Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-17
FIRST HISTORICAL INsTALi.MENT.
Paper by Early Resident Tells of Wei
Known Men When They Were Boys.

AT the meeting of the association
ing historical facts relating to Andalu-
STA and vicinity. A. A. Buffum. an
early resident of the village. as pres
ident of the meeting, read the follow
ing paper:
1T having dev6lved upon me to say
few words to you this evening. | will
take for my theme the early recOllec-
tons of Andalusia. its immediate vi
entity and its people.
las | was brought into this locality
80 years ago this month. it will not be
amiss TO say something of things at
that time. In November 1854 my father
the Sulphur Spring farm, shd stayed
there during that winter. and in the
spring of SO moved for Joseph Garnett
TO move in.
Il well remember when we arrived at
Grandma Buffum's and the old Buffum
farm. + had been naughty boy and
did what my parents told me not to do.
and that was not to use the AK 10 cut
wood on the woodpile. as | was but >
years old. But I could not think but
that | was as big as anyone. so | must
try it. and the consequence was l cut
my foot pretty badly: / carry the scar
yet.
Father drove three yoke of cattle TO
a very large old-fashioned linchpin wag
on. one Of those where il was neces
sary to have a tar bucket hung on the
back so the wheels could be creased al
least once a day. and sometimes oftener.
I'VE stayed at Uncle Henry Thomp-
sons the night before we arrived here.
Thompson lived on an so acre farm
that corners with the southeast corner
of Reynolds.
THE weather was very dry and there
was no water for the cattle. so we had
TO wait. or rather the cattle did. for
river till We got TO Fancy creek. near
what is known now as the Daniels
farm
Il being quite lame from my injured
foot, went to sleep, and when the team
arrived at grandma's | did not wake for
an hour or more. Then looked about
that big covered wagon and 10, and be-
hold / was alone, looked out and saw
4 house. and going to il l mustered
enough 10 say is my mother
here and she was.
When father started ON this trip he
started for Texas; but il being SO late
in the fall his friends prevailed on him
to wait till spring: and as the house on
the Sulphur Spring farm was empty,
We moved into 1t for the winter This
house had at that time, only two rooms
down stairs and two rooms up stairs;
and the barn stood between the house
and the river.
Our furniture was limited and we
used dry-gOods box for a table to eat
from. Father hauled wood to Daven-
port with his oxen, to buy more furni-
lure. Uncle Joe Buffum, and NJ v.
Spencer made their home with us part
Of the winter.
All Came To Dance.
Il remember father killing a large
wild turkey that winter. / also remem-
Der them giving a dance on the 22nd
Of February, and people coming from
away out on the prairie. from Rock ISL
and, from Milan. and above Coal Val
ey.
"Andalusia at that time consisted of
hree dwelling houses. two warehouses.
md a wagon and blacksmith shop. In
)ne of the houses was a storeroom.
This house stood in the street in front |
IF where James Britton's residence |
S now. One of the other houses stood !
between that and the river; and the |
shop was between that and |
he warehouse known as the Heath, or |
he Smith & Thompson warehouse. |
Sam Kenworthy lived in house north |
louse where the landing is now. After
wards he built a grist mill TO il.
In the spring of 30 we moved in the |
louise that had the storeroom i'm il, and |
\. A. Morey. quite a young man, ran
store that summer. We kept board 1
RS. and J. w. Ballard came to live with 4
Is. He was a wagonmaker. and work
d in the shop. He came from, old vir-iI
inia. and was barefoot and gXitho
coat when he struck town. II remem n
er. few days after he CAME mother III
lad company for dinner. and Mr.-Bal- u
ard hating to come 10 company dinner VI
arefooted hunted up two old shoes to II
ut on. and 10. they belonged 10 the
anne foot-but had To- do duty. ] want
D ask the young men of today how
lany would start in a new country in
UGH way and become an influential
itizen as Mr.. Ballard did.
MIR. Kenworthy had small field
enced from the street i'm front of the
triton residence west nearly 10 the
reek. and somewhere near the street
lat Delos Holmes lives on. for the
Duth line.
There was a road running from
aul Jahn's house across what is now
is field. and across the creek at the
)nd near Segar's house. The road
OWN by the cemetery came near the
ist creek. little east of Mrs. Mounts
.sidence and the Baptist church. And
IL Edgington road ran from about
ines His straight down 10 near or a
lie south of the Britton residence.