Dr. Moulthrop was married to Miss Margaret, eldest daughter of Sampson George, and died after a brief illness, September 12th of the same year. His son, Levi Moulthrop, was born in the spring of the following year. Dr. Moulthrop is said to have brought the first copy of Shakespeare into the county. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, a Democrat in politics, and a communicant of the Episcopal church. Richard Montague came July 1st from Massachusetts, and purchased a tract of land near the city. A street in South Rockford, an island in Rock river and a ward school bear his name. Mr. Montague died July 16, 1878. His son, S. S. Montague, became an expert railroad surveyor. Adam Keith came from Indiana. He was born in Pennsylvania, in 1795. From there he went to Ohio, thence to Indiana. His name was given to Keith's creek. Mr. Keith removed from Illinois to Wisconsin in 1846. He died at Beaver City, Nebraska, in 1883, at the age of eighty-seven years. William E. Dunbar settled in what is now South Rockford, and was a leader in the organization of the county. Mr. Dunbar served as county recorder from 1839 to 1843. He died October 16, 1847. P. P. Churchill was born in Vermont in 1804. He preempted a farm of one hundred and sixty acres east of the city. Mr. Churchill died January 11, 1889. He is remembered for his simple ways, kind heart and upright life. Among other settlers in the township during the year were: John Vance, John Caton, Joseph Jolly, Charles Hall, Lewis Haskins, Milton Kilburn, William Smith, Luke Joslin, Israel Morrill, D. A. Spaulding, Lova Corey, Alonson Corey, Abel Campbell, Ezra Barnum, Anson Barnum, James Taylor, William Hollenbeck, John Hollenbeck, V. Carter, Joseph F. Sanford, Jonathan Corey, Daniel Beers, Mason Tuttle, and Mr. Noble. The following were also employed by Mr. Kent during the year: Squire Garner, Gaylor, Perry, Norton, Phineas Carey, Jefferson Garner, Nathan Bond, Charles J. Fox, James Broadie and wife. All these were not within the present city limits, but they were residents in the vicinity. They made the hamlet their place of trade, and assisted in its growth. The foregoing list, however, did not comprise the total population of the county. Settlements had been made in nearly all the townships. In June, 1860, Judge Church delivered an historical address before the early settlers. At that time Judge Church gave the following list of settlers in what are now the These, with their families, property, houses, and other improvements, made that first short period determine all the future. They possessed and enjoyed the land. Others were following close behind. The future seemed promising, and they had only to prepare for it. Considerable ground was broken for cultivation; but the newly broken soil was of little use until its turf had rotted and mellowed. There was thus probably little raised that year in crops, except possibly sod corn, potatoes, vines and garden vegetables. Winter wheat, however, was sown for the following spring. THE CHAPTER IX. THE PIONEERS OF 1836. THE tide of emigration, which may be said to have begun in 1835, continued for several years. When the Rockford Society of Early Settlers was organized, January 10, 1870, its constitution provided that male residents of the county who settled therein previous to 1840 were eligible to membership. In this and the preceding chapter is given a partial list of those who came previous to and including 1836. In succeeding chapters will be published an incomplete roster of settlers of 1837-39, inclusive. According to the Old Settlers' standard of eligibility to membership, these names belong to the historic roll of honor. One of the first emigrants of this year came from the old world. Thomas Lake was a native of Blackford, in the Parish of Selworthy, County of Somerset, England. He sailed from Bristol in 1832, and arrived in New York after a voyage of seven weeks and three days, just as the cholera was beginning its westward march with such alarming fatality. Mr. Lake's reminiscences of the time between his arrival in New York and his settlement in Rockford four years later, is a vivid picture of the hardships of pioneer life. Soon after his arrival in Chicago in October, 1835, he met an old acquaintance, Sidney Twogood, from Cleveland. Mr. Lake also saw Dr. J. C. Goodhue, whom he had called to see Mrs. Lake, who was ill. The Doctor advised Mr. Lake to settle in Rockford. He and his friend Twogood accepted this advice and arrived in Rockford, and for a time they followed the carpenter's trade. Mr. Lake also took up a claim, which was subsequently known as the Willis Smith farm, and now owned by P. Byron Thomas. Mr. Lake died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Jane Lake, in Guilford, in the autumn of 1886. Herman B. Potter was a native of Connecticut. He reached Rockford in October. Mr. Potter purchased a farm about two miles south of State street on the Kishwaukee road. Later he came to the city and built a house where the First Congregational church now stands. This home was purchased by Mrs. Chamberlain. Mr. Potter was a prominent citizen in the early history of the county, and was at one time a member of the county commissioners' court. In 1850 Mr. Potter visited California. In 1853 he removed his family to Iowa, where he resided until his removal to Galesburg, Illinois. Mr. Potter died at Galesburg, March 16, 1880, at the age of seventy-five years. Selden M. Church was a son of New England. He was born in East Haddam, Connecticut, March 4, 1804. His father subsequently removed to Livingston county, in western New York. The sou came to Chicago in 1835 with a team; thence he went to Geneva, in Kane county, where he remained until he settled in Rockford in the autumn of the following year. During his early residence in the township, when the Winnebago Indians made occasional visits to their former hunting-ground, Judge Church frequently visited their camp, and obtained such knowledge of their language as enabled him to intelligently carry on conversation with them. From an early date until the time of his death, Judge Church was a notable figure in the official and business life of the community. He filled the offices of postmaster, county clerk and county judge. The last position he held eight years. In 1847 he was a delegate from this county to the constitutional convention. Judge Church was a member of the general assembly in 1862; a member of the state board of charities in 1868; and was one of the commissioners chosen by the government to locate a bridge at Rock Island. Judge Church died June 21, 1892. He builded wisely for the educational and moral welfare of Rockford. Mrs. Church and daughters, Mrs. Katharine Keeler and Miss Mary Preston, reside on the family estate on South Avon street. The title to this property has not changed in more than half a century. Abiram and Mary Morgan left their home in Massachusetts in September on a visit to this western country. They were charmed with the Rock river valley, and determined to settle here. They purchased a quarter section of Nathaniel Loomis, and erected a small log house on almost the exact site of the spacious old Horsman mansion. Mr. Morgan also purchased section twenty-two, which was originally an Indian "float." Mr. Morgan possessed a competence, which became the basis of a large estate for his family. His religious sympathies were with the Baptist church. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had established their home, they desired that it should be shared by their only daughter and her husband. This daughter, previous to the departure of her parents from Massachusetts, was a young school girl attending Charleston seminary, where she formed an acquaintance which led to her romantic marriage. Charles I. Horsman was then a young man in business in Boston. It was an instance of mutual love at first sight, and they were married February 10, 1834, when the bride was nineteen years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Horsman took their departure from the east soon after the arrival of her parents in Rockford., They came by way of Pittsburg, thence by the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers to St. Louis, thence overland to Rockford. Mrs. Horsman has given a vivid picture of their reception at the parental home. As the shades of night were falling, on the second day of December, they reached Rockford, on the east side of the river. They were cold, hungry, weary and disheartened. The river was full of floating ice, so that the ferry was not available; but a man agreed to row them across in a small boat, and they eagerly assented. Then they walked up from the river arm in arm, through the stately oaks, until they came to the home where the young wife's parents were waiting to receive them. In referring to that incident in later years, Mrs. Horsman said that as the door was thrown open to welcome the daughter and her husband, when the flood of light threw out its rays into the night, and the aroma of hot coffee greeted their keen senses, it seemed as if the gates of Paradise had been opened to them. On this very site Mrs. Horsman resided until her death in 1889. Mr. Horsman died March 2, 1875. Sampson George, an English gentleman, came to this county in September. In his youth Mr. George had been educated in the profession of the law, in the office of his father; but he had a decided preference for agricultural pursuits. Mr. George purchased a claim of eight hundred and eighty acres of land, held by Joshua Fawcett. Five weeks after his arrival Mr. George was taken ill and died October 31st, leaving a widow and five children. He was buried on his farm southeast of the village. Later the remains were removed to the West side cemetery. Charles Henry Richings, M. D., was the second resident physician. He followed very closely Dr. Moulthrop. Dr. Richings was born in England, February 26, 1815. He received his medical education in Belgium, and settled in Rockford July |