Elijah Wallace came from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1838, and bought the claim of Anthony Sells, near Empire. He went back in the autumn of the same year, and brought on his family, coming from Cumberland county with carriage and horses to Pittsburgh, and thence by water by the way of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois rivers, to Beardstown, Illinois, when cold weather setting in, he came across the country in the carriage one hundred and fifty miles to Sterling, crossing Rock river on the ice, November 10, 1838. Mr. Moore, and his daughter Rebecca, now Mrs. George H. Wells, came with them. Mr. Moore died the next summer with intermittent fever, a disease peculiar to the climate at that time. Mr. Wallace was a farmer, and had a thorough business education. He improved a large farm, and planted upon it one of the finest orchards in the county. He died a number of years ago at the old homestead.
Bent-Wilson History of Whiteside County 1877
Todays modern farmers in Whiteside County play a number of roles in their important contribution to "feeding the nation" and among them are basic agriculturalist, businessman, marketer and others. Those necessary roles are not new, but by name only and the modern farm today is a mere reflection of efforts by early settlers who migrated to this county to till the fertile soil and they were to be the forerunners of the complex farm business of today.
Among the early settlers who came to Whiteside county with the intent to farm was Elijah Wallace who settled in the county prior to 1840. While many of the early settlers and frontier people migrated westward and engaged in a "short-span" type of farming, they were to continue to move on to "greener fields."
Elijah Wallace was one of the true farmers who came with the intent to stay where he settled. It was this type of permanent farmer who bought and laid out the land, built the saw mills for the lumber for their home and farm buildings, who cleared the land, erected mills and plowed and sowed and cultivated the fields and remained on the land with plans to enlarge and better the farm occupation as the times went by. It was this type of early settler who reared the families and then provided the schools to educate them and the churches for their individual worship services. In 1838 Elijah Wallace was enroute to Whiteside County from his native PA. His wife, Elizabeth and their first child remained in PA.
Elijah Wallace was a young man when he opened his 400 acre farm in Empire, now Emerson. He selected the site by Elkhorn and Spring Creeks which included a woodland and meadow and was known at one time as one "of the most romantic inland spots in Whiteside County." One of the earlier county farmers, Wallace had been born near Shippensburg, Cumberland County PA in April of 1808. He was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He married Elizabeth Cassatt Armstrong of Hunterstown, Ada County PA on Oct. 16, 1833 and five years later they were moving to be among the first Whiteside Settlers. Elijah left in the spring of 1838 taking with him the household goods, and he returned in the fall for his wife and small son.
A letter dated May 12, 1838 written by Elijah to his wife described the conditions and some hardships of travel at that particular time. He apparently traveled via canals through PA.
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Saturday May 12, 1838 I would have written sooner if I had known the name of the boat. Our goods left Harrisburg for Pittsburg on Tuesday at 75 cts per 100 lbs, on Wednesday we left in the fast packet and lay over at Hollowdaysburg until they arrived there and were loaded into the cars to cross the mountain, from that we got along pretty well until we came to the brake on the canal 13 miles east of Pittsburg. From there on Tuesday morning we were taken in on steamboat, our freight did not arrive til morning. We are now on the Tremont, Captain Loucus, with our freight at 59 cts per 100 lbs, can passage $16.00 to St. Louis I suppose you have read an account of the steamboat explosion at Cincinnati and may think it unsafe to go aboard of any boat whatever. I for my part do not feel so much afraid now as befoe the late accident because they will be more careful now than before. Our boat run by Capt Loucus is not celebrated for a fast moving boat but is for her slow and steady gate so there will be no danger of being blown up on account of her racing. I expect to have a pleasant journey down the river but would feel a good deal nearer home if you were along. E. Wallace |
On his return trip that fall to claim his family, Wallace left Cumberland County with horses and carriages to Pittsburg and then by water by way of Ohio, Missisippi and the Illinois River to Beardstorn, IL., when cold weather setting in, he was forced to come across county in the carriage some 150 miles to Sterling, crossing the Rock River on the ice on Nov. 19, 1838.
The Sells Brothers emigrated from Ohio in 1836 and Anthony Sell settled west of the Elkhorn Creek. Afterwards he sold his claim to Elijah Wallace for $1,500 cash. A saw mill was built by Elijah Wallace in the summer of 1838 on Spring Creek, just west of the present village of Emerson, and where the old Oak Grove Academy (Emerson School), was built. The Elijah Wallace farm of some 400 acres was finely situated along the clear wates of Spring Creek adn the Elkhorn and it was said to be one of the more picturesque sites in the county at that time.
Wallace built a log cabin where the family children were born with the exception of the youngest son, Robert. It was some years later the present day "Wallace Mansion" was built across the road from the log cabin site. The lumber used to construct the Wallace Mansion was from native trees felled and prepared at Wallace's saw mill. in return for the work on his home, Wallace gave the contractor some 80 acres of land to the north as part payment.
Wallace was an enthusiastic sportsman and the community abounded with game including deer, wild turkey, prairie chickens and other in addition to fish from the nearby streams. Wallace was very active in his family affairs as wella s civic affairs of that period. He was a township road commissioner in 1839 when road was surveyed (now ALternate US Rt. 30), laid out and platted. Wallace also was part of the group of men who laid out and platted the village of Empire (Emerson) on July 28, 1855.
Wallace and his wife were the parents of two daughters, Mary Cassatt Wallace and Nancy Ann Elizabeth Wallace and four sons, James Hamilton, George Lashels, David Middlecoff and Robert Galt Wallace.
Death claimed Elijah Wallace on Aug. 8, 1861 at the age of 53 years. His early departure left the entire area in mourning. It is believed his untimely death was partially caused by injuries he received after being attacked earlier by a bull at his farmyard. In an article in the Sterling Gazette in 1861, the writer W.W. Davis paid the following tribute to Mr. Wallace:
"The major will missed indeed. The seat on the hearth will be vacant now; the voice that wont to enliven the social circle and festive board will be heard no more; the familiar form and accustomed saluation will no longer greet the traveler by the wayside; the fond affections of the father, the faithful consideration of the friend, are all over now forever." He is gone, however, but not forgotten. Dead, he is not, but departed -
The Daily Gazette Bi-Centennial Edition 1 May 1976
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The Wallace Mansion |
