Long Point, Ill. History

            Long Point Township is located in the northwestern corner of Livingston County. Long Point derives its name from the long point of timber extending from the Vermillion River, along Long Point Creek almost through the township. The village was given the same name as the township.

            The Long Point area prior to settlement was flat prairie land covered with coarse grass, except for the timber along the creeks, Long Point, Diamond and Mole. Long Point and Diamond creeks provide the only natural water source for township.  Probably no richer land can be found in the county than that of Long Point Township. It is well adapted to the production of corn, rye, oats and vegetables of various kinds. The first inhabitants were the Indians, which had been removed prior to settlement of the township.

            Prior to 1838, none of the lands of Long Point Township had been disposed of, though they had been in market for two years. On the 6th of November, 1837, Andrew McDowell, who had come to the township some time before, and who was the first settler, entered the first piece of land in the township.  When Mr. McDowell came to the area, he was indeed on the prairie. There were no inhabitants but for 25 miles to the west and as many to the south, all was an open plain, without a fence or a shanty or any other indication that the country had ever been visited by man.  Five or six miles to the north were the Moons and Barackmans, on the east in Amity Township five or six miles were a few cabins; but McDowell was literally on the prairie.

Settlers start arriving

            Very soon after 1838, Isaac Hodgson made his entry. He was from Pennsylvania and lived here until 1853, when he sold out to Samuel Sillik and removed further west. Edwin L. and Oscar B. Wheeler who were from New York came to the township, Edwin in 1839 and Oscar in 1841.  Both have been very successful having started from almost nothing.

            By 1841, quite a number of settlers had arrived, among which are James Argubright and his father-in-law Caleb Odle, John Evans, Edward, David and Orin Rhodes, David and Loman Miller, Crawford Isenhour and Lorin Pratt. The first two of these were from Ohio, while the other eight were natives of  Pennsylvania. E. C. Allen arrived from Pennsylvania.

            The Rhodes boys were brothers and unmarried men.  They resided here until about 1858, when they sold out and moved further west. David and Loman Miller were cousins, the former also being a brother-in-law of Isenhour.  In 1842, Frederick, Edward and Benjamin Carlton, three brothers and Englishmen, settled in the township. Coming in 1846 was John Frederick Werner and Hiram Werner, Cornelius Zeilman and sons Aaron and Philo arrived in 1844. Godfreid Kiel settled here in 1847. E. L. Stratton came in 1848. Nathan Springer and Samuel Sillik arrived in 1849. Coming in 1850 were Absolam Hallam, Thomas Mills and Robert Swift.  Others arriving during this period were: Erastus and William Eaton,  Orlando Chubbuck,  Thomas Mills, Harvey Windsor, James P. Morgan and Dr. J. C. Markle.  In 1853 Conrad Reed and son William arrived. Andrew Saemisch came in 1854, along with J. Wesley Miller and son Merritt in the same year.  John Minard came from Canada in 1855. Isaac Ramsey, Stephen Coleman, John Moulds, Frederick Girard and sons Herman and Albert, John Dykes, A. J. Ewart and sons Josiah, Joseph and James, A. J. Roberts, Thomas Wray, James Worlds, W. Van Fleet, W. A. Allen also came during the 1850’s. John Cooper came in 1859, served in the Civil War, and returned in 1865. He lived to be the oldest in Long Point Township.

            Closely related to Long Point were residents of Reading Township: Ephraim Clark arriving in 1850, Ezariah Goldsmith in 1857, Daniel McCoy in 1862, and Josepheus Harter in 1866. Timothy B. Custis came from LaSalle County in the early 1860’s to Reading Township. In Newtown Township closely connected with Long Point was John Gottlief Beutke and son Gustave coming in 1859.

            Arriving in the 1860’s were John W. Hart, John H. Colehower and son, B. F., J. F. Smith, S. D. Carson, James B. Phillips, Andrew Raub, S. Martin, Leonard Wertz, Theodore Stevenson, James Bradbury, Albanus Jenkins, George Stilson, John Garee, John T. and A. H. Hupp, William Kaminke and T. S. Wolff. Adoph Sass, Sr. came in 1864. Marcus Lamp arrived in 1870.

Long Point Cemetery

            John Evans gave the land to establish the Long Point Cemetery. His daughter, Emily Evans, born in 1819 died August 26, 1838 was among the first buried there. A. J. McDowell’s mother, Christina, died Feb. 20, 1838 and was buried there at the age of 50. James McDowell died Sept. 16, 1846 at the age of 60 and was buried there. Silas Berry, according to the inscription on his stone, was the first sextant of the cemetery. Richard Hicks, who came to Reading Township in 1851 and lived there for many years married Sarah Evans. He moved to Long Point in 1908. Another daughter of John Evans, Deborah, in 1845 married William Graham, a soldier in the Mexican War and grandfather of Alva Graham (1890-1979).

 

            The first school in the township was in an old log cabin on Section 4 and the teacher was Jane Devens, a relative of Andrew McDowell. This was about 1843. Various denominations organized churches in the township, Evangelical about 1864, Methodist Episcopal Society in 1872, Protestant Methodists, and Lutherans. Small churches were built or services were held in houses built on the mutual plan.  Mutual plan houses were small frame homes used for church, school and all other purposes.

            The Township of Long Point was organized in 1858. . The following are the names of the persons elected to the respective offices:

J. P. Morgan – Supervisor; E. C. Allen – Clerk; O. B. Wheeler – Assessor; James Worlds – Collector; Thomas Mills – Overseer of the Poor; E. L. Wheeler and Amos Roberts – Justices of the Peace; James Worlds and William Werner – Constables; George Stilson, C. Zielman and A. J. Evans – Commissioners of Highways; E. L. Wheeler and Jeremiah McDowell – Pound Masters.

            In 1878, the officers were: A. J. Bosserman – Supervisor; Asa A. Graham – Clerk; J. B. Phillips – Assessor; E. L. Stratton – Collector; S. D. Carson and A. M. Taggart – Justices of the Peace; James Bradbury and Joel Hakes – Constables;  H. Verner, Isaac Ramsey and A. J. Ewart – Road Commissioners; S. D. Carson – School Treasurer.