MRS. BRUMFIELD TELLS OF
 SETTLING OF LA SALLE CO.
 BY RELATIVES CENTURY AGO
______________

Interesting Story By Aged Lady Tells of Naming of Hardscrabble--Sixteen Killed 

in Indian Massacre of Whites Near Harding--Two Hall Girls Kidnapped and Later 
Ransomed for 65 Ponies
_______________

My grandfather Nathan Townsend moved with his family in a covered wagon from 
Sullivan county, New York, to a farm five miles northwest of Sheridan, ILL., 
in Adams township, La Salle county in November, 1835, being the third white 
family to settle in the township.  The 16th of November, 1835, they camped 5 
miles west of Ottawa and stayed all night in a big snow storm.

My grandfather and family Townsend settled near Sheridan in 1835.  They landed 

below Ottawa on the 16th of November during a snow storm. 

They ground corn in a coffee mill to make bread and they burned corn cobs on 
the hearth of the fire place to make soda.  They sifter the ashes and used the 

fine substance which was left to make biscuits.  They dried the breasts of 
prairie chickens to boil in the winter time for meat.  They dried the deer 
meat also. 

My husband, Joseph Blumfield, was the first white child born in Livingston 
County, Dec. 2, 1936.

ORIGIN OF NAME

In the fore part of the sixties Jon O'Neil owned the first little grocery 
store that ever was started in Streator.  It was near the top of a lone hill 
that came up from the Vermillion river.  A man from the west side of the river 

was going to Ottawa.  The hill was very slippery with ice.  After he got up 
the hill he went into the store.  Some one in the store asked him if he did 
not have a hard time getting up the hill.  He said he had hard scrabbling to 
get up.  He took a piece of chalk and wrote over the door on the outside 
"Hardscrabble".  That is the way I have heard it got it's name.

THE OLD MILL

In the first settling of Livingston County, James Mckernan, of near Kernan 
station on the Santa Fe R. R. six miles east of Streator, built the noted old 
mill on the Vermillion river, a short distance south of the Streator water 
works dam.  It was run by water power from the river.  It ground corn and 
wheat for bread and sawed up logs into lumber for buildings.  It was owned and 

operated by different parties.  In 1861 Jacob Cooper bought it.  In June 1864 
he sold it to a Mr. Harwood for $3500 cash.  Mr. Harwood and his wife both 
died that same year.  Later Mr. Cedarbrand bought it from the Harwood heirs.  
He owned and operated it for several years until high waters took it down the 
river.
(To Be Continued Tomorrow)


Article found in the family Bible of Joseph and Annie Westwood, Streator, IL.  

Bible is in the possession of Joseph Westwood of Pearl City, IL., who is the 
grandson of Joe and Annie.  Joseph of Pearl City, was so kind as to lend me 
the articles from the Bible so I could enter them into our family genealogy 
collection.

This article written in the STREATOR DAILY FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 
1926, by Charity E. Townsend Brumfield.

No changes to the article were made in text or spelling.
June 21, 1997
Carmen Kay Luellman (Westwood)	

Thanks Again
Carmen K. Luellman
carmenkl@msn.com
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