Source: Book - History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from its earliest settlement to 1908
By William W. Davis, M.S.
Illustrated
With Biographical Sketches of some Prominent Citizens of the County
Vol. I
Chicago: The Pioneer Publishing Co., 1908
Reprinted by:  Higginson Book Company, 148 Washington Street, P.O. Box 778, Salem MA 01970

Transcribed by Denise McLoughlin
Tampico Area Historical Society
www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com

Pages 211-216

HAHNAMAN
Joy, temperance, and repose
Slam the door on the doctor's nose - Longfellow

If our early friend, Reuben Davis, or Doc Davis as he was familiarly called, had been the first settler, the supposition might be that he named the township after Hahnemann, the celebrated German physician, who died in 1843. But as he was the founder of homeopathy, and Reuben may not have believed in that method of treatment, we give up the conundrum. William Renner and family from Pennsylvania, who settled at Deer Grove in 1841, were the pioneers in this quarter.

DYING IN THE LAST DITCH

Although much of the land is swampy, the settlers knew that thorough drainage, as in Holland, would bring rich returns from the deep black soil, and from the first have spared no labor or expense to improve the situation. Never say die. Winnebago Swamp on the north and Green River on the south surround a large area, and form what is known as Paddy's Island, from the number of Milesian emigrants who were gathered there.These ditches have done excellent service, but are not yet complete. Heavy rainfalls or gorges of snow and ice still occasionally inundate fertile fields. A contract has been made for a new ditch, perhaps the largest yet constructed. The drainage district begins on the Lee County line, and continues westward to Prophetstown. The ditch when completed will be one of the largest in Whiteside County and will be a small river. It will be twenty feet wide on the bottom with a slope of one to one. Even now through what was once a sluggish marsh, a strong current flows along like a creek For the new ditch there were twelve bidders, prices ranging from twelve and one-half cents per cubic yard to six and four-tenths, the lowest. In February, 1908, the necessity for better defense against the elements was signally shown. The levee on Green river broke under pressure of heavy snow following rain, submerging hundreds of acres. Only the summer before Green river was dredged and widened and a bank built to protect he farm lands in that country. The work on the river and on Winnebago ditch was done at a cost of $100,000. The only safety is in enlarging and strengthening these levees.

Deer Grove is the largest cluster of houses in the township. Besides the railroad station, there is an elevator, two stores, school, a few dwellings, an inn for the entertainment of travelers, and a blacksmith shop Occational preaching by Methodist ministers from Walnut. The postoffice was established in 1873, W.H. Wheeler as postmaster. He had come that year and built a house. Other settlers were Harvey Durr, M. Patterson, Cady Burgess. Fred Wahl bought his land in 1868, paying $18 per acre, living there until his removal to Sterling. Dr. Wahl, the leading physician in Tampico, is his son. Henry Flock and Henry Pott, Germans, were also settlers about 1872. Both in the army.

On the hill south of Deer Grove is the residence of William McCormick, born in Ireland, 1825, who sailed from Cork in 1854, landing in New York. A fearful trip. A thousand emigrants and at sea for months. He bought his farm in 1855, but lived awhile in Sterling.

The road from Sterling to Green River was the earliest traveled, an Indian trail. The first regularly laid out road was in 1856.

William Renner built the first log cabin in 1841 at Deer Grove, and the first schoolhouse, sixteen feet square and seven feet high, was erected at the Brakey settlement in 1857, with Amos Reeves as teacher, afterwards Supervisor and a prominent citizen.

BRAVE RECORD IN THE WAR
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
And we'll not fail. - Macbeth

For a small, thinly inhabited town, the men of Hahnaman rallied nobly around the flag in 1861. Ten enlisted with the Yates Sharpshooters: McNickle, Hinman, Harvey, Reeves, William and Mahlon Humphrey, Crosby and H.D. Ryder, Henry May. The latter was killed at Atlanta in 1864. Mahlon Humphrey died at Cairo in 1862. Hinman was wounded at Atlanta, John Renner was four months in Andersonville. *J.C. Reeves joined the 9th N.Y.Cavalry. James Renner, Walter Jonson, T.B. Davis, John Chambes, Albert McNickle, H.S. Humphrey, enlisted in various Illinois regiments.
(*Transcriber's note: J.C. Reeves was in the 8th N.Y. Cavalry)

HENRY POTT, VETERAN

In his cozy cottage in Sterling, the writer had a delightful visit with Mr. Pott, who, with his family retired from his Deer Grove farm in 1901. His war experience fresh and thrilling as of yesterday. His regiment, 75th Illinois, had only thirteen rounds of ammunition until they clamored for sixty to go into that disastrous battle at  Perryville, and when they retreated into the cornfield the rebel bullets rattled on the shocks and stones like hail. He was in all the battles to Atlanta. At Lovejoy station a ball destroyed an eye. After discharge from the hospital, he was sent with others to Mound City near Cairo, where they received boiunty and pay, and came home. He bought 120 acres at Deer Grove in 1872 of improved land for $30 per acre.

PETER FORD, CENTENARIAN
The mossy marbles rest,
On the lips he has prest,
In their bloom;
And the names he loved to hear,
Have been caarved for many a year,
On the tomb. - Holmes

In January, 1908, it was the privilege of the writer to stand by the grave of the oldest man who ever lived in Whiteside. He was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at Tampico. It is a regret never to have met the veteran, and hear from his own lips the incidents of a career that started with the last century. Some of his younger neighbors who knew the old gentleman well, have given the writer various reminiscenes of their intimacy.

Henry Pott and his brother-in-law, Henry Flock, ran a threshing machine, and frequently did work for Peter, on his farm. It was in the days when horse power was used. They had a pair of fine horses which they attached to the machine, the farmer furnishing the others.Henry did the driving with a long whip. Peter was lying barefoot by the stack, watching operations. The fat horses of the threshers were not pulling, and his own were doing most of the work, so Peter called out, "Henry, touch up your team wid your lash, the whiffletrees are dangling against their legs." Peter was a close observer and saw everthing.

On another threshing occasion, the men started before breakfast to set the machine firmly to be ready to begin work early. But a blind horse balked, refusing to pull, and while the men rode back to the barn, on the way they had to pass a pond where a flock of geese were sleeping. The blind horse stumbled over the birds, bruising an old gander, and the whole troupe set up a furious screaming. Peter's kitchen door was ajar, and a face peered in the direction of the clamor. At breakfast, theytold Peter of the catastrophe, claiming that a wolf and killed one of the flock during the night. "Wolf!" exclaimed Peter, "it was your horse, your blind wolf, that spoiled my fowl." To make the best of the disaster, Peter got the goose, and the two Henrys had the fat bird for dinner.

Several years ago Peter had a sore leg with an inflamation that refused to yeild to repeated medical treatment, until a Spiritualist doctor was summoned from Polo, and the limb was restored whole as the other. This is not an advertisement, but belongs to our narrative.

His house had low ceilings, and on Mr. Pott telling him that he had to be continually dodging as he passed through the house, Peter said he didn't build the cottage for anybody taller than he was. Peter was a small man; of light frame, and until recent years of active habits, laboring regularly on his farm.

At one time, he had a large plantation of several hundred acres, lying northeast of Deer Grove, on the borders of Whiteside and Lee counties. Various misfortunes, however, rendered it necessary to sell parts, and at his death, he was in moderate circumstances. His son took charge of the farm in later years, and Peter with his wife retired to a home in Tampico, where he remained to her death. Since that time, he lived with his daughter, Mrs. Coleman, in Deer Grove, where he breathed his last.

His son Dominick lives in Sterling, and tells the writer his father at his death had a head of snow white hair, the color originally black. He had no full beard, simply whiskers on the chin.

His death occurred on Friday, May 17, 1907. Mr. Ford was born at Killala in county Mayo, Ireland, June 22, 1802. He was married to Miss Mary A. Muldoon on Jan. 23, 1834, and came to this country in 1840, locating near Utica, N.Y., where he worked on the Erie canal. Three years later his wife and two children came over and the family then went to Canada and made their home near Smith's Falls until 1857. They came to Illinois that year and stayed in Dixon for a short time. Mr. Ford then purchased a farm in Hahnaman and engaged in farming. In 1887 he removed to Tampico, where he resided until  his wife's death in 1895, since which time he has lived with his daughter, Mrs. Coleman, in Deer Grove. Mr.and Mrs. Ford had nine children, seven of whom are now living.

Mr. Ford retained his faculties well until his death. He was strictly temperate in his habits and nvever used tobacco nor intoxicating liquors although at one time he was employed for severeal years in a distillery. He had a retentive memory and easily recalled the war of 1812 and the Black Hawk and Mexican wars. He had a distinct memory of the death of every president of the United States except Washington.

Mr Ford came of a long lived race. All of his brothers and sisters lived to be over 80; one aunt lived to be 115 years of age and his grandmother also passed the century mark.

The highway commissioners of Hahnaman township are making arrangements to install two new steel bridges over Green River near Deer Grove. The structures spanning the river near Deer Grove have been in a dangerous condition for some time and these will be replaced with two good steel structures. The township of Hahnaman is one of the most costly townships of the county to be bridged, due to the many ditches and the Green River which crosses it.

His daughter, Mrs. Coleman, says her father had  no faith in doctors, would not take medicine, and when sick, would often fast four days. He lost his last teeth ten years before his death. Although for the last four years, he took three meals a day. Took great interest in current affairs, and followed the operations of the Boer struggle and our Spanish-American war. He never wore glasses.

A PIONEER'S WIDOW

In her white frame cottage on Sixth avenue, Sterling, the writer found Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, quietly enjoying the sunset of life. Her maiden name was Work, and she was married to Reuben Davis in Ohio  in 1849. They came to Como, where  they kept the Rock Island House, at which the stage travelers took meals. At the same time, her husband practiced his profession, as he had attended medical lectures in Cincinnati. In 1860 they moved to the farm in Hahnaman, where they lived till his death in 1887. Although busy with his farm, he had constant calls from the sick which he always obeyed. A ready speaker, and fond of debate. When able to go out, Mrs. Davis is a regular attendant at the Lutheran church. She is nearly 77. Doc was 68.

TWO GOLDEN WEDDINGS
Look down, you gods
And on this couple, drop a blessed crown. - Shakespeare

Ponce de Leon lookd for the fountain of youth in Florida, but never found it, because it was not there. It is in Hahnaman. People die even in California, but seldom in this favored township Just think of two golden weddings within a week! On Sunday, Feb. 16, 1908, Mr. and Mrs. John McGuire celebrated the fiftieth anniversay of their marriage at their home, surrounded by their children, grandchildren and a host of relatives. They were married in Dixon, and after three years in Sterling, removed to Hahnaman, where they have since resided. They are both hale and hearty, and will now prepare for the diamond jubilee.

On Saturday,Feb. 22, by a freak of the almanac, the fiftieth anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wahl coincided with the birthday of the illustrious George.They really belong to Hahnaman, as their active years were spent there, but farming becoming too strenuous, in 1890 they took their abode in a new home on Ninth avenue, Sterling. This was the scene of the festivities. All of their family were present except a daughter, Ethel, in California. Both are in the discharge of daily duties, and ready to greet friends with a smile.

Including the family of nine children, sixteen granchildren, an one great-grandchild, thirty-six relatives sat down to a banquet what only Mrs. Wahl, a cook of the old school, could prepare. She was Miss Anna Kirgis. Besides words of congratulation, the occasion was made memorable by marks of substantial appreciation. Mr. Wahl was brought to time with a solid gold watch, and his estimable partner will hereafter make her toilet with a diamond brooch.

Perhaps the only murder in the township occurred June 26, 1901, when Thomas Brunton killed Thomas McDonald, at Deer Grove, by knocking him down. Both were tramps, and at the time were carousing at a shed or corn crib.