Pgs 412-686 - Illinois Ancestors

EL~IIRA TOWNSHIP. 505
the bluff " just below the present town of Northampton in Peoria
county, and a man by the name of EIicks was postmaster. In 1533 a
post-office was established in the Essex settlement, ancl Isaac B. Essex
was appointed the first postnlaster within the present limits of Stark
cot1nt.y. Tlle ~llail TY~S carriecl on the volunteer system, the settlers
taking turns a't carryi~lg it once a week fro111 the office under the
11luff. It was ns~mlly carried in a illeal bag, ancl coalcl have been
in the crown of il man's hut. Lb Galena Miner" (as 311.. Harris Miner
\vas often called) gene~.ally carriecl it on foot. The office at this time
was an old boot box, set np 011 pins clriven into the wall, high and clrv,
ant1 above tlie reach of' clziltlren in the cabin of air. Essex. In 1333
only turo newspapers were taken in the connty, one by Mr. Essex ancl
the other by Benj. Smith. At tlris date two weel;s were required to
e
wet a paper from Slwingfield, ;tncl a ptopurtionately longer time to get
Intelligence frboin lTT;ish~ngton. This ofice was transfewecl to Wyoming,
where Goclley was appo~ntu'l master. The conling of the railroacl
brought wit11 it the vi1l:tge of Duncan, and with the village laturned
the post-ofice.
ChzsrcA,es.-The early history of hlethoclisnl in this tomnship, lilce
that of its first settle~pent is very fnlly tre;i.tecl in the general history
and fincls inention in the slietclles of tht! Wyu~ning and Toulon churches.
Its establishikzent is contempor,zi=y \vitll the settlenzent of the Essex
family here in 1599, althongh a class was not regularly organizecl until
1835. Itcv. Wm. C'. Cuolm~ngts writes: '(In 1535 I mas appointed by
Bishop Roberts from the Illinois conference of the 31. E. church to
(wlint was then) I'eori:~, mission. It estencled over a large territory -
nearly all en1lor:~cetl now in Peoria, :~nd Kewanee districts, being pparts
of the following nametl counties, viz : Peoria, Fulton, Knox, St,nrB ancl
arslall I lweachecl at Father Fl-alier's, whose name is of precious
lnemory in the churcl.les, and rode from there over the ground where
Toulon and 1,afayette no\v stand, though they probably hacl not then
been thougl~t of. Not fat* fro11 the present site of Tbulon lived Adam
Perry: whonl I rtp1,ointecl class leacler of a sin;~11 society in the Esses
settlement, ant1 where we helcl a quarterlv meeting in 1535, at ~vhich
W. B. Mack ant1 Ste1,llen 1:. 1Segg-s were iresent. The circuit preacliers
n7ho attended here froin 1530 to 1539 are na,inecl as follows : S. R.
Beggs, 1830 ; Itev. Wnl. Crissay, 1831 ; Zatloc Hall, IS38 ; Joel Arlin0.-
ton. 1833 ; Leancler S. Wall;er, 1 ; T. W. Dunsh;~y, 1836 ; W. 6.
Cuminings, 1535-1; '1. E. E'helps, 1837 ; S. R. Eeggs, 1839. Since Mr.
13eggs' last term, the history of Methoclisin in Essex is that of Tou-
1011 or Wyolnilig.
In church affairs, the Methoclists \Irere first on the fielcl, but were
soon follo~~~ed by the Latter Day Saillts, who n~ude sonw converts here,
and, it is said, lecl some inem bers of the Esses family and others equally
prominelit, arvay from their allegiance to Mutlrotlism.
Unitecl Brethren Churcl~, of Esses township, or Pleasant Valley
Church was regularly o~ga.nizecl in 1867, ant1 the present house of ~vorship
erected that year. The pasto~,s I~T-e been : lScii, B. C. Dennis;
*Fxsom RIw. Shallenhergcr's Work.
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