Knox County Annuals

By Fred R. Jelliff

Knox History

            Knox County was named after General Henry Knox and was established as a county, January 13, 1825.

            Knox county has had several and varied shapes.  Under the division of Illinois, made in 1790, more than the east half of that part of the State south of the Illinois River was known as Knox County.  Changes and further subdivisions were made in 1793, 1801, 1803, and 1809.  Then the name drops out.  In the subdivisions of 1801, 1803, and 1809, its territory was included in St. Clair County.  In 1812 and 1813, the subdivision covering much the same ground, was called Madison County, and in this the Knox territory was included until 1821, when that part of the State lying between the Illinois and Mississippi River was called Pike County.  In 1823, Pike County was cut down, and Fulton County was laid out so as to include the south four townships of Knox.  The rest of the land comprising Knox County and the territory north and east was attached to Fulton County for judicial purposes.

            January 13, 1825, Knox county was formed by act of the legislature, covering the same territory as at present (the four townships at the south being accorded it), save that the four north townships were attached to Henry County.  This gave Knox sixteen townships.  In 1831, however, the row of townships on the north was restored to Knox and two on the east were added.  March 2, 1839, these two east two townships were allotted Stark County.  This change in the boundaries of the county occasioned interesting incidents of travel, business and politics in the early history of this section.

            The land comprising Knox County has been under ten territorial jurisdictions, two of them being under extinct races, one under the Indian race, one under France, one under England, one under Virginia, one a territory of the United States, one the territory of Indiana, one the territory of Illinois and lastly, the State of Illinois.

The history of Knox County is one that reflects honor on Illinois for it has been marked by devotion to high ideals.  Illinois was originally a part of the Norwest territory which by the ordinance of 1787 was made free soil.  As a county of the State, Knox has shared this blessing.  Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818, and the issuance of this book is to commemorate the centennial of that event.  By the act of June 30, 1821, Pike County was created, including the area north and west of the Illinois River.  By the act of February 10, 1826, Knox County was attached to Fulton County for Governmental purposes.  May 15, 1830, a public meeting was held at the store of S.S. White, in Henderson, to consider that question of county organization.  Dr. Hansford and John G. Sanburn, were authorized to address a petition for the organization of Knox County to Richard M. Young, judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit.  This petition was presented to Judge Young at Lewistown by Pennington, Hansford, Stephen Osborn, the first sheriff and Phillip Hash, and the judge was convinced that the county contained 350 inhabitants, the number required by law. And on June 10, 1830, he declared the county organized, and fixed the date of the first election at July 3, 1830.  This was held at the home of Jacob Gum, four miles northwest of Galesburg, the whole county forming one election precinct.

The First Government 

Under the constitution of 1818, county government was committed to three commissioners.  On July 3, 1830, when the county was organized, Riggs Pennington, Philip Hash, and Charles Hansford were elected, to serve until their successors were elected the following month.  They first met at the home of John B. Gum, appointed him clerk, but he, declining to serve, two days later they again met and appointed John G. Sanburn clerk, and Mr. Gum treasurer.  On July 17^th, the commissioners met again and divided Knox County into two precincts for the coming election, one precinct being known as the Henderson and the Spoon River district.  At the election on August 2, 1830, the first board of commissioners for a stated term was elected, the successful candidates being Riggs Pennington, Philip Hash and Alexander Frakes, while Stephen Osborn was elected sheriff.  Thus Knox County, organized and empowered to choose its own officers and collect its own taxes, started on its political career.  The commissioners had general supervision of the affairs of the county.  By the same law which defined its boundaries and located its purposes and so remained until 1837.  It was an economical and judicious system.  The county was then in its primitive sate, and roads had to be laid out and  constructed, bridges had to be built, a jail and court house had to be provided and other large works undertaken, all of which seems to have been efficiently done.

Government by Judges 

            By the constitution of 1848, the offices of county commissioners and probate justice were abolished, and the office of county judge created.  On him and two associate judges was the power previously exercised by the commissioners in county government, conferred.  George S. Lanphere was elected county judge, and Alfred Brown of Henderson and James M. Hunter of Salem were elected associate judges, November 6, 1849, and they serve four years.  Their last meeting was held on March 4, 1853.  The county on April 5, 1853, adopted township organization and elected supervisors.  It has since remained under this system.  There had been two previous attempts to change the county government, one on November 6, 1849, and one on November 5, 1850, but as the majority secured was not a majority of all the votes cast at these elections, the proposition failed to carry. 

Township Organization 

It was shortly after the election of 1849 or on January 14, 1850, that the people of the townships met to select the names for their respective townships.  The present names were adopted save these of Cedar, Haw Creek, Copley and Elba.  The names chosen for these were respectively, Cherry Grove, Ohio, Ritchfield and Liberty, but these the Secretary of State refused to register and they were accordingly changed to the names they now bear.

            The first members of the board of supervisors, twenty in number, met June 5, 1853, and elected Daniel Meek as chairman.  Following are the names of the members of the historic First Board:

Honor is due the memory of this first board for building so well the foundations on which the business of the county has been conducted.

Growth of County Business 

The business of Knox County is now conducted from Galesburg, the county seat, and its place of business is the stately Court House Square with its beautiful embellishments of lawn and trees.  And still John B. Gum’s log cabin on Section 32 in Henderson Township was the first seat of justice in the county and was so designated by the commissioners on July 9, 1830.  It was a one-story, two-room log structure and was used for county purposes until January 15, 1831.  By a law passed January 15, 1831, the county seat was fixed in Knox Township, where the commissioners platted a village, that they first called Henderson, and which afterward was changed to Knoxville.  March 12, 1831, the commissioners contracted with William Lewis to erect a log court house and with Parnach Owen to finish it.  The total cost was $395.43.  This lumber structure was twenty-eight feet long, twenty-five feet wide, and two stories high.  It was occupied in October, 1832.  It was soon outgrown and on March 14, 1838, Zelotes Cooley and Alvah Wheeler took the contract for the erection of a new building at Knoxville which was completed May 1, 1840.  At the time it was regarded as one of the handsomest buildings in the State, and it is still attractive because of its classical lines.  It was the scene of many noted legal battles, and men, who subsequently became famous in State and Nation appeared in cases there.  A crude jail was built in 1832 and in 1840 another was erected by Alvah Wheeler.  Also on the court house ground at Knoxville was built in 1854 a fire-proof building containing two rooms. 

County Seat Contest 

            Meanwhile Galesburg, due to its railroad facilities, was in population outstripping Knoxville, and there grew up a demand for the removal of the county seat to the larger city.  A long and acrimonious contest ensued that lasted for years.  The real battle started with the passage of a bill introduced by W.S. Gale, of Galesburg, then a member of the Legislature, for the removal of the county seat.  This bill became a law.  The election under it was held in April. 1869, but the issues were not settled until January, 1873, when the Supreme Court of Illinois upheld the contention of Galesburg.  Through the efforts of friends of Knoxville another election was called and was held on November 11, 1873, which resulted in favor of Galesburg by a vote of 3,785 to 3,309.  This ended the controversy.

            Under the stipulations by Galesburg, the county was to furnish a place for holding court for ten years, a site for court house to be constructed in the future, a site for a jail and $20,000 toward its erection, to provide a site and fire-proof building for a clerk’s office, and to pay the expenses of transfer of the county to Galesburg, all of which conditions were honorably and satisfactorily met. 

The Court House 

            The movement for the erection of a court house on the park site provided began in 1883 with the appointment of a committee to report a resolution.  A building committee was appointed, consisting of W.S. Gale, A.G. Charles, William Robson, John Sloan, M.B. Hardin and William H. Leighton.  The next year the place of Mr. Charles, who was no longer a member of the Board, was filled by R.W. Miles, and a year still later, L.A. Townsend succeeded M.B. Hardin.  The plans of E.E. Myers of Chicago were preferred, bids were finally passed on October 3, and the contract was let to Dawson and Anderson of Toledo, Ohio, for $114, 3311.52.  The corner-stone was laid June 24, 1885, under the auspices of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Illinois.  The edifice was completed January 26, 1887.  The cost all furnished was $156, 261, and when completed it was practically paid for.  The building is of Berea sandstone, of a pleasing and impressive style for architecture, and contains all rooms necessary for the conduct of all phases of the county business.

            The jail was built earlier by Ira K. Stevens in 1874, for $34,900, and Hon. A.W. Berggren was the first sheriff to occupy it.

The County Home

            Another fine institution that the county was maintained for over sixty years is the County Home at Knoxville.  For twenty-five years after the organization of the county paupers were farmed out to the lowest bidders.  With the adoption of the township system, the board of supervisors bought and almshouse site for $3,000 of M.G. Smith.  The farm house was converted into an almshouse but proved a wretched makeshift.  In 1866 the Board of Supervisors determined to erect a new almshouse and R. W. Miles, L. Conger and Cephas Arms were appointed a committee on building.  After some competition between Galesburg members and Knoxville, the present site, adjoining the old poor farm and comprising then 69 acres,was purchased for $5,340.  The contract  was let to William Armstrong for $26,000 and its equipment and stocking of the farm brought the total to $39,037.21. Parry & Stevens built the east wing for $17,400.  An insane annex was erected in 1890 for $26,459 by Peter Munson, and in 1899 an insane annex for females was built by Munson & Tingleaf at a total cost of $32,000.  A new laundry building was built in 1899 by F.W. Hawkin for $16,000.  The entire group of buildings is one of the handsomest in the state and the grounds have been developed along artistic lines.  Many improvements on and in the buildings have been made from time to time, so that they are supplied with modern facilities.

Growth of Population

The Indians were in Illinois before the Whites and the early settlers of the county were not unmindful of their presence.  The Foxes, Sacs, Kickapoos and Pottawatomies roved over the prairies and their trails were used by the early settlers.  In the vicinity of Maquon another tribe lived.  The flint implements of the Aborigines are still found in many parts of the country.  There are traces of a still earlier race supposed to be identified with the mound builders.

Daniel and Alexander Robertson and Richard Mathews, who came to the county and settled in the edge of Henderson Grove in February, 1828, are credited with being the first permanent settlers, although there is a report  that a man named Palmer, a bee hunter, lived in Maquon Township in 1826-27.  It is certain that the first considerable migrations came from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and that they were a substantial and worthy element.  The tide of immigration from the east set in in 1836 and with the coming of the Galesburg colony in 1836, the movement of population was accelerated.

Meanwhile in the early annals of the county, the Black Hawk War from 1831 to 1833, growing out of the belief of the Indians that they had been unfairly dealt with, was the outstanding event.  In this county a company was raised, to assist in the war, and several forts were erected, one known as Fort Aggie, on Section 27, in Rio Township; Fort Lewis, on Section 33, Henderson Township; an unnamed fort on Section 10, in Henderson Township, and one in Orange Township.  No harm came to the settlers, although the period was one of much stress and many alarms.

In addition to the immigration from the South and East following the founding of Henderson, Knoxville and Galesburg and the founding of Knox College, the establishment of government, and the improvement of highways, there came groups of foreigners.  The Swedes appear to have been first on the field, John Hedstrom arriving in Victoria as early as 1838.  But the steady stream did not set in until the completion of the C.B. & Q. Railroad to Galesburg in 1854, from which time for several years the growth was rapid.  This transportation enterprise with the branches soon afterward constructed from Galesburg and making access to markets easy, gave a tremendous impetus to agriculture, to the building up of towns, and to industrial interests.  Settlement, before desultory, now became rapid.  Educational and religious growth kept pace.  The large Swedish emigration was augmented by sturdy colonists from Scotland, by the warm-hearted and eager companies Ireland, and by the quotas from Germany and England.  The following figures speak eloquently of the growth of the country:

This shows that for two decades between 1870 and 1890 the population was nearly stationary.  The building of the Santa Fe late in the 80’’s and other causes again produced a steady growth in population.

The fact that in the county there was previous to the Civil War a strong anti-slavery sentiment caused a movement of Negroes this way, and this continued after the Civil War, resulting in a large Negro population, especially in Galesburg, where the Negroes have their own churches and where they have proved an industrious and useful element.

Of later years the character of immigration has changed.  That from Sweden, Ireland, Scotland and England has become negligible, while that from the southern part of Europe predominates.  In Galesburg, more than in any other part of the county, these concentrate.  Italians, Hungarians, Rumanians, Greeks and many others not listed in the census.  Mexican laborers have in considerable degree supplanted other races on the railroads.  It is this large need of common labor that is in great measure responsible for this draft on Southern Europe.  The fact that they are proving a worthy element is dissipating the prejudice first created.

The Municipalities

Following are the dates of platting and founding of the municipalities of the county:

The influence of railroad construction is clearly evident in the foregoing. 

Statistics of Population

            The following figures of the population of the county and townships as given in the census returns of 1890, 1900, 1910 and 1920 will be found interesting.