The earliest settler in Brooklyn township was Zachariah Melugin, wo came in the spring of 1834 and located in the northwest quarter of section 4, in the grove which has since borne his name. The Chicago road run along his south line, and here he soon built a tavern. Abram V. Christiance and wife were the second to arrive at the grove, and located at the south side on the only thoroughfare, the Chicago road. This was in 1835. His log house also became an inn. Here, a son Cornelius was born that year, being the first white child born in the township. In July, 1835, John Gilmore settled on the northwest quarter of section 2. His son, W.W. Gilmore, was the second white child to be born in the township, his birth being only six weeks later than that of Corrnelius Christiance.

William W. Gilmore became supervisor of the town and was one of the building committee of the board which had charge of the erection of the present courthouse. William Guthrie located nearby. In 1838 Oliver P. Johnson and wife came.

When the Black Hawk was broke out, Mr. Melugin was living in the vicinity of Springfield in this state. He enlisted at Rock Island. After the cloe of the war he went back to his home. In the fall he returned to Dixon's Ferry where he was persuaded by Father Dixon and othes to establish a stage coach station at the grove on the mail route between Chicago and Dixon's Ferry, on which stages commenced running Jan. 1, 1834. Being unmarried, his sister Mary joined him the next spring and made a home for him until the following October, whe he was married to Mary Ross.

During this summer his sister was the only white woman at the grove. She visited Mrs. Dixon at Dixon's Ferry that summer and there met John K. RObinson, who was the first school teacher in Mr. Dixon's family and who became her husband. The wedding occurred at the grove Sept. 10, 1835, and was the first to be celebrated in that locality. Mr. Robinson (Robeson) built hislog house about a half a mile from Mr. Melugins'.

Two buildings contend for the distinction of being the first school house in the township. At a very early date a log school house stood within the grounds now occupied as a cemetery at the "Berg", and was also used for church purposes until 1859, when the first meeting house was erected. There was likewise a building known as the Red school house standing at an early date on the northeast quarter of section 4, near its southwest corner. Which one of these was the earlier we have been unable to determine, but it is probably that one of them dates back as early as 1837. Prior to the coming of the school house, Zachariah Melugin, the pioneer, conducted in his own log cabin the first school in the township.

The first church to be organized wa the Methodist, in 1837, at the dwelling of Mr. Melugin. The first pastor was Rev. Stephen R. Beggs. The first Sunday school was started by Rev. Haney of the Methodist church in 1847 or '48. A.V. Christiance was the first postmaster and Charles Morgan & Son were the first merchants.

Compton village was platted in 1873 on land of Joel Compton, from whom it received its name, the survey having been completed May 8. The building of the railroad, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, that year, gave birth to the town. Located about three miles from the hamlet of Melugin's Grove, most of the few buildings in the Berg, as the latter was called, were early moved over to the railroad, as well as to escape the inevitable decline of the older settlement as to participate in the prospective advantages of the new. The Methodist church, built in 1860, was one of the structures that migrated, and two hotel buildings, which took the names of Compton and Young's hotel, were also in the procession.

Compton was a corn field when platted, and the first house was a store built by Joel Compton in the corn stubble. It faced the railroad and was completed in the spring of 1872. The next house to go up was a small meat market built by M.M. Avery that same spring, and the third was Mr. Avery's residence.

West Brooklyn was laid out the same year Compton was, on land belonging to O.P. Johnson, D.L. Harris and R.N. Wood. The village was incorporated under the general law, by order of the County court, Sept. 24, 1894. Brick and tile of superior quality were manufactured here for about six years. The first church to be erected in the place was the Methodist about 1880. A splendid Catholic church was erected in 1902, at a cost, including decorations and furnishings of $18,000. It was 48 x 98 feet and built of brick, with a spire 125 feet high.