Early Days in Lyman #8

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .
After a little digression which ended last week’s installment. I will tell you of the town of Roberts. Of course we did not feel very pleased that they had taken our town of Beset away from us and our doctor; but it was close compared to Onarga where we got our mail. Their doctor, M. Cassingham, remained our doctor as well as theirs, and for twenty odd years cared for the sick of the Town of Lyman. Their merchant, G. H. Thompson was our merchant. Several of the new business men were from our end of the Town. Therefore we quieted down a little and called Roberts “Plugtown.” It did them little injury and gave us satisfaction.
In 1871, George H. Thompson and George Lyman put up a hardware store where George Ensign's garage now stands.

--Paxton Record.  19 June 1873.

William Thompson put up a drug store beside it. Flora & Newman put up a general store on the Anderson Bank corner, facing west. Anderson & Montelius put up the store that William Thompson's poultry business now occupies. Haling & Scott put up an implement building where Dietterle's store now stands. In 1873 fire destroyed the Thompson and Lyman hardware and the William Thompson drug store. I came to town and picked up nails at one cent a pound.
Flora & Newman turned their store around so that it faced the north where Whorrall's restaurant now stands. Thompson & Lyman built a new store where Tarvin's store now stands. William Thompson built his drug store where Foster Brothers store now stands.
The years 1871, 72, 73 were fair crop years. In 71 the chinch bugs were bad in some corn but not so bad as they were here last year. The following winter was colder than the past two winters. The spring was wetter. In 1873 I believe we had a very early frost that nipped the later planting. My father died in the fall of 72. We lost a brother, a sister and father that fall. I remember going for Daniel Woodward in the afternoon. I asked him to come and sit up with father. I did not realize what it meant to have father taken. About twelve years later I sat up with Daniel Woodward being glad to do something for him to repay for his kindness to us in our time of sorrow.
The year 1874 was a very dry year. It was dryer than last year. The farmers did not need much corn room that year. The land would not stand a drought then as it was not tiled. In 1875 we had a promise of a record crop up to July 3rd. I was in Chatsworth the day of the third. About time for me to go home there came up a heavy wind and rain. The oats were very heavy and were laid low. That night another and heavier shower came and finished the job. The farmers could not use reapers. They used mowers and scythes and did their best in one way cutting. We had excellent fall feed on the stubble. Corn was a very good crop. We husked 70 acres of corn on the Hornickel farm that made more than 50 bushels to the acre.
1876 will be remembered for its wetness. It was a duplicate of 1869. It rained so much that nothing but weeds and water grass grew in the low lands. In the fall C. W. Forbes set a fire to burn over a stubble field. The wind was brisk and fire burned across our farm and part of the A. M. Haling farm before it was quenched. Oats made about ten bushels and corn almost nil that year.
J. B. Meserve put up the elevator that stood in the northeast part of town. He also put up a bank building where Zahn's undertaking rooms are. 

After he sold the elevator he put up a flax seed and corn room where the lumber yard now is. That building is now the Anderson and Jensen dwelling in northeast part of Roberts.

This is interesting.  Someone's home was once a flax seed and corn room.  I wonder which one.  Anderson and Jensen dwelling in NE Roberts in 1935.  Research.

I thought much of Mr. Meserve. He was so considerate. When he ran for State Treasurer out west I was asked for a recommendation for him. I was very glad to give my highest regard for the man. Any man who will notice a child as quickly as he will a man with a tile on his head has won one from me. Such was Mr. Meserve. He like most of the men of that day has gone to his reward.
Thomas McNeish and his son, Thomas put up a harness and boot and shoe shop where Gullett & Kennedy's store now is. Thomas Jr. carried on business there until his death in 1892.

My Notes:  I believe this is the Gullett & Kennedy Store.  Mr. Foster wrote this article in 1936.  So this is probably correct.  Gullett & Kennedy sold their store to Mr. Breeden. So this store started out as Thomas McNeish Harness and Boot Shoe Shop. ????? More research.
I just noticed "HARNESS" on this pencil drawing.  But I am not sure of the date or who drew this picture of the Roberts Bank.  I may have read elsewhere the Harness Shop was upstairs.  So I'll have to look for that info.  Because the door way below that says HARNESS is not the entrance for the Gullett & Kennedy Store, but the entrance for the Bank. 
This post on the Roberts Illinois History Group Facebook page from Mary Weakman talks about the entry to the apartment above the Gullett & Kennedy/Breeden Store.  She is describing the Bank:   My Dad started working there in 1953 til after 2000 sometime. There also was a stairway coming down from Breedens apt.above their grocery. The stairs were directly across from the front door in the entryway. Donna Breeden worked there after high school. All she had to do was come down the stairs.

1874 a young man from Pennsylvania clerked for C. Anderson. A few years later he put a building for grocery and dry goods store where the bank now stands. He is the only store keeper of that day who still lives here. He is Mr. R. B. Chambers.

So the R. B. Chambers Store was where?  Mr. Foster is writing this in 1936.  Maybe the location in the drawing above?  I don't think it was in the building of the Roberts Exchange/Zahn Funeral Home building.  But maybe before the first fire?????) See below for the Roberts Exchange Bank location. 

Tinklepaugh & King put up a wagon shop east of the Ortlepp building in an early day. Henry Tinklepaugh came from Livingston County and King from the farm where George Fuoss lives. King married Lucy Larkin. Ivan Brothers put up the first blacksmith shop about where the present shop stands. I think they sold to S. J. Tapp who came from Onarga. He was a man of noble character. He and R. B. Chambers married sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Tapp had no children. They took Grace McNeish after her mother died and reared her as their own. No father could have done more. Frank Butler lived where Frank Fuoss lives. He came to Roberts at an early day. He was a mason. He built a house where Mr. Kristofferson now lives. He left here when the Grahams moved from the Joe Sans place. He married Mr. Graham's daughter. 

--Roberts Herald. 1 May 1935.