LaSalle County was created on January 15, 1831 (Laws, 1831, p. 54) and was formed from unorganized land (Tazewell County)
and Putnam County. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: North of Illinois River - Putnam County (1825–1831), Fulton County (1823–1825) and Pike County (1821–1823); South of Illinois River - Tazewell County (1827–1831) and Fayette County (1821–1827); Clark County (1819–1821), Crawford County (1816–1819), Edwards County (1815–1816), Madison County (1812–1815), St. Clair County (1801–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1801).
The County was named for Robert de La Salle, the French explorer who effected the first white settlements in Illinois and explored the Mississippi to the Gulf. The County Seat is Ottawa (1831-Present). See also County History for more historical details.
Township Government Adopted on November 6, 1849. LaSalle County Townships include Adams, Allen (Formed from Bruce), Brookfield, Bruce, Dayton, Deer Park, Dimmick, Eagle, Earl, Eden, Fall River (Formed from Grand Rapids), Farm Ridge, Freedom, Grand Rapids, Groveland (Formed from Eagle), Hope, LaSalle (Formed from Peru), Manlius, Mendota (Formed from Meriden in February, 1856), Meriden, Miller (Formed from Manlius and Mission), Mission, Northville, Ophir (Name changed from Fremont in May, 1850), Osage (Formed from Eagle), Ottawa, Otter Creek (Formed from Bruce), Peru (Name changed from Salisbury September 27, 1856), .Richland (Formed from Bruce), Rutland (Name changed from Trenton in May, 1850), Serena (Name changed from Warren in May, 1850), South Ottawa, Troy Grove, Utica, Vermilion, Wallace (Formed from Dayton), Waltham Townships
Cities, Towns and Communities include Cedar Point, Dana, Earlville, Grand Ridge, Kangley, La Salle, Leland, Leonore, Lostant, Marseilles, Mendota, Naplate, North Utica, Oglesby, Ottawa, Peru, Ransom, Rutland, Seneca, Sheridan, Streator, Tonica, Triumph, Troy Grove
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
The Official County website is located at http://www.lasallecounty.org/. All departments below at located at the LaSalle County Courthouse, 707 E. Etna Rd., Ottawa, IL 61350 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
LaSalle County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1831 and Court Records from 1831 and is located at 119 W. Madison, Ottawa, Illinois 61350-0617 ; Phone: 815/434-8671, Fax: 815/433-9198 The Clerk of the Circuit Court, commonly known as the Circuit Clerk, is the keeper of the files and records of the Circuit Court. The Circuit Clerk works at the direction of Circuit Court, Appellate Court and Supreme Court of Illinois and is mandated to follow and enforce the laws of the State of Illinois. The Circuit Clerk's Office processes all documents in criminal law, chancery, support, probate, adoption, juvenile, drainage, local improvement, mental, small claims, traffic, ordinance violations, prepares appeals to the higher court, issues passports, summons jurors, tax deeds and handles approximately ten million dollars in costs, fines, restitution, investments and support each year. The Office also issues summonses, writs, attachments, subpoenas and all other tasks as mandated by the courts.
LaSalle County Recorder has Land Records from 1831 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 434-8226 The County Recorder of Deeds serves the people of County by receiving, filing and maintaining all records related to real property in our county. These documents range from all types of conveyance deeds, mortgages, releases and assignments, property liens, as well as, assorted federal, state and local liens. The Recorder’s office is responsible for the recordation and storage of plats of subdivision, land surveys and monument records. Many other types of miscellaneous documents are recorded, such as; foreign birth certificates, foreign marriage licenses, and military discharge paperwork to name a few.
LaSalle County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1831 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 434-8202 The County Clerk maintains records and issues certificates of vital statistics (birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates) for the entire County.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Court Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Illinois Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Illinois Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62702-5097. It can take up to 6 weeks to get a vital record from Illinois.
A number of resources are available for individuals doing genealogical research using vital records filed in the state of Illinois. Births and deaths before January 1, 1916 and marriages before January 1, 1962 are recorded only in the office of the county clerk where the event occurred. Most county clerks have indexes to the records that are prior to 1916 that are available for the purpose of genealogical research. These indexes generally provide the name, date and place of occurrence and are located in county courthouses located throughout the state. Although self-service access to the indexes is generally permitted, the law limits physical access to the individual records to the clerk's staff. When you locate a record from the index, it will be necessary for the clerk to pull the record for you once you have paid the appropriate search fee. Please check with the county clerk for fees and policies on reviewing indexes.
Birth, Death Certificates:
The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth, death and marriage records that occur in Illinois from 1916 to the present.
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $17.00 (long) or
$10.00 (uncertified) per certificate by mail.
Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
In Person:
In-person orders can be dropped off for mail out within two business days at the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records office, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays. (Large volume orders may take longer.) PLEASE NOTE: the person requesting the record will be asked to show a valid picture identification card.
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: The Division of Vital Records also maintains an index of marriages & divorces from 1962 to the present. Copies of the marriage & divorce records are available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage license was obtained or divorce was granted. Fees vary.
Cost: $5.00. Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: 6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Illinois newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
Click Here to Search Illinois Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Census Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Illinois showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Illinois showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Maps. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Illinois Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Military Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Illinois (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
The first known tax authorization in Illinois fell under the jurisdiction of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio. The tax was based on every hundred acres of unimproved uncleared prairie or wood land, divided into three classes based on quality of earth surface and soil. The rates were thirty, twenty, and ten cents, to be paid annually. Property with delinquent taxes was sold at public auction. There do not appear to be any surviving tax records from this territorial period.
Beginning with statehood, tax records form a large part of county archival material. The 1819 laws provided the first taxation process, imposing taxes on land, bank stock owned, slaves and indentured negroes or mulattoes, plus a poor tax. The tax was collected by the county with income divided between the county and state. Taxpayers lists were eliminated in 1824, and in 1825 a county road tax and school taxes were enacted.
Original and microfilmed tax records at Illinois Regional Archives Depositories include taxable land lists, assessors books, railroad tax books, road tax records, and collectors books, the earliest record dated 1817. Other county tax records are located in county seats.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Northern Illinois University, c/o Regional History Center, Founders Memorial Library, Room 400, DeKalb, IL 60115; Telephone: (815) 753-1807. Map and Directions. Covers the following counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, DuPage, JoDaviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Illinois State Library, 300 South 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1796; Phone: (217) 785-5600
Illinois
State Historical Library, Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62701 County histories, plat books, census indexes, cemetery indexes, city material,
family and association files, microfilmed newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs
are located beneath the restored old state capitol between 5th and 6th streets
and Washington and Adams streets.
Illinois Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Illinois Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
Despite the early Catholic missionaries in Illinois, their church had almost totally disappeared from the state by the time of the American Revolution. Later migration of English-speaking Catholics reestablished the church in the state. In 1850 the largest religious denomination in Illinois was the Methodists. Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Congregationalists followed. Episcopalians had organized in the state in 1835, the Disciples of Christ were in Illinois prior to 1830, and the Lutherans grew in numbers with the German and Scandinavian emigration of the 1840s.
Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Illinois obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Illinois newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Illinois.
Click Here to Search Illinois Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for LaSalle County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing LaSalle County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Illinois Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
The first white settler in the county, since the French occupation, was Dr. Davidson. By birth he was said to have been a Virginian, and by occupation a physician, but while he lived here he was known as an Indian trader. His cabin stood on the south bank of the Illinois, opposite the west end of Buffalo Rock, near the salt marsh. He came in 1823 and died in his cabin in 1826.
In 1823 Rev. Jesse Walker came into the county, and the following year formed a mission among the Indians on the Fox River, within the present town of Mission. This mission included section 15, town 35, range 5. At an early day it came into the possession of the Bourbonnas, and the grove was known by that name for a long time. According to the fourth article of the treaty of Prairie Du Chien, perfected July 29, 1829, the section on which the mission was located and the adjacent fields were reserved from the general transfer of lands, to Francois Bourbonna, Jr., by whom it was sold to Mern E. Bowen and Hon. J. S. Armstrong.
In 1824 Mr. Thomas R. Covil came and settled on the creek that now bears his name. Also the following settlers established themselves in the county: Joseph Brown, George Brown, Lewis Bailey, Enos Pembroke, Pierce Hawley, James Beresford and Warner Ramsey. In the spring, 1825, Moses Borth, Christopher Long, Geo. Sprague, Horace Sprague, the Pembrokes - Jeremiah, David, and Calvin - Mr. Ransom and Edmond Weed. In the fall of that year Wilbur F. Walker brought a keel-boat load of provisions up the Illinois. This was the first commercial enterprise in the county.
In the fall of 1826 Dr. David Walker, father of Geo. E., Wilbur F. and David Walker, established himself at Ottawa. From this time until the Black Hawk war settlements were not very rapid, among which may be mentioned Wm. Richey, in 1828, on the land now owned by Wm. C. Moore, section 17, township 33, range 3. Mr. Richey, in the winter of 1831, made a permanent settlement within the present limits of Marseilles, and was the first settler in that place.
The Greens and "Green Mills"
The Greens, John, the father, and David and Jesse, the sons, established themselves on Fox River, in 1829 or 1830. They came from Ohio, and traveled as far south as Vandalia, but appreciating the advantages to be derived from water-power on the rapids of Fox River, located themselves there. Having brought with them saw-mill machinery and competent workmen, they built a saw-mill, and afterward a small grist-mill. At that time, however, the latter was considered quite an improvement on the hominy block, or even the horse mill. At first there was but one run of stone, manufactured by the millwright, Wm. Stadden, from a granite boulder taken from the river. The first grist of wheat was ground July 4, 1830. The was the pioneer mill, and for a number of years the place about it was known as "Green Mills." It was not uncommon to see a number of camp-fires about the mill at night. People came from fifty to a hundred miles to get grinding done, and were obliged to wait their turn, oftentimes for weeks.
Josiah Fulton, one of the early inhabitants of Peoria (1819) states, that one year the Green settlement was destitute of provisions, but did not lack means to purchase if it was possible to obtain them. Word was brought from the Sangamon settlement at Springfield, that if they (the Greens) would send a keel-boat by way of the Illinois and Sangamon rivers, the settlers along the banks of the latter would load it with provisions. Rev. Jesse Walker obtained a boat at Peru, and with Fulton as pilot, reached the vicinity of Springfield, and having loaded it, returned to Starved Rock (as far as they could go up the river) from whence they (the provisions) were conveyed by wagons to the settlement. They arrived in time to do the most good.
Perhaps is would not be out of place to give the narrative of the trials and difficulties incident to a journey of an early settler into the county. The cloth-covered wagons, known as prairie schooners, are no rarity at the present day. Their methods of camping, also, are quite familiar. Essentially, the same experience occurred to those who immigrated to this county in an early day. Making the journey around the lakes, however, is quite another affair.
James Galloway and the Trip to Chicago
Originally from Pennsylvania, but settled for a short time at Sandusky, Ohio, then a small village, James Galloway learned of the beautiful prairies of Illinois, and determined to see them. Accordingly, in the fall of 1824, he left Sandusky on horseback, and made the trip to Chicago without incident. Here he remained nearly a year, hunting and trapping. In some of his excursions he visited the Grand Rapids of the Illinois. Being pleased with the locality he purchased the claim of Edmond Weed, on section 24, town 33, rang 4, just across and south of the Illinois River from Marseilles. A cabin was here erected, the first in the east end of the county. During the following year (1825) he returned to Sandusky for his family.
At that time it was exceedingly rare for vessels to make the trip to Chicago. In fact, but few had ventured to do so, and pilots were hard to obtain. Mr. Galloway, who was well to do, considering the times, knew the wants of the country where he designed to settle, and purposely laid in a stock of goods, not only for his own use, but for the purpose of trade with the Indians. He purchased twenty barrels of salt, a handful being equal to a mink skin, while the latter sold for 20 cents. Bacon and flour, with 200 traps, besides a variety of household goods, constituted the property he desired to carry to the new country. It would be next to an impossibility to transport this miscellaneous assortment across the country, consequently he waited the arrival of a vessel bound for Chicago.
The Drunken Boat Captain and the Storm
During the month of August, 1826, he learned of one about to sail, and made arrangements to go. He was disappointed in not making the trip in summer, on account of the tardiness of the Captain, who did not seem in any particular hurry. On the first day of October, however, the vessel left the port. The approach of winter had not the slightest effect to hurry the Captain. He laid over a week at Detroit, to indulge his imbibing habits, and another spree was in order at Mackinaw. Every person on the vessel was a stranger to the lake. While they lay at Mackinaw a storm of sleet and wind from the northeast arose. The Captain, just full enough of liquor to be obstinate, persisted in starting, refusing even to listen to the warnings of the inhabitants about the fort. They sailed. About fourteen miles from the fort they were obliged to turn back to Mackinaw. While rounding the point of the island of St. Helena, the vessel suddenly struck a sand bar, and the pitiless waves dashed over her. With great difficulty the crew and passengers made their way to the island; they were utterly shelterless, with the thermometer below the freezing point. There were no means of communicating their distressful condition to the port, a death by starvation and exposure was before them. They were saved by the merest accident.
The American Fur Company's vessel, which, spring and fall, made the trip of the lakes, to recruit the supplies of its posts at Mackinaw and Chicago left the former place three or four days after the departure of the Galloways, came in sight, was hailed and brought to. The salt in the stranded vessel was a total loss, the flour was badly damaged, but a part of it was saved, as well as the bacon, traps and other effects. The Captain of the Fur Company's vessel hesitated about taking such a miscellaneous assortment of goods, destined for a port where one of their posts was established, and opened communication with the agent at Mackinaw, who was disposed to make severe terms. The goods could be carried to Chicago in the company's vessel, but they must be consigned to their agent there, and kept by him until after the 10th of the following May, the end of the trading season. Mr. Galloway felt indignant, and said they might as well throw the goods into the lake. The Captain of the vessel endeavored to appear friendly, and offered to withhold the letter of instructions to the agent at Chicago, until Mr. Galloway had an opportunity to dispose of his goods. Thus reassured, he embarked.
The Treachery of the American Fur Company
The vessel was crowded, every available place being occupied. Besides the two crews and the Galloway family, which, at that time, consisted of James Galloway and wife, Mary, aged thirteen, Jane, aged nine, Susana, aged two years, there were two carpenters on board, who were coming on to do some work at the fort, and a Mr. Arthur and wife, who expected to engage in farming. There were others that cannot be remembered. All felt kindly to Mr. Galloway, and agreed to stand by him in the event of trouble. The vessel landed about opposite Madison street, near the headquarters of the Fur Company, at that time under the control of Jean Baptist Beaubien. The Captain told Mr. Galloway to find a place to store his goods, and he started out to do so. After Mr. Galloway was out of sight, he handed the letter of instructions to Mons. Beaubien, who hastened to secure help to unload the goods and put them in the company's warehouse, an old tumbled-down affair.
Mr. Galloway went to the fort, almost unoccupied, and endeavored to secure storage for his effects, but without success. He was even denied shelter for his family. It was afterward ascertained that the commandant was secretly in league with the fur company. Finding no place and protection for his goods, Mr. Galloway was apprised of the treachery of the captain, and the general determination of the company to usurp the trade of the post. Undecided as to his future course, he retraced his steps to the landing.
The arrival of th schooner at the place had drawn out a large, mixed crowd of Americans, French, half-breeds and Indians. Mr. Galloway, during his former visit, had formed many friends among them, especially of the denizens of a rival settlement called by the euphonious title of Hard-Scrabble, a grove in the vicinity of where Bridgeport now stands. These people, with his fellow passengers, were disposed to dispute the right of the company to control this matter. There forces of each side were counted, and Mr. Galloways's found to be in the majority. This compelled Mons. Beaubien to desist, although he uttered some terrible execrations in mixed French and English, because he could not carry out the instructions of the agent at Mackinaw.
There was no storage to be obtained at the landing. Alexander Robinson, a half-breed chief of the Pottowatamies, said to him, "I have a cabin at Hard-Scrabble which my friend is welcome to if he wants." Mr. Galloway gladly accepted the kind offer. They loaded the flat boat of Mr. Wallace with the goods, and poled it up the Chicago River, four miles from the fort, and landed them near the cabin. It was on the west tributary of the South Branch.
1826 Chicago and Hard-Scrabble
The winter of 1826 and 1827 was severe, and the family suffered much from cold and the crowded condition of their home. They were frequently visited by Indians, their cabin being farthest out from the settlement and near the most frequented trail to the Fox and Desplaines rivers. When the red men were full of whisky they were very unpleasant visitors. The Galloways, recently from civilization, and no doubt remembering the horrors of Indian butchery in early times, as well as unaccustomed to Indian peculiarities, were in much trepidation all winter, Mr. Galloway being at work on his claim, at the grand rapids, most of the time.
The Chicago of 1826 presented a bleak aspect, made up of timber and prairie. Near the mouth of the river, then at the foot of Madison street, was the cabin of Jean Baptiste Beaubien, and a shanty warehouse somewhat nearer the lake. Old Fort Dearborn was farther up the river, near the present site of Rush street bridge. Opposite the fort, a double log house, occupied jointly by John Kinzie and Alexander Walcott. Near this, the blacksmith shop of David McKey and Joseph Parthrick. At the forks of the river was a log house used as a store, owned and occupied by James Kinzie and David Hall, of Virginia.
Hard-Scrabble contained five or six cabins. Several were occupied by the Laframboises, of whom there were four, Francis, Sr., Francis, Jr., Joseph and Claude. One was occupied by Mr. Wallace, another by Barney Lawton, the Galloways were domiciled in one and there was still another. The Clybourns lived in two cabins on the North Branch. These were occupied by Jonah, the father, Archibald and Henly, the sons, and a relative, James K. Clark. This settlement was on Clybourn Place, opposite the North Chicago Rolling Mills.
The Trip to LaSalle County
In the spring Mr. Galloway and Mr. Arthur, whose families had lived together during the winter, for the most of the time, constructed a double boat, or pirogue, from a walnut tree standing on the bank of the river, and, having placed their worldly effects into it, started for their new home. Mrs. Galloway was certainly glad to go, for she spoke of Chicago as "the jumping off place."
The craft was poled up the river into Mud Lake, and across this to the Desplaines, then a feat of no great difficulty, and floated down the river to their future home. Trials by flood with them were over, for the present at least. Settled in their new cabin on the bank of the river, they recounted their experiences and exulted in their happy deliverance. Before them was the Illinois, abounding with fish, and the bark canoes of their swarthy neighbors could be seen upon its bosom almost any hour of the day. The buffalo had disappeared two years before their coming, but their whitening carcasses were to be observed on every hand. (The last of the buffaloes was killed by Samuel Aimes, at Troy Grove, in 1837.) Deer were plenty, and prairie wolves were exceedingly numerous, and impudent. Prairie chickens awakened the settlers in the spring mornings with boomings under their windows. Mr. Galloway, who was exceedingly fond of fishing and hunting, thought he hand found the sportsman's paradise.
The year they settled here (1827) a notable incident occurred. The family had retired for the night, when a loud noise was heard ...........
Indian Scare
The year they settled here (1827) a notable incident occurred. The family had retired for the night, when a loud noise was heard outside, accompanied by a loud rapping at the door. The men jumped for their rifles and tomahawks, always near at hand, but were soon reassured by a voice addressing them in good English, saying, "My name is Cass, I want to speak to you." Opening the door, Lewis Cass, accompanied by Geo. Forsythe and some Frenchmen and Indians, stepped into the cabin. Mr. Cass informed them that the Winnebago and Sac Indians were, it was feared, on the point of making trouble, as some depredations had already been committed on the Mississippi. He advised them to go to the fort at Ottawa. The advice was followed, but it proved to be a scare, and they returned to their home after a few days. In the cabin erected by Mr. Galloway a son was born to him, George Galloway, the first white male child born in the county.
Early Education
The sparse population of the precinct and the difficulties attending the obtaining of a living, as well as subduing the wilderness, engrossed the attention of the pioneers of the county, and schools were not thought about. The growing children must be taught. The little education possessed by their parents was dearly prized, and they (the latter) were willing to make many sacrifices to bring about such a desirable end. Accordingly, in 1828, arrangements were perfected with a Mr. Horace Sprague to organize a select school. Mr. Henry Allen gave the use of a log cabin, erected by him in 1825, on the south side of the Illinois River, at the point overlooking the mouth of the Fox River. Mr. Sprague was succeeded by a Mr. Kirkpatrick, and he in turn by a Mr. Allen, all occupying the same house. Some years after Mr. Alonzo Sawyer opened a select school, but moved to Chicago in a year or two. Mr. T. Hampton followed him, continuing in that occupation until he, in connection with Mr. H. E. Gedney, established the Ottawa Republican. In 1855 graded schools were organized, and have successfully continued to the present time.
The Great Snow
During 1830 and 1831 the great snow fell. It began on the night of Dec. 29, 1830, and reached a depth of two and one-half feet. Just one week from that time (Jan. 5) another storm occurred, the fall of which was as deep as the former. Both of these settled to a general depth of five feet on the prairie. By successive thawings and freezings, a crust of several inches in thickness was formed, over which the prairie wolves would run the famished deer. At first the French and Indians were compelled to use snow shoes, the construction of which was learned from an old squaw, who had been raised in Canada. In the spring the snow went off quite rapidly, producing one of the greatest floods ever known on the river.
Settlers from Northampton, Massachusetts
In the spring of 1830 a number of young men of Northampton, Mass., desiring to try the realities of pioneer life, sent out a commission to select a site for a colony. The commission unanimously fixed upon La Salle, because, in their opinion, of its future commercial importance. Simon Crosiar (spelled Crosiar and Crosier according to different members of the family) was already settled in that vicinity. During this and the following year Aaron Gunn and and a number of others settled in the same locality, but fearing the miasma from the overflown bottoms, it having rained most of the season, left for Princeton. Mr. Gunn moved to Lamoille and lived there four years, then returned to La Salle, where he has since resided. Mr. Ayers determined to remain and continue hammering out prairie plows for the settlers, his trade being that of a blacksmith. When he learned of the Black Hawk war and massacre at Indian Creek he took up his anvil block and buried a quantity of silver under it, after which he left for Ohio. Upon his return, at the close of hostilities, he found nothing disturbed.
Settlers of 1830 , 1831 and 1832
About this time (1830 and 1831) came to the county the following gentlemen, who have been more or less prominent since their settlement: Harvey, Cyrus and J. R. Shaffer, J. A., W. L. and G. M. Donivan, Ambrose and Mathias Trumbo, Wm. Munson, D. F. Hitt, Reason Debolt, Hon. G. W. Armstrong, H. L. Brush, John Coleman, Wm. H. H. Holdridge, Wm. Pitzer, and in 1832 Samuel Parr, W. H. Robertson, John Mitchell and others.
At the beginning of th year 1832 the settlements were nearly as follows: At Seneca, Abel Sprague; at Marseilles, north of the river, Wm. and Wm. W. Richey; south of the river, James Galloway; between the Illinois and Fox rivers, Christopher Long and Edward Keys, and farther northeast, David Shaffer and Wm. Parr; at Dayton, the Greens and W. L. Donivan; at Indian Creek, the Halls, Davises, Pettigrews and Hendersons; at Ottawa, the Walkers, Pembrokes, Browns and others; at Utica, Simon Crosiar; at Homer, three families near the present village of that name: at La Salle, Aaron Gunn and Burton Ayers. Along the south bank of the Illinois lived George Ish and Henry Delong; at Cedar Point, Nathaniel Richey; on the bluff, near the old fort, John Myers, and on Bailey's Point, Lewis Bailey, Wm. Seeley, Joel Alvord, Asa Holdridge, Wm. Haines and a few others. The early settlers of each township are mentioned in the respective township histories.
Settlers of 1836
Probably the largest immigration to the State, of most of the present old settlers was in 1836. Frink and Walker's line of stages, that ran along the river, as well as a line put on by the Marseilles Company, each ramifying southwest, were the means of travel. The tide was so great that at a public house, kept by A. D. Butterfield, in Marseilles, it was not an uncommon thing to receive from $20 to $25 for meals and lodging of travelers, who, in the crowded condition of the house, had slept in the barn, on the stoop, and about the premises. Perhaps the breaking ground of the canal, which occurred July 4 of this year, contributed largely to this result, as it was an earnest of the beginning of the work inaugurated by President Madison in his annual message of 1814.
The principal market in 1836 was Chicago. Settlers would start away from home with the expectation of being gone a week or more. If it was an ordinary load only one yoke of oxen would be required, if large two or even three were employed. The provision-box was an invariable accompaniment, and the old coffee pot held a favorable position. The coffee was prepared at home, tied up in a little sack, and retained in the utensil until the strength was exhausted. By force of circumstances, the young men of those early days became adepts in the simpler culinary arts. When arriving at a camping place at night, the oxen would be turned loose to graze, with a bell upon their necks, or picketed out with a stake and rope. Many a chase of ten or twelve miles, or even more, to find the oxen, will come to the mind of the early settler as he reads these lines. Then, having cooked and eaten their supper, they would roll themselves in their blankets and sleep, if the mosquitos would permit. When they first left home they perhaps would be alone for the first day's travel, but after that there would be quite a train, each wagon slowly plodding along through the grass, sometimes knew-high, sometimes above the top of the wagon, and followed by a cloud of mosquitos as large as a swarm of bees. These trains often numbers a hundred wagons before they reached Chicago. From the "Widow Berry's" (twelve miles out) into the city it was always swampy, often the water was knee-deep. Whenever a slough was to be crossed it was an item of considerable interest who should get out safely. Should anyone be so unfortunate as to get his wagon fast in the mud, or get "sloughed," as it was called, the others would unhitch from their wagons and draw him out.
