Early Settlers
This information was taken from
the 1884 book "Counties of
Cumberland, Jasper & Richland, Illinois"
The
early
immigration into Illinois
was principally from Kentucky, and across its territory from the states
farther to the
south and
east. About 1812 the inflow of population, which had been gaining force
and numbers
from the
beginning of the century, was rapidly spreading over Southern Illinois
along the
main
water courses. but the hostilities which broke out in that year and continued during succeeding
three
years, gave a sudden check to, and subsequently diverted the course of,
this tide of
immigration.
The “Wabash Country” was famed far and near, and many adventurous
pioneers came
into what
is now Crawford County as early as 1811, and even during the Indian
hostilities,
those
pioneers received accessions. After coming to this land the danger of
attack seemed so imminent
that a
considerable number were forced to remain cooped up in a palisade fort
at Palestine
until the
cessation of the Indian troubles in 1814-15. In the meantime the more
western portions
of the
State were considered safer, from the denser character of its
settlements and its
remoteness from
the Indiana country where Indian hostilities seemed more vigorously
carried on. the
consequence was that this region of the state was abandoned by settlers
and suffered a considerable
delay in
its development. When this cause was no longer operative, the large
navigable streams
attracted the earlier settlements, and it was nearly 1830 before the
region was embraced in
Cumberland
County received its first settlement.
It will
be
observed, from a foregoing part of this work, that the Indian title to
the larger part of
the state was
extinguished
as early as 1816. the savages did not at once abandon the territory
ceded, but under
a
provision of these treaties lived and hunted here for years, while
numerous reservations in
favor of
individuals and families made these relics of a peculiar race, like
dying embers of a
great fire, a
familiar sight for years to many of the present generation. Until about
1825, the
natives were
in full possession of the territory of Cumberland County, though their
numbers
gradually grew
less, until the black Hawk war, in 1832, took them all away. The
Kickapoo tribes
furnished the
larger part of those who found a home in this region. these received
annuities at
Vincennes, and
had villages on the old Perry place and further up the Embarrass river.
This
tribe, in
1763, occupied the country southwest of the southern extremity of Lake
Michigan, but on the
removal of
the Illini followed southward, making their villages on the Mackinaw
and later on the
Sangamon
river. The settlers of Southern Illinois found them all along the
Embarrass. They were
more
civilized, industrious, energetic and cleanly than the neighboring
tribes, and it was also
true that
they were more implacable in their opposition to the whites. They were
prominent among the
tribes that
for a century carried on the exterminating war against the friendly
Illinois
confederation.
They were prominent in all the Indian struggles against General Harmer,
St. Clair and
Wayne; and
maintained their hostility to the whites and friendly tribes to the
last. During the years
1810 and
1811, in conjunction with the Chippewas, Pottawatomies and Ottawas,
they committed so
many
thefts and murders on the frontier settlements, that Governor Edward's
was compelled to
employ
force to suppress them. When removed from Illinois they still retained
their old
animosities
against the Americans and went to Texas, then a province of Mexico, to
get beyond the
jurisdiction of the United States. They claimed relationship with the
Pottawatomies, and perhaps
the Sacs
and Foxes, and Shawness.
The
white
settlement of Cumberland County came close upon the retreat of the
savages. Indeed, the
squatter and
hunter who
constitute the advance line of the permanent settlement was here
before, and from 1820
to 1830
this region was a common hunting ground for both the white and
red man. It is
difficult at this
time to ascertain who first made his permanent settlement here. It is
probable, however,
that JOHN
TULLY was the original pioneer
in the territory now embraced within the
limits
of
Cumberland County. He was a native of East Tennessee, and came early to
Marion County,
Ill. from
this section he moved in 1828 to the site of Johnstown, in Cottonwood
Township, for
the purpose
of establishing a still and grist-mill. The two enterprises were
naturally and
frequently
associated at that time, and the settlements which had been formed
further north gave abundant
promise
of a good patronage. He first built a still-house in the edge of the
timber, and in 1829
built a
small log water-mill, and afterwards another cabin for a residence.
Early in this
year,
___HUNT, with his two sons-in-law, HENRY LANCE and PURCELL, settled in
the
vicinity of
TULLY. this family came from Indiana, but were originally from
Tennessee. A little
later, in
1829, the families of LEVI and DAVID BEALS were added to the settlement
Muddy Point,
and in
1830, the family of JOSEPH BERRY, from Maury County, Tenn.
In the fall of 1829,
a
settlement was formed on the Embarress near Sconce’ Bend. JAMES GILL, a
native of Kentucky,
and one
of the occupants of old Fort LaMotte, at Palestine, in Crawford County,
came here.
After
the pacification of the Indians at the close of the war in 1812, he
settled on the sand
prairie, and married there. Soon afterward, with his family and house
hold effects, he
came on
horseback to the
site of the old homestead which he now occupies, and has lived there
ever since.
This was in
December, 1829, and without other assistance than his horses and wife,
he erected a pole
cabin in
which he passed the winter, near the Ryan Ford. He subsequently moved
to the
site of
his present dwelling. In the same fall, A.Y. DOBBS, a native of
Alabama, came to the
vicinity of
Sconce Bend. In the following year came to this settlement ALEXANDER
BAKER, three
families of
the ASHBYS, all Kentuckians by birth; ____PINER, who stayed but a short
time
before
he left the region, and THOMAS SCONCE, who came from Kentucky in 1830.
There was
at this
time a strong settlement on the upper part of the Embarrass, and not a
cabin along the
route of
the projected National road. In 1830, a strong settlement was begun on
Bear Creek, most
of the
families forming it coming from Indiana, but originally coming from the
border States of
the South.
Of these were JOHN INGHRAM, originally from Tennessee; JOHN FULLER,
from the same
State;
GEORGE LAKE, and several other families, originally from Kentucky via
Indiana considered a permanent
resident.
GREENUP had his residence in Vandalia, and the settlement at locality
also about 1833,
but two
years later moved to to the more thriving village of
Greenup, In 1832, the work began on
the
National road through this county, and attracted settlements along its
line. The road had been
surveyed
before this, but no work was performed on it here until about this
time. WM. C.
GREENUP, had
been connected with the engineer corps that laid out the road, and
subsequently, in
company
with JOSEPH BARBOUR, took a contract to construct the bridge at or near
the
village which
bears his name, IRA B. ROSE, then a resident of Martinsville, in Clark
County, found
employment
with him, and seeking to enter into a speculation at the same time,
secured forty acres
just west
of the present village and built his cabin, subsequently platting a
town. BARBOUR came from
Louisville, and brought a stock of goods, but never was “Rosedale”
while of some
size, was
chiefly made up of temporary sojourners, workers on the road. But among
these were
a few
whose names are still familiar sounds in the county. Of these were the
families of
LATHROP, EWART,
HAZELWOOD and VANDIKE. About 1833, GEORGE HENSON and DAVID
HENSON, with
JACK HOUTCHINS, cut out the National road through this county,
and
settled in Woodbury. As early as 1831, GEORGE WOODBURY had built his
cabin here,
but he
made no improvements and did not own the land, though he gave his name
to the village
platted her.
THOMAS B. ROSE, a native of Kentucky, came to this but soon
afterward
returned. LEVI
BEAL came down from Muddy Point in this year and kept a tavern. West of
Woodbury
was quite a
strong settlement. CHIPMAN WEBSTER came in 1832, and settled on the
National
road
about a mile and a quarter west of Woodbury, where he kept a tavern,
and about one and
three quarters miles further west was ABRAM MARBLE. JOHN and WILLIAM
OWENS, natives of
Kentucky,
were in this region as early as 1830, and JAMES MULLEN, a native of
Ohio,
in 1832;
in 1824, the family of JAMES GREEN, a native of Richmond, Va., about a
mile
west of
Woodbury. D.B.GREEN was a lad of some five years when his father came
first to
the county
in 1832. The family was then in Ohio, and his father brought some find
horses and a jack
from
Maysville, Ky., to Charleston, to sell. Young GREEN rode the jack while
his father rode
one and
led three more. Selling these animals in this vicinity of the State,
MR. GREEN selected
land in
this county, and entered it, moving his family two years later. D.T.
WISER came here
in 1833
or 1834, to work on the National road. He was but a boy, and
apprenticed to JOHN
BUSTER, a
tanner, of Shelbyville, Illinois. The trade does not seem to have
pleased him, and he
sought the
public work for employment. He remained here and was for a long time
closely
identified with
this county. SAMUEL KINGERY and son were early settlers of Cumberland.
they came in
1834,
from Ohio, and made their home in this vicinity. HENSON BRIGHT
was an early
settler on
the Embarrass river, between the settlement at Sconce’ bend and
Greenup. he was a
native of
Kentucky, and one of the families in the fort at Palestine; he came to
cumberland County
about
1830. HENRY NEES, a native of tennessee, was another of the occupants
of the fort,
and came
here about the same time, settling near the Ford which still bears his
name. FEWEL
HAMPTON was
among the settlers of 1830, and was noted as a great “fiddler.” It is
said that
he would
carry his violin about with him as most of the pioneers did their guns,
and it was no unusual
thing to
find him playing on his favorite instrument when he ought to have been
hoeing his corn.
AARON
MAHAFFEY was another eccentric settler of 1830. He was noted as a great
hunter,
and
supported himself entirely by his rifle. Among those who came in
to reinforce these various
settlements,
from 1835 50 1845, were DANIEL DECIUS, from Ohio, in 1835 or 1836; DR.
SAMUEL
QUINN,
about 1838, from Ohio; DR. JAMES EWART, from the same State, about
1838;
SILAS
HUFFCUT, a local Methodist preacher, from New York, in 1840; WADE,
about 1842; EDART
TALBOTT,
from Ohio, in 1844; JAMES WARD, from Ohio, about 1840; CHARLES and
JAMES
McKNIGHT, about 1843; ISAAC SAYERS; SHIPLORS, two families; HOUSE, DOW,
DRUMMOND,
PETERSONS, JACOB GREEN, ARMOURS, BENI
WHITE, WATON, etc.
In 1843, when the
county of Cumberland was formed. there were about 2,000 inhabitants,
but from this time to 1850, immigration almost ceased, and emigration
was sufficient to keep the growth of the population at about a
standstill. In 1845, the cholera proved fatal to many here, and in 1848
and 1849, a considerable number joined the current setting toward
California. About 1850, however, the land warrants issued to the
soldiers of the Mexican war began to bring about a change. These
warrants got into the hands of persons about to seek new homes, and
from 1850 to 1853 almost every acre of public land was entered, and
largely by actual settlers. The early settlements were all made in some
point of timber, at Muddy Point, Sconce’ Bend, Nees’ Ford, Greenup,
Woodbury and Bear Creek, thus encircling the central part of the
county, which for years was almost a marsh, water standing all over the
prairie portion up to a horses belly until August. DANIEL KINGERY lost
faith in the country and returned East, but after a year or to came
back to this county. In his published reminiscences he says Greenup was
a hamlet then of a half dozen cabins; from that point to Towertown
there was but one house, and from thence to Wisner’s the families of
WEBSTER, SARACOOL, and JOHN GARDNER were the only residents. Between
where he now lives and Dutchtown, or Teutopolia, there was but one
cabin, and the latter village consisted only of a double log house,
which was used as store and dwelling by JNO. TRACKFORT. From the
residence of Wisner to Newton, in Jasper County, there was but one
cabin, and that was occupied by ALBERT CALDWELL. A traveler from Ohio,
on his way to the West to purchase land, came along the national road
and leaves an account of his impressions of the lower part of the
county, written in a diary. On the 16th of November, 1838, he reached
Marshall, in Clark County, “and from thence rode thirty miles
into the prairie to Greenup, making thirty-three miles of poor country
and thinly settled. On Saturday, left Greenup; the weather cold and
prairie large. Noticed several large hewed log houses; look like our
double barns. They were mostly deserted and vacant, the people
appearing to be all in the streets standing about a fire that had been
kindled in the streets. They seemed in fine spirits, or fine spirits in
them; the latter is supposed to be the case.” The other villages do not
seem to have attracted his attention.
The earlier site
chosen for the frontier cabin were along the high points of timber that
skirted the streams. The prairie at that time was covered with joint
grass, which at times reached the enormous height of ten or twelve
feet. there was little natural drainage, and the rain fall lay upon the
ground, after saturating the soil, until the whole prairie area was one
great swale. Accustomed to a timbered and rolling country, the first
settlers could not believe that the open land could ever be tilled; and
it was practically impossible for the pioneers, few in number and
limited resources, to cultivate it. The site chosen for a farm,
therefore, was in the timber. This cabin was a simple log pen with a
door, a window, and a puncheon floor. At first glass was not to be had,
and greased paper. which was proof against the rain, and at the same
time admitted a faint light, was used as a substitute. It was no
unusual thing for cabins to be erected without a nail, wooden pegs
supplying their place, and most of these first structures were erected
with but a limited supply. the work on the farm was carried on by the
men and boys under similar disadvantages. A space cleared of its timber
was ploughed with the rude implement of the time and planted to corn.
What the crows, black-birds and squirrels left was ample for the needs
of the family. There was no accessible market for the produce, and few
farmers but had plenty of “hog and hominy.” There were very few large
farms. The range of wild grass, the moss and roots were so abundant in
the woods that hogs, cattle and horses required but little other food,
and that was in general corn alone. It is probable that a single
corn-field of five acres constituted the majority of the early farms.
Wheat was not sown for some years, as there were no mills to grind it
if a crop had been secured. Mills were a prime necessity of the early
days, but even when secured, the demands of the farm or the
difficulties of early traveling prevented the settler from “going to
mill.” Resort was then had, so long as the corn was soft, to the
“grater” made a perforated tin, or sheet iron. Upon the rough side of
this crude instrument the corn was reduced to a condition which made it
adapted to the use of the pioneer housewife. Later, when the corn
became hard, it had to be reduced in a mortar of handmill. almost every
family had its “hominy block.” This was formed from a large block or
stump. A large hole, “kettle shaped,” was made in it by burning and
scraping. Over this, suspended to a hugh “sweep,” often by a wild grape
vine, was a heavy stick of wood, the lower end of which was provided
with an iron wedge. the “sweep” was converted into a spring-pole by
fastening the lower end by stakes driven into the ground. By such
machinery hundreds of bushels of corn were reduced to hominy and a
coarse meal, furnished the corn-pone. An improvement upon this was the
handmill, which some of the well to-do farmers sometimes possessed.
this consisted of one stone running upon another in a frame, the upper
one being provided with ab “eye” and a handle, and with this the boys
were accustomed to grind the family's supply of meal.
It was not long
before power-mills were built. the streams afforded good sites and
power for water-mills, for a part of the year, but the lack of good
mechanics often forced the pioneers to depend upon the horse-mill. this
consisted of a small run of stone, manufactured by the miller our of
“nigger-heads.” The power was conveyed to this by a large cog-wheel of
ten or fifteen feet diameter, placed upon a perpendicular axle, which
was caused to revolve by levers placed in it at right angles near the
ground, to which horses were attached. The earliest mills in the county
were erected at Johnstown. Here is 1829, JOHN TULLY had a little
water-mill, but as the river did not always afford power to run it, he
erected a horse-mill, and in low stages of water he was accustomed to
transfer the home made buhrs from the mill to the horse-power. Another
horse-mill was built in Woodbury, by LEVI BEALS, and in 1832 a good
mill was established at Greenup. these mills drew patronage from miles
around, and were generally run to their fullest capacity. the abundance
of corn, and the small demand for it gave rise to another industry,
which was of doubtful advantage to the community. Distilleries were
generally built part of the miller’s establishment, or near at hand.
HOLLY had one which was patronized fully as much as the mill, and was
probably more influential in making the place one of importance. H.B.
RUSSELL operated the still in later year, using a steam still. the
product was sold to farmers in exchange for corn, and to the stores and
groceries in the neighborhood where it was often the principal
commodity for sale. Whiskey was a regular beverage, and very few
pioneers were without it. At the “still” whiskey was kept in a large
vessel, and a cup near by, and every one was welcome to so much as he
cared to drink. After tansy came up in the spring, this was added, and
“tansy bitters” was then kept for the public entertainment.
Some
reminiscences, by DANIEL KINGERY, and published in the recent issue of
the Democrat, give an interesting account of the resources of the
southwestern part of the county at an early date: “His place of
marketing and trading was at Woodbury and Dutchtown, generally at
Woodbury. WISNER kept a stock of goods such as was needed by the people
at that time, and in addition to this he kept a supply of “fire water,”
and it was here they used to congregate and indulge their appetites and
practice their pugilistic skill. At those times as well as now there
were some who “went considerable,” and even prided themselves upon
their muscular powers. He says he has seen as much as ten gallons of
whisky drank here in one day. Of course that much whiskey in men who
naturally produce considerable fight. For milling he depended on the
horse-mill at Towertown, owned and operated by a MR. BEALS. For meat he
depended to a great extent upon the woods. There was plenty of deer
here then. But UNCLE DANIEL says he had never been trained to the chase
and was not much of a Nimrod. But he had brought with him an excellent
gun with the intention, of course, of shooting deer, for amusement, if
nothing else. He relates his first experience in deer hunting which was
taken with his brother STEPHEN, who was an experienced hunter. early in
the morning they were in the woods. Just north of what is now known as
the “Good” farm they separated, and in a short time up jumped a deer
and he thought he had a dead shot for sure, and fired, and away went
the deer. His shot brought his brother to him. after carefully
examining the ground they found some blood which was evidence he had
hit the deer--so they took the track expecting every moment to come
upon the dead deer. around and around they followed the deer track
(there was snow on the ground), supposing the deer was “gut” shot. This
they kept up until evening when the deer passed upon the prairie close
home. He then called his dog which run it up near the GARDNER’S, who
put on a fresh dog and caught it. After putting in a whole day of
continued travel, he came up to find another reaping the reward of his
hard days chase. It was found that instead of a gut wound he had only
cut the deer a little on the inner side of a hind leg. His next and
last experience in deer hunting he took sometime after his. The next
time he concluded he would ride. Starting out one morning he had gone
but a short distance when a large buck presented a broadside view; this
time certain of his game he up and fired and away went the buck. He
rode back home, laid his gun up, and says that settled his deer
hunting.”
Game of
all kinds was abundant, and most of the men were good marksmen.
Fur-bearing animals were the most remunerative, as their skins found a
ready sale at their cabin doors. A branch of the American Fur Company
was established at St. Louis, and its agents found their way throughout
this country. One gentleman relates that he caught 184 coons one
season, and disposed of them all at a good price, some of them as high
as seventy-five cents. Wolves were found here in great numbers, and
were hunted as a means of protection from their depredations. Three
kinds infested the company, the timber wolf, a large, fierce animal;
the gray wolf, a large but not so powerful as the former, and the
coyote, or prairie wolf. None of these animals were bold enough to
attack persons, but small pigs, calves and sheep fell an easy prey to
them. Their howling at night was calculated to unnerve those who were
fresh in the country, or those who knew something of the fiercer timber
wolf of Kentucky and Ohio. A bounty subsequently offered by the State
and county stimulated the hunters, and these animals were early driven
from this region.
The work
of the women was of that arduous kind found everywhere on the frontier
or in a new settlement. The hatchel and brake, the spinning wheel and
loom were in almost every cabin. A few sheep were maintained in spite
of the depredations of wolves and dogs, and the wool once shorn from
the animal was turned over to the housewife to be converted into
clothing, for men and women. Housekeeping was crowded into the smallest
possible space, to give room to the more exacting duties of preparing
cloth and clothing. the principal amusements of the women were the
outgrowth of these latter duties. Wool picking, spinning parties and
quilting were the harmless dissipation's of the women, and besides
these there were husking bees, loggings and an occasional camp meeting
for diversion.
The
dress of the people of Cumberland was of the most primitive. Coon-skins
furnished caps for men, while buckskin furnished durable if not so
pleasant pants for the men. This, with the linsey-woolsey blouse
completed the usual attire of the men. Linsey-woolsey was the material
with which the women clothed themselves, and was their only wear, save,
perhaps, a calico dress for special occasions. But this was not
considered a great privation, where all fared alike, and with wholesome
food the work of pioneer times could be and was accomplished with less
repining than are the duties of more favored times. A very sore trial,
and one keenly felt, was the regular attack of the ague or miasmatic
fevers which haunted this country until recent years. This infliction
visited the who country impartially, and some entire communities were
prostrated at the same time. MR. VANDIKE relates that at Greenup he was
the only well person in the village, and as he then had no family of
his own to care for, he was pressed into the service of the beleaguered
town, and found it difficult to answer the demands made upon him for
assistance. Physicians were few, and located at distant points, but if
this had not been the case, the settlers did not have the means to
employ them for every recurrence of this familiar malady. Each family
had a store of receipts and a stock of herbs, and these were made into
decoctions which generally weakened the force of the recurring “shakes.”
Of the
social status, an exhaustive series of articles, contributed by an “Old
Settler” to one of the papers of the county, may complete this branch
of the subject. He writes as follows:
“It is a
notable fact that in the early settlement of Cumberland County, her
pioneer settlers, generally speaking, were rude and eccentric in
manners, and their education in the important art of reading and
writing sadly neglected. the educational status of the people in those
palmy days of perilous adventures, was the result of unavoidable and
adverse circumstances, over which the most ambitious aspirant for
scholastic honors had no control, however ardent the disposition in
that direction. This want of ‘book larnin’,’ as the natives were
pleased to term it, was not exclusively confined to the borders of
Cumberland County, but the unenviable legacy had been distributed with
a lavish and prodigal hand throughout the wide expanse of the whole
State. In reverting to this marked feature of the ‘old settlers’ there
is nothing censurable to that noble class, as a different conclusion
could not have been reasonably expected with a fair and just knowledge
of their progenitors. They were the sons and daughters of those
illustrious characters, who, while yet basking in the sunlight of
joyous manhood and womanhood beyond the eastern slopes of the
Alleghanies, had listened with wonder and astonishment to the marvelous
stories of the pilgrim travelers, who pictured in ‘rhapsody of words’
the rich and the beautiful domain that stretched out in its native and
original grandeur toward the setting sun, the borders of Cumberland
County, but the unenviable legacy had been distributed with a lavish
and prodigal hand throughout the wide expanse of the whole State. In
reverting to this marked feature of the ‘old settlers’ there is nothing
censurable to that noble class, as a different conclusion could not
have been reasonably expected with a fair and just knowledge of their
progenitors. They were the sons and daughters of those illustrious
characters, who, while yet basking in the sunlight of joyous manhood
and womanhood beyond the eastern slopes of the Alleghenies, had
listened with wonder and astonishment to the marvelous stories of the
pilgrim travelers, who pictured in ‘rhapsody of words’ the rich and the
beautiful domain that stretched out in its native and original
grandern toward the setting sun. They were the descendants of
those who, casting aside the endearments of their native heath, first
erected the home of civilization upon the productive soil of Ohio and
Kentucky. Here they were compelled to assist their parents in the
toilsome task of clearing their newly-made settlement. Schools and
institutions of learning which now dot the area of those once western
wilds, were then slumbering in embryo. Without the advantages and
facilities of acquiring an ordinary education, and with energies,
incessantly engaged in the important object of averting dangers that
environed them, and procuring raiment and subsistence for their
families, it could not be supposed that they could progress very
rapidly in educational matters. Under such disadvantages they arrived
at the age of maturity, and having inherited the adventurous spirits of
their progenitors began to glance significantly towards the vast
prairies of the West. Collecting the scanty and available means at
their disposal they journeyed hither, where they settled down and
invested in Uncle Sam's ‘celebrated s’il.’ With the advantage of long
experience, and the additional advantage of natural cleared farms, they
soon began to prosper and rapidly accumulated in worldly possessions.
“In the
midst of their thrifti: .ss and prosperity they began to realize the
importance of cultivating and developing the unpolished minds of their
children, and placing them under the tutelage of some learned prodigy
that had performed the remarkable feat of ‘going through’ Webster's
Elementary Spelling Book, and accomplished the then looked upon
‘double-summersault-act’ of advancing mathematically as far as ‘vulgar
fractional- figures.’ By consultation and discussion among each other,
an interest was awakened in each neighborhood, and soon schoolhouses,
though rude and unprepossessing in appearance, began to loom up all
over the country. The schoolmaster with his direful rod and terrible
facial contour was not long in forthcoming. Re soon introduced himself
in the various communities or neighborhoods to the delight of parents
and dismay of unruly urchins. He was viewed as a natural prodigy and
sat upon his throne like a petty monarch of a limited principality. He
was consulted upon matters that happened to arise either public or
private, and his decision was then regarded with the same deference as
those of the Supreme Court are now.
“Morally
speaking, we would not offer the ‘old settler as an example and model,
worthy of imitation if we cherished the least inclination to advance
and improve the moral standard of the youth of the country. They were
extremely pertinacious in manifesting marked disrespect for the author
of the first commandment, and persistently adhered to the execrable
fashion in those days of introducing d—n’ in peaceful conversation.
This despicable custom and habit arose not from any intended sacrilege,
but was the result of want of acquaintance with the English descriptive
adjectives. If profanity was a marked feature in the social and
friendly Tete-a-tete of the ‘original inhabitants how uninviting to the
sensitive and fastidious ear of morality must have been the immediate
vicinity of warm and angry political discussions. over which the
conscience exercises no restraint. Very frequently have we witnessed a
meeting of two friends in days gone by, and listened to their exchange
of words, and noted the observation ‘that d—dest’ sometimes accompanied
with its superlative addition, was a substitute for all and every
adjective known to the English idiom- He can beat any man swearing I
ever heard,’ was the expression used in giving a graphic description of
some celebrity of more than ordinary capacity and prominence. He was
always adjudged by the hearer to be a ‘devil of a fellow.’
“Horse-racing, shooting matches
and amusements of similar character were indulged in to a considerable
extent. These horse races, in which the most speedy material was
brought into requisition, approximated to what we now-a-days term a
contest between
'scrubs-’ These races were usually largely attended and seldom failed
to convoke all the ‘old settlers.’ Those were the periodical fetes and
gala days that amused the ‘old settlers’ and gave unlimited license and
excuse for them to run riot and confusion. The termination or close of
these entertainment's generally concluded with a series of engagements
for pugilistic honors, in which the contestants figured and were
disfigured. Morally speaking the ‘old settlers’ had a failing
that has been handed down unimpaired to the present generation. He
couldn't forego the ecstatic pleasure to be derived from a stiff glass
of old bourbon. It was his first love, and how consoling it must be to
look back through a dark vista of years with the proud consciousness
that he never ‘went back ‘on his first love. Almost every individual
had an acquired fondness for whisky, and was inconsolable when some
unforeseen accident separated him from his liquid idol, and he was
prevented from his regular devotions at the shrine of Bacehus.
The most
commendable feature that clusters around the memories of early days was
the manifest sociability of the people. Although they possessed some
inherent attributes that were obnoxious to refined ideas and culture,
yet in their social intercourse with each other they displayed those
exemplary traits of character which can only emanate from a warm and
generous heart. If they deviated from the strict rules of morality and
indulged themselves in habits and excesses that have been discarded by
progressive civilization as enervating and ruinous, they still retained
those estimable virtues which are inseparably allied with a generous
and hospitable people. Unpretentious and unostentatious. they tendered
whatever hospitality their houses afforded, and were assiduous in their
efforts to provide for the comfort of those who, by chance, were cast
within the purview of their domestic circles. There was not any
affectation in their liberal entertainment of their visitors and guests
and selfishness and motives of interest cannot be rightfully adjudged
as the prompting and incentive by which they were influenced in the
bestowal of their benignity upon the hungry and shelterless. History
may ascribe to the old settlers’ of days gone by, ignorance immorality,
eccentricity and rudeness of manners. but it never can. without a
manifest spirit of injustice, but speak in praise and commendation of
their excellence as a hospitable people No footsore traveler, seeking
rest and shelter from his wearisome ploddings, was ever refused
admittance to their homes- They manifested no distinction or partiality
in opening their doors to the weary and hungry The penniless wanderer,
covered with the dust of his journey and clothed in the garments of
destitution and poverty, was as kindly welcomed to their thresholds, as
the arrogant nabob, drawn by his richly caparisoned steeds, and
integumented in the gaudy trappings of wealth. It was sufficient for
them to know that their hospitality was solicited. and the 'sissing
hog’ and 'steaming hominy’ bespoke the stranger's welcome “In the way
of repast, for the
entertainment, of their guest, the ‘old settlers’ supplied their festal
board with porkling. hominy.‘sassafrack tay’ and ‘gobs’ of hoe-cakes,
which in the absence of modern luxuries were disposed of
with remarkable relish. The adornments and convenience of the table
were notable only by their absence. Ordinary table furniture was had
only in a limited supply, but the far was none the less enjoyed, nor
the welcome less real.