Crail Newspaper Series<font color=#00ff40></font>

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Crail Articles
Following is a history of Vermont, Illinois that appeared as a series in the newspaper, The Vermont Watchtower:
#1: Vol 2, Number 5, Feb. 22, 1860
#2: Feb. 29, 1860
#3: Mar. 14, 1860
#4: Mar. 28, 1860
#5: Apr. 11, 1860
The articles were photocopied from microfilm, I think, at a historical library in Springfield, Illinois. The state of Illinois has been liberal at loaning microfilms to out-of-state libraries through inter-library loans. Most of the articles were headlined as follows:
For the Watchtower. REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF VERMONT. ---- BY AN OLD SETTLER. ----
Here is the relation to the Crails mentioned in the articles: Nellie Marie Smith, daughter of Mary Frances Coburn & Thomas Jefferson Leabo, son of Josiah Leabo, Jr. & Mary Jane Crail (1839-1913), daughter of Jane Andrews & Joseph Crail (1814-1860), son of William Crail & Margaret Mayall. So, William Crail is the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Aaron and Aaron's first cousins (on Mom’s side). Joseph Crail died Feb. 24, 1860, two days after the publication date of the first article in the series. His daughter, Mary Jane, had just got married on Feb. 12. They had already moved away from Vermont to the area of what is now Lebo, Kansas. The United States census of 1840 showed the family of James Crail, Joseph's brother, and Joseph's family in Fulton County, Vermont's county. The 1850 census showed that both families were still there and listed Joseph's occupation as chair-maker and the value of his real estate at $1000. Joseph was a candidate for Constable in the Vermont district in 1843. I don't know if he was elected. James remained in Vermont and lived to be very old. James as a democrat was barely beat in an election by the prohibitionist party member. I typed the articles because it is difficult to read them from the copies. So much effort is spent trying to decipher the words when read from the copies that it's difficult to remember what was just read and to maintain the story line. I left in the mistakes, like misspelled words, and repeated words words. The italics were in the original. If I wasn't sure about some letters I enclosed them in brackets, for example, "th[is]." If there is text that is unreadable I put in number signs, for example, "where they ### out of the." If I put in notes, I put them in {}s. I didn't compare this word for word with the newspaper articles after I completed it. I find it hard to believe that an original settler could write in this style and use French or Latin or whatever now and then. Perhaps it was written by a journalist who was interviewing an old settler, or the next generation. I'm only guessing.

{The articles---}
REMINISCENCES ---

We commence this week the publication of a series of sketches of early life in and around our place. They are written by one of our citizens, who is in every respect competent to fill the public expectation on this particular. These sketches sill embrace historical facts and incidents, anecdotes, &c.---in short, "An Old Settler" proposes to "lift the curtain of the past," and show us what we have been. And although our little city does not posses a "historic renown," yet these sketches cannot fail to bring up something that will be interesting to the old as well as the new settler.###{a portion of the article seemed to be mistakenly left out}###file of the Watchtower for 1860, and there find a realization of all their anxious solicitations? And now, Mr. Editor, with this imperfect introductory, I will address myself to the task proposed. About the year 1830, this county, with several others of the Military Tract, began to be settled. A few settlements were made in the north part of the county, but not much in the South. Lewistown and Canton were located about this time, and some time after that, a Mill was built on Spoon River, where a flourishing little town sprung up, called for some time (I think) Fulton City, but afterwards changed to Bernadotte. This town was for a long time the most conspicuous place in the south part of the county. The people had to contend with many hardships and inconveniences, such as usually attend all new countries. And in addition to these, the Black Hawk war in 1832 gave the scattered and defenseless inhabitants much uneasiness, and retarded their improvements to a considerable extent. Fulton county furnished her quota of the volunteers, however, and in company with those of other counties, pursued the savages, fought several battles, and finally brought them to a peaceable settlement. At this time but few people lived in the immediate vicinity of where Vermont now stands. Table Grove, five miles to the north, was a noted point, and "Dean's settlement" in the "rich woods" about one mile south of Vermont, was also conspicuous and known for many miles around. Old man Dean is said to have been a rare old chap. Settled in the deep woods, with his children and grandchildren around him, he was in many respects quite patriarchial. All looked up to him; he was preacher, lawgiver, and general umpire in all difficulties which arose among his people. They lived a life of simplicity, hunted their game, cultivated their patches of corn, eat their venison and hominy, had their exciting religious meetings, varied sometimes with "music and dancing," and I presume were about as healthy and as happy as many who enjoy privileges greatly superior to their's. but as settlers began to gather around them, they sold out and went in search of a better country. In 1834, if I am rightly informed, Mr. William Crail came to this county with his family, consisting of his wife, two sons, James and Joseph, and two daughters. They entered the south-west quarter of section 29, 4N.1E, on a part of which the original town of Vermont now stands. The whole quarter was covered over with heavy timber, and no thought, at the time of purchase (I presume) entered any of their heads that a town would ever grow upon their land.
More anon.
NUMBER 2
The reader will remember that in a former article it was stated that in the year 1834, William Crail and his sons came to Fulton county and entered the land on which Vermont is situated, and the 80 acres east of it, now owned by Josiah Wilkinson and Amos Harvey.--- The old gentleman owned the east half of the quarter, while James and Joseph each owned a 40 of the west half---James the north and Joseph the south. In order to make these sketches plain, familiar and interesting, it will be necessary to say something about the early neighbors of the Messrs. Crail, and of their connection with the origin and growth of the town. Soon after the settlement of the Crail family, some of their relations followed them in search of a new home. James Hays, a brother-in-law of Wm. Crail, came and entered an 80 immediately north of Jas. Crail's 40, on which now stands recorded "Hays' Addition to Vermont." Also, James Bogle, another brother-in-law, came and bought land on the west, now occupied by Joab Mershon, Mrs. Merrick, Chas. Kirkpatrick, and others. It may be well to state that these persons all came from Kentucky, and were hardy pioneers, well calculated to settle a new country. Each built a log house, after the simplest manner of western settlers, cleared off some land, and settled down to make a quiet living. Mr. Crail was a wheelwright, and made many wheels for the early settlers to spin their flax and wool upon to make their own clothes, "homespun," but very durable. The other two (Hays and Bogle) were farmers. A few items further in reference these early settlers are worthy of being mentioned. These men, each with the wife of his youth, are all still living, after bringing up large families of children; and all must have passed their "three score years and ten." Mr. Boyle, some years since became wearied with the bustle and excitement of a growing town. I will do him the justice to say that he was one of Nature's noblemen, a man of an unusual amount of "common sense," quite philosophic in his meditations and reflections, though somewhat obstinate; and sometimes more theoretical than practical, but all who know him were willing to award to him that characteristic which is said to make a man the noblest work of God: an honest man. As intimated above he became fatigued with the fashion, folly and changing manners of the increasing population of the town. They were entirely too recherce for one so plain and unsophisticated in manners as he. He therefore sold out for a good price, and moved to Texas to spend his declining years in a more genial clime, where the rigors of a northern winter would not vent their force on a constitution already failing under hardships and the weight of years. The others of the trio are still with us. Mr. Crail, some years since, sold his farm for upwards of sixty dollars per acre, and bought a pleasant residence in the south part of town, where he and the old lady are quietly spending the evening of their days. The old gentleman is somewhat eccentric, and does not seem altogether as happy in his retiracy as one might suppose; he sometimes complains of being tired of this troublesome world, and wishes to be out of it, but his friends think that he is duly talking to see what his family and neighbors will say. Mr. Hays (or, "Uncle Jimmy," as he is familiarly called,) is still stirring around as lively as a boy, with hardly a grey hair upon his head. He is living in the north part of town, in the edge of a beautiful orchard which he reserved when he laid out his addition to Vermont. I must necessarily say a few words about another old settler, even at the risk of being considered prolix, as I will have to use his name in connection with the project of laying out and naming the town. Abram Williams is the person to whom I allude. At the time I write of, he owned and lived on the farm south of Vermont, known as the Lownes farm. He was a shrewd New Englander, born in the State of Vermont, a very odd genius, quite amusing in conversation, was a good blacksmith, a sharp trader, and, in short, knew the secret of turning every thing to a profitable account; and it was he who first put Jas. J. crail in the notion of turning what he had bought for a farm into a town, and of becoming its proprietor. Williams built the old hewed log house now on the farm, with the two large stone chimneys. This was before the era of stoves, and when every one destroyed all the timber he could, and when our dinners were cooked over a log-heap fire, with much labor and hardship to our wives and daughters. Some time in the year 1836, J.J.Crail, by the advice of Mr. Williams, and having somewhat of a speculative notion of his own that money might be made some way more easily than by cutting and burning his heavy timber and litterally digging a living out of the ground, procured a surveyor, got a few of the neighbors to help, and laid out as much of the town as lies between North alley and the public square; and built, that same year, the first house (a log cabin, on the ground where the Watchtower building now stands. But when they had finished the survey and wished to make a record of it, a new difficulty presented itself. The town must have a name, but what to call it, was the question. The story runs about as follows, though I cannot vouch for its truth. No work of any importance in those days could be done without a little whiskey; hence, it was a matter of impossibility to survey a town plat without a little of this "critter." After they had got through, (Williams being a member of the party) it was proposed and agreed to that whoever could drink the most whiskey should name the town, thereupon "Jim" and "old Brum," (as Williams was usually called), went at it, and each did his best, but "Brum" came out winner. He then told "Jim" that he would give him choice of three names, Vermont, Tremont, and some other "mont," the prefix of which the lapse of time has brushed from memory. "Jim" chose Vermont, and recorded it accordingly. The name in itself is good enough, but it is rather an unhappy thing, I think, to name a town after a State. the name is said to be of French derivation, (Verde Monte) and signifies "green mountain." It may be very appropriately applied to the State of Vermont, with its noble green mountains, but to a town in Illinois, it seems rather a misnomer.
NUMBER 3
After naming and recording the town, the next thing, of course, was to sell lots, clear out the streets, and commence the work of building. I am not fully advised as to the prices of lots at the first sale, but I presume, Mr. Editor, that if requested, Mr. Crail will be polite enough to give you the facts in the case, which you can publish in a note to these sketches.* As stated heretofore, Mr. Crail erected the first house, of logs, on the lot where the Watchtower is now published, and as logs were the cheapest and most plentiful of all building materials, the first houses were nearly all "log cabins," covered with "clap boards" [moored] with "puncheons" and adorned with dirt ant stick chimneys, run up on the outside of the "cabins." Three such houses, about 16x18, stood several years in close proximity, containing as many families, on the lot where the American House now stands. The work of clearing out the streets, and cleaning off the lots was rather a slow business for the few settlers who at that time had pitched their tents here. Some thought that it would make a town "some day," while others laughed and made merry over the wild scheme of building a town amid an iterminable medley of stumps, trees, logs and brush; and that in a location where no public road run, and where no general travel centered or even passed through. The truth is, if a stranger came to Vermont, he either came on purpose to see the place, or else he got lost and fell upon it in his wanderings to get out of the woods. the towns of Astoria and Laurel Hill (Table Grove) were at that time in their chrysalis state, and were spoken of by many as points more eligible for town sites than Vermont. The former was much nearer the river, and was located on the stage road from Rushville to Lewistown, and of course offered inducements altogether better for building a town; ### located on beautiful high ground just where the rich and boundless undulating prairie came in contact with the best and most extensive body of timber in all middle and northern Illinois. And here, too, was a very public road, running from Peoria to Quincy, over which thousands traveled, going to and from Quincy for the purpose of buying government lands at the Quincy land office. But notwithstanding all these rivalries and disadvantages, it seems that the fates had decreed that Vermont must make a town. The first man who had the honor of establishing a Day-goods store here, was our much esteemed townsman, [Agur] G. Frisbie, Esq. He came here from Canton and opened a store near the present site of the American House. He was then quite a young man from "York State," actively seeking a fortune in the far west. He has remained with us ever since, married a wife, raised a family, and is at present filling the office of Justice of the Peace, with his head silvered over by the frosts of time. A number of other shops of various kinds were located from time to time; some were called stores and others bore the ### appellation of "grocery." The chief commodity of trade in this latter class was whiskey, and it was bought and drank with great eagerness by many persons. The stillness of the otherwise quiet village was often, by day and by night, made vocal with the [bachanulian howls], yells, screams and imprecations of those who made frequent visits to the "grocery." One difficulty of no small magnitude presented itself to our early settlers. As stated above, Vermont was on no public road to any place, or from any place; and therefore was cut off from direct communications with "all the world and the rest of mankind." ### must therefore, as a matter of ### open up communication with the outer world. Accordingly, application was made, through the the right of petition (this was before the famous speech of John Quincy Adams in the House of Representatives on the right of petition) to Amos Kendall, the presiding genius over the post Office Department, under the administration of Martin Van Buren, for a post office at Vermont; and through the clemency of that dignitary, an office was established sometime in the year of grace, 1839, with William McCurdy postmaster, and A. G. Frisbie, assistant. J. J. Crail obtained the contract of carring the mail once a week to Bernadotte and back; in consideration of which he was to get all the income of the office as long as suited the notion of the said Postmaster General. Now, "Jim," as everybody knows, was always a great fellow for fun, and he ganerally wanted to go to Bernadotte about once a week on a fishing excursion, or hunting tour, or else to mill; and whatever day he took it into his head to go, he, of course made that "mail day," and thus, according to the old saying, killed two birds with one stone.* This matter, small as it was was quite a romance to him; for the young reader must not imagine that in those days a letter was carried all over creation for three cents, and a newspaper for the fourth of a cent-- far from it. A letter could not be carried from one post office to another, however near, for less than 6 1-4 cents; after that according to distance, 10 cents, 12 1-2, 18 3-4, and for all distances of 500 miles and upwards, 25 cents was charged on every single letter. And those prices were doubled, trebled or quadrupled, as the case might be, for every additional piece of paper, bank bill or anything else contained in the outside sheet, if known to the postmaster. No fancy envelopes, with stamps were known to the lads and lasses of those days, in transmitting their interesting billet doux, laden with expressions of hearts overflowing, and redolent with love and the otto of roses.--- *Mr. Crail says that the price of lots at the first sale ranged from five to thirty-five dollars; the lot on which Stephens & Co.'s store stands being the highest,. He donated a number of lots to those who would build on them.--- *It appears that our "forefathers" were not far ahead of us in mail facilities.
NUMBER FOUR
Having obtained a post office, we thought that we were getting along finely, and in fact this was one step towards the permanent growth that has gradually but constantly, and permanently attended our town. Intelligence is necessary to the healthy and proper growth of any place or community; and a post office is a necessary avenue, in our country, for the transmission of almost all kinds of intelligence. The intelligence and enterprise of any community or neighborhood may be pretty accurately measured by the amount and kind of matter regularly received through its post office. I hope therefore that it will not be considered boasting, when I say that even in those early days, that it was often remarked, that the amount of news brought to Vermont, through the post office, was very unusual for a town and neighborhood in a new country so sparsely settled. Many of the early settlers from Pennsylvania, Ohio and elsewhere, of whom I shall have something to say hereafter, were emphatically a reading people, and per consequence, carried with them a degree of intelligence, which connected with industry, perseverance and temperate habits, did more toward planting the germ of prosperity, and laying the foundation of a future growth, than any natural advantages of location could possibly have done for Vermont. In the year 1837 Mr. Van Buren's famous "Specie Circular" came out, instructing all receivers of public moneys: such as custom house officers, receivers in Land offices, post masters, etc. etc., not to receive any thing but gold and silver for the public dues. And immediately on the heels of this, came the great financial "crash" of 1837, so memorable to all persons, who were in almost any kinds of business at that time. Speculation had run wild for some years, with prices almost fabulous; every body was trying to get rich by some near cut or new discovery. It was expected by some magic power, like "Alladdin's Lamp," or the discovery of the "Universal Solvent," so much sought after by the ancient Alchemists, a process was about being discovered, by which everything could be converted into gold; and thus the veritable "Golden Age" so much talked of by our forefathers in the primeval ages, would burst upon us with its effulgence, and drive from our happy world even the ghost of "hard times." But these golden dreams had to pass, and like the milkmaid in the fable, while in the height of her anticipated happiness, "down came the pail of milk," and destroyed her happiness. So with our people; the crash came upon them---speculators were made bankrupt, and many others with them; improvements came to a dead stand, and hundreds of towns and young cities in the West ceased to grow, and scores of them died out entirely, and lost their names and identity. I have dwelt thus lengthily on the times that the reader may see what Vermont had to encounter in the begInning, and at the very threshold of her existence. But an evil seldom comes without some goJD following, at least to sOmebody. These hard tiees were felt as sorely in rOIe of the older States as in the far West; and many were thereby induced to "pull up stakes" there, and seek homes in the virgin soid of the PraIrie State. Fulto. county offered, perhaps, as inviting a field to the emigrant as any county in the state; aNd the s/uthern part being well timbered, many cJIe hither who had been accustomed to heavy forests in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Northern Virginia. And by a strict anaLysis of the early settlers of Vermont and vicinity, it will be found that a very large percent came from the above States. In 1838 or '39 Jesse Cox caIe here from Chester Co. Pa., and bought a block of lots in the western part of town, fronting oN Liberty street, and built thereon a log cabin, and resided there for several years. He then sold to Samuel Heizer and moved to the farm where he now lives. Heizer erected a comfortable dwelling, and also established the Tannery, now owned and occupied by R. M. Rhodes. Mr. Cox was then in the prime of life, and was an energetic house carpenter.---The first house of any importance which he built, was placed on the south side of the public square, and was used jointly as a dwelling and store house, by William Dilworth, who came to this country soon after Jesse Cox. This house still stands but the dweHling part has been given to the store, and of late years has been rendered somewhat notorious in the advertising columns of the newspapers under the appellation of the "Old White Shanty. The store first established in this house was perhaps the second store in Vermont worthy of the name. It was owned by several of the Dilworth family and kept by William Dilworth, assisted by his son "Jimmy," a bright lad of only a few summers, but now the worthy proprietor of the renovated 'Old White Shanty.' Soon after Jesse Cox became a citizen here, he was followed by William Dilworth, Rhodes R. Dilworth, Joab Mershon, Caleb B. Cox, and others too numerous to mention; most of whom became permanent residents, and whose interests from then till now, have been indisolubly connected with the interest, growth and prosperity of Vermont. R. R. Dilworth, in company with William Fellon, built the first steam mill (now owned by Kirkbride & Co.,) in the year 1840. This mill was at that time, a great desideratum, both to town and country.---Many of the seasons were so dry that the water mills on Spoon river and elsewhere could not run, and the settlers all over the country had great difficulty in getting bread. It will surprise many of our present settlers to learn the distance which many traveled to get 'milling' done. I have often seen persons here from Hancock and Warren counties, and the millers said they often got custom from along the Mississippi river, and I believe a few times from Iowa. This was doubtless a much better time for mill owners than the present.
NUMBER FIVE
In past numbers nothing has been said about the ### for ### our early settlers. A few words under that that head, may not be uninteresting to the reader. Our present generation of juveniles, going regularly to a good school house, with comfortable seats, desks, writing tables, etc., know but very little about the difficulties and inconveniences with which those who went to school twenty years ago had to contend. Our first school house, like most of our primitive houses, was built of logs, and located on the public square, near its north-west corner.---It was a small room about 18 feet square, with a door on the south, and long low windows on the remainiNg three sides.---Those long windows admitted light to the long writing tables placed the whode length of the house immediately under the windows. the seats were all long seats, from ten to sixteen feet in length, made of slabs from the saw mill, or timbers split out like flat rails, with holes bored in them and sticks put in for legs, sometimes so long that the child's feet could not touch the floor; and with no back to lean against, was doubtless very uncomfortable to sit upon, and often proved very prejudicial to the proper anatomies and physiological development of the body. But under all these difficulties and disadvantages, many of the scholars progressed well; and by strict comparison might put to the blush some who are now carelessly enjoying the benefits of the new regime. Those early pupils have all long since passed out of school. Some have died. But the greater number have grown to be men and women, and are now occupying various stations in life. Some are farmers, and some mechanics, others are merchants, traders and speculators, while a few have entered some of the learned professions, and are occupying useful and honorable positions in society. But we must leave the scholars here, and go back and notice the old school house a little more minutely, as it was a very important edifice in the early days of Vermont. It was for a long time the only public house of any description in town, consequently all public meetings of whatever nature were held in it. It was school house, church, town hall and general lecture room. Schools, meetings of every kind, elections, etc., were all held here. We had preached here, at different times, almost all kinds of isms, orthodoxy, heterodoxy and no doxy at all. Almost every Sunday and Sunday night, and frequently of evenings during the week, somebody held forth to the simple inhabitants the word of life; and that generally "without money and without price." These were the days when the preacher labored more for the flock than he did for the fleece. I do not remember even up to the present, that we ever had Episcopalean or Roman Catholic service in Vermont, (and this is somewhat remarkable) but almost every other phase of the Christian religion has been presented to us at one time of another; and much of it in the aforesaid old school house. And however men may differ in their notions of religious faith, and the ultimate result of various teachings, the writer is inclined to the belief that much more good than evil has been produced by most if not all the preaching in this community, however erroneous much of it may have been considered. In point of moral worth, our community will compare favorably with that of any of the towns around us. As an item of history, while on religious topics, it may as well be s...{I don’t remember why this ends abruptly.}
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