1881 History - Chapter 7
Pioneers and Early Settlers
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES
The old pioneers are fast sinking to rest after the toils and privations
of the border, whither they came, buoyed up with hope and nerved with vigor,
to build for themselves and their loved ones homes amid this beautiful
scenery, while yet the whoop of the Indian and the howl of the wolf
resounded on every side, and war's alarms came not infrequently, with
imperious demands for blood and treasure. Here and there a white-haired
veteran, bowed with the weight of years and unremitting toil of pioneer
life, remains an interesting relic of fast-fading times. Before all of these
old, hardy pioneers, whose impress was the germ of the present, and whose
endowment was lofty examples of courage and unabated energy, and who have
durably stamped their characteristics upon worthy successors – before these
have passed away, we seek to place upon the historic page the record of whom
they were, and what they did to make their country what it is. The ties of
home have, ere now, thrown around sterile coasts, frozen plains, and
mountain cliffs the halo of the love of a patriotic people.
Is it surprising then that the undulating, flowery prairies and open vistas
of park-like lawns, which, for extent and natural beauty, far excel the
baronial manors of European aristocracy, and watered with running streams
and quiet lakes – which beautiful landscaped is embraced within the limits
of these counties – should charm the eyes of the first settlers as they
emerged from the dark, dense forests of the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky,
the Old Dominion, and Ohio, and beget in their hearts a love for the
surroundings of nature that clings to them in their old age, and falls but
little short of reverence when they speak of the old county which witnessed
their first struggles for life and competency? These associations have made
it a sacred and hallowed spot.
FIRST SETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLERS SHELBY COUNTY
The first permanent settlement made in the county now comprised within
the limits of Shelby county, was by the Wakefield family. Charles Wakefield,
Sr., wife and family, came into and settled in what is now Cold Spring
township in March, 1818; the same year in which Illinois was admitted into
the Union. Mr. Wakefield had quite a large family; his three married sons,
Simeon, John, and Enoch, and their families, and Ormsby VanWinckle, his
son-in-law, and family accompanied him, as did also his youngest son,
Charles Wakefield, Jr.; the latter was unmarried at that time. They came
from St. Clair county, Ill., and were genuine frontiersmen, and were
thoroughly conversant with the habits and peculiarities of the Indians, with
whom they were very friendly. The Indians were numerous in this locality at
that time. They were a remnant of the Kickapoo tribe; however, most of them
left after the Black-Hawk war, and only returned occasionally in the autumn
for a short period of hunting. They were always kindly treated by the
settlers, and they did many little acts of kindness in return. The
Wakefields — father and sons — were all noted hunters, and most of their
living was gained by the rifle and other implements of the chase. In the
spring of the year they would plant a small patch of corn, and the balance
of the time was mostly occupied in hunting, fishing, and the sports of the
chase. Charles Wakefield, Sr., settled and built his cabin about
three-quarters of a mile south-east from the Cold Spring, near the present
site of Williamsburg. It was the first house erected in Shelby county; it
was built of rough, unhewn logs, and mud and stick chimney. By some it has
been considered that Simeon Wakefield was the first settler in Shelby
county, but that is undoubtedly a mistake; however, very little time elapsed
between the coming of the father and his sons. The Wakefields settled at the
Cold Spring because there they had an abundance of good, pure water, good
soil and plenty of timber, and the surrounding forests abounded with all
kinds of game. Simeon Wakefield settled at the Cold Spring, and John erected
his cabin about three-quarters of a mile south-west of Simeon's improvement,
and Enoch improved a place and built a cabin about one mile due west of Cold
Spring. Ormsby Vanwinckle, the son-in-law of Wakefield, located with his
family north-west of the Cold Spring, on a piece of land now known as the
Horsman place. Lemuel Hawkins and family, Arthur Crocker and family, and the
widow Petties and family all settled in close proximity to the Wakefields,
or Cold Spring settlement, in the year 1818. These families were the first
settlers of the county, and all came up from St. Clair county, Illinois.
Further mention of them is made in the township history of Cold Spring.
Another early settler was Thomas Pugh, a native of North Carolina, who when
quite young moved with his parents to the state of Kentucky, where he grew
up, and married and raised a family. In the spring of 1819 he moved with his
family to and located near the Cold Spring settlement, not far from the
residence of Simeon Wakefield. The place is now known as the Milligan farm.
Mr. Pugh was a man of considerable force of character, and enterprising to a
high degree. At the time of his arrival here he had a family of three
children, a daughter and two sons. The daughter is now deceased; the sons,
John and Robert Pugh, are at present both residents of Tower Hill township.
In 1830 Thomas Pugh purchased a farm one mile north of Shelbyville, and
began the improvement of the same, and lived there until his death, which
occurred in 1858 or 1859. It is related by Robert Pugh that, for many years
after his father came to the county, they could find the horns of the elk
and buffalo lying in many places on the prairies. Game at this period was
found in abundance, there being plenty of bear, wolves, panthers, wild cats,
deer, wild turkeys, and numerous small game. Thomas Pugh was quite
celebrated as a hunter, and was the most successful Nimrod of the
settlement. The nearest mill for the pioneers was at Greenville, in Bond
county. It was a horse-mill, and occasionally when Mr. Pugh went to mill he
would bring home with him powder and lead, salt and such other things as the
Indians needed, which he would exchange for bees' wax, dressed hides, and
other trinkets. Pugh was on very friendly terms with the red men, and was
much loved and respected by them for his honesty. Robert Pugh says that in
the early times bears were very plentiful, and one could hardly walk into
the forests without encountering bear signs. The bears and wolves destroyed
much stock for the pioneer. The hunter would frequently come across deer
that had been partly eaten by panthers, wild cats, and catamounts; the
latter were very numerous. Mr. Robert Pugh says that he killed twelve
catamounts one winter; and that often large, fat hogs would come up with
several pounds of flesh eaten out of their backs, the result of attacks by
bears. These hogs were in a semi-wild state and were very vicious, and when
in droves would frequently drive off the bears and other wild animals.
It may be interesting in this connection to mention a little trade made by
Thomas Pugh soon after he came to the settlement. He gave a cow and calf for
a log-cabin, and it was used in common by the whole neighborhood for miles
around; to use Mr. Robert Pugh's language, the chain was “kept hot.”
Implements of all kinds were very scarce among the early settlers,
especially those made of iron.
Another pioneer of Shelby county was Asa Ledbetter, who came here with his
family about the year 1822; he had formerly lived in the southern part of
the state. He was a man of considerable enterprise, and built a water-mill
on the Okaw river above Shelbyville, at a place since known as the Francisco
Mill site. Ledbetter's mill only stood a short time; it was washed away by
the high water of 1828, and, sad to relate, Ledbetter lost his life at the
same time. He was desirous of saving his mill by weighting it down with rock
which he brought across the river in a canoe, and in making the last passage
the boat sunk. Ledbetter was a poor swimmer; he however succeeded in getting
on a drift-log, but the weather was very cold, and before he received
assistance he became so chilled that he fell into the water; the body was,
however, soon recovered, but life was extinct. Ledbetter left a wife and
family.
Jonathan C. Corley, a Virginian by birth, emigrated with his parents to
Kentucky in 1808, where he lived until 1823, in which year he came to Shelby
county, and settled on Robinson's creek; he continued to reside in this
county until his death, which occurred in 1860. He was by trade a
blacksmith, and is said to have been the first blacksmith in the county; he
was also a farmer. Mr. Corley raised a family of thirteen children. He was
also for many years a justice of the peace, and figured quite prominently in
the early annals of the county.
Levi Casey settled on Robinson's creek in March, 1824. He was a native of
South Carolina. When he settled here, he had a family of six children; three
of the six now live in Shelbyville — John Casey and Elizabeth, now Mrs.
Tolly; Nancy, now Mrs. Howse. Mr. Casey improved a farm on which he first
settled, where he lived until his death in 1855. He was twice married, and
had four children born in Shelby county. Mr. Casey was one of the early
county commissioners and a man of good judgment and integrity.
In the fall of 1825, Samuel Little, a native of Illinois, born on the
frontier in the southern part of the state, built a cabin in the west part
of Ash Grove township. In the spring following, his brother John and his
brother-in-law, Robert Duncan, came and built cabins nearby. They were
regular frontier-men, and delighted to hunt and have sport with the
neighboring Indians. When the Indians left the state, the Littles moved to
Texas. Duncan remained in this state, and died in Bond county, where he
accumulated considerable property.
David Elliott was perhaps the first settler on Richland creek. He located in
what is now Richland township in the spring of 1825. In early days he had a
horse mill and still-house, which he carried on quite profitably for several
years. His brother, Jacob Elliott, moved into the settlement in the fall of
1826. He subsequently moved into what is now Holland township. He has lived
in the county for fifty-four years, and is a hale and hearty old man, full
of life and vigor.
Another early settler was William Weeger who made a settlement on Richland
Creek in the spring of 1826. He was one of the early county commissioners.
His eldest son, John Weeger, settled here at the same time. His wife Anna
bore him twins July 4th, 1826. Their names were Julia Ann and Jane. The
neighboring Indians made for them a double papoose cradle, which is still
retained in the family, and is regarded as a unique and curious article of
furniture.
Other pioneers in the neighborhood of Big Springs were Samuel Weatherspoon,
Bazel Daniel, William Daniel, and B. Fancher, with their families, who
settled there in 1826. In the fall of 1826 John Cochran, with his three
sons-in-law, John, Daniel, and William Price, settled in what is now called
Cochran's Grove. Mr. Cochran raised a family of five children. His youngest
son James, who was thirteen years of age when they came to this county, is
the only member of the family now living, and one of the oldest citizens now
residing in the county. Other pioneers of Ash Grove township were John
Frazer, Robert Templeton, Joseph Dixon, Robert Rankin, Daniel Green, John
Bolin and John Storm.
In this connection we must not fail to mention the Renshaw family. John and
James Renshaw were both enterprising men. They settled on Richland creek in
1826. However, the year before, in 1825, they came up to Shelby county with
a drove of hogs, which they had driven up from White Co., Ill., where they
were then residing; they were so pleased with the country, that on their
return home, they sold out their possessions, and the following year settled
in the county as above stated. James Renshaw afterward lived for a time in
Shelbyville, and subsequently moved to Decatur. John still lives near where
he first settled, and is one among the few pioneers left in the county. They
are both men of integrity and enterprise.
Among the old settlers of Shelby county was Barnett Bone. He was a native of
Tennessee, and came to Illinois in the year 1825. He settled on the banks of
the Okaw, about two miles south of where the city of Shelbyville now stands.
Here he built a substantial log-house, where he lived for several years. He
was a public-spirited man, and took a lively interest in county matters and
the development of the country. The first county commissioner's court was
held at his house above mentioned. He was a consistent and prominent member
of the Methodist Church, and was known far and wide for his hospitality and
kindness to his fellow-man. He was twice married, and lived to a ripe old
age. He died in this county, respected by all who knew him for his many good
qualities.
Elias Miller, one of the pioneers of this county, was a native of Virginia,
and came to Shelby county before it was organized. He lived for some time
with another old settler, Barnett Bone. He was a widower when he came to the
county, and for some years was engaged in teaching school. At that time he
was considered one of the first in his calling. He afterward married again,
and lived for several years in Shelbyville. His decease is the sad portion
of this biography. It was some time in the year 1837 he concluded he would
go down to Dry Point township to visit his friends. The day was fearfully
cold, he lost his way in the timber, and was compelled to lie out all night,
and death resulted from exposure to the cold. Two of his children are still
living: Mrs. Crockett in Christian county, and R. B. Miller, of Stewardson,
Shelby county.
FIRST MARRIAGES
solemnized in Shelby county, 1827, after the county was organized: May
2d, John Cochran to Sally Bateman; Oct. 4th, John Hall to Eliza Cawly; Oct.
4th, Jeremiah Provott to Lidy Willborn; Nov. 7th, Thomas Duty to Sally Rian;
Nov. 8th, Henry Smith to Sally Willborn; Dec. 2d, John May to Rachel Rooks;
Dec. 19th, Thos Cole to Louis Hawks; Dec. 19th, Andrew Cronk to Judy Lee
Bone; Dec. 22d, Thomas Ward to Elizabeth Wedick.
There were many other marriages that took place in the county prior to the
above; and they receive mention in the pioneer chapter and the several
township histories; but believing that it will be of interest to our readers
to know the names of the parties who were married and received license the
first year after the county was organized, we therefore make the list a part
of this chapter.
Probably no name is so familiar to the early residents of Shelby county as that of Joseph Oliver, who was a native of the Old Dominion, and was born on Christmas day, December 25, 1794. He is descended from a long line of English ancestry, and his fore-fathers were among the earliest to brave the perils and hardships incident to the early settlements of the colony of Virginia. His father, William Oliver, was a captain of a company of volunteers in the Revolutionary war, and participated in many of the campaigns and battles of that eventful struggle. The war over, he returned to the bosom of his family. He was the father of twelve children, three of whom were soldiers in the war of 1812: John, Richard, and Joseph. John and Richard, being the eldest, were the first to enlist, and Joseph, in making a trip to Norfolk, Virginia, with a drove of cattle, there met his two brothers, who persuaded him to enlist (although not of age, his father had given him permission to enlist if he wished to do so). He enlisted in the cavalry arm of the service, and furnished his own horse, saddle, bridle and blanket. The government furnished him the other implements of warfare. Captain Sanford was the commander of the company of which young Oliver was a member. He remained in the service until peace was declared, and soon after started on a pilgrimage for the then western wilds. Arriving at Kaskaskia, he began the life of a peddler, and with a horse and wagon traveled over much of southern Illinois. He purchased his goods at Kaskaskia, and would make frequent trips to the surrounding country, and generally with considerable profit to himself. He continued in this business until the summer after the capital was changed to Vandalia. He then settled in Fayette county, and was elected the first Sheriff of that county, an office he held until the county of Shelby was organized. He then resigned his position in Fayette county to accept the clerkship of Shelby county. It was in the spring of 1827 that he came to this county, and he was soon after qualified to fill the offices of county and circuit clerk, recorder and judge of probate. Mr. Oliver bought a “squatter's” improvement of Josiah Daniel, near the Shelbyville spring, which consisted of a small cabin and a few acres of cleared land. He built an addition of one room, and here opened up county business. The offices were kept here until the county erected their first court- house, a log structure. His office fees at that time were not sufficient to support himself and family. He therefore opened a subscription school, which he taught, using the court-house for a schoolroom, and at the same time attending to his duties as a county official. Mr. Oliver was also the first postmaster in Shelby county. The post-office was also kept in the court-house; but as the mail was limited to letters only, he often carried the letters in his hat, and would hand them to whom addressed on meeting them in the little village. By the present generation that would be regarded as rather a primitive style of distributing the mails. Mr. Oliver also was the first merchant in the county in the early days, deriving his principal trade from the Indians, of whom he would buy skins, bees-wax, etc., and give them powder, lead, tobacco, groceries, goods, and other things, in exchange. In his domestic relations, Mr. Oliver was happily situated. While a young man, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Barthrick, a Virginian by birth, and daughter of Daniel Barthrick, an early settler in Fayette county, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver had three children born to them: Benjamin, Mary Jane and Eliza. Mary Jane Oliver was the first white child born in the present limits of Shelbyville. Her birth occurred Feb. 3d, 1828. Mrs. Oliver died April 13th, 1834, and on the 31st of December, 1835, Mr. Oliver married Miss Sally Fearman, a native of Kentucky. They had three children, William, Margery A., and Joseph. Mrs. Oliver, at this writing, has been dead about six years. Uncle Joseph Oliver is still a resident of Shelbyville, and at the advanced age of eighty-six years is quite feeble in health, but still able to walk out. Wonderful indeed have been the changes which he has witnessed in the last half century, having been a resident of Shelby county for fifty-four years. Her growth and development he has watched with the greatest interest. But a few years of earth is left for this venerable gray-haired veteran, before he shall be numbered among those of the past. It is pleasing and gratifying to his friends to know that he has lived a most honorable and upright life — a life which has shed honors upon himself and the generation in which he lived. And now in his green old age he is loved and respected by all for his integrity and purity of life.
One of the oldest pioneers of Shelby county, as well as of the State of
Illinois, is Uncle Johnny Rose. He was born in Livingston county, Kentucky,
in the year 1806. His father, with his family, moved to Pope county,
Illinois, the September following his birth. Here he grew to manhood, and in
the year 1827 he came north and located on Sand Creek, Windsor township,
Shelby county. His brother William came with him, and together they located
a farm and built a small log cabin upon it. Through his indomitable industry
he has amassed a competency in his old age. In 1867 he moved to Sullivan,
where he now resides. He was married to Miss Matilda McDaniel, October 21,
1829. By this union there were five sons and four daughters. In 1862 Mrs.
Rose died, and was buried in the Grider cemetery, Shelby county. His second
wife was Mrs. Mary Jane Lilly, who is still living. No children have been
born from this union. Uncle Johnny is not only one of the oldest, but one of
the best citizens. He has raised an excellent family, all of whom stand high
in the estimation of their fellow-men.
Prominent among the pioneers to this county from North Carolina was Benjamin
Walden. He was a native of the above State, and soon after his marriage
emigrated to the State of Tennessee, where he continued to live until part
of his family were grown. He then sold out his possessions, and gathered
together his worldly wealth, and with his wife and children came to
Illinois, and settled in the southern part of the State, where he lived
several years, and in 1827 he came to Shelby county, soon after its
organization, and located on a tract of land now comprised within Richland
township. His eldest son, Hugh Walden, was a man of family at that time, and
came and settled near his father the same year. Benjamin Walden raised a
family of ten children who grew to manhood and womanhood. Only three are now
living. Their names are as follows: Benjamin, John, and Mrs. W. F.
Hilsabeck.
Benjamin Moberly, another well-known “old settler,” was born in Madison
county, Kentucky, in the year 1799. His father, Isaac Moberly, moved to the
southern part of Illinois in 1812, where they lived a number of years in a
Fort in what is now Franklin county. He was quite a noted Indian hunter, and
was also an adept in procuring all kinds of game. It is said that with his
rifle he could strike the eye of a deer at the distance of a hundred and
fifty yards. He was one of the best rifle shots in all that section of
country, and was a man noted for his bravery and agility. In the early part
of the year 1827 Benjamin Moberly moved north and made a settlement on Sand
Creek, in Shelby county, where he afterwards improved a large farm. He now
lives in Windsor, and is a hale and hearty old gentleman, and delights to
talk about the early times.
Jacob Cutler and son, John C., came to Shelbyville in the fall of 1827. They
opened a small store, and brought the second stock of goods to the county.
Jacob Cutler sold goods here until 1833, when he moved to Fort Madison,
Iowa, and was one of the first merchants in that place. He resided there
until his death. John Cutler is still a resident of Shelbyville.
John Frazer, who was for many years a prominent man in the eastern part of
the county, settled in what is now Ash Grove township in 1828. He was a
native of North Carolina, but moved to Kentucky with his parents when a
youth, and came here from the latter State at the time indicated above. Mr.
Frazer and wife raised a family of eight children, and he continued to
reside in this township until his death, which took place in the spring of
1855.
CAMP MEETINGS IN EARLY TIMES
The first camp meeting held in Shelby county was near the cabin of
Thomas Robinson, on Robinson's Creek, in 1828 or ’29. This meeting was held
by the Methodist denomination during the month of August, and the weather
was very warm and sultry. Jonathan Howard's wife was at the altar (which was
a round pole laid on two logs). Howard thought the place too warm for her,
and he made an attempt to take her out and away from the altar, so she could
“cool off,” as he expressed it, when the preachers (four in number)
objected, saying they would attend to her bodily welfare as well as her
spiritual. This Howard could not stand, and he became boisterous, divested
himself of part of his clothing, walked into the surging and sweating crowd,
took his wife by the hand and “led her out.” Coats flew off in an instant;
loud talking and angry imprecations were indulged in, and for a few minutes
it looked as though a fight was imminent. Robinson took Howard's part. Men
seized hold of clubs, and the preachers of that early day could handle a
club with a great deal of grace, and they were not easily scared. The
meeting soon became one of confusion, and very near a riot, in consequence
of which the meeting was broken up, as the preachers had their friends, as
well as Howard and his crowd, and both seemed willing to show the power of
muscle. We simply mention the above circumstance of the pioneer era in order
to exhibit the customs and peculiarities of that period. The above incident
was narrated to the writer by a participant of that to him pleasing
occasion.
One of the early settlers of Shelby county was John Tackett, a native of
Virginia. He emigrated to Kentucky, where he lived several years. In the
fall of 1829 he moved with his family, which consisted of a wife and two
children to Shelby county, Illinois. Here one child was born to them. Mrs.
Tackett died soon afterward. Some time after a second marriage was
consumated, and from this union two children were born. Soon after the
arrival of Mr. Tackett in Shelbyville, he bought the hotel built by Thomas
Lee. He continued in the hotel business for seven or eight years, when he
embarked in the mercantile business with Dr. Headen, which occupation he
followed for several years. Becoming tired of this pursuit, he again fell
back to his old business, that of a landlord. He died in Shelbyville in
1850. Three of the family are still living in the above city, namely,
William J., John A., and Mrs. Edward Hopkins.
Bushrod Washington Henry was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, February 4,
1805. In the fall of 1830 he came to Shelby from Rutherford county,
Tennessee, where he had lived about three years. He was one of the pioneer
preachers of the county, and from the consistency of his daily walk as
compared with his creed and faith, he became one of the most popular
advocates of Christianity in this region of country. He was an untiring
worker, and in 1832 had succeeded in establishing a church with a large
membership in Shelbyville. It was denominated the First Baptist Church of
Christ of Shelbyville. He was three times married, and at his death his
descendants numbered fifty persons —children, grand-children, and
great-grand-children. He died the 20th day of August, 1879, and will ever be
remembered by the people of Shelby county as one whose virtues and walk in
life would benefit the world were they imitated.
The subject of this sketch, Gen. William F. Thornton, was not only one of
the prominent men of Shelby county, but of the State of Illinois. Although
not one of the pioneers of the State, he became an early settler, and
figures largely in the rise and progress of the State. He was for years a
member of the Legislature, and was also a man of education and broad
culture. As an advocate and public speaker he ranked among the first in the
State. His patriotism is beyond question, as the records at Washington will
show that he commanded a company of soldiers in the war of 1812. His broad
mind and excellent business capacity brought him in contact with the first
talent of the State. He was one of the three commissioners appointed by Gov.
Duncan, in 1836, for the purpose of constructing the Illinois and Michigan
canal. Subsequently he proved an important auxiliary in the negotiating of
bonds in the European market for the above object. In 1840 he was deputed to
go to London with the bonds, where he effected the sale of $1,000,000 at 85
cents on the dollar, which was ten percent, better than his instructions.
Later in life he became a prominent banker in Shelbyville, and was one of
the moneyed kings of central Illinois. He died a few years since with a name
placed alongside of the prominent and active men of the West.
THE FIRST GERMAN FAMILY IN SHELBY COUNTY.
John P. Freyburger was a native of Bavaria, Germany. He emigrated to America with his family in 1831. On his way from New York to Ohio he was taken with the cholera, and on his arrival at Aetna, Ohio, he died. The family lived in the State until 1835, when they moved to Shelby county, Illinois. With a family of four children in a new country, and among strangers, it took all a mother's tact to bring up her little family and make them useful members of society. They settled in Okaw township, where her son, Michael Freyburger, now lives. The mother died in 1870, at the age of 78. Three of her children yet reside in Shelby county, and one in the State of Arkansas. It was the mother's intention, when she moved to Illinois, to settle at Peoria, but when near Shelbyville one of their horses gave out, and hence they were detained a few days in this vicinity. In the meantime they found warm friends among the settlers, and were persuaded to remain in their midst, where they yet reside honored and respected citizens.
THE DEEP SNOW
One of the important epochs in the early history of this part of Illinois was what is familiarly known as the “deep snow,” which occurred in the winter of 1830–31. Indeed, it prevailed throughout the western states and territories. On account of the meager preparation for so severe a visitation, the early settlers suffered many hardships. It is difficult for those of to-day to comprehend the sufferings of cold and hunger that those sturdy pioneers underwent. The snow commenced falling as early as the first of December, and continued almost without abatement throughout the winter. The measurement in the timber was from four to five feet deep. The stumps standing, where trees had been cut for fire-wood, after the snow had passed away, had the appearance of having been felled by giants, as some of them measured from six to seven feet in height. The roads were completely blockaded, the fences were wholly under the snow, so that the people passed with their teams over them from one settlement to another. For weeks the settlers were virtually buried in their cabins, and only went forth, as food and fuel demanded, from dire necessity. A large portion of the stock perished from cold and starvation. The wild game, such as deer, prairie chickens, quail, etc., was found in immense numbers, frozen in their tracks.
THE SUDDEN FREEZE
This occurred in January, 1836. It was one of those sudden changes, a regular “Manitoba Wave,” that only occurs once in several decades. Up to noon, of the day of this phenomenon, it was rather warm than otherwise; in fact, it had been raining some. Soon after mid-day the storm broke forth, when every puff of wind seemed to be borne from the point of an icicle. Boiling water cast into the air came to the ground a sheet of ice. Ponds and streams were almost immediately locked in ice. Some old settlers say that the frogs had not time to pull their heads below. One tells us, that in passing over a pond, a day or so afterwards, he kicked off by actual measurement, the heads of a bushel and a half of frogs. This, however, we cannot vouch for; it seems a little overdrawn. Thus we close the history of the long-to-be-remembered, sturdy pioneers of Shelby county, and turn to open the pages of her prosperous offspring of Moultrie.
Extracted 14 Jul 2017 by Norma Hass from Combined History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois, pages 40-44.
