|
|
 - Shelby County, Illinois - This is the Shelby County, Illinois, section of the Genealogy Trails Project. |
|
|
|
- Shelby County, Illinois - This is the Shelby County, Illinois, section of the Genealogy Trails Project. |
|
OBW 9.19.1891 1:1  Shelby County
The county was first settled in 1818 and in 1827 was organized as Shelby county, in
honor of Isaac
Shelby of Kentucky and was divided
into twenty townships and contains 512,000 acres.At the Head of Many Rivers Its Soil, Products, Society, &c. An Unvarnished Statement of Facts The county is situated a little south of the center of the state and on a dividing line between the rich black soil of the northern part of the state and the corn lands of the southern part of the state known as “Egypt,” so that soil of all kinds is found. The climate is a happy medium between the extremes of heat and cold. There is plenty of water found in rivers or by digging wells and excellent drainage. By referring to the map it is plain that the central part of the county is thoroughly drained by the Kaskaskia (Okaw) river, and its tributaries. The south-eastern part is drained by the Little Wabash and the north-eastern portion of the Sangamon, so that Shelby county is a watershed for these systems, and receives perfect drainage. Having good land and being well watered of course good crops from most cereals are the rule in Shelby county. Some lands are better adapted to wheat, oats, rye, &c., |
 "Public Office is a Public Trust;" he serves party best who serves the whole people. |
County
Officials
Circuit Clerk ......Thomas Headen GrahamCounty Judge......Truman E. Ames County Clerk.......Alfred F. Allen Sheriff.................Daniel L. Colbert State's Attorney....Wm. B. Townsend County Treasurer...Ambrose M. Craddick County Supt. Schools...Milton Barbee County Surveyor ... Geo. W. Dickinson Coroner................William Sampson* *Deceased, vacancy
not yet filled
Board
of Supervisors
Thomas P. Mautz, Chairman, Prairie; James
Barton, Dry
Point; John C. Brown, Ridge; John C.
Brown, Oconee;
Christian Bigler,
Sigel; Charles Coulter, Big Spring; Jacob Ebey, Okaw; Samuel Fuget,
Tower Hill;
James Foster, Todd's
Point; Charles E. Ford, Richland; Abe
Gallagher, Holland;
Phillip Heintz, Rose;
Thomas A. Hagan, Shelbyville;
Martin H. Miller, Moaweaqua;
Benjamin F. Moberly, Windsor, Fred
Ney,
Sr., Flat Branch;
A. T.
Smart, Cold
Spring; John A. Stewart, Penn;
Charles W. Steward, Shelbyville;
John Swengel, Ash
Grove; Samuel
Wilson, Rural;
Solomon Yantis, Pickaway.Mayor................E. E.
Waggoner
First
Ward Second WardCity Clerk ........ Thomas P. Smith Treasurer...........Isaac S. Storm City Attorney...Wm O. Wallace Police Magistrate...B. F. Wilson Alderman
Jacob T. Herrick William Oliver G. C. Klauser Franklin Broyles Third Ward Fourth Ward H. S. Dixon Arthur Carroll William Bales Edgar Leach Day
Marshal............... Thomas Biggs
Night Marshall.............Geo. M. Moore Street Commissioner......Wm H. Lump Cemetery Sexton...........John L. Matthews Board of Health Physician...F. P. Bivins SECRET AND OTHER SOCIETIES Jackson Chapter No. 55 R.A.M.-- Meet first Tuesday evening in each month, in the hall over Thornton's bank. H. C. Robertson, H. P.; J. W. Hamer, K; D. N. Harwood, S.; Geo. M. Moore, C. H.; J. N. Ballard, R. A. C. Jackson Lodge No. 53. A. F. & A. M. -- Meet Wednesday evening on or before the full moon in each month. M. Barbee, W. M.; Geo. M. Moore, S. W.; W. S. Amlin, J. W.; R. E. Guilford, Treasurer; E. J. Scarborough, Secretary; Isaac Storm, S. D.; A. F. Allen, J. D. Shelbyville Chapter, No. 69 O. E. S. -- Carrie Catherwood, W. M.; Wm. N. Price, W. P.; Margery Oliver, A. M.; Auntie Graham, Treasurer; J. W. Hamer, Secretary; Addie Price, Conductress. Meet first and third Monday evenings in each month. Cyrus Hall Post. N. 128 G. A. R. -- Meet on first and third Wednesday evenings in each month, and the first Saturday at 1 p.m., at their Hall over Dr. G. W. Rhoad's drug store. Capt. W. F. Turney, Commander; Elgin H. Martin, Senior Vice Commander; Harrison L. Hart, Junior vice Commander; Wayne Cramer, Adjustant; G. W. Rhoads, Quartermaster; E. Van Dyke, Surgeon; Edward A. Bonn, Chaplain, J. E. Kinnee, Officer of the Day; John Murdock, Officer of the Guard; Julius Hoppe, Sergeant Major, W. I. Higgins, Quartermaster Sergeant. Shelbyville Mutual Relief Association. -- Meet at their hall in Moulton, every Tuesday evening at 7:00 o'clock. Ab. Ware, President; A. Dowell, Vice President; L. Gowdy, Secretary; Wm. Lumpp, Chaplain; Grant Huntoon, William Bales, John C. Coplin, relief committee. Shelbyville Camp No. 200 Modern Woodmen of America. -- Meet third Friday evenings in each month. J. W. Powers, V. C.; E. M. Hopkins, W. A.; J. A. James, Ex. H, B. F. P. Bivins, H. Escort; Wm. Baum, Sentinel; K. A. Hite, Secretary. Shelbyville Lodge Knights of Honor, N. 612.--Meet second and fourth Monday evenings in each month. D. N. Harwood, Dictator; Wm. Chew, Vice Dictator; J. T. Weakly, Financial reporter; J. W. Powers, Treas.; K. J. Scarborough, Reporter. Order of Tonti, Big Four Lodge No. 136. -- T. F. Dove, Pres; J. W. Yantis, Sec'y; Isaac Storm, Treas. Shelbyville Division No. 45 Uniform Rank K. of P.-- Meet Monday evenings of each week. J. W. Powers, Captain; J. T. Weakly, First lieutenant; W. T. Thornton, second lieutenant. Okaw Lodge, N. 117 I. O. O. F. -- Meet in hall over Scovil's store every Friday evening. Thomas A. Hagan, N. G.; B. F. Jarnagin V. G.; Chris Ballet, Recording Secretary; J. T. Herrick, Permanent Secretary; W. H. Bivin, Treasurer. Black Hawk Lodge No. 183, K. of P. -- Meet Wednesday evening of each week at their hall over J. H. Isenberg's store. T. H. Graham, C. C.; Isaac Storm, V. C.; I. I. James, Prelate; Harry Behm, K.of R. and S.; Luther Embry, M. F.; J. T. Weakly, M. of E. Endowmen Rank of K.P. No. 1268.-- Meets first Monday of each month, J. T. Herrick , President, I. S. Storm, Secretary. Kaskaskia Encampment No. 87 I.O.O.F. -- Meets First andThird Monday of each month. Thomas A. Hagan, C. P.; Chris Ballet, Scribe. |
||
| OBW
9.19.1891 1: 2 some for Indian corn and some for pasture, but it is safe to say that there is not a square mile of land, all put together, in the county that cannot be easily utilized for farming or grazing to profit. The bottom lands cannot be excelled anywhere for productiveness. The editor of this paper has lived in this county most of the time for fifty-six years, and he has seen land that has been in cultivation for more than sixty-five years yield from forty to fifty bushels of corn per acre, and that, too, without being fertilized. The yield of wheat is from 20 to 40 bushels per acre. Most of the land is prairie, but there are no very large stretches of prairie — timber is within easy reach of nearly all prairie lands. In another column you will find a statement of the amount of grain, fruit and stock raised in Shelby County during the year 1880 and that was not a very good year either. The banks of the creeks and the river for miles around are covered with timber of various kinds, oak, walnut, maple, poplar, sycamore, elm, hickory, ash, &c., so that lumber and fuel are cheap. Coal is also found in paying quantities at a short distance from the earth’s surface, and is largely used. Cattle, horses, sheep and hogs &c., all do well here and many farmers give most of their attention to stock raising. Fine imported stock is also made a specialty and our county has a high reputation for superior blooded horses and cattle. Shelby County has a great variety of fruit also berries. Apples and peaches are grown in abundance and are shipped to other places. The census of 1880 gave Shelby county a population of 29,051 and it must be at present about 35,000. This county is out of debt and in a prosperous condition. Our Public Buildings, Etc.
The large substantial fire- proof court
house, shown
on this page. |
OBW
9.19.1891 1:3 was built in 1880, at a cost of $70,000, and is entirely paid for. The cost by the way was remarkably little for such a magnificent structure. Other court houses in the state, not so large, nor so well built, have cost more than twice $70,000. All the public buildings are in good condition. All the townships are out of debt excepting six, and their indebtedness was created to secure railroads, and is on long time and will be easily paid. The railroads have already been spoken of and can be seen by referring to the map. Our Public Schools Shelby county has reason to be especially proud of her 200 public schools. 15,000 children in the county thus have the rudiments of an education at their very doors free. Religious Denominations All phases of religious belief are represented in the county. There are representatives of the M. E. church, north and south, Protestant Methodist, Free Methodist, African M. E., Separate Baptists, Regular Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Hardshell Baptists, Presbyterian, United Presbyterian, Cumberland Presbyterian, Christian or Disciples, Unitarian Congregationalists, Jews, Universalist, Church of God, Quakers, Roman Catholic, German Reform, Lutheran, United Brethren, All Breicht, Winebenarians [Winebrenners] and perhaps others. Very pleasant relations exist between most of the various congregations. There is little warring between the sects. Each keeps busy doing good in its special way without forbidding those who cast out devils in another way. A spirit of brotherhood and Christian union against all evil pervades all sects. For instance, at the ten days Temperance Reform Encampment held at Lithia Springs in August, men and women of |
OBW 9.19.1891
1:4 nearly every sect in the county took part; so that at one of the services conducted by the Rev. Miss Henrietta G. Moore of Springfield, O., a minister in the Universalist body, we witnessed representatives of nearly all of the above denominations mingling their tears in tender Christian sympathy for the cause of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. There are a great number of church societies in the county, most of which keep up regular preaching and carry on Sunday schools. There are many township Sunday school associations which hold interesting meetings where the Sunday school workers of different denominations come together and discuss methods and means of doing efficient Sunday school work. There is also a county Sunday school association which comes together annually. During the summer months there are frequent Sunday school picnics and celebrations held in pleasant groves of the county. The grounds of the Shelby County Fair Association and the grounds around Lithia Springs are quite pleasant and popular places for meetings of this sort. A quite successful and largely attended eight days encampment was held at the Fair Grounds, by the State Holiness Association of the M. E. church, during August and a campmeeting at Cowden conducted by the Free Methodists. The ten days encampment at Lithia Springs was addressed by many orators of national fame representing different sects and parties. Considering everything, climate, healthfulness, soil, wood, productions, education advantages and opportunities for moral and religious culture, the reader must see plainly that that Shelby County is a good place to live and be happy and raise a family under good influences. ...continue to Page Two |
||
| Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 missing | 7 | 8 | 9 | (10 & 11 missing) |12 | 13 | 14 | ||||
