HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
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tier of sections west of its east line. Thompson's Creek, which skirts a valley of singular loveliness and remarkable fertility, emptying into the river near the southeast corner of Section 27. is the principal flowing brook, while from its romantic hillsides, many springs supply brooklets of pure water delightfully cool in summer, and in the coldest weather free from ice for quite a distance from their source -a condition peculiarly attractive in the early days. The current of Thompson's Creek had formed at its mouth a gravel bar reaching quite across the river, which the pioneers thought the best ford in the county at times of high water. The river valley is very narrow and extremely fertile, bordered by higher and more precipitate bluffs than in the lower townships, while the small prairie lands in many places extended to the river side. The table lands are high and quite hilly, presenting at many points extensive views of great beauty.
The Government sale of lands in Dundee Township opened on September 2, 1840. Jesse H. Newman and Joseph Russell, from Virginia, whose families had intermarried in their native State, came westward from the "Old Dominion" and located in La Porte County, Ind. From there the two men, in a covered wagon, prospected westward in the summer of 1834. and early in October camped for the night on the high bluff upon the west bank of Fox River near the present beautiful cemetery at Dundee. Whoever has viewed the charming landscape that environed them will not be surprised that they resolved to seek no farther. Newman staked a claim including their camp ground, and Russell selected a location on the east bank of the stream near Chief Nickowa's village in "Granny Russell's hollow." They returned at once to Indiana, and in April, 1835, came back with their families, and first put up a cabin on Newman's claim, where all lived while they built Russell's log house, which stood for many years just south of the brick yard. These were the first white men's habitations in the county. Mr. A. R. Dempster came to the new land in May of that same year, and during that season John Jackson, the Hawleys, Mr. Burbank, Benjamin Irick, Mr. Moore, Mr. Van Arsdell, George Tyler, Gen. George McClure, Mr. Parker, and possibly one or two others, settled in the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. John Oatman, with their nine sons-Joseph, Hardin, Clement, Jesse, Ira, William, James, John Jr., and Pleasant-and their two sons-in-law, Thomas Deweese and Thomas L. Shields, together with another daughter-all of whom came in the fall of 1835 or spring of 1836-constituted the strongest addition this settlement ever received, or probably ever came to the county in one family. The names of eight of them appear among the subscribers for building the first river bridge, al-leady referred to, and they furnished over one-third of the money for that important improvement. All of the Oatmans except Jesse and his family moved south in 1849, there, as here, becoming leaders in the communities where they settled. John Oatman, Deweese and Shields had Mark W. Fletcher survey and plat for them the village of Dundee on the west bank of the river, on March 29, 1837. Thomas H. Thompson located his claim in 1835, upon the south half of Section 27, and built the beautiful home which became the residence of the late E. G. Ketchum, and with his sons at once became a strong factor in the development of Lake Precinct, Dundee Township and Kane County.
The year 183& saw many strong accessions to this settlement, among the arrivals of that year being the Welch family, Henry Smith, John Allison, Mr. Freeman, William Wilburn, the Halls, Bucklins. Perrys, D. W. Bangs, the Mannings, Ashbaughs, Calvin Tyler, Benjamin Moore, and the first physician, Dr. Goodnow. The names Dundee and Elgin, given beyond doubt in loving remembrance for the old hymns then so familiar, found in Burns' couplet from the "Cotter's Saturday Night,"
"Perhaps Dundee's wild warbling accents rise, Or noble Elgin beats the heavenward flame,"
proved very attractive to the sons and daughters of Auld Scotia, and A. R. Dempster was soon joined by a number of strong families from his beloved isle. We find near him and Allison the Binnies, Cochranes, Alstons, Todds, Hills, McCullucks, McNeils, Crichtons, Eggle-stons, Howies, Archibalds, Duffs, Fraziers, Griffiths, Campbells, Morrisons, McAllisters, Robert and Allan Pinkerton, and others, and there was never a more desirable class of settlers. The last named, while prosecuting his trade as a cooper, was appointed a Deputy Sheriff, and skillfully detected and arrested "Old Craig," one of the shrewdest counterfeiters of that time, well loaded with spurious bills of the famous Scotch financier, George Smith's "Wisconsin
