Buffalo Hart Township

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Sangamon County, Illinois
Surname/tag: Illinois

Buffalo Hart Township is located in the northeastern part of Sangamon County and is named for Buffalo Hart Grove the site of the first settlement. The name is taken from 2 of the prolific animals in the area Buffalo and deer. The word Hart is an archaic word for "stag"; through in some Old English "heorot"; some Dutch "hert" and Swedish/Norwegian/Danish "hjort". Specifically, "Hart" was used in medieval times to describe a red deer stag more than 5 yeas-old ^[1] Thus, Buffalo Hart. The approximately 2100 acres of the township, except for the Grove, is prairie. Buffalo Hart Township was organized in the same manner and time as other townships in Illinois with the 1861 Township Organizat Law. The first election was held on the first monday in April 1861

Contents 1 Religion 2 Education 3 Firsts 4 Mail 5 Manufacturing 5.1 Saw Mill 5.2 Tile Mill 6 Farming 7 References for Buffalo Hart Township 7.1 Sources

Religion

Summer of 1826, at James Lynn's home, the traveling minister [as yet not identified] of the ME Church held services for the 4 attendees: James Lynn & his wife, Sarah DePoyster Lynn and Mr. and Mrs. Burns. Over the next few years, several different denominations held services in James Lynn's home and later in school houses. In 1832, 2 Episcopal preachers from England had arrived, Dr. Barton Robinson and Mr. Davis. They build a chapel in Sec 29 of Buffalo Hart Township. Later, when the church failed to thrive, it was converted into a school. No other church existed in the township until 1867, when at the cost of $2,400 a union church was built. Various denominations used the church for worship and the ME denomination held class there daily. In 1881, Five religious bodies were present: Methodist, Episcopal, Christian, Baptist, and Presbyterian. ^[2]

Education

Starting in the summer of 1829, Kennedy Kincade, began teaching in a room in a cabin built by John Constant [which John Constant]. The second school in Buffalo Hart Township was taught by Mr. Blue in 1830 in a log cabin on the W1/2 of the SE1/4 of Section 20. John Constant built, on his farm, the first log school house in the area. Eliza Hood taught this first term. The 'old chapel" school house was still being used and by 1881 a new school house [not located, yet] was built giving the township a total of 3 schools valued at $6,700 with 275 kids of school age.^[3]

Firsts

Marriage = Isaac L Skinner and Harriet L. Constant 13 Aug 1829
Birth = Martha Lynn born 29 Dec 1826 - died 25 Sep 1830
Death = John Ridgeway March 1827
Frame Home = the chapel built by robinson and Davis in 1832
First Brick home = John Constant in 1829 - this home burnt in 1855
First Teacher = Kennedy Kincade summer of 1829
First merchandize sold = James Haney, opened a store in 1848 in Section 31. ^[4]

Mail

• Buffalo Hart Grove had postal service for a year starting in 1837, but four years later it was changed to Jimtown, a predecessor of Riverton.^[5]
• Until 1846 Springfield provided the mail.
  
• In 1846, at Buffalo Hart Station, James T. Robinson became postmaster. He was succeeded by Robert Cass until it disbanded with the Wabash Railroad was completed.
  
• With the RR being completed, two new offices opened both in Mechanicsburg Township, one in Buffalo station and further west in the Township, Dawson station.
  
• In 1871 When the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield (Springfield Division) of the Illinois Central RR was completed a station was erected near the Robert E. Burns home and the established post office had W. A. Mudd as postmaster.
  
• Two years later Mr. Mudd was succeeded by Frank L. Priest who held office for 3 years. W. S. Greening for one year and then John T. Constant.^[6]

Manufacturing

This industry started with a horse mill by Thomas Skiller milling grain for the local farmers.

Saw Mill

In 1861, Robert Cass built a saw-mill in the center of Buffalo Hart Grove but moved location in 1874 to Buffalo Hart Station. It was written that it was an excellent mill and is a prime necessity for the county.^[7]

Tile Mill

In 1879, Farnum Brothers began making drain tiles. In the 1880 census for Buffalo Hart Village, David A Farnam, William Vickers, Henry E Farnam, Elijah F Farnam and John Farnam were noted as working in Tile Mill.^[8]

WHERE was it located, how long did it stay in business and when did it close..

Farming

The Buffalo Hart Grange, No. 644, P. of H., organized 22 Sep 1873 and held meetings at the "old chapel" in Buffalo Hart Grove for the 1st two years. A hall was built at the Buffalo Grove Station and became the meeting place on 26 Jun 1875. The following were charter members: G. K. Greening,
Z.T. Greening,
William Huffman,
John Lee,
George Kuhler
Oliver McDaniel, Corresponding Secretary
John T Constant, Secretary
Marcus Costello,
Harrison McDaniel,
Jennie Enos,
Helen Finfrock,
Sarah Ford,
Mattie McDaniel,
Hannah Lee,
F. M. Merrick,
Araminta Ford,
Lucinda Costello,
Elizabeth C Constant,
Since March 1876 up to the publication of the History of Sangamon County no meetings have been held and the charter not surrendered.

First settlers as listed in The History of Sangamon County, Illinois: Together with Sketches of its Cities... list as early settlers as:
William Bridges and Charles More in 1824, Robert E. Burns in 1825 followed by James Lynn John Constant, Robert Cass, William P. Lawson, Thomas Greening, John Robinson, James F. Robinson Adam Starr

References for Buffalo Hart Township

The 1880 US Census was used. I used the index at FamilySearch.org and the document at Ancestry.com. Interesting to note: John E Constant was the enumerator - handwriting was clear, but often the husband was listed as boarder. Page 7 was skipped as a continuation of page 6 and page 8 was completed, John then went back to complete page 6 as a continuance of Page 8. This would be very confusing to someone looking for the family as the wrong children may be attributed without the comparison of the index to the document. The census for 1880 took 12 pages, it is Enumeration District 200. On page 11, the bottom family is listed as 93, 94 is skipped. Family 93 appears to be comprised of 3 families. I have separated the logical leaving the Widower McDaniel (the first separate entry in the familysearch.org index) and the Butrum household (the second separate entery in the familysearch.org index) as family 93. I start family 94 as the Oliver McDaniel household completing the 93, 94 and leaving the 95 as recorded.

The 1880 Census for Buffalo Hart Township was in enumeration district 200 and contained 99 families with a total of 572 people. Of the 99 families, families 51 through 59 resided in Buffalo Hart Village. Racial makeup consisted of 567 caucasians and 5 African Americans. The 1880 census was the first to identify an individual’s relation to the head of household. In addition, the 1880 census was the first to identify the state, county, and other subdivisions; the name of the street and house number for urban households; illness or disability at the time the census was taken; marital status; number of months unemployed during the year; and the state or country of birth of every individual’s father and mother.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hart (deer)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hart_(deer)&oldid=655604779 (accessed April 9, 2015).
2. ↑ Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.). 1881. History of Sangamon County, Illinois; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago: Inter-state Pub. Co.
3. ↑ Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.). 1881. History of Sangamon County, Illinois; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago: Inter-state Pub. Co.
4. ↑ Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.). 1881. History of Sangamon County, Illinois; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago: Inter-state Pub. Co.
5. ↑ A New Eden: The Pioneer Era in Sangamon County; Robert P. Howard, online, http://www.sancohis.org/OLDER%20FILES/eden.htm; taken from book printed 1974, Editor Cullom Davis, Bicentennial Studies in Sangamon History, Sangamon County Historical Society, Springfield, Illinios.
6. ↑ Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.). 1881. History of Sangamon County, Illinois; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago: Inter-state Pub. Co.
7. ↑ Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.). 1881. History of Sangamon County, Illinois; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago: Inter-state Pub. Co. Page 807.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXKX-6BS : accessed 10 May 2015), Buffalo Heart, Sangamon, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district 200, sheet 208B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0248; FHL microfilm 1,254,248.