Take from the "Map of Bureau County, Ill. with Sketches of its
Early Settlement"
by N. Matson, Published by the author, Chicago, 1867.
Page 63
POPULATION 1,219
This town is nearly all prairie, which is of an excellent quality, rolling and sloping towards the south. Boyd's Grove, before it was cut off, was a beautiful belt of timber, extending out into the prairie, cone-shaped, which gave it quite a romantic appearance. A large portion of this town was military land, which prevented it from being settled as soon as some other towns in the county.
It's first settler was John Dixon. In the spring of 1829, he built a house at the head of the grove, on a farm now occupied by Mrs.Whipple; in the spring of 1830, he sold his claim to Charles S. Boyd, and moved to Rock river. This was the origin of Dixon's ferry.
For fourteen years, Boyd kept a house of entertainment for travelers. In 1833, a post office was established here, called Boyd's Grove post office. This office did not pay very largely to the Department, as the nearest neighbor on the south was twenty miles, on the west twelve miles, on the east fifteen miles, and on the north ten miles.
For ten years, no other person settled in this town. In the spring of 1840, David Bryant settled on the south side of the grove, and Mr. Clark settled close by about the same time, and Barney Hagan made a farm on the north side of the grove; he occupies, and Isaac Sutherland made a farm south of the grove, on Section 22. In 1840, Edwin Merrick and A. E. May made farms on Sections 2 and 3. In 1842, J. W. Harris and J. V. Thompson became residents of this town, Mr. Harris settling on Section 24, and Mr. Thompson on Section 2.
Isaac Sutherland, J. V. Thompson, and J. W. Harris, were the first school trustees of this town. J. Sutherland, R. Hay, H. Griswold, C. R. Cook, and R. Steinauer, were among the early settlers.
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