5 October 1882

--Paxton Record.  5 October 1882.

1880

--Paxton Record.  8 January 1880.

Homes and Businesses

Thomas McNeish has moved his dwelling house into the western part of town and is making additions to it.
J. B. Meserve has dressed the smoke stack of his elevator in a new coat of paint.  It looks nobby.
The farmers are taking advantage of the favorable weather; they have sown all the flax and oats, some of which is already up nicely, and a large number are planting corn.
Roberts is the only place in Ford County that can boast of a cheese factory.  Mr. Tobey is the proprietor, and we are sure he will turn out a good article as he has employed efficient help.

--Paxton Record.  8 May 1879.

13 June 1878

Chris. Anderson is painting his store.
We have a new store in town, Pfaat & Sch???, who sell for cash only.
T. M. Hubbard, for the last five months with Anderson & Campbell, is now clerking for J. B. Meserve.
The Newman House, which for the past year has been under the management of Mrs. Andrews, of Buckley, is again in the hands of the old landlord, Mr. Newman.

--Paxton Record.  13 June 1878.

More Observations from 1873

Part 2 of 3

Her little business world is peopled by a genial crew.  J. B. Meserve, (whose absence prevented our scraping his acquaintance) presides over the finest steam elevator on the G., C. & S. Railroad, with J. V. Riggs as assistant, while Thompson and Lyman dispense Lumber and Hardware; Montelius & Co., Gose & Smith and Flora & Newman do the fair thing in the line of Dry Goods and General Merchandise. Tom McNish looks after the good of men's soles, and does the agreeable in a well appointed boot and shoe store.  E. A . Bushor, horse tailor, presides with urbanity over his department, while Samuel Tapp and A. Orr, play the anvil chores to the hum of industry.  Peter Pfaat kills the beef, while H. Tinklepaugh divides his time between selecting the choicest places for the guests of the City Hotel -- of which he is proprietor -- and making and mending the wagons and carriages of his neighbors. Miss E. McMasters supplies those airy nothings, which the ladies dote upon and de?? bonnets, while G. H. Waldo belongs to that much abused class -- station agents.

--Paxton Record.  12 June 1873.

25 July 1872.

LYMAN ITEMS
Small showers of rain visited us on Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday it rained as if it really meant it, and it came just in time to save our early corn which was really in need of it.
Horace Lester, one of our well known citizens, has just returned from Nebraska, where he has been purchasing himself a farm. Horace has the "fever" about as bad as anybody we ever knew.
The G. C. & S. R. R. Co. is erecting a station house in Thawville.
The first car of corn was loaded, from the new warehouse on Wednesday, July 17. Five minutes is the time it takes to fill a car.
Our farmers report the army worm is working at their crops. The first place that they made their appearance was in the north part of the Township, and they are reported as steadily advancing southward.
Our school house is being painted -- white.
J. B. Meserve is making preparations to erect a dwelling house in town.
John Newman, whom we mentioned some time ago as leaving for Galesburg for medical treatment, returned on Thursday a mere skeleton, not able to lift his head. His brothers Wm. and James accompanied him.
The smoke stack of Meserve's warehouse was raised to its place on Saturday last. This was something of a feat. It being raised in one lengthy fifty foot piece.
Another big rain on Saturday night.
Reports from Livingston County state that the laborers on the Fairbury road, southeast of that place, came across some copper ore in their excavations.

 
--Paxton Record. 25 July 1872.

Do You Remember

Away Back When in the spring of 1872, J. B. Meserve purchased a lot and had a home built in the Village of Roberts which was a new town being built on the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield Railway? And do you know that the home he built then was torn down this week after having served its purpose for sixty-six years more than half a century of which it was known as the William Wakelin home? Thus is one more old land mark gone.

--Roberts Herald. 2 March 1938.

1874 Elections

In 1874 election was held in the school house and the following officers were elected. Supervisor H. B. Furgerson, Town Clerk G. P. Lyman, Assessor J. L. Smith, Collector W. H. Thompson, Commissioner of Highways James Bond, School Trustee A. B. Graham, Overseers of Highways B. G. Hersperger, E. T. Havens, H. N. Hawk, John Miller, J. N. McNeil, A. T. Light, W. R. Kennedy, W. Wilson, J. B. Meserve, A. Shaffer, J. Landel.

--Roberts Herald. 15 May 1935. Bela Foster.