History of Pin Oak Township, Madison County, Illinois
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
Pin Oak Township is located in Township 4,
Range 7 West. It is bounded on the north by Hamel, on the east
by Marine, on the south by Jarvis, and on the west by
Edwardsville Township. Silver Creek flows in a southerly
direction through the eastern part of the township. When the
township was first settled, deer were plentiful on the prairie,
and only here and there a large tree interrupted the view. As
time went on, timber has grown rapidly.
Joseph Bartlett,
Lockhart and Taylor were the first settlers of Pin Oak Township
in 1809. Uncle Joe Bartlett, as he was familiarly known, located
on section 21. He was born in Virginia, January 13, 1775, and
immigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he resided many years.
From Kentucky he moved to Illinois Territory in 1807. He first
located near the old village of Milton in the Wood River
settlement, where he remained until 1809. He then moved to Pin
Oak Township. During the Indian troubles he served as a Ranger,
and took part in building Fort Russell. He also built a fort or
blockhouse on the west eighty of the northwest quarter, of
section 21. He was one of the party that gave chase to the
Indians that committed the Wood River massacre. He was also in
the Black Hawk War, accompanied by three of his sons. He built a
double log house on the state road on the tract that was known
as the Bartlett place. His blockhouse remained standing until
about 1834, when he tore it down, moved it near his residence,
and converted it into stables. Mr. Bartlett married Patience
McCoy on April 5, 1798. She was born February 22, 1778. They
raised a family of seven children. Joseph’s son, Martin, settled
in Hamel Township. Nicholas Bartlett settled a short distance
north of his brothers’. William settled in Jarvis Township, and
Jesse, the youngest son, lived on the old homestead. Joseph’s
daughter, Sarah, married George Day; Rachel, the youngest,
married Daniel E. Adams; and Lydia married William Kirkpatrick
and settled in Montgomery County. Uncle Joe Bartlett attended
school only eight days, but he was the first assessor and
treasurer of the county. He died December 25, 1863, having never
seeing a steamboat or railroad, neither did he visit a county
fair nor camp meeting during his life. He preferred to devote
his time to domestic affairs and his books. He was considered a
walking history of Tennessee, and for many years acted as
justice of the peace. He was county treasurer, and held other
offices of trust and responsibility. He had a large and
well-selected library, and a file of papers than published in
Illinois and Tennessee.
Paul Beck located on section 5 in
Pin Oak Township before the War of 1812. During that struggle,
he was a Ranger. His cabin was built in the style of a
blockhouse, in which he lived many years. On September 6, 1814,
he entered the northeast quarter of section 5. That same day,
George Hutton entered 160 acres. These were the first land
entries in the Township.
George Coventry, a native
Englishman, came to Madison County from Christian County,
Kentucky, in 1813. He was married in Kentucky to Sarah Stanford,
August 10, 1805. He had four children born to him, two of which
died. His other two children, John W. and Indiana, came to
Madison County with their father and mother. Two more children
were born in Madison County – William M. and Eleiann. George
Coventry was a millwright by trade. He first lived in
Edwardsville and kept a public house. He bought property that
included a blockhouse, several small buildings, and a horse
mill, which he operated for some time. The place was later known
as the Governor Cole place. Mr. Coventry then moved to
Belleville, and then back to Madison County near Salem, in the
American Bottoms, where he died July 15, 1819. His wife died May
24, 1874, at the age of 88.
On September 10, 1814, John
Robinson entered the northeast quarter of section 32, and the
southwest quarter of section 33, where he began improving the
land. He later sold this property to Jubilee Posey. On April 14,
1815, John R. Jones entered the greater part of section 14.
Jubilee Posey, a native of Georgia, came to Madison County
in 1811, at the age of 17. He came to the territory with an
older brother, Chesley Posey, who settled in St. Clair County.
Jubilee was a Ranger during the War of 1812, and rendered
valuable services in guarding the settlers. After this, he
married Catharine Smith. He purchased land from John Robinson,
and made it a good farm in which he resided until his death on
August 4, 1878, at the age of 85. Posey was twice married and
raised a large family. Bennet Posey, a son by his first wife,
was born in Madison County in 1823. He was a farmer, and lived
on part of his father’s estate. Julia Posey, a daughter by his
first wife, married John McKee. Martha Posey, a daughter,
married James Thomas. Of the second marriage, there were born
three girls.
Laban Smart came to Madison County in 1816
and settled in section 1 of Jarvis Township. He was a native of
North Carolina, and came to Madison County from Kentucky. He
farmed until about 1838, when he lost his wife. He had a large
family, and from then until his death, some three years later,
he lived with his children. Wiley Smart, the oldest son, was
among the first settlers in the northern part of Madison County.
In about 1832, he exchanged farms with Peter Long, and located
there until his death in 1856. He raised quite a large family,
and was married twice. Wiley served in the War of 1812. Peter
Smart, the next son, improved the farm in section 36 of Pin Oak
Township as early as 1820, where he resided until 1849, when he
moved West. He died in Missouri ten years later. Henry B. Smart,
the next son, was born in 1800. He settled on section 35, and
improved a large farm. He died in 1882, leaving seven children.
Jacob Gonterman, son of Henry Gonterman, a native of
Germany, was born in Maryland, March 27, 1764. He moved with his
parents to Shelby County, Kentucky, where he later married
Hannah Stark, daughter of Jonathan Stark. They moved to
Christian County, where ten children were born to them. They
moved from Kentucky to Madison County in the Fall of 1816, and
located on section 20 where he began improving his land. He
erected a horse mill, that he operated for many years. His
oldest son, Caleb B., was born August 20, 1797, and was married
to Elizabeth Miller, March 14, 1819. They resided in Pin Oak
Township and raised a family of nine children. For many years
Caleb served as Captain of a militia company, and was later
known as Captain Gonterman. He died September 11, 1861. C. B.
Gonterman Jr., his youngest child, lived in section 17.
Reverend Thomas Ray, a Kentuckian, came to Pin Oak Township in
1818, and settled in the northeast part of section 11. He was a
member of the Baptist Church, and one of the early preachers in
this settlement. He was also a farmer, and owned a good deal of
property. He was twice married, and raised two daughters by his
second marriage – Adeline, who married John Keown, and Mary, who
married Mr. Fruit of Edwardsville. Rev. Ray died October 21,
1854, at the age of 81.
James Pearce, a nephew of Joseph
Bartlett, settled in section 21 in 1815, where he lived three
years, then moved to Leef Township.
Alvis Hauskins came
to Madison County in 1819 from Tennessee, with his step-father,
Willerby Adams. He was 12 years of age at the time. In 1825, he
began farming near Bethalto, and in 1832 he entered a farm in
section 10 of Pin Oak Township. He built a cabin in the Spring
of 1832, and resided until 1863. He was twice married, and had
twelve children.
John Minter, a native of Kentucky, was
one of the early settlers of Madison County. He first located in
Montgomery County, then settled on land previously owned by
Alvis Hauskins.
James Tunnell was the 4th son of William
and Mary Tunnell of East Tennessee. In 1814 he married Dicy
Hauskins, and in 1816 he came to Illinos with his family and
became one of the pioneers of Fort Russell. He bought land from
Rev. William Jones, near Bethalto, which he later sold to W.
Adams. Tunnell’s death occurred in 1825. His widow married Rev.
Thomas Ray of Madison County, in 1827. They then moved to Pin
Oak Township. Mr. Tunnell had two children – Nancy Elvira and
William West Tunnell. Nancy married Levi Harnsberger. William
West Tunnell was born February 23, 1824, in Madison County. He
married Letitia McKee on February 7, 1850, and reared a family
of eight children.
Mathias Handlon, a native of Kentucky,
came to Madison County with George Kindler in about 1810, at the
age of 19. He married Harriet Walker, and improved a place near
Lamb’s Point. Leaving there, he settled in the southern part of
Pin Oak Township, in the edge of the timber on the east side of
section 32. He built a house and barn, and resided there until
his death in 1856. He left a widow and seven children. Mathias
had been a Ranger in the War of 1812, and served in the Black
Hawk War. He was a successful farmer.
Samuel McKitrick, a
native of Ireland, bought improved property on section 28,
before 1825. He later lived with his son, William, until his
death.
Edmond Fruit was born in Randolph County, North
Carolina, November 1, 1786. When about 16 years old, his father,
James Fruit, went to Christian County, Kentucky, where he died.
Edmond married Polly Gray. They had one child in Kentucky,
Cicero, who died a young man. In 1811, Edmond came to the
Territory of Illinois, but on account of the Indian troubles, he
returned to Kentucky. In 1817, he and his two brothers, Enoch
and Alexander, and John Walker, started west again. Coming to
Illinois, the two brothers went to Missouri. Walker lived in
Illinois for a time, then moved to Oregon. Edmond, in the Spring
of 1818, located in the northeast corner of section 19, where he
continued to live until his death in March 1861. Before the
State of Illinois was admitted to the Union, he was appointed by
the Territorial Governor a justice of the peace. Edmond returned
the commission, not accepting the office. In later years he was
a member of the Board of County Commissioners, and had a large
farm. He was married twice, and had ten sons and five daughters.
His second wife was Jane B. Robinson.
James Keown was
one of the early settlers of Olive Township. As early as 1830,
he improved land in the southern township line of Pin Oak, in
section 35. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and took part
in the engagement at New Orleans. He raised a large family.
Michael Dunn came to Madison County with his father, Patrick
Dunn, in 1836. Michael lived on section 3. In 1846 he went to
Hancock County, Illinois, then returned to Madison. When he
first settled in Pin Oak Township, his cabin was among the first
built out in the prairie. He bought 125 acres from Andrew F.
Young.
J. B. McKee, who lived on section 3 in Pin Oak
Township, was a descendant of one of the old families of Madison
County. John McKee Sr., a native of Kentucky, came to the county
in 1816 with a family of eight children. John McKee, a son,
lived in Edwardsville and was the first register of the land
office, from 1816 to 1818. Robert McKee, a nephew of John McKee,
came to the county with his uncle John in 1816. He married
Lutitia McKee, and settled on the southwest quarter of section
24 in Edwardsville Township.
William W. Barnsback, a
prominent farmer of Pin Oak Township, was born in Madison
County, January 24,1813. He was a blacksmith. He married Nancy
Watt on April 23, 1834. After his marriage, he started improving
his land, and opened a blacksmith shop where he made a specialty
of plows and farm implements. It is said he made the first iron
mould-board plow that was used in this settlement. He died April
4, 1872, leaving a widow and four children.
The first
school in Pin Oak Township was taught by Mr. Atwater, in a small
log building that stood on section 32. In the early times,
school was kept in an abandoned cabin that stood near the cabin
of James Keown, on section 35. Among the early teachers were
Thomas S. Waddle. Waddle lived on section 35, where he died in
abt. 1842. He wife died about the same time, and they were
buried in the same grave. A great many deaths occurred about
this time of a disease called by the settlers “a plague.” Waddle
was one of the early justices of the peace, and served as county
commissioner.
There was a large settlement of “colored”
folks in Pin Oak Township. The first was Robert Crawford, who
was given a small farm in section 9 by Governor Cole. Crawford
was a preacher, and he induced others of his race to settle
there. Michael Lee bought a small farm, where he lived until his
death. Other early colored settlers were: Samuel Vanderburg,
Henry Daugherty, and Thomas Sexton. They were known as honest
and upright in their dealings. Henry Blair, the most successful,
died in 1880, leaving a large estate to his widow and family.
They build two churches on section 15 – Methodist and Baptist.
They had a separate school district, and conducted their own
school, generally employing colored teachers.