Congregational Church History Part 2

THE HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY OF ROBERTS, ILLINOIS

Written in 1953. Unknown author.

Part 2.

The town of Roberts organized and elected its first officers in 1872. Mr. A. M. Haling tried to get the site of the village to locate on his land, two miles northeast of the present village, naming the village "Besset." But the Gilman, Clinton and Springfield Rail Road, a branch then of the Illinois Central Rail Road, erected their depot on the site of the Roberts farm in 1871. The railroad was to have side tracks for loading livestock, hay and whatever you wanted to haul away by rail. There were to be three side tracks in this immediate area. The first side track was built where the present village of Thawville is; the second side track was built at a place which is now known as Beset Grove; and the third side track was built about a mile southeast of the present village of Roberts near what is today Mr. Ernest Wright's farm. These side tracks were to be named A set, B set, and C set. A few buildings were erected at the place called B set. But when the railroad did go through, the town moved southeast of B set two miles. The village was called "Bungton" by many and Mr. A. M. Haling and friends called it "Plugtown," but the name was finally authorized as "Roberts." Besides a depot being erected on the Roberts farm another reason the village moved to its present site was that Dr. M. Cassingham was living on the Roberts farm. He was a valuable asset to this farm community and he doctored in Roberts and the surrounding area for nearly 30 years.

The town hall was erected in 1875 by the Roberts Dramatic Club. The hall was used for church, school, elections, political meetings, social gatherings, wrestling matches, and once and a while a "fistie bout took place within its walls."

In 1894 the whole south side of the main street burned down. Since the fire fighting equipment was very limited there was no way to stop the blaze after the frame building once caught fire. The only fire fighting equipment they had was the old bucket brigade. They had a hard time in keeping the stores on the north side of the street from burning. The fire was so hot on the south side of the street that several of the buildings on the north side caught fire but they were put out before much damage could be done. After the stores and business district of the town was formed again the rest of the village started to grow.

--to be continued.

Congregational Church History

THE HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY OF ROBERTS, ILLINOIS

Written in 1953. Unknown author.

Part 1.

In the consideration of the history of the Congregational Church of Roberts, Illinois I think that it would be best to discuss the history or the Roberts community.

Roberts is a small village of slightly over 400 population located in Central Illinois, one-hundred miles south of Chicago on the the Illinois Central Rail Road and on highways # 54 and #115. It is in the center of Ford County and it looks to Paxton, Illinois as its county seat.

Ford County was the last county organized and settled in Illinois because until the 1870's and 1880's it was mostly swamp land. The county was organized in 1859. Lyman Township, in which Roberts is right in the center, was organized in 1867. By the 1860's the county and the people living therein realized that the swamps might be drained and that valuable farm land might be obtained. The project of draining the land began in the 1870's.

The large majority of immigrants that came to this developing land were German and many of them came directly from the homeland. During the 1870's and 1880's there was a large immigration to this country and many of them stopped here in the newly acquired farm land instead of moving on west. Other nationality groups that were noticeable were the English, Scotch, and Irish.

The large number of German immigrants were evident in the types of churches there were established in this newly settled community. There were within the early community a Zion German Evangelical Church, a Zion German Methodist Episcopal Church, a German Lutheran Church (now American Synod), and in the neighboring towns of Thawville, five miles away, and Buckley, eight miles away, a German Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod.) The other churches in the Roberts community are a Roman Catholic, Methodist and Congregational. In almost every community surrounding Roberts for 25 miles is a German Lutheran church, besides many of them having German Evangelical and German Methodist churches. The Zion German Methodist Episcopal church in Roberts disbanded and the sold their building to the people of the Roman Catholic faith in 1886. Most of the German Methodist people had moved out of the immediate community. The Zion German Evangelical Church, located southeast of the village five miles, disbanded in 1937 with most of the remaining members going to the Congregational Church of Roberts and to the Zion Methodist Church of Melvin.

--to be continued.

28 September 1882

--Paxton Record.  28 September 1882.  Page 1.

19 May 1881

--Paxton Record.  19 May 1881.  Page 1.

Congregational Church Early History

 

--Historical Atlas of Ford County, Illinois.  1884.  Page 65.

 

1880

--Paxton Record.  20 May 1880.

13 May 1880

--Paxton Record.  13 May 1880.

6 May 1880

--Paxton Record.  6 May 1880.

1 April 1880

--Paxton Record.  1 April 1880.

Ladies' Aid Society

Congregational Ladies' Aid Society.  Roberts, Illinois.  1907.

--K. Family Photo Album.

Congregational Church Meeting

Congregational Church meeting at the Squires' home.

--K. Family Photo Album. 

1880

--Paxton Record.  8 January 1880.

Congregational Church

Notice the smaller steeple to the right, a part of the original building. 

--Photo form James Lossing email to me.  FAG Friend.  July 2018.

1879

The I. C. R. R. Co. is putting in a switch about one mile south west of town to accommodate Mr. Van Steenburgh.

The ladies of the Congregational church are preparing to serve a Thanksgiving dinner and supper in the new church, which will be so far completed by that time as to serve for a dining room.
Mr. McNeish has gone into partnership with Christ. Anderson and has removed his shoe and harness shop to the second floor of Anderson's building.  As both are enterprising business men they will undoubtedly prosper and ? ? ? ? such that their patronage will increase as it should.

--Paxton Record.  13 November 1879.

Accidental Death

The Congregational church and society will soon have an edifice of their own for worship, nearly two thousand dollars having already been subscribed.
Martin Dieterly, a farmer living about one mile southwest of Roberts, had the threshers at work on his farm last Tuesday morning.  The work had begun and all hands were at their posts when the elevator of the machine clogged and demanded the attention of someone.  Mr. Dieterly, notwithstanding the protests of the proprietors of the machine, took it upon himself to strip the elevator clear and when the work was finished, instead of getting down at the side of the machine, as directed, stepped onto the table, when his foot slipped and he fell into the cylinder.  Mr. Gust. Flora held to Dieterly, but before the machine could be stopped one of his legs was literally ground into mincemeat.  Dr. Cassingham was summoned and did his best, but the patient never recovered from the shock and died about two hours after the accident.

--Paxton Record.  4 September 1879.

--Paxton Weekly Record.  25 January 1877.

26 October 1875

ROBERTS RAKINGS
Roberts, Ill., Oct. 26th, 1875.
ED. RECORD: -- As our Advocate has departed for greener pastures, and left us at it were without a mouth-piece, I send you a few items.
We last night received another portion of ague pura, which seems to have changed our beautiful fall weather into that of a colder quality.
Times continue very dull, but somewhat improved. Farmers have not yet completed their threshing, and oats and flax come in slowly, and sell at prices not calculated to please anybody very much. Some farmers have commenced cribbing corn, which promises to be a No. 1 crop.
The Litchfield, Ill., car works have put a new fangled corn dryer in the Star elevator of J. B. Meserve & Co., which have failed to give satisfaction, being unable to dry with sufficient rapidity to make it pay. Mr. Meserve has a plan for a drying apparatus which I think, from his explanation, would prove a success if put in operation.
There is a construction train with some thirty men now at work on the Roberts section of the G., C & S. railroad, grading up the low places. Landlord Newman is boarding most of the men . . . 

. . . A Congregational Church was organized in this place on Sunday last, by Rev. Dr. Roy, of Chicago. He preached to large audiences in the afternoon and evening.
Thompson and Lyman have bought the furniture of F. E. Pettit, and the building formerly occupied by Mr. P. has been fitted up for a dwelling and meat market by Myron H. Rice, of Wall, who is soon to remove to our town and furnish the citizens with fine roasts, steaks, and sausages, as companion for our nice cheap potatoes, which are only 25 cents per bushel at present . . .

 

--Paxton Record. 26 October 1875.

18 January 1872

LYMAN ITEMS
Allow me, Mr. Editor, to make my excuses for this lengthy hiatus in my items, and with the promise of being more punctual in the future, I send these for your next issue.
Weather and roads very fine for this season of the year.
Corn is coming into town lively, through the rather low price has a tendency to make the farmers hold on to their maize tighter than they otherwise would.
Considerable corn is being shipped to the East from this station. --To the New England states especially.
Another new house is going up in town. Messrs. Newman & Florey are the builders. Our "G., C. & L." R.R. has made another "time arrangement in regards to its passenger trains." The two night trains are taken off, in order to use the engines to move the freight that has accumulated along the line. This is for a short time only, as the road expects new engines this week.
O. B. Taft, of Chicago, was in town last week.
Several changes in real estate have been made in this vicinity lately.
Alexander Forbes, of this town, has returned from the south where he has been sojourning for some months. We were all glad to see Aleck once more.
The Methodist's are holding a Revival meeting at the school house, in District No. 4. The meetings are largely attended.
The Rev. W. Matthews, of Onarga, agent of the "Western Seamen's Bethel Association," of Chicago, has been lecturing in our town quite extensively Mr. Matthews drew good audiences.
Four hearts that beat as one, four souls with but a single thought, were made contented and happy a short time ago. Those principally interested were Mr. John Barker and Miss Leua Forbes; Mr. J. A. Forbes and Miss Mary Scott, all of this town. We wish them much joy.
Melvin has the blues.... They have a doctor to keep it alive, "Vade in pace."
Miss Rouse, of New York, is visiting relatives in this vicinity.
A. A. Haling of this Township, intends removing to the East in a short time.
The Rev. Mr. Wilcox, the well known and highly esteemed pastor of the Congregational Church, of this town, expired on Tuesday, Jan. 9th.
Several runaways in town lately. No particular damage done.
Something of an accident occurred at the R. R. crossing, near Thawville, a few days ago. A man trying to cross the rail road upset, broke his wagon, killed a horse and otherwise shook things up considerable. Moral, let not drunken men try to cross the "G., C. & L." R. R. near Thawville.
A special petition for a town meeting is circulating in our Township, having for its object to devise ways and means to escape our R. R. indebtedness.

--Paxton Record. 18 January 1872.

United Church of Christ Centennial 1975

 

 

Cooking with Friends

 

--My copy.