Untitled Document

CAMBRIDGE TOWNSHIP

Picture from Bonnie Wiley

The following history of Cambridge Township is taken from an article prepared by B.W. Seaton, editor of the Prairie Chief, for the Old Settlers'meeting, August, 1877, and may be relied upon as entirely authentic : I " Previous to the year 1840, what is now known as Cambridge Townshi p had no history save that which is common to the whole West while slum bering in the lap of nature. In 1835, when the prospecting party, headed by Ithamar Pillsbury, came this way in search of land on which to locate the Andover Colony, they found a little cabin near

of the west edge of Sugar-Tree Grove, a few rods north of the state road, on the farm now owned and occupied by Mr. Perkins better known as the Cady place. This place was the first habitation built in Cambridge Township, and was the headquarters of a party of hunters from Knox County, who paid a visit to this section annually to hunt deer, which were then quite numerous in the grove. In .this little cabin Mr. Pillsbury and party spent one night; and they have often been heard to say that they passed the night more comfortably than they had at any other place since they left Peoria In 1838, William Stackhouse and Tames Mascall drifted this way in search of homes, and found them.

On the northwest quarter of section 10, Cambridge, hey found a double log cabin and other improvements—a well and a small patch of broken prairie. The house was deserted, and the breaking had run to weeds. These improvements were made by a man named Chillson, who supposed he was on Government land; but, finding there was a prior claim, he abandoned the place. Where he went to we have not been able to learn, but a man by the same name opened the farm in Cornwall now owned by Lewis Shearer. This man Chillson was the first who attempted to make a permanent home in Cambridge Township, and turned the first furrow. A few years later the cabin was " lifted " by Captain Mix and taken to his place in Andover. The well has long since caved in, but a slight hollow in the ground shows where it used to be. After spending some time prospecting, and in their travels stumbling upon Richmond, the county seat, where a courthouse was being built, Messrs.Mascall and Stackhouse each selected a farm and returned home.

In the spring of 1840 Wm. Stackhouse returned with his family, consisting of himself, wife and one |daughter, and pitched his tent on section 14, where he erected a log cabin and commenced housekeeping at once. He proceeded at once to turn up the prairie sod, and soon had the first crop raised in Cambridge Township, then without a name. When he built his first cabin, having no timber of his own, he " borrowed " some, as he supposed, of Uncle Sam. .One morning he was " pegging away " in the timber, when a fine-looking stranger on horse-back came along, told him he was tresspassing on his land, and asked him what he was going to do with the logs.

On being told by Mr. Stackhouse that he was building a house to shelter his family, who were with him, the stranger told him to go ahead and take all the logs he wanted for that purpose. This stranger proved to be Patrick Owens, known aboat here in years after as a "land-shark;" but many remember him as a kind-hearted, generous gentleman, who could not do too much for a friend, or too severely punish an enemy.

The same year James Mascall, then a single man, came on and improved his claim on section 12. In common with all pioneers, Mr. Mascall met with misfortunes that would have discouraged many. Early in his career as a Western farmer, his team was broken up by the death of one of his horses. He soon got another; then the other died. Being literally " dead broke,"' he could not buy a fourth horse; so he pressed a pair of young steers into service. One of these becoming lame and unfit for work, he put a heifer into yoke, and with a Dolly Varden team, consisting of one steer, one heifer and one horse, he got through with his year's work successfully.

When these pioneers arrived in 1840 they found Joseph Tillson keeping bachelor hall in a pole cabin near the west edge of the grove. He owned a quarter-section of the best land there, and his only occupation seemed to be to prevent squatters and others from carrying off the trees.

So far we have been able to learn, the actual population of Cambridge Township in 1840 was five—William Stackhouse, wife and daughter, JamesMascall and Joseph Tillson; and all, except Miss
Stackhouse (who died many years ago) are still living in Cambridge.

In 184 r Richard Mascall came here from Wyoming, Stark county, built a cabin near Mr. StackhousCj and became the sixth on the settlers' roll. About the same time Charles Else settled on section ir. In the fall of the same year, Stephen Cady and his son-in-law, Alex. H. Showers, arrived and built a cabin where the Perkins House now stands. About the same time, Elisha Attwater came over from Andover and opened the farm just north of the village limits.

In 1842 Joseph Perry improved the farm next east of Richard Mascall's homestead, better known as the Shannon place

Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County.

Illinois Ancestors

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