1882 History
Chapter 7 - Hillsboro Township
DESCRIPTION, BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY — ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT — THE McADAMSES, RUTLEDGES, BOONES, AND OTHER PIONEERS — HARD LIFE OF THE PEOPLE — THEIR ROUGH HABITS, COARSE FARE AND SEVERE DUTY — THE PRIMITIVE CABIN AND ITS COMFORTS — MILLS, ROADS AND BRIDGES — EARLY SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC., ETC.
"Our grandmothers long have reposed in the tomb;
With a strong, healthy race they have peopled the land;
They worked with the spindle, they toiled at the loom,
Nor lazily brought up their babies by hand."
— Eugene Hall.
By W. H. Perrin
FAR across the dense woodlands of Indiana, beyond where Ohio's placid waters roll onward toward the Mississippi, and yet still farther on, among the grand old forests and gushing springs and fertile plains of Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, came the pioneers of this section of the county. Many of them left homes of comfort behind them, others but a small farm upon which they lived and rented by the year, and which barely gave them a support. All came to better their condition, to secure cheap lands, and to finally enable them to give their children a start in the world. Their journey hither was a hard one, and well calculated to discourage men of lesser energy. To those who settled the territory, now embraced in Hillsboro Township, their trials and hardships, their toils and dangers, the pages following are inscribed.
The township of Hillsboro occupies a position a little south of the center of the county, and is bounded on the north by Butler Grove Township, on the east by East Fork Township on the south by Grisham Township, and on the west by South Litchfield Township. It is mostly of uneven surface, rolling and somewhat hilly along the water-courses, breaking, in places, into bluffs, and when first seen by white men, the larger portion was covered with timber. Nearly all of it, however, is susceptible of cultivation, and produces fine crops of corn, oats and wheat. The timber is principally oak, sugar-maple, cottonwood, elm, walnut, ash, pecan, hickory, etc., etc. The land is drained by Shoal Creek and its tributaries. Middle Fork of Shoal Creek passes nearly through the center of the township in an almost southwest direction, while the West Fork flows through the western part to the southward, and unites with Middle Fork near the south line. Brush Creek is a small stream in the northwest corner and empties into the West Fork, while there are several other insignificant streams that are nameless on the maps. Hillsboro, since the date of township organization (1873) has corresponded in size with the Congressional survey, embracing within its limits thirty-six sections of land lying in a square.
The settlement of Hillsboro Township dates back to 1817 or 1818, and was among the first settlements made in the county. Look at the dates, 1817—1882! Sixty-five years stands between these milestones. Half that number is the average of a generation's lifetime, and hence, two generations have come and gone since the beginning of the settlement in what now forms Hillsboro Township. Among its early pioneers we may mention the names of the Killpatricks, Joseph McAdams, Jarvis Forehand, William Clark, Dr. Levi D. Boone James Rutledge, Solomon Prewitt, John Tillson, David McCoy, Nicholas Lockerman, the Wrights, Benjamin Rose, Hiram Rountree, Alexander McWilliams, Roland Shepherd, John Norton, D. B. Jackson, Gordon B. Crandall, Joel Smith and a number of others whose names cannot be recalled.
Joseph McAdams, the progenitor of the McAdams family, at whose house the first courts were held, settled some three miles southwest of the present town of Hillsboro. The McAdams family was a prominent one, and many descendants of the patriarch, whose name is mentioned above, still reside in the county, and are useful and worthy citizens. Joseph McAdams raised a family of nine sons and three daughters, and it is a remarkable fact that not one of them — father, mother, sons and daughters — but are dead, and, with perhaps, a single exception, the husbands and wives are also dead.
"The mother that infant's affection approved,
The husband that mother and infant who blessed,
Each, all, are away to their dwellings of rest."
All were prominent citizens, but John only held office, and was one of the first County Commissioners. Joseph, the patriarch of the family, died many years ago, leaving a name untarnished. He was the first Coroner of Montgomery County, but never aspired to office; one of his sons died on a place settled by William Clark, mentioned above as one of the early settlers of the township. But our space will not admit of a detailed sketch of this large family.
About two miles west of Hillsboro, and near where the first county seat (Hamilton) was laid out, David Killpatrick settled. He was of Irish descent, well educated, and said to be one of the finest mathematicians of his day in the county. A man of stern integrity, useful and intelligent, he was often elected to the office of the Justice of the Peace. He, too, raised a large family, and has many descendants living in the county. It was a daughter of his, Martha Killpatrick, who married Dr. Garner, the first doctor that ever practiced medicine in the county. Near Killpatrick, Joel Smith settled. He was the step-father of David B. Starr, who is prominently mentioned elsewhere in this work. David B. Jackson and James Rutledge settled where Hillsboro now stands, and were early hotel-keepers. They are more especially noticed in connection with the early history of the city. Of Mr. Rutledge we extract the following from the Rountree Letters: "In an early day, he cut a conspicuous figure in our county, having served as Constable for many years, and incidentally as Deputy Sheriff, and many times have we seen him 'cheek by jowl' with some horse-thief or other violator of the law. We remember one fact of him, that he put in our old log jail the first prisoners we ever saw go to jail, a couple of horse thieves, by the names of Parks and Means. 'Uncle Jimmy' also served in the Legislature as a Representative from this county. Indeed it may be remarked of him that he always took a large interest in the welfare of our county and our people. He was always at their service, and ever free to express his opinions on all subjects."
Benjamin Rose was an early settler south of Hillsboro, near where the old woolen factory stands. He married a widow, who had two children by a former husband, William and Charles Linxwiler, whom he raised, and who became well-known citizens. He afterward settled a place known as the "Linn Knoll," near Brush Creek. He had two brothers, who were also early settlers, and both of whom are now dead. Other settlers soon flocked around "Linn Knoll," among whom were George H. Anderson, Robert Mann, Mark Rutledge, William Knight, John Bostick, James Grantham, James Wiley, etc., etc., all excellent men and citizens. Anderson had a large family; most of those living reside in Christian County. His wife was a daughter of Robert Mann, who is long since dead. Knight and his wife and most of their family are dead. John Bostick and his aged father, Ezra, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, have likewise gone to that land," whose sands bear the marks of no returning footprints." James Wiley and his good old father, Aquilla Wiley, have followed them. Thus the pioneers have passed away, leaving but few of their number who stand "like the scattered stalks that remain in the field when the tempest has swept over it."
Dr. Boone was one of the early physicians, a contemporary of Dr. Garner, believed to be the first physician in the county. He was a man of intelligence, of the old Daniel Boone stock, and personally very popular. He commanded a company of Montgomery County boys in the Black Hawk war, and when he served out his term re-enlisted as Surgeon in Capt. Rountree's company, and served to the close of the war. Afterward he removed to Chicago, grew rich, became President of a bank, was elected Mayor, and was a man of much prominence. During the late war, he got into trouble, because his whole-souled generosity prompted him to provide comforts for the Confederate prisoners confined in Camp Douglas, and he was arrested by the Federals for thus succoring those upon whom the fortune of war had frowned, and many of whom were sons of his old Kentucky friends. Hiram Rountree and John Tillson, two men, perhaps, more prominently connected with the county than any others, will receive further mention in the chapters devoted to the town and city. Alexander McWilliams settled about four miles west of Hillsboro, on what was afterward known as the Zimmerman place. John McWilliams was a son, a man of excellent qualities, and one of the early business men of Litchfield. Lockerman settled in the western part of the present township. C. B. Blockberger settled in Hillsboro when it consisted of but a few log houses. He was a tinsmith, and opened the first tin shop in the county. He was a public-spirited man, made himself very useful to the early settlers, kept a general store; made brick; kept a hotel, and was several times elected to the Legislature. He was Deputy United States Marshal in 1840, afterward Postmaster, also served as Probate Judge, and held several military offices. He was chiefly instrumental in organizing the first Masonic lodge in Hillsboro, and the first in the county, to which he was greatly devoted. When he died he was buried with Masonic honors, Gen. Shields officiating.
The Cannons were early settlers, locating here as early as 1824. There were three brothers — William, John and Charles — all of whom settled near Hillsboro, and some of them in the town. William raised thirteen children out of fifteen born to him. Says Mr. Rountree in his sketches: "He is now nearly three-score and ten, and is quite a patriarch. He counts his descendants as follows: Children, 15, of whom are living, 13; grandchildren, 99, of whom are living, 90; great-grandchildren, all living, 13, making 127 descendants, of whom 116 are now living." But our space will not admit of further details of the early settlement of the township. We have endeavored to trace its settlement from the beginning down to a period within the memory of those still living, giving the names and facts of the early history of the more prominent of its pioneers. Though doubtless the names of many are overlooked who are entitled to honorable mention among these pioneer fathers, yet no pains have been spared to make the list full and complete.
The early life of the pioneers was one not to be envied, and one that could scarcely be endured or borne by their more tenderly-nurtured descendants. The early settlers as we have said came here to better their condition, and make homes for themselves and families. Their first duty was to provide shelter, and their cabins were hastily built, the cracks between the logs rudely daubed with mud; the floors were often mother earth, or of rough puncheons, and the bedsteads and tables, with a chair or two, were almost the sole furniture. Pewter plates were common, and the big fire-places surrounded by pots, skillets, ovens, pans, etc., were used for cooking instead of stoves. Biscuits and corn-dodgers baked in an oven or skillet, and "johnny cake" baked on a board before the fire, were considered diet fit for the gods. Game was plenty, and hence meat was never scarce, but the facilities for obtaining meal and flour were very limited. Mills for flour came after years with other improvements, but hand-mills, run not by steam, horses or oxen, but by the women and children, were the chief means of getting meal. New corn was often grated by hand for immediate use. Fruit could only be obtained from abroad, and with great difficulty, except such as grew wild. Honey was abundant, and could be had for the simple cutting down of the bee trees, so common in the woods.
The clothing was cheap and primitive as that of the cabin and its surroundings. That for both sexes was made at home, going through all the processes from the time of leaving the sheep's back until placed upon the back of the wearer. All the members of the household, male and female, men, women and children, were usually employed in some parts, if not in all parts of its manufacture. The men and boys often wore clothing made of the dressed skins of animals; boots were unknown, and shoes indulged in only as a luxury by the grown people, while moccasins made at home sufficed for the smaller members of the family. Says Mr. Rountree: “We wonder if the boys of our day are curious to know what kind of hair oil and neck-ties, what shaped collars and cuffs were the fashion then? We wonder if our girls are curious to know what sort of dress trimmings, what shape were the bonnets and hats, and if they wore paniers and bustles, sacks and overskirts, and whether they wore furs, muffs, cuffs, etc., etc., and when fully informed upon the subject no doubt their looks of incredulity would be refreshing. There are doubtless many now living in the county who can tell of the long linen shirts, home-made, that were the only summer garments worn by boys and children, and of the moccasins and buckskin clothing. There were many who never wore a pair of boots until they were men, and others who never even saw a pair until nearly grown." It is still a mystery how the people lived and prospered in those early days. The manner of cultivating the crops was so simple, the tools so different and rude, and the distance to market so great, and the prices so incredibly low, that we wonder how any one, even with the strictest economy, could prosper at all. The farmers of to-day, who have reduced agriculture to a science, and cultivate their lands almost wholly with machinery, know little of what that same work required here fifty or sixty years ago. But times have changed, and the world, or the people have grown wiser as they have grown older.
Among the amusements of the early citizens of the community, was that of fishing in the classic waters of Shoal Creek. The numerous Shoal Creeks, East, West and Middle Forks, afforded ample "fishing grounds" for the pioneer fathers. A rural bard thus sings of its glory, and of those who fished and swam in its tranquil waters "forty years ago." He says, or sings:
"How many times I wander back,
In pensive mood, on mem'ry's track
To thy green banks, thou dear old stream,
Where in my youth, so like a dream
My days were passed, that toil and strife,
No shadow cast upon my life.
"E'en now with memory's eye I see
Thy waters gliding bright and free.
O'er shining sands and pebbly beds,
Where bass, and perch, and knotty heads,
Pursued the minnows, that essayed
To steal the eggs that they had laid
On pebbly heaps. With crooked pin,
Tied on a thread, I've waded in,
And coaxed, and coaxed, with all my might,
Those finny ones to take a bite —
One little bite of angling worm,
That on my hook did twist and squirm.
“As dear as Jordan to the Jew,
Or Ganges to the grave Hindoo,
Has ever been thy name to me;
And this my sole excuse must be,
For pouring out this flood of rhymes,
In mem'ry of those happy times
I've spent, in angling on thy shores,
Or 'mong thy hills in gathering stores
Of nuts to crack in winter nights;
An entertainment whose delights
No boy or girl can e'er forget
Till mem'ry's sun in death has set.
"How often I in mem'ry meet,
And with a hearty welcome greet
The friends of yore who roamed with me
Along thy banks in mirth and glee,
*********
"But, oh! what changes time has brought !
What havoc has that monster wrought,
Whose hungry jaws still cry for more,
Devouring alike the rich and poor.
Upon the brow of yonder bluff,
With face so jagged and so rough,
I see e'en now the resting place
Of many, who began the race
Of life with me, who fished and swam,
From Wiley's ford to Lemon's dam;
And gained with me their stock of lore,
In log schoolhouses, where the floor
Was naked earth, with weight-pole roof,
That seldom proved quite water-proof;
With slabs for seats, with rough split-pegs,
In two-inch auger-holes, for legs.
I see with retrospection's eye,
Upon yon hill so steep and high
[Where J. M. Rutledge now resides],
A cabin rude, where many a day
I passed the tedious hours away,
In picking up the little store
That I possess of useful lore;
Exciting many times the ire
Of poor auld Bobby Mclntire;
A native of the Emerald Sod,
Whose scepter was the hazel rod.
How often in Hibernian brogue.
He called me 'spalpeen,' or a rogue !
And vowed when I some mischief did.
That he would 'cut me to the rid!'
At noon we often truant played,
In thy cool flood to swim or wade,
Forgetting how the moment's sped,
Until the time for 'books' had fled,
And then crept back with some excuse,
Though poor, intended to induce,
The auld Hibernian to forgo
The punishment we dreaded so.
*********
"I sometimes meet those Nimrods (Yoakums, Cresses, Wilsons, Nuessmans, etc.)
here.
Who once pursued the wolf and deer
Among thy hills, or traced the bee
To where, in some old hollow tree,
Its luscious stores were hoarded up,
In many a little waxen cup.
Of all those Nimrods, none remain,
With gun in hand to scour the plain.
The wolf and deer are seen no more
Among the woods along the shore;
And where was heard the panther's scream,
The farmer drives his patient team.
Where once the Indian wigwam stood
Upon the border of some wood
The stately mansion now is seen
Amid broad fields and pastures green.
"But I have neither space nor time
To put the feelings into rhyme,
That rise, while I, in mem'ry roam,
O'er scenes about my childhood's home,
Then, dear old stream, you'll pardon me,
For thus apostrophizing thee,
And grant me leave at any time,
To talk to thee in rambling rhyme."
The foregoing lines, from the pen of J. N. Wilson, of Springfield, contain quite a little history in themselves, and will doubtless call up pleasant reminiscences in the minds of many of our readers. Shoal Creek was early utilized for mills, as well as for "fishing and swimming" purposes. These are mentioned more fully, however, in subsequent chapters. The "Pepper" mill, as it was called, was an early institution, and was southwest of Hillsboro some three or four miles. But it has long since gone to decay, and few people in Hillsboro remember anything about it.
The early roads were trails over the country, many originally made by the Indians, and afterward improved by the people and made into roads. One of the first in the township — and but very little of it was in the present township of Hillsboro — was the Hillsboro & Springfield road. Another was the Hillsboro & St. Louis road, which runs out by the Fair Grounds. When first laid out, there were no bridges where these roads cross the streams, and hence, in time of high water, travel was suspended. Now there are substantial bridges where all the principal roads cross the streams, so that high waters are no impediment now to travel.
The first school taught in the township was in Hillsboro, and will be more especially noticed under the head of the city. There are now sis schoolhouses, all comfortable buildings, in the township, outside of Hillsboro, which afford ample facilities to the people for the education of their children.
Hamilton, the first county seat, was in Hillsboro Township, some three miles southwest of Hillsboro. It was laid out as a town after being selected for the seat of justice. Lots were sold, and a few houses built, though no court house or other public buildings were erected. John Tillson opened a store there, but as soon as Hillsboro was selected as the county seat, he moved to the new town. The changing of the location of the county seat, of course, was the death-knell of Hamilton, and it soon became another "Goldsmith's Deserted Village." From its ruins, however, arose eventually, the village of Woodsboro, which was laid out very near if not at the same place where Hamilton had formerly stood.
Woodsboro was laid out about 1848, by William Wood, a man of the most untiring energy and industry. He first settled six miles southwest of Hillsboro, where he opened a store, and about 1837 he commenced improvements on the "Woodsboro farm," and removed his store there. He succeeded, in 1848, in getting a post office, of which he was Postmaster. He laid out the town where the Springfield & Greenville road crossed the Hillsboro & St. Louis road, and, as we have said, it was some three miles southwest of Hillsboro. It was at one time a place of considerable business. Mr. Wood, in addition to his store, was instrumental in having a wagon shop, blacksmith shop, cooper shop and tin shop opened in his town, and, in 1851, he built a steam saw and grist mill, which he ran for several years. So Woodsboro flourished until the completion of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, when most of the town went to Butler, Mr. Wood, himself, having moved to that place, and took an active part in building it up. He continued an active business man until his death, which occurred in 1873. A church of the Methodist denomination was built at Woodsboro, which is still in use, and comprises about all of the town there is left.
Some two miles south of Woodsboro stands the Presbyterian Church of Waveland, an offshoot of the Presbyterian Church of Woodsboro. This and the Methodist Church at Hillsboro are the only churches, we believe, in the township, outside of the city.
Extracted 13 Jan 2017 by Norma Hass from History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, published in 1882, pages 215-220.
