History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

History of Anatomy Laws in Illinois 383a mill on the Des Plaines River just below the town of Lockport; this millwas built in 1836 or 1837 and operates four run of stone." 30A search for more material concerning Dr. Daggett has been begun.Two days spent by the writer in Lockport and its vicinity in interviewswith old settlers of Will County— two of them between 80 and 90 yearsold—who knew him directly, have brought to light data and anecdoteswhich have stirred the wish to know more about him and which, it ishoped, will result in a more satisfactory account to be published later.In the present chapter we will come back to Dr. Daggett in connection withlegislation sponsored by him as state senator.As early as 1832 the question of removing the state capital of Illinoisfarther north began to agitate the General Assembly. The citizens ofVandalia made a valiant effort to check this movement by building on theirown initiative and at their own expense a capitol and donating it to theState. However, the more central position of Springfield and the irresistiblemethods of the delegation from Sangamon County to the General Assembly,known as the 'Long Nine'—being much taller than the average of humanstature (Archer G. Herdon and John Fletcher, in the Senate, andAbraham Lincoln, Ninian W. Edwards, John Dawson, Andrew McCormick,William F. Elkin and Robert L. Wilson, in the House)—withLincoln at their head prevailed and Springfield became the statecapitalin 1837. That the legislature had grown tired of the preponderance ofvenison, wild turkey, wild duck and other game meats supplied them atVandalia, may have been a contributing reason for the removal of theState capitol to Springfield "where they could get more pork and beef!"Another reason given was that the Kaskaskia River bottoms around Vandaliawere too unhealthy, just as malaria had been the bane of the firstcapital at Kaskaskia. Soon after the legislature adjourned at Vandalia inMarch, 1837, a public festival was held to honor the new legislature becauseof the selection of Springfield for the site of the new capitol, at which toastswere made by Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Judge Caton of Ottawareferring to this celebration in his speech at the laying of the cornerstoneof the present capitol at Springfield in 1868 said "a tradition stilllingers here that something stronger than water was used in drinking thetoasts on that occasion, as there was not a man to be found after the festivalthat could tell who made the last speech."The citizens of Fayette County and its county seat, Vandalia, were re-30Daggett married Angelina Talcott, of New York, a sister of Edward B. Talcott, oneof the engineers who surveyed and laid out the Illinois and Michigan Canal. She diedin 1844, without issue. In 1846 he married Cleora M. Parsons, who bore him five children.One of the daughters became the wife of Hugo von Boehme, city surveyor andarchitect of Joliet.