EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster
Continuing . . .
by Bela Foster
Continuing . . .
In the fifteen installment of the review we made mention of the settlement here of the Russell family in what is now southeast Lyman. This narrative would not be complete without mention of one of the other early settlers here, viz. John Dwyre, familiarly known as "Uncle Johnnie." Mr. Dwyre was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1802. He came to Pokeepsie, New York. Here he worked for many years in the cotton mills. His work was with the machinery which printed the designs on calicoes and other cloth. Later he came farther west. He was a friend of the Guilfoyle family. Our readers will remember that Mrs. Patrick Russell was a Miss Guilfoyle. When Mr. and Mrs. Russell made their home here Mr. Dwyre also came to help them in their work in the home on the bleak prairie. Other members of the family settled near Chebanse. For many years Mr. Dwyre divided his time between his friends here and his friends at Chebanse.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell were young at that time. Mr. Russell had barely passed his twenty-fourth year. Mr. Dwyre was already an old man. He had reached his fifty-seventh year. He never married but his whole life was spent making the lives of the younger people happier and counseling the younger generation.
After having divided his life between his friends here and his friends at Chebanse for many years he settled down to a home with the Russell family here and remained through the next generation on the same farm. He died at the Joseph Russell home here April 8, 1906, aged 104 years. He was a reverend and honored citizen.
If one should visit Kankakee and then go up the river a short distance he would come to Aroma. This is a small place and to most of the people of Ford County is absolutely unknown. Yet this place should be of interest to the readers of these notes of early days. Here was located the nearest mill of those early days and it was here that the early settlers of this community went with their grain to have it ground into flour or meal.
In 1876 the town meeting was held in the hall. At this election we note a little change in the officers.
Supervisor, Joseph Hurst
Town Clerk, M. Cassingham
Assessor, C. Steward
Colletor, A. V. Burcham
Road Commissioner, Fred Zinser
Curtis Steward was Mrs. O. D. Sackett's brother. He lived on Section six north of the present Johnson Arnold farm. The house was removed years ago. He moved to Paxton in the 80's. I think he ran a restaurant or lunch counter there. He was a quiet personality.
Fred Zinser lived one mile east of Roberts. He must have been a good officer as there little said of him.
A. V. Burcham was elected to office nearly every year. He appeared to fit any place. I do not recall when he moved away. I knew his son, Dudley, and his daughter, Estella. If we could have had autos in those days we might have known each other better.
The town meeting, Tuesday, April 3rd, 1877, was held in the town hall. The officers were:
Supervisor, W. B. Flora
Town Clerk, M. Cassingham
Assessor, O. D. Sackett
Collector, T. M. Hubbard
Commissioner of Highways, L. Burns
Overseers of Highways were
Dist. No. 1, L. B. Wilcox
Dist. No. 2, William McCuskey
Dist. No. 3, John Moore
Dist. No. 4, Amos Arnold
Dist. No. 5, T. A. Flora
Dist. No. 6, A. B. Graham
Dist. No. 7, Thomas W. Wakelin
Dist. No. 8, Thomas Ensign
Dist. No. 9, Charles Fellwock
Dist. 10, Jacob Landel
L Burns was a hard working successful farmer. He lived in the house now occupied by Fred Barber. Some time before this election Mr. Burns had said that good roads were not so much the result of much grading as they were the result of good drainage. It looked plausible therefore the people elected him commissioner of Highways. He advocated an open ditch when practicable and when not he advocated tile. The work done on his theories was in a measure successful. Some tile were put in too shallow and soon disintegrated; others had dips in them and soon filled. Mr. Burns was right in his theory and today we find that tile properly laid and proper grading work well together. Mr. Burns moved from here to Champaign in the 90's. He left an influence that is still felt. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burns died many years ago. Two daughters and two sons are living.
T. M. Hubbard was cashier in Meserve's bank. He was a little man and was fond of baseball. He was such a baseball fan that he made a trip to Chicago to see the "socks" play. We thought this quite a trip in those days.
William McCuskey lived on section two in NW corner of south half of the section. He believed the world was flat. He was always unfriendly with the Barkers. His children went to school at the Woodruff school house. He lost three children in the seventies. He had one son and three daughter when he moved away. Mr. and Mrs. McCuskey and their son and youngest daughter died several years ago.
John Moore lived in section 15 on what is now the Killip farm. There were three brothers, Albert, John and William. John was noted for his strong voice. We could often hear him in the still mornings. The Moore's moved to Iowa. Mrs. John Moore was here about thirty years ago. Her husband was dead at that time. William married a Conger girl. He committed suicide and his wife later married Conrad Baker. Baker used to live in the house where Mrs. James Mickens lives. I saw Mrs. Baker in Webster City in 1921. Her father's family at that time were nearly all dead. All except Mrs. Baker lived in Missouri. Conrad Baker and his son, Charles were dead. Charles died shortly after the World's Fair in 1893. He was a grandson of I. B. Gifford who lived here in the early days of Roberts.
--Roberts Herald. 3 July 1935. Bela Foster.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell were young at that time. Mr. Russell had barely passed his twenty-fourth year. Mr. Dwyre was already an old man. He had reached his fifty-seventh year. He never married but his whole life was spent making the lives of the younger people happier and counseling the younger generation.
After having divided his life between his friends here and his friends at Chebanse for many years he settled down to a home with the Russell family here and remained through the next generation on the same farm. He died at the Joseph Russell home here April 8, 1906, aged 104 years. He was a reverend and honored citizen.
If one should visit Kankakee and then go up the river a short distance he would come to Aroma. This is a small place and to most of the people of Ford County is absolutely unknown. Yet this place should be of interest to the readers of these notes of early days. Here was located the nearest mill of those early days and it was here that the early settlers of this community went with their grain to have it ground into flour or meal.
In 1876 the town meeting was held in the hall. At this election we note a little change in the officers.
Supervisor, Joseph Hurst
Town Clerk, M. Cassingham
Assessor, C. Steward
Colletor, A. V. Burcham
Road Commissioner, Fred Zinser
Curtis Steward was Mrs. O. D. Sackett's brother. He lived on Section six north of the present Johnson Arnold farm. The house was removed years ago. He moved to Paxton in the 80's. I think he ran a restaurant or lunch counter there. He was a quiet personality.
Fred Zinser lived one mile east of Roberts. He must have been a good officer as there little said of him.
A. V. Burcham was elected to office nearly every year. He appeared to fit any place. I do not recall when he moved away. I knew his son, Dudley, and his daughter, Estella. If we could have had autos in those days we might have known each other better.
The town meeting, Tuesday, April 3rd, 1877, was held in the town hall. The officers were:
Supervisor, W. B. Flora
Town Clerk, M. Cassingham
Assessor, O. D. Sackett
Collector, T. M. Hubbard
Commissioner of Highways, L. Burns
Overseers of Highways were
Dist. No. 1, L. B. Wilcox
Dist. No. 2, William McCuskey
Dist. No. 3, John Moore
Dist. No. 4, Amos Arnold
Dist. No. 5, T. A. Flora
Dist. No. 6, A. B. Graham
Dist. No. 7, Thomas W. Wakelin
Dist. No. 8, Thomas Ensign
Dist. No. 9, Charles Fellwock
Dist. 10, Jacob Landel
L Burns was a hard working successful farmer. He lived in the house now occupied by Fred Barber. Some time before this election Mr. Burns had said that good roads were not so much the result of much grading as they were the result of good drainage. It looked plausible therefore the people elected him commissioner of Highways. He advocated an open ditch when practicable and when not he advocated tile. The work done on his theories was in a measure successful. Some tile were put in too shallow and soon disintegrated; others had dips in them and soon filled. Mr. Burns was right in his theory and today we find that tile properly laid and proper grading work well together. Mr. Burns moved from here to Champaign in the 90's. He left an influence that is still felt. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burns died many years ago. Two daughters and two sons are living.
T. M. Hubbard was cashier in Meserve's bank. He was a little man and was fond of baseball. He was such a baseball fan that he made a trip to Chicago to see the "socks" play. We thought this quite a trip in those days.
William McCuskey lived on section two in NW corner of south half of the section. He believed the world was flat. He was always unfriendly with the Barkers. His children went to school at the Woodruff school house. He lost three children in the seventies. He had one son and three daughter when he moved away. Mr. and Mrs. McCuskey and their son and youngest daughter died several years ago.
John Moore lived in section 15 on what is now the Killip farm. There were three brothers, Albert, John and William. John was noted for his strong voice. We could often hear him in the still mornings. The Moore's moved to Iowa. Mrs. John Moore was here about thirty years ago. Her husband was dead at that time. William married a Conger girl. He committed suicide and his wife later married Conrad Baker. Baker used to live in the house where Mrs. James Mickens lives. I saw Mrs. Baker in Webster City in 1921. Her father's family at that time were nearly all dead. All except Mrs. Baker lived in Missouri. Conrad Baker and his son, Charles were dead. Charles died shortly after the World's Fair in 1893. He was a grandson of I. B. Gifford who lived here in the early days of Roberts.
--Roberts Herald. 3 July 1935. Bela Foster.
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