This township is geographically known as
town 9 N, R 6 W of 3d P.M. It is bounded on the north by Shaw's Point, east by
Montgomery county, south by Cahokia, west by Brushy Mound Township. The first
land entries were made by Aaron HAMMER August 19th, 1819, it being the an eighty
tract, in section 32. The second entry was made May 24th, 1831, by Hardin HALL,
of eighty acres, in section 17. The third entry was May 26th, 1831, by Thomas
CARR, who entered a quarter section in section 18.
As is the case in all
places, the first settlers chose timber and as the population increased they
gradually and slowly worked out into the prairie. Elijah MITCHELL settled in the
edge of the timber as early as 1832. Thomas D. MOORE, Robert SCOTT and father
RUCKER came about 1833. Judge OLDS, John PERKINS, James SINCLAIR, M. J. W. HART,
James MOUNCE and Thomas I. WILLIAMS were all early settlers. Among the old
settlers of the county now living in Honey Point township are J.W. YORK, who
came in 1828; Peter KEPLINGER, who came with his parents from Tennessee in 1929,
and subsequently moved to this township, T. D. MOORE came in 1884 and now lives
on section 6; John MCREYNOLDS who lives on section 85, was born in Brushy Mound
township in 1836, W. N. CULP, another resident of the township was born in the
county in 1889; J.D. SANDERS came in 1841 and James HUNT in 1849.
Among
the leading farmers of the township may be mentioned the following. James
WILSON, Guy A. SNELL, Peter KEPLINGER, J. W. YORK, Abraham DECK, John
MCREYNOLDS, John WILSON, N. CARRICO and I. CHAPPELL. Near the center of this
township on the banks of Honey Creek commences a grove about three fourths of a
mile wide, extending nearly three miles to the west and surrounded on all sides
by the prairie.
It is said that during the Black Hawk war a company of
solders under Col. WHITESIDE, in marching from St. Louis to Springfield camped
in the east end of the timber for the night. The following morning they had
their attention attracted by a large number of bees and following them the found
a number of bee trees filled with delicious honey and fruit that circumstance it
received the name of Honey Point, from which the township was also named.
At an early day we are told that the Point was a pretty hard place not made
so by those early settlers which came there to find a home but by roughs, who
would do anything rather than work for a living. For many years Honey Point has
enjoyed the presence of good citizens who are now among the most intelligent and
enterprising in the county.
The first resident ministers were Elders
MITCHELL and BROWN, but others occasionally came through to preach, among those
were Isaac HAVERAFT, J. R. RHODES, old CARR and WILLIAMS. The first school was
held in a building near what is at present known as the Honey Point timber, near
the center of the township. The Township contains no villages nor post offices.
The village of Clyde near its southern borders. Its business houses afford
many conveniences for the neighborhood north of it.
To give the present
valuation of the property, we copy the following from the assessor's book of
1879. Acres improved lands, 20,340; value $182.769; acres unimproved lands
2,349; value $6,389; total value of land $189,058. Horses, 583; value, $7,542;
cattle, 1,100; value, $7,509; mules, 102; value $1,623; sheep, 383; value $413;
hogs, 1,634; value, $1,556; carriages and wagons, 173; value $1,233; 112 watches
and clocks, 70 sewing machines, 3 pianos, 8 organs. Total value of personal
property $29,113.
Supervisors -- James W. YORK elected in 1871; John CROMWELL, elected in 1872;
John BROWN, elected in 1873; not represented in 1874; J.B. MASTERS, elected in
1875; Isaac G. COLTON, Elected in 1876; John B. MASTERS, elected in 1877; John
F. SUTHERLAND, elected in 1878; W.N. CULP, elected in 1879 Town Clerks -- W.S.
CULP, elected in 1871, and reelected in 1872 and 1873; J. T. SUTHERLAND, elected
in 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1877; W. WHITTAKER, elected in 1878; S. POTTER, elected
in 1879.
Assessors -- Guy A SNELL, Elected in 1871; W. FULLON, elected in
1872 and re-elected in 1873; T. J. WHALEY, elected in 1874; S. POTTER, elected
in 1975 and re-elected in 1876; H. MASTERS, elected in 1877; G. A. SNELL,
elected in 1878 and re-elected in 1879.
Collectors --J. CROMWELL, elected
in 1871; W. C. YORK elected in 1872; N.E. BARNES, elected in 1873 and re-elected
in 1874; E. P. YORK, Elected in 1875 and re-elected in 1876; W.H. DICKERSON,
Elected in 1877; J.W. BARNES elected in 1878 and re elected in 1879.
Justices of the Peace -- J. DECK and T. D. MOORE Elected in 1871; J.T. COLTON
and W. N. CULP elected in 1873; D. BARNES and W. N. CULP, elected in 1877.
Constables -- John DECK and Wm. FULLER Elected in 1871; J. W. HALL and N.
HEMPHILL elected in 1873; J. BARNES, elected in 1874; A. J. MCBRIDE and J.
BARNES, elected in 1877; E. P. YORK, elected in 1878,
Commissioners of
the Highways -- 1871 Robert BROWN, Elisha MITCHELL, Wm. HART; 1872, David
BARNES, John SUTHERLAND, T. Y. WILLIAMS; 1873 John DECK; 1874, Iasiel CHAPPELL;
1875, Wm. MITCHELL; 1878 John SANDERS; 1877, E. P. YORK and J. FULLER; 1878, Wm
H. DICKENSON; 1879, Charles COLTON.
Contributed by Jacque York Sparks, extracted from the 1879 History of Macoupin County, pages 201-202.
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