Jacob Bishop

As printed in 1874

Jacob Bishop was born June 25, 1797, in Maryland. His father, John Bishop, was of English descent, and his mother, whose maiden name was Hannah Cooper, was of German. When Jacob was only four years of age, he came with his parents to Fayette County, Pennsylvania. In about the year 1812 or 13, the Bishop family came tc Perry County, Ohio, near the line between that and Licking County. Their journey was not remarkably adventurous. While crossing the Ohio, the waves rolled so high that their boat came near capsizing. The family was passed on its way by armies going westward to fight the British and Indians. Every regiment was accompanied by women, who were resolved to follow their husbands even to the battlefield. Mr. Bishop's elder brother was drafted into the army. When the Bishop family arrived in Ohio, they took a seven years lease of land in the woods. Jacob Bishop.worked hard until he was twenty-one years of age aad then hired out to John Strawn, for whom he worked one year for one hundred dollars. Then he farmer Mr. Strawn's place for one year. Jacob Bishop married Mary Ann Weedman, and commenced keeping house in 1820. He started for Ilhnois, August 15, 1830, and came to Blooming Grove, where he arrived on the 15th of September. He had then very little property, and his father-inlaw, George Weedman, had bnly a few hundred dollars with m'lean county. 785 which to bring the settlers here. Deer, turkey and bee trees were then plenty; he found the richest bee trees and largest quantities of honey in Old Town. He worked hard and had good weather until the great fall of snow between Christmas and ISTew Years. During the latter part of the winter, people could go through the woods anywhere and find the carcasses of deer which had died because of the severe weather. The first heavy fall of snow came waist deep, and shortly afterwards a crust formed on it, which prevented cattle from traveling, for it was not hard enough to bear them up. The settlers broke roads from one house to another, but the wind filled up the tracks with snow; the roads were broken again and again until they gradually became packed and rose higher than the snow on either side. Mr. Bishop's family had enough breadstuffs to last until the tenth of February. On that day, Mr. Bishop started with four others to Scott's mill on Kickapoo creek, about fourteen miles distant. They traveled from one house to another, where tracks had been broken and packed. At one place they walked over bars six feet high.. They traveled with horses and took with them an additional packhorse. If they stepped from the track, they went down into the deep snow. They succeeded in getting their meal ground, and returned the following day. Just before the snow fell, Mr. Bishop and his father went to the edge of Old Town to get some pork and a cow. They brought home the pork, but the cow remained until late in February. When they went for it, they counted the carcasses of nine deer that had perished in the snow. Some were lying untouched and some had been partly eaten by wolves. The pigs had a hard time of it; they were accustomed to run wild and live on mast, but the snow prevented them from finding acorns. Jesse Funk's pigs ate the bark from the elm trees, as high as they could reach. The wolves were the only animated creatures which really seemed to enjoy themselves. They could run around on the crust of snow and could kill all the deer they wished, and were not afraid of anything, for they seemed to know that nothing could catch them.

Mr. Bishop had at first nothing with which to support his wife and six children. He borrowed $100, and entered eighty acres of timber land and went to work. But notwithstanding these difficulties, he lived a happy life. In the evening he sat and made shoes, while his wife worked her spinning wheel, and all the money they could earn by their united efforts was used to enter land. It was then very easy to raise stock. Cattle were fattened by turning them loose and allowing them to eat grass.

Mr. Bishop has been something of a hunter. He often chased wolves. At one time he dug out a den and found five little wolf puppies. The old ones were looking on in the distance, but did not dare to come up. He has hunted deer, but had no dangerous adventure; he never had a buck turn on him for fight. Mr. Bishop was always cautious about hunting deer, after an adventure which happened to Asa Weedman. Mr. Weedman was a great hunter, and on one of his expeditions he creased a buck, that is, shot it on the top of its neck and stunned it. He quickly ran up to cut its throat, but his knife was dull, and soon the deer arose and the hunter dropped his knife to hold it. The struggle was a very long one. Mr. Weedman held to the horns of the buck and could do nothing else. At last his strength failed him, and he concluded to quit if the deer was willing; so he let go of the buck and lay down and "played 'possum." The deer pawed him and looked at him suspiciously, then ran ofi" a short distance and looked back, then went a little farther and looked back again, and finally went away entirely. Mr. Weedman lacerated his hands badly in trying to hold the buck, and his clothes were almost torn off" of him.

Just before the Black Hawk war, Mr. Bishop, Eobert Rutledge and William G. Wright, went to Chicago, and were interrupted by the extraordinarily high water. They crossed the Calumet swamps by putting eight yoke of oxen on each wagon and drawing it through. On their return they crossed the Desplaines River by unloading and taking their wagons across in pieces in canoes, which they had lashed together. They took across their salt, a small part at a time. They crossed the Dupage River with the assistance of only one canoe. At the Illinois River, they were fortunate enough to find a boat large enough to bring their wagons over, but they swam their oxen.

Mr. Bishop has been very happy in his domestic life, and has raised a large family of remarkably intelligent children. They are:

m'lean county. 787

Mrs. Sarah Ann Hand, of Farmer City, a widow, who was the wife of Philip Hand. She lives with her family.

George Bishop, lives in Randolph's Grove, about two miles from his father's.

Mrs. Hannah Cusey, lives in Downs township with her husband, Senator John Cusey.

Mrs. Charity Adams, wife of Wyatt Adams, lives in Downs township, about four miles north of Mr. Bishop's.

Jacob C. Bishop, lives about four miles east of his father's, in Downs township.

Mrs. Charlotte Stringfield, lives with her father at the homestead. Her husband, A. J. Stringfield, died of sickness contracted while in the army.

Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, wife of Abram Fry, lives about six miles from her father's in Randolph township.

William F. Bishop, lives about two and a-half miles from his father's in Downs township.

Mrs. Emma Fulton, wife of James Fulton, lives a mile and a-half east in Downs township.

Mrs. Harriet Louisa Wilson, wife of George Wilson, lives about three miles east in Downs township.

John S. Bishop, lives in Randolph township, about six miles from his father's.

Asbury Mills Bishop, lives at home. He lost his arm in a threshing machine.

Joseph Allen Bishop, lives near his father's.

Mr. Jacob Bishop was, before he became bent with age, five feet and six inches in height. He is one of the most tender hearted of men, is exceedingly kind to his family, has worked hard for them and is anxious to see them prosper. He has the most fine and delicate feelings, is exceedingly hospitable, and feels grieved to think people are not as hearty and kind as the old settlers were. He has worked hard himself and always taught his children to be busy. He would like very much to see the old camp-meetings revived, and thinks they are much pleasanter than churches. All except two of his children are members of churches. His wife, Mrs. Mary Ann Bishop, died in January, 1873. She was a most excellent lady, and in all of the hardships of pioneer life she bore her part bravely.

Matthew Covardale.

As printed in The good old times in McLean County, Illinois / containing two hundred and sixty-one sketches of old settlers, a complete historical sketch of the Black Hawk War and ... all matters of interest relate (1874). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.