This town is pretty well divided between prairie and woodland, the latter, perhaps, predominating to some extent.  Its timber is principally oak, hickory, sugar-maple, and a light scattering of walnut.  The township is watered by the main branch of the Embarrass River flowing along its western boundary, together with several smaller streams which have their source in its territory, the most important of which is Pole Cat Creek.  The sweet-scented name of this stream was derived, it is said, from the fact that a new-comer first learned upon its classic banks the power and alacrity of that species of feline to defend itself against its enemies.  Ashmore is bounded on the north by Oakland Township; on the west by the Embarrass River; on the south and east by Hutton Township and Edgar County, and is much larger than a regular Congressional township.  It is a fine agricultural region, and contains many excellent farms.   The Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad passes nearly through its center from east to

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SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, STORES, ETC.

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VILLAGE OF ASHMORE.

     Ashmore is situated on the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, about seven miles east of Charleston.  It was surveyed and laid out Feb. 14, 1855, by

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     * For a truthful application of these lines, the reader is referred to "Uncle Jobey" Brown, who can give a somewhat similar experience.

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THE CHURCHES.

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William Bass, Wiliam P. Ferris and A. F. Robertson.  The Board organized by electing Jacob A. Brown and A. F. Robertson, Clerk.  The present Board is as follows, viz.:  Adam Coon, President, and Thomas O'Brien, William T. March, William L. Cox, Thomas Austin and John G. Parker.  J. L. Brown is Clerk, A. F. Robertson, Police Magistrate, and Thomas W. Hogue, Town Marshal.

VILLAGE OF HITESVILLE.

     Hitesville is an old village, or would be, if still in existence, but it has passed away, "among the things that were."  It was laid out Apr. 15, 1835, by James Hite, for whom it was named, and who appears to have been an enterprising citizen.  At one time, it was quite a village, with stores, shops, and every appearance of becoming a town.  But, railroads passing near, new villages have sprung into being, which have literally swallowed up Hitesville, leaving scarce a trace to tell where it stood.  At an early day, a Presbyterian Church was organized at Hitesville, by Rev. John Steele.  The church was built almost entirely by Mr. Hite, the neighbors ' contributing but a small amount of the means toward its erection.  Hite finally moved away, sold the church, which was converted into a dwelling, and used as such for awhile, and then torn down.  Prior to its discontinuance as a church, however, the Christian denomination organized a church, and erected a building at this place, about 1840.  It soon became too small for the increasing membership; was sold, and a larger one built during the late war, at a cost of $2,500, and is a handsome frame building.  Its present membership is something over 100, and has, since its organization, numbered 200 members, but has been thinned out by death and removals.  The present Pastor is Elder James Steele, but Elder P. K. Honn has been the minister in charge of it almost from its organization, until age compelled him to retire from active labors.  This is about all there is left to tell where Hitesville once stood.
     St. Omer was never laid out as a village, but at one time was a collection of perhaps half a dozen houses, a store, post office, blacksmith-shop, etc.  The Ashmores opened a store at the place many years ago, and a man named Hogue kept one on the road, about half a mile from St. Omer, at the same time.  But, like Hitesville, and from a similar cause, St. Omer has disappeared.  A church and two or three dwellings are all that is left.  The church belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterians, and is one of the pioneer church organizations of Coles County.  The society was originally organized in a schoolhouse near the present village of Ashmore, with thirty-seven members, on the 30th of May, 1842.  John Mitchell, William Austin, Sr., and Alexander Montgomery were the first elders.  Through originally organized near Ashmore, its membership was largely of St. Omer, and the church-building was erected at the latter place, about 1857, at a cost of $1,200, not including the lot on which it stands.  It is a frame building, 30x40 feet, with a membership at present of about one hundred, under the pastoral charge of Rev. A. B. McDavid.  Its

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aggregate membership since organization is about three hundred and seventy.  The present Elders are John Dollar, Josiah Bitner, J. Keran, Daniel Wicker and Milton W. Barnes; the latter is the Clerk of the Board.  The deacons are Joseph W. Bitner and John F. Childress.

POLITICS AND WAR.

     Ashmore village and township, taken together, are Republican in politics.  The war record of the town is good.  In all of our little "scrimmages," Ashmore has participated, to a greater or less extent.  The war of 1812, the Black Hawk war of 1832, the Mexican war, and our last unpleasantness, all had representatives from this section, and even one or two soldiers in the Revolutionary struggle afterward wandered to this region.  In our last war, the great rebellion, many of the citizens shouldered their muskets and offered themselves to their country.  The following are among the enlistments from this township so far as we have been able to gather them: Dr. A. F. Steele, Company C, Sixty-second Illinois Infantry; Nathaniel Davis, Company H, Third Missouri Cavalry, as Sergeant; William T. Moore, Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana (100 days); Elias Moore, Company H, Fifty-ninth Illinois Volunteers; F. M. Waters, One Hundred and Twenty-third Illinois Volunteers, as Chief Musician; Joshua Rickets entered J. W. Bissell's Engineer Regiment of the West, as private, and was promoted to Second and then First Lieutenant, served twenty months, and resigned; William C. Kimball, Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-second Ohio Volunteers; Sidney Epperson, Company H, Fifty-ninth Illinois Volunteers, promoted to Quartermaster; Rhodes Epperson, Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-third Illinois Volunteers; Martin Turner, Company __, One Hundred and Twenty-third Illinois Volunteers, killed in battle of Perryville; Thomas J. Bull, Company C, Iowa Cavalry; Adon Wiley, Company E, Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers.  There were, perhaps, many others from the township, but we have been unable to learn their names.

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