HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
WALL TOWNSHIP
Wall township was organized out of the original township of Patton in
1867. It is bounded on the north by Lyman township; on the east by Iroquois
county; south by Patton township, and west by the townships of Dix and Peach
Orchard. It was named after Abraham Wall, the first settler who came to this
township from Marshall county, Illinois, in 1854. Among other early settlers
were Fred Dienelt, James Simpson, Christian Snyder, Samuel Bell, William
Noel, AVilliam Kenward, J. Bonsel, Paul Cooley, John Travis, Levi Miller,
Agrippa Wells, Seth Lytle, William Liggett, James Barnes, John Morris, John
Richardson, John Bayne, and Edgar Sharp.
The first town meeting was held at the Stringtown schoolhouse district No.
2, when the following were elected the first township officers: William
Liggitt, supervisor; Steven Fry, town clerk; John Morris, assessor; John
Richardson and John Morris, justices of the peace.
The first schoolhouse erected in Wall was the Noel schoolhouse, and William
Noel's wife was the first teacher. The Stringtown schoolhouse was the next
one built, and Miss Emma Simons, daughter of the first county clerk, taught
the school for two years.
James Barnes' son Walter, was the first child born in the township.
This township contains only a small per cent of unimproved land, and its
inhabitants are well-to-do farmers.
Among the leading farmers who lived in this township, may be noted the
following:
John F. Kenney was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1835. He came
to this township from Putnam county in 1872, settling on section 14. He
married Miss Mary E. Phelps, of Putnam county, in 1860. Mr. Kenney was one
of the many men who came to this county from the east without capital, and
by his hard work he became the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of
land.
William Kenward, a native of Sussex county, England, came to Illinois in
1851. He was twice married — first to Elizabeth McConaty, a native of Lake
county, Illinois, who died in 1871. In 1873 he married Rhoda Snelling, a
native of Harrison county, Ohio. Mr. Kenward came here poor, but by hard
work, economy and strict integrity, became the owner of two hundred and
eighty-two acres.
Fred Dienelt, born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1828. In 1843 he went to sea,
sailing around the world before he was seventeen years old, and there are
few places in this hemisphere that have not been visited by him. He came to
Ford county in 1858, being the second settler in this township. He was twice
married — first to Mary Kaminsky, of Germany, who died in 1872, and the
following year he married Mattie Wells. His library was considered the
largest and most valuable of any person's — excepting professional men — in
the county, and much of his time was passed in reading scientific works and
studying astronomy.
Levi Miller was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1831. He moved to
Illinois from Ohio in 1854, and to Wall township from La Salle county, in
1864. In 1852, he married Maria Werts, of Preble county, Ohio, by whom he
had ten children. He laid out the road districts of Wall township.
William Kenney was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. He came to this
township in 1875. He was married in 1850 to Mary McVane, by whom he had six
children.
Richard Trigger was born in Devonshire, England, in 1832. He came to America
in 1859, settling in Peoria county. He came to Ford county in 1869,
purchasing the north half of section 11. He was married to Elizabeth A.
Stoves, of England, in 1855. They had nine children. Mr. Trigger was highway
commissioner for a number of years.
Saunders McCormick was born in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1836. He taught
in the public schools of his native county for several years. He spent two
years in the gold mines of the western territories, and also was bookkeeper
for a cotton merchant of Texas. He came to Ford county in 1868, settling on
the northwest quarter of section 9. He was justice of the peace for many
years.
William A. Campbell was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, in
1843. He moved to Fountain county, Indiana, where he resided for a short
time; then came to Ford county, settling in Trickel's Grove, Button
township. He was married to Elizabeth C. Irwin in 1868, by whom he had four
children. His father, O. H. Campbell, was one of the early settlers of Ford
county.
Robert M. Karr was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in 1834. In 1869, he came
to Ford county, becoming the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land
in section 34. He was married in 1858. He enlisted in the One Hundred and
Forty-third Hundred Day service, and served one year.
Worth McCormick was born in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1853, living there
until nine years of age, then came to Drummer township, where he lived until
he moved to Wall township. In 1877, he married Miss Samantha English, of
Piqua county, Ohio.
John Hamlon was a native of Albany, New York. He came to Chicago in 1843 and
was bound out to a farmer in Kendall county for eleven years. He married
Mary Baxter in 1861. He became the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of
fine farming land. He was road commissioner and school director for several
years.
Charles Spellmeyer was born in Prussia, in 1831. He emigrated to the United
States in 1853, settling in Putnam county. He moved to this township in
1875, settling on section 16, where he became the owner of three hundred and
twenty acres of land. He was married in 1857 to Louisa Kottkamp, by whom he
had seven children.
George Minch was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, in 1847, where he lived
until 1881, when he moved to this township. He became the owner of the
northeast quarter of section 3, and two hundred and forty acres in section
22, Lyman township. He was married in 1869.
Charles Phillips was born in Lancashire, England, in 1814. He came to
Philadelphia when quite young, where he remained for a short time, then
moved to the state of Delaware. In 1854 he came to Putnam county, Illinois,
where he lived for eighteen years, then came to Ford county. He was married
in 1843.
Edgar G. Sharp was born in New York in 1833. In 1855 he went to Wisconsin,
living there three years, then came to Wall township, settling on section
30. He was married in 1853 and was the father of eight children.
James H. Snelling was a native of Illinois. He came to Ford county in 1877,
and settled on section 11. Mr. Snelling was teacher of penmanship for many
years, he being the finest penman in this part of the state.
Extracted 06 Jun 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Ford County, Illinois, Volume 1, pages 168-170.
