By Henry Deen
I noticed that the HERALD desired some reminiscences
of Calhoun County, and in response to the request I will give you a few
items that may prove interesting to the readers of the HERALD. I was born in
Guersey County, Ohio, in the year 1809, and I am now nearly 79 years old. I
came to the state of Illinois in 1839 and located on the 10th day of June at
Carrollton in Greene County. I soon after located in Calhoun County about
three miles west of Kampsville. Thomas H. Boyd, now a wealthy and prominent
citizen of Greene County came with me to this county. We both assisted Silas
Hurd in surveying out section 5 in township9, range 2. My nearest neighbors
were Stephen Farrow, father of C. B. Farrow, and Solomon Bushnell who was
then the ferryman of Farrowtown. The present site of Kampsville was then
laid out into town lots and was named New Philadelphia. It was located
during the town lot craze of 1836-9 by a Dr. Coleman. He went to
Philadelphia and sold those lots, but of course no one ever received
anything from the purchase. Our nearest post-office was at Hamburg. We got
mail such as it was once a week. Sometimes we got our mail at Gilead which
place was then the county seat. John Red was the post-master. The postage on
a letter was twenty-five cents in silver. We had no preaching and no school
for twelve years. The first Sunday school was started by my mother and Mrs.
Jane Nevins in the year 1843. Settlers were scarce and those who lived in
the county were engaged principally in hunting Deer and turkeys were quite
plentiful. Deer hides were a cash article, so was wild honey and beeswax.
From these articles the settlers derived their chief support. Corn and wheat
were but little cultivated and only for bread. Hogs fattened on the mast and
run wild in the woods. The country was all timber and was covered with the
finest white oak and black oak and hickory. When I first came here the wood
and timber business was not so extensively engaged in as afterwards.
Occasionally we would cut some cord wood. My hunting ground was from river
to river and from Bee creek in Pike County to Gilead. The hunting was
excellent. Deer and turkey furnished us plenty of good meat and hides
brought us what little cash we needed.
The first circuit court that
I attended in Calhoun County was held in Gilead. Judge Lockwood was on the
bench; John Red was sheriff. The Court House was a small brick one built in
1828, and the jail was built of logs. Judge Wilkinson, father of Wm. M.
Wilkinson was our Justice of the peace, and he was also assessor and
treasurer of the county. Gilead was a small village and after the court
house burned, and the county seat moved to Hardin the town ceased to grow.
Hamburg was a trading and shipping post then of some importance. John Shaw
built the first house in Hamburg. He kept a store and dealt in wood and
staves and was the post-master. The shipping of hoop poles and staves was
another principal industry. The Calhoun County of today is vastly different
from the Calhoun County of 1839. The hospitality of the first settlers of
this county was unbounded; neighbors were friendly and helped each other
whenever help was needed.
| Pike IL | ||
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Pike MO Lincoln MO |
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Greene IL Jersey IL |
| St Charles MO |
