History of Chauncey
The Sumner Press December 3, 1963 The History of Chauncey
At a meeting of Chauncey PTA, (in 1963) the subject chosen was Our Community’s Past. Mrs. Gertrude Phillips, chairman of the program committee, delved into the church records, Lawrence County history as revealed at the county seat, and talked to many of the oldest residents of our community.
The Chauncey section had an abundance of good timber when the early settlers arrived. The trees they felled and burned to get them out of the way would be worth fortunes today, especially the many walnut trees. Bears once roamed the fields. Of deer, there were plenty. One place east of Chauncey is referred to as "Deer Pen" because of the many killed there long ago.
The Indians, who lived on the bank of the slough on what is now the Max Rodrick Jr. farm, belonged to the Kickapoos, a peace- loving tribe. Some of the best Indian relics of the state were found there and have been placed in a museum.
The first settler in this particular part of Petty Township was Peter Pargin. His log cabin stood in what is now Mrs. Emma Paddick’s garden. He killed at least one bear and tradition credits him with more. For years, the slough was known as “Pargin’s Slough.”
The settlers in Chauncey vicinity were mostly English, who came here via Ohio. The first deed recorded was to David Watts. The land office was at Palestine and he received it through that office. The land is where Harley Mushrush now lives.
There was an old buffalo trail from Vincennes where they forded the river and then went west to Chauncey. Another trail came from the north, and where they crossed seemed a logical place for a settlement.
Another early name no longer found in the community is that of Munn. Mr. Munn must have been quite a leading citizen, because the first school was called Munn School. There is disagreement over just where it stood, but it was not far from Chauncey crossroads, either to the east or south. The Chauncey cemetery was first called the Munn cemetery.
Other early names were Bach, Barnes, Smith, Hughes, Wyatt, Rosborough, Maynard, Mushrush, Paddick, Goodman, Waggoner and Stout. The Rosborough's came from Tennessee and are the only ones now known who formerly owned slaves. They migrated first to Gibson County, Indiana, where they freed their slaves before coming on to Illinois. Later some of the family went back to visit a young former slave who had been the age of their own son, Jimmie, and found him a prosperous negro farmer.
Mrs. Phillips told the very interesting story of her own ancestors, the Goodman’s, relating incidents that occurred in England, on the boat and in the Illinois wilderness.
The first church organized in this community was the Chauncey Methodist Protestant. It existed as a church group long before they had a building. It certainly was organized by 1853. When time came to build a church, there was a rather bitter disagreement over where it should be located. The Waggoner cemetery, a mile north, across the Crawford County line, was already in existence, and many felt the church should be built near it. The first load of lumber was unloaded west of the Waggoner Cemetery, but later reloaded and hauled to where the old Methodist Protestant Church still stands. Many felt that if there was going to be a settlement there, the church should be there also.
When Chauncey was laid out in lots, it was quite a problem to find a name. The surveyor was Peter Smith. Mr. Benefiel from Lawrenceville, Illinois, told the story that several of the leading men of the community wanted it named after themselves, such as Munnville, Brownstown, Wattsville. To break the deadlock, Peter Smith suggested they name it after Mr. Brown’s newly born son. His first name was Edward, which suggested Edwardsville. That wouldn’t do because there was already a town by that name in Illinois. So, the baby’s middle name, Chauncey was chosen for the name of the new town. The baby grew up to become the father of Freeman and Raymond Brown who now live northeast of Chauncey.
The little village flourished. The M. E. people organized and had a church by 1858. Later they sold their first building to the Christian Church and built their present building. The Christian Church stood just west of the present Methodist church.
The brick school was built in 1872. Wagons were manufactured in Chauncey. Early blacksmiths were John Bache and Jim Rodrick. A Mr. Hughes made cradles for wheat harvesting and also made coffins. Luther Watts was a merchant in 1860. Daniels & Waggoner Grocery was here in 1866. Dan Patton had a drug store in 1879. In 1873, the Chauncey Post Office was established. The first doctors were Dr. Smith and Dr. Murphy.
Mr. Sam Legg then talked to the group and told many of his early recollections. He came to the Chauncey vicinity in 1872, and although he was very young, he remembers the construction of the brick schoolhouse. He commented at length on the excellent school that Chauncey had in those days. The teacher was the best paid in the county. Children from other districts, especially the older boys, came to Chauncey because of the better training offered.
Legg told that once there was a post office in the Pasturefield neighborhood, and that Concord became Landes because a man by that name helped them get their post office. Also, Chauncey had a rural route at one time.
Legg also recalled the Berkshire store, and told about the public scales in Chauncey where stock was weighed before they were driven to Sumner in enormous droves to be shipped.
The fine expressiveness and the flawless English of Mr. Legg bore excellent testimony to the quality of the school at Chauncey in the 1870s. He concluded his remarks and delighted the children by saying his ABCs backwards as he had learned them in school so long ago.
Mrs.Lotta Doss displayed an embroidered coverlet that had been made at her mother’s suggestion to help defray the expenses of the M. E. Parsonage when it was built. About 450 people made a contribution to get their names embroidered on the coverlet. Mrs. Doss prepared an alphabetical list so these names of relatives could be found easily. She had a fine collection of pictures of the horse and buggy days, early Chauncey buildings, some no longer standing and school pictures. Probably Chauncey has a better pictorial record than most villages because of the Correll’s hobby of taking pictures.
Mrs. Wanda Devonshire displayed a friendship quilt belonging to her husband’s grandmother, Mrs. Stephen Bache. Names of people who were her friends in those long-ago days were embroidered on the blocks. Henry Goodman’s musket that he carried in Sherman’s March to the Sea was of great interest especially to the small boys. Dale Waggoner showed a ruffling iron that was a curiosity to all.
The oldest school picture exhibited was one where Frank Mushrush was the teacher and William Berkshire was the little boy who held up the slate with the name of the school.
The people who live in Chauncey now are almost entirely the descendants of the early settlers. When school opened last fall, twenty- four descendants of John Northup Paddick and Eliza Shaw Paddick enrolled in Chauncey school. Some are seventh generation descendants. Others were descendants of the Rodericks, Baches, Berkshires, Stouts, Goodmans, Waggoners, Pattons, and other early settlers.