1882 History
Chapter 22 - Irving Township
BOUNDARIES — SOIL — PIONEER SETTLERS — SCHOOLS — CHURCHES — PHYSICIANS AND MERCHANTS.
By G. N. Berry
It is not claimed that the statements contained in the following pages are in strict harmony with the truth in every particular, as much of the information concerning the early history of this township is a matter of mere conjecture. Traditions are numerous, but are very unsatisfactory sources from which to obtain correct and definite statements. And "perfectly reliable history written from conflicting accounts is an absolute impossibility." No two men who are questioned will give similar accounts of the same transaction or event, thus adding much to the perplexity of the writer or placing the question beyond a correct solution. Seventy years ago, this division of Montgomery County was a wilderness, whose only inhabitants were a few scattered savages and their wild companions, the wolf, deer and buffalo. Occasional hunting parties of white men had passed through it long before any permanent settlement had been made, but its history properly begins with the year 1826, at which time the first pioneer made his appearance and located his humble home in the wilderness. Since then there has been a constant influx of population, until now it is one of the most thickly settled and enterprising townships in the county. Irving consists of thirty-six square miles of territory, lying near the central part of the county, and is designated as Township 9, north of Range 3 west. It lies between Butler Grove and Witt, the former being the western boundary and the latter the eastern. The township lying north is Rountree, while East Fort Township forms the southern boundary. The general character of the land is what might be termed rolling, but in the western part it verges into the broken, some of the higher portions being called hills. The eastern and northern parts exhibit a rolling and undulating surface, possessing a rich, fertile soil, consisting of a dark loam with a clay subsoil. This soil is very rich, and produces abundant crops of grain, vegetables of all kinds, and many fine varieties of fruits. The soil in the western and southwestern parts is not so well adapted to agriculture, being somewhat thin, and largely composed of clay and gravel. The best cultivated parts of the township are in the northern and eastern portions, where can be seen some of the finest and best improved farms in the county. The principal streams, by which this region is watered and drained, are the Middle Fork of Shoal Creek, a stream of considerable size and importance, which runs through the western part, from north to south, and Long Branch, a tributary of the former, which flows in a northwesterly direction through the southwest corner. The land along these creeks is composed of a rich, black, mucky soil, and was originally covered with a dense growth of timber. Much of this timber has been cut off, and from the land thus brought into cultivation, some of the largest and best paying crops are produced. About one-half of the area of the township was formerly timbered, much of which has been cleared of late years, until now the woodland comprises only about one-third of the area. The timber still standing consists mostly of hickory, elm, oak of several varieties, sycamore and walnut. But little of the latter is left, the greater part having been bought up by agents of the Indianapolis Furniture Company, several years ago. Many farmers in the northern and eastern parts of the township are giving considerable attention to the cultivation of artificial groves, and within a few years the timber thus produced will afford a sufficiency for all practical purposes. The early settlement of Irving Township cannot be given with perfect accuracy, as many of the statements concerning the pioneer settlers are vague and unsatisfactory. It is safe to say, however, that the first white settler was one Lawrence Franklin, who moved to Illinois from Kentucky in the year 1826, and settled in the southwestern part of Irving, on the farm now owned by Mr. Hughes, in Section 29. It was here that the first cabin was erected, which stood till a few years ago. Some of the old timbers of which it was composed can still be seen near the spot which it formerly occupied.
A brief description of this primitive domicile may, perhaps, be of interest to some reader whose life has been passed in more comfortable and commodious quarters. The dimensions of the structure were about fifteen by eighteen feet. One room was the sum total of apartments it contained, which answered the four-fold purpose of kitchen, bedroom, dining-room and parlor. The floor was made of split logs, called puncheons. These had been smoothed off with a common chopping-ax until they composed a surface which was tolerably level. A large, open-mouthed fireplace, capable of receiving a log of almost any dimensions, occupied very nearly an entire end of the building. The furniture of the room was of the most primitive kind, and in perfect harmony with the interior of the apartment, as we have described it.
Yet from this humble cabin home no way-worn traveler was permitted to go hungry or sleepy. A place was always allotted the stranger at the frugal board, and a shelter for the night assured him if desired. Hospitality was a trait cultivated to a high degree of perfection by the early pioneer, and a part of his religion was to welcome with open doors any wayfarer who might happen to wander near his little mansion. With Shelly - he could say to the stranger,
"You must come home with me and be my guest,
You will give joy to me, and I will do
All that is in my power to honor you."
Mr. Franklin resided upon the farm he settled till the year 1858, when he sold the place to Mr. Hughes, and moved to the city of Hillsboro, where he died the following year. Several sons of Mr. Franklin still reside in the county, all of whom have been prominently identified with the growth and development of the township. Ezra Bastick, another early settler of Irving, came from Illinois to Kentucky some time prior to the year 1824, in company with his two sons-in-law, William and Joel Knight. They stopped for a couple of years in the southern part of the county, near where the little village of Donnellson now stands, in East Fork Township. Mr. Bastick settled in Irving in the year 1826, but at just what place could not be learned. He was an old revolutionary soldier, and many were the thrilling stories he told of that memorable struggle while seated with his grandchildren around the blazing hearth of the little cabin home. He was in nearly all the battles of the war, and received a severe wound in one engagement, which so disabled him that he remained a cripple during the rest of his life.
Joel Knight, who accompanied Bastick to Illinois, located the farm known as the Harmon place, about two and one-half miles northeast of Hillsboro, in Section 29. He was a Presbyterian preacher of considerable ability and assisted in the organization of nearly all the early churches of his denomination throughout the county. He traveled extensively from settlement to settlement, preaching in groves, barns and in private dwellings, and many are the stories told of the wonderful power of his eloquence and logic over the audiences that used to assemble to greet him on his regular preaching tours through the country. In the year 1877, Mr. Knight died at a ripe old age, and was buried in the old Bear Creek Cemetery, near the place where he first settled.
"An old age, serene and bright,
And lovely as a Lapland night,
Led him to an honored grave."
Two brothers, Mark and James M. Rutledge, came into this township some time in the year 1826, and settled in the western part, near the boundary line. The farm on which they built their first house is now owned by Mrs. Hogsett, whose husband purchased it the same year in which James died. Mark did not remain a great while in Irving, but moved to Hillsboro Township in 1827, and bought a farm, on which he resided until the year 1858, at which time he disposed of his land and moved to the city of Hillsboro, where he died a few years ago.
John Lipe settled in the northern part of the township as early as the year 1828. He was a stanch old German, well fitted to encounter the many hardships which beset the pioneer settler in a new country. Lipe came to this State from North Carolina in company with quite a number of German families that located in different places throughout the county. The farm on which he first settled is in Section 3, and is at present owned by Trimper Heffley, a relative, who purchased it shortly after Mr. Lipe died. The date of this old pioneer's death was not ascertained, though it occurred a number of years ago. His wife survived him many years. She died in 1881, and was followed to the grave by over four hundred descendants and relatives, probably the largest number of relations that ever attended the funeral of any one person in the State.
James Kelly was one among the earliest settlers, and located on Section 27 in the year 1829. Just how long Mr. Kelly lived in the township is not known, though it can be said that he lived long enough to see the wilderness where he first located his humble home changed to a very garden. Six sons of Kelly are now living, five of them in this State and one in Utah.
Andrew King was prominent among the first settlers of Irving, but in what year he came into the township is not known, though we may be safe in saying that it was prior to the year 1830. He came from Tennessee, from whence came many of the early settlers of Southern Illinois, and located on Locust Fork, about one and a half miles northwest of the town of Irving, in Section 16. The land on which King settled was prairie, covered with a thick growth of sedge grass. This grass furnished the material out of which the first brooms used by the early settlers were made. King died in the year 1862. His descendants living are two sons, S. F. and William T., both of whom reside in the village of Irving.
The Berrys are also an old family of this township, and were among the first settlers of Montgomery County. James M. Berry moved here in 1829, and improved the farm in Section 16, now owned by Thomas Black. He owned the greater part of the land where the town of Irving now stands, and was one of the principal projectors of that village, which he helped to lay out in the year 1856. He moved into the town a number of years ago, where he has since resided. He is one of the oldest citizens of the township. His brother, William S. Berry, though not an actual settler in Irving, was among the first pioneers of the county, having settled in Hillsboro when it was but a mere niche in the surrounding forest. He moved to this township a number of years ago, and purchased a fine tract of land. His son is one of the leading business men of the town of Irving.
John Christian was also an old settler, who emigrated from Kentucky, and settled in Irving Township in the year 1830. The original homestead of Christian is at present owned by a Mr. Mitz. Christian was one of the first Baptist preachers in this part of the State. He assisted in the first religious services ever conducted in the township, and was instrumental in founding several churches of his denomination in the county.
In 1830, John Grantham also appeared, and purchased a farm in the southwestern part of the township. This farm now belongs to Seth Washburne. Grantham was a Methodist preacher, and for a number of years supplied the pulpit of the Hopewell Church, of which he was an original member. He died in the year 1842. Three sons are still living in the township, all of whom are prominent members of the Methodist Church of Irving.
Many other early settlers of this township might be mentioned in connection with those already named, but the date of their settlement and facts connected therewith have been forgotten, and they have long since passed into that silent palace of the dead whose doors open not outward. To the energy and perseverance of these sturdy, strong-handed pioneers is the township indebted for much of its present prosperity.
The early settlers in this township, like the first settlers in many other parts of the county, were obliged to go long distances to obtain flour and meal. The nearest mill for several years was the little rude affair in the southern part of the county known as Fogleman's pepper mill. This mill ground so slow that many went by it to Edwardsville, a distance of thirty-five or forty miles. A mill was built in Butler Grove Township, in an early day, by Jacob Cress. This mill was extensively patronized by the first settlers of Irving till one was erected nearer home. James T. Paden built a mill in the year 1831, about three and a half miles southwest of the village of Irving, on the Hillsboro road. The machinery of this mill was operated by horse power, ground both corn and wheat, and was patronized by the citizens of this and the adjoining townships of Witt and East Fork. This mill was purchased by Ezekiel Grantham, after it had been run about eight years, remodeled and supplied new machinery. The machinery was removed a short time afterward to the town of Irving, and used in the construction of a mill at that place. The old building was torn down and hauled away about two years ago.
A saw-mill was built in the southwestern part of the township, in an early day, by a Mr. Hickman. It was situated on Shoal Creek, from which it received the power that operated it. This mill was run but a very short time, and does not appear to have done a very extensive business. The first steam mill was built by Kelly & Harris in the year 1864, at a place two miles southwest of the town of Irving. They sold it in the following year to a man by name of Stevens, who in turn disposed of it to H. M. Kelly two years afterward. Kelly moved the mill to the town of Irving, and operated it several years. The machinery was finally taken out and used in the construction of another mill at that place, of which we will speak more fully further on. The old building was purchased by S. P. King, who moved it on his lot, where it answers the purpose of a barn.
Schools were opened in Montgomery County in an early day, and the necessity of educating the pioneer children forced itself upon the minds of the first settlers, and many schools were at once established. The first building used for school purposes in this township was a small cabin in the southern part, built as early as the year 1827. It was used as a meetinghouse also. The room was furnished with a few rough benches made of small logs split once, and hewed smooth with a common chopping ax. These rested upon a dirt floor that required no sweeping. A broad board extended around the apartment next to the wall, and served the purpose of a writing desk during certain hours of the day. A large fireplace occupied the greater part of one end of the building, in the construction of which neither brick nor stone were used; a bank of earth being merely thrown up against the logs to keep them from taking fire. A small rough stand was provided for the teacher near the center of the room, from which he could issue his decrees, give his commands or mete out condign punishment to any juvenile offender who had the temerity to violate any of the iron-clad rules of the school.
The first pedagogue who wielded the birch in this primitive college was Joseph McEntire, an old man of three-score and fifteen years, though possessed of a wonderful amount of vitality and strength, as many unruly urchins learned to their sorrow. In those days, it required muscle as well as brain to conduct a school successfully, and Mr. McEntire seems to have given universal satisfaction, as he could strike as hard a blow as many younger brethren of the profession. This school was supported by voluntary subscription, and lasted but three months. The teacher "boarded around," as was the custom of that day, and received $1.50 per scholar for his compensation. Among the first schools in the township was one taught by John Grantham in the Hopewell Church house, shortly after the building had been erected. No preparation had been made for this school in the way of fitting up the room, and there were neither desks nor seats for the pupils. No floor had been laid, nor fireplace built. The room was warmed by a fire in the center of the dirt floor, around which the scholars seated themselves upon the sleepers of the building. In the spring the house was abandoned for a grove, where the school was continued during fair weather. When it rained, the exercises were conducted in a large tent which Mr. Grantham had prepared for that purpose.
The first frame schoolhouse was built in 1848, on Locust Fork, near the place where the residence of Mr. Ault now stands. This house is still standing in the town of Irving, where it was moved in 1860. It is still used for school purposes.
The first public school of the township was taught in this building by William F. King, in the years 1848 and 1849. As time passed, the number of schoolhouses increased. The little log cabins disappeared, or were replaced by the more comfortable and commodious brick and frame buildings. There are at present seven schools in the township outside of the town of Irving. The schoolhouses are all well built, and furnished with latest improved furniture and fixtures. Four of these houses are frame, and three brick. The present school board is composed of the following gentlemen: Joseph Platte, W. W. Webber and J. E. Knight, Trustees; A. J. Huestis, Township Treasurer and Clerk of the Board. The schools last about seven months in the year.
One of the first essentials of civilization is a well-defined roadway. The first roads through this section were mere trails over the prairies, or winding byways among the hills and through the woods. These zig-zag roads were laid out with a view to benefit the greatest number of settlers with the smallest amount of inconvenience. The first road of any importance in this township was the Hillsboro and Shelbyville road, which was established in the year 1830. It passes through the township from east to west, and is extensively traveled. Another road was established about the same time, known as the Hillsboro and Nokomis road. This was one of the first roads laid out in the eastern part of the county, and is still the principal thoroughfare between those two cities. It intersects the eastern boundary line at a point about one-half mile north of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, in Section 1, runs west three miles, where its course is abruptly changed southward. Within half a mile of Irving, the course is again changed to the west. It intersects the western boundary of the township near the Middle Fork bridge. One of the first roads established in Irving was the old north road, which ran through the northern part of the township from east to west. The east road in the eastern part is also an old road, and one of the most important highways in the township. A number of roads intersect each other at various places throughout the township, but are not designated by any particular names.
The Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad passes through Irving in a northeasterly direction. It makes one small curve in the southern part; the remainder of its course is very straight. In all there are about ten miles of this road in the township. It has been a great benefit to the country through which it passes, and has done more than anything else toward the development of the township. The town of Irving dates its origin from the year in which this road was completed.
The early church history of Irving is involved in considerable obscurity, and many dates and interesting facts relating thereto have faded away from the memory of the oldest inhabitants. The early settlers were members of different denominations, and held their public services from house to house for several years. At these early meetings, all met on a common level, and left their denominational peculiarities at home. The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran all united in these meetings without regard to creed or doctrine, and worshiped together the same God in unison and harmony. Many of the early itinerant preachers were men singularly gifted with a powerful eloquence which fired the hearts of the pioneers, and many converts were gathered into the different churches. It is not positively known who preached the first sermon in the township, but, as near as can be ascertained, it was a Baptist preacher by the name of Jordan. He conducted a series of meetings in a grove near the southwest comer of the township in the year 1829, but nothing definite could be learned concerning him.
The first church organized in the township was the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church. The organization was effected in the year 1829, by Revs. Benson and Bastian, two itinerant preachers who came into the county several years before.
Among the original members of this church were the following: John Grantham, Thomas Christian, Elizabeth Grantham, James Grantham and wife, Isaiah Grantham and wife, Silas Kelly and wife, Madison Berry and wife. Madison Berry is the only one of the original members now living. John Grantham was a local preacher. Thomas Christian was the first class leader. The first pastor who had charge of the church was Rev. Lowry, who preached for the congregation two years. He was succeeded by Rev. John Dew, the exact length of whose pastorate was not learned, as the early records of the church could not be found. For two years, the congregation held their public services in groves, private dwelling houses and barns. These meetings were attended by all from miles around. In the year 1830, a house of worship was erected on Locust Fork, in the western part of the township, and was named the Hopewell Church. Here the congregation worshiped till the year 1856, at which time the organization was moved to a place about one mile northeast of the village of Irving. For twelve years, the exercises of the church were conducted at this place. In the year 1868, it was decided by the congregation to move the church into the town of Irving, which was accordingly done. A reorganization was effected the same year, and the name of the church changed. It has since been known as the Irving Methodist Episcopal Church. In the year 1860, the propriety of erecting a new house of worship was discussed by the congregation, and it was decided to begin the building at once. Work was commenced on the new house in the spring of 1861, and it was completed the following autumn. This building is frame, dimensions about 36 by 56 feet, and will comfortably seat three hundred and fifty persons. It represents a capital of about $3,000. It was dedicated by Rev. J. H. Aldridge in the year 1861. Since the reorganization of the church, the following pastors have preached for the congregation: William Taylor, ___ Hutchinson, J. E. Lindlay, James Calric, J. F. Holloway, W. F. Lowe, A. E. Orr, __ Rhodes, D. H. Stubblefield, J. W. Lapham, __ Schwartz, William Birks, __ Hamill and W. R. Howard, present pastor. The membership will number at present about two hundred and sixty, one hundred of whom were added to the church during a great revival, conducted by Rev. J. W. Lapham, while he was pastor.
A good Sunday school is supported, and the church is reported in excellent working order.
The Presbyterians were prominent among the pioneer churches, and had a flourishing organization at a very early day. This church was organized by Rev. Joel Knight, who was the only preacher for a number of years. The old organization was maintained for a considerable length of time, but owing to deaths, removals and other causes, it was finally abandoned. In the year 1866, the society known as the United Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in the town of Irving with about fifty members. The first pastor was Rev. L. P. Deatheridge, a man of brilliant attainments and wonderful eloquence. He did as much if not more than any other man toward establishing the church upon the firm footing that it at present maintains. He was succeeded by Rev. Joel Knight, one of the pioneer preachers of the county, and founder of the congregation of 1830. He was followed by Rev. Mr. Barber, who labored with the congregation for several years. Revs. W. J. McDavid and T. W. McDavid have also preached for the church at stated intervals. The congregation worshiped for three years in the Lutheran Church of Irving. The house in which the church now worships was built in the year 1869, at a cost of $5,000. It is a brick building and contains the largest audience room in the township.
A Sunday school is maintained in connection with the church, with an average attendance of 100 scholars. The St. John's Lutheran Church was organized in the year 1842, and has a present membership of about sixty-five. Rev. Daniel Trimper was the first preacher, and it was under his labors that the church was organized. The following names appear on the old church records as original members: Henry Carriker, Mary Carriker, Tillman Heffley, __ Heffley, Nancy Lipe, John Lipe, Rachel Lipe. Rev. Trimper was a man of remarkable force of character, and under his administration the church grew to be a power for good in the community. The first house used by the congregation for public worship was built in 1845. Twenty-seven years afterward, their present edifice was erected. This is a frame building, 28x30 feet, and was built at a cost of $1,200. It was dedicated in the year 1872 by Rev. George Bowers. Rev. J. Livingood, Rev. —. Scherer, Rev. —. Schwartz, Rev. John Cromer and Rev. George Hammer have been pastors of this church.
The Irving Lutheran Church is an offshoot of the East Fork Church, one of the oldest organizations in the county. The Irving Church was organized in the year 1858, by Rev. Isaac Short, who was its first pastor. The records, now in possession of David Gregory, show the following names of original members: H. M. Neisler, Isaac Lewey, George File, Reuben Lingle, Elizabeth Neisler, David Gregory, Susan File, Catherine Lewey, Rebecca Gregory, William Newcomb, Samuel T. Bartlett, Mary Newcomb and Patsy Bartlett. Since its organization, the church has been administered to by the following pastors in the order named: J. B. Cromer, Martin Miller, Hiram Gregory, Francis Springer, L. C. Groseclose, George Hammer, and J. M. Lingle, present pastor. The congregation continued to meet with the East Fork Church till 1860, when their neat, comfortable building was erected. The building is frame, the aggregate cost of which was about $1,500. Their Sunday school has an average attendance of about sixty, and is superintended by E. P. Cromer. Public services are held every alternate Lord's day, and prayer meeting every Wednesday evening. Is one of the aggressive churches of the town.
The Christian Church of Irving was organized about the year 1856, by Elders J. G. Ward and J. M. Taulbee. For several years, this church was in flourishing circumstances, but just previous to the war the members became scattered, and the organization was finally abandoned. It was reorganized in the year of 1876, by Elders J. M. Taulbee and B. R. Gilbert. The first pastor was Elder L. M. Linn. The following pastors have had charge of the church at stated intervals: L. Wood, __ Muman, __ Price, A. C. Layman and J. M. Taulbee. The congregation held their public services, during the year 1876, in the room beneath Masonic Hall. The handsome house in which they now meet was built in 1877. This building is frame, and is one of the neatest and most comfortable houses of worship in the town. It cost about $1,400. The membership of the church is now about sixty.
The town of Irving is situated in the southeastern part of this township, on the I. & St. L. R. R., and is one of the growing towns of the county. The first house erected here was a store building. It was built by William S. Berry and T. G. Black in the year 1846. This was the first store in the township, and represented a capital of several hundred dollars. One year later, another store house was erected by Edwards & Petrie. Both of these stores did a very flourishing business for several years, and as the population of the village increased, their trade increased also, until more room was required, hence their buildings were enlarged. Quite a number of families moved into the village and built houses, in the years 1846 and 1847. The first dwelling house was built by J. M. Taulbee. The town dates its growth from the year 1856, at which time it was laid off into lots by Messrs. Huggins & Rider. The survey was made by J. M. Taulbee. Huggins & Rider sold out to R. W. Davis and Madison Berry the year following, who at once commenced to improve the town. The first brick store-building was built in 1856, by H. J. Huestis. This building stands just north of the depot, and is at present occupied by the store of Knight & McDavid.
Among the first buildings erected was the blacksmith shop of __ Sanford, which was built in the year 1856. This was the first shop of the kind in the township. It was sold to Jacob Bird, two years after it was built, who continued to work at the trade till within a very recent date. The first school in the village was taught by a Mr. Frink, in the old Hopewell meeting-house, which had been moved to the town in the latter part of the year 1856. The next school was taught by J. W. King. John Franklin and George Baker were among the first teachers in the village. The little frame building was the only schoolhouse in the town for several years. When there were more pupils than it could accommodate, rooms in private dwelling houses were fitted up for the surplus scholars. In the year 1866, the present school building was erected at a cost of $2,000. This house is of brick, two stories high, and contains two large-sized school rooms. These rooms are not sufficiently large to accommodate all the pupils of the schools, and the propriety of enlarging the building is being discussed.
The schools are at present under the superintendency of Prof. M. T. Miller, assisted by W. C. Hobson, Miss Means and Miss Hogshett. The first post office was established in the year 1856, with W. W. Wiley as Postmaster. The office was kept in the building now used by Berry & Grantham as a restaurant. A steam flouring-mill was erected in 1856, by Kelly & Wiley. Part of the machinery used in the construction of this mill was taken from the old Kelly mill, which formerly stood in the western part of the township, near Shoal Creek. A mill was built in 1868, by Hanners & Williams. This was a steam mill, also. It burned down in the year 1870, but has since been rebuilt, and at present is the only mill in the town. It has two run of buhrs and a capacity of about twenty-five barrels of flour per day. Two large elevators were built in the town in the years 1870 and 1871, only one of which is now operated. The large hotel which stands in the eastern part of the town was erected in the year 1868, by W. J. McClure, at a cost of $7,000.
Dr. J. H. Spears was the first physician who practiced medicine in Irving. He came here in the year 1858 and remained till 1863. Since 1858, the following physicians have been located here: W. F. Linn, Elias Petre, J. P. Murphy, W. H. Hobson, B. F. Burries, __ Hart, __ Tuck, __ Nicholby, J. F. Whitten, __ Sweet, W. B. Sprinkle, Joseph Cobb, Vincent Parkhill, J. W. Parkhill, A. B. Ault and Isaac Short. The best growth of the town has been since the year 1878. The large brick building occupied by the stores of Kelly & Berry, Thomas H. Padgett and A. W. Kelly, was built in the year 1880, as was also the brick building in which the stores of James McDavid and S. D. Bartlett are kept. Bartol Leon built the large house which he and his son occupy as a place of business in the year 1881. Several fine dwelling houses have been erected during the past two years, and quite a number of others are in process of erection at the present time. The town was incorporated in the year 1868, under a special charter. In 1873, it came in under the general law, when the ordinances were all revised by S. F. King and published. The present officers of the town are the following: John T. McDavid. President of the Board; Augustus McDavid, Clerk; M. D. L. Cannon, George Rarer, James M. Taulbee, Hiram J. Huestis, W. S. Berry, Jr., Trustees.
An Odd Fellows Lodge was organized in the town at an early day, but of late years has not met. Nothing concerning the organization could be ascertained.
Irving Lodge, No. 455, A. F. & A. M., was instituted in the year 1865, with the following charter members: B. F. Barnes, E. B. Randle, W. B. Van Horn, B. F. Pitts, H. J. Huestis, William M. Cox, George M. Davenport, Bartol Leon, John E. Lindley, Ryland Tuck and John B. Cox. The first officers of the lodge were Benjamin F. Barnes, W. M.; Edward B. Randle. S. W.; George M. Davenport, J. W. The present officers are the following: John T. Carriker, W. M.; Thomas Padgett, S. W.; H. J. Bowtell, J. W.; William S. Berry, Treasurer; A. A. Rinehart, Secretary; D. H. Luther, S. D.; Palmer Yemens, J. D.; B. T. McClure, Tiler. The membership is about thirty-two. The hall in which the lodge holds its meetings was built in the year 1868. It is owned by the organization.
A temperance organization known as the Royal Templars of Temperance was established here in the year 1879. The meetings are held semi-monthly. This organization is secret, and has the following officers: Select Councilor Vice Councilor, Past Councilor, Secretary, Treasurer, Herald, Guard, Sentinel and Deputy Herald.
The Irving Coal Company was recently incorporated with a capital of several thousand dollars. They have erected machinery in the western part of the town, where they are prospecting for coal and oil. We conclude this article on Irving with the following list of business men and the particular business in which they are engaged:
Kelly & Berry keep a large dry goods store, also an extensive line of ready-made clothing, boots, shoes and groceries. They represent a capital of perhaps $7,000, and are doing a flourishing business.
S. F. King makes groceries a specialty.
S. T. Bartlett & Son, James McDavid and Knight & McDavid also keep stores
whose stocks consist of a general assortment.
Berry & Grantham, restaurant and bakery.
James M. Taulbee, feed and provision store.
Mrs. A. E. Newberry, milliner.
Williams Sisters, milliners.
There are three drug stores kept by the following persons: Thomas H. Padgett, Sprinkle & Brother, Bartol, Leon & Son. D. D. Boutlett & Co., hardware; D. H. Luther, A. M. Edwards and J. Scherer, blacksmiths; George Barer, wagon-maker: M. D. L. Cannon, cabinet-maker and undertaker; C. B. Wiley, livery stable; J. T. Manlbee, Jr., and I. G. Dawson, barbers.
Extracted 13 Jan 2017 by Norma Hass from History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, published in 1882, pages 350-361.
