Tobias Wynkoop Revisited

    The procedure in making and establishing a claim to land ran something like this: Following the sale by the Indians, the land had been surveyed and staked by Government surveyors in 1833, so it was possible to locate township and section boundaries. The would-be settler then picked out a piece of land hitherto unclaimed, made his improvements to indicate his intention of settlement, and then went to Chicago and filed his claim with the Land Office. If he was unable to find a piece of vacant land that suited him, and could find a previous settler desirous of selling out, then, if they agreed upon a price for relinquishment, he bought the first man's claim and took his receipt.
    The improvements necessary to establish a claim to land not previously chosen were various; in prairie country they might consist of a single furrow, or more, plowed around the land claimed, while in wooded land they might be shown by felling trees in such a manner as to mark the boundary, or in the erection of shed of poles, but any act evidencing intention of permanent residence was respected for a time sufficient for the settler to go home, collect his family and goods, and come back again.
    Then the settler lived there, improved it as he saw fit, raised such crops as he might, and when the Land Office sale was held he went there, supported by witnesses to prove his claim as to residence, bid in and paid for the land at the Government price of $1.25 per acre and received his deed direct from the President, plus a pair of Secretaries.

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    Speaking of improvements, and their value in holding down a claim, it is related that Tobias Wynkoop, an early settler in Libertyville township, (his place on Milwaukee is referred to as Winecup's Point, and the farm was afterward owned by John Cater), made his claim to a tract of 4000 acres, by laying around it a fence one rail high, and as he was a man of large ideas and equally large conversation, it was considered that he was also a man of substance, and so his claim was respected until first land sale, in 1844. Then it came time for him to "put up or shut up," it was found that all he could show was $400.00, or only enough to pay for 320 acres, and so the remainder of the tract, from which he had taken crops for some seven years, was declared open to settlement again, and was taken by men of more modest ideas, but with more "hard money' in their pockets.

Source:

Lawson, Edward S., A History of Warren Township, (Lake County, Illinois), Warren-Newport Public Library, Gurnee, Illinois, 1974: Page 26-27

    I have to say that Tobias is rapidly becoming one of my favorite family members. He seems to have gotten in and out of more scrapes than anybody else I know in the family and to have left an indelible mark on Lake County, Illinois in the process. For more of Tobias's adventures I suggest you read these other accounts:

Tobias Wynkoop and the Deer Park

Tobias Wynkoop; An Independent Thinker

    If you know of any more stories about Tobias please drop me a line at chwynkoop@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear them!

    All my best,

    Chris