CHAPTER III.
pg. 7

Growth of Population and Industry.

    The reason Union County and Southern Illinois enjoyed a greater growth in population than the central and northern parts of Illinois during the years 1818 to 1820 was the mildness of the climate.  In 1816, the weather was unusually cold so that crops failed all over Illinois and Indiana but because this part of the state is protected from the storm of the plains by a spur of the Ozark Mountains extending from the Mississippi to the Ohio Rivers through the northern parts of Union, Johnson, Pope and Hardin counties, crops were abundant.  The people living north of this range of hills came here to buy food as the ancients went into the valley of the Nile in Egypt on several occasions.  For this reason the country has long been known as "'Egypt" and also for this reason many of the people who came to buy food liked the country and stayed and others returned later with their families and friends.  This not only increased the population of Union County, but stimulated the settlers to produce more than enough foodstuff to meet their own needs.  Population was increased as much in two yeas at that time as it was during the whole decade following of the Illinois Central railroad.  The number of inhabitants increased from 1800 in 1818 to 2,362 in 1820 and 3,239 in 1830.
     Since the only modes of travel were by water or by horse or ox, the industries of road building and ferry transportation grew.  Nine ferries paid a tax to the county government for the privilege to operate, Harris on the Big Muddy, and Harris, Hays, Green, Penrod, Smiley, Ellis, Smith, and Ruppel on the Mississippi.
     When Jonesboro was established as the county seat, roads were built from that town to each of the above ferry landings.  Bridges were built across creeks at public expense.  The job was let to the contractor making the lowest bid for it.  The two earliest bridges were the one across Bradshaw Creek, which was completed for fifty dollars and the one across Clear Creek which cost one hundred and fifty dollars.  No description of the type of bridge constructed was given in the county records.
     Roads were also built from Jonesboro to Vienna, Jonesboro to America, Jonesboro to Cape Girardeau, Jonesboro to Brownsville in Jackson County and from the mouth of the Big Muddy River to Golconda.  As agriculture and population increased, mill seats were established and as these came into being, the roads were made to go past the mills enroute to their destinations.  An "overseer" and "viewer" was appointed over various sections of the road and the people living within four or five miles on each side of the roads were required to work on their construction and maintenance.  This work must have been done without pay since the county records do not show where any payments were made for this type of work in the early days of the county.  Then as now the "overseers" and "viewers" were changed with a change of county administration.  The following names appeared in the county records as holding this office, David Arnold, William Pyle, Ephriam noel, George Hunsaker, Henry Lamer, Benjamin Meneese, William Alexander, John Hunsaker, Allen McKenzie, Nathan Turpin, Will Waford, Alexander Boggs, Aaron Thornton, Owen Evens, Joseph Palmer, Moses Davidson and John Stokes.  Under the new administration, the "overseers" and "viewers" were changed to John McIntosh, Jacob Snider, Jacob Lingle, Johnson Sumner, George Evans, Henry Lamer, John Elmo, Aaron Howard, Robert H. Loyd, William Barton, Harry Barringer, James Abernathie, Christopher Houser, Edmund Vancil, John Lingle, Abner Keith, William Shelton, Benjamin Meneese, Benjamin Hall, Ephriam Noll, James Elmo, William Grammer, Rich McBride and Francis Murphy.
     Jacob Rantleman, William Thornton and George Hunsaker became the new commissioners in 1819 and with them appeared many new names in the records.  Abner Field, Jr., was made clerk of the court and Benjamin Meneese was made treasurer.
     It seems that then as well as now there were officials who could not resist the temptation of making personal use of public money entrusted to them.  The first sheriff was found to be short in the amount of money he turned over to the new officials and after several postponements of a hearing before the commission's court he, was allowed to settle the matter out of court for a part of the amount of money that was missing.
     Public as well as private buildings were constructed at this time.  A court house was built by Thomas Cox for forty dollars, and a jail by Jacob Wolf for twenty dollars.  Two years later, 1820, Nathaniel Davis built a new court house for six hundred dollars and a new jail for three hundred seventy-nine dollars.  The number of dwellings necessarily increased to house the growing population.
     At this time practically all manufacturing was done in the individual homes by the women, mainly who are seldom mentioned in public records.  Supplies were bought at Fort Massac and paid for with nuts, honey, and skins of animals.  At this time the nearest cording mill was in Jackson, Missouri, seven days journey from Jonesboro, and salt was obtained from the saline salt mines in Saline County, a distance requiring a ten day journey.  The mills which had been built to grind the corn and wheat were operated by a horse turning the wheel and by 1820 by water turning the wheel.  Three such mills had been established in Union County but many had mills were still in use in the homes.  The early mill owners were Jacob Rantleman, John Whittaker and Henry Clutts.
     Distilling ranked as one of the leading industries of the times and licenses were granted to many people who lived along the newly constructed roads to operate taverns to accommodate travelers.  A tavern in those days was usually in a private home where a wayfarer might stop and procure drink, food and lodging for himself and hay and shelter for his horse.  The price of these services was regulated by the county board as has been mentioned before.  Each tavern keeper paid a two dollar license fee and filed a $100 bond.  Later these amounts were increased to six dollars and three hundred dollars.  William Shelton, Robert Lloyd, Isaac Williams, Sam Putchez, Squire Bone, John Meneese, Jacob Hybarger, George Smiley, John Thornton, Henry Lamer, David Hunsaker and Frederick Barringer were all licensed to keep taverns during the first two years after the county was established.
     Within the next ten years industries and business expanded beyond the stage of the home manufacturing and bartering between neighbors and an occasional trip to a trading center, salt mine, etc.
     The men who served as constables, appointed by the governor between 1818 and 1820 were John Meneese, William Shelton, Samuel Betcher, Sam Hunsaker, Willie Sams, Samuel Sprouse, Isaac Williams, Jessie Doolen, Sam Hunsaker, Levi T. Holland, Alfred N. Dilliard, Squire Bone and William Thornton.
     Judges and clerks of elections appointed by the county board were John S. Hacker, William Echols, Levi Holland, Francis Parker, Alfred N. Dilliard, John Bradshaw, Hugh Craig, Thomas C. Patterson, Benjamin Meneese, William Barton and Owen. Evans.
     In 1820 new commissioners, Francis Parker, Daniel T. Coleman and Robert Hargrave were elected.