BRUSH CREEK TOWNSHIP---DESCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY, ETC.---EARLY SETTLEMENTS---PIONEER IMPROVEMENTS---EARLY PREACHERS---BERRY ELLEDGE, THE FIRST SCHOOL TEACHER---HIS STROKE OF PARALYSIS COMPELLING HIM TO LAY THREE DAYS IN THE WOODS SURROUNDED BY WILD ANIMALS---MURDER OF A MR. BRAZELL, BY WILLIAM FATHREE---FIRST MARRIAGE, FIRST DEATH---CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, ETC., ETC., ETC.
"He bent his way where twilight reigns sublime
O'er forests silent since the birth of time."
THE world is now taking time to look back, and the story of the pioneer is becoming one of absorbing interest. The children of the pioneer settlers are rapidly being gathered to their fathers during each decade, and the old landmarks one by one have decayed and passed away with those who placed them there. The men who opened up Brush Creek Township to the illuminating rays of civilization, though possessed of an unusual degree of culture for those days, were practical men. They came to better their material prospects, and, while they labored to bring about them those influences which would mold the new community into the highest form of social life, they did not undertake to demonstrate a theory of social philosophy. Their labors have not been in vain. But those who remain, upon whose shoulders the burden of responsibility rests with so poor a grace, look in vain to the story of the early days for the secret of their success. They builded wiser than they knew, and glad to think that the rising generations would be wiser than they, died and left no sign. The writer finds himself not more favored than the socialist. The men who faced the difficulties of frontier life in the opening of the nineteenth century or a little later found no time to trace their records, and the following pages are presented more as the result of a groping in the dark than as an historical array of facts.
The part of territory to which the reader's attention is now directed is the outgrowth of a later development. Brush Creek Township known as Townships 1 and 2 north, and Range 5 east, is bounded on the north by Clay County, on the east by Indian Prairie Township, on the south by Hickory Hill Township, and on the west by Marion County. The principal stream is Brush Creek, which has as its source in the northern part of the township, and runs in a southerly direction, empties into Skillet Fork. Johnson's Fork and Bobb's Branch are small affluents from the east of Brush Creek. Turner Creek is the only branch of any importance that empties into Brush Creek from the east. The amount of small brush along Brush Creek gave rise to its name, and after it the township was called. There is but one small prairie in the township, which is mentioned elsewhere in this chapter. The remainder is woodland and is very undulating and broken, but when the timbers are cleared away, it is productive of grain, vegetables and fruits.
Jeremiah Hargraves was among the first settlers in Brush Creek Township. He came from Kentucky, in 1822, and settled on the farm now owned by William B. Hallaman. He died in the township, was a good, energetic man, and at one time possessed considerable means. In his latter days, he had the misfortune to have both arms broken above the wrists. It was very singular, though a fact, that his arms were broken at different times, but exactly the same distance from the wrist. The first arm was broken with a sash saw, and the last was fractured by a wagon turning over with him. Neither bone ever healed, and in his old days, he had scarcely any use of his hands that had done so much to clear away the forests. A son named Clinton, was made a life-long cripple by a severe attack of fever, which destroyed the strength of the hips. His father (Jeremiah) gave him the greater portion of his property. A son named William is living in Clay County.
About the time Hargraves came to the town hip, Benjamin Alney and Alexander Haws located near by him; also Richard Sessions. The above gentlemen were related by marriage, etc., and formed a settlement. Mrs. John Hawkins and the Burges brothers now own the land where the Hawses settled. Alney Haws died here, but Benjamin journeyed off among the Mormons. They were each in the Black Hawk war. Philip Henson moved to the township in 1827, and settled on Section 4. He entered soon after forty acres of land and his son W. C. entered eighty acres. Here Philip lived an upright life, and in 1860 he moved to Southeast Missouri, where he and wife died some time afterward. W. C. Henson is yet living in the township. He deeded the first land in Brush Creek in 1833, which is a part of his present possessions. It is in what is called Garden Prairie, which was so named by James Scott, who came to the township in about 1835, was a married man, and partook too freely of "spirits," and when on one of his usual drunks he gave the name of Garden Prairie to the only spot in the township that even resembled a prairie. Philip Henson and son, W. C., erected the first cabin on this small prairie, on Section 4. Philip was the father of six children, five of whom are living, viz., Lucinda married Jeremiah Chapman, Mary married John Bruner, W. C. Norcissa married John Brown and Sarah married Josiah Burkitt.
Deaton Meadows came to the township in 1830, from Marion County, Ill., where he had located from Tennessee several years prior to that time. After awhile he made his final settlement in Marion County, where he died. Three of his sons are living in this township, namely, W. P., Henry and Hyrman; the latter is a minister of the general Baptist organization; he has also two daughters living. One married a man by the name of Middleton, and lives in Missouri, and the other, Lydia, married John Montgomery, and is living in Xenia. Jeremiah Chapman came pretty early from Indiana with his father, William, and settled for awhile east of Fairfield. Here William becoming a little enraged at some one, made a kick at him, and struck his foot against a log in a house which completely crushed his foot, making him a cripple the remainder of his days. He was a large man, weighing 375 pounds. Jeremiah moved to this townhip between 1835 and 1840.
John Burkitt came to the township in 1833, from Indiana, and settled where John Hawkins now lives. He changed about considerably, and finally died west of Johnsonville. He was a native of Kentucky, and was the father of twelve children, five of whom survive, viz.: Missouri, married K. H. Fathree; Nancy, married Irvin Scott; Julia, married Joseph Brown; Joseph keeps the county poor farm; Josiah married Sarah Henson, and lives in the township.
W. A. Forth came from Kentucky and settled on Section 27 in 1841. Here he died in 1878; was once Supervisor; was the father of twenty-one children by three unions.
Matthew Warren came very early and settled near Mr. Forth, and there died, leaving some relatives who yet reside near where he located. Alex and John Warren, brothers of Matthew, came here about the same time as he, and died in the township.
William Holaway, a native of Kentucky, settled a neighbor to Forth in 1843. He enlisted in the late war, where he died. Some of his children are living.
Benjamin and William Fathree were among the first settlers, and were considered rough characters. The former died in the township, and the latter absconded to free himself from the fangs of the law. The circumstances relating to his hasty departure were about the following: Fathree was a man who partook freely of the "tangle foot," and on one occasion, he was at a little mill, located in Marion County, the proprietor of which sold whisky. This was a regular rendezvous for the neighborhood, and it was not an uncommon thing for them to engage in a regular knock-down. Fathree, at the time in question, was feeling pretty ill, and a number of the men who were waiting for their "grinding," engaged in teasing him for having got so full, and the man who seemed to rouse his ire the most was a Mr. Brazell, whom Fathree singled out for revenge, and while Brazell was loading a sack of corn, he struck him on the back of the neck with a club, killing him almost instantly. Fathree departed and has never been heard of since.
B. Meadows came to the township at an early period, and is living there yet. In his early introduction to the unbroken wilderness, he engaged mostly in hunting.
The first death that occurred in the township was William Warren, who was buried near his residence. Soon after died a desolate old lady, who came from Kentucky with Robert Anderson, at an early date. He remained only a short time and went West.
The first wedding in the township was John Bruner and Mary Henson. John was a son of Henry Bruner, of Kentucky. He came to the county with Philip Henson, whose daughter he married; was reared by Jesse Henson, of Kentucky. He died in 1882, leaving his widow in affluent circumstances.
Benjamin Haws, in an early day was the proprietor of a horse grist mill, which was of much accommodation to the early settlers.
Deaton Meadows had what was called a stump hand mill; though quite a novelty, yet was used considerably to crush corn.
Isaac Harris and Elijah Draper own and operate a good saw mill, with attachments for grinding meal. It is the only enterprise of the kind in the township.
Warren Stoddard is running a blacksmith shop near where the Buchanan road crosses Brush Creek.
The first school was taught in this township in a log cabin that was located on a farm now owned by John Morris, and it is thought that Berry Elledge, then a resident of White County, was the teacher. The school was given him by the generous patrons more as a sympathy than as a desire for his qualifications, as the following narrative will show: As stated, his home was in White County, and at the time, a brother-in-law of his started for a new home near Springfield, this State, and Mr. E. concluded to accompany them for two days. He accordingly saddled his horse and shouldered his gun, and for a distance led the course. When entering Brush Creek Township, he remarked that he would leave the road and take off at a tangent, with the belief that he would kill a deer, and overtake them by camping time. He had gone scarcely out of sight, when he was taken with a stroke of paralysis, and fell from his horse. Here he laid in an almost unconscious condition for three days before he was found by the searching party, who set out soon after his horse returned home without him. The relatives, who had gone on, thought that he had concluded not to go any farther, and pusued their journey without any uneasiness, until some of the search men overtook them to inquire of his whereabouts. At this juncture the excitement grew high, and a more careful search was instigated, which resulted in finding him surrounded by wild animals. The woods had been on fire since he had fallen there, and the fire had burned the leaves and grass to within a few feet encircling him, and it was a remarkable fact, so says W. C. Henson, that the fire had gone out in the thickest leaves and grass closely surrounding him. Mr. Elledge was taken home, but was forever a cripple, and taught the above school in the days of his unfortunate condition.
The early inhabitants of Brush Creek Township experienced all the hardships and inconveniences incident to the life of the pioneer, and not the least among them was the church facilities. Those interested in church-going, gathered for many miles around at some farmer's cabin, and found their way there after night by means of hickory bark torches for lights. It was no uncommon occurrence for the pioneer to be headed off from his course either to or from the meetings by the sound of the large rattlesnakes, that were very plentiful in those days. Although many thousands were killed by the early settlers, a few remained to transmit the species to the present day. Richard Sessions was the only person who was bitten by these poisonous reptiles, and he was barely saved by means of a "mad stone" obtained from Dr. Garrison, who lived at the time northeast of Fairfield. Among the noted huntsmen who played havoc with the rattlesnake as well as the wild animals, we mention, Philip and W. C. Henson, Jack and Benjamin Haws, Jerry Hargraves and John Burkitt. Among the early preachers were known Nathaniel Escridge and Samuel D. Hefton, of the Old School Baptist faith, and Thomas Middleton, of the Universalist denomination.
The first church organized in the township was by the Mormons. This denomination has one active church in the township, located at White Cloud Schoolhouse, and holds services every month, with a large attendance. I. A. Morris is the present Elder. J. B. Henson is also an Elder of the same. The schools of the township are hardly an average with the other townships of the county, owing to the financial condition of the settlers. Brush Creek Township is one in the wide, wide world that wants no railroad, and the writer's daring horseback ride up and down the cliffs in search for data caused him to form a conclusion that the railroad did not want them. When an election was held in the county for the purpose of voting for and against an appropriation for a certain railroad to run through the county, there was only one man in the township who voted for it, and he soon after moved to Fairfield, where he might live in quiet enjoyment, and hear the whistling of the iron horse. After many years of toil and labor, the few remaining early inhabitants and descendants of many of the others have at last struck oil in the raising and cultivation of fruits. The business is just in its infancy, and it is not improbable that, within another decade, the woodland will be cleared of its heavy growth, and in its stead will be thousands of acres of fine orchards, yielding enormous crops.
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