History of Alhambra Township, Madison County, Illinois
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
Alhambra Township (Township 5, Range 6) is
bounded on the north by Olive, on the east by Leef, on the south
by Marine, and on the west by Hamel Townships. Silver Creek is
the principal stream that runs through the township.
William Hinch, a hardy pioneer from eastern Kentucky, was the
son of George Hinch. William was the first white man to make his
home within the boundaries of Alhambra Township. He came to the
township with the firm determination of making the township his
permanent home. He brought his family (a wife and three
children), in what was called a stage wagon. He arrived in the
township on November 15, 1817, and located in the edge of the
timbers, a short distance north and west of Silver Creek, on
section 19. All winter he lived in a rude cabin built out of
poles and clapboards. It had no door, and the fire was built on
the ground on one side. The smoke escaped through the cracks of
the cabin. On the inside were hung panther, deer, and wolf
skins, to keep out the cold and drifting snow. The pioneers were
used to hardships, and Hinch was no exception. During the winter
Mr. Hinch built a cabin for his family. He broke up a small
prairie field north of his house the following Spring. He lived
there about four years, then erected a hewed log house north of
the field. The house had a puncheon floor. Some years later, he
erected a second hewed log house, one story and a half high. The
lumber for the floors, doors, and loft was sawed by hand. He was
very skillful with an ax and whip saw, and was a great hunter.
He kept his table well supplied with wild meats and honey.
During the first winter, Hinch killed seven panthers and a
number of wild cats and wolves. He brought a large bulldog with
him from Kentucky, and when in the woods, the dog always
accompanied him. One day Hinch discovered a panther, about half
grown, in a tree. He could easily have shot it, but concluded to
have some fun. He cut a club of a length to be easily handled,
climbed the tree, and frightened the panther until it jumped to
the ground into the embrace of the dog. Fur began to fly, much
to the amusement of Mr. Hinch, who wanted to test the grit of
his dog. A hard struggle ensued between the dog and the panther,
and Mr. Hinch had to assist with his club, and the panther was
finally killed. That same winter, Hinch wounded a full-grown
female panther. His dog attempted to kill the panther, but the
panther fastened her claws firmly in the side of his neck, and
held him at arm’s length. The dog could not free himself, so he
began biting the panther’s leg. The panther withstood the severe
punishment without a murmur, until Mr. Hinch sent a rifle ball
through her head. A year or so later, the dog was killed in the
woods by wolves. The wolves were numerous in the township at
this time, and their howlings were so loud that sleep was
utterly impossible. They not only prowled at night, but could
often be seen skulking through a thicket or trotting cautiously
along a path. Mr. Hinch lived on his homestead until his death
in 1845. He left a widow and nine children: Joseph T., Mary H.
(married Thomas S. West), Matilda E. (married John Harrington),
William C., Susan C. (married James Williams), Jesse G., and
Martha A. (married William Hulett).
William Hoxsey was a
native of Rhode Island. He came to the county late in the Fall
of 1817. For six weeks he lived in a tent in Pin Oak Township.
In the meantime, he built a camp on the edge of the timber in
section 18, where he moved his family the following January.
During the winter he built a hewed log house, twenty square
feet, in which he built a fireplace. The floor was of puncheons
made from hickory logs split in two and placed evenly down and
worked into a smooth surface. The red hardwood and the white oak
sapwood of the hickory showed a beautiful contrast, and the
floor was considered beautiful. Hoxsey raised a family of eleven
children. John and Archibald, his sons, returned to Kentucky and
returned with young wives. John married Mary Martin, and
Archibald married Harriet Stephenson. William Hoxsey lived on the
edge of the timber for about five years, then moved his cabin
nearly a mile west, where he later built a substantial frame
house. He lived in this house until his death on October 18,
1832, at the age of 66 years. His wife died October 5, 1850.
John, James, Archibald, Tristram P., and Alexander were the sons
of the family. Tristram P. was a prominent official of Macoupin
County. The others owned large quantities of land in the
township, and were successful farmers. The daughters were Jane
(married B. Robinson), Ellen (married John Gray), Eliza (married
Daniel Anderson), Mary (married John H. Weir, M. D.), Maria
(married Edward Dorsey), Martha (died a young girl), Margaret
(married Anderson Blackburn, a son of Gideon Blackburn who
founded Blackburn University), and Lucy (married Michael Walsh).
William Hoxey brought with him to the township a colored woman
who served the family until after 1840. When quite an old woman,
she went with the colored settlement of Pin Oak Township. “Old
Aunt Tempey” was well remembered by the early settlers.
In the Spring of 1818, James Farris came to the township and
settled in section eighteen. He had five children: Smith,
George, Larkin, Margaret (married John Riggin), and Lucinda
(married William Davis). George Farris built a band mill in
early times that did good service for many years. James Farris
erected the first frame house in the township. It had a brick
chimney, made of the first brick brought into the township.
The first death of the township was that of the mother of
James Gray, which occurred in 1818. She was buried on the Gray
homestead in section 17, where many others have since been laid
to rest. No tombstones marked their graves. The old settlers
would bury a friend or loved one, build a log pen around the
grave which would soon rot away, and leave no mark of the burial
place.
The first birth in the township was that of a
daughter of William and Anna Hinch, on February 10, 1819. It
died in infancy. The first marriage was that of John Gray and
Nellie Hoxsey. The young lovers were cousins, and their parents
objected strongly to the marriage. The young couple was
determined, however, so they rode their horses for St. Louis and
married there. Of this union, four children were born. Mr. Gray
died in the township.
In 1818, the Piper settlement was
established on the east side of Silver Creek. The settlement was
founded by John Piper, Richard Knight, Matthew Hall, and Jackson
and Prior Scroggins. Piper settled on the edge of the timber in
section 30. He lived on this section until his death in 1864. He
had six sons and three daughters: William, James, Wesley,
Holland, Oliver, Daniel, Jane, Nancy Ann, and Catharine. Richard
Knight settled farther down in the timber, in section 30, where
he lived and later moved farther south in the state. He entered
the first tract of land (97 acres) in the township, on September
30, 1817. William Hinch entered the second tract of land, 160
acres, on November 15, 1817, and in December 1817, he entered
160 acres more in section 30. On November 18, 1817, James Farris
entered 151 acres in section 18. On December 11, 1817, William
Hoxsey entered 320 acres in section 8, and at the same time,
Robert Aldrich entered in section 30. Mathew Hall located in
section 31. He later moved to Macoupin County. The Scroggins
brothers lived in the settlement a short time, then moved
farther north.
Thomas S. West lived on section 18. He
came to the township with his father in 1815 at the age of 2
years, having been born in Kentucky in 1813. He married Mary H.
Hinch in 1838, and they had nine children.
Andrew Keown
was born in South Carolina. In 1819, he visited Illinois, then
went to Kentucky, where he married Sarah Goodwin. In the Spring
of 1825, he brought his family to the county on pack horses, and
located on section 2, where he improved a good farm. He lived
there until his death in 1880, when he was 85 years of age. They
raised five children: Elizabeth (married Benjamin Brown), John,
Mary (married Henry Harnsberger), Calvin G., and Alexander. Mr.
Keown was a soldier in the War of 1812, and participated in the
battle at New Orleans, January 8, 1815. From 1871 until his
death, he received a pension as a survivor of that war. “Uncle
Andy,” as he was known, was much respected.
William
Pitman, a brother-in-law of Andrew Keown, came to the settlement
from Kentucky at about the same time. He brought his wife and
all his worldly effects on one horse. It was said he walked, and
carried his wife and axe. He made a comfortable home, where he
died, leaving a widow, who never bore him any children.
William W. Pearce was born in Kentucky on June 20, 1815. His
father, James Pearce, came to this county the same year. William
W. married Barbara A. Vincent, daughter of Isem Vincent. He
farmed in Olive Township the same year. In 1851 he became a
resident of Alhambra Township. He was a natural hunter, and
found a market in St. Louis for the fruits of his rifle. He
entered 1,000 acres, and raised a family of ten children.
J. B. McMichael came to Madison County in 1826 from
Tennessee at the age of 11 years. He indentured himself to Uncle
Joe Bartlett, and remained with him until he was 21 years of
age. He married a relative of his, Eliza Stinson, in 1846. They
had twelve children. Mr. McMichael lived in Alhambra Township 37
years. From 1863 until 1867, he filled the office of assessor
and treasurer of the county. He served as Constable, Deputy
Sheriff, Postmaster, and Justice of the Peace.
Ephraim
Harnsberger was born in Virginia. In 1812, he went to Kentucky
with his wife, where he remained until 1832. He then came to
Madison County, and located on the William Wiseman place, where
he lived until his death on November 26, 1846. His wife survived
him only a short time. They had eight children: Levy, Mary Ann
(married James Hosey), Jane L. (married S. Aldrich), Henry,
Martha (married P. Aldrich), Rebecca (married R. R. Cooksey),
Lewis M., and Ephraim Jr. Ephraim was a prominent citizen, and
was the first Justice in the township.
John Tabor came to
Madison County with his family (wife and four children) in 1829.
He located three miles east of Edwardsville. The following year,
he came to Alhambra Township. He resided there until his death
in 1881. They had ten children, four of whom were still living
in 1882: Henry H. and James H. were farmers in the township,
Thomas K. moved to Wisconsin, and Eliza J. (married Jacob
Rimmer) moved to Jasper County, Missouri.
R. R. Cooksey,
an early settler, improved a place on section 10. He was a
successful farmer and member of the Methodist Church. He often
preached to the early settlers. He was three times married, and
raised eight children. He later moved to Worden.
David
Martin came in 1831 from Kentucky, and improved a farm in Fork
Prairie in the northern part of the township. He lived there
until his death. John G., a son, was a farmer in the township.
Among the first in the southern and western part of the
township, were Curtis Blakeman, William Highlander, Fred
Mindrop, Joshua Thompson, and Mr. Gilmore.
The First
Schools
Nutter Piper taught school in an abandoned cabin on
the west side of Silver Creek as early as 1820. William
Davenport taught in an empty cabin in the Hinch settlement prior
to 1830. It was a subscription school, and he boarded among his
employers. After teacher part of a term, he stopped the school,
as it was a non-paying undertaking.
In 1832 a log
schoolhouse was erected on section 19. George Denny was the
first teacher.
School was taught at Andrew Keown’s and R.
R. Cooksey’s, in out-buildings in the early years.
The
first schoolhouse in the northern part of the township stood in
the center of section 2. This building was erected after 1840.
After four years it burned down. It was heated by a large
fireplace, which caused the fire. Others said the teacher set it
on fire by saving ashes in an old barrel for a lady in the
neighborhood to make soap with.
The First Churches
Early preaching was held at the residences of William Hinch and
Andrew Keown. Rev. Thomas Ray, a Baptist minister, was the first
to preach here. Several years later he was assisted by Elder
Thomas Smith. They organized the first church. The congregation
never built a house of worship, and was finally disbanded. The
Baptists, some time later, built the first house of worship in
section 32.
The village of Alhambra
The village of
Alhambra was laid out by Louis F. Sheppard in section 14. The
plat was recorded November 2, 1850. William W. Pearce laid out
an addition of three blocks in section 11.
To read more
on the history of the village of Alhambra, please click here.