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Foster Township

(Marion County)

excerpt from the 1881 History of Marion and Clinton Counties, Illinois pages 251 and 252

Is in the northern part of the couinty, occupying all of the town four north, range two east, and is bounded on the north by Fayette county; on the east by Kinmundy; on the south by Tonti; and on the west by Patoka townships. The East Fork of the Kaskaskia river flows of the southern part of the township. The North Fork flows through the northern part. These streams flow in a south-westerly direction, and by them and their tributaries the township is well drained.

Hardy Foster, in whose honor the township was named, was born in Georgia, and was one of the prominent pioneer citizens of the county. He was the first settler here, beginning an improvement on section seventeen in 1823. He came here from St. Clair county, Illinois, where he had lived since 1814. He resided on section 17 until 1831, then moving farther north, made an improvement on section 8.

He built a cabin on the Vandalia and Salem state road. This was about equi-distant between the two towns, and the state-stand was located here. About 1833 a post-office was established, and Mr. Foster was the post-master until his death in 1863. He entered the land where he lived August 15th, 1831, now where his son, Harmon Foster, resides.

He was a justice of the peace many years, and represented the county in the legislature, and was prominently identified in the county through his entire residence here. He had the first horse-mill in the township. He put up this mill about 1833. It stood just sough of his residence. He continued to operate the mill until about 1850.

He raised a family of eight children, two sons and three daughters now living; his wife survived him many years.

The next settlement was made by Mrs. Jones and family of four children on section eighteen in 1826. When she came here her children were about grown Her sons were Eli W., Joseph A. and Samuel B. Her daughter Elizabeth married soon after they settled here to John F. Holt, eldest son of Harmon Holt, the first settlers of Patoka township. This was the first marriage in the two townships. Holt settled down to farming near his father's, but subsequently moved to this township, and in the company of Joseph A. Jones, his brother-in-law, entered the first piece of land, eighty acres, January 4th, 1830, on the east half of the south-west quarter of section ten.

J. A. Jones settled on section fifteen, where he lived until his death in 1844, leaving a widow and six young children.

Eli W. Jones also married, soon after his mother settled here, to miss Louvisa Pursley, daughter of Wm. Pursley, of Tonti township. He settled near his mother's, where he improved a small place, and lived there until about 1836. He then entered land that year in section 28, where he improved a farm. He was twice married, and raised a family of eleven children. In 1858 he moved to Texas, where he died about ten years ago.

Samuel B. Jones, the youngest of the family, made an improvement on section 11 in 1832, where he lived until 1873. He now resides in Fosterburg. He was justice of the peace many years, is a jovial old gentleman, and delights in talking of the early times here. He has a fair education and a good memory, and is very accurate on the early history of the county. He has raised a family of twelve children.

James Jones, the oldest son of the widow Jones, was born in Georgia in 1795. For some time he was in the employ of the government, in the capacity of a guard, guarding the surveyors of Clinton county, Illinois, in 1824. Three years later he came to this settlement, and located on section six, where he remained several years. He then went to Missouri, and after one year he returned and settled permanently on section nine, this being in 1832, where he continued to reside until the time of his death in 1865. Part of his old residence still stands. His aged wife survived him, and is now the oldest lady in the township. She lives with her children. They raised a family of eleven children, six yet living-three sons and three daughters.

Andrew H. Foster, a nephew of Hardy Foster, settled on section twenty-one in 1833. Three years later he entered forty acres in that section, where his cabin stands, the north-west quarter of the north-west quarter, where he afterwards improved a good farm. He was a justice of the peace here for some time. He was twice married, raised a family of ten children, and died on the place he improved. His widow still lives on the old homestead.

Moses Garrett located on section ten in 1831. He was a native of Georgia, filled the office of justice of the peace many years, and raised a large family of children.

Isaac Nichols settled west of the Ross Jones place, now the Caldwell place, in 1830, where he resided until his death.

Thomas Moon located on section 16 in 1834. He was from New York State, and was one of the first teachers. The first schoolhouse stood near his cabin on the same section. Moon lived here many years, and then moved to Missouri, where he died about five years ago. Mark Cole, Jonathan Green, Jesse and Daniel Doolen, settled near the north fork about 1836. They improved farms here and were prominent farmers in their time. All raised families.

Ross Jones, who first settled near Salem, located on the Vandalia and Salem State road, north of the East Fork one mile, about 1836. He improved a good farm here.

Jackson C. Jones, his oldest son is one of the prominent farmers of Kinmundy township. H. B. Jones, the youngest son, lives on the old homestead; they are the only members of the family now living.

M. Smith settled on the State road near the East Fork, where he now lives, in 1831.

William Howard came here with Hardy Foster. He was a single man and a noted hunter; remained here some time; never made [beginning page 252] any improvement; but "Bill" Howard, as he was familiarly called, is well remembered by all the old settlers.

John Warren, a Kentuckian, settled in the south-east corner of the township in the early times. He improved a place here where he resided until his death. He was handy with tools; could stock a plough, make a wagon-bed; he made a good many of the rirst coffins that were needed in this part of the county. He raised a family of four children; two sons still survive. Stanford Warren lives in Chester, Illinois, and John K. in Texas.

In 1844 John Arnold, a native of Georgia, and a well-known citizen of this part of the county, put up a horse-mill on the East Fork, near the east line of the township. He continued to run this mill several years, and improved a place here. He now lives with his children, and is a hale, hearty old gentleman, aged eighty-sex years. He has saised a family of twelve children, five sons and three daughters now living. John W., James A., Felix W., and Mrs Ester Holt, live in this township; Nathen and I. A. live in Texas; Mrs. Nancy Nichols lives in St. Clair county, Ill.; Mrs. Adaline Nichols lives in Missouri; John W. Arnold, the oldest son, settled the place where now lives in 1844. His was among the first prairie farms in this settlement.

The first death was Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Morris in 1827. She was a young girl, eighteen years of age. The neighbors split out puncheons and dressed them up and made a box; in this rude coffin she was laid away to rest. She was buried on the place first settled by Hardy Foster.

The first birth was Mrs. Sallie Doolen, daughter of Hardy and Mary Foster.

Fosterburg was laid-out by Hardy Foster, March 6th, 1854. William Doolen put up a house in which he put a general stock of goods in the same year. Samuel B. Jones, William Eagin and A. H. Foster, built a saw-mill here in 1853, that run many years, near the site of the present saw-mill, now run by William Ritter and James W. Arnold.

The mechants here were Daniel McConnel, B. B. Jones, Thomas S. Jones, J. W. Arnold, and many others. Dr. William White was the the first Physician.

The village had, at one time, three stores, blacksmith and wagon-shop, mill, Methodist church, and about twenty residences, and bid well to become a town of some considerable business, but now it is the most ancient-looking place in the county. The mill, wagon-shop, and a few residences are all that is left. The post-office was discontinued about two years ago.

Supervisors-J. W. Arnold, elected in 1874; re-elected in 1875; Noah Cruse, elected in 1876, and served three terms; Thomas J. Foster, elected in 1879; W. M. Chance, elected in 1880; W. H. Balance, elected in 1881.