ONTARIO TOWNSHIP
BY HUGH GREIG

Extracted from the 1870 Atlas Map of Knox County, Illinois

(Extracted from the History of Knox County, Illinois by Albert Perry, Vol. I, pgs 426-431,
submitted by Janine Crandell)

Ontario Township is, geographically speaking, a square containing 23,000 acres more or less of remarkably fertile land. With the exception of considerably less than a quarter section of timber locally known as Pilot Knob, almost every acre of the township was awaiting the pioneer with his oxen and breaking plow. There are scarcely any alluvial deposits, but the dark vegetable loam commonly found on the upland prairie is everywhere in evidence, and the natural richness of the soil may be inferred from the fact that there is, in this township, land that has been continuously in crop for not less than 50 years and is still yielding a fair return.

The dark almost sandless loam is in all probability the result of plant growth and plant decay, year by year, century by century, perhaps millennium by millennium; and the fine, variously colored, porous clay immediately beneath are an interesting study as also is the unstratified drift which is of varying thickness, and though the whole deposit clearly shows that in untold ages the forces of nature were rounding and fashioning into their present forms the large, small and smaller pebbles which are countless as the grains of sand by the seashore. In the historic era only grasses intermingled with many tinted flowers carpeted our prairies. Yet there is abundant evidence to prove that in the Carboniferous Age gigantic tree ferns and other tropical plants grew here luxuriantly; still our coal deposits are at present not considered valuable, therefore, there is no mining going on.

The red man has left but scant evidence of his sojourn here, though the so-called Galena trail crossed in a northwesterly direction, the extreme northerly part of the township, and in and near the timber of Pilot Knob numerous arrow points have been found, but no vestiges of even temporary habitation and no burial mounds have been observed. Thus, though they without doubt all over these prairies hunted the wild native predatory animals and also those desired for food, they found the wind-swept plain an undesirable place to pitch their tents; and we can readily believe that the shady, sheltering grove, with a nearby flowing spring, was more to their hearts' desire.

EARLY SETTLERS

The first settler of whom we have any knowledge, who evidently meant to stay, was Alexander Williams, he having fenced and plowed twenty acres on the northwest quarter of section 30 in 1833, and three years afterward sold the same to I. M. Wetmore. In 1833, George W. Melton arrived and settled on section 31, which, until his death some sixty years later, was his home, and here were born and grew to manhood and womanhood a family of children; the eldest of whom, Elizabeth (subsequently Mrs. Ralph Voris), was the first white child born in Ontario township. Soon after quite a number of settlers arrived, nearly all of whom came from Oneida County, New York, and even today the names sound familiar, Wetmore, Crane, Chapman, Camp, Mosher, Hollister, Savage, Powell, Hammond, Clearwater, Wikoff, Burt, Conger, and Allen.

Though there was as yet no township organization, a school was built in 1839, on the northwest quarter of Section 32, not of course a district school in the usual meaning, but a community school, and it is unlikely that it was equipped with all the modern conveniences, including individual drinking cups, but they had slates, pencils, some reading and the omnipresent spelling books, also we have reason to believe a liberal supply of fresh air. The curriculum certainly was not extensive but in the words of John Hay "They had a middling tight grip on a handful of things they knew." These early settlers did not wait for orders from those high in authority to constitute themselves a body politic. It may be justly said that they inherited a knowledge of self-government, for were they not the children, or children's children, of those thrifty, hardy, self-reliant New Englanders who had journeyed through the trackless forest from the Massachusetts or Connecticut home and again, near the headwaters of the Mohawk with undaunted courage and unremitting toil, made new homes for themselves and their descendants. But though new homes, they held fast the old but unexcelled system of local self-government which is the basis of all that is best in American civil life. In order that such ideas should become more effectively practical, the scattered settlers came together at the school house on April 5th, 1853, and having chosen I. M. Wetmore moderator, and W. J. Savage, clerk, they organized the township of Ontario and forthwith proceeded to elect a corps of township officials, the list is as follows:

Supervisor, E. Crane.

Assessor, J. Burt.

Collector, E.C. Brott.

Overseer of the poor, T. F. P. Wetmore.

Commissioners of highways, G. W. Melton, J. Hammond, J. Powell.

Constables, E. C. Brott, J. W. Crane.

Justices of the peace, E. Chapman, S. E. Mosher, and the following named persons, in the order given, have served as supervisors from the close of the term of E. Crane, until now:

J. Hammond, W. B. LeBaron, J. Hammond, W. B. LeBaron, A. S. Curtis, O. Beadle, A. S. Curtis, O. Beadle, E. Crane, A. S. Curtis, G. L. Stephenson, O. L. Fay, G. E. Fredericks, Hugh Greig.

The school house referred to was always the religious center of the community, and services were maintained with fair regularity by ministers of different denominations. However, the first church organization was affected by the Presbyterians, in 1840, the preaching alternating between Henderson and the Ontario school house. This society since long ceased to be. There are, however, still two rural churches in the township, the Congregational Church on Section 30, the other, the Christian church is situated on section 1. Both organizations are numerically weak. One chief cause of the lessening attendance at religious services in our rural churches is the immense change that has taken place and the nationality of the population, for whereas, the first settlers came from where they might have spoken English as the mother tongue, while today nearly, if not quite half, of our people use as their vernacular, the Swedish language -- and though these people become American in many ways, even, especially in business matters, using our language, yet in their religious affiliations and in their social intercourse, having the advantage of numbers they can and do mingle very largely, though, not exclusively, with those of kindred speech. So that, until the passing of the greater number of those born in the old land, the land of Odin and Thor we cannot expect them to be in thought, in ideas, in speech, wholly truly American.

But, and we rejoice that such is the fact, no people of European descent can be among us for many generations without wholly ceasing to be in any sense European, and the coming historian may be favored to record the fact that the inhabitants of Ontario Township foregather in business, in pleasure, socially, politically, religiously animated with one dominating purpose, and that purpose the all around betterment of all the people.

ONEIDA

On September 1, 1854, C. F. Camp, with B. S. West and S. V. R. Holmes, platted the original village of Oneida, and although the C. B. and Q. officials had no intention of having a station at that point, C. F. Camp had quite a different opinion and as an inducement most generously donated the railway company a tract of land 500 X 1,000 feet, and ere the snow fell the town that was to be had a fully equipped railway station. The hamlet grew but slowly, and it was not until December, 1858, that it was incorporated as a village, and on January 7, 1859, the following trustees were elected: C. F. Camp, H. L. Sage, J. M. Brown, J. M. Henning, W. B. LeBaron. The latter was subsequently chosen president of the board. The village gradually increased in size and in population and in 1869, feeling itself seriously cramped in many ways, an influential delegation of its citizens laid siege to the state legislature and succeeded in convincing our Solons that it had outgrown its village garments and what it now needed was a full suit of city garb; and through such and perhaps other arguments persuasion was accomplished, a special charter was granted and this stripling city's limits were so extended that more corn was grown in Oneida than in any other municipality in Illinois. It also grew wheat, oats, fruit, statesmen and numerous other products useful and useless.

It was specified in the charter that for all coming time, nowhere in all its extensive territory could intoxicating liquors be sold; therefore, no license has ever been issued to anyone to open a drinking place and thus tempt the weak and unwary. The first mayor was F.G. Jelliff, and the present one is George Burt. The first school was built in 1855 and is worthy of mention that its first teacher was Mary Allen West, who later became County Superintendent of Schools and in such a position and other subsequently filled, she not only raised the standard of scholarship among the teachers but raised the standard of civic righteousness in every home her influence reached. This school house was used for a variety of purposes, such as itinerant shows, singing classes, political meetings, etc. while on Sundays three denominations of Christian believers at different hours held religious services, and though never dedicated to the worship of God, it was to the pure in heart a Bethel indeed. The Congregational society was organized in 1852, and three years later built the church which is still under the control of the domination.

The Presbyterian Church was organized under authority of the Presbytery of Schuyler at the school house in District No. 3, in 1863, but failing to receive suitable support it was reorganized in Oneida in 1865, a church was shortly erected and was demolished by a windstorm in 1868. However it was immediately rebuilt, and it is still used by the congregation.

The Lutherans formed to themselves into a society in 1863, but soon disbanded. The Universalists had a rather handsome church which was burned in 1867, was rebuilt and wrecked by a tornado. Church and society have disappeared. Baptist Church and Society also.

The first M. E. church was built in 1863, was torn down and a new, handsome brick structure was erected in 1909. The presence schoolhouse is of brick with stone foundation and stone trimmings, was built in 1870 and is the center of more general interest to us that any other institution in the city, or out of it, and though the attendance, for reasons well known, is slowly diminishing, there is no wish to curtail its financial support. The consensus of opinion being that by a thorough, all around education lies the main hope of civic and all other brands of righteousness. Six teachers are employed, R.C. Rennick, principal; Miss Katherine Hannon, assistant; grade teachers, Miss McBride, Miss Kline, Miss Hedman and Miss Burt.

There are in the city two grain elevators, both of which do a fair amount of business. One is known as the farmers' elevator, but as slightly more than one half of the stock is owned by a very few individuals, is leased to themselves and is practically a privately-owned house. The other is in name and in fact a farmers' elevator, owned by more than 150 farmers, is managed by a board of nine directors, is, and on the whole has been, a profitable investment.

Banking facilities are ample and satisfactory. The Exchange Bank, which though retaining the name, has been controlled at different times by different individuals since its beginning in the financially troublous year, 1857, is now a strong and conservatively managed institution. It became the property of A. B. Anderson and Frank Murdock in 1877 and is now known as the Oneida Exchange Bank, under the exclusive control of A. B. Anderson and son, in whose hands at this writing its resources and extent of business are greater than at any other period in its history.

The Oneida State Bank, incorporated under the law of Illinois, in 1891, is a strong, well-managed concern, capital twenty five thousand dollars, surplus thirty thousand dollars. The stock is largely owned by farmers residing in the vicinity, and any share or shares put on the market command a substantial premium, thereby showing the confidence of the community in the integrity and business sagacity of its board of directors. At the first meeting of the stockholders, A. D. Metcalf was elected president and held the same office until his death which occurred January 30th, 1912. The present officers are as follows: G. K. Pittard, president; W. D. Patty, cashier; Anna Anderson, assistant cashier.

In 1876, Arthur W. Ladd began the publication of our first newspaper which he called the Oneida News. It was not of great size and its advertising columns did not greatly remind one of similar pages in the Chicago dailies; but it briefly and accurately recorded the momentous and other happenings of the home town, and while there have been several changes in owners and editors, also changes in the name, yet with slight interruptions we have been favored above our neighbors and our deserts in having our local news spicily furnished us by our own weekly press. The present owner and editor is F. C. Krans. And the better to show our literary proclivities, it is a pleasure to put on record the fact that for many years we have seldom been without a reading club, and for quite a number of years the C. L. S. C. in its weekly meetings raised to a most appreciable degree the scholarly attainments of a class who had at one time an enrollment of 26 members -- members of all shades of opinion on politics, religion, etc., also of all ages from 16 to 75; and during the past years a small class weekly met and feasted on choice morsels culled from Browning, Shakespeare, Tennyson and last, but not least, we in Sartor Resartus, most thoroughly enjoyed the grim sage of Chelsea, Thomas Carlyle.

The secret societies of Oneida have been numerous and on the whole, by the rank and file, well intentioned. The Masonic order was established in 1860, and is now strong numerically, socially and helpfully. Its benefactions are carried on in such an unobtrusive way that one has to be to the manor born to know how much the right hand and the left hand doeth. The present head of the order is H. J. Sawyer. The order of the Eastern Star, which we suppose was instituted to a certain amount of refinement to what had hitherto been a purely masculine aggregation, is in a flourishing condition. Worthy matron, Mrs. C. Wikoff. Worthy Patron, J. H. Anderson.

The I. O. O. F. Was at one time in a thriving condition but such cannot now be said. The Oneida Camp of Modern Woodsman was chartered in 1888 and from a very small beginning has outdistanced any local society in numbers, but is now in serious difficulties on account of a recent radical change in rates, and in one respect much resembles a certain political party of today having the standpatters and insurgents, with the prospect of a fight to the finish -- of the Woodsman organization.

There is a branch of the home Forum but it has gone where such things go. The Fraternal Tribunes survive, but in a disagreeable remembrance. The main cause of the untimely decease of both societies mentioned and all others built on the same plan, is the entire lack of a stable foundation and though the edifice may be pleasing to look upon, yet when the rain of financial stringency even sprinkles the structure collapses -- and great is the fall thereof.

There are two women's clubs with a total membership of more than 50. The various studies and readings cover a wide range, including history, ancient and modern, general literature of all ages, art, music, science, domestic and otherwise, in short, all that concerns not only women but all that is inspiring and uplifting to the community as a whole. Such clubs in Oneida are the result of a suggestion made to several women friends by Mrs. Willard Nelson, who was the first president of the first club and is now at the head of the New Century Club.

Mrs. W. V. McKie is president of the Twentieth Century Club. There is also an Oneida-Altona branch of the Knox County Free Kindergarten which holds monthly meetings and in furnishing clothing, food and money much is added to the inadequate income of this most worthy and ever-needy institution. There are at present between 60 and 78 active members. Mrs. Hugh Greig and Mrs. John M. McKie have served as president and vice president respectively since its organization.

The K. P. Lodge has had its ups and downs and at this stage is numerically and every other way in a most prosperous condition. F. S. Stephenson is its present head.

The Mystic Workers under the leadership of A.J. Roe are slowly gaining.

The Royal Neighbors is, for this vicinity, a young organization with no great numbers but the lack in that respect is more than counterbalanced by the immense enthusiasm of the members. Oracle, Miss Jesse Burt.

The citizens of Oneida, as the general appearance of the town plainly attests, have a pardonable pride in their homes and homes around it; and the one notable beauty spot is the little park which is already the admiration of all, and as the years come and go and the treelets of today become mighty as the forest monarchs, and the young and the aged weary rest in the welcome shade, they, and everyone, will see and admire not only beauty, but beauty and grandeur intermingled and all will realize that our pagan ancestors were not far amiss, when they, in the shady woodland's "dim religious light" saw a temple, in which they and we might worship God.