Early Days in Lyman #13

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .

Since the beginning of this year three of the pupils of the early days in the Smith School (Dist. 37) have died. Harry Fairley, Hattie (Arnold) McNeil, and Roscoe Beighle. Harry Fairly had lived in that district the greater part of his life. He saw his family of eight children grow to womanhood and manhood here except one child that died in infancy. They all attended the same school their father did. One of his sons is now school director of that district. James Fairley died a few years ago. Ray, Harry D., and Alexander are married. Also the daughter Ella. Gordon and Leonard are at home with their mother.
Mrs. McNeil left two daughters and one son. The daughters are married. One daughter, Pearl Dillon died several years ago.
Rosco Beighle died in Montana. He was the oldest son of E. B. Beighle who came here in 1869, when Roscoe was a small boy. He leaves a wife and two sons. Roscoe taught school in Lyman several years. He was a man with rare qualities. I knew him intimately and never heard him speak a bad word or do an evil act. He leaves three sisters and one brother. His sister, Ella is the only member of the family living here.
It is sad to know that steadfast friends are taken when we need them so much.
Amos Arnold and family came here from New York in 1866. They settled on the northwest quarter of section nine.

 

--Lyman Township Plat. 1884.

He used to visit our place once in a while. He was a man of so few words that he amused us. He was a successful farmer and at the time of his death had about a section of land in Ford County.
After he came to town to live I became well acquainted with him.

--Roberts Plat.  1901.

We took long strolls together. He enjoyed flowers and trees and rocks and being of the same turn of mind I enjoyed those rambles very much.
When W. B. Flora resigned as supervisor of the town of Lyman the Board of Auditors appointed Mr. Arnold to that office. He served the remainder of that term and the next one. Three of his children, Johnson, Seward, and Mrs. Seba Linn live here and own land here. One daughter, Mary, lives in the south.
William Hurst and his mother and sisters came to Lyman in 1855. They lived on section 30. Mrs. Mary Hurst died in 1875 leaving two daughters in care of the home place. The Hursts were here when the Connecticut settlement was made.

 

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

The same year that the Lymans were pounding nails in section two the Hursts were putting up their home in Section 30. Though it was not so spacious as the Lyman home it provided shelter from the storms and howling wolves of that day. I can not say whether the Englanders knew that right over to the northeast the people from the New England states were coming by the dozens and settling on the railroad lands the same as they. No doubt they would have welcomed them if they know it. They would have cheered for the same flag and perhaps voted for the same president.
William Hurst was a genial man when time had streaked his hair with gray. That was when I knew him. He had married one of the nicest women in south Lyman, Miss Mary Roberts, daughter of James Roberts, who lived in section 32.

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

Mr. Hurst died several years ago. His widow and his daughters are living. The eldest daughter, Mrs. Cook lives in Roberts. The others in southern Illinois.
Joseph Hurst, William's older brother, settled in section 20.

 

 

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

 

He was active in the civic affairs in Lyman and filled many offices in the township. He was a faithful officer and when assigned work to do he always did it. He held offices nearly all the time from the organization of Lyman township until he moved away from the place. Mrs. Mary Talbot was his daughter. There are none of this family living now. He died at Harvey a few years ago

--Roberts Herald. 5 June 1935. Bela Foster.

Early Days in Lyman #7

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .
1869 was a very wet year. It was so wet that scarcely anything except grass and weeds grew. Hardly a farmer raised more than one or two hundred bushels of corn. I remember that J. N. Barker worked the Deacon Woodward farm. He was to have half he raised and his board. He raised one load of corn. The boys sat pretty that year. They could go swimming every day if there was no work to do. The flies and mosquitos flourished as did the chinch bugs here last year. The horse fly is very voracious and is not particular about what animal supplies his meals. They hatch in the low lands and have eyes that are large and full of sight. They alight on an animal and when they are filled and they leave the blood flows for a few seconds. If the animal is not well blanketed it is covered red with blood spots before night. They did not bother by entering houses much. Mosquitos were the worst pests as they worked nights and cloudy days. In the evening we would build smudges something like your neighbor does with dry and green grass, on the windward side of the house, as we had no screens in those days. The flies were chased about with green branches and home made extirpators.
These pests multiplied almost any place that year. This year was followed by several years of malaria, starting that year. Some had chills every day, others every other day. The druggist could not supply the demand for quinine, which was used as a febrifuge. It is no wonder that people were sick and many died. The water they drank, the food they ate, the flies and mosquitoes preying on their system, was enough to bring these results. My sister, Martha and I were spared the suffering and therefore came in handy to help those who were sick.
A. M. Haling and others had made an agreement with the G. C. & S. Railway to give them the right of way if they would put a town on his land, the Beset half section. After some litigation the company put in a side track one half mile east of the present Fred Woodruff home. 

My Note:  I have to get a plat for 1935ish, when Mr. Foster is writing these article.

 

--1876 Lyman Township Plat 

Mr. Haling put up an office and a large corn crib and bought corn and sold coal and flour. The company had also promised Alonzo Roberts, Van Stlenbert, Taylor John of Thawville and the people of Melvin, the same thing. When it looked as though the town would be at Beset, George H. Thompson and Doolittle erected a store building just north of Otto Bleich's house.

My Notes:  Otto Bleich is the father of Edwin Bleich per FAG.  And Edwin Bleich is on the 1977 plat. And the side track would possibly be located on what was Ray and Leonard Rock's property in 1977.  Currently owned by John Zick Jr. per the 2016 plat.  And in 2016 Chester Bleich would be the owner of the Edwin Bleich property.  Chester died not too long ago; I posted the obit on the Roberts Illinois Facebook Group page.) So was the Thompson and Doolittle store building where the Bleich home is now standing, just over the tracks off of 54?  And this was the store I believe that was moved from the Beset location, to Roberts, then to Thawville.

 

--1977 Lyman Township Plat

So on the map below Otto has property on the other side of 54.  Ida is Otto Bleich's spouse.  I don't see a home in Section 15, but one is on Ida's property on Section 10 appear.

--1948 Lyman Township Plat

They also put up a temporary building on the east side of the road on the Haling property for a flax seed store house. They carried on the business for about one year, until the chances of a town at Beset was nil.
1871, Dr. Cassingham, then a young man saw the possibilities of a town in Lyman came here and had his office at Conger's who lived on the Tornowski farm on the hill a mile north of the Thompson store.

--1916 Lyman Township Plat.

My Notes:  The Tornowski farm on Section 3 is where we believe the old cemetery is located. Right between Section 2 & 3. The Forbes farm would be Section 2. The old article from 1922 states the Forbe farm is the location of the burial site.  How convenient for the MD to be located near a cemetery???  With the Thompson store being located only a mile south.  Across the highway???  Dr. Cassingham had his office at Conger's who lived on the Tornowski farm on the hill.  Maybe where Daniel Flessner lives???? Kay Schmidt who is part owner of this corner of Section 3 told me she spoke with Wayne Tornowski, and he told her there was a cemetery at this site.

He boarded at Conger's until his family came when he moved into the only residence in the new town which we named Bungtown. When the G. S. & C. began the erection of a depot on the Roberts land the hopes of a town at Beset waned. Bungtown was moved to the site of Roberts. Thompson's store was moved to Roberts and anchored a little north of where the hotel is now.

My notes:  The hotel was located where the Roberts Feed Mill currently sits.  Next to the Congregation Church.  So it would have been very close to the church or in the same spot.  Moved to erect the church???

Dr. Cassingham occupied it for a year or two and later it was put on skids and moved to Thawville. It stands on the south side of Thawville's main street yet but has been remodeled and changed in appearance.

My notes:  Sandra Grohler Kay gave me info on this building.  I need to find that.  On the Thawville History FB page I think.

James R Smith, of Kansas City , Missouri, writes Mr. Foster as follows: "I have been interested in the articles you have written in the Roberts Herald recently, giving a very interesting story of the early days, settlers and settlements of Lyman township and of Ford County."
"It is certainly splendid of you and the editor to give the readers of the Herald, such a plain and accurate account of those old times and conditions, which those first settlers passed through in helping to make Ford County what it is today."
"Many of the names and places mentioned by you were brought back very vividly to my memory, although it has been more than fifty years since I left Ford County, and many of those good old settlers have gone on again to another home. But those old sweet memories will always remain until time with us, also shall be not more. So far as I know, I believe my brother, David B. Smith and myself are the oldest living natives born of Lyman township. Both of us were born near the site of the old school on the Smith farm. Personally I thank you and the editor of the Robert Herald for the articles you have written."

--Roberts Herald. 17 April 1935.

Early Days in Lyman #5

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .
In 1869 we heard more about the railroad coming. We heard of bonds and right of way. Melvin, Thaw, and quite a lot about the town of Beset, soon to be started. A. M. Haling had his eye on Beset grove and about one half a section of land that was to be crossed by the railroad. It looked a favorable spot for a town.
At the town meeting in April 1869 the following officers were elected: Supervisor, A. M. Haling who lived on the Louis Stiegman farm. Town Clerk, A. A. Haling who lived where Milo Higgens now lives. Assessor, W. S. Larkin, who lived on what is now John Rock's east farm. Collector, Lyman Peck who lived in the house north of Louis Chambers farm. Constable, Sethe Woodward who lived in northwest corner of Section 13, Seward Arnold's farm. Road Commissioners Joseph Hurst who lived where Mrs. Dodson now lives, T. A. Ireland who lived where S. McCorkel now lives. This year the town was divided into ten road districts. The pathmasters were N. G. Barber who lived on the Martin Grohler farm, D. Blakely who lived on the E. Hornickel farm about sixty rods west of the NE corner. His house is now the Henry Onken home. C. S. Pierce who lived on the east end of the Onken farm, N. McNeil who lived where Robert Madden lives, O. D. Sacket who lived where Fred Sturm lives, William Hurst who lived where Bert Moseman lives, R. Pettit who lived in the NE corner of Section 31, C. B. Finch, A. Schaeffer who lived where Edw. Russell lives, Patrick Russell who lived on the hill near the center of the NE quarter of section 26.
The officers this year were pretty well scattered and showed more interest. A special election was called for Sept. 11, 1869, to vote upon R. R. bonds and right of way of the proposed Gilman, Clinton and Springfield railway. There were 42 votes cast, 34 for and 8 against. In giving the right of way 16 were for and 26 against.
William Bentley, son of W. H. Bentley, one of the Connecticut settlers who settled near Onarga was a music teacher, instrumental and vocal, held singing school in Smith School house in 1869 and 1870. Nearly all the young people of North Lyman attended. I did not attend but enjoyed the meetings they had at our house. I remember the membership card he gave his pupils. It read "Come and learn to sing and bring along your lady, For Bentley is the agent for Messrs. Root and Cadey." That was my first winter in school. I remember the teacher very distinctly. he was a corpulent man about the size of Glenn Yackee. One afternoon two young ladies, Maggie and Eliza McDonald from the Smith school visited our school and of course, if I ever received a "paddling" it was when company was present. To make my chagrin more acute, the visitors went home with my sister. Though I may have been black and blue, I could not see, so sat pat.
Some evenings we would collect on the ice. The professor enjoyed skating and was always present and nothing gave me more joy than to see his feet go up and his body come down with a thud upon that part of his anatomy that he paddled on me.
At the town meeting in 1870, A. C. Maxson was chosen moderator. The adopted several rules of government. One of them was in regard to pasturing and cutting hay off the unoccupied land. It was declared unlawful to cut grass or pasture the land without a permit. The fences began to be used at that time. People who had a few cows staked them out and others sent their cattle to herds. Our cattle were few and were staked. I can remember going skidding one time when the cow chain got around my foot. It was fun but hard on the clothing.
The officers elected in 1870 were: Supervisor, P. S. Gose who lived on the S. W. Netherton farm. Town Clerk, A. B. Graham lived where Joe Sans does. Assessor, Joseph Hurst, Collector F. G. Atwood, lived on section 22. Road Commissioner, Patrick Russell, Justice of the Peace J. F. Smith, lived on Section 4. The pathmasters were: John Davis lived where John Woodward does, W. A. Conger lived where Tornowski does, J. B. Jones lived where Roy Stiner does. John Hummel, James Drummond, James Dycus, Horace Lester, F. G. Atwood, A. Shafer, P. Russell.
The next two years were much occupied in surveying and building new roads and bridges. We also notice familiar faces, those with whom I worked.
Next week we will tell you what became of Bungtown.

--Roberts Herald. 10 April 1935.