Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-28
IN THE OLD DAYS.

IN THE OLD DAYS.
The Early Dead of Rock leland County
Funerals Under Diniculties.
In conversation with a Moline Dis
patch reporter, the venerable Benja-
min Goble. was persuaded to give up
some of his "reminiscences of the
olden time, when this county was
first rescued from the aboriginal pos
SCISSORS, and when deer were as plen-
tiful as sheep now are. The CONVEX
sation drifted around to the first of
the settlers who were claimed BY the
grim reaper, and Mr.. Goble said:
The first white person buried in
what is now Rock island county was
Cornelius Haney, who died at Rock
Island in the spring of 1929. He was
buried up where Elm street now is,
just north of where the street car
line turns to 60 down town. There
have since been two or three houses
built on about the same spot. The
next death was that of my father,
George Goble, who died at his home
where East Moline now is. Oct. 25,
1880, aged As years. He was buried
at the same spot. Only one wagon
could be obtained, which compelled
the mourners to stay at home, as
there was no way of transporting
them to the burying ground. A
young man at Hampton, whose name
| have forgotten. died that fall. No
coffin could be obtained, and he was
buried with split slab of tree un-
derneath him, one on each side and
one on top of the body. After he
was buried, near his home at Hamp-
ton. the wolves dug down but were
unable to get at the body on account
of the slabs. The next victim was
Mrs. Michael Bartlett daughter of
old Mr.. Wells, who built the first
house in Moline), who died at Fort
Armstrong in 1881 and was buried on
the island. Another lady, whose de-
scendants are still living in Rock
Island and are well known, died
April %, 1888. In this case only one
wagon could be found, and in order
to enable the mourners to 60 to the
grave hitched up a yoke of oxen
and hauled the remains to the grave
in sled. She was buried on what is
now known as the Brazier farm, out
toward Rock river"
Slaves in Illinois.
'.In the early part of the spring OF
1929" continued Mr.. Goble. "a Mr..
Stevens came to this county from the
south with 90 negro women and set
tied up where East Moline now is.
where he started farm. About the
LIST of October Mr.. Danforth went
10 Galena. which was then the coun.
tv seat, to get warrant for the old
man for keeping slaves in a free
state. Nv father notified Mr.. Stew
ems of what was going on in time fol
him to get his slaves out of the coun'
tv. He came back that night and
staid all night, and told my father he
could have the crop Of corn for Civ.
ing him the tip. About the 18th O
October my father and | began gath
ering the corn. 1t was the first croI
of corn ever gathered by white mel
in this part of 10 Daviess county
now Rock Island), and we got 10l
blu Shells
Disputed Date
Speaking of the date of the govern
/ ment's purchase of the lands of tn,
Sax and Foxes in Iowa. Mr.. Gobl,
said that it was in 1882, although h
had often had that date disputed
Il know that it was late in May
1882, that the government bought al
their land lying between the Missis
sippi and Missouri rivers, exceptin!
a small reservation" said the pic
neer. lin the latter part OF May o
that year the government sent tire
or four hundred men out to the De
Moines river to pillow up their LAM
and make them houses. / went owe
into Iowa some time in July, tina
year, and planted Is hills of corn ant
laid the foundation of house, which
= afterward sold for $75 to Mr.
,, Holly"
Fort Armstrong.
Fort Armstrong" continued tn
= old gentleman, musingly, ''was evac
uated and sold by the government a
auction in the fore part of July, 1886
S | was there and bought broad-a
for 81, which l used for several year
!. afterward. Mr.. Davenport bid o
II the fort at $75. ] said to him
e What are you going to do with tina
. fort?' Haul it up home and max
% barn of it, and the balance of il
e am going to burn he replied. II
r had two big tireplaces, and he wante
a the logs to burn in them"