Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 14

2 Becatum PART TWO rr 8 PAGES MAI i TWENTY-EIGHTH YEAR, DECATUR, ILLINOIS, SUNDAY, JULY, 4, 1909. NUMBER 286 Wmmm wmmmm I -4. fell! 62 GfntW Ml Residence of J. "Batchelder in I Mini. Mr.

Batchelder who has one of the best farms in the township, is a New Englander by birth, as is his wife, although they came into the country when young children. A portion of the house was built by Samuel Batchelder, the father of the present occupant. 3 munity interest, a sort of neighborhood esprit de corps is observable among them, and if one doubts it, let him question any one who has gone out from the colony and Mini has given of its best and note whether that feeling of loyalty Is not a living active thing. Mr. Batchelder moved to Mini, where he bought land and built the house standing near the church and in which he lived until his death in 1S9S.

His widow makes her home in this city with her daughter. Other Rntcheldera Attracted. When one fearless and energetic young man came Into the Western country and made good, he was invariably followed by other members of his family or neighbors. John Batchel-der's two brothers learning of John's success "also decided to come to Mini. The brothers were Samuel and David.

Both became land holders in Mini. Home of Mrs. Thomas Eaton. The Cen tral Portion is the Original Part of tha I ouse. I icz PtepwSKSj ttV Efeil vi three.

Its Sabbath school is nearly as large. It is conceded to be one of the most flourishing, active country churches in the state, and the testimony of the pastor. Rev. Samuel Pearson, is that his people are the most loyal that he has ever known. The church is in the center of the social as well as nsrlander and his wife's father and ini Mr iiiiman's father was a New Most of them are of New Englan stock- I Children of the Batchelder school.

them, both came from the East. Mr. Gilman Is one of the most successful "The men New KnKland made thy rich prairie The pride ut the Corn. Uelt In Illinois." THK words of pupils of the' mini townshit iHK words of a sons, suns by the Batchelder school in a significance which might not be apparent to the RoiMuira nf Frail niiman in Til mother who make their home with corn planters in the community. casual hearer, but is well understood by anybody who knows anything of the history of the people who till the rich rolling lands southwest of the village of Warrensburg.

For this community is known far and wide throughout the northwest part of Macon county as "The Yankee Settlement." and the people of the New England colony, true Westerners though they are, are proud to be so designated. It is a long jump from the rockribbed hills and mountains of New Hampiire to the fertile lands of Central Illinois. But here, where the prairies stretch out mile after mile in long fields of nodding green, a little company of pioneers in the middle of the last century raised their Ebeneezers, and planted with their corn and wheat the spirit and traditions of New England, which their descendants have tended and kept alive. So while nearly three score years have elapsed since John J. Batchelder of New Hampshire stock and trainng came out to Central Illinois and sent word back of the richness nf the soil, the children of the first settlers are bound by an invisible chain to the East and their children who may never have seen a mountain or a pine tree, sing of those hardy New Euglanders.

who first turned the black soil of the prairie to the sunlight. Splendid Community Spirit. They do not talk much about themselves these Yankee farmers. They have the silence as well as the thrift. Of their people.

But a splendid com-1 The J. J. Batchelder place. This coming to Iilini, and here he spent Ute the religious life of the community, and so closely are the young people allied with it, that the need has long been recognized for rooms, where the parlous entertainments and social affairs can be appropriately held, and a fund is now being raised to secure basement rooms. Yonng; People Loyal to Homes.

While they retain something of the Puritan spirit, and while they are Godfearing, the people of Illinl are not afflicted with that narrowness, which finds its expression in the blue laws. Canniness and common sense characterize -Jheir mental attitude on most questions, -and they have much of the Itberality and "broadness to be found in the West-and which the' sweeping level prairies seem to inspire. While "hey will enlarge and Improve their church building, they recognize the fact that there are some people in the community who do not worship with them, but whose social inclinations are the same as their own. While the plan has not yet passed the stage of first consideration, they hope some day to have in the Iilini community adjacent to the church, a building where all of whatever denomination or sect may feel free to meet. What is to be regarded as one of the most encouraging things is the tendency of the young people to remain in the community.

Mini boys and girls go away to school and college, and bring back ready to apply, the knowledge and accomplishments which they have acquired. And they are never so happy as at home. As the men and women of today have received their farms from their fathers so they will pass their lands down to their children, confident that the acres will not be worked by the hands of strangers. The Batchelder School. Another New England characteristic is the respect for education.

No better rural school is to be found in Macon county than the Batchelder school of Mini. Its lightness, cleanliness and modern fittings suggest a city class The pupils come for miles around, many of them driving, and the general exodus of the boys when they get to be of working age, is not apparent here. No community is prouder of its school than Iilini, and F. E. Brinkley, the teacher, who romps with his young charges at recess and becomes the master the moment after the bell rings, can testify to the interest and sympathy which the parents take in the education of their children.

The school song, which the children sing, "Mini" was written by Mr. Pearson, the pastor of the church and the music by his wife an accomplished musician. If "one finds himself losing faith in the patriotism of young America he should hear the song sung by the Batchelder school children. John J. Batchelder.

"Throw a stone In Illinl," and you'll hit a Batchelder, has long been a maxim In the community, and If the stone fails to hit a Batchelder it is pretty certain to land near a Brown. No article on the New England colony would be complete without a reference to these families, whose names are those to conjure with in Mini. John J. Batchelder was building railroad bridges in Alabama in the late BO's with O. Z.

Greene of this city when Mr Greene's health failed and he went into the Northwest. Mr. Batchelder went to Harristown and settled on the John Camp farm. Mr. Batchelder- and Mr Green were brothers-in-law coming from Plttsfield, N.

and it was natural that they should drift together again after their separation. Mr. Greene came to Harristown, and later 1, The Congregational church of Iilini is the center of the religious and social life of the community. It was organized 41 years ago. and the present edifice was erected in 1875 on land given by John Batchelder.

Plans are now on foot for building a basement for social rooms. Mr. Green recalls at one time going east and returning with Samuel's children, two girls and a boy baby one year old. The boy was J. C.

Batchelder now one of the most prominent and respected members of the Mini colony. Samuel Batchelder died some years ago. David lives in Church street in this city and his son, Wilbur, Is connected with the firm of Field SShorb. The Batchelders were church people, and John J. Batchelder was instrumental in establishing the church in Iilini in 18CS.

At that time there was a perponderance of Presbyterians in the community so it was thought that the church should be of that denomination, but at the end of two years the Congregationalists outnumbered the Presbyterians and it became a Congregational church. In the 41 years of its life it has had only eight ministers, the people preferring long pastorates. O. Z. Greene was one of the organizers of the church.

John Batch-elder gave the land on which the church building was erected in 1875, and the land for the parsonage on the other side of the street was given by the Creary estate on the condition that it be used only for parsonage purposes. The present officers Of the Mini church are as follows: Deacons. E. J. Roberts, Amos Brown, F.

G. Gilman; trustees. J. C. Batchelder.

Jesse Clips-ton, James Watklns; church treasurer and Sunday school superintendent, Joseph T. Tucker. the three Brown brothers who came The l.nxt Hntelielder I'lnnerr. Moses Emery Batchelder, now St years old, but whose appearance bespeaks the strength that once was his, remains as the last of those men now living in Mini who came out of tha East when the countiy was young. Ha came from Hampton Falls.

N. and is a distant relative of the three Batchelder brothers who proceeded him. However he married their sister, and another sister, Mrs. Abbie Clough is stilt living in Chicago. Mr.

Batchelder has a fine farm of 300 acres, the care of which he has turned over to his sons, Nathaniel, Frank and Edward. "When I came here in "65" says Mr. Batchelder "You could drive a horse in a straight line across country for 7 miles without encountering a fence. The land was wet then and the ague was common. It took but a little while however for the drainage ditches, wiien they were put through, to draw off the water, and the fever disappeared.

Another man of the same generation with Mr. Batchelder, but one who came to Mini only within recent years to make his home with his daughter, Mrs. Fred Gilman. is A. P.

Younsr. a native of Plymouth county, Mass. Mr. Young came to St. Louis in 1835.

when still a young child, his family traveling part of the way by wagon. His wife is from Bath, Me. Mr. Young located in Iowa and spent 30 years of his life in that state, too old now to do heavy farm work Mr. Young has a garden that is wcedless.

and his theories as to corn, growing have received favorable con into the country, from New England aa In the sixty years that have intervened since the first New England settlers came many of the customs have changed, and naturally enough. The Yankee farmers do not mow their wheat and timothy with sythes be cause their fathers and grandfathers thus cut the hay crop in and out among the rocks on the New England hills. As has been said before they are true Westerners and nothing is more aDDarent than their eagerness to adopt new methods. PerlTfips the one New England custom to which they cling is that of eating the proverbial Boston baked beans and brown bread on Saturday nights and Sunday morn ing, a custom, which, it is understood, is well nigh universal throughout the community. New England Characteristic.

But for New England spirit and tra ditions one must go deeper than this, and perhaps they are nowhere better illustrated than in their religious me. The early settlers brought with them their devotion to the church of New England, the Orthodox Congregational, and no sooner had their Lares and Penates been erected than they cast about for a place of worship. In 1S68 they organized a church and in 1S75 erected a building, following it a few years later with a parsonage. The buildings stand out in the open country, and the parish extends out in a radius of four miles to the south west. Its membership is made up almost exclusively of farmer folks and numbers one hundred and twenty- house was built by Mr.

Batchelder, the latter years of his. life. The bouse is Home of Amos Brown, one of young men. The house was started by Mr. Brown's father, but was completed by his son.

original Batchelder pioneer, still owned by the estate. after.