Richland township is located in Township 29 North, Range 2 West. It has two towns: Washburn and Wilbern.
While to John STRAWN belongs the credit of being the earliest permanent settler, the patriarch of Round Prairie was Robert BARNES, who, along with his family and a brother-in-law named James DEVER, settled here in November, 1829. They first visited Hennepin, and after a short stop moved into a vacant cabin near Jesse ROBERTS', when leaving their families, they started upon a prospecting tour to Colonel STRAWN's, from whom they bought a claim near the BABB place, to which they brought their families; but the sight of the large swamp in front discouraged the female portion, and deterred them from remaining.
A few days were spent in searching a new locality, when they selected a claim on Section fifteen, to which they drove their wagons and began to get out logs for a cabin, which was raised November 18, 1830. Their cabin was raised and roofed the same day and they slept in it that night. Next day they put up a stick and mud chimney, and as soon after as possible a puncheon floor. The chimney had only been finished up to the rafters when a storm come on and prevented its completion.
The winter was a hard one, deep snow covering the ground, and to add to their labors the cattle had to be subsisted on the tender tops of trees cut down for the purpose. In the little cabin food, such as it was, was plentiful, but it consisted mainly of corn. A kind neighbor, who came in that fall, had a supply of pork, which was kindly proffered and accepted with thanks. Deer abounded in the woods, but they were poor and their flesh of little value.
In this condition the two families passed the winter known as that of the great snow. They were shut in from the outer world, but peace and contentment reigned, and they looked forward with confidence arid hope that never faltered to the coming of spring, which would clothe the now bleak prairies with "living green." Although their low cabin seemed cut off from the world, they were not wholly separated from friends and neighbors. On the southern edge of the prairie Robert BIRD had built a cabin, and a Mr. BURT and Mr. PHILLIPS were in the vicinity, also a family named WAUGHOB lived on the "Tommy JONES" farm, and Daniel BLAND had built a cabin on what afterward became the THOMPSON place. He came from Indiana and designed moving here in the spring, but sickness came, long delaying the execution of his plans. Before fully recovered, he loaded his goods and started on their long overland journey, arriving late in the fall. A cabin was put up, but the labor was too great, and his overtaxed system gave way. For a long time he hovered between life and death, and then his weary spirit took its flight.
H. B. BARNES came in the fall of 1834 with his mother and little daughter, he then being a widower. They found a home with his sister, Mrs. Nancy DEVER, until June, 1836, when he began to improve his present homestead, and built a log house, which in the spring of 1839 took fire, and was burned to the ground with all his household effects. The family had left it in the morning and gone away with everything safe from fire as was supposed, but on returning at nine P. M. found it all ablaze. The fire was attributed to accident. He at once rebuilt, and his new residence was probably the first frame house in the settlement.
Another early settler was Col. Samuel M. KILGORE, who removed here in 1834.
John DEVER came in the fall of 1833, and located near the farm of James DEVER, who died on Christmas day, 1834, and John died a week later in January, 1835. Both were buried at the corner of Section 15, but have been taken up and interred in the Barnes cemetery. The widow of John DEVER still lives with her son in Lacon.
Robert ILIFF located near the Barnes place at an early day, and Joseph BURT made a claim near what was afterward the farm of Harvey SCOTT, about 1831.
John, William and Allen GRAY made claims where the present DRAKE farm is, about 1834.
Archibald JOHNSON made a claim near Owen's place during the fall of the same year.
Benjamin FORT and family came to Richland in the spring of 1834, and opened a farm near the homes of John and James DEVER, brothers of Mrs. FORT. Mr. FORT's family consisted of himself and wife and daughters; Sarah, afterward Mrs. Chas. GAPEN; Mary Ann, who became Mrs. Joseph TITUS; Washington W. and Greenbury L. FORT, Member of Congress.
The old homestead of the Fort family, after the death of Benjamin, became the property of Greenbury L. FORT, and by him was conveyed to William SPANGLER.
H. B. BARNES was married in 1839 to Jane M. KILGORE. They have had six children born to them, and still live on the old homestead. Their children were, Isabella K., living at home; Louisa (Mrs. William KILGORE, of Livingston County); Dr. Samuel M. M. and Dr. H. E. W., both at Fairbury; Alvira S., at home, and Erastus T., dead.
Abraham KEEDY came in 1834, settling on what has since been known as the Joseph SHARP place. He had six children, and three were born after his arrival. He lived in a rail pen for several weeks until he could construct a suitable cabin.
Another settler was Hoel DODDY, who improved the Hoover place.
Virgil LANCASTER in 1835 owned a claim which he sold to Wm. MURPHY. MURPHY came in 1836. John FOSTER arrived here the latter year, and John C. FOSTER in the spring of 1840, the latter, the father of Mrs. Allen J. KEEDY. Mrs. KEEDY has a bureau and chair brought by Mr. FOSTER to this country. Mrs. H. B. BARNES has also an interesting heirloom, being a knife box made in 1814, by Thomas BARNES, the father of the Barnes family, who moved thither from Scioto, Ohio.
J. Allen KEEDY came here with his father, Abram KEEDY, and in a few years settled on his present place.
The REMLEY's father and son, came about the same time. They were cabinet makers, and worked occasionally at their trade.
Woodford FISHER "took up" the PICHEREAU place in 1835.
Wm. SPANGLER came here in 1835, James WORK also.
John GRAY, in 1836, bought the Robert BARNES homestead, lived there two years and sold to John RAMSAY.
John RAMSAY settled on the BARNES farm in 1838. Joseph TITUS came in the fall of 1839. His brother Jesse TITUS followed, and, having died, his widow married John TITUS.
Joseph BROWN located on the prairie, near J. A. KEEDY's, in 1842. Wm. B. THOMAS, near STRAWN's about the same time.
Andrew JACKSON arrived here in 1835, and settled on the HOOVER place, which he bought from Colonel LATTA, of Webster.
Another settler on the prairie was James THOMPSON, who married a daughter of John STRAWN, and raised a numerous family of enterprising business men. Densil HOLLAND came, too, many years ago, as did Jesse BANE. The former died about 1866, and his son still lives upon the family homestead.
Another early settler was Robert BIRD. He came to Walnut Grove, Tazewell County, in the fall of 1827, and lived there until 1830, when he bought a claim of one of the WAUGHOBs, where he lived until 1849, when he emigrated to Oregon and subsequently died. His family consisted of Robert BIRD, Jr., now a citizen of Rutland; John, William and Elijah, who accompanied their father to Oregon, and two daughters. Elijah was killed in a fight with the Indians.
When the Bird family came to Round Prairie, in 1830, the only white people Robert BIRD, Jr., then seventeen years old, remembers were those of Col. John STRAWN, James DEVER, Robert BARNES, Daniel BLAND, Joseph M. BURT, Colonel BELL, on Crow Creek, a family of WAUGHOBs, Allen, John and William GRAY, Capt. Abram KEEDY, the PERKINS family, living on Crow Creek, and James KAIN.
Extracted from Records of Olden Time
1890 Map from
Plat Book of Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois, 1890
The following list of names transcribed from the 1890 map may not be complete. As always, we welcome corrections and additions.
ADAMI, August
ADAMI, H A
ADAMI, Victor
BARNES, G O
BARNES, H T
BARNES, J E
BARNES, W T
BELSLY, Barbara L
BELSLY, John R
BELSLY, Joseph
BELSLY, Mary M
BELSLY, Samuel
BETSLER, Henry
BIECH, Samuel
BOON, B F
BOON, M M
BRADLEY, F
BUCK, Samuel
CARLBERG, Charles O
CARRITHERS, R M
CARRITHERS, Richard
CLARK, L D
COLEMAN, Jennie B
COUTLET, S E
CRAYTON, Ellen C
CREABIT, Joseph
DALY, Thomas
DAUB, Alex
DAVIS, Mary F
DEVER, Hannah C
DEVER, Nancy
DILLEY, C B
EBRIGHT, H
EHRINGER, Anton
FORT, Charles T
FORT, Emily C
FORT, G L, heirs of
FORT, W J
FORT, William J
FOSTER, Mrs. C A
FRASEL, Wm H
GIBBS, M M
GRAY, W H
HARPER, John
HARVEY, John, heirs of
HAUSHAHN, Leonard
HELD, W C
HOFFRICHTER, John
HOLLAND, J D
HOLLAND, John D
HOLLAND, Ora D
HOLT, George
HOWARD, Peter
HULL, Melvin
ILIFF, Jerry
ILIFF, R W
ILIFF, W T
IRELAND, H T
IRELAND, Pleasant
IRVIN, James
JACKSON, B K
JACKSON, E M
JONES, M E
KAATZ, Fred
KAMP, John
KAMP, Mary L
KAMP, Samuel
KAMP, W G
KANIVE, J
KEEDY, J A
KOCH, Fred
KUNKLE, Edward
KUNKLE, G
KUNKLE, George
KUNKLE, R
KUNKLE, Sarah J
KUNKLE, William
KUNKLE, William H
LAIBLE, George
LAIBLE, T
MARSH, Geo
MARTIN, J B
McCULLOCH, Laura B
McCULLOCH, R C
McKEE, Robert
McNUTT, Anna R
MONAHAN, E
MYERS, Wesley
NORTH, G B
OWEN, D D
OWEN, E, heirs of
OWEN, J N, Mrs
PALMER, J
PARJAN, Samuel
PICHEREAU, A
PRICHART, A R
RAMP, Joseph O
RAMPLEY, George
RAMSEY, A
RAMSEY, W J
RAMSEY, William J
REDIGER, E M
REDIGER, H
REDIGER, M J
REDIGER, Mrs. J
REDIGER, W S
REMLEY, George
RI___, David
RIES, Clara E
RUSSELL, Samuel
SCHUMACHER, Ernst
SCHWARTZ, William
SCOTT, C F
SCOTT, G F
SHAFER, Amelia
SHAFER, Anton
SHAFER. J
SHARPE, James
SHARPE, James, Jr
SLOEY, Frank
SMITH, Conrad
SMITH, George
SMITH, John
SPANGLER, J B
SPANGLER, William
STORM, Jacob
STRAWN, William
STROUP, Fred
TAYLOR, W A
THOMAS, D E
THOMPSON, J S
THOMPSON, John S
THOMPSON, Joseph
TRIBBEY, Amanda
VANCE, David
VSHLD, C
W___, Martin
WAGNER, John
WEBER, J S
WHITMER, Samuel
WHITTLE, James
WIER, H E
WIER, Mary E
WIER, R A
WOLLCOTT, O P
YONKERS, August
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La Salle |
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