A piece of Dixon history: The ‘wickedness’ of 1836

Editor’s note: This is the first of three installments about the history of Dixon as it pertains to religion. The second installment, “The Women Behind Dixon’s First Church,” will be published Aug. 16. The third installment, “Dixon’s First Baptists, Episcopalians and Presbyterians,” will be published Aug. 30.

When did the frontier town of Dixon first “get religion?” What denomination was the first to get established here? How did it happen? Did the town oppose the early religious folks?

To find answers to these questions, I researched a variety of sources, such as early church records, early newspaper articles and early historical accounts of this area. Here’s what I found.

The influence of John Dixon

In essence, the Dixon family brought Christianity here on April 11, 1830, when they took over operation of the Rock River ferry. While much has been written about “Father” John Dixon, little has been noted about his religious background.

Prior to 1820, when John and Rebecca Dixon lived in New York City, they were members of the Oliver Street Baptist Church, where John served as superintendent of the Sunday school. Most notably, he also was one of the original 12 founders of the American Bible Society, then known as the Young Men’s Bible Society of New York.

But after the Dixons left New York City in 1820, he never formally attached to any church. In Dixon, the town he established, he was known to attend the Baptist church, and records reveal that he provided it with ongoing financial support.

The influence of Rebecca Dixon

But the records are clear that Rebecca Dixon, his wife, was the major force behind the introduction of Christianity to this town. Her friends described her as “a frail, slight woman, probably never weighing more than 90 pounds,” yet “her whole life was one of devotion to Christianity.”

Life on the frontier was known for an abundance of uncultured ruffians. But “Mother Dixon” required upright behavior from those who came to her riverside cabin. A firm “temperance woman,” she would not allow others to bring liquor into the Dixons’ trading post and cabin.

A close friend once said of her: “No one could speak disrespectfully of Our Savior or His cause in her presence.” But Rebecca didn’t just denounce unacceptable behavior, she sought to convert others to Christ.

The friend added: “It is a remarkable fact that during the time they resided on the farm west of Dixon … every farm hand who resided with them was converted and gave himself to the Savior.”

Attracting preachers

Rebecca was so anxious to see Christianity formally planted in Dixon that she opened her house for preaching services whenever a minister was passing through. She even “sent her conveyance to bring the people to her home … that none might miss the then-rare privilege of hearing a sermon.”

Even though Mother Dixon was firmly Baptist, she supported ministers of any denomination coming into town. Her attitude was common at that time.

According to the 1838 book, “Illinois in 1837 & 8,” there was “considerable expression of good feeling amongst the different religious denominations, and the members frequently hear the preachers of each other.”

The book also noted that few Illinois congregations then had a preaching minister every Sunday. In the 1830s, a “circuit preacher” generally would stop to preach in small villages such as Dixon about once every six or seven weeks.

1836: The first sermon

In 1836, the Methodists were the most prevalent denomination in Illinois, and they sent missionaries to remote outposts such as Dixon. “The 1881 History of Lee County” says that the Rev. James McKean, a Methodist “circuit rider,” crossed the Rock River on Dixon’s ferry in early 1836.

Arriving on the south river bank, he announced to the few people standing there, “I will preach in this place four weeks from today.” As promised, McKean returned on horseback, his saddlebags equipped with hymn book and Bible. After delivering his sermon, McKean continued his journey to the next settlement.

He returned to the people of Dixon’s Ferry a few times that year, “preaching in their cabins or in the grove.” Outside of these occasional visits, there were no regular Christian meetings in this frontier village.

The ‘wickedness’ of 1836

About 1835, John and Rebecca Dixon left their cabin and moved “out in the country” about eight-tenths of a mile, a little southeast of where the Dement Town railroad depot would later stand. Back “in town” in 1836, Dixon had four log cabins, one frame house, a blacksmith’s shop and two or three houses under construction. A few residents, like the Dixons, lived on small farms on the outskirts of the village.

With “the great migration” that started in 1835, more settlers trickled into the region. But the newcomers didn’t always bring a desirable element. In the absence of law enforcement in this area, the notorious “banditti of the prairie” were gaining a foothold, known for horse-thieving, counterfeiting, a “thousand robberies and scores of murders.”

Consequently, “the honest, toiling, struggling pioneer settlers came to live in a continued state of terror – a terror that brooded over them from about 1836-37,” according to the 1878 History of Ogle County. (In 1836, Dixon was in Ogle County.)

In part 2, this column will reveal the three women who revolted against the banditti and how they initiated the first weekly church meetings in this rugged frontier town.

• Dixon native Tom Wadsworth is a writer, speaker and occasional historian. He holds a Ph.D. in New Testament.