A history of Round Prairie and Plymouth, 1831-1875.

Front matter

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Contents

Chapter I. — Early settlers, but few of them left. Our obligations to them. Difficulties of the historian. Philosophy of history, general principles. Our work. . . Page 9

'Chapter II. — French explorers two hundred years, ago. What might have been. Crooked Creek, why so named. Funny Frenchmen. Lamine River, meaning of name — a hit on the Monks. Lamoin township. Bronson's creek. The sublime and the ridiculous. Flour Creek. Confiscated flour and flour afloat, a twice-named creek. Round Prairie, native beauty, flowers, framework, fires. Indian settlements at Birmingham, Lamoin and Cedar Bluff. City of the dead. United States .•■urvey. Mormon trail. ..... Page 13

Chapter III. — Discovery of (the) Plymouth (to be) in 1831. Three-quarters of the corporation "claimed." First improvements. Birmingham's first permanent occupation. A land flowing with honey. Honey in a sack on horseback — a demoralized package. Additional settlers in 1832-3. Page 20

Chapter I

Only about forty-five years have passed since the first settlements are known to have been made within the bounds of Round Prairie. This brief period, however, exceeds the average lifetime of a generation ; and as we inquire for this and that one of the first settlers, the answer comes back that they have gone to that other country from which there is no return.

Having little time for literary pursuits amid the struggles for the necessaries and comforts of life, the few whose tastes and training may have fitted them for it, have left us no record of their experience in laying the foundations of the physical and social structure we now enjoy. But few of the first settlers remain ; and of these, all who were then old enough to take an active lo A History of

part in the work of subduing nature and building up society, are now on the downhill of life — many of them so far down towards the end of their journey, that their white locks and feeble limbs admonish us to write soon, if we would do it from their lips, the story they have to tell of what they have done and endured for us and our children.

To this little band of pioneers who began to make Round Prairie the fruitful field we now see, and who laid the foundations of the business enterprises, schools, churches, etc., that are established in our midst, we owe a lasting debt of gratitude. The least we can do in discharging this debt, is to cherish their memory, make a record of their deeds, engrave this record in the enduring material of the printer's art, and hand it down to children's children. We may do this with the firm assurance that the value of the record will greatly increase as succeeding generations come upon the stage. The historian who attempts to write of passingevents, or close upon the time of past events, has peculiar difficulties to encounter. Like the soldier on the battle-field, he is so enveloped in the dust and smoke of the strife as to be poorly fitted to judge of the progress of the battle, or of its influence upon the cause for which the battle is fought.

Faithful history is not merely a record of passing events, however important these may be. Such events serve rather as a frame-work or skeleton upon which history is elaborated. If you would find the sources of life and power in true history, look into the motives that led to the act, then to the results growing out of it. These are the moulding influences that impress themselves upon future generations. There is a philosophy in history, and its principles are the same, whether applied to the birth and growth of a great nation like the United States, or to a little community like Round Prairie.

The principles and motives that led our Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth Rock 250 years ago have impressed this nation no less surely than the principles and motives that led our pioneers to this Prairie 45 years ago have impressed themselves upon this community. By an inexorable law of nature the character of the parent is stamped upon the child. This is true of the community as well as of the family. As previously intimated, we are not yet in a position to apply these g^eneral principles to the work before us; this part of the work must be left for those who can trace the results of the acts we record in the clearer light of the future.

We state briefly, for the benefit of young philosophers, certain results that may be expected from certain conditions in the formation of character, either in the family or community.

If parents are wise, and united in counsels and training, the child may be expected to grow up a useful member of society; if otherwise, evils greater or less, may be expected. In mixed communities, made up of people from various sections, and trained under different influences, conflicting currents will be found, that to some extent neutralize each other, lowering the tone and diminishing the power of the whole. The result is seen in a comparatively low standard of public improvement in almost everything which affects the physical, social, mental and moral welfare of the community-

Find a homogeneous community and you will find the currents of influence broad, strong and deep, whatever may be the character of those currents.

With these remarks on its philosophy, we turn to the consideration of the facts of history as furnished by the subject in hand.

It would be interesting and profitable, also, to take a rapid glance into the brief records left by such men as Marquette, Joliet, La Salle, Hennepin and others, who were amoncr the first white men who are known to have explored the region of which our locality and state forms a part ; but the story would be too long — nor does it belong here. Our work is local, not general history.

Some of these old French explorers might have paddled their canoes up Crooked Creek from Beardstown to Birmingham and Lamoine, at some seasons of the year, just as easily, and a great deal quicker than to La Salle and Joliet, and immortalized their names just as effectually by leaving them within the boundaries of our beautiful Round Prairie, as upon the banks of the Illinois.

Crooked Creek, with its margin of timber, forms the eastern and most of the northern boundary of Round Prairie.

Of the origin of the name of this creek we have obtained no certain knowledge. Our oldest settlers found it so named when they came, by other older settlers at other points upon its banks. We might guess — - near the mark, undoubtedly — that some one named it upon the bible principle of applying a name significant of the thing. The fitness of the name, I think, has never been questioned — nor is it likely to be until Crooked Creek straiohtens itself out.

The funny fellows who did Uncle Sam's surveying hereabouts — Frenchmen, perhaps — possibly descendants of old Marquette himself (though, on second thought, that seems improbable, as Marquette was a Catholic priest, and they cannot marry, or could not in those times, and consequently do not have descendants) — well, no matter who they were, they determined to dignify Crooked Creek as a river, and called it Lamine, or Lamoin — a French word meaning The Monk. If they intended to insinuate by this name, that the ways of the monks are as devious and crooked as the stream to which they applied the name^

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they were pretty hard on this well-abused Catholic order.

In the original field notes of the United States survey for McDonnough County, Crooked Creek appears as Lamine River ; the name, however, would not stick — it was too large, or the stream too small ; it got loose, became detached from the stream, and finally fastened upon township 4 N. 4 W., leaving Crooked Creek to flow quietly down its tortuous channel through Lamoin township, driving Lamoin Mill on its way to the Illinois river.

A considerable tributary of Crooked Creek, known as Bronsons Creek, completes the northern boundary of Round Prairie ; a small tributary of this, with its margin of timber, bounds it upon the west.

Bronson's Creek has taken its name from that of the first white settler upon its banks, Thomas Bronson.

The creek upon our south, with its flowery banks, woody slopes, quarries of rock^ precipitous bluffs, and probable deposits of coal, has much about it both of beauty and of utility. Romantic young people delight often to ramble upon the banks of beautiful streams with beautiful names, gathering the pretty, colored pebbles, or wild spring flowers ; and said creek, no doubt, is a good place for the prosecution of such laudable enterprises. While thus engaged, a knowledge of the origin of its name may remind romantic people of the important fact that romance and reality may be quite as near to each other as the sublime and ridiculous are said to be.

In the summer of 1832 Mr. Edward Wade " made a crop " on the north edge of the Augusta prairie near the creek, on an " improvement " then held by one Dr. Allen. On leaving the cabin he occupied temporarily there, for the purpose of putting up a ■cabin upon his own claim on the neck of prairie toward Birmingham, the safety of his stock of supplies of bacon, flour, etc., during liis absence became a matter of consultation between himself and the said Dr. Allen. The Doctor thought it unsafe to leave them in the cabin, and advised him to bring them to his house, which was done ; but on Mr. Wade's return, much to his surprise, he found the storage arranoement had bene fited the Doctor much more than himself, as the Doctor had appropriated largely of the flour to supply his own wants. This incident concerning Mr. Wade's flo2Lr, the

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neiofhbors determined to commemorate in the name of the creek — so it came to be F-l-o-u-r Creek.

Although the name bid fair to stick without re-pasting, some time later (in the spring of 1834), Mr. Pruit and Mr. Box, of St. Mary's, were returning from the Brooklyn Mill, with their grists, one Sunday evening, when the "creek was up," crossing at the ford south of Plymouth, with their ox team, a large and well-filled sack oi flonr was swept out of their wagon by the deep and rapid stream, and supposed to be lost ; but on the Wednesday following, it was fished out, well preserved and in good order, except a thin crust next the sack, — ^so saith the "oldest inhabitant," Mr. Allen Melton. Thus happened the second christening of Flour Creek.

Between the creeks of which we have spoken, lies Round Prairie, its general form corresponding quite nearly to its name — ((leaving off the narrow neck jutting out towards Birmingham.)

The average diameter of the prairie will not vary much from three miles.

Of the wild, native beauty of this locality, we may gather some idea by remembering that its gently undulating surface was swept clean by the annual prairie fires, only to be reclothed with a rich carpet of grass profusely ornamented with the greatest variety and abundance of prairie flowers. The picture presented by this scene is spoken of by early settlers as one of surpassing beauty. The frame-work of this picture — the mar- Qfin of timber surrounding it — ^was not a tangled mat of undergrowth amid the trees, inaccessible, almost, to man or beast, as we now fmd it in many places — but a clear^ open growth of timber, through which one might travel unobstructed in any direction. This freedom from undergrowth was due to the same agency that renovated the surface of the prairie — the prairie tires.

If the Indian tribes who preceded the whites in the occupation of this region did not appreciate the beauty of the locality^ they appreciated its utility in furnishing an abundance of game to supply their wants. The Indians had left before any permanent white settlement had been made in Round Prairie ; but the first settlers found three recently vacated Indian camps- — the number of wigwams indicating a considerable colony in each. One of these was near Birmingham, another at Lamoin Mill, and the third at Cedar Bluffs, north of Plymouth,

The wigwams did not remain long, the prairie fires soon swept away every vestige of these cities of the living, Birmingham has furnished a more enduring monument of Indian occupation in her city of their dead. Remains of an Indian burying ground, beyond Birmingham — near the road leading to Brooklyn — are thought to be visible still. In 1847-8, two medical students, Drs. Sapp and Patterson, in searching some of these mounds for bones to illustrate their anatomical studies, found such quantities of them as to suggest the possibility that that locality may have been the bloody battleground of hostile Indian tribes. But we tread here upon uncertain historical ground — let us look for more definite records.

In 18 19 the United States surveyors struck their temporary camps, leaving their "stakes and mounds" in the prairie, and their " witness trees " in the timber, as the only evidences that were to be perpetuated of the civilized occupation of Round Prairie until its permanent settlement in 1831-2.

We get an introduction to our notorious fellow citizens of the Mormon persuasion about the time Round Prairie was settled. We shall make their acquaintance more fully about a dozen years later in our record. We have only to say of them now, that the emigration of the Mormon community from Ohio to Missouri passed through the lower part of Round Prairie, leaving a well-marked and beaten road, traveled by hundreds of teams, and that continued to be used for years afterwards. This highway — the first made on Round Prairie — was known as the Mormon Trail. It crossed the Illinois river near the mouth of Spoon river. Crooked Creek just above Birmingham, and Flour Creek south of Mr. Fielding's present residence, thence along the north side of the Augusta prairie, crossing the Mississippi river at Ouincy.

Chapter III

Following the county line, as marked by the United States surveyors, from the present site of Pulaski, where they had been put •on track of it, Mr. Matthew Melton, his son Allen, and son-in-law John Trammel, reached the corner between Schuyler, and McDonnough counties, at the S. E. of Sec. 36, on which Plymouth now stands, in August, 1 83 1, and proceeded at once to the rise of

Round Prairie a7id Plymouth. 2 r

ground on which Plymouth is built, and staked their claims as follows : Matthew Melton the S. W., John Trammel the N. W., and Allen Melton the N. E. quarter of the section. They then returned to Morgan County, 111. (their home at that time), and in September returned with a team, tools, etc., and built a cabin on Matthew Melton's claim, south of town, just north of the township line, near where Mr. Cooper now lives, A little patch of ground was plowed near the cabin and planted with shellotts — a species of onion — and with peach seeds;, thus was opened up the first "improvement" on Round Prairie:'^" this, however, was not permanently occupied until a year later.

It was intended by the parties, to move their families at once to the cabin they had just built, but after returning to Morgan county for this purpose, rains set in, raising the creeks so that the journey became impracticable.

When this party came up in September,. 1 83 1, to make their improvement, Mr. Matthew Melton brought his daughter Marissa,

* Christopher E. Yates claims to have come to Round Prairie in 1829 with a view to locating here, and to have digged a well and commenced the building of a cabin on what is now Mrs. Holton's place ; but finding that he was upon " Patent " land, instead of that open to pre-emption, he abandoned the location and settled near the place now occupied by the town of Augusta.

— who was soon afterwards married to Mr. Ezekiel Boman — as cook and company for the party — the first zvhitc woman known to have visited Round Prairie with a view to settlement here.

The winter following, Mr. Brommel Sapp and Mr. David Manlove came into Birmingham township, made claims and commenced improving them. Mr. Sapp built upon the place occupied by himself until his death, and now occupied by his son S. Riley Sapp. Mr. Manlove built upon the place now known as the Hippie farm. In April, 1832, Mr. Sapp moved his family from Rushville, where they had wintered, to their new home, the first fiamily permanently located within the boundaries of Round Prairie. They were followed, within about two weeks, by the family of Mr. Manlove.

The MeltoTt party, who made the first improvements in the fall of '31, were originally from Tennessee, Morgan county having been their home for about two years previous to their settlement here. The Sapp and Manlove party were from North Carolina.

These pioneers found this a land fiowijig with ho7iey, ready at hand on their arrival. The Melton party, while hunting for a "board tree," on Flour Creek, near where

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the railroad now crosses, found half-a-dozen dee-trees near together, whose sweet stores were speedily " confiscated," and a barrel of the spoils carried back with them to Morgan county. The Sapp and Manlove party found similar stores awaiting them. On one of their occasional visits to their families in Rushville, during the winter they were building their cabins, Mr. Sapp determined to treat his family with some of the sweet supplies his chosen home afforded, and for want of better facilities, some of the choicest honey-comb was carefully stowed into a sack and laid across his horse ; and althouofh as much care was o-iven to its safe transportation as modern express companies are wont to bestow upon frail goods, the package became sadly demoralized, and a considerable portion of the contents spread upon the sides of the horse and pantaloons of the rider : the effort, however, proved a partial success, as a portion was carried safely through to its destination.

In the spring of 1832, another little party of Tennesseeans arrived. Mr. William Edwards, finding the Melton cabin unoccupied, took temporary possession of It with his family, and then made a claim and began to improve the present Swicegood place, building near the timber, south of the present residence.

Mr, Edward Wade, as we have already stated in connection with the history of Flour Creek, located temporarily on the Augusta Prairie, and in the fall permanently upon his claim near James G. King's present residence. In company with these two, Mr, Samuel Haggard and his son-in-law George Saddler came as far as the old Fonda place, east of Augusta, where they remained perhaps two or three years, and then removed,, the former to the place occupied by him until his death, and now owned by his son-in-law, Barney Eidson — the latter. Saddler, to the Lawrence place.

During the season, two other families settled in Round Prairie, east of the " Round Top " school house. Wm. Emerick on the Bodenhamer Manlove place, and Thomas Ratliffe on the Griffith place. In October, '32, the Melton party returned to occupy their claims, and with them Mr. Ezekiel Boman, who had married Miss Marissa Melton since her visit to Round Prairie the year previous. As soon as practicable, cabins were put up on the Trammel claim, now the Madison place, and on Boman's, occupied by him until his death, and now by Elias Wade,

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In 1833, material additions were made to the population of Round Prairie. The following list is supposed to be nearly, if not quite, full and correct, of the families who came that year, and of their location at that time ; but the order of their arrival, as to time, cannot be given :

Mr. Manlove Wheeler located on what is now N. F. Burton's place. Henry Wheeler where Mr. Whipple now is. Paris Wheeler where James G. King now is. Wm. Pickett on the David Smith place. Jonathan Tharp on the Fielding place. James Edwards where B. F. Edwards now is. Isaac Pidgeon where the Hall brothers now are. Solomon Stanley on the L. A. Cook place. James Clark on the Thomas Talbot place. Jesse Buzan on the William Edwards place. Dr. Blackburn on the east half of the same quarter. John Poole where Dr. King now is. Able Friend where Mr. Klepper now is, and Orville Sherrill where L. G. Reid now is.

Chapter IV

Following nearly the chronological order of events, with important or interesting incidents, as well as with historical items, this 3 may be as suitable a place as any in which ito introduce some big snake stories.

One bright spring day in 1833, Mr. Ezeikiel Boman, who but a short time before had become the happy father of his firstborn child — now Mrs. Walty — started out with his infant in his arms, for a walk. Led, perhaps, by that intuitive love for nature in her wilder forms, so common in the human breast, he found himself presently at Cedar Bluff. Here his wandering steps were suddenly arrested by an ominous rattle and coiled form, that man never meets unexpectedly without being startled.

Unarmed for fight, his first impulse was to seek a place of temporary safety for his precious luggage, and then a weapon, of stick or stone, for the attack, but as he turned, another met his gaze, and then another, and another. In fact, he could see snakes all around him, without the aid now required, of numerous glasses — of st7ychnine zvhisky. Picking his way cautiously out of the enemy's encampment, the attack was deferred until reinforcements could be brought up. Returning with two of his brothers-in-law, Allen and Henry Melton, the slaughter began. The enemy proved to be strongly intrenched within the rocky ledge ; their " den " was inaccessible ; but by frequent raids during that season and part ■of the next, surprising and killing them as they ventured out of the den, over 600 rattlesnakes were killed by these parties at that locality.

Near the same time, Mr. Bromel Sapp and Mr. David Manlove, while out one afternoon, came upon a similar den in a ravine north of Manlove's place — now the Hippie farm — and in a single attack, 350 of the reptiles were slaughtered.

These and other parties repeated the attacks upon that stronghold at various times, until, as the " oldest inhabitant " (A. Melton) affirms, over 1,100 snakes had been killed.

During one of these attacks, an incident occurred that would have furnished a fine subject for Nast's pencil, if he had been on the field at that time. In removing: some of the rocks under which the snakes were concealed, a rail was used as a lever. Upon the end of this, projecting to the edge of the steep bluff, was perched the long, lank form of Mr. Bromel Sapp. Swaying upon the rail with all his force, in order to raise the rock, he underestimated his own weight, or overestimated the strength of the rail — it broke, and down he went, headlong, over and over, to the bottom of the bluff, among the hundreds of lifeless bodies of his slaughtered foes. And that was how the snakes ofot him.

A coincidence is worth noticing here that may throw some light upon the subject of Indian customs. We have spoken of one of the Indian settlements in our vicinity being at Birmingham. To be more exact in its location — -instead of being on the site of the village, it was a little above, at the point where the ravine enters Crooked Creek, and near the location of the great snake den just mentioned. Another of the Indian villages, it will be remembered, was located at the Cedar Bluff snake den. The only remarks we venture upon this coincidence are, that " somebody" says that rattlesnake meat is a choice luxury to the palate of the Indian epicure — and further, that, if this be true (we do not vouch for it), these villages were located with a nice discrimination as to convenience to a good supply of one of the luxuries of Indian life. We drop the farther consideration of these incidentswith pleasure — glad to escape the thought

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of what might have been, had those I'/oo rattlesnakes been allowed to live and propagate, through all these forty years, in such a limited territory as Round Prairie.

Chapter V

It might not be expedient to turn the thread of our historical narrative too abruptly into another channel ; and as we have noticed a successful onslaught upon the beastly representatives of satan's power, we turn now to notice the first organized attack, within our bounds, upon his spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men. This battle, as yet, seems less decisive, but its successful result is fully assured.

Here, as almost everywhere, our Methodist brethren were found at the front — their picket line clos« upon the footsteps of the first settlers. The first preaching service known to have been held on Round Prairie, was at the house of Mr. Wm, Edwards, on the farm now owned by Frank Swicegood — the buildinof then standino- in the eda-e of the timber, nearly south of the present residence. The preacher was Rev. Henry Somers, of the Rushville Circuit, whose nearest appointments, at that time, were at Mr. C. Oliver's, at Pulaski, and at Mr.

Archer's, at Middletown.

This was near the close of the conference year, in the fall of 1833. Soon after, a class, was formed at the same place, consisting of Mr. Wm. Edwards and his wife, Mr, Edward! Wade and his wife, and a Mr. Phillips and wife. During the conference year of '33 and '34, this class was supplied with preaching every two weeks by Rev. Peter Boring. Mr. Edward Wade was appointed class-leader. It is thought that no record exists of the earlier additions to this class. Mr, Wade and his wife still live — active members of the M. E. Church in Plymouth.

While there was occasional preaching within the bounds of the prairie, by the Baptists, and perhaps some others, no regular preaching was maintained by other denominations until the fall of 1835. In the spring of 1835 the Sunday school work in Round Prairie commenced in the house, and by the family, of Mr. Samuel King, at the place now occupied by his son James G. King. Soon after the opening of this school, its working force was strengthened by the addition of the family of Mr. Robert Hall. Later in the season this school was.

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moved from Mr, King's house to a blacksmith's shop on the place of Mr. Manlove Wheeler, now owned by Mr. N. F. Burton — the shop standing in the grove near the present residence. The school continued at that place during the summer and early fall. Whatever this primitive Sunday school may have lacked in modern appliances and model methods, a single incident may be introduced here to show that it did not suffer, as do so many of our moderrti ones, from lack of zeal and earnestness ia attendance upon its sessions.

Those who are familiar with the ground about Mr. Burton's grove know that a considerable ravine runs upon the south and southeast sides, and also one upon the north and northeast sides, and that after heavy rains streams of sufficient size are found in^ them to have proved a serious obstacle to foot travelers at a time when bridges had not yet been built. Under just such circumstances as we have stated, our friend James G. King, in company with his sisters, and other lady friends, approached the place of meeting, one day, only to find the ravine utterly impracticable for the ladies to cross. But the " Colonel " had set out to escort his company to Sunday school and was not to be foiled ; his strategy was equal to the emergency. Throwing off his boots, and rolling up his pantaloons, he took the ladies in his arms, one by one, and carried them safely over the stream. Forty years of service, since that day, in the Sunday school work, has but little, if any, abated his zeal in the cause. We may add, as a sequel to to the above incident, that one of the ladies the " Col." carried over the stream, clings to him still, as they journey on, helping each •other over the hard places, and enjoying together the smoother ones across the changingr stream of time.

We pause here a moment, in this account <of the religious history of Round Prairie, to notice an event or two that have had an important bearing upon our history.

During the summer of 1835, ^^^^ governiment land sales occurred, resulting in many 'Changes and in considerable additions to the population of the neighborhood. A number of those who came earlier, and ■occupied their premises by pre-emption, were without means to pay the amount demanded by the government for their lands, and were orlad to sell their " claims " and " improvements," and obtain in this way the means to " enter" a new lot upon which