This biography recounts the life of Benjamin Slane (1798–1875), a Virginia-born pioneer who settled in Illinois in 1831. Slane married Delilah Cheshire in 1824, with whom he had six children. The family’s journey to Illinois was marked by challenging conditions and encounters with Native Americans. After Delilah’s death in 1839, Slane raised their children alone, eventually settling in Princeville. Known for his integrity, he served as justice of the peace and supervisor. His children largely remained in the community, continuing his legacy of hard work and respectability.
By Edward Auten, 1906
Benjamin Slane was born in Chester, Frederic County, Virginia, in 1798. He married Delilah Cheshire, of Hampshire County, in 1824. She was an excellent woman, and the mother of six children, viz.: Benjamin F. (commonly called Frank), John Z., Elizabeth A., Delilah J., Samuel S. and James T. Slane.
In that same Virginia community were two other families, those of Jonathan Nixon and William Nixon, forming with Mr. Slane ‘s family a little group bound together by ties of relationship (even though Jonathan and William Nixon were not related) and common good will and interests.
In 1830 Mr. Slane moved his family, then consisting of three children, John, Frank and Elizabeth, to Ohio, where the Nixons had already preceded him, But before leaving Virginia he had decided to come eventually to Fort Clark, now Peoria, and in 1831 he, together with the Nixons, made their way to the Ohio River at Marietta, where they procured a “keel” boat, flat and square, and shaped like a box car, and floated on it to Cincinnati, Here they abandoned the keel boat and changed to the steamboat “Don Juan,” a tub of a boat with a big name, The children and women were much awed by the noise and racket, the excitement of changing at night, the profanity of the boat’s crew, the first they had heard, and the haste to be off to the next stop, Louisville. Changing boats again here, they reached St. Louis in good time. From St, Louis to Fort Clark they had as traveling companions eighteen big burley Indians, wearing blankets and provided with big iron kettles. These were the first Indians any of the party had ever seen, and of them the women and children were very much afraid.
There were no stoves in those days, and so on the deck of the boat a place was provided to build a fire and cook the meals. The Indians were always the first to cook breakfast which consisted of a big kettle of corn meal into which they threw chunks of meat, the whole giving off an odor anything but savory to a white man.
The steamer proceeded slowly up the Illinois River, stopping now and then at “woodyards” along the banks to lay in a supply of wood—the only fuel known at that time.
On November 4th, 1831, a beautiful autumn day, they landed at Fort Clark, and as they clambered up the bank “there probably was never a more homesick band of women and children than this one,” and probably a few of the men were at least slightly affected. Quarters were procured in a double log cabin and all went there. William Nixon got a separate cabin soon, but Jonathan and Mr. Slane lived there with their families until the next summer, and a “cold, dirty, thankless cabin it was, but as good as the average.” It was situated on the river side of Water street and not more than a stone’s throw from the present City Depot, and diagonally opposite the Indian headquarters. They lived in Peoria for two years; Mr. Slane and a Mr. Craig cut and salted hogs for one Martin in the winter of 1832-33.
Mr. Slane moved in March, 1833, to Section 27 in Richwoods Township, where he had built a cabin the winter before. Two years later he sold his claim to Smith Frye for $200.00, moving in April of 1835 to Rosefield to a new claim on the Knoxville road, then barely passable.
Big Hollow was so steep they locked the wheels together, and all got out and walked, Mrs. Slane carrying the present President of our Old Settlers’ Union in her arms, he being then a babe of less than a year old. They passed through the Village of Kickapoo, comprising one house and one log stable, of which John Coyle, a brother of Mrs. Asa Beall, was sole proprietor.
Mrs. Slane, in the prime of life, when most needed by her children, died at the age of 39 in 1839, and her death was a great affliction to Mr. Slane, He never married again, but with a sad heart and a resolute will entered upon the difficult duties of raising and educating in these pioneer tunes his children, a task most men would have shrunk from. but he did not. Elizabeth Nixon, wife of Jonathan, neighbor to Mr. Slane at this time and afterwards when they moved to Princeville, became almost a second mother to his children, who even now bear in grateful memory her care of them at that time.
William Nixon, who had moved to Tazewell from Peoria, crossed the river once more and lived in Rosefield several years, then went back to Tazewell again, and still later settled down at Elmwood where he ran the first hotel. He died there in 1858.
In 1840 Mr. Slane and Jonathan Nixon moved to Princeville. Mr. Slane purchased Block 20 of Mr. Stevens and moved into a log cabin standing in the center of it. The first year in Princeville was very hard— “So hard I often think it would do the young people of the present generation good to live as we did for just one month.”
In 1845, brothers Frank and John started a lime kiln in the southeast corner of Section 24, Princeville Township, about sixty rods west of the east section line. This was the only lime kiln for miles around and drew trade from points as distant as Weathersfield, Galva, Rochester, Brimfield, Lawn Ridge and Chilicothe. They chopped and split the wood in the winter themselves and in the summer burnt the lime, occasionally having to hire an extra man to quarry stone. They continued in this business for nine years. Shortly after they quit, lime began to be shipped in, so that their business would have been gone from them had they continued.
In 1846 Mr. Benjamin Slane purchased an acre tract east of his log cabin, in Akron, and built a frame house, where he moved, Later he bought the acre north of it. extending to the north section line, This is in the vicinity of the present Hitchcock pond. These two acres he occupied as his homestead until November 22, 1865, when he moved to the southeast quarter of Section 23, where Mr. Thos. Slane now lives. Here Mr. Slane lived until his death on April 29, 1875. At one time he knew every man in the county. lie never sought office, but the people, having faith in his integrity, kept him justice of the peace for twelve years, and supervisor six years. lie made a good justice. He carefully considered the cases he had to decide, and as near as we can learn. not one of his decisions has been reversed by the higher courts. lie always advised litigants to settle, and every three out of five cases presented to him were settled before trial. He aided in the promotion of educational interests, and has been a school official. He aided in public improvements, when a benefit to the town, When he arrived at Fort Clark be had just one picayune in his pocket. By his own personal efforts he soon acquired money enough to purchase land, His life was a busy and eventful one. He was ever a friend to the cause of humanity, freedom of thought and speech, charitable to all, with malice towards none; ever loving the right, because of its justice; ever hating wrong because of his knowledge of its pernicious influences on the destinies of mankind.
Mrs. Elizabeth Nixon died at Red Oak, Iowa, April 20, 1884, and her remains were brought to Cambridge, Illinois, and interred in the cemetery at that place by the side of her husband, Jonathan Nixon, She left one child, Mrs, M. H. Hewitt, with whom she lived at the time of her death. Mr. Hewitt was a lawyer, first at Toulon, then at Cambridge, and later he moved to Red Oak, Iowa, where he was elected Circuit Judge.
Of the children of Mr. Slane, Benjamin F. died eleven years ago, the father of six children, viz.: Ida, now dead nine years, Odillon, Oliver, Edgar, Elgie and Mina.
Samuel S. and Elizabeth A. Slane have never married.
Delilah J. in 1854 married William E. Root. They moved to Nebraska, residing at present at Fairbury, that state.
James T. married Margaret Green in September, 1860. To them was born one daughter, Eva.
John Z. Slane enlisted on August 9, 1862, in Capt. French’s company, Co. K. Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He did hospital duty twice and in the spring of 1864 was sent home for a few months to recover from severe illness contracted from exposure near Knoxville, Tenn. In March, 1867, he was married to Mary Patton, a niece of Dr. R. F. Henry, and to them were born four children, Wilber P., Elzada V., and two who died in infancy.
Unlike many families, the children of Benjamin Slane have not scattered. Save for the one daughter now residing in Nebraska, all of them have remained in this community, without exception honest and upright in business, deserving success and obtaining it, and respected by all who know them.