Point Pleasant Townshipof Warren County IL
POINT
Pleasant was organized as a township April 4, 1854.
Albert Mitchell was chosen
Moderator at the meeting and J. D.
Conkling, Clerk. The township
was very thinly settled at this time, and there were only ten votes cast at
the election.
Albert Mitchell was chosen
Supervisor; Albert Livermore,
Clerk; E. J. Hazelton, Assesor and
Collector; Thomas Boyd,
Franklin Booth and
Andrew Livermore, Commissioners of Highways;
John A. Waugh and W. T.
Johnson, Constables; Warren Park
and Lucius Watson, Overseers of the
Poor.
Point Pleasant is located in the southwest
corner of the county; is numbered 7 north of range 3 west, and is bounded on
the north by Ellison, on the east by Swan, on the south by McDonough County on
the west by Henderson County.
This township was about the last to settle up. Solomon Sovereign
and Abraham Baldwin were the first
settlers coming in in 1835, and locating on section 13.
Mr. Sovereign remained on his farm for some years and then moved to
California, where he is still living.
Mr. Baldwin moved to Missouri where he died. After these pioneers came
Wm. Parkhurst, Mr. Sutton and
Mr. Garrett.
Parkhurst was from New England and located on section 25.
He afterward moved to Minnesota.
Mr. Garrett settled on section 24, on Swan Creek, and Sutton in the
timber on section 12. In 1849,
Lucius and
Isaac Watson came in and located in section 1. James Owen also came
in about this time with John A. Waugh.
In 1849 a school-house was built and the first school in the township
was taught. In 1850 a post office
was established at a place called Colfax.
In 1875 the Methodists organized a society near Colfax post office with
some 18 members.
Rev. J. W. Coe was the first pastor
to serve this church, and meetings were held in school-houses.
Later on they erected a house of worship, at a cost of $1,500.
Rev. P. S. Garretson succeeded Mr. Coe. This society has not kept up its organization, but meetings
have been held occasionally.
Point Pleasant Township with exceptions of
section 12,13 and 14, which are a little broken on the eastern line, is
rolling prairie. The soil is rich
and very productive, and it contains some of the best farms in the county.
There are many very fine dwelling houses and beautiful homes, and the
farmers are mostly in independent circumstances.
In fact, this township has been truly named, for it is indeed a
pleasant township to live in and look upon.
It is watered by the middle and south
branches of Nigger Creek, which heads about the middle of the township and
courses easterly. It has no
railroad lines running through its territory, the nearest railroad station
being the St. Louis branch of the C. B. & Q. R.R. which has a station at Swan
Creek. There are no stores, shops
or manufacturing establishments.
The people do their trading mostly at Swan Creek and Roseville.
In the producing of corn and the raising
of hogs, Point Pleasant ranks among the first townships in the county.
It is also unexcelled in the production of the smaller grains.
The population is about the same as in
1880, when the last census taken, which was 915.
According to the report of the County
Superintendent for the year ending June 30, 1885, there were nine school
districts in which there were nine frame school buildings.
The school property was valued at $3,700.
Of persons under 21 years of age there were 407, of whom 275 were of
scholastic age, 261 being enrolled.
The highest wages paid teachers was $47.50 per month, and the lowest
was $30. The tax levy for the
township was $2,480.
The Assessor in his report for the year
1885, furnishes the following items:
Number of acres of improved lands, 22, 531; value of improved lands,
$339,610; number of horses, 846; cattle, 1524; mules and asses, 77; sheep,372;
hogs, 3670; carriages and wagons, 298; watches and clocks, 134; sewing and
knitting machines, 90; pianos, 3; organs and melodeons, 35.
Total cash value of personal property, $63,364.
SUPERVISORS
Warren Park
- 1854
Albert Mitchell
- 1855-57
R. T. King
- 1858-59
Leonard Connell
- 1860
Albert Mitchell
- 1861
George W. Stice
- 1862-63
R. T. King
- 1864-67
Geo. W. Stice
- 1868
James M. Humes
- 1869-70
R. T. King -
1871-72
A.
S. Smith -
1873-76
Thomas Pennington -
1877
A. S. Smith -
1878-80
W. T. Boyd
- 1881-83
A. S. Smith -
1884-85 |
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