 16 north,
Range 13 west; thence north two miles; thence east to the west line of Prairie
Precinct; thence north to the county line; thence along the county line west to
the place of beginning."

   It was also ordered that "the place of holding the election in said precinct
be at the house of Perez Barker, and that James Gains, George Reed and Johnson
Ross be Judges of Election in said precinct."

   By noticing these outlines on the map, the reader can readily trace the
original exterior of the precinct. It then included nearly all of Ross Township
and none of what is now Shiloh. Subsequently, when the limits of Embarrass and
Pilot Grove Precincts were changed, and Buck formed from the latter, taking its
place both in name and territory, the northern part of these two precincts was
attached to Young America. In 1866, when Shiloh Township was formed, it was
created from the "south part of Young America and the north part of Buck
Townships." So say the records. The erection of Ross and Shiloh Townships left
Young America in its present shape and size, which is large enough to admit of
another division whenever the settlements justify such a move.

AREA AND GENERAL FEATURES.

   The township is six sections wide by eight and one-half long, containing^
therefore, fifty-one full sections, or thirty-two thousand six hundred and forty
acres.

   The township, with the exception of the eastern and northern part, is all
prairie. Here and there are a few groves of trees, of various sizes. The largest
is Hickory Grove, in the northern part. Near it was made the first settlement in
this township, an account of which appears in the historical part of this
narrative. In former times, these groves afforded some good timber, which,
however, has all been used in the erection of buildings, and is now superseded
by an inferior second growth.

   Until lately, the prairie portions of Young America were considered
untillable, and were allowed to remain open. They were used largely by herders
of cattle from other places, who drove their cattle here, herding them in the
summer-time, and feeding them in the winter on stalks purchased for that
purpose. The same method of raising stock was employed in Shiloh Township, which
is largely prairie country in area, and was formerly known as Young America. The
prairie here is exceedingly level, and, naturally, affords little drainage. For
this reason it was, in the common vernacular of the region, "a rather wet
country." The prairie grass grew very rank, holding the water in its
thickly-clustered roots and shielding the sun by its heavy growth. Hence, the
country was in accord with its description, and did not present a very inviting
prospect to the agriculturist. The land had been largely entered by speculators,
who knew very well it would one day come under the domain of cultivation, and
would be valuable. Time verified their predictions, as the sequel will show.

PAST AND PRESENT.

   As has been incidentally mentioned, the first settler in this part of the
county located at Hickory Grove. In the year 1820, a man named Helvene Stine
came to this grove, began cutting trees, principally for coons or for honey.
While engaged in this sport, he got after a good-sized coon, and in cutting down
the tree, by some means, he was killed by its falling. He was buried in what was
known as the Frazier Grave-yard, in territory now comprised in Vermilion County.
He was the first man of whom any record exists as finding and being in this
grove. No doubt, he, and other early pioneers, saw Mulberry Grove and others
about this same time, but no record is kept of their going to any of them. It
is, however, safe to assume they went there and elsewhere in quest of game.

   In 1822, Mr. Daniel Reed came to Hickory Grove, and finding it a desirable
place to live, built himself a cabin, and became the first settler in what is
now Young America. That was a little while before Edgar County was created, and
when the population in this part of the State was not counted by thousands.

   At that date, there was no Paris or Danville, and to enter land, Mr. Reed had
to go to Palestine, a good many miles south of him, to the land office there.
Indians, deer, wolves and other native inhabitants of this part of the West were
plenty. The Indians were only troublesome in that they would sometimes steal.
Deer made good venison, interspersed with turkey and wild chicken, or with an
occasional bear steak or tenderloin. Wolves would not only steal, but would
kill. They soon learned the abode of civilization, and not only rendered the
night hideous with their incessant howling, but made sad havoc with
chicken-roosts or in the pig-pens. They soon learned to be rather partial for
tender pork, and when the settler had any such property, he was obliged to guard
it until it was large enough to defend itself against this scavenger of the
prairie. After the settlements became numerous, successful wolf-hunts were
inaugurated, which, in time, drove them from the country. Now, they or deer are
a rarity.

   Mr. Reed and his family seem to have been alone until, getting tired of his
isolated condition, or his family may not have favored the place—at any rate,
Mr. Marion Kendall states that when he came to what is now Young America
Township there was not a man living in it. He is a native of Stafford County,
Va., removing from the "Old Dominion," with his parents, to Kentucky, in 1814.
In 1829, he came on horse-back to Illinois, on a prospecting tour. He remained
here nearly a year, returning in 1830 to Kentucky. It was when on this trip,
that he came to near Hickory Grove, and concluded to make it his future home. He
says there was a pole-cabin, or body of one, about a mile northwest of the
grove, but by whom it was built he does not know. He does not refer to Mr. Reed,
who had probably left the grove. When Mr. Kendall returned to his home in the
Blue-grass State, he married, and, in 1831, returned to Illinois and settled. In
the fall of the same year, he was followed by Mr. Conrad Walters, who entered
land, and, with the help of his hired man, Mr. Kendall and his father-in-law,
Henry Retter, built him a cabin. While this was being built, he lived in the
pole-cabin before referred to. His settlement was permanent and was one of the
first in the township.

   These seem to have been the majority if not all the settlers in this part of
Edgar County for some time. Mr. George Reed was here in 1849, when Mr. Jerry
Myers came to Mulberry Grove. He states that Mr. Reed and Joseph Culver were in
Young America then, and does not recollect any others.

   However, there were several families about Hickory Grove, and near, in what
is now Vermilion County. They went to Old Horner, or Georgetown, for mail; to
Paris or to the mouth of Big Vermilion, twenty miles away, for milling purposes.
They did not enjoy many luxuries. They were met by the necessities of life and
looked upon them as the chief part of their existence. We will not pause to
describe their first homes, first mills, first plows, or anything considered
first in the pioneer's life; that has been done elsewhere in these pages, and as
the frontier life is the same in all parts of the West, one description will
apply to all. The settlers expected privation and discomforts; but the hope of a
better day ever nerved them to their tasks and kept them cheerful.

   The early births and marriages in the community are interesting items and
must not be omitted. Such events do not commonly come in the order given above,
but the reverse. However, we will state them as they occurred. The first birth
here, as far as we have been able to find, was that of Martin Reed, a son of
Daniel Reed.    The date of this event was not given us.

   Two couples seem to come in for the glory as the first married in this
community. One informant says that Frank Barnett and Jerusha Walters can justly
claim that honor, while another says that John Hildreth, a brother of A. K.
Hildreth, and a daughter of Mr. Walters (name not given), were married about
three years after the arrival of Mr. W. and his family, and that the honor
properly belongs to them. The weight of evidence seems in their favor. In the
latter case, we are told the wedding occurred in the log cabin erected for Mr.
Walters in 1831, and that the marriage referred to was celebrated in pure
pioneer style. A dance was kept up all night.

   The occasion of a marriage in pioneer days was made a merry affair. After the
ceremony had been performed, to which all the neighbors were invited, and when
the old folks had gone home, the cabin was cleared and dancing begun. A good
fiddler was always in demand, and was sure to be a welcome personage in a
frontier dwelling. His music may not have been very classical; one thing,
though, may safely be said, it was stirring.

   After the dance was well along, say about 9 or 10 o'clock, a deputation of
young women stole off the bride and put her to bed, generally in the loft, where
a bed had been provided, covered with clothes of her own manufacture. The young
men of the party affected not to notice this proceeding, and no interval was
allowed in the dance. As soon as the young ladies had returned, the young men
watching their opportunity in like manner disposed of the groom, who was
generally a very willing prisoner, and deposited him beside his bride. Often
they were remembered with refreshments during the night; and if a "Black Betty"
was handy (which was often the case, for whisky was as common a drink then as
now, though apparently not so active on the imbiber) it was sent to the bedside
of the pair, whereby they might imbibe from its contents did they desire.
Whether this was done at the wedding we have mentioned, we are not prepared to
say: we are only speaking of weddings in general.

   Reference has been made to the number of Indians seen in this part of the
country after the whites began to settle. They were generally of the Kickapoo
tribe, and were peaceful. They, like the wild animals, felt the encroachment of
the white man on their domain, and gradually left the country, following the
path of the setting sun. Mr. Mason Kendall remembers seeing about five hundred
Indians, who, when on their way to their reservation in the West, stopped in the
grove and hunted about a week. Henry Kendall remembers that when he was about
eleven years old his father took him to see the trenches they had dug in the
ground, in which to properly dry their "jerked beef." This, he says, was nearly
twelve years after the Indians had been there. He thinks they were a band of
Cherokees, but does not now remember certainly.

   A rather historic row of cottonwood-trees stands in this township. They were
for many years a landmark here. Some of them are now nearly three feet in
diameter. They were planted by Mr. Mason Kendall, in the fall of 1838, on the
day Henry Kendall was born. They, and he, are over forty years old.

   Mr. Kendall has always been an active man in this township. He built the
first store in these parts. It stood near where Mr. G. W. Kendall now resides,
and contained the usual miscellaneous assortment of pioneer goods.

   He was also the first to introduce successfully the cultivation and growth of
clover, timothy and blue grass here. These have in time almost entirely
superseded the prairie grass. His son Henry was put in the saddle when nine
years of age, to herd cattle. He says he has been there a good deal of the time
since.

   This narrative brings us down to the time the second influx of emigrants came
in. This is the time referred to by Mr. Jerry Myers, who states that when he
came to Mulberry Grove the Reed family were living at Hickory Grove, and Joseph
Culver at Spring Grove. The others whom we have named he does not mention. They
may have been near the boundary of some other township, or just in the edge of
what is now Vermilion County, as, in the early days, that was a part of Edgar.
Mr. William McNutt states that when he came, in 1854, there were two or three
settlers here in addition to those mentioned by Mr. Myers in 1848 or 1849.

   Among those of this period, say from 1848 to 1858, may be mentioned Mr. James
Orr, who came from Pennsylvania, Henry Ross, Thomas Guthrie and John and William
McDonald.

   These persons built cabins, opened farms as others had done, but were not
obliged to undergo the same privations, as by this time the country was
tolerably well settled. Railroads were built to various parts of the West, and
were the means of opening this vast domain to the people in the East.

   All early settlements were made along the northern and eastern parts of the
township. They had not learned the art of properly cultivating the prairies; and
even if they had, these parts of Young America and Shiloh Townships were so wet
they could not be cultivated.

   As late as 1870, when a county map was made, and each resident's house
located on it, the reader can notice the people lived in the eastern and
northern portions entirely. Mr. Hume states that when he came, in 1865, there
were no people on the prairie; it was used as a large pasture, immense droves of
cattle being herded thereon.

   After the Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield Railroad was opened, in 1872,
and people saw that by proper drainage this land could be made profitable, they
settled it as if by magic. The building of Hume and Metcalf opened an outlet
through the railroad for the disposal of their crops, and not an acre of land
was left unclaimed.

   Now it is tolerably thickly settled, and will in time be the wealthy part of
this township.

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.

   Inquiries relating to the first schools and churches in Young America
Township, omitting that part now included in Ross Township, develop the fact
that the first schoolhouse was erected here in 1861. Some assert this date as
incorrect, placing the first one, the "Old Green Schoolhouse" as early as 1854
or 1855. Mr. Hume says that in 1865 there were only three in the whole township.
We are inclined to the opinion from all that could be learned, that the first
one was erected prior to 1861, for to a certainty school was taught before that
date. May be that only the room of a settler's cabin was used. One informant
gives the first school teacher's name, saying it was Sarah Henthorn. He also
states that the first schoolhouse was erected in 1861, that it stood near Mr. G.
W. Kendall's, and that it is now used as a carriage-house. It is very certain
that until 1870 or later, only three or four schoolhouses were in this township.
It will be remembered, that the population was sparse until 1872, and that but
few would be needed. From that date until now, as the people came in and
occupied the territory, others were erected as their wants required.

   We are informed that Rev. Mr. Winn was the first minister of the Gospel in
these parts. What year he came is not now accurately known. He was a Methodist,
and with the characteristic promptness of that denomination, followed the
pioneer to his frontier home, and endeavored to found a church. His efforts do
not appear to have been very successful, for no church of any kind existed in
Young America until the erection of one at Palermo, three or four years ago.
That, too, is a Baptist, and is now the only one of any denomination, we were
told, in the township.

   In the eastern part of Young America, persons desiring to attend religious
services go to Chrisman. While in other parts occasional meetings are held in
schoolhouses, by clergymen of different denominations, who find adherents to
their several religious faiths among the people.

   Hume and Metcalf may yet see churches built in their midst, a building always
betokening good for any town or community.

   Leaving the description of the country comprised in Young America, we will
devote the remainder of the history to the villages. Of these, there are three
in the township, viz., Hume, Metcalf and Palermo.

HUME.

   When Mr. E. W. S. Hume located where the village bearing his name now stands,
there was not a single habitation near him. He came here in February, 1865,
about the close of the late war, and purchased a tract of land on the proposed
line of the railroad, which then began to attract some attention to this part of
the country, and which has much to do with the settling of the prairies here. In
November, Mr. Hume brought his family to their then new home, and opened a farm
and began its cultivation.

   The present Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield Railroad was completed
through the north part of the county in 1872.

   The next year, Mr. Hume concluded a town could be started here, and laid his
plans accordingly. Before he accomplished the object, however, he was joined by
Henry C. Moore, Thomas H. McCoughty and H. B. Hammond, whose names appear on the
plat as incorporators, filed in the Clerk's office. For them and Mr. Hume, Mr.
George W. Foreman laid out the village of Hume early in November, 1873.

   There was not a house on the original plat when the survey was made. Persons,
however, stood ready to build as soon as good titles to lots could be obtained.
O. H. Rogers and brother built the first house on the plat. It is their present
store, which they yet occupy. Next, a blacksmith-shop was built by Eben
Hathaway, who still fills the part in life described so beautifully in
Longfellow's poem. Michael Ewel and W. C. Smith next erected houses here. In the
summer of 1874, the hotel was built and the store now occupied by Harry Boon. In
1875, the warehouse appeared. The schoolhouse was one of the first buildings
erected. It is yet used; and, as no incorporation has been effected in the
village, the school is still under district control. As yet, there is no church
here. Those who desire to attend religious services go to the Baptist Church at
Palermo.

   It will be observed from the foregoing description that the town grew with
great rapidity for a year or two. In fact, the whole place was built up in that
length of time. The buildings are all new, evidencing the comparatively short
existence of the town.

   Four stores, two or three shops of various kinds, one hotel, the post office,
the depot and warehouse comprise the business part of Hume. It is an excellent
shipping point for grain and stock, two or three firms being engaged in that
business. Mr. Hume informed us that over one hundred thousand bushels of corn
are annually sent from here, while oats and rye are shipped in paying
quantities. He states that but one car-load of wheat has been sent from Hume
since he came.

   Not long since, a census was taken to ascertain the number of inhabitants,
with a view to incorporate the town. The census, no doubt very thorough, as such
are apt to be, gave a population of 270. As thirty more than that number are
required by the State law, the idea was abandoned for the present.

METCALF.

   This village, like Hume, owes its existence to the railroad. It was surveyed
by Mr. C. E. Carpenter, early in November, 1874, for Mr. John A. Metcalf, from
whom it received its name, and who owned the land on which it is situated. He is
an energetic man, one of the early residents here, and, seeing; the prospect for
a town, immediately acted on his resolution to establish one. Mr. Asaph Rogers
opened the first store, which is now kept by Henry Ross. There is but the one in
the place Another was opened, but the trade did not warrant its continuance. A
mill was erected here by Mr. _____ Bomer, to which has since been added an
elevator, both of which are now under the control of the Ketchum Brothers. They
are doing; a good business, as much grain is brought here, especially corn.

   The school is out of town, and is under the district control. No church has
been erected here.

   The town is yet quite small, but enjoys considerable local trade. In addition
to the store, mill and elevator and post office there are a few shops of various
kinds, supported by the trade of the surrounding farmers.

PALERMO.

   This small village, at Hickory Grove, is the oldest in the township. It was
begun in 1863 by Mr. Henry Ross, who built a store there and carried a good
stock of goods. It was, not long after, joined by another similar enterprise,
then a shop or two appeared, and the town was worthy a post office. It had been
a kind of central point many years, and mail was brought here as early as the
first store, if not a little before. It was at first intended to call the
village and post office by the name of the grove: but finding another Hickory
Grove in the State, at the suggestion of Mr. C. L. C. Bradfield, the name
Palermo was bestowed. We are informed it was named for a Western town. The place
has and still enjoys a good local trade. The stores have a good custom, and were
it on a railroad it would be more than a rival for its more fortunate neighbors.
The school is under district control. The town is not incorporated; even the
plat is not recorded.

   As has been mentioned, the Baptists have a church here. It was built three or
four years since. Its members live in the village and in the adjacent country.

   No other denomination, as yet, has any churches in the township, and in
Palermo none are necessary. One church, well conducted, is abundant for any
ordinary-sized American village.

M'GOWAN.

   When the survey for the railroad was made, in 1850, a station, to be named
New Harmony, was designated, in the southwest part of the township. The road not
being built, no town was platted. When the railroad was completed, in 1872, the
growth of Hume and Metcalf put an end to any prospects for a village at New
Harmony, and the project was abandoned. However, a stopping-place was made a
little west of the old site, and, in honor of one of the principal residents
near it, was named McGowan. There is nothing here but a platform.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

THE HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY, ILLINOIS,

CONTAINING

A History of the County—its Cities, Towns, &c.; Directory of its Tax-Payers; War
Record of its Volunteers in the late Rebellion ; Portraits of Early Settlers and
Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Edgar County; History of
Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of
the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c, &c.

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO: WM. LE BARON, JR., & CO., 186 DEARBORN STREET.

1879.


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