Written by Mabel H. Roney [notes added by Donald Richardson]
Coles County's glorious history can not be written without the story of
its pioneers. The leader of these men was Charles Wesley Sawyer Jr., not
only because he was the first to buy land and build his home upon it in the
western half of Coles County but also because he saw to it that church services
and educational facilities were furnished by himself and eight or ten other
pioneer families who followed the Sawyer family from Hardin County, Kentucky
to find a [unreadable].
Charles Wesley Sawyer Jr. was an Englishman. His father and uncle had
emigrated from near London to Baltimore, Maryland in the latter part of the
(unreadable) eighteenth century because of their religion. The Sawyers were
stanch followers of the Methodist leader, John Wesley. The English government
at that time was Catholic. The Methodists were so persecuted that many left
their homes and fled to the new world.
Charles' father and his brother came first to Baltimore, Maryland [unreadable]
found the Catholic influence of the ruling Calvert family against Protestants
even in the new world. So the Methodist Sawyers moved westward to Kentucky
over the famous trail first laid by Daniel Boone.
[It should be noted that Charles W. Sawyer's wife was Ann Richardson who
he married in Worcester County, Maryland. She and her brother Robert Richardson
and family along with the South family also moved to Kentucky. Ann Richardson
Sawyer went on to Illinois with her son and is buried there.]
The Sawyers followed Boone's trail into the "dark and bloody ground" of
Kentucky and settled near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a tiny pioneer settlement
started by Boone. There the family associated itself with the Breckenridge
District of the Methodist Church of Kentucky, which embraced this portion
of the State. There they bought land from a Virginia land company and built
their homes on "Friends' Creek" near Elizabethtown in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Besides being a farmer, Charles' father was a skilled brick mason. The soil
there was such that brick could be made from it so Charles and his father
were soon busy building brick houses in Elizabethtown. These houses remained
for perhaps two generations in this neighborhood. The court house built by
the Sawyers has been restored and is still in use. It was while the Sawyers
were working at their trade in Elizabethtown that a traveling Methodist evangelist
from the East rode into the settlement and stopped to talk with the workmen.
Charles, Jr. was so impressed by him and his words that he persuaded the
Evangelist to go to the "Friends' Creek" community and preach in the Sawyer
home. Charles Jr.'s argument was, "There are many in "Friends' Creek" who
are not saved. This is your opportunity to convert them to our Christian
Methodist Faith." As a result of the Evangelist's efforts all of "Friends'
Creek" became devout church members. They organized a Methodist Church and
began services in the new building donated by [unreadable] who had constructed
the building for use as a "still house" for making corn whiskey. The building
has been kept in use as a church ever since. It was rebuilt three times.
Today, an active Methodist Church organization is there although the name
has been changed to "Pleasant Grove Methodist Church". [ Robert Richardson
and his wife died together about 1803, near Elizabethtown, KY, the cause
is not known : fire, accident, indians?]
Charles Wesley Sawyer, Sr. died in 1826 his will was filed for probation
5th of February 1827 in Hardin County Kentucky. His grave is in Meeting Creek
Cemetery (now called Moore Cemetery) near the village of Big Clifty, Kentucky.
His will divided his property equally among his wife and children. He named
his oldest son, Charles Wesley Jr., not only Executor of the Will but also
Trustee of his four married sisters' shares. This document is now among the
Sawyer family files and records.
The Sawyers were opposed to slavery so, when Illinois was admitted to
Union in 1818 as a free State. Charles wanted to sell his land in the slave
state, Kentucky, and buy land in the free Illinois wilderness to make a new
home for himself and family. Another reason he wanted to pioneer in Illinois
was a law was enacted by Congress requiring surveying done by the Government
so land descriptions would be correct and legal. This was the first time
this precaution had been taken. It prevented the confusion of legal descriptions
to land that occurred in Kentucky and Tennessee when land was all bought
by large Virginia Land Companies from the Government and careless or illegal
survey descriptions had caused many to lose their farms bought from these
private Virginia companies.( Daniel Boone had the experience of losing his
homeland twice in Kentucky and once in Missouri through faulty and illegal
deeds to the property.)
In 1825, Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. first saw Illinois when he came to
what is now Coles County with Government Surveyors hired from his vicinity
of Kentucky.
The surveying party came by way of the Ohio River crossing at Henderson,
Kentucky; then northward to Vincennes, Indiana. They crossed into Illinois
and traveled north to Paris. From there they struck westward. They crossed
the Embarass River at a ford just south of what is now Charleston.
The surveyors followed an old Indian trail (now the Old State Road) to
their destination the west side of Coles County. They worked throughout the
summer of 1825 in the vicinity of what is now Paradise and Mattoon Townships.
Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. saw the fine agricultural soil and wooded land.
He decided to buy a tract of land and build his cabin home on it. (This spot
is in Section 33, Mattoon Township. It still remains in his descendants'
possession.) His deed was recorded in Vandalia, then the capitol of Illinois.
He hired a man named Bates who lived on the east side of the county to build
his cabin for $10.00. At the end of the surveyors' working season, Bates
went with them to Kentucky.
James Nash, a seasoned pioneer woodsman, secured permission from Sawyer
to spend the winter in the cabin, even though he would be the only white man
In the region.
Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. spent the winter in Friends' Creek, Kentucky
making preparations for his spring journey to his new home in Illinois. Charles'
wife was Rebecca, the daughter of a neighbor named, Daniel Linder. The Linders,
a Methodist family, emigrated from Germany by way of England to Pennsylvania
because of religious persecution in the old world. After serving in the Midwest
under Colonel George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War, Daniel Linder
moved to Kentucky and settled near the Sawyers in Hardin County, Kentucky.
The spring of 1826 arrived. Rebecca Linder Sawyer rode her Kentucky saddle
horse (a present from her father). Their youngest child, about 3 years of
age, rode behind the Mother's huge side-saddle with its three pronged horn
and well filled saddle bags. Two daughters were married: one to John Young,
the other to Henry Cole. Their families came Illinois with the Sawyers and
settled nearby. Charles and Rebecca's other children were: Juliet, John,
Lurana, Cala, Charles III, Riza, Israel, Rebecca, Permelia, and Adi was born
in Illinois October 18, 1829. Gilla was the wife of John Young, Juliet was
wife of Henry Cole. William died in Kentucky [He is buried next to his grandfather
in Moore's Cemetery].
In ox-drawn wagons, the family brought their treasured household goods.
Some pieces had been brought from England in the eighteenth century. There
was the Grandfather's clock with wooden wheels, the cherry high-boy, plus
china and silver pieces. Cows, hogs and sheep were driven behind the wagons.
The Sawyer family arrived at Wabash Point in 1826. The first church services
were led by Charles W. Sawyer, Jr. at his home. So began the famous "Camp
Meetings", the first held in Coles County. They were continued for many years
by that community. The minister stood upon a crude elevated platform built
between four conveniently placed rows of trees. The congregation sat in front
of him on rows of split halves of logs on the ground. Picnic dinners were
taken and these revival meets, as they were called, lasted for several days
with several preachers taking turns at expounding the gospel. At night, distant
staved with friends in the little settlement. Others camped out.
People came from all over the country. Great opportunity for religious
uplift was given to all who attended. The little Sawyer neighborhood at Wabash
Point gained a fine reputation for godliness as well as for educational and
economic advantages that has come down even to today in County history. After
two years of church services in homes and at camp areas in the woods nearby,
the small settlement in the wilderness, decided to erect a log building to
be used only as a church. To do this, the settlement had to be under the
Methodist Church's District jurisdiction. Brother Charles Wesley Sawyer,
Jr. with George Morris and Rev. James Graham rode back to the Breckenridge
Methodist District in Kentucky, where they still were members. They asked
for instructions to organize a new church at Wabash Point. They were officially
instructed to return to Illinois and to apply for inclusion in the nearest
Methodist District already established. (This was the Shelbyvilie "Methodist).
The three men went there and made proper application for membership. The
Shelbyvilie District extended its eastern limit to include Wabash Point settlement
and further authorized [unreadable] Committee from there to act as stewards
and collect $5.00 in cash or in provisions to that amount for the purpose
of buying land for the church and cemetery. They bought four acres in the
northeast corner of the northwest quarter of Section 11, and built a log
church on the present site of old Camp Ground Cemetery at Wabash Point. It
was the first church building in west side of Coles County and was built
in 1828-29. The first preachers in the settlement' S new church, were Rev.
James Graham, Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. And [unreadable] church had been
active use until later was removed to another location north of the first
church and has now been sold and remodeled for use as a dwelling. The Cemetery
is still in use with a Board of Control made up of descendants of the first
pioneers. James Nash was the first pioneer to die, his was the first burial
in this cemetery in 1829.
With the first church, came the first school in the community. The first
school was held in the cabin of the teacher, a Mrs. Green. There were 5 or
6 pupils, each paid their teacher $2.50 or 3.00 per quarter. The term lasted
one quarter per year. In l826-l827 a donation was given by the people of
the community to build a separate log cabin for a school, on land bought
for this purpose. The first teacher of this privately supported school was
John Graham, son of Rev. James Graham. He boarded with the settlers and was
paid a small salary in money or in provisions. The site of this log school
building was across the road from the first church.
The first log school had two fire places; one at each end of the room.
The window panes were made of oiled paper. A writing bench and table made
of clapboards stood along the side where "the copy" was set for the pupils
to learn to write. Pupils came from miles around to attend this first school
in west Coles County. In the 1830's some came from North Okaw Township. Lurana
Sawyer married Jonathan Edge Graham on April 29, l829 and Cala Sawyer married
William Graham August 11,1830. The two Graham brothers were from North Okaw
Township. The couples were both married in Shelby County as there wasn't
a Coles County then.
In l831, the Commissioner's Court in Charleston appointed Charles W. Sawyer,
Jr., Rev. James Graham and George Morris as the first school trustees in
Mattoon Township. Their duties concerned maintenance of this first school
in west Coles County.
The first court in Coles County was held in Wabash Point settlement in
i828 when a settler had a cowhide stolen from a sapling top, where he had
stretched it to "cure" and to keep it from animals. During the night it vanished
and was traced to its hiding place under the floor of the cabin of the thief.
Miles Hart was chosen as Judge and twelve others as jury men. The thief was
found guilty and was sentenced to 29 lashes plus immediate and permanent
expulsion from the settlement. This was carried out. The last seen of him
and family was as they hastened westward along the trail toward unknown parts.
They were never heard from again in Wabash Point.
The first regularly laid out village in West Coles County was platted
by Charles W. Sawyer, Jr. on his farm in Section 33, Mattoon Township in 1828-1829.
Rev. George M. Hansen persuaded Sawyer to name his village "Paradise" [unreadable]
streets and blocks in regular square order with names such as Clear Street
and Richmond as well as names of trees. There were 7 or 8 blocks in the village.
Within a short time after the Sawyers migrated to Illinois Rebecca's parents,
the Linders, followed. They settled upland a little north of the Sawyer home
(in what is now Mattoon Township). The land is still in the hands of their
descendants. John Sawyer, Charles's brother, came to Illinois and built his
cabin a short distance east of Charles's home. John Sawyer's wife was Hannah
Radley, a niece of Sarah Nash Lincoln. Lincoln visited in their home on many
occasions when traveling through here attending court in Shelbyville and
Charleston. The Sawyers had a great influence on the Thomas Lincoln family
to move to Illinois.
Other Kentucky neighbors who soon followed to Wabash Point were John Houchins,
Miles Hart and his brothers, the Richard Champion family, the Currys, Drakes,
Crosses, Brinegars, and Alexanders. All of these pioneers have many descendants
now living in Coles County, Moultrie and Shelby.
The first store in this area was opened in 1830 the owner Mr. Slover.
The mail first came regularly to this store by a horse rider who carried it
southeast of Coles County, north through Wabash Point settlement on west
by way of the Old State Road to Shelbyville. The horse rider had to go out
of his way to stop at the Paradise store. Since Rev. Hansen's cabin was east
about a mile directly on the mail carrier's path to the State Road, the mail
was left at his home. He went to Washington D.C. and secured an appointment
as Postmaster of Paradise. The mail came to his Post Office home until the
first Government stage came over the Old State Road. It carried the mail
on its twice-a-week trips from the east to Shelbyville and on westward. The
mail was then left at Langston's Tavern where the horses were changed. Travelers
were given food and lodging there. This location was three miles north of
Paradise Village. A new village grew up west of Langston's Tavern on the
Houchin farm alongside the Old State Road, it was called Richmond. The mail
was left there at a store kept by G.W. Naab until after Mattoon began at
the intersection of two railroads in 1855. After that the mail came to the
Mattoon Post Office by way of the railroads. The residents of the settlements
of Paradise, Wabash Point and along the State Road came to Mattoon Post office
for their mail. This continued in practice until many years later when the
rural mail delivery was instituted by the Government . Paradise Post Office
had its last letter in 1847. Stamps so from 5c to 25c. By 1854, Paradise
Village had died. Had the railroad passed Paradise, it no doubt would have
been an important has become an important town and city as Mattoon has become.
In the 1830's, Coles County Government was organized. Charleston was chosen
by the population of the County as the County seat. The old Indian Trail
is the only original road through the County. It is now the "Old State Road"
and is still in use. Another early trail from South of the County to Charleston
and west to Dead Man's Grove thence northwest to Sullivan and Decatur, crossed
the Okaw River near Fuller's Point which was earliest settlement made in
North Okaw Township. (1830's)
By 1832, the Indians of Illinois had been pushed farther westward until
they were no longer east of the Mississippi River. This was after the white
men won the Black Hark War in Illinois. so, the Indians were no longer a
menace to white settlers in the State.
Lurana Sawyer and Jonathan [unreadable] Graham bought land in North Okaw
township in the 1830's. They bought land in Moultrie County about the same
time. Cala Sawyer and husband, William Graham bought land in both Counties.
Permelia Sawyer and husband James Jackson Osbern bought land in North Okaw
township in 1847. The Graham brothers were sons of Jonathan Graham and Annie
Hill Graham who were pioneers in the State of Indiana until 1831 when they
sold out to Thomas Springer, father of the Hon. William Springer, and moved
to Coles County, Illinois.
Permelia Sawyer Osbern was my maternal grandmother. They bought land in
Section 33 in North Okaw township, built a cabin home. Her descendants have
always owned and lived on this land. In 1891 she built the home where I,
her granddaughter now owns and lives. This land was purchased from the U.S.
Government for $1.25 per acre in 1847.
Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. spent the rest of his life on his Coles County
home place. He died December 18, 1862 and was buried in the Old Camp Ground
Cemetery at Wabash Point. His first wife, Rebecca Linder Sawyer died in 1853.
Charles married Rebecca's, widowed sister, Elizabeth Linder Richardson. Both
wives are buried at his side, Elizabeth died in 1866.
[Elizabeth Linder Richardson went to Illinois with most of her family.
Later, "after two crops", Daniel Linder Richardson and his family returned
to Hardin County, Kentucky. Daniel Linder also returned to Hardin County,
Kentucky and is buried there.]
We, the descendants of Charles Wesley Sawyer Jr. look back with reverence
to his personality of virtue and renown to the mighty purpose he had in view
when he came to the Illinois wilderness of Coles County as the first homemaker,
home builder and staunch organizer of the church and school in the west half
of the County. By his labors and trough his leadership, he persevered against
mountainous odds to secure for us, his descendants, a land in which we can
worship God as we please and better our living conditions in economic and
intellectual freedom. And a land that will always hold his best rewards for
righteous, freedom-loving men.
They were a picked people, those sturdy ancestors of ours; they knew what
they wanted; with God’s help they set out to get it. They were ready and
willing to endure every privation and to face every difficulty and hazard,
to attain the ends they sought - the righteous pursuit of happiness for themselves
and their descendants.
No settlement ever started on its career with a leader of stronger character
or higher moral earnestness than did the Wabash Point settlement of Charles
Wesley Sawyer, Jr. He relied upon himself and his neighbors to take care
of everyone in the little group. They dared to shape their own destiny. They
were self-reliant people, believing in God and the principle of freedom.
Some call it backbone. But whatever its name, it is the priceless quality
of character that Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. Had and has handed down to posterity
for which we are ever grateful. May we never fail to give due credit to our
pioneer ancestors who made possible for us our opportunities and even our
very existence.
Today, our heritage from Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr. Comes down to us not
only by deeds accomplished, he speaks to us from the yellowed pages of a
century-old small calfskin-bound Bible. His custom was to present a Bible
to each of his grandchildren at birth. My mother, his grandchild Nancy Elizabeth
Osburn Wamsley, received her Bible on June 10th 1859. Her grandfather’s words
of wise admonition apply to all who read them. His words make a fitting ending
to this story of his life, exemplifying, his life-long Christian faith:
"The Word of God which is Eternal Life to All them that
believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
"When this you see, remember me. Fare-you-well, my children."
Charles Wesley Sawyer, Jr.
Written by Mabel H. Roney
Some additions by Dena Graham, Sec.
This
page last updated on December 11, 2002