HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
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Fire and Marine Insurance Company's" Bank. He quit coopering and became the founder of the great Pinkerton Detective Agency.
Probably the first persons drowned in the Fox River were two boys about thirteen or fourteen years old, sons of James Howie and James Sherrar, who in "teetering" their boat, overturned it and were both drowned. Catharine Dempster, daughter of A. R. Dempster and, in womanhood, the wife of Malcolm M. McNeill, who was born June 25, 1835, was doubtless the first white child born in the township. Thomas Deweese's father died in October, 1836-the first death-and the first marriage was that of Captain Jamison, U. S. A., to a daughter of Gen. George McClure, in 1837. The first school was taught in 1837 by Amanda Cochrane, who became the wife of Moses Wanzer. The first preaching was undoubtedly by "Father Clark" at General McClure's settlement in 1836, which was very near the southeast corner of Section 26, then called McClure's Grove, v "Elder" Marshall Sherman-the first of the enterprising Sherman family-Moses Wanzer, David and John Mason, E. W. Austin, David Corliss, the Hewitts and many other excellent men settled upon the farms west of the river in the last half of the 'thirties, and the Smiths, Hawleys, Bullards, and others made equally desirable claims on the east side. The Deweese picturesque overshot mill, driven by water from the abundant springs flowing from the high bluff upon the east side of the river, began grinding in the fall of 1837, to the immense relief and delight of the settlers for many miles around. The Oatmans brought a small stock of goods with them, and at once opened a little store on the west side. Hardln Oatman opened the first tavern, also, in 1838; David Hammer kept the first grocery and the first tavern on the east side. The Bosworths, Edwardses and Carpenters came between 1837 and 1840-each composing unusually enterprising families; Daniel G. and Charles V. Carpenter located on Sections 14 and 15 in 1837, and the Oatmans and Shields built a dam and saw-mill here about this time, which they finally sold to George J. and S. H. Peck.
The village of Carpentersville was platted in 1851, and incorporated in 1857. The Hon. Julius A. Carpenter was for many years the remarkably able leader in this community, and under his wise direction it developed some of the finest manufacturing industries of the county. Dundee was quite exclusively a grain growing township, until the failure of the wheat crop compelled a change; and it now claims to be the best dairy township in the county.
ELGIN TOWNSHIP.
This is Township 41 North, Range 8 East of the Third Principal Meridan, lying between Dundee and St. Charles. Tyler Creek takes its name from the Tyler family who, in 1835, settled on Section 2 near the township line, and about 1837 or '38, built a saw-mill on this stream some forty rods below the crossing of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. This creek enters the township on Section 5, runs southeasterly into Section 15 within about a mile of the center of the township, where it is joined on the Cox farm by a branch which rises north of Udina and flows about midway between the Burlington and Hampshire highways. At this point it swerves easterly a half mile, and, turning an even semicircle, flows sharply to the north past Illinois Park Addition to Elgin through Wing Park; and, in a northeasterly course, returns again almost to the north line of the township, where it describes another irregular half circle, flowing southeasterly to the river. Otter Creek-or the north branch of Person's Creek-heads in what was once quite a body of permanent water lying on the Henry Sherman and Cyrus Larkin farms, almost exactly in the center of the township, and within a mile of the long southerly bend of Tyler Creek. The low land intervening almost permits the water of the stream passing to the pond, and following this outlet to the river. About a mile south of the Sherman Lake there used to be another pond on the Douglas farm. These were both prairie ponds, and the south two-thirds of this township, from the river west as far as, and in places beyond, Person's Creek, was prairie land and well supplied with water. Nearly all the township east of the river was covered with woodland, as also were the western and northern portions.
Soon after the arrival of Olds, the Giffords and the Kimballs at what became the village of Elgin, and of Drs. Joseph Tefft and Nathan Collins at Clintonville, as heretofore stated, farm settlers began to appear. Isaac Stone and E. K.
