George Washburn

As printed in 1910

GEORGE WASHBURN.

The student of history does not have to carry his investigations far into the records of Henry county to learn that the Washburn family has been long and prominently connected with the agricultural development of this part of the state, and George Washburn, whose name introduces this review, is now assiduously employed in the work of the farm, tilling the fields and raising, feeding and shipping stock. His home is now on the northeast quarter of section ii, Western township, but his birth occurred in Colona township, his natal day being October 20, 1863. His parents were Chauncey and Emily (Piatt) Washburn. The father was born near Springfield, Massachusetts, on the 17th of May, 1834, and was a son of Abisha and Isabella (Clapp) Washburn. He was only three years old when his parents came to Henry county, arriving in May, 1837. Only five years before had the Black Hawk war occurred and the work of civilization and improvement seemed scarcely begun in this part of the state. There were three families in the party that made the journey from Springfield, Massachusetts, to the Connecticut river. They took a boat there, proceeding down the river to Long Island sound and from that point made their way to the Erie canal and on to the Ohio river to its mouth and up the Mississippi to Hampton, being about three weeks on the way. On reaching their destination, Abisha Washburn rented a smoke house of Mr. Marshall and moved into it. It had no floor and was about ten feet square. At that time meat sold for twenty-five cents per pound. The next winter Mr. Washburn fattened a few hogs which he took to Stevenson, now Rock Island. He was paid a cent a pound for his meat and gave a dollar to cross Rock river and back on the ferry. He bought some "hard times" cloth for pants, for which he paid a dollar per yard but it could now be purchased at twenty-five cents per yard. The first wheat which the family raised was cut with the sickle or reap hook and threshed with a flail, and as there was no farming mill they would take the grain by handful and throw it against the wind and the best grain would drop farthest away. The nearest mill was sixty miles, and after making the journey with an ox team they would often have to wait a week for the grist. If the supply of flour and meal became exhausted they grated com, which they made into mush. That summer Abisha Washburn built a house into which the family moved in October. At first it had no doors nor windows and the mother would hang up a quilt before the door. The wolves would come and sit on the doorstep or howl around the cabin at night. The next summer they raised corn and got a fair crop but after it was harvested they had to plow the land with a cast iron plow, which would be driven through the ground for about two rods and then would have to be cleaned off with a paddle. All day long they would work that way. The harrow was made out of a small formed tree and to plant the corn they marked off the ground with an eight inch bar plow, which was also of cast iron like the big plow and had to be cleaned as often. As there were no stoves in those days cooking was done over the fire place, the Washburn family having a much better fire place than some of their neighbors. Theirs was built of stone and had a crane on which to hang kettles. The bake oven consisted of a kettle about five inches deep, with a cast iron lid. This was placed on live coals drawn out on the health and then hot coals would be put on the lid. After a few years, however, Mr. Washburn purchased a cook stove, which was the first in the neighborhood and people would come six or eight miles to see it. As they looked on it they would exclaim "How do you cook on that. I cannot see any fire. Where do you put your fire ?" In those days many of the houses were twelve or fourteen feet and the "large" houses were sixteen or eighteen feet. Some of these were made of round logs, while in others the logs were hewed on both sides and thus a fine house was built. The floors were made of puncheons and often additional space was secured by placing some joists overhead and a loose floor laid on them, this loft serving as a bedroom. The pioneers made their own shingles which were about two and a half feet long. The roof of pioneer times served very well to keep out the rain if the wind did not blow too hard, but the snow sifted in and Chauncey Washburn told that on many occasions as he got out of bed in the morning the snow lay six inches or more deep on the floor. Their house had its spinning wheel and a pair of cards. His mother carded the wool, spun the yarn to make all the socks, besides yarn to make some of the clothing, but as the sheep became more plentiful they put up a carding mill at Camden, so that the women could have their wool carded there, which greatly lessened their labor. If the fire went out some one went to a neighbor's to borrow fire unless a tinder box and steel and flint were a part of the household equipment. The tinder box was made of tin about as big around as a quart cup but not as tall. It had two lids, one that shoved down to the bottom and one that fit on the top. The tinder was made of cotton cloth which was set fire and allowed to bum almost to a coal. Then it was dropped into the box and the loose lid shoved down on it and then they had their tinder. They made their own matches in those days, taking dry pine which was cut the right length and split the right size for matches, after which one end was dropped in melted sulphur. But they would not strike fire on the matches of the present day. It was necessary to take a flint and steel, striking them together until the sparks would fly into the tinder and set it fire, then the sulphur match was put against the tinder and the necessary light was secured. Such were some of the conditions which the pioneers faced during their early experiences in this county. Brought to Illinois when but three years of age, Chauncey Washburn aided in the arduous task of developing new land through the period of his boyhood and for many years carried on farming. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Emily Piatt, was born in Indiana, and on coming to Henry county had settled near Bishop Hill. After their marriage they began their domestic life on land in Colona township belonging to his father. Subsequently Chauncey Washburn purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Western township, improved it and lived thereon for a few years, after which he sold the place and bought another one hundred and sixty acres on section I, and spent the remainder of his days there. He also bought a quarter section of land in Colona township, adjoining some which he inherited from his father, so that his possessions in that township aggregated two hundred twelve and a half acres. He was practical and progressive in his farm work, accomplishing excellent results by his earnest purpose and unfaltering diligence. In later years his friends, and especially the young people, delighted in hearing him relate incidents and stories of the pioneer days, for he had intimate knowledge of early events and keen recollection of the conditions of life which were here found in the period of his boyhood. His political allegiance was given to the democracy but he was never an office seeker. His death occurred in Western township, December 14, 1907, and his remains were interred in Western cemetery. He had for twelve years survived his wife, who passed away April 20, 1895. They were the parents of eight children: Ida, now the wife of Robert McLees, a farmer of Western township, by whom she has two children; Charlotte, the wife of William Durmann, an agriculturist of Colona township, by whom she has two children; George of this review; Otis, formerly a teacher in the Northwestern Normal at Geneseo, but now a stenographer of Chicago, where he lives with his wife, formerly Miss Minnie Dice; Edward, who wedded Mar>' Grier and lives on a farm in Colona township; Jane, who makes her home in Colona township with her sister; Frank, who died at the age of three years; and Emma, the wife of Norris Keel, living in Western township.

As a boy George Washburn spent his days on his father's farm and benefited by such instruction as the district schools afforded. He afterward enjoyed the benefits of a course in the Northwestern Normal School at Geneseo, where he pursued his studies one winter. After attaining his majority he rented land of his father for one year and then went to Thomas county, Kansas, where he took up government land, spending almost two years in that district, after which he abandoned the place and returned to his native county. While in the west he also worked on the Rock Island Railroad. On his return to Henry county he again rented land from his father, continuing to cultivate it until 1893, when with the capital he had acquired through his industry and economy he was at length enabled to purchase eighty acres of his present farm at fifty-five dollars per acre. In the spring of 1906 his dwelling was destroyed by fire, but with characteristic energy he rebuilt it in the same year. He now has modern improvements upon the place and the farm is a well developed property, giving evidence in its highly tilled fields of the care and labor which the owner bestow upon it.

On the 24th of September, 1890, Mr. Washburn was united in marriage in Geneseo to Miss Lizzie Kerwin, of Colona township. Mr. and Mrs. Washburn now have three children. Grace, born in Western township, spent three years in the high school at Geneseo and is now a student in Brown's Business College at Davenport, Iowa. Thomas, who was born in Western township, has completed the district school course and has also spent some time in Brown's Business College. Marie, born in Western township, is now a ninth grade pupil in the country school.

Mr. Washburn gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never been an office seeker. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen Camp at Orion and is interested in progressive public measures but finds it necessary to devote the greater part of his time and attention to his business interests. He is now numbered among the leading farmers of the community and, moreover, is known as an honored representative of one of the oldest and most prominent pioneer families of the county.

As printed in History of Henry County, Illinois (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.