BATH TOWNSHIP CHAPTER XXVI Page 267 This township is in the southwest part of the county. It is twelve miles long by six miles wide. It is bounded on the north by Havana township; on the west by Lynchburg; on the south by Sangamon river; on the east by Kilbourne township. The soil is like most of Mason county; of a sandy nature, but is exceedingly fertile, producing corn, wheat and oats in great abundance. It is also well fitted to raise sweet potatoes and water melons in great quantities. About the time of settlement about one-third of the township was timber land; the rest was rolling prairie well watered by a string of lakes. The main branch of the Illinois river but where it is narrower, diverges from the broader two miles north of the village of Bath, forming an island west of the villages, some six sections in extent, called Grand Island, containing several farms and residences. The first dwelling reared by white men in the present town of Bath was built by John Stewart and John Gilespie in 1828. Gilespie built on the old site of Moscow and Stewart on Snicarte Island. They were from Tennessee and though they were first settlers, did not remain long but removed to Schuyler county. Gilespie left his claim and Stewart sold out to Amos Rohandson, and he sold to John Knight, who entered the land. This was the first land entered in Bath township. Knight was from the east and settled here in 1829 and 1830. In a few years he moved to Fulton county. Henry Sheppard was the first settler in the north part of the township, locating where the village of Matanzas afterward stood. He was from Pennsylvania and is acknowledged to have been the first settler in that neighborhood. He entered his land in 1832. It is related of him that he never would allow a plow in his corn, but cultivated it with his hoe, a mode of farming that would now be considered peculiar. The following additions came from Kentucky: Joseph A. Phelps, T.S.D. Marshall, Col. A. West, Dr. O'Neal, Major Gatton, Richard Gatton, John S. Wilborn, C.P. Richardson, Rev. John A. Daniels, James Holland, T.F. Samuel, Laban and Richard Blunt, William H. Nelms, John G. and C. Conover, Samuel Pettit and others. Joseph A. Phelps settled in the township in 1840, but shortly moved into the village of Bath. He was the first circuit clerk of Mason county, and was probate judge. Col. West came to the state in 1828, and settled near Virginia, and in 1844 came to Bath township and finally moved to Kansas. After the county seat was moved to Bath, and before a court house was built, the circuit court was held at his residence. He was one of the early settlers of Bath. He acquired the title of colonel by serving in the Winnebago war. Dr. O'Neal was a son-in-law of Col. West. He came from Virginia and settled her in 1843, and finally moved to Kilbourne township. Major Gatton came to the state with his father in 1824 and settled in Cass county when he was sixteen years old. In 1831 he located in Beardstown, and moved to Bath in 1841, soon after the formation of the county. When Major Gatton settled in Bath, there was but one little pole cabin, besides his own residence. His brother, R.P. Gatton, had come before him to superintend the building, that it might be ready for his brother's family. It was a hewn log house and was the second building in Bath. R.P. Gatton lived in Bath until his death in 1873. Major Gatton engaged in the grain business and was one of the solid men of Bath. John F. Wilborn first settled in Beardstown, but moved to Bath in 1843. He was circuit clerk and postmaster in Bath. He then moved to Havana, afterwards to his farm three miles east of Mason City. Charles P. Richardson is one of the oldest inhabitants of Bath township, having settled there in 1836. He first settled on Grand Island for ten or twelve years, then moved into the village. He came to the state in 1819, the next year after it was admitted into the union, but did not settle in this part of the state till 1836. He was one of the chain carriers to Abraham Lincoln when he surveyed the village of Bath. While engaged in the work, the surveyors made their home with Mr. Richardson, who with Kentucky hospitality, refused all offers of remuneration but Honest Old Abe determined to compensate him for the trouble the surveyors had caused him and surveyed his land free of charge. Rev. John A. Daniels was born in Virginia. He came to Illinois in 1835 and settled in Cass county, and in 1845 moved in the township. He was one of the pioneer preachers of the Baptist denomination and could quote more scripture in one of his sermons than half a dozen young preachers of the present day. James Holland, his father-in-law, came to the county with him. The Blunts came next in the "thirties." Thomas F. and Laban came first. Thomas was a zealous member of the Baptist Church, and by his own aid built a schoolhouse, to be used also for church purposes and provided a teacher for the next winter. He also owned the first threshing machine and reaper in the county. A few years later Richard Blunt, or as he was more familiarly known as Dick Blunt, came to country. He was an original man and could always get ahead of any man he talked with. His description of the great hail storm in 1848, when he described the hail as big as saucers and four inches through, has never been equaled. William Nelms came to Bath in 1842. He and Major Gatton had the first store. Mr. Nelms was one of the proprietors of Bath. The Conovers came to the township in 1841 and settled within a mile of Bath. There were three brothers, Combs, William and John G. From Tennessee came Joseph Adkins, Joseph Wallace, Thomas Bruce, Nelson Ashurst, John Johnson, Matthew Wiley, Patrick Campbell and his son, George W. Campbell. The Campbells were also among the early settlers. George Campbell came to Bath as early as 1838, when but seventeen years old. His father came as early as 1840. He was a lawyer of some ability and an orator of the spread eagle style. We heard him introduce Stephen A. Douglas in Havana in 1858, when he made the old eagle ashamed of itself. He served the country at the bar in the legislative hall and on the tented field. The Dews settled in 1842. There were four brothers: Joseph, Wallace, William and James. The Bruces came in 1846. Joseph came in 1840 and lived there until his death in 1878. Nelson R. Ashurst located in 1839. He died of cholera. Two sons survived him, one of whom is the originator of the Ashurst Press Drill, which is manufactured in Havana today, and which has had a great sale throughout the west. John Johnson settled just east of the town of Bath in 1837, and then moved to Lynchburg. Matthew Wiley was among the early settlers. The old man settled in the Stewart house, which is mentioned as being one of the first houses built in the township. William Banter, a North Carolinian, came to Illinois in 1840, and to Bath in the same year. When the county seat was located at Bath, Mr. Banter put the roof on it. The three Morrow brothers settled in Bath in 1838. They were from North Carolina and were much respected. Thomas Hubbard, a son-in-law of Morrow's, settled in the south part of the township. He was from Green county. George A. Barney came from New York in 1833 and settled in Cass county. His grandfather commanded a company at Springfield, Mass., in an engagement during the Whisky Insurrection. After coming to Illinois, he was licensed to preach, and joined the conference. He afterwards moved to Missouri but did not remain long on account of poor health. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits. He built a large warehouse on Snicarte Slough, which ran through his farm, but this was burned down by incendiaries. Isaac Vail was a native of Ohio, and sprung from a solid old Buckeye family. He came to Illinois in 1843, locating in Vermont, Fulton county, and in 1845 came to Bath township. He was one of Bath's most energetic merchants, and to him Bath owes much of its prosperity. He retired at the age of four score years. Warren Heberling married one of Vail's daughters. Smith Turner came in 1838 and settled in the south part of the township. He was a lawyer of ability. His wife was a daughter of Drury S. Field. Smith Turner was at one time probate judge. He moved to Missouri during the Civil War. V.B. Holmes settled in the vicinity of Matanzas. He was from Old Virginia. He entered twelve thousand acres of land for Field. He is remembered as a man of many peculiarities. He moved to Tazewell and died there. He bought land near Matanzas from John H. Shulte. Joseph F. Benner was from Ohio. He assisted in building the court house at Bath. Samuel Graggs came from England. His wife was a sister of Smith Turner. The Bells, four brothers, were among the early settlers. All four brothers married sisters in the Morrow family. William and Daniel were preachers in the Cumberland Church. John P. Hudson was a live Yankee. He settled in Matanzas and run a small mill, whose motive power was an incline wheel forty feet in diameter. A couple of oxen would climb the wheel, but never could get to the top. We used to ride astride a sack of corn to this mill. J.P. Hudson claims to have introduced the McCormick reaper, and sold one to William Arnsworth in Lynchburg township. The Clodfelters settled in Bath township in 1840. They came from Morgan county and the family consisted of Jacob Clodfelter, Sr., and two sons, Jacob and Michael. Old man Clodfelter moved to Kansas, where he died. Kean Mahony was an Irishman from the Old Sod. He laid out an addition to Bath, known as Mahony's addition. He went to California in 1853 and never returned. The Beasley family came from New Jersey. The located in Bath in 1845 and were in the merchandise business for several years. Drury S. Field came some time in the "thirties" and settled on what is known as Field's Prairie. He was a man of wealth and entered a fine lot of land. A.E. Field, his son, was a doctor, also a man of intellect. Mr. Field raised a large family, most of whom are dead. They settled in that part of Bath township that was taken off to form Kilbourne township. Edward Field, father of Drury S. Field, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Stokes Edwards was among the pioneers and settled on the line of Kilbourne township. John A. Martin came from the sands of New Jersey in 1846. He first settled in Mason county, but came to Bath, where he resided until his death. Thomas Howard was a brother-in-law of T.S.D. Marshall. Thomas Hardesty came from Peoria, but was originally from Kentucky, and used to tell many stories about things that happened in his native state. John B. Renshaw came in 1845, and was one of the first blacksmiths in the township. S.S. Rochester came from Green county somewhere in the "forties." Gen. J.M. Ruggles came to the state in 1833. He came to the county in 1844 but did not locate until in 1846. He settled in Bath and commenced a mercantile business with Major Gatton. He was elected to the state senate in the district composed of Sangamon, Menard and Mason counties. Abraham Lincoln was a member of the lower house. In 1854 he was appointed on a committee with Lincoln and Ebenezer Peck to draft a platform and resolutions for the new party then forming. The other members of the committee being busy, the duty of drawing up the platform devolved upon Ruggles, who drew up the first platform of the Republican party. In 1861 Governor Yates appointed him quartermaster of the First Illinois Cavalry. He was soon promoted major. He remained in the regiment until mustered out in 1864. In all positions held by Gen. Ruggles whether civil or military, his duty was discharged with faithful fidelity. Gen. Ruggles died in March, 1901 at Havana, where he had lived many years. He owned a large lot of land near Kilbourne. Franklin Ruggles, a brother of Gen. Ruggles, came to Bath in 1851, and took an interest in a flour mill then being built by Gatton and Ruggles. A saw mill was also built, which was operated by the same power and did a large business under the superintendence of Franklin Ruggles. He died in 1855, leaving two sons, John and James. John was killed in the battle of Shilo. I.N. Mitchell was a native born Sucker. His parents were among the pioneers of Morgan county. When he was seventeen years old, the family moved to Field's Prairie, where he worked on a farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He then located in Bath. In 1867 he was elected county treasurer; in 1869 he was chosen county clerk. He held various other offices, in all of which he gave satisfaction. After living in Havana for several decades, he died two years ago. Daniel R. Davis and Benjamin Sisson were from New England. Davis was one of the first settlers on the prairie east of Bath. He was an old sailor and had been all over the world. In a fight at Bath he was struck with a weight and died from the effects. Leslie and George Lacy came in 1842. Hugh McCleary was a jolly Irishman, and many of the early jokes recorded in early times are traced to him. One beautiful Sunday morning he slipped out with his gun, when someone asked him where he was going. He replied that he had an appointment to meet Mr. Holland and Mr. Lefever, two very strict church members, down by the river to go hunting with them and he was afraid he would be late. Dr. Caloway was an early settler of Bath, and had a successful practice for several years. John R. Teney was an old resident of Bath. James M. Robinson came in 1852, and was the first police magistrate. The following citizens, mostly of German descent, settled in the township: G.H. Kramer, J.H. and Detrich Strube, Peter Luly, Adolph Krebaum and John Havinghorst. Adolph Krebaum was elected circuit clerk in 1845, and moved to Bath in the same year. He remained there until 1851, when the county seat was moved back to Havana. Peter Luly was a business man in Bath for a number of years, but moved to Peoria. John H. Horseman came in 1836. He was a blacksmith by trade. Havinghorst was among the early settlers of Bath, but afterwards kept store in Matanzas. When the first pioneers settled in Bath township, it was not the highly cultivated farming district that it is now. Wild prairie, timber land, marshes and sloughs then, are now fine improved farms. The timber has been cleared off, prairies turned upside down and marshes drained, and much land supposed to be worthless is now reckoned the best in the township. In place of the elegant country residences there was a cabin of Black Jack poles. Wolves were plentiful then, with an occasional panther. The present generation know but little of what their fathers had to undergo. In early days people had to go to mill at Duncan's on Spoon river, in Fulton county, or Simmon's mill on Quiver, which was the more convenient, as it saved ferriage. A few years after McHarry built his mill, which supplied the county till the Bath mill was built. The first school was taught by Miss Berry, who became the wife of T.S.D. Marshall. The first death was that of Louis Van Court, an old hunter. He was a bachelor and lived around. He owned a gun, an axe and a fiddle. Hiram Blunt is supposed to have been the first born, contesting that honor with Gus Krebaum. Rev. Shunk was the first minister. He preached in Gatton's house before there was any other place. Another of the early preachers was the Rev. John M. Daniels, who used more quotations from the bible than a half dozen preachers of the present day. Rev. George A. Barney was another of the early Methodist preachers. Bath township has always been Democratic, and in the time of the late war furnished her full quota without any draft.

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