Putnam-Marshall County IL Archives History - Books .....History Of Putnam & Marshall Counties, 1860 1860
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Book Title: History Of Putnam & Marshall Counties

HISTORY OF PUTNAM & MARSHALL COUNTIES;

Embracing an Account of the Settlement, Early Progress, and Formation of 
Bureau and Stark Counties;

With an Appendix, Containing Notices of Old Settlers and of the Antiquities of 
Putnam and Marshall, Lists of Officers of Each County from its Organization to 
the Present Time, etc., etc.

By Henry A. Ford, Corresponding Member of the Chicago Historical Society

Lacon, ILL.: Published for the Author

1860


Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by Henry A. Ford, 
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Northern District of Illinois.

Printed at the Gazette Office, Lacon, ILL.


CONTENTS.

CHAP. I—EUROPEAN DISCOVERY IN THE WEST.
Florida discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon—Narvaez and De Vaca—Discovery of the 
Mississippi—De Soto—Results of Spanish exploration—Discovery of the St. 
Lawrence—New France—Raymbault and Jogues in the North-west—Mesnard, Allouez, 
Dablon, Marquette, Perrot—Marquette's expedition to the "Land of the Great 
River"—His impressions of Illinois—La Salle in the West—Hennepin's expedition—
Louisiana, ..... Page 1.

CHAP. II—HISTORY OF ILLINOIS 1690—1825.
French colonization—D'Iberville Governor—D'Artaguette Governor—Grant to Crozat—
Company of the West—Illinois in 1750—French war—Clarke's Conquest of Illinois—
Illinois County—North-west Territory—Indian troubles—Indiana Territory—
Illinois Territory—Massacre at Chicago in 1812—Illinois admitted into the 
Union—Slavery Agitation—Legislature of 1824-5—New counties formed, ..... Page 
14.

CHAP. III.—THE OLD COUNTY OF PUTNAM.
Northern Illinois in 1825—The Military Bounty Land Tract—Pike County—Division 
of the Military Tract into counties—Legislative proceedings—Formation of "Old 
Putnam," ..... Page 23.

CHAP. IV.—HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
Northern Illinois in 1831—Formation of later Putnam—Location of county seat—
First, election—First Circuit Court—Incidents thereof—First County 
Commissioners' Court—Early poll lists—Township organization—Jails built—Putnam 
in 1835—The county divided—Defalcation of the County Treasurer, ..... Page 31.

CHAP. V.—THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
The Indian treaty of 1804—First invasion of Black Hawks—Campaign of 1881—Black 
Hawk's second invasion—Terrors of white settlers—Mustering of rangers in 
Putnam county—Forte and block-houses erected—Incidents of the war in Putnam—
Murder of Phillips in the Bureau Settlement—Stillman's defeat—Massacre on 
Indian Creek—Close of the war, ..... Page 45.

CHAP. VI.—EARLY HISTORY OF BUREAU AND STARK COUNTIES
The pioneers of Bureau—Founding of Princeton—Towns of Windsor, Kin-nor-wood, 
Concord, Greenfield, Fairmount, Livingston, and Providence, laid off—Formation 
of Bureau County—The first election—Early settlement of Stark—Wyoming, 
Osceola, Moulton, Massillon, and Lafayette, laid off—Coffee County—Canvass for 
Representative—Preliminary meetings—Formation of Stark county, ..... Page 64.

CHAP. VII.—HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Southern Putnam in 1839—Movements for division—Establishment of Marshall 
County—Addition of range one—Location of county seat—First election—First 
County Court—First Circuit Court—Court-houses built—Jails built—Township 
organization—Absconding of School Commissioner, ..... Page 76.

CHAP. VIII.—HISTORY OF THE TOWNS OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
Hennepin—West Hennepin—Magnolia—Granville—Mt. Palatine—Caledonia—Florid—Putnam—
Snachwine, ..... Page 85.

CHAP. IX.—COUNTRY SETTLEMENTS IN PUTNAM.
Union Grove—Ox Bow Prairie—Narrative of the Strawn robbery—Snachwine 
Settlement, ..... Page 97.

CHAP. X.—HISTORY OF THE TOWNS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Columbia—Lacon—Henry—Wenona—New Rutland—Washburn—Sparland—Pattonsburg—Webster—
Lyons—Dorchester Bristol—Auburn—Centreville—Troy City—Chambersburg, ..... 105.

CHAP. XI.—COUNTRY SETTLEMENTS IN MARSHALL.
Round Prairie—Shaw's Point—Roberts' Point—Belle Plaine—Half Moon Prairie—Crow 
Creek Settlement—Narratives of exciting events thereabouts—Henry Prairie—
Narrative of the Reeves affair—High Prairie—Camping Grove—Lawn Ridge—Yankee 
Street, ..... Page 126.

CHAP. XII.—CONCLUSION.
Failure to receive census returns—Glance at Putnam County in 1860—Glance at 
Marshall County in 1860, ..... Page 143.

APPENDIX.
List of officers of Putnam County—List of officers of Marshall County—Notices 
of old settlers—Indians of Putnam and Marshall—Antiquities in the two 
counties, ..... Page 147.


PREFACE.
This little work makes no pretension to a thorough and exhaustive treatment of 
any one of its topics. The limits of the volume, the difficulty of procuring 
accurate information upon a great variety of subjects, and the brief time 
allotted the author for preparation and publication, alike forbade this. The 
utmost claimed for the present work is that it marks the first movement in the 
right direction — namely, a full development and permanent record of our local 
annals. The author trusts that, by newspaper contributions, public 
correspondence and meetings of old settlers, the formation of historical 
societies, and future issues in pamphlet or book form, the errors of this 
preliminary essay may be corrected, and its deficiencies supplied. He believes 
that the history of localities, however meagre or brief it may be, is richly 
worth preserving, and will attain in time a value far transcending its 
apparent and present importance. Under this conviction the work now offered 
has been projected and executed.

Endeavor has been made to base every statement herein upon reliable authority. 
To this end, libraries have been ransacked, rare works consulted, many files 
of serial publications and official records carefully examined, a wide 
correspondence carried on, and numerous conversations held with those who are 
personally cognizant of facts stated. It would be too much, however, to 
presume that no errors have escaped notice; though it is believed that the 
work will be found in the main correct.

It was expected that several local views and portraits of old settlers should 
embellish the work. But its probable limited circulation, and the cost of 
engraving, induced the reluctant abandonment of this intention. Should another 
and enlarged edition ever be called for, they may be added. It has been found 
advisable to depart in some particulars from the announcements of the 
prospectus, and also to prefix chapters on European discovery and Illinois 
history.

In the prosecution of his researches, the author has been placed under 
obligations to a large number of individuals, for their incidental or direct 
assistance; and he desires to make public acknowledgment of their several 
favors to the officers of the Chicago Historical Society, especially to the 
accomplished Secretary, Dr. Wm. Barry; to the clerks of the Treasury 
Department, at Washington; to the librarians of the Eureka College, Peoria 
City, Henry Public, and Magnolia Public Libraries; to Judges Bangs and Ramsey, 
of Lacon; to the veteran editor, Hooper Warren, Esq., of Henry; to Dr. B. 
Clarke Lundy, of Magnolia, Rev. J. P. Hayes, of Hennepin, David Walker, Esq., 
of Ottawa, the editors of the local papers, the county officers of Putnam and 
Marshall, and many officers.

With these explanations and acknowledgments, this humble effort is submitted 
to the public.

Gazette Office, Lacon, August, 1860.

ERRATA.
On page 17, 7th line from top, read "French" for "English." The fort was 
rebuilt a few years before the English became masters of the country. 

On page 40, 6th line from top, read "1855" for "1854." The first Board of 
Supervisors, however, does not appear to have been elected until 1857. 

On page 47, 10th line from top, read "2d" for "3d." 

On page 57, 15th line from top, read "of" for "off." 

On page 87, 9th line from top, read "1833" for "1838." 

In the note to page 112, read "so named" for "done." The town was not laid off 
at the suggestion of Mr. Warren, as might be inferred from the language of the 
note.

Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF PUTNAM & MARSHALL COUNTIES; Embracing an Account of the Settlement, 
Early Progress, and Formation of Bureau and Stark Counties; With an Appendix, 
Containing Notices of Old Settlers and of the Antiquities of Putnam and 
Marshall, Lists of Officers of Each County from its Organization to the 
Present Time, etc., etc.; By Henry A. Ford, Corresponding Member of the 
Chicago Historical Society; Lacon, ILL.: Published for the Author; 1860.


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