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Abraham Eyman seems to have
settled first in "American
Bottom" or perhaps New Design.
One web posting has him filing
for a Virginia land claim for 100
acres, though nothing about such
grants has been found in a search
of Virginia records. Abraham's
name can be found on a number of
land transactions noted in
Cahokia Records prior to
statehood. In 1796 he seems to
have received land from Larkin
Rutherford for an undisclosed
price, and not recorded until
1804. There are historical notes
suggesting purchases of 100 acres
from George Hendricks of New
Design in 1798. This land
apparently adjoined that of
Anthony Badgley in Fountain
Township. Cahokia Records also
noted an 1803 purchase of a 51
acre purchase in the hills of
Prairie du Pont Creek perhaps
from the estate of Louis Belle,
most likely a hold over from the
French rigime. There's no doubt,
though, that he moved toward
Belleville, and having done so,
lived there the rest of his life.
He likely traveled regularly to
Vandalia during his service in
the House of Representatives. He
was probably back and forth to
Hardy -- at least his
correspondence was presented in
the trial of Jacob Stookey and
the messy court matters which
following Abraham's return of a
Stookey son long since captured
by the Indians. (Some have
thought that Abraham's mother was
a Stookey, but it's probably
enough to leave off the clear
connections by noting that his
wife's mother was a Stookey, that
the neighbors at Turkey Hill were
Stookeys, and that Abraham had
first toured the Illinois
territory with a small Badgley
party which included Daniel
Stookey -- his wife's brother. A
flinty Scotch-Irish chap by the
name of Joseph McClintock, sick
of his Kentucky brother's slave
running ways moved into the
Pennsylvania dutch neighborhood
in about 1818, bought out the
squatters on the land adjacent to
Eymans, and started marrying the
Eyman kids. (Somehow, it's been
said that 6 McClintock children
wound up marrying seven of
Abraham and Susannah's kids!)
Some notes relating to the
Bellevill Eyman lands were
published by William McClintock,
who had married Nancy Eyman. As a
point of reference, this William
McClintock seems to be the
"Uncle" Billy McClintock
described in a history of
Richland Township. He seems to
have been the first teacher in
the precinct, though he ran into
problems in 1824 which a student
rebellion around Christmas time
when students, egged on by a new
kid from Maine, demanded that
they be free to drink alcohol.
McClintock's efforts to
compromise with cider afer having
climbed onto the roof were to no
avail, the loss resulting in his
being hauled out of the school by
one of the students and the end
of a promising teaching career.
-----------------------------
"Old Times in St. Clair",
Weekly Advocate, Vol. 36, No.
38June 18, 1875
We have been permitted to copy
some old papers, now in
possession of our friend and long
time subscriber William
McClintock, Esq., which are in
themselves a history. About the
year 1800 Abraham Eyman settled
on a tract of land in "Turkey
Hill township, St. Clair county,"
containing 320 acres, made claim
to the same in accordance with
usage in those days, and paid
taxes thereon. One of his tax
receipts reads as follows:
"Received of Abraham Eyman one
Dollar and Seventy cents his Tax
for 1806. John Hays, Shrr."
Next in order we find the
permit granted Mr. Eyman from the
U.S. Land office as follows:
No. 143 Land Office
Kaskaskia, January 8th, 1808
In Conformity with the Act of
Congress, entitled "An act to
prevent Settlements being made on
Lands ceded to the United States
until authorized by law,"
Permission is hereby given to
Abraham Eyman new settled on a
certain Tract of Land belonging
to the United States situate in
Turkey Hill Township, in St.
Clair County, within three miles
of Forbisher's Prairie, on the
dividing ridge between Rich Land
and Prairie du Pont Creek,
bounded on all sides by vacant
Land and containing three hundred
and twenty acres, to remain
thereon as Tenant at will, on the
Condition of doing no waste or
Damage on the Land, and on the
other Conditions expressed in the
Act above Mentioned. Michl.
Jones, Regr."
Two year thereafter we find an
increase in taxation of about 33
per cent which Mr. Eyman paid, as
is witnessed by the following
paper which we copy from the
original:
"Received of Abraham Eyman two
Dollars and Forty cents the
amount of his tax for 1810. John
Primm, Dep. Shff."
Some trouble in perfecting
title to this tract caused the
owner to allow it to be sold for
taxes, and then he himself bought
it at the sale by the sheriff, in
1816, and we copy the tax deed
executed by the sheriff
therefore, in full:
By John Hans, Sherrif of St.
Clair County, in the Illinois
Territory.
To all people to whom these
presents shall come, I, the said
Sheriff send greeting:
`Know ye that pursuant to the
several laws of the Said
Territory for levying and
collecting a tax on land, I the
Said Sheriff of hereby Certify
that I did advertise according to
the Said Laws, the Tract of Land
herein after mentioned and
Described as the property of
Abraham Eyman owner or proprietor
and entered with the assessor of
Said County of St. Clair for
taxation for the year 1816, in a
public newspaper printed as
Kaskaskia in the Illinois
Territory Called the Illinois
Herald and Missoury Advertiser;
and that I did accordingly on
this the thirteenth day of May in
the year one thousand Eight
hundred and Sixteen Sell
according to said Laws at the
Dorr of the House in which Court
is Usually held at Belleville in
the County of St. Clair aforesaid
at 10 of the Clock A. M. of this
day (having given Notice as
aforesaid by advertising on the
Court House door and three
Successive weeks in the Newspaper
aforesaid) the Said Tract of Land
herein after Mentioned and
described for the Tax and Costs
due theron for the Said Year 1815
the same being due and unpaid and
that Abraham Eyman of St. Clair
County Illinois Territory became
purchaser thereof for the price
and sum hereinafter mentioned
that it to say to wit, the
Southwest quarter of Section No.
86, and the South half of Section
No. 85(?) in Township No. 1 North
and Range No. 9 West of the third
principal Meridian which was sold
for the Sum of three dollars and
seventy-five cents Tax & cost
said due thereon which Said sum I
acknowledge to have Received from
the said Abraham Eyman in
consideration of which I hereby
certi9fy that all the right,
title, and Interest of the
aforesaid Tractcs of Land herin
Certified, and sold is hereby
Vested in him the Said Abraham
Eyman and his heirs, Subject only
to the provision of Redemption
Contained in the aforesaid
Laws.
In testimony whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and seal at
Belleville the 16 day of May 1816
John Hays, (Seal) Sherrif and
Collector of St. Clair County
Ill. T. Witness Wm. Kinney
Since this sale the land has
mostly remained in the hands of
the Eyman family. The heirs of
Isaac Eyman paid for taxes of
1874 on some 350 (?) acres of the
above described, $152.95, which
is a fair percentage higher than
the $1.70 paid by their ancestor
on the whole tract in 1806; but
the land is worth more than $1.25
per acre now.
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