Carrigan township, named after the pioneer founder of the Carrigan family, is
the third township north of the base line in the west tier of townships of the
county. The main line of the Illinois Central Railroad traverses the west side
of the township north and south. It is drained by the East Fork of the Okaw or
Kaskaskia river, which flows in a southwesterly direction across the township,
near the middle. East Fork is one of the largest streams in the county and
enters the township near the northeast corner and passes out at section 18.
Davidson creek, in the southeast part of the township, drains the waters from
that part into the East Fork. Along these creeks was originally a heavy growth
of fine timber, but it has been largely cleared, although much of the land is
covered with a "second growth," which will be of great benefit to the people.
The first man to locate in the township was a man by the name of Jones,
who in 1819 squatted in section 21, but who sold out his partly finished cabin
to Frederick Phelps in 1820, and left the country. Samuel Davidson came to this
township with Phelps. Phelps was a native of Tennessee, who had moved to St.
Clair in 1817. The next year he moved to Clinton county, where he married and
moved to Carrigan township in March, 1820, where, as above stated he bought
Jones's claim and settled in section 21. In March, 1822, he entered the first
tract entered in this township, viz.: west half of the northwest quarter of
section 21, town 3 north, range 1 east. Mr. Phelps was a very conscientious man,
a devout member of the Baptist church and a good manager and very industrious,
and amassed considerable property. He reared a family of ten children to manhood
and womanhood. He died September 2, 1845, respected by the entire community. His
wife survived him several years. One son, Samuel Phelps, will be remembered by
the older citizens of the county, as the genial host of the Phelps House in
Salem, many years ago. Samuel Davidson was a native of Virginia, but his father
moved to Lincoln county, Kentucky, when Samuel was a small child, and there he
was raised and lived until 1820 when he moved to Clinton county, where he stayed
one summer and then moved to Carrigan township and built a cabin on section 36.
He broke and planted twenty acres in corn the first year. This was considered a
very large crop at that day and as there were no domestic animals within miles
of him and fences were no bar to "varmints" which abounded all around him, he
raised this crop without fencing it. When he started from his Kentucky home he
had a family of ten children. His daughter Betsy was married to Louis Weathers;
she sickened and died on the road, when her bereaved husband went back to his
old home in Kentucky. All the other nine lived to be married and make homes for
themselves in this county. The sons were William, John, George and Samuel, Jr.,
three of whom were grown when the family left Kentucky. William was the eldest
and lived on the original farm. He was a prominent man, having been twice
elected Sheriff of the county and once a member of the Legislature. He was
married three times, but left only two children, a son and a daughter. He died
in 1847 from the effects of a fall from a wagon. The daughters of Samuel
Davidson, Sr., married as follows: Maria married Charles Jennings and was the
grandmother of that great American, William Jennings Bryan; Ann married Israel
Jennings; Sallie married Robert Carrigan and Nancy, James M. Carrigan; Susan was
the wife of Stewart W. Faridee.
Samuel Davidson, Sr., was a man who
ranked high in his old home in Kentucky. He was a major in the regiment of Col.
Dick Johnson, during the War of 1812, and saw much service on the frontier, with
that fearless commander and was doubtless, with Johnson's command at the battle
of the Thames, where Tecumseh was killed by Colonel Johnson. He died on the farm
he had improved in 1848, full of years and honors. His wife died about 1838.
Joel Davis, the third man who settled in Carrigan township, was a Tennessean
and remained a Tennessean about half the time, as he moved back and forth to
Tennessee and Marion county several times. It seems that when he had been in
Illinois a year or two he "hankered" after Tennessee and when he had been in
Tennessee a while he longed for Carrigan township and would pull up stakes and
move, when the desire seized him. He died, however, in Illinois, in what is now
known as Fredonia Prairie, leaving a widow and family.
Zadock Phelps was
another eccentric character and seemed never to be content long in any place. He
came with Davis and built a cabin on the J. M. Carrigan farm, cleared a "truck
patch" and then sold it and started another home, built a cabin, cleared a
"truck patch" and again sold, and this he did no less than eight times, starting
eight farms in Carrigan township. Of course with this restless disposition, he
did not accumulate much property, but evidently enjoyed moving. He was married
twice and had a large family of children with each wife and even in old age his
roving disposition did not leave him, so he moved to Washington county,
Illinois, where he died and at last remained in one place.
James Chance,
supposed to have been an emigrant from St. Clair county, settled in this
township about 1822 or 1823 and located near the center of the township, and
made improvements. He was a first class citizen and lived in this township until
1866, when he died. He was twice elected Sheriff of the county. He was married
to a daughter of Robert Nichols, and raised a large family. His widow survived
him many years.
Robert Carrigan, a Georgian, settled in 1830, on section
26. The father of Robert Carrigan settled in Clinton county in 1817, and Robert
was the man who as a lad led the St. Clair Rangers across the country to the
home of the older Jennings, when they rendezvoused at the Jennings homestead to
drive out the Goings gang. He died in 1834, leaving a widow and three children,
John S., Samuel R., and Nancy J. His widow afterward married a Mr. Huff.
In December following the death of Robert, his brother, James M. Carrigan,
settled in this township. James M. raised a family of ten children, but all are
now passed away, excepting one, William, who still resides in the township. John
M. Carrigan married one of the Davidson family and a few years ago his wife and
Mr. Huff were the three last representatives of pioneer days, but they now rest
from their labors and their works do follow them, and may be seen in the happy
homes of Carrigan. Mr. Huff, who married the widow of Robert Carrigan, was an
over-religious man and so austere and stern that he was disliked by his
step-children, but nevertheless they treated him with due respect and grew to
manhood and womanhood with more liberal views than their step-father possessed.
One son, Samuel R., was Sheriff of the county at the time of the death of Frank
Leonard, an account of which will be given in the sketch of Salem township, and
made heroic efforts to save the life of the unfortunate man. Samuel R. Carrigan
is still living in Carrigan township amidst his broad acres, being the largest
land owner in the township, having more than fifteen hundred acres and is still
a hale, active business man, taking great interest in all the public affairs of
his township, and of the county.
Zadock Phelps. Sr., an uncle of
Squatter Zadock and father of John, built a cabin near the spring in section 17.
He died some years later while on a visit to Lawrence county, leaving a widow
and seven children, all of whom are long since dead. Daniel Phelps also settled
in this township in 1824. He was something like his cousin, Zadock, Jr., and
never seemed satisfied to stay in one place. He died in this township many years
ago. A large family, consisting of a father, mother, nine grown daughters and
three grown sons, came to the northern part of the township from Clinton county
in 1825 and made the second land entry in the township. It was the southwest
quarter of section 5. Here he improved a fine farm, and built a horse mill the
year he entered his land. One son, Wiley Burton, and a man by the name of Joe
Davis, were the first blacksmiths in the township. Gideon Burton and his wife
were both extremely large people, almost giants. They were from Tennessee and
were first class people. Burton died in 1835 on the farm he settled.
The
first preaching in the township was at the cabin of Samuel Davidson, by
itinerant ministers of the Methodist church, who made the cabin of Major
Davidson a stopping place. The first child born was Lavina Phelps, July, 1821,
and the first death was the wife of William Davidson in 1829.
The first
school-house was built in 1833 on section 26. It was a small log affair, not
fitted as a school-house. R. M. Carrigan was the first teacher. Three years
later a better cabin was built and the first teacher in the new building was J.
Williams. It was fairly comfortable and was used until 1849, when it burned
down. In 1850 another school-house was built in the place of the burned one. It
was of hewed logs and is still standing or was a few years ago, and is used as a
sort of plunder room by William Carrigan.
Fairman is the only railroad
station in the township and is a hamlet of a half-dozen houses, a store and
school-house. The place was originally called Hogback and "Hogback" John Wilson,
one of the best of men, formerly had a saw-mill here. John Puleston also kept
store here and when the post-office was established, was the first postmaster.
They both moved away and later Leander Mathews did a flourishing business here,
but later moved to Sandoval, and then to Kinmundy. There is still a store here,
but much of the business is diverted to Sandoval, Odin and Patoka. Carrigan
township is strictly a rural community made up of the best type of Americans.
The farms are large and productive, and where a few years ago stood a cabin in a
clearing, now stands comfortable and even luxurious homes amid smiling acres,
generously responsive to the husbandman's toil. Schoolhouses well appointed, are
at convenient distances apart, and everything bespeaks a prosperous community,
unfretted by the mercenary strife engendered by city life.
Extracted 27 Mar 2020 by Norma Hass from 1909 Brinkerhoff's History of Marion County, Illinois, pages 177-180.