The next meeting of the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society will be Tuesday, June 10th at 7pm. This month, we’re going on a field trip to the Brotherton Museum in the old Franklin School. Those attending should gather in the parking lot on the west side of the old school. Tour will start at 7pm. Meetings are free and open to the public.

Annual Carolyn’s Closet Rummage Sale!
The sale is Friday, June, 6, 2025 – 8am-5pm and Saturday, June 7, 2025 – 8am-4pm. Members and friends are asked to drop off donations during library hours no later than Wednesday, June 4.

Juneteenth Event
On Thursday, June 19th at 10am, the new Illinois State Historical Marker to Peter Logan (1780-1866) will be dedicated in Elm Grove township. Check the TCGHS website for more information.

Underground Railroad in Tazewell County
All history is local until it is woven together with other stories to become part of the National fabric and there is no aspect of National history that doesn’t touch Tazewell County, especially the Underground Railroad.

As it turns out, abolitionist activity began here in the 1820s. Two different Kentucky families fled that state for what would become Tazewell County. The Scott’s in 1824 and the Shipman’s in 1826. They both brought black families with them to freedom. The Shipman’s would be pursued by men that had less than honorable intentions but the neighbors made sure the family stayed free.

Also settling into what was then Northern Sangamon county were several families that were members of the Society of Friends, more commonly referred to as Quakers. They included the Dillon’s, Wilson’s, and Brown’s among others.

Those families mostly settled along and near the Springfield to Peoria road, the first road north of Springfield in all of Illinois. They selected the spots that they wished to homestead and, after making improvements, waited for the land to come up for auction at the Springfield land office.

It was during that time that Mrs. Absalom Dillon’s cousins came to visit. Guliemma Hiatt Dillon was a cousin to Levi Coffin whose home in Fountain City, Indiana is a National Historic Landmark. It was known as the “Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.”

The Tazewell Friends setup similar stations, all along and adjacent to Springfield road. It wasn’t long before the freight started moving through. These early settlers controlled the road to some extent as in those days, anyone lucky enough to be living near a road was responsible for its upkeep. John Wilson, was the ferryman at the Mackinaw crossing. Once Tazewell county was formed in January 1827, more road building took place.

Many of the freedom-seekers entered Tazewell from Sangamon county but there was one account of Elijah Greene of Mt. Hope loading his wagon and taking off in the early morning hours of January 16, 1848, as told by his son years later.

Little Albert was sick with the measles on his 6th birthday, which is how he happened to remember the exact date. He was awakened by unusual activity, such as hushed conversation, feet shuffling, and breakfast cooking far too early. Soon, Dad brought the wagon to the door, and the house got quiet again after the wagon pulled away.

Sometime after daylight, there was another strange voice, sternly asking for information. This time, it was bounty hunters from Kentucky asking about fugitives they were pursuing. The same “freight” that had left shortly ahead of their arrival. Mrs. Greene told them her husband had gone to Orendorff’s mill. The bounty hunters then left. 

In a few days Mr. Greene returned and let the family know that he had moved the runaways on to the next station somewhere in the vicinity of Tremont. A much longer version of this story was originally published in the Illinois State Historical Society Journal in 1916.

The Greene story refers to the Morse, Whipple, and Chapin families living in the vicinity of the Greene family. They were all known to be active abolitionists. 

The Tremont station where Mr. Greene left his freight could’ve been Josiah Mathews’ place, just a little west of Tremont. And it’s entirely possible that it was Peter Logan’s place, a little west of Mathews. There was a robust line that ran along the old Springfield post road. The Cheever and Teft families would provide aid to those coming North around Delavan, William Brown and his family of Dillon would help out, and John Wilson made sure they could quickly cross the river and continue on to the Dillons, Mathews, or Kingmans in Elm Grove. 

Elm Grove Township was the epicenter of the abolitionist movement in Illinois. It was where the Friends’ first meeting house was erected. After the first pioneers settled in, there was a migration from New England. The Tremont colony and the Delavan colony moved in during the mid-1830s and those communities generally had an abolitionist lean. 

As the freight moved North, it would pass the Roberts’ place and maybe spend a night at the Crosby’s place in Morton township. After that, they would continue to the Scott farm near Washington and from there to Kern. The travelers would then move on along what is today Route 89 near Metamora, then to Morsetown and so on until they could rest at Crow Creek in what is today Putnam County.

These folks and many more were members of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society, that formed in 1837. The first meeting was in Alton just a week before Lovejoy’s murder, and their work continued until the War of the Great Rebellion was won.

Mystery Photos: 
We have so many photographs that are not identified. Please help by visiting our website and reviewing the images on the Mystery Photo page.

The Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society is an award-winning 501c3, all-volunteer organization that has been in continuous service to our members and the public for 47 years. TCGHS operates an archive, library, and research facility at 719 N. 11th St., Pekin. Visit our website at www.tcghs.org to learn more about us. If you have any point of interest that you would like to know more about, stop in at TCGHS or drop us a line.