Table of Contents
History of Cass County, Illinois

Edited by William Henry Perrin
Published by O. L. Baskin & Co. Historical Publishers, Chicago, 1882.

Reprinted in 1968 in its in entirety as part of the
Sesquicentennial History of Cass County, Illinois
Edited by Virgil M. Dowdall

Part I: History of the County

Part II: Biographies from County Precincts:
Virginia  +  Beardstown  +  Chandlerville  +  Ashland  +  Arenzville  +  Indian Creek  +  Princeton  +  Richmond  +  Philadelphia  +  Monore  +  Oregon  +  Hickory

• PART I.
  • Chapter I. (pages 11-17)
    
    • Cass County   *   Early Notes on Illinois   *  The French Travelers and Explorers   *  The Indians   *  Wars of the Iroquois and Kickapoos   *  Legend of Monsoela   *  Different Owners of Illinois   *  Beardstown Mound   *  Purchase of the Country from the Indians   *  Miscellaneous, Etc.

    Chapter II. (pages 18-24)
    

    • Settlements of the Country Not Included in Cass County   *  Some of the Pioneers and Where They Settled   *  The Sangamo Country   *  Its Fertility   *  Prairie Schooners   *  First Land Entry   *  Beard's Ferry   *  Beard & Marsh's Entry of Land   *  First Settlers in Beardstown   *  Deed of Defeasance   *  Going to Egypt for Corn   *  Arrival of Other Settlers   *  The Entry of Land, Etc., Etc., Etc.

    Chapter III. (pages 25-35)
    

    • Increase of Population   *  The Deep Snow of 1830   *  The Black Hawk War   *  Rendezvous of Soldiers at Beardstown   *   Cause of Dr. Chandler's Settlement   *  Meeting Between Him and Abraham Lincoln   *  Business of Beardstown in 1834   *  The Early Log Cabins   *  Yankees and Yankee Tricks   *  Corn Bread, Etc., Etc., Etc.

    Chapter IV. (pages 36-51)
    

    • Organization of Cass County   *  The Convention at Rushville   *  Legislative Act Creating the County   *  Other Acts   *  First Election for Officers   *  The Number of Voters   *  An Incident of a Wolf   *  The Cold Day of 1837   *  Location of the County Seat   *  Scarity of Money   *  The County Machinery Put in Motion   *  The Courts   *  Trouble From Horse Thieves   *  Eugene Honorius   *  The Census, Etc.

    Chapter V. (pages 52-65)
    

    • Fertile Lands of Cass   *  Its Geological Formations   *  Coal Measures   *  Different Deposits   *  Coal   *  Building Stone   *  Legislative Representatives from Cass County   *  Principal County Officers Since Formation   *  Illinois River Items, Etc.

    Chapter VI. (pages 66-71)
    

    • Agriculture of Cass County   *  Farming in the Primitive Times   *  Improved Farm Implements   *  Agricultural Fairs and Associations   *  Lists of Officers   *  Cass County Park Association   *  Its Organization, Etc.   *  Fine Stock of the County   *  Short Horn Herds, Etc.   *  The Railroads, Etc.

    Chapter VII. (pages 72-78)
    

    • Virginia Precinct   *  Description, Boundaries and Topography   *  Western Pioneer Life   *  Settlement of the Precinct by White People   *  Character of the Pioneers   *  Their Trials, Troubles and Hardships   *  Early Improvements and Industries   *  Roads, Bridges, etc.   *  Schools   *  The First School-houses   *  Early Teachers   *  Present Educational Facilities   *  Churches and Preachers   *  Old Shiloh Church   *  Miscellaneous, etc.

    Chapter VIII. (pages 79-90)
    

    • City of Virginia -- Its Birth, Location and Growth   *  Sale of Lots, and Additions to the Town   *  Dr. Hall, Founder of Virginia   *  First House and Store   *  Public Square and Court House   *  Business in the West End   *  The Present Business Center   *  Hotels, Mills, etc.   *  Doctors and Lawyers   *  Banking Business   *  Incorporation of the City   *  Municipal Offices   *  Summary, etc.

    Chapter IX. (pages 91-96)
    

    • Virginia -- Its Growth and Development as a City   *  The Era of Railroads   *  Project of Building the Illinois River Railroad   *  The Ohio and Mississsippi, etc.   *  Newspapers of Virgnia   *  First Paper Establish in the Town   *  The Present City Press   *  Court Houses and the County Seat Question   *  The Jail   *  Miscellaneous, etc.

    Chapter X. (pages 97-107)
    

    • Virginia -- Religious History   *  First Churches and Preachers   *  The Different Denominations and Their Temples of Worship   *  Sunday Schools, etc.   *  Educational -- The Early Schools of Virginia   *  Pioneer Teachers   *  The Public Schools   *  C. P. College   *  War History   *  Secret and Benevolent Institutions, etc.

    Chapter XI. (pages 108-121)
    

    • Beardstown City and Precinct   *  Laying Out of the Town   *  Its Location   *  Organization   *  First Officers   *  The County Seat Question   *  Churches   *  Schools   *  The Press   *  Railroads   *  The Professions   *  Early Settlers   *  Business Interests   *  War Record, Etc.

    Chapter XII. (pages 122-132)
    

    • Chandlerville Precinct--Topographical Features   *  Pioneer Times   *  Early Families   *  Educational   *  Societies   *  Mills   *  Village of Chandlerville

    Chapter XIII. (pages 133-142)
    

    • Ashland Precinct -- Physical Features   *  Early Settlers   *  Pioneer Times   *  Schools and Churches   *  The Village of Ashland

    Chapter XIV. (pages 143-152)
    

    • Arenzville Precinct -- Its Early History   *   The Three Mile Territory   *   Early Residence of the Settlers   *   Emigrants from Germany   *   School-Houses and Churches in the School Districts   *   The Village of Arenzville   *   First Lots Surveyed   *   Business of the Town   *   Churches and School-Houses in the Villages   *   Some of the Prominent Men of the Time -- Francis Arenz, John L. Cire, Dr. George Engelbach, and Others   *   Miscellaneous, Etc., Etc.

    Chapter XV. (pages 155-159)
    

    • Princeton Precinct -- General Description   *  Boundaries, Topography and Surface Features   *  The Early Settlement   *  Pioneer Hardships   *  First Mill, and Other Improvements   *  Walnut Grove School-house   *  Present Schools   *  Churches   *  Old Princeton, and its Business Enterprise   *  Little Indian Village

    Chapter XVI. (pages 160-165)
    

    • Richmond Precinct -- Physical Features   *  Indians   *  Pioneer Times   *  Early Settlers   *  Schools, Churches and Stores

    Chapter XVII. (pages 166-169)
    

    • Philadelphia Precinct -- Descriptive   *  Topography and Physical Features   *  Organization as a Precinct   *  The Settlement of the Whites   *  Their Life on the Frontier   *  Pioneer Improvements   *  Churches, Schools, etc.   *  Philadelphia and Lancaster   *  A Lost City, etc.

    Chapter XVIII. (pages 170-177)
    

    • Monroe Precinct -- Description   *  Physical Features   *  Settlement and Pioneer Times   *   Growth and Improvement   *  Churches, Schools, etc.

    Chapter XIX. (pages 178-182 )
    

    • Oregon Precinct -- Description and Settlement   *  Pioneer Life   *  Indians   *  Churches and Schools

    Chapter XX. (pages 183-191)
    

    • Hickory Precinct -- Physical Features   *  First Settlement and Subsequent Growth   *  Progress of Industries and Improvements   *  Churches and Schools

  Part II.  Biographical Sketches

  • Virginia Precinct (page 193)
    

    • The Black Family Henry Bevis Levi Conover William Campbell J. B. Craft Dr. S. M. Colladay David M. Crum Finis E. Downing John M. Dirreen Eli M. Dale William Dowdall The Epler Family Jacob A. Epler J. N. Gridley Morrison Graves John Gore

      Z. W. Gatton Charles M. Hubbard Henry F. Kors Joseph S. Lynch John Martin Henderson E. Massey T. L. Matthews William Moore R.H. Mann Lachlan McNeill William T. Melone Richard W. Mills William I. Mitchell Edward T. Oliver Samuel H. Petefish Jacob Petefish

      Adam Price William B. Payne Henry Quigg Judge J. W. Rearick George W. Rawlings Oswell Skiles Ignatius Skiles I. M. Stribling Charles W. Savage J. B. Stevenson Adolph H. Sielschott Edward W. Turner H. C. Thompson Thomas Wilson D. N. Walker John H. Wilson

    Beardstown Precinct (page 227)
    

    • Judge John A. Arenz Frank J. Arenz Ernst Arnoldi Mendall Aaron J. Baujan & Co. John J. Beatty Dr. George Bley George H. Brown James Buck Charles E. Burns C. A. Bussmann Samuel L. Calif Thomas H. Carter Antonio Casanova Thomas J. Chalfant Julius Cire Charles Clark J. K. Clark J. H. Cramer Charles H. Cummings Thomas Clark William Duval Edwin F. Derr Luke Dunn Robert H. Dunn John Dunn Duchardt Bros. John R. Dutch F. M. Davis Henry B. DeSollar Oliver Decker James A. Dick John Decker David C. Dilley J. C. H. Eberwein John Eddy Frederick W. Ehrhardt Judge Sylvester Emmons Henry T. Foster Abner Foster Col. John B. Fulks Charles E. Fulks Anton Greve Robert H. Garm Henry Garm George W. Goodell

      Theodore Heinz Lyman Hager William Riley Hager James M. Hager John H. Hagener William Huppers John H. Harris Franklin A. Hammer David Henderson David M. Irwin L. A. Jones William Jockisch Charles T. Jokisch Gotthalf Jokisch J. Lewis Kuhl John Knight Henry C. Keil George Kuhl George S. Kuhl Henry Kuhlman William Kuhlman August E. Kammerer Lycurgus S. Lee Christian T. Launer Dr. H. H. Littlefield Jacob Lebknecher Alexander Lammers Henry C. Meyer Rev. C. R. Morrison William H. McCormick Henry Menke Z. E. Maine Edmund P. Miller Philip Miller William F. Mohlmann Charles J. Norbury William C. Nolte J. W. Newburne People's Bank William H. Paschall Herman Philippi Stark H. Phelps C. E. Parker John F. Pappmeier Norman Parsons Melbourne N. Parsons

      John E. Putman Christian Pilger Anton Rink Henry Ruppel F. G. I. Ratcliff Chauncey Rice Henry Rotes Henry Ricks W. H. Rhineberger W. C. Rew Hon. J. Henry Shaw Lewis F. Sanders Charles M. Spring Samuel Shaw Abel M. Smith Frank H. Spring Theodore Schaar Werner Steuernagel Robert Schmoldt Field Sample John W. Seaman Z. T. Smith Richard Tink David P. Treadway Lewis Treadway Seth J. Thompson Edward N. Treadway John W. Thompson Henry G. Unland Dr. William G. Unland Herman H. Unland John H. Unland Joseph Weaver Samuel Wortman Henry Witte Rev. W. Weigand David Wagner Dr. David Whitney Henry B. Wilson Theodore Wilkins George Wagner John H. Wedeking John Webb W. B. Williams Charles E. Wyman Henry Winhold

    Chandlerville Precinct (page 281)
    

    • Thomas Ainsworth Friedrich Brauer Dr. Nathaniel H. Boone Albert Buck Charles C. Brown B. E. Bowman Rev. John M. Bowers George Briar Linus C. Chandler Silas Carr A. G. Colson Jeremiah Davis Christian Duchardt James Fielden Robert Fielden John H. Goodell

      George Gebhartt A. D. Grief Moses Harbison Friederich Herrmann Zachariah Hash Albert G. Haynes William Kirchner John H. Kinney General C. E. Lippincott William Dudley Leeper Jacob Metzmaker, Jr. Charles McKee W. K. Mertz Gottlieb Nöllsch Pius Neff William A. Neill

      Philo T. Norton Capt. Sherman Paddock Jeptha Plaster A. M. Pendleton N. S. Read, M. D. Peter W. Rickard Joseph Raworth Alfred T. Smith B. H. Shankland Thomas P. Taylor Z. A. Thompson Peter Vollmerr William L. Way Elijah Watkins Frank Zillion

    Ashland Precinct (page 303)
    

    • Isaac N. Beaver John Blank Alonzo F. Burnham John Beggs Joseph Bowers John L. Douglass William S. Douglass Alonzo S. Fay Watson W. Gailey

      Lewis C. Hewitt Samuel L. Hamilton William M. Jones Thomas B. LaTouche Frank Lohmann George M. Leitch Alfred M. Mick Nelson A. Newman John G. Pearn

      William W. Redman Rev. Edwin B. Randle John L. Reiley George M. Randall Samuel Sinclair Samuel Sinclair William Sybrant Joseph D. Turner

    Arenzville Precinct (page 313)
    

    • Peter Arenz William F. Arenz E. E. Beard Crum Family George A. Crum Richard J. Cire Herman Engelbach Christian French William J. Green

      Edward Heinz John F. Hackman William Hackman Thomas Jackson Theodore Launer W. L. McCarty Pompeius Philippi Edward Pfeil John Rahn

      Henry E. Rahn Thomas Richards Andrew J. Richards Charles Robertson Henry Schaefer Dr. J. M. Swope Alfred M. Thompson Ferdinand Winhold Edward Yeck

    Indian Creek Precinct (page 324)
    

    • P. H. Corcoran Isaac Drinkwater J. F. Holtmann

      G. H. Jost G. H. Krems J. Knippenberg

      Charles Mayes Mrs. Elizabeth Sturmar A. S. Wagner

    Princeton Precinct (page 327)
    

    • Albert J. Coons Rev. G. Garner

      John M. Montgomery Charles W. Price

      William Stevenson

    Richmond Precinct (page 330)
    

    • Levi Dick Theodore Frankenfield Hamilton Hall William Lynn

      John A. Linn T. T. Lynn William P. Lynn

      James S. Lynn Nathan Sutton Henry Taylor

    Philadelphia Precinct (page 337)
    

    • John L. Buckley Mark Buckley Abraham Bailey

      William Barkley James Cunningham John J. Higginson

      James M. Hinchee Charles C. Robinson William Ross

    Monroe Precinct (page 340)
    

    • Richard L. Davis Geo. W. Davis Elias Davis David Dupes Conrad Funk Isaiah E. Huffman Charles Huffman A. L. Hagerman

      Daniel Lahman Ann Mary McHenry William E. McClure William Nisbet Henry C. Pratt James V. Rawlings Henry Schaeffer Charles R. Savage

      Harvey Springer Abner Schaeffer Jonathan D. Springer Henry Stock John H. Tureman George A. Treadway Ludwig Wildt Cornelius C. Woodward

    Oregon Precinct (page 347)
    

    • Joseph Allison Harrison W. Bowers Robert P. Bell Elijah Carver John Cunningham F. T. Carver

      William S. Garner Rev. James R. Garner F. U. Isham David M. Logan William W. Mathew William E. Milstead

      C. S. Mathew, M. D. Alexander Newman Alexander Robison William Watkins William Wyatt

    Hickory Precinct (page 355)
    

    • Henry Bierhause G. W. Cook Jacob Houck Alvey Horrom

      Thomas Knight Archibald Taylor Robert Taylor

      Calvin Wilson Joseph Ziegelmeier

Note: The information reproduced here is typed from the original text, as faithfully as possible, by volunteers. In case of suspected errors in the text, readers should consult the original publication, if possible.