Pgs 412-686 - Illinois Ancestors

WEST JERSEY TOWNSHIP. 679
school ; J. L. Jamaghan mas the first supervisor in '53 ; Rev. 8. G.
Wright organized the first churcll in '51 ; the Swede Methoclist church
was built in '54 ; the Methodist Episcopal, Free ikIetlioclist church, Mormon
cllurcll, and Seconcl Aclventists all follometl.
P/iolc.ee~ dfeizoi.ie~.-West Jersey torvnship, or Prairie cle Fan, owes
its name to the k~t~ncy of Xem Jersey settlers, who c:L~ne after the organization
of the county ant1 settled around the village of tl~xt name. So
late as 1550 it mas allnost an nnhrolten prairie from Ecl \varcl Triclrle's,
on tlie east, to Washington Tri~lile's, on the \vest. In IS35 Jacob B.
Smi tl~, the first act~~nl settler, came to Fult on corm ty f roln Ashland
county, O., ;~ntl in the spring of 1536 settled on the soothe;~st quarter
of section thirty-five, \vI~ere 1le put up a log cabin. George Ecliley
CrLnie fro111 Se~leca, COIIII~~\-, 0.. the same year to Fnlton. aildl with hls
fmuily--Mrs. Ecltl ey, r,tii, ~ &r~e, ~anie'l, Joll n ancl ~@er~--movecl
into west Jersev in 1536. :mtl settled on section thirtv-SIX. Though
Smith was tlledfirst settler, tlie Ec1;leys \\.ere the first improveys.
Later, in I8 36, Philip Ice11 er, Jacoh (~fi~~bu~g, Michael Jones, John
Brown, Wasllington :~ncl Stelhen Trickle, Ephrw,im 13amett ancl the
Widow Donn c;nne in. Ea1.1~ in IS37 cmzie Jollll Pratz, Newton
Matthems, Neheu1i;1~11 Wy Boff &tl Wnl. Webster, while just near the
line the Rigeu falllily ma.tle their home.
At this t1111e the women 1vor11d become entanglet1 in the weed known
as the tievil's darning,-needle, ~vllenever they ventured out, or if escaping
this, llatl to fly kro111 the snakes, which were found everywhere.
Tlie men had thei;n~illin~ done at Ellisville, Bernadotte or Peoria for
some time, and there, also, was their ~uarlieting done. Twenty-five
cents a bushel was the price of tlle best wheat, ~vllile calico sold for
tlhirt\~-t:igllt cents pera pard. To escape the trials of going to mill, the
oltl iorn-mortar was b;aonght into use. In 1830 Daniel Prince erected
21, log mill, 14x16 feet, at Slacli~vater, with a capacity of five bushels
cracked corn per tlieln. Later, a. clistillerv ~vas connectecl with this
concern. Some Spoon ~irev men, enraged at the poor q~~ality of the
wl~isky produced, a, tti~clted the cli st i ller y part of the bnild ing one night,
arltl ~ uan t end to the enterprise of prince in this direction. The Barnett*,'
Jones nllcl Trickle mill, 011 W;dnnt creek, i~egun in 1838, was
completetl in 1S3!). 1Ii~l'\rb~ Bi~rnett he\\-ed the timbers ; his brother
Ephl-aim, Micllael Jones and Stel~hen Tricl~le helped to erect it.
Stephen Trickle becal11e o n7ner of this concern, ~vl~ich in later gears
was lcnomn RS " Round's hIill." In lS3S-9 Stanton's mill, at
Rochester, was erected ant1 entei-etl into fair competition with " Trickle's
mill," doing :~\\~a,y forever ~ritll the prospect of long jou~neys, delays,
etc., attending the olcl-time going to mill.'' Tile first ~'eo.~&r baa in
'\Vest, Jersey was :~t Josepll Palmer's, on ~ ~ ; ~ l n4, 1838. r w ~ l ~
Pal~ner contractetl to give rlinnel- to twenty-one couples for forty-two
tlollars, proriclecl tl~a~t n urn l~er presentetl themsel yes. Forty-six persons
were present. Ca,leh Sort11 tleliveretl tlle oration. Wm. Mason,
then residing near Toulou, ~rils the orcllestra, for which he was paid
nine tlollars, " the first illonev," says G. il. Cliffortl, " he ever took in
for mnsic."
The first school in the townshi11 was taught by Miss Colunibia Ann