kjhJacob Boyer and James Meadows, who were brothers-in-law, came to Sugar
Grove, from the American bottom, in the spring of 1819. They had lived a year
or two on Wood River, in the American bottom, two and a half miles from Alton
meadows, brought one wagon drawn by two horses, and, in addition, one milk
cow, a yoke of yearling steers, that had been broken to work when sucking-
calves, and some thirty head of hogs. Boyer brought three horses, two milk
cows, and perhaps a yoke of oxen. About the same day that Boyer and
Meadows came, the Blane family, consisting of four brothers, one sister and
the mother, came to the same grove. This family was of Irish blood, and it
was from them that the "Irish Grove," in the east part of the county, received
its name. The Blanes brought two two-horse teams and six or seven yoke of
oxen. Boyer and Meadows erected a cabin on the south side of the grove,
which was occupied by Boyer, and Meadows put up a "three-faced camp " on
the ground now occupied by the " Sugar Grove Cemetery." Before the Blanes
settled there, they had been camped for a few days in the "Irish Grove," as
it has since been called ; it is therefore very probable that they were camped in
the county when Clary settled at Clary's Grove.
The Blanes also " took claims," erected cabins and began business in earnest.
These were the first settlers on the east side of the Sangamon River.
Before giving an account of the further settlement of Sugar Grove, it may
not be amiss to relate an incident in the early history of this settle-
ment, illustrating the fact that human nature is ever the same, and that
even in this early day men had need of civil courts. It will be necessary to
explain that although the trouble began when but few families had settled
there, it was some time before it culminated in a lawsuit, as there were no
courts of justice in reach till some time later.
As stated above, Meadows brought two horses, thirty head of hogs and two year-
ling calves with him to the grove. Not many months elapsed until both the horses
were missing, and the hogs were all strayed away and lost. Not a great while
after these misfortunes, one of the little oxen was found dead in the woods.
Diligent search was made in every direction for the missing stock, as they
could not be replaced without great trouble and expense, owing to the distance
from any older settlement. In his anxiety, Mr. M. applied to a fortune-teller,
who strolled through the new settlement, practicing his art, as the ancient
troubadour used to stroll from village to village, to rehearse the deeds of his
heroes. This seer told Mr. Meadows that the horses were in the possession of
the Indians, and that he would recover them after awhile, though but one at a
time. Sure enough, the horses were found in the hands of the Indians,
who said they had traded for them from a Frenchman. The horses were so
jaded that they were of no service, and soon after died. The hogs, he was
told, had gone down the Sangamon River, where one-half of them had been
eaten by a " squatter," and the rest he would recover. Meadows followed the
directions given, found the cabin of the suspected settler, but found none of the
hogs. He, however, traded for a frying-pan from the worthy citizen, the one,
he supposed, in which his hogs had been fried ; but the remainder of the hogs
were found as had been predicted. The fortune-teller further said that the ox
came to its death at the hands of one of Mr. M.'s neighbors, in the following
manner : The neighbor was making rails in the timber, his coat lying on a log
near by, when the poor calf came browsing along, and, spying the coat, he
determined to make a meal of it. The laborer, seeing his coat about to be
swallowed, ran and struck the brute on the loins with his maul, and the blow
proved sufficient to kill it on the spot.
Although this was only the statement of a superstitious fortune-teller, yet
it was believed strongly enough to induce Mr. Meadows to begin a suit against
the accused party, which was in the courts for several years, cost a vast sum of
money, and created a feud between two families, which lasted to the second gen-
eration. This is spoken of as the first lawsuit of any importance in the county; and
also as illustrating a superstitious belief in fortune-tellers that at that time was
almost universal.
Thought For The Day
Some people are like slinkies; useless, but
entertaining as they fall down the stairs.
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