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Settlers in Central Illinois
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Illinois had its civil and political beginnings in the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 which were passed by Congress to provide for the governing of lands in the Northwest Territory. These lands eventually became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. While this area was home to many Indian tribes, the influx of pioneer settlers during the next 30 years caused most of the tribes to move north and west in Illinois. Indian titles to the land in Illinois were secured by the United States Government through the early part of the 19th century. Land offices were established as early as 1804 at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, and 1812 at Shawneetown, and the process of surveying the land into ranges and townships was underway. The public sale of land began in 1814. By September 1818, "Land sales amounted to 1,080,000 acres in the southern part of the territory." [Buck, 55] In 1818 the Territorial Legislature ordered a census for the purpose of providing evidence to Congress that enough population existed for admittance to the Union as a state. Illinois thus consisted of 15 counties containing roughly 45,000 inhabitants scattered into small settlements, villages, and towns with Kaskaskia and Shawneetown the only large-scale towns. This evidence was enough to support the claim for statehood and it was granted by the United States Congress in 1818. Many of the pioneers who came to Illinois were from the eastern states of Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas or directly from the western states of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Due to the sparse nature of the population, the counties were relatively large. By the early 1820's, the area that would eventually become Macon County was the northern end of Shelby County. Settlers began moving into this area between 1821 and 1830 resulting in two major settlements-Stevens Creek, three miles northwest of Decatur, and Ward, just south of the Sangamon River. By 1828 the population of the area had grown to 600, large enough for a delegation to travel to the State Legislature in Vandalia and seek the organization of a new county. After all, the County Seat of Shelbyville was 30 miles away, quite a trip for each and every legal transaction. The legislature passed "An act to establish a new county to be called the County of Macon" on January 19, 1829. The county was named after the Hon. Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina, a respected national political figure. The act called for the seat of justice to be called the town of Decatur, named after U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur. The act established three commissioners who ordered the town to be platted much like Shelbyville, a county court house to be built, the sale of lots to begin on July 10, 1829, and taxes to be levied. The first taxes for 1829 amounted to $109.32 1/2. [Smith, 24-25] By 1830, the population of the county was 1,161. [Banton, 34]
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The order for the court house was carried
out in 1830 with the completion of an 18 by 24 foot, one and
a half story log building located at the southwest corner of
the town square-Main Street at Main Street. Courtrooms were located
on the first floor, with room for prisoners on the second. The
county paid $18.00 to three men to select the site for the courthouse,
one of the first major expenses. [Banton, 37] The new courthouse
was built for $250. Even with a new courthouse, Decatur's growth
was not overwhelming. The 1830 census recorded only 100, and
by 1834 there were only eleven buildings including seven residences.
The Thomas Lincoln family arrived by ox cart in the fall of 1830.
Their son Abraham was 21 years old and assisted his father in
building their cabin on the north bank of the Sangamon River.|
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Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
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