Full text of "History of Norton Township"

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HISTORY Q? NORTON
TOWSHIP

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In putting together this history of Norton
Township many things have been encountered that
do not agree. The writers have done their best to
check on details, but it has not always been possible
to connpletely verify them. Any errors or
mis-statements are unintentional.

Spelling is generally as we have found it, and
spellings vary from document, to newspaper items, to
family usage as we find it today.

Census information is known in some cases to be
in error, but that is the way it was recorded by the
census takers.

Stories that are handed down through the years
grow or fade in the telling. We hope you will enjoy
the information, but always keep in mind that in
reality it may have been a little different.

KANKAKEE COUNTY

***l

This is the symbol for Kankakee County's Bicentennial celebration. The outline is of the
county itself inset over the outline of the State of Illinois. The three stars stand for county,
state, and nation; the double arch of the bridge spans the two rivers (Kankakee - Iroquois)
which figured so significantly in the development of the county. The 1850 locomotive
climbing a sharp grade indicates the forward and upward growth of the area, and the
influence of all of the county's railroads in that endeavor.

The History of Norton Township is a project of the Kankakee County Bicentennial Commission.

<^1 1.5^3 d ^■^^'

HISTORY OF NORTON TOWNSHIP

Compiled by:

Miss Amelia Majorowicz
Miss Violette Shimmin
Miss Veima Shimmin
Mrs. Laverne King
Mrs. Alvin Gaus

LIBRARY
JNIVERr;lTY OF ILLINOIS
« UR8ANA- CHAMPAIGN

Contents

I Beginning History 1

II Agriculture 6

III Minerals and Coal 9

IV Government 10

V Schools 13

VI Cemeteries 25

VII Village of Buckingham 28

VIII Village of Cabery 44

IX Village of Reddick 55

X Villageof Union Hill 62

XI Miscellaneous Pictures 74

XII Platsof 1873, 1899, 1973 75

XIII Census of 1870 combined with plat of 1873 81

Bibliography 94

Credits 95

Beginning History

The few arrowheads and an occasional axe head
fashioned and used by the Indians which Norton
Township farmers still find on their farms attest to
the fact that Indians once used the "Grand Prairies"
of Southwest Kankakee County as hunting grounds.
The Pottawotamies, a tribe found in this area, held
their last great Indian Council in Kankakee County in
1830. Although the Indians ceded their lands by the
Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe in 1832, it was only by
subsequent treaties that provision was made for their
removal west in about 1836. The Government gave
them a large reservation near Council Bluffs, Iowa.

From 1820 through 1840, the population of the
south half of Kankakee County numbered less than
two per square mile with the number of white
inhabitants in the whole state of Illinois in 1800 only
about 3000. The population of Norton Township in
1880 was 1,541; in 1890, 1,558; and in 1900, 1,761.
In 1880, there was one black family in Norton, John
and Catherine Moore and their eleven month old son,
George. They were farmers.

At the time of the organization of Kankakee
County in April of 1853, the town of Norton was a
part of Vermillion County. By an act of the
legislature of 1855, it and the town of Essex became
a part of Kankakee County. At that time, Ira C.

Mosier, residing in and serving as supervisor of Essex
presented his credentials and became a member of the
board of supervisors of this county, representing
Norton and Essex under the name of Essex. On
March 11, 1857, the territory comprising the present
township of Norton was separated from Essex and
given the name of Norton.

At the first election held at the house of Major
Warden were chosen the following: Major Wardell,
supervisor; David Wright, assessor; James Glass, town
clerk; Samuel Carr, collector; John Carr and James
Armitage, justices of the peace; George Allen and F.
A. Glass, constables; Charles Luther, Thomas Glass,
and Henry Piatt, commissioners of highways. The
total number of votes cast was 21. At the town
meeting held April 4, 1884, there were 144 votes
cast.

Major Wardell is said to be the oldest settler
coming in 1852 to the NWA of Section 13. However,
W. V. States, an arrival of 1858, credits two brothers
by the name of Kelsaus with the first settlement.
Their home, on the west half of Section 32, was soon
purchased by Joseph and Theodore Smith.

Following is a chart of the residents of Norton
from an 1873 Atlas: (Further names are found in the
census section.)

NAME

W. S. Monteith

B. L. Cornwell

C. C. Easton
J. H. Armitage
W. A. Colton
Geo. Williams

C. A. Porter
Thomas Crawford
James R. Neer

D. A. Montague

E. H. Redfield
C. W. Fulford
James Fleming
Chas. H. Redfield
Nelson Adams

C. L. Ames
E. B. Larkin
H. Eldred

D. R. Swartwout
A. J. Alford
John L. Brown
Ira Guiltner

J. E. Farley
Asa M. Preston
James Glass
Joseph S. Smith
J. M. Walters

E. H. Webster

A. Cook
Abe White

B. F. Farley
H. M. Cook
Elizabeth Potter
G. W. Osier
Wilham Unz
Chas. Boyer

J. Funk

A. J. Young

C. E. Pratt

B. F. Armitage
Priscilla Shaw
Orvill Shaw
Henry Swartwout

NORTON TOWNSH
SEC.

OCCUPATION NO.

Farmer & Supervisor 22

Farmer & Assessor 14
Farmer 4

Farmer 17
Farmer 5

Farmer & Postmaster 22

Farmer 23

Farmer 22

Farmer & Teacher 36

Farmer 25

Farmer 21

Farmer 35

Farmer 36

Farmer 12

Farmer 12
Farmer & Merchant 8

Farmer 21

Farmer 1 1
Farmer 1

Farmer 2

Farmer &Twp. Coll. 10
Farmer 4

Farmer & Carpenter 3

Farmer 1 1

Farmer & Just. Peace 32

Farmer 32

Farmer 31

Farmer 15
Mechanic 9

Physician 12

Merchant 13

Farmer 21

Farmer 18
Farmer 5

Farmer 5

Farmer 9

Farmer 1

Farmer 13

Farmer & Ins. Agent 17

Farmer 10

IP (from 1873 Atlas)

POST OFFICE

Norton

Gardner

Caberey

Norton

Eldridgeville

Caberey

Eldridgeville

Norton

Eldridgeville

Norton

Union Hill

Caberey

Eldridgeville

Norton

Gardner

Union Hill

Norton

Gardner

Union Hill

Eldridgeville

BORN

Saratoga Co. N.Y.
Wayne Co. N.Y.
Trumbell Co. Ohio
Clarion Co. Penn.
Addison Co. Vt.
Wayne Co. N.Y.
St. Lawrence Co. N.Y
Derry Co., Ireland
Washington Co. Maryla
Huntington Co. Penn.
Franklin Co. N.Y.
Onondaga Co. N.Y.
Derry Co., Ireland
Jefferson Co. N.Y.
Brunswick Co. N.J.
Penn.

Clinton Co. N.Y.
Otsego Co. N.Y.
Otsego Co. N.Y.
Stavanger, Norway
Otsego Co. N.Y.
Tompkins Co. N.Y.
Crawford Co. Penn.
Addison Co. Vt.
Devonshire England
Kenebeck Co. Maine
Fairfield Co., Ohio
Vermont
Genesee Co. N.Y.
Burlington Co. N.Y.
Crawford Co. Penn.
Jefferson Co. N.Y.
Muskingum Co. Ohio
Muskingum Co. Ohio
Wurtemburg, Germany
Penn.

Wurtemburg, Germany
Warren Co. N.Y.
Hampshire Co. Mass.
Clarion Co. Penn.
Somersetshire, Eng.
New York
Otsego Co. N.Y.

When came
to County
1865
1860
1868
1856
1868
1865
1870
1861
1867
1867
1869
1866
1866
1870
1868
1868
1866
1866
1866
1867
1866
1861
1865
1869
1856
1856
1867
1869
1866
1871
1873
1869
1868
1866
1857
1866
1867
1866
1854
1857
1869
1869
1868

J. N. Winstanley in his REMINISCENCES OF
EARLY DAYS ON THE GRAND PR/^RIE (a
20-page booklet owned by Wm. Sadler, the Cabery
barber) writes that one who has never seen a prairie
before settlement can hardly realize the change that
has taken place. With no buildings, groves, or hedges
to obstruct his view and no smoke from chimneys or
train engines to make a haze, he could see eighteen
miles away the tall chimney of the factory for the
manufacture of sugar out of beets at Chatsworth.
Also, the silence of the prairies could be compared to
no other— only by those in whose minds it remains a
haunting memory can its awful solemnity be
understood. Mr. Bloom, an enthusiastic hunter in
Pilot, Norton, and Essex Townships in the early days,
says, "I have been in what is now the town of
Norton, then known as the Grand Prairie, and
camped there when hunting, out of sight of timber,
when the silence was profound. No sound of insect,
no song of bird, no sighing of the wind— you could
feel your pulse beat and hear your own heart throb."
The prairies were vast silent seas of grass.

Anyone flying over the United States west of
the Alleghenies has seen an amazing spectacle— a grid
pattern of fields and roads and towns that covers
more than two-thirds of the nation. This national
landscape was created in 1785 when the new republic
acquired all the vacant land between the old colonies
and the Mississippi. In order to open this Northwest
Territory to settlement and organize its
administration, the Continental Congress authorized
the National Survey, dividing the entire territory into
sections or square miles, with the lines running due
north and south, and east and west. Fast and easy to
lay out, it can be expanded indefinitely and it makes
location and description very precise. It was a
landscape designed to promote equality and
independence among those who settled the new
territory. Largely inspired by Thomas Jefferson, the
grid system represented a new relationship between
men and the land. This was when the word "farmer"
came into general use. It designated a man who lived
and worked on property he owned in the country,
and it distinguished him from the townsman.

Possibly you have seen surveying teams digging
around at the intersection of two country roads.
They may be looking for a common field stone not of
any uniform size which was marked and buried
during the National Survey. Those corner stones that
are now dug up are marked with metal so that their
position may be determined without digging but with
a metal detector, should it become necessary to
locate them again. There are also stones to mark some
half-mile lines.

The law not only called for dividing the land
into square miles, but also for combining every 36 of

these sections into townships. In every township,
section 16 was set aside as a school section intended
to support a local school and thereby create the
nucleus of a community.

Mr. Winstanley remembers that the roads,
although supposed to be on section lines, did not
always run there and it was customary in going to a
certain point to take the nearest way, always trying
to avoid the big ponds and sloughs. A few years later
when hedges were set on the lines dividing the farms
and along the section lines, it became necessary to
follow the roads but when one was in a hurry, it was
a great temptation to drive over the small hedges and
often over fields of growing grain. In 1976, one finds
little if any osage orange hedge fence in Norton but
there are still a few trees.

David Huntley remembers hearing his
grandfather (also David Huntley who bought land and
lived in Section 1 1 two miles east and one north of
Cabery in 1895) tell of hunting wild fowl on the
"Grand Prairie" in the early days. There would be
acres of wild fowl and when they would rise they
looked like a cloud. In the fall of 1858, Mr. Huntley,
Sr. and Joseph Cutting shot 686 prairie chickens in
bVz days. They made a contract with Isaac Hardy who
ran a large hotel in LaSalle to take all they shipped
him at $1.50 per dozen. Mr. Hardy, finding he was
receiving too many to use, telegraphed them to stop
sending birds.

In one winter and spring of trapping, Mr.
Huntley caught 144 mink and sold the skins in
Toledo, Ohio for from $4 to $8 each, netting him
over $600 which he used as the second payment on
his land.

The winter of 1863 was very cold and the
wolves grew bold. One day Mr. Huntley saw a wolf
crossing the prairie and without stopping to get a gun,
he mounted his horse and gave chase. When the wolf
finally ran into an old slough well, Dave could find no
club and the stones were frozen fast to the ground so
he unbuckled one of his saddle stirrups and killed the
wolf. In the winter of 1864, Mr. Huntley killed
between 15 and 20 wolves, had the skins tanned and
Mrs. Huntley made him an overcoat from some of
them which "did him good service" and was finally
given to a sick friend on the western plains.

Mr. Huntley frequently went deer hunting. On
one trip, he and two companions killed seven deer,
sold six of them in Ottawa for $68, and kept the
seventh for their own use.

W. V. States writes that, "Deer were quite
plentiful. Mr. John Law killed two at one shot on
Section 4 north of Cabery. Adam Glass killed another
the same night. Mr. George Allen ran one down with
his beautiful horse, Bay Dan. And one would think
from the noise that the wolves made at night that

they were numbered legions; prairie chici<ens were
always to be had in abundance."

Corn was the Indian's gift to the world and the

Indian's high achievements in agriculture were their

most important contributions to civilization. During

this Bicentennial year, we might well reflect upon

these contributions and where we might be without

them. However, to grow corn the prairie soil must be

prepared and this was no easy task. Where the axe

and the "grub hoe" had been needed to subdue the

eastern land, the prairie breaking plow with a share as

sharp as the woodman's axe, was required to

penetrate the turf of a thousand years' growth and

uncover the inexhaustible soil that lay beneath the

hard, matted roots of the prairie grasses and weeds.

Never in history had such a problem confronted the

land-seeking emigrant; but, with ready ingenuity, he

forged with blacksmith's tools a new kind of plow to

meet the new requirements. The old principles of a

beam, handles, a mouldboard, standard, and share

were all right, but the mouldboard must be made

with a long, easy curve. A few curving rods were

attached to the share in place of a mouldboard,

probably in the "forties." The plow was made of

exceptional strength for it was the rule to use three to

six yokes of oxen in breaking. A new tradesman, the

prairie breaker, charged a high price for his valuable

service— two to three dollars per acre which was

sometimes twice as much as the land had cost to buy.

The government price for land was usually $1 .25; the

Illinois Central, under a provision of its grant, charged

at least double that amount.

With the problem of breaking overcome, it
might have been expected that the soil would become
tractable and obedient to the touch of its master but
yet another obstacle had to be surmounted. The old
wooden plows and those of cast iron that were
coming in from the east and those of "boiler plate"
that were made by local blacksmiths would not scour
in the light vegetable mould after it had been stirred
up by cultivation during several seasons. Various
remedies were tried but without avail until it was
discovered that a high grade of steel would clean
itself. The first steel plow of which there is any
record was made in 1833 in Chicago. The maker of
this plow, John Lane, used an old saw— probably a
worn out "crosscut,"— which had been cut and
deprived of its teeth. John Deere's steel plow of 1837
was a real breakthrough in prairie farming.

When the prairie land was first broken up, it was
customary to sow flax on it to "subdue" the rich soil.
The April 1, 1869 Gazette runs this
advertisement: . . . Superior screened sowing seed flax
to loan to farmers . . . The May 6, 1875 issue states:
"Mr. Meisenbach and Charlie Whitcomb are breaking
up the Brown 80 and sowing it to flax" but soon

after this we read: "Everybody is disgusted with the
crop (flax)."

I n 1 834, the breaking of from 1 2 to 14 acres of
prairie sod and seeding it to fall wheat was an
acceptable accomplishment. In that year, wheat
brought from 50-75<t per bushel, corn was worth 20
to 30<:, and oats sold for 15-20<t. In the 1830's, all
crops were hauled to Chicago over the prairie mostly
by ox team, the settler bringing back building
material and such provisions as he could not raise on
his land. Eldon Colman remembers hearing a
great-aunt tell of always leaving a light at night in the
cabins to guide late travelers. Older members of the
family remember looking out the cabin windows and
seeing buffalo going by. The great-aunt also tells of
putting gold from the trip to Chicago in a buckskin
bag around her neck for safe keeping. Since there was
no transportation for corn when the Lucius Colmans
first came to the area, they fed the grain to cattle and
drove the cattle to Chicago. For some supplies, the
Colmans went to Wilmington, as did most pioneers in
this area in the middle 1800's.

The year 1869 was known as the "wet year." In
addition to making it impossible to "break prairie"
except on high ground, the rains also caused many to
suffer from ague or "the shakes," a pioneer malady
that resembled malaria or influenza. Burt Burroughs,
a Kankakee historian, described its symptoms thus:
"There was the 'one day,' 'two day,' or 'three day,'
ager during which the victim had brief respites from
the chills and the fever which followed. Mostly,
however, it was just plain 'ager' that a fellow had
almost daily and with no let-up from aching bones,
creepy chills and 'shakes' followed by the fever." Yet,
the pioneer kept at his tasks of breaking sod, cutting
timber, raising his cabin, planting his crops, going for
supplies to a town a day or a week away because
these tasks had to be done, regardless of his pain, to
survive.

Winstanley writes, "The years, 1870 to 1872,
were fruitful but the price of grain declined as also
had the price of hogs and cattle. Cattle sold for 2<t: per
pound; hogs, 2V2<t; and corn for 15-18(t per bushel.
The price of farm machinery and what the farmer had
to buy, however, was not lowered like the price of
the farmers' produce. They felt that somebody was
tramping on their toes and began to form Granges to
remedy what they considered the existing evils. In
1875, corn sold as high as 75<t a bushel and better
times dawned on the Grand Prairie." The Granges
faded away.

M. F. Campbell of Buckingham was the
Treasurer of the Kankakee County Agricultural
Society in 1882. H. W. Monteith, George Boyer, and
Mr. Campbell were on the Executive Committee.

The Oct. 9, 1873 Gazette notes that Club

attendants at the Kankakee County Farmers'
Convention from Norton Center were B. L. Cornwell,
W. S. Monteith, J. W. Ames, J. H. Armitage, J. A.
Powell, and James Nutt.

In 1976, Norton farmers are still active in
agricultural "societies"— E. S. Mortimer is President
of the Kankakee County Farm Bureau.

Spelling schools at district school houses were a
winter recreational activity, as well as "singing
schools," and "writing schools." As early as 1875 the
Kankakee Gazette of February 11 announced several
schools in Norton in the next week, one at "Dublin"
District No. 2. May, 1888 found P. C. Hart who has
been teaching writing schools at Buckingham and
Herscher conducting a class in Cabery also. Stewart
Hazlett and Minnie Schlegel of Buckingham were tied
for an award for having made the most improvement
in penmanship at the writing school.

"Donations" seemed to be a way of providing
funds for the minister and enjoying a social evening at
the same time. August 1875 Gazette told of a
donation at the residence of Mr. Patchett of Norton.
About 100 partook of the good things on that
occasion and all were pleased with the entertainment.
The proceeds, $40, were presented to Rev. Mr. Hunt,
their pastor.

Dancing was enjoyed in newly constructed
buildings before their completion or use. In May
1875 John Esser, Norton, entertained young people
at a dance in the newly constructed upright to his
house.

January 30, 1879 dancing was enjoyed at
Crawford's Hotel in Buckingham with supper
provided by Henry Randall, the local restauranteur.
Finishing of the interior of the hotel was not
commenced until March of 1879.

Newly constructed barns were usually initiated
by "barn dances" until the 1920-1930 period.

An undated clipping from an old scrapbook is as
follows:

A lively entertainment was given last week
Tuesday night to a large audience which
assembled, regardless of the cold night, at
the school house in Dist. No. 3. The
program was opened and closed with
classical selections rendered by an
impromptu orchestra under the leadership
of Herr Von Voorst. The orchestra
composed of seven instruments, from a
brass horn 6 feet 7 inches long (purchased
at a sale by Thos. Houghton somewhere in
the 60's) down to a comb, rendered some
excellent music. At the close a collection
was taken.

Kankakee Gazette, Jan. 7, 1875-Norton-The
amusements for the holidays were varied. A dance
was held at J. E. Farley's on Christmas night. 45 nos.
were sold and they say they had a lively time. There
was a young folks party at the residence of Lewis
Reed (this just before the holidays) and on Christmas
he gave an old folks party. At the residence of
Thomas Crawford there was quite a gathering.

Agriculture

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Thomas Houghton Farm Home, taken 1893. Left: Sarah
Houghton Cunnerson, Libby Houghton; Center: Thomas
Houghton, Belle Houghton Cook, Mrs. Thomas (Naomi)
Houghton; Right: Cora Houghton Grabill, John Houghton.
Photo Courtesy Mrs. LaVerne King

The daughter of a Norton farmer of many years
ago remembers that when the first sweet clover plants
appeared, her father sent her out to pull every plant
she could find figuring it was a noxious weed that
should be eradicated immediately. Soon farmers were
planting whole fields of various kinds of clover
because they found that legumes put nitrogen into
the ground and their root systems revitalized the soil.
In 1976, with herds of cattle almost gone from the
area, once again very few clover fields are seen in
Norton Township. Nitrogen is now bought
commercially.

Some of the older residents of Norton can
remember when men traveled through the area with
sorghum presses and cookers. These men would set
up their equipment and press the juices from the
sugar cane which the farmer had raised, cook the

juice in HUGE pans over an open fire until it was the
right consistency for molasses, then put it in the
farmer's jugs or other containers, and move on to the
next job.

In the late 1920's and early 1930's, a few
Norton farmers planted soybeans mostly for hay. The
green plants were cut with a mower just before the
bean developed, put into little haycocks, allowed to
cure in the sun, and then hauled into barns. An
attachment was put on some corn planters to drop a
bean into each hill of corn. In the fall, pigs were
allowed to run in these cornfields to feed on both
beans and corn. When it was found that the beans
caused the pork to be soft, the practice was
discontinued.

Combines started moving into Norton Township
(wheat combines had been used in the West for years)
in the early 1930's and soon many acres of beans
were harvested as a grain after a market for them had
been developed.

In 1933, chinch bugs ruined much of the wheat
and oat crop of Norton and then moved into the
cornfields sucking the juices from the stalks so that
some fields which had been rendered useless for grain
harvest were cut for cattle fodder. The number of
insects was so great that when they moved across a
road, a slippery hazard developed. Some residents
remember that they carried a pint of chinch bugs to
Chicago to exchange for admission tickets to the
Century of Progress. Efforts to stop the migration of
the bugs by digging trenches between fields and
pouring creosote in the bottom of the ditch did not
halt the insects.

The following year, 1934, grasshoppers appeared
in great numbers. In a very short time, the succulent
green leaves of the corn plant were eaten by the
hordes leaving a field of bare worthless stalks. Some
farmers tried to save their crops by mixing poison
with bran and spreading this mixture on the
dew-laden plants in the middle of the night when it
would stick to the moisture. This had little effect on
the grasshopper population.

In 1936, a severe drought reduced the yield of
corn so that one farmer remembers harvesting with a
cornhusker for an entire half-day and getting only
two loads of corn.

Before the development of hybrid corn seed,
farmers would choose the very best ears of their
open-pollinated crop for the next year's seed. These
ears would be hand "tipped and butted" (removing
the smaller kernels at the top of the ear and the large
kernels at the bottom) to make for a more uniform
kernel size to plant evenly through the planter plates.

Until sometime in the 1940's most corn was
"checked" (planted in hills about 40" apart in rows
40" apart) so that it could be cultivated both
lengthwise and crosswise. A wire having "buttons"
40" apart was stretched across the field and staked at
each end. Each time the "button" went through the
planter fork, it tripped the valves causing a
predetermined number of seeds to fall into each hill.
The farmer had to move the wire over when he came
to each end of the field. The use of commercial
fertilizers, herbicides, and hybrid seed led to the
practice of drilling the corn in rows to get a much
larger plant population— and yield— and doing away
with the time consuming wire.

Wilhelm Unz Farm. Note bam built 1877, crib built 1900;

windmill at left still standing.

Photo Courtesy Mr. and Mrs. Norman Grob

In 1941, the mechanical cornpicker and the
human husker each harvested about 50% of the corn
in Illinois. By 1956, 96% of Illinois' corn was
harvested by the trusty picker. However, in 1976,
much of the corn is combined and the grain either
dried in bins on the farm or at the elevators in town.

Locker Plants in towns with banks of drawers
for the keeping of quick-frozen foods below zero
temperatures were the forerunners of home freezers.
In the middle 40's farm wives welcomed home
freezers as a way of preserving their surplus foods.
Vegetables took only a few minutes of blanching
instead of two long hours in a hot-water bath. Fruits
retained their color and were easily frozen. Meats
were easily wrapped and tucked into the freezer for a
fresh taste later. Canning in glass jars has not
completely disappeared but is used much less.

Flock of Chickens, once a common sight; Gerald Gaus.
Courtesy Mrs. Alvin Gaus

Until the 1960's most farm wives cared for
flocks of chickens and sold eggs for money for
grocery and household expenses. Egg buyers
established regular egg routes for the picking up of
the full cases of eggs and leaving empties. Two of
these were Ray Lynch and Johnson Produce of Piper
City. Government regulations and low profit to the
individual producer led to seeing only an occasional
flock of chickens in the township now.

The same thing is true of dairy cattle. Donald
Prussner, Reddick has the only dairy herd in Norton
Township in this bicentennial year.

On August 22, 1975, the USDA announced it
had sold the last government owned commodity
storage structures used to store farm surpluses (CCC).
The sale of this steel Quonset-type "government bin"
marked the end of an era that began more than 35
years ago. In 1959, the government grain storage
capacity was nearly 1 billion bushels.

Most of the harvesting was done by the farmers
individually or by exchanging help with neighbors.
However, in 1888 mention is found of Ames' hay

press working in the Cabery area for J. A. Bouck and
Matt Welch.

The flat prairie land was found to produce well
when water drainage was good. A specific type of
clay was necessary for manufacturing tile, and that
clay was found in Reddick where A. S. Currie had his
tile factory. Some of the farmers dug in their own
tile, but there were tiling crews that did many acres.
The Sutter brothers, William and Peter of Reddick,
relatives of Mr. Currie, had such a tiling crew. They
sometimes took a tent with them and lived in it
where they were working, doing their own cooking
over an open fire.

One of the earliest names in tiling around Union
Hill was Henry Steinhauser. Later Albert and Michael
Clodi and their families did tiling, and in 1976
Richard Wepprecht carries on the business begun by
his father William. Larger mains still employ, clay tile,
but for the most part large coils of plastic now
replace clay tile. In sandy soil the plastic coils are
covered with a fine nylon mesh to keep the sand from
sifting through the holes in the plastic. Sophisticated
techniques using laser beams to control the depth of

the machine are a far cry from the back-breaking

system first used.

Now we think of livestock being trucked to rail

points or markets, but a Gazette item from

Buckingham, March 29, 1888 states:

"Monteith and Armitage drove to
Buckingham today a cargo of fat cattle but
were compelled to take them home again
because the necessary cars can not be had.
Another result of the Pontiac disaster."
Alvin Gaus of Buckingham recalls driving

livestock to town for shipment as late as 1920.

In many things progress has been made in the

last hundred years, but some things remain constant.

Example: Gazette of January 23, 1879,

Cabery— "Capen & Co. have built a temporary bin for

shelled corn with a capacity of 3000 bushel, being

unable to procure cars to accommodate the rush."

How familiar this sounds to the farmers of 1976.

Barn raisings, once a necessity, required much

professional and volunteer labor. Pictured below is a

barn raising in the Union Hill area.

Bam Raising— John Schott south farm
Courtesy Mrs. La Verne King

Minerals and Coal

The first mention that has been found of mining
or mineral exploration in Norton is 1888. The
following news items taken from The Kankakee
Gazette, submitted by the Reddick correspondent tell
the story in week-to-week form:

May 31, 1888— An agent for a large coal
company has been spending the past
week in buying the coal under
Reddick and vicinity. Several
thousand acres have been obtained
and as soon as the titles are perfected
the cash will be paid. This looks like
business but it doesn't unsettle this
place to know that in the future it will
become a great coal center. Reddick
goes quietly about its business,
knowing itself to be perfectly
prepared for emergencies. The farmers
are still attending to their planting as
if there were no coal to sell.

June 28, 1888— The coal company have
bought the Rieke and Funk farms, top
and bottom. They are drilling on the
Kluckhohn place.

July 19, 1888— Boring for coal is still going
on. All around here the 90 days'
option which the company took has
nearly expired and the farmers are
anxious to take back their contracts,
as some of them are heartily sick of
their bargain. As mines are opened
around and at this place it will give us
a small boom, although it will bring
elements into our social institutions
that are not very desirable.

July 26, 1888— The coal men are drilling on
the Patchett farm and boring on
Weimer's place.

Aug. 16, 1888 (Buckingham news)-P. C.
Patchett has sold his 240 acre farm
which includes the T. Gibson property
for $75 per acre to Felton of Reddick
for coal prospecting purposes.

Aug. 23, 1888-We understand the coal
prospectors have struck an artesian
well on the farm of Mr. Ryen three
miles south of here. If they do not
succeed in getting coal there, the well
will prove a blessing to the owner.
Sept. 6, 1888— The coal prospectors are at
present boring on the farm of R.
Shelly just north of town. We
understand that one firm has given it
up and left, but Mr. Felton sticks to
it.
Oct. 18, 1888— The Reddick coal mines is
now a "chestnut." Please find
something else to talk about.
Nov. 22, 1888— The coal company has been
still for some time, but it comes to
light that there has been discovered on
Mr. Connors' farm two miles east of
town four feet of coal. The people are
thinking perhaps Reddick will amount
to something yet.
There ended the copies of The Gazette which
were available. No mining was ever done in Norton
Township, but during the years rumors of the strip
mining firms digging from the Essex mines to the old
Cardiff site would be heard. Concern over air
pollution and work of the Environmental Protection
Agency curtailed the use of high-sulphur coal, and the
Essex mines are now abandoned.

In the 1950's an independent oil prospector
named Kintop was convinced there was oil on the
Schott land in Section 2. Mr. Kintop drilled just
south of the railroad track many times. He also leased
land from neighboring owners in case he should be
successful in finding oil, but all of his efforts were to
no avail.

In mid 1960's an underground storage dome for
natural gas was developed in the northern part of the
township. In 1976 wells are still being drilled. This is
an extension of the large underground dome at
Herscher, a project of Natural Gas Storage Company.

IV
Government

CIVIL WAR

The companies from Kankakee County went
into camp at the Fairgrounds in August of 1862.
Later, they went to Camp Douglas in Chicago where
the following from Norton were mustered into service
on Oct. 1, 1862 as members of the 113th Illinois
Infantry: J. P. Campbell, F. A. Glass, John J. Kellogg,
Allen Smith, A. G. States, and Wm. Wurts. Later
Francis Houghton and Levi Walters joined this same
regiment.

Others on the roster of soldiers of Norton are:
129th Illinois Infantry-Charles Wykes
53rd Illinois Infantry-W. S. Campbell, D.
Colestock, and J. Smith
42nd Illinois Infantry— James Bruce and
Geo. Heoffman

4th Illinois Cavalry— Thomas Whaley
8th Illinois Cavalry— James N. Wilcox
Meconic Fusiliers— Edward Congrove
From Momence was Walter Hendrix who
enlisted on July 18, 1862 in Company H of the 76th
Illinois Infantry leaving his crops in the ground.
William Hendrix enlisted from Ganeer. Both were
from Norton later in life.

NOTES FROM RECORD OF

COMrvilSSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS OF NORTON

April 5, 1878-A. J. Young, Geo. Stover, and

James Fleming met at the home of W. V. States,

Town Clerk. Mr. Young was elected general overseer

of highways.

May 6, 1878- At meeting at Norton P.O.,
grading was let to lowest bidder at an average of 2(t
and 8 mills per yard.

March 15, 1879-G. S. Boyer elected overseer of
highways.

July of 1879-K & SW RR notified to put in a
crossing on the road west of Buckingham.

March 30, 1880-Town was divided into 12 road
districts.

April 20, 1880-lt was voted that $2.00 should
be assessed against all persons liable to poll tax as poll
tax to be paid to Commissioners or its equivalent in

labor performed. On motion of J. Smith, a road tax
of 35<!: on the $100 of real estate and personal
property liable to taxation.

Jan. 28, 1882-Laid out road by Wm. Wiseman's
and F. Wiseman's.

Apr. 18, 1882— H. F. Nordmeyer elected general
overseer of highways.

Apr. 19, 1883— Wm. Sargent was elected general
overseer of highways.

May 12, 1886— Bids for Iron Bridge over Horse
Creek near residence of J. Fleming, Esq. $780 bid of
Masillon Bridge Co. lowest. Given to said company.
Bought —

300' of 1 2" cu Ivert pipe @ 30 $90.00

100' of 14" culvert pipe @ 36 36.00

100' of 16" culvert pipe @ 48 48.00

50' of 8" culvert pipe @ 15 7.50

Keg of spikes 2.50

Apr. 20, 1886-H. Nordmeyer was elected
general overseer with Job McNamee and Thomas
Gibson, commissioners.

April 16, 1889-Job McNamee, A. W. Cotton,
and John Krai, Com. of Highways.

April 9, 1896— The Town was divided into 3
districts with K. Hennessey the commissioner in the
west third of the Town, A. Johnson commissioner in
the center third, and Wm. Ellsworth commissioner in
the east third of the Town.

March 28, 1899— The Town was divided into six
districts.

In the 1900's some of the road commissioners
were George McGinnis, Jesse Colman, J. W. O'Brien,
Charles Jessup, C. E. Gifford, Elwyn Wagner, and
Everett Mau and in 1976 Lawrence Schneider.

At the June 5, 1915 meeting of the
commissioners of Highways it was "decided to
enforce the law of 1895 prohibiting the running at
large of stock on the Public Highway in Norton
Township. Ordered notices to be published in the
Cabery Enquirer and Herscher Pilot and posted in
prominent places in Norton Township of enforcing
the above law."

NOTES FROM TOWN BOOK NO. 2-NORTON

April 6, 1880-W. V. States, Town Clerk, asked
an appropriation of three hundred dciiars for
defraying the expenses of the Town of Norton for the
year 1880. Same was voted. Resolved that every man
shall clean off the cockle burrs from the center of the
road along his land to the fence. Carried. Elected
overseers of Highways: Dist. 1 Henry Nansing, Dist. 2
M. Riley, Dist. 3 Wm. Unz, Dist. 4 John Gibson, Dist.
5 H. Monteith, Dist. 6 G. Townsend, Dist. 7 G.
Crydenwise, Dist. 8 R. Beardsley, Dist. 9 Geo.
Webster, Dist. 10 Nick Sadler, Dist. 11 H. Hiddleson,
Dist. 12 J. L. Brown.

The financial statement for 1880 shows that
"For one day's work with team 'going' for
scrapers-$2.50 and for the 'Taking of Agriculture
Statistics'-$25.00."

April 6, 1897-A vote was taken to raise
$750.00 for town expenses. People voted almost
unanimously to raise the amount. 327 names on the
poll list. The pauper bill was $204.07.

June 13, 1898— By order of Supervisor Geo.
Reed and L. G. Nutt, J. P., and Geo. McNamee, town
clerk, the towns Pilot, Essex, Rogers and Round
Grove all joining town of Norton were mailed this
notice: "You are hereby notified to have your town
Board to appoint your Canada Thistle Commissioner
if not already appointed and have him notified to
meet with the Canada Thistle commissioner of
Norton and use their power and best means to
exterminate the noxious weeds."

Mar. 17, 1900-A petition to ABOLISH POLL
TAX IN TOWN OF NORTON FOR THE LEGAL
VOTERS filed by 26 legal voters ... a petition by 27
legal voters filed to have the question of paying the
District Labor and Property Road Tax in money
instead of labor . . .

April 3, 1900- ... to pay District Labor Road
Tax in Labor instead of money carried for labor. To
abolish poll tax was carried. 318 names on poll list of
voters at this meeting.

April 5, 1902-At this meeting, the poll list is
kept separately for two precincts . . . voting being
held at Worth and Armitage's Hall in Buckingham and
Reilly School House— 216 and 109 names on list,
respectively.

Aug. 5, 1907— Commissioner levied for expenses
of coming year— $4600.00 itemized as follows: $2500
for bridges, $1000 for tiling roads, $500 for grading
roads, $300 for Overseer, and $300 for road
machinery.

April 7, 1908— /Vo levy being made for township
needs as sufficient sum in treasury for the next year.

Sept. 6, 1910-Decided to make the
compensation for assessing in the Town of Norton
$162.50 per year when the land assessment is not

made and $212.50 for the year when the land
assessment is taken.

April 2, 1912-For Anti-Saloon Territory 133
votes; against 212.

April 1, 1913— Motion made by Joe Urbain and
seconded that a levy of $550 be made for Town
Expenses itemized as follows: Election expenses, $75;
Salaries, $250; Paupers, $125; and clerk hire, $100.
Number of persons who voted at election in Precinct
1, 38; Precinct 2, 16.

Following are some interesting notes gleaned
from the town book:

Sept. 5, 1902— Dram Shop license granted to Henry
s and John Brooks; Poolroom licenses to

Mike Nelson and Abe Ferden. George W. Heller,

first Village marshal.
Dec. 1902— Salaries per meeting: Pres., $1.50; Treas.,

$1.67; Clerk, $4.17; Trustees, $1; and Marshal,

$1.00.
Jan. 1903-Village bought jail from A. F. Beardsley

for $325.00.
April 1903-Pres., A. A. Armitage; Clerk, E. E.

Swope; Magistrate, W. V. States; Treas., H. S.

Randall; Trustees, J. N. Cook, W. S. Potter, Ed

Ferden, C. W. Smith, John Nutt, and B. Randall.
June 1903— Voted to purchase posts and materials for

hitching racks.
April 1906— E. F. Glass elected clerk of village board.
March 7, 1908— Resolution to form Volunteer Fire

Department adopted.
Oct. 1908— Fire bell installed on jail building.
Apr. 1909— John Mahood elected president.
Apr. 1911 -A. A. Armitage, Pres.
April 1913-Oliver Brooks, Pres.
Apr. 1915-W. R. Kent, Pres.
Dec. 1915— Purchased electric light plant for

$1,075.00.
Jan. 1917— Mr. Tuntland reported he had contacted

interested women about ironing with electricity

and they decided on a Wednesday but by Apr. 4

the use of electric irons was discontinued.
June 1 91 7— Streets were oiled.
Apr. 1918— A. F. Beardsley, Pres., and Miss Irma

Beardsley, Treas.
July 1924— Bid for electric transmission line from

Public Service of N. III. accepted for $4,000.

(Electricity was in in 1926)
Apr. 1921-S. J. Mahood, Pres.
July 2, 1929-H. A. Madison, Pres.
Feb. 14, 1933-H. Tuntland, Pres.
Apr. 1935— E. Crydenwise, Pres.
July 1937-First streets blacktopped.
Apr. 1965-James Wills, Pres.
Oct. 1965-Natural Gas Franchise approved. Installed

1968.
Oct. 1966— Herscher Sportsman Club annexed to the

village.
June 1971-Alvin West, Pres.

Apr. 1973-Ruth L. Heller, President-the first
woman in Kankakee County elected to this
office. Janet Jordan is the present clerk of the
village.
NORTON TOWNSHIP-LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
While serious legal matters were handled by the
County Court in Kankakee, less serious matters seem
to have been handled locally by a Justice of the
Peace.

1875— Norton-Business is brisk before
Squire Monteith. Two suits this week
and three on the docket for Thursday.

1875, May 6-Norton-Squire Monteith is
pressed some with lawsuits. No
trespass case Saturday and an assault
and battery case on Monday. It is
amusing to see two of the legal
fraternity come from town to try a
case and call each other hard names,
and then have a short recess, step out
and have a few drops of cordial from
the same vial and commence again.

1876, April 13 -Norton-Squire Monteith
has had a case of assault tried before
him which helped to drive dull care
away.

Norton Township had a representative in the
Lower House of the Illinois State Legislature. Hon.
Matthew F. Campbell, a retired farmer, was elected to
represent Kankakee County in 1884, and was a

member of the Lower House during the long contest
for the election of United States senator in which
John A. Logan was victorious.

1876, March 2-April term Grand Jury
Norton, J. H. Armitage; Petit Jurors,
Norton— Charles Boyer, Henry Ballou,
Thos. Glass.
Different political administrations were used
once as a method of pinpointing dates. An example:
1887, March 3 Gazeffe-South Norton. Ed
Cook of Watertown, N.Y. who lived
here the latter part of Grant's
administration and the first part of
Hayes' is here visiting relatives.
COURT HOUSE
The County Seat of Norton Township is at
Kankakee, Illinois. In this 1909 picture of the laying
of the cornerstone of the Court House, all the
township supervisors are wearing badges on their
shoulders. A. A. Armitage was the supervisor from
Norton Township. Others identified from Norton are
Wm. Hendrix, Charles Jessup, and Edward Berger.
Others among the supervisors identified are Gustav
Berger of Pilot and Henry Gaus of Salina.

TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS

In 1976, the Norton Township Officials are:

Supervisor— Vernon Feller

Clerk— Everett Hendrix

Assessor— Edwin Balgeman

Auditors— Carl Hunt, Irving Nelson, Paul

Malone, Eldon Berger

The supervisors of each township are pictured here at the Laying of the Corner Stone at the Kanl<akee County Court House in 1909.
Identified are Mr. Gustave Berger of Pilot, Mr. Henry Gaus of Salina, A. A. Armitage of Norton, Supervisors, and also Edward Berger,
Wm. Hendrix, Charlie Jessup, and Charles Preston.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. John Rathman

V
Schools

Norton Township was organized for school
purposes in 1860. Previous to that a school was
taught in the granary of Joseph Smith on Section 32
by a Miss Luce. The town then formed a sort of
organization and soon afterward built the first
schoolhouse in what was District 9. The first trustees
were James Glass, Joseph Smith, and E. C. Colstock.
J. H. Armitage was the first Treasurer.

In 1866, Norton was divided into three districts
and the next year Miss Ada Strickland had the high
honor of being the first in Kankakee County to teach
in a sod schoolhouse in District No. 3 near Cabery.
The sod schoolhouse was used for about two years
and in 1883, a writer in an atlas states that he could
see "the outline of its walls." Miss Amelia Majorowicz
of Cabery remembers seeing a slight mound marking
the place where the sod schoolhouse had collapsed
when her director, Mr. Christ, pointed it out to her as
late as 1931. Our picture shows the Colton School,
District 151, in 1934. It stood on the lot very near to

Colton School No. 3, SE corner Section 6, District 151. Date
of Photo— May 24, 1934. Teacher: Mary Joyce taught the last
year school was held in this building, 1940- 194 1.
Photo Courtesy of Miss Amelia Majorowicz

where the sod schoolhouse had been. There were 85
trees in the yard. The last year of teaching in this
school was 1940-41 with Mary Joyce as teacher.

Great progress in education was made between
the days of the sod school and the years 1933-1936
when a Junior College was established in Reddick
with government funds (C.W.E.S.). It was during
those depression years that many young people were
unable to find employment but through this service
were given an opportunity for learning that would
otherwise have been denied them. Credit for this
Junior College goes to Mr. 0. A. Towns, Principal of
Reddick High School.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS
DISTRICT NO.I-Located on land owned in 1873 by
Paul Meyer.

Early directors: Thomas Houghton 1877, 1893
A. J. Young 1878; Henry Nansing 1879; W. G
Smith 1889; John Kroll 1887; N. W. Young 1886
Theo. Nordmeyer 1886; Geo. VanVoorst 1887; H
F. Nordmeyer 1892, 1895; A. G. Smith 1892,1894
Louis Balgeman 1892.

Teachers: May Schobey 1897; Mrs. Frances
Young 1880; Nellie M. Gorman 1880; Jessie B.
Mather 1881; H. S. Randall 1883, '84; Mary Moran
1884; Nora Whalen 1884,85,86; Alice Cook 1886;
Mary Stevens 1887; Sarah A. Ryan 1887,88,89; Mrs.
J. H. Lenney 1890; B. G. Gunnerson 1890,91,92;
Libby Houghton 1891,93; Anna Maile 1892-93; E.
D. Grabill 1894-95.

School consolidated with Essex Twp. Dist.
No. and relocated on present Route 17 just east
of the Union Hill corner. Two room school, first
room containing six grades; second room grades 7 & 8
and first two years of High School. High school was
discontinued in 19 ; then four grades in each room.
Later consolidated into RUCE Community Unit and
building used for some years as an attendance center.
Property sold to Daniel Ryan and later to William
Coleman for use as a tavern.

DISTRICT NO. 2-Located on land owned by P.
Riley in 1873. This district was known as Dublin

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7S66 /'ape o/^ School District meeting

School due to extensive Irish residents in the area.

Union Hill School (Original building southwest of village)
taken circa 1896. Back Row: left to right— Herbert Balgeman,
Libby Houghton, teacher; Bert Smith (in tree); Walter Tatro,
James Testin, Amanda Balgeman, Alma Smith, Mary Testin,
Maude Schott, Alma Balgeman, Emma Nordmeyer, Celia
Nordmeyer, Agnes McCabe, ?; Bottom Row: Nordmeyer,
Nordmeyer, Grace Schott, Tatro, Fred Tatro, Emma
Siemering, (in chair), Alice Nugent, Lily Balgeman, Pearl Van
Voorst, Henry Testin; In tree: Paul and Martin Nordmeyer.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. LaVerne King

Union Hill School picture (west room, grades 1 through 6)
taken circa 1923. Seated, Leona McGovern, teacher; Rows left
to right-First Row: Noma Hall, Vernon Dittus, Lorena
Iff land; Second Row: Vera Baker Johnson, Evelyn Hebekeuser
Grab, Wilma Hall, John Ruder, Jr., Wilbur Desens; Third Row:
Josephine Dewey, Arlene Iffland Johnson, Rachel Beauclerc
Hiddleson, John Dewey, Emmett Dooley; Fourth Row: Helen
Cook King, Vernon Feller, Isadore Ruder, Gertrude Beauclerc
Rowen.
Courtesy Mrs. La Verne King

Early directors: M. Riley 1877; M. Kelley 1878;
John Muldoon 1879; William McGinnis 1885;
Timothy Buckley 1885; James Riordan 1886; Fred
Hanswirth 1892; F. M. Clodi 1893;T. Buckley 1894;
Patrick Lonergan 1895.

Teachers: Mary W. Cassiday 1879/93; Rosa
Riley 1879, 1880; James Reiley 1880, 1881, 1882;
Anna Joyce 1881; Bridget Mulligan 1893; Mary
Moran 1894; Anna Joyce 1894,1895; Mary Roberts
1885; Delia McQueen 1886; Lucy B. Curran 1886,
1887; Minnie McGovern 1887; D. L. McLane 1888,
1889; Katie Buckley 1888, Kate Tyrell 1889; Agnes
Allen 1890; Alma Allen 1890; Lizzie Haggerty 1892;
Anna Meaden 1893; Gertrude Shimmin 1894.

When attendance at school was discontinued
because of school consolidation, building was
purchased by Reuben Lehnus. It is now the residence
of

Dublin School— Original building, taken circa 1907/1908. Top
Row: left to right— Katie McGinnis, Dennia Houseworth, Hilda
Houseworth, Ella Houseworth, Loretta Corcoran, Ada
O'Brien, Irene McGinnis, Rose McGovern, teacher; Bottom
Row: Lester McGinnis, Phil Riordan, Charley Houseworth,
Francis Hennessy, Francis McGinnis, Eddie McGinnis, Rolland
Houseworth.
Courtesy Mrs. Edward McGinnis

DISTRICT NO. 3— School house was located on
property owned by George Feller in 1873.

Early directors: George Boyer 1877-79-86;
William Unz 1878; Geo. Weis 1879,87; Francis
McGirr 1886; Charles Boyer 1887; R. D. Shelly 1889;
Robert Nugent 1892; Henry Kluckholm 1893;
Thomas Ferriter 1894; S. G. Smith 1895; Edward
Unz 1892.

Dublin School- District No. 141, Taken 1928-29. Back Row:
left to right-Glenn Scott, Anastasia Fritz, Lucille King,
Dorothy Lonergan, Dorothy Fritz, Theresa Fritz, Bernice
Scott, Marie Fritz, Robert Geiger; Front Row: left to
right-Gerald Fritz, Aloysius Lonergan, Arnold Fritz, Eldon
Oberlin, Arthur Fritz, Lyie King, Walter Scott, Dale King.
Courtesy Mr. & Mrs. Dale King

Teachers: Lizzie McDonald, 1878,79,80,81;
Anna Lope (Sp. ? ) 1881; Mary Krollman
1881,82,83,84,85; Hattie M. Kellogg 1883; Luella
Mann 1883,84; James Reilly 1885; Nellie Shimnnin
1886,89,90,91; Helen N. Peck 1886,87; Olive Cooper
1889; Lizzie Hagerty 1891; Tina Mackay 1891,92;
Maggie Haggerty 1892; Ada E. McElvain 1892,93;
Susie D. Neer 1893,94,95.

DISTRICT NO. 4-Building was on property owned
in 1873 by John Gibson.

Early directors: Thomas Gibson 1877,78; John
Gibson 1878,80,86,92,95; Simon Prussner 1879; S.
P. Coulthurst 1880,87; F. R. Patchett 1894; T. F.
Halloran 1893; C. D. Redfield 1892.

Teachers: Adie Strickland 1878; Pauline Bryant
1879; Agness Eaton 1879,80; Susan Estinger{?)
1880; Wm. Edmunds 1881; Luella J. Bateman 1881;
Aaron Good 1881,82,83; Addie Smith 1882; Hattie
M. Kellogg 1883,84; Mary A. Moran 1885; Nancy
Penry 1885; Phebe Patchett 1886,88; Anna Bogg
1887,88; Emma Reed 1889; Orah Record 1889,90;
Meda Synder 1890; Julia O'Malley 1890; Drusella
Flewelling 1890,91; Maggie Mulligan 1891; Ida
Haughn 1892; Arminda Dean 1892,93; Ella Mulligan
1893,94.

Reddick School (located one mile east of town) 1902. Top
Row: Lloyd Funk, Newton Fager, John Weimer, Roy Weis,
Irvin Fager, Walter Hulbert, Ezra Weis, George Johnson, Earl
Nelson, Clarence Hulbert; Second Row: Irma Nelson, Estella
Unz, Ella Funk, Lottie Stacey, Maggie Kelly, Cerelda Carroll,
Mary McGinn is, Blanche Bloxam, Alice Rielly, Maggie
Parkhurst, Lucy Weis; Third Row: Neva Gustin, Mayme
Johnson, Carrie Funk, Olive Kluckhohn, Mary Sutter,
Florence Fager, Dee Atkinson, Ruth Weimer, Beulah Bloxam,
Inza Stubblefield, Lenora Emme, Nora Weis; Fourth Row:

Harry Smith, .? Ruby Lish, Florence Merrill, Inez Guest, Eva
Fager, Ida Portz, Kitty Johnson, Jessie Funk, Verna Unz, Ruth
Brindley, Gladys Bloxam, Charles Rielly; Fifth Row: Billie
Atkinson, Harry Brindley, Earl Emme, Fred Kluckhohn,
Charles Brindley, Charlie McFall, Ernest Parkhurst, Eddie
Rielly, Z Johnnie McGladdery; Sixth Row: Freddie Portz,
Bennie Bigelow, Eddie Sutter, John Parkhurst, Earl Parkhurst,
Tommy Rielly, Harry Parkhurst, Howard Funk, Bert Bloxam,
Eddie Kluckhohn; Teacher left side, Laura Hasemeyer;
Teacher right side, Nellie V. Shimmin.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

T/^ ^

King 1880; Robert Hunter 1889; O. H. Tofte 1895.

Teachers: JR Neer 1879,80,81; H. S. Randall
1879,83,94,95; Jennie B. Monteith 1879,80; Geo. W.
Stover 1880; Stella Danley 1881; John W.
Bartholonnew 1881; Ella Truax 1882; G. S. Randall
1883,84; Libbie Sumner 1885; Chester Metcalf 1885;
Nancy Penry 1885,86; Ada J. Beardsley 1886; Cora
Randall 1886,87; Eunice Reed 1887; Emma J. Reed
1887,88,90,91; Daniel Rice 1888,1889; Meda Snyder
1889; Hattie M. Kellogg 1890,92; Ruth Jessup
1891,92; G. L. Randall 1892; Lizzie Nutt 1892;
Rhoda Hunter 1893; T. A. MacKay 1893; Alice
Ellsworth 1893,1894.

The school closed because of insufficient
students and children were transported to
Buckingham Grade School, later incorporated in
Herscher Unit 2.

Patchett School-taken circa 1900. Back Row: left to
right-Leila Redfield, ?, Edna Reed, Edith Patchett, Laura
Kane, Lucy Halloran McGinnis; Front Row: Earl Patchett,
Vernon Redfield, Leslie Patchett; teacher unidentified; Rue
Patchett, Frank Kane, Mabel Patchett, Mary Halloran; Seated
on ground left—?. Seated on ground right— Edwari'
Meisenbach, Sr.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Ted Zeller

Patchett School-taken 1940. Back Row: William Brooks,
Edna Finnegan, teacher; James Tavares, C. Ray Prussner;
Front Row: Geraldine Hooper Jensen, Marilyn Ruder Grob,
Marion King, Robert Brooks.
Courtesy Mrs. Norman Grob

DISTRICT NO. 5— Schoolhouse on property owned
by J. E. Negus in 1873— Section 17— known as Reed
School.

Early directors: George Williams 1876,'87;
Lemuel Cook 1877; H. W. Monteith 1892, '89;
George Reed 1892,94; A. A. Armitage 1892, '95; W.
Monteith '92,89; G. Peterson 1892,93; Walter
Hendrix 1879,86,93; E. H. Redfield 1879; Joseph R.

Reed School No. 5 SE corner of Section 16 (District 144);

Date of Photo-April, 1938; Teacher- Russell Mau; L. to R.

Vincent Buckley. Viator Buckley, Wallace Jordan, Madly n

Schmidt.

Photo Courtesy of Russell Mau

DISTRICT NO. 6— Building located on land owned in
1873 by C. E. Pratt, Section 13.

Early directors: Charles Whipprecht 1878; Frank
Jessup 1879,89,92; Oley Moeling 1879; Chas. Bouk

1880; John Fritz 1886; Peter Hopphuer 1887;
Thomas E. Patterson 1893; Fred Whithoft, Sr. 1894;
Wm. Ellsworth 1895; Jerome Hollenbeck 1892.

Teachers: J. F. Snyder 1878; Jessie Mather
1879; Nettie E. Jackson 1880; Ada E. Houghn 1881;
May Schobey 1882; Phebe Eldred 1882; G. L.
Randall 1883; Carrie E. Mather 1883,84; Nannie
Penry 1884,85,86,87; J. A. Alford 1885; Lena C.
Corkill 1885,86; Hattie Cornwell 1887,91,92; Lucy
B. Curran 1888; L. G. Nutt 1889,91,92,90; L. M.
Harkless 1889; Dora Nutt 1890,91; Ruth Jessup
1892; E. D. Graybill 1893,94; Drusella Flewelling
1894; Lizzie Nutt 1894; Anna Maile 1894; J. V.
Gilborne 1895; Geo. Van Dorn 1895.

Known as Ellsworth School.

1888,89,90; Mary Scofield 1891; Nellie Carroll 1892;
Alice Carey 1891; Ella O'Neill 1894; Gertrude
Gifford 1894,95; Mabel E. Westgate 1894.

Ellsworth School No. 6 Sl/V comer of Section 13. Date of
Photo-about 1920. L. to R. Isaac Ramsey. Elmer Ramsey.
Charles Wepprecht. Madeline Herscher. Eldon Col man. Henry
Elmhorst, Elmer Wepprecht.
Photo Courtesy of MM Wayne Ramsey

DISTRICT NO. 7

Early directors; Geo. Smith 1892; Jas. Duffy
1892; Thos. McGinness 1886, 89,92,93; Joseph S.
Smith 1880; Geo. W. Stover 1877; E. Webster 1878;
H. M. Wells 1879; Thomas Halloran 1887; Geo. F.
Smith 1892; Chester Smith 1894; John Moran, 95.

Teachers: Emma Savory 1879; Lizzie Webster
1879; W. 0. Wright 1880; Adie Smith 1880,81; C. B.
Williams 1881; Alice Westgate 1882; Deet Glover
1882,83,85; Grace Glover 1883; Phebe Patchett
1884; H. S. Randall 1884; G. E. Bratton 1884; Hattie
M. Kellogg 1884; Delia M. Quinn 1885; Darius. R.
Shoop 1886; Mary Kevin 1886,87; Rose Sullivan
87,89,93; Theresa Morrissey 1888; Mary L. Keefe

Duffy School. Back Row: left to right-Waunita Berger, Patsy
Duffy. McNamara. Virgil Clodi. Lucy McGinnis. teacher;
Velma Hunt. Mary Alice McGinnis, Doris Hunt. Elaine Hunt;
Bottom Row: Jimmy Duffy. Jack McGinnis. Edward
Meisenbach. Jr., Margaret Duffy. Arthur Col lard, McNamara.
Stanley Berger, McNamara.
Courtesy Mrs. Ted Zeller

"Beardsley" School No. 8 SW corner Section 27. Date of
Photo-About 1906. Teacher: Miss Meda Snyder. Back Row:
Miss Snyder, Gertrude Brown, Warren Overright, Alice
Overright Clark, Alta Hendrix Corcoran, ?; Second Row: ?,
Gladys Bibler, Grace Snyder (far right); Third Row: George
Hendrix, Izora Tofte, Frieda Snyder, Josephine Hendrix,
Emma Balgeman Wrede, McKinley (Tim) Hendrix; Fourth
Row: Clint Jackson (behind bell), Arthur Balgeman, Sybil
Bibler (wearing locket), Frank Sumner, John Jackson, Clara
Balgeman Hines; Front Row: Lloyd Snyder (with rows of
buttons), Marie Snyder Gregorson, and Ralph Snyder.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Warren Overright

DISTRICT NO. 8-Located on land owned by R.
Beardsley in 1873. Section 27.

Early directors: W. V. States 1878; William
Hendrix 1885; L. G. Nutt 1891; W. 0. Brown 1894;
P. W. Worth 1892; Geo. McNamee 1892, 95; G. H.
Carpenter 1892,93; R. W. Beardsley 1877; M.
Misenbach 1878; H. B. States 1879; Wm. S. Potter
1885; M. F. Campbell 1886; Theodore Armstrong
1887; Geo. W. Lowden 1889,94; R. Nutt 1895.

Teachers: Jennie Fleming 1878,79,80; JR Neer
1880; Ella Montague 1880,81; Ella Stover 1881;
Jessie Fleming 1881; Henry Randall 1881,82,
83,85,86; Emma M. Collins 1883,84; Mrs. J. N. H.
Walters 1884; O. F. McKim 1884,85; Gerty Randall
1884,85,86,87,88; Hattie Kellogg 1886,87; Luella L.
Mann 1887,88; L. G. Nutt 1887,88; Christina McKay
1888; Orah Record 1888; Hattie Cornweil.

Dec. 5, 1884-J. H. Armitage was paid $2.15 for
hauling coal to new schoolhouse.

1884; Mrs. W. B. Walters 1884,85; Nellie Lamb 1885;
Lee Nutt 1886,87; Nancy Penry 1887;Oretta Brown
1888; Nettie Brown 1888,89; Orah Record 1888,89;
Clara Van Doren 1889,90,91,93; Dora Nutt 1891;
Julia Ewing 1892; Rhoda Hunter 1892,93,94; L. L.
Rice 1894; Ella Neer 1895.

Nutt School No. 9 NE corner of Section 35. Date of
Photo— about 1930. Teacher: Mrs. Hazel Nutt. back row. Back
Row: Leo Feller, Luella Witheft, Frances Odell, Leora Clark,
Rita Feller, Doris Clark, Del ores Odell, Very I Nutt; Front
Row: Elmer Berger, Lavern Odell, Genevieve Feller, Beulah
Clark, Norma Odell, Alice Crawford, Margaret Feller, Donald
Odell.
Photo Courtesy of Very I Nutt

Nutt School No. 9 SW corner Section 25. Date of
Photo-1899. Teacher-Miss Meda Snyder. Back Row: Warren
Overright, Harry Hosier, ?, Ray Hosier, Meda Snyder; Second
Row: ?, Tina Isaccson, Harriet Isaacson, Roland Hosier, Ted
Hosier, OIlie Isaacson; Front Row: Art Hosier, Abe Isaacson,?,
Frieda Snyder, Alice Overright Clark, Katie Hosier.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Ray Clark

DISTRICT NO. 9

Early directors: J. R. Neer 1879; Sidney
Mallory 1887,88; Robert Hunter 1892; Sam Heather
1892; Wm. J. Nutt 1892; C. W. Fulford 1877; Geo.
Hollenbeck 1879; D. A. Montague 1879; T. M.
Walters 1880; W. H. Van Doren 1880; Thomas Clark
1886, 1887, '95; Frank Hosier 1886, 1893; Lars
Shelly (Chally) 1889; John Geo. Obrecht 1894.

Teachers: Geo. Van Dorn 1878; Lottie Ketcham
1879; C. J. Culver 1879; Adie Smith 1879,80; Jessie
B. Mather 1880; Laura Colby 1881; J. W.
Bartholomew 1881; Geo. W. Stover 1882; Hattie M.
Kellogg 1882,85,86; J. Nett Van Dusan 1883; Gertie
L. Randall 1883; Mrs. Westgate 1884; Ella Moran

Grimwood School No. 1, SE corner Section 2. Girls are
Adeline Winterroth and Margaret Ohrt.
Photo Courtesy of MM Louis Boyd

afford School No. 2 NE corner Section 9 District 150. Date
of Pfioto-1943. Teacher-Miss Amelia Majorowicz. Back
Row: Karl Weir, Violetta Kersch Kenneth Geiger, Miss
Majorowicz; Front Row: Robert Meadows, Alice Weaver, Joie
Kersch, Dolores Kersch.
Photo Courtesy of MM Alvin Gaus

Colton School No. 3, SE Corner of Section 6, District 151.

Date of Photo-May 24, 1934. Clara Mae Hendricks, Mary

Ruth Christ, Francis Sargeant, Leroy Majorowicz, and John

Christ.

Photo Courtesy of Miss Amelia Majorowicz

Reddick High School-Class of 1933, taken 1932. Back Row: James Halpin, Marion Lawless, Donald White, Walter Mortenson, Arthur
Voigt, Floyd Rohman, Ralph Fieldman, Roy Zeller, Vernon Bossert, Frank Fecke, Willard Bossert, William Groenwald; Center Row:
Glenn Mateska, Jane Towns, Helen Cook, Freda Siemetz, Dorothy Grob, Mae Thompson, Genevieve Ewing, Kathryn Dixon, Erna
Christensen, Rita Larkin, Lois Dennison, teacher; Arvilla Yeager, Melvin Tavares; Bottom Row: Leona Thomason, Elaine White,
Adeline Ge'rsman, O. A. Towns, Principal; Irma Unz, teacher; Mary Ralph, Emma Christensen, Nora Lauritzen, Marvella Lockwood,
Adeline Patchett.
Courtesy Mrs. La Verne King

A TYPICAL YEAR'S EXPENSES FOR ONE DISTRICT, 5, IN 1885, 6, & 7

DATE

PAYEE

FOR

AMOUNT

1- 2-85

Paid Mr. L. C. Oulmann

for order book, stove pipe & elbow

$3.05

1-30-85

Libbie Sumner

for teaching

35.00

2-26-85

Libbie Sumner

for teaching

35.00

3- 7-85

Libbie Sumner

for teaching

35.00

4-25-85

Walter D. Monteith

for cleaning S.H.

2.50

6-30-85

Chester Metcalf

for teaching

50.00

8- 7-85

Chester Metcalf

for teaching

40.00

10-15-85

Walter D. Monteith

for coal & Hauling

10.80

12-1485

Walter Hendrix

for glass, chalk, tacks

.85

12-19-85

Nancy Penry

for teaching

30.00

1-30-86

Nancy Penry

for teaching

30.00

3-13-86

Edrick Reed

Coal, hauling coal & broom

1.50

3-17-86

N. E.Smith

for building fires

5.00

3-22-85

Nancy Penry

for teaching

60.00

5- 6-86

H. Engles

for cleaning & Whitewashing S.H.

5.00

6- 5-86

Walter Hendrix

for lock

1.00

6- 7-86

George Hendrix

for building fires

.75

7-16-86

Ada Beardsley

for teaching

56.00

8- 5-86

W. L. Hendrix

for broom & chalk

1.95

9-21-86

Henry Engles

for hauling coal

2.31

9-25-86

Wm. Potter

for coal

7.74

11-13-86

Cora Randall

for teaching

56.50

2-14-87

P. W. Worth

for school sundries

2.30

3- 5-87

Cora Randall

for teaching

105.00

6-13-87

Beardsley & Elliott

for lumber

11.43

6-20-87

P. A. Peterson

for building & Rep. Outhouse

12.00

7- 2-87

Eunice Reed

for teaching

50.00

7-14-87

P. W. Worth

for nails, paint, hinges, broom, chalk & latches

4.75

9-14-87

C. R. Nutt

for cleaning S.H., 3 tons coal and hauling

11.60

11-10-87

Emma Reed

for teaching

62.50

9:00- 9:10
9:10- 9:20
9:20
9:30
9:40

10:30-10:45
10:45
10:55
11:05
11:15
12:00- 1:00

1:00

1:10

1:20

1:30

1:40

2:30- 2:45

2:45

3:00

3:10

3:20

3:30

3:40

3:50

TYPICAL ONE ROOM SCHOOL SCHEDULE
Opening Exercises-singing, reading book, marching, etc.
First Reading

9:50
10:00
10:10
10:20

Fifth Arithmetic
Sixth Arithmetic
Seventh Arithmetic
Eighth Arithmetic

11:25
11:35
11:45

Fifth Reading
Sixth Reading
Seventh-Eighth Reading

Second Arithmetic

Third Arithmetic

Fourth Arithmetic

RECESS

First Arithmetic

Second Reading

Third Reading

Fourth Reading

NOON RECESS

First Reading

Second English

Third English

Fourth English

Fifth English

RECESS-Physical Education

First and Second Story Telling

Third Social Studies

Fourth Social Studies

Fifth Geography (Mon. & Wed.) Physiology (Tues. & Thurs.)

Sixth Geography (Mon. & Wed.) Physiology (Tues. & Thurs.)

Seventh Geography (M.&W.) Physiology (T. & Th.) Civics

Eighth Geography (M. & W.) Physiology (T. & Th.) Civics

The last hour on Fridays was used for handcrafts and art work. The teacher also
served as music teacher, art teacher, janitor, playground supervisor (and often participant),
program chairperson, disciplinarian, lunch supervisor, mice catcher, etc. etc.

1:50

Sixth English

2:00

Seventh English

2:10

Eighth English

2:20

Spelling-Orthography

Writing 10 minutes per day instead of one of the
English classes.

School number eight located 3/4 mile southwest
of Buckingham was destroyed by the November 11,
191 1 tornado. It was never rebuilt. Instead, the pupils
went to the school in the village of Buckingham
which was a two-room, two-story frame building with
a large porch built in 1884. For a few years, this
building also served as a High School. Of the Class of
1901 pictured here, we have been able to identify
only Bessie and Louise Armitage.

basement room was fitted to serve as a cafeteria with
lunches provided by canteen service from Herscher.

\ -%

Photo of 1901 High School Class taken at Buckingham School.
Courtesy of Mrs. John Rathman

In 1930, this building was torn down and the
present brick building with two rooms and two
recreation rooms was built. Clara Heinis donated an
ample amount of land for the use of the school as a
playground. Arthur Balgeman, Wm. Fredericks, and
Warren Overright were the directors at this time. In
1958, a third classroom was added. The east

Buckingham Grade School— old wooden building with porch.
Date of Photo— 1918. Teacher: Miss Murray (back of
children). Back Row: Nellie Kent, Alma Gross, Lillian Randall,
Louise Snyder, Frances Kenney, Gladys Urbain; Second Row:
Adeline Armitage, Ruth Prussner, Elvira Sumner, Agnes
Nelson, Earl Huntley, Art Randall; Seated: Raymond Lamb,
Lazern Crydenwise, Russell Preston, and Roy Huntley.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Willard Essington

Until 1946, the organization of the schools in
the area remained very much the same with the High
School at Herscher and the elementary schools at
Bonfield, Buckingham, Herscher, and over 40
one-room schools. Between 1946 and 1948, a sudden
reorganization took place with all of these elementary
schools being consolidated into four districts using
the existing buildings in Bonfield, Buckingham, and
Herscher and a new building at Limestone which was
completed in 1948.

The next step which established the present Unit
2 District followed quickly in 1949 when the four
consolidated districts combined with the High School
into a Unit district of twelve grades.

Since 1970 only grades 1-4 are taught in
Buckingham with pupils bussed to Herscher for
Kindergarten and grades 5-12. Mrs. Edward Rieke
has 24 pupils in grades 1 & 2; Mrs. Sharon Kidd has
17 in Grades 3 & 4.

School District #1 was located on the southwest
corner of Section 1 .

In 1910 District #1 (Norton) was combined
with an Essex Township district that adjoined it, and
the school house was then located on Illinois Route
17 just east of the Union Hill road. It was designated

District #140. It was a two room building, the west
room having six grades, and the east room grades
seven and eight and two years of high school. When
the high school was discontinued, each room served
four grades. With the formation of R.U.C.E.
Community Unit District, the building was used as an
attendance center for a time before all students were
taken to Reddick.

Buckingham Grade School-present brick building. Date of
Photo-1934. Teacher-Mrs. Arthur Nutt (Hazel) behind
children. Back Row: Bruce Crane, Mary McNamara, Genevieve
Motzig Berger, Alice Murphy, Hazel Nutt (teacher). Dale
Hosier, Vernon Clark; Second Row: Dean McNamara, Joe
Wadleigh, Francis Clark, Marwood Hendrix, Junior Nutt,
Victor Hendrix; Third Row: Laura Louise Guiltner Alvina
Balgeman Berger, Ruth McClintock, Mildred Clemans, Pauline
Cook, Verna Hockett; Front Row: Glenn Cays, Paul
McNamara, Loren Henry, Stanley Berger, and Paul Tuntland.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Eldon Berger

Cemeteries

COLMAN CEMETERY

The beginning of this cemetery was a township
burying ground where anyone in the township might
bury their dead. There was no specified caretaker,
and it soon grew up to weeds. Mrs. Semer (AMce)
Colman, Mrs. John (Kate) Schott, and possibly Dan
Wepprecht, brother of Mrs. Schott, were instrumental
in forming an association to care for it. The
association needed a name and the Colman family,
being nearby residents, allowed their name to be
used. Harold Colman recalls hearing that in the early
days of the township it was the only dry place that
could be found in the area, and stone boats were used
to take the caskets up to the higher ground for burial.
Alice Crawford, wife of Thomas Crawford, who died
in 1870 may have been one of the first persons buried
in Colman Cemetery.

One stone marking the grave of Leslie W., son of
J. & M. Smith, who died July 22, possibly 1865, aged
1 year, 1 month and 11 days, might be the oldest
stone intact, although the date is so worn one can not
be certain.

Sarah L., daughter of L. & E. Reed (Lewis and
Eliza) died February 2, 1868, aged 1 year, 3 months,
1 day, is one of the very early stones with the
following interesting inscription:

"Sleep on sweet Sarah
And take thy rest
God called thee home
He thought it best."

Three children of Dr. and Mrs. Seymour
Bateman who died in April 1875 are interred in the
same grave. They were victims of an epidemic. Burial
was made in April, but a Kankakee Gazette item from
Norton June 3, 1875 states: "Rev. Mr. Rutledge
preached the funeral services of the children of Dr.
Bateman last Sunday. The sermon was very
appropriate and was listened to by a large audience."
This funeral service was held in Brown's Church. The
Bateman family once had a house in Pogsonville, but
in 1878 bought the farm of John Willis in Section 10.
Mrs. Bateman was a sister of William S. Potter of

Buckingham.

There have been various arrangements for
caretaking. The Schott, Colman and Wepprecht
families have contributed much. During the
Depression years lot owners were to take turns caring
for the cemetery. For many years the Fred
Wepprecht, Jr. family have been in charge.

Names taken from records of the Cemetery
Association and grave markers include: Hendrix,
Eastwood, Smith, McKinley, Colman, Morenos,
Flanagan, Wardell, Goodrich, Shoop, Houghton,
Hollome, Baker, White, Iffiand, Cook, Van Voorst,
Phelps, Shrout, Coles, Brown, King, Bateman, Potter,
Meleng, Patterson, Dornburg, Schott, Reed, Jeffers,
Ellsworth, Clempson or Klengson, Larson, Hodge,
Benema, Baggs, Geiger, Wepprecht, Dittus, Crawford,
Dean, Cooper.

In 1908 the Township of Norton deeded to
Colman Cemetery Association the plot of ground
occupied and used by Colman Cemetery.

ELDREDGEVILLE CEMETERY

On Sept. 22, 1 897, a meeting was called to order
by A. T. Anderson for the purpose of organizing a
Cemetery Association to procure the Eldredgeville
Cemetery Lot and to maintain and improve the same.
Those present were George McNamee who was
chosen chairman, J. W. Fleming, Theodore Wadleigh,
C. L. Woods, Chris Christopher, and A. T. Anderson
who was chosen to be the secretary. On Nov. 25,
by-laws for the association were drafted and adopted.
The Secretary was then instructed to see to the
recording of the Certificate of Corporation and to see
to the procuring of the deed from the county for the
cemetery lot which was donated by Don Bush. Mr.
Wm. Grimwood gave a beautiful curved metal sign
with the name of the cemetery written with metal
letters. This sign was taken by persons unknown in
the summer of 1975.

On Dec. 6, 1898, Mr. Anderson and Theo.
Wadleigh were empowered to engage a sexton to care
for the grounds and soon Mr. G. A. Hubbard was
employed for the year at $1.50 per each day spent

caring for the cemetery.

On Oct. 6, 1900, the cemetery was enlarged.
This same year a notation was made of $1.85 spent
for flower seeds. Mrs. Earl Gross, the present
Secretary of the Cemetery Association who with her
late husband donated many hours of loving care to
the cemetery grounds, remembers the beauty of the
lot with its many flowers over the years.

In 1902, the price set to dig a grave was $3 with
a raise to $4 in 1906.

Surnames taken from gravestone— Eldredgeville
Cemetery:

Ayres, Rogers, Cook, Peck, Hoyt, Preston, Lowdon,
Addicott, Glass, Fleming, Grimwood, Larson,
Hubbard, Thompson, Blanchette, Johnson, Watson,
Brown, Bouk, Wood, McNamee, Bartletts, Overright,
Manchester, Havens, Evans, Brooks, Crydenwise,
Cook, Yates, Bliss, Cluff, Eldred, Blair, Carnahan,
Ifland, Piper, Clark, Carpenter, Burch, Ward, Cox,
Murphy, Porter, Adams, Baird, Hendrix, George,
Bush, Armitage, Sumner, Hoch, Townsend, Nutt,
Bowers, Randies, Van Doren, Clemans, Reed, Fritz,
Wadleigh, Snyder, Smith, Oehme, Christopher, Davis,
Robinson, Nicholson, Smeaton, Dean, Aldrich,
Rogers, Munger, Streeter, Webster, Bullock, Alford,
Hughes, Hosier, Tolle, Hall, Hawkins, Overwright,
Padley, Farley, Foster, Guiltner, Anderson, Johnson,
Thompson.

SMITH CEMETERY

Mrs. Howard Dunn of Reddick, a granddaughter
of Thomas Glass, remembers that when the Thomas
Glass baby died, there was no graveyard available for
burial nearby so little Archie was interred in a fence
row under a lilac bush. The lilac bush died so the
exact location of this grave is not known. This
situation prompted the setting aside of land in
Section 32 for burial which until 1874 was called the
Union Cemetery. George W. Stover was the first
Secretary of the Union Cemetery Association with
those present at the first meeting including W.
Colton, J. Walters, Job McNamee, W. Hendrix, J. A.
Hackett, M. F. Campbell, Geo. Stover, H. B. States,
T. W. Smith, W. Marvin, and J. T. VanderVoort. Early
burials are those of Eliza Marvin, 11 year old Lucy
Jane Glass in 1855, J. Eckel in 1862, and Mrs. C.
Ferguson in 1869. This is a community cemetery
with paupers, Protestants, and an unnamed mother
with her three children all lying side by side.

Theodore and Joseph Smith owned the land
surrounding the cemetery and in 1874 gave the
Association a quit claim deed for the burial plot for
$1.00. From this time, this has been known as the
Smith Cemetery. Later 0. J. Patchett donated
additional land for the east part or new part of the
cemetery.

In November of 1911, L. C. Looker was paid

$43.10 for a survey of the ground. Money was
allotted for the recording of the deed and the buying
of necessary stamps but no record of any cemetery in
Section 32 can be found in the Kankakee
Courthouse. The case is now being reviewed in
Springfield.

Since 1923, there have been no board meetings.
Although the By-Laws stipulate that "all descendants
be taxed according to means" for the upkeep of the
plots, there has been no designated caretaker for
many years. Gene Webster and his family have
donated many hours of labor mowing weeds and
caring for this old cemetery.

"QUARTERLY MEETINGS"

One of the earliest schoolhouse meeting places
in this vicinity was in the school located near the
present site of the Smith cemetery (where later the
Duffy school stood). Mrs. Ella Beardsley, a member
of the well known pioneer States family, when she
was interviewed by L. L. Henry for his story
"Methodism since Inception" written for the
November 9, 1933 Herscher Pilot remembered the
preparations made for the "QUARTERLY
MEETINGS" when the presiding Elder visited and the
day was spent in services. Hospitality was extended to
all attendants at these services by the families living
nearby. For a time a BAPTIST preacher also held
services here, one congregation meeting in the
forenoon and the other in the afternoon. The
meetings were enlivened by one preacher's spirited
attacks on the doctrines of the other. The Baptist
movement died out, however, about 1874.

Among the names on the grave markers in the
Smith Cemetery are the following:

Teague, Traylor, Thorson, Patchett, Webster,
Kellogg, Robinson, Hendrix, Potter, Elliott, Beutler,
Mateska, Perkins, Weeks, Carpenter, Eckel, Keenan,
Truex, West—, Penry, States, Monteith, Smith,
Beardsley, Armstrong, Bratten, Munger, Myers,
Cassidy, VanDoren, Pierceall, Wright, Sawyer,
French, Glass, Gir— , Lewis, Ulrich, Dittrich, Hobbis,
Badgley, Barrett, Campbell, Gibson, Randall, Griffin,
McLaughlin, Capelin, Ingles, King, Shurtliff, Insgho,
Townsend, Hunt, Dunn, Shumway, Walters, Marvin,
Esser, Hull.

Mount Hope Cemetery just east of Cabery on
the county line road has apparently always been
privately owned. It is believed that a child of the
Bouk family was the first person buried there. Later
the Rogers family, probably the owners of the
cemetery, erected a small mausoleum and some
members of that family are buried there. Thomas
Turner, grandfather of Ruth Turner Varney was the
second person buried in Mt. Hope. The cemetery had
not been maintained too well at the time it was
purchased by Lyden Turner of Cabery. After the

purchase he also acted as sexton. When Mr. Turner
grew older and could no longer maintain it as well as
he would have liked, the cemetery was sold to James
Scott, a Pontiac resident. At present a board of
trustees of local men, George Christ, Stephen Clapp
and Richard Colthurst oversee the maintenance of the
cemetery.

Surnames taken from gravestone and cemetery
records:

Hoch, Hoos, Benson, Koerber, Basham, Wilson,
Pen, Gebhart, Whalen, Casey, Darmon, Hoss, Fagan,
Essington, Sargeant, Nicholson, Miller, Gifford,

Aldrich, Beatty, Thompson, Kirk, Christ, Bagg,
McCullough, Nelson, Drew, Essington, Cloos, Daily,
Slater, Jack, Barham, Shelby, Quayle, Murphy,
Kierce, Robinson, Myers, Metzke, Turner, Porter,
Colthurst, Bouk, Veysey, Sadler, Clapp, Hempler,
Spies, Hughes, Hiddleson, George, Wright, Anderson,
Nutt, Waldschmidt, Baer, Clayton, Trusler,
Christopher, Hummell, Hettler, Leadingham, Keyes,
Persel, Reising, Ravenskilde, Rogers, Merrill, Johnson,
Dally, Canham, Borer, Hanson, Peace, Peterson,
Raab, Watkins, Dorman, Bishop, Martin.

VII

Village of Buckingham

GRAND PRAIRIE AND NORTON POST OFFICES

The Grand Prairie Post Office with Job Williams
running it was established Jan. 17, 1855 and
discontinued April 13, 1860. This place, later known
as Norton Village, was located about 3/4 mile
northwest of the present site of Buckingham. In
1976, one can still see parts of a foundation and a
grove of trees on the north side of Route 1 15 at the
spot. This village consisted of a blacksmith shop,
postoffice, and some farm buildings. Mail came by
Pony Express from Momence, Illinois.

The location of Norton Post Office is noted on
the 1873 map and the June 3, 1875 Gazette ran the
following item: "Patronize home institutions by
buying postage stamps at your own office. Our
postmaster is working on a percentage now. He gets
an increase of salary for last year. He gets $71 instead
of $27-not bad to take." The March 9 Gazette under
the Norton heading states: "Roads are in bad
condition. Uncle Joe, our faithful old mail carrier,
made about half his route by 9 o'clock Tuesday
night." In June of 1878, Geo. Williams is listed as
Post Master. By Nov. 21, 1878, there were two mails
per day.

By January 2, 1879, the area had two
postoffices with Mr. Williams running the Norton
office and Mrs. Annie Conrow, the Buckingham. An
agent of the Post Office Department came to
straighten the matter and the Gazette of Feb. 20,
1879 ran this item from Buckingham: "Our Post
Office is in a worse condition than ever. Mrs. Conrow
received orders to take charge of the Norton office,
which she did on Saturday. In a short time there were
several petitions for different aspirants for the office.
Mrs. Conrow has resigned. The majority are still in
favor of Mr. Williams. For some reason he has been
removed regardless of the many petitions sent to
headquarters."

The business of the postoffice was carried on in
various buildings in Buckingham— usually in part of a
general store— until August, 1961 when the U.S.
Government began leasing a brick building on the

corner of Elm and Railroad from Gilbert Van Voorst.
The postmasters have been:

Mrs. Annie E. Conrow Nov. 26, 1878

George B. McNamee July 29, 1893

Levi G. Nutt July 30, 1897

Grant Preston July 23, 1901

Wm. B. Hosier Jan. 7, 1908

E. F. Glass Nov. 9, 1911

Francis E. Munson March 1,1943

(Assumed charge)

March 10, 1943

(acting)

Wm.T. O'Brien Dec. 31,1944

Floyd J. Wesemann July 31, 1962

(assumed charge)
Sept. 30, 1963
(confirmed)
Rural Route #1 from Buckingham was
established June 1, 1904 with the following carriers
and their period of service as follows according to
information we have been given:

Oliver H. Allison 6-01-04 to 6-30-10

Charles M. Preston 7-01-10 to 2-28-29

Orlin Hendrix (full time sub.) 2-29-29 to 9-10-30

Harry Guiltner 9-10-30 to 1942 approximately

Edward Hamilton approximately 1942 to 1948

Ross Butler 1948

and the present carrier Orlin Hendrix began service as

substitute carrier Feb. 28, 1928. Joe Bajt was the

substitute carrier for the year 1965. C. 0. Hartman is

the present substitute carrier, having begun this

service in 1966.

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS
In 1875, the Fourth was celebrated at Kmg's
Grove (formerly Cook's) with a picnic and a ball
game between the Union Hill boys and the Modocs of
Pogsonville. The Rev. Mr. Van Doren delivered an
oration. Many played croquet. During an afternoon
thundershower, lightning struck the stable of Mr.
Banks killing his horse and burning the stable.

On July 5th, there was a basket picnic and
dancing both afternoon and evening at the George

Lewis grove (Glass settlement on land now owned by
Everett Mau). Before a large crowd, the plough boys
of Cabery got beaten in a game of baseball by a group
from Sugar Loaf.

GOOD TEMPLAR LODGE
The plat of 1873 shows the building of the
Good Templar Lodge on the property of B. J. King,
Section 24. An Aug. 26, 1875 Gazette item from
Norton mentions that "a large congregation
assembled at the temperance hall to listen to the
farewell sermon of Rev. Chas. Hunt."
POGSONVILLE
A "Ghost Town" of this township is Pogsonville
which was located in Section 14. The grove of trees in
the area was removed only a few years ago. Eldon
Colman recalls a great-aunt telling of several houses
being there and news from Norton in the Kankakee
Gazette of 1875 confirms its existence:

Feb. 1 1— Clarke Beebe has closed his shop
at Pogsonville and gone to Putnam
County to locate if he likes it there.
Mar. 4— Clarke Beebe has returned and is
again making the anvil sing in
Pogsonville.
Oct. 11, 1877-Dr. Bateman is about
buying Sam Foster's farm at $300 per
acre. He intends moving his house in
Pogsonville on it.
Dec. 24, 1874— (A tongue-in-cheek item)
Captain Jenks (another
correspondent) keeps well informed
on what transpires in Pogsonville but
doesn't seem to have noticed the
greatest piece of mechanism the town
can boast of. It answers for gong,
town clock, dinner and supper horn.
You can go to bed by it and get up by
it. I will not try to enumerate the
different uses you can put it to, but it
is the braying of Wilson's Jack.
BROWN CHURCH
Near Pogsonville on the Brown farm 272 miles
north of where Buckingham now is, the first church
building appeared, this having been a remodeled
schoolhouse. On May 7, 1874, the 3rd quarterly
meeting of the ME church was held at the Brown
church with a large congregation present. The Rev.
Mr. Deuch was assisted by the minister of the
Gardner church. On May 21, a Sabbath school was
organized with B. L. Cornwell elected as
Superintendent; Assistant, Roland Brown; Secretary,
H. W. Montieth; librarian, H. Randall; Treasurer, Miss
Emma Brown; and choirester, Chas. Wilson. The 1875
Kankakee Gazette ran the following items:

July 15— Rev. Mr. Rutledge had his hands
full last Sabbath morning at Brown's

Church. He had to preach a funeral
sermon for a child of Alonzo White
and a missionary sermon beside taking
in members in full connection.
Aug. 19— The funeral services of Alice
Crawford were held in Brown's
Church. Rev. C. Hunt of the W.M.
Church preached.
Aug. 26-"Are you going to Camp
Meeting?" is the leading question. If
the roads keep good Norton will be
well represented. (Note: Camp
Meetings were in Kankakee with
ministers from various counties,
states, and denominations. The first
one was held in August of 1873.) All
the young gents are trying to get
buggies for the 29th.
Sept. 2-Mr. Myron Wilcox of Pilot filled
an appointment at Brown's Church
last Sunday evening.
Jan. 1878— Rev. Flowers gave us his views

of future punishment.
The Brown Church building was moved to
Buckingham in 1881 and still stands on Elm Street
having been converted into a dwelling.

NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
The first meeting of the Norwegian Evangelical
Lutheran Congregation on Grand Prairie was held
Sept. 17, 1867 in the township of Norton, the
services held in their native language by Rev. Esbrem
who remained with them until May 6, 1869 when he
was succeeded by Rev. A. Christian Olson. In 1881
and 1882, they built a 32x46 foot church with a spire
73 feet in height in Section 31 of Pilot.

ELDREDGEVILLE CHURCH
The Methodist congregation at Eldredgeville
began meeting in a schoolhouse in 1867 with the Rev.
Collins as the first preacher. David Bullock was the
first S.S. Superintendent and the first trustees were
John Eldredge, David Bullock, James Bowlby, and
Mr. Shefler.

On March 31, 1873, Nelson Adams and Jane, his
wife, deeded to the trustees of the Eldredgeville
Methodist Church the plot of ground on which the
church and parsonage were built in the same year. In
the fall of that year, a young preacher was sent there
on his first charge, the Rev. J. D. Calhoun who died
in 1924. He served this church, the Brown Church,
and a congregation meeting in a schoolhouse about V2
mile north of the former Union Hill School (in 19^6,
The Hill-a tavern) and possibly other neighborhood
meeting places. The Revs. J. Flowers, J. Wilson, and
J. Bell followed at this charge. Among the families
identified with the church were the Adams, the
Grimwoods, the Prestons, the Van Dorens, the Cooks,

and the Flemings.

The church flourished until 1882 when the
coming of the railroad led to a realignment of
Methodism. The Eldredgeville Church was moved to
Herscher where it served the ME Congregation there
for many years. Later, the building was occupied as a
hardware store by Lochner and Amidon, then a
grocery store, and finally removed to make room for
the Herscher Medical Building.

Old Eldredgeville Church on E. side of Main Street in Herscher,
Photo courtesy of Russell Mau

Eldredgeville parsonage, later Mahoodhome.
Photo courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ramsey

A considerable part of the congregation went to
Buckingham. In 1888, the trustees purchased a lot
from Ebenezer Buckingham for $45 and moved the
parsonage to a lot directly south of the present ME
church across the alley where a portion of it still

stands. It was partially destroyed by fire at one time.
It served as the parsonage until 1899. At the time the
above picture was taken, it was owned by the
Mahood family— Mary, Ruth, and Mrs. Mahood are
posing here.

NORTON SEWING SOCIETY

The Norton Sewing Society met at the home of
Mr. Joseph Smith on Feb. 4, 1873 and organized by
appointing Mrs. Elizabeth Wells, President; Mrs. Mary
Webster, Vice-President; Martha States, Secretary;
Mrs. Margaret Campbell, Treasurer; and Mrs. Mary
Walters, Mary Smith, and Martha Smith, Directors.

The members of the Norton Sewing Society on
April 23, 1874 were: Mrs. T. H. Smith, Mary Webster,
Mary Smith, Mary States, Katie States, Ella Barott,
Henry Carpenter, Matt C. Stover, Margaret Campbell,
Libbie Armstrong, Corie Servis, Lavera Wells, Grace
Armstrong, Emily Goodspeed, Miss Gill, Cassie
Armstrong, Junie Carpenter, Diantha Brigg, Mary
States, Esther Pratt, Mary Walters, M. Vandevort.

Regulations for supper stipulated one kind of
meat, either tea or coffee, either pickles or cheese,
bread and butter, one kind of cake, one kind of sauce
and anyone having more was to pay a fine of ten
cents for the benefit of the Society.

On March 20, 1878, the Society voted to buy
the church lot for purposes of said Society and the
vote was unanimous. Paid on same, $19.

When one notes in the Treasurer's report the
number of spools of thread used and the number of
yards of duck, gingham, print, "denning," ticking,
and calico bought it seems that the ladies must have
made the needles fly.

R. C. Breese received of the Norton Society to
sell 6 shirts— 50(t and 9 pair overalls— 7 5<t;.

On October 21, 1877, the Society met at the
house of T. H. Smith for the purpose of closing the
business of the Society and disbanding. The $43.1 2 in
the hands of the Treasurer was divided equally among
the M.E., Wesleyan, and Baptist religious Societies.
The notes in the little book indicate that the ladies
continued their sewing and charitable work in the
intervening years before re-organizing into The Ladies
Aid Society.

LADIES AID SOCIETY

On April 3, 1888, the Ladies Aid Society met at
the parsonage electing Mrs. Jessup, President; Mrs. T.
H. Smith, 1st Vice-President; Mrs. Preston, 2nd
Vice-President; Mrs. J. H. Hobbs, Secretary, and Mrs.
H. S. Randall, Treasurer. The twenty members then
enrolled worked on a quilt the patchwork of which
was donated by Mrs. Hobbis.

Article 3 of the new constitution stated that
"The object of this society shall be to plan and carry
forward measures with a view to increase the general
church fund and to apply in any way it may think

best." Article 10 reads: "The business meetings of
this society shall be held at our several homes on
Tuesday afternoon of each alternate week and shall
be conducted just as the society may from time to
time think best." A By-Law stated that any lady may
become a member of this society by signing the
constitution and paying five cents at each meeting.
Also any gentleman may become an Honorary
member by signing the constitution and paying ten
cents at each meeting. By July, there were 38
members and 7 honorary members.

Projects for raising money included the making
of many quilts, aprons, and sewing articles of
clothing. Entertainments, chicken pie suppers, 5
o'clock teas, strawberry festivals, ice cream socials,
oyster suppers, and lawn "sociables" were held.

On May 7, 1889, a plan was proposed for the
starting of a church building fund. Also, the Society
dues were increased from 5 to 10c for ladies and from
10 to 20(t for gentlemen. A paper was circulated for
pledges to which a number signed their names.

On Sept. 22, 1890, a special meeting was held to
decide what amount should be paid from the Ladies
Aid Treasury on the preacher's salary. The ladies
thought they could also expend $1.00 for a handbag
for the minister's wife, Mrs. J. H. Hobbs. "Through
the kindness of Dr. McLouth the handbag cost only
86c and the remaining 14c was spent for a small
bottle of Primrose cologne which was placed in the
handbag."

The last page of minutes in the little notebook is
for Dec. 30, 1890. A motion carried that a committee
of young ladies be appointed to make fancy work for
the Fair. Said committee consisted of Linda Smith,
Hattie Cornwell, and Ruth Jessup. Each member of
that committee was to solicit articles for the fair.
HISTORY OF
BUCKINGHAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

As in other parts of the country, the Circuit
Rider followed very closely on the heels of the early
settlers and the church and school were the first
institutions planted in the new settlements.

Buckingham Church was organized in 1865 as a
part of the Union Hill Circuit. One historian claims
this part of the country was a part of the Onarga
Circuit. Rev. I. H. Costler, a Circuit Rider, held
services in schoolhouses and homes in thirteen
appointments in 1864 and 1865.

In 1869, what is thought to have been the first
church building in Norton Township appeared in a
schoolhouse located on a plot beginning at a point 26
rods west of the NW corner of Section 15 in Town
30. It was leased by Samuel S. Randall to the
"trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church" and a
schoolhouse that had been built in 1867 on the
Colman farm was purchased and moved to this

location. This "Brown's" Church appears to have
been the direct parent of the Buckingham church.

When the railroad went through Buckingham,
the area churches merged and it was then designated
as the head of the circuit.

The "Buckingham Charge" first appears in the
minutes of the old Central Illinois Conference in
1882. The first preacher assigned was the Rev. Joe
Bell who came from the now discontinued
Eldregeville Circuit; his congregation remained much
the same even though he moved to Buckingham.

In 1888, the trustees were P. W. Worth, William
Hosier, Dan Davis, William States, Henry Randall,
Scott Armitage, and Edward Reed. The congregation
was large and flourishing through these years and by
the close of the century had outgrown the old
church. In June 1898, the ground for the new church
was purchased for $175. As plans progressed,
however, dissension arose in the congregation and a
portion withdrew their membership and formed the
Presbyterian church. They later restored their
membership with the Methodist Church.

Under the leadership of the Rev. R. E. Bird, the
trustees accepted lots of Narvey Anderson and his
wife for the location of the new church. The trustees
took title "for the use and benefit of the ministry and
membership of the Methodist Episcopal Church
under an irrevocable warranty deed." The new church
was dedicated on May 28, 1899 under the Rev. 0. A.
H. DeLaGardie. Others worked on the building, but
the actual work of construction was in charge of
Charles Preston and Scott Kellogg, the supervisors.

The first funeral to be held here was that of Mrs.
Mary Preston. The first wedding was on Christmas
Day, 1900, when Mr. and Mrs. W. 0. Hendrix were
married— a notation on the record says: "in the
presence of 400 people." The last wedding was that
of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Cochran.

On January 18, 1948, during services a spark
from the chimney ignited the roof and the 49-year
old structure burned to the foundation. No lives were
lost.

Church services were then held in the basement
of the Buckingham Grade School. One member is
quoted as saying, "we have no church in this town
and we cannot have a town without a church" so
work began immediately to rebuild the church and
progressed at a rapid rate with the help of many
community people, mainly farmers. Henry Tuntland
was chairman of the Board of Trustees and made a
scale model of the church as he envisioned it would
be. A stained glass window with the likeness of an
open Bible was purchased by Berniece Reed and
placed behind the pulpit. The new church was
completed and dedicated Sunday, May 15, 1949.
The Buckingham Church has been part of a

two-church charge with Herscher for many years and
is at present ably served by Rev. Robert Lawry and
his wife, Elsa. Since the minister lives in Herscher, it
became advisable to sell the parsonage in
Buckingham. That occurred in 1970 and the money
from the sale was placed in a reserve fund for the
church.

Because of the retirement of ministers and the

scarcity of new entrants into the ministry, it has

become necessary for the smaller congregations in

M. E. CHURCH PASTORAL RECORD

J.D.Calhoun 1873-1876

J. A. Flowers 1876-1878

J. A. H.Wilson 1878-1879

Joe Bell 1879-1883

C.David 1883-1884

Wm. West 1884-1885

J. H. Hobbs 1885-1890

J. F. Barnett 1890-1893

S. F. Alford 1893-1898

R. E. Bird 1898-1899

Buckingham Church dedicated May 28, 1899

0. A. H. DeLaGardie
John Small
E. F. Busby
Alfred Dixon
C. H. Cordes

A. H. Norhdurft
J. B. Speaker

U. Z. Gilmer
Wm. Henry Day

B. F. Eckley
Thos. Bartram
R. H. Muelder
Alfred E. Linfield
Dan Crane

G. P. Snedaker
John Decker
Ed Mehl

Franklin Harwood
Edward H. McKee

1899-1901
1901-1906
1906-1908
1908-1910
1910-1914
1914-1915
1916-1917
1917-1918
1918-1919
1919-1920
1920-1923
1923-1926
1926-1930
1930-1935
1935-1939
1939-1941
1941-1942
1942-1954

1954-1964
Retired 1965 (Emeritus)
Frank Unger 1965-1969

Robert Lawry 1969-

The caption on this picture published in a July, 1963 Journal
reads: For at least 40 years, "the quilters" of the Woman's
Society of Christian Service of the Buckingham Methodist
Church have met weekly to make quilts of all descriptions.
One of few such groups remaining in the area, the quilters
combine sociability with the practical work of making quilts.
The hostess for the day provides refreshments and the women
look forward to the weekly session. Seated, from left, are Mrs.
Howard Burrow, Miss Katie Hosier and Miss Bernice Reed.
Standing are Mrs. McKinley Hendrix, Mrs. George Kingsnorth ,
Mrs. Warren Overright, Mrs. John Rathman, Mrs. Violet
Hosier, and Mrs. Amelia Urbain. They believe that quilting
groups are a part of rural culture that should be retained.

this area to pool their resources to make their efforts
more meaningful, so a Council of Ministries was
begun in September of 1975 which involves ministers
and lay people of five congregations, namely:
Bonfield United Methodist, Bonfield Evangelical
United Methodist, Grand Prairie United Methodist,
Herscher United Methodist, and Buckingham United
Methodist. At present the efforts seem worthwhile as
some projects can be undertaken collectively which
would be impossible alone.

Buckingham ME Church and parsonage. Church burned on

Jan. 18, 1948.

Photo Courtesy of Miss Katie Hosier

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

The Presbyterian Church of Buckingham was
organized on October 13, 1898 with the tollowing
elders: H. Randall, H. Montieth, and Charles Boswell.
The Rev. Louis Mitchell was the first pastor. The
church building was completed in the early part of
the winter and was dedicated December 18, 1898.
The second pastor, the Rev. T. Quayle, served from
1900-1903 and was succeeded by the Rev. G. Young
who resided in Herscher preaching there in the
forenoon and in Buckingham in the afternoon. The
church was out of debt and had a membership of 36
in the year 1905. The church building had a seating
capacity of 250. The total amount expended for the
year ending April 1 , 1 905 was $442.

The congregation did not meet for too many
years after this. The building was then used as a hall
for the showing of movies, dancing, song festivals,
etc.

BUCKINGHAM

This collage of scenes in Buckingham circa 1909 includes
pictures of the Woodman Hall and Lil Bibler's Hotel, the West
Elevator, the Depot, Main Street, the M. E. Church, the old
Schoolhouse, and two residential scenes.
Photo Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Piper

In an article written by Alma Gross about 1928
when she was a correspondent for a Kankakee paper
we find the following about the beginnings of
Buckingham which is on the Marseilles moraine and
at 655 feet elevation according to a marker at
2000W-700S.: "The abstracts covering the various
conveyances of property now comprising the Village
of Buckingham reveal that the United States in the
latter part of the year 1854 conveyed Section 27 in
Town 30 Range 9 to one Alex Campbell. In 1859,
Campbell sold the entire section for the recorded
price of $950 to one Samuel Blair who in turn sold
the section to James Dennison in 1868, this time for
$10,000 . . . Dennison then in the same year sold the

south half of the section for $6,400 ... the new
owner was James Townsend who continued to hold
at least the SE% of the section to the time of the
projected Kankakee and Southwestern Railroad.
Meantime, a brother, G. W. Townsend, had acquired
property north of the present right-of-way of the
railroad and in 1878, we find the Townsend brothers
each deeding 15 acres of their respective tracts of
land, one north and one south of the right-of-way, to
Wm. K. Ackerman in trust for the Railroad Company.
The consideration for these transfers was that they
were to select the location for a station on the new
railroad which they did.

"The railroad company then, in the same year,
conveyed all the land not needed for the right-of-way
purposes to Ebenezer Buckingham who evidently
gave the town his name."

The scheme for getting a railroad was for each
farmer to give $1 for each acre of land he owned and
in Feb., 1878 parties went out canvassing for that
proposition. By May, the Norton committee had an
offer from the Illinois Central to put the road
through for $35,000 and right-of-way. This was not
quite $1000 per mile for the proposed 36 miles of
road which left the main line at Otto and thence ran
west on the half-section line until it struck
Buckingham when it turned southwesterly and left
the county at Cabery. The company agreed to tie and
iron the roads as fast as graded. By Sept. 5, 1878, the
railroad men were busy laying the groundwork with
"farmers taking hold and helping with all the force
they can muster." Wm. Conrow was the projector of
this southwestern branch of the Illinois Central
Railroad having drawn and presented the plans which
were finally executed. He, too, was of great assistance
in the construction of the road. By Oct. 10, the
depot, a warehouse, and stockyards with shutes were
being built. Charlie Rolla had finished his store and
Squire Montieth had his meat market completed. Sam
Crawford, a "good boy who understands his
business" came from Wilmington to be the telegraph
operator. He was succeeded in 1882 by James Null
who was "quite proficient" and from 1889 to 1899
was "numbered among Buckingham's worthy
citizens." Some of the later depot agents were Wm.
Kent, Glenn Shirley, Clark Kingsnorth, Clarence
Duggin, Evelyn Anderson, Doris Kroesch, and Mr.
McFadden. The depot building was taken down in
1965 or 1966 but for a few years preceding this was
closed to service with C. 0. Hartman hired to care for
any necessary business at the station.

The railroad had an engine house (or
roundhouse) just west of the junction of the main
track with the Clarke City line with a little spur
running out to it. This building burned about 1910.
To the east of it were the coal bins and nearby was a

pit for the dumping of ashes. The branch to the coal
fields of Clarke City in Essex Township was nearly 29
miles long with over three miles of sidetrack. It was
built in 1882 without any public aid and had an
assessed valuation for 1904 of $114,125 paying a
total tax for that year of $3,825.87. It was removed
in 1938.

steam locomotives. The reservoir now used by the
Herscher Sportsman Club for fishing was the source
of this water. John White was the last man to pump
water from the reservoir into this tower. An electric
pump with an automatic shut-off was then used until
diesel locomotives replaced steam engines and the
water tower was soon removed.

Nellie Nowack and others remember the fun
they had in years gone by at skating parties on the
reservoir. Bonfires were lit and a happy but cold time
was had by groups from a great many surrounding
towns. One wonders if snowmobiling will put an end
to this healthy pastime!

In our summertime scene at the "rese" are
pictured Charles Allison, Irma Allison Munson, and
Myrtle Webster Oahn.

' ^PIP

_ ^ iik

Photo of Water Tower and coal bins.
Courtesy of Miss Katie Hosier

Photo of train wrecl< near Bucl<ingham
Photo courtesy of l\^iss Katie Hosier

Not far from the engine house was a large water
tower used for the storing of water taken on by the

Photo of Buckingham Reservoir.
Courtesy of l\/lrs. Alvin West

The Nov. 17, 1878 Gazette gives the following
list of businesses in Buckingham where "the saw and
hammer can be heard at almost any hour." On the
north side of the railroad track commencing on the
west side:

R. C. Breese, groceries

H. Mines, carpenter shop and furniture repair

C. Rolla, groceries and dry goods

W. Patterson, shoe shop

W. Montieth, City Market-meats and groceries

H. Randall, restaurant

Geo. Newell, tin shop

Dr. B. Farley, Physician (also sold paint)

The Railroad company office & buildings
On the east side of the street:

Drug Store soon to be occupied by parties from

Streator

Wm. Conrow's office and residence

Store soon to be filled with general stock

Thomas Crawford's building— Hotel
Back on the block north:

Mr. Ambrose's Blacksmith Shop

Frank Rard's residence
On the South side of the track commencing on the
west end:

Stock Yards with Mr. E. Mather buying livestock

Clark's Coal Shed

Enoch Colby's Warehouse— Colby is "handling a

large amount of grain, about 800 bushels per

day, the average."

The R.R. Station and American Express Office

Capen & Co. Office and Warehouse trading in

grain
On the next street:

George Loudon's large Blacksmith Shop

Colby and Capen & Co. corn cribs
On the next street;

Residence of Geo. Loudon

Residence of the gentlemen in Capen & Co.'s

employ

Dr. Farley's residence

Mr. Loudon used 15 teams to move his house
into town from Eldredgeville. Dr. Farley moved his
house nine miles. Also, in 1878, Mr. Louis Oulmoun
with others erected a warehouse with steam elevator
and began a very successful business handling, in
1880, over $100,000 worth of various grains. George
Williams, in 1882, is listed as the blacksmith.

In 1879, Aleck Halpenny moved his harness
shop from Piper City to Buckingham and William
Conrow founded the village's newspaper known as
the Monitor soon changed to Norton News and edited
by Mr. VanDoren.

One Friday in November 1878, "about 200 left
here on the excursion and went away as good natured
as could be, but came back disgusted with excursions.
They had too much Kankakee fire water aboard on
their return. We don't mean our boys; we refer to the
caps further south. Our better half went and says she
enjoyed the trip. We believe the trip was made
without accident thanks to the conductor and
brakeman."

In 1879, P. W. Worth opened a hardware store in
Mr. Conrow's building, formerly the cheese factory
which had been built two years earlier a short
distance from town and moved into town when the
cheese factory discontinued after "discontent as to
the way things have been conducted" and some
withdrew patronage. There had been sales of cheese
"a good article commanding a good price" at I0y2<t
per pound. Next, the Buckingham Creamery building
was owned by H. E. Schlegel who before 1899 had
also. erected a large brick store and owned a good

residence here. His brother Frederick assisted him.
Schlegel's store later was used by Fred Glass for a
grocery and Post Office and is seen in this picture as
the large building in the center background. When

Haight & Mahood store with band marctiing
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Othal Wilkins

Haight and Mahood sold out at the corner north of
here, Fred Glass moved his stock into that building.
Later Mr. and Mrs. Veryl Nutt and then Mr. and Mrs.
C. 0. Hartman sold groceries here. Mrs. W. Essington
sold groceries for a short time in the building
formerly used by Reed Bros. Hardware. The little
building in the center of the picture was used as a
doctor's office. In the picture below are Roy Haight,
Robert Ratliff, Jack Rhodes, "Hat" Armstrong, and
Tomie Urbain.

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Reed Brothers Hardware

Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Joe Urbain

Main Street of Buckingham

One resident of the community remembers this street as
having the following businesses c. 1910: Haight and Mahood
store, an open lot for town activities such as concerts, ice
cream socials, etc. (The Bank Building was later built in this
area). Hardware store, Randall Furniture and Undertaking
Establishment (this building ran back to the alley and was later
the McClintock home and Blacksmith Shop), Bank, and Barber
Shop and Restaurant with the Post Office in a corner. Part of
this same building was used for a school for a time.
Photo Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Essington

An item in Norton Town Book No. 2 dated
January 15, 1882 states:

"The Board of Health met and ordered Dr. F. L.
Green to take charge of the smallpox patients in and
near Reddick in the Town of Norton and also sent
down flags to John Brophy's and Fred Brewster's
quarantining both houses. Dr. Green rec'd.$100 for
six cases." Sixteen years later the same book noted
that "Board of Health . . . composed of town Clerk,
Geo. McNamee, and J. W. Fleming quarantined Oscar
Clemans and family from public at large— a case of
diphtheria— and had notice put up at residence and
gave said Oscar Clemans due notice to not leave
residence or allow others to enter his residence and
cause others to be exposed to said disease." An entry
the following day states, "By order of Dr. J. A.
Brown, Board of Health met and caused quarantine
to be put on Thos. Clark and family for beii ^
exposed to contagious disease, diphtheria, at OsCo,
Clemans by visiting these when children were down
with said disease . . . notice sent by messenger A. E.
Gillispie." Dr. Brown later moved to Kankakee and
became a very popular physician and surgeon. The
Overright family remembers that Dr. Brown
performed an appendectomy on seven year old
Warren at home on the kitchen table. Dr. Scott
practiced in town in 1886 and a Dr. Flexer in the
1890's. In 1932, there was a doctor living in the Geo.
Berger house just south of the present Post Office.

Mr. Barton, a wagon maker, and Hiram M. Cook
who was the proprietor of the Cook elevator and
dealer in grain, coal, and tile moved from
Eldredgeville to Buckingham in 1888. It was said that
"Mr. Cook has done more to improve and build up
the village of Buckingham than any other man and is
considered one of its most valued citizens." He was
the father of Joe Cook and the grandfather of Luther
Cook.

Other businessmen in the late 1800'swere:
Thomas Crawford, hotel keeper
Wm. Campbell, shopkeeper
Elliott & Beardsley-grain, lumber, coal, &
farm implements
L. Oulman's Hardware
L. G. Nutt, drugstore

Mr. Asa Beardsley also purchased a corn sheller
and engaged in corn shelling, bought and ran a
threshing machine, engaged in the contracting
business successfully, and bored wells for a time. Toll
lines of the Central Telephone Company had been
extended to Cabery and Buckingham by 1884, but
versatile and resourceful people like Mr. Beardsley
had installed a "telephone" by 1882-it consisted of
two tin cans connected by a taut wire which provided
communication between store and home.
INCORPORATIGIM
In 1902, the place was incorporated as the
Village of Buckingham and "enough territory taken
in to accommodate a city the size of Kankakee." The
plot at this time took in parts of Sections 15, 22, 23,
26, 27, 34, and 35. In 1916, much of this acreage was
removed leaving only land in Sections 26 and 27 in
the village. J. M. Beveridge was the first president of
the Village Board; C. P. Coleman was clerk; and
trustees were G. Felling, H. Snyder, C. Smith, John
Nutt, Wm. Herscher, and Ben Randall.

In the early 1900's Randalls had a large
furniture and undertaking establishment on Walnut
Street. In the late '20's, Grover McClintock and his
family moved into the building where he did
blacksmithing. Peter Tuntland ran a confectionery
selling ice cream, meats, and milk where the
Lichtenberger's Tavern now stands. Many people still
remember the "OLD STORE" with its board
sidewalk and long porch in which the Joe Urbain
family lived on the right side and on the left side had
a grocery store. In its early days, the Amos Colman
family ran a hotel here for railroad workers. Merlie
Cook and Joe Heinis also ran stores in this large
building. We found no S&H green stamps, but the
Heller family found and loaned us a half-dollar sized
token from which we made a rubbing. On one side is
the lettering: "Good for $1.00 in trade" and on the
other "J. L. Heinis Buckingham, III." Pictured are
Joe Urbain on the left, his wife, Amelia, and Elmer

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Colthurst. The lady standing is unidentified.

Photo of Old Store

Courtesy of Mrs. Amelia Urbain

There were two ice houses in town— one east of
where Wallace Jordan now has his Arco Oil tanks; the
other, across the street northeast. E. Schlegel got the
ice for his business from Horse Creek.

On the Semer Colman farm in Section 1 1, there
was a neighborhood ice house for many years. Ice
blocks were cut during the winter months from the
Krai Pond (north of the house now occupied by Mr.
and Mrs. Vernon Feller) and hauled to this building
for storage. When the ice house was dismantled, it
was found to have three separate walls with air space
between for insulation. There was a layer of red paper
similar to our black tar paper between each layer and
siding on the outside wall. The blocks of ice were
further insulated and separated by layers of sawdust.

The picture was taken about 1898 with Mr. and
Mrs. Semer Colman in the buggy at the far left
foreground. They were the owners of this farm where
their grand-nephew Harold Colman and family now
live.

Just north of the tracks on Elm Street was
another large building, the Modern Woodman Hall.
The Gleaners had their meetings here. Later, George

Picture of Colman Houseplace
Courtesy of Harold Colman

Picture of Woodman Hall
Courtesy of Miss Katie Hosier

Kingsnorth had a shop and garage in the building. The
Kingsnorth family lived in the Section House in
Railroad Park which had originally been used by
railroad crewmen. Part of Li! Bibler's Hotel is seen
just behind the Hall's roof. Notice the tower on the
Montieth house across the street— towers were status
symbols. The tower has been removed but the rest of
the house still stands as do most of the others in the
picture. Notice the lovely young trees many of which
still remain (though growing old) as monuments to
the memories of the early settlers who had the
foresight to plant them.

The April 13, 1888 Gazette noted that Arbor
Day was approaching and encouraged "everyone old
enough to observe the day do so by planting at least
one tree and afterward care for it until established
and thus help to beautify our prairie."

In the park behind the white fence Chautauqua
programs consisting of a series of lectures,
entertainment, jubilee singers, etc. were given under
tents in the summertime.

During the summer months of 1933, 1934, and
1935, free movies were shown in Buckingham with
the screen set up on the street.

ELEVATORS

Wm. Herscher ran the elevator on the west side

of Elm Street for many years before Otto Gross
joined him about 1909. Soon A. Armitage took Mr.
Herscher's place until Otto Gross bought him out and
ran the elevator alone until his retirement when Alma
Gross took over the business for two years. Ouaker
Oats bought the elevator then and Joe Urbain became
manager. In 1940, C. O. Hartman became the
"outside man" and by March 1, 1941 was promoted
to manager. In 1942, he had to leave for service to his

Depot and west elevator

Photo Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Piper

Joe Urbain in elevator office
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Joe Urbain

East Elevator

Photo Courtesy of Amelia Urbain

country and Mr. Trecker assumed his duties from
1942 to 1944 when an accident caused him to resign
and Mr. Urbain was called back into service until
December of 1945 when Ozzie got back from the
service and on Jan. 2, 1946 again assumed the
managerial duties until January of 1964. Quaker Oats
had sold the elevator in 1957 to three
farmers-Martin Campbell, H. Puff, and Wm. Martin.
They leased the business to Art Sterrenberg and Wm.
Strough who operated the elevator for two years and
then leased it to OK Grain Company. On Feb. 6,
1970 both the north building which was built about
1895 and the south building of the complex added
about 1955 burned. A corn dryer just a year old also
was damaged in this fire. Vincent Feller, an employe
of the grain company, estimated that about 20,000
bushels of corn and soybeans were stored in the two
buildings about a week before but had been removed
for shipment and little was left when the fire broke
out. The price of corn in 1970 was $1.23 a bushel
and soybeans were $2.58.

The elevator on the east side of Elm Street was
at one time the Potter Elevator. From about 1906 to
1914, the Inkster Bros, of Herscher ran the business.
Later, it was owned by Joe Urbain. The little building
under the tree farthest right housed the putt-putt
gasoline engine for power to elevate grain until
electricity came to town. The elevator was removed
in 1954.

Note the hitching rail for teams. To the left of
this rail was the town well (off our picture) and a
large watering tank.

When grain was hauled by team and wagon over
mud roads during the cold winter months, it was
necessary to have elevators not too far apart.

"Hat" Armstrong, her horse & buggy
Photo Courtesy of Katie Hosier

Therefore, there were many more elevators in the
early days of Norton. One of these, Appel Siding, still
stands two miles due east of Buckingham and is still
used for the storage of grain. Another, known as an
Inkster Elevator, which was on the SW corner of
Section 9 was torn down in 1937 but had not been
used for a few years before this. It had been sold to
the Farmer's Elevator Company of Reddick.

A colorful person of the town was Mrs.
Theodore Armstrong known to most people as
"Hat." With her trusty little horse and buggy, she
supplied a taxi service for people (mostly salesmen)
who wanted to get from one town to another at times
when the train schedule was not convenient. Stories
are told of the men who were very embarrassed when
they learned that their driver was a "lady" and they
had not talked (or acted) on the drive as a
"gentleman." At that time, there weren't gas stations
with restrooms on most corners. Her livery stable was
on the east side of Elm south of Oak.

The hard road came to Buckingham about 1928
and soon thereafter passenger service on the railroad
was discontinued.

BANK

A. Beardsley was the first banker in
Buckingham. Early directors included J. F. Hosier
and George Reed. L. L. Henry was a cashier in the
bank for many years. As with many small banks
during the depression years of the early 1930's, the
Farmer's State Bank of Buckingham closed its door
permanently.

On Feb. 3, 1921, the Kankakee Republican
carried the headline: "Yeggmen Blow State Bank at
Buckingham." It was an unsuccessful attempt at
robbery. One charge of nitroglycerine was placed on
the time lock, another at the top of the door, and the
third at its bottom. One "yegg" watched from a
nearby grain elevator and a second watched the back
of the bank. No mention is made if the robbers were
ever found.

A Cabery resident remembers that in October of
1924, the big safe of the Farmer's State Bank of
Cabery was riddled by robbers about 3 A.M. They
were successful in escaping with $1200 even though
several residents saw what was going on. The bandits
had so many people stationed around town with guns
that no one felt safe doing anything until the robbers
had left town.

RECENT SUBDIVISIONS

In 1970, Clarence and Ellen Smith subdivided an
area at the northwest edge of the village for the
building of ten homes. The following year, Floyd
Wesemann subdivided at the southeast edge of town
with twenty-three houses soon built.

, BUCKINGHAM BROOM BRIGADE

The Buckingham Broom Brigade was typical of
the thousands of local clubs formed each Presidential
year throughout the nation in the late 1800's. The
theme of this group of young women was to "Sweep
the Democrats out and the Republicans in." It was
formed to support Benjamin Harrison in 1888. The
Kankakee Gazette, of Oct. 14, 1888 devoted two full
columns to describe the "Monster Mass Meeting," the
eight mile long Republican parade containing 3,500
persons and 600 vehicles and rally topped off by a
torchlight parade with drill teams competing for
prizes in the evening. Kankakee at that time had a
population of about 5,000 souls but 15,000 persons
thronged the city's streets on Saturday, October 9,
1888 to see the numerous floats, hear the Momence
glee club, and the speaker for the day. General Logan
who spoke for 272 hours "holding the closest
attention of his vast audience. His speech gave
unbounded satisfaction and was a complete summing
up of the issues of the campaign." The Gazette also
noted that "General Logan brought a stenographer
for his own personal use" probably to make sure that
he was not misquoted at a later date. Each township
in the county furnished a delegation, numerous
floats, and was preceded by a band. Commented the
Gazette, "There was a marked absence of
drunkenness on the streets. Everybody was sober,
good-natured, well-dressed and happy. The hotels,
restaurants, and eating stands reaped a rich harvest
out of the visitors. The stand of the Methodist ladies
took in $75; another stand $70. Stamm's bakery sold
1,500 loaves of bread and ran out long before the
demand ceased."

Buckingham Broom Brigade
Photo Courtesy of l\^elva Rathman

Mrs. Myrtle Swope was able to identify those in

the picture:

TOP ROW: Mary Lowden, Mrs. Philip Worth, Alice
Patterson

ROW 2: Flora Hendrix, Sadie Peterson, May
Elliott, Mrs. Joe Fleming, Ida McNamee,
Mable Beardsiey, Melissa Crydenwise,
and Margaret Worth

ROWS; Nettie Potter, Carrie Bowers, Clara
VanDoren, Essie Duffy, Lillian Bronsey,
Rhoda Hunter, and Alice Ellsworth

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Men in torch ligh t parade

Photo Courtesy of Effie Crydenwise

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ROW 4: Stella Ellsworth, Louella Ellsworth,

Minnie Schlegal,Mrs. Will Brown, Maude

Brown Patchett, and Leona Worth

A group of men from Buckingham participated

in the torchlight parade. The only ones whose

identity is known are Peter, Ed, and Ole Ferden, B.

W. Crydenwise, and Jim Smith. In the background are

some early buildings of the town but they, too, are

unidentified. One resident remembers a BIG bonfire

the men had near Buckingham through which Jim

Smith ran his horse.

BOY SCOUTS
From 1939 to 1942, Buckingham Boy Scout
Troop 122 was led by Russell Mau of Herscher with
Donald Tuntland assisting until he had to leave for
service in W. W. II. Among its activities were
handcrafts and attendance at camp on the Boy Scout
Reservation near Morris during the summer. Some of
the boys in the troop were Clair Hendrix, Kenneth,
Elwyn, and Dale Kingsnorth, Wayne and Russell
Hosier, Charles McClintock, Verner Lane, Jerry
Jessup, Clifford Clemans, and Eldon and Verl
Overright. The purpose of the organization was to
provide citizenship training through outdoor
experiences teaching the boys the American way of
life so that they might grow to be responsible and
decent citizens.

Aug. 1939 Boy Scout picture. L. to R. Wm. Hughes, camp
director. Ralph Hosier, Verl Overright, Elwyn Kingsnorth,
Eldon Overright
Courtesy of Russell Mau

RACETRACK

On the Huntley farm which was later bought by
Louis Winterroth and now owned by James
Goldenstein (Section 11) just before the turn of the
century, there was a half-mile race track. The
Huntleys employed three colored jockies-Johnny
Jones, Billy Montgomery, and Johnny Clark.
Although Johnny Jones weighed only 90 pounds, he

was able to subdue Border F, a big black stallion Mr.
Huntley bought in Louisville about 1899. After the
money for the horse was paid, Mr. Huntley was told
that Border F had killed three men just shortly before
the sale.

Dave Huntley remembers that one time his
grandfather was returning home from Dwight with a
substantial sum of gold when robbers jumped from
the bushes beside the road grabbing the horses.
During a flash of lightning, David shot his 45 Western
Colt. The next morning, a loose team of horses was
found wandering in the area. The family still has the
old Colt. The pioneers later "got smart" and put a
sharp point on the end of the buggy tongues. Another
time, Mr. Huntley bought a keg of fish, opened it in
the store and took out some of the fish returning
them to the shopkeeper, put a large amount of gold
in the keg, closed it, and got home safely with his
money.

CORNET BAND
In the years around 1888, Buckingham had a
Cornet Band with Asa F. Beardsley a member and
"quite proficient performer." On Feb. 17th, the band
presented the drama "An Only Daughter" with a
well-selected program including a farce, vocal and
instrumental music, recitations, etc. The
entertainment was a complimentary benefit in
appreciation of the faithful instruction of the band
leader, Mr. Robert Hunter.

MURPHY CLUB
An April 5, 1888 item in the Gazette from
Buckingham notes: "The quarterly election of
officers for the Murphy Club on March 31 resulted as
follows: President, Bert Smith; Vice-President, Mrs.
Jessup; Secretary, Grant Becker; Treasurer, Mrs.
Randall; Organist, Ruth Jessup; and Committee
Mesdames Jessup, Conrow, and Randall.
4 -H CLUB
From 1939 to 1941, there was a girls' 4-H Club
in Buckingham with Elsie Tuntland and Laura Gaus
as co-leaders. Some of the members were Geraldine
and Dolores Essington, Stella Mae and Dorothy
McClintock, Charlotte Thorson, Virginia Munson,
Caroline Sir, Marilyn Herscher, Eloise Kingsnorth,
Pauline Cook, and Alice, Myrtle, and Emma Mae
Crawford.

From 1941 to 1951, Mrs. Anna Winterroth
assisted by Evelyn Becker led the Sunshine Pals 4-H
Club which started with nine members and increased
rapidly.

During 1969 and 70, Mrs. Warren Overright and
Mrs. Howard Burrow led the girls. Junior Leaders
from Herscher assisted Mrs. Overright in 1970 and
1971.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS CLUB
For a very short time, there was a Home Bureau

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Neighbors Club tour of Armour Laboratories. Date of Photo:
7-5-56. Top Step: Mrs. Merlin Elmhorst, Mrs. John Rathman,
Mrs. Leonard Siedentop, Mrs. Floyd Weseman, Mrs. Alvin
Gaus, Mrs. George Gaus, Mrs. Elmer Berger, Mrs. Frank
Sumner, Mrs. Edwin Berger, Mrs. Orlin Hendrix, Mrs. Harold
Colman; Bottom Step: Mrs. Earl Gross, Mrs. McKinley
Hendrix, Miss Cathy Elmhorst, Mrs. Eldon Berger, Miss Margo
Hendrix, Mrs. Lawrence Motzig, Mrs. Walter Geiger, Mrs.
Kenneth Geiger.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Alvin Gaus

group in the area led by Darlene Mortimer but it soon
dropped its official connections and became the
Friendly Neighbors Club early in 1949. It has been
meeting the first Thursday afternoon of each month
at members' homes since then with the learning of
some kind of handcraft scheduled for most months.
Charter members still active are Elsie Gross (the
president in '76), Odessa Hendrix (the vice-president
in '76), Alvina and Genevieve Berger, Laura Gaus,
Darlene Mortimer, Melva Rathman, Ethel Sumner,
Mary Wesemann, and Pearl Winterroth. Other
members now are Lena Burrow, Effie Crydenwise,
Jessie Overright, (Secretary-Treasurer in '76), Mary
Lou Elmhorst, Viola Wagner, and Edna Witheft.
Tours, outings, and parties with the husbands invited
are enjoyed by the group.

HERSCHER SPORTSMAN CLUB
at Buckingham, Illinois

The purpose of the Herscher Sportsman Club
which began meeting in the American Legion Hall in

Herscher on Feb. 16, 1938 and was incorporated Jan.
30, 1958, the same year Buckingham became its
home, is to work in cooperation with other groups in
the conservation and restoration of our natural
resources and in the propagation of fish and game. A
few dates and facts important to this group are:
12/59 Quit Claim Deed rec'd. from ICRR for
Reservoir site without well site. Well, pump,
and site purchases from ICRR
6/62 Club House, block building, built-$3,290
11/64 Swim Pool constructed— 8" washed sand

bottom-$3,000
5/65 Red Cross Swim Instruction Program begun
10/67 Shelter built to house showers, lunch stand,

etc. $9,000
6/68 Camping permitted
5/69 Rubber liner, redwood curb installed in

. pool-$1 0,000
1/72 Playground equipment purchased. Chain-link
fence installed. Gates are kept locked.
11/73 272 acres north of Club grounds purchased
from Buckingham Grain Company making
10.7 acres of club grounds.
From January of 1944 to January of 1974, the
membership grew from 85 to 621 persons and dues
rose from $1.00 to $45 per new member. Floyd
Wesemann has worked untiringly for this group for
many years.

WOMEN'S CLUB OF BUCKINGHAM
Twenty-three women of Buckingham met on
Oct. 27, 1970 for the purpose of organizing the
Buckingham Women's Club. Ruth Heller was elected
president; Marie Holmes, Vice president; Rita Martell,
Secretary; and Marge Lichtenberger, Treasurer. A
clean-up day is to be held in the village in April or
May of each year. Among the projects completed by
the group are the installation of street signs, the
making of birthday and activity calendars, the
painting of the fire hydrants, the making of a quilt,
distribution of food baskets, the gathering and
disposal of junked cars from the village, and the
buying of two barricades. Donations have been made
to worthy causes.

In the future, the group hopes to assist the
village in obtaining and maintaining a Village Hall.

Present officers are Mary Myers, president; Marie
Holmes, Karen Thurston, and Mildred Harris.

VIII

Village of Cabery

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This go-ahead, wide awake village had started as
a "Four-Corners" postoffice location by Chester L.
Ames in 1867. Its history begins when the
Bloomington branch of the Illinois Central Railroad
went thru in 1878 and a depot was established. It lies
on the county line between Kankakee and Ford
Counties. The south division was laid out and platted
by Chester Ames and the north side by Peter Wagner,
who owned 80 acres. They were two of the oldest
men in the village.

The formation of a Masonic Lodge brought
about its name. Walter Colton, lodge master, was
instructed to purchase furniture and fixtures for the
lodge room from John R. Caberry of Chicago who
traveled this part of the country. Caberry, a mason,
gave $200 worth of furniture without charge. The
local lodge immediately forwarded a request to the
grand lodge to have the organization named for its
benefactor. It was learned that a lodge could not be
named for a living person. So the group named itself
"Norton Masonic Lodge," but the postmaster named
his office Caberry. When Mr. Caberry donated the
furniture, he was a wealthy man but some years later
he met with a financial disaster and lost all his
property. The lodge here was prosperous, and when
its members heard of his failure, they sent him $200
to help him in his time of need.

Caberry was incorporated as a village in the fall
of 1881. The postmaster insisted that the old
postoffice name be retained, which was done. In
years later one "r" was deleted but when
incorporated it was known as Caberry.

The village boomed in its early years. At one
time it had 40 businesses and was considered the
busiest town between Kankakee and Bloomington. It
owes much of its growth and general prosperity to
the entire harmony and unanimity among its business
men and residents, who all heartily unite upon any
improvements that may be brought forward for the
public good.

Just as things were looking the brightest, on
Sunday, May 3, 1885 at 3 a.m. fire broke out in a
millinery shop, spread to the Commercial Hotel and
destroyed 24 places of business and 14 homes before
it burned out leaving it a ghost town of smoldering
ruins. In the business area only a livery barn and
hardware store remained. Total loss was estimated at
$100,000 with only about one fourth of that amount
covered by insurance. It was soon rebuilt.

West of Cabery some of the early settlers were
Anthony and Peter Sadler, Peter Paradies, the Clapp
brothers, John Lovell, Justice Wagner, John Pastorel,
Peter Wagner, Jared Williams, the Sargeant brothers,
Thomas Greenwood, Charlie Schumacher, William
Bouk, and others. While east of Cabery were Nelson
Adams, H. M. Cook, Charlie Down, David Bullock,
John Hughes, Sr., Parleys, the Hiddleson brothers,
George, James, Erastus, and Calvin. South of town,
we find Jerry Rogers, the first supervisor of Rogers
Township for whom the township was named, Versal
Porter, the Claytons, Taylors, and Ogilvies all from
the state of Ohio, Louis Burno, John Waldschmidt,
William Allerton, Jonathan Shaw, the McLaughlin
brothers and Newton Gates. Among the early settlers
of Norton Township were Charles M. Luther, Thomas
and Joseph Smith, J. M. Cole, Thomas Lee, the
Eldred brothers, Ira Guiltner, Silas Wright and others.
Walter A. Colton served 6 years as supervisor of
Norton Township and was for fifteen years sheriff of
Kankakee County.

Business places already established in the early
days before and after incorporation include the
following:

• Commercial Hotel and saloon, Peter
Wagner in 1875

• Two liveries, one by Daniel A. Kenyon
employing 6 horses and vehicles

• Two wagon shops, one by Leonard Theis in
1878

• Three blacksmith shops, by Leonard Theis
and his brother Christopher in 1878, W. S.
Keyes, and George Lowden

• Two lumber yards, one by Daniel A.
Kenyon in 1879 carrying a full line of
building materials and handled coal. One
by James F. Wright in 1879 with a full line
of lumber, sash, doors, lime, etc.

• Three saloons by Charles Gebhardt, Jacob
Spies, and Peter Wagner

• Two restaurants

• One flax mill

• One steam mill by James F. Wright in 1879
for grinding corn, buckwheat, rye, etc. for
custom use

• Four general stores: C. L. Ames in 1868,
burned in 1878, John Gigl in company

with W. C. Tuttle & Robert Patterson, H.

H. Nelson & firm of N. B. Olson & Co.

Nov. 1879, W. Walker and brother Mathias

in 1882

A furniture store

A hardware store by W. C. Tuttle in 1878

with Samuel Leopold with a full line of

hardware, agriculture machinery, wagons,

sewing machines, etc.

Large drug store by William Ennis in 1880

carrying a full line of patent medicines.

drugs, sundries, paints, oils, etc.

A clothing store

A butcher shop

Two tile factories— by Peter Wagner in the

north part of town; the other in the south

part

A good public hall

A doctor

A dentist

An optometrist

A funeral home & furniture store by

Manicured like a golf green was Cabery's wide Main Street (about 1910). The boulevard still separates Kankakee County, on the left
from Ford County, on the right. 'Tis said many a Ford County deputy, armed with a subpoena, traveled the long 50 odd miles back
home with the document unserved . . . when the subject merely walked across the street to comparative safety.

NORTH SIDE-NORTON TWP.

1. Blacksmith Shop

2. Funeral Parlor & Furniture (C. Gebhardt)

3. Grocery Store (P. Trecker)

4. Butcher Shop (Veysey)

5. Casey & Naas Tavern

6. Wagner Tavern

7. Shoemaker (H. Christ), Harness (Frank Fisher)

8. Keyes Blacksmith

9. Dr. Duffy (optician) Dr. Sprague (dentist)

10. Vacant lot

1 1. Spies Tavern

WAGNER STREET

12. D. B. Keighen Hardware

13. Dave Baer Livery

14. Theo. Crilly Blacksmith

I. C. RAILROAD

15. Porch & Adams Grain

Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Iva Peterson

SOUTH SIDE-FORD COUNTY

1. Masonic BIdg. 1889

2. H. H. Nelson Clothing

3. Miller and Clayton Store

4. Mrs. Dan Miller Millinery

5. Mrs. Anna Latz— candy

6. Al Koerber— baker
7.

8. C. Merrill Hardware

9. R. M. Riggs General Store

10. Reuben Brenisa Bank

1 1. Porch & Adams Bank

12. Tom Nugent Hotel

13. Tom Nugent Ice Cream

14. Barber Bill Sadler

15. P. N. Ravenskild Jeweler

16. U. S. Postoffice-Pat Whalen

17. Shoemaker Tavern

RAILROAD AVENUE
I.C.R.R. Depot

Charles Gebhardt

A bowling alley

Stockyards

Race track

Creamery

Printing office

A theater

Two banks— Porch & Adams and Farmers

State Bank (Breneisa)

Cheese Factory

Three Grain Elevators— Porch and Adams in

the north; Garrett Nugent on the east side

of the raiiroad tracks across from the I.C.

Depot; Farmers Grain in the south. The

farmers bought it from Joseph W. Rubey,

Randolph County, Indiana for $5,800 in

July, 1914. Harry Tjardes was the first

manager. At present it is still the Farmers

Grain Co. with Stephen Clapp, manager.

And train service with 3 trains each way

each day from Kankakee to Bloomington.

An old landmark on Cabery's Main Street at the turn of the
century was the Peterson & Veysey Butcher Shop, shown here.
Randall Peterson and William Veysey were partners in the
meat business for several years, and are both shown in the
photo, which was taken about 1898.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Iva Drew Peterson

Dr. Gilborne was Cabery's first physician. He
came from New York state in 1872 and lived one
mile north of Cabery until the railroad was built,
when he moved to Cabery. He had two
children— Anna, who taught the four upper grades in
the Cabery school. Later she married Mr. Leopold
and taught school out West. Beakley, a doctor,
graduated from Medical School in Chicago. In his
later years he lived in Herscher where he practiced.

This picture was taken on April 27, 1919, following the
funeral services of the former and longtime Cabery
undertaker, Charles Gebhardt. Photo was taken on Cabery
Main Street directly in front of Mr. Gebhardt's place of
business. The hearse was hand made by Mr. Gebhardt and
driven by June Myers, who supplied the fine team of horses.
When the roads were very muddy another team belonging to
the late Elmer Colthurst was also used.

Photo Courtesy of Miss Lillian Gebhardt, daughter of the late
Charles Gebhardt.

Dr. William Miller came in 1884 after graduating
from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Besides
locating his office in Cabery, he also established a
drug store. In 1886, he married Miss Alice Clayton.
They had four children— Hazel (Mrs. Arthur Mentzer),
Genevieve (Mrs. William Naas), Clayton (Dockie of
sports fame), and Charles. Dr. Miller died at his home
in Cabery in 1942 at the age of 84 of a heart attack
having practiced medicine here for 58 years.

A. C. SCHRADER began the telephone service
in the fall of 1903. A telephone service was
established on the Kankakee County side with free
telephone service to the neighboring towns. This was
completed by December 1903 with 40 phones
installed. Miss Mabel Bonsell was the first operator.
We are now served by General Telephone of
Bloomington.

The first Roman Catholic Church, known as
"The Little White Church," was built in 1867 on land
donated by the Peter Wagner family. Mass had been
said in the Wagner home. During the early years it
was a Mission Church served by the pastors from
Union Town (now Loretto). Three churches have
graced the highest site in the village. The present St.
Joseph's Church was built in 1904 under the
pastorate of Rev. J. F. Eckert. In 1892, St. Joseph's
received its first resident pastor, the Rev. J. F.
Donovan. Today, it has about 90 families. The
churchyard originally served as a cemetery. It was
later moved one mile west on land donated by the
Sadler family. Father Eckert lies buried there.

Presbyterians, under the leadership of Mrs. Amy
Merrill, Miss Eva Peterson, Mrs. Ada Penfield, Mrs. D.
A. Kenyon, and Mrs. Libby Richarsonn, (All Sunday
School teachers) erected the present church. The lot
was purchased from Ed. Clayton for $200 and a lot
from Chester Ames for $100 for the manse. At
ground breaking ceremonies the first spadeful of dirt
was thrown by Mrs. Kenyon. The church was
completed in April 1887 at a cost of $1200. It was
dedicated July 1, 1887 free of debt with a balance of
$44. The north part was added in 1901 at a cost of
$1300. The Rev. W. W. Cole was the first full-time
pastor beginning in 1887. The manse was built in
1889 at a cost of $450. In 1949, the men of the
parish put in a basement.

in June 1961, the Cabery Presbyterian Church
joined the Yoke-Field Ministery with the Kempton
and Campus Methodist Churches to form the Trinity
Protestant Parish. It is now known as the Cabery
United Methodist Church.

The first schoolteacher in the community was
Walter Coiton, who in 1886 held classes in a small sod
building on the Jacob Wagner farm on the west edge
of the village. As there were no real estate taxes then,
it was supported by subscription. Later a frame
building was built across the street from the present
structure to house the first eight grades and two years
of high school. The first graduating class from two
years high ochool was Geraldine Whalen (Mrs. Frank
Wagner), Mabel Bonsell (Mrs. Oscar Bronsey), and
Charlotte Olson in 1901. The last graduating class
from two years high school was Esther McGinnis
(Mrs. Lyman Topliff), Eliza McGinnis (Mrs. Fields),
and Gladys Diehl (Mrs. Philip Crist) in 1913.

Cabery's present school building was built in
1913 to accommodate the first eight grades and four
years high school. This was the only four year high
school in the area. Consequently, the students
wanting more than two years high school came from
neighboring towns to complete their schooling. The
first four year graduating class was Peter Boesen,
Charles Miller, and Bruce Riggs in 1915. The last
graduating class in 1946 was Norma Lois Olson and
Logan Meadows.

When consolidation began in 1946, the Cabery
High School students attended Kempton High and
the first eight grades stayed in Cabery with an
attendance of 100 or more. In 1958, Cabery and
Kempton united to form the Kempton-Cabery Unit
for both grade and High School. In 1969,
Kempton-Cabery and Cullom merged to form the
present Tri-Point Unit 6J with high school attending
Cullom and grades kept in Cabery, Kempton, and
Cullom. In 1972, the Cabery building was closed and
the Cabery children were bussed to Kempton and
Cullom requiring two school busses.

The football story tells of the famous Cabery
semi-pro team, under Clayton (Dockie) Miller, which
dominated play in its class through the state from
1910-1934. Featured is the game between Cabery and
the Panthers of Stateville Prison in 1932. The teams
battled to a 0-0 tie behind the prison walls of Joliet,
before a crowd of 300 guests and 3000 inmates. In a
return engagement a few weeks later Cabery lost 12-6
to the prison team. Cabery has always had strong
teams in football, baseball, and basketball.

Over the twenty-four year period of existence of
the Cabery football team, 82 men were on the roster.
In 1947, some fifty of its members held a reunion in
the Cabery Gymnasium . . . the last such reunion
held . . . and apparently, the last hurrah for the big
team from the little town.

Cabery is typical of many small towns in the
area. To stay on the map has been an effort at times,
yet it has survived a large fire and over 300 people
still call it their home.

There are numerous clubs and organizations,
some quite old, some new, which are very active,
including the two churches with the Council of
Catholic Women and the United Methodist Women's
Unit, the Lions Club, Order of Eastern Star, The
Masons, two Home Extension Units, Cabery Carefree
Club, Bridge Club, Cabery Card Club, Jr. Womans
Club, and two 4H Clubs. Also a large grocery store,
hardware, two beauty shops, two taverns (one a
restaurant), Warmbir Trucking, Marti Trucking,
Youth Center, Farmers Grain Co., Fire Department,
Standard Garage, Standard Oil Truck Service, Cabery
Fertilizer Plant, Cabery Therapy Center, General
Telephone Building (built in 1974), four places that
are used for parties, recreation, etc., and a postoffice
with two rural mail routes.

Copied by Amelia Majorowicz from material given to
me by Mrs. Orman Olson, Mr. William Sadler
(Barber), Mr. Stephen Clapp.

From 1916 POCKET DIRECTORY
OF CABERY, I LLINOIS Pop. about 500
Presented by its Leading Business People:
TURNER & TURNER-Hardware, stoves, and

tinware
FARMERS STATE BANK OF CABERY
-Capital . . . $25,000

Surplus and Undivided Profits . . . $5000
We pay 3% on time deposits.
W. H. ESSINGTON-The Corner Hardware
P. M. Ravenskilde-Watchmaker and Jeweler

Chinaware, Phonographs, Toilet Goods, Books,
and Stationery
THE FARMERS GRAIN CO.-Harry Tjardes, Mgr.

Dealers in Grain & Coal
THE CABERY HOUSE-Thomas Nugent, Prop,
ice Cream Parlor Soft Drinks Cigars Candies

F. H. MILLER-Fresh and Smoked Meats

Sausages of all kinds
W. LEISEROWITZ-General Merchandise

HERSCHER andCABERY

W. Harry Leiserowitz, Cabery, Mgr.
CABERY GARAGE-Ford, Studebaker & Hudson

Cars Auto Supplies & Repairs
M. S. SCHUMACHER GARAGE-Automobiles,

Supplies, and Repairing
PAUL KNITTEL-Auto and Horse Livery Hitch

and Feed Barn
F. G. FREDERICK-Dealer in Clothing, Shoes, Hats,

Ladies' and Gent's Furnishings

OFFICIALS OF CABERY: Mayor, W. R. Watts;
Clerk, H. M. Breneisa; Treas., J. F. Schumacher

COUNCILMEN: Joseph Duffy, John Lovell, W.
H. Essington, R. E. Gifford, A. F. Mentzer, Harry
Naas

BOARD of EDUCATION: Pres., W. R. Watts;
Sec'y., M. A. Riggs; Treas., J. F. Schumacher

POSTMASTER: Thomas Nugent

Physician and Surgeon: Dr. W. M. Miller

Oculist: Dr. Joseph Duffy

CHURCHES: First Presbyterian Church Rev.
Elisha A. Hoffman; St. Joseph's Catholic
Church Rev. John Kleinsorg

RAILROAD TIME SCHEDULE

SOUTH
9:15 A.M. Passenger 8:50 A.M.

2:35 P.M. Freight 9:55 A.M.

7:03 P.M. Passenger 8:05 P.M.

NORTH
Passenger
Freight
Passenger

The following items have been copied from
"THE CABERY ENQUIRER," dates as g'iven:

1892 John Wagner is having his tile factory
overhauled preparatory to start work
after having it closed for over a year.
1-26-1899 Mrs. Peter Wagner is offering her tile

factory and machinery for sale.
5-10-1900 Charles Hunold has torn down the old
tile factory at Cabery.

» » * »♦

10-26-1893 The dance at Guilborne's Hall was a
rough affair, many of the participants
having too much "tanglefoot" to
conduct themselves in a gentlemanly
manner.

11- 9-1893 The lumber has been ordered for the
new sidewalk from Michael Pitt's house
to the Catholic Church at Cabery.
2-15-1894 Merrill and Riggs have a carload of extra
fine potatoes selling at 65<t a bushel; jelly
at 50<t a pail; crackers at 5<t a pound.
3-22-1894 One of Cabery's merchants took in 250
dozen eggs Saturday P.M.

6-28-1894 The creamery at Cabery receives more
than 15,000 pounds of milk each day
and Carr has found it necessary to add
more help.

7- 5-1894 Observance of the Fourth of July at

Cabery began with a sunrise gun salute.
The parade began at 10 o'clock,
followed at 11 by an eloquent address
by Rev. George McGill. Contests and
horseracing filled the afternoon for the
large crowd attending.
8-16-1894 William Wyant of Cullom made his first
balloon ascension at the Cabery
celebration last Saturday.
12- 1-1894 The sparrow bounty went into effect
Dec. 1 and will continue until February.
2-15-1894 They have a special flour sale
Tuesday . . . one customer bought 8V2
barrels. A carload of potatoes and
one-half carload of apples were sold
Saturday and Monday by one store in
Cabery.
1-10-1895 George Correct has completed his house
for the manufacture of sorghum
molasses, and next fall expects to turn
out a first class product.

8- 1-1895 Cabery is to have a Bakery. Cullom,

Kempton, Herscher, and Buckingham
will be supplied with bread and pastry.
The oven will have a capacity of 450
loaves per day.

2- 4-1897 A home talent play, "Sweet Briar," was
given Saturday night in Keyes Hall at
Cabery. The receipts were $24.20. This
will go toward the school library.

5-27-1897 Saturday was a big day for Cabery. The
streets were lined with teams for which
there was scarcely hitching room.
12- 9-1897 Our local harness maker, Frank Fisher, is
having a rush of business and has
engaged the services of Robert Burgess.

4-28-1898 Recruiting officers have been at
Kempton and Cabery getting volunteers
to enlist for the service in Cuba.

5-11-1899 A woman swindler is working the
neighboring towns collecting hair
switches and combings to be made over.
She collects the money in advance, but
does not return nor does she pay hotel
bills.

6- 1-1899 The heaviest hail storm in many years
struck Cabery and vicinity on Monday.
Hailstones of 272 inches were found.

6- 8-1899 All hitching posts and signs are to be

removed from Main Street.

7- 6-1899 Cabery has been figuring on buying new

hitching posts. Procrastination has
prevailed and now the price of iron has
doubled in the last four months.

7- 6-1899 "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,"

"Peck's Bad Boy," and "Rubberneck
Rueben" will be shown at the Princess
Theater Saturday.

8- 3-1899 During the past week old hitchracks and

platforms have been removed from
Cabery's Main Street and about 300 feet
of iron pipe racks have been set up on
the side streets.
2- 1-1900 Lost on the streets of Cabery on
Tuesday evening of last week, a hair
switch about 18 inches long. Finder will
please call at this office for the reward as
the young lady wishes her name
withheld for some reason or other.
3-29-1900 Waiter Colton, Cabery hunter, shot
down 9 wild ducks out of a flock of 16
flying over his farm on Saturday. This
reminds us of the good old days when
we need not leave our own dooryard to
down a good bag of geese or ducks.
5-17-1900 You may buy a large cake or an angel
food cake for 15<t at the Cabery Bakery.
5-31-1900 An electric light now hangs over
Cabery's Croquet Park and the game
continues from sunrise to 11 P.M. when
the power goes off.
7- 1-1900 The Presbyterian Ladies will serve meals

on the Fourth of July for 25c a plate.

10-18-1906 Cabery's new steel jail cells, with a

capacity of four, have been erected in

the village hall. "Who will be first?"

queries the Enquirer.

10-18-1906 Through the efforts of J. F. Schumaker,

two real estate swindlers who had

operated in the Kempton-Cabery areas,

selling fake lots in a new Missouri town,

were apprehended and placed in jail at

Lincoln.

11-29-1906 Fisher and Christ have installed a new

gasoline system in their harness and shoe

store at Cabery.

6-10-1909 Jeff Madson will open a harness shop in

the building formerly used by F. A.

Fisher, who has moved to Deering, Mass.

7-14-1910 P. N. Wagner has bought the shoe and

harness business of Chris Jensen at

Cabery, taking possession last Saturday.

12- 1-1895 The electric lights were turned on

Saturday for the first time in Cabery.

5-17-1900 Cabery citizens are petitioning for an

electric light plant either by renewal of

contract with the present owners or

establishment of a municipal plant.
12-13-1906 There is talk about installing an electric
plant at Cabery.
9-25-1924 Cabery now has lights after 23 years of
darkness. The right-of-way over the
railroad tracks has not yet been granted,
so those on the east side of town are still
waiting for the current.

*****

11-15-1894 Carpenters from Chicago are building an
ice house at the rear of the Cabery
Postoffice lot for John Schumaker.
2- 7-1895 The ice crop is prodigioLis. Next July we

will be glad it was cold in January.
2- 3-1898 Miller & Clayton are filling their ice
house today with 8 inch ice from
Ogilvie's pond. John Schumaker had the
ice plowed on the Gifford pond, but the
water ran out from under it, allowing the
ice to settle in the mud making it useless.
6- 5-1899 Ice for sale at 20(t per hundred; in ton

lots, 15ct.
2- 7-1907 Workmen are cutting 12 inch ice at
Cabery this week.
CABERY'S CORN CARNIVALS
Corn was King 'way back in 1909, as it is today,
in Illinois. Old photo loaned by William Hiddleson
shows Cabery's Main Street all dolled up for the
annual CORN CARNIVAL, a celebration feature of
those days. Corn showed up in various forms . . . both
solid and liquid . . . during the big days, and furnished
decorations for business places.

Large crowds from neighboring towns and from
a distance attended these yearly celebrations.
ORGANIZATIONS, CLUBS,
AND LODGES OF CABERY, ILLINOIS
PAST AND PRESENT FEBRUARY 1, 1976
Norton Masonic Lodge, A.F. & A.M., No. 631
The formation of the Norton Masonic Lodge
brought about the name of the Village of Cabery.
Walter Colton, Lodge Master, was instructed to
purchase furniture and fixtures for the lodge room
from John R. Caberry of Chicago, a salesman who
traveled this part of the country. Caberry, a Mason,
gave $200 worth of furniture without cost. The local
lodge immediately forwarded a request to the Grand
Lodge to have the organization named for its
benefactor. It was learned that a lodge could not be
named for a living person. So the group named itself
"Norton Masonic Lodge," its building being in
Norton Township. But the postmaster named his
office Caberry. (One r was later deleted.) When Mr.
Caberry donated the furniture, he was a wealthy man,
but some years later he met with financial disaster
and lost all his property. The lodge here was then
prosperous, and when its members learned of his

Cabery's Corn Carnival -Main Street
Courtesy William Hiddleson

failure, they sent him $200 to help him in his time of
need.

At first the Lodge owned a two-story building
on the north side of the street in Norton Township.
Later in 1889, they built a two-story brick structure
on the south side of the street in Rogers Township.

The building was sold in 1973 and they
transferred their membership to the Kankakee
Masonic Lodge, No. 389.

Order of Eastern Star, No. 257
Submitted by Mrs. E. Fleischauer

The order of Eastern Star, No. 257 began in
1894. Ella M. Cooper was the first Worthy Matron
and E. W. Taylor, the first Worthy Patron.

Five generations of the Fred Falter family have
belonged or still belong. A descendant of the Falter
family, Mrs. Elmer Fleischauer, (Elizabeth Canham),
was the first baby born to any member of the Order.

Its purpose is purely sociable.

Current Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron are
Mr. and Mrs. Arley Wilson.

I.O.O.F. Cabery Odd Fellows, No. 296

The Cabery Odd Fellows began as early as 1889.
They had lodge rooms upstairs in the Keyes building
on the north side of the street in Norton Township.

They bought their own building on the south
side of the street in Rogers Township on May 1, 1894

from Dr. Henry Guilborne.

Cabery Rebekah Lodge No. 316
organized July 13, 1899.
Modern Woodman of America,
Cabery Chapter No. 1520
The Cabery Chapter of the Modern Woodman of
America organized in 1883. As of December 1, 1893,
the officers were: Venerable Consul, L. D. Gifford;
Advisor, H. A. Ogilvie; Banker, R. M. Riggs; Clerk,
George Butterworth; Escort, E. W. Taylor;
Watchman, George E. Hunter; and Sentry, John
Fagan. (no longer)

Royal Neighbors of America, Crescent Camp No. 644
Gleaner Arbor, No. 1283 (no longer)
Yoeman Council No. 450 (no longer)
Cabery Racing and Amusement Association
On July 7, 1894 a Stock Company was formed
to build a Race Track. Twenty acres of land in the
east end of town in Norton Township had been leased
from Charles Gifford for a term of five years. Survey
for a half mile of track had been made with President,
L. D. Gifford; Secretary, Clinton Merrill; Treasurer,
Patrick Whalen. (no longer)

The Cabery Dramatic Club
The Cabery Dramatic Club, under the direction
of William H. Trecker, in 1906 and 1907 presented
plays like "Josh Winchester," "Hazel Adams," "The

Moonshiner's Daughter," and "Uncle Tom's
Cabin." (no longer)

Roller Skating and Dancing Club (no longer)

Cabery Pleasure Club
The Cabery Pleasure Club with about forty
young men began April 30, 1908. President, Ross
Gifford; Secretary, Joseph Merten; and Treasurer,
John F. Schumaker. (no longer)

Tuesday Evening Amusement Club
The T.E.A. Club, a group of young women, (no
longer)

Chamber of Commerce
A Chamber of Commerce was organized August
30, 1934 with President, Paul Koors; Secretary, Otis
B. Essington; and Treasurer, Thomas Nugent, (no
longer)

The Cabery Carefree Club

The Cabery Carefree Club began as the Ladies
Auxiliary of the Chamber of Commerce. When the
Chamber of Commerce no longer met, the Ladies
changed the name to the Carefree Club on November
20, 1939. Six charter members were: Mesdames
Orman Olson, Milton Colthurst, William Varney,
Edward Ohrt, Fred Burch, and Clayton Miller. All are
still members except Mrs. Burch, who has passed
away.

It celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary
October 17, 1964 with a banquet at Mantoan's
Restaurant on Route 17 with eleven members and
nine former members attending.

The Club erected a plaque honoring the local
servicemen, on the corner of Main Street and
Railroad Avenue. The dedication took place Sunday
afternoon, November 7, 1971.

At present only eight members remain, meeting
the third Monday of the month, except July and
August, with a Christmas outing in December. They
play "500" for entertainment.

The present officers are: President, Mrs. Milton
Colthurst; Vice-President, Mrs. Edward Ohrt;
Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Orman Olson.
The Cabery Bridge Club

The Bridge Club of Cabery dates back to
September 19, 1939 when a group decided to
organize. It started with both men and ladies. In the
summer time only the ladies continued. They had
from four to six tables through the years.

As time went on the men dropped out but the
ladies have played every two weeks on Wednesday
evenings. For years there were three tables. Now
there are only two tables, playing Contract Bridge
having changed from Auction Bridge.

The purpose of the Club is purely
entertainment.

Lions Club
—Submitted by Mr. and Mrs. Merideth Drew

The Kempton-Cabery Lions Club was formed by
a group of interested community citizens with the
assistance of Lion D. L. (Bud) Campbell of Coal City,
Lion Walter Christiansen, and l-B District Governor
Lion Donald Miller. In October, 1960 the first
organizational meeting was held, and the Club was
chartered January 14, 1961.

The Charter Members were: Walter Adent,
James 0. Bailey, John Bergan, Carrel L. Bruder, Carl
Butzirus, LaVerne Canham, Milton Colthurst, Walter
E. Davis, Clarence L. Dowse, Emil E. Dorsett, John C.
Gooding, Joseph V. Griffin, Chester L. Jackson, Roy
B. Johnson, James Malone, Rev. Eugene McCarthy,
George McGinnis, Charles B. Moore, Dale E.
Nettlingham, Irvil E. Rogers, Irwin T. Roberts, Carrel
J. Statler, Clarence L. Wagner, and Raymond
Webster.

The purpose of the Club is "Sen/ice,"
particularly for the benefit of the blind and for the
prevention of blindness.

In 1970, St. Joseph's Parish, Cabery, with Rev.
Edwin Joyce, pastor, gave the Kem.pton-Cabery Lions
Club a building which was greatly deteriorated. The
Club raised money to put the building in use again.
They repaired the roof, installed rest rooms,
partitioned off a kitchen, and equipped it with
serving counter, cupboards, stove, sink, refrigerators,
grill, and deep fryer. After this they were able to use
the building for meetings and other fund-raising
events. They have put a new front in the building,
new wiring, fluorescent lights and an air conditioner.

The community has supported the Club and are
also benefiting by being able to use the hall. A 4-H
Club and the Order of Eastern Stars have meetings
here. It is also used for showers, receptions, to serve
funeral dinners, to hold Summer Bible School classes,
and other public events.

Some of the organizations to which the Club
contributes financial support are: Hadley School for
the Blind in Chicago, Leader Dog School in
Rochester, C.A.R.E. in Lions, Illinois, Dialogue,
Camp Lions, Glaucoma, Mentally Retarded, and the
Lions of Illinois Deaf Program.

Locally the Club sponsors such special programs
as: Little League baseball since 1964, Homecoming
Days for Kempton and Cabery 1966-1975, Glaucoma
tests for the community. Benefits for three families
who had extraordinary expenses because of illness,
Eye glass collections. Foreign student exchange.
Special Education scholarship, Euchre parties during
the winter months, and sponsor a player on the
Cabery Cobra Hockey team.

Some of their fund raising events have been:
Street sales and raffles, broom sales, donkey
basketball and baseball games, pancake breakfasts,
fish fries and stag, and candy day.
The present officers are:
President Glen Hansen

1st Vice-President Robert Peacock

2nd Vice-President Jack Bergan

Secretary George Edwards

Asst. Secretary Phillip Hughes

Treasurer Francis Paradies

Tail Twister Donald Murphy

Board of Directors:

Merideth Drew Gene Webster

Jerome Holohan Eldon Sargeant

George Christ Dean K. Benson

The Cabery Junior Woman's Club

-Submitted by Mrs. T. Wagner

The Cabery Junior Woman's Club was founded

March 13, 1974 at the Council Room of the Cabery

Firehouse. Fifteen women met and sixteen joined

that evening.

Charter officers elected were: President, Mrs.
Duane Lovell; Vice-President, Mrs. Terry Wagner;
Secretary, Mrs. Bernard Cassidy; Treasurer, Mrs.
Donald Warmbir; Publicity, Mrs. Terry Wright;
Parliamentarian, Mrs. Francis Sadler, Jr.; Ways and
Means, Mrs. Edwin Knittel; Program, Mrs. Robert
Bouk; Projects, Mrs. John Gard and Mrs. Raymond
Lovell.

It is incorporated with the 8th District of the
Illinois General Federation of Woman's Clubs and
received its charter May 15, 1975.

The purpose of this particular Club shall be
cooperation in community service, so that by our
united efforts, we may promote the welfare of our
individuals in our community.

Many projects began, including the reopening of
a Youth Center with a staff of complete voluntary
help, also several good movies were enjoyed by all
ages. Senior Citizens activities such as a shopping trip
to Lincoln Mall, Christmas parties, various dinners,
designed on days or evenings when no place in town
was open for eating were also provided. Back to
school parties for the kids with the Club members
standing the kids in a game of Kitten Ball were held.
Two large Country Carnivals were held so far to
raise money to improve the Cabery Community Park.
Ground breaking and Flag raising started the
new ball diamond on which Little League was played
last year. A new fence was built around the Clay Hole
and further plans have been established for the
development of the park for multi-uses. The park
brought about cooperation between the Town Board
and the community, as well as the Juniors.

Garbage cans were painted and placed in many

locations up town and general street cleaning before
and after carnivals. This year the Main Street fire
hydrants have been painted by members to look like
little soldiers to create some bicentennial enthusiasm.

Working hand in hand with the Lions Club for a
benefit for a local family in need, and the Cabery
Firemen for a Stag to buy better First Aid equipment
helped to promote more interest in a Red Cross
disaster plan in the event of an emergency in our own
or surrounding communities. First Aid courses have
been completed by many of our members, as well as
firemen, and at present six members of our
community have received E.M.T. training with a
future hope for an ambulance of our own, since we
remain 25 miles from the nearest hospital.

This year the Club has sponsored one member of
the newly formed Cabery Cobra Hockey Team.

Charter members are: Mrs. Carrol Basham, Mrs.
Robert Bouk, Mrs. Bernard Cassidy, Mrs. Harold
Cassidy, Mrs. John Gard, Mrs. Jerome Holohan, Mrs.
Phillip Hughes, Mrs. Francis Hummel, Mrs. George
Juergens, Mrs. Edwin Knittel, Mrs. John Koerner,
Mrs. Duane Lovell, Mrs. Raymond Lovell, Mrs. James
Murphy, Mrs. Donald Murphy, Mrs. Francis Paradies,
Mrs. Francis Sadler, Jr., Mrs. Harold Sippel, Mrs.
Terry Wagner, Mrs. Donald Warmbir, Mrs. Gene
Webster, Mrs. Dennis Webster, Mrs. Donald Wright,
Mrs. Terry Wright.

St. Joseph's Council of Catholic Women

This was organized near the turn of the century
as The Altar Society. It was reorganized in 1910 with
the married women as The Altar Society and the
young ladies as The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.

The main purpose was the care of the Sanctuary
and to purchase Altar needs or anything needed in
the Sanctuary.

In the early sixties it was changed to The
Council of Catholic Women all over the Nation, all
women being members. It is divided into five
Commissions: Organization Services, to assist the
chairman of all C.C.W. Commissions in organizing,
planning, legislation, public relations, and
publications; Church Communities, to help create a
community of God's people that is educated and
dynamic. A program of study and action in the areas
of scripture, liturgy, and ecumenism. See that a
C.C.D. program is provided; Family Affairs, to assist
all parish members in achieving true Christian family
living. Its program is concerned with child and parent
education, preservation of family unity, care for the
aged, and the right to life of the unborn;
International Affairs, to awaken in all Christians their
awareness of their responsibility to the international
brotherhood of all people; and Community Affairs,
to involve members of C.C.W. in working with other

organizations to answer the needs of their individual
communities.

Current officers are: Chairman, Mrs. Donald
Murphy; Vice Chairman, Mrs. Jerome Holohan;
Secretary, Mrs. Paul Malone; and Treasurer, Mrs.
Donald Koerner.

United Methodist Women's Unit

Under the leadership of Mrs. Amy Merrill, Miss
Eva Peterson, Mrs. Ada Penfield, and Mrs. Libby
Richardson, all Sunday School teachers of the
Presbyterian Church, the Ladies Social Circle was
organized in 1886. It was later called The Ladies Aid.

They earned money through sewing, suppers,
and various other means so that they were able to
apply a sizable amount toward purchasing the lots for
the Church and the Manse of the Presbyterian
Church.

In the fall of 1889 they had raised enough
money to build the Manse at a cost of $450.

A branch of the Ladies Aid called the
Co-Workers, consisting of the young women of the
parish, helped.

February 16, 1964, when Kempton and Campus
united with Cabery to form the United Methodist
Church, it became known as the Women's Society of
Christian Service, the Cabery Methodist Women's
Unit. They are still very active.

The present officers are: President, Mrs. Dale
Murphy; Vice President, Mrs. George Juergens;
Secretary, Mrs. LaRoy Clapp; and Treasurer, Mrs.
Ronald Sadler.

The Cabery Specials 4-H Club
—Submitted by Eldon Sargeant

"The Cabery Specials," a boys and girls 4-H
Club, was founded by Eldon Sargeant, December 18,
1940. Its charter was awarded by the United States
Department of Agriculture and the University of
Illinois.

Eldon Sargeant was its leader and still is today,
just having received an award for thirty-five years of
excellent service.

It began with ten members the first year. The
officers were: President, Wanda Nelson;
Vice-President, LaRoy Clapp; Secretary -Treasurer,
Keith Lamb; Reporter, Thomas McGinnis; and
Recreation Chairman, Eileen Gish. The other
members were John Christ, George Christ, Mary Ruth
Christ, Joseph Pefferman, and Marjorie Pefferman.

The object of this Club is to interest young
people in better practice in farming and homemaking
through club projects, and in helping them in learning
to work and play together.

Special projects are many, including
maintenance of farm equipment, buildings, and
grounds, raising farm crops, forestry, gardening, fruit
crops, and honey production. Raising of cattle,
horses, sheep, swine, rabbits, poultry, dogs, and cats.
Also soil improvement, wild-life conservation, besides
arts and crafts of all kinds.

Current leaders are Eldon Sargeant and Dale
Sargeant. Officers are: President, John Sargeant;
Vice-President, Mike Richie; Secretary -Treasurer,
Colleen Richie; Reporter, Karen Harris; Recreation,
Wayne Marti and Kathy Harris; Federation delegates,
John Clapp and John Sargeant.

Village of Reddick

Two "R's" were important in the early history
of Reddici<, railroads and a man named "Red" Dick.

Two railroads were constructed about 1879
forming an intersection where the Village of Reddick
now stands. The Wabash Railroad (now the Norfolk
& Western) went from Chicago to St. Louis. The
second railroad ran in an east and west direction and
was called the Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa Railroad,
often referred to as the Three-I-Railroad. Later it
became the New York Central, and now in 1975, the
Penn Central.

Photo Courtesy of Floyd Leenerman

At this railroad intersection a business center for
the rich agricultural "Prairie Land" was destined to
develop. Because the portion of land to the southeast
of this intersection seemed to be the best because of
drainage, settlers began building there. This placed
the Village of Reddick in Norton Township,
Kankakee County.

Various names were suggested for this
settlement. However, many of the inhabitants
remember a jovial, congenial fellow who had directed

the building of the "Three-I-Railroad" from Streator
to Momence. He had red hair and his first name was
Dick. So he was known by his nickname as "Red"
Dick. The majority of citizens were happy to name
the village Reddick, thus saving hard feelings among
the older citizens whose names had been mentioned.

Reddick was incorporated October, 1890. The
officers at that time were: President— James Rielly;
Clerk— John T. Dooling; Trustees— John Ambrose, W.
G. Bloxam, John Graf, Karl Schmidt, Andrew
Peterson, and Ely. A. Oakes.

At the time of incorporation, Reddick had a
population of approximately 400 with several
business enterprises including: a tile factory, two
grain elevators, a millinery and dressmaker shop, a
general store, livery stable, two hotels, lumber and
coal business, barber shop, a blacksmith shop, and
others.

Photo Courtesy of V. Shimmin

In 1895, a fire that started back of the M. F.
Rielly General Store destroyed the entire block of
business places.

The Reddick Tile Factory was started in 1890
by A. S. Currie. The land was purchased from R. D.
Shelly. A good grade of red tile and brick was nnade
that would withstand freezing and chipping. This
factory ran for a number of years until the top clay
ran out and no more land could be bought. Two large
ponds were left that provided a place for ice skating
in the winter and a bird haven in the spring and
summer.

The first hotel was built in 1888 east of the
Wabash Railroad on Main Street by M. F. Riellyand
the second hotel was built in 1895 and operated by
Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Johnson. After the coming of
automobiles the hotel business dwindled. Finally, the
hotel buildings were torn down.

There were three churches in the Village. St.
Mary's was constructed in 1899. Before the ctiurch
was built, parishioners met in homes. Roads were so
bad it was difficult to travel very often to other
churches. The home of Michael McGinnis who came
to Norton Township in 1866 was a home frequented
for Mass. Father Spellman was the first priest. The
church has been well cared for and has been newly
remodeled.

Reddick Methodist Church had its start in a
country school three miles southeast of Reddick. The
first Methodist Church was constructed in 1899 and
the cornerstone laid June 9, 1899. The first pastor
was Rev. H. Coolidge.

The Reddick Immanuel Evangelical Church was
built one mile north and one-half mile east of the
Village in 1893. It was moved to the village in 1907.
The first pastor was Rev. B. B. Wagner.

The fourth church in the community was
erected in the summer of 1874 and dedicated in the
fall as the Zoar Evangelical Church, as it was one of
the congregations of the Grand Prairie Circuit of the
Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Church. Rev.
Wm. Neitz was the pastor in charge.

The Zoar and Reddick Evangelical Churches
were united in a circuit in 1927. The three Protestant
churches united and became the United Methodist
Church in 1968. A new Reddick United Methodist
Church Building was built in 1971.

Later a new Zoar Community Church was
erected north and east of Reddick on Route 17 and
was dedicated in 1974.

The first school in the Village of Reddick was
built in 1902. There were two rooms and a library.
The first teachers were Miss Nellie Shimmin and Miss
Cora Neilson. Later the library was changed into a
third classroom. A two year High School Course was
added.

In 1915, the four year high school course was
added and the high school was completely removed
from the grade school building to the Century

Building. E. C. Waggoner was the first principal of the
four year high school.

In 1919, Reddick Community High School was
organized and the high school building was
constructed in 1921.

In 1946, consolidation of twelve and a half
school districts united to form the Reddick
Community Consolidated School, and the original
Reddick Grade School District #142 became District
#255. The grade school had been remodeled twice to
provide necessary classrooms— in 1947 and 1949.

In 1950, the communities of Reddick, Union
Hill, Clark City, and Essex voted to establish a Unit
School District. The elementary schools were each
separate districts. The Reddick Community High
School was a separate district but had included the
territory of the above elementary schools.

The vote for a Community Unit passed and
Campus School joined the Unit later. The name
chosen for the Community Unit was called Reddick,
Union Hill, Clark City, and Essex Community Unit.
That name was shortened to R.U.C.E.— obviously
using the letters of each of the former schools.

George 0. Main became Superintendent. (He
had been the Superintendent of Reddick Community
High School for many years prior to the forming of
the Unit.)

Members of the Board of Education were:
Orville Warren, President; Vernon Schrock, Secretary;
Corwin Shelly, Rolland Schultz, Alvin Unz, Leonard
Schultz, and Arnold Anderson.

Since the Unit was formed the following rooms
and buildings have been constructed: a First Grade
Room, a Kindergarten Room, Junior High School
Building, Administrative Center Building, Art Room,
and Music Room.

1975-1 976- LeRoy Wright-Superintendent

Members of Board of Education: Clarence
Moranski— President, Robert Geiger— Secretary, Kent
Schott, Paul O'Brien, Joseph Naretto, Clifford
Steichen, and John Wepprecht.

OLDEST HOME IN REDDICK COMMUNITY

One of the first homes to be built in the
Reddick Community, is a home that at one time
provided lodging for 14 persons. This home is one
mile east and one mile north of Reddick. It has been
remodeled and is well kept.

The house was constructed in 1857 or 1858. It
was on October 14, 1857 that Mr. and Mrs. Jacob
William Unz and family and Mr. and Mrs. George
Feller and family arrived in Illinois from Louisville,
Kentucky.

Those two families joined in the building of
their two homes. The Unz home was built first. While
the Feller home was under construction both families
resided in the completed house.

OLjUI

i " I

The first home was located on a 200 acre farm
that was purchased for $400, or $2.00 per acre.

The two families had brought cows with them as
well as the money for the land and homes when they
came from Kentucky. The wagons in which they rode
were drawn by oxen. Later the oxen were used for
farming.

IK-arfM Kreil. iliou li;i?<t loft us.

And thy Ujss wt- dfi-ply ft-el.
Uut lliciitNl thill h;ith Itt-i-eft ii!«.

He ran pll our s«ri'o»> lical.

Thou art jfime but not for)rott«'n.
N'fver shall thy ni«>iiiiiry faiiv.
Swfett^l tliuu>rhts ".hall ever llti,MT
Kound th«' ;rrave where thou art laid.

Fred W. Hatting, died June 4, 1907. aged 19 years-ldlled by

explosion at Reddicic.

Photo Courtesy Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

EXPLOSION

June 7, 1907 on the New York Central Railroad
(formerly Three-I-RR.) a freight train made up of
fifteen cars containing oil, naphtha, varnish, paint,
dynamite, iron, lead pipes, and meat, was derailed
opposite the tower of the Wabash and NYC railroads.
A hot box under an oil car immediately ignited.
The blaze attracted many people from the nearby
vicinity. Several people had reached the wreck when
cars laden with dynamite were reached by the flames
from the oil car. Two cars of dynamite exploded,
scattering a car of iron piping like chaff. Three men
were killed and a score were seriously injured. Much
damage was done in the Village as well as lo farm
homes in a radius of three miles.
REDDICK WABASH RAILROAD DEPOT STORY
Henry L. Shelly owned some land needed for
the Wabash Railroad. Mr. Shelly sold the land needed
for the right-of-way and gave the portion of land
where the depot was to be built. However, there was
one condition— as long as Reddick exists, the Wabash
Railroad Company must maintain a depot on that
location.

7776 depot is still standing. However, since the
Wabash Railroad is now owned and operated by the
Norfolk and Western Railroad, citizens wonder in this
Bicentennial Year 1976 how much longer the
Reddick Depot will he in existence.

Photo Courtesy Floyd Lee

•/n:f rndi!

TORNADO HITS REDDICK

On April 22, 1912, between four and five
o'clock a severe tornado hit Reddick. Damage was
extensive in Reddick and on surrounding farms.

The Hulse home one mile west of Reddick not
far from the New York Central Railroad was

destroyed. Four members of the family of six were
killed. The Dan Murphy home and New York Central
Depot were destroyed. Many barns and sheds on
farms were destroyed. Church sheds on the Methodist
Church grounds were blown down. The sheds were
where those coming to church from the country kept
their horses and buggies. Many trees were uprooted.
The most damage done by the tornado was within
approximately one-half mile of the New York Central
Railroad (now the Penn Central Railroad).
REDDICK NEWSPAPERS

The Reddick Telephone, a weekly newspaper,
was the first newspaper. It was published by Frank H.
Robertson. Later 7776 Reddick Courier, a weekly
paper, was published by Schutz Publishing House in
Emington, Illinois and is still published.
THE CENTURY BUILDING

Oddfellows and Rebekahs, Reddick, Century Building in

background, circa 1910.

Photo Courtesy Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

The Century Building in Reddick was a large
two story building constructed near the beginning of
the twentieth century. It was located on Norton
Avenue.

The first story was used for various businesses
down through the years. There were Furniture Stores,
Barber Shops, Grocery Stores, Pool Hall, Bowling
Alley, and a Confectionary Store.

The second story had a large Entertainment
Hall, and later on as roads improved and automobiles
were more prevalent, people went to the movies in
other towns. Then the Hall was used for a roller
skating rink.

On the south part of the upper story was a
Lodge Hall.

In 1915, the first Four Year High School was
held where the lodge rooms had been. In 1922, a new
High School building was completed.

Members of the Lions Club purchased the

Photo Courtesy Vernon Krueger

building and renovated the structure and have made it
available to the community.

LIONS BUILDING

Reddick Lions Club was organized in 1965. The
Essex Lions Club was the sponsor with Rolland
Schultz of Essex, Illinois as the organizer.

The first officers were:

Clarence O. Gall
Irving Nelson
Harland Tyler
Myron F. Schultz
Harold Kaeser
James Halpin
Kent Schott
Eldon Overlin

President

Secretary

Treasurer

First Vice President

Second Vice President

Third Vice President

Tail Twister

Lion Tamer

After holding meetings in Reddick High School
Cafeteria the club members decided to purchase the
Century Building located on Norton Avenue.

The building was such that it had to be
renovated. The Lions Club members took on the
restoration project as a civic improvement. Many man
hours went into making it a useful building for the
community.

The building now has a large room where the
members hold their meetings, as well as other
organizations such as Reddick Fire Department,
Firebelles, Reddick Twig, Senior Citizens, and family
reunions.

A large, well equipped kitchen is also an
important room in the building.

In 1975, an extra storage room has been added
at the rear of the building.

The officers for 1976 are:
Gerald Anderson
Laverne King
Bruce Boyer
Roger Boyer
Omer Halpin
Norman Grob
Joseph Forneris
Joseph Kersch

President
Secretary
Treasurer
First Vice President
Second Vice President
Third Vice President
Tail Twister
Lion Tanner
REDDICK COMMUNITY
FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC.
The Reddick Community Fire Department was
organized in 1965. Board of Trustees now are C. Ray
Prussner, Lavern Graf, Norwood Shelly, Edward
Rieke, LeRoy Rieke, Robert Brooks, and Louis
Mombrum. Robert Brooks is Fire Chief and Irving
Nelson is Assistant Fire Chief.

THE ELECTRIC PLANT
The first Electric Plant was opened in Reddick
in June, 1906. Steam power was used in the
beginning. It was owned and operated by N. E.
Hamilton, Jr. and Sr. The Hamiltons continued to
supply Reddick community with electricity for
twelve years. Bert Johnson purchased the plant and
operated it until 1923 when the Public Service
Company (now Commonwealth Edison) began to
supply electrical power to the community.
REDDICK WATER SYSTEM
In 1953, the Reddick Water System was begun
and completed in 1954. A deep drilled well supplies
the water not only for the village and the new
subdivision but many farmers haul water during dry
seasons.

The Mayor at that time was Ferd Rieke.
REDDICK OUTDOOR
LIGHTED RECREATION CENTER

The Village of Reddick purchased the lot south
of the Reddick Lions Building from the Lions Club
for a fee of $1 .00. On this lot two tennis courts were
made, basketball hoops were placed on two sides of
the tennis courts. Facilities for flooding the courts for
ice skating in the winter were made available.

The young people and the young at heart make
much use of the Recreation Center during most of
the year.

The area is lighted and has an all weather
surface.

Reddick High School Physical Education Classes
use the tennis courts in the spring.

Present officers of Reddick are:
President-James Halpin; Clerk-Mrs. Rosemary
Brooks; Treasurer — Mrs. Geraldine Joyce;
Trustees- Robert Brooks, Lavern Graf, Marian
Mathison, James McGinnis, Richard Forneris, Russell
Studley.

AGRICULTURE IMPORTANT
IN REDDICK COMMUNITY

The rich, black, loam soil so ideal for producing
abundant crops including corn, oats, wheat, and now
soy beans was once the "Lone Prairie" over which
roamed the buffalo.

Today the level prairie lands have all been
plowed and the land, our greatest natural resource,
has made possible the fine homes, good schools, and
the churches in our community for which we can be
justly proud and grateful.

With improved methods of farming, modern

Reddick Street— Town pump in foreground. Left to right: ?,
Ed Riordan, Dan Buckley, Tommy Smith, Neil Pedersen, Bert
Bowers, ?, Ruf us Jackson, town marshall; Emil Gonderman.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

^ t

W^^

M. F. Reilly and Co. Store

Photo Courtesy of Floyd Leenerman

Photo Courtesy Raymond Prussner

machinery, hard surfaced roads, automobiles, trucks,
etc. farmers now plant and harvest their crops in
much less time.

Many farmers and their families find time to
travel. Some find time in the slack season on the farm
to obtain work in factories in Kankakee, Joliet,
Pontiac, and other places.

There were many dairy farmers in the Reddick
Community and many farmers who sent their grain to
market "on the hoof."

Now in 1976, there are few dairy farms in the
Reddicia Community. One dairy farm near Reddicl< is
the Raymond Prussner Farm two miles east and one
mile south of Reddick.

Residents of Reddick Community might say

with the poet, Oliver Weaver Ridenour:
Here on this spot, some years ago,
Home-loving folks resolved to build a home.
Courageous souls, they labored hard and long
To found this town. Not on high hills, as Rome,
Was this town built, but on a level space
Where one can see the far horizon's glow.

The backbone of the great United States

Is not a noisy metropolis.

But all the small towns scattered far and wide

Across our nation; Villages like this.

Our home town, and the quiet country-side

Close by it. Here folks live and work.

Stage of Opera House (Gonderman's Hall) Reddick
Photo Courtesy Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

Procession to 4th of July School Picnic-Reddick
Photo Courtesy Mrs. N. E. Hamilton

Kankakee County Championship Baseball Team-Summer 1921. Reddick Area. Back Row: left to right-Edward Meisenbach , Sr
SteveTolloTE. R McL^^^^ manager; Bert Blo.am. Ho^rd Dunn; Front Row: Lloyd Savage, Earl Adams, Laurence Savage, Carl
Dornburg, Gerald Halloran, "Cappy" Schultz, Art Weis.
Photo Courtesy of Howard Dunn

Village of Union Hill

Union Hill. From left—Schobey House, later owned by Frank
Dittus and now by Mrs. Florence Adams; long building
Schobey store, later owned by Van Petten and finally by M. A.
Daly. Two dark buildings to left of track implement sheds of
Thomas Houghton; railroad station on east side of street along
track. On north side of street A. G. Smith Hardware Store,
presently Van Voorst Lumber Co.; White building; open space,
C. C. Ruley, grocery; Tatro house.
Photo Courtesy of Raymond Beauclerc

The village of Union Hill was incorporated in
1903, and the first board of trustees meeting was on
February 8, 1904. George Van Voorst was the first
board president, and the first trustees were A. G.
Snnith, Henry Weseman, Arsene Beauclerc, William
Nordmeyer, Fred Wepprecht and John Daly.

In 1976 Gilbert Van Voorst is board president,
Art McClure, town clerk, trustees, Dan Ryan, Leo
Parks, LaVerne Sutter, Hugh Van Voorst, Ray Jones,
and Kenneth Brown.

Much of the history of the Union Hill area is
connected with John E. Schobey who is credited with
naming the town. He was, however, a resident of
Essex Township. Mr. Schobey was born in Cayuga
County, New York in 1819. In 1849 he moved to
Racine, Wisconsin and was engaged in the hardware
business for two years. In 1854 he came to Kankakee
County and to Essex Township the following spring.

The first post office was established on August
27, 1861 on the farm of Mr. Schobey, who was the
first postmaster. The country was agitated by the War
of Rebellion at that time, and Mr. Schobey was
determined to embrace the word "union" in

proposing a name for the post office, meaning by it
the union of the north and south. Several names were
proposed to the Post Office Department at
Washington, among them Union Grove, referring to
the first grove planted on Mr. Schobey's place. This
was rejected, another office in the state already
bearing the same name. Finally Union Hill was
adopted, alluding to a slight elevation or hill on the
farmland.

According to older history books the post office
was moved from Mr. Schobey's to John Pratt's place,
on to Ed. Albert's place, and finally to the station of
Union Hill at the completion of the Indiana, Illinois
& Iowa railroad in 1883. The postmaster received his
pay by the cancellation of stamps.

For a time there was a rural route from the
Union Hill post office. A. T. Dyer and Edward Desens

John E. Schobey. founder of Union Hill Post Office
Photo Courtesy of Charles W. Cook

•n Hill Has
ly Post Office

smallt^t iKist oflii-cs in tlie world (10

[(ill (ahow). A fur-

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I !.,.;ttM'r. A lU-W

luijuiirnl

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Kankakee Daily Journal Photo

were the carriers. Postmasters have included T. C.
Schobey, Mary Ann Whalen, Perry Jarvis, A. G.
Smith, Leo Desens, Althea Patchett, Rachel
Hiddleson, Anna Van Voorst and Barbara Bumpous.

It is difficult to designate just what type of store
each owner operated, as in the early days most places
of business were really general stores.

John Robinson, who erected in 1882 the first
building of Union Hill, a grist mill on the site of the
present Van Voorst family home, apparently also had
a dry goods and grocery store. A Kankakee Gazette
item of February 24, 1887 states that Testin Brothers
had bought the goods and rented the store of Mr. J.
A. Robinson. They intended to have a large stock of
groceries and dry goods. They had also bought the
saloon of Pat Kinsley and were to apply for a license.

Mr. Robinson sold his mill to Mr. Cornwell. In
November 1887 A. G. Smith purchased the mill
building of Mr. Robinson and moved it near his
residence for use as a barn. In March, 1888 George
Van Voorst had purchased the J. A. Robinson lot
containing about one-half acre adjoining the village
and was building a house on it.

Mr. Robinson apparently retained ownership of
the building in which Jacob Testin had his grocery
store, as in May 1888 there is mention of J. A.
Robinson's store being badly wrecked by wind, with
six large windows being broken. This same store was

owned by C. C. Ruley in later years.

John E. Schobey had a grocery store on the west
side of Main Street at the corner of the street
paralleling the railroad. In 1887 Mr. Schobey had
moved the Sam Seroy shop and dwelling to the lot
north of his store to be used as a store room. The
house was kept furnished for the use of the
storekeeper or any of the Schobey family who did
not care to make the trip out to the farm at night.
This store was sold to a Mr. Van Petten and then later
to M. A. Daly. The store burned around 1913 or
1914 according to the best memory of residents, but

The Prairie Farmer Business Directory of Union Hill
published in 1917 still listed the M. A. Daly store.
Discrepancy not resolved.

A. G. Smith, who had worked for Odell &
Felton as grain buyer and built an elevator himself in
Union Hill, was trained as a wagon-maker. He later
opened a hardware store and in March 1888 opened
an agricultural implement store. A Gazette item of
Aug. 16, 1888: "August Smith is about to erect a
building 13 x 40 in which he intends to open a full
stock of hardware." In December of the same year
Mr. Smith was busy receiving and unpackaging goods
and would soon open with a general assortment of
stoves and hardware. To this business he added
groceries, dry goods, meat market, and Mrs. Smith
had a nice assortment of dishes and glassware for sale.
Mr. Smith retired about 1919 and the store was
operated by Desens Brothers, Mr. Smith's daughter
Alma being Mrs. Edward Desens.

A. G. Smith Store. Union Hill. Left to right-George Berger,
Mrs. A. G. Smith, A. G. Smith, Edward Desens, ?, (From a card
mailed in 1910).
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Percy Cook

For the last fifty-nine years people in and
around Union Hill have gone to "Sutter's Store."
That spot and the lot north of it were the original
location of George Van Voorst's lumber shed. When
the present Sutter building was first erected Mrs.
Fowler, wife of the station agent, had a millinery
shop in it. Later Ernest Siegert came from Essex and
operated a saloon there. The house north of Sutter's
now owned by Ray Jones was the Siegert residence.

Edward Sutter went to Union Hill from Reddick
in the fall of 1915 and worked with his
brother-in-law, Edward Riordan, who had succeeded

Mr. Siegert in business. When the Riordan store
closed Mr. Sutter with a little financial help was able
to reopen the store. Through the years Mr. Sutter and
his wife, the former Florence Hellmund, sold
groceries, dry goods, gasoline and had an ice cream
parlor, and cream buying station. In the early 1920's
Mr. Sutter added near beer to his line and now has a
tavern beside the grocery store.

Journal Photo

Taverns or saloons have been run by Pat Kinsley,
Testin Brothers and Ernest Siegert. J. W. Warner,
listed in the 1896 directory of Union Hill as a
druggist, may also have been a saloon keeper. We have
found instances of other saloon keepers being
referred to as "druggists."

On the corner north of the Union Hill
Implement Company in 1976 operated by Frank
Patchett once stood an ice house. The ice blocks were
obtained from the Berger-Kral pond. Edward Desens
delivered the ice to homes in Union Hill.

Kankakee Gazette May 31, 1888-Union
Hill— Houghton and Hollome have erected a
building near Schobey's store 16 x 24 in
size where binders, reapers and mowers will
be transferred from the manufacturers to
the people for a small consideration.
Studebaker buggies, Cassiday plows, Hayes corn
planters and McCormick grain binders were sold by
Thomas Houghton. In these days of astronomical
costs of farm machinery, the following receipt should
be of great interest.

There have been two banking establishments in

the United States at the age of seventeen to learn the
blacksmith trade from his brother. When Arsene
moved to Bourbonnais, Edward operated the Union
Hill shop, and continued there as long as his health
permitted.

Courtesy Chas. W. Cook

Union Hill but for only brief periods of time. A
deposit slip still exists dated Sept. 29, 1897 from The
Bank of Union Hill, Samuel Van Voorst, President;
George Van Voorst, Vice President and Cashier, of a
deposit by Thomas Houghton.

For a short time around 1912, the Farmer's
Bank of Union Hill was in existence. The bank
building was beside Daly's grocery store. Perry Jarvis
was cashier.

Just east of A. G. Smith's store was a building
known as the "White Building." The color of the
building was white, but apparently it was also built
by a man named White. There was an apartment
upstairs in this building.

Barber shops have been operated in Union Hill
by Fred Larson, Frank Feller, John Baker, and
Rosario Cataldo.

Frank Dittus, for many years a carpenter, at one
time had a pool hall.

For a short time in the 1920's Lovell Brothers of
Cabery had a garage which fronted on the alley east
of Sutter's store. When the garage was discontinued
George Van Voorst used the building for truck
storage.

Blacksmiths in Union Hill: The 1896 town
directory lists Byron Ambrose as blacksmith. An
undated news item from Union Hill states that Hiram
Aldrich (who was a blacksmith) was moving to a farm
near Buckingham, and his place would be occupied
by Byron Ambrose.

Charles Dasen, ancestor of the Desens, Baker
and Henry Eimhorst families, was an early
blacksmith.

John Heider may also have been a blacksmith in
Union Hill, as Mrs. John Schott in 1900 was
predicting that Mr. Heider's step-sons, the Dickman
brothers, would be rated the best blacksmiths in this
part of the state.

Arsene Beauclerc, who came from St. Paulin,
Province of Quebec was in Union Hill from 1904 to
191 1. Edward Beauclerc, brother of Arsene, came to

Blacksmith Shop- Union Hill -1908. Left to right- Arsene
Beauclerc, George Weseman, Alonzo Peck, Charles Peck,
Edward Beauclerc, Omar Beauclerc, son of Arsene.
Photo Courtesy of Raymond Beauclerc

The Beauclerc buildings were purchased by
William Wepprecht in the late 1930's. For a time they
were used for machinery and truck storage by Mr.
Wepprecht and Lawrence Lochner. Later Mr.
Wepprecht sold J. I. Case farm machinery. Frank
Patchett purchased the business and continues it as
Union Hill Implement Company.

Kankakee Gazette. Feb. 24, 1887-Union

Hill —Earnest Gratty (our shoe maker)

died on Monday, Feb. 14 after a long

illness, aged 37 years. He was buried

the following Thursday at the

Lutheran Church on the town line.

His widow would be glad to dispose of

the stock and tools of the deceased.

This is a good opening for someone.

Kankakee Gazette. March 24, 1887-Union

Hill— Mr. Joseph Gielte has bought the

Guest building and moved it on the

lot west of August Smith's.

Nothing further is known of the people in the

above news items.

The first ice cream available to Union Hill
residents locally was a stand operated by Fred
Larson, barber. Ice cream would be shipped to him
Saturday night on the evening train and would be
available on Saturday night and Sunday during the
summer.

George Van Voorst, telegrapher and grain buyer,
later added lumber, coal, hardware, furniture and all
types of building supplies. He had a bridge building
crew that built many of the bridges of the township,
some of which are still in existence.

UNION HILL HALL

George Van Voorst Bridge Building Crew. Left to
Right-Henry Eimhorst, Paul Dasen, Edward Dasen, Emit
Dornburg; Below— George Van Voorst— Boys not identified
Photo Courtesy of Raymond Beauclerc

Many houses and farm buildings were built by
Mr. Van Voorst. After his death his businesses in
Union Hill and Bonfield were continued bv his sons
Gilbert and Robert. Daughters Pearl and Anna helped
in the Union Hill office. When barns and corn cribs
were no longer in demand the firm turned to the
manufacture of industrial pallets and boxes.
Grandsons Hugh and Robert S. Van Voorst now
operate the businesses.

The Jacob Dittus family provided carpenters for
the community— William, Frank and David and their
uncle, Theodore Hellmund built many of the area
buildings. Mr. Hellmund, who came from Chicago,
was an expert lather.

Martin Iffland was the local painter and paper
hanger. He was assisted in his later years by his son
Earl.

West of the Union Hill Farmers Cooperative
Elevator, south of the railroad the Kankakee Service
Company has a bulk plant for storage of gasoline and
oil.

South of the railroad track toward the east edge
of town George Van Voorst had lumber sheds. In the
1960's these sheds were taken down and on that site
Swift & Company erected a bulk fertilizer plant. It
was in operation only a few years. The buildings are
now used by Cabery Fertilizer Company.

Party at Union Hill Hall, 1910. Back Row: left to
right- 2. Elmer Oberlin; 4. Irvin Bossert; 5. Ben Brunner;
6. George Brunner; 7. Frank Wagner; Middle Row: 2. Leo
Desens; 4. Frank Berger; 7. Laura Oberlin; 8. William Dittus;
11. Percy Cook; Bottom Row: 1. Carrie Hellmund; 2. Cora
Brunner; 3. Pansy Hertz; 4. Marie Groebner Siemering;
5. Maude Schott; 6. Pearl Schott Geiger; 1 1. Lillian Fecke
Diefenbach.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Percy Cook

Since 1895 the hall in Union Hill has been a
meeting or gathering place for residents of the
community. A warranty deed from Catharina
Weseman to the Union Hill Hall Association of Union
Hill # 97874 was filed for record in Kankakee 31st
day of December 1895, Lot No. 10, Block Number 2
in the town of Union Hill. There were fifty-four
shares at $10 per share. The following were listed as
the original shareholders:

F. Tatro, Jno. Wepprecht, H. Weseman, John T.
Houghton, Charles Tatro, Alb. Dittus, Henry
Soatman, Fred Wepprecht, Jno. Schmidt, And.
Ruder, Art Bossert, A. G. Smith, Fred Dittus, G. W.
Dittus, Geo. Van Voorst, Wm. Kroesch, Theodore
Hellmund, Jno. Peter, Wm. Dittus Jr., E. F. Grabill,
L. C. Berger, Charles Ruder, T. M. Davy, H.
Steinhauser, G. Nugent, Wm. Alderson, Thos.
Houghton, Chas. Schall, A. T. Dyer.

The building came to be known as Woodman
Hall, but it was not the property of the fraternal
organization. In 1897 the Woodmen paid an annual
rental of $40 to the Hall Association.

The Modern Woodmen of America Lodge was
active for a number of years, and still bright in the
memory of many Union Hill residents are the annual
oyster suppers held on Halloween for members and
their families. Mrs. A. T. Dyer, Mrs. Andrew Ruder
Sr., and Mrs. Charles Ruder are among those who are
recalled cooking large boilers of oyster soup.

Members provided other foods for the supper, but the
lodge bought oysters, crackers, etc.

Royal Neighbors, the ladies auxiliary of the
Modern Woodmen was also organized, but it was not
in existence for too many years.

For several years the Woodman Lodge sponsored
Euchre parties during the winter months. Then as
now people came from all of the neighboring towns
for an evening of friendly card-playing.

In 1937, the Woodman Lodge having disbanded,
title to the hall was transferred by tax sale to the
Union Hill Hall Association. Another list of
subscribers who helped refinance the operation of the
building included:

E. F. Sutter, Fred Wepprecht, Jr., Ray Schott,
Mrs. Geo. Van Voorst, Omar Wepprecht, Russell
Schott, Gilbert Van Voorst, Henry Harungs, Jesse
Colman, Sarah H. Gunnerson, Pearl C. Cook, Union
Hill Ladies Aid Soc, Charles H. Cook, Raymond
Coash, Geo. Geiger, Mrs. Clara Seeger, Wm.
Schlondorf, P. L. Cook, Maude Schott, Arlene
Iffland, W. M. Wepprecht, Ralph Gray, Lorena
Iffland, Fred Wepprecht, Marvin Dean, John A. Cain,
Ray Beauclerc, Geo. Rellitle, John C. Martin, Mervin
Dornburg, Ina Ruth Michael, Henry Schott, Chas. W.
Cook, F. J. Steger, Soil & Crop Fund, Henry Schott,
Treas., Union Hill Farmers Elevator, L. Rieke, Carl
Dornburg, William Kroesch Jr., Ed Desens, Martin
Kirchner Jr., National Sausage Co., John Grajn, Geo.
L. Berger, F. 0. Savoie & Co., A. Drolet, Oscar
Ruder, Henry Weseman, Wm. Hiddleson, Clarence
Hosier, Eddie Laporte, John Wepprecht, Wm.
Balgeman, Union Hill Shipper's Ass'n., Helen Cook.

The trustees of this association were Henry
Schott, William Hiddleson and Gilbert Van Voorst.

When the Lions Club was organized in Union
Hill in 1969 title was transferred to them. Some
remodeling and decorating has been done and kitchen
facilities added. The building is still in use for
meetings of the Union Hill Homemakers Extension
Unit, annual meeting of the Union Hill Farmer's
Elevator, and family gatherings as well as the Lions
meetings and social events.

Eighth grade graduation exercises and
graduation from the two-year high school were also
held in the hall.

The history of the Union Hill Hall would not be
complete without telling of some of the local clubs
that have used it for their meetings. One of these was
a club or secret lodge for young people known as
"A.K.G."— the meaning of the initials being part of
the secret. That secret was so well kept that no one
remembers what they really stood for— just a
nonsensical meaning of "All Kinds Go" being
recalled. This club was in existence in 1904 when
they were planning a hayride and two plays. No

roster of members has been found, but the following
were known to be included: Grace and Maude Schott,
Jennie and Etta Dittus, Bert Smith, Grace and Will
Cook and Pearl Van Voorst.

The town of Union Hill never included a church
building. The original Union Hill Methodist church
was just north of the village in Essex township. The
date of its organization has not been found, but
articles in the Kankakee Gazette tell of the "circuit
rider" minister of the Union Hill circuit, then
comprised of thirteen appointments.

In the 1880's we read of the Rev. C. B. Allen
beginning a series of protracted meetings, some of the
young men providing a new stove, pledges being made
for an organ. In May, 1887 the following were
Sunday School officers: A. J. Young, Supt.; N. W.
Young, Ass't Supt.; Miss Ella Houghton, Treas.;
Elbert Snedeker, Secretary.

An undated clipping found in an old scrap book
states: "The little M. E. Church which has survived
and flourished for the past thirty years or more was
ignored at the recent conference and no pastor sent."

After the church north of Union Hill was
discontinued a Sunday School was organized to meet
in the Woodman Hall in Union Hill. Mrs. Daniel
(Addie) Schott was the first superintendent, followed
by Amos Dyer. Mrs. John Schott, William Dittus,
Mrs. Charles H. Cook and Mrs. Percy Cook also served
as superintendents. Church services were conducted
every two weeks by the Evangelical minister from
Reddick as an outmission of his church. This Sunday
School disbanded September 25, 1960. The Sunday
School had Easter, Children's Day and Christmas
observances.

There was a Ladies Aid Society that met
regularly. Many quilts were made and quilted as well
as other sewing projects for the annual bazaar and
chicken supper. Meetings were held at the homes of
the members and were enjoyed as social gatherings as
well as work sessions.

The organization now known as Homemakers
Extension Association began in Kankakee County as
the Home Improvement Association in 1915. Mrs.
John Schott of Union Hill was the Norton Township
director on the County Board. Each director was to
try to get one hundred members at $1.00 per
member. Mrs. Schott said she had an easier job than
some of the directors because Norton Township
contained four villages. The Union Hill Unit was one
of the first organized in the county. No roster of
charter members has been found but a picture taken
July 2, 1925 of a picnic gathering for Home Bureau
(as it was then known) members and their families at
the John R. Schott home shows:

Home Bureau Picnic, July 2, 1925 at John R. Schott Home.
Bottom Row: left to right-Dorothy Fritz, Vera Baker,
Theresa Fritz, Alice Schott, Bette Colman on tricycle, Harold
Colman, Arnold Fritz; Second Row: Paul Colman, Victor
Cook, Hartwell Milling, Mildred Cook, lone Schott, Sherwood
Berger, Kenneth Baker, ?, Helen Cook, Meryl Cooper,
Raymond Geiger, Omar Wepprecht; Third Row: Caroline
Baker holding Claude, Pearl Cook, Alice Cook, Hazel Colman,
Emma Van Voorst, ?, Violet Hosier, Pearl Geiger holding
Robert, Olive Cook; Back Row: Howard Milling, Will Cook,
Albert Milling, Mary Van Voorst, Violet Colman, John
Wepprecht. Mabel Schott holding Marilyn, Anna Fritz holding
child, Percy Cook, ?, Pauline Milling, Eldon Colman, Lillian
Berger, Elizabeth Wepprecht, Florence Sutter, Margaret
Berger, Mildred Milling, ?.
Photo Courtesy Mrs. La Verne King

Kankakee Daily Journal photo
Courtesy of Mrs. Raymond Beauclerc

For a short time boys and girls in ihe Union Hill
area had a Bird Club, probably in the early 1920's,
the purpose being to study birds and the control of
some of the less desirable types. Leaders of this club
were Ruth Wepprecht Gower and Hattie Schott

Cenkovich. This club was a fore-runner of 4-H Club.
In the later 1920's the first 4-H club was
organized, and 4-H clubs continued intermittently
until the early 1970's. Remembered leaders and their
assistants have included: Ruth Wepprecht Gower,
Lillie Dornburg, Mabel Cook, Alice Schott, Helen
Meyer, Rachel Hiddleson, Anna Van Voorst, Ruth
Wepprecht, Mary Nesbitt, Lois Sutter and Betty
Spraker. The club was first called Union Hill Loyal
Troop. Later the name was changed to Modern Belles.
An area social club in the early 1930's for girls
and young married women was called You Go, I Go.
A Birthday Club of the Union Hill ladies met for
a time, and their project was to embroider their
names on quilt blocks for each other. Completed
quilts bearing all of these names are treasured by
members still living in the area.

1887, December 22- Union Hill-John and
Joseph Krai will have a shooting
match here Friday, December 23.
Choice fat turkeys are the attraction.
While the above shooting was for domestic fowl,
early settlers hunted and shot prairie chickens. By the
1920's the prairie chickens were no more, but a few
years later pheasants were introduced into the area
and now pheasant hunting season brings hunters from
the cities by the score. Quail once plentiful are now
very scarce.

Winter Scene-Union Hill. On sidewalk, Edward Desens, Alma
Smith Desens, Marie Groebner Siemering, Mrs. A. G. Smith; In
cutter-left to right-Henry Elmhorst and Harry Dorweiler,
brothers-in-law of Edward Desens; child not positively
identified, probably Carl Desens; In background, Desens
Homj, now owned by Pat Baker, and A. G. Smith residence,
later moved and now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Meyer.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Percy Cook

During the days of horse drawn vehicles, winter
entertainnnent included cutter rides and bob-sledding,
as well as skating on the Berger— Krai pond.

January 1976 had an unusual amount of snow,
and snownnobiling, in vogue for some time, became
increasingly popular.

In this bicentennial year, many people are
contributing something to the observance, and it is
most interesting to note that in 1876 in a neighboring
township a "15<t examination" was held at the school
house in District No. 2 on the eve of the 22d inst. It
was a complete success, and the proceeds were to be
applied xo centennial purposes.

The Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad was
constructed through Norton Township in 1883.
George Van Voorst is the first name we have found as
station agent. He came from Reynolds, Indiana in
1885. A Kankakee Gazette item from Union Hill,
March 10, 1887 stated: "Geo. Van Voorst, our
station agent and grain buyer, took a four day
vacation and visited friends in Indiana." In
November, 1887 the Gazette reported that Mr. Van
Voorst had fixed up his bachelor apartments (freight
room of station) quite "toney." In April 1888 the
Gazette stated that Mr. Swan, the present Union Hill
station agent, had resigned his position and George
Van Voorst would probably again handle the wires.
Mr. and Mrs. Swan had been in Union Hill for over a
year.

Other station agents have included Tom Davy,
Mr. Fowler, Edward Baker, John Mazicko, E. J.
Staliman, and L. E. Poynter.

In July 1888 Joseph Guyette had resigned his
position as pumper at Union Hill. John Houghton
held this position for many years.

Section foremen (railroad maintenance) have
also lived in Union Hill. One of the earliest was
Theophilus (Chalk) Tatro, who lived in a house on
the street paralleling the railroad, the spot now being
occupied by a Van Voorst lumber storage building.
The Tatro family lived in the rooms on the second
floor and the ground floor was a barn where horses
were kept. This was a sort of livery or horse and
buggy rental. People coming to Union Hill on the
train sometimes needed to go to Essex, Buckingham
or one of the neighboring towns not on the I.I.I.
Railroad and could hire a buggy to take them to their
destination. Mrs. Tatro, familiarly known as "Plutch"
was in charge of the livery. When the livery was
discontinued the house was cut in half and the rear
section moved to the back of the lot for a barn. The
remainder of the house was remodeled for family
living. Later the barn was purchased by Frank Dittus
and moved to his lot, which was the early Schobey
property.

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Dittus lived in the Tatro

house for a time and Mrs. Dittus operated the
switchboard for the Union Hill Farmers Telephone
Company. Other owners and residents of the house
were Jacob Dittus, Ray Hosier, the Dewey family and
Lora Eels.

Section foremen who have lived in Union Hill
include William Kroesch, George Tracy, and William
Buck, who resigned the position in June, 1888.

There were four passenger trains a day through
Union Hill, two in each direction. The eastbound
trains left Union Hill at approximately 8:00 a.m. and
2:00 p.m.; the westbound at 11:00 a.m. and 8:00
p.m. Mail came into and left Union Hill on these
trains.

This section of railroad has always had quite an
advantageous freight rate for grain.

The Union Hill station was dismantled in the
mid 1960's.

Union Hill Station. Left to right-?. Rose Jarvis, Lillie Geiger,
George Geiger, Harry Daly, Charles Daly, William Cook.
Photo Courtesy l\4rs. La Verne King

George Seeger had one of the first threshing
operations operated by steam in the Union Hill area.
His death just prior to threshing time created a
problem for the local farmers, which was solved by
about twenty farmers each buying a $125 share in an
association and purchasing the Seeger equipment
—steam engine, grain separator, water wagon and corn
sheller. William Nordmeyer was the first engine
operator, followed by Fred Wepprecht, Jr. and Leo
Kane. William Siemering and Percy Cook tended the
separator. Charles Kirchman, Ray Schott and William
Cook were among those who hauled water for the
operation. William Cook, Percy Cook, and Henry
Schott acted as secretaries of the group. A system was
devised to take into account the number of acres of
grain to be threshed and the number of helpers

George Seeger's Threshing Rig taken July 1910 on Houghton

Farm

Photo Courtesy Mrs. La Verne King

furnished. At the end of the season each farmer paid
in or received in cash the differential.

it was customary to keep an engine man
overnight so that he could be on hand to get the fire
started and the steam pressure up in the engine to get
an early start. Several hayracks would be left loaded
at night and covered with canvas to provide dry grain
for morning. As soon as the oats or wheat shocks
were dry enough the bundles were loaded onto the
hayracks and hauled up to the separator where they
were pitched in with forks, the grain going into
wagons and the straw blown into large stacks to be
used for winter bedding for livestock.

The farm wife would provide breakfast for the
engine man, lunch in the morning for the entire
group, dinner, lunch in the afternoon, and supper.
Since it wasn't always possible to determine where
the group would be working at meal time, the ladies
cooperated by sharing the labor and cost and carrying
the food where it was needed.

Washing facilities for the men were large tubs of
water set in the sun early to warm a little, wash
basins, towels and soap on tables or benches.

Some of the farmers in the Union Hill threshing
ring: William Nordmeyer, William Balgeman, Ernest
Speckman, William Wrede, Edward Noffke, Will
Cook, Henry Schott, John R. Schott, George Feller,
William Schott, George Geiger, John Houghton, Peter
Geiger, Martin Voigts, Percy Cook, Louis Siemering,
William Schlondorf, Albert Milling, William
Siemering, Carl Dornburg, John Wepprecht, Fred
Wepprecht, Andrew Lauderbach, Charles Kirchman,
Hobart Hertz, Frank Feller, Joseph Krai.

The group disbanded in 1942.

Rev. J. Meyer, writing of Union Hill in his Parish

Late threshing picture using tractor for power. Edwin Berger
on blower; George Gaus on stack; Wm. Fredericks on bundle
wagon. Note fly nets on horses, and windmill in background.
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Alvin Gaus

History stated "an open platform had been erected
by Odell & Felton in 1882 to shovel grain into cars.
Two years afterward an elevator was erected by A. G.
Smith and operated for some years, then the interests
were bought by the Farmer's Cooperative Grain
Association. About 1898 the present elevator west of
Main Street was built by A. G. Smith, the Farmer's
Cooperative Grain Association having dissolved
partnership. The other elevator is in connection with
S. C. Bartlett & Company as already mentioned."

Not too much verification has been found for
these dates. However, the Kankakee Gazette in 1888
carried a series of news items from Union Hill that
tell of the founding of the "Grand Prairie Cooperative
Grain Association:"

March 9, 1888-The farmers in this vicinity
have concluded to organize an
association to be known as "The
Grand Prairie Cooperative Grain
Association." The purpose of the
association will be to buy and sell
grain, flour, wire, twine and other
commodities. The capital stock will be
$3000 divided into shares of $50
each.
March 29, 1888-The directors of the
Grand Prairie Grain Association
visited Herscher for the purpose of
making some necessary affidavits
connected with the business of the
association.
May 24, 1888-The Grand Prairie Grain
Association failed to make a purchase
of the buildings owned by Odell &
Felton. The difference between the

parties was only some $200. They will
erect their own buildings.
June 7, 1888-Mr. John Reardon, a brother
of Michael Reardon, an old resident in
this vicinity, has opened up a boot
and shoe repair shop in the building
owned by Odell & Felton. This is the
thing we have been needing.
July 19, 1888-At the meeting of the
Grand Prairie Grain Association last
week they contracted to purchase the
Odell & Felton elevator and cribs for
$650. They will commence buying as
soon as arrangements are completed.
(Comment in 1976: If Mr. Reardon had
time to open his shoe repair shop, his
tenancy was short-lived!)
August 16, 1888-The Grand Prairie Grain
Association have commenced buying
grain. They are paying 24y2<t for white
oats and 41<t for corn.
It is believed Garret Nugent was the grain buyer
for the Grand Prairie Cooperative Grain Association.
An undated clipping found in an old scrap book
shows that the grain buying venture was not
successful.

A biographical sketch of A. G. Smith states that
he had worked for Odell & Felton before going into
the grain buying business himself.

Company. The organization meeting for this
company was held March 16, 1922 at Woodman Hall.
The directors named in the Certificate of
Incorporation were to serve as directors until the first
annual meeting.

On January 22, 1923 the following off icers and
directors were elected: John Houghton, president,
Fred Wepprecht, vice president; Louis Siemering,
secretary-treasurer; William Siemering, Bert 0. Smith,
Charles Ruder, Ed King. Other men who have served
as directors include: William Nordmeyer, Albert
Stehr, Michael Emiing, Herman Kirchner, William
Balgeman, Henry Schott, Frank Diefenbach, Oscar
Ruder, Carl Dornburg, P. L. Cook, Harold Berger,
Albert Fritz, Leo Ruder, John Emiing, Elwood Grob,
Theodore Wepprecht, James Piper, Frank Fecke,
Edwin Balgeman, LaVerne King, Duane Krieg, Ralph
Grob.

Elevator managers have been Charles W. Cook,
Arnold Wepprecht, William Wepprecht, C. W. Guest
and Ronald Guest.

The elevator on the east side of Main Street was
not locally owned. George Van Voorst, who came to
Union Hill as a telegrapher for the old Three I
Railroad later bought grain for Carrington, Hannah &
Company. S. C. Bartlett & Company; Bartlett, Patten
& Co.; and Bartlett-Frazier are owners found. Grain
buyers for these firms included Adam Seeger, Charles
Morse, and George Feller.

In 1976 there are again elevators on both sides
of the street, both owned by the Union Hill Farmer's
Cooperative Elevator Company.

Union Hill Farmer's Elevator
Photo Courtesy Charles W. Cook

The elevator of A. G. Smith was purchased by
the present Union Hill Farmer's Cooperative Elevator

Union Hill Farmer's Elevator Company directors-taken 1943.
Back Row: left to right-Henry Schott, Oscar Ruder, Charles
W. Cook, manager. Bottom Row: William Balgeman, John
Houghton, Fred Wepprecht, Sr.; William Siemering.
Photo Courtesy of Charles W. Cook

UNION HILL TELEPHONE COMPANY

The first annual meeting of subscribers of capital
stock to complete organization was held at Bossert
school house (Salina Township) on February 5, 1904.
The following directors were elected: A. M. Hertz,
president; Charles Ruder, vice president; Edward
Bossert, treasurer; George Van Voorst, secretary; L.
C. Berger, G. M. Wagner and Dr. A. N. House. Charter
fee by the state was $30; telephone rental $10 per
year business houses, $9.00 per year private
residences-$5.00 to be paid upon installation,
therafter rental to be paid semi-annually in advance.
Original shares had a value of $30 but were soon
increased to $40. On February 4, 1905 George Van
Voorst was elected manager of the company.

The first switchboard operator in 1905 was
Emma J. Clover.

In 1906 it was voted to charge ten cents for each
call between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Harvey A. Dittus operated the switchboard from
1905 to 1907. In 1907 Theodore Hellmund
contracted to operate the switchboard in his house,
day and night service, for $25.00 per month, the pay
to be increased as new phones were added.

A line connected to the Reddick exchange was
voted in 1906, and in 191 1 a line was constructed to
Herscher with limited Sunday service.

Jennie Dittus was hired to keep the books of the
company in 1912. George L. Berger was hired as
secretary in 1915 and served until January, 1947.

Bert Smith and John Hellmund are mentioned as
the first linemen in the minutes of the company.

Lines extended to Bonfieid, Essex and down to
the Kankakee River near Warner Bridge. There was
reciprocal service with Reddick and Herscher.

In 1947 the company was reorganized and
refinanced with the sale of new shares of stock. It
then operated under a Certificate of Convenience and
Necessity until September 19, 1950 when the officers
transferred the company to the Illinois Bell
Telephone Company.

The following in addition to those named above
have served as directors: Gust Berger, C. C. Kukuck,
Charles Cook, G. M. Wagner, Simon Wagner, H. W.
Dickman, Fred Wepprecht, Albert Stehr, H. W.
Freise, Daniel Wingert, William Nordmeyer, Henry
Buente, Nick Hines, William Nehls, Henry J. Wingert,
Andrew Ruder, John Hansing, George Weseman,
William Cook, Percy Cook, Joseph Emiing, E. J.
Fecke, William Diefenbach, John J. Ruder, Fred E.
Wepprecht, William Wepprecht, Raymond Beauclerc,
Elmer Yeates, Oscar Brunner, Henry Schmidt.

Switchboard operators following Emma J.
Clover and Harvey Dittus have included Theodore
Hellmund, Fred Dittus, Mrs. Clara Dittus Seeger,

Helen Brunner Meyer, and Rachel Hiddleson.

Excerpts from a newspaper clipping dated
December 7, 1950 follow:

"One of the last remaining vestiges of
old-fashioned rural life in Illinois— the
farmers telephone exchange— will become a
thing of the past in Kankakee County
within a few months.

"Officials of the Illinois Commerce
Commission at Springfield today gave
permission to the Illinois Bell Telephone
Company to take over the territory now
served by the Union Hill Telephone
Company, which has been serving the
Bonfield-Union Hill area 42 years.

"C. R. Hamilton, Kankakee manager
of the Illinois Bell, said the change-over will
take place within the next few months as
soon as Bell finishes installation of
additional lines to the area.

"The Union Hill company had
approximately 150 subscribers until last
Easter when a sleet storm disrupted
Bonfieid service which has never been
restored completely.

"The Union Hill firm was formed four
decades ago to serve farmers in the western
portion of Kankakee County. Originally a
mutual company, the exchange was
organized as a corporation two years ago.
At one time the Union Hill company also
served the Herscher area."
Reminiscent of Meredith Wilson's "Music Man"
was a band organized in Union Hill including the sale
of musical instruments. The band instructor probably
had more talent than Wilson's Prof. Harold Hill, but
the band did not make much progress.

In the 1920's and 1930's patent medicine shows
traveled through the country. One held on a vacant
lot in Union Hill extolled the virtues of "Seminole
Indian Conyagida (spelling is the writer's), the New
Life Balm." Votes toward a popularity contest for
local young ladies were given with the purchase of the
so-called medicine.

Union Hill people were very interested in
baseball. As early as 1875 a baseball team from Union
Hill played against the Modocs of Pogsonville. In the
early 1900's the baseball games were played in the
Van Voorst pasture in Union Hill. By the 1930'sthe
games had been moved to the Dornburg Grove (the
old Schobey farm).

During the 1950's Fourth of July fireworks
displays were given in the Van Voorst pasture in
Union Hill, financed by town merchants. Local
families made it an occasion to entertain friends at
picnic suppers, and cars lined the roads nearby after

dark to watch the exhibition.

All Home Owners

JUNE 1, 1950

Union Hill Residents Have
No interest In Rent Control

Theie Is at least one community In lUinoW which isn't too worried
over -what congress does wltli the federal rent control law scheduled to
expire at the end of June.

The good people of Union Hiil— all 70 of them— don t have to worr>-
about that sort of thing uecause nobody In the entire village Is a renter.
All 12 houses in the town and

five business establishments are own
ed by the persoris who occupy them.

What's more. It's been that way
for the past three years or more,

according to Ray Beauclerc, vil-
lage clerk. An exception was a per-
iod of about six months when a
Union Hill resident moved away and
rented his home for a while. The
tenant, however, has now purchased
the property.

Pride In Homes

Beauclerc said he roesu't pai1l-
cularly know why all the houses
and business property in the town
art Occupied by the owners, but he

indicated that Union Hill residents
take great pride in their home?.

Population of the western Kan-
kakee county village has remained
virtually tlie same for many years.
Incorporated in 1903, Union Hill is
located along the Kankakee belt lin?
of the New York Centml railroad.

The village boasts a store-tavem
combination, retail hardwaie store,
lumber company, implement busi-
ness and grain elevator. And, of
course, there's the railroad depot.

For good measure, the village has
its own private telephone company—
the Union Hill Telephone company.

Kankakee Daily Journal

Miscellaneous Pictures

Tornado 191 1— Ellsworth Farm.
Photo Courtesy of Charles W. Cook

Tornado 1912— Cornelius Riordan Farm. Farm destroyed and

never rebuilt

Photo Courtesy Charles W. Cook

XII

Plats of 1873, 1899, 1973

T n^

SWi I '/ /■-?

SC€ PAGE

[T 30 N-R. 9 E. .

iroos rORO COUNTf

XIII

Census of 1870

Combined with Plat of 1873

Kankakee Sunday Journal, June 21, 1953
(Centennial Edition) states that according to 1876
Atlas of Illinois, the population of Norton Township
in 1860 was 251; in 1870, 1180. The ten years
between 1860 and 1870 were the period of rapid
growth in population. Families who had come earlier
from New England, New York, Ohio and
Pennsylvania and settled in the northern part of state
were moving to new land just opening up. Some
people were coming directly from Germany, and the
potato famine in Ireland had caused some Irish
people to seek better living conditions in America. We
find many Prussian families in the southwestern part
of the township, Norwegian in the southeast and Irish
in the north central. A check of the 1860 census of
Will, Grundy and Kendall Counties would probably
show many of the same families who were listed in
Norton Township in 1870.

It would be impossible to list all of the residents
of the township since its beginning, but to give a little
background on the early settlers and show how some
of the families are still represented, the 1873 Atlas of
Norton Township and the 1870 census have been put
together to give landowners and their families, how
they were shown on the 1870 census, and how the
property is shown on the Plat of 1973. A new plat
book soon to be published will probably show further
changes in ownership.
Section 1

ABRAHAM J. YOUNG (193.21 acres) 49 b.
New York, Polly A. 45, Whitford 23, Avery 17,
Abram 15, Allen 8 all b. Ohio; Emma 3 b. Illinois;
Frank Snediker (female) 20 b. Ohio. Present owner
95 acres John Wepprecht Estate; 98 acres Fred
Wepprecht. A. J. and N. W. Young moved to
Nebraska, but the family is still represented in Norton
Township by the children of Dorothy (Chally) Scott
who are great-greatgrandchildren of Abraham Young.

J. E. SCHOBEY (98 acres, no residence). Present
owner: Louis Siemering.

FRED SIEMERING (51 acres) 30, Doris 32,
Caroline 10, Henry 8, Fred 3, all b. Hanover; Jacob

Chilk 50 b. Cour Hesse. Present owner: Mrs. William
Siemering.

PAUL MEYER(S) (80 acres) 35 b. Prussia, Mary
31 b. Canada; Celia 11, Lizzie 8, Delia 6 and Albert 3
all b. Illinois. Present owner: Mrs. William Siemering.

WILLIAM WISEMAN (WESEMAN) (128 acres)
55 b. Hanover, Sophia 55 b. Hanover, Fred 24 b.
Hanover and his wife Catherine 18 b. Alsace. Present
owner: Village of Union Hill and Kent Schott 80
acres. Weseman families now in the Union Hill and
Buckingham area.

N. H. NANSEN (80 acres) 36 b. Denmark,
Christena 30 b. Cour Hesse; Eva 13, Christena 10,
Moriah 6, Margaret 4, Caroline 2, all b. Illinois. The
Nansen family moved to Minnesota. Present owner:
Clara Weseman Heirs. One hundred year old stone
house on this farm.

F. NORMIT (NORDMEYER) (80 acres) Not
found on census. Later obituaries state Nordmeyer
family came from Hanover, Germany to Adams Co.
III.; then to Union Hill in 1871 . Present owner: Jewel
Valbert.
Section 2

JOHN H. TEMPLETON (40 acres) 60 b.
Pennsylvania, Cornelia 61 b. New York; William
Templeton 24 b. Illinois. Present owner: Louis
Siemering.

HENRY TEAZEL (40 acres) 32 b. Hanover,
Margaret 23 b. Hesse-Darmstadt, Herman 2 and
William 7/12 b. Illinois. Present owner: Louis
Siemering.

HARRIETT SMITH (20 acres) 39. Census gives
birthplace as Indiana, which is in error. She was born
in England, nee Hollome, m. Francis Houghton who
was killed in Civil War; then married ALLEN M.
SMITH 42, b. New York. Land owned for many years
by Michael Clodi. Present owner: William Spraker.

THOMAS HOUGHTON (120 acres) 39, and
Naomi 33 both b. England; Alice 9, Sarah 7, Hattie B.
5, Mary (later known as Libby) 1, and Martha (later
known as Ella) 1/12 all b. Illinois; William Law 20,
farm laborer, b. England. Present owner: Hugh Van

Voorst.

WILLIAM KELLY (62 acres) 35 b. Canada,
Bridget 28 b. Ireland; John 9, William 7, Margaret 4
all b. Illinois. Land later owned by Thonnas
Houghton. Present owner: Hugh Van Voorst.

S. MONTAGUE (62.67 acres, no residence).
Present owners: William Horner, Dominic Faietti.

J. E. SCHOBEY (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Anna M. Fritz.

EDWIN COPP (40 acres) 28 b. England, Esther
23, b. Indiana; Mark 1 b. Illinois. Present owner Anna
M. Fritz. Kankakee Gazette, Feb. 18, 1875: "Ed
Copps has returned from a three weeks sojourn in
Texas. He says farmers were sowing grain and getting
ready for corn planting. Ed has the Texas fever bad."
PAUL E. SCHOTT (80 acres and 120 acres, with
residences) b. April 1806 Alsace-Lorraine; wife Mary
(Meyer) Ebner b. Bavaria; Mary, Daniel and John
children. Present owners: Alice & Lavern Graf; John
R. Schott. All Schott families descendants.

C. H. COTTON (40 acres, no residence). Present
owner: Mrs. William Siemering.
Section 3

A. B. IVES (126.16 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Joseph & Mildred Lardi.

Wl LLIAM KING (84 acres) 40 and Catherine 40
both b. Ireland; Margaret 7, Joseph 7, Sarah 5,
Richard 4, Edward 2, Moriah 4/12 all b. Illinois;
Kearn Devon 8 b. Illinois. Present owners: James
King, Loretta Dunn. Family represented by King and
McGinnis at present.

AMOS WILCOX (45 acres) 39 b. New York,
Ann D. 26 b. Missouri, Benjamin 3 b. Illinois. Present
owner: Percy Cook. 1878, Sept. 26 Gazette-fKmos
Wilcox and family going to Kansas, having sold his
farm to William King.

JOHN HENNESSY (80 acres) 35 and Catherine
39 both b. Ireland; Winifred 7, Kearn 6, Catherine 4,
Mary A. 2 all b. Illinois. Present owner: E. J.
Fredericksen Est.

ANTHONY SCHNEIDER or SNYDER (160
acres with residence, 80 acres without) 41 b. France,
Ann 45 b. Ireland; Ann Nolan 18 b. Ireland; James
Douian 12 b. Illinois. Present owners— 80 acres,
Lehnus Farm Trust; 160 acres, Lehnus Farm Trust
80, Rosalin Geiger 80.

F. KELLY (80 acres) Census lists Edward Kelly
60, Ellen 50 both b. Ireland; Esther 15 b. Ohio;
Michael 14 and Edward 12 both b. Illinois. Present
owner: Lehnus Farm Trust. On this land once lived
JOHN MULDOON 35, Bridget 32 both b. Ireland,
Michael 14 b. Illinois. For many years a gravestone
was near the fence of this property. Some member of
the Muldoon household was buried there when it was
impossible to be taken to a regular cemetery.

WILLIAM O'BRIEN (80 acres) 35, and Anne 35

both b. Ireland; John 13, Patsy (male) 8, Mary E. 10,
William 6 and Peter 3 all b. Illinois; Timothy Dailey
13 b. Illinois. In census listing next to William
O'Brien was

JOHN O'BRIEN 60 and Catherine 60 both b.
Ireland. Present owner: Edward J. Fredericksen
Estate.
Section 4

TIMOTHY BUCKLEY (160 acres) 50 and
Bridget 40 both b. Ireland; Cornelius 16, James 14,
Julia 12, Ellen 10, Daniel and Mary twins 8, Honora 5
and Timothy 1 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Dale
King. Fifth generation Buckley descendants still in
township.

JAMES MC DONALD (105 acres) 40 and Ellen

39 both b. Ireland; Sarah 12 b. Illinois; Mary
Campion 75 b. Ireland. Present owners: Wayne and
Gerald Schultz.

JOHN BROPHY (71 acres) 35 and Kate 28 both
b. Ireland; John 2 b. New York, Lawrence 3/12 b.
Illinois. Present owner: William Unz Jr.

THOMAS RILEY (100 acres) Present owner:
Sherman LaCost.

J. P. JENNINGS (80 acres) Present owner:
Eldon Oberlin.

F. REILEY (80 acres) Present owner: Eldon
Oberlin.

MICHAEL RILEY (160 acres) 46 and Bridget
30 both b. Ireland; Mary A. 8 and Ellen 3 both b.
Illinois. Land owned for many years by Michael Fritz.
Present owner: lola and Louis Mombrun.
Section 5

J. KREBER (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Wm. Unz, Jr.

CHARLES BOYER (175 acres, two residences)

40 and Anna 37 both b. Penn.; Irving 6 b. Penn.;
Mary 2 and Ida Jane 4/12 both b. III.; George 15,
Samuel 14 and Susanne 12 all b. Penn. Present
owner: Bruce Boyer, great-grandson of Charles Boyer.
Original house and barn still on this land.

WILLIAM UNZ (200 acres) 46 b. Wurtemburg,
Mary 37 b. Hesse-Darmstadt; Elizabeth 15 b.
Kentucky; George 12, Lewis 10, William 8, Edward 6,
Emma 4, Anna 3, Caroline 1 all b. Illinois; Sophia
Feller 67 b. Hesse- Darmstadt; Mary Kraft 26,
seamstress, b. Michigan; August Rica 20 b. Prussia.
Present owner: Gail & John Overby. Original
Feller-Unz house still on this property.

H. STEVENS (220 acres, no residence) 1878,
Feb. 28 Gazette-Rea\ Estate Transfer: Herrick
Stevens to Geo. & Mary Boyer eh swq 5 30 9 $2000.
Present owners: Nelda Tyler; Bruce Boyer.

ROBERT NUGENT (100 acres) 1880 census 45
and Bridget 33, both b. Ireland; James 8, Francis 7,
Katy 6, Maggie 4 and Miles 1 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Wayne & Gerald Schultz.

Section 6

GEORGE FELLER (106 acres) 44 and
Elizabeth 46 both b. Hesse-Darmstadt, William 5 b.
Illinois; William Raymond 11 b. Kentucky. Present
owner: Raymond and Bernice Prussner. Mrs. Prussner
is a granddaughter of George Feller. Part of the
original house still stands on this land.

GEORGE WE IS (84 acres) 44 b. Wurtemburg,
Doratha 32 b. Hesse-Darmstadt; George 9, Lewis 7
and Emma 4 all b. Illinois. Present owner: George A.
Brunner Est.

FRANCIS MC GIRR (155 acres) 30 b. Canada,
Judith 28 b. Penn.; Edward 3 b. Illinois. Present
owner: B. M. Patchett Est. June 1888, Frank McGurr
of Nebraska was in Reddick on a visit combining
business and pleasure.

HENRY L. SHELLY (80 acres) 42 b. Penn.,
Margaret 39 b. Belgium; Elisabeth 19, Sarah 17,
Rhinehart 14 and Matilda 11 all b. Penn. Present
owner: Village of Reddick; Joseph Kersch. Henry
Shelly, a grandson, a Reddick resident in 1976.

HESLAND (80 acres) Present owner: Lawrence
& Louise Arends.

JACOB WEIMER (80 acres) 42 and Mary 47 b.
Bavaria; George 1 1, Jacob 7 and Mary 5 all b. Illinois.
Present owner: John Gussman; Elizabeth Patchett.

H. STEVENS (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Elizabeth Patchett.

FREDERICK KLUCKHOHN (127 acres) 54 and
Sophia 48 both b. Prussia; Fred 21 and Amelia 19
both b. Prussia; Sophia 14, Fredericka 8 and Henry 4
all b. Indiana. Present owner: Sherman LaCost.
Section 7

H. STEVENS (160 acres, no residence) Present
owners: Frank E. Connors; Lawrence & Louise
Arends.

JAMES WILSON (169 acres, residence) Present
owners: Lawrence & Louise Arends.

D. MULFORD (167.50 acres, residence) Present
owner: E. D. Mulford.

P. PATCHETT (160 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Madeliene Scott Est.
Section 8

H. STEVENS (320 acres, no residence) Present
owners: Eldon Oberlin 80, Mildred Unz 80, Gilbert
Oberlin 80, Elizabeth Patchett 80.

GEORGE NEWCOMB (320 acres, no residence)
Present owners: Frank E. Connors 160; Lucy
Connors 160.

1875, Aug. 26 Gazeffe-Norton. The most of
the prairie land on Sections 7 and 8 has been sold
recently to parties at $25 to $30 per acre.
Section 9

MICHAEL MC GINNIS (80 acres) 41 and
Catherine 40 b. Ireland; Mary J. 15 b. New York;
Thomas 11, William H. 8, Michael 7, Frank 5,

Terrance 3, George E. 2/12 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Mrs. F. A. Deutchman.

MYRON SHORT (80 acres) 29 b. Mass.; Bridget
34 b. Ireland; George Lillisb. Illinois. Present owner:
Mrs. F. A. Deutchman.

JACOB FUNK (120 acres) 48 and Barbara 42
both b. Wurtemburg; Martin 20 and Barbara 17 both
b. Wurtemburg; Sophia 1 1, Christiana 8 and William 6
all b. Indiana. This family still represented in the
township by the Shelly and Rieke families. Present
owner: Frieda Oberlin Est.

FREDERICK REAKE (now spelled Rieke, 160
acres) 51 and Lina 45 both b. Prussia; August 20,
Fredinand 16, Mina 14 all b. Prussia; Louisa 11,
Frederick 9, William 7, Charles 5, all b. Indiana;
Emma 3 b. Illinois. Several Rieke families and
descendants still in the Reddick area. Present owner:
Howard McLane.

CHRISTOPHER PRUSSNER (120 acres) 36 and
Mina 29 both b. Prussia; Henry 3 and Louisa 1 both
b. III.; August Ricka 16, farm laborer, b. Prussia; and
Frederika Ricka 58 b. Prussia. Fredorika Ricka
(Rieke) was the mother of Mina Prussner. Present
owner: Prussner 8i Cook; R. A. Prussner,
grandchildren of Christopher Prussner.

MICHAEL CLODI (80 acres) 29 b. Alsace, Anna
22 b. New York; Frank 5/12 b. Illinois. Present
owner: Maurine H. Downey.
Section 10

ENOCH COLES (40 acres, two residences) 47 b.
Penn., wife Elisabeth 48 b. Penn.; Albert H. 22,
Enoch 20, Theodore 18, Ann M. 16 all b. Penn.,
William F. 14, Christianna 12, and Elenora 8 all b. III.
Apparently some of the family moved to Kansas as in
April 1877 Mrs. Enoch Coles of western Kansas was
visiting friends and relatives in Essex. Present owner:
Robert Geiger.

ORVILLE SHAW (80 acres) 42 b. New York,
Percilla 41 b. England, Robert 9, George 15, Mary 10,
and Thomas 13 all b. Illinois; Austin Shaw 75 b. New
York. In 1887 John Lonergan moved on the Shaw
farm. Present owner: Robert Geiger.

P. RILEY (80 acres) 1876, Feb. 10 Gazette
-Died in Norton Feb. 3, Patrick Riley; buried at
Wilmington the 4th. Present owner: Lehnus Farm
Trust. School house of Dist. No. 2 (Dublin) was on
this land. Dublin school house has been converted to
a residence.

FRED RILEY (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Earl & Mildred Hertz.

MICHAEL BRODERICK (80 acres) 35 and
Hannah 25 both b. Ireland; Henry 5, Margaret 4,
Rosanna 2 and John 10/12 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Maurine Hertz Downey.

WALTER T. VINING (80 acres) 29 b. New
York, Jane 26 b. New York; John Fitzgerald, teacher

b. Illinois. Present owner: Maurine Hertz Downey.

HAMILTON JEFFERS (120 acres, 2 residences)
37 and Viola 30 both b. New York; Edward 3 b.
Illinois. Hamilton Jeffers died 1877 shortly before an
anticipated move to Colorado. The census entry next
to Hamilton Jeffers was

EMELINE COTTON 41 b. New York; Albert
14, farm laborer and Ela 9 both b. New York. Later
biographical sketch gives Albert W. Cotton as son of
John S. and Emeline (Jeffers) Cotton. John S. Cotton
came to Illinois in 1835. Farm once owned by
Terrence McGinnis. Present owner: Earl & Mildred
Hertz.

JOHN WILLIS (40 acres) 40 b. Penn., Jane 35 b.
New York; Leonidas 15, Lizzie 13 and Chester 3 all
b. Illinois. Kankakee Gazette of Nov. 29, 1877: Dr.
Bateman has purchased the farm of John Willis and
will move his house on to it this winter (from
Pogsonville). Mr. Willis was thinking of going to
Kansas in the spring. Present owner: Clarence Piper.
SMITH & CORNWELL (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Clarence Piper.
Section 1 1

CALVIN H. COTTON (80 acres) 37 b. New
York, Lucetta 28 b. Indiana; Blanchard 8, Jesse 6,
Mary 4, Helen 2, Calvin 1/12 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Henry Schott 40, Russell Schott Estate 40.

JOHN KRAL (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Henry Schott.

A. MC GREGOR (160 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Anna M. Fritz 80, A. Graf 80.

WILLIAM G. SMITH (160 acres) 36 b. Ohio,
Arabell 28 b. III.; Chester 5 b. III.; Henry Miller 22,
farm laborer, b. Ohio; George Lillis 12, farm laborer,
b. Illinois. Present owner: Joseph & Mildred Lardi.

SEMER COLMAN (160 acres) 36 b. New York,
Alice 26 b. New York; George 9 b. Illinois. 1873 plat
shows three residences on this property. Present
owners: Violet Piper, Harold Colman and Eldon
Colman; Russell Schott Est. 40. Original Colman
house still stands on this land.
Section 12

THILA WILKINS (80 acres) 42 and Dorita 27
both b. Hanover, Louisa 9, Bernhart 6, Henry 3 and
Coline 1 all b. Illinois. Present owners: V. Weseman;
Schultz & Weseman.

W. WESEMAN (60 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Kent Schott.

HENRY BANKS (80 acres) 45 and Helen 45
both b. Ireland, James 14, Mary 13 and Helen 9 all b.
Wisconsin. Present owner: Helen King.

H. POGGERSON (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Gross-Miller Farms.

H. NANSEN (60 acres, no residence). Present
owner: Clara Weseman Heirs.

THOMAS WING (80 acres) 48 b. New York,

Mary A. 33 b. England; Charles 15 b. New York; Ann
J. 12, Orrin 8, Henry 5, Grant 2 all b. Illinois; Ann
Dutton 70 b. England. Thomas Wing moved to
Frankfurt March 1877. Present owner: Gross-Miller
Farms.

GEORGE PETER (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Irwin Witheft.

H. VANAULT (40 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Elsie Boness Est.

JOHN BERGER (160 acres) 42 b. Saxony, Mena
33 b. Hanover; August 19 and Amelia 16 both b.
Saxony; Louis 9, Henry and Caroline (twins) 6,
Johanna 4, Bertie 2, and Emma 1/12 all b. Illinois.
Land later owned by Joseph and Lucy (Berger) Krai
and presently by Frank Feller, son-in-law of the
Krals.
Section 13

CHARLES L. ABELL (160 acres) 27 b. Conn.,
Jane 30 b. Ohio; Edward 7/12 b. III. Feb. 1875 Chas.
Able disposed of his farm and bought 80 acres near
the Center Church at Essex at $25.50 per acre.
Present owner: Darwin & Duane Witheft; Irwin
Witheft.

A. FRITZ (160 acres). 1873 Atlas states Adam
Fritz b. 1832 Bavaria, Germany, arrived Kankakee
1854. Present owner: George Fritz Estate,
(grandson).

COOLEDGE E. PRATT (160 acres) 49 b. Mass.,
Emily 36 b. Virginia; Charles Thompson 11 b. Mass.
Present owner: Leroy Gerberding 119, Dale Boness
40.

CHARLES WEPPRECHT (160 acres) 53 b.
Bavaria, Margaret 29 b. Schlesweig-Holstein;
Catherine 2 and John 1/12 both b. Illinois. Present
owner: Otto & Lucille Fritz.
Section 14

JOHN J. MORGAN (80 acres) 45 b. Penn.,
Sophronia 43 b. Virginia, Mary 17 b. Indiana, William
16, John 14, Anna 12 all b. Wisconsin, Oscar 7 and
Nettie 5 b. Ohio; Theodore Williams 20, farm laborer,
b. Ohio; Andrew Snyder 21 b. III. and wife Laura 17
b. Ohio. Present owner: Katie Schneider.

OTIS E. WILSON (80 acres) 49 b. New York,
Mary 45 b. New York, Charles 19 and Walter 18 both
b. New York; Ella 14, Cornelia 10 and Hattie 6 all b.
Illinois. The Pogsonville settlement store was on his
land, and he operated it for a time, selling in 1875 to
Mat Gregory. Wilson sold farm in 1876 to Semer
Colman and moved to Hoopeston. Present owners: P.
& I. Colman and Betty Zeller, relatives of Semer
Colman.

BARDON L. CORNWELL (160 acres) 37 and
EIner E. 33 both b. New York, Alice L. 10 b. New
York, Henry L. 5 and Harriet L. 2 both b. Illinois.
Present owner: Elizabeth Anderson 80, Elizabeth &
Rudy Trust 80.

B. C. COLE (80 acres) Census shows Ralph Cole
45 and Emily 50 both b. New York, Edwin 21 b.
Wisconsin; Ada Scott 20 b. Wis., Alexander Scott 22,
farm laborer, and Minnie Scott 4/12 b. ill. Feb. 1875
R. C. Cole sold his farm to Geo. Townsend taking
some Sandwich property in trade. Present owner:
Homer Erzinger, Sr.

FRANK A. JESSUP (160 acres) 37 and Tampie
34 both b. New York; Albert S. 6, Jane V. 3 and
Frederick 1 all b. III.; Theodore Williams 21, farm
laborer b. Ohio. Present owner: George Witheft
Estate.

MAJOR WARDELL (40 acres) 51 b. New York,
Jenette 45 b. Mass.; Josephine 17, Marietta 15, Clara
12, Alice 11, Emily 9 and Andrew 4 all b. Illinois.
Major Warden is said to be first resident of the
township and was the first supervisor. Present owner:
J. W. Amidon

S. FOSTER (40 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Gross-Miller Farms.
Section 15

HENRY RANDALL (160 acres) 55 b. Mass.,
Polly 50 b. New York; Oscar J. 1 4 b. N. Y., Benjamin
13 and Florence 8 both b. ill. Brown's Church is
shown on the corner of this land. Present owners:
Lambert Hines 80, George Piper 80.

ROLAND BROWN (160 acres) 43 b. New York,
Ida 37 b. Penn.; Emma 17 and Barrett 15 both b.
Penn.; Mary 8, Norman 6, Charles 2 all b. III.; John
Kline 22, farm laborer b. Prussia. Present owner:
Howard Krueger 120, George Piper 40.

GEORGE WALTS (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Russell Jordan.

H. W. MONTEITH (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Russell Jordan.

ABRAHAM COOK (240 acres, two farms, each
with residence) 54 and Julia 51 both b. New York;
Sophronia 17 b. Indiana; Joseph Guyette 23 b.
Canada. Present owners: Sylvia Seamark; Edwin
Balgeman; Theodore & Loretta Wepprecht.
Section 16

ROLAND BROWN (80 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Vernon & Verda Gaus

JOHN CAPELIN (80 acres) 54 b. England, Sarah
A. 34 b. New York; Eliza 16, Royal 14 and Julia 13
all b. New York. Present owner: Vernon and Verda

Gaus.

CHARLES P. BOOTH (80 acres) 53 b. Conn.,
Martha b. New York; Nettie 15, Judson 5, Frank 3 all
b. Illinois. Present owner: L. E. & M. Prussner.

MECRUMY (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Lucy Connors.

LEWIS REED (160 acres) 45 and Eliza J. 38
both b. New York; George H. b. N. Y.; Edrick L. 12,
Lefa A. 10, James Adelbert 7 and Charles 1 all b.
Illinois. Present owners: LaVerne King 120, Percy

Reed 40. Portion of original Reed house still stands.
Percy Reed is a grandson of Lewis Reed.

J. E. NEGUS (120 acres) 1880 Census: John
Negus 36 b. N. Y.; Eliza 33, Willie 12, Hattie 7, Ruth
4, Scott 2 all b. Illinois; Hannah 69 (mother) b. N. Y.
Present owner: Percy J. Reed.

GEO. PLATTS (40 acres, no residence) Census
shows Emory Piatt 29 b. N. Y., Mary 25, Ellner 7,
Oscar 4 and Adelbert 10/12 all b. Illinois; Milton
Williams 18, farm laborer, b. Ohio; Lizzie Earl 23,
domestic servant, b. New York. Oct. 1877 George
Platts and family were on their way to Missouri.
Section 17

JAMES H. ARMITAGE (160 acres) 44 b. Penn.;
Margaret E. 34 b. N. Y., Agnes A. 16, Albert A. 14,
Anthony 12, Alice A. 10, Winfield 8, Charles W. 7,
Mary E. 3, Jesse Jane 1 all b. Hi. Land passed to
Patchett family and to present owner: Louis
Siemering.

PADDISON PATCHETT (80 acres) 45 b.
England; Martha b. England; Lucy 18, William 16 and
Paddison 14 all b. England; Phoebe 12, Radford 10,
Frank 8, and Oliver 6 all b. Illinois. Present owner:
Louis Siemering.

A. T. MEACHIM (80 acres) 36 b. Penn., Lucy

33 b. Ohio, Cloa 13 and Clinton 9 both b. III. A. T.
Meachim sold land 1878 and went to Kansas. Present
owner: Louis Siemering.

JOHN MICHAM (80 acres). 1870 census does
not list John, but next to Alvin Meachim is:

MERCY MECHAM 57 b. New York, son Albert

34 b. Penn. owning real estate, wife Rebecca b. Ohio;
Rosalia 1 and Irving 3/12 both b. III. Land passed to
0. J. Patchett. Present owners: O'Brien Bros. 40,
Leslie Patchett Est. 40.

EZEKIEL MECHAM (owning no real estate) 20
b. Penn.; Moriah 26 b. III., Mary E. 1 b. III.

JOHN HALKYARD (80 acres) 1870 Census
Essex Township gives John Halkyard 37 b. England,
Ana 34 b. Ireland; James 14, miner, b. England,
Edmund 10 and Sarah 12, both b. III. Present owners:
O'Brien Bros.; Leslie Patchett Est.

BENJAMIN ARMITAGE (80 acres) 48 b. Penn.,
farmer and insurance agent; Mary L. 47 b. Penn.,
Albert 18, Horace 17, Ella and Homer, twins, 14 all
b. Penn. 1878 B. F. Armitage intending to go to
Kansas. Present owners: O'Brien Bros.; Leslie
Patchett Fst

LEWIS L. REED (80 acres) Possible tenant was

GEORGE UNDERWOOD (owning no real
estate) 26 b. N. Y.; Lotta 17 b. III., Delia J. 8/12 b.
III. Present owner: Alvin & Charlotte Unz.
Section 18

JOHN KELLY (two 40 acre tracts) 35 and Anna
21 both b. Ireland; Mary A. 3 and John 1 both b. III.
Present owners: Joseph Kersch 40, George Prussner

40.

PATRICK KIRK (80 acres, no residence) 1880
Census— Owen Kirk 50 and Catherine 45 both b.
Ireland; Mary 13, Ella 11, Patrick 9 all b. Missouri,
Eugene 6 b. ill.; Patrick Kirk 78 father, b. Ireland;
Katy Riley 10/12 adopted, b. III. Present owner:
Joseph Kersch; George Prussner.

GEORGE W. OSLER (160 acres) 48 and Eunice
39 both b. Ohio; Orpha 17, Jane 14, John 12, Eddy
10, Eva 6, Alvin 4, Cora 2 all b. III. Present owner:
Joseph Kersch.

SIMON PRUSSNER (160 acres) 39 and Louisa
35 both b. Prussia; Amelia 10, Henrietta 8, Liza 6,
Caroline 4 all b. Indiana; Charles 2 and Emma 4/12
both b. III. Present owner: George Prussner, grandson
of Simon.

SOLOMON BROOKS (80 acres) 44 and Olive J.
39 both b. New York; Moses 14, Samuel 11 and
Abram 9 all b. Michigan. Present owner: Elmer
Prussner.

P. KELLY (40 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Elmer Prussner.

B. CALAHAN (40 acres, no residence)— January
1876 a new corn crib was being built on the farm of
Mr. Callahan. Present owner: Elmer Prussner.
Section 19

JOHN GIBSON (160 acres, no residence) lived
with Thomas Gibson. Present owner: Wauneta and
Ted Zeller.

WILLIAM BOWREN (165 acres) Present owner:
Mrs. W. H. Schafroth.

P. H. BUGBEE (161.80 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Harry S. Douglas.

D. TOWNSEND (40 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Lavern Berger.

THOMAS GIBSON (120 acres) 34 b. Michigan,
Mary 32 b. Vermont; Mary 5, George 2 both b. III.;
John Gibson 35 b. Michigan. Present owner: Lavern
Berger.
Section 20

E. H. REDFIELD (80 acres, no residence)
passed to Wing and Weimer families. Present owner:
Melvin Prussner.

J. L. GRIFFIN (240 acres) 31 b. Ohio, Margaret
24 b. Ohio, John H. 5/12 b. Ohio. Present owner:
Joseph Kersch.

P. PATCH ETT (160 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Alvin Berger.

JAMES GIBSON (80 acres) Biographical
sketches of Gibson family state James Gibson was a
resident of Wayne County, Michigan. Present owner:
Effie Palmer.

J. GORMAN (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Effie Palmer.
Section 21

ELIZABETH POTTER (160 acres) 53 b. Ohio,

Marietta 20, George 18, Thomas 15, William 13 and
Oscar 10 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Timothy
Buckley.

ELI H. REDFIELD (200 acres) 41 b. New York,
Mary 33 b. New York, Eva 13, Elwyn 10, Duane 7,
Belle 4 all b. Illinois; Patrick Callahan 22, farm
laborer, b. Ireland. Present owner: Hattie Colthurst,
whose husband, Melvin, was a grandson of E. H.
Redfield. Traces of an old buffalo wallow on this
farm on a strip of unbroken prairie. Original Redfield
house still on this farm.

J. WHIPPLE (80 acres, no residence) 1875, June
3 Gazette, Norton— Mr. Colthurst is breaking the
Whipple 80. Present owner: Alvin Unz.

JAMES BALLOU (40 acres-"Blue 40") 76 and
Hannah 66 both b. Rhode Island, Delbert Nobra 16
b. Mass.; Augustus Nobra 9 b. Illinois. Present owner:
Roger Boyer.

F. BREESE (80 acres) Census shows Robert
Breese 23 and Sarah 24 both b. England; Bertie 2 b.
III. Later merchant in Pogsonville and Buckingham.
Present owner: B. Schultz and F. Weseman.

WALTER L. HENDRIX (80 acres, two
residences) 54 b. Conn., Anne 48 b. New York.
Present owner: E. A. Hendrix, grandson of Walter L.
Hendrix.
Section 22

WALTER MONTEITH (160 acres) 37 and
Betsey 34 both b. New York; Walter E. 14, Arthur 10
and Ida 2 ail b. Illinois; George Williams 22, farm
laborer b. New York. Present owners: Theo. & L.
Wepprecht 40; Winifred Wisner 120.

HENRY W. MONTEITH (120 acres) 35 b. New
York, Louisa 30 b. England; Jennie 10 and Lizzie 6
both b. Illinois; Thomas Wayne 24, farm laborer b.
New York. Present owner: Russell Jordan.

A. SCHMELLEN (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Ev. Hendrix; Loretta Hendrix.

GEORGE WILLIAMS (80 acres) 43 blacksmith
b. New York; wife Mary A. 33 b. Canada; George 13,
Lena 12, Charles 9, Marion E. 7, and Emily 2 all b.
Illinois; Albert Powell 27 farmer b. Illinois. Present
owner: Orlin Hendrix. Plat shows a residence and the
Norton Post Office. George Williams was Norton
postmaster until the railroad came through and
Buckingham was established.

THOMAS CRAWFORD (160 acres) 43 b.
Ireland, Emma 13, George 1 1, Catherine 9, Thomas
7, Lewis 5 and Alice 2/12 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Joseph H. Clodi.

ABIALLE A. WHITE (40 acres) 67 and
Elizabeth 60 both b. New York. Present owner: H. J.
Erzinger, Sr.
Section 23

NELSON POTTER (160 acres) 26 b. Illinois,
Harriet 26 b. New York; Darius 8/12 b. III. 1878,

Sept. 26 Gazette-\N. Ellsworth is building a large new
double crib 38 ft. long on N. Potter's farm. Present
owner: Ronald Schneider 80, Jerome Schneider 80.

MATHERS (80 acres, two residences) Present
owner: Homer Erzinger, Sr.

CHARLES BOUK (120 acres) 27 b. Canada,
Laura 30 b. Indiana, Homer 2 and Erastus 1/12 both
b. Illinois Present owner: H. J. Erzinger, Sr. This is a
Centennial Farm.

EMORY C. MATHER (120 acres) 25 and Jennie
24 both b. Illinois. Emory C. Mather was a later a hog
buyer in Buckingham; leased farm to John Patterson.
Present owner: Julia Redfield.

CHARLES A. PORTER (160 acres) 24 b. New
York; David H. 46 and Floa 58 both b. New York.
Present owners: Ed. Witheft; M. W. Watson.
Section 24,

0. MELING ( 120 acres) Shown on census as Ole
Miller 42 and Dora 40 both b. Norway; Julia 16,
Josephine 12, John 10, Martha 9, Dora 8, Rebecca 6,
Mary 3 and Oliva F. 1 all b. Illinois. Many of this
family died of consumption and are buried in Colman
Cemetery. Present owners: Otto & Lucille Fritz;
Elmer Appel.

B. J. KING (120 acres) Census shows Joseph R.
King 35, owning real estate, b. New York; Jennie 34
b. New York; Millard 10 b. Illinois. Good Templar
Lodge on this property. Present owner: F. H. Witheft
Est.

E. KLANGSON (120 acres) Census shows
Edward Clawson 45 and Caroline 43 both b. Norway;
Christena 16, John 15, Julia 13, Betsey 12, Mary 10,
Martha 8, Sarah 6, Elizabeth 5, Ole 4, Edward 1 all b.
Illinois. Present owner: F. H. Witheft Est.

H. HORN (two 40 acre tracts, two residences).
1875, Oct. 14 Gazeffe-Henry Haun has sold his farm
for $30 per acre. Oct. 28 real estate transfers— William
H. Home to William Nutt wh swq 24 30 9 Norton, 80
acres $2400. Present owner: Wm. Schneider 40,
Edward Schneider 40.

T. CLARK (40 acres, no residence) lived with
brother-in-law, James Nutt. Present owner: George
Ruder.

J. NUTT (40 acres, no residence). Present
owner: George Ruder.

J. D. PETERSON (120 acres, no residence)
Present owner: John C. Peterson Est. descendant of J.
D. Peterson.
Section 25

WILLIAM F. KENAGA (160 acres, no
residence) Present owner: Elmer Appel.

JAMES NUTT (80 acres) 39 and Sarah 29 both
b. England; William J. 8 b. England, Charles 5, Joseph
3, David 1 all b. Illinois; Christian Beeler, farm
laborer b. Indiana; Thomas Clark 27 b. England.
Present owner: George Ruder, etux.

T. B. OLSON (100 acres) Present owner: Verle
H. Gross.

DANIEL A. MONTAGUE (60 acres) 39 and
Rebecca 35 both b. Penn., Joseph 10 b. Illinois.
Present owner: Elmer Appel; George W. Ruder.

WILLIAM NUTT (80 acres) 36 and Mary 40
both b. England; Minnie 12, William 1 1 , Albert A. 7,
Levi G. 4, Marietta 3, Baby 1 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Earl & Elsie Gross.

LARS CHALDE (Chally) (80 acres) Present
owner: Elmer Appel.

L. L. CHALDE (Chally) (80 acres) Present
owner: George W. Ruder.
Section 26

THOMAS ELLIOTT (40 acres) 23 b. New York,
Martha 23 b. Illinois. Present owner: Park
Hollenbeck.

JOHN H. MUNSON (120 acres) 43 b. Norway,
John 13 and Lewis 12 both b. Norway; Hans 10,
Benjamin 8, John 6 and Oulee 1 all b. Illinois;
Tomina Gunnison 36, housekeeper b. Norway; Seaver
Gunnison 13, farm laborer b. Norway. Present owner:
Ray Clark Est.

THOMAS CRAWFORD (160 acres, two
residences) Present owner: Elmer Crydenwise Est.

WILLIAM H. VAN DOREN (160 acres) 46 b.
New York, Hannah 33 b. England, Silas 13, Mary 16,
Charles 14, Frank 12, George 8, Rhoda 7, Walter 5 all
b. Illinois. Present owners: Elmer, Edwin & Eldon
Berger.

JOHN NUTT (80 acres) 34 and Adelaide 34
both b. England. Present owners: Clara Nutt Est.,
Verle Gross, Darlene J. Hendrix.

JAMES R. NEER (80 acres) spelled Arneer on
census— 33 b. Maryland, Fannie 28, Clara 7, Arthur o,
Willie 1 all b. Illinois; Ellen A. Titus 21, teacher b.
Michigan. Present owners: Clara Nutt Est., Verle
Gross, Darlene J. Hendrix.
Section 27

TOWNSEND (160 acres) Present owners: Village
of Buckingham; Clarence & Ellen Smith; Gertrude
Siedentop.

WILLIAM MURRAY (160 acres) 1870 census
give Michael Murray 60 and Ann 50 both b. Ireland;
William 25 b. England, Ann (wife) 23 b. Penn., Mary
2 b. III.; Ann Easton 85 b. Ireland. Present owners:
Viator Buckley; Elwyn Wagner.

RALPH BEARDSLEY (80 acres, no residence)
Ralph Beardsley 22 b. Illinois, owning real estate,
shown in household of James Townsend. Present
owner: Marie W. Sauer.

ASA BEARDSLEY (80 acres, no residence) 21
b. Illinois, shown in household of James Townsend.
Present owner: Gordon Peterson Estate.

JAMES TOWNSEND (160 acres) Present
owners: Village of Buckingham; Floyd Weseman,

H.B.
Section 28

E. WILLIAM HENDREY (160 acres) Census
gives William F. Hendrix 52 b. Conn., Wealthy 46 b.
New York; Silas W. 18 and Andrew 12 both b. New
York; Charles 10 and Walter 7 both b. Illinois.
Present owners: B. Schultz and F. Weseman 80; Ethel
Sumner 80. William F. Hendrix was the ancestor of
Clair Hendrix.

MATT MEISENBACH (80 acres) 45 b. Prussia;
Anna 37 b. France; Mary 9, John 5, ^nthony 3,
Jacob 2, Angeline 1 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Ted
& Wauneta Zeller. Mrs. Zeller is a great-granddaughter
of Matt Meisenbach.

LEWIS BROWN (80 acres, no residence) 1875,
May 6 Gazette: Mr. Miganbau (Meisenbach) and
Charlie Whitcomb are breaking up the Brown 80 and
sowing flax on it. Present owners: Ted & Wauneta
Zeller.

FRANCIS PENRY (80 acres) Census gives
Henry. Francis Penry 25 b. Ohio, Sarah 20 b. New
York; Nancy 3 and Anna 1 both b. Illinois; George
Pope 16, farm laborer b. Penn. Present owner:
Donald & Paul Saffer.

I. WILSON (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Donald & Paul Saffer.

JOHN ESSER (80 acres) 29 b. Prussia; Elizabeth
26 b. Michigan; Nellie A. 2 and George A. 6/12 both
b. Illinois. Present owner: Amelia Urbain.

N. BALLOU (80 acres) Census gives Henry C.
Ballou 25, Mary E. 23 and Anna 2 all b. Illinois. Also
Albridge Ballou 28 b. Mass. and Mary 28 b. Canada
are shown owning real estate. Present owner:
McKinley Hendrix Estate.
Section 29

T. SHEMIRIAN (100 acres) 1880 census shows
Theodore Schmellen 50 and Elizabeth 48 both b.
Germany, Willie 18 and Anna 7 both b. Illinois;
Henry Engles 37, farmer b. New York, Mary Engles
43 b. New York, and Cassius Engles 8 b. Illinois.
Present owner: Charlotte Unz. Schmellen family still
represented in the township by the families of Mrs.
Milton Colthurst and Mrs. James Cassiday.

SARAH CARPENTER (80 acres) Perry
Carpenter 27 b. Penn.; Sarah 20 b. Illinois; Lizzie 1 b.
Illinois. Present owner: Dr. Joseph Meisenbach, a
sixth generation descendant of Elbert Colestock who
purchased entire Section 29 in 1854.

C. ACKERMAN (80 acres) February 1888
Gazette tells of death of Kate Ackerman, a sister of
Mrs. Perry Carpenter and Mrs. George W. Stover. All
were Colstock daughters. Present owner: Handley
Trust.

FLORA COLSTOCK (80 acres) 1870 census
shows Flora Colstock 27 b. Pennsylvania as a
domestic servant in household of Henry P. Decker,

not owning any real estate. It also shows: Elbert C.
Colstock 41 b. Penn. owning property, Deborah 30,
John 4 and Mary 2 all b. Illinois; Margaret Miller b.
Penn. The final report of the Estate of E. C. Colstock
was approved in County Court October 1874. Present
owner: Merlin Elmhorst.

H. DONALDSON (80 acres) Present owner:
Henry Elmhorst.

C. A. C. DECKER (70 acres) Census lists Henry
P. Decker 29 and Moriah 29 both b. Penn.; Herbert 2
and Robert 6/12 both b. Illinois and Flora Colstock
as shown above. Present owner: Leonard Siedentop.
MARTHA STOVER (70 acres) 31 and George
Stover 30 both b. Pennsylvania. Mrs. Stover was a
Colstock daughter. Present owner: Leonard
Siedentop.

DR. KNOTT (80 acres) Present owner: Leonard
Siedentop.
Section 30

A. PORT (160 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Joseph Benetone.

WM. F. GRISE (321.36 acres) 32 and Mila K. 28
both b. Penn.; Verna 4 b. Penn.; Daniel Williams 55,
farm laborer b. New York. Present owners: Mrs. Ellen
Anderson Estate 160; Dr. D. Reed Handley 160.

JAMES JOHNSON (160 acres) 54 Mary 48,
Charles 17, Wilson 15, Marchall 13, Harry Grant 4 all
b. Pennsylvania; Letitia Lecke 14 b. Penn. Present
owner: Dr. D. Reed Handley.
Section 31

JACOB M. WALTERS (160 acres) 48, Mary 41,
Tunis M. 16, James R. all b. Ohio; William B. 10 and
Cora M. 9 both b. Illinois; Lizzie Dishinger 14 b.
Penn. domestic servant; John McGarvey 15 b. Illinois.
Present owner: Chester Moore.

HORATIO M. WELLS (40 acres) 54 b.
Vermont, Elizabeth 50 b. Penn. Present owner: M.
Kelleher 20; Thomas McGinnis 20.

HORATIO H. WELLS (40 acres) 28, Louisa 29,
and Anna 2 all b. Pennsylvania; Martha 2/12 b.
Illinois. Present owner: Thomas McGinnis.

E. ELLIOTT (76.20 acres)-Only reference to
Elliott family found was Gazette item of March 13,
1879; Miss Elliott from State of New York visiting a
sister, Mrs. Culbertson, here; died quite suddenly on a
trip to Kendall County with Culbertson family. 1870
census: Peter A. Culbertson 50 and Christena 31 both
b. Norway; Andrevv 12, Ernest 10, Sarah 8, August 5,
Neils 3 all b. Illinois. Culbertson shown owning real
estate. Present owner: John Benedetto.

ELI H. WEBSTER (78.39 acres) 55 b. Vermont,
Mary b. New York, George 15, Lizzie and Charles 5
all b. Illinois. Present owner: Charles Fitzpatrick.

WILLIAM MARVIN (78.30 acres, two
residences) 52 b. New York, Eliza 58 b. Penn.

GEORGE MARVIN (owning no property) 26 b.

Penn.; Mary 27 b. Illinois; Alfred 4/12 b. Illinois.
Present owners: Charles Fitzpatrick; Wayne
Colthurst.

CLARK WRIGHT (80 acres, no residence)
Present owners: Dorothy and James Walsh, Jr. 40;
Mrs. Frances Smith Est. 40.

C. M. LUTHER (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Frank Hebekeuser 40; June Meyers Estate 40.
Section 32

JAMES GLASS (80 acres) 61 and Mary 65 both
b. England. Present owner: Charles D. McWilliams Jr.

CHARLES G. KELLOGG (80 acres) 28 b. New
York, Frances 28 b. Michigan; Ada 6 and Frederick 1
both b. Illinois; William Radley 11, laborer b. Illinois;
Edward Cogwin 28 b. New York. Residence is shown
on property line of Glass and Kellogg. Gazette June
27, 1875: J. B. Glass and Charles Kellogg have
disposed of their farm of 160 acres to Will Sarjent,
intending to remove to California. Present owner:
Charles D. McWilliams Jr.

JOSEPH SMITH (160 acres) 54, Mary 44, John
20, Clara 16 ail b. Maine; George 11 b. Illinois.
Present owner: Robert Breitbarth.

THEODORE SMITH (196 acres) 49 b. Maine,
Martha 43 b. Vermont; Josephine 15 b. Mass.;
Edward 1 2, Emory 1 2, Ada 1 0, Justus 8, Theodore 6,
Lydia 4, Bertie 1/12 all b. Illinois; John K. Slickner
41, farm laborer b. Vermont. Present owners:
Dorothy Walsh; Everett Mau.

WILLIAM GLASS (45 acres) Present owner:
Everett Mau.

T. B. GLASS (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Robert Breitbarth.
Section 33

MATTHEW F. CAMPBELL (120 acres) 54 b.
Penn., Margaret 54 b. Wales; William 17, Maggie 15,
and Robert 12 all b. Penn.; Rebecca 9 and Charles 7
both b. Illinois. Matthew F. Campbell was a township
official and also a state representative in 1884.
Present owners: Ethel Sumner; Donald & Paul Saffer.

J. I. STATES (66.75 acres)-1870 census gives:
Thomas L. States 61 b. Penn.; Mary 61 b. Conn.;
Juniatta 18 and Ida 17 b. Penn. Juniatta States later
married George Carpenter. Present owner: Donald &
Paul Saffer.

HENRY B. STATES (66.75 acres) 37 and Mary
35 both b. Penn.; Ella 13 and Charles 9 both b. Penn.;
George Workman 13, farm laborer b. Illinois. Present
owners: Irma Wadleigh Estate, Mrs. Wadleigh was a
granddaughter of Henry B. States.

WILLIAM V. STATES (66.75 acres) 32 and
Kate 31 both b. Penn. Present owner: Irma Wadleigh
Estate.

THOMAS B. GL.ASS (80 acres) 48 b. England;
Jane 44 b. Ireland; Emma 18 b. Ohio; Willie 12 and
May 10 both b. Illinois; Garana Glass 22, farm laborer

b. Michigan. May Glass was also listed as Ida May and
was the wife of 0. J. Patchett; descendants still in
Norton Township are Mrs. Howard Dunn, the Carl
Hunt family, and the Webster families. Gene and
Dennis Webster, fifth generation descendants of
Thomas Glass reside on the farm. Present owner:
Raymond 0. Webster Estate.

F. FUSSER (80 acres, two residences) Present
owner: Raymond 0. Webster Estate.

S. E. DEWEY (160 acres) Present owner: Verda
B. Gaus.
Section 34

JOB MC NAMEE (200 acres)-A biographical
sketch of George McNamee states that Job McNamee,
his father, settled in Norton Township in 1871. Job
McNamee had children William, George, Viola,
Maggie, T. H. and Perry. Present owner: Gordon
Peterson Estate 80; Mrs. Eldon Berger 1 19.

LORENZO M. KELLOGG (40 acres) b. New
York, Lizzie 25 b. Penn.; Hattie 2 and Scott 10/12
both b. Illinois. Lizzie Kellogg was the daughter of
Matthew Campbell. Present owner: Paul & Donald
Saffer.

M. SARSFIELD (80 acres, no residence) By
1882 Michael Sarsfield is shown on poll list. Present
owner: Laura McKenna.

ANTHONY PETERSON (80 acres) 36, Mirander
42, Julia 12, Christena 8, Terris 7, Caroline 4,
Anthony 2, Randall 1/12, Peter 13 all b. Norway.
Present owner: Lola B. Chally.

N. BURGERSON (80 acres) Present owner: Lola
B. Chally.

ELIZABETH W. BROWN (160 acres) 1870
census lists: Elijah Brown 44 and Jenette 37 both b.
New York; William 9 and Nettie 2 both b. Illinois;
Samuel Tucker 30, farm laborer b. New York; Amens
Tuller 43 b. New York, owning real estate. Present
owner: Elmer Berger.
Section 35

FERGUSON CASSADY (160 acres) 32 b. Ohio;
William 7, John 5, Komelia(?) 3, Fannie 1 , Laura 7/1 2
all b. Illinois; Margaret Cassady 33 b. Ohio,
housekeeper. Present owner: J. W. Amidon.

CHARLES W. FULFORD (160 acres) 36 b. New
York. 1880 census shows him 46 b. New York;
Josephine Law, sister, 34 b. New York; Eddie Law,
nephew, 10 and Maybele Law, niece, 8 both b. New
York; C. J. Calver 28, servant, b. New York; Louise
Fulford 66, mother, b. New York. Present owner:
Edith Redfield Estate.

SIDNEY MALLORY (160 acres). 1880 census
shows him 48 and Harriett 52 both b. New York;
William Elliott 24, servant b. Penn. Present owners:
Eldon Berger 80; Lowell Nowack 80.

(160 acres) Present owners: Edith Redfield

Estate 80; F. D. & E. M. King.

Section 36

E. NELSON (120 acres) Present owner: Oliver
Witheft.

WILLIAM NUTT (80 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Verle Gross 40; D. I. Hendrix 40.

JAMES R. NEER (spelled Arneer on census-40
acres) 33 b. Maryland; Fannie 28, Clara 7, Arthur 5,
Willie 1 all b. Illinois; Ellen A. Titus 21, teacher b.
Michigan. Present owner: Clair Hendrix.

JAMES FLEMING (360 acres) 51 b. Ireland;
Sarah 48 b. Ohio; Mary 20, James D. 18, Emma 16,
John F. 14, Joseph W. 11 all b. Illinois; Margaret E.
Van Doren (daughter) 23 and Albert Van Doren 21,
farm laborer, both b. Illinois. Present owners: Lowell
Nowack; Oliver Witheft; Marietta Smith. Mrs. Smith
is a granddaughter of James Fleming.

CANUTE OSCAR (Osker) (40 acres) 37, Bertha
48 and Lina 8 all b. Norway. Present owner: Marietta
Smith.
Section 1 South

A. HOWE (160 acres) Present owner: Robert
Wilcox.

JOHN PHELPS (160 acres) 59 b. New York;
Mariah 42 b. Canada; Lester 24 b. New York. Present
owners: Robert Wilcox 80; Roy G. Wilcox Est. 80.

C. RENUS (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Roy G. Wilcox Estate.

D. R. SWARTWOUT (80 acres) 1873 Atlas lists
D. R. Swartwout, farmer Section 1, P. 0.
Eldridgeville, Ford Co., b. Otsego County, New York,
came to county in 1866. Present owner: Buckingham
Farms, Howard Wilcox, Manager.

WILLIAM I. GRIMWOOD (160 acres, no
residence) Present owner: Lloyd Christensen.
Section 2 South

ANDREW KRADSON (159.80 acres) Present
owner: Harry Elmhorst.

GEORGE CRYDENWISE (158.50 acres) 32 and
Amelia 30 both b. New York; Fannie 9 b. New York;
George 2/12 b. Illinois; Joseph Manchester 22, farm
laborer, b. New York. Present owner: L. C.
Crydenwise, grandson.

A. H. FULLER (80 acres) 1880 census: A. H.
Fuller 52 and Caroline 49 both b. New York; J.
Manchester 69, father-in-law, b. New York; Charles
Marks 15, servant b. Illinois. Mrs. A. H. Fuller was a
sister of Mrs. George Crydenwise. Present owner:
Emmet Winterroth.

H. HEDGES (40 acres, no residence) 1880
census: Horace Hedges 38 b. Vermont, Laura 20,
wife, and Chas. H. 1, son, both b. Illinois. Mrs.
Hedges was Laura Eldred. Present owner: M.
Winterroth.

ANDREW J. ALFORD (120 acres) 34 b.
Norway, Betsey 42 b. Scotland; Robert 10, Jennie 9,
Jacob A. 5, George 1 all b. Illinois. Present owner:

Dr. James Goldenstein.

FORGUS ANDERSON (80 acres) 28 b. Sweden;
June 31 b. New York; Lilly Woodford 8 b. Illinois.
Present owner: Buckingham Farms, Howard Wilcox,
Manager.
Section 3 South

M. J. GROGAN (157.25 acres) Census shows
Mary Ann Grogan 36 b. Ireland owning land; Michael
J. 38, farmer, b. Ireland; Henry Murray 26, farm
laborer, b. Ireland. 1874, April 16 Gazette, Norton:
Mr. M. Grogan, one of our former townsmen went to
Texas for his health. William Murray, his nephew,
received notice of his death and has gone to Chicago
to attend the funeral services. Present owner: Vernon
Gaus.

J. R. CARMON (157.25 acres) Present owner:
Lola B. Chally 122.25; Vernon Gaus remainder.

W. WILLIS (80 acres) 1878, Oct. 10 Gazette:
Lee Willis and his mother will start for Nebraska in a
few days. Present owner: Alvin & Laura Gaus.

JOEL E. FARLEY (240 acres) Present owner:
George Gaus.
Section 4 South

IRA J. GUILTNER (118.69 acres) 35 and
Moriah 33 both b. New York; William 13, Liona 11,
Nettie 7 all b. Illinois. Lyie Guiltner, a great-grandson
is still a Cabery resident. Present owner: Walter
Geiger Estate.

J. FREEMAN (19.18 acres) Present owner: John
W. Yoder.

C. C. E ASTON (19.18 acres) 1870 census shows
Cyrus M. Easton,27 physician b. Ohio owning a small
amount of property; Mary Ann 27 b. Indiana, Cora B.
1 b. Illinois. Present owner: John W. Yoder.

CASIUS C. EASTON (78.24 acres) 25 b. Ohio;
Mary 21 b. England; Addison 2 b. Illinois; Alexander
Easton 68, no occupation, birthplace shown as
Illinois (this is doubtful). Present owner: John W.
Yoder.

WILLIAM W. BROCK (157.96 acres) 40 b. New
York. Present owner: Joe Kersch.

LEWIS HADDEN (160 acres) 29 b. Illinois;
Margaret 23 b. Ireland; Madison Gregory 21, farmer
b. Michigan. Present owner: Milton Colthurst Estate.

ELIZA GRISWOLD (40 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Milton Colthurst Estate.
Section 5 South

WELLINGTON G. ARMSTRONG (77.90 acres)
56 b. New York; Grace 57 b. England; Theodore 23
and Edgar 18 both b. Michigan; Betsey Glass 59 b.
New York. Present owner: V. E. Schrock Estate.

ORRIN STRICKLAND (154.90 acres) 51,
Caroline 43, Emma 21, Adelford 19 and Frank 17 all
b. New York. Present owner: Mrs. Arthur Beckman.

B. PURMETON (77.90 acres) Present owner:
Milton Colthurst Estate.

JOHN A. HACKETT (80 acres) 34 and Bertha
31 both b. Maine; Lillian 2 b. Illinois. 1876, April 13
Gazette— Prot Hacket has closed his singing school in
Dist. No. 4. 1875, Oct. 28 Real Estate
Transfers— John Hacket to Albert Myers, wh swq 5 29
9, 80 acres. Present owner: Irene Beatty.

WALTER A. COLTON (160 acres) 34 b.
Vermont, Louisa 27 and Carrie 4 both b. Illinois;
Angeline French 14, domestic servant b. New York;
John M. Hose 24, farm laborer b. Ohio. Present
owner: Charles E. Christ Estate.

(40 acres) Present owner: Petrea Siedentop.

WILLIAM GLASS (40 acres) 54 and Mary 54
both b. England; Charles 17 b. Michigan; Warren
Allison 9 b. Illinois. Present owner: V. E. Schrock
Estate.

Census lists ADAM GLASS 56 b. England, Mary
25 b. Illinois; George 5, Frank 3 and Ellen 1 all b.
Illinois next to William Glass. Adam Glass may have
been the owner of the 40 acres having no name on it.
Section 6 South

CHARLES M. LUTHER (77 acres) 47 b.
Vermont; Emma 46 b. England; Gertrude M. 18
teacher b. Vermont; Charles W. 16, William H. 14,
George M. 11 and Frank P. 9 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: June Meyers Estate.

CHARLES M. LUTHER (80 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Cath. B. Mau.

JOHN T. VANDERVOORT (162 acres) 39 b.
Ohio; Moriah 30, Jonas 13, Alpheus 11, Margaret 7,
Mary Luna 5, Anna 3, Docia 1, all b. Illinois. 1876,
Mar. 2 Gazette— Rea\ Estate Transfers: J. T.
Vandervoort to Lewis Ruse, 160 acres. Present
owner: Wayne Colthurst.

HOYT (67.11 acres, no residence) Present
owners: Wayne Colthurst; Paul Knittle Est.

THOMAS LEIGH (Lee) (160 acres) 27,
Charlotte 28 snd Louisa 9, all b. England; Joseph
Bradben 22 b. England, Elizabeth 18 b. England and
Bessy 4/12 b. Illinois. Present owner: Michael Tyrell.
BOOTH (80 acres, no residence) Present owner:
Michael Tyrell.
Section 7 South

J. T. (80 acres) Present owner: Giacometti
Brothers.

J. COAL (80 acres) 1870 census: Irving Cole 28
b. New York; Moriah 23 b. England; Sherman 4 and
Ida 2 both b. Illinois. Present owner: Giacometti
Brothers.

A. D. C. BUGBEE (155 acres, no residence)
Present owners: Alb. Roggenburg; Robert
Roggenburg.

JOHN SEARGEANT (80 acres, two residences)
36 b. England; Sarah 34 b. Illinois; William 12 b.
Illinois. Present owner: Glen Sargeant Estate.

EDVMRD HURST (no real estate) listed next to

John Seargeant-38 b. England; Anna 33 and William
14 both b. England; Amelia 11 and Elisabeth 5 both
b. Illinois.

WILLIAM B. SEARGEANT (80 acres) 24 b.
England, Augusta 22 b. Illinois; Columbus Skelton
23, farm laborer b. Illinois. Present owner; Glen
Sargeant Estate, descendant of William.

FELIX DISHNER (Delinger on census) (80
acres) 52 b. Baden; Margaret 45 b. Beyerne; Caroline
18, Elisabeth 14 and Margaret 1 1 all b. Penn.; Helen 7
and Felix 1 both b. Illinois. Present owner: Francis
Paradies.

NICHOLAS YOUNG (80 acres) 40 and Martha
31 both b. Prussia; Mary 7, Lena 5, Augusta 3,
Caroline 3/12 all b. Illinois. Present owners: T. A.
Sadler 40; Hilda Sadler 40.
Section 8 South

J. BOESON (80 acres) 1870 census shows Peter
Boeson, farmer not owning real estate, b. Prussia;
Elizabeth 30 b. Prussia; Anthony 1 and Elizabeth
2/12 both b. Illinois. Present owner: Petrea
Siedentop.

H. E. HEDLESON (80 acres, no residence)
Present owner: Petrea Siedentop.

J. JONES (80 acres) 1870 census shows Michael
Jones 52, farmer, b. Prussia; Mary 50, Amy 14,
Angeline 19 and Nicholas 21 all b. Prussia. Present
owner: Petrea Siedentop.

W. WAGLEER (80 acres) Present owner: Petrea
Siedentop.

NICHOLAS SADLER (80 acres) 43 and
Elisabeth 30 both b. Prussia; Caroline 3 and Elisabeth
1 both b. Illinois. Present owner: Giacometti Bros.

PETER SADLER (80 acres) 31 b. Prussia;
Margaret 29 b. Luxemburg; Catherine 7, Nicholas 6,
Henry 4, Anthony 1 all b. Illinois; Nicholas Sadler 83,
no occupation, and Catherine 79 both b. Prussia.
Present owner: Giacometti Bros. Numerous Sadler
families and descendants still reside in the Cabery
area.

JOHN PASTOR EL (159 acres) 32 farmer b.
Belgium; Elisabeth 31 b. Holland; Henry 8, Charles 5,
Susan 3 and John 1 all b. Illinois. Five children of this
family died of diphtheria between Nov.1 and Dec. 3,
1879. Wagon shop, Caberry Post Office and C. L.
Ames store were on the corner of this land. Present
owner: Clyde J. Darter.
Section 9 South

T. GIF FORD (160 acres) Present owner:
Margaret Kratina.

BENJ. KNICKERBOCKER (80 acres, no
residence) Reference to Knickerbocker family in
1880 Census: John Alford 30 b. New York; Martha
39 b. Ohio; Harvey V. 5 and Matilda 3 both b.
Illinois; Burt Knickerbocker 19, stepson and Eddie
Knickerbocker, 17 (or 12) stepson, born Illinois.

Present owner: V. E. Schrock Estate.

MATH IAS WELCH (80 acres, two residences)
37 and Margaret 31 both b. Prussia; Jacob 1 , Anna 9,
Louisa 2 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Pete & Alice
Koerner 40; E. C. Sadler 40.

WAGNER (80 acres) Six houses shown on this
property, including A. White and Wm. S. Keyes.
Present owner: Village of Cabery; William Koerner.

A. P. ROGERS (40 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Gifford & Robinson.

THOMAS ROGERS (80 acres) 31 b. Maine,
Roxanna 31 b. Illinois; Lester 6, Fred L. 4, Jessie M.
1, Charles E. 10 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Gifford
& Robinson.

HORACE A. BURROWS (120 acres) 35 b. Ohio;
Elisabeth 32 b. New York; Harry 9, Albert 7 and
Hattie 9/12 all b. Illinois. Present owner: Ivan
Peterson.
Section 10 South

JOHN BROWN (160 acres) 38 and Hannah 31
both b. New York; Charles 7 and Fred 5, both b. New
York; Mary 2 b. Illinois; George Krielman 23, farm
laborer, b. Penn. Present owner: Alvin Gaus.

S. WRIGHT (80 acres) Present owner: Alvin
Gaus.

MC NULTY (80 acres, no residence) Present
owner: Roy Johnson.

J. WEAVER (80 acres) 1870 Census shows
Richard Weaver, no real estate, 34, Rhoda 30, and
Lydia 13 all b. New York. Present owner: Everett
Mau.

SAMUEL SAMPSON (80 acres) 36 farmer b.
Norway, Emily 23 b. Ohio; James 1 and Ida 2/12
both b. Illinois. Present owner: Robert Peacock.

HENRY SWARTWOUT (160 acres) 45
farmer/carpenter, Harriet 38 and Emma 16 all b. New
York; Melissa 14, Frank 9 and Adell 2 all b. Illinois;
Leroy Merrick, farm laborer 18 b. 111.; Charles Hull
23, farmer b. III.; Norman Hull 13, farm laborer b.
111.; Walter Mott 20 farm laborer, b. 111. Present
owners: E. G. Winterroth 80; M. N. Winterroth 80.
Section 11 South

T. P. ELDRED (160 acres) Was voter #35 on
Norton poll list of 1880. T. P. Eldred m. Olive (Niles)
Bush, widow of John Bush and mother of Don. A.
Bush. Present owners: Louis & Dora Boyd 80; A. D.
Christensen Estate 80.

J. F. EASTON (80 acres) John R. Easton came
to Rogers Township, Ford County, locating at
Eldridgeville in approximately 1872; wife Gracia, son
Ransford Perrin, later of Herscher. Moved to
Buckingham circa 1881. Present owner: James A.
Goldenstein.

HIRAM ELDRED (80 acres) 44 and Catherine
42 both b. New York; Milda 4 b. Illinois; Swartwout,
Mary 16 b. New York and Swartwout

(unreadable) 32, b. New York. 1876, April 13

Gazeffe-Estate of Hiram Eldred, report of
administrator set aside. Present owner: James A.
Goldenstein.

ASA M. PRESTON (240 acres) 42 b. Vermont;
Mary J. 27 b. New York; William G. 8, Ulyses G. 7,
Charles M. 4 and Alice M. 1 all b. Illinois. Present
owner: Harry D. Parker.

NELSON ADAMS (80 acres, no residence)
Eldridgeville M. E. Church on this property. Present
owner: John Richie.
Section 12 South

JAMES BOWLBY (163 acres) In 1873 James
Bowlby, farmer was living on Section 7, Pilot
Township, P. 0. Eldridgeville, Ford Co.; born
Clement County, Nova Scotia. Came to county 1855.
Present owner: Arthur Schultz.

WILLIAM I. GRIMWOOD (80 acres) 1880
census shows: W. H. Grimwood 33 and Louisa S. 27
both b. Illinois; Nellie J. 7, J. P. 6, 0. L. 4, E. H. 3,
Newton 1, all b. Illinois; Geo. Beardsley 45 b. New
York servant; W. H. Marsh 21 b. Indiana servant.
Present owner: Lloyd Christensen.

F. A. (40 acres) Present owner: Louis & Dora
Boyd.

NELSON ADAMS (200 acres) 48 b. New Jersey;
Jane 42 b. Ohio; Mary E. 18 and Olive E. 12, both b.
Illinois. Residence of Dr. B. F. Farley on this
property. Present owners: Larry Hunt 20, Ivan
Bergeron 180.

CHARLES H. REDFIELD (157 acres, two
residences) 38 b. New York; Sarah A. 32 b. Vermont;
Watson E. 12, Leeland C. 3, and Carrie L. 6/12 all b.
Illinois. Present owners: Susan Clodi 80; David
Anderson 80.

Names of heads of household on 1870 Census
not located on 1873 plat; some because they were
tenant farmers; others probably had sold property
and moved on before 1873:

1. Butter, Frank 25, farmer, owned real estate b.
Canada; 4. Fountain, James 50, carpenter, b. Canada;
6. Bailey, Simeon 40, farming, b. Canada;
9. Farrington, Dulla(?) 26, farmer, b. New York;
15.**Chatfield, Walter 37, farmer, owned real estate,
b. England; 16. Crandall, Christopher 24, farmer,
owned real estate, b. Illinois; 18. Gardner, Henry 30,
farmer, owned real estate, b. England;
22.***Siebierg, John 49, farmer, b. Prussia;
26. Meisenbach, Simon 32, farmer, b. Prussia;
39. Russell, David 62, farmer, owned real estate, b.
New York; 50. Bagg, John P. 49, farmer, owned real
estate, b. Mass.; 53. Thompson, John, 77, no
occupation, b. Ireland; 54. Lawison, Canute 37,
farmer, owned real estate, b. Norway;
57. Richardson, Goodsen 27, farmer, owned real
estate, b. Ohio; 63. Metz, Matthew 20, farmer, b.

Prussia; 65. Eastwood, Abram 30, farmer, owned real
estate, b. Illinois; 71. Greenawalt, David 30, farmer,
owned real estate, b. Ohio; 73. Larvell, Alfred 30,
farmer, owned real estate, b. Illinois; 74. Kagy, John
M. 36, farmer, owned real estate, b. Ohio; 97. Carr,
Samuel 46, farmer, owned real estate, b. Maine;
102. Milligan, Ellen 56, keeping house, b. Ireland;
112.*Moran, Thomas 31, farmer, owned real estate,
b. Ireland; 117. Cooper, Charles 36, farmer, b.
Ireland; 1 19. Keppers, Charles 50, farmer, b. Bremen,
Germany; 132. Holverson, John 32, farmer, owned
real estate, b. Norway; 133. Thomas, Amos 25,
farmer, owned real estate, b. Pennsylvania;
152. Butter, Francis 47, farm laborer, b. Ireland;
155.Pickard, William 30, farmer & blacksmith, b.
New York; 173. Landergan, Dennis 37, farmer,
owned real estate, b. Ireland; 177. Mahoney, Dennis
28, farmer, b. Ireland; 179. Littleton, James 45,

farmer, b. Ireland; 182. Murphy, Thomas 22, farmer,

owned real estate, b. New York; 183. Maginnis, Peter

30, farmer, owned real estate, b. Ireland;

202. Blackman, Elijah 56, farm laborer, b.

Massachusetts; 204. Smith, Thomas 80, raising cattle,

b . Ireland.

*1875, Feb. 18 Gazeffe-Norton-Thomas Mooran

has leased the Cole farm of Mr. Geo. Townsend

and taken possession. Several are looking for

farms to rent. They are hard to find in this

locality.

**1875, June 3, Gaze ffe -County Court, May term.

Motion by Administrator of William A.

Chatfield estate to the appraisement bill or

widow's award filed March 17, 1873 from the

files.

***The Simon Meisenbach family moved to Chicago.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1873 Atlas of the State of Illinois. Published by Warner and Beers, 62-64
W. Lake Street in Chicago, Illinois.

1883 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Kankakee County, Illinois.

1899 Standard Atlas of Kankakee Co., Illinois. Published by Geo. A. Ogle
and Company, 134 Van Buren Street in Chicago, Illinois.

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kankakee County,
Middle West Publishing Co. Volumes I & II. Copyright 1906.

Portrait and Biographical Record of Kankakee County, Illinois, 1893.
Lake City Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois.

1973 Atlas & Plat Book of Kankakee County Illinois. Published by
Rockford Map Publishers, Inc., 4525 Forest View Ave. in Rockford,
III.

CREDITS

Mrs. Orman K. Olson— History of Cabery

William Sadler (Barber)

Mrs. William Varney

Mrs. Leslie Hummel

Stephen Clapp

Mrs. Merideth Drew

Mrs. Elmer Fleischauer

Mrs. Terry Wagner

Eldon Sargeant

Gracia E. Sexton, Laingsburg, Michigan-Scrapbook of Harriet B. Houghton

Mrs. Frank Patchett, Union Hill)

Mrs. Mark Richie, Campus ) Scrapbook of Mrs. A. G. Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Beauclerc, Union Hill-Minutes of Union Hill Telephone Company; pictures

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Schott, Buckingham, I L-lnterview

Henry E. Schott, Buckingham, I L-lnterview and Minutes of Union Hill Thresherman's Assn.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Cook, Union Hill-Pictures and memorabilia

Mr. and Mrs. Percy Cook, Reddick-Pictures and memorabilia

Kankakee Public Lihrary-r/7e Kankakee Gazeffe-1 869-1 888

Kankakee Public Library-Census Norton Township 1870 and 1880

Richard M. Colthurst, Cabery-Mt. Hope Cemetery Records

Mrs. Dale Colthurst, Reddick— Interview

Fred Wepprecht, Herscher-Colman Cemetery Records

Violet Piper, Buckingham— Interview

Mrs. Alvin Unz, Reddick— Land Records Section 29, Norton Township

Mrs. Ted Zeller, Reddick— Interview and Pictures

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Prussner, Reddick— Interview

Vernon Weseman, Buckingham— Interview

Mrs. William Dahn, Bonfield— Interview

Mrs. LaVan Studley, Reddick-lnterview

Mrs. Peter Koerner, Cabery— Interview

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Dunn, Reddick-lnterview

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Grob, Reddick-lnterview and pictures

Anna Van Voorst, Union Hill— Interview

Mrs. N. E. Hamilton, Reddick-lnterview

The Kankakee Journal— C\\pp\nqs

Mr. Edward F. Sutter, Union Hill— Interview

Mrs. George Brunner, Reddick-lnterview

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Piper— Ladies Aid notebook and pictures, interview

Mrs. Earl Gross— Eldridgeville data, interview, clippings, etc.

Mr. and Mrs. John Rathman— Atlas, biographies, clippings, pictures, interview, etc.

Mr. and Mrs. C. 0. Hartman-Atlas, interview

Mrs. Ross Gifford-Atlas

Mr. and Mrs. Everett Hendrix— Record books of Norton

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Colthurst— Colton School record book

Floyd Wesemann— Sportsman Club notes, P. 0. data, town plats, etc.

Eldon and Harold Colman— Inten/iewand picture

Mrs. Robert Heller-Town and Woman's Club notes

Mrs. Ethel Sumner— Newspaper clipping

Mrs. Fred Nowack— Interview

Lazern Crydenwise— Interview and picture identification

Internationa! Harvester— Prairie sod-breaker picture and story

Mrs. George Frame— Smith Cemetery data

David Huntley— Interview

Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Berger-Picture and data

Mrs. Warren Overright-M.E. Church history and pictures, interview, etc.

Herscher Pilot

Mr. and Mrs. Laverne King-Notes, pictures. Union Hill Elevator Company notes

Miss Amelia Majorowicz-Pictures and identification-Winstanley booklet

HEA booklet of 1969

Alvin Gaus-Support and interview

Orlin Hendrix-lnterview

Mrs. Leslie Hummel, Pictures

Mrs. Iva Peterson, Pictures

Miss Lillian Gebhardt, Pictures

William Hiddleson, Pictures from the collection of his late brother, Clifford Hiddleson

Mrs. and Mrs. Dale King, Reddick— Pictures

Mrs. Edward McGinnis, Reddick— Pictures

Mr. and Mrs. Merlin Elmhorst— Pictures

Miss Katie Hosier— Pictures

Mrs. Elmer Crydenwise— Picture

Veryl Nutt-Picture

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ramsey— Pictures

Mrs. Alvin West— Pictures

Mrs. Othal Wilkins— Pictures

Mr. and Mrs. Willard Essington-Pictures

Mrs. Ray Clark— Picture

Russell Mau— Pictures

Violette and Velma Shimmin— Compiled Reddick

Cover— Reddick High School Art Department
Mark Stanich, Instructor
Pamela Pustmueller, Artist

OUR THANKS TO KANKAKEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN THE PRODUCTION OF
THIS MATERIAL.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISURBANA jl

977,363H629 C001

HISTORY OF NORTON TOWNSHIP S L

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