Farmington Township

Farmington Township

This excerpt was taken from the History of Fulton County, published by Chas. C. Chapman & Co. in 1879, pages 679-681.

This beautiful township will compare favorably with any tract of land six miles square in the Northwest. Sunshine and dew never fell upon a fairer land. It is under the best of cultivation, and the farms are unsurpassed in point of modern improvements and an advanced and perfect state of cultivation. Jonah Marchant, with his wife and four children, was the first that lived through a winter in this township. Mr. Marchant came in October, 1827, and passed the following winter in a small cabin 12 X 14 feet in size. He knew this was a fair land and concluded to remain here. Accordingly he set about in the spring to build a more pretentious dwelling. He erected a hewn-log cabin. In this he lived for seven years.

Seth Littler, a brother-in-law of the Marchants, lived in the township a few months in the spring and summer of the year 1827. He then left in company with some of his relatives for the Galena lead mines, which just at that time were causing such excitement. Mr. Littler, however, returned the same year and located near Canton, which at that time was a very small beginning for a town. He died that fall about the time John Marchant settled in Farmington. The creek that heads south of Farmington was named in honor of Mr. Littler.

In the spring of 1828 Charles and Theodore Sergeant, the gentlemen so often spoken about of the first chapter of this book, located in this township. The former settled upon the southeast quarter of Section 12. He remained here a few years, when he moved upon the land he received as bounty land for his services in the War of 1812. He is living yet, so far as we can learn. Theodore Sergeant settled the place were Kidder brothers now live on, on the southeast quarter of Section 2. Some years later he settled what was known as the Mound Quarter, being the southeast quarter of Section 1, where he lived until he died, which occurred suddenly July 15, 1871. He was 76 years of age at the time; was a member of the M. E. Church and a man highly respected.

Abraham Marchant was the next pioneer to venture so far from civilization. He arrived June 27, 1828, and had to build a small house, one suitable for a smoke-house, before he could have a place to unload his goods from the wagon. He built a better cabin in the fall of the same year, in which he lived until 1835, when he and his brother Jonah each erected a one-story brick dwelling upon the northwest quarter of Section 13. This property, which several other pieces of land they own, has passed into other hands. This was called Marchant settlement for many years, until it was superseded by the village of Farmington, which was started in the year 1836 or 1837.

Among other prominent first settlers were Ahira Jones, who settled upon the first section of the township -- on the northeast quarter of Section 1 -- in 1829. Mr. Abraham Marchant tells us that he helped him to raise his cabin on Saturday, and upon Sunday they put the clapboard roof on. He lived in this rude cabin for several years and then built a good hewed-log house, and during the decade between 1850 and 1860 he erected a brick dwelling, in which he lived until his death. That occurred in 1874.

Of those early pilgrims who came into the township prior to 1840 many are dead, some have moved to other parts of the country and a few still reside here. Among these now called to mind are A. G. Gridley, Spencer Cone, J. N. Harkin, Israel Scales, Furman Brown, now 88 years old, M. B. Chapin, who died in 1872, James Armstrong, died in 1879, John T. Dunn, Henry Cone, Luther Birge, 83 years old, Daniel Tanner, Russell Stone, died in 1872, Joel Brown, who came to this country with his father in 1824, Seth Bristol, died in 1877, Daniel Brohard, died in 1879, Abines White, died in 1879, A. G. Pinegar, and a few others of the old settlers who are yet upon the stage of action.

Abraham Marchant, son of Jonah Marchant, was the first white child born in the township. He is at present 50 years old. The first sermon was delivered by Rev. Asa D. West, a local M. E. preacher, in Jonah Marchant’s cabin in 1828. In 1832 or 1833 the first school-house was built in the center of what is now the city of Farmington. The first school was taught by Isaac Cutter in one of Ahira Jones's cabins.

Farmington

This is one of the most beautifully situated towns throughout this part of the State. It is built upon an eminence which overlooks one of the most fertile sections of the Northwest. A better site could not have been selected, even in this fair country. Farmington was laid out by Joseph Cone, George W. Little and Hiram Palmer, Oct. 9, 1834, upon section 1. Mr. Cone came to the township in 1833 and settled upon the southwest quarter of section 1. He first lived in a log cabin which had been erected upon this place some time before. In 1836 he erected a house upon the same site, which has withstood the storms of many winters. Mr. Cone was a liberal, enterprising and highly esteemed citizen. He and his wife were members of the first Church organized in Farmington, which was the Congregational Church. When they first settled here Indians often visited them at their cabin home and wild animals were numerous. Mr. Little still lives where he erected his first residence in the infant village. He was a merchant and opened the first dry-goods store in the town, and was also the first Postmaster. Mr. Heston was the next one to come in with a stock of goods. He is still living here, and has as great love for a good gun as when wild animals and game were abundant, although he does not hunt so much as in former years.

The town grew rapidly for a time, when it suffered like most places, on account of not being on the first railroad in this section, and for some years was at a stand-still. The class of residents indicate a wealthy and cultured people. The fine church edifices, than which no town of its size can boast of better, shows the magnificent school building which stands in the city is a sure index to the interest the people take in educational matters. This is a large three-story brick structure, surmounted by a well-proportioned belfry, and was erected in 1866. It is supplied with all of the modern school conveniences and helps, and an efficient corps of instructors are training the young.

Many additions have been made to the town since it was first platted. East of the original town are Cone's addition and Henry Cone's addition. In the former is located a beautiful common, which is an attractive feature of the town. Upon the north is the Palmer & Cone addition. Upon the west are Cone's, Little's, Smith's and Gregory's additions, Palmer's first, second, third additions. South of the south line of the original town are Collins' addition, Chapman & Reed's addition, Nelson's Addition, Fawcett's addition and Brown's sub-division. In Chapman & Reed's addition is located the school-house square.

One of the most exciting periods of the history of the town was the time when the women of the place made war upon the saloons. The whiskey war, as we will term it, was an event which at the time caused so great excitement (and is one of the important items in the history of the place) that we will recount it:

For some time previous the town had been infested with a number of drinking saloons. A number of the wives of the unfortunate men who spent their hard-earned cash and were made crazy at the places, had from time to time waited upon all the grocery-keepers and requested them to desist from selling their husbands liquor. Their requests were unheeded, and in some instances they were treated with outrageaous contempt. This state of affairs aroused the ladies of the town to concerted action to free the community of these resorts. They held several meetings, and Saturday, March 15, 1856, about 19 of the respectable ladies of the town marched into the streets armed with axes, hoes, clubs, etc.. They were amply protected by about a hundred men and boys. It is said to have been a grand sight to see this determined band filing down the street. The first saloon attacked suffered the worst. The window was demolished; the decanters swept from the shelves; all the barrels containing liquor were burst open and their contents spilled upon the floor. A number of barrels were branded "cider vinegar," and they also suffered for it was feared they too contained liquor.

One of the grocery-keepers, after witnessing in silence the destruction of his property, as soon as the work was completed jumped upon the counter and proposed three cheers to the ladies, to which the crowd heartily responded. After this he made a speech in which he frankly acquitted the ladies of all blame and pledged his honor as a man never to deal in the destructive fluid again. Another of the saloon-keepers asked the brave lady Captain during the excitement if she was not afraid. She replied, "No, sir; I am not afraid of any man who ever walked God's earth, -- much less a contemptible doggery-keeper." This short, pointed speech, coming from a resolute woman, quieted the gentleman. After having accomplished their object the ladies retired to their respective homes and soon quiet was restored in the town. One or two of the saloon-keepers counseled a lawyer for the purpose of prosecuting these daring females. He was advised to "let the women alone."