• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

http://stores.ebay.com/Ancestry-Found http://stores.ebay.com/Ancestry-Found http://stores.ebay.com/Ancestry-Found A HISTOR^^ COUNTY OF DU PAGE, ILLINOIS CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OP ITS EARLY SETTLE3IENT AND PRESENT ADVANTAGES, A SEPARATE HISTORY OF THE SEVERAL TOWNS, INCLUDING NOTICES OP RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURES, -WITH THE NAJSIES AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST SETTLERS IN EACH TOWNSHIP, AND MUCH VALUABLE STATISTICAL IXFORMATIOX By C. W. RICHMOND & H. F. VALLETTE. CHICAGO: STEAM PRESSES OF SCUIPPS, BROSS & SPEARS, 45 CLARK STREET. 1857. 5 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S57, by C. W. EICIIMOXD AXD H. F. YALLETTE, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Northern District of Illinois. '1 Culver, Page & Hotne, BINDERS, 128 and 130 Lake Street. TO THE READEK. The authors propose to oifer no apology for tlie appearance of tins work. They are, however, con- scions of many of its imperfections, to which it wonld be nnwise in them to draw the attention of the ]3nblic. The original mannscript was j)repared more than a year ago, and placed in the hands of a printer, whose establishment, with all his effects, including said mannscript, was carried down stream at the time of the high water last spring. To this cir- cnmstance may be attribnted the delay in its pub- lication, as well as some slight errors of omission and commission, Avliich anybody is at liberty to find in the work. If the reader chances to discover anything of the kind, we here take the liberty to inform him beforehand, that " we knew it." And if anybody thinks he can write a better history of Du Page Comity, we can only say to him, in tlie IV TO THE READER. language of the good deacon avIio made an nn- siiccessful attempt to preach in the absence of the regular pastor, " if you really think you can do it better, why, try it, that's all." We hereby tender our acknowledgments to the following named persons, for much valuable in- formation for the work : Capt. Joseph Naper, Miss ISTaxcy Hobson", John Warne, "Willard Scott, R. ^. Murray, II. B. Hills, H. D. Fisher, L. W. Mills, E. Duncklee, Rev. Mr. Washburne, E. It. Loomis, Hon. Walter Blanchard, John Granger, Myron C. Dudley. THE AUTHORS. EARLY HISTORY OF THE COUNTY. PIONEEK EEMIOTSCEXCES. The present cliapter is designed to embody the leading incidents connected with the early settlement of Du Page Connty, and embraces a period of nearly three years. It may be for the benefit of some to state, that this narrative does not disclose a succession of 'klisastrons chances," nor is it franght with " mov- ing accidents by flood and field," and he who periises these pages, thinking to derive gratification from such sources, will undoubtedly be disappointed. .The pioneers of our county are fast j^assing from us, and soon there will none remain to tell the story of their hardshijis. That such facts and incidents, relating to their settlement here, as are considered worthy of record, may be preserved, is the object of this sketch ; and if these convey no lessons of historic value, it is believed that they wdll not be devoid of interest to those familiar with the locality of the scenes de- scribed. The bulk of information herein detailed, has been gathered from authentic soui-ces, from living- witnesses ; and if errors or omissions have occurred, HIS T O li Y O F the writer can only assert, in extenuation, the honesty of his intentions, and crave a liberal indulgence toward his deficiencies. The first permanent settlement within the limits of Du Page, was made in the fall of 1830, and during the spring of the year following. Stephen J. Scott removed from Maryland to this State, with his family, in the year 1825, and "made a claim" near the present site of Gros Point. While on a hunting tour, in the month of August, 1830, in company with his son Willard, he discovered the Du Page river, near Plainfield. Impressed with the beauty and aj)parent fertility of the surrounding country, he resolved to explore the river, and ascended it as far as the con- fluence of its east and west branches, now called " The Forks." Here he became enamored of the gorgeous adornings with which the hand of nature had embellished the scene around him. In these he beheld infallible tokens of the " j^romised land," and it required Ijut little time for him to ponder and determine the question of making that beautiful region his future home. A comfortable log house was subsecpiently built upon the farm now owned by Mrs. Sheldon, and the family of Mr. Scott came on to possess the '^ new claim," in the fall of 1830. Other families soon settled in the vicinity. Although Mr. Scott is en- titled t(^ the distinction of having been the pioneer of the " settlement," which soon extended for several miles along the river into Will and Du Page, yet thei-o are others who lay well established claims to the pioneersliip uf this county. About the middle DU PAGE COUNTY of March, 1831, Baley Hobson came and settled, with liis family, near the present site of the family resi- dence, being the first actual settler on the soil of Du Page County. The family of Mr. Paine located near Mr. Hobson, in April following. In July the family of Capt. Joseph JSTaper came from Ohio, accompanied by the family of his brother, John i^aper. CajDt. Kaper had visited the county in February, 1831. lie built a cabin near the site of his flouring mill, in wdiich he lived until a more commodious dwelling could be provided for his fanlih^ He also built a trading house that season, and carried on quite an extensive trade with the settlers and Indians. The latter were quite numerous here at that time, but he always sustained the most friendly relations with them. The settlement received constant additions to its numbers, and at the end of spring, 1832, it contained one hun- th-ed and eighty souls. Among the families were those of IT. T. Wilson, Lyman Butterfield, Ira Car- penter, John Murray, R. M. Sweet, Alan son Sweet, Harry Boardman, Israel Blodgett, Pobert Strong, Pierce Ilawley, Walter Stowel, C. Foster, J. Man- ning, and II. Babbitt. The locality was tlien known as " ]^aper's Settle nient." The winter of 1832 w^as one of unusual severity, which, together with a scarcity of provisions, rendered the prospects of the settlers rather gloomy. John Naper, John Murray, and E. M. Sweet were sent to the ''Wabash" for provisions, from which place supplies were at length obtained, and the dreary sea- son, " on his frozen wings," passed away without much suffering among the settlers. The new spring awoke and clothed the earth in all the beauty and freshness of : ins T C) E Y O F a joiing creation, quickening into life countless germs, in bud, and flower, and tree ; tilling the air witli the mel- ody of motion, the murmur of released waters, and the song of birds, and spotting the verdure of the wide- sj^reading prairies with tire and gold in the tint of flowers. How true to the sentiment of all who witnessed the 023ening of that long looked for spring, must be the words of the poet " These are the gardens of the Desei-t — these The unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, And fresh as the young earth ere man had sinned. The Prairies ! I behold them for the first, And my heart swells, while the dilated sight Takes in the encircling vastness." Xever was a " good time come " hailed with more gladness than was the spring of 18325 ^J "t^^e infant colony. A prospect of reward for past hardships was before them. All was busy preparation for the ap- proaching seed time. Tlie labor of breaking and fencing weiit briskly forward, and in due time the new fledged ..grain came peering from the mellow ground. But long before the growing fields stood ready for the sickle of the glad harvester, the little band were obliged to relinquish their cherished anticijjations, and flee from their new homes for the safety of their lives. The news of the breaking out of the Black Hawk war caused great excitement in the settlement, and the alarm w^as heightened by the arrival of Shata, an ex- press from the Pottawattomies, who were friendly to the whites, with the intelligence that a party of Sac Indians were committing depredations among the settlers on Fox river, some ten miles distant, and that the houses of DU PAGE COUNTY. 9 Cumiingliam and Ilollcnbeck liad "been burned to the ground, and their property entirely destroyed. Aware of their inability to carry on a successful warfare with the Indians, as the colony was in an almost defenseless state, and being liable to an attack from them at any moment, the settlers decided to send their families, Avith all possible haste, to Chicago, where old Fort Dearborn offered its protection to any fearing the incursions of tlie savages. The settlement was now the scene of uniyersal disorder and alarm. Bustle and confusion were the order of the hour. Men were hurrying to and fro in eager pursuit of their wives and children, while weeping wives and crying children were liurrying with equal rapidity and greater anxiety in pursuit of their husbands and fathers. Order was at length, in some degree, restored, and while the women were engaged in packing such articles of clothing and provision as they would recpiire for the journey, the men were actively fitting out teams to convey them away.

Load more

  224

Copy Link