The name Patoka is of Indian origin, evidently, but its significance is, so
far as the writer is concerned, lost. It is the fourth township north from the
base line in the west tier of townships and borders on Fayette county on the
north. Its survey numbers are town 4 north, range 1 east of the third principal
meridian. The Illinois Central Railroad passes from north to south across the
township, about two miles from the west line, and has two stations in the
township, Patoka, toward the south side, and Vernon on the north.
Harmon
Holt was the first man to settle in this township and he settled on section 14,
in the winter of 1826. At that time the township was an unbroken wilderness,
part timber and part prairie. Harmon Holt remained on this tract until his death
a few years later. He left a widow and six children, four of whom were daughters
and two sons, one of whom owned the old homestead until his death less than
twenty years ago. Henry was sixteen years old when his father came to the
township.
The next spring John Cole and family settled near the Holt
cabin, but did not stay long, and went to Arkansas and until 1829 these two
families, the Holts and Coles, were the only inhabitants of the township. In the
latter year Jeptha Meador came from Tennessee and settled near Holts, on section
14. He raised a family of eight children and his son, Stephen, lived on the
original farm many years. There are quite a number of his descendants living in
the vicinity. The next accession to the little colony was Stephen Hopkins, who
settled on section 13, but he was a "mover" and did not stay long in any place,
but was continually changing places. At last he went to Fayette county, where he
died.
Ignatius Anderson came from Clinton county about 1833, and settled
in the edge of the timber, near Flat Creek, close to the Fayette county line on
the west, but afterward sold his improvements to William Brown, who on the 3d of
February entered the forty-acre tract that he had bought of Anderson. It was the
southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 6, and was the first piece
of land entered in the township. The second piece was the forty that his father
had improved and had lived on seven years before its entry.
Henry Holt
married a daughter of Jesse Nichols in 1832 and had a family of ten children,
all of whom but one we believe is dead. Henry Holt and wife lived to a good old
age upon the same place where they began life together in 1832.
The farm
generally known as the old Walton place was first settled by Joseph Meador in
1830, but in 1832 he sold it to a man named Epperson, who lived there several
years and improved a farm on Flat creek. He afterward went to Missouri. Labon
Gallion also settled forty acres in section 4 in 1832. He did not enter the land
until 1836. Gallion afterward moved to Fayette county. Ayers Conant settled on
section 11 in 1830. He was a man of some education and was the first Justice of
the Peace in the township. He also was afflicted with the moving worm and moved
to Missouri and back in a few years and finally died in Foster township.
Young Edwards located in the township in 1831 and Levi Stiles in the same
year, Stiles improving the old Peter Smith place, but after living here many
years, moved back to Tennessee. He afterward returned to Carrigan township. Then
he moved to Missouri, then to Texas, then back to Marion county, where he died.
Solomon Cross settled in this township on section 23. His wife died soon
after, and her death was the first in the township. Martha Holt was the first
child born in Carrigan. She was the daughter of J. F. and Elizabeth Holt, and
afterwards married William Eagan.
The Altom family was founded by John
Altom, who came from Tennessee with his father to Clinton county in 1842. He
moved to this county and settled in Patoka township. He died in the village of
Patoka in 1877, leaving a large number of descendants.
The first
school-house in the township, like those in other townships, was built of logs.
It stood on section 14. Isom Finch was probably the first teacher. From then to
now what a change! The little log schoolhouse of that day is replaced by neat
frame buildings, the old slab benches have been replaced with patent folding
desks: the old blue-back speller and McGuffey's reader by a dozen books if no
better, at least more attractive; the untrained teacher, half farmer, half
backwoods man, by more or less trained teachers and with sanitary surroundings.
Verily, the change is great and surely for the better.
Patoka as a
village, like all the cities, towns and villages in the west tier of townships,
owes its existence to the Illinois Central Railroad. The village was laid out on
Independence Day, 1854, by Clark and Brigham. C. F. Jones laid out an addition
May 11, 1855, and the railroad another the same day. The beginning of the
village was the building of a station house by the Illinois Central Railroad,
which was used as a boarding house by them for their workmen, while the road was
building. A man by the name of Crawford was the boarding boss.
Cyrus
Walker built the first house in Patoka in 1854 and kept a small general store in
it. It afterward was a part of the Walker brothers' house. Mr. Walker succeeded
Crawford as boarding boss and when the road was built became the first agent at
Patoka. He was instrumental in getting a post-office established, even before
the road was completed and the mail was for a while carried from Fosterburg. As
Walker wanted the post-office established that he might get his own mail
regularly, he submitted the proposition to the Government that he would carry
the mail for the proceeds of the office. Walker could not, under the law, be
both postmaster and mail contractor, so he obviated this difficulty by securing
the appointment of a farmer by the name of Alexander Rodman to be postmaster,
who kept the office in Walker's store, Walker doing all the work of the office
as well as carrying the mail, but the completion of the road soon stopped this
inconvenient way of getting mail. Walker also built the first purely business
house in 1856 and to this building moved his stock of goods. This building was
afterwards occupied by and known as Dr. E. M. Beach's building. Walker was a
public spirited man and built many buildings and was prominent in building up
Patoka, keeping his interest in Patoka active until his death which occurred in
1872. In 1855 Richardson and Gray opened a produce store in Patoka. It was the
second business venture. They sold feed, flour, meal, etc., and as the crops of
1854 in this section were almost a total failure, they supplied the farmers with
feed.
Later in the same year, Williams & Kessner built the third
business house. All these business houses were on the west side of the track,
Walker's residence alone being on the east side. Patoka grew rapidly the first
few years, but then for many years ceased to advance, but in the last three or
four years seems to be imbued with new life. In 1857 Snider and Harrison opened
the first blacksmith shop. Snider also repaired guns. They put in a steam engine
and manufactured many kinds of farm implements. Cyrus Walker built a grist mill
in 1861. It was only a two burr mill, but the next year he enlarged it, but sold
the machinery in 1865, and moved the building to the site of the Patoka Milling
Company. It was remodeled and was then one of the most complete mill properties
in the county, and under the firm name of Walker & Sons, was operated until
1873, when they were succeeded by the Patoka Milling Company. The first saw-mill
began operations in 1863. Its owner was Alexander Wickersham. Later Squire
Fanner and Jesse Altom opened a saw-mill, the first of which has long since
ceased operations, and the other is still working.
Patoka has six
churches: the Methodist Episcopal, the Methodist, South, the Christian, Baptist,
Presbyterian and Catholic, the latter two congregations being small. They all
have good church houses, the Christian church building having been recently
enlarged and improved and is perhaps the best equipped. The Ancient, Free and
Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and other lodges flourish,
the Odd Fellows having just completed a fine two-story building with an elegant
lodge room in the upper story. Patoka has as intimated in the preceding lines
begun to take on new life. A fine two-story brick school-house was completed in
1907. A cannery of large capacity went into operation in 1908. A brick and tile
works also was started a year or two ago and in 1908, the Patoka Register was
started by Mr. Huntoon, who is making it one of the most readable papers of the
county. There are stores and shops as well as a bank, so that all things
necessary may be supplied at home.
VILLAGE OF VERNON.
Vernon is
the most northern village in the county, being less than a mile from the Fayette
county line. It is a station on the Illinois Central Railroad, and was laid out
by D. W. Murfin in 1872. The first building was a large hay barn, built by T. K.
Dickey in 1872. The next year Murry & Harris opened a general store. Later three
or four other stores were opened and all are still doing business. A good
schoolhouse has been erected and also a Methodist church. A neat station-house
was erected in 1880, before that time an old box car served as station. Vernon
long enjoyed the distinction of being the home of the oldest man in the county,
Uncle Frank Binion, who died in 1907, aged one hundred and seven years. Vernon
is the home of more veterans of the Civil war than any community of like size,
known to us, and its quiet companionship of comrades who are only awaiting the
call to come up higher is blessed with old ties and remembrances of the long
ago, but the waiting will soon be over, for the Grand Army is passing with the
vanishing years.
Extracted 27 Mar 2020 by Norma Hass from 1909 Brinkerhoff's History of Marion County, Illinois, pages 173-177.