1882 History
Chapter 28 – Bois D’Arc Township
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRARHY — ITS EARLY SETTLEMENTS — FIRST DEATHS — EARLY ROADS, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, ETC., ETC.
By G. N. Berry
IN folk lore there is the story told of a man who became tired of the patient cultivation of the soil, and who desired to become rich without the drudgery of labor. The lack of wealth had made life become stale, flat and unprofitable. He dreamed three nights in succession that there was a rich treasure hid somewhere under the earth in his old orchard. Three is the regular number that makes a dream true, and so in an ecstasy of excitement he imparted the good news to his wife, and together they at once began to dig for the hidden gold. Round one tree they dug a mound of earth, and around another until there was not gnarled trunk about whose roots he had not let in the vitalizing air, but the treasure was not found. Of course he became angry over his wasted labors, and a sorry time he had of it when his neighbors passed by and laughed at him for his folly. Springtime, however, came, and the trees were full of blossom. Autumn followed, and they' were loaded down with luscious fruit. Years rolled by and the orchard was the source of a rich revenue to the old man, who realized that there was indeed a golden treasure hidden in the soil which only needed proper exertion to bring it to the light. In the fertile region of Central and Southern Illinois, we can see the moral of the foregoing story practically demonstrated in the presence of richly cultivated farms, handsome and costly private residences, commodious barns, numerous flocks of live stock and other evidences of that wealth which has been wrung from the generous bosom of mother earth by the strong arms of the successful husbandmen. Especially is this true of that division of country to which the present chapter is devoted, where broad fertile prairies were looked upon with much suspicion, and carefully shunned by the early pioneers of Montgomery County. Bois D'Arc is one of the largest townships in the county, lying in the extreme northwestern part, and embracing in its area 34,560 acres of land, all of which is well adapted to agricultural purposes. Its boundaries on the northeast and west respectively are the counties of Sangamon, Christian and Macoupin. Its southern boundary is the township of Pitman, with which it was formerly united as a part of the Zanesville Precinct. Bois D'Arc was reduced to its present limits and formed into an independent body principally through the efforts of one of its prominent citizens, Lewis H. Thomas, who gave it the name by which it is at present designated. In physical features and general topography it resembles Pitman Township, which has already been described, with the exception of the entire absence of native timber, the surface being exclusively prairie. At the time of its settlement by the whites, years ago, there were but a few dozen small, scrubby trees to be seen in the entire township, the prairie being then clothed by a rank covering of native grass, which attested the fertile quality of the soil beneath — a soil which to-day is regarded as the richest and most productive to be found anywhere in the entire county. Several small streams flow through different parts of the township, the largest of which is Macoupin Creek, which rises near the southwest corner from whence it takes a southerly course, and receives several smaller streams as tributaries before intersecting the boundary line. Bois D'Arc is pre-eminently an agricultural, and is considered in this respect the banner, township of the county, an honor to which it is justly entitled. Compared in population with other divisions of the county, there are, among its inhabitants, a greater number of comfortably-situated owners of the soil they till, than in any other section we have visited; while among its large farms are some which, in point of improvements, such as hedging, elegant residences, barns, outbuildings, etc., will compare favorably with the best improved farms in any other part of the State. Indeed, we will be doing nothing more than justice to Bois D'Arc when we say, as hundreds have already said, and as a gold medal awarded by the State Agricultural Society fully proves, that it has the best tilled farm and most complete and costly farm residence to be found in Illinois.
The first settlement in the territory of this township was made about the year 1825, at the head of Macoupin Creek, near the southern part, by a certain John Henderson. He was followed shortly afterward by a Mr. Hendershot. who built the first house in the township. For a number of years, these two families were the only inhabitants of the broad stretch of prairie lying between what is now Zanesville Township and Sangamon County. They moved away some time prior to the year 1835, and nothing has been heard of them since. In 1835, a man by the name of Woods made his way into the northern part of the county and entered a piece of land at a place known as Macoupin's Point, on the old Springfield & Hillsboro road, where he built a hotel which was a favorite stopping place for travelers passing through this part of the country. A post office was established here also, which for a number of years was kept by Mr. Wood in his hotel. It was discontinued about the year 1855, since which time there has been no postoffice in the township.
The place where Wood formerly lived is at present owned and occupied by Lewis Seedentop. In the year 1850, two brothers, Lewis H. and Samuel R. Thomas, passed through this part of the country, and being favorably impressed with the fertile appearance of the prairie, determined to select sites for their future homes, a resolution which they' put into effect the latter part of the same year, although they did not move unto their respective claims until the spring of 1852. The farms they located lie in the northern part of the township, bordering on the Sangamon County line in Sections 2 and 3. Here their first house was built from lumber which had been hauled from Greene County for the purpose, and was occupied temporarily during the summer season while their first crops were being tended. To the energy and public spirit of these two men is this section of the county largely indebted for its present prosperity and prominence as an agricultural district.
Their farms are models in every respect and among the wealthy real estate owners of the county take no second rank. Concerning the improvements made by Lewis H. Thomas (whose portrait appears elsewhere), we copy the following from the "Historical Atlas Map" of Montgomery County, published several years ago. "Mr. Thomas entered 970 acres of land lying in the northern part of the township which was the fourth and by far the most important entry. Here the second land-breaking was done for a hedge row in the spring of 1851. On entering the land Mr. Thomas went to work and hedged the entire tract. This extensive hedging was considered a rash experiment, as the Osage or Bois D'Arc was looked upon with considerable suspicion by the cautious farmer. The result surpassed the expectation of all and others soon followed his example, and soon several farms were inclosed by hedges. Thus the first successful hedging in the county was accomplished in this township. From this fact the name Bois D'Arc, upon the petition of Mr. Thomas, was given this township. On this hedging Mr. Thomas has taken two diplomas, accompanied by two medals. These were the first gold medals ever awarded by the State Agricultural Society. Mr. Thomas has given considerable attention to the growing of artificial groves. The first grove was a ten-acre lot planted in locust timber in the year 1852. Another lot of fifteen acres was put out in the spring of 1854. In eleven years from the first planting the cuttings from fifteen acres furnished enough wood to burn 300,000 bricks. An ornamental grove was put out in 1855 near where the family residence was afterward erected. This grove comprises fifteen acres and includes about every variety of timber indigenous to the United States.
“This beautiful grove drew, in 1858, a gold medal from the society from which the other medals were obtained, given for the best grove of cultivated timber. This medal was one of the first granted in the State for that particular industry." The foregoing extract may be taken as illustrative of the energy of this prominent citizen in all his undertakings. It is to his farm the writer referred in a preceding page as the prize medal farm of the State. (See biography.) A prominent settler who came into the township the same year with the Thomas brothers, was Absalom Clark. He entered the north half of Section 7 and the south half of Section 8 in the northern part of the township, which he improved extensively and still owns.
From 1852 to 1856, aside from those already mentioned, there settled in the northern, central and western parts of Bois D'Arc, Pryor Witt, John Jones, William Smith, Joseph Smith, Anthony Almond, John Ward, Frank Dunkley, Mark Risley, Hiram Young, William Evarts and father, all of whom entered and improved lands in their respective localities. Joseph Evarts settled in the southeastern part in the year 1855. George Rice entered land in the western part of the township, which he afterward improved about the same time.
The first permanent settlement made in East Bois D'Arc was by an Irishman by name of McConnell, about the year 1850. The place he entered and improved lies in Section 7. and had been occupied temporarily by a German by name of Sedgwick, a few years previous. Sanford Clow, Peter Christopher and his brother Joseph were among the first actual settlers of east Bois D'Arc, having settled in Section 4 in the spring of 1854. During the next five years, Albert Clayton, John Price and James Woodward made their appearance, and settled in different places throughout the township. A little later came William Garrison, Henry Weston, Henry Hathaway, William King and Michael Samison, all of whom located farms in east Bois D'Arc. Two brothers, George and Cornelius Lyman, settled in the southeastern part of the township about the same time that the Christopher family located in the northern part.
The names enumerated comprised the earliest settlers of Bois D'Arc, as far as we have been able to learn. Other names there no doubt were that properly belong to the foregoing list, but the writer, in his canvas for information, did not learn them. The first person of this township to be summoned away by death was Mrs. Hendershot, wife of the second settler, whose death occurred about the year 1828. The second event of the kind transpired in east Bois D'Arc September 25, 1856, when John Christopher, son of Peter and Elizabeth Christopher, died. The first road leading through Bois D'Arc was the old Springfield & Hillsboro highway, which passed through the township from northeast to southwest, and was, during the early history of the county, an important thoroughfare.
The State road, which passes through the township in a southerly direction, was surveyed by L. H. Thomas, and through the intercession of Mr. Woodson, a member of the State Legislature, was properly established in the year 1854. The old road had been traveled considerably by parties living north of Bois D'Arc, directly through the farm of Mr. Thomas, causing him no little annoyance, who, in order to induce them to take the new route, plowed a furrow for a considerable distance on the line, along which he traveled back and forth for several miles with a loaded wagon, thus making the road visible.
Another early road was laid out parallel to the Springfield road by way of Pawnee, in Sangamon County. The roads of Bois Dare at present are all properly established, intersect each other at right angles, and are in very fair condition. The first marriage in the township was that of Andrew Armstrong to Miss Martha J. Evarts, the date of which was not ascertained. The second marriage was solemnized in the year 1862, at the residence of Joseph Christopher in east Bois D'Arc, the contracting parties being John Murray and Mary Williamson; the ceremony was performed by Rev. John Nicodemus.
Hiram J. Young was the first Justice of the Peace appointed in the year 1862. Jasper Witt was appointed Constable at the same time, an office which he filled acceptably for several consecutive terms.
Jackson Boyles built the first blacksmith shop, near the central part of the township, which is still in use.
Religious services were held in Bois D'Arc during the early days of its history by itinerant ministers of the Methodist Church, and an organization effected in the year 1862, which does not appear to be in existence at the present time. A church was organized in east Bois D'Arc by Rev. Samuel Lily, about the year 1863, at the Prairie Dell Schoolhouse. A church edifice was afterward erected, and a flourishing society is still maintained. A Baptist Church was organized at the Thomas Schoolhouse in the year 1865, by Rev. T. B. Jones. The original membership of this church was nine, which has since increased until now there are sixty names on the records. Their house of worship is situated in Section 3, west Bois D'Arc, and is in many respects the finest and most completely finished country church building in the county. It is tastefully furnished throughout, and represents a capital of about $3,500. The present pastor is Rev. John Barbee.
The Catholics have a strong church in the southern part of the township, with a membership of perhaps 150. Their building is a commodious frame structure, capable of seating 400 persons comfortably, and was erected at a cost of $4,000. In matters of education, the citizens of Bois D'Arc early took an interest, and her schools to-day are among the foremost in the county. The first school building in west Bois D'Arc was built in Section 3; is still standing, and known as the Thomas Schoolhouse; the name of the first teacher at this place was not learned. The second schoolhouse was a small log structure, situated in Section 4, east Bois D'Arc, and went by the' name of Prairie Dell. The first school in this building was taught by Miss Sallie Goodrich. It was afterward occupied by the following teachers: Samuel Laird, Sarah Gale, Mary Harlan and Charles Walters. The old house, after being used for school purposes a number of years, was finally sold to private parties, and replaced by a more commodious frame building, erected near by at a place called White Oak. The first teacher to occupy the new building was Miss Mary Harlan, a lady who appears to have been prominently connected with the early schools of Bois D'Arc. The present school buildings of the township are all frame, well furnished, and in point of architectural finish, among the best in the county, as the majority of them have been erected quite recently. In several of these district schools are taught, additional to the common course of study prescribed, some of the higher branches of education usually belonging to the high school or academy, and nobody but first-class instructors are employed. Next to the agricultural interest of Bois D'Arc, the rearing of stock is the most important industry in this section of the country, a business in which a number of parties have engaged quite extensively. The richness of her pastures, the presence of plenty of stock water, and the peculiar suitability of her native grasses for beef-making, won for this township an enviable reputation, and her stock-farms are the largest in the county. The first introduction of improved cattle into this part of the county is due to the enterprise of L. H. and S. R. Thomas, who have upon their extensive farms a number of Short-Horns and other superior breeds, brought here at great expense. Among others who made stock-raising a specialty is a man by name of Willis, living in the northern part of the township, who, in addition to his large herds of cattle, pays considerable attention to other live stock, especially sheep, of which he is one of the most extensive breeders in the county.
Extracted 15 Jan 2017 by Norma Hass from History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, published in 1882, pages 396-400.
