Before the formal platting and surveying of the little pioneer settlement that would be named “Pekin” in January of 1830, the groundwork for Pekin’s founding was laid by an influx of settlers who arrived throughout the 1820s.
The first settler at what would become Pekin was Jonathan Tharp (1794-1844), who left his old home at Urbana, Ohio, looking for new opportunities in Illinois. Tharp arrived in 1824, almost three years before the creation of Tazewell County, and built a log cabin on a ridge above the Illinois River just west of the spot now occupied by the former Franklin School building at the foot of Broadway. The land was unbroken and in places rather marshy, and living not far off to his north, on Gravel Ridge above Pekin Lake, was a village of Pottawatomi.
Jonathan was joined the following year by other members of his family, including his father Jacob Tharp (1773-1871), and brother Benjamin Northcott Tharp, and his brother-in-law and friend Jesse Eggman, all of whom arrived in 1825 and built cabins near Jonathan’s. The 1860 diary account of Jonathan’s father Jacob is an invaluable source for the history of the settlement of Tazewell County and Pekin during these years. We’ve quoted Jacob’s account here before, but it’s well worth listening again to Old Father Tharp’s words:
“Jonathan Tharp, my son, built the first house ever erected in the city of Pekin, in 1824, on the spot now occupied by Joshua Wagenseller‘s residence. Jonathan’s farm embraced the land now covered by our heaviest business houses.
“At the time of my arrival, Jonathan was the only occupant. Their neighbors were Major Nathan Cromwell, living on the Hawley farm; Gideon Hawley, living on the Mackinaw side of Sand Prairie; Seth Wilson, living on John Young’s farm; John and Geo. Clines, between that place and Tremont; the Woodrows and John Summers, living in the Woodrow settlement; the Dillon family, after whom that township was named; the Hodgsons, friends and relatives of the Dillons; old Benj. Briggs, afterwards Sheriff; James Scott, who with Wilson, acted as constable in those days; and Wm. Eads, who was the first miller in this section of the State. . . .
“The Government surveys were made previous to 1828. This year we were cheered by a close neighbor, a Mr. Hinkle, who came to put up a trading house for Absalom Dillon. The goods came before the house was finished, and so my smoke-house was used for the first store. This season the Methodists established a mission, and their first service was held in Hawley’s house, on Sand Prairie. In the fall of 1828, Absalom and Joseph Dillon moved to Pekin, and ‘camped out’ for a while. Major Cromwell came in 1829, and bought out Dillon’s stock in trade, when those gentleman returned to the country. In the same year, Hawley and William Haines built cabins in our town. The inhabitants then consisted of Cromwell, Hawley, Haines, Dr. John Warner, the two Hiatts, Jonathan Tharp and myself. . . .”
A historical account of this nascent 1820s pioneer is included in Charles C. Chapman’s 1879 “History of Tazewell County, Illinois.” Prior to that, we have William Henry Bates’ first-ever account of Pekin’s history that was printed in the 1871 Sellers & Bates City Directory of Pekin. Bates was Pekin’s pioneer historian, and much of what we know of our community’s first five decades comes from Bates’ publications.
One of his publications was prepared in 1916 to mark the dedication of Tazewell County’s new courthouse. Its full title is, “Souvenir of early and notable events in the history of the North West territory, Illinois, and Tazewell County: including the names of those who have served the county in various official capacities.” On pages 7-10, Bates reviews the history of our local area from 1809, when Congress created the Illinois Territory, down to the year 1829, when efforts began to organize the pioneer settlement here into a formally platted town.
Following are extended excerpts from Bates’ “Souvenir,” interspersed with occasional comment:
“The territory comprising the county of Tazewell formed part of the counties at the dates named in the several subdivisions of the State prior to the organization of the county, as follows:
“1809 — Illinois Territory was organized, and subdivided into the counties of Randolph and St. Clair. Tazewell was included in the latter.
1812— Tazewell formed a part of Madison county.
1814 — Tazewell was included in Madison and Edwards.
1816— Tazewell was a part of Madison and Crawford counties.
1817 — Tazewell was a part of the counties of Bond and Crawford.
1819 — Tazewell was included in Clark and Bond counties.
1821 — Tazewell formed part of Fayette and Sangamon counties.
“In 1825, the Legislature created Peoria county, and all the territory north of town twenty and west of the third principal meridian, which included Tazewell, became a part of Peoria for all county purposes. When the population of Tazewell was thought to be sufficiently large to regularly organize, an election was held in April, 1827, and Benjamin Briggs, George Hittle and James Lotta were chosen County Commissioners. They at once proceeded to hold a meeting and consummate the organization. This they did at the house of William Orendorff, April 10, 1827. . . .”
Bates then tells of the first permanent white settlers of Tazewell County:
“. . . to-wit: Wm. Blanchard, Jr., accompanied by Charles and Theodore Sargeant and David Barnes, all revolutionary veterans of 1812, came west in 1819, settling temporarily at Fort Clark (Peoria). Finding a fine piece in the bottom land opposite, they planted a patch of corn and potatoes. Then in 1822, they found, near their first patch, an old French field of ten acres, which had been abandoned, of which they took possession and erected a rude cabin, and planted corn and potatoes. This is claimed to be the first dwelling built between Fort Clark and Chicago, (probably excepting the log cabins built in Ft. Creve Coeur in 1680, and the ‘Trading House,’ built at Wesley City about 1775.) There is still another claimant — Wm. Holland, who settled in Washington township, as early as 1821.
“The first death of a white man was that of a Mr. Killum, in December, 1823. He died of exposure after crossing the Mackinaw river, while on a trip between (what is today) Logan county and Peoria.
“The first white child born in Tazewell county, was Hannah, daughter of Nathan Dillon. The date of this historic event was August 2, 1824. . . .
“Jonathan Tharp was the first settler in ‘Town Site.’ He built his crude log cabin home on the high ground, between what is now the Franklin School and Pekin Gas Works, near the foot of Broadway.”
This mention of “Town Site” refers to the specific area that a company of settlers here platted and surveyed in 1829 as the site of their yet-to-be named town. Some of the standard works on Pekin’s history mistakenly say that “Town Site” was the name of the pioneer settlement before it was renamed “Pekin,” but that designation was nothing more than a convenient way to refer to the site of their planned town before the settlers agreed on a name.
“On the arrival of the first white settlers at ‘Town Site,’ there was quite a large Indian village on the ridge where the P. & P. U. R. R. trains pass by the W. A. Boley & Co., ice houses. The Pottawatomies predominated.
“Among the friendly Indians residing here, during the Black Hawk War, in 1832, was the noted Pottawatomie, Chief Shabbona, and his family, who erected wigwams at the foot of Broadway, near the present gas works. He was a true friend of the ‘pale face,’ because of which and the fact that he refused to join his forces with Black Hawk’s, in a war of extermination against the ‘pale face,’ his life was threatened. Whilst Shabbona escaped, Black Hawk’s savages succeeded in murdering his son and a nephew. Shabbona, although an Indian by birth, had early espoused the humane and civilizing influences of the first ‘pale face’ neighbors, and to his memory and honor may be ascribed the saving of scores of lives of those who had gone to the great Illini country, to build new homes and a western empire.
“Shabbona was buried near Morris, Illinois, and a monument was erected to his memory by the grateful Americans. . . .”
Apart from the loaded and far from impartial language he uses, Bates’ summary of Shabbona’s life is generally accurate. However, his statement that Shabbona resided at Pekin during the Black Hawk War is erroneous. Shabbona and his family are reported to have camped just to the south of Jonathan Tharp’s cabin, but it could not have been in 1832 since he is known not to have come as far south as Peoria or Pekin during the Black Hawk War. Although the year that Bates gives is wrong, this pioneer tradition he handed on seems to be reliable. At the time of Tharp’s arrival in 1824, Shabbona’s camp was near Starved Rock, but in any of the years between 1824 and 1832, Shabbona could have camped for a season or two near Pekin’s Pottawatomi. Shabbona’s presence at Pekin would not have been forgotten.
Continuing with Bates’ “Souvenir,” he offers remarks on Pekin’s first church building:
“The Methodists are said to have erected the first brick church — about 1830. This was in Pekin, and Rev. Jos. Mitchell (sic – John T. Mitchell) was the first regular pastor. This building, which had been converted into a foundry, was burned during the great fire in 1860. The Methodists had subsequently built a new frame church on the corner of Capitol and Margaret streets. The Palace Garage occupies the site of the old brick church.
“From 1831, to 1836, while Pekin was the county seat, Joshua C. Morgan held the offices of Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Recorder, Master-in-Chancery and Postmaster. He transacted the business of his various offices and lived with wife, four children, his brother and a young lady, in a house of two rooms. According to our informant, ‘The entire court and bar, and many others, often spent the evenings there.’ Such was pioneer hospitality.”
The first seat of county government in Tazewell County was Mackinaw, but Mackinaw was not an easily accessible place in those early years, so county officials asked to Illinois General Assembly to relocate the county seat. The state agreed that Pekin, more easily accessible as an Illinois River town, could serve as the county seat until a permanent location could be agreed upon. In 1836, the General Assembly decided upon Tremont as the new county seat, since it was then near the geographical center of the county and more or less midway between Mackinaw and Pekin.
Bates then continues his enumeration of Pekin’s “firsts.” Here are some of the more notable ones:
“The first brick building erected in Tazewell county, for business purposes, was by David Mark, at the corner of Court and Second Streets, 200 Court, Pekin. The rear of this building, facing Second street, housed the first bank.
“Gideon H. Hawley is credited with starting the first hotel. . . .
“Joseph, son of Jonathan Tharp, was the first male white child born in ‘Town Site,’ his natal day being March 10th, 1827. . . .
“The first negro to reach ‘Town Site’, or Tazewell county, was known as ‘Black Nance,’ who came as a slave, leased to Major Cromwell, to satisfy a debt. This occurred about 1829. She was a good soul, ever willing to help on all festal occasions. All her children were ‘born in freedom,’ at Pekin. As the years rolled by, she gained distinction by being the first black slave freed by the great emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. This case came before the courts and was won by Lincoln when he was known as ‘Honest Old Abe.’”
Bates’ account of Nance Legins-Costley (1813-1892) is correct in its essentials, although the status of her first three children was in doubt until her case was decided in 1841. She was certainly one of Pekin’s most noteworthy and remarkable pioneer settlers, and her memory is now honored with a downtown park dedicated in her name last summer, as well as a historical marker in Peoria near the place where she was buried.
The reader will have noticed how often the Tharp name appears in these early notices and accounts of Pekin’s pioneer times. It might then seem surprising that the Tharps were not among the pioneers who surveyed, platted, and named Pekin. How that came about, and the story of Pekin’s founding, will be the subject of next week’s “From the History Room” article.
