age 78y 3m 22d
husband of Nancy
By David Earle Tyler:
John and Nancy were both born in Kentucky and were married there, as well, in 1818. Their first four children, Mary Ann (b: 1818), William (b: 1819), NaIicy J. (b: 1822), and Joseph (b: 1825) were born in Washington Co., Kentucky. In 1827, the family emigrated to Morgan Co., Illinois. The portion of Morgan Co. in which they settled became Cass Co. in 1837. Five more children, John III (b: 1827 in Indiana), Sarah E. (b. 1830), Andrew J. (b: 1832), Susan C. (b: 1835), and Martha E. (b: 1841), were born in Morgan/Cass Counties, Illinois.
Other than the preceding, there is little information on John's and Nancy's life in Kentucky. John appears on the tax list of Washington Co., Kentucky, in 1815 as 1 white male over 21 (he was 22), owning 1 horse, and taxable value of $60. The next year (1816), his number of horses increased to 3 and his taxable value to $125. The only change in the 1817 tax list is that his taxable value decreased to $120. John is also listed as living in Washington Co., Kentucky, on the 1820, but not the 1830, census.
A rather strange deed dated, April 24, 1822, was found in the records of Washington Co., Kentucky, involving John Slack as grantor and George Marshall as grantee [Washington Co., Kentucky, records, Deed Book G, p. 437, dated, April 24, 1822]. I am sure the John Slack on the deed is the junior, not the senior, because it states, "I John Slack of Washington County - - ." John Slack, Sr. was listed as living in Hardin Co., Kentucky, in the census of 1820, and by 1822 he was living in Bullitt Co., Kentucky (he died there September 5, 1822). The deed is not clearly written, but apparently John and his brother-in-law, William McDonald, conveyed to George Marshall $85.00 in consideration for his becoming their security in a sale executed to Mr. McElroy and Cunningham. In lieu of paying Mr. Marshall the $85.00, they substituted the following: "--whiskey [how much wasn't stated] at 25 cents per gallon, one black mare and her colts, and all my hogs supposed to be about forty or fifty head." If this note wasn't paid by June 14 (?), Mr. Marshall would receive these goods. If the note was paid by then, it would become null and void. What the eventual outcome of this deed was, isn't known. It is interesting to note that the distilling of whiskey was a common activity on the frontier. John, and probably his brother-in-law William McDonald, apparently also engaged in the practice. Also of interest is that we found in other records where Mr. Marshall ran afoul of the law by not obtaining and using tax stamps in the sale of whiskey on many occasions. In other words, Mr. Marshall was a bootlegger.
There is one other record from Kentucky. In the appraisement of John Slack, Sr.'s estate in Bullitt Co., Kentucky, there is a list of those owing him money at the time of his death. John Slack, Jr. is included, with a debt of $8.05 being recorded [appraisement of his estate, dated Jmle 2, 1823. Bullitt Co. Records, Deed Book A, pp 496-497].
Just when John moved his family to Morgan County, Illinois, isn't known. The only account found is the statement made in the biography of his son Joseph Slack saying that the family left Kentucky for Illinois in 1827 ["Biography of Joseph Slack" in History of Johnson Co., Missouri, p. 994]. If we rely on birth records of John's children as recorded by several researchers it appears that the family arrived in Morgan Co., Illinois, sometime in 1827 or 1828, the approximate date of birth given for John III. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the child born between Joseph (1825 in Kentucky) and Sarah (1830 in Illinois) was John III and that he was born August 20, 1827, in Indiana, not Illinois. This suggests that the family was in Indiana for at least several months and perhaps as much as two years before moving on to Illinois.
Indirectly, we have some indication of the events that occurred during the Slack Family's migration from the biography of William Holmes, an early settler of Morgan Co., Illinois [a copy of William Holmes biography pp. 139-150. History ofCass County, Illinois, by Wm. Henry Perrin, pub. 1882].
Mr. Holmes, a native of New York, had come to Posey County, in the southwest tip of Indiana, seeking his fortune in the West. He was greatly disappointed in what he found -- poor land, mosquito-infested flats, and ague and milk sickness. He couldn't move on or go back because his funds were exhausted, so he took a job teaching (his profession in New York) for a year so that he could return home the next year. During this time, however, he heard the glowing reports of a Mr. Henry Hopkins about the great agricultural potential of the Sangamon area of Illinois. Instead of returning home, he decided to head for this region in the spring when his teaching job was finished. It was in the midst of his last term of teaching that Mr. Holmes became acquainted with the Joseph McDonald (John Slack, Jr.'s father-in-law) family that had just arrived from Kentucky (Washington Co., to be exact). In particular, he was befriended by one oftlle boys, John McDonald, and his sister, Polly. Mr. Holmes told the McDonalds, who were planning on migrating further north to the White River region of Indiana, about the possibilities for much better land in the Sangamon area. He convinced them to wait until he could check it out in the spring. Shortly after his arrival (spring of 1826) in Morgan County, Illinois, Mr. Holmes wrote to the McDonalds, telling them the Sangamon area was even better than described by the reports of Mr. Hopkins. Upon receiving Mr. Holmes' letter, the McDonalds were on their way to Morgan County. They arrived about twelve days later and settled in the Panther Grove area about two miles east of Mr. Holmes' claim. The biographer goes on to say, "The records show that on the 5th of June, 1826, Jos. McDonald entered the e1/2 of the nw1/4 of sec 11 in T17, R.9, eighty acres" [Cass Co., IL, Courthouse - Land Grants - Auditors Certificate of Entry Book 1, Recorder's Office]. He and his sons, there were six of them, immediately began building a cabin, plowed a small plot of sod, and planted corn and a garden, and by fall they were ready for their first winter on the prairie. The next summer (1827), bricks were made by the family and a brick house was built to replace the log cabin (plate I, Fig. 1) [see picture of the McDonald house on p. 152 of Atlas ofCass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin]. Mr. Holmes kept in close contact with the McDonald family, and on December 7, 1827, he and Mary (Polly) McDonald were married.
Now, back to John Slack, Jr.'s family. If the account in Joseph Slack's biography is correct, it appears that during that first summer in Illinois (1826) the McDonalds wrote to their daughter Nancy (John's wife) back in Kentucky telling them about the great prospects for prosperity in the Sangamon country. John disposed of the property that they couldn't take with them and they traveled to Indiana (probably Posey County) where they had to stop over for the birth of their son John III on August 20, 1827 [From the Index to the 1850 Census of Cass Co., Illinois, John (III) is listed being bomin Indiana, not Illinois. His age was given as 22, thus, born in 1827 or 1828]. As pointed out previously, it isn't known just when they arrived in Illinois. John is,however, listed in the 1830 Illinois census for Cass County and is also present on the 1840 Census. There are two John Slacks listed for Morgan County, one on pg. 032, the other on pg. 058 (Src. 1790-1870 Illinois Census Index). John Slack is not included in the list of those living in Cass County in 1829 [see copy of p. 430 of Historical Sketches, by J.N. Gridley. Public Library of Virginia, Illinois]. John's first entry for land is recorded in Land Grants - Auditor's Certificate of Entry, Book 1 in The Recorder's Office of Cass County, Illinois. This entry was made November 26, 1831, (5+ years after Joseph McDonald's first entry) for 80 acres in Section 12 of what was then the northeast corner of Morgan Co. (the northern third of Morgan County became Cass County in 1837). Two later entries for 40 acres each (one was in Sec. 12, the other in Sec. 11) were made in 1835 and 1836. It is yet to be determined if John and his family came directly to Morgan County in the fall of 1827, or sometime between that date and 1830.
John's and Nancy's family was young; their oldest boy, William, would have been only twelve in 1831. It is evident, therefore, that John would have had to rely on help from Nancy's father and brothers to get his claim established. A map of Cass County and the location of John's farm is available [see copy of maps and 1840 Atlas of Cass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin, pp. 135 and 142].
In 1840 John Slack owned the following:
SE 114 of the NE 114, Sec. 11 40 acres
NW 1/4 of the NW 114, Sec. 12 40 acres
W 112 of the SW 114, Sec. 12 80 acres
Total 160 acres
The 1843 taxable property list for Cass Co., Illinois, revealed the following for John Slack:
SE 114, Sec. 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 560 - 160 A
SE 1I41NE1I4, Sec I1,Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 120 - 40A
W 1/2 (west side)/SW 1/4, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $59 - 58A
NW 1I4/NW 114, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn9, value $120 - 40A
SE 1/4INE 114, Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $120 - 40A
Total $1,210 - 338 A
From the Taxable Land Record in Cass Co., Illinois, for 1845, the following land was listed for John Slack:
Sec 2, Twp 17, Rn 9
NE 1I4INE 114 - 40 A. Original owner Wm T. (G.) Kurk (Kirk); Present owner John Slack. (In 1840, this land belonged to John Cheatham).
Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9
SE 1I4INE1/4 - 40 A
SE 114 - 160 A
Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9
Original and present owner, John Slack. In 1840, this land belonged to Joseph McDonald (E1/2) and Jonas McDonald(W1/2). They are also listed in Land Grant Auditors Certificates as the original filers for this land.
W1I2 I SWI14 - 80 A - original owner John Slack:
58 A - present owner John Slack
22 A - (west side) present owner Richard McDonald
NW1I4 I NW1/4 - 40 A - original and present owner John Slack
Totals - John Slack had owned as much as 360 acres and in 1845 still owned 338 acres.
Evaluating this data, it appears that John Slack did not expand the 160 acres that he put together from 1831 to 1836 until sometime between 1840 and 1843, when he increased it by 178 acres (22 acres of his 80 acre plot had been sold off to Richard McDonald). At this point, the most appealing reason for this sudden increase in acreage may be that his wife, Nancy, inherited it from her father, Joseph McDonald, who had died January 5, 1842 [Date of death of Joseph McDonald, January 5, 1842 - from Old Cemeteries ofCass Co., Illinois, by Arthur Crumrin, pub. 1966, p. 91].
John was active in the community, as evidenced by his inclusion on the list of voters in the Virginia precinct of the newly formed Cass County, August 7, 1837. Also on the list were John and Jonas McDonald. On August 14, 1837, John Slack was appointed as one of three judges of the Sugar Grove magistrate and constable district ofCass County.[see copy of Historical Sketches, by J. N. Gridley p. 106. Virginia, Illinois, Public Library] Notably, one of the other judges was Henry Hopkins, the author of the reports which convinced William Holmes, Joseph McDonald, and ultimately, John Slack to settle in this region.
Good descriptions of what life was like for the early settlers of Cass (Morgan) County are presented in Perrin's History of Cass County. Some of the more interesting accounts follow:
Game was plentiful, especially deer, prairie chicken, and quail. Wolves were common and, although they rarely attacked people, they were a constant threat to the settler's livestock. One account describes a huge gray wolf that tried to enter a cabin when the door was opened to see what the dogs were barking about. The occupants beat the invader out of the doorway with sticks of firewood. Later that night, they heard shots at the homes of two neighbors. The wolf was killed at the second neighbor's place and, when measured, it was found to be nine feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
The winter of 1830-31 was extremely severe. Snow began falling early and regularly and between partial thaws and freezes eventually reached a depth of four to six feet, much deeper in drifts. The ice that formed after the thaws formed a thick cap over the snow so that animals could not dig down to the grass below. Livestock and wild game died for want of food.
Several people, as well, died of starvation and the cold, as temperatures dropped drastically and remained frigid for long periods. The snow stayed on the ground all winter and up into March.
The houses in which the early settlers lived were little more than huts made of unhewn logs. The spaces between the logs were filled tight with clay, straw, and sticks. There was only one room with doors made of split or hewn logs opening on each side. Rarely, was there a window. The roof was made of split wood shingles and held in place by logs laid across them. The floor was formed from split or hewn (puncheon) logs. A fireplace was at one end of the cabin. Its construction was described thusly, "A temporary (log) wall would be built about two feet inside the (outer) log wall; the space then filled with earth (clay) and wetted, was pounded or rammed down solid. The inner (wooden) wall was then talcen away and a fire built inside, which balced the jam (the packed clay) like brick. Then tlns was surmounted by a stick and clay chimney, a pole was run across (the fireplace opening) to hang kettles on--." There was usually a bed in each of two corners and a trundle bed under these, which was pulled out at night. When company came and stayed the night, as they usually did, a "field bed" was made on the floor, using extra blankets that were always an important part of each housewife's reserve. Food was simple, but generally plentiful. Garden povender and grains from the field formed the main source of food. This was supplemented by meat, mostly from wild game and cured meats from livestock (mostly pork). Bread was the staple, and since wheat flour was scarce it was made from corn meal. The corn meal dough was cooked in a Dutch oven (a cast iron pot with a lid that had a high rim around its edge), which was placed in or near the coals. Once the dough was placed in the oven, the lid was put on and hot coals were dropped onto the rimmed lid. A description of the various recipes and the process of making corn bread can be found on p. 33 of Perrin's, History of Cass County.
In 1847, John Slack began selling off his holdings. The first to go was the 40 acres in the NW 1/4INW 1/4 of Sec. 2 for $140.00 [Cass Co., Illinois, courthouse, Book C, p. 265 and Book E, p. 181 (a hand-written transcription of this deed was made by L. Tyler, because the book was not available for copying - pages could not be removed)]. The rest, 298 acres, was sold to Nathaniel B. Thompson on September 3, 1850, for $2,900.00 (total for both $3,040.00). In October of 2000, LaVon and I visited Cass Co., Illinois, to locate the land where John Slack, Jr. settled. With the records cited above and a good map from the Recorder's Office, we readily located the area where his farm had been. To the south, the land was flat to gently rolling, but rough and forested at the northern end. From the corn crop that was being harvested while we were there, the land must have been quite productive. This had been prairie land, edged by heavy timber along the streams which fed into the near-by Sangamon River, and was referred to as "The Breaks," where timber met prairie. This was prized land to the early settlers because it insured them a supply of wood and protection not afforded by the tree-barren prairies further north or south of this region.
That afternoon, as we watched the huge combines making their way through the fields harvesting a bountiful crop of corn, we wondered, "Why did John Slack leave such an ideal farming area?" Other than the restlessness of the pioneer spirit to always be pushing on to new and, hopefully, better situations, no clear answer came to mind. Then, while reading in Perrin's History of Cass County, we came upon some information that might provide the answer to the above question. In 1837, the Illinois State Legislature passed a bill providing for the construction of 1,300 miles of railroad lines and improvement of the navigable capabilities of several rivers. Once built, these improvements couldn't even earn enough money to pay the interest on the loans made by the State. The State was left with a debt of over $14,000,000.00 and only a population of less than a half million to pay for it. Banks collapsed and paper currency was greatly depreciated, and in most instances only silver was accepted as legal tender. The population was overextended in debt and with no income other than barterable goods with which to pay, the economy became bankrupt. The State defaulted on its bonds until they were worth only fourteen cents on the dollar. The legislature made a vain attempt to ameliorate conditions, but only made them worse. The law they passed (called the "stay" or "two thirds" law) provided for property being held ("stay") at two-thirds of its pre-crisis value, and if no bid was made at or above this level, the creditor was stuck with his lien or had to accept a discount of 33 1/3%. (This law was eventually declared unconstitutional, but too late to be of any help.) Business stagnated; the depression apparently extended into the 1850s and caused economic havoc throughout the state. People everywhere were wanting to sell out and leave the state, which offered them nothing but higher taxation and ruin. But there were few buyers for the property and many sold out at ridiculously devalued prices and fled to a more reasonable economy to start over. It is my belief that this poor economic environment forced John Slack to sell out and move to Iowa, the next frontier that was opening to the west.
John Slack and some of his family were still in Illinois during the census of Cass County in 1850. (Note - "Slack" was spelled "Slacke" - an error by the census taker.) Missing from the list were Mary Ann (aged 32), who had married John Gaddie in 1838 and was no longer living at home, and Nancy J. (aged 28), who may have gone with her brother William to Iowa where she married L. Roof in 1851. William is included on this list, but several facts make us question who this William was: the age is wrong (he was born in 1821, thus, he was 29 in 1850, not 26); he was married in 1842 and already had three children and was most likely living in his own home; and he is listed on the Polk County, Iowa, census for 1850. [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker).]
Evaluation of this data suggests that William was sent ahead of the rest of the family to locate land in Iowa and that the rest joined him either late that year or early the next (1851).
On June 26, 1852, John Slack bought Lot 1 of Block 5 in the town of Hartford, Richland Twp., Warren County, Iowa [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William ,,; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker)].
Shortly before, June 17, 1852, William Slack had purchased a forty acre tract in Sec. 14 of Richland Twp., which was about two to three miles east of Hartford . The following year, 1853, John bought the adjoining forty-acre tract [See list of excerpts from Index to Deed Book F, p. 145 and 146]. This is good land that extends up from the bottom land of the South River flood plain.
It was probably partially forested at the time they purchased the farms. John also purchased additional lots in Hartford and another forty acres to the west of Hartford in Sec 17. [see copy of recorded patent granted to John Slack by the State ofIowa - River Lands, which states that John Slack purchased SE 1/4 of SW 114 of Sec 17 of Twp 77 on June 10, 1853. The patent was recorded in the Des Moines River Records, Book F, p. 411 on July 15, 1852. Later it was recorded in Book 40, pg. 102 of the Warren Co., Iowa, Land Records.] Both John and William are included in the tax lists for Richland Twp., Warren Co., Iowa, for the year 1854. Their taxable property was listed as follows:
John Slack SE 1/4/ SW 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
SE 1/4/ SW 114 - Sec 17, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
Hartford Lots - 3,4, 7, 8; Blk 6, val. $50;
Hartford Lot - 1; Blk 5; val. $230
Total Value $776.00
Personal Property $396.00
William Slack NW 1/4/ NE 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres; val. $140; (Deed records indicate this should be NE 1/4/ SW 1/4)
Personal Properry $165.00
Total Value $305.00
Something must have gone wrong, because on February 29, 1856, both John and William sold their forty acre farms in Section 14. William also sold another forty acre tract located in Section 12 of Richland Twp. on June 11, 1856 (at this point I have no record of him purchasing this property). William followed his father's example and purchased several lots in Hartford (Lots 1,2,3,4, in Block 7 on April 8, 1856, and Lots 7 and 8 in Block 5 and Lot 4 in Block 3 on June 15, 1857).35 What they did in Hartford to maintain themselves isn't known. John still had his forty acres in Sec 17 just west of Hartford. In both the 1860 and 1870 U.S./Iowa Census, John and William were both listed as farmers. Perhaps they farmed John's forty acres together, but since less than thirty acres of this farm was tillable (Butcher Creek coursed along both the south and east sides), there wouldn't have been enough to support one family, let alone two. It is possible, but I have no evidence, that they rented land, as well. In the 1850 census of Polk County, Iowa, William's occupation was listed as a cooper (barrel maker). He might have followed this trade to help supplement their income (a set of blacksmith tools and augers which would have been used by a cooper were listed in the appraisement of William's estate in 1873).
On January 8,1861, John Slack conveyed 15 acres to his son-in-law, Joseph Taylor, Sarah's husband, from the east side of the SE 1/4/SW 1/4 of Sec 17, Twp 77, Rn 22 for $150.00.38
Also, on 14 October 1867, John sold an additional 25 acres (the remaining part of the same 40 acre tract in Sec. 17) to Joseph Taylor. It was most likely these transactions that caused the problems between Joseph Taylor and William Slack, which eventually lead to a violent encounter in September of 1873, resulting in William's death.
Disaster struck John's family during the fall and early winter of 1853. On September 30, daughter Susan (18 yrs.) died, Nancy J. (31 yrs.) died on October 25, and Nancy's daughter (1 yr.) died on December 14. All are buried in the Slack plot at Hartford. Causes of their deaths can only be conjectured, but were probably due to one or more of the infectious diseases that were so rampant among pioneer families. Typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery were three of the more common scourges. It is interesting to note that the Newton Guthrie family lost their first four girls during the early to mid 1850s. They are buried in the Guthrie plot next to the Slacks. Susan's daughter, Alice, who was about 10 months old at the time Susan died, was taken in and raised by John and Nancy.
In the 1860 U.S./Iowa census, the following children were living with John and Nancy:
Andrew ~ 27 (b: 1833 in Illinois), Martha E. - 19 (b: 1841 in Illinois), and Alice ~ 6 (b: 1852 in Iowa). In the 1870 U.S.! Iowa census, only Alice and Andrew were living with John. Martha had married and Nancy had died in 1862.
husband of Nancy
By David Earle Tyler:
John and Nancy were both born in Kentucky and were married there, as well, in 1818. Their first four children, Mary Ann (b: 1818), William (b: 1819), NaIicy J. (b: 1822), and Joseph (b: 1825) were born in Washington Co., Kentucky. In 1827, the family emigrated to Morgan Co., Illinois. The portion of Morgan Co. in which they settled became Cass Co. in 1837. Five more children, John III (b: 1827 in Indiana), Sarah E. (b. 1830), Andrew J. (b: 1832), Susan C. (b: 1835), and Martha E. (b: 1841), were born in Morgan/Cass Counties, Illinois.
Other than the preceding, there is little information on John's and Nancy's life in Kentucky. John appears on the tax list of Washington Co., Kentucky, in 1815 as 1 white male over 21 (he was 22), owning 1 horse, and taxable value of $60. The next year (1816), his number of horses increased to 3 and his taxable value to $125. The only change in the 1817 tax list is that his taxable value decreased to $120. John is also listed as living in Washington Co., Kentucky, on the 1820, but not the 1830, census.
A rather strange deed dated, April 24, 1822, was found in the records of Washington Co., Kentucky, involving John Slack as grantor and George Marshall as grantee [Washington Co., Kentucky, records, Deed Book G, p. 437, dated, April 24, 1822]. I am sure the John Slack on the deed is the junior, not the senior, because it states, "I John Slack of Washington County - - ." John Slack, Sr. was listed as living in Hardin Co., Kentucky, in the census of 1820, and by 1822 he was living in Bullitt Co., Kentucky (he died there September 5, 1822). The deed is not clearly written, but apparently John and his brother-in-law, William McDonald, conveyed to George Marshall $85.00 in consideration for his becoming their security in a sale executed to Mr. McElroy and Cunningham. In lieu of paying Mr. Marshall the $85.00, they substituted the following: "--whiskey [how much wasn't stated] at 25 cents per gallon, one black mare and her colts, and all my hogs supposed to be about forty or fifty head." If this note wasn't paid by June 14 (?), Mr. Marshall would receive these goods. If the note was paid by then, it would become null and void. What the eventual outcome of this deed was, isn't known. It is interesting to note that the distilling of whiskey was a common activity on the frontier. John, and probably his brother-in-law William McDonald, apparently also engaged in the practice. Also of interest is that we found in other records where Mr. Marshall ran afoul of the law by not obtaining and using tax stamps in the sale of whiskey on many occasions. In other words, Mr. Marshall was a bootlegger.
There is one other record from Kentucky. In the appraisement of John Slack, Sr.'s estate in Bullitt Co., Kentucky, there is a list of those owing him money at the time of his death. John Slack, Jr. is included, with a debt of $8.05 being recorded [appraisement of his estate, dated Jmle 2, 1823. Bullitt Co. Records, Deed Book A, pp 496-497].
Just when John moved his family to Morgan County, Illinois, isn't known. The only account found is the statement made in the biography of his son Joseph Slack saying that the family left Kentucky for Illinois in 1827 ["Biography of Joseph Slack" in History of Johnson Co., Missouri, p. 994]. If we rely on birth records of John's children as recorded by several researchers it appears that the family arrived in Morgan Co., Illinois, sometime in 1827 or 1828, the approximate date of birth given for John III. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the child born between Joseph (1825 in Kentucky) and Sarah (1830 in Illinois) was John III and that he was born August 20, 1827, in Indiana, not Illinois. This suggests that the family was in Indiana for at least several months and perhaps as much as two years before moving on to Illinois.
Indirectly, we have some indication of the events that occurred during the Slack Family's migration from the biography of William Holmes, an early settler of Morgan Co., Illinois [a copy of William Holmes biography pp. 139-150. History ofCass County, Illinois, by Wm. Henry Perrin, pub. 1882].
Mr. Holmes, a native of New York, had come to Posey County, in the southwest tip of Indiana, seeking his fortune in the West. He was greatly disappointed in what he found -- poor land, mosquito-infested flats, and ague and milk sickness. He couldn't move on or go back because his funds were exhausted, so he took a job teaching (his profession in New York) for a year so that he could return home the next year. During this time, however, he heard the glowing reports of a Mr. Henry Hopkins about the great agricultural potential of the Sangamon area of Illinois. Instead of returning home, he decided to head for this region in the spring when his teaching job was finished. It was in the midst of his last term of teaching that Mr. Holmes became acquainted with the Joseph McDonald (John Slack, Jr.'s father-in-law) family that had just arrived from Kentucky (Washington Co., to be exact). In particular, he was befriended by one oftlle boys, John McDonald, and his sister, Polly. Mr. Holmes told the McDonalds, who were planning on migrating further north to the White River region of Indiana, about the possibilities for much better land in the Sangamon area. He convinced them to wait until he could check it out in the spring. Shortly after his arrival (spring of 1826) in Morgan County, Illinois, Mr. Holmes wrote to the McDonalds, telling them the Sangamon area was even better than described by the reports of Mr. Hopkins. Upon receiving Mr. Holmes' letter, the McDonalds were on their way to Morgan County. They arrived about twelve days later and settled in the Panther Grove area about two miles east of Mr. Holmes' claim. The biographer goes on to say, "The records show that on the 5th of June, 1826, Jos. McDonald entered the e1/2 of the nw1/4 of sec 11 in T17, R.9, eighty acres" [Cass Co., IL, Courthouse - Land Grants - Auditors Certificate of Entry Book 1, Recorder's Office]. He and his sons, there were six of them, immediately began building a cabin, plowed a small plot of sod, and planted corn and a garden, and by fall they were ready for their first winter on the prairie. The next summer (1827), bricks were made by the family and a brick house was built to replace the log cabin (plate I, Fig. 1) [see picture of the McDonald house on p. 152 of Atlas ofCass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin]. Mr. Holmes kept in close contact with the McDonald family, and on December 7, 1827, he and Mary (Polly) McDonald were married.
Now, back to John Slack, Jr.'s family. If the account in Joseph Slack's biography is correct, it appears that during that first summer in Illinois (1826) the McDonalds wrote to their daughter Nancy (John's wife) back in Kentucky telling them about the great prospects for prosperity in the Sangamon country. John disposed of the property that they couldn't take with them and they traveled to Indiana (probably Posey County) where they had to stop over for the birth of their son John III on August 20, 1827 [From the Index to the 1850 Census of Cass Co., Illinois, John (III) is listed being bomin Indiana, not Illinois. His age was given as 22, thus, born in 1827 or 1828]. As pointed out previously, it isn't known just when they arrived in Illinois. John is,however, listed in the 1830 Illinois census for Cass County and is also present on the 1840 Census. There are two John Slacks listed for Morgan County, one on pg. 032, the other on pg. 058 (Src. 1790-1870 Illinois Census Index). John Slack is not included in the list of those living in Cass County in 1829 [see copy of p. 430 of Historical Sketches, by J.N. Gridley. Public Library of Virginia, Illinois]. John's first entry for land is recorded in Land Grants - Auditor's Certificate of Entry, Book 1 in The Recorder's Office of Cass County, Illinois. This entry was made November 26, 1831, (5+ years after Joseph McDonald's first entry) for 80 acres in Section 12 of what was then the northeast corner of Morgan Co. (the northern third of Morgan County became Cass County in 1837). Two later entries for 40 acres each (one was in Sec. 12, the other in Sec. 11) were made in 1835 and 1836. It is yet to be determined if John and his family came directly to Morgan County in the fall of 1827, or sometime between that date and 1830.
John's and Nancy's family was young; their oldest boy, William, would have been only twelve in 1831. It is evident, therefore, that John would have had to rely on help from Nancy's father and brothers to get his claim established. A map of Cass County and the location of John's farm is available [see copy of maps and 1840 Atlas of Cass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin, pp. 135 and 142].
In 1840 John Slack owned the following:
SE 114 of the NE 114, Sec. 11 40 acres
NW 1/4 of the NW 114, Sec. 12 40 acres
W 112 of the SW 114, Sec. 12 80 acres
Total 160 acres
The 1843 taxable property list for Cass Co., Illinois, revealed the following for John Slack:
SE 114, Sec. 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 560 - 160 A
SE 1I41NE1I4, Sec I1,Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 120 - 40A
W 1/2 (west side)/SW 1/4, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $59 - 58A
NW 1I4/NW 114, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn9, value $120 - 40A
SE 1/4INE 114, Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $120 - 40A
Total $1,210 - 338 A
From the Taxable Land Record in Cass Co., Illinois, for 1845, the following land was listed for John Slack:
Sec 2, Twp 17, Rn 9
NE 1I4INE 114 - 40 A. Original owner Wm T. (G.) Kurk (Kirk); Present owner John Slack. (In 1840, this land belonged to John Cheatham).
Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9
SE 1I4INE1/4 - 40 A
SE 114 - 160 A
Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9
Original and present owner, John Slack. In 1840, this land belonged to Joseph McDonald (E1/2) and Jonas McDonald(W1/2). They are also listed in Land Grant Auditors Certificates as the original filers for this land.
W1I2 I SWI14 - 80 A - original owner John Slack:
58 A - present owner John Slack
22 A - (west side) present owner Richard McDonald
NW1I4 I NW1/4 - 40 A - original and present owner John Slack
Totals - John Slack had owned as much as 360 acres and in 1845 still owned 338 acres.
Evaluating this data, it appears that John Slack did not expand the 160 acres that he put together from 1831 to 1836 until sometime between 1840 and 1843, when he increased it by 178 acres (22 acres of his 80 acre plot had been sold off to Richard McDonald). At this point, the most appealing reason for this sudden increase in acreage may be that his wife, Nancy, inherited it from her father, Joseph McDonald, who had died January 5, 1842 [Date of death of Joseph McDonald, January 5, 1842 - from Old Cemeteries ofCass Co., Illinois, by Arthur Crumrin, pub. 1966, p. 91].
John was active in the community, as evidenced by his inclusion on the list of voters in the Virginia precinct of the newly formed Cass County, August 7, 1837. Also on the list were John and Jonas McDonald. On August 14, 1837, John Slack was appointed as one of three judges of the Sugar Grove magistrate and constable district ofCass County.[see copy of Historical Sketches, by J. N. Gridley p. 106. Virginia, Illinois, Public Library] Notably, one of the other judges was Henry Hopkins, the author of the reports which convinced William Holmes, Joseph McDonald, and ultimately, John Slack to settle in this region.
Good descriptions of what life was like for the early settlers of Cass (Morgan) County are presented in Perrin's History of Cass County. Some of the more interesting accounts follow:
Game was plentiful, especially deer, prairie chicken, and quail. Wolves were common and, although they rarely attacked people, they were a constant threat to the settler's livestock. One account describes a huge gray wolf that tried to enter a cabin when the door was opened to see what the dogs were barking about. The occupants beat the invader out of the doorway with sticks of firewood. Later that night, they heard shots at the homes of two neighbors. The wolf was killed at the second neighbor's place and, when measured, it was found to be nine feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
The winter of 1830-31 was extremely severe. Snow began falling early and regularly and between partial thaws and freezes eventually reached a depth of four to six feet, much deeper in drifts. The ice that formed after the thaws formed a thick cap over the snow so that animals could not dig down to the grass below. Livestock and wild game died for want of food.
Several people, as well, died of starvation and the cold, as temperatures dropped drastically and remained frigid for long periods. The snow stayed on the ground all winter and up into March.
The houses in which the early settlers lived were little more than huts made of unhewn logs. The spaces between the logs were filled tight with clay, straw, and sticks. There was only one room with doors made of split or hewn logs opening on each side. Rarely, was there a window. The roof was made of split wood shingles and held in place by logs laid across them. The floor was formed from split or hewn (puncheon) logs. A fireplace was at one end of the cabin. Its construction was described thusly, "A temporary (log) wall would be built about two feet inside the (outer) log wall; the space then filled with earth (clay) and wetted, was pounded or rammed down solid. The inner (wooden) wall was then talcen away and a fire built inside, which balced the jam (the packed clay) like brick. Then tlns was surmounted by a stick and clay chimney, a pole was run across (the fireplace opening) to hang kettles on--." There was usually a bed in each of two corners and a trundle bed under these, which was pulled out at night. When company came and stayed the night, as they usually did, a "field bed" was made on the floor, using extra blankets that were always an important part of each housewife's reserve. Food was simple, but generally plentiful. Garden povender and grains from the field formed the main source of food. This was supplemented by meat, mostly from wild game and cured meats from livestock (mostly pork). Bread was the staple, and since wheat flour was scarce it was made from corn meal. The corn meal dough was cooked in a Dutch oven (a cast iron pot with a lid that had a high rim around its edge), which was placed in or near the coals. Once the dough was placed in the oven, the lid was put on and hot coals were dropped onto the rimmed lid. A description of the various recipes and the process of making corn bread can be found on p. 33 of Perrin's, History of Cass County.
In 1847, John Slack began selling off his holdings. The first to go was the 40 acres in the NW 1/4INW 1/4 of Sec. 2 for $140.00 [Cass Co., Illinois, courthouse, Book C, p. 265 and Book E, p. 181 (a hand-written transcription of this deed was made by L. Tyler, because the book was not available for copying - pages could not be removed)]. The rest, 298 acres, was sold to Nathaniel B. Thompson on September 3, 1850, for $2,900.00 (total for both $3,040.00). In October of 2000, LaVon and I visited Cass Co., Illinois, to locate the land where John Slack, Jr. settled. With the records cited above and a good map from the Recorder's Office, we readily located the area where his farm had been. To the south, the land was flat to gently rolling, but rough and forested at the northern end. From the corn crop that was being harvested while we were there, the land must have been quite productive. This had been prairie land, edged by heavy timber along the streams which fed into the near-by Sangamon River, and was referred to as "The Breaks," where timber met prairie. This was prized land to the early settlers because it insured them a supply of wood and protection not afforded by the tree-barren prairies further north or south of this region.
That afternoon, as we watched the huge combines making their way through the fields harvesting a bountiful crop of corn, we wondered, "Why did John Slack leave such an ideal farming area?" Other than the restlessness of the pioneer spirit to always be pushing on to new and, hopefully, better situations, no clear answer came to mind. Then, while reading in Perrin's History of Cass County, we came upon some information that might provide the answer to the above question. In 1837, the Illinois State Legislature passed a bill providing for the construction of 1,300 miles of railroad lines and improvement of the navigable capabilities of several rivers. Once built, these improvements couldn't even earn enough money to pay the interest on the loans made by the State. The State was left with a debt of over $14,000,000.00 and only a population of less than a half million to pay for it. Banks collapsed and paper currency was greatly depreciated, and in most instances only silver was accepted as legal tender. The population was overextended in debt and with no income other than barterable goods with which to pay, the economy became bankrupt. The State defaulted on its bonds until they were worth only fourteen cents on the dollar. The legislature made a vain attempt to ameliorate conditions, but only made them worse. The law they passed (called the "stay" or "two thirds" law) provided for property being held ("stay") at two-thirds of its pre-crisis value, and if no bid was made at or above this level, the creditor was stuck with his lien or had to accept a discount of 33 1/3%. (This law was eventually declared unconstitutional, but too late to be of any help.) Business stagnated; the depression apparently extended into the 1850s and caused economic havoc throughout the state. People everywhere were wanting to sell out and leave the state, which offered them nothing but higher taxation and ruin. But there were few buyers for the property and many sold out at ridiculously devalued prices and fled to a more reasonable economy to start over. It is my belief that this poor economic environment forced John Slack to sell out and move to Iowa, the next frontier that was opening to the west.
John Slack and some of his family were still in Illinois during the census of Cass County in 1850. (Note - "Slack" was spelled "Slacke" - an error by the census taker.) Missing from the list were Mary Ann (aged 32), who had married John Gaddie in 1838 and was no longer living at home, and Nancy J. (aged 28), who may have gone with her brother William to Iowa where she married L. Roof in 1851. William is included on this list, but several facts make us question who this William was: the age is wrong (he was born in 1821, thus, he was 29 in 1850, not 26); he was married in 1842 and already had three children and was most likely living in his own home; and he is listed on the Polk County, Iowa, census for 1850. [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker).]
Evaluation of this data suggests that William was sent ahead of the rest of the family to locate land in Iowa and that the rest joined him either late that year or early the next (1851).
On June 26, 1852, John Slack bought Lot 1 of Block 5 in the town of Hartford, Richland Twp., Warren County, Iowa [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William ,,; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker)].
Shortly before, June 17, 1852, William Slack had purchased a forty acre tract in Sec. 14 of Richland Twp., which was about two to three miles east of Hartford . The following year, 1853, John bought the adjoining forty-acre tract [See list of excerpts from Index to Deed Book F, p. 145 and 146]. This is good land that extends up from the bottom land of the South River flood plain.
It was probably partially forested at the time they purchased the farms. John also purchased additional lots in Hartford and another forty acres to the west of Hartford in Sec 17. [see copy of recorded patent granted to John Slack by the State ofIowa - River Lands, which states that John Slack purchased SE 1/4 of SW 114 of Sec 17 of Twp 77 on June 10, 1853. The patent was recorded in the Des Moines River Records, Book F, p. 411 on July 15, 1852. Later it was recorded in Book 40, pg. 102 of the Warren Co., Iowa, Land Records.] Both John and William are included in the tax lists for Richland Twp., Warren Co., Iowa, for the year 1854. Their taxable property was listed as follows:
John Slack SE 1/4/ SW 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
SE 1/4/ SW 114 - Sec 17, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
Hartford Lots - 3,4, 7, 8; Blk 6, val. $50;
Hartford Lot - 1; Blk 5; val. $230
Total Value $776.00
Personal Property $396.00
William Slack NW 1/4/ NE 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres; val. $140; (Deed records indicate this should be NE 1/4/ SW 1/4)
Personal Properry $165.00
Total Value $305.00
Something must have gone wrong, because on February 29, 1856, both John and William sold their forty acre farms in Section 14. William also sold another forty acre tract located in Section 12 of Richland Twp. on June 11, 1856 (at this point I have no record of him purchasing this property). William followed his father's example and purchased several lots in Hartford (Lots 1,2,3,4, in Block 7 on April 8, 1856, and Lots 7 and 8 in Block 5 and Lot 4 in Block 3 on June 15, 1857).35 What they did in Hartford to maintain themselves isn't known. John still had his forty acres in Sec 17 just west of Hartford. In both the 1860 and 1870 U.S./Iowa Census, John and William were both listed as farmers. Perhaps they farmed John's forty acres together, but since less than thirty acres of this farm was tillable (Butcher Creek coursed along both the south and east sides), there wouldn't have been enough to support one family, let alone two. It is possible, but I have no evidence, that they rented land, as well. In the 1850 census of Polk County, Iowa, William's occupation was listed as a cooper (barrel maker). He might have followed this trade to help supplement their income (a set of blacksmith tools and augers which would have been used by a cooper were listed in the appraisement of William's estate in 1873).
On January 8,1861, John Slack conveyed 15 acres to his son-in-law, Joseph Taylor, Sarah's husband, from the east side of the SE 1/4/SW 1/4 of Sec 17, Twp 77, Rn 22 for $150.00.38
Also, on 14 October 1867, John sold an additional 25 acres (the remaining part of the same 40 acre tract in Sec. 17) to Joseph Taylor. It was most likely these transactions that caused the problems between Joseph Taylor and William Slack, which eventually lead to a violent encounter in September of 1873, resulting in William's death.
Disaster struck John's family during the fall and early winter of 1853. On September 30, daughter Susan (18 yrs.) died, Nancy J. (31 yrs.) died on October 25, and Nancy's daughter (1 yr.) died on December 14. All are buried in the Slack plot at Hartford. Causes of their deaths can only be conjectured, but were probably due to one or more of the infectious diseases that were so rampant among pioneer families. Typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery were three of the more common scourges. It is interesting to note that the Newton Guthrie family lost their first four girls during the early to mid 1850s. They are buried in the Guthrie plot next to the Slacks. Susan's daughter, Alice, who was about 10 months old at the time Susan died, was taken in and raised by John and Nancy.
In the 1860 U.S./Iowa census, the following children were living with John and Nancy:
Andrew ~ 27 (b: 1833 in Illinois), Martha E. - 19 (b: 1841 in Illinois), and Alice ~ 6 (b: 1852 in Iowa). In the 1870 U.S.! Iowa census, only Alice and Andrew were living with John. Martha had married and Nancy had died in 1862.
age 78y 3m 22d
husband of Nancy
By David Earle Tyler:
John and Nancy were both born in Kentucky and were married there, as well, in 1818. Their first four children, Mary Ann (b: 1818), William (b: 1819), NaIicy J. (b: 1822), and Joseph (b: 1825) were born in Washington Co., Kentucky. In 1827, the family emigrated to Morgan Co., Illinois. The portion of Morgan Co. in which they settled became Cass Co. in 1837. Five more children, John III (b: 1827 in Indiana), Sarah E. (b. 1830), Andrew J. (b: 1832), Susan C. (b: 1835), and Martha E. (b: 1841), were born in Morgan/Cass Counties, Illinois.
Other than the preceding, there is little information on John's and Nancy's life in Kentucky. John appears on the tax list of Washington Co., Kentucky, in 1815 as 1 white male over 21 (he was 22), owning 1 horse, and taxable value of $60. The next year (1816), his number of horses increased to 3 and his taxable value to $125. The only change in the 1817 tax list is that his taxable value decreased to $120. John is also listed as living in Washington Co., Kentucky, on the 1820, but not the 1830, census.
A rather strange deed dated, April 24, 1822, was found in the records of Washington Co., Kentucky, involving John Slack as grantor and George Marshall as grantee [Washington Co., Kentucky, records, Deed Book G, p. 437, dated, April 24, 1822]. I am sure the John Slack on the deed is the junior, not the senior, because it states, "I John Slack of Washington County - - ." John Slack, Sr. was listed as living in Hardin Co., Kentucky, in the census of 1820, and by 1822 he was living in Bullitt Co., Kentucky (he died there September 5, 1822). The deed is not clearly written, but apparently John and his brother-in-law, William McDonald, conveyed to George Marshall $85.00 in consideration for his becoming their security in a sale executed to Mr. McElroy and Cunningham. In lieu of paying Mr. Marshall the $85.00, they substituted the following: "--whiskey [how much wasn't stated] at 25 cents per gallon, one black mare and her colts, and all my hogs supposed to be about forty or fifty head." If this note wasn't paid by June 14 (?), Mr. Marshall would receive these goods. If the note was paid by then, it would become null and void. What the eventual outcome of this deed was, isn't known. It is interesting to note that the distilling of whiskey was a common activity on the frontier. John, and probably his brother-in-law William McDonald, apparently also engaged in the practice. Also of interest is that we found in other records where Mr. Marshall ran afoul of the law by not obtaining and using tax stamps in the sale of whiskey on many occasions. In other words, Mr. Marshall was a bootlegger.
There is one other record from Kentucky. In the appraisement of John Slack, Sr.'s estate in Bullitt Co., Kentucky, there is a list of those owing him money at the time of his death. John Slack, Jr. is included, with a debt of $8.05 being recorded [appraisement of his estate, dated Jmle 2, 1823. Bullitt Co. Records, Deed Book A, pp 496-497].
Just when John moved his family to Morgan County, Illinois, isn't known. The only account found is the statement made in the biography of his son Joseph Slack saying that the family left Kentucky for Illinois in 1827 ["Biography of Joseph Slack" in History of Johnson Co., Missouri, p. 994]. If we rely on birth records of John's children as recorded by several researchers it appears that the family arrived in Morgan Co., Illinois, sometime in 1827 or 1828, the approximate date of birth given for John III. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the child born between Joseph (1825 in Kentucky) and Sarah (1830 in Illinois) was John III and that he was born August 20, 1827, in Indiana, not Illinois. This suggests that the family was in Indiana for at least several months and perhaps as much as two years before moving on to Illinois.
Indirectly, we have some indication of the events that occurred during the Slack Family's migration from the biography of William Holmes, an early settler of Morgan Co., Illinois [a copy of William Holmes biography pp. 139-150. History ofCass County, Illinois, by Wm. Henry Perrin, pub. 1882].
Mr. Holmes, a native of New York, had come to Posey County, in the southwest tip of Indiana, seeking his fortune in the West. He was greatly disappointed in what he found -- poor land, mosquito-infested flats, and ague and milk sickness. He couldn't move on or go back because his funds were exhausted, so he took a job teaching (his profession in New York) for a year so that he could return home the next year. During this time, however, he heard the glowing reports of a Mr. Henry Hopkins about the great agricultural potential of the Sangamon area of Illinois. Instead of returning home, he decided to head for this region in the spring when his teaching job was finished. It was in the midst of his last term of teaching that Mr. Holmes became acquainted with the Joseph McDonald (John Slack, Jr.'s father-in-law) family that had just arrived from Kentucky (Washington Co., to be exact). In particular, he was befriended by one oftlle boys, John McDonald, and his sister, Polly. Mr. Holmes told the McDonalds, who were planning on migrating further north to the White River region of Indiana, about the possibilities for much better land in the Sangamon area. He convinced them to wait until he could check it out in the spring. Shortly after his arrival (spring of 1826) in Morgan County, Illinois, Mr. Holmes wrote to the McDonalds, telling them the Sangamon area was even better than described by the reports of Mr. Hopkins. Upon receiving Mr. Holmes' letter, the McDonalds were on their way to Morgan County. They arrived about twelve days later and settled in the Panther Grove area about two miles east of Mr. Holmes' claim. The biographer goes on to say, "The records show that on the 5th of June, 1826, Jos. McDonald entered the e1/2 of the nw1/4 of sec 11 in T17, R.9, eighty acres" [Cass Co., IL, Courthouse - Land Grants - Auditors Certificate of Entry Book 1, Recorder's Office]. He and his sons, there were six of them, immediately began building a cabin, plowed a small plot of sod, and planted corn and a garden, and by fall they were ready for their first winter on the prairie. The next summer (1827), bricks were made by the family and a brick house was built to replace the log cabin (plate I, Fig. 1) [see picture of the McDonald house on p. 152 of Atlas ofCass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin]. Mr. Holmes kept in close contact with the McDonald family, and on December 7, 1827, he and Mary (Polly) McDonald were married.
Now, back to John Slack, Jr.'s family. If the account in Joseph Slack's biography is correct, it appears that during that first summer in Illinois (1826) the McDonalds wrote to their daughter Nancy (John's wife) back in Kentucky telling them about the great prospects for prosperity in the Sangamon country. John disposed of the property that they couldn't take with them and they traveled to Indiana (probably Posey County) where they had to stop over for the birth of their son John III on August 20, 1827 [From the Index to the 1850 Census of Cass Co., Illinois, John (III) is listed being bomin Indiana, not Illinois. His age was given as 22, thus, born in 1827 or 1828]. As pointed out previously, it isn't known just when they arrived in Illinois. John is,however, listed in the 1830 Illinois census for Cass County and is also present on the 1840 Census. There are two John Slacks listed for Morgan County, one on pg. 032, the other on pg. 058 (Src. 1790-1870 Illinois Census Index). John Slack is not included in the list of those living in Cass County in 1829 [see copy of p. 430 of Historical Sketches, by J.N. Gridley. Public Library of Virginia, Illinois]. John's first entry for land is recorded in Land Grants - Auditor's Certificate of Entry, Book 1 in The Recorder's Office of Cass County, Illinois. This entry was made November 26, 1831, (5+ years after Joseph McDonald's first entry) for 80 acres in Section 12 of what was then the northeast corner of Morgan Co. (the northern third of Morgan County became Cass County in 1837). Two later entries for 40 acres each (one was in Sec. 12, the other in Sec. 11) were made in 1835 and 1836. It is yet to be determined if John and his family came directly to Morgan County in the fall of 1827, or sometime between that date and 1830.
John's and Nancy's family was young; their oldest boy, William, would have been only twelve in 1831. It is evident, therefore, that John would have had to rely on help from Nancy's father and brothers to get his claim established. A map of Cass County and the location of John's farm is available [see copy of maps and 1840 Atlas of Cass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin, pp. 135 and 142].
In 1840 John Slack owned the following:
SE 114 of the NE 114, Sec. 11 40 acres
NW 1/4 of the NW 114, Sec. 12 40 acres
W 112 of the SW 114, Sec. 12 80 acres
Total 160 acres
The 1843 taxable property list for Cass Co., Illinois, revealed the following for John Slack:
SE 114, Sec. 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 560 - 160 A
SE 1I41NE1I4, Sec I1,Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 120 - 40A
W 1/2 (west side)/SW 1/4, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $59 - 58A
NW 1I4/NW 114, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn9, value $120 - 40A
SE 1/4INE 114, Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $120 - 40A
Total $1,210 - 338 A
From the Taxable Land Record in Cass Co., Illinois, for 1845, the following land was listed for John Slack:
Sec 2, Twp 17, Rn 9
NE 1I4INE 114 - 40 A. Original owner Wm T. (G.) Kurk (Kirk); Present owner John Slack. (In 1840, this land belonged to John Cheatham).
Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9
SE 1I4INE1/4 - 40 A
SE 114 - 160 A
Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9
Original and present owner, John Slack. In 1840, this land belonged to Joseph McDonald (E1/2) and Jonas McDonald(W1/2). They are also listed in Land Grant Auditors Certificates as the original filers for this land.
W1I2 I SWI14 - 80 A - original owner John Slack:
58 A - present owner John Slack
22 A - (west side) present owner Richard McDonald
NW1I4 I NW1/4 - 40 A - original and present owner John Slack
Totals - John Slack had owned as much as 360 acres and in 1845 still owned 338 acres.
Evaluating this data, it appears that John Slack did not expand the 160 acres that he put together from 1831 to 1836 until sometime between 1840 and 1843, when he increased it by 178 acres (22 acres of his 80 acre plot had been sold off to Richard McDonald). At this point, the most appealing reason for this sudden increase in acreage may be that his wife, Nancy, inherited it from her father, Joseph McDonald, who had died January 5, 1842 [Date of death of Joseph McDonald, January 5, 1842 - from Old Cemeteries ofCass Co., Illinois, by Arthur Crumrin, pub. 1966, p. 91].
John was active in the community, as evidenced by his inclusion on the list of voters in the Virginia precinct of the newly formed Cass County, August 7, 1837. Also on the list were John and Jonas McDonald. On August 14, 1837, John Slack was appointed as one of three judges of the Sugar Grove magistrate and constable district ofCass County.[see copy of Historical Sketches, by J. N. Gridley p. 106. Virginia, Illinois, Public Library] Notably, one of the other judges was Henry Hopkins, the author of the reports which convinced William Holmes, Joseph McDonald, and ultimately, John Slack to settle in this region.
Good descriptions of what life was like for the early settlers of Cass (Morgan) County are presented in Perrin's History of Cass County. Some of the more interesting accounts follow:
Game was plentiful, especially deer, prairie chicken, and quail. Wolves were common and, although they rarely attacked people, they were a constant threat to the settler's livestock. One account describes a huge gray wolf that tried to enter a cabin when the door was opened to see what the dogs were barking about. The occupants beat the invader out of the doorway with sticks of firewood. Later that night, they heard shots at the homes of two neighbors. The wolf was killed at the second neighbor's place and, when measured, it was found to be nine feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
The winter of 1830-31 was extremely severe. Snow began falling early and regularly and between partial thaws and freezes eventually reached a depth of four to six feet, much deeper in drifts. The ice that formed after the thaws formed a thick cap over the snow so that animals could not dig down to the grass below. Livestock and wild game died for want of food.
Several people, as well, died of starvation and the cold, as temperatures dropped drastically and remained frigid for long periods. The snow stayed on the ground all winter and up into March.
The houses in which the early settlers lived were little more than huts made of unhewn logs. The spaces between the logs were filled tight with clay, straw, and sticks. There was only one room with doors made of split or hewn logs opening on each side. Rarely, was there a window. The roof was made of split wood shingles and held in place by logs laid across them. The floor was formed from split or hewn (puncheon) logs. A fireplace was at one end of the cabin. Its construction was described thusly, "A temporary (log) wall would be built about two feet inside the (outer) log wall; the space then filled with earth (clay) and wetted, was pounded or rammed down solid. The inner (wooden) wall was then talcen away and a fire built inside, which balced the jam (the packed clay) like brick. Then tlns was surmounted by a stick and clay chimney, a pole was run across (the fireplace opening) to hang kettles on--." There was usually a bed in each of two corners and a trundle bed under these, which was pulled out at night. When company came and stayed the night, as they usually did, a "field bed" was made on the floor, using extra blankets that were always an important part of each housewife's reserve. Food was simple, but generally plentiful. Garden povender and grains from the field formed the main source of food. This was supplemented by meat, mostly from wild game and cured meats from livestock (mostly pork). Bread was the staple, and since wheat flour was scarce it was made from corn meal. The corn meal dough was cooked in a Dutch oven (a cast iron pot with a lid that had a high rim around its edge), which was placed in or near the coals. Once the dough was placed in the oven, the lid was put on and hot coals were dropped onto the rimmed lid. A description of the various recipes and the process of making corn bread can be found on p. 33 of Perrin's, History of Cass County.
In 1847, John Slack began selling off his holdings. The first to go was the 40 acres in the NW 1/4INW 1/4 of Sec. 2 for $140.00 [Cass Co., Illinois, courthouse, Book C, p. 265 and Book E, p. 181 (a hand-written transcription of this deed was made by L. Tyler, because the book was not available for copying - pages could not be removed)]. The rest, 298 acres, was sold to Nathaniel B. Thompson on September 3, 1850, for $2,900.00 (total for both $3,040.00). In October of 2000, LaVon and I visited Cass Co., Illinois, to locate the land where John Slack, Jr. settled. With the records cited above and a good map from the Recorder's Office, we readily located the area where his farm had been. To the south, the land was flat to gently rolling, but rough and forested at the northern end. From the corn crop that was being harvested while we were there, the land must have been quite productive. This had been prairie land, edged by heavy timber along the streams which fed into the near-by Sangamon River, and was referred to as "The Breaks," where timber met prairie. This was prized land to the early settlers because it insured them a supply of wood and protection not afforded by the tree-barren prairies further north or south of this region.
That afternoon, as we watched the huge combines making their way through the fields harvesting a bountiful crop of corn, we wondered, "Why did John Slack leave such an ideal farming area?" Other than the restlessness of the pioneer spirit to always be pushing on to new and, hopefully, better situations, no clear answer came to mind. Then, while reading in Perrin's History of Cass County, we came upon some information that might provide the answer to the above question. In 1837, the Illinois State Legislature passed a bill providing for the construction of 1,300 miles of railroad lines and improvement of the navigable capabilities of several rivers. Once built, these improvements couldn't even earn enough money to pay the interest on the loans made by the State. The State was left with a debt of over $14,000,000.00 and only a population of less than a half million to pay for it. Banks collapsed and paper currency was greatly depreciated, and in most instances only silver was accepted as legal tender. The population was overextended in debt and with no income other than barterable goods with which to pay, the economy became bankrupt. The State defaulted on its bonds until they were worth only fourteen cents on the dollar. The legislature made a vain attempt to ameliorate conditions, but only made them worse. The law they passed (called the "stay" or "two thirds" law) provided for property being held ("stay") at two-thirds of its pre-crisis value, and if no bid was made at or above this level, the creditor was stuck with his lien or had to accept a discount of 33 1/3%. (This law was eventually declared unconstitutional, but too late to be of any help.) Business stagnated; the depression apparently extended into the 1850s and caused economic havoc throughout the state. People everywhere were wanting to sell out and leave the state, which offered them nothing but higher taxation and ruin. But there were few buyers for the property and many sold out at ridiculously devalued prices and fled to a more reasonable economy to start over. It is my belief that this poor economic environment forced John Slack to sell out and move to Iowa, the next frontier that was opening to the west.
John Slack and some of his family were still in Illinois during the census of Cass County in 1850. (Note - "Slack" was spelled "Slacke" - an error by the census taker.) Missing from the list were Mary Ann (aged 32), who had married John Gaddie in 1838 and was no longer living at home, and Nancy J. (aged 28), who may have gone with her brother William to Iowa where she married L. Roof in 1851. William is included on this list, but several facts make us question who this William was: the age is wrong (he was born in 1821, thus, he was 29 in 1850, not 26); he was married in 1842 and already had three children and was most likely living in his own home; and he is listed on the Polk County, Iowa, census for 1850. [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker).]
Evaluation of this data suggests that William was sent ahead of the rest of the family to locate land in Iowa and that the rest joined him either late that year or early the next (1851).
On June 26, 1852, John Slack bought Lot 1 of Block 5 in the town of Hartford, Richland Twp., Warren County, Iowa [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William ,,; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker)].
Shortly before, June 17, 1852, William Slack had purchased a forty acre tract in Sec. 14 of Richland Twp., which was about two to three miles east of Hartford . The following year, 1853, John bought the adjoining forty-acre tract [See list of excerpts from Index to Deed Book F, p. 145 and 146]. This is good land that extends up from the bottom land of the South River flood plain.
It was probably partially forested at the time they purchased the farms. John also purchased additional lots in Hartford and another forty acres to the west of Hartford in Sec 17. [see copy of recorded patent granted to John Slack by the State ofIowa - River Lands, which states that John Slack purchased SE 1/4 of SW 114 of Sec 17 of Twp 77 on June 10, 1853. The patent was recorded in the Des Moines River Records, Book F, p. 411 on July 15, 1852. Later it was recorded in Book 40, pg. 102 of the Warren Co., Iowa, Land Records.] Both John and William are included in the tax lists for Richland Twp., Warren Co., Iowa, for the year 1854. Their taxable property was listed as follows:
John Slack SE 1/4/ SW 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
SE 1/4/ SW 114 - Sec 17, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
Hartford Lots - 3,4, 7, 8; Blk 6, val. $50;
Hartford Lot - 1; Blk 5; val. $230
Total Value $776.00
Personal Property $396.00
William Slack NW 1/4/ NE 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres; val. $140; (Deed records indicate this should be NE 1/4/ SW 1/4)
Personal Properry $165.00
Total Value $305.00
Something must have gone wrong, because on February 29, 1856, both John and William sold their forty acre farms in Section 14. William also sold another forty acre tract located in Section 12 of Richland Twp. on June 11, 1856 (at this point I have no record of him purchasing this property). William followed his father's example and purchased several lots in Hartford (Lots 1,2,3,4, in Block 7 on April 8, 1856, and Lots 7 and 8 in Block 5 and Lot 4 in Block 3 on June 15, 1857).35 What they did in Hartford to maintain themselves isn't known. John still had his forty acres in Sec 17 just west of Hartford. In both the 1860 and 1870 U.S./Iowa Census, John and William were both listed as farmers. Perhaps they farmed John's forty acres together, but since less than thirty acres of this farm was tillable (Butcher Creek coursed along both the south and east sides), there wouldn't have been enough to support one family, let alone two. It is possible, but I have no evidence, that they rented land, as well. In the 1850 census of Polk County, Iowa, William's occupation was listed as a cooper (barrel maker). He might have followed this trade to help supplement their income (a set of blacksmith tools and augers which would have been used by a cooper were listed in the appraisement of William's estate in 1873).
On January 8,1861, John Slack conveyed 15 acres to his son-in-law, Joseph Taylor, Sarah's husband, from the east side of the SE 1/4/SW 1/4 of Sec 17, Twp 77, Rn 22 for $150.00.38
Also, on 14 October 1867, John sold an additional 25 acres (the remaining part of the same 40 acre tract in Sec. 17) to Joseph Taylor. It was most likely these transactions that caused the problems between Joseph Taylor and William Slack, which eventually lead to a violent encounter in September of 1873, resulting in William's death.
Disaster struck John's family during the fall and early winter of 1853. On September 30, daughter Susan (18 yrs.) died, Nancy J. (31 yrs.) died on October 25, and Nancy's daughter (1 yr.) died on December 14. All are buried in the Slack plot at Hartford. Causes of their deaths can only be conjectured, but were probably due to one or more of the infectious diseases that were so rampant among pioneer families. Typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery were three of the more common scourges. It is interesting to note that the Newton Guthrie family lost their first four girls during the early to mid 1850s. They are buried in the Guthrie plot next to the Slacks. Susan's daughter, Alice, who was about 10 months old at the time Susan died, was taken in and raised by John and Nancy.
In the 1860 U.S./Iowa census, the following children were living with John and Nancy:
Andrew ~ 27 (b: 1833 in Illinois), Martha E. - 19 (b: 1841 in Illinois), and Alice ~ 6 (b: 1852 in Iowa). In the 1870 U.S.! Iowa census, only Alice and Andrew were living with John. Martha had married and Nancy had died in 1862.
husband of Nancy
By David Earle Tyler:
John and Nancy were both born in Kentucky and were married there, as well, in 1818. Their first four children, Mary Ann (b: 1818), William (b: 1819), NaIicy J. (b: 1822), and Joseph (b: 1825) were born in Washington Co., Kentucky. In 1827, the family emigrated to Morgan Co., Illinois. The portion of Morgan Co. in which they settled became Cass Co. in 1837. Five more children, John III (b: 1827 in Indiana), Sarah E. (b. 1830), Andrew J. (b: 1832), Susan C. (b: 1835), and Martha E. (b: 1841), were born in Morgan/Cass Counties, Illinois.
Other than the preceding, there is little information on John's and Nancy's life in Kentucky. John appears on the tax list of Washington Co., Kentucky, in 1815 as 1 white male over 21 (he was 22), owning 1 horse, and taxable value of $60. The next year (1816), his number of horses increased to 3 and his taxable value to $125. The only change in the 1817 tax list is that his taxable value decreased to $120. John is also listed as living in Washington Co., Kentucky, on the 1820, but not the 1830, census.
A rather strange deed dated, April 24, 1822, was found in the records of Washington Co., Kentucky, involving John Slack as grantor and George Marshall as grantee [Washington Co., Kentucky, records, Deed Book G, p. 437, dated, April 24, 1822]. I am sure the John Slack on the deed is the junior, not the senior, because it states, "I John Slack of Washington County - - ." John Slack, Sr. was listed as living in Hardin Co., Kentucky, in the census of 1820, and by 1822 he was living in Bullitt Co., Kentucky (he died there September 5, 1822). The deed is not clearly written, but apparently John and his brother-in-law, William McDonald, conveyed to George Marshall $85.00 in consideration for his becoming their security in a sale executed to Mr. McElroy and Cunningham. In lieu of paying Mr. Marshall the $85.00, they substituted the following: "--whiskey [how much wasn't stated] at 25 cents per gallon, one black mare and her colts, and all my hogs supposed to be about forty or fifty head." If this note wasn't paid by June 14 (?), Mr. Marshall would receive these goods. If the note was paid by then, it would become null and void. What the eventual outcome of this deed was, isn't known. It is interesting to note that the distilling of whiskey was a common activity on the frontier. John, and probably his brother-in-law William McDonald, apparently also engaged in the practice. Also of interest is that we found in other records where Mr. Marshall ran afoul of the law by not obtaining and using tax stamps in the sale of whiskey on many occasions. In other words, Mr. Marshall was a bootlegger.
There is one other record from Kentucky. In the appraisement of John Slack, Sr.'s estate in Bullitt Co., Kentucky, there is a list of those owing him money at the time of his death. John Slack, Jr. is included, with a debt of $8.05 being recorded [appraisement of his estate, dated Jmle 2, 1823. Bullitt Co. Records, Deed Book A, pp 496-497].
Just when John moved his family to Morgan County, Illinois, isn't known. The only account found is the statement made in the biography of his son Joseph Slack saying that the family left Kentucky for Illinois in 1827 ["Biography of Joseph Slack" in History of Johnson Co., Missouri, p. 994]. If we rely on birth records of John's children as recorded by several researchers it appears that the family arrived in Morgan Co., Illinois, sometime in 1827 or 1828, the approximate date of birth given for John III. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the child born between Joseph (1825 in Kentucky) and Sarah (1830 in Illinois) was John III and that he was born August 20, 1827, in Indiana, not Illinois. This suggests that the family was in Indiana for at least several months and perhaps as much as two years before moving on to Illinois.
Indirectly, we have some indication of the events that occurred during the Slack Family's migration from the biography of William Holmes, an early settler of Morgan Co., Illinois [a copy of William Holmes biography pp. 139-150. History ofCass County, Illinois, by Wm. Henry Perrin, pub. 1882].
Mr. Holmes, a native of New York, had come to Posey County, in the southwest tip of Indiana, seeking his fortune in the West. He was greatly disappointed in what he found -- poor land, mosquito-infested flats, and ague and milk sickness. He couldn't move on or go back because his funds were exhausted, so he took a job teaching (his profession in New York) for a year so that he could return home the next year. During this time, however, he heard the glowing reports of a Mr. Henry Hopkins about the great agricultural potential of the Sangamon area of Illinois. Instead of returning home, he decided to head for this region in the spring when his teaching job was finished. It was in the midst of his last term of teaching that Mr. Holmes became acquainted with the Joseph McDonald (John Slack, Jr.'s father-in-law) family that had just arrived from Kentucky (Washington Co., to be exact). In particular, he was befriended by one oftlle boys, John McDonald, and his sister, Polly. Mr. Holmes told the McDonalds, who were planning on migrating further north to the White River region of Indiana, about the possibilities for much better land in the Sangamon area. He convinced them to wait until he could check it out in the spring. Shortly after his arrival (spring of 1826) in Morgan County, Illinois, Mr. Holmes wrote to the McDonalds, telling them the Sangamon area was even better than described by the reports of Mr. Hopkins. Upon receiving Mr. Holmes' letter, the McDonalds were on their way to Morgan County. They arrived about twelve days later and settled in the Panther Grove area about two miles east of Mr. Holmes' claim. The biographer goes on to say, "The records show that on the 5th of June, 1826, Jos. McDonald entered the e1/2 of the nw1/4 of sec 11 in T17, R.9, eighty acres" [Cass Co., IL, Courthouse - Land Grants - Auditors Certificate of Entry Book 1, Recorder's Office]. He and his sons, there were six of them, immediately began building a cabin, plowed a small plot of sod, and planted corn and a garden, and by fall they were ready for their first winter on the prairie. The next summer (1827), bricks were made by the family and a brick house was built to replace the log cabin (plate I, Fig. 1) [see picture of the McDonald house on p. 152 of Atlas ofCass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin]. Mr. Holmes kept in close contact with the McDonald family, and on December 7, 1827, he and Mary (Polly) McDonald were married.
Now, back to John Slack, Jr.'s family. If the account in Joseph Slack's biography is correct, it appears that during that first summer in Illinois (1826) the McDonalds wrote to their daughter Nancy (John's wife) back in Kentucky telling them about the great prospects for prosperity in the Sangamon country. John disposed of the property that they couldn't take with them and they traveled to Indiana (probably Posey County) where they had to stop over for the birth of their son John III on August 20, 1827 [From the Index to the 1850 Census of Cass Co., Illinois, John (III) is listed being bomin Indiana, not Illinois. His age was given as 22, thus, born in 1827 or 1828]. As pointed out previously, it isn't known just when they arrived in Illinois. John is,however, listed in the 1830 Illinois census for Cass County and is also present on the 1840 Census. There are two John Slacks listed for Morgan County, one on pg. 032, the other on pg. 058 (Src. 1790-1870 Illinois Census Index). John Slack is not included in the list of those living in Cass County in 1829 [see copy of p. 430 of Historical Sketches, by J.N. Gridley. Public Library of Virginia, Illinois]. John's first entry for land is recorded in Land Grants - Auditor's Certificate of Entry, Book 1 in The Recorder's Office of Cass County, Illinois. This entry was made November 26, 1831, (5+ years after Joseph McDonald's first entry) for 80 acres in Section 12 of what was then the northeast corner of Morgan Co. (the northern third of Morgan County became Cass County in 1837). Two later entries for 40 acres each (one was in Sec. 12, the other in Sec. 11) were made in 1835 and 1836. It is yet to be determined if John and his family came directly to Morgan County in the fall of 1827, or sometime between that date and 1830.
John's and Nancy's family was young; their oldest boy, William, would have been only twelve in 1831. It is evident, therefore, that John would have had to rely on help from Nancy's father and brothers to get his claim established. A map of Cass County and the location of John's farm is available [see copy of maps and 1840 Atlas of Cass Co., Illinois, by A. Crumrin, pp. 135 and 142].
In 1840 John Slack owned the following:
SE 114 of the NE 114, Sec. 11 40 acres
NW 1/4 of the NW 114, Sec. 12 40 acres
W 112 of the SW 114, Sec. 12 80 acres
Total 160 acres
The 1843 taxable property list for Cass Co., Illinois, revealed the following for John Slack:
SE 114, Sec. 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 560 - 160 A
SE 1I41NE1I4, Sec I1,Twp 17, Rn 9, value $ 120 - 40A
W 1/2 (west side)/SW 1/4, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $59 - 58A
NW 1I4/NW 114, Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn9, value $120 - 40A
SE 1/4INE 114, Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9, value $120 - 40A
Total $1,210 - 338 A
From the Taxable Land Record in Cass Co., Illinois, for 1845, the following land was listed for John Slack:
Sec 2, Twp 17, Rn 9
NE 1I4INE 114 - 40 A. Original owner Wm T. (G.) Kurk (Kirk); Present owner John Slack. (In 1840, this land belonged to John Cheatham).
Sec 11, Twp 17, Rn 9
SE 1I4INE1/4 - 40 A
SE 114 - 160 A
Sec 12, Twp 17, Rn 9
Original and present owner, John Slack. In 1840, this land belonged to Joseph McDonald (E1/2) and Jonas McDonald(W1/2). They are also listed in Land Grant Auditors Certificates as the original filers for this land.
W1I2 I SWI14 - 80 A - original owner John Slack:
58 A - present owner John Slack
22 A - (west side) present owner Richard McDonald
NW1I4 I NW1/4 - 40 A - original and present owner John Slack
Totals - John Slack had owned as much as 360 acres and in 1845 still owned 338 acres.
Evaluating this data, it appears that John Slack did not expand the 160 acres that he put together from 1831 to 1836 until sometime between 1840 and 1843, when he increased it by 178 acres (22 acres of his 80 acre plot had been sold off to Richard McDonald). At this point, the most appealing reason for this sudden increase in acreage may be that his wife, Nancy, inherited it from her father, Joseph McDonald, who had died January 5, 1842 [Date of death of Joseph McDonald, January 5, 1842 - from Old Cemeteries ofCass Co., Illinois, by Arthur Crumrin, pub. 1966, p. 91].
John was active in the community, as evidenced by his inclusion on the list of voters in the Virginia precinct of the newly formed Cass County, August 7, 1837. Also on the list were John and Jonas McDonald. On August 14, 1837, John Slack was appointed as one of three judges of the Sugar Grove magistrate and constable district ofCass County.[see copy of Historical Sketches, by J. N. Gridley p. 106. Virginia, Illinois, Public Library] Notably, one of the other judges was Henry Hopkins, the author of the reports which convinced William Holmes, Joseph McDonald, and ultimately, John Slack to settle in this region.
Good descriptions of what life was like for the early settlers of Cass (Morgan) County are presented in Perrin's History of Cass County. Some of the more interesting accounts follow:
Game was plentiful, especially deer, prairie chicken, and quail. Wolves were common and, although they rarely attacked people, they were a constant threat to the settler's livestock. One account describes a huge gray wolf that tried to enter a cabin when the door was opened to see what the dogs were barking about. The occupants beat the invader out of the doorway with sticks of firewood. Later that night, they heard shots at the homes of two neighbors. The wolf was killed at the second neighbor's place and, when measured, it was found to be nine feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
The winter of 1830-31 was extremely severe. Snow began falling early and regularly and between partial thaws and freezes eventually reached a depth of four to six feet, much deeper in drifts. The ice that formed after the thaws formed a thick cap over the snow so that animals could not dig down to the grass below. Livestock and wild game died for want of food.
Several people, as well, died of starvation and the cold, as temperatures dropped drastically and remained frigid for long periods. The snow stayed on the ground all winter and up into March.
The houses in which the early settlers lived were little more than huts made of unhewn logs. The spaces between the logs were filled tight with clay, straw, and sticks. There was only one room with doors made of split or hewn logs opening on each side. Rarely, was there a window. The roof was made of split wood shingles and held in place by logs laid across them. The floor was formed from split or hewn (puncheon) logs. A fireplace was at one end of the cabin. Its construction was described thusly, "A temporary (log) wall would be built about two feet inside the (outer) log wall; the space then filled with earth (clay) and wetted, was pounded or rammed down solid. The inner (wooden) wall was then talcen away and a fire built inside, which balced the jam (the packed clay) like brick. Then tlns was surmounted by a stick and clay chimney, a pole was run across (the fireplace opening) to hang kettles on--." There was usually a bed in each of two corners and a trundle bed under these, which was pulled out at night. When company came and stayed the night, as they usually did, a "field bed" was made on the floor, using extra blankets that were always an important part of each housewife's reserve. Food was simple, but generally plentiful. Garden povender and grains from the field formed the main source of food. This was supplemented by meat, mostly from wild game and cured meats from livestock (mostly pork). Bread was the staple, and since wheat flour was scarce it was made from corn meal. The corn meal dough was cooked in a Dutch oven (a cast iron pot with a lid that had a high rim around its edge), which was placed in or near the coals. Once the dough was placed in the oven, the lid was put on and hot coals were dropped onto the rimmed lid. A description of the various recipes and the process of making corn bread can be found on p. 33 of Perrin's, History of Cass County.
In 1847, John Slack began selling off his holdings. The first to go was the 40 acres in the NW 1/4INW 1/4 of Sec. 2 for $140.00 [Cass Co., Illinois, courthouse, Book C, p. 265 and Book E, p. 181 (a hand-written transcription of this deed was made by L. Tyler, because the book was not available for copying - pages could not be removed)]. The rest, 298 acres, was sold to Nathaniel B. Thompson on September 3, 1850, for $2,900.00 (total for both $3,040.00). In October of 2000, LaVon and I visited Cass Co., Illinois, to locate the land where John Slack, Jr. settled. With the records cited above and a good map from the Recorder's Office, we readily located the area where his farm had been. To the south, the land was flat to gently rolling, but rough and forested at the northern end. From the corn crop that was being harvested while we were there, the land must have been quite productive. This had been prairie land, edged by heavy timber along the streams which fed into the near-by Sangamon River, and was referred to as "The Breaks," where timber met prairie. This was prized land to the early settlers because it insured them a supply of wood and protection not afforded by the tree-barren prairies further north or south of this region.
That afternoon, as we watched the huge combines making their way through the fields harvesting a bountiful crop of corn, we wondered, "Why did John Slack leave such an ideal farming area?" Other than the restlessness of the pioneer spirit to always be pushing on to new and, hopefully, better situations, no clear answer came to mind. Then, while reading in Perrin's History of Cass County, we came upon some information that might provide the answer to the above question. In 1837, the Illinois State Legislature passed a bill providing for the construction of 1,300 miles of railroad lines and improvement of the navigable capabilities of several rivers. Once built, these improvements couldn't even earn enough money to pay the interest on the loans made by the State. The State was left with a debt of over $14,000,000.00 and only a population of less than a half million to pay for it. Banks collapsed and paper currency was greatly depreciated, and in most instances only silver was accepted as legal tender. The population was overextended in debt and with no income other than barterable goods with which to pay, the economy became bankrupt. The State defaulted on its bonds until they were worth only fourteen cents on the dollar. The legislature made a vain attempt to ameliorate conditions, but only made them worse. The law they passed (called the "stay" or "two thirds" law) provided for property being held ("stay") at two-thirds of its pre-crisis value, and if no bid was made at or above this level, the creditor was stuck with his lien or had to accept a discount of 33 1/3%. (This law was eventually declared unconstitutional, but too late to be of any help.) Business stagnated; the depression apparently extended into the 1850s and caused economic havoc throughout the state. People everywhere were wanting to sell out and leave the state, which offered them nothing but higher taxation and ruin. But there were few buyers for the property and many sold out at ridiculously devalued prices and fled to a more reasonable economy to start over. It is my belief that this poor economic environment forced John Slack to sell out and move to Iowa, the next frontier that was opening to the west.
John Slack and some of his family were still in Illinois during the census of Cass County in 1850. (Note - "Slack" was spelled "Slacke" - an error by the census taker.) Missing from the list were Mary Ann (aged 32), who had married John Gaddie in 1838 and was no longer living at home, and Nancy J. (aged 28), who may have gone with her brother William to Iowa where she married L. Roof in 1851. William is included on this list, but several facts make us question who this William was: the age is wrong (he was born in 1821, thus, he was 29 in 1850, not 26); he was married in 1842 and already had three children and was most likely living in his own home; and he is listed on the Polk County, Iowa, census for 1850. [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker).]
Evaluation of this data suggests that William was sent ahead of the rest of the family to locate land in Iowa and that the rest joined him either late that year or early the next (1851).
On June 26, 1852, John Slack bought Lot 1 of Block 5 in the town of Hartford, Richland Twp., Warren County, Iowa [William and his family were living with another family. They were listed under the John Leonard Family. (Farm 369, pg. 416 under the name of Slock. Family members listed were William ,,; age 29, b: Kentucky; Mary 26, b: Illinois; Catherine 8, b: Illinois; Mary A. 6, b: Illinois; Rebecca I, b: Illinois. Not listed was Josephine b: December 5, 1849, Illinois. Under occupation, William was listed as a cooper (barrel maker)].
Shortly before, June 17, 1852, William Slack had purchased a forty acre tract in Sec. 14 of Richland Twp., which was about two to three miles east of Hartford . The following year, 1853, John bought the adjoining forty-acre tract [See list of excerpts from Index to Deed Book F, p. 145 and 146]. This is good land that extends up from the bottom land of the South River flood plain.
It was probably partially forested at the time they purchased the farms. John also purchased additional lots in Hartford and another forty acres to the west of Hartford in Sec 17. [see copy of recorded patent granted to John Slack by the State ofIowa - River Lands, which states that John Slack purchased SE 1/4 of SW 114 of Sec 17 of Twp 77 on June 10, 1853. The patent was recorded in the Des Moines River Records, Book F, p. 411 on July 15, 1852. Later it was recorded in Book 40, pg. 102 of the Warren Co., Iowa, Land Records.] Both John and William are included in the tax lists for Richland Twp., Warren Co., Iowa, for the year 1854. Their taxable property was listed as follows:
John Slack SE 1/4/ SW 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
SE 1/4/ SW 114 - Sec 17, Twp 77 --, 40 acres, val. $50;
Hartford Lots - 3,4, 7, 8; Blk 6, val. $50;
Hartford Lot - 1; Blk 5; val. $230
Total Value $776.00
Personal Property $396.00
William Slack NW 1/4/ NE 1/4 - Sec 14, Twp 77 --, 40 acres; val. $140; (Deed records indicate this should be NE 1/4/ SW 1/4)
Personal Properry $165.00
Total Value $305.00
Something must have gone wrong, because on February 29, 1856, both John and William sold their forty acre farms in Section 14. William also sold another forty acre tract located in Section 12 of Richland Twp. on June 11, 1856 (at this point I have no record of him purchasing this property). William followed his father's example and purchased several lots in Hartford (Lots 1,2,3,4, in Block 7 on April 8, 1856, and Lots 7 and 8 in Block 5 and Lot 4 in Block 3 on June 15, 1857).35 What they did in Hartford to maintain themselves isn't known. John still had his forty acres in Sec 17 just west of Hartford. In both the 1860 and 1870 U.S./Iowa Census, John and William were both listed as farmers. Perhaps they farmed John's forty acres together, but since less than thirty acres of this farm was tillable (Butcher Creek coursed along both the south and east sides), there wouldn't have been enough to support one family, let alone two. It is possible, but I have no evidence, that they rented land, as well. In the 1850 census of Polk County, Iowa, William's occupation was listed as a cooper (barrel maker). He might have followed this trade to help supplement their income (a set of blacksmith tools and augers which would have been used by a cooper were listed in the appraisement of William's estate in 1873).
On January 8,1861, John Slack conveyed 15 acres to his son-in-law, Joseph Taylor, Sarah's husband, from the east side of the SE 1/4/SW 1/4 of Sec 17, Twp 77, Rn 22 for $150.00.38
Also, on 14 October 1867, John sold an additional 25 acres (the remaining part of the same 40 acre tract in Sec. 17) to Joseph Taylor. It was most likely these transactions that caused the problems between Joseph Taylor and William Slack, which eventually lead to a violent encounter in September of 1873, resulting in William's death.
Disaster struck John's family during the fall and early winter of 1853. On September 30, daughter Susan (18 yrs.) died, Nancy J. (31 yrs.) died on October 25, and Nancy's daughter (1 yr.) died on December 14. All are buried in the Slack plot at Hartford. Causes of their deaths can only be conjectured, but were probably due to one or more of the infectious diseases that were so rampant among pioneer families. Typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery were three of the more common scourges. It is interesting to note that the Newton Guthrie family lost their first four girls during the early to mid 1850s. They are buried in the Guthrie plot next to the Slacks. Susan's daughter, Alice, who was about 10 months old at the time Susan died, was taken in and raised by John and Nancy.
In the 1860 U.S./Iowa census, the following children were living with John and Nancy:
Andrew ~ 27 (b: 1833 in Illinois), Martha E. - 19 (b: 1841 in Illinois), and Alice ~ 6 (b: 1852 in Iowa). In the 1870 U.S.! Iowa census, only Alice and Andrew were living with John. Martha had married and Nancy had died in 1862.
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