The North Arm area of Edgar County was an early settled part of Edgar County but certainly not the only location.

Robert F. Scott entered north of North Arm in 1826 in what is now Brouilletts Creek Township, named for Michel Brouillett Jr. Brouillett is considered a hero in defeating Tecumseh’s Native American resistance against American advancements.  

The Littlefield, Jones and Wilkins families later followed Scott up Brouilletts Creek. Logan was the only real settlement or village in that township and that did not happen until the 1850s. Land for Logan was provided by Wilkins and Jones.

An impediment to significant development was a lack of railroads in Brouilletts Creek, but the township did have several interesting placenames such as Kidley, Possum Trot, Honey Drip, Watertown and Panhandle.           

The land that became Grandview Township was bought by the government from the Indians in 1822 and made available for settlers. In the fall of 1822, Thomas Darnell came from Kentucky and took up farming at the head of Big Creek. Several Indians still lived in the woods near the Big Creek area. 

Aric Sutherland from New York bought land in the Grandview area in 1825. He had lived with some of his friends in Hunter Township before moving west of Paris. In the late 1820s, Issac Brimberry came from Kentucky and started a mill to grind corn and wheat.

According to local lore, the mill was powered by horses and did not grind much faster than a hungry family could eat. Despite the drawbacks, the mill was an important service for neighboring families because the next closest mill was 30 miles away.

James Johnson, John Henderson and William Roley came in 1825. The large Roley family was from Virginia and Stephen Roley is thought to be the first child of settlers born in Grandview Township.

In addition to farming, William Roley was also a sley maker for weaving. Many times, he was called on by neighbors to fix their looms.

Like Brouilletts Creek, Grandview was handicapped by the lack of a railroad through the township. One story claims Elac Mann, for an unknown reason, paid the railroad to not go through Grandview. As a result, many of the businesses moved to Dudley which was along the railroad tracks.

The first settlers coming into the area of Sugar Creek followed the Kickapoo Indian hunting trails. The first to arrive in Elbridge township were the families of Hall Simms, Thomas Wilson, Alexander Ewing, John Ray, Thomas Rhoads, James Eggelston, Dr. James Love, John Elliot and James Knight. Hall Simms was a commissioner for the old Pike Precinct, and he was elected a representative for Illinois.

The name Elbridge comes from Elbridge J. Howe a peddler and Bible salesman. He visited that area when Simms was platting ground for the village. An early school for Edgar County was called New Providence School. No active businesses remain in the village of Elbridge today, although some homes are there. 

Another area with early settlers was Catfish Creek. John Crist arrived from Kentucky in 1826. He liked living in the wilderness on the west side of Edgar County. When four new families moved in, he quickly moved out and abandoned his cabin.

The newcomers were the Nathaniel Wayne family, the Benjamin Wayne Family, Thomas Darnell and Isaac, Joel and Thomas Dohhnette. According to the story, Thomas Dohnette caught a giant catfish in a nearby stream which resulted in the region being known as Catfish Creek.

Nathaniel Wayne built a tavern a little ways south of the creek, and he had a good business from travelers headed to Springfield and Charleston. Benjamin Wayne had three daughters who hitched up with the Dohhnette boys and the next thing that community needed was a school.

In 1832, a Methodist church was started with meetings held in members’ homes and sometimes in the school. A church was erected a few years later. An empty cabin was converted into a school in 1834, and the first teacher was Edward Brown.

Like so many other places, the railroad came through a few miles north and Brocton sprung up, which had two railroads. Later a new state highway about two miles west brought an end to Catfish town. The only remnants of the settlement are a signpost with the name Catfish on it, a couple of houses, a barn or two and a couple of cemeteries.