History of Early Chicago
Modern Chicago and its Settlement
Early Chicago and the Northwest
by Albert Hager
Transcribed and Contributed to Illinois Genealogy Trails by Sandy Boudrou [sandrab@blarg.net]
whose ancestors came to Cook County in 1840 from Indiana to Independence Grove (later known as Hoosier Grove)
Hanover
pages 870 and 871
This town lies in the northwestern part of the county. It is bounded on the north by Kane County and Barrington
Township in Cook County, on the east by Schaumburg, on the south by Wayne Township in DuPage County, and on the
west by Kane County. It comprises all of fractional Township 41, Range 9 east. Topographically this town is rolling
prairie, with a general slope toward the west. The only stream of water worthy of mention is the East Branch of
Poplar Creek, which has its origin in the southeast corner of Barrington, and after flowing south through Sections
1 and 12 of Hanover, turns westerly and flows into the Fox River south of Elgin. The highest point of land in this
township is about fifty feet above the Fox River. Originally there were about twelve sections of timber in the
town, in a belt about two miles wide, which, commencing near the middle of the southern line, extended northward
and then northwestward until it reached the Fox River. The largest trees in this grove were, when white men first
settled here, about three feet in diameter. Most of the timber now consists of second growth, and the largest of
the trees scarcely exceed eighteen inches in diameter, and the area has been diminished about one fifth. The name
of this grove was originally Independence Grove, but later it became known as Hoosier Grove, on account of the
first settlers in the township having come from Indiana, and settled in or near the edge of the timber. The soil
of the timbered portion is heavy clay, and that of the open prairie black loam upon a clay subsoil; an indication,
probably, that had there been no timber, the soil of what is now timbered land would have been the same as that
of the prairie, black loam, which varies in depth from one to five feet.
The earliest settlers were, as has been stated, from Indiana. Among them were John and George Hammer, who settled
with their families on Section 23, in 1833, and Abraham Leatherman, who settled on Section 28. A. D. Gifford settled
in 1835 on Section 30; Guy Adams on Section 31, Samuel N. Campbell on Section 17, and Daniel Guptail on Section
20, Mr. Merryfield in 1836 on Section 33, Byrem Smith in 1836 on Section 20, and John Guptail in 1837 on Section
29. Previous to 1840 the following also settled in Hanover: Benjamin Burritt on Section 19, Luther Herrick and
John Hill on Section 20, Joseph Oatman on Section 15, and Mr. Primrose on Section 34. After these came D. S. Hammond
in 1840 on Section 28, Woodworth Butterfield on Section 35, John Hubbard on Section 9, Edwin Bartlett on Section
36, Samuel Gould on Section 14; David C. White in 1843 on Section 26, Lyman Williams on Section 14, Jarvis Smith
on Section 20, John Jenne and John F. Cook on Section 30, David Sharp in 1843 on Section 26, David Longley in 1844
on Section 16, Joseph Hollowell on Section 9, Nathaniel Ballard on Section 31, Andrew Spitzer in 1845 on Section
35, John Bower on Section 3, Mr. Rosecrans on Section 5, F. Pendleton on Section 27, Benjamin Morgan on Section
14. At the first election held April 2, 1850, there were eighty-five votes cast, indicating a population of from
350 to 400. The election was held at Leatherman's tavern which stood on the Chicago and Elgin road where now stands
the house of Peter Sharp on Section 28. This tavern was a log house, and was frequently full of people, who could
find no other place to remain through the night. It thus served the traveler from the time of the settlement of
the town to about 1852. A second tavern was erected in 1848 by D. S. Hammond about one mile east of Leatherman's
tavern, and likewise on the Chicago and Elgin road which passes through Ontarioville. Hammond's tavern was burned
down in 1851, the fire having been kindled as is believed by an incendiary. Young's tavern stood east of the present
location of Bartlett on Section 35. The first school-house in Hanover stood on Section 20, near John Hill's house.
The first church-building was erected in the northeastern part of the town by the German Lutherans. A Baptist church
was erected in 1854 on the Chicago and Elgin road near David C. White's house. It remained here until 1874 when
it was moved into the Grove and converted into a dwelling. In this part of the country previous to 1854 farmers
depended mainly on agriculture for the support of their families and for the augmentation of their wealth, but
in that year a departure from accustomed methods was made, by Phineas H. Smith, who commenced shipping milk to
Chicago drawing it from Hanover to Elgin with an ox team. Since then the cultivation of crops of cereals has gradually
diminished while the attention given to dairying has gradually increased. After about ten years devotion to the
selling of milk another change was made in the establishment of a cheese factory in 1865, by C. W. Gould and I.
H. Wanzer. After this, C. W. Gould built a second; I. H. Wanzer at different times built three others, and Mr.
Waterman built the sixth. There are now three cheese factories in the town. There are now also three creameries
in the town, the proprietors of which are C. W. Gould, A. Nolting, and Carr & Willson respectively. Two of
these creameries use the DeLaval Cream Separator-C. W. Gould, and Carr & Willson; C. W. Gould being the first
to introduce the separator into his creamery. Carr & Willson, whose creamery is situated at Bartlett, have
introduced a system of paying dairymen for their milk which is attracting considerable attention, and bids fair
to revolutionize the milk business. This system is to pay the dairymen for each one hundred pounds of milk four
times the price of one pound of butter, the price of butter to be the same as the average price for the month on
the Board of Trade at Elgin. The average price for the month is determined by adding together the Monday prices
on the Elgin Board, and dividing the sum by the number of Mondays in the month. Four cents per pound is charged
for making the butter.
The organization of the town of Hanover was effected April 2, 1850, at Abraham Leatherman's tavern. The election
held that day resulted in the selection of the following officers: Supervisor, Luther Herrick, by 63 votes; Clerk,
John Hubbard, by 85 votes; Assessor, Abel D. Gifford, by 85 votes; Commissioners of Highways, Woodworth Butterfield,
48 votes, George E. Smith, 47 votes, and Josiah Horn, 46 votes; Justices of the Peace, John Hill, 81 votes, and
Samuel Gould, 45 votes; Constables, Samuel S. Hammer, 69 votes, and Lyman Williams, 51 votes; Collector, Jarvis
Smith, 47 votes; Overseer of the Poor, Joseph Oatman, 39 votes. At this meeting five resolutions were passed, four
of them pertaining to animals running at large, and the fifth was that $50 be raised for town expenses. On the
17th of April the Commissioners of Highways met and divided the town into twelve road districts, and the Gifford
and Whipple road was discontinued, leading from the south boundary line of the town to the quarter section line
dividing Section 31 to the north and south halves.
The following is a list of the officers elected since 1850:
Supervisors.--Edwin Bartlett, 1851-53; George E. Smith, 1852-56; D. S. Hammond, 1857-61; Eli Whitney, 1862-63;
D. S. Hammond, 1864-68; William Schween, 1869-73; L. H. Wanzer, 1874-76; Edwin Gould, 1877; Charles F. Schultz,
1878-80; George Struckman, 1881; Charles F. Schultz, 1882-83.
Clerks.--John Hubbard, 1851-55; Jarvis Smith, 1856; Peter Sharp, 1857; O. B. Jenne, 1858-63; H. P. Hatch, 1864;
O. B. Jenne 1865; Peter Sharp, 1866-81; Seth Lobdell, 1882; Peter Sharp, 1883.
Assessors.--George E. Smith, 1851; David S. Hammond, 1852-53; Abel D. Gifford, 1854-57; David Longley, 1858-69;
George Struckman, 1870-71; David Longley, 1873; Charles F. Schultz, 1874-75; George Struckman, 1876-80; Henry Schramm,
1881; George Struckman, 1882-83.
Collectors.--Joseph Hollowell, 1851; Chester Babcock, 1852-53; David Longley, 1854-57; Charles Gould, 1858; George
E. Smith, 1859-60; Jay Roundy, 1861; George E. Smith, 1862-63; David Sharp, 1864; William H. Longley, 1865; J.
Struckman, 1866; Valentine Crue, 1867; George Busche, 1868; George E. Smith, 1869; Charles Schultze, 1870-71; Henry
Schramm, 1873; R. A. Davis 1874; Frank Cook, 1875; George Stumff, 1876-77; Henry F. Runge, 1878; L. Sruckmeier,
1881; Henry Ackman, 1882; L. Struckmeier, 1883.
Commissioners of Highways.--Abel D. Gifford, Woodworth Butterfield and James M. Howard, 1851; George E. Smith,
Joseph Hollowell and Nathaniel Ballard, 1852; George E. Smith, Joseph Hollowell and Samuel N. Campbell, 1853; Samuel
N. Campbell, Christopher Salar and Andrew Spitzer, 1854; Samuel N. Campbell, Andrew Spitzer and Daniel Guptail,
1855; Daniel Guptail, Samuel Gould and John Bowen, 1856; F. Pendleton, William Schween and John Mink, 1857; F.
Pendleton, George Skinner and Peter Burritt, 1858; F. Pendleton, Jarvis Smith and William Schween, 1859; F. Pendleton,
William Schween and Jarvis Smith, 1860; F. Pendleton, Eli Whitney and William Walbaum, 1861; Guy Adams, 1862; John
Waller, 1864; Guy Adams, 1865; William Walbaum, 1866; L. Rught, 1867; George White, 1868; Carl Struckman, 1869;
Henry Ackman, 1870; Peter Sharp, 1871; D. Oltendorf for one year and A. D. Gifford for two years, 1873; William
Walbaum, 1874; A. D. Gifford, 1875; L. Oltendorf, 1876; Henry Schunsman, 1877; A. D. Gifford, 1878; L. Oltendorf,
1879; H. P. Schween, 1880; Louis Hmbruck, 1881; Fred Hecht, 1882; H. P. Schween, 1883.
Constables.--Lyman Williams and Chester Babcock, 1851; Daniel Leatherman, 1853; William Probert and Nicholas C.
Meyers, 1854; Charles Bruckman and Charles Gould, 1856; Robert Mink, 1857; Charles Gould and Augustus Hambruck,
1858; I. Lessender and Fred Runge, 1860; Albert P. Woodworth and John Lessender, 1861; John Lessender and Luther
Longley, 1862; William Walbaum, 1863; David Sharp and William Bearns, 1864; William H. Longley, 1865; Valentine
Crue, 1866; George Busche, 1867; George E. Smith and Charles Schultz, 1869; Henry Schween, 1870; Henry Schramm
and George Stumff, 1871; P. A. Davis, 1874; Ernest Heidemann, 1876; George Stumff and Henry Pennys, 1877; L. Struckmeier,
1878; L. Struckmeier and Henry Ackman, 1881.
Justices of the Peace.--Jarvis Smith and Warren Woodworth, 1851; Azuriah K. Hubbard and Jarvis Smith, 1853; Jarvis
Smith and Warren Woodworth, 1854; Azariah K. Hubbard and David Longley, 1858 and 1862; David Longley and George
Struckman, 1865 and 1869; Charles F. Schultz and Frank Guptill, 1871; George Struckman and Henry Schramm, 1877;
Henry Schramm and Charles F. Schultz.
Overseers of the Poor.--M. P. Rowland, 1851; Azariah K. Hubbard, 1852-53; Luther Herrick, 1854-56; Azariah K. Hubbard,
1857-60; W. M. Bevens, 1861-62.
School Trustees.--C. W. Gould, 1869; George Struckman, 1870; O. B. Jenne, 1871; C. W. Gould, three years, and George
Struckman, two years, 1873; O. B. Jenne, 1874; George Struckman, 1875; C. W. Gould, 1876; O. B. Jenne, three years,
and L. Gould, two years, 1877; George Struckman, 1878; L. J. Gould, 1879; O. B. Jenne, 1880; H. P. Schween, three
years, and L. Oltendorf, one year, 1881; Fred Hecht, 1882; Seth Lobdell, 1883.
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