MANITO TOWNSHIP CHAPTER XXX Page 294 The township of Manito is situated in the northeastern part of Mason county and comprises about forty-five sections. It is somewhat irregular in shape, being eight miles along its northern boundary by nine miles north and south along its eastern line; the extreme west line is four miles from north to south. With the exception of two or three small groves in the north and northwestern portions of the township, the entire township is a vast, level prairie. The central, eastern and southeastern portions are flat, but susceptible of drainage. When the first settlers came, much of this county was set down as swamp lands, but this, by artificial drainage, has been converted into the most productive farms in her limits; and where once wild geese and ducks in countless numbers swam lazily or floated calmly undisturbed upon the stagnant water, may now be seen finely cultivated farms teeming with the golden harvest. The soil is a deep black loam, mixed with sand, but is exceptionally fertile and productive. Indeed, such a vast amount of corn, wheat and oats are produced in Manito township that it is justly called Egypt. Water is easily obtained by drive wells in any part of the township and when a well is once made an inexhaustible supply of water is obtained for all time, and the farmer has only to erect a wind mill over the well to have a running stream that will water his herds and flocks with pure and fresh water the year round. The northwestern part of the township is more broken and the soil is lighter, but produces well. The soil can stand drought or wet weather longer than Egypt of old. Manito township is thus bounded: It lies north of Forest City, east of Quiver and south and west of Tazewell. Black Oak Grove in the northeast, Coon Grove in the center and Long Point in the west comprise the timber to be found in Manito. Walnut Grove is a small piece of timber west of Manito. As was the case in other parts of the county, the first settlements were made in the timber. No matter how unproductive the land along the timber belt, nor how rich the prairie might be, the early pioneer built his cabin and began to clear out a farm in the brush, leaving to his successor the fine prairie lands to improve. The first settler was one William Herron, who settled in 1838, east of the village of Manito. He had come from Ohio to Mackinaw and then to Mason county and settled in Black Oak Grove. His sister kept house for him. He died and was buried on his farm. Few, if any, of the present generation can point out his grave. At or near this time came Stephen W. Porter with his wife and settled in the corporate limits of Manito near the edge of the pond. Porter was a nephew of Herron's and also came from Mackinaw. A man by the name of Ray settled between Coon Grove and Long Point, on the farm now owned by W.H. Cogdel. In 1840 he built a cabin, which was the third permanent settlement in the township. Soon after he came he planted some apple seeds. Some of the apple trees are still standing near the railroad. After a few years' residence he sold out to Cogdel and started back to New York but died on the way. Labor was very low and money scarce and a man could hire his rails made for twenty-five cents per hundred and take his pay in meat at twelve and a half cents a pound. Among the settlers who came as early as 1845 were Abel Maloney, Layton Rice, George Baxter, John Davis, King Hibbard, James Green, Thomas Landreth, Zeno Ashmore, William Mayes, Douglas Ossborn and Wesley Brisborn. Maloney came from Virginia and first settle in Menard county in 1838. Coming to Manito in 1841, he settled near the Union Station. We was in poor circumstances when he came, but accumulated means rapidly and was considered wealthy at the time of his death, which occurred in 1849. Rice came from Kentucky and first settled in Menard county, but came to Coon Grove in 1842. George Baxter was from Kentucky, but settled in Long Point as early as 1842. He was somewhat noted among the early settlers for his matrimonial taste, as his wife had some African blood in her veins. He had come to Illinois that he might enjoy connubial bliss unmolested, but it seemed that the people were against him and he was entered out by Robert Green. He next located near Simmond's Mill, finally moving west, and no more was heard of him. Davis settled on the Randolph farm. He was remembered among the pioneers as the man who was never seen wearing a glove or a mitten, no matter how cold it was, he was always bare handed. Hibbard came from Mackinaw and settled in the north part of Black Oak Grove. In a few years he sold out and bought three yoke of oxen from Thomas Landreth and started for Oregon, but was never heard of afterwards. James Green came from Menard county, but in a few years moved back. About the same time Zeno and Calvin Ashmore came from Indiana. Calvin was known as Jehinky. They were a shiftless set. Thomas Landreth came from Virginia and settled at Mackinaw as early as 1825. In 1844 he came to Coon Grove and bought the claim of Layton Rice. Landreth became a permanent settler. When he came he had a family of six children. He was twice married and was the father of twenty-two children. William Mayes and Douglas Ossborn were from Kentucky, the Brisborns from Mackinaw. Mayes was known by the name of "Ham Legs." He was so called on account of being very bow-legged. While this portion of the county did not increase in population very rapidly until some years later, still there was a steady growth. As early as 1850 we can add to the names already given James Overton, Amos Ganson, William and Nult Green and Col. Robert Moore. Jacobs was from New York, Overton from Kentucky. Amos Ganson settled in Egypt and opened up a blacksmith shop. Col. Moore was from Kentucky. His parents settled in Menard county. He was a soldier in the Mexican War. He located his land warrant in Manito township, becoming a resident in 1849. He helped to build up the village of Spring Lake. He built a warehouse and engaged in the grain business as early as 1852. John Pemberton (called Uncle Jacky), Emery Hall, Matthew Langston, James M. Langston, M.W. Rogers, James K. Cox, Riley Morris and John O. Randolph were citizens of Manito township as early as 1851; the rest all came in 1850. The Langstons came from Tennessee to Morgan county, and Rogers was from Kentucky. The Langstons and Rogers purchased improvements from James McCoy. Joseph Luse settled in the neighborhood and after living there fifteen years returned to England. James K. Cox was a native of Virginia. When the settlers first came, the prairie stretching back east from the river was a grand, imposing scene as far as the eye could reach. The tall, blue stemmed prairie grass was waving like the boundless sea, and this, with myriads of flowers of all colors and hues, awakened feelings of admiration, which the finest landscape failed to inspire. Many of the flowers planted by Nature's God far surpassed in beauty those of rarest culture of today. Every fall the whole face of the country was swept by fire, the flames of which would sweep high up in the heavens, then descend, reaching a hundred feet ahead. None but those who have seen our prairie fires of thirty years ago can comprehend their grandeur. At the date of the early settlement, game of all kinds was plentiful. It was not uncommon to see herds of deer in drove of from seventy-five to one hundred and their course was plainly marked by the parting of the tall grass. Oft times they would come within gunshot reach of the pioneer's cabin; oft times they would destroy the settlers' garden in one night. Wild geese, ducks and cranes were in abundance and annoyed the pioneer by destroying his crops. The wolf and the fox came in for their share by robbing hen roosts, pig sties and sheep cotes. When Abel Maloney first came, he brought his two oldest boys, William and John, and some little stock. After building his cabin he returned to Menard county for his wife and the rest of the family, leaving the boys to take care of the house and look after the stock. William thus relates the experience: "After my father left us, a rain set in which so raised the Sangamon and Salt Creek that he could not return for four weeks. At night the boys would take the geese and ducks and chickens, with the dogs into the cabin and lock the doors. As soon as twilight appeared, the wolves began their nightly orgies, and between the squealing of the hogs and the howling of the wolves night was rendered hideous. Indeed, they sometimes feared that from the vigor with which the wolves scratched at the door, they might effect an entrance and make mince meat of their bodies. When Abel Maloney returned home, not a hog was left. The old folks were welcomed heartily on their return." Coon Grove derived its name from the vast number of coons found there in the early days. The woods were full of them. Many of the trees were hollow and had Indian ladders beside them, saplings with the limbs cut off some distance from the body, and holes chopped into the trees, evidently the work of the Indians in attempts to catch the coon. Mr. Maloney states that at certain seasons of the year they would go out into the fields and drive them out like sheep, so destructive were they to their crops. The pioneers by no means lived a life of luxury. Homes were to be provided, farms were to be made and farm implements provided for the successful cultivation. Money was scarce, for they were men of limited means who had left their homes to try their fortunes in a new country. Their milling was done twenty miles away; their trading was done in Pekin, Mackinaw, Delavan and Havana. At these points they sold their produce and bought their dry goods and groceries. In times of high water they would take their grist to Spring Lake by ox teams and then by skiff to Utica, rowing a distance of from eight to ten miles. If a plow needed repairing it must be taken to Pekin, Mackinaw or Havana. It took all summer to raise a crop and all winter to deliver it. An unfailing indication that the Sabbath day had come was to see the women equipped with fishing tackle and the men with guns, all parties headed for Spring Lake. Here the day was passed in pleasure seeking and merry making. Sometimes the men would stake off a race course and indulge in foot racing. We are by no means to conclude that they were savage in their disposition, for no one was more hospitable to a stranger in need than were the early settlers in Manito. It was simply their way of enjoying themselves. Fighting and quarreling were almost unknown among them and if friendly fist cuffs sometimes occurred they generally quit good friends. They did not neglect the education of their children, so we find them at an early day building schoolhouses and maintaining schools by subscriptions. The first schoolhouse in the township was at Coon Grove near Samuel Starrett's. The house has a log cabin sixteen feet square and had a window of three lights. It may have been a little dark on cloudy days, but was well adapted for its purpose. It was covered with clapboards, and the drops of rain came down inside as well as outside. Stephen W. Porter was the first teacher. The second schoolhouse was a hewn log house built within the present limits of Manito. Miss Adeline Broderick and Mrs. Rachel Ott were among the first teachers. The first postoffice in Manito township was kept by Col. R.S. Moore at his residence on the Peter Gay farm. This was established in 1857, in the route from Havana to Delavan. It was called Pilot Hill, being named after a big hill nearby. A year of so later it was farther south at the residence of John Pemberton. At a still later date it was taken to Berkdresser's store at Egypt Station, and finally, when the railroad station was moved to Manito, the name of Manito was given to the office. The Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian Churches came with the first settler. Rev. William Colvell, a Methodist preacher, was probably the first. He was an Englishman and lived in the east end of Tight Row. He preached at Bro. Paul's at Spring Lake and at the end of his meetings he took a vote whether they wanted any more meetings or not. Colvell was a local preacher and Bro. Paul voted to have meetings, saying that he was in favor of meetings, "if it was not quite so good." In 1853, Peter Cartwright held a campmeeting at Walnut Grove, when many people were converted. Dr. John Allen, who resided near McHarry's Mill, was the first doctor that practiced medicine in the township. Dr. Mostiler came next. He studied under Allen. The first resident practitioner was Dr. J.B. Meggs who came from Macoupin county. Richard L. Porter was the first child born in the township. The first death was that of Wm. Herron. The first wedding was that of Alexander Grove and Polly Ashmore. Among the citizens who have been honored are John Pemberton and Matthew Langston. Uncle Jacky was chosen associate justice of the county in 1849. He was chosen to represent the county in the lower house at an early day. It is said that Uncle Jacky was a great man to electioneer and sometimes would get over in Tazewell to get votes. A vote was taken for and against township organization in 1861, the vote for adoption being carried. The Hon. Lyman Lacy, of Havana, Major Gatton, of Bath, and Matthew Langston, of Manito, were chosen commissioners to divide the county in townships, and Matthew Langston was the supervisor for three terms in succession. In 1865 he was elected to the office of county judge, but resigned at the close of two years. In 1871 he was elected to the legislature, and then engaged in merchandising in Manito.

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