"Firsts" of Fulton County

Excerpt from the History of Fulton County published in 1879 by C. C. Chapman, pages 214-218, submitted by Janine Crandell.

First Election.— The first election held in Fulton county, which embraced all of the northern part of the State at that time (1823), was a very exciting one. It was a contest between North and South Fulton. Ossian M. Ross and William Eads were candidates for the office of Sheriff. The latter lived at Ft. Clark (now Peoria), and represented North Fulton. The only settlements within the boundary of the county at that time were one near the present town of Rushville, at Lewistown, Canton, Ft. Clark and Chicago. Lewistown was the county-seat and the largest town in the county, and the only place where elections were held. The voters at that time came from Ft. Clark down the Illinois river, a distance of fifty miles, in canoes; then up Spoon river ten miles; then on foot through the woods six miles to Lewistown, to deposit their ballots, bringing their whisky with them, without which it was thought impossible to travel or properly exercise the rights of American citizens. Many of those from the south part of the county came a distance of thirty miles.

First Officials.—The first County Commissioners were David W. Barnes, Joseph Moffatt and Thomas R. Covell.

First Fourth-of-July Celebration. — The first celebration of our national independence in Fulton county was held in 1823. The celebration was held in Lewistown on the knoll north of the Methodist Church edifice; Ossian M. Ross was the orator of the occasion, Captain David W. Barnes was marshal of the day; John, Jacob and Enos Jewell furnished the music. The two former played the drums and the latter the fife. They did not have the stars and stripes to display, but they nevertheless had a liberty pole. For this they secured a tall hickory tree, trimmed it and peeled the bark, and left it standing in its original place. For a flag to display from its top a hat of Mr. Ross' was substituted. This was a showy hat, being surmounted by two large plumes, and a cockade upon it. Mr. Ross wore this hat when a Major under General Scott in the war of 1812. It was placed upon the top of the pole by William Ennis, and all joined in cheering the glorious Fourth and drinking egg-nog. Logs were felled for seats and there were about thirty men, women and children in attendance, many of whom were barefoot. The whites had their celebration during the day, and seemingly ignored the Indians, who were not to be denied a glorious time. In the evening the Pottawatomies to the number of a hundred or more assembled at the same place and had a grand war dance. Thus closed the first Fourth-of-July celebration of Fulton county.

First Grain Raised.—The first wheat raised in Fulton county was in 1823, by O. M. Ross. It had to be cut with a sickle or reaping-hook, and threshed with a flail, winnowed with a sheet, ground in a horse-mill, and bolted with a hand bolt. Mr. Ross also raised the first ten acres of corn. The truck wagon was the principal one used in the first settlement of the county. They have been known to do good service on a farm for several years, and there was not a pound of iron or a nail used in their construction.

First School.— Hugh R. Colter taught the first school ever taught in Fulton countv. The school-house, which stood about where the Circuit and County Clerks' offices now stand, was built of round logs, provided with a mud chimney, and puncheons for floor, seats and writing-desks, and oil-paper for window glass. Those who are living that attended this school are Mrs. Steel, of Canton, formerly Miss Ross, Mrs. Howard (Putman) Martin, Hon. Lewis W. Ross, Harvey L. Ross and Henry Andrews.

First Steam-boat.—The first steam-boat to run up the Illinois river was the "Liberty." Harvey L. Ross was a passenger on board. It was commanded by Captain Samuel Bailey, one of the proprietors of Pekin, and a co-commander with Gen. Stillman of this county during the Black Hawk war. This boat was advertised to run "from St. Louis to Peoria, touching all intermediate ports." It landed at Havana, then nothing but a ferry crossing, and at Pekin, which at that time was known, from its fine location, as "Town Site." A steam-boat was a novelty, and even a mystery, to many of the early settlers. Coming up the river the boat passed Kingston in the night. Hugh Barr, who lived near that point, heard it coming, and being on rather unfriendly terms with the Indians, then quite numerous in the vicinity, concluded that it was some infernal contrivance of theirs to frighten or harm him. Seizing his gun and setting his equally bewildered dog at it, he pursued the offending mystery. The pilot, not being familiar with the channel, ran into Clifton's lake, and finding no outlet, he had to back the boat out. Barr, witnessing this, drew off his dog, and, though still hugely puzzled to know what manner of craft it was, gave up pursuit. William Haines, who lived at Pekin, hearing the puff of the escaping steam, hastily left his bed, and, half dressed, crossed the street to Thomas Snells, now the Bemis House, called neighbor Snell out of bed, and inquired as to what manner of creature was coming up the river. Snell replied: "I don't know, Bill; but if I was on the Ohio river I would think it was a steam-boat." Old Jacob Tharp, hearing the noise of the paddles and the steam whistle, thought it was Gabriel blowing his horn; that sure enough the end of the world had come in the night; and calling up his family, engaged in prayer as a fitting preparation for the advent of a higher and better life!

The First Turning-Lathe.—The first turning-lathe in Canton and perhaps in the county was owned and operated by Deacon Nathan Jones. It was a spring-pole lathe, with the cord wound around the stick to be turned, in such a manner that the stick ran half the time one way and half the time the other. Upon this lathe the deacon turned his chair-stuff. This lathe was a part of the outfit of the first chair-maker's shop in Canton. It is related of the deacon, while engaged in this shop, that on one occasion he had carried a lot of chair-stuff into the kitchen to season by the kitchen fire. The deacon had neglected to provide Aunt Matilda — his wife — with wood, and this neglect had so excited the old lady's ire that she siezed and burnt an armful of chair-rungs. The deacon stood and contemplated the destruction of his chair-rungs in solemn silence for some moments. As the flames began to curl around them, the deacon's lips parted, and his hand was raised, not in anger, but in sadness. He tipped his hat to one side with the uplifted hand, and exclaimed, "Matilda, I wish you were in heaven!" And this, it is recorded, was the most nearly an oath the good old man had ever allowed to escape his lips.

First Mills.—Ossian M. Ross built the first horse-mill, Jacob Ellis built the first water-mill. Who erected the first steam-mill we are not able to say. There was one erected at Canton at a very early day, and one at Vermont. John H. Gardner, of Joshua township, also put up one among the first of the county.

First Distillery.—As early as 1833 Rafe Dixon, Ensley Fouts and George Smith owned and operated a small distillery on Duck creek. This was a small, old-fashioned copper still, and made pure if not palatable whisky from corn. It is related of some of the pioneers that they would, when in need of their accustomed beverage, shell a bushel of corn, put it on a horse, mount on top, and ride to Gabriel Walling's little band-mill on Copperas Creek, get their grist "cracked," then ride over with it to the Duck-creek Distillery and wait until it could be turned into "sperrits." They were some times plagued very much while at the distillery by a fellow of the name of Garron, who, it was asserted, would drink the whisky as fast as it ran from the still.

First Sale of Land.—The first conveyance of land contained within the boundary of Fulton county ever made was that of section 8, Kerton township. On this 6th day of May, 1817, John DeMott transferred this section of land to Richard Berriam. The first on record was the northeast quarter of section 30, Cass township, which was transferred May 20, 1818. Both these deeds are recorded at Edwardsville.

First Two Children Born.—The first white child born in the county was Lucinda C. Ross, relict of the late Judge William Kellogg, and a resident of Peoria, Ill. She was born at Lewistown Oct. 17, 1821. Abner C. Barnes, son of Capt. D. W. Barnes, was born in the following month, and was the first male child born. He is an attorney at law and resides at Bushnell, Ill. A son of John Eveland was one of the first children born on the Military Tract, if not the first. His birth occurred while Mr. Eveland was residing in Calhoun county.

First Cotton-Gin.—In an early day cotton was quite extensively grown in this county. During the period when the pioneer women manufactured all the clothing of the family from the raw material, cotton and flax might be found growing on every farm. Jacob Ellis erected a cotton-gin that proved a source of great help to the settlers. They would come for many miles to this mill to have their cotton ginned. Hon. L. W. Ross has a pair of quilts that were made by his mother in 1825 or '26, when they lived where Major Walker now does. The cotton and every other article that entered into them was raised on their place in this county.

First Hotel.—The first hotel in the county, perhaps in the Military Tract, was built at Lewistown in 1827, by John Jewell, and kept for many years by Truman Phelps. It was then considered the best hotel in the West. Such men as Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, O. H. Browning, Cyrus Walker, Gen. E. D. Baker, Wm. A. Richardson and other prominent men of early times were often guests of this hotel.