Bell Plain township is located in Township 29 North, Range 1 West. It has two towns: La Rose and Pattonsburg. La Rose was first recorded as a village in 1837, the town has also been known as Montrose and Romance. The town of Lyons no longer exists.
The first settlers of the township of Belle Plain, and some of them among the first that ventured into the unbroken wilderness of this County, located at the grove at the head of Crow Creek, which for years was known as Martin's Point. These pioneers came about as follows: James MARTIN in August, 1829; Samuel HAWKINS, 1830; Thomas BENNINGTON, 1831; Jerry BLACK, Pierce PERRY, Joseph and Robert BENNINGTON, 1832; Daniel HOLLENBACK, 1833; Nathan PATTON, 1834; John WILLSON, 1835; Forsythe HATTON and James CLEMENS, 1836; David HESTER and William HENDRICKS, 1838; Levi WILCOX and Wm. HESTER, 1844.
John SKELTON made a claim in 1835 and lived upon it several years but left for Iowa in 1845.
Nathan PATTON bought part of his claim of Thomas BENNINGTON which had been secured of HAWKINS, who built one of his peculiar cabins upon it. In 1831 he entered from Government the remainder.
Forsythe HATTON settled here with six sons, three of whom, William, John F. and Andrew, soon made claims, the former on section 30, followed by John F., who located near the town of the family name of PATTONSBURG, on section 36. The latter was an expert hunter, and bears a scar on his right arm, the result of an encounter with a wounded buck.
Daniel HOLLENBACK came in 1833 and settled in the border of the grove to which he gave a name, his sons George, Jacob and Daniel, Jr., making claims in the vicinity as they became of sufficient age.
Mark HATTON, a brother of Forsythe HATTON, settled here in 1840. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, serving under Gen. Jackson at New Orleans.
Nathan PATTON's sons were John, who died in 1875, and James, who died when twenty-one years old. His daughters were Mrs. PORCH, Mrs. William HESTER, Mrs. McCANN, Mrs. James SHANKLAND, and two unmarried daughters, living in Pattonsburg.
PERRY's farm was partly improved by a man named BLAND, who lived here in early times, and selling to the former, returned to Kentucky.
Robert BIRD, Sr., made a claim in 1831, which he afterward sold to Nathan PATTON.
James MARTIN first settled on the HOLLENACK place, but sold his claim to James BIRD, who subsequently transferred it to Robert BIRD, and he to Henry MILLER. This was previous to 1832.
In 1836 John WINTER, who had lived on Reuben BELL's place, moved to the western border of the grove and began the improvement of his farm, on Section 35.
Extracted from Records of the Olden Time
1890 Map from
Plat Book of Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois, 1890
The following list of names transcribed from the 1890 map may not be complete. As always, we welcome corrections and additions.
ANTRIM, J and T
BALL, G L
BALL, J D
BALL, J T
BALL, Jonas T
BARNES, H T
BATRUM, Michael
BELL, G N
BELL, Geo N
BELL, J E
BELL, Mary A
BELL, R P
BELL, T
BELL, Wm A
BENNINGTON, J N
BENNINGTON, R S
BICKEL, William
BINGER, Fred
BLACK, J W
BOWMAN, Peter
BOYS, C
BOYS, Chas
BRACKETT, P
BROWN, John
BUTTMAN, Lott
COFFEY, M
COMBS, Alfred
COX, Saml
CUNNING, M A
DALY, M
DALY, Martin
DAVIDSON, J
DeVAULT, J L S
DOMAN, A H
DOMAN, August
FORBES, Caleb
FORBES, I M
FORT, Emily C
FORT, Mary A
FOSTER, G W
FOSTER, H G
FOSTER, J B
FOSTER, K D
FOSTER, T B
GIBBS, Mary
GOODELL, T L
GRIMES, H B
GRISWOLD, A A
GRISWOLD, Amos
HAHN, Jacob
HAHN, John
HARPER, B S
HARRISON, Calvin
HATTAN, J F
HATTAN, Charles
HATTAN, Jacob
HATTAN, John F
HATTAN, W E
HEITZ, Mrs Mary
HESTER, R S
HULL, Charlotte
HULL, Manfred F
ILIFF, J R
ILIFF, Nancy
ILIPP, W J
IRELAND, F N
IRELAND, Pleasant
JAQUOT, Mrs S E
JOHNSON, Sarah M
JONES, Milo
JUSTICE, Robert
KAATZ, Fred
KAMP, John
KAMP, John
KIFFEE, David
KOCH, Chas Jr
LANE, ? and R
LANE, C
LANE, S R
LANE, Theo
LENZ, Gust
LITCHFIELD, John
MARNIG, heirs of J
MARTIN, Catherina
MARTIN, F C, I A and G B
MARTIN, Viola E
McCREERY, Lavina
McCULLY, Samuel
McCUNE, Hugh
McKEE, Alex
MILLS, A, heirs of
MONAHAN, Edward
MOORE, R P
MOSS, J C
MOSS, Mrs D A
OWENS, J M
PALMER & MAXWELL
PALMER, Wm F
PERRY, E L
PERRY, F L
PERRY, W A
PERRY, William H
PICKERELL, T L
QUINN, T
RAINS, J W
REMLEY, Geo
ROBINSON, S D
ROGERS, Samuel
SCHREVE, Sophia
SCHUMACHER, Adolp
SCHUMACHER, Christopher
SCHUMACHER, W H
SCHUMACHER, William
SCHUMACKER, Chas E
SHAFER, Anton
SHAFER, George
SHANKLIN, E and A
SHANKLIN, J A
SHARP, J M
SHARP, James
SHARP, John
SNOW, E J
SNOW, W H
SPANGLER, Charles C
SPANGLER, J C
SPANGLER, James
SPANGLER, John B
SPANGLER, Samuel
SPANGLER, William F
STONIER, Joseph
SUMMERFIELD, John
SWANKEE, Henry
THOMPSON, J S
WALLACE, Leverette K
WATT, N
WELTY, Mrs Gertrude B
WELTY, Sain
WHITTON, Thos
WINETEER, John
WINKEL, Chas E
WITTON, Robt
WOLLCOTT, O P
ZILM, Fred
ZILM, Henry
ZILM, Wm
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