HICKORY HILL TOWNSHIP---TOPOGRAPHY AND BOUNDARIES---FIRST SETTLERS---WHO THEY WERE---FIRST BIRTH---FIRST FARMING---FIRST ROADS, ETC., ETC.
These brave men's bones are lying
where they perished in their gore;
Their bones were left to whiten,
on the spot where they were slain;
And were ye now to seek them,
They would be sought in vain.---The Pioneer
ABOUT fifty years ago, the first settlement was made in Hickory Hill Township. But with us time is tested not by periods but by eras. Of how much value is one year in America, where life is so intense. We live as much in a day as the old Romans did in a month. Here, great, thronging events so crowd and jostle each other, and rapid development is such a very marvel, that the wild dreams of yesterday become the sober reality of to-day. Volumes of history are being made every hour, and to write of things that are past for the generations who are to follow makes one pause.
Hickory Hill Township is bounded on the north by Brush Creek Township; on the east by Arrington Township; on the south by Four Mile Township; and on the west by Jefferson County. It comprises first two sections. The name Hickory Hill originated from a hill by that name located in the northwest part of the township, and now part of the farm owned by William Irvin. In an early day this hill was covered with a heavy growth of hickory timber. To the south and east of this hill was a prairie, about three miles long and two wide, and this was also called Hickory Hill Prairie; so that the township now bears the name of the highest hill and largest prairie within its boundaries. Besides the prairie above referred to, there were originally two other smaller prairies in the township: one, Locust Prairie, was in the northwest part of the county and was about half a mile square. Another still smaller one was in the southwest part of the township. It has been noticed that of late years, where the prairie land has not been kept in perfect cultivation, that a thick growth of timber is being formed. Besides these three prairies, the township was originally covered with timber. Considerable water oak, pin oak, white oak, sweet gum and maple are found, together with some sycamore and elm. About half of the township is at present in cultivation. Probably a fourth of the latter is devoted to pasture and grazing, the remainder being confined about equally to corn and wheat growing. Of the timbered land, most of it is in the eastern par of the township, along the banks of Skillet Fork. At one time, the timber was of a very heavy growth in this bottom land but of late all the best trees have been cut away, until now but little if any remains.
There are three creeks in the township. Of these the largest is Skillet Fork, which enters the township from the north, in the northeast quarter of Section 5. It flows through the township in a general southeastern course, and leaves the township in Section 2. Although generally a quiet, insignificant stream, it sometimes overflows its banks, and covers the bottom land for a mile each side of the creek. In Section 3, Brush Creek empties into Skillet Fork. This creek has its head in Brush Creek Township, of this county, and flows in a southwesterly course until its conjunction with Skillet Fork. Flowing through the south part of the township is Horse Creek. It enters the township from Jefferson County in Section 31, going south into Section 6, and then continues in an easterly course until it leaves the township to Section 3. About a half mile south of the township line, Horse Creek empties into Skillet Fork. The first bridge in the township was probably built about 1850. It was across Skillet Fork on the old Xenia & Fairfield road. Since that time that bridge has given way to another, that in turn to another, and in the spring of 1883 a new structure was erected. In an early day there was also a bridge built across Skillet Fork, where the Fairfield and Xenia road crosses it. That also rotted away. Two others were afterward built, but they, too, have been carried away until now there is no bridge at this point at all. About 1870, there was a bridge erected across this creek on the Fairfield & Mount Vernon road, at what is known as Rock Bluff.
Owing to the great abundance of timberland in this township in an early day, there was consequently an abundance of game, and accordingly the first settlers in the confines of what is now Hickory Hill Township were hunters and trappers. Probably the first settle was an old hunter by the name of James Nees. He came in an early day and settled on the banks of Horse Creek. He built a cabin on a little rising knoll, but left the county some time before 1830. In that year some later settlers discovered the empty cabin, and it was supposed that its lonely occupant had gone West. About 1830, several families immigrated to this township. About the first to come was Samuel Carter, accompanied by his two step-sons, Josiah and Eliza Blanchard. They were from Grayson County, Ky, and pre-empted land in Section 21. Carter died here and afterward the Blanchards emigrated West. Elijah died in Arkansas. Josiah, however, is not living in Colorado. William Ellis was another settler that came that year. He settled in Section 7, and there resided until his death in the summer of 1883. He raised a large family of children, ten of whom, five sons and five daughters are now living. Mr. Ellis, the present member of the County Board in this county, is from this family. The Gregorys were another large family that came to this township. There were five brothers of them---Jacob, Daniel, Benjamin, Joseph and Absalom. They settled in the extreme southwest part of the township---three of them on this side of Horse Creek and the two others finally settled across the line in Jefferson County. All are now dead, but there is a numerous family of their descendants in the western part of the township. Elijah Harris had settled in the northern part of the county some years prior to this, but in 1830 he removed into the township. After a few years residence there, he went West, where he died. The year after, Ashford Keen came to this township from Sumner County, Tenn., and settled near the present site of Keenville P. O., on land owned by John Webber. There he died in 1835, his two sons, John Keen, Sr., and James Keen, are still living and are now among the oldest pioneers in the county. William, the third son, had come to Marion County, Ill., from Tennessee, in 1829, but in 1881 came to this county and settled in this township, where he resided until his death on December 7 1881. His children, three sons and four daughters, are all living in the county. Soon after the arrival of the Keen family, a family by the name of Graham came to this county, but they first settled in the edge of Arrington Prairie. This consisted the mother and a large family of sons. The mother died in Arrington Township, but Josiah Graham came to this township in 1830, and first settled in Section 20. He afterward removed onto Section 13, and there lived until he died.
The first child born in this township was William Ellis, a son of William Ellis, already referred to. He was born either in 1831 or 1832. The first death of which any record has been kept was that of Mrs. Rebecca Carter, wife of Samuel Carter, another of the early pioneer settlers. She died in 1837 and was buried in the first burying ground in the county. It was a small piece of ground, and was surrounded by ten oak posts. From that it gained its name and was known for a long time as "The Ten Post Oaks." It is said that this Mrs. Carter was an own sister of the famous Hartz brothers, of Kentucky, who in an early day were companions of Daniel Boone.
The first marriage was that of a young man by the name of Edward Millner to Miss Rebecca Carter, a daughter of Mrs. Carter, already mentioned. The twain lived in the county for a few years, and then went West.
Early Incidents---As we remarked above, the great growth of timber in the township furnished secure hiding places for all kinds of game. The numberous fur-bearing animals that were so much sought after in those days were especially abundant. The first settlers that came found the game to be unlimited, and spread the news. The first comers only proved forerunners to many, many more trappers that soon flocked to this township. It was not long before several Eastern fur companies had agents in this part of the county. Among the most noteworthy and most prominent of these fur agents and trappers was John Keen, Sr., now an old and retired farmer, but in those days one of the most daring of the many brave and courageous men. The company of whom he was representative gave him unlimited sway over several counties in this part of the State. About two-thirds of the time he was on the road, and no matter what kind of weather it was, or how high the streams were, he never stopped in his travels. So fearless, indeed, was he, that he soon gained a name for himself far and wide. He was a famous swimmer, and both summer and winter he was in the habit of swimming fearlessly the largest and most dangerous streams along his route. In fact, he performed so many perilous feats that he was given the sobriquet of "Sumter" Keen, and this title has clung to him ever since.
So plentiful did the game continue to be that for a number of years no attention was paid to anything else beside hunting and trapping, and it was not until about 1840 that the first ground was broken, and then only corn was planted. Not until about 1850 did the settlers finally turn from the pursuit of the deer, bear and other animals and give their attention to the tilling of the soil. The large trees in an early day also formed a home for the wild bees, and at one time almost as much attention was paid to the gathering of the wild homey as to trapping and hunting. Indeed this honey was one of the principal articles of commodities among these early pioneers; and upon what was considered good bee days the woods would be filled with both men and women, who hunted both far and wide for this delicacy. So great, it is said, was the desire to gather this honey, by both great and small, that it is related of a good old preacher that in making an appointment upon one occasion he said, "Brethering and sistering---Providence permitting, I will be with you one month from to-day providing it is not a good bee day."
The first road to be surveyed or made through this township was the old Salem & Fairfield road. As early as 1831, there was a blazed path through the timber. It entered the township at Section 15, and crossed Skillet Fork, in Section 10, where a bridge was afterward built. Extending in a northwesterly course, it left the township at Section 6. As early as 1835 there was also a road extending from McLeansboro to Salem: it crossed the township from southeast to northwest. It ran by way of the old town of Keenville, and over it a mail and stage line was run as early as 1850. The first road from Fairfield to Mr. Vernon originally ran about a half mile south of Hickory Hill Township, through Four Mile Township. As early as 1860, a new road was surveyed through this township, and the latter road is now the main Fairfield & Mt. Vernon road. It enters the township on the section line between the Sections 24 and 25, crossing Skillet Fork in the western part of Section 26, where a new bridge has lately been built. It leaves the township on the section line between Sections 30 and 31, crossing the township almost due east and west.
The early pioneers had to go to an old mill that used to stand south of Fairfield, and as it was about twenty-one miles from Keenville to the mill, sometimes two whole days were consumed in going and coming and in grinding perhaps a single bushel of corn. Sometime between 1840 and 1850, a man by the name of Samuel Haney built and ran the first horse mill ever used in Hickory Hill Township. It was located about a mile and a half southwest of Keenville. A few years after that a man by the name of Stephen Cornstubble built a mill about a mile and a half north of Keenville, on the old Keenville & Xenia road. This structure stood for a number of years, but finally rotted away. In the extreme north part of the township, a man by the name of Isaac Garrison, in an early day, ran both a cotton gin and a horse mill. As early as 1845, there was an old water-power saw mill in Section 10, on the banks of Skillet Fork. This in turn, in 1850, gave place to a steam mill that first run by Ayers & Wickensham. These men sold their interest in the mill to Keen & Williams. Williams afterward retired, and the mill was run by John Keen for a number of years.
As early as 1845, John Keen, Sr., opened a store on his land in Section 26. Besides selling goods, he bought a good many furs, and in that day and for years afterward, as there was a great deal of tobacco raised in this township, Mr. Keen purchased all the tobacco in that part of the country. For a number of years, he sold an immense amount of goods, and had the country trade for miles around. In 1850, he conceived the idea of forming a town at this point, and laid out a plat of ground to which he gave the name of Keenville. A day of sale was appointed, in which the lost were to be bid off, and a number of them were finally bought. But owing to some reason or other the deeds were never signed, and the project finally fell through. However, in that same year he had a post office established at that point, of which the name of Keenville Post Office was given. He was appointed Postmaster, and held the office until 1869. In that year, he sold out his store to a Mr. Williams, who was also appointed Postmaster. This store was continued at this point until 1880 or 1881, when Mr. Williams took his stock of goods to Keen's Station, in Four Mile Township. Although the town was never laid out, the neighborhood in the vicinity of Mr. Keen's residence still bears the name of Keenville. In 1881, the post office was, however, moved a mile south of the old location, where Mr. A. F. Atteberry is now running a store. The mail is now brought by carrier twice a week from Xenia via Keenville, to Keen's Station. Besides the store of Mr. Atteberry, there is one in the southeast part of the township, near the conjunction of Horse Creek with Skillet Fork, near the Fairfield & Mt. Vernon road. Business has been carried on there since 1880 by a James Crask.
Schools---In a very early day there were a few subscription schools held at some of the farmhouses in the township. But the first schoolhouse was built as early as 1845, in Section 29. It was of hewn logs with puncheon floors, and was erected by the people of the neighborhood on land donated by Harvey Braddy. It was eighteen feet wide by twenty feet long, and was built by plans furnished by J. B. Bozarth. School was held in this building every season until 1879, when the building finally burned. Among the persons who taught there were Asa F. Atteberry, A. K. Atteberry and T. M. Atteberry. A short time before the building burned it was decided to divide the district as the school was becoming large. In consequence, after the fire it was decided to erect two buildings. Accordingly, one building was erected in Section 28, on land donated by Stout Atteberry. It was a frame building, 24 x 36, and cost when completed about $650. At present the enrollment of the district is about sixty, with a general attendence of about forty. At the same time another building of about the same size and about the same cost was erected on land donated by Albert Gregory. The enrollment of that school is about the same as the other. Besides these two schools, there are two others---one near the eastern edge of the township, and another near the north line of the township, close to Brush Creek.
Lilly Methodist Episcopal Church---It has been a matter of considerable difficulty to obtain sufficient data concerning the history of the churches of this township. That there was preaching on stated occasions in the township in an early day is an authenticated fact, but where and by whom is not so easy to ascertain. Some years ago, what is known as the Lilly charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. Its first members were Elsberry Gregory, Samuel Garrison, William McCoy and family, and a Mrs. Walters. At present the membership is about fifteen. The first place of meeting of this organization was in the old log schoolhouse in District No. 2, and afterward in the west frame schoolhouse of that district. In the summer of 1883, it was decided that the society erect a building of its own. This idea was put into effect, and subsequently a structure, 24x36, was built at a cost of about $600. In this place of worship services are now held on stated occasion.
Sunday School---The first Sunday school in the township was organized in the summer of 1877. It was held under the auspices of the Methodist denomination in Schoolhouse No. 2. During the summer the attendance was on an average about fifty. At the beginning of the cold season, the school was disbanded, and has since then not been re-organized.
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