LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAICN 977o338 C84S cop. 2 T „H .S . Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/sketchesofwetherOOcrai SKETCHES of Wethersfield Township By Frank H. Craig, 1836 - 1925 Wethersfield, your home, my home, With soil so rich and deep, Where fields of waving grain For miles the prairies sweep. Its pastures and its fields, Beneath our flag unfurled, Raise many useful products For the markets of the world. A gem within the bosom Of the greatest land on earth; Where of noble men and women There has never been a dearth. Of this township, Wethersfield, Let us ever then be proud; Let us ever, ever love it, Let us sing its praises loud. For a township, like a state, Will be great, or will be small, As they think and live within it, One by one, its people all. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Position When we say we live in the town, or township, of Wethersfield, we mean that we live in one of the twenty-four political divisions or townships of Henry county; that we live in one of the hundred and two political divisions or counties of Illinois, and that we live in one of the forty-eight political divisions or states of the United States of America. The soil of this township was in possession of the Indians when the first white people came. Whether the township was ever inhabited by a former race, like other portions of the state were, as is shown by mounds and implements, is a subject only for conjecture. No remains of such a race have yet been found within the borders of the township. Wethersfield lies in 41°-12' North Latitude and 89°-45' West Longitude. It is bounded on the north by Bums and Kewanee townships, on the east by Elmira township, on the south by Goshen township, and on the west by Galva township. It is the most southeastern township in Henry county. Wethersfield township is No. 14 north of the base line and it is in Range 5, east of the Fourth Principal Meridian. The Fourth Principal Mer- idian begins at the mouth of the Illinois river and runs straight north to Lake Michigan. The base line crosses the Fourth Principal Meridian at Beardstown. Lying near the center of the North Temperate zone, Wethersfield town- ship has four well-marked seasons — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Spring Spring usually is quite changeable, with much mud. The roads are rough and heavy due to night freezing and daytime thawing. The winds increase in strength during March. Wethersfield has its proverbial March weather, its April showers, and May flowers. It is the season when the birds return from the Southland; when the long silence of winter is broken by the music of bird songs and when every tree and shrub echo with the liquid notes of some feathered songster. It is the season when deep in the earth Mother Nature removes the winter gar- ments from her flower children and sends them forth to beautify the earth. Summer The summers, with an occasional exception, are warm, the temperature rising in the daytime to ninety or ninety-five in the shade. The nights are also uncomfortably warm. Both of these conditions of heat are necessary to make possible the large crops of corn raised in this township. ' 7.3 WKTIIKIISFIIOLI) SKETCHES The Songster A jolly brown thrush, High up in a tree, Is singing a song That is music for me. Happy roister is he, This song bird of mine, Who wakes with the sun On these mornings so fine. Swinging high on a branch Of the old apple tree, He breaks forth in songs, For he's happy and free. The cherries are gone, But the berries I fear Will tempt his bright eyes, . In the garden so near. But why should I care, if With my fruit he makes free, While he pays with the songs That are music for me? Autumn Fall is one of the most pleasant seasons of the year — the season when September days are bright and clear, Bluest skies of all the year; Gold and purple are the leaves, Silver threads the spider weaves. The fall rains fit the ground for plowing. Late frosts help to ripen the corn so that the farmer can get it in his cribs by December. The nuts fall from the trees and the squirrel puts away his stores for winter. The potatoes are dug and stored in bins along the cellar walls. The apples are picked and stored in the barn till winter, or left in heaps in the orchard to be barreled later. The keen air of the early morning heralds old Winter's emissaries — the ice and the snow. The Winter Elves 1 3 The gold of the leaves, With touch of frost, The blue of the sky, It proclaims its sway, The honk of the geese, And sends the winter elves As southward they fly, A-riding this way. 2 4 Tell us that fall, Elves that delight With its wealth untold, In tweaking the nose, Has arrived again, And everything else, As in days of old. Including the toes. 1 WKTHKIlSKIKU) SKETCHES In fancy we see them Come trooping along, Old elf and young elf, With dance and with song. They loop the moth, With reins of gold, And ride, forsooth! With joys untold. Out for mischief Are those merry elves, With never a thought Except for themselves. 'Tis fun for the elves, The livelong night, Till the rising sun Puts them to flight. They dance at midnight In the forest glade, Beside the burrow That the rabbit made. 10 Then tired and sleepy And cross are the elves. For in some dark place They hide themselves. 11 And never again Are elf-folk found Till the moon floods all In its nightly round. Winter In winter changes in temperature may be sudden and considerable. Of late years the winters are practically snowless except when, at periods of eight or ten years, occur heavy falls of snow which lie on the ground for most of the winter. The winter temperature seldom falls below twenty or twenty-five degrees below zero. There's a time in the life of man, When the work of the season is done, When the rewards for his trials and toil Have been gathered one by one. His strength and his youth have passed; They, like the leaves in the fall, Have loosened their hold on the twig, No more will they strive at all. But man, like the leaves of the forest, Has gathered the season's gold, By his deeds of kindness to others, He is richer a hundred fold. He has learned, as we all must learn, As we near the parting of ways, That this helping one another Is the only thing that pays. We need not fear the future then, While watching our leaves to fall, For we know that a loving hand Cares for the leaves and for all. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Size Wethersfield township is six miles square and contains 22,421.17 acres of land. The surface is generally level or undulating. The sloughs of the southern, central and north-central parts of the township unite to form Indian creek, which flows a little east of south, passing out of the township nearly two miles west of its southeastern corner. The Soil Wethersfield township has been subjected to two glaciations. The sec- ond of these glaciations took place many thousands of years after the first glaciation. The second glaciation pushed westward hardly any if at all beyond the western boundary of the township. The surface soil, rich and black, overlies two or more clays. These clays are the results of the decay of the original rocks. The rich black top-soil is a deposit of glacial drift mixed by the action of earth worms with humus derived from decayed animal and vegetable life. In several places in the township small beds of gravel and of sand are found. Occasionally large bowlders are seen either upon or near the sur- face of the earth. These beds of sand and gravel are terminal moraines of one or the other of the great ice-sheets or glaciers before mentioned. The bowlders were brought from the Laurentian Highlands in Canada by those same ice-sheets and were left where they now lie when the ice- sheets melted. Wethersfield Trees Forests Originally there were two areas of timber land in the township. One of these areas covered the south central part along Indian creek; the other WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES area was a portion of Barren Grove which extended into the northern part of the township. A portion of the southern area- still remains on section 34. Blish's woods is all that remains of the northern area. The trees of these forests con- sisted of oaks, walnut, hickory, etc. The wild crab apple, wild plum, and the haw tree were and are still found, though in greatly decreased numbers. Sumac, hazel and wild blackberry, which grew in great abundance, have almost entirely disappeared. Most of the oak, hickory and black walnut timber has been removed, but an occasional tree or a few trees still stand to mark the spot where some natural grove formerly stood. Minerals Coal has never been mined to any great extent in Wethersfield town- ship, though it has been mined in some of the adjoining townships. From the early 80's till in the 90's coal was taken from tunnels run into the banks of the slough on the northeast quarter of section 19. There is at present a mine on section 20 from which a good quality of bituminous coal is being taken. Borings for water show that a layer of coal from three to four and one- half feet in thickness underlies at least a part of the township, but in many places the roof of this deposit is such as to make mining of the coal unprof- itable. Some sand for building purposes was obtained in the 70's from a mound on the south end of the east one-half of the northwest quarter of section 29. i Game In the days before the white man came to Illinois, herds of wild animals such as the buffalo, the elk and the deer roamed over the prairies of Weth- ersfield township and took refuge in its groves. Elk were shot upon the prairies of Illinois as late as 1816, and buffalo as late as 1818. The last beaver was trapped in 1876. There still may be seen near the southwest corner of the north half of the northeast quarter of section 31 two pond-like depressions which, with- out doubt, are the remains of old buffalo wallows. In the pioneer days of the white man in Wethersfield township the deer, the wolf, and the fox were common. Men who were here in the 50's tell of often seeing from two to a dozen deer at a time upon the prairie land of the township. For several weeks during the fall V-shaped flocks of ducks and geese could be seen daily on their way southward. In the spring flocks of these same fowls often came down in the new-sown wheat fields to feed upon the uncovered wheat or upon the corn that had been left in the field from the preceding crop. Sometimes five hundred or a thousand geese could be seen feeding at daybreak in a single forty-acre field. Flocks of wild pigeons were' so numerous that during their migrations they oftened darkened the sun. Prairie chickens could be seen in flocks numbering from one hundred to* one thousand or more upon their feeding grounds in spring, and the whistle of the quail could be heard throughout the year. Since the draining of the ponds and sloughs the wild geese and the wild ducks have taken other courses in their migrations. Seldom is a flock of either seen feeding in a Wethersfield field. Not a single descendant of the wild pigeon, which once flew over this region in countless numbers, is left. The prairie chicken and the quail are WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES rapidly disappearing and it will be but a few years before they, like the buffalo, the elk and the beaver will have disappeared forever from the locality. The quail and the prairie chicken are of inestimable value to the farmer because of their insect-eating proclivities. Laws have been passed to pro- tect these birds, but they are still decreasing in numbers. This is partic- ularly true of the prairie chicken. This bird, which formerly nested at the roots of the prairie grass, does not seem able to meet the changed condi- tions, due to the coming of man. The quail is more pliable to changing con- ditions, and everything possible should be done to protect and preserve it. Bob White Dainty little whistler, Harbinger of light, Sweet and clear is the call Of his whi, whi, whi-it. Where the corn leaves rustle, Through the sultry night, 'Tis his voice that echoes With a whi, whi, whi-it. Harmless little creature, Ever a pretty sight, Summer days recalling, With his whi, whi, whi-it. Listen to him, one and all, Is it just, is it right, That we harm this useful bird, Stop his whi, whi, whi-it? Rather let's together stand To protect our Bob White, Ere he's gone forever, With his whi, whi, whi-it. Wild Flowers Wild flowers bloomed through the summer on the many fields of un- broken prairie and along the sloughs. Cowslips, Marsh Marigolds, Wild Pinks, Indian Pipes, Blue Vervain, Goldenrods and many others gave a color to the summer landscape that has completely vanished. Wild strawberries grew plentifully upon the prairie hillsides, the sweet- est and daintiest strawberries that ever reddened the lips of a barefoot boy. In the fall of the year the giant Rosinweed, when punctured or broken, supplied a gum which was often chewed by country boys and girls. In the groves the Hepatica, Blue-eyed • Mary, Blood Root, Dogtooth Violet, Wood Violet, Wood Pink, Anemone, Dicentraj Wild Larkspur and Wild Columbine blossomed in profusion. Each in its season gave a beauty and charm which must forever pass from the township unless something is done to prevent the destruction of the small acreage of timber land still remaining along Indian creek. WKTHKRSFfELO SKETCHES Blue-eyed Mary (C. verna) Where springtime odors fill the air, In woodland dell and forest glade, Blue-eyed Mary in silence thrives, Dainty flower of light and shade. Innocent of pride or evil, Showering sweetness all the day, Filling all the world with gladness, Blue-eyed Mary is queen of May. Woodland sprite is Blue-eyed Mary, Robed in azure, green and white, Sought by drowsy humming insects, From the morning till the night. And my choice of all the flowers That bedecks the summer gay, Is this dainty Blue-eyed Mary, Queen of flowers that bloom in May. The Orchard It is said that David Potter, the father of Matthew Potter, raised the first apples in the township. Later apple trees were planted on every farm, a portion of each being set apart for "the orchard." Many of these trees came from the "Willard" nursery, just east of the village of Wethersfield. Dr. Hiram Nance set out an orchard on every farm that he acquired. There are still some apple trees on lots 9 and 10 of the original village of Weth- ersfield that he set out. In the 70's and 80's the orchards of the township were bearing plenti- fully. No more beautiful sight was ever seen than an orchard of two hundred trees in May, white with blossoms and filled with singing birds and humming bees — bees that were eagerly taking the sweets from every blos- som and unknowingly distributing pollen from blossom to blossom. No man, however long he may live, will ever forget the fun of the search for the first ripe apples in the orchard, nor the rotten apple fights with the neighbor boys, nor the "stomach aches" caused by eating green apples before their starch had been changed into sugar. I Apples were so plentiful in those days that good winter apples could be bought in barrels at from twenty-five to fifty cents per bushel, and cider apples could be had for the gathering. Among the many varieties of apples in the order in which they ripened, were: June Red, Early Harvest, Maiden Blush, Domino, Bellflower, Rhode Island Greening, Russet, Willowtwig, Limbertwig, Winesap, and Romanite. My thoughts go back to the orchard, I stand 'mong blossoms and trees, I hear the songs of the birds And listen to the hum of the bees. The turtle dove's nest of sticks, Laid criss-cross there I see, The mud-daubed nest of the robin, In the crotch of every tree. Though far removed am I From orchard and farm today, Very well do I remember Those blossoms, that orchard in May! YVETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Arrowheads from Mill Street Hillside F ' jfl l vp; J [ ,v3» 11 ^F ^B Mf ^^^9 Bf 'l£ '^T V ^31 Indians The occurrence of Indian arrowheads in all parts of Wethersfield town- ship proves that it once formed a part of the Indian hunting grounds. In pioneer days stone arrowheads were frequently found upon the prairies and to this day they are turned out by the plow. U. WKTHKItSFIELl) SKETCHES The Illini, before their destruction by the Iroquois, claimed Wethers- field township as a part of their hunting grounds. Later it was claimed by the Sacs and Foxes, who had their chief settlement on Rock river in the northwestern part of Henry county. The chief Indian trail in Wethersfield township ran almost directly north and south through the township. This trail entered the township a little over a mile from its southwestern corner, crossed the western branch of Indian creek on section 29, south of the sand mound on the Craig farm, thence almost directly north to Blish's woods at Wethersfield. A few rods of this trail can still be seen on the northern slope of the hill south of the sand mound before mentioned. This piece of the trail was never plowed up, and is probably the only vestige of an Indian trail left in Wethersfield township. The last Indians in any number to use this trail was the band of the Winnebago chief, Shick-Shack, who in 1827 led his band, consisting of over forty men with their squaws and children, over this trail to Prophetstown, thence to the Wisconsin hill country. It is said on good authority that this same chief was one of the friendly Winnebagoes who helped to place Black Hawk in the hands of the United States troops after that chief's escape at the battle of Bad Axe, August 2, 1832. As late as 1857 Indians used to camp in the grove that stood on the Robb place on section 28. This used to be a favorite camping place. There were plenty of fish in Indian creek, and wild plums, crab apples and grapes grew in abundance upon the' banks of that stream. Indian arrowheads found along the slough south of Mill street prove that this locality was at one time occupied by Indians. Some of these arrow heads are made from stone not native to Illinois, but of stone obtained from widely separated regions. The slope south of Division street, between Tenney and Hollis streets, was an ideal camping ground. Barren Grove protected the wigwams from the storms which swept down from the northwest. The springs along the slough furnished water for both man and beast, and the prairie off to the east, south and west furnished plenty of game for hunting. The First Tavern WETHERSEIELP SKETCHES 11 Origin and Early History Dr. Caleb J. Tenney of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was the originator of the Wethersfield colony. Through the efforts of Mr. Tenney a meeting was held in the vestry of the Congregational church at Wethersfield, Con- necticut, in the fall of 1835. At this meeting the idea of a western settle- ment took tangible shape and a later meeting was arranged for February 15, 1836. On that date about a dozen men met at the place of the previous meet- ing to further discuss the matter. From this meeting sprang the Connec- ticut Association, which formed a little settlement upon the prairies of Illi- nois that in eighty-eight years has become a city of nearly twenty thousand people. Present at this meeting, on February 15, 1836, were Caleb J. Tenney, Chester Bulkley, Elisha Wolcott, Archibald Welch, Gordon H. Montague, Alfred Glinn, Henry G. Little and Merritt Butler, all of Wethersfield; Rev. John Marsh, of Philadelphia; Rev. Ralph Emerson, of Andover; William Wheeler, of Milford; Rev. Harvey Talcott, of Chatham, and Sullivan Howard, of Madison. Chester Bulkley was chosen treasurer and Dr. Welch secretary. In a set of regulations adopted at this meeting, the purpose of the Connecticut Association was set forth as follows: "The undersigned, having in view the establishment of a colony for promoting the cause of education and piety in the state of Illinois or vicinity, and the increase of our doing good, do mutually agree to associate for the attainment of these objects." The stockholders provided for a standing committee of seven, four of whom were to be actual residents. This committee was to* be the govern- ing body of the proposed settlement and were to perform the functions of town selectmen, and perhaps of the other officers. A literary institute was also contemplated under the control of a self-perpetuating board of eleven members (including the pastor of the church yet to be established). The company styled itself the "Connecticut Association." The original stockholders, later increased by forty-seven others, resided in the New England or Middle Atlantic states. Fully one-fourth of the stockholders were ministers of the gospel. Several of them were wealthy men. John Marsh was a great temperance advocate. Gardner Spring was at the head of one of the great New York City churches. Payson and Tenney were noted divines of that day. Thirty-seven articles of agreement were signed by the stockholders. The stock of the association was valued at $250.00 per share. During the winter of 1835-36 one hundred shares were taken, and $25,000 paid into the treasury. Late in February, 1836, a committee consisting of Col. Sylvester Blish, Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury and Elizur Goodrich, a surveyor, was appointed to go to Illinois and select land. The route of these men was by the way of Baltimore, over the Alle- ghanies to Wheeling, down the Ohio river by steamboat, up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to Peoria, thence to Knoxville, Henderson Grove, and Andover. From Andover they footed it to Barren Grove, where they camped while selecting the company's land. In 1836 this committee entered ninety-nine quarter sections of land. About half of this land lay in Wethersfield township, the rest in Kewanee township. The first entry was made May 7, 1836. Another quarter section was purchased later. This brought the total of the company's lands up to 16,000 acres, part prairie and part timber land. Most of the timber land lay in Kewanee township. The purchase was made of the government by Goodrich and Blish, who deeded the land in trust to Chester Bulkley, secretary and treasurer of the 11' WETH ERSE I ELI > SK ETCHES association. Bulkley, and after five years, Samuel Galpin, who became sec- retary and treasurer, deeded the land toi individual members of the associa- tion or to others who purchased company lands. Kilvington Cabin After the committee of purchase had returned and reported their doings to the association, Rev. Joseph Goodrich, John F. Willard and Henry G. Little were appointed to proceed to the colony lands and to survey and lay out a town plat and to divide the timber land into lots of twenty acres each. Mr. Willard and Mr. Little reached the colony lands on November 11, 1836. John Kilvington had recently erected a log cabin northeast of the proposed colony. Mr. Willard and Mr. Little stayed with him a few days and then, being unable to obtain the county surveyor, returned to French Grove in Peoria county. Here they secured the services of Surveyor Nelson Simons and returned to the site of the colony, accompanied by John F. Willard, William Wheeler, William T. Little, Sullivan Howard and Simeon B. Stoddard. The 17th and 18th of November were spent in surveying. Late on the 18th all except Willard went to Faker's Grove for the winter. Mr. Willard started a cabin, the first house to be erected on the com- pany's lands, and the first building to be erected in Westersfield. For two weeks, while building it, he walked morning and night from the Kilvington cabin. During the following winter, Mr. Willard, Nathan Butler and Joseph Goodrich lived in Mr. Willard's cabin. Sullivan Howard built the first frame house in the colony. He was a carpenter by trade. He hauled the lumber for his house from a sawmill on Spoon river seventy miles away. His house was built in the spring of 1837. In the set of "Regulations" of the association it was provided that a full section of land to be paid for out of reserve funds, should be set apart for public use, distributed as follows: There shall be a public square of ten acres in the center, and the remainder shall be divided into squares of WETHERSFIELD SK ETCHES 13 forty rods each, to be sub-divided into lots of twenty rods containing two and one-half acres each; and the lots contiguous to the public square shall be divided into smaller building lots, and such number of the larger lots as the association may direct shall be apportioned to public purposes. In April of 1837 the committee appointed to lay out the village lot and to divide the timber land into twenty-acre lots obtained the services of County Surveyor Seymour. A village was laid out on the west half of section 3, and east half of section 4, in township No. 14 north, range 5, east of the Fourth Principal Meridian. This village plot lay at about the middle of the colony lands. Originally the shares of the association consisted, in land, of one hun- dred and sixty acres of prairie land, twenty acres of timber land and a town lot of two and one-half acres. It was the intention of the company to sell shares of land and lots at public sale, the highest bidder to have first choice; the next highest bidder the second choice, etc. This plan however was soon dropped and as an inducement for mem- bers of the association and for those who might buy of them to go and settle the lands, each settler was allowed to select his location from alternate quarter sections. Taking a share in land operated to close the connection of that member with the company. In laying out the village, symmetry of form was obtained by dividing the "village section" into squares of forty rods each by roads six rods wide; and no house was to be built less than thirty feet from public streets without special permission. Around the entire village a public highway four rods wide was planned. Original Survey of the Village of Wethersfield The town of Wethersfield is laid off on the east half of section four (4) and west half of section three (3) in township No. fourteen (14) north, range five (5) East, in Henry county, State of Illinois for Chester Bulkley and John W. Wells, acting agents for the association, in April A. D. 1837. The lots are all twenty (20) rods square except the north lots on the north tier of blocks which are fractional and lots No. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 39, 40, 41 and 42 next to and east of the public square and lots 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 35, 36, 37 and 38 next to and south of the public square and lots 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 next and west of the public square, which are four (4) rods wide and twelve (12) rods long, and lots 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27, in the same blocks are four (4) rods wide and twenty (20) rods long. The streets are all six (6) rods wide except South, East and West streets, which are four (4) rods wide, and North street, which is two (2) rods wide. The public square is forty (40) rods square and a stone is planted at its northeast corner. — Abraham Seymour, County Surveyor. From north to south the streets running east and west were named as follows: North street, Mill street, Church street, North Main street, South Main street, College street and South street. From east to west the streets running north and south were: East street, Edwards street, Dwight street, Willard street, Tenney street, Hollis street, Payson street and West street. North street has since been changed to Division street, North Main street to McClure street and South Main street to Garfield street. Several of these streets were named after men famous in their day. Edwards and Dwight were presidents of Yale College. Payson and Tenney were min- isters having national reputations. Tenney will be remembered as insti- gator of the colony. 14 AVETH KKSF1KLD SKETCHES If an individual was unwilling to pay the amount asked for any certain share he could have the privilege of putting the same land up at auction to the company and the price at auction should be the price of the property. The building sites near the public square not required for public uses and the needs of the promotors were to be sold at auction and the avails of the sales set aside for the founding of a "Manual of Labor Academy." The proceeds from the sales of other lands held in common were to be used also for this purpose and for making roads and building bridges and mills. A village lot was to be set aside for the "meeting house" and parsonage, the religious denomination of which was to be decided by the association later; and it was further stipulated that the "trustees or committee of the congregation shall hold all the lots given to public purposes except those given to the academy, which shall be held by the trustees of the institution." To the originators of the Connecticut Association the lands of Illinois seemed specially well suited to the successful operation of their undertaking. The successful outcome of the Black Hawk war had opened up to the settlers the whole northern part of the state with its excellent soil. Improvements had already been begun which promised much to the immigrants. Claims were rapidly being taken up. Illinois had been a state eighteen years and already had a population of 300,000, though Chicago with its four thousand inhabitants, had not yet become a city. The Illinois and Michigan canal project gave an impetus to immigration. A meeting held at Wethersfield, Conn., July 13, 1836, which the records say "was opened with prayer," received the Prudential committee's report. A balance of over $5,000 was returned to the treasurer. At a special meet- ing, August 9, 1836, it was voted to suspend the rule as to distribution by lot and to hold all purchases in common. Actual settlers, however, were to be allowed to select under restrictions, their own sites for dwellings. The standing committee which was to be the governing board of the colony was increased to nine, five of whom were to be residents of the east. This committee as newly constituted consisted of Bulkley, Tenney, Welch, Riddel, Pillsbury and James Lockwood Belden. These men had the power to select the remaining three members from the west. They were authorized to buy and sell land and to cause the erection of mills, a public house and brickyard; to build an academy and to make all the other necessary improvements, "with reasonable regard to the profits of the stockholders." The $5,000 turned back to the association by the Prudential committee was appropriated to build a steam saw and grist mill. The mills were located upon the land described as follows: Beginning at the southwest cor- ner of lot 36; thence east 7 ch. and 8 1.; thence northeasterly 88 1. to a point 8 ch. and 20 1. from the west line of said lot; thence north to the north line of said lot; thence west to> the northwest corner of said lot; thence south to the place of beginning. The work was commenced in the summer of 1837. The sawmill was at work in January of 1838 and the grist mill in the fall of the same year. William Howard was the engineer and Arthur Thornton was the first miller. It was the intention of the company to sell the mills after they were in operation and to use the proceeds of the sale in the establishing of an academy in the colony. It was found, however,when the mills were com- pleted that besides the $5,000 appropriated, the company was $4,000 in debt and it was impossible to find anyone who would invest $9,000 in such property. \v i<:t units f 1 1-: u » s k \<:t< : 1 1 es if, ©2E0«4S 9 The Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Association was held at the Vestry, in Wetherefield, on the 17th of August, 1337. James L. Bem>en, Esq., was appointed Moderator, and Archibald Wxicn, Secretary. . The Report of the Standing Committee was read, accepted, and ordered to be placed upon record. Tin' Report of the Treasurer was read, accepted, and ordered to be placed on file. Chester Bulkley. Caleb 'J. Tenney, Archibald Welch, James L. Belderi, Samuel II. Riddel, and Iihamar IMsbury, were appointed a Standing Committee. Resolved, That a Cibcclas, containing the proceedings of the meeting, and an abstract of the Report of the Committee, be printed and forwarded to each of the Stockholders. Resolved, That the Standing Committee !>e authorized, in all conveyances of land to purchasers and to Stockholders, to reserve for the benefit of the Company, the right to threo-fourths of all the Coal Mines and other minerals, and Stone Quarrii s, and fill) right to work them, except in the case of the four first sales. Required, That the period during which Stockholders (who become settlers,) might select their own quarter sections. He extended from the rir^t of August to the first of nest September. Reared, That such Stockholders as may desire to become actual settlers, after the first day of next September, and before the first day of August, 18^8, may select their farms by their own choice, on rendition that tin \ make taich per ernt, advance pa\incnt upon the original price of a share, as the Committee shall podge right, and also choose their farms in the present course of regular alternation, and before one half the purchase !»■ taken tip. Resolved, That the next Annual Meeting be held at Wethersfield, on the first Thursday of September, 1SSS', at 10 o'clock, A. M. ARCHIBALD WELCH, Secretary, REMARKS. v Four quarter sections and one-eighth have been sold, with eighty acres of timber land, and eleven and s quarter acres of village lots ; the cost of which was to the Company eleven hundred and eleven dollars, and the amount in sale was two thousand one hundred and twenty-eight dollars. An agreement has, in all cases, been made with the purchaser, that he shall become an actual settler within the time specified, and conform to the moral rules and objects of tbe Association. Sixteen and one-eighth quartt r sections have been taken up by five purchasers and twelve Stockholders, •"T^erfW^forW ifflmMM now Ln the Township, "and three Mrf will soon be added. Several log cabins and two or three Coarse framed houses have been erected. The character and conduct of the settlers, and their confidence of success, are believed to be worthy of the object, and well calculated to give a healthful character to -the settlement, Several of the settlers are professors of religion, and uniformly maintain social worship upon the Sabbath. The Missionary Society of Connecticut has commissioned the Rev. Ithamar Pilsbury to labor there half the time during the present year. One quarter section has been purchased since the first contract, because it contained an extensive Bed of coal. There is one other rich bed of coal, and indications of it in various places in the township. The Village is laid out, and contains 16-1 Village Lots, 20 of which are nocded for public uses, and 85 for the quarter sections. As coal is abundant and water power is wanting, the Committee have engaged a steam engine, which is to be completed by the first of October, and will be put in operation during nest autumn, or early in the spring, and is of sufficient power to carry one saw and two run of stones. The cost of the engiue, with three boilers, and all the necessary apparatus, will be $2550. The cost of the mills, when completed, will bj . about §6000. The committee express their » strong persuasion, that thus far the hand of Providence has favored, equal to their fullest expectation, the enterprise of the Association, to increase their own means of usefulness, and of promoting Education, Temperance, and Protestant Christianity in the West.'? - 7| Circular (1837) 16 AVKTU KKSF1KLD SKRTCHIOS The company kept the mills for seven years during which the following men were millers: H. G. Little, William Howard, William Weeks, Sylvanus and Isaac Ferris, Windsor and Leonard Smith. The mills not paying, the company then sold them to Jeduthan Hubbard for $2,000, at a loss of $7,000. Hubbard sold the mill stones to a miller on Spoon river below Rochester and took the engine and saw to< Farmington where a saw mill was erected. This ended the project of an academy by the company. From time to time the little colony received additional members. By the end of 1838 it had a population of one hundred and thirty people. More houses had been built and crops had been planted on two hundred and fifty- acres. A circular issued by the association for the benefit of intended purchasers in the east declared that the settlement was a community of working men and a temperance community. A grist and sawmill were in operation. Religious worship was maintained regularly on the Sabbath, a minister from the Connecticut Missionary Society filling the pulpit about one-third of the time. At the annual meeting in 1839 the standing committee presented a report of the threee year's progress of the colony. There were about twenty-two families, twenty to thirty buildings including a log meeting house where the missionary Rev. William Vaill labored two-thirds of the year, a young peoples' lyceum, a school house open three months in the winter and spring and a steam mill. Financially considered, the undertaking was apparently a success, the assets being estimated at $6584.77, the liabilities $4,462.00. "The settlers," says the year's report, "have been industrious and temperate and have borne with fortitude the privations unavoidable to a new settlement. They have been eminently blessed with health and have none of them been removed by death." During 1839 considerable expenditure had been made in the anticipation of a rapid growth in the settlement which later events did not justify and the early hopes of gain from a financial standpoint were held in check. During 1840 less than a section of land was sold by the association. How- ever, the chief, though not the avowed objects of the movements were not lost sight of, for in the report for 1840 the committee expressed the opinion, "That the undertaking will not prove unprofitable and that the promotion of the cause of education and piety in the state of Illinois and the increase of our means of doing good, will, under the guidance of Him who superintends all events, be ultimately realized. By the fall of 1841, of the original purchase, eighteen and one-half quarter sections had been taken up by the stockholders, and nine were sold. The progress of the colony was not assured however, and from that time it would appear that the altruistic motives which were constantly reiterated as the primary incentive were not to be continued at a pecuniary sacrifice to the astute business men in Connecticut. Yet, that year the report of the committee states that, "The colony is in a prosperous condi- tion despite the fact that the association was in debt $3,000 against which notes presumably against the settlers were held as assets to about the same amount. In September, 1842, it was the unanimous opinion of the stockholders of the association as expressed in conference assembled, that their in- dividual interests and the interests of the colony would be promoted by levying a tax for the payment of the whole debt against the company and making an immediate distribution of the property held in common. At two meetings held in 1842 steps were taken toward closing up the affairs of the association and various propositions for the disposal of the lands were discussed. WETHIOKSFIKIJ) SKKTCHKS 17 The original quantity of land, to which each share entitled a holder was one hundred and sixty acres of prairie, twenty acres of timber and one town lot. But so much of the land had been sold to meet the indebt- edness of the company, that by 1848 when a division of the company's land was made, a little more than eighty acres of prairie land remained to each share with the timber and town lots. The difficulty of selling crops so far from markets and the slow sales of the company's lands caused financial difficulties and in ,1848 the lands still in possession of the association, some forty-two quarter sections, were advertised for sale. It was during this period that some individuals claim that one of the advertisements showed a picture of the mills with the slough enlarged to the size of a river. A steamboat was seen plying upon the river carrying products to the four corners of the earth. The writer made several trips to Wethersfield, Conn., hoping to find this advertisement. He succeeded in finding the sale bills advertising the colony lands in Illinois, but the wonderful advertisement of Spoon river's steamboat was not among them. He also talked with descendants of the promoters of the colony. These people had in their possession much data relating to the Wethersfield colony in Illinois, but none of them had ever seen such an advertisment. Some twenty-five years ago, the writer also talked with many old settlers of Wethersfield and Kewanee. Among these were William Goodrich, William Kent and Jas. K. Blish, the latter of whom knew more of the history of the Wethersfield colony than any other man of his time. None of these old settlers had ever seen such an advertisement. There are several ways in which the impression of such an advertisement might rise: First: The sale of colony lands was advertised in a Hartford, Con- necticut paper. The old files of this paper show the advertisement. On the same page there were several pictures of steamboats. It may have been a sight of this paper from which the story was created. , Second: On some of the paper sacks in which the products of the mill were distributed was a picture of a sail boat and the name and location of the mill. This may have been the origin of the story. The slough which runs parallel with Mill street and upon which stood the mill of the colony is the beginning of Indian creek which flows south and empties into Spoon river. Speculators may have advertised lands upon the banks of Spoon river in the aforesaid manner. If so, there is probably such an advertisement in existence, and one may come to light some day. But when it does, if ever, it will be found that the settlers of Wethersfield colony did not sponsor the advertisement. The possessions of the company had been offered for sale frequently during the years between 1842-47. On November 23, 1847, the sale of the assets of the company at public auction was authorized. Early in the year following, bills with the heading "Farms in Illinois" were posted in Wethersfield, Conn, and vicinity, announcing the sale at auction of all lands held by the expiring Connecticut association. February 16, 1848, was the date set, and Fessenden's hotel in Hartford, Conn., was the place of sale. However, the auction of the company's belongings never took place for on the day before the time set for the sale, the association met and indefinitely postponed the sale, adopting instead a plan by which each stockholder was assessed $28 on each share, for the purpose of liquidating all debts. On Tuesday, March 7, 1848, at the home of the treasurer, Dr. Welch, a final distribution of the property was made by lot, under the direction of a committee consisting of Chester Bulkley, John Hammer and John Francis. A copy of the bill is here given: 18 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES FORTY-TWO FARMS, each containing One Hundred and Sixty Acres of PRAIItJH, Twenty of TmilKIt, and a Village Lot of Two and a half acres, will be offered for sale,' at PUBLIC AUCTION, by the Committee of the "Connecticut •fosoeiation" at .llr. K. FESSEIVDEITS Hotel, in the city of 1L1RTFOR1), Conn., on the Kith hist., at 10 o'clock, A. Si. These Farms are in \\*^^^ '" Auction Bill Colony Lands in 1848 The following map shows the colony lands at the time the Connecticut association closed up its affairs in 1848. The darkened squares and rec- tangles show the land taken by the stockholders or sold to other parties. The light squares with numbers show the quarter sections of land not sold, the smaller light rectangles show the timber lots unsold. The small dark squares show the position of the houses. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 1!) The very faint irregular line from the north east, passing down and westerly through the southern part of section 31, shows the southern boundary of Barren Grove. This grove was originally fifteen miles long and six miles wide. It covered what later became the city of Kewanee, extending southward to Mill street. Square No. 100 was the last quarter section bought by the association. It was purchased because it was supposed to have coal upon it. It seems that no coal has ever been mined from it, though considerable coal has been taken from section 19 which lies south and west of this quarter section. WETHERSFIELD, HENfiY Co. ILLINOIS 4 i] *'~f*~ I jJu Some thirty years ago the original land grants of the association, signed by President Tyler, were found in a Wethersfield, Conn., attic. These were sent by Albert Galpin, town clerk at Wethersfield, Connecticut, to Cam- bridge, Illinois, the county seat of the western colony. With the meeting of March 7, 1848, the Connecticut association ceased to exist and the little colony upon the western prairies was left to make its own future history. 20 WETHERSFIEE1> SKETCHES The Prairies When the first white man saw Wethersfield township, the whole of it, except the groves along the streams, was covered with "prairie" grass. This grass, which produced no seed, sprang up with each recurring season. By what process in the remote past the land was seeded is not known. The grass had wonderful vitality and in places it stood as high as the back of a horse. Wild flowers bloomed throughout the summer amid the waving prairie grass, not only on the higher land but along the sloughs. Cowslips, Marsh Marigolds, Blue Vervains, Goldenrods, Wild Pinks, Indian Pipes and many others gave a color to the summer landscape that has long since vanished. Wild strawberries grew plentifully upon the prairie hillsides. In the older part of the Wethersfield cemetery, along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy right-of-way and in some of the older roads of the township, prairie grass still grows with each recurring season. Aaron Townsend cut prairie hay on the east end of the south 80 of the southwest quarter of section 30 in the early 80's. Prairie Fires A prairie fire in the early days was a dreaded occurrence. These fires usually took place in the fall of the year. If the wind happened to be strong the fire would run like a race horse in a straight line, leaving long side-fires from the place of starting. For protection against prairie fires, several furrows were plowed around the buildings. Backfiring was resorted to when possible. Sometimes the fire would run into a rail fence. Then the only thing to do was to> throw down the fence and beat out the fire. For beating out fires, a piece of flat board, a wet sack or an old coat were used. It was an awe-inspiring sight to see a prairie fire at night, with the leading fire far in advance of the side-fires, and all burning so brightly as to light up the heavens for miles around. Once seen, the sight could never be forgotten. Our Pioneer Grandmothers Our pioneer grandmothers labored from morning till dusk and then by candlelight continued their work on into the evening. They spun the wool raised on the farm into yarn. This yarn was taken from the old spinning wheel and wound on a reel into skeins. The skeins were dyed with home- made dyes, then wound into balls by hand. These balls of yarn were knitted into stockings or mittens or woven into cloth from which blankets and clothes were made. They strained the milk and kept the crocks, pans and pails sweet and clean. They skimmed the rich, yellow cream from the milk and with the old dash-churn, turned this cream into the finest butter possible. They knew how to make "all-cream" cheese and "skim-milk" cheese that would melt in a hungry mouth. They could make all kinds of delectable dishes from corn. The corn- meal pudding was placed in a small sack and then boiled in a kettle of water. They knew how to make "Johnny cake," "Injun bread" and hominy. No more does a hungry boy eat a whole Johnny cake with a bowl of milk and smack his lips for more. No more does he eat his hunk of "Injun" pudding covered with sweetened cream and no more is his Sunday dinner made entirely of hominy and milk. Those pioneer grandmothers met several times during the year at a WETHERSFJELD SKETCHES 21 quilting bee where they finished the pieced blocks made from the remnants of the year's dresses and aprons, into warm quilts for winter or into the "crazy quilts" that are still shown by their grandchildren. In sickness they were ever ready to give a helping hand. They knew all the first-hand remedies. Catnip and boneset hung drying in the garret at all times. Yellow dock salve could be made at a moment's notice and molasses and sulphur were always in the cupboard. The home was the center of family interest. Every home every evening was a "Cotter's Saturday Night." The mother's "no" to her children meant "NO." "You may stay a half-hour" meant just one-half hour and no longer. Those girl grandmothers of ours wore sensible low-heeled shoes and calico dresses and aprons. They wore their hair in long braids, tied with ribbons. They wore sun-bonnets made from calico remnants, stiffened with a few flat pieces of pasteboard, in summer, and a cloak having a hood and cape in winter. These grandmothers of ours often hid very attractive faces beneath those sunbonnets and often our boy grandfathers failed to get even a glimpse of those winsome hidden faces. The world moves on. Our grandmothers have gone to their reward. The mother of today has changed. The family life no longer centers about the home fireside. High-heeled shoes and other fashions have been brought from the French capital to take the place of the calfskin shoe and the calico dress. No longer do our girls wear their hair in long braids tied with ribbons. No longer are their faces hidden by the sunbonnets of yore. Civilization cannot stand still, but sometimes we wonder if its progress is along the right path. When the Village Was Young Along the southern edge of Barren Grove in the 40's lay the little village of Wethersfield which had been founded in 1837. It had at that time the only business houses within a radius of twelve miles. There were scattered houses in all directions, especially to the north. The interests of all these homes centered in Wethersfield. People came here for their mail, to the shops to have their blacksmithing, etc., done, and to the stores to do their trading. Their children came here to school. One of the first blacksmith shops in the township was erected by Norman Butler on the northeast corner of Lot 89 in the block lying just east of the public square. On North Main, now McClure street, between Tenney and Payson streets were grouped on both sides of the road, a number of business houses. On the south side of the road and about twenty rods west of Tenney street stood Hallin's tailor shop. Between this shop and Little & Perkin's store stood the Village Tin Shop as it was called in those days. Little & Perkin's store had been built by Caleb J. T. Little who had a blacksmith shop farther west at the corner of McClure and Hollis streets. In this shop, Mr. Little shod the ox teams of the early settlers. Between the store and the blacksmith shop stood the office of 'Squire Miner, Justice of Peace for the village. At the corner, by the blacksmith shop, was a flagpole and across the street was an open field where all public gatherings were held. The flag- pole was erected by the Democrats of the village, but did not stand long, much to the gratification of their Republican neighbors. On the north side of McClure street, Daniel McClure built a store in 1849, the McClure house now standing. A lean-to on the west side of this store was used as a wagon shop. James Wiley, Sr. worked in this shop 22 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES before he built the shop at the corner of Tenney and Church streets on Lot 48. Next to McClure's store was Dr. Phinney's Drug store, which besides the doctor's own office, contained the office of Dr. Earle, who was a dentist. Farther west across the road at the corner of Hollis and McClure streets, stood a shoe shop where shoes were made and repaired. This shop, as well as the next two buildings were erected by G-. E. Smith, who had moved from the northern part of the village near Division and Willard streets where he had built what is thought to have been the first store in the township. The building next to the shoe shop, built in 1845 was used by Smith as a store. Later it became the property of U. V. Matthews. Beyond the store, Smith erected a warehouse thirty-six feet long, twenty-six feet wide and twelve feet high at the eaves. Sullivan Howard, master carpenter, made the entire framework of the building from hard- wood. The sills and posts were hewn by hand. This building was completed about 1848. It was used as a warehouse by Mr. Smith. At one time pork was barrelled in it. When the new town of Kewanee was started to the north of Wethersfield, this building was "skidded" to that town. J. H. Page, still living in the township, was one of the men who helped move it to Kewanee. This building, erected over seventy years ago from lumber which grew in this locality, now stands on the Porter property in Kewanee. It is used by the Record Lumber Company as a storehouse for lime and cement. Still farther west, at the corner of Payson and McClure streets, stood H. H. Bryan's wagon shop. Later Mr. Bryan moved to the corner of Chestnut and Second streets where he carried on his business for several years. On the Colony block, between Mill and Church streets, stood the sawmill, the grist mill, a tannery and a cooper shop. Dwelling houses were few and far between. The oldest buildings now standing are the McClure house, before mentioned, the Cook house at the corner of McClure and Hollis streets, the Brick schoolhouse, the old Con- gregational church and the old log cabin upon the Little farm. The last was built in 1837 and is the oldest building in the township. It is hoped that at least two of these buildings may be preserved: namely, the log cabin and the old church. The old church, town hall and erstwhile school room, built in 1849, has been converted into a playroom for the pupils of the township. The happy voices of the children now mingle with the echoes of long-forgotten voices which once echoed within its four walls. It is no desecration of the building that it be put to its present use, but adds only to its sacredness. The Abner B. Little house, built in 1837, has been carefully preserved by the Little brothers. Eighty-eight years ago one could have stood upon its doorstep and looked for miles eastward, southward and westward over the prairie without seeing a single house or without having his view interrupted by a single tree. It is the only cabin of pioneer days left in the township and ought to be preserved for its educational value if for nothing else. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 2:: Abner B. Little Cabin The Pioneer One day in the early forties He stood by his cabin door, A prairie stretched to the southward, As level as many a floor. Far as his eyes could see, Right, left and in between, That prairie lay in colors Of red, of yellow and green. That speck in the sky above, An eagle soaring on high, The musical songs of birds, Rose from the earth to the sky. The shadows of fleecy clouds, Played in the light of the sun, On the waving grass of the prairie, Like lambkins leaping in fun. The earth was close to nature, In those long-ago early days, Before the plow and the reaper Had come to change her ways. To pioneer eyes a pleasure Was that prairie of long ago, Greater its beauty and richness, Than man of the present can know. 24 WETHERSFIEED SKETCHES Wethersfield Social Circle The ■ Wethersfield Social Circle was formed in March, 1900. Mrs. J. D. Buchanan is given the credit of being the founder of the society. For twenty- five years the W. S. C. has gone about its work fulfilling to the letter, the sentiments expressed in article two of its constitution, which reads as follows: "The object of this society shall be to promote a more friendly feeling among neighbors and friends, to look after them in sickness, to sympathize in times of trouble or sorrow, to speak a kind word, or to give a smile to cheer some one on her way." The first meeting took place on March 1, 1900 at the home of Mrs. Nancy Smith on Willard street. On March 21, 1901, twenty dollars was subscribed toward building a board sidewalk on Church street from Edwards street to Tenney street. At the same meeting it was' voted that the money raised during the year should be used for placing sidewalks wherever needed in the village. The Saxon Baptist Church The Saxon Union Baptist church was organized in 1866. This church stood on the corner west of the Saxon school house. It was built by the Baptist, Presbyterian and Primitive or Protestant Methodist associations, aided by George F. Dexter and others. In 1874, Elder Hart of Toulon, was engaged to preach once every two weeks. April 3, 1878, E. E. Tyson became its pastor at a salary of $500 per year. Mr. Tyson continued pastor of the church until June 25, 1882. During his pastorate on October 12, 1878, it was voted to continue Sunday school through the winter months. On January 12, 1878, an organ costing $101 was purchased for the use of the choir. On March 8, 1879, the deacons of the church were requested to procure unfermented wine for communion services. On Jan- uary 17, 1880, the church was renamed the Saxon Bapist church. Rev. E. C. Cady became pastor Sept. 12, 1882. The following report was made by the secretary in September, 1884: Members, 79; Sunday school officers and teachers, 8; Average attendance 48; Value of church property, $2,000; Pastor, E. C. Cady of Toulon; F. B. Robson, Clerk; Sunday school supt, Baxter Fuller; Regular services once in two weeks. E. W. Hicks became pastor January 10, 1891. On May 8, 1892, letters were written to the senator and representatives of the district asking them not to vote for the World's Fair appropriation unless the gates of that exposition were closed on Sunday and that no liquor was sold on the grounds. On Sept. 9, 1899, the clerk says, "We are not dead, but sleeping. If we were only as faithful as our pastor Rev. E. W. Hicks, who rides five miles and back nearly every Sunday through the heat and cold, mud and dust, our outlook would be more promising." It seems that conditions became worse and on May 21, 1904, a motion was made and carried that the trustees be empowered to dispose of the meeting house when they could do so with good opportunity. On April 14, 1905, C. Keckler, George F. Dexter and Edgar Miner, trustees of the church, disposed of the church property as follows: $888 in a Kewanee bank given to the church by Simon Bennett was divided as follows: $100 was given to Rev. Hicks; $788 was divided equally between the, Baptist churches of Toulon, Galva and Kewanee on condition if there ever be need of this money to establish a Baptist church in Saxon, the money should be refunded. The church building was sold to M. S. Craig for $250 and now stands on one of his farms. The church organ was given to the school district WKTHKRSFIKM > SKKTTHKS 25 No. 16. The money received for the building and remainder of the personal property was divided among the churches above mentioned. A quit claim deed of the church lot was given to Jehiel Fuller, who, on Oct. 28, 1863, had given the land upon which the church stood for church purposes as long as used for such purposes. An amusing incident happened in this church during a Sunday sermon many years ago. A stranger was in the pulpit on that Sunday morning. As the sermon progressed, it became quite warm in the church. The minister motioned to a young man sitting by the window to raise the window. An old gentlemen sitting near the window, who was a confirmed snuff user, was about to take a pinch of snuff. He thought the minister was motioning to him.. He rose from his seat, went to the pulpit and reached out his snuff-box toward the minister. The rest of the congregation who understood what the minister wanted burst out laughing when the minister said, "No, no, brother, it was not the snuff I wanted, but the window opened." Meanwhile the young man had opened the window. The old gentleman went to his seat, but was so confused that he shut the window before he sat down. The Wethersfield Baptist Church The Baptist church at Wethersfield was organized on May 17, 1851, with eleven members. J. M. Stickney was obtained as pastor in 1852. He was followed by J. S. Mahan, J. M. Winn and lastly by S. P. Ives. In 1854 plans were made to build a church and it was begun and partly completed in 1855. In 1856 this society sold their unfinished church to the trustees of the Wethersfield school district and removed their place of worship to Kewanee, becoming the First Baptist church of that place. The Wethersfield Methodist Episcopal Church The Wethersfield Methodist Episcopal church society was organized in 1841. On July 22, 1850, the trustees of this society bought the north one-half of the east three-fifths of Lot 65. In 1851 a large building was begun but was not completed until 1853. The earlier services were held in the residences of the members of the society or in school houses. After the church was completed a minister was secured and services were held in the church until in the 80's. The formation of a similar church society in Kewanee took many of the members of the Wethersfield church and it was finally abandoned. On July 30, 1890, the church building and lot were sold. The building was removed to South street where it now stands on the farm owned by Charles T. Little. The Wethersfield Congregational Church The first services of the people who founded the Congregational church in Wethersfield were held at Col. Sylvester Blish's residence. These people erected a church in 1838. It was made of logs hauled from Barren G-rove which then covered a large part of the site of what is now the city of Kewanee. This building stood on Lot 49 of the original village of Wethersfield. In this humble building, the people of Wethersfield and vicinity wor- shipped for several years. The men brought their women-folks from a 26 WETHERSFI ELD SKETCHES Congregational Church distance in wagons having nothing but boards tor seats. Often there was no wagon box. In that case a wide board or plank reached from the back of the wagon to the front axle for a seat and a chain reaching from front to back axle furnished a foot rest. Sometimes the worshippers from a distance would be late "to meeting." The driver of the ox team would bring his team to a standstill in front of the old church with a Who-a-a Buck, or a Hi-sh-sh Jerry, much to the quiet amusement of those who could see the unloading through the old church door, or the low windows. The seats in the old church were hard and rough. The women-folks often spread shawls or blankets over them to make them more comfortable. The sermon was always long and sometimes dry. The hot sun streaming through the windows, the flies buzzing about the room and the voice of the minister all invited drowsiness. It was often considerable of a task for the minister to keep his congregation awake in those days. Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury from the Andover colony was the first minister. He gave one-fourth of his time to the Wethersfield church through the latter part of 1837 and until October, 1838. In performing his duties, he walked from Andover to Wethersfield, a distance of about twenty-four miles. He made the journey in all kinds of weather, sometimes wading or swimming the streams as there were no bridges. He was a noble type of the pioneer preacher, strict, temperate and honest. He was very enthusiastic in his belief of the future greatness of Henry county. Congregational Parsonage WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Iii 1839 the Home Missionary society of Wetherst'ield, Conn., sent Rev. W. F. Vaill to the Wethersfield colony. Through his efforts a church organization was formed, styled "The First Ecclesiastical Society of Wethersfield" with the following members: Rev. W. F. Vaill, Nancy T. Little, Mrs. Rhoda Blish, John H. Wells, Mrs. Julia Wells, L. C. Sleight, Hosea Buckley and wife, Deacon Zenas Hotchkiss and wife, Norman Butler and wife, Rev. Joseph Goodrich and wife and Francis Loomis. Rev. Vaill, who served eight years, was followed by Samuel Ordway. Darius Gore, S. R. Thrall who was aided by Rev. Roy, and by W. T. Bartle who was installed June 23, 1856. On August 24, 1849, Harry Talcott conveyed to Juduthan Hubbard, Sullivan Howard and Joseph Goodrich, trustees of the society, Lot 77 of the original town of Wethersfield for the sum of $20. The west and north sides of the lot were afterwards sold by the trustees, leaving a tract of land twelve rods square in the south-east corner of the lot. In the fall of 1849 a church forty feet long and thirty feet wide was erected on this land. In 1855 ten feet more was added to the north end, at the same time the south end of the floor was raised for the choir. In 1855 one-third of the members of the church joined the Congrega- tional church in Kewanee. By 1885 no regular services were held though a Sunday school had been kept up. On May 6, 1895, it was voted to sell the church property. In 1896 it was sold to the Town of Wethersfield for a town hall. It was deeded Jan. 7, 1897. The proceeds of the sale, $500, was sent to the Home Missionary society which had aided the church in early days. After the town got possession of the building, twenty feet was added to the north end, but the original part built in 1849 was never changed. The original part is very substantial. The frame is of hardwood. It was built by Sullivan Howard who hauled the lumber overland from Rock Island and other points on the Mississippi river. The large Yellow stones originally in its foundation was donated and partly hauled by R. A. Little from a slough on his farm north of the city of Kewanee. This building, now the Township High School gymnasium, was once considered the finest church building in this part of the state. It has been the scene of many events of interest connected with the town. From its pulpit Horace Greeley once spoke to the people of Wethersfield and its vicinity. It is one of the landmarks of those early days upon the prairies of the township and should be carefully preserved. Cemeteries Soon after the village of Wethersfield was plotted, two lots, one in the eastern part and one in the western part of the village; were set aside for cemetery purposes. Lot 96 in the western part of the village was the only one of these lots used. On Sept. 7, 1864, Charles B. Miner, supervisor of Wethersfield township, bought of Samuel S. Miner and wife of Maysville, Ky., Lot 95 of the original village for an addition to the cemetery. This lot lay to the east and ad- joining the original cemetery lot in the western part of the village. This lot cost $300 and is known as the first addition to the cemetery. The second addition to the cemetery was made Sept. 28, 1914, when the north 173.25 ft. of Lot 98 was bought. The first burial in the cemetery was that of Mrs. William Goodrich on Nov. 6, 1840. Besides Rev. William Goodrich and wife another early min- ister and his wife are buried in the older part of the cemetery. These are Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Vaill. 28 WKTH KKSFIEL.P SKETCHES In 1869 at a celebration over a village election several anvils were secured. One of these, a hollow cast anvil, was filled with powder and a fuse set to explode it. Another anvil was placed upon the anvil filled with powder. When the powder exploded, instead of lifting the upper anvil as was expected, the lower anvil burst into several pieces which flew in all directions. One of the pieces hit James Dedman, a boy fifteen years old, wounding him so that he died the next day. His grave is marked only by the piece of broken anvil which killed him. In this cemetery are also buried John and Thomas Moffatt, who were killed and scalped by the Indians on August 6, 1864, while hunting buffaloes in Kansas. In 1920 a small cannon was secured by William Guest. Money to mount the cannon near the center of the cemetery was obtained by popular sub- scription. The cemetery is well cared for. In the summer the graves are covered with masses of flowers. The original cemetery lot was never broken up by the plow and season after season the beautiful prairie grass grows waist high and is cut with the scythe as it was nearly ninety years ago. The Catholic Cemetery The Catholic cemetery on the north end of the west one-half of the northwest quarter of Sec. 26 was deeded by Patrick Cavanaugh for a cemetery on July 17, 1857. The Saxon Cemetery The only other cemetery in the township lies in the yard of the M. E. church in Saxon. It dates from July 10, 1863. An additional piece of land for this cemetery was sold by James C. Robson on July 7, 1866. This cemetery lies on the south end of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 36. Saxon M. E. Church The M E. Church at Saxon was built in 1863, and dedicated Dec. 2nd of the same year. Rev. S. L. Hamilton was the minister. A Faded Rose Only a faded flower, Lying between two leaves, Souvenir from a little friend, For whom my heart still grieves. A dainty creature, she, With step so light and free, More like a graceful fawn, She tripped along with me. Down the lane we wandered, Myself once more a child, Mild the June-day breezes And sweet the roses wild. YVETHEKSFIELD SKETCHES 29 All nature smiled that morning, The birds they sang divine, My little friend was happy, Her slender hand in mine. I hear her gentle prattle, "Why are the roses red," And, "Where do little girls go, When snugly tucked in bed"? Her nimble fingers plucked One rose beneath a tree, With cheeks that rivaled roses She shyly gaye it me. Long years has she been gone, But still her hand I feel, , And the odor of that rose, Yet to my senses steal. Fences In the pioneer days the few fences were made of rails. Such a fence was called a rail or zigzag fence. Wild dill, wild mustard and other weeds grew luxuriantly in the angles made by the rail fence and among these weeds nested the quail. It was a common sight on a morning in June or July to see a mother quail and her off-spring sunning themselves on the topmost rail of one of these fences. Zig-zag Fence The zigzag fence soon gave place to the board fence. In the 50's and 60's the hedge fence took the place of many board fences, especially as line fences. The board fence was made of boards called fence boards. The standard size of a fence board was one inch thick, six inches wide and sixteen feet long. The posts to support these boards were cut from the groves of the township or of the neighboring townships. The posts were set eight feet apart and four boards were nailed to the posts, each above another and from four to eight inches apart. WETHERS FIELD SKETCHES Most of the hedge fences of the township grew from plants obtained from the Willard nursery near the village in the northern part of the town- ship. This nursery was started in 1845. In setting out a hedge fence, a furrow eight to twelve inches deep was run on the line of the proposed fence. Then the hedge plants were set in this furrow from six to twelve inches apart. The plants grew rapidly and in a few years they were laid and woven together, called "lopping," making a very good fence. To keep this fence of the legal height, four and one-half feet, required considerable work as the plants grew rapidly and had to be trimmed at least two times each year. Some of those hedge fences were allowed to grow without trimming and from these fences thousands of the finest and most durable fence posts have been cut. No post will outlast the hedge or Osage orange post. In the 80's the board fence began to have a strand or two of barbed wire and fewer boards. Later woven wire took the place of the board fence. This is especially true of interior farm fences. Wages In the pioneer days a man received from sixteen to twenty dollars per month. A common day's wages was seventy-five cents or one dollar and fifty cents for a man and a team. A teacher received one dollar and twenty- five cents per week and a girl to do housework received from fifty cents to one dollar per week. By the eighties a man received one dollar and fifty cents per day or three dollars per day when he worked his team. A teacher received from twenty to fifty dollars per month. The principal of a graded school, from fifty to seventy-five dollars per month. A hired girl received from, one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars per week. At the present time men are receiving from thirty cents to one dollar and fifty cents per hour. Teachers are receiving from eighty to one hun- dred and thirty dollars per month. Principals of schools from sixteen hundred to over two thousand dollars per year. The "hired girl" has dis- appeared from the land. Her place has been taken by the milking machine, cream separator and city bakery. Once seen, however, one could never forget the fine picture that the "hired girl" made as she stood by the old kitchen table, her sleeves rolled up above her elbows while she kneaded the dough and placed it in the pans for baking. Early Marketing During the 40's, Peoria, Henry and Rock Island were the chief markets for the Wethersfield colonists. A trip was made to one or the other of these places about twice each year, once in late summer and again in late fall. On the summer trip a load of grain was carried to trade for groceries and for cloth to make clothing for the family. All the clothing, except boots, shoes and caps were made in the home. The feet and heads of the members of the family were measured for boots, shoes and caps. In measuring for boots and shoes, the heel of the foot was placed against the mop-board of a room and a mark was made or the blade of a knife was stuck in the floor at the tip of the big toe. The length of the foot was then transferred to a stick and a notch was cut to show the size of the largest foot in the family. The next foot size was then measured and another notch cut in the stick and so on for each member of the family until the size of each foot was obtained. The head of each boy in the family was measured for a cap or hat WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 31 with a string, the smallest head being measured first. A knot was tied in the string for each measurement. As the womenfolks wore a sunbonnet in summer and a cloak with a hood in winter, the expense for their head- wear was inconsequential. New Orleans sugar was bought by the sack of 100 lbs. Enough tea and coffee was brought home to last six months or until a second trip was made. On the second trip a load of dressed hogs was carried to market. These, after having been hauled forty or fifty miles, were often sold at from seventy-five cents to three dollars per head. Railroads The Central Military Tract railroad, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, was built across the northwest corner of the township in the fall and winter of 1854-55. Placing the railroad on the higher ridge north of the village of Wethersfield and establishing a depot there struck the deathblow to Wethersfield ever becoming a large city. H. H. Bryan moved his wagon shop to Kewanee May 16, 1857. By this time there were two thousand inhabitants in Kewanee. Over sixty buildings, including dwelling and business houses, were erected during 1857. From this time Kewanee made rapid growth while the village of Wethersfield remained practically stationary with respect to business growth. Sickness The worst enemy of the pioneers was sickness. Fever caused by ex- posure and unsanitary conditions predominated. Though the settlers usually located near springs, good drinking water was not always available. Often in the spring of the year whole families would be sick with the ague. There were few doctors and medicine was hard to get. The story is told of a doctor of a neighboring township, who, when he changed the medicine of a patient or when the patient died, saved what medicine was left. The doctor emptied this medicine into a jug in his office. When he got a patient whose case he could not diagnosis, he would give him a dose from this jug saying that it would either kill or cure him. This jug the doctor called his "kill or cure jug." Buyers of Stock John Zang and Thomas Howell were known all over the township in the 80's and 90's as shippers of stock. It was a common sight in those days to see Mr. Howell jogging along the dusty roads, one leg hanging outside the buggy, whip in hand, on his way to scour the township for hogs and cattle. When a farmer saw Mr. Howell or Mr. Zang enter his yard he knew that they were after his marketable live stock. After the stock had been examined, Mr. Howell or Mr. Zang, whichever it might be, would lead the the way to the house ostensibly for the purpose of getting warm if it was in the winter time and without any excuse whatever if it happened to be summer time. At the house the farmer's wife came in for her part of the trade. With a pan of "fried cakes"right out of the kettle and a plate of fine apples before them the buyer and seller would talk for an hour or more trying to complete a bargain for the stock. By the time the cakes and apples were gone the bargain would be completed. 32 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Ditching and Draining In the early 40's "Wethersfield township had much standing water. Every low place was a swamp and the sloughs were almost impassible in the spring and fall. There were many acres on nearly every farm that would not produce crops because of standing water. The farmer had to cross the muddy sloughs on his farm or he had to turn on the soft edges of them. Either way made farming disagreeable. All hollows and low places were too wet to raise crops. In the 60's blind ditching w~as begun in the township. George Hachtel and Sam Dickson made a good many miles of blind ditches. The blind ditcher consisted of a plow-like frame having a cutter three or four feet long. The cutter had a pointed ball of iron at its lower end. With capstan turned by six or eight yoke of oxen, this plow was drawn up the center of the slough. The iron ball left a tunnel. The gash above the ball, made by the cutter would close after the plow passed. However it was found that blind ditching was not very successful for quicksand and the crawfish soon filled the tunnel and the water would break through to the surface. In the 80's tile came into use. Mr. Dickson turned his blind ditcher into a tile ditcher and drained many sloughs with it. More tile, however, was laid by hand. In the SO's and 90's nearly all the sloughs and ponds in the township were drained. The cost of tiling was about thirty cents per rod for laying and one and one-half to two cents each for three inch tile. Four-inch tile cost three cents each. Of all the improvements made upon the farms of the township no improvement has added so much to the pro- ductive value of the farm as tile. The Old Plow This old plow of eighty years ago is a crude reminder of that time when the virgin soil of Wethersfield was unbroken, when the quail and prairie chicken nested at the roots of the tufted prairie grass unmolested. Old Plow WKTHERSPIELP SKKTCHKS 33 Drawn through the tough sod interlaced with "red roots" day alter day by one or two yoke of oxen, this plow of the wooden mould hoard turned to the sunlight for the first time that rich black prairie soil which had been lying for ages waiting for the pioneer farmer. The old plow buried the prairie flowers which with every returning season bloomed in masses of purple, of yellow and of red. And above their graves sprang fields of golden wheat and verdant fields of Indian corn. Relegated long ago to the junk heap or the museum is this wooden plow of pioneer days. Likewise have disappeared the beautiful prairie regions of our township — so beautiful in appearance that it is little wonder that those first to see them thought they had indeed found a paradise on earth. Planting Corn The first hundred bushel of corn in the township was raised by Col. Sylvester Blish. With the old wooden plow a furrow of sod would be turned, then seed corn, four kernels at a time would be dropped a few feet apart in this furrow. Four furrows would then be turned and another row of corn dropped in the fourth furrow and so on until the field, usually of a few acres, was planted. In planting on older ground the stalks of the year before were broken down, raked and burned. Piles of burning stalks could be seen in the evening for miles. The ground was then plowed and harrowed. Next it was marked both ways by a marker. The marker had four runners fastened about three feet apart. A tongue was fastened to the marker to make it move steadily. After the field was marked both ways the boys and girls of the family dropped the corn where the marker runners criss-crossed and the m^n covered the corn with hoes. Soon dropping by hand was superseded by the hand drill. The lower end of the drill was stuck into the ground and the corn was dropped by placing the foot on a lever near the lower end of +he drill. After the drill was removed the soil over the corn was pressed firmly down. In the 60's Brown's two rowed corn planter came into use in the town- ship and later the Armstrong planter manufactured at Elmira, With these planters the field needed to be marked only one way. A driver on the planter guided the horses and planter cross-wise of the marked field. Another man, usually a boy, sat on the front part of the planter and by moving a handle dropped the corn into the furrows as the planter crossed them. In the 70's the check rower came into use and is still used on all farms in the township. Dropping corn on one of the old two-row corn planters was one of the most disagreeable tasks that ever fell to the lot of a country boy. Corn planting came from the tenth to the twenty-fifth of May. The ground was dry by this time of the year and the dust stirred up by the planter and horses' feet rose in clouds, covering the dropper, who sat low down and close to the heels of the horses, with dirt and filling his eyes so full of dirt that he could hardly see. The driver, who sat farther back and higher up on the planter, would often let his lines drag across the dropper's head and shoulders. With his dirt-filled eyes glued to the pointer, with the driver's lines raking his head and shoulders and with sweat pouring from his face and body, is it any wonder that the farmer lad sometimes thought that farming was a dis- agreeable occupation? 34 WKTHKIISFIKLT) SKETCHES Corn Husking Husking Corn (1925) In the early days corn was gathered by three men, usually two men and a boy, to a wagon. Each of the men husked two rows at the side of the wagon and the boy the row that the wagon straddled. Husking the "down- row" was always a disagreeable task. Usually this row was equal in number of ears to two rows at the side of the wagon, and every ear had to be stooped for. Fifty to sixty bushels was a day's work for three huskers. Today the wagon straddles a husked row and the husking is done from one side of the wagon. A good husker will average from eighty to one hundred and twenty bushels per day and now instead of unloading with a scoopshovel, an ele- vator places the corn wherever desired in the crib. The Husker Often before the sun is up the farmer is on the way to the cornfield. His wagon rattles over the frozen ground — a sound that is duplicated by other wagons far and near. He turns his team on to the last husked row, hangs his coat on the tail-board and the ears begin to fly against the "bang-boards." One by one the ears fall into the wagon as the sun climbs higher into the sky. The frost is gone from the corn husks and the heat of the mid-fore-noon causes the husker to shed his frock. By eleven o'clock the heaped-high wagon is ready for the crib and the husker is ready for his dinner. Forenoon and afternoon from October until Thanksgiving Day the husker goes forth to the fields. He reaps the golden ears and stores them against a time of need. Surely he is doing his part in feeding the nations of the earth. Early Reaping and Harvesting Before the time of the mowing machine, grass was cut with the scythe. In those early summer days of the late 30's, it was a fine sight to go out on WETHERSFIBEP SKETCHES 35 the prairies to see a group of men swing their scythes as the prairie grass fell in even swaths before them. An old Indian chief who watched the mowers one day said, "It is the easiest work Injun can do to lie in the shade and see white men mow." Before the invention of the McCormick reaper in 1845, all grain was cut either with the cradle or reaping hook. The first McCormick reaper had a seat for the driver, but the man who raked the grain from the platform of the machine into bundles walked behind the machine and carried his rake in his hand. Captain Sullivan Howard made the first seat for the raker by bolting a couple of 2x4's to the frame of the machine. Cyrus W. McCormick came from Chicago, saw the seat and afterward made his reaper with two seats, one for the driver and one for the raker. The improvements in harvesting machines which followed McCormick's reaper resulted in the self-raking machine, the Marsh harvester and the self-binding harvester in use today. The first McCormick reaper cut from eight to twelve acres of grain per day. One man drove the reaper. Another man walked behind the reaper and raked the cut grain from the platform of the machine to the ground in bunches large enough to be tied into bundles. Later the raker rode on a seat back of the driver's seat. Men, usually five or six in number, then bound the grain by hand, making the bands from each bunch of grain as they came to it. The bound grain was then placed in shocks of eleven or twelve bundles each by two men who were called "the shockers." Two acres was considered a full day's work for a binder and five acres for a shocker. The wages of either the shocker or the binder was about two dollars per day up until the year 1880. The McCormick binder was followed by the self-raking machine and by the Marsh Harvester as it was called. The self-raking reaper raked off the grain in small bunches for the binder, thus saving one man's labor. On the Marsh harvester, the grain was elevated to a platform where two men standing on the machine bound the grain into bunches by hand, using a band made from the grain. The Marsh harvester was followed by the self-binding harvester. The first of these harvesters made, used wire for bands. But the wire band soon gave place to the Manila twine band. This is the twine band that is used today. One of these binders with one driver and two shockers will put in shock twenty acres of grain and do it much easier than nine men put ten acres in shock in pioneer days. ,Making a band by hand is a lost art today. The fear that he may have a rattlesnake in his armful of grain no longer makes a cold chill run down the binder's spine. The arduous work of the binder in stooping for and in binding the grain and the stubbed fingers and scratched arms caused by the sharp stubble are no more, and the harvesting of grain has become a less disagreeable task. Harvesting in 1925 A step is heard upon the stairway — the step of the early riser on the farm. Every ear in the house hears the sound. It is an unwelcome sound to some for every muscle of the body is sore from the severe labor in the harvest field of yesterday. While breakfast is eaten and the chores are being finished there is a tenseness in the air as before a battle, for today again, a battle is to be waged against the standing grain. Into the fields from seven until eight o'clock goes an army of reapers, 36 WETHERSF1EED SKETCHES as vast as that army which faced the central powers of Europe in 1918. 'Tis an army, however, whose labors are essential to the pursuits of peace. The machines are oiled and looked over carefully, a nut tightened here, a rod shortened there. Horses or tractors are hitched to the binders and soon the cry of the driver is heard in every field. The sun pours its heat down upon the sweating horses and toiling men. The water boy, that future farmer in embryo, is much in demand. His water quenches the thirst of the men and produces perspiration, the evap- oration of which keeps the temperature of the body nearly normal. The heat grows more intense as the sun nears the zenith. The clothes of the workers are saturated with water and the salty sweat from their foreheads finds its way into their eyes, making them smart and burn. Care must be taken not to overheat the body. A rise of one or two degrees in the temperature of the body may send a man to the shade and out of the harvest field for a day or even for the whole season. "Old Sol" is no respecter of persons, but takes his toll alike from the seasoned harvester as well as from him who is new at the work. Noontime is welcomed by all. With intense satisfaction the horses sink their muzzles into the water tank and drink their fill. Then, in their stalls they find the feed of oats and corn which gives them strength to haul the heavy binders during the long afternoon to follow. The men wash the dust from their heated faces and sit down at the table to a dinner which the women-folks have been planning and preparing all forenoon, a dinner both wholesome and plentiful, for the hungry wolf never starves before the door that leads to a farmer's table. After dinner a few minutes are taken for rest. Then men and horses go to the fields again to* continue the labor of the forenoon. Thus, harvest- ing goes on day after day until the grain is all in the shock or in the granary. Only by taking their places in the fields at harvest time can men of other occupations realize that, with all the modern improvements now .S3®*-' 4 ••'V*i'' Harvesting (1925) WETHERSF1ELP SKETCHES 37 used by the farmer, there still remains a lot of hard and sometimes dis- agreeable work in harvesting the crops of wheat, rye and barley. Threshing The first grain in the township was threshed out with the flail or tramped out by horses or oxen on the bare ground or on a barn floor. The first threshing machine consisted of a cylinder of teeth set in a frame. This machine was set on the ground and fed by hand Sheets or blankets Avere spread on the ground to catch the grain and the straw was pitched away or was "bucked" away with a rail hitched by long ropes to a horse. The power used was a team of horses. Frequent stops were made to clean up. The grain was scooped from the sheets and thrown into the air or run through a fanning-mill to clean it. Fields of ten acres were considered large in those days. The pioneer threshing machine was followed by the separator on wheels, propelled at first by horse power and later by steam or gasoline. The horse power separator was driven by five to six pairs of horses. These horses fastened to sweeps walked in a circle day after day in the heat of the autumn sun. It was as disagreeable for the man or boy who stood on the horse-power to keep the horses moving, as it was for the horses themselves. It was a fine day for the horse when steam for thresh- ing came into use. His gruelling work upon the old horse power was at an end. The first self-propelled steam threshing outfit in the township was an Aultman & Taylor. W. H. Rule threshed with this machine in the fall of 1880. H. H. Perkins threshed by steam power two years before this time but he had a stationary engine which was drawn from place to place with horses. Even after the steam engine became self-propelling, the law re- quired that every engine have a team of horses hitched to it while moving on the road. Mr. Rule also carried the first hogs to market by auto truck. The Thresher Today The sun rises, a ball of molten fire in an otherwise clear sky. By the time the sun is fairly up the thresher has his chores well out of the way. Breakfast over, the horses are hitched up and the rattle of wagons is heard as the thresher hurries on his way to the threshing field. By eight o'clock the work is fully under way, the loaded wagons are driven, one by one, to the separator and the bundles of grain are pitched rapidly and orderly into the elevator which carries them to the band cutter and cylinder. The sound of the machine tells the pitcher of bundles at what rate to pitch the bundles, when to slow up and when to pitch faster. The jokes of the men cease by ten o'clock. The sun pours its heat down taking toll in sweat from the men everywhere, particularly so from the men stacking straw. The more water the men drink, the more they sweat and the more water they ask for. The water-boy is much in demand. He takes goodnaturedly the water which is thrown upon him when he has allowed the water in his jug to become too warm. At last twelve o'clock arrives, the hour for which the men and particu- larly the growing boys, have been looking forward to for some time. The horses are unhitched, rapidly watered and fed. The men find the wash- stand and bathe their flushed faces in the cool water. The word now comes that dinner is ready. The men seat themselves about the tables. The food before them disappears so rapidly as to bring smiles to the faces of the women-folks who have spent all forenoon in pre- 38 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES paring the dinner. At last, unable to eat more, the men seek the shade of the trees to rest a few minutes before beginning the work of the afternoon. Soon is heard the whistle of the engine and the hum of the separator. The men rise from the ground where they have been stretched at full length telling stories or chaffing some young fellow about his lassie. They are rested and though their muscles may still ache because of a hard fore- noon's work, they take up the work of the afternoon without complaining. So the work of the thresher goes on day after day from Texas to Canada and from California to Pennsylvania. Truly we may say that the thresher, not only by the sweat of his brow, but by the sweat of his whole body, does his share in producing the food supply of the world. First Marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hurd The first marriage in the township was that of Dr. Lewis Hurd and Caroline W. Little. Mr. Hurd was born in York state. Miss Little was born at Hollis, N. H., September 15, 1821. She came to Wethersfield, 111., with her father, Abner B. Little in the fall of 1836. While visiting with her sister at Layfayette, 111., Miss Little became acquainted with Mr. Hurd who was practicing medicine at that place. In- teresting stories are told of how Mr. Hurd found his way across the prairies from Layfayette to Wethersfield where his sweetheart lived. Their short courtship was carried on in a one-room log house occupied by fifteen to twenty persons. Calico curtains were used to divide off the room so that there could be some pretense of privacy for those who wished to be alone. They were married Aug. 22, 1837 and lived in the east until 1865 when they returned to Wethersfield. In 1887 they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Mr. Hurd died in 1892 and Mrs. Hurd on Oct. 8, 1903. At the time of her death Mrs. Hurd lived at the old homestead of Caleb J. T. Little on Payson street. This house had been bought by the Plurds when Mr. Little moved to Kewanee. It was considered a very fine house at that time. It has since been torn down and a new residence erected upon its site. Thus the old landmarks, like the old settlers, disappear one by one; and just as new faces take the places of the pioneers, so the new residences are taking the places of the pioneer buildings. The Civic League The Wethersfield Civic League was formed April 17, 1914. The stated object of this league was to improve the appearance of the village. A day called "Tin Can Day" was set. On that day a gang of men and boys with WETHERSFIEL.D SKETCHES 39 teams cleaned away the accumulated trash of twenty or more years. This league was the beginning of more civic pride in the village. Old Settlers' Reunion In 1910 was held the first reunion of the decendants of the pioneers of the Wethersfield colony. A few families met in the yard of the old town hall and spent a pleasant afternoon in visiting and in talking over old times. A second reunion was held at the Wethersfield town hall on Thursday, Oct. 31, 1911. A permanent organization was effected with the following officers: L. D. Quinn, Pres.; Charles T. Little, Vice-Pres.; Blanche Page, Sec. and Treas. Among the old settlers present at this meeting were: Mrs. R. A. Little, William Goodrich, Robt. C. Page, W. C. Kent, E. M. Vail, E. Weeks, H. W. Weeks, S. T. Miles, W. B. McClure, William Guest, H. C. Schuneman, F. E. Pratt, L. W. Cavanaugh, James R. Wylie, W. S. Enslow, J. H. Page, Mr. and Mrs. John Malone, A. F. Bigelow, H. Miner, J. S. Smith, Charles Sultzer, E. P. Lincoln, Ralph R. Little, W r . J. Wiley, George Dickinson, J. W. Peterson, A. A. Enslow, Albert Monthe, John Stabler, John Buchanan, H. T. Lay, S. E. Robb, George A. Anthony, William Roberts, Samuel Russell, William Chisnell, John Armstrong, James Ingham and Jas. K. Blish. The invocation was given by Rev. George Armstrong who was raised in Wethersfield township. The principal address was given by Jas. K. Blish who was born in the township. The following are abstracts taken from a paper prepared and read by Charles T. Little, a son of R. A. Little, cne of the pioneers of the Wethersfield colony. "Wethersfield's oldest building is a log cabin erected by Abner B. Little on the old homestead which was purchased from the government and which is still owned by the Little family. This log cabin is well preserved and is 16 by 18 feet. In the winter of 1837-38 it was the home of sixteen people. In this old cabin is found an old violincello, the first musical instrument of any kind brought to the township. This was used by R. Augustus Little to assist him in leading the singing as chorister, first in the old log church and later in the more modern house of worship. Thomas J. Henderson, now deceased, in describing this tract of land as he first saw it, said, 'It was a bright, beautiful morning in the early summer, a flood of sunlight on the landscape before me, gladdened as it were by the rain of the day before. I thought I had never looked upon a more glorious scene. For miles and miles stretching away in every direction you could see as fair a land as the eye of man ever rested upon. It was so lovely and so grand that for a time we stopped to take in its full grandeur and beauty.' "The lucifer match was unknown, flint and steel being kept in almost every family, and even then one neighbor had to borrow from another. There were no railroads in Illinois in 1837, no telegraphs, telephone, no photographs, ambrotypes or daguerotypes." Mr. Little concluded his paper with the following lines: "Under the sod and the dew, Awaiting the judgment day, Under the flowers that grew Lie our old settlers honored and gray. Their struggles and worries are past, Their struggles and hardships are o'er, They have, won for themselves at last, A home on that golden shore. 40 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES The Wethersfield settlers are there, Their battle of life has been won, Their honors and glories they share, In that home with a new life begun. The noble deeds they have done Should be an example to those, Who on life's journey have just begun, And to honor them to life's close." The 1911 meeting was closed by the song, "Wethersfield," which was composed and sung by A. D. Cole. Wethersfield By Spoon river gently flowing, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, O'er thy prairies green and growing, Wethersfield Comes an echo on the breeze, Rustling through the leafy trees, And its mellow tones are these, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, And its mellow tones are these, Wethersfield. Not without thy wondrous story, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, Can be writ the nation's glory, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, On the records years ago, Blish and Little's names you know, Page and Potter and Goodrich show, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, Quinn and Baldwin there also, Wethersfield. From a wilderness of prairies, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, Straight thy way and never varies, Wethersfield, Till upon the public square, Planted with the greatest care, Trees and flowers everywhere, Wethersfield, Wethersfield, Trees and flowers everywhere, Wethersfield. These old settlers' reunions have been held nearly every year since 1911, and ought to be continued. As the old settlers pass on to the great beyond, new old settlers arise to take their places to carry on the good work already begun. Farmer's Mutual Insurance The Farmer's Mutual Insurance Co. of Kewanee was incorporated on May 26, 1875. The original thirty-nine policy holders carried insurance to the value of $54,800. The territory covered by this company comprises the W E T 1 1 E R SFIELD SK E T C H K S 41 townships of Wethersfield, Kewanee, Annawan, Cornwall, Burns and Galva. In 1875 the largest policy holder, Sylvester Lester, carried an insurance of $3,500. Now there are twenty-five policy holders carrying over $10,000 worth of insurance each. The insurance total now carried aggregates over $3,000,000. This is a farmers' company insuring farm buildings and farm stock and farm grain against loss by fire and lightning. Levi North, the first secre- tary, wrote the first thirty-nine policies. M. S. Craig, the present secretary states there are now over 625 policy holders and there has been forty assessments made by the company since its organization. Murder The only murder to occur in Wethersfield township was that of Mrs. Maggie A. Copeland on August 26, 1882. Sylvester K. Mackinson, a farm hand, attacked her when she was alone on her husband's farm about two miles south of the village. After striking her with a club, he shot her through the body. Mackinson, whose object was robbery, was tried for murder. He was hanged at Cambridge. Wiley's Shop The James Wiley, Sr., carriage shop at the corner of Church and Tenney streets on Lot 48 was established in 1852. Mr. Wiley manufactured carriages and wagons besides doing general blacksmith work. At one time there were four woodworkers, five blacksmiths, three painters and three carriage trimmers at work in this shop. The wagons and carriages made here had a wide sale over the surrounding territory. Many medals were taken by Mr. Wiley at county and state fairs. In 1921 A. W. Tharp bought the property. The old building was de- molished and a modern oil station erected on its site. Brewery Once upon a time the village of Wethersfield had a brewery. It is said upon good authority that it had plenty of customers even beyond the village limits. The building was erected by Henry Meier on Lot 39 in the year 1870. G. Zeigler also ran the establishment for a time. On October 10, 1878, the building was bought by H. Clay Merritt who turned the brewery into an ice house. The ice was obtained from a pond made by a dam across the slough south of Mill street and between Payson and Hollis streets. The building and land were sold by Mr. Merritt in 1891 and it was soon afterward torn down. Oath of Office in 1858 In 1858 an incoming officer not only took oath to support the con- stitution of the United States and of his own state and to perform the duties of his office to the best of his understanding, but was obliged to subscribe to the following: "I do solemnly swear that I have never fought a duel nor sent nor accepted a challenge to fight a duel, the probable issue of which might have been the death of either party, nor been a second to either party, nor in any manner aided or assisted in such duel nor knowingly the bearer of such challenge or acceptance since the adoption of the constitution, and that I will not be so engaged or concerned directly or indirectly in or about such duel during my continuance in office." 42 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Insect Pests With the exceptions of the potato beetle, Dorophora decemilineata, and coddling moth, Carpoeapsa pomonella, Wethersfield township has had no great pests. Since 1865 when these insects first began their depredations they have done damage to the extent of thousands of dollars to the orchards and potato fields of the township. In the late 70's the chintz bug made the raising of wheat unprofitable. For several years at that time, hundreds of acres of the infested wheat fields were plowed under or burned. During several dry seasons in the 80's and 90's the army worm did considerable damage to the fields of small grain. In the late 80's there was one season when the oat crop was almost entirely destroyed by grasshoppers. The grasshopper while at work gnawed the filament or thread which held the oat to the straw and the oat then fell to the ground. As one stood at the edge of a grasshopper-infested field on a quiet morning, the noise made by the falling oats could be distinctly heard. While the cut worm and the wire worm have had a foot-hold in the township since the early days, their ravages to the growing corn has been largely done in cold, wet seasons. The damage by these two insects is done during the few weeks that they are growing to maturity. The Experimental Station In 1912 the question of an experiment plot was agitated. Among the first to suggest a plot of this kind was George Anthony, who was president of the Farmers' Institute at that time. A committee consisting of George Anthony, chairman; Burt Craig; E. J. Ray; J. K. McLennan and Ora D. Hatch was appointed to look up the matter. An option on twenty acres of land lying in Section 8 belonging to Burt Craig was secured. Subscription papers for donations were circulated but after a year, not enough money being subscribed, the option was with- drawn and all efforts to secure an experiment plot ceased for a time. Two years afterwards the matter was again taken up by the Farmers' Institute. O. D. Hatch was president, F. E. Good, secretary and Corliss Lay treasurer of the Institute. An option was secured on twenty acres of land on section 18, owned by Thomas and John McNarra. Senator Ran- dolph Boyd was secured to help work the territory at Galva where several hundred dollars were raised. The subscriptions were taken over a wide territory embracing Toulon, Elmira, Osceola, Neponset, Wethersfield and Kewanee. The Scotch settle- ment southeast of Kewanee donated the heaviest for the enterprise. With the $5,000 raised, the land was bought and a deed for the property secured. A complete list of the donors of the money to buy the plot was filed at Cambridge. Mail In 1837 it took about four weeks for a letter to come from the New England States to Peoria. The Wethersfield people got their mail at the postoffice in that town. The postage on a letter was twenty-five cents. In 1838 a postoffice was established at Wethersfield and Col. Sylvester Blish was postmaster until 1849. Mail came by Frink and Walker stage. Freight shipped from Boston in April came by way of New Orleans and would reach the colony about September first. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 43 A postoffice was continued at Wethersfield many years after the rail- road came to Kewanee. A postoffice was also established at Saxon, of which Chas. G. Robson was the postmaster for nearly forty years. Both of these postoffices ceased to exist when the rural free delivery act was passed on March 1, 1902. Jay Geer was mail carrier for Route 2, which carried mail for the northern part of the township. His salary was $500 per year and horse hire. Street Cars In 1902 street car lines for Wethersfield and Kewanee were agitated. A part of the road bed of the present system was constructed in 1903. On August 21, 1903, the first car ran on a part of the line only. In 1923 the system went into the hands of a receiver and the cars stopped running for ten months. In 1924 B. F. Lyons of Beloit, Wis. sub- mitted a plan by which he would take over the street car system provided he was given a franchise for furnishing gas and electric light to the now city of Kewanee. The election to vote upon the "Lyons Plan" was set for June 7, 1924, but was postponed until June 14, 1924. The election resulted as follows: For Public Service Franchise, 5,800; against Public Service Franchise, 2,117; for Kewanee-Galva Interuban Railway Franchise 5,747; against Kewanee- Galva Railway Franchise 2,058. Sidewalks In the early days of the village there were no sidewalks. A plank or a bridge spanned the sloughs and mudholes. Later ashes were used to fill the mudholes and for sidewalks on most of the used streets. The first sidewalk of any considerable length was laid on Tenney street between Mill street and Church street. Girls who then attended the Sun- day school at the Methodist Episcopal church, then standing at the corner of Church and Tenney streets determined to have a sidewalk at least to the church. They raised money to buy the material for this sidewalk by soliciting and by giving socials, and the men folks laid the walk. Between 1900 and 1905 the first cement sidewalks were laid in the village. Light and Gas The electric lights were installed in 1905. Gas was first used in the village in the same year. The water mains were laid in 1922. State Hard Roads The first hard road entered the township one mile north of its south- west corner. The road was begun at Galva in 1923 and was completed eastward to Indian Creek in the fall of that year. In 1924 this road was extended northward to Kewanee. The Conway Construction Company finished the last of this road at the junction of Ten- ney and McClure streets on August 2, 1924, at 8:10 p. m. This road cost between twenty-five and thirty thousand dollars per mile. The opening of the road was celebrated at Kewanee on Nov. 25, 1924. Pavements The first piece of pavement in Wethersfield was laid from Hollis street eastward on Division street in 1914. The Central Engineering Co. of Dav- 14 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES enport, Iowa, began the work of grading Tenney street between Division street and McClure street on Sept. 6, 1924. The first concrete on this piece of pavement was poured on Oct. 6, 1924, and the last on Nov. 3, 1924. The pavement was open to traffic on Nov. 20, 1924. Annexation From time to time attempts had been made to annex Wethersfield to Kewanee. These attempts all failed until 1924. In that year on the 2nd of June a special election was held in the village to vote again upon the ques- tion of annexation. The vote resulted in 468 for annexation and 101 against annexation. On Thursday, June 30, 1924, Kewanee voted on allowing the annexation with the following result: 831 for annexation and 200 against annexation. With this election the village or town of Wethersfield became a part of the city of Kewanee. The 1920 census gave Kewanee a population of 16,026 and the annexed village of Wethersfield 1,960, making a total population of 17,986. A. C. Taylor Company A. C. Taylor & Co. The A. C. Taylor Company was started at 105-09 Church street in 1900. At that time the store building covered 400 square feet of space. The business now occupies three buildings with a total floor space of 49,000 square feet. The average number of employees is eighteen. In 1924 the business was incorporated under the name of A. C. Taylor & Son Company with A. C. Taylor, president, and E. G. Taylor, treasurer and general manager. The principal lines of goods handled are automobiles, hardware, implements, furnaces, radios, Oil-O-Matic burners, etc. Garage work and blacksmithing is also done. The Store on Lot 64 This lot was bought of Simon Bennett on July 27, 1897, by George H. Rice. Mr. Rice built the present store and used it for a time as a barber shop and confectionery store. The store became the property of Fred E. Terry, April 1, 1901, who sold it to Verne Nobiling April 11, 1908. It is now owned by H. R. Radford. It is rented to T. M. Lowry who conducts a grocery store. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 45 Barber Shop After George H. Rice sold out, Joseph Selph ran a shop about 1906, but for a few years only. The first permanent barber shop was established by Edward Watson in 1914. He is still doing business in the shop built by Verne Nobiling and now owned by H. R. Radford. The Store on Lot 65 The store on lot 65 was erected by C. F. Kurbat in 1903. Mr. Kurbat was in the grocery business here until about 1920 when his son, C. A. Kurbat, bought his father's property. He continued the grocery business until 1924 and then rented the store room to N. F. Fischer who continued the grocery business. The south room of the building is occupied by Will Arnold who carries all lines of confectionery as well as beauty and barber supplies. The Blue Goose Restaurant The Blue Goose restaurant at the corner of Church and Tenney streets was erected in 1924. This restaurant serves hot meals and quick lunches at all hours. It also carries all lines of confectionery- Mrs. Carrie Richter is the proprietor. Huffman Motor Company The Huffman Motor Company is situated in the Baker building, 336 Tenney street. This company is distributor of Buick sales and service. 46 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES FOREWORD The pages which immediately follow are dedicated to the boys and girls who have graduated from the Wethersfield high school. The author herein wishes to thank all who have aided him in gather- ing material for this work on the schools of Wethersfield township. Some errors have unintentionally been made in compiling the records. For such errors we humbly ask your forbearance. We hope, however, that the follow- ing pages may help you to remember your old school days. In your care of children, whether as parent or teacher, we would have you remember, too, your childhood days, your early need of careful training. Learn to love children, not only your own, but all children. Remember that a child can become all that is good and noble or it can become like the in- mates of our jails and prisons. It depends entirely upon the training re- ceived in the home, in the school and in the church. We have seen a vine left without care, spread all over the ground and become an unsightly mass. We have also seen another vine trained up- right and orderly so as to become a beautiful sight. The child needs the careful training of the upright vine. It is better to err, if err at all, on the side of too much firmness and too close supervision of the associates of your children and pupils. As we grow older, we think more of the reasons why man is put on the earth. As we see them, these reasons are four-fold. First, man was put here to work, for it is only by the sweat of his brow that he can live and only can he be happy when he loves the work his hands find to do. Second, man was put here to enjoy the beauty in nature, the flowers, the song of the birds, the beautiful cloud colors, the green fields of summer and the snow-clad hills of winter. Third, man was put here to help by example, precept and teaching to make the children of today gentle, honest, industrious and frugal, that they may become of a higher type of manhood and womanhood than any preceding generation. And fourth, man was put here to do good by lending a helping hand to those in need, to sorrow with those in trouble and to cheer with a smile or a kind word some lonely soul on its way. Some Days Some days are dark and dreary, No ray of light breaks through, But could we see beyond the clouds, We'd find the skies still blue. We'd find above those storm-clouds low, A sun that's brightly shining And that the darkest cloud of all, Still has a silver lining. Thus may come some days to us, As at our tasks we go, When life seems dark and dreary, As storm-clouds hanging low. But love for the work we do, Will brighten the day's declining, As the sun in the sky above, Silvers the storm-cloud's lining. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Wethersfield Schools I * m 9 E jiiamniiaiSI MB 3 ^ The School The public school is the one institution above all others that tends toward equality among men. It breaks down rank and caste, relics of ancient and medieval barbarism, and it gives to the present and future generations the experiences of the generations which have preceded them. The Pupil The pupil comes into the school room at the age of six years. Un- taught, untrained in many cases he stands at that time on the threshold of a door that will open for him the wisdom of all ages. As the dewy petals of the rose unfold in the light and warmth of the sun, so the pupil's mind and life unfold under the benign influences of the schoolroom. He measures himself by what he accomplishes; his confidence in himself increases as he conquers the tasks before him and his heart is filled to over-flowing with the joys of doing and of knowing. The Teacher The surgeon with his knife may perform the most delicate operation, the artist with his colors may produce a masterpiece and the sculptor from his clay may mold a form that is almost perfect; but the teacher who, with patience, perseverance and sacrifice of self, guides the children of her school toward perfect manhood and perfect womanhood, is the greatest among them all. The First School The first school in Wethersfield township, also the first in Henry county was taught by Parmelia Stewart in the summer of 1839. The school was kept in the old log church which stood a few feet northeast of the corner formed by Tenney and Church streets on Lot 49. The seats in this building were of slabs split from logs. Wooden pins driven into auger holes served for legs. There were no backs to the seats. The pupils sat upon these seats holding their books in their laps. The school books were gathered up at the end of each week to get them out of the way for Sunday services which were held in this building for several years after the colony started. 48 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES There were five girls and eight boys in Miss Stewart's school. Among the boys was William Bryan, afterwards Captain William Bryan, who was killed in the battle of Chickamauga Creek on September 19, 1863. He was buried in the family lot in the village cemetery. In that summer of 1839 when Parmelia Stewart taught her little school in the old log church at the corner of Tenney and Church streets, she little dreamed what the next eighty years would bring forth in the way of schools in that little settlement of which she was the pioneer school ma'am. In the eighty-seven years since that time the village school has shown a steady growth. In 1903 there were two hundred and sixty pupils; in 1915 there were four hundred and forty-one pupils and in 1924-25 there were four hundred and seventy-five. In the year 1907-08 teachers of the district were paid $4,009.39. The fuel for the year cost $315.51; the janitor's wages for the year was $360.00. The distribution was $572.36. In 1914-15, $6,463.15 was paid for teachers of both high school and grade school pupils. In 1923-24, $24,232.50 was paid for the teachers of the high and grade school pupils. Among the teachers who taught for several years in this school were: Helen C. Power, Anna Fraser, Flora E. Whitwell, Nellie V. Grier, Delia G. Donaldson, Ada B. Robbins, Mary E. Grubbs, Emma J. Carlson, Agnes A. Fraser, Caroline V. Ewan, Noel E. Craig, Rena D. Partridge, Marjorie V. Brown, Frank H. Craig and Chas. E. Decker. The First School Building School was first held in the old log church, but in the fall of 1839 a school house 18 by 24 feet was erected on the east side of Tenney street. In 1850 this building was moved across Tenney street to Lot 65 where school grounds had been purchased. This building was one story high. It served for a school room until 1866. In that year the building was sold to Joshua Cole and moved to his farm south east of the village. The farm is now owned by O. E. Myers and the old school house is used for a granary. The South Brick Building In 1856 the Wethersfield Baptist church association began the erection of a brick church on Lot 76. Before it was completed, it was sold to the trustees of the Wethersfield school district. The building was completed and used for school purposes until 1903. ■ T p The South Brick WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 49 BBSHffiWP^!' ^1111 v*^. ^ ^^^^y^P^^Ai^'-^^ 8$ 4 s st Hi i§§HPB^> ^$A^ H '"'fw$&kap$\l .'^^^^^'. SS^ s : ii ■ r ^'t'ePt WPt X\ '3 - " * " » ? • ■' ? mm » r » " '$.;, P | A - IHtflv' 1 S$^! mmm ** it 'til. ■ y r fj!3 rltPlf • "■ 1 PI *3MB .,;.,-, : ; ,..^, . !■'■•" * - i i -» ". • ' •<" ' •■ " • = : The Old Academy On the evening of Jan. 22, 1856, according to a previous call, the citizens of Wethersfield and Kewanee assembled in the Congregational church of Wethersfield to form an association whose purpose was the erection of a seminary of learning. At this meeting on motion by O. H. Loomis, a committee of six persons was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws for the government of the proposed seminary. This committee consisted of I. F. Willard, G. A. Morse, M. B. Potter, L. H. Howe, O. H. Loomis and H. G. Little. Three thousand dollars were subscribed towards the seminary at this meeting. The next meeting was held in the Congregational church in Kewanee on Feb. 22, 1856. Meanwhile the subscriptions for the seminary had been in- creased to $5,025. The committee on the constitution and by-laws sub- mitted the following rules and regulations: CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS Article 1: This institution shall be called the Union Seminary Institute. Article 2: Its officers shall be a president, secretary and treasurer who 50 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES shall hold their offices for one year and until their successors are elected, and shall perform the duties usually pertaining to their offices. Article 3: There shall also be elected annually a board of seven trustees for said seminary whose duties shall be to receive and hold for use and benefit of said seminary all conveyances of property and donations for the same, to solicit and collect subscriptions therefor and to superintend and take charge of the designing and construction of the seminary building and to do and perform all the duties provided by law according to the statute in such made and provided. Article 4: There shall be chosen annually a board of directors to consist of five persons and who shall be stockholders in the institution and of whom the president and secretary shall be members and whose duty shall be to procure teachers for the seminary and have general superintendence and control over the scholars and teachers of the same, but subject to the con- trol of the stockholders. Article 5: The stock of this seminary shall be divided into shares of $25 each. Each share to be entitled to one vote in all meetings of the stockholders. Article 6: The president and secretary shall issue certificates of stock to the stockholders and each certificate shall be assignable by endorsement of the same, and the secretary shall note all such assignments in the records of the institution. Article 7 : The mode of electing all officers shall be by ballot. And the time of electing all permanent officers of the seminary shall be the 17th day of March, annually. Article 8: No person shall be eligible for any office provided by this constitution who is not a stockholder of the seminary, and children of the stockholders shall have a preference in said institution over all others. Article 9: At the commencement of the second year after said seminary is commenced, in estimating the general expenses of the same, six per cent interest on the money paid in, shall be considered a part of said ex- penses, and each stockholder at the annual meeting next thereafter may draw upon the treasurer for his proportion of the same according to his share of stock paid in. Article 10: The teachers of the seminary shall be paid a fixed salary for their services and each stockholder who shall send a child or children to said seminary shall bear his proportion of the same according to the number of children he sends, and the tuition shall be fixed as to equal the whole expense of the seminary after deducting all incomes arising from other sources. Article 11: This constitution and such by-laws as may be adopted in accordance therewith may be amended (so as not to conflict with the law) at any regular meeting of the stockholders, by vote of two-thirds of the stockholders present and voting; five days previous notice of such meetings and of the amendment proposed having been given by publication in some newspaper in general circulation in the vicinity or by posting up written notice in three of the most public places in the vicinity. Article 12: A meeting of the stockholders shall be called any time by the president and secretary on the request of three stockholders, and five stockholders shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, pro- vided notice thereof shall have been given as provided for by article 11. On March 17, 1856, the stockholders of the Union Seminary met in the west school house in Kewanee and elected the officers called for by the constitution. M. B. Ogden was given $40.80 for traveling expenses to see the seminary at Racine and $30.00 for plans of the building. The erection of the seminary WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 51 was begun May 20, 1856, and it was completed the same year. The building was 40 by 60 feet, two stories high and had a cupola. It was erected on a lot of two and one-half acres on south Chestnut street. The lot was donated by James Elliott. The lower part of the building at first was used as a hall for lyceums and public lectures and the upper part for a schoolroom. During 1862 a set of rules and regulations and a course of study were printed at the Kewanee Book and Job office. The following extracts are taken from this, the first printed course of study for the Kewanee and Wethersfield schools. RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KEWANEE AND WETHERSFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS Board of Education— Wm. H. Blish, M. D. Hill, Zerah Chapin, Nelson Lay, G. A. Morse, G. D. Elliot. Board of Instruction — High School, M. Tabor, Principal, Lina West- cott, Ass't; Grammer School, Miss Mary Bachelder, Principal; Intermediate Schools, Wethersfield, Miss H. M. Peck, Principal, Miss Jennie Little, Ass't; Kewanee, Miss Izzie E. Brown, Principal, Miss Laura Pratt, Ass't; Primary School, Miss F. E. Brown, Principal, Miss Ella Way, Ass't. Preface "The Board of Education of Kewanee and Wethersfield are fully con- vinced that the Union School System, if perfectly established and judicious- ly managed, affords facilities for the education of the rising generation far superior to the system heretofore adopted. The most prominent features of this system of schools are : The erection of good school buildings constructed with reference to health and comfort of the pupils; the proper graduation of the schools and classification of the scholars; a systematic course of instruction; a judicious selection of teach- ers and the adoption of means for their continual improvement; a vigorous supervision of the whole system; and finally, the affording of equal educa- tional privileges to all the children of the community. For the purpose of giving greater efficiency to the schools, and in order to awaken more thoroughly the interest of the community on the subject of Education, we have caused these Rules and Regulations to be published. They have been carefully prepared and after mature deliberation, adopted." Wm. H. Blish, M. D. Hill, Zerah Chapin, Nelson Lay, Geo. A. Morse, George D. Elliott. Chapter 1 Section 1, of Terms, Vacation, etc., reads: "The school year shall con- sist of forty weeks. The first term shall commence on the first Monday of September and continue sixteen weeks. The second term shall commence on the first Monday of January and continue twelve weeks. The third term shall commence on the second Monday of April and continue twelve weeks." Section 2. "The schools shall be discontinued on all Thanksgiving and Fastdays authorized by civil authority. The superintendent, with the con- sent of the Board of Education, may suspend the schools on such occasions as he may think proper." UNIVERSITY OF H1IN0JS JJR.Qaov 52 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Section 3: "The schools shall be in session live days in each week and six hours each day omitting Saturdays." Chapter 2 Grades of Schools Section 1. The Public Schools of Kewanee and Wethersfield shall be divided into four grades, designated the Primary, Secondary, Grammar and High Schools. There shall also be in addition to these when circumstances shall justify, Unclassified Schools or Departments. Section 2. Scholars who have attended the school during the previous term shall enter the department to which they respectively belong, or to which they have been transferred by examinations. Section 3. Scholars who have not attended the school during the pre- vious term, on entering for the first time, shall go to the school to which they think they belong, and on examination they will be assigned the placp for which they are qualified. Section 4. Scholars residing within the Kewanee and Wethersfield dis- tricts may be admitted into school on any day during the first week of the term, and on Monday of each succeeding week of the term, but at no other time without the order of the Board of Education. Section 5. Scholars not residing in the Kewanee and Wethersfield dis- tricts may be admitted to any school for which, on examination, they are found qualified, by paying in advance the following rates of tuition per term of twelve weeks: Primary Schools $2.00 Grammar Schools , 3.50 Secondary Schools 2.50 High Schools 4.50 Unclassified 3.00 Languages 5.00 Music and Drawing Extra. Tuition charged from the time the pupils enter school to the close of term. No deduction made for absence of pupil, except in case of sickness. Section 6. Non-resident scholars shall not be allowed to occupy desk seats to the exclusion of resident scholars. Chapter 3 (Prepared by Mr. Tabor) Course of Instruction Primary Departments Third Class — Elements of reading taught from cards, blackboard and first reader. Drawing and printing on slates. — Miscellaneous Oral Instruc- tion. All words in the First Reader learned so as to be named at sight and readily spelled. Second Class — Reading, Oral Geography, Oral Arithmetic, Printing spelling lessons on slates, Marks of Punctuation, all words in Second Reader learned so as to be named and readily spelled. First Class — Third Reader to 40th lesson, Oral Geography, Elements of Map Drawing, Oral Arithmetic, Sounds of Letters, Oral Instruction on familiar subjects, Writing and Printing on slates and blackboards. Secondary Department Third Class — Third Reader completed, Geography from Outline Maps, Mental Arithmetic to Fractions, Writing, Miscellaneous Oral instruction, Map-drawing on slates. Second Class — Fourth Reader commenced, Mental Arithmetic complet- WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 53 ed, Geography commenced as a study, Writing, Map-drawing on slates, Oral Instruction. First Class — Fourth Reader completed, Intellectual Arithmetic com- menced, Geography continued, Writing, Map-drawing, Oral Instruction. Grammar Department Third Class — Fifth Reader commenced, Intellectual Arithmetic com- pleted, Practical Arithmetic to Fractions, Geography with use of Outline Maps, Map-drawing, Writing. Second Class — Fifth Reader continued, Practical Arithmetic to page 12, Grammar commenced, Writing, Geography and Map-drawing. First Class — Fifth Reader completed, Practical Arithmetic to page 205, Grammar continued, Geography completed, History of the United States, Writing. High School English Course — First Year First Term — Arithmetic, English Grammar and Physiology. Second Term — iVrithmetic, English Grammar and Physiology. Third Term — Arithmetic completed, Grammar and Algebra. Second Year First Term — Algebra, Physical Geography, English Composition. Second Term — Geometry, Physical Geography or Geology. Third Term — Geometry, Rhetoric and Botany. Third Year First Term — Geometry, Nat. Philosophy and Botany. Second Term — Algebra, Nat. Philosophy and History. Third Term — Algebra, Chemistry and History. Fourth Year First Term — Moral Science, Chemistry and Trigonometry. Second Term — Elements of Criticism, Mental Philosophy and Surveying. Third Term — Astronomy, Mental Philosophy, Political Economy. English and Latin Course Identical with English Course the first year. Second Year First Term — Algebra, Physical Geography and Latin Lessons. Second Term — Geometry, Physical Geography or Geology and Latin Lessons. Third Term — Geometry, Rhetoric and Latin Grammar and Reader. Third Year First Term — Geometry, Nat. Philosophy and Cicero. Second Term — Algebra, Nat. Philosophy, Cicero and Virgil. Third Term — Algebra, Chemistry and Virgil. Fourth Term First Term — Moral Science, Chemistry and Virgil. Second Term — Elements of Criticism, Mental Philosophy and Horace. Third Term — Astronomy, Mental Philosophy and Horace. Classical Preparatory Course. Second Year Identical with High and Latin courses of the first year. First Term — English Composition, Physical Geography and Latin Lessons. 54 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Second Term — English Composition, Physical Geography or Geology and Latin Lessons. Third Term — Greek Lessons Latin Grammar and Reader. Third Year First Term — Greek Lessons and Cicero. Second Term — Greek Grammar, Reader and Cicero. Third Term — Greek Grammar, Reader and Virgil. Fourth Year First Term — Ancient Geography, Anabasis and Virgil. Second Term — History, Virgil and Horace. Third Term — Anabasis and Horace. Declamations, Recitations of Poetry and Composition throughout the course. Reading and Spelling three years. Writing at the option of the teachers. English Synonyms and study of words. Original Declamations, two each term during the fourth year. Chapter five dealt with examinations and promotions. Two of the three sections in this chapter are here given : Section 1. At the close of each term, the classes of the High School shall have a day assigned them for a rigid written test of twenty-five questions on each study completed; but at the close of the school year, a written test shall be required of every study of the last term. Similar examinations, oral or written, shall be conducted under the supervision of the Superintendent, near the close of each term, in the Grammar school, Secondary and Primary Departments. Section 3. At the close of the second term in each year, there shall be a Public Examination of all the classes in the different schools. Chapter five gave the duties of the Superintendent. For the first time the superintendent, M. Tabor, devoted a considerable part of his time to supervision. Two forenoons in each week were devoted to supervision of the Kewanee schools and one to the Wethersfield schools. Chapter seven gave the rules for government of the schools. Two sec- tions are given below: Section 1. "The subject of School Discipline is one of the highest im- portance. One has well said, 'If there is any place on the surface of the earth where order is the first and last and highest law, that place is the schoolroom. Without it there can be no such thing as progress." Section 2. "The means of disciplining a school are so various and depend so much on the experience, intelligence and skill of the teacher, that no precise rule can be adopted. The teacher must be even and uniform in his discipline. The pupil should feel that the teacher says what he means and means what he says. If strict in discipline today and lax tomorrow; if he punishes an offence at one time which he disregards at another; how can he secure the uniform good behavior of his pupils so much admired in every well-governed school." Chapter eight and the last chapter of the Rules and Regulations gave the duties af pupils of the schools. There were five sections, one of which is here given. Section 4. No pupils shall be allowed to retain their connection with any of the Public schools unless they are furnished with the books and utensils required to be used in their respective classes. In 1858 the stockholders of the Seminary turned over to the joint school districts of Wethersfield and Kewanee the Seminary property on WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 55 condition that they assume the debts of that institution amounting to $2,500. This they did and the Seminary became the Academy or High school for the Union district. The first principal of the Seminary was Rev. Mr. Waldo. He was assisted by Miss Atwood. Mr. Waldo was followed by Mr. Blodgett, who was assisted by Miss Stocking. Next in order were McPheran, D. T. Brad- ford and M. Tabor. The last being followed by C. Beckington, S. M. Etter and W. H. Russell. In 1870 the Union school district was dissolved by common consent of both districts. Kewanee school district paid the Wethersfield district $1,800 for their interest in the old Seminary buildings. At the same time Division street became the boundary between the two districts. In 1877 the Old Academy, where so many of the middle-aged and old men and women of Wethersfield and Kewanee attended school was torn down and dwelling houses were erected upon its site. The old Academy remains today only a pleasant memory of the days when Wethersfield was, young. Wethersfield School Grounds The Wethersfield school grounds consist of ten acres and it is conceded to be one of the most beautiful school grounds in the state. Originally there were 286 trees on the grounds. These were divided as follows: 92 Carolina Poplar, 75 White Elm, 24 Sycamore, 7 Norway Spruce, 18 White and Blue Ash, 8 Kilmarnock Willow, 3 Cut-leaf Maple, 8 Mountain Ash, 7 Weeping Mulberry, 4 Hard Maples, 4 Catalpa, 4 Bur Oak, 8 Cam- peidon Elm, 4 Cut-leaf Birch, 3 White Birch and 17 Arbor Vitae. In the spring and summer, flower beds add much to the beauty of the grounds. In the spring of 1911 two thousand tulips bloomed upon the grounds. In that year the following letter was sent to the State Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, Francis G. Blair, who published it in the Arbor and Bird Day book of 1912. Kewanee, Illinois, Nov. 4, 1911 F. G. Blair, State Supt., Springfield, Illinois. Dear Sir: By this mail I am sending you a picture of the Wethersfield School house. The picture also shows part of the ten-acre play grounds. There are over two hundred trees of over twenty different kinds. This summer there have been twenty flower beds in bloom at one and the same time. On almost any morning in September from ten to thirty humming birds could be seen hovering over the large bed seen in the picture. Often twenty games are played at once without one game interfering with another. There is a base ball diamond, several foot ball grounds, croquet grounds and tennis court. Our beautiful grounds have had a marked influence upon our children. They are healthier, happier and are more easily controlled. Please accept the picture with the compliments of the school. Yours truly, Frank H. Craig, Supt. Playground Apparatus The playground apparatus was erected in 1908. Through the efforts of Wm. J. Hayden, the iron piping was secured from the Western Tube Co. at cost. Mr. Hayden also helped in setting up the apparatus. A flag pole was given by the Walworth Company and has just been erected upon the grounds near the building. 56 W E T 1 1 E RSFIELD S K ETC H E S At Play Ring Around the Rosey Happy as the birds That sing in trees on high, Brighter than the stars That twinkle in the sky. Joyful ring their shouts, In the merry rounds, Of the children 'mong the flowers On the old school grounds. ~x ■':J9& :S !C : j:^ L»' The Dinner Hour WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 57 ; v -^lk&' h J&£i" ^oifc' — ™ * '.*' taML$.ij ™c^*a*. : iBa5* gp*y ^ •-to yr VN^*' In the Shade of the Poplars The North Brick Building On October 8, 1866, it was voted to build a new school house on the north end of the school grounds north of the old brick building now standing on the west side of Tenney street between McClure and Church streets. A two-room brick building was completed during the summer of 1867 and school was held in it in the fall of the same year. The contractor was Julius Bliss, and the building cost $4,531.84. In the summer of 1900, G. C. Requa built a one-room addition to this building. This addition was built on the north side, cost $635 and was used as the primary room. The primary pupils in this room were taught by Helen C. Power who was the Primary teacher in Wethersfield schools from 1887 until 1918. This room was used for the primary grades until all grades were trans- ferred to the new building on the public square in 1903. When the schools were moved to the new building, the old buildings and grounds were sold. The addition to the north building was sold to E. J. Ray who moved it to his lots in the north part of the village. The north brick building was sold to Herman Miller. He leveled the building and used the brick in the foundations of three dwelling houses which he erected on the north part of the old school grounds. The south brick building was sold to W. B. McClure. It still belongs to the McClure family. For a time before the north building was erected, school for the primary grades was held in the upper room of the old Beehive store which stood on the corner of Tenney and Church streets not far from the site of the old log church. Frederick Atwater kept store and post office in the lower part of this building and his wife taught the primary pupils in the upper rooms. This old store was eventually moved to Tremont street in Kewanee where it was remodeled and is now a dwelling house. The Schoolhouse on the Public Square At the spring election of the year 1901, the question of room for the pupils of District No. 40 came up and was extensively discussed. At the regular and at special meetings held in the year 1902, the school site was changed to the public square and money was voted for a new school build- ing. H. R. Radford, E. J. Ray and Burt Craig were the school directors of District No. 40 at this time and it was largely through their efforts and those of M. C. Quinn who used his influence in financing the erection of 58 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES the building that the Public square was obtained for a school site. The building and grounds stand as a monument to the untiring efforts of these four men. The plans of the building were drawn by Architect John McCullough and the building was erected by Miner and Carlson. It was occupied by the pupils of the district on Monday morning, October 12, 1903. Miner and Carlson were paid $22,692.00; Churchill-Hemenway Co. was paid $208 for hardware and John McCullough $600 for plans and supervision. jj J The Blish School Before this building was erected, the two school buildings on the old school grounds could not accommodate all the pupils of the district. At one time the overflow was placed in the basement of the Methodist-Episcopal church which stood at the corner of Tenney and Church streets on lot 65. O. W. Pollard taught the pupils in the basement of this church and preached in the room above on Sundays. Among the pupils who went to school in the basement of this church were James Wiley, Jr., Jas. K. Blish and W. B. McClure. Just before the new building was erected, Nellie V. Grier taught the fifth grade in a small building facing McClure street on Lot 76. This building is now a dwelling house. The earlier schools had a six-months year. In 1861 it was voted to extend the school year beyond six months and on August 2, 1869, the school year was extended to nine calendar months. In 1902 the school year was changed to nine months of twenty days each. Formation of the Present High School In the fall of 1903 there were seven pupils in District No. 40 who had completed the eighth grade work and wished to take up high school work. Through the efforts of the principal of the school and the board of educa- tion, a high school course was organized. These seven pupils, of whom four graduated in 1907, began the study of Algebra, Latin, English Composition, Business Arithmetic and Physiog- raphy . During the month of September, 1903, the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades were crowded into the old brick building now standing on the west side of Tenney street. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 59 Pupils and teachers were glad when, on Oct. 12, 1903, they passed from the old school building on Tenney street to the new brick building on the Commons. In the new building, the seventh, eighth and ninth grades occu- pied the north-west room. The teachers of these grades were Mr. Craig and Mrs. Will Sweet. The number of pupils increased rapidly. When the pupils entered the new building on the Commons in 1903, they occupied only seven of the eight rooms in the building. It was thought that this building would furnish room for the pupils of the district for many years. But by 1913, all eight rooms were in use as well as the basement and upper hall. In 1903 there were seven high school pupils. By the fall of 1914, seventy-seven high school pupils were attending the school. During the school year of 1915-16, thirty-five boys and forty-six girls enrolled in the school. Fifteen of these were tuition pupils. In 1903-04, the principal of the school taught all the high school classes. By 1915 there were two high school teachers besides the principal and music instructor. The tax levied that year was $6,500. The wages paid to teachers was $2,700, the other expenses were $1,131.45. The total expense amounted to $3,831.45. From 1903 to 1918, Frank H. Craig was superintendent and principal of the schools. Then came C. O. Klontz for two years; Chas. E. Decker, for five years. The present superintendent is E. G. Miller. The Township High School, District No. 191 On March 23, 1914, the proposition of establishing a Township high school district was voted on. Five hundred and twenty-five votes were cast of which three hundred and seven were in favor of a Township high school. On April 15, 1914, a township high school board as follows was elected: L. D. Quinn, president, H. R. Radford, Burt Craig, T. F. Oliver, Blanche Page, F. E. Good and A. F. Shaner. On May 14, 1914, four propositions were submitted to the voters of Wethersfield township. Proposition 1, To purchase a site; Proposition 2, Selection of site; Proposition 3, To erect a building, and Proposition 4, To issue bonds to the value of $30,000.00. The first, third and fourth propositions were carried by large majorities and the Town hall site was selected for the new building. The work on the building was started July 18, 1914. Grant Beadle of Galesburg was the architect and C. W. Karr of Clinton, Iowa, the contractor. a& w*? . ' W '■■■ sssrai te ►wl- . {■& v ■ **tt^JM&$%^* ^H|i te ',: " '; 111 jjj £:■ Ly wmg^^mm :''".."':'- ,, >v _. Wethersfield Township High School 60 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Mr. Karr's bid was $24,986.00. The building was completed in the fall and winter of 1914 and was occupied by the high school pupils on April 12, 1915. The entire cost of building, gymnasium and stable was about $35,000. The Gymnasium Before the new township high school was built, the old Town hall was moved to the east of its original site and made into a gymnasium. This old building was erected in 1849-50 and should be preserved, not only because it furnishes a playroom for the pupils of the schools, but because of its historic interest. ~ " The W. H. S. Kite Field Day In the spring of 1904 an annual field day was established. The last day of school since that time has been given over to athletic contests upon the school grounds and to drills and marches. For several years a contest in kite flying was one of the events. This day has always brought many visitors to the Wethersfield Commons. The Old Spelling School Sixty years ago Webster's spelling book was the standard speller in the country schools of the township. All spelling was done orally. The last class of the day was the advanced spelling class composed of boys and girls from fifteen to twenty years of age. The class stood in a row along the walls of the school room. Each pupil was given two trials at a word. When a pupil missed a word, the pupil below him in the class was given a chance to spell it. If this pupil WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 61 spelled the word correctly he would take his place above the pupil that first mis-spelled the word. The pupil who succeeded in reaching the head of the class by Friday afternoon went to the foot of the class on the next Monday. This com- petition added zest to the spelling lessons and resulted in making some good spellers among the pupils. The teacher did not keep a grade book in those days. Neither were there report cards to be sent to the parents. However, the teacher kept a book in which was recorded the headmarks of each pupil. One Friday evening a certain father asked his boy if he got another mark that week. The boy replied that he got one but that it was where it wouldn't show. The pupil who received the most "headmarks" per term was given a prize. Sometimes the prize was a card, sometimes a book and sometimes each pupil was given a penny for every headmark obtained. Memories From the corner of my garret Comes a book that's badly worn, Fifty years the dust has gathered On its pages creased and torn. As I turn its musty leaves In electric's magic glow, Comes a picture faintly stealing Of those days of long ago. When upon the old school desk Lay this book with cover blue, And my days were spent in conning Word by word its lessons through. Well remembered days were those, Bright the meadow flowers grew, Whirred the wings of prairie chicken, High in air the wild geese flew. Sweat of brow and daily toil Clarified the brain of man, Filled his heart to overflowing As no modern pleasure can. Then, the children gathered nightly Round the fireside one by one, Home to them was all in all When their daily tasks were done. Saxon School Old No. 2 — New No. 84 On August 4, 1887, Stephen H. Winters, Jehiel Fuller, Samuel Maycock, Samuel Halstead, William Winters, Ruluff Darish, Jeremiah Winters, James Kay, R. S. Armstrong, John A. Maxfield, Squire Darish and Jorham Rounds bought of Samuel Halstead and wife the following described property for the location of a school house. A triangular piece of land in the corner where the Wethersfield and Toulon road crosses the Peru and Knoxville 62 WETH ERSF 1 E LD S K KTCHES The Saxon School state road (12 rds. N. and S. and 14 rds. Easterly and Westerly; one-half acre more or less) for the sum of $1.00. The first school building in this district was erected in 1848. It was a brick building and stood upon the site of the present school house. About 1864 this building burned and the present building was erected. From the first, the voters of the district were decidedly opposed to extending the school year. The proposition for extending the school year beyond six months was regularly voted down at the annual meetings for a good many years. On August 20, 1865, it was voted to allow pupils outside the district to attend school on payment of fifty cents per term. In 1865 coal was furnish- ed to the school for eighteen cents per bushel. In 1877 it was furnished for nine and one-half cents per bushel. It was the only district to expressly state in contract that the coal was to be of a good marketable quality. The well was dug in August, 1865, by J. W. Wright at a cost of $2 per foot. August 6, 1871, the following set of books was adopted by the board of directors: McGuffey's Readers, Clark's Grammars, Saunder's Spellers, Robinson's Arithmetics and Montieth's Geographies. In the 60's and 70's the levy for school purposes was between $150 and $200. The smallest wage per month recorded in this district is $25. The statement was made to a certain school teacher who had applied for the school that if the county superintendent recommended him that he might have the fall term for $35 per month, and if satisfaction was given during that term, he could have the winter term at $45 per month. And it was further stated that if he was still satisfactory during the winter, he might have the spring term at $35 per month. The roof of the present building was shingled in October of 1885 at a cost of $12.50 for labor and $3 for boarding carpenters. The building was also shingled in 1906. In September of 1891 the building was painted for $21. On September 24, 1898, a new bell was bought of O. H. Loomis of Kewanee for $50. Mr. Loomis placed the bell in the belfry for an additional WETHERSFIEL.D SKETCHES 63 $4.50. In June of 1894 the flag pole was placed on the school house and a new flag purchased. The building was reseated in July, 1898. Among the early teachers who taught two years or more, were: Amy Enslow, Alice Martin, Anna M. Blake, Mabel Ladd and May Mowitt. The highest wage in the 70's and 80's was $50 per month, in the 90's the high- est wage was $60 per month. The present teacher, Faith Buchanan, is receiving $115.00 per month. In the early days, the Saxon school led the surrounding schools in its literary programs. The walls of the old school room, upon many a winter evening, resounded with the eloquence of the school boys and young men for miles around who met there to try their wits against each other and to win the votes of their often fair judges. Among the directors who served this school district for upwards of twenty years or more were M. S. Craig and George Fuller. Mr. Fuller was clerk of the board for many years. His books show much care in recording the transactions of the school. The Dana School Old No. 3— New No. 44 This is a fractional district, the school building being located in Ke- wanee township. School was held in this district as early as 1848. No school is held in this- district at the present time. The pupils attend either the Wethersfield or Kewanee Schools. The Good School Old No. 4 — New No. 39 The first school building erected in this district was built on the corner of the H. G. Carson farm, now owned by Dr. J. H. Oliver. It was built in 1848. In 1865, $50 was paid a Mr. Wilcox for the lease of the present school grounds and a contract was given H. Searles to build a school house on those The Good School 64 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES grounds. The contract price was $990. This money was borrowed and a tax of two per cent was levied upon the taxable property of the district to meet the obligation. The old building was sold to H. G. Carson. On August 3, 1868, the directors were authorized by the voters of the district to dig a well and to "run" the school for nine months. In 1862, Harriet Ogden received $12 per month for teaching the spring term and $18 per month for teaching the fall and winter terms. This district is the only one of the country districts receiving a railroad tax. The school has been standardized. Among the earlier teachers who taught two or more years in this dis- trict were Helen C. Power, Birdie Gleason, Maggie Haswell, Nellie V. Grier and Addie E. Martin. Once upon a time Chas. K. Ladd taught a four month school here, receiving $52 per month, the highest wage paid by this district until a much later date. The Craig School Old No. 5 — New No. 37 A deed was given for this school yard May 30, 1856, and a school house was erected in the fall of the same year. No records are available of the first teachers, but Elizabeth H. Bryan taught from April 28, 1862, until July 22, 1862, a three months term for ten dollars per month. Michael Nolan taught the winter following, a three month term, at fourteen dollars per month. He had enrolled that winter forty-four pupils, varying in age from six to twenty-one years. In 1871 a new school house was built by C. Bliss at a cost of $1200.00. It had already been voted (Aug. 3, 1863) to extend the school year beyond six months. During the 70's the wages of teachers were from twenty to thirty dollars per month in the fall and spring and from forty to fifty dollars during the winter term. There were three teachers during the year, one for each of the three terms. A man, one who usually worked on the farm during the The Craig School WETHERSFIKLP SKETCHES 65 summer, was always hired for the winter term. George Nolan wa the first teacher in the present building. During the 80's there were but lew men teachers and the wages were from twenty to thirty dollars per month. After 1910 the wages rose rapidly. At the present time (1925) the teacher receives one hundred dollars per month. The tax levy in 1862 was $200. In 1922, just sixty years later it was $1200. The school has been standardized by the state department of public instruction. In the spring one could sit in his seat in the old school room and through the open doorway, squirrels could be seen at play on the sloping hillside beyond. In the fall many were the pocketfuls of juicy apples that were brought to school, some of which were slyly eaten during school hours; and there were the fights on those drowsy Saturdays with bumble bees in the old orchards. Bumble bees in those days were sworn enemies of all school boys. Little did the boys, one of whom is the writer of these sketches, and the girls of old No. 5 think of the future in those happy days. We had our rivalries in the old school room and our troubles upon the playground. Some of those boys and girls are gone, but others, middle-aged or old, often think of their old teachers and schoolmates with feelings of pleasure as memory brings back those carefree days that we spent at old No. 5. Boyhood Memories My mind reverts to the farm Where I lived and worked as a boy, Where my days were full of happiness And my heart was full of joy. Up with the lark in the morning, At work in the dewy air, Well I remember those days, Was there ever a world so fair? Then was a time for visions, For the future was all before, And my mind, like the golden eagle, In the blue of the sky would soar. Life passes but slowly in youth, Whether of city or farm, And those boyhood dreams of mine Lost something of glow and charm. But the pleasure of field and farm, Still lingers, an afterglow, Of the joys of that early boyhood In those days of long ago. Indian Creek School Old No. 6— New No. 42 The first school house in this district was placed near the site of the present building in 1856. In September of 1864, this building was moved to land then owned by Philip Shaner at the S. E. corner of the S. W. 40 66 WETH KltS FIELD SKETCHES Indian Creek School acres of section 27. School was held in this building until 1870 when a new building, the present one, was built on the old school site where the build- ing still stands. The carpenter work on the present school building was done by Fred- erick Mulholland for $390. The trees upon the school ground were set out April 25, 1877. Miss Maggie Rule was the last teacher in the old building and John (Jock) Turnbull the first teacher in the present school building. In 1877 there were fifty-six boys and girls under twenty-one years of age in the district. Thirty of these were of school age. In the 70's and 80's it was a merry lot of boys and girls that went to school here. There were the Murchinsons, the Johnstones, the Johnsons, the Keims and the Armstrongs. Some of those boys and girls now grown to mannhood and womanhood still live in the district. Among these is H. C. Johnstone who lives upon the farm entered from the government by his grandfather in 1848. This was one of the last pieces of government land entered in the township. The boys and girls of this school trudged through the snows of winter and loitered on their way along the dusty roads in summer. Boys and girls sat upon opposite sides of the school room and many were the shy glances cast across that middle aisle when the teacher was not look- ing. In the winter of 1886 a night school for review work was held twice a week. This was the first night school in the county. Not the least of pleasures of school life at this school was the fine sliding place upon the bank of Indian Creek in winter. In summer this same creek furnished the old "swimmin hole." In spring, wild flowers bloomed in the woods to the south, and in the fall nuts galore grew upon the walnut and hickory trees in the neighboring pastures. Truly those were happy days at old No. 6. WETHEllSKIELO SKETCHES 67 Armstrong School Old No. 7— New No. 43 May 15, 1856, O. T. Graves agreed with Pindlay Murchinson for one- half acre of land for a school yard. The price paid for the half acre was $16. June 2, 1856, the district was laid out pursuant to an order issued by Charles R. Blake, Township Treasurer. The district comprised the south one-half of section 12, southeast quarter of section 11, east half of section 14, seGtion 13, east half of section 23 and section 24. William Oliver, Will- iam Stover and James Bayles were chosen judges, and E. Abbey clerk of this first election. At the same election held June 2, 1856, Oliver T. Graves, William Stover and E. Abbey were elected school directors. July 2, 1856, a tax of one per cent was levied upon the taxable property of the district and in the summer and fall of 1857, George W. Norton furnished the material and built a school house upon the school site. The building cost $419. A. A. Matthews taught the first school in the winter and spring of 1S57-8 receiving $50 for the two terms. On Oct. 4, 1859, Robert Moffatt was hired to teach the school for $18 per month. He taught for three and one-half months and received $63. Diantha Matthews taught fifteen weeks for $45 in 1862. The trees were set out on April 11, 1870. Sept. 5, 1859, a tax was levied to support a free school in the district for eight months during the coming school year. In Sept., 1864, the school year was made nine months but was reduced to eight months, although in 1867 they again voted for a nine-month school. The Armstrong School On Aug. 5, 1867, it was voted to build a new school house. March 21, 1868, the contract for the building was awarded to John O. Geer for $1122. The building was completed July 30, 1868. The total cost including seats, etc., was about $1,500. A district library was bought during this year at a cost of $54. The school year was divided into three terms. Usually there 68 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES were three teachers during each year, a lady for fall and spring and a man for winter. Among the teachers of a later period were George A. Dickinson and the Ray boys, Charles and E. J. The wages did not advance until the 80's. By 1900 the teacher was being hired for the full year and she was getting from $35 to $50 per month. The teacher during the year 1923-4 received $892.50, over $100 per month. In the early days of the district there were sometimes enrolled as many as forty or forty-five pupils. During the year of 1923-24 there were seven- teen pupils enrolled. In the early days boys and girls usually attended school, at least during the winter months, until they became of age. The country boy and girl of today complete the eight grades at the age of twelve to fifteen years. !(i si y 24 y^ :Jf ^V/ >/& \\ ■j* y SKETCHES 71 'Tis ot" lessons that you tell, And your jingle, old school bell, Is to us a warning call, To our duties, one and all. School Garden (From the Star-Courier in the spring of 1914) "Classes in agriculture at the Wethersfield high school will now have the advantage of an experiment plot eight rods square adjoining the school building at the corner of Church and Tenney streets. A great variety of crops have been started. The amount of each product grown is small, the object not being large production but rather great variety, in order that experiments may cover the largest possible amount of subjects. Almost every common kind of truck vegetables as well as field corn and oats have some space in the garden. In addition there are two apple trees upon which experiments in trimming, grafting and budding are carri- ed on. The whole garden is divided into 70 plots, each 8 by 16 feet. This year all of these plots are used for experimental purposes though the pupils may do what they please with the products of their own individual plots." Literary Societies The first lyceum or literary society in Wethersfield was begun in 1838. Some of the villagers thought that they might profit by skill in debating. The first meetings were held in the homes of those taking part in the programs. One of the early ministers says, "We soon found that young Wethersfield had some manly ideas, and that the intelligence of the people was not lost by crossing the Alleghanies, though it has been said of some professors of religion that they lost their religion in that way." Later the debates were held in the old log mill house on Tenney street. When the Academy was built, it became the meeting place for all literary efforts. From its platform both John B. Gough and Horace Greely lectured to the people of the community. After the Union school district was dissolved in 1870, all literary work was carried on in the school build- ings of the respective districts. In the 70's and 80's several of the country districts had literary socie- ties. Among these districts was District No. 84, now a part of the Saxon consolidated district No. 201. It had a fine literary society in which the debate usually furnished the greater part of the programs. Night Schools The first night school was held at Indian Creek school house in the winter of 1886. The boys and girls of the school and neighborhood met one night each week to review some of the common branches. In the fall of 1911 a night school was begun in the high school room at Wethersfield. Classes in reading, writing, bookkeeping, civics and athle- tics were begun and they were continued through the winter months for several years. Among the teachers of these night schools were: Frank Castle, Grant Wiley, Noel Craig, William Teece and Frank H. Craig. From ten to twenty-five were regularly enrolled in these classes. School Section The school lands of Wethersfield township; Sec. 16, was sold in 1855 for $6,549.98, a little over ten dollars per acre. This was about the average price per acre paid for the school section in each township of Henry County. WETHKRSFTEEP SKETCHES Libraries Through the efforts of a young couple named Granger, a circulating library was early established in the Wethersfield colony. The first books for this library were donated by the city of Middletown, Conn. Caleb Little was its last librarian. At the present time, all school districts of the township have their own libraries. These consist of books purchased from the proceeds of enter tainments given by pupils and teacher of the respective districts. Manual Training Manual Training began in the Wethersfield schools in the fall of 1903. The first manual training room was then the unused upper southeast room in the new brick building on the Public Square. A basement room was afterwards used in the same building. When the township high school was built, a basement room in that building became the manual training room. Chief School Officer The chief school officer of the township is the county superintendent of schools. He was formerly called a commissioner. Each school district is more directly controlled by three directors or by a board of education con- sisting of seven members. The following is a list of the commissioners and county superintendents with the date they began their terms. Commissioners: Term Began: James M. Allan March 5, 1838 Joseph Tilson July 10, 1839 Abra M. Seymour March 10, 1841 Marcus B. Osborn March 7, 1842 John C. Ward Sept. 1, 1845 Champlain Lester Aug. 2, 1847 Henry G. Griffin Dec. 3, 1849 William H. Brainard Dec. 1, 1851 R. C. Raymond Dec. 3, 1855 Samuel G. Wright Dec. 7, 1857 Samuel M. Etter Dec. 2, 1861 H. B. Foskett Dec. 7, 1863 A. K. Henny Jan. 27, 1864 County Superintendents A. K. Henny Dec. 4, 1865 H. S. Comstock Dec. 6, 1869 B. F. Barge Dec. 1, 1873 Fannie L. Tee Sept 21, 1881 E. E. Fitch Dec. 13, 1881 E. C. Rosseter Dec. 4, 1882 Joshua Williams Oct. 1, 1886 John B. Russell Dec. 1, 1890 Martin Luther Sept. 1, 1893 A. L. Odenweller Dec. 5, 1910 P. J. Stoneberg Dec. 1, 1918 W. F. Huston Jan. 13, 1920 WKTHERSFIKl'J) SKETCHES 73 The First Graduates The Alumni The first to enroll as alumni in the Wethersfield high school were Icy D. Miller, Mabel E. Radford, Delia G. Donaldson and Harry E. Myers. The commencement exercises were held at the Town Hall on Friday evening of the last week in May, 1907. The class motto was, "Not For Self Alone." Miss Radford, salutatorian of the class, delivered an address entitled, "Illinois." Miss Donaldson's subject was, "The Secret of Success," and Mr. Myers gave an interesting address on, "The True Type of Education." The valedictorian of the class, Miss Miller, took for her subject, "Rome Was Not Built in a Day." In closing she thanked the faculty and the board of education for the many courtesies shown the class during its high school course. Jas. K. Blish of Kewanee and F. U. White of Galva were the speakers of the evening. After the exercises at the town hall, the members of the graduating class and their two teachers were the guests of the board of education at the Saratoga Cafe where a fine supper was served. During the nineteen years since the first graduation, 223 pupils have completed the high school course. All of the living members of this group are filling each in his own niche, a place in the community, state or nation. (Abbreviations — B., born; d., died; m., married; Kew., Kewanee, 111.; Wal., Walworth Company; Bus., business; Col., college; Man., manager; Nor., Normal; U. of I., University of Illinois; U. of Wis., University of Wis- consin.) Class of 1907 Delia G. Donaldson — B. March 29, 1889; attended Geneseo Collegiate In- stitute; graduate of Western Illinois State Teachers' College ; taught 14 years; began teaching at $20 per month; became principal of Lincoln, Ne- braska, schools, salary $1500 per year; m. Louis H. Kerr, who is one of Nebraska's state senators; Brady, Neb. Harry E. Myers — B. Jan. 20, 1889; farmer; m. Alta Heeter; No. 2, Kew. Icy D. Miller — B. Dec. 28, 1890; attended Nor. school; taught five years; m. Sam Woodley, executive Asst. of Am. Assn. for the Advancement of Sci- ence; 2233 18th St., N. W. Apt., Washington, D. C. Mabel E. Radford— B. Aug. 12, 1889; completed a business course; did clerical work for several years; in. Guy. W. Akin; Buda, 111. 74 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES School Song (By Florence Neville) Wethersfield, we love you, good old Goose Island, Wethersfield, your honored standards, always high will stand. Wethersfield, your true sons, back you, every man. Wethersfield, we love you, first in state and first in land. Chorus : Here's to the school that we love, boys, Here's to her sons so true, Here's to the team and victory, Here's to Craig, too, Here's to Philomathian fame, boys, Here's to each thing you do, Hand in hand, man to man, Staunch Wethersfield we stand, Here's to good old Wethersfield. Wethersfield, we love you, Love your Windmont park, Spoon River, your banks are verdant, On green and white we stake, Wethersfield, your true sons, back you every man, Wethersfield, we love you, first in state and first in land. The following composition was written by Miss Radford in the spring of 1904 at the time she was a freshman. Incidents of the School Year When school began last fall, the new building on the "Commons" was not ready and but little preparation had been made to begin school in the old buildings. On the Saturday before school was to begin, it was found that there was no room for the sixth and second grades. Some old seats were found in the attic of the North building. Part of these were put in the east room of that building and used for second and third grade pupils. The rest of the seats were put in the South building for the sixth grade. In the South building the seats and desks had to be placed very close together; some against the walls; some close to the stove and some by the front blackboard. There were over eighty boys and girls in this room, and they were packed almost as closely together as sardines in a box. The seventh grade was so large that it could not go to the small recitation room in the east end of this building, so it had to recite in or at their seats. The smaller sixth, eighth and ninth grades took turns reciting in the recitation room. One day, when the sixth grade and their teacher, Mrs. Sweet, were in the recitation room, the wind blew the door shut. The lock bolt closed and the teacher and pupils could not get out until the door was unlocked. No repair had been made on the old building. When the wind blew, as it usually did, the shutters which could not be fastened open were blown against the house, making so much noise that it was difficult to> concentrate upon our studies. When the shutters were not slamming, the wind through the broken windows scattered our papers all over the room. When cool weather came and the fires were started, both chimneys smoked. The smoke came out into the room and teachers and pupils went WKTHERSFIKLP SKETCHES 75 out of doors or stayed in the room and breathed carbonic acid gas and shed smoky tears. When the chimneys were cleaned, a great variety of things were taken from them; old shoes, balls, brickbats, soot and from one a dinner pail. Some boy, probably one who had finished school the year before, thought he would not need his dinner pail any more, so he had thrown it into the chimney top. Pupils and teachers were all eager to get into the new building and on Friday morning, just a month after school began, the contractor sent word that we might have the new building on the next Monday morning. The books were taken home that afternoon and on Saturday morning, the old desks were taken to the new building on the Commons. The carpenters and members of the board of directors worked all day Saturday and by night the building was ready for the pupils. Our school has been going quite regular since that time with the exception of two vacation weeks. Some boys and girls have moved away, but letters come from them once in a while, showing that they still have a warm place in their hearts for their old teachers and playmates at Wethers- field. New boys and girls have come among us who have taken up the school work with a will and have become a part of the school. Not a few laughable incidents have occured during the year. The following are some of them. The day before Thanksgiving a teacher heard two little girls talking about their Thanksgiving Day dinner. One of them said, "What are turkeys worth a yard this year?" The other said, "They don't sell turkeys by the yard." On the first day of April, our janitor, Mr. Cole, was standing on the lower floor by a radiator when a first grader walked up to him, handed him a neatly folded paper and then walked off toward his room, but turned with a grin on his face just in time to meet an answering grin on the face of Mr. Janitor as he looked up from reading the paper. Even our principal, Mr. Craig, after refusing to look at the first caterpillar and the stopped clock; and after putting off the reading of a a letter or two until April second, succumbed when he attempted to ring his call bell. The ring had all been taken out of it. We are at present about 250 pupils and 7 teachers. We are proud of our fine new school building and its broad play grounds. These grounds will become the pride of the district. Certainly the children of Dist. No. 40 can never thank too much that board of directors and others who worked so hard to get a school building upon the commons. Class of 1908 Noel E. Craig— B. Apr. 30, 1890; grad. of Knox Col.; attended U. of I., of Wis., and of Chicago; teacher; taught 13 years; m. Jessie M. Reed; 2683 Tuxedo Ave., Detroit, Mich. Ernest G. Dustin— B. July 23, 1888; farmer; m. Trella B. Fuller; No. 2, Galva, 111. Blanche I. Dustin — B. Apr. 1, 1890; taught 2% years; m. Frank L. Craig; 138 W. McClure St., Kew. Bluebird and Robin About seven o'clock one morning last spring a Bluebird was swinging from a small branch of one of the poplar trees in front of the school house. A Robin flew to a near-by branch of the same tree. "Where did you come from," asked the Bluebird? "I spent the winter in the rice fields of North Carolina," said the Robin. "I have been more 76 WKTHKRSF1ELD SKETCHES than a month on my way to this place. I stopped several times on my journey, waiting while Old Winter was slowly driven northward by the South Wind." "Do you expect to go farther," asked the Bluebird? "No," said the Robin, "This place looks pretty good to me, for T was born in that old nest in the Elm tree by the town hall walk." "Are there plenty of worms here-abouts," asked the Bluebird? "Yes," said the Robin, "and there are cherries, currants and grapes in the neigh- boring gardens, but best of all, the children of this school never harm birds." "Well," said the Bluebird, "if what you say is true, this place must be pretty near a bird's paradise. I think I shall pick out an Elm tree and when Mrs. Bluebird comes along from the South we will go to keeping house in a tree on the school grounds." Class of 1909 Emma B. Bean — B. July 6, 1891; taught school; m. Raymond E. Cole; No. 2, Broken Bow, Neb. Irma L. Close — B. Dec. 30, 1892; attended Nor.; has taken extension work; teacher; taught 16 years; m. W. E. Briggs; 2736 14th Ave., Moline, 111. Rose M. Carlson — B. July 23, 1890; attended Nor.; taught 4 years; m. Frank Steimle; Washington, 111. Opal E. Leech— B. Aug. 22, 1891; grad. of Kew. Bus. Col.; has been doing clerical and stenographic work for the Herman Nelson Corp. for the past nine years; 1805 15th St., Moline, 111. Lindsay R. Olson— B. July 11, 1891; m. William E. Campbell; 113 W. Mill St., Kew. Cecile B. Pierce — B. Jan. 4, 1891; spent 13 years in general office work at Wal. office; m. W. S. Stuart; 6627 Blackstone Ave., Chicago, 111. Dean H. Radford— B. Sept. 20, 1891; studied Ag. at U. of Wis.; farmer; m. Annie Rule; No. 4, Kew. Esther M. Ray— B. Dec. 10, 1891; attended Wheaton Col.; No. 2, Kew. Lola M. Rogers — B. Mar. 31, 1891; studied nursing at White's Sanator- ium, Freeport, 111.; did practical nursing iy 2 years; m. Mitchell J. Turnbull; No. 2, Neponset, 111. Oscar C. Samuelson — B. Oct. 22, 1890; grad. of Des Moines Bus. Col.; in Equitable Ins. office; m. Clara E. Buntz; 1410 W. 44th St., Des Moines, la. Laura A. Townsend — B. Apr. 14, 1890; m. Carl Shane, Knoxville, 111. Mary E. Whitney — B. Apr. 14, 1891; has taken extension work at Augus- tana Col. equivalent to a Jr. Nor. course; teacher of 16 years experience; 1002 17th St., Rock Island, 111. The following letter was received from Miss Whitney in answer to my request for information and is published with her consent. — Author. Rock Island, 111., My dear Mr. Craig: Nov. 30, 1925 It brought back childhood memories when I saw your signature on an envelope to me. It will indeed be a great pleasure to give you the needed information. I often think back to the time when I graduated and how little I wished to be a school teacher. How mother insisted on my taking the teacher's examination, and with your encouragement I proceeded on my life-long career. I surely am glad that I listened to your advice and cannot imagine myself in any other vocation as interesting and enjoyable as teaching. I WET1IEIISFIEL1 > SKETCHES 77 have often wondered why you encouraged me to become a teacher. I would enjoy having you tell me if you wish. I have a deep interest in the boy or girl who is so full of energy and fun that he or she cannot keep within the school rules. I was like them. I now know what a source of trouble I was to you, yet at the same time I was trying to be the best pupil you had. Now as to my history: I taught four years in the rural schools; two of these years in a two-room rural school where we had between sixty and seventy pupils enrolled. I had the primary grades. After much thought and consideration I put my application in for a position in the Rock Island schools, and in 1913, I was given a position. I could hardly make up my mind to leave the rural school as I was so inter- ested there. But again my mother insisted and I am glad I obeyed. I was assigned to the Audubon school, so named, because it was on the boundary line of Rock Island, sort of in the woods. This building was a new four-room wooden building, placed in the center of a block of oak trees. We had a small enrollment and were considered one of the smaller schools, not worth much notice. But we soon made people notice us because of our lovely home atmosphere in the school; our beautiful grounds, planned by our old German janitor, who took the prize three years in succession for his lovely flower beds and our P. T. A. was the largest in the city, though in its most sparsely settled district. Our enrollment began to increase with the building up of that section of thei city. At one time we could count from our school windows, twenty- one houses in the process of the making. We soon had a portable building placed in our yard which took care of eighty children. At last we have on this lovely spot the most beautiful school building in the city. It is a two-story structure of brown brick, containing thirteen class rooms, gymnasium, auditorium, library operated by the city library, a kitchenette and rest room, office, shower baths, lunch rooms for children who live too far from school and a hygiene room where the children are examined by doctor, nurse and dentist. In this room the children are weighed and measured each month. Here also, over a hundred children drink milk every day. I have the primary children. We had fifty-two enrolled last September. These pupils had never gone to school before and it has been very inter- esting to watch them unfold into regular little students. I have had the beginners for the past three years, ever since we have been in our new school. I have been at Augustana College for two summers and have taken Normal extension work until I have earned credits enough to be considered a junior, yet, I believe my most extensive; training was with my former principal, Miss Wilcox, who had a wonderfully strong personality, always doing for others and her love for children made her an ideal teacher as well as principal. We feel as though our new school is a monument to her as she passed away very suddenly after being in our new building but five months. I must close. I would enjoy visiting with you. I will try and find you when I come to Kewanee. Sincerely your old pupil, Marie Whitney. Class Prophecy of 1909 (By Mae Rogers) May 28, 1919: Time has flown so rapidly that it is almost impossible to realize that ten years have passed since I graduated from the Wethers- 78 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES field high school. In the meantime I have traveled much and have been very busy writing my autobiography. In composing the chapter entitled, "Schoolmates," I was obliged to hunt for some of them. I first boarded a car for Wethersfield and arrived at the Wethersfield city hall on election day. Shortly after ascending the massive stone steps of this building, I entered a small vestibule where I touched a button three times and instantly landed on the third floor. Stepping from the elevator I was surprised to see a small iron hand suddenly shoot out from the wall and a voice was heard to say, "A penney please." I reluctantly took from my purse a penny which I had amalgamated at the W. H. S. in 1909. I did not like to part with this penny as I had kept it for good luck. This was all the money I had with me, for in this advanc- ed age, any amount larger than a penny could be paid by check. So instead of gold, silver and paper money, a check book and a fountain pen were the only articles usually found in pocket books. As I entered the large auditorium, I heard a voice say,. "Who will you have for president of the board of education"? In the speaker I recognized my old schoolmate, vice president of the Senior class of 1909, Esther Ray. She was fulfilling the duties of chairman of the meeting as she had done her duties at school faithfully and well. Almost instantly I heard Rose Carlson nominated for president of the board. I knew that Rose had made a good teacher at "North Star" school and was not surprised to hear the motion seconded. I heard afterwards that Rose was elected to the position. On leaving the hall, I noticed the campus of the school. It was well kept and instead of two tulip beds, there were many. I noticed there were no fences around the flower beds. This puzzled me, for when I attended school in Wethersfield, the dogs were so numerous that all flower beds had to be protected. On asking for an explanation, I was told that the Mayor of Wethersfield, Laura Townsend, had succeeded in having an ordi- nance passed declaring that no dogs were to run at large. I took particular notice of the trees that our class had helped to plant and wondered at their marvelous growth. Over these trees could be seen the tops of several large buildings. A bell hung from the tower of what later proved to be our old school house remodeled. I entered the building and took an elevator to the third floor. A kindly old gentleman met me and ushered me into* the high school assembly room. I readily recognized him as Mr. Craig who had taught me for several years in the high school. He asked me what I was doing and when I told him that I was writing a book, he wished me success. I told him that Blanche Bean was matron of a hospital in Chicago. As I finished talking to Mr. Craig, a stately lady came down the hall. As she was about to pass I said, "Opal, don't you know me"? After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Why, it's Mae Rogers, editor of the "Old Wethersfield Bugle." After graduating she had moved to Missouri. She had studied vocal music under a local teacher, then gone to Chicago Con- servatory after which she had studied two years in Paris. Opal told me that Cecil Pierce had graduated with herself in Paris and that both were teaching music in the Wethersfield high school, Cecil having charge of the instrumental department. Just squeezing the ends of my fingers, Opal (she was now called LaOpal DeLeech) hurried away to her classes murmuring something that sounded like "Au revoir." I next went to Chicago. While there I went into a hair-dressing parlor to have my hair dressed in the latest style. When I asked the hair dresser the price, she said, "five dollars." When I asked her to whom I should make out the check, she replied, "Irma Close." When I looked at her I ___ VN'ETIIEIISFIELD SKETCHES 79 saw that she was indeed my old schoolmate, Irma. She said she was having great success in her line of work. That evening I attended a reading given by the world famous Madamoiselle Whitney, another of my schoolmates. Leaving Chicago, I journeyed toward the north and east, into a fine farming center. I decided to stop here for a while and left the train. After walking about town for a short time I became very hungry. Seeing a pleasant faced woman and her husband, I decided to ask them if I might take dinner with them. On asking the lady, she said she would ask her husband who was untying the team. This was his reply, "Did Dean Radford ever refuse anyone a meal"? I was so surprised that I was at a loss for words (something new for me). As we rode along the pleasant country road, a refrain something like this kept running through my head. "Holy Gee" I'm glad I'm free, no wedding bells for me." And I felt that Dean must be singing another song now. Dean told me that Linnie Olson was matron of the Glenwood Orphans' Home in Chicago and I couldn't help thinking of Linnie's song, "I want an Orphan," and knew that she must be happy. On my way home I stopped at Aurora to see my old English teacher, but was told that she had just left for Paris where she was about to enter her pet dog, "Julius Caesar," in a dog show. Before writing a final copy of my autobiography I decided to take a course in penmanship. I entered a school at Rock Island for that purpose. While there, one of the teachers gave me a sentence to write. I instantly recognized the handwriting of my old school mate, Oscar Samuelson. How- ever, he had changed his name from "Shorty" to Professor Samuelson. After finishing the course in pennmanship, I returned to my home where I finished my autobiography. And as I now read over the many chapters, I find the ones that I enjoy the most to be those relating to my old schoolmates and teachers of 1909. Class of 1910 Agnes A. Fraser — B. May 12, 1892; attended Nor.; taught 12 years; m. John Dent; 530 Elliott St., Kew. Mabel F. Lindstrom — B. Aug. 19, 1892; attended Geneseo Collegiate Inst.; taught 2 years; m. Charles C. Motley; No. 2, Kew. Rena D. Partridge— B. May 31, 1891; teacher; attended Nor. Univ. 2V 2 years; taught 13 years; Kew. Ruby M. Turnbull— B. Nov. 25, 1891; attended school at Geneseo, 111.; taught 3 years; m. Floyd Dodd; Moline, 111. Our High School Pin (By Agnes Fraser) After the high school was started in 1903, the high school pupils wanted a high school pin. Many catalogs were sent for and examined, but no pin could be found that suited the pupils. They wanted something different from other schools. At last it was suggested that they take the wild goose for their mascot and for the emblem on their pin. A large goose was painted by Ruby Turnbull, a member of the class of 1910. A kodak picture of this painting was taken and sent to Bastian Bros, at Rochester, N. Y., telling them what we wanted. The result was, the pin called our high school pin. The head of the pin is a green shield bearing a white goose and the initials standing for our high school. The explanation for the emblem on the pin goes back in history to pioneer days. In those days, where the school building now stands, stood 80 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES ponds of water during the greater part of the year. Wild geese, in their journeys from North to South or vice versa, often stopped at these ponds. At a later date a great many tame geese were raised in Wethersfield. These also used the ponds on the Commons. Geese were so plentiful and there were so many ponds and so much water in Wethersfield that it received the name of "Goose Island." After the trees were set out and many flower beds made, the pupils of the school were so proud of the former goose pond that they determined to perpetuate the name, hence their mascot and emblem. The goose is noted in prose and song for its loyalty. Two thousand years ago, the Gauls were about to gain a foot-hold upon the Roman Capital, when the geese, kept sacred by Juno, by their frightened cries, roused the Romans and the Gauls were repulsed. The colors of our pin should bring two thoughts to the pupils who wear it. First, that the white of the goose signifies purity of thought and deed. Secondly, that the green of the shield signifies loyalty — loyalty to school, to state and to nation. Class of 1911 Emily J. Carlson— B. Sept. 23, 1893; attended Nor.; taught 11 years; m. Charles Gramer; Wyanet, 111. Glen C. Craig— B. Nov. 5, 1893; attended Knox Col. 3 years; taught school; salesman; m. Helen Sturtevant; 1154 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, Cal. Bessie I. Odell— B. Oct. 18, 1891; attended Bus. Col.; taught school; m. Glen W. Canfield; Newfield, N. Y. Fred E. Peterson— B. Mar. 12, 1892; farmer; m. Anna Paul; No. 2, Kew. Ada B. Robbins— B. Jan. 22, 1893; attended Nor.; teacher; taught 14 years; 118 Smith St., Kew. Alma A. Spiegle — B. Nov. 22, 1894; attended Nor.; taught 10 years; m. Oram O. Chamberlain; No. 2, Kew. Class of 1912 Addie L. Anderson— B. Oct. 22, 1894; taught 3 years; m. Walter E. Tietz; 233 Dwight St., Kew. Marjorie V. Brown — B. May 24, 1893; two years at Woman's Col. at Jacksonville, 111.; attended U. of I.; taught 10 years; teacher of Home Eco- nomics at Alpha, 111.; 148 E. McClure St., Kew. Minnie F. Bohnenberger — B Apr. 17, 1894; m. Jesse F. Fraser; 911 N. Burr St., Kew. Pearle L. Bennett — B. Feb. 15, 1894; attended Kew. Bus. Co.; m. William H. Fraser; 120 Dwight St., Kew. Earle L. Bennett— B. Feb. 15, 1894; d. Apr. 10, 1918. Leslie H. Cronau— B. Apr. 10, 1896; butcher; 811 W. 6th St., Davenport, Iowa. Raymond M. Coleman — B. Feb. 24, 1895; took Int'l Cor. course in Plumb- ing and Heating; plumber and steam fitter; m. Flossie Dalrymple; 340 S. Park St., Kew. Mary E. Grubbs — B. Feb. 12, 1895; attended Nor.; taught 10 years; m. Ray S. Partridge; 3145 9V 2 St., Rock Island, 111. Glen S. Good— B. Mar. 3, 1894; studied Ag. at U. of I.; farmer; m. Ethel M. Radford; No. 4, Kew. Ethel H. Pask — B. Jan. 11, 1893; attended Nor.; taught 6 years; m. Ralph P. Blair; 142 E. McClure St., Kew. Ray S. Partridge — B. Aug. 6, 1892; attended Nor.; taught 2 years; cashier in Rock Island Plow Co. office; m. Mary E. Grubbs; 3145 9y 2 St., Rock Island, 111. Ethel M. Radford— B. Mar. 25, 1894; m. Glen S. Good; No. 4, Kew. WETHERSEIELP SKETCHES 81 History of the Class of 1912 (By Ethel Radford) In the fall of the year 1900, a very large class of small tots entered the first grade of the Wethersfield school. There were three, Pearle Bennett, Earle Bennett and Ethel Radford, whom the teacher, Miss Powers, soon found were very good friends. They were all equally smart, but not equally good for one, probably you can tell which one it was by looking at face, got her mouth tied up for whispering to one of the boys. At the end of the first year, these three little playmates carried home three certificates of promotion, and the next fall they proudly marched into the second grade room. Early in the year another member was added to this very select little clique, a little girl who wore glasses and had very long hair which was the envy of all her girl friends. Brown, her last name was very common, but Marjorie, her given name, all agreed was very pretty. She left for a while during the third grade, but returned to start in the fourth grade, bringing a friend with her. This new pupil excelled her new friends from the very first in name, for "Bohnenberger" proved to be quite a tongue twister. No one joined these friends in the fifth grade, but the first day of the next year, Ray Partridge, who no doubt felt sorry for Earle, became the second knight of the "jolly five/' About two weeks later, Mary Grubbs, a little black-eyed, curly haired Kentuckian, entered the class. Her music- al southern accent greatly amused the children, especially the "jolly five" who used to question her just to hear her say "reckon," "right much," etc. Finally Mary developed a liking for Ray and under his protection and in spite of much teasing, she became a member of the class of 1912. Helen Pask joined them in the seventh grade, swelling their number to eight. She was not with them long, however, before the teacher told her she was worse than any boy in the room. The eighth year was a memorable one on account of two "civil wars." The civil strife between the seventh and eighth grades was long and bitter. First, there was the color fight over which many tempers were lost; then there was the motto fight which prolonged even to the end when the eighth graders triumphantly, but timidly, bore their banner into the high school. In both frays this class proved themselves good fighters and plenty able to take care of themselves. After graduating from the Grammar school with all the honors and festivities due such estimable warriors, they marched in through the back door of the High school as a band of Green "Freshies" timidly bearing their motto, "Work and Win." They were frightened at the larger pupils, but their teacher, Mr. Craig, looked as though he could protect them, so they sat in the front seats near his desk. This year they were honored by having three pupils, Raymond Coleman, Addie Anderson and Glen Good, from the country join their numbers. These new members soon learned the manners of the city from their citified classmate, Leslie Cronau, who also joined the class that fall, swelling its number to twelve. Of course as smaller pupils, they copied from the older pupils and the next year sat a little farther away from the teacher's desk. This change gave considerable more chance for fun-making in school time, so they grew even bolder and made their formal social debut at a class party. Because they never did anything by halves, as shown in the history of their earlier warfare, this party was a great success and not the only one enjoyed by the class that year. They grew quite bold when they entered the third year of high school and took the lead in all social functions. Early in the year they began 82 WETHERSFIKL.P SKETCHES to plan lor the Junior-Senior reception. They discussed plans of all kinds and discussed them well too, but they always ended with the question, "Where is the money coming from"? Finally someone suggested that they give a class play. With the help of Miss Ewan, they decided to give a play entitled "The Sweet Girl Graduate." This meant work, but they went at it with determination to succeed as they had in every former undertaking. Oh! Those endless nights of practice and such gusty sighs that greeted Miss Ewan on those moonlight nights when she ordered them to take their places for work. Then there was the night of the "flood." The faithful few will long remember how the rain poured in torrents that night, but even torrents did not dampen their ardor. The glorious night came and after smothered whispers, hurried changing of costumes and suspense in waiting, the curtain rose on the first act. Needless to say they were all "stars" and the audience smiled in approval as the curtain fell on the little home scene of Maude and Jack. A success did some one say? Yes, indeed, and Miss Ewan would have said anytime during 1911 that "Junior" spelled success just as she now says in 1912 that the first two letters have changed and now "Senior" spells success. The Juniors wore long faces the last day of the school year in 1911. When some-one asked them the reason for their long faces, they said, "Not one of us have received a certificate of promotion permitting us to pass into the senior year." The mournful Juniors asked Mr. Craig why they had not received their certificates of promotion. He answered them, as he often does with that peculiar smile on his face, by saying, "Do you think your grades are good enough to go on"? Of course they did, so they came pre- pared for senior studies the next year. A great many jokes and pranks were played by the Seniors during the year just passed. Mr. Craig considered the Seniors one of his greatest troubles, but now that they are leaving, they hope he will forget all their misdemeanors and remember them only as good "Little Freshies." Class of 1913 Leo R. Anscomb— B. Nov. 29, 1894; farmer; No. 3, Hurdland, Mo. E. E. Anderson — B. Jan. 10, 1895; one year at U. of I.; farmer; m. Eliz- abeth Bennison; No. 3, Galva, III. Elizabeth W. Fraser — B. May 15, 1895; began working for the Kew. Private Utilities Co. on Monday after graduating and is still working for that company; 321 Payson St., Kew. Louie F. Hall— B. May, 1893; 930 S. Seminary St., Galesburg, 111. (Mrs. Loretta Ashley.) Elmer H. Motley— B. Dec. 3, 1894; farmer; m. Laura Dalton; No. 2, Kew. Hazel M. Partridge— B. Aug. 30, 1895; attended Nor.; taught 12 years; m. Jacob Heflin; Woodhull, 111. Class of 1914 Margaret C. Cook— B. Mar. 14, 1896; attended Kew. Bus. Col.; m. G. H. Wolf, Kew. Mary L. Findley— B. Oct. 21, 1898; attended Nor.; teacher; taught 9 years; 322 Hollis St., Kew. Agnes D. Johnson — B. July 9, 1895; attended Nor.; taught 6 years; m. Gilbert E. Bergquist; 229 S. Vine St., Kew. Myrtle E. Moore— B. July 21, 1896; m. R. O. Campbell; 6417 Kenwood Ave., Kenrows Hotel, room 342, Chicago, III. Josephine Page — B. Mar. 3, 1897; attended Nor.; teacher of 10 years experience; m. Alvin A. Ouart; No. 3, Galva, 111. WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 83 Leone G. Pierce — B. July 29, 1895; theater cashier; m. H. O. Nance, 210 N. Main St., Kew. Cecile B. Robbins— B. Jan. 2, 1896; attended Kew. Bus. Col.-; dental asst.; 118 Smith St., Kew. Elwyn P. Radford— B. July 26, 1896; salesman; 130 E. Church St., Kew. Fred L. Wells — B. Nov. 17, 1895; taking a correspondence course in Mech. Engr.; acetylene welder; m. Pearl E. Mercer; 335 Helmer St., Kew. Class of 1915 Elizabeth M. Ashley — B. Apr. 17, 1896; taught school; m. Everett Brown; 227 W. McClure St., Kew. Grace F. Bennett— B. Jan. 12, 1897; m. Edward Greiert ; 122 West St., Kew. George S. Bean— B. June 5, 1897; attended Nor.; taught 2 years; sales- man; m. Marie F. Stahl; Kew. Leroy M. Bryner — B. June 8, 1896; faking a correspondence course in Mech. Drafting; machinist; m. Myrtle M. Salisbury; 1416 New St., Kew. Minnie F. Carlson — B. Aug. 25, 1898; taught 1 year; m. Charles Lind- strom; LaFayette, 111. Milo L. Craig— B. Oct. 6, 1897; had 2 years of Col. work; in transfer work; 722 S. Chestnut St., Kew. Grace V. Hill— B. Aug. 21, 1895; m. Guy W. House; Neponset, 111. Joy E. Hill — B. Jan. 29, 1896; taught 3 years; m. Joseph Nicholson; d. Oct. 24, 1925. Buried in Pleasant View cemetery- Gladys M. Hayden — B. May 26, 1897; taught 2 years; m. J. C. Landwair; 3619 Elmwood Ave., Berwyn, 111. Arthur E. Johnson — B. Oct. 23, 1896; taught 1 year; employed at Wal. Co.; 145 Payson St., Kew. Aubrey R. Jones — B. Sept. 29, 1897; took a correspondence course in accounting; installer of electric switchboards; 2701 Broadway, Spokane, Wash. Myrtle M. Lindstrom— B. Mar. 23, 1898; d. Apr. 5, 1918. Buried in Pleas- ant View cemetery. Clarence H. Lindstrom — B. Oct. 3, 1896; farmer; mar. Elva Dalton; No. 4, Kew. Ruby M. Lindstrom— B. May 9, 1897; m. Max Casteel; No. 1, Tiskilwa, 111. Fern L. Marvin — B. Sept. 20, 1896; taught 4 years; m. Edward Seefield; No. 1, Kew. Mae Milburn— B. Nov. 20, 1897; taught iy 2 years; m. Carl Doy; No. 4, Kew. Leta B. Wyant — B. Feb. 4, 1898; attended Nor.; taught 6 years; m. Miles B. Ball; 117 Houle Ave., Kew. Class of 1916 Inez I. Anderson — B. March 26, 1897; m. Thomas R. West; No. 1, Kew. Mae A. Anderson — B. May 23, 1899; taught 1 year; order writer at Wal.; 624 Willard St., Kew. Eva M. Berg— B. Jan. 12, 1898; graduate of Kew. Bus. Col.; taught school; in office work with Kew. Boiler Co.; 118 Beech St., Kew. Chester J. Buchanan— B. Feb. 26, 1897; attended Millikin U.; farmer; m. Lillian R. Calcutt; No. 2, Kew. Bernard L. Felt — B. July 25, 1898; took cor. course in electrical engin- eering; occupation, electric maintenance work; m. Hazel M. Williams; 507 Roosevelt Ave., Kew. Lenora P. Grubbs— B. Dec. 6, 1897; m. Warren W. Caldwell: 2820 E. Locust St., Davenport, la. 84 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Marian G. Kennish — B. Dec. 13, 1897; spent two years at Jacksonville Worn. Col.; grad. of S. Calif. U.; taught 4 years; attending U. of S. Calif.; 149 W. Division St., Kew.; or 1058 W. 35th PL, Los Angeles, Calif. Edith P. Nelson— B. Dec. 27, 1897; attended Nor. 2% years; taught 7 years; 145 E .Church St.; now attending Nor. U., Bloomington, 111. John W. Romig — B. July 10, 1897; grad. of Mec. Engr. Dept. of U. of I.; taught 1 year; with the 111. Glass Co.; box 193, Alton, 111. Hazel V. Shaner— B. Aug. 29, 1898; grad. of Nor. Jr. Col.; attended U. of Wis.; m. Kingston Isenhart; Mt. Carroll, 111. Class of 1917 Genevieve Baker— B. Jan. 12, 1899; 332 Tenney St., Kew. Tacie M. Bennett — B. Sept. 25, 1899; eighth year at Guest's Laundry; 426 Willard St., Kew. Mayme A. Buchanan — B. Feb. 6, 1899; grad. of Bradley Polytech. Inst.; attended U. of I; taught 4 years No. 2, Kew. Lawrence D. Cook — B. June 11, 1898; three months at Knox. Col., spe- cializing in Elec. Eng.; armature winder; m. Marjorie Perkins; Kew. Clarence H. Cushman — B. March 10, 1899; grad. of Knox Col., B.S. deg.; attended U. of I.; teacher of 5 years' experience; 1008 Carpenter St., Iron Mt., Mich. Florence I. Gamble — B. June 13, 1899; three years at Knox Col.; m. Charles E. Lauder; 312 Harvard St., Apt. 202, Minneapolis, Minn. Clara M. Johnson — B. Aug. 5, 1899; took a 9 months' course at Kew. Bus. Col.; bookkeeper and cashier; 124 Houle Ave., Kew. Frederick R. Jones — B. Nov. 4, 1899; took a correspondence accounting course; Asst. Man. of Claims Dept. at Wal.; m. Marie McDowell; Kew. LeRoy G. Lindstrom — B. Dec. 10, 1899; farmer; m. Mary Epps; No. 4, Kew. Lawrence D. Marvin — B. Dec. 28, 1898; taugh 4 years; general helper at Dunbar's store; m. Alberta Keesler; 805 E. 3rd St., Kew. Marjorie Y. Moore — B. Sept. 28, 1899; taught 2 years; m. Thomas E. Romig; No. 1, Kew. Marie H. Munson — B. Aug. 12, 1899; grad. Na. School Cosmeticians; in beauty parlor work; 330 Center Ave., South Haven, Mich. Irene I. Nelson— B. Sept. 4, 1899; attended Nor.; taught 9 years; 145 E. Church St., Kew. Eva E. Norman— B. Sept. 22, 1899; in clerical work at Wal.; 139 Tenney St., Kew. Carrie L. Peck — B. Apr. 10, 1899; taught 1 year; address, Mrs. Carrie L. Zinn, Wyanet, 111. Beatrice Roman— B. Aug. 1, 1900; d. Dec. 23, 1919; bur. in Wethers- field Cem. Mildred I. Shaner— B. March 28, 1901; grad. of Jr. Col. at Normal; at- tended U. of I.; teacher; taught 5 years; Chadwick, 111., or Neponset, 111. Laura Watts— B. Feb. 17, 1898; bookkeeper; 2101 Prairie Ave., South Bend, Ind. Roy M. Yonce — B. June 8, 1899; Man. Osceola store; m. Eva Kidd; No. 2, Neponset, 111. Class of 1918 Raymond R. Anderson— B. Dec. 23, 1900; Grad. of U. of I.; with Chi- cago Light and Power Co.; 316 N. Harvey St., Oak Park, 111. Harold Baker — B. Aug. 13, 1900; carpenter; m. Gladys Machesney; Kew. Pearl Bohnenberger— B. Dec. 30, 1899; theater cashier; 207 E. 3rd St., Kew. WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 85 William M. Castle — R. Jan. 15, 1901; one year at Knox Col.; correspond- ence clerk in Claims Dept. at Wal.; m. Willa Crumbaugh; Kew. Muriel Fraser — B. Oct. 8, 1900; clerk at Herbener's store; 325 Payson St., Kew. Dorothy E. Geer— B. Oct. 7, 1900; Kew. Allan J. Good— B. Aug. 30, 1901; attended U. of I., 3 years; in Acct. Dept. of Standard Oil Co. at Chicago; m. Frances Lewin; 5213 Ellis Ave., Chicago, 111. Everett Krahn — B. May 2, 1900; attended Am. School of Osteopathy; farmer; Vega, Texas. Mary R. Mulholland — B. Maich 18, 1900; attended Nor.; taught 3 years; m. Lester Briggs; Franklin Park, 111. Elmer Murchinson — B. March 7, 1900; attended Knox Col.; Relief Man. Western Auto Supply Co.; 2222 W. 29th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Thomas E. Romig — B. Feb. 12, 1900; farmer; m. Marjorie Y. Moore; No. 1, Kew. Class of 1919 Edna C. Buchanan — B. March 5, 1901; two years at Bradley Polytech. Inst.; m. Earl McLennan; Neponset, 111. Paul A. Cushman — B. June 5, 1901; grad. of Knox Col.; studied coach- ing at U. of I.; taught 1 yr.; studying law at U. of I.; 1105 W. Clark St., Urbana, 111., or 325 S. Park St., Kew. Hortense L, Felt— B. May 14, 1900; m. C. E. VanHecker; 5023 Glen- wood Ave., Chicago, 111. Gertrude A. Gamble— B. Nov. 24, 1901; grad. 'of Knox Col.; Asst. libra- rian at Des Moines, la. George M. Grubbs— B. July 22, 1901; machinist; 1450 E. 73rd St., Los Angeles, Calif. Arnold N. Johnson — B. July 4, 1900; shipping clerk at Wal.; 145 Pay- son St., Kew. Florence M. Kelley — B. June 23, 1901; attended Nor.; taught 1 yr.; Kew. Lenora H. Mursener— B. Aug. 21, 1901; clerk; 249 Hollis St., Kew. Fred A. Mulholland — B. Nov. 15, 1901; in the Receiving Dept. at Wal.: m. Bernadine Higman; 114 Hollis St., Kew. Osa M. Murchinson. B. Aug. 4, 1900. In Audit Dept. of Boss Man.. Co. 128 Poplar St., Kew. Elizabeth J. Nicholson — B. July 9, 1900; attended Nor.; teacher; taught 5 yrs.; No. 2, Kew. Agnes H. Oliver — B. Aug. 3, 1900; No. 4, Kew. Anna H. Oliver— B. Aug. 3, 1900; No. 4, Kew. I. Darline White— B. Dec. IS, 1899; m. Dr. C. D. Dobbins; Moy Ave., Windsor, Ontario, Can. Class of 1920 Clarice H. Peterson — B. Aug. 30, 1901; No. 4, Galva, 111. Etta D. Murchinson — B. May 11,1902; grad. of Kew. Bus. Col.; private sec. to superintendent of transportation, Los Angeles; 2222 29th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Gladys E. Adams— B. Apr. 23, 1902; in Order Dept. of Boss Man. Co.; 118 Poplar St., Kew. Arvilla M. Anderson— B. Oct. 10, 1903; attended Kew. Bus. Col.; clerk; No. 4, Kew. Maude E. Baldwin— B. Aug. 20, 1902; m. Milton T. Garger; Kew. Irene G. Carlson— B. Sept 7, 1903; two years at Augustana Co.; teacher 86 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES ol" 5 years' experience; at the Frances Willard School, Rock Island, 111; 4703 8th Ave., Rock Island, 111. Frances A. Carlson — B. Dec. 11, 1904; teacher; taught 5 years at Grant school, Rock Island; attended Augustana Col. 2 years; 4703 8th Ave., Rock Island, 111. Newton C. Ewalt — B. July 28, 1901; attended Steven's Prep School; at- tending Steven's Col,, Hoboken, N. J.; 135 34th St., W. New York, N. Y., and 615 'Roosevelt Ave., Kew. Ruth Kennish — B. Dec. 26, 1901; was 2 years at Jacksonville Woman's Col.; grad. of Iowa State Col.; teacher of home economics at York, Neb.; 423 E. 6th St., York, Neb., and 149 W. Div. St., Kew. Mabel L. Peterson — B. March 3, 1903; at Star-Courier office; 345 E. Mill St., Kew. Judith E. Hultgren— B. Dec. 24, 1903; m. Gus Peterson; Kew. Helen E. Mursener — B. Sept. 18, 1902; bookkeeper at Private Utility office; 114 Payson St., Kew. Beatrice J. Murchinson — B. July 21, 1902; attended the Maude Alma School of Fine Arts at Galesburg, 111.; in the Stock Dept. at Wal.; 128 Poplar St., Kew. Class of 1921 Ethel J. Adams— B. Oct. 4, 1903; m. William Connell; 926 Cambridge St., Kew. Pearle E. M. Anderson— B. May 31, 1903; attended Kew. Bus. Col.; m. Harry Holman; Payson St., Kew. Harold E. Davis— B. July 20, 1903; grad. of N. W. U., Evanston, 111.; ad. care of D .W. Davis, Scranton, Pa. Max E. Files — B. Feb. 7, 1904; farmer; Beach, N. D. Francis G. Findley — B. Dec. 2, 1904; Man. of Findley News Agency; 322 Hollis St., Kew. Willis H. Files— B. June 1, 1902; checking clerk; 616 E. Regent St., Inglewood, Calif. Edith I. Hamilton— B. Dec. 8, 1903; hemmer at Boss Man. Co.; 151 W. Mill St., Kew. Edna M. Johnson— B. Oct. 11, 1903; 124 Houle Ave., Kew. Mabel M. Johnson — B. May 1, 1903; attended Nor.: teacher; taught 5 years; 145 Payson St., Kew. Laura M. Keets— B. Oct. 29, 1903; Asst. to Dr. Paul Howard; 320 W. Oak St., Kew. Vivian L. Moore — B. June 9, 1903; m. Leland E. Seeley; Bradford, Hi. Susan M. Mulholland— B. Dec. 31, 1904; m. Fred Husman; 1101 N. Main St., Kew. Jessie M. Mannon— B. July 12, 1903; m. Allan Clayton, Akron, O. Floyd D. Marvin— B. Aug. 29, 1903; attended Hedding Col.; m. Pearl Todd; insurance work; 13 W. Church St., Kew. Ethel L. S. Nelson— B. Sept. 12, 1903; grad. of Kew. Bus. Col.; stenogra- pher; 145 E. Church St., Kew. Lois S. Oliver — B. March 26, 1903; attended Jacksonville Woman's Col. and James Millikin University; No. 2, Kew. Raymond A. Schmidt— B. June 13, 1902; in Shipping Dept. at Wal.; 438 Willard St., Kew. Class of 1922 Leonard D. Baldwin— B. Feb. 27, 1904; checker at Boss Man. Co.; m. Ruth Runnels; 521 E. 2nd St., Kew. Milo J. Ballentine — B. Jan. 5, 1904; amateur photographer; 529 Wil- lard Sf.. Kewanee, 111. WKTHKKSFTKLI) SKETCHES 87 Faith M. Buchanan — B. March 1, 1904; attended Nor.; teacher of 4 years' experience; No. 2, Kew. Frances M. E. Coyne— B. Oct. 7, 1904; m. Elsworth W. Hayden; 848 Pine St., Kew. Ethel M. Dallman— B. Apr. 22, 1904; m. Marion K. Westbrook; South Gate, Calif. Dale D. Dexter— B. July 9, 1902; truck driver in feed business; 429 Prospect Terrace, Freeport, 111. Charles C. Van Dyke— B. Sept. 43, 1904; attending U. of I.; 1207 Spring- field Ave., Urbana, 111. Lewis E. Fischer — B. March 6, 4903; in office work at Wal.; 216 Willard St., Kew. Carmita D. Henry — B. Apr. 26, 4905; attended Kew. Bus. Col.; office girl for Dr. Chas. A. Coffin; 444 Hollis St., Kew. Frances A. LaRue— B. Oct. 22, 1904; in the Billing Dept. at Wal.; 235 Dwight St., Kewanee, 111. Marjorie B. Mahaffey — B. Oct. 2, 4902; attended Nor.; teacher of 2 years' experience; No. 6, Kew. Vivan F. Munson — B. June 44, 4903; truck driver for Kewanee Private Ser. Co.; 442 S. Main St., Kew. Kenneth P. Murchinson — B. Feb. 45, 4904; Asst. Treas. of Los Angeles Athletic Club; 2222 W. 29th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Edna M. Mursener — B. Aug. 4, 4906; attended Nor.; teacher; taught 2 years; 249 Hollis St., Kew. Marjorie L. Mursener — B. May 25, 1904; office girl for Drs. McDermott and Helmer; 444 Payson St., Kew. Florence I. Rose — B. June 4, 1905; bookkeeper at Savings Bank; No. 2, Kew. Flora M. Showers— B. June 24, 4904; office girl at Wal.; 319 E. Divi- sion St., Kew. Joseph C. Scold— B. Apr. 24, 4904; in photo section of aeronautics, Mitchell Field, N. Y. Vivian B. Wipert— B. Jan. 20, 1904; attended Normal 2 years; teacher: taught 3 years: No. 2, Kew. Class of 1923 Edmund L. Anderson— B. Feb. 4, 1905; attended U. of I.; in the Burling- ton offices at Chicago; 316 N. Harvey St., Oak Park, 111. Lena Golden— B. Apr. 8, 1906; attended U. of C; m. Al. Hendleman; 2305 Grand Ave., Des Moines, la. James F. Green— B. May 7, 1904; attending U. of I.; 133 Dwight St., Kew. Edna M. Hulbert— B. March 4, 4905; m. Harry F. PettingilD 600 E 2nd St., Kew. Edna E. Johnson— B. Aug. 23, 4905; attending Nor.; taught 1 yr.; 145 Payson St., Kew. Lyle S. Marvin— B. Sept. 25, 1905; at Wal.; 511 Tenney St., Kew. Gladys I .Mannon— B. July 23, 1905; stenographer; m. Herbert Ash- ley; Kew. Feryl I. Miller— B. May 31, 1905; m. Green Dalton; 222 Dwight St Kew. Florence M. Norman— B. Oct. 14, 1906; office asst. to Dr Warren T Heaps; 139 Tenney St., Kew. Mary M. Negley— B. July 29, 1905; nurse cadet at Chicago Presbvterian hospital; 415 Tenney St., Kew. 88 WKTHERSFIELD SKETCHES Clarence R. Nelson — B. May 28, 1905; attending Augustana Col.; 145 E. Church St., Kew. James W. Pauli — B. Sept. 24, 1905; farmer; No. 5, Kew. Gladys M. Wipert — B. Jan. 3, 1907; attended Macomb Nor.; teacher; No. 2, Kew. Lawrence E. Wemple — B. Jan. 3, 1904; at Kelly Motor Co.; 110 College St., Kew. Class of 1924 Harold E. Anderson — B. Feb. 3, 1907; pressman, Star-Courier office; 239 Payson St., Kewanee, 111. Ella M. Adams — B. July 25, 1906; nurse cadet at Kewanee Pub. hos- pital; 118 Tenney St., Kew. Herman Baker — B. March 31, 1907; carpenter; 332 Tenney St., Kew. Earl B. Carlson— B. Dec. 4, 1906; attending U. of I.; Kew. Bertha B. Dexter— B. Apr. 4, 1906; attending Col.; No. 2, Galva, 111. Mary M. Dittmar— B. Oct. 1, 1906; sales clerk; 512 S. Main St., Kew. Bernice C. Findley— B. Sept. 13, 1906; teaching; 322 Hollis St., Kew. Harriet D. Green— B. Jan. 4, 1906; at Normal; 133 Dwight St., Kew. Florence V. Hallock— B. Dec. 21, 1906; teacher; Bradford, 111. Helen I. LaRue— B. Jan. 4, 1907; m. Forest Keim; No. 4, Toulon, 111. William Nicholson — B. March 7, 1906; farmer; No. 2, Kew. Frances P. Pauli; B. Sept. 4, 1904; No. 5, Kew. Lucile Prutsman— B. July 11, 1905; 717 Pine St., Kew. Ardythe M. Radford— B. Oct. 14, 1906; m. Elmer Freidland; Wood- stock, 111. George A. Robson — B. Nov. 5, 1906; taking a Cor. Course in Applied Science; Toulon, 111. William W. Rosenow — B. March 2, 1907; attended Kew. Bus. Col.; clerk; Willard St., Kew. Katherine M. Shaner — B. Jan. 9, 1904; telephone girl; 801 Pleasant St., Kew. Edythe M. Thompson — B. May 15, 1908; stenographer; No, 2, Kew. John K. Wickliffe— B. March 1, 1906; at IT. of I; 116 W. McClure St., Kew. Alice V. Wilson — B. Oct. 18, 1906; attended Kewanee Bus. Col.; stenog- rapher; 335 Payson St., Kew. Class of 1925 Russell Bowman — B. June 19, 1907; 243 Mosher Ave., Kew. Hazel F. VanDyke— B. May 24, 1906; 136 Mill St., Kew. Lois B. Green— B. Sept. 1, 1907; 133 Dwight St., Kew. Frances I. Hamilton— B. May 21, 1908; 340 Payson St., Kew. William W. LaRue— B. Aug. 29, 1908; 235 Dwight St., Kew. Clement J. O'Neill— B. March 28, 1905; No. 2, Kew. Kenneth B. Partridge— B. June 25, 1908; 128 Dwight St., Kew. Luella C. Page— B. April 27, 1908; No. 2, Kew. Leigh E. Palmer— B. July 4, 1907; 320 South St., Kew. Oliver C. Rotz— B. July 9, 1907; 817 Dewy Ave., Kew. Hazel A. Shreck— B. Apr. 23, 1906; 33 W. Div. St., Kew. Ila M. Wilson— B. Feb. 6, 1908; 335 Payson St., Kew. Ralph A. Youngren— B. Feb. 1, 1907; 132 W. Church St., Kew. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES S9 Senior Class (1925-26) Girls — Frances Brown Marie DeCraene Helen Extrom Gunhill Hultgren Kathryn McKinney Dorothy Mannon Dorothy Martin Hazel Putnam Geneva Sornberger Vera Schmidt Boys — Robert Buswell Lawrence Couve Warren Castle Clarence Johnson Louis Kopp Paul Negley William Oliver Donald Richards Leonard Tomlinson Maurice Townsend Walter Wickliffe Wethersfield Flower Bed 90 WI-rmiORSFIHMJ) SKETCHES Our Soldiers and Sailors The next few pages are given to the soldiers and sailors who were born in, are living in or were sent from Wethersfield township. Uninten- tionally, some may have been left out and some mistakes have been made. I am leaving a few blank pages in which records left out may be entered in writing. A call came to those boys and men, — a call to duty, — and they obeyed that call as every true patriot will. The Call to Duty (1917) P^ In the gloaming of the shadows, Harken to that distant call, 'Tis a voice from out the darkness, For each one and for us all. Wretched mothers, starved children, Call to us beyond the sea, And to them must we answer As we love humanity. We, a nation, have a duty Cost it ever what it will, We no longer can avoid it, We no longer can be still. Fling aloft our starry banner, Let it wave in every breeze, 'Tis for liberty and justice, 'Tis for freedom of the seas. William E. Sanford, b. March 31, 1871 123 E. Div. St., Kewanee, Illinois William E. Sanford was in the Inspection Div. Proving Ground Sec. Ord. Dept. being in charge of the Mechanic's Equipment of Proving Grounds established in various parts of the U. S. He spent considerable time lecturing on the chemistry of explosives. He was stationed temporarily at Rock Island, Illinois, and permanently at Washington, D. C. He was commissioned Major Sept. 29, 1917. His dis- charge took place Dec. 21, 1918. Arnold Kulgren, b. Jan. 9, 1899 Entered the army Oct. 10, 1918. He was stationed at Camp Colt, Pa. until Nov. 26, 1918, when he was sent to Camp Dix, N. J. He was afterwards WKTH MKSFI K L 1 > S K UTTH KS 91 stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and at Forts Oglethorpe and McPher- son, Ga. He was discharged March 5, 1920. He is now living at Los Angeles, California. Charles S. Robson, b. Feb. 6, 1892. Farmer. No. 3, Toulon, Illinois Charles S. Robson enlisted April 10, 1918 in the First Army Headquar- ters Corps. He was stationed at Peoria for one month and then sent to Camp Hancock, Ga. He sailed from Newport News in July, 1918, and in 12 days landed at Brest, France. On the last day of the journey the fleet was met by ten sub-destroyers which protected the boats until they reached the harbor. Mr. Robson was attached to the First Army Headquarters Corps, as chauffeur for nine months, carrying supplies to the boys under heavy shell fire. While on a fourteen day's furlough, he visited Paris, Nice and other cities in France. He considers southern France far superior in beauty to the region about Paris. He was discharged June 26, 1919. George Ford. b. Aug. 24, 1888. Occupation: At Private Utilities Co. of Kewanee, Illinois. Address: 126 Smith St., Kewanee, Illinois Went from Kewanee, arriving at Great Lakes Naval Training Station on May 31, 1918, where he entered the 207th Co., 14th Regiment. At the Detention camp he was vaccinated, receiving three "shots" and was quaranteened for twenty-one days. He was then sent to Camp Ross, Co. H., Barracks 1039. After supper, we were dismissed, each man to look after himself for the night. League Island was then a "City of Tents" and not enough tents to go around — but during the scramble we managed to get a tent with cots in it. Next morning I was up quite early and got my first glimpse of the Delaware River before "chow call." League Island and the Navy Yards lie along the Deleware River on a level piece of ground. The drill field lay off by itself, a sandy three-acre strip of land. This field lay very close to the place where Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776. During the drills which took place after breakfast, the sailors stood in formation, three feet apart, facing and obeying orders of their individual unit's officer who in turn obeyed the head officer's orders which were shouted through a megaphone from a sort of bandstand at one side of the drill field. On July 6, 1918, he left the Great Lakes Naval Training Station for Philadelphia, Pa., arriving there July 7, 1918. He was stationed at League Island Navy Yards, Camp Simms. The life of a sailor at this camp is described in Mr. Ford's own words: "Going to and during my stay at League Island, I was fortunate in having as a companion a Kewanee boy, Russell Peden. We reached the Island at 5:00 p. m. and were at once marched to the administration building where we were checked in and then to a large mess hall for supper. These drills were known as Swedish calisthenics and lasted two hours. Sometimes the band played while we were being put through these drills, though the drills were very interesting, and we did not need much en- couragement. After drilling was over we had the time to ourselves i ill the noon hour. Our meals were served cafeteria fashion. The men marched in orderly lines into the mess hall where they were given plates and helped to food, then on into the center ot the room where were tables for holding our plates while we stood eating. The food was of the plainest but fairly good. 92 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES League Island and the Navy Yard are separated by a fence. League Island is just a stopping place tor sailors on their way to overseas duty; while the Navy Yards is a place of many machine shops tor repairing ships, etc. At this Navy Yard I had my first real thrill when I saw for the first time a large ocean vessel — a transport. To me it seemed just a powerful giant. I was here for ten days, eating, sleeping, drilling, washing clothes and going on occasional liberties about Philadelphia. Then I was placed in an overseas unit and left for Hoboken, N. J." July 17, 1918, Mr. Ford left Camp Simms with a draft of 500 men for Hoboken, N. J. Here he, with ten thousand soldiers and sailors, were loaded on the transport, U. S. S. George Washington. This transport set sail July 18, 1918, and arrived at Brest, France, July 30. In transporting our boys to France a convoy of from six to fifteen vessels went at a time. The admiral's ship was in the center of the group of ships. Every ship had its own position and flag. When the admiral wished to communicate with a particular ship he would hoist that ship's flag. He would then communicate with it by wireless. While crossing the danger zones the ships of a fleet kept in formation and at a standard speed of twenty miles per hour straight ahead for a half hour. Then they would decrease speed and go> to the right for a time, then increase speed and swing to the left. These manoeuvers were kept up during the daytime but at night the course was usually straight ahead at uniform speed. The sailors, of whom there were about 1,600 on board the George Washington, fared better than the 8,400 soldier boys. The sailors had hammocks which swung in the rigging of the upper deck. They also had three meals per day. The soldier boys were crowded into the two lower decks. The air was stifling at times and the decks were so crowded that it was an un- comfortable journey. They were allowed only two meals per day and that was mostly soup. The reason given was that there was a limited number of cooks and of cook equipment. There was no chance for exercise and the real reason may have been that the ship doctors thought it best for the boys not to eat too much without proper exercise. The "mess" cooks or regular cooks of the ship had bought a quantity of cakes before starting, and about the time the boys began to hanker for something to eat besides soup, produced these cakes and offered them for sale. Cakes costing less than ten cents each were sold to the boys for from fifty cents to a dollar each. When the ship was one day out from land each man on board was given a life belt and a canteen full of water. Rigid inspection was kept up and if a man was found without his life belt within reach or without his canteen full of water he was called to account for it. At Brest, France, Mr. Ford with twenty-five others and without an officer (which meant, he said, that they had a good time) left for Mar- seilles, France, where they arrived Aug. 4, 1918. On the same evening these men left on the U. S. S. Mexican, bound for Gibraltar, Spain. Aug. 9th they reached Gibraltar and were sent to a barracks half-way up Mount Gibraltar. From Aug. 9th till Aug. 20th the boys drilled a little and had a good deal of freedom. There was no level ground and the drilling was done on the side of the mountain. The lieutenant would give his commands through a megaphone. At his command the boys would march down the mountain side till recalled by the shout, "To the Rear," when they would return up the hill on the "double quick." It was very much of a holiday for the boys till Aug. 21, when the Spaniards, who loaded the ships with coal, struck for higher wages and WETHERSFIKLP SKETCHES 93 the sailor boys had to coal the ships till the strike was settled. The coal was carried from the dock in baskets holding about 90 pounds across a plank to the deck of the vessel and dumped into the hold below. On Aug. 24, Mr. Ford left the Gibraltar barracks and went on board the U. S. S. Castine. This boat was in dry dock till Aug. 29, when it "coaled" and took on supplies. The next day was "field day," not a play day on board a war vessel for everything above water line had to be scrubbed, scoured and burnished. On Oct. 1, the Castine left Gibraltar for Genoa, Italy. Between Oct 1 and Nov. 5, two trips were made to Genoa and back to Gibraltar. One of these trips was along the shores of Spain. Mr. Ford says, "No more beau- tiful sight than this coast can be found. From the Mediterranean, bold forested headlands rose high above the low fertile plains along the coast. The winding rivers on these plains looked like ribbons of silver twisting through green fields. Occasionally these silvery ribbons were broken as the rivers passed through white walled cities and towns." While "on liberty" at Genoa, Mr. Ford visited the Cathedral San Lorenzo where the ashes of John the Baptist are said to lie. He also saw the house where Christopher Columbus was born, about the year 1435. While Mr. Ford was at Gibraltar Nov. 9, 1918, the H. M. S. Britannia, forty miles out at sea, was sunk by a submarine. Out of 1,100 men on board the Britannia only about 150 were saved. On the evening of Armistice Day, Nov. 11, he saw the U. S. S. Ophrim burn in the harbor of Gibraltar. The papers of that day say that several lives were lost in the disaster. Mr. Ford states that only one man lost his life and that man, in attempting to get out a port hole, became fast and burned to death before he could be removed. On Nov. 16, 1918, his ship sailed for Bizerte, Africa, where they took on board seventy-five men who had been doing land duty there and took them back to Gibraltar to be sent home. On the return journey they passed through a severe storm, arriving at Gibraltar Nov. 24, 1918. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, was spent at Gibraltar. For Thanksgiving Day dinner there was turkey, plum pudding, pies, nuts and cigars. On Dec. 20, which was pay day, the home-bound pennant was hoisted, and on Dec. 21, 1918, the fleet, consisting of two transports carrying troops, four supply ships and thirty-two sub chasers left Gibraltar for home. The supply ships carried gasoline and supplies for the sub chasers. The method of supplying a sub with fuel was as follows: A sub would move alongside the supply ship and the gasoline would be passed through a tube into the tank of the sub chaser. The sub men then moved to another ship for other supplies. These supplies were carried by trolley wires from the supply ship to the sub after which it dropped back into its regular position. It was a glorious sight in the eyes of these home bound boys to see these thirty-eight ships and subs in formation. The large ships abreast were followed each by a line of subs about 200 feet apart. Each sub and ship had its home bound pennant floating in the breeze. During the day time the progress of the fleet did not average over four miles per hour, due to time lost in supplying the subs with provisions. At night the fleet pushed forward at a rate of ten miles per hour. It was during the night that the lights of the vessels lit up the surrounding waters, making a scene of great beauty. Each sub had three lights, a green light on the left, a red one on the right and a white one in the center and higher up. Looking from the upper deck of a big ship one could see a ribbon of phosphorescent light in the wake of his ship reaching back to the first sub. The nodding lines 94 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES of sub lights, red, green and white; and the millions of reflections of the sub lights and of moonlight made a scene of beauty never to be forgotten. On Dec. 26, 1918, a stop was made at St. Michael on the Island Ponto Delgado, one of the Azores. On the 17th day of January, 1919, the ships reached St. Thomas where the ships were coaled. On Jan. 24, Santo Domingo was seen in the distance, and on the 26th the boys saw the city of Kingston, Jamaica. On the 27th they were in the Gulf of Mexico, and on (he 28th of January, 1919, landed at New Orleans. The journey had been partly over the same course followed by Columbus in 1492, but with what a difference in ships and equipment. Columbus, with frail wooden ships and with nothing but the compass and the stars to guide him, set forth upon an unknown ocean. This fleet of the year 1918-19 was of staunch ships of steel, fitted to withstand the storms of the sea. Every foot of the ocean through which they passed was charted and mapped and every boat of the fleet was in communication, not only with each other, but with the shores upon both sides of them by wire- less. After a fourteen day furlough, Mr. Ford returned to New Orleans. On April 7 he left that place for Nicaragua, While at Bluefield, Nicaragua, he passed through the Panama Canal. On the 13th of May he left for Limon, Costa Rica. Here his ship was stationed for the purpose of protecting American interests imperilled by a neighboring insurrection. July 18, he was transferred to the U. S. S. Paris. From Bocus Detora, Panama, he went to Almirante where his ship took on board 36,000 bunches of bananas. The ship sailed July 19th for New Orleans. At New Orleans he received his discharge papers from the ship and then went by train to Great Lakes Naval Training Station where he was discharged August 1, 1919. Glen C. Craig b. Nov. 5, 1893 Los Angeles, Calif. Glenn C. Craig entered the World War April 29, 1918. He was sta- tioned at Fort Dodge, la., for three weeks, practically all the time under quarantine because of the prevalence of measles in camp. From Camp Dodge he was sent to Camp Travis, Texas, with others to help fill up the 90th Division. He remained here just long enough to be equipped. The equipment here was approximately as follows: Uniform, campaign hat, pair hob nailed shoes, a rifle, blanket, canteen, cup and mess kit, shelter half (which with another fellow's shelter half completed the pup tent), and an extra suit of underwear brought the load up to about thirty pounds weight. The trip was made from Camp Travis to Camp Mills, L. I., in Pull- man sleepers. Round about railroads were taken so as to keep the move- ments of the troops as secret as possible. At Camp Mills his equipment was increased by a heavy overcoat, another blanket and another pair of shoes, raising the weight of his equipment to the neighborhood of forty pounds. He left Camp Mills on the English boat, Kinfaun Castle, manned by old men and boys. On board this ship each soldier received a circular from King George saying he was glad to carry American soldiers across. King George certainly meant it, for he was sorely in need of our "dough boys" at that time. Mr. Craig landed at Liverpool July 2, 1918. The ship had taken two weeks zigzagging across the Atlantic. There were eleven ships in the convoy. Two days out from Liverpool the ships were met by a fleet of destroyers which escorted them to the landing at Liverpool. WETHERSKtEEH SKETCHES 95 After landing he was sent to a rest camp called Wimbledon, near Win- chester, England. His first meal, after a long march to this place, con- sisted of bread, jam and cheese. Because of the small quantity of food received here the boys nicknamed the place "Dwindle Down." On the 4th of July those of the boys who had money enough were al- lowed to go to London. Mr. Craig visited the House of Parliament, London Bridge and the Criterion, an English playhouse or theater. In the after- noon he saw an American ball game between the Army and Navy. The English king was at the ball game, and was much interested in it. Mr. Craig got back to camp at Wimbledon at two o'clock on the morn- ing of the 5th of July. At four o'clock of the same morning he left for Southampton where he sailed for Cherbourg, France. The English Channel was crossed at night and without lights. From Cherbourg he went to Recey 'sur' Ource, about thirty-five miles north of Dijon, where he stayed for four weeks drilling till his legs and back ached and all the while sleeping in attics and barns. While here he was sent with others to a smaller town called Echalot, for more in- tensive drill in signal training. This signal battalion was sent back to Recey 'sur' Ource for gas masks and helmets before going to the front. A "hike" of two days was now made to a railroad. At camp one night the bacon running short, the boys in Mr. Craig's mess asked him, because he could speak a little French, to go to a farm house for some eggs. He decided to go, though there were blisters from the hobnails upon both feet. He succeeded in getting eggs enough so that the boys had scrambled eggs and bacon for supper. He found that the French peasant regarded the Yankee boys as "queer" for they always asked where the well was. The French peasant used well water only for his stock. He lived in the grape region and drank wine. On this march the rest period of ten minutes took place after fifty minutes of marching. Once the Signal Battalion stopped for a rest only a few feet from a well. The boys had marched in the August sun wearing their overcoats. Two or three of the signal platoon fell out of ranks to get a drink of water. The captain saw them, and as a punishment made the platoon of thirty-two men load the baggage of the whole company when they reached the railroad. The train took the company to Toul where they unloaded at two o'clock in the morning. At daybreak they "hiked" to Bruley where they remained for a few days drilling. Here they saw the first aeroplanes in battle. The Signal Platoon were given rations of hardtack and corned beef, "corned willy" as the boys called it, loaded into trucks and sent forward to the St. Mihiel sector, leaving the rest of the company to follow. The Signal Battalion reached the Sector by moonlight. They stayed for the rest of the night in wooden shacks covered with tin. Their beds were upon dirty ticks filled with musty straw. With their gas masks "alert" the boys lay in darkness listening while the German shells burst nearer and nearer. Suddenly a shell struck a short distance from the shacks and every boy looked for the dugouts, which were not to be found in this territory. After a while the boys becoming less afraid of the noise of bursting shells and circling aeroplanes returned to their beds and dozed off to sleep. They had no sooner begun to sleep than they were awakened by the trench rats on the roof. These rats had got some of the hard tack from the boys' mess kits and were eating it on the roofs of the shacks. Between the noise of the trench rats and that of the German artillery the boys got very little sleep. At 5 P. M., Sept. 11, 1918, orders were received to move forwards into 96 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES first line trenches. The boys had known for a day that they were soon to move and had written long letters to the folks at home. They had been in second line trenches long enough to know what to expect. Telephone equip- ment, infantry, heavy and light artillery were soon in motion. The march was through thick woods. There was little order and con- siderable confusion and congestion especially at cross roads, for it was raining and the roads were dark and muddy. After getting closer to the front the congestion was less, for the artillery kept behind the front lines. By twelve o'clock the men were in the trenches. At one o'clock pandemonium broke loose. The light artillery, 75 M.M. began firing from its position ten to twenty-five yards back of the boys in the trenches. Here the enemy's line was 200 to 300 yards in front. The boys could hear the heavy artillery farther back and the noise of the shells as they flew over their heads, except when the nearer sound of the light artillery, drowned all other sounds. By daylight of the 12th, the fire of the American artillery had driven the German troops to their second line trenches and had filled and leveled their first line trenches. The boys of the 90th Division who had been standing in the muddy trenches since one o'clock waiting for the artillery fire to cease, left their trenches and moved through the wire entanglements across No Man's Land and into the enemy's territory. The Great Drive was on! All that day they pushed forward, breaking up machine gun nests, downing the hidden snipers, taking prisoners, caring for the wounded and burying the dead. A dead soldier, whether German or American, was usually buried where he fell. His gun was stuck in the ground above the grave. One identification tag and his helmet was hung on his gun and the other tag was carried away for identification of the body. By the night of the 14th the Signal Platoon had good communication be- tween the front lines and headquarters back of the lines. Mr. Craig says, "On the 15th my corporal and I were out in the open watching for aero- plane signals, when suddenly just above the trees shot a German aeroplane having a machine gun pointed at us. We made for a bank close by till the aeroplane passed over. Soon another aeroplane came and "downed" one of our balloons back of us. The men in this balloon went to the ground in parachutes and the balloon went up in smoke." He adds, "Our kitchen had come up to our position and some of us wanted something more than hardtack and corned willy for supper. We took our mess kits and found the kitchen. We had got bread and molasses and were waiting for hot coffee when a German in his aeroplane spied us and signalled to the German heavy artillery. This artillery got our position and began firing. We, cooks and all, left everything and ran for shelter. After the firing ceased we went back for our provisions but could get only cold coffee, as the cooks had not returned." On Sept. 26, there was a big drive all along the front. On that day the 90th Division made a small offensive move which resulted in the cap- ture of a few prisoners and in considerable loss of life on their part. The 90th's position on this day was west of the Moselle river and south of Metz. The division remained here till Oct. 10, when it was relieved by the 7th Division. On Oct. 10, the 90th Division marched back to the vicinity of Bruley where the boys expected a rest, but tired and hungry, they were put 10 drilling on the day after arriving, and on the third day loaded into trucks and at midnight started for the Meuse Argonne Sector. Here they ad- vanced a little each day to get in position for the great drive that was scheduled to take place on Nov. 1, 1918. WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES On the night of Oct. 28, the 90th Division camped near Montt'aucon, a place that had been taken two days before. On the night of the 30th, the Germans shelled the Division, for their scouts had located its position. The drive that was to end the war began on the 1st of November. By the 2nd the Gennans were moving so fast that the allied armies could not keep up with them. On the 9th the Division crossed the Meuse and spent the night of the 10th at Mouzay. Here the boys received the first news that firing was to cease at eleven o'clock the next day. Very little firing was done at Mouzay on the morning of the 11th. The remainder of the day was so quiet that the boys who had become accustomed to the continuous din of battle could hardly realize that the war was over. On the 12th the Division marched back across the Mozelle where they remained till the 19th. Then they went north through Luxemburg and up the Mozelle to Bullay, thence north (orders becoming mixed), and then back to Urzig. Here the boys ate their Christmas dinner, receiving as extras two chocolates and some canned peaches. The Division remained at Urzig till May 17, 1919. In April the boys were allowed a two weeks' furlough. Mr. Craig spent most of his furlough in visiting Toulon, Lyons and Paris. He left Urzig May 17th and traveled to St. Nazairre. Here, on May 29th, he went on board the ship, U. S. S. Wil- helmina and arrived at Newport News, Va., on June 9, 1919. From Newport News he went to Camp Grant where he was discharged June 16, 1919. Fenton C. Allen b. July 26, 1888 Molder, Kewanee, Illinois Member of 35th Division, Co. F., 138 Inf. On May 1, 1918, Mr. Allen left Camp Dodge, la., for Camp Mills, N. Y. On May 6, 1918, he left for overseas duty on the English ship "Recess," ar- riving at Southampton, England, May 27, 1918. In the fleet carrying his regiment there were twelve ships. Off the Irish coast one of the ships was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Due to prompt action by the other ships, only fifty men were lost, and these were in that part of the ship where the torpedo exploded. The English Channel was crossed to La Harve at night without lights. Here each soldier was given an English Enfield rifle and an English gas mask. He left La Harve May 29th and by train and on foot reached Grand- court on June 8, 1918. From Grandcourt he was sent to Neuchatel. He was stationed in the Swiss Alps till June 29th. Here his Division was so close to the German position that the French officers would allow- no drilling for fear of drawing the artillery fire of the enemy. While sta- tioned here he saw two German planes brought to the ground. June 30th was his first day in the trenches. His company was so close to the Germans that he could hear them coughing at night. In some places the two lines were only a few hundred feet apart. On July 9th his company was relieved and sent back to Wesserling. From Wesserling they marched by night to a large dugout about three miles from the enemy's lines. This dugout was in the side of a mountain and would shelter a regiment of soldiers. It had been made and occupied by the French soldiers before used by the Americans. Its walls were honeycombed with holes about three feet square and seven feet deep. These holes were boarded up and looked very much like horizontal coal shafts. Each shaft had a mattress which, with the soldiers' blankets, made quite a comfortable bed. From this dugout he went into the first line trenches through a boarded 98 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES up tunnel camouflaged with bushes and trees. The following is a record taken from his diary: August 17 — Heavy artillery fire by the Germans. August 19 — Lot of extra work today. Nearly got shot by a German sniper's bullet. Pretty close call. August 20 — Very quiet. August 21 — Air battle. Heavy artillery fire. August 22 — Everything quiet. August 23 — Same as yesterday. August 24 — Some rain. August 25 — Out in No Man's Land picking blackberries. (Nearly bumped by a sniper's shot.) August 26 — Two wounded. August 27-28— Quiet. August 29— Weather O. K. August 30 — Rain. He left these trenches and on Sept. 2, was stationed at Nancy, France. On Sept. 12, his Division was stationed in a dense woods back of Metz wait- ing for the great drive which was soon to take place. At 5:30 a. m., on Sept. 17, 1918, the heavy artillery stationed in front of the infantry opened fire upon the enemy. Dense smoke screens were made by the Americans to cover the advance of their infantry. While the heavy guns were firing over their heads the infantry pushed forward through the smoke to the front. In the shelter of a stone wall, Company F. rested for a few moments. Then over the top they went across the French trenches into No Man's Land. An exploding shell killed two men just in front of Mr. Allen, severing the head of one of them from his body. Mr. Allen leaped over these bodies and made for a vacated machine gun pit. In this pit lay a dead German soldier. Outside the pit lay two Germans and one American. In this grue- some place he lay for a few moments till ordered forward. The drive continued. The fire of the heavy artillery poured over the heads of the advancing men till eleven o'clock. By night of the second day of the drive the front lines of the Americans had advanced seven miles into enemy territory. Meanwhile so many horses had been killed and the mud- was so deep that the heavy artillery could not be moved forward to support the infantry. Without support from the artillery the infantry dug them- selves in and held the ground they had taken, and tractors were hurried forward to take the place of horses in moving the artillery. Company F. was relieved and sent back of the lines on Sept. 22. Out of 220 men the killed, wounded and disabled had reduced the company to 96 men. After the company was brought up to the required number by taking some of the 84th Division it returned to the front. Here several of the company were gassed, after which they were relieved and sent to a camp about twenty miles from Metz. The company was here on Nov. 11, 1918. In February he was sent to a Belgian camp near St. Nazairre. He was here a week. From this camp he went to St. Nazairre where he boarded the Kaiser's pleasure boat, the Louis, for Newport News. A week after landing he was sent to Camp Grant where he was discharged May 13, 1919. Hayden H. Hendrick b. Dec. 11, 1893 Occupation: Taxicab Business Address: 425 Rockwell St., Kewanee, 111. He enlisted for aviation field work Dec. 11, 1917, and was sent to Jef- ferson Barracks, Mo. He was at Kelley's Field for a short time, then was WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 99 sent to Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. He was here from Dec. 22, 1917, till March 9, 1918, then was sent to Ellington Field, an aviation camp at Hous- ton, Texas. He stayed here till discharged March 11, 1919. Mr. Hendrick says that he enlisted as a truck driver, but Uncle Sam made a cook out of him. He was a truck boss till he reached Ellington Field. The second day at Ellington Field he was given a pick and was told that he needed to "reduce." The next day he was put into the kitchen. He was cook for a year at Ellington Field. He says that when he be- gan he couldn't boil water. But adds, "It makes no difference what you are or who you are, nothing is impossible in the army." Charles J. Anthony March 16, 1895 Boiler Maker, Kewanee, 111. He entered the World War April 1, 1918, as a member of Co. F., of the 35th Division. On Sept. 17, 1918, when his company went over the top he received a slight wound from a piece of shrapnel but was not disabled. On Nov. 7, 1918, he was gassed and taken to the hospital. His discharge took place on May 13, 1919. He was on the northern part of the Wesserling Sector from June 30 to July 10, 1918, on the Iserardmer subsector from Aug. 14 till Sept. 2, 1918; St. Mihiel Reserves, Sept. 11 till the 18th, and on the Sommedieu Sector from Oct. 15, till Nov. 7, 1918. Ross W. Craig b. April 22, 1896 Farmer, Galva, 111. Ross W. Craig became a member of Battery C, 333d Field Artillery on June 26, 1918. He was first stationed at Camp Grant. On July 15, 1918, he was sent to Camp Robinson near Sparta, Wis. He left this camp for Chicago over C. N. W. and St. Paul R. R. on Sept. 4, 1918. The Grand Trunk R. R. was taken to Niagara. Here the Lehigh Valley R. R. was taken for New York City. He arrived at Camp Mills, L. I., Sept. 7, 1918. On Sept. 16, he left for overseas on the Metagama. He went on board at 7 P. M. The boat stayed in the harbor all night and left the next morning at 8:30 A. M. The fol- lowing is from his diary: Wed. 18 — Rain and sea a little rough. Submarines reported near us. Thurs. 19 — Three shot fired. Ready for the life boats. Fri. 20 — Saw sharks 100 yards from the ship. Sat. and Sun. — Calm. Mon. 23 — On guard. Rough sea at night. Tues. 24 — First real meal. Our army cooks on the job. Ships turned and went back for several hours. Wed., Thurs. and Fri. — Rough seas. Convoy of ten torpedo boats met us and guarded us into port. Sat. 28— Sighted Ireland. Sun. 29 — Came up the Clyde River and docked at Glasgow. Mon. 30 — Arrived at Camp Ramsey, Eng. Oct. 1, 1918, left Camp Ramsey and with full packs marched to South- ampton. Started to cross the channel at 7:30 P. M., but were chased back by subs. Oct. 2— Started again at 7:30 P. M. Oct. 3 — Arrived at Cherbourg, France, at 2 A. M. Oct. 4 — Loaded in box cars, 40 men to a car, with rations of corned beef and hard tack and sent to Camp Hunt near Bordeaux. Arrived Oct. 6. 100 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES He was at this camp when the Armistice was signed. On Dec. 25, 1918, he sailed for home, arriving at New York City Jan. 8, 1919. He was sent to Camp Mills, thence to Camp Grant, where he was discharged Jan. 19, 1919. George W. Felton b. Jan. 21, 1892 Sheet Metal Worker 901 Pleasant View Ave., Kewanee, 111. He entered the war April 2, 1918. He was first stationed at Camp Nichols near New Orleans where he remained about three months. He was transferred from the 15th Coast Artillery to the 13th and stationed at Fort St. Philips, eighty miles south of New Orleans, La., near the Gulf of Mexico. He was on guard duty here till the Armistice was declared Nov. 11, 1918. The duty of his patrol was to let no ship pass up the river to New Orleans except such as had been given permission farther down the river. At the lower station all ships were searched and given right of way. The guards at Fort St. Philips were to prevent ships from sneaking through. There was an immense lot of shipping at New Orleans. An enemy's submarine could do a lot of damage. There was also danger of spies getting into the country on vessels from Mexico. Mr. Felton was discharged from Camp Grant. John Brewster Hoffman b. May 19, 1897 Kewanee, 111. He left the University of Illinois to enlist in the Naval Aviation Corps of Great Lakes Training Camp on June 22, 1918. After leaving the deten- tion camp he was at Camps Carey and Dewey. He was relieved from active duty Jan. 12, 1919, and discharged Aug. 20, 1920, as second class machinist mate. Mr. Hoffman gives the following description of a machinist work in the aviation camp: "We rose at 6 A. M. The barracks were two story buildings, each story divided crosswise into two rooms. Each room contained from 50 to 60 men. The men in these rooms slept in hammocks. Between 6 and 7 o'clock regular army drill was conducted. All took part in this drill except about a dozen in each room. These cleaned the room. A man served in the "cleaners" for a week at a time. Breakfast was served at 7 o'clock after which the whole regiment lined up for inspection. Inspection was not very rigid, being more like a general assembly. After breakfast we marched to the shops where each man studied some phase of aeronautics. The first step in the study was to become familiar with general arith- metic and the study of powers and roots. Nothing was done with logarithms. Next we took up the study of engines, particularly the Liberty engine. Much work was done also in the copper shop and in the blacksmith shop. The last work finished up with overhauling a worn out motor and rebuild- ing its worn out parts, after which we took it to test sheds where it was tried out." Herman A. Gleich b. March 20, 1890 Traffic Clerk at the Private Utility Co. 302 Hollis St., Kewanee, III. Herman A. Gleich became a soldier in the World War on Sept. 30, 1918. He was sent to Jefferson Barracks where he remained till Oct. 11, 1918. While he was at this camp there was a great deal of sickness. There were WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 101 not sufficient hospitals for the sick and some of them lay in barns, ware- houses, etc. On Oct. 18, 1918, he was sent to Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas. Here he took the examination for overseas work but did not pass. He then be- came assistant to the personnel adjutant of the 5th Battalion Headquarters. He remained here till Dec. 4, 1918. He was transferred to the discharge battalion Dec. 26, 1918, and sent to Camp Grant. He was discharged Jan. 3, 1919. Harold W. German Machine Tender at Walworth's b. Oct. 1, 1902 401 Hollis St., Kewanee, 111. Enlisted Nov. 16, 1920, in D. Battery, 15th Field Artillery. He spent a few days at Chickasha, Okla., after which he went to San Antonio, Texas. Here he was in the Regular Army three years. He was discharged Nov. 15, 1923. While at San Antonio, Mr. German took part in the routine life of a soldier. While on a furlough he visited in Mexico on a holiday and saw cue national sport of the Mexican people. Namely, a bull fight. Mr. German here gives a day's work in the regular army life at San Antonio, and of a bull fight in Old Mexico. "The first call was at 5:45 A. M., at 6 reveille was sounded and the flag was raised. At 6:30 breakfast was eaten. Mounted drill took place from 7 till 9:30. After this drill the drill squads returned to the stables where the time till 10:30 was spent in unsaddling, unharnessing and clean- ing equipment. "The guns were known as French 75's. The gun crew proper consisted of nine men, but the helpers raised, the number to sixteen or eighteen men. 102 WKTHEKSFIKL.D SKETCHES Each gun was hauled by three span of horses, hitched two abreast. The left hand horse of each team was equipped with a saddle upon which rode one of the crew. The right hand horse of each team carried a saddle to which was fastened the equipment, consisting of blanket roll and food for men and horses. From 10:30 to 11, a thirty minute foot drill took place. The men were divided into squads of one hundred and fifty men each. After the foot drills the men returned to the barracks where they cleaned their personal equip- ment and barracks for official inspection, after which dinner was served at 12 o'clock in the mess room of the barracks. From 1 to 2 P. M., standing gun drill was held. This finished the hard part of the day's work. Guard duty extended till six o'clock. As each battery took part in guard duty, and there were a large number of batteries, the task was not very arduous. Supper was served at 5 o'clock. The flag was lowered at sunset while the whole camp stood "retreat." Soldiers had their evenings to do with as they pleased. The Bull Fight A bull fight in Old Mexico is made a holiday. Not only all the people of the town attend, but crowds of people from the surrounding country and towns flock to the arena on the day of the fight. The bull fight is preceded by calf throwing and rodeo riding. These sports take up the day till the middle of the afternoon. Rodeo riding con- sists of racing and the riding of bucking horses, resembling very much Buf- falo Bill's Wild West Shows. One matador and eight helpers, part of whom were on horseback were in the arena when the bull was let in from the side door. The helpers, both foot and horseback, were equipped with darts. These darts were about two feet long and one end was provided with a sharp point. To the other end of the dart was fastened several cloth streamers of bright colors. The helpers threw darts at the bull. The sharp darts sticking in his body and the bright colored cloths switching against his sides and into his eyes, goaded the bull to madness, but with so many tormenters he knew not which to advance upon. The helpers suddenly swept aside and before the maddened bull stood the matador. The matador held outstretched in his hands a bright red blanket about four feet square. By his side hung a short sword. A roar rose from the crowd as the bull charged. The matador leaped aside and as the bull passed, slapped him on the flank with his sword. The bull, now in a frenzy, turned quickly and made for the red cloth. This time his horn struck the matador who was thrown to the ground. Shouts and hurrahs for the bull rose from the crowd of people in the amphi- theater. The matador, however, was upon his feet again, and as the bull made another rush he sidestepped, and as the bull rushed past, the matador sprang lightly upon his back, raised his red banner to the crowd's applause, and slid to the ground ready for the bull's mad rush again. The fight continued. The bellowing bull mad from the pain of the darts and spurred on by the taunting red banner, made rush after rush at the matador. Finally as the bull passed, the matador threw the blanket in the face of the bull and drew it by one end across his staring eyes. The bull came to his knees and rolled in the dust of the arena, while shout after shout rose for the matador. The bull staggered to his feet and returned to the attack . Meanwhile the matador had drawn his sword, and this time side- stepping just enough to let the bull pass, he thrust with his sword, striking the bull just back of his shoulder and piercing his heart. The victor saluted WKTHKKSF1KL.P SKKTCH KS 103 the hurrahing multitudes, the slaughtered bull was dragged from the arena and the light was done. William S. Roper b. May 15, 1895 Radiation Work at Wal. Kewanee, 111. William S. Roper was inducted at Cambridge, 111., on July 10, 1918. He was sent to Camp Grant where he stayed two' months. He was sent to Camp Mills from Camp Grant on Sept. 7, 1918. He went by transport to Liverpool, Eng., thence to LaHarve, France. While in camp near LaHarve he was taken sick and remained in hos- pital several months. On Feb. 12, 1919, he sailed from Brest, France, for home. His ship landed at Hoboken, N. J. He remained here two weeks in hospital then was sent to a hospital in Chicago from which he w&s dis- charged Feb. 28, 1919. He was in Co. K., 344th Inf., till Oct. 11, 1918. He was then trans- ferred to Repl. Co., 148th Inf. Frank E. Roper b. June 16, 1893 Meat Cutter 112 South Grace Avenue, Kewanee, 111. Enlisted March 11, 1918, in the Coast Artillery. While in the Coast Artillery he was in the Commissary Department at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. From Jefferson Barracks he was sent to Ft. Moultrie, then to Ft. Mon- roe, Va. At Ft. Monroe he entered the Enlisted Specialist School. While here he acted as instructor in the motor transportation department. After the Armistice was signed he went to Camp Grant, where he was discharged Jan. 19, 1919. While at Ft. Monroe, Mr. Roper was one of 122 men sent to Camp Halibird, about twelve miles from Baltimore, Md., for 104 trucks — 64 Dodge and 40 Kelly-Springfield trucks. They left Camp Halibird Dec. 19, 1918, and arrived at Ft. Monroe, Dec. 27. The distance was 226 miles. The expense of the trip was as follows: 10,0923,4 gallons gasoline, costing $ 2,738.00 565 gallon oil, costing 335.00 Rations, costing 3,500.58 Total expense about 10,851.00 Value of material handled 550,038.00 The roads were so bad that the trucks made only 3 9-10 miles one day. At Ft. Monroe the trucks were cleaned and made ready for overseas work. Ague L. Bergquist b. Dec. 7, 1894 He was in Co. K., of Kewanee, 111., when the war with Germany was declared in 1917. He left the U. S. May 27, 1918, and arrived in the U. S. May 24, 1919, after serving in France about a year. He served in Company I., 6th 111. Inf., N. G., from June 30, 1917, till Sept. 19, 1917, then in Battery A., 123rd F. A., Sept. 20, 1917, till the date of his discharge. War record in France. St. Mihiel offensive Sept. 12, till Sept, 16, 1918. Meuse Argonne- offensive Sept. 26 till Oct. 11, 1918. In the Army of Occupation, Jan. 1, 1919 till April 12, 1919. He was discharged June 7, 1919. He was drowned in the Fox River at Aurora, 111., July 4, 1920. H^ is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery, Kewanee, 111. 104 WETHERSEIELP SKETCHES Raymond L. Bergquist b. Dec. 8, 1898 Boiler Maker at Kewanee Boiler Co. Kewanee, 111. He enlisted Feb. 28, 1918, in Headquarters Co., 46th C. A. C. He was with the A. E. F. in France from Oct. 14, 1918, to Feb. 11, 1919. He enlisted at Davenport, la., and went to Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. He went from Jefferson Barracks to Fort Dade, Fla., thence to Camp Eustis, Va. From this place he went by train to Newport News, where he boarded the ship, Frederick the Great, a captured German boat, whose name had been changed to the U. S. S. Huron. He landed in Brest, France, Oct. 14, 1918. In the fleet going over, there were seven convoys, two battleships and six destroyers. He stayed at Brest a week, here occupying for a part of the time the Pontanzen Barracks, once occupied by Napoleon and his army. The next move was to Bordeaux, thence to Branne where he was stationed when the Armistice was signed. He sailed from Marseilles, France, by the way of Gibraltar and reached New York Feb. 11, 1919. He was stationed at Camp Dix, N. J., for a month, then sent to Camp Grant, where he was discharged April 14, 1919. Roy L. Bergquist b. August 19, 1897 Boiler Maker Helper Kewanee, 111. Roy L. Bergquist enlisted April 22, 1917, at Chicago in Co. M., 86th Div. He spent the time till discharged on Feb. 14, 1919, at Nogales, Arizona. He re-enlisted in June, 1919, this time in Headquarters and Service Co., 6th Engineers. From Jefferson Barracks he was sent to San Francisco, Calif. From this place he was sent to Siberia where his ship was sta- tioned from August 19, 1919, till Feb. 15, 1920. He was discharged June 8, 1922. Ralph P. Blair b. Oct. 4, 1895 Kewanee, 111. He was inducted into the 2nd Riving Casualty Co., on March 2, 1918. He was stationed for about two months at Vancouver Barracks, State of Washington, then was sent to Aberdeen in the same state. The work of his company was to get out spruce lumber for aeroplanes. A railroad was built twelve miles back into the forest. The road was used in hauling spruce logs, some of which were six feet in diameter, to the saw mills. There was considerable game in that locality. Trout abounded in the streams and salmon could be caught in the inlets. On a hunting trip Mr. Blair bagged a black bear. From Vancouver Barracks Mr. Blair was sent to Camp Grant where he was discharged Feb. 9, 1919. Ernest F. F. Rosenow b. Feb. 27, 1896 Machine Operator at Walworth's 715 Wilbur St. Kewanee, 111. He entered the army Oct. 1, 1918. He was stationed at Jefferson Bar- racks about fourteen days, then was sent to Camp MacArthur at Waco, Texas. He remained at this place in regular army training till after the Armistice was signed. He was discharged from Co. G., 4th Battalion at Camp Grant on Jan. 13, 1919. WKTHKRSFIKL,n SKETCHES 105 Dean C. Fulper b. March 7, 1892 Farmer No. 2, Galva, 111. Dean C. Fulper entered the World War on June 26, 1918, as a member of 19th Co., 161st D. B. At Camp Grant on July 16 he was transferred to Co. D., 342nd Inf., 86th Div. He sailed for Europe on Sept. 9, and landed at Liverpool, Eng. From Liverpool he was sent to a small town near Bordeaux. Here his company was broken up and used for replacements. On Oct. 26, 1918, he was as- signed to Co. F., 318th Inf., 80th Div., in the Argonne sector, and served at the front from Nov. 1, till Nov. 7. After the Armistice was signed he was stationed for the winter at Stigny, near Oncy-le-Franc. While here he won his "Marksman Pin" for good shooting. He sailed for home in May, landing at Newport News May 27, 1919. His regiment paraded in the streets of Richmond on Deco- ration Day. He was sent to Camp Lee, Va., thence to Camp Grant where he was discharged June 10, 1919. Mr. Fulper tells the following interesting story of — Keeping Up With The Boches: "I was probably the only man from Wethersfield township to serve in the 80th Division. When I was assigned to Co. F. of the 318th Inf., it had just returned from the "lines" on the Argonne where, in battle, it had seventy-eight casualties, including its captain, who was killed. A few days were spent in getting re-equipped for the front. On Oct. 31 we rolled our packs before daylight and at 9 o'clock started for the front while the regimental band played "Dixie." This tune was appropriate, as most of the boys were from Virginia. At 9 o'clock that night we stopped just at the rear of the artillery. After eating our iron rations for supper we lay down on our blankets and pulled our shelter halves over us to keep off a sprinkle of rain that was falling. All night the "boches" bombed a railroad bridge about eighty rods from camp. The next afternoon towards evening we slung our packs and moved up about eight kilos, stopping in front of the artillery, where we stayed till noon of the next day. This day, Saturday, at noon, we got orders to move up. We moved forward about a mile, pitched our tents, but immediately tore them down and moved up again over roads up to our ankles in mud. We passed dead men here and there, a smashed aeroplane and dead horses. Equipment lay scattered everywhere. Transports blocked the roads for miles, but still we moved on. As darkness came on, making it more difficult to "tote" our heavy packs in the mud, the men began to fall out. As we marched on, travelling became worse and worse till we began to think if the Battle of Chattanooga was any worse than this one night's hike, General Sherman didn't know very many "swear" words. Some time after midnight we stopped and made bunks on the ground. A few shells came over during the night, one falling on a building where some of our battalion were sleeping, killing one and injuring two. To make matters worse I had to go on gas guard at 4 A. M. At roll call that morning only nine men of forty-six in our platoon reported, the rest having fallen out along the road the night before. The next day (Sunday) we moved up about two miles and started to dig bivouacs, but before we had finished we were ordered to move up on a hill which lay before us and dig in. We had just got nicely started when Major Wise gave orders to prepare to move up in an hour. We moved up a couple of kilos and dug in the third time. We had 106 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES orders not to unroll our packs. I slept until I could stand the cold no longer, then got out my blankets, but had them rolled in my pack in time to tall in. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, we were in support of Co. "E." The "Huns" were on the run and it made us go some to keep up. At 9 A. M. we stopped long enough to eat some "bully beef" and hard tack. By noon we had lost Co. E., but found it later. At three o'clock in the afternoon we saw a shell fall in the midst of a platoon of Co. E., killing two and wounding three. The shells were now coming so fast that we hunted holes and stayed in them till the shelling stopped. After the shelling ceased we passed through a small village and joined Co. E. But here the machine gun bullets made things so lively that we found it best not to advance farther. An aeroplane showed us that the "pill box" was located just beyond the crest of a hill, so that the bullets were going over our heads. As we had already gone four kilometers beyond our objective point we were ordered not to make an attack. That night we fell back a short distance near a woods and "dug in." I threw some grass in the hole, lay down and went to sleep. About midnight a drizzle which had started before dark, developed into rain. In the night, my bedmate, Pat O'Mally, woke me up. I found I had been wallowing in about two inches of water. I dozed on my pack till morning. While at this place the cooks sent our supper up to us, but the Major was hungry, too, so he took a good share of our suppers for the B. H. A., consequently we were short. When our company commander asked him for an explanation the old major transferred him to "G-" Co. We were now relieved and moved back. All along the way the artillery was trying to catch up. We got our breakfast and dinner about three o'clock in the afternoon. We camped and rested one day, then started in pursuit again. On the day that Armistice was signed we were still wading through the mud. We had not washed our hands and laces for two days. Our over- coats and equipment were covered with mud. When the bugle called for rest we sat down where we were regardless of mud and water. I had always heard that cleanliness was next to Godliness, but here it was next to impossible. We passed some French soldiers who were capering joyously and shout- ing, 'The war is finished.' One doughboy, speaking from the heart and voicing the sentiments of all, replied, 'Well, for the Law'd sake, don't start another one unless you can finish it yourselves.' That night upon arrival in camp we found large quantities of fireworks, in the way of artillery T. N. T., with which we kindled fires. The heavens were lighted in all directions by every conceivable kind of military fire- works. This was the first night since our arrival in France that no danger was attached to a display of light and the only one that we did not have to reckon with the possibility of a hostile aerial visitor." Cecil G. Stinson b. Jan. 8, 1896 Battery Repairer Kewanee, 111. Cecil G. Stinson entered the World War Sept. 5, 1918, becoming a mem- ber of Co. B., 127th Engineers. He was first stationed at Camp Forest, Ga. On Oct. 18, he was sent to Camp Mills at Newport News where he remained four days. On Oct. 22, he started for France. There were fourteen vessels in the convoy, including war vessels and subchasers. The usual positions of the AVETHERSFIEED SKETCHES 10 < war vessels were one at the right, left and rear of the transports. The subchasers were on the lookout in the waters around the whole fleet. Two severe storms were encountered on the passage. As the waves passed over the decks of the subchasers during these storms they, looked like small sticks floating in the air. During the passage the men slept in full dress and with life preservers on. Drills for submarine emergency and in taking to the boats were practiced morning and evening of each day. Mr. Stinson landed at Saint Nazairre on Nov. 3, 1918. He was on his way to the front when the war ceased. He was then sent back to Bordeaux where his company, consisting of electricians, had charge of the electric work on the docks of Bordeaux and vicinity. Given a leave of absence, he visited Paris, Rheims, Chateau Thierry, Soissons and other battlefields. This visit was made six months after fight- ing had ceased yet the bodies of German soldiers were still lying where they fell, and French soldiers were yet searching for the bodies of their fallen comrades on the battlefields. Mr. Stinson started for home on June 30, 1919. July Fourth was spent on the TJ. S. S. Huron, at sea. He landed at Newport News and was sent from that place to Camp Grant where he was discharged July 22, 1919. Laverne C. Schmidt b. Oct. 14, 1904 In Drafting Dept. of Walworth Co. 438 Willard St., Kewanee, 111. Enlisted Nov .24, 1920. Great Lakes and Newport, R. I. Naval Stations. Co. 55, Reg. 16. Discharged Feb. 2, 1921. William G. Fuller b. May 19, 1891 Sec. Addressograph Co. 2650 Reese Ave., Evanston, 111. In May, 1918, William G. Fuller enlisted in the navy for lour years. He was called to service on August 19, 1918, and was stationed at the Municipal Pier in Chicago. He was next sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Sta- tion where he remained till he entered into active work on the Great Lakes. The ship upon which he was stationed was the Cleveland, plying between Duluth and Buffalo, the round trip taking one week. Had not the Armistice been signed on Nov. 11, he would soon have been sent to New York to com- plete his training. He was released from service in February, 1919, subject to recall at any time till his enlistment expired. Alva C. Peterson b. July 27, 18.88 Farmer No. 3, Toulon, 111. Alva Clinton Peterson entered the World War as a member of Battery D., 333d H. F. A., 86th Div., on July 10, 1918. He was first stationed at Camp Grant, Rockford, 111. In two weeks he was sent to Camp Robinson, Sparta, Wis. On Sept. 4, he left this place and arrived at Camp Mills, Va., Sept. 7. On the morning of Sept. 17, two tugs started the transport upon which he was on, out to sea. Early on the morning of Sept. 28, the coast of Ireland was sighted. On Sept 29 the ship docked at Glasgow, Scotland. Mr. Peterson was much interested in the scenery along the Clyde River and in the great ship building yards at Glasgow. Another thing noted by him was that wagon roads and railroads in Scotland do not cross each other at the same level, thus decreasing danger from accidents. From Glasgow the journey to Ramsey, England, was made by rail, thence on foot to Southampton. The English Channel was crossed to Cher- bourg, France, on the transport, St. George. From Cherbourg he was sent 108 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES by rail to Camp Hunt, Arcachon, France, arriving there Oct. 6. On Dec. 25 he sailed from Bordeaux for home, arriving at Newport News, Jan. 3, 1919. He was discharged at Camp Grant Jan. 19, 1919. Mr. Peterson describes an alarm given by one of the boats on the pass- age as follows: "One of the boats fired a shot. Soon another shot was fired, then there was one whistle given. All boats headed towards the signalling vessel. The subchasers darted toward it and were gone some time , then came back and on we went." Armand W. Berg b. Nov. 4, 1887 Kewanee, 111. Corporal Armand W. Berg was drawn in draft in September, 1917, and notified to be ready to report on a twenty-four hour notice, but getting tired of waiting for a call, he enlisted in the Coast Artillery branch in March, 1918. He reported at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and was sworn in March 13, 1918. Mr. Berg said, "After being examined and measured for clothes, I was assigned to 16th Recruit Co. On Saturday, March 16, I was on the wrong end of the line, so I drew K. P. duty for Saturday supper and all day Sunday, St. Patrick's day, which was a beautiful day. I also had this "pleasant" job for two meals Monday. Wouldn't dare to write my thoughts at this time." On March 22, he was sent to Fort Moultrie, Va., with about five hundred others, arriving there about midnight of the 24th. The next day he was assigned to recruit Co. D. and placed under quarantine. April 17, he was transferred to 1st Co., C. A. C, of Fort Moultrie, where he says, "We had slum and hash most of the time for eats." On June 24, the 75th R. A. R. was organized, and he was transferred to the Supply Co. of this organization, later to the 1st Battalion Head- quarters Co. On July 13, he was attached to the personnel office of the 75th. On Sept. 25 he left Fort Moultrie for Camp Merritt, N. J. Here he was equipped for overseas. The officers had promised the men a day off to see New York City, but the "flu" breaking out among the men, they were put in quarantine and did not get a chance to see the city. On Oct. 4, he hiked to Hoboken where the troops were loaded on the transport, Sibboney. The transport pulled away from the docks at 11:30 P. M., and anchored till daybreak, when it started on the way. On the way over there were forty deaths from the "flu." He arrived at Brest, France, Oct. 15, debarked the next morning and hiked six miles to camp. On Oct. 29, he left for Giebres, France, arriving there Oct. 31. He was at this place when the Armistice was signed. He left Giebres Dec. 3, supposedly for home, but after staying about ten days at Camp No. 1, St. Nazairre, he was moved to the docks where he did guard duty till Jan. 20, 1919. He was then moved to Camp Montoir where he stayed till Feb. 23, helping to repair roads, etc. On Feb. 23, he was moved to Camp No. 2, preparatory to going home. On Feb. 27, 1919, he left St. Nazairre on board the transport, Aeolus, for home. He arrived at the Azore Islands March 3. The transport anchored in the Bay of Fayal Island of this group till March 5. He arrived at New- port News, Va., March 13, stayed at Camp Stuart till March 21, then was sent to Camp Grant, where he received his discharge March 31, 1919. Dewey H. Pierce b. June 23, 1898 Gas Fitter 319 West Division Street, Kewanee, 111. Dewey H. Pierce enlisted on May 31, 1918, as seaman in the U. S. Navy He was at the Great Lakes Training Camp for twenty-seven days. He also WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 109 spent some time at Camps Decatur, Dewey and Ross. About June 27, he was sent to Detroit, Mich. Here he was transferred to the Aviation Naval Station of the Packard Motor Co. His training on shipboard was made on the U. S. S. training ship, Wol- verine. He was relieved from active duty Feb. 8, 1919, but remained in the Naval Reserve Force till Sept. 30, 1921, when he was discharged. Charles F. Brose b. Oct. 22, 1888 Insp. of Castings at Walworth's 247 W. Garfield St., Kewanee, 111. Charles F. Brose entered the World War on May 10, 1918. He went from Cambridge, Illinois to Jefferson Barracks, at St. Louis, Mo. In a few days he was sent to Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas, where he remained from May 15 till July 25. From Camp MacArthur he was sent to Camp Merritt, from which place he sailed on Aug. 4th on the ship Leviathan for France. He landed at Brest, France, Aug. 11, 1918. He was stationed at a rest camp about six miles from Brest for one and a half weeks. From this camp with Company G-., 56th Infantry, he took train to Nice, arriving there about the 15th of August, 1918. He stayed at Nice till Sept. 26, then was sent to a French barracks where he stayed for ten days. From these barracks his company was sent into a dense woods where they remained three days. On Oct. 16, they were sent into the second lines trenches on the Hinderberg line between St. Mihiel and Metz on the Toul sector. After seven days his company was sent into the first line trenches where they remained for three days. The company was then sent back for rein- forcements. On Oct. 28, the company went back to the first line trenches with 230 men. His company was in the first line trenches from Oct. 28, till Nov. 3, 1918. On Nov. 1, 1918, the boys went over the top into No Man's Land, here a level stretch of country between two woods. The great drive that was to end German militarism was on all along the line. At the beginning of the attack the lines of the opposing armies were about a mile apart. The enemy's fire was so severe that word was tele- phoned back for the heavy artillery to shell the German position. This was done over the heads of the advancing troops. A companion of Mr. Brose was wounded just below the temple with a piece of shrapnel. Mr. Brose bound up the wound and left the wounded man lying in the trenches. The German batteries were silenced by the heavy artillery of the Americans. The American troops pushed forward over the shell-tom field to within a half mile of the enemy's lines. Here they dug themselves in and held the ground they had gained. On Nov. 3, Mr. Brose's company was relieved and sent back into the second line trenches. In this drive eleven men had been killed and ninety- wounded out of the company of 230 men, and of the remainder only ninety- three men were able to take position in the second line trenches on Nov. 4, 1918. A few days after being returned to the second line trenches Mr. Brose and his company were sent still farther back. They were here when the Armistice was declared. In a short time he was sent to Autreville, eighteen miles from Toul. While here he got a seven day furlough which was spent at Aix 'les 'Baines. After returning to Autreville he was taken sick Jan. 12, 1919, and was in the hospital two weeks. 110 WETHERSF1ELD SKETCHES Edward W. Lempke b. Nov. 12, 1895 Farmer No. 4, Kewanee, 111. Edward W. Lempke entered the war June 26, 1918, becoming a member of the 341st Machine Gun Co., 86th Division. He was stationed at the fol- lowing places: Camp Grant, Camp Upton, Southampton, LaHarve, St. Andre, St. Romaine, Cadillac, La Mons and Bordeaux. He was discharged April 11, 1919. Mr. Lempke describes the flu epidemic in his company as follows: "Soon after we landed in France there was an epidemic of influenza in our company. As fast as the boys were taken sick they were placed in the infirmary. This soon became so crowded that those who were the most seriously ill were moved to another town nine miles away. The conveyances were open trucks; the boys, scantily clad and wrapped in a blanket, were placed in the bottom of the truck with not even a pillow under their heads to help absorb the bumps caused by riding over the cobblestone pavements. Arriving at the town, some of us were placed in a French house that had been hastily converted into a hospital. This building was soon filled to overflowing and the rest of us were put into a shed which was about as airtight as a corncrib. We had no regular nurses but were taken care of by boys who had not yet contracted the flu. We were offered excellent food, but unfortunately we were too sick to enjoy it. Several times each day we heard the band play and we knew that some of our comrades were being laid to rest with military honors. When we had nearly recovered, we were moved into a tent which had been erected in front of the hospital. After remaining here several days we were considered fit to rejoin our company." Arthur E. Johnson Arthur E. Johnson enlisted May 31, 1918 in the 15th Anti-Aircraft Bat- tery. He was sent to Jefferson Barracks, Mo., where he stayed one month. He next was sent to Ft. McKinley on an island off the coast of Maine. He was located there four weeks. From Ft. McKinley he was sent to Camp Eustis, Va. The tents were pitched in an open field at Mulberry Island about eight miles from Camp Eustis. He left Mulberry Island in about a month and "hiked" to Camp Hill, Va., near Fortress Monroe, arriving there Sept 24, 1918. In four days he was sent to Newport News and ferried to Norfolk. On Oct. 7, 1918, he sailed on the steamer, "Susquehanna," for France. The Susquehanna had been the "German Rhine." It had been confiscated by the Americans when war was declared. There were seven transports and one cruiser in the fleet. Two days out from France the fleet was met by an escort of nine destroyers. He landed at Brest, France, Oct. 21, 1918. After a light breakfast the troops marched seven miles to Pontanzen Barracks, Napoleon's old barracks. It took all day to set up the tents and to get the supplies to the camping place. The supper consisted of one spoonful of brown beans, bread and coffee. Having had no dinner, it was a hungry lot of boys who sat down to their first supper in France. From Pontanzen Barracks he went to Garges on the outskirts of Paris. Here he was stationed in an old mill. He was stationed here till the 11th of November, 1918, when the Armistice was signed. On Dec. 5, 1918, he otarted for Brest, France, and arrived there Dec .7. Dec. 31, 1918, he left for home on the English ship, "Ulna." He landed at New York Jan. 10, 1919. He was sent to Camp Merritt, N. J., thence WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 111 to Ft. Wadsworth on Staten Island, N. Y., where he remained till Jan. 31, 1919. From Fort Wadsworth he was sent to Camp Grant, 111., where he was discharged Feb. 13, 1919. Robert M. Turner b. August 3, 1895 Draftsman Kewanee, 111. Mr. Turner tells in his own words of his work in the army: "I entered the service June 15, 1918, through the local draft board, going to the Bradley Training Detachment at Bradley Poly. Institute at Peoria. I wanted to get into the motor end of the game, but the branch was full up, so they started to make an electrician of me. I attended classes in electricity, drilled and got broke into army life in general. It was a fine place and we didn't known we were in the army. They found out I was a draftsman, and at the end of the two months' training period sent me down to Camp Jackson, Columbus, S. C, as such. This camp was the largest artillery camp in the country, there being 80,000 men there at one time. I was placed in the motor schools, which was a small part of the camp where they trained men to be cooks, machinists, shoemakers, harness mak- ers, chauffeurs, etc., and from which they selected men each month for overseas service. The demand for draftsmen was poor and after a month of inactivity our school was broken up and I went into the gun school where I learned the workings of our light field guns. A month here and I went into an overseas battery for the November replacement. We were all set to start across when one day they told us the war was over. The war wasn't over for me though, as I was placed in the 106th Ordnance Depot Co., which was to be held in camp for the purpose of storing the artillery, tractors, etc. The camp in the bright pine woods of South Carolina was a fine place to spend the winter, though it was hard to watch all the other outfits be discharged and leave for home. They held us until the next spring, I was one of the last to leave, receiving my discharge in May, 1919." Joseph Nicholson b. Feb. 7, 1896 Sheet Metal Worker at Walworth's 430 N. East St., Kewanee, 111. Entered the war June 25, 1918. He was stationed at Camp Grant for about six weeks, after which he was sent to Camp Upton on Long Island, N. Y. He sailed Sept. 6, 1918, on the English ship, Minnekahda, landing at Liverpool, England, on the 24th of September, 1918. The Minnekahda was one of eleven ships carrying troops. She had on board beside the regular crew 4,000 men. With these eleven ships were two cruisers and one torpedo boat. To avoid the submarines which fre- quented the more direct routes to Europe this fleet of ships went far north. Rough weather was met off Newfoundland for several days, during which occurred a snowstorm. The men were crowded so closely that there were no chances for drills, not even a fire drill. Piles of rafts along the sides of the boat were for life preservers. These rafts were 5x6 feet, hollow and filled with air. The instructions were in case of accident to seize a raft and jump into the water. From Liverpool he was sent to Camp Knotty Ash, near Liverpool. Here he visited the Lord Derby estate, consisting of over 80,000 acres of land. There were over 450 deer upon this estate. The house or castle covered considerable land. 112 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES From Knotty Ash he went to Camp Ramsey. He took the train to Southampton where he embarked for LaHarve, France. Leaving LaHarve he rode three days and four nights to St. Nazairre. Leaving St. Nazairre he went to LaBourne, near Bordeaux, where he remained till the 8th of Novem- ber, 1918. His next move was by train to the suburbs of LeMans where he was stationed on the day that the Armistice was signed. From the forwarding camp at LeMans he was sent to Parigne, thence to Spay. From Spay he was sent back to LeMans where he remained about eight weeks. Here he got notice that he was to be sent back home. He journeyed back to Brest. S. S. President Grant Here the U. S. S. President Grant took him to Long Island, N. Y., landing May 6, 1919. He was at Camp Mills ten days, then was sent to Camp Grant where he was discharged May 20, 1919. On the overseas journey, the fleet of ships was met 200 miles out from Liverpool by a hundred subchasers. These subs were to protect the ships from the German U-boats. Mr. Nicholson says the subs darted in and about the ships like a lot of fish. They could signal to the ships and the ships to them by flags. Carl F. Kulgren Wood Pattern Maker b. June 5, 1895 240 Mosher Avenue, Kewanee. III. Carl F. Kulgren served in Co. K., I. N. G., from 1912 to 1915; in the 13th Co., 161st Depot Brigade at Camp Grant from Sept. 6, 1918 to Sept. 24, 1918; in Co. D., Group 2, Machine Gun Training Center at Camp Hancock, Ga„ from Sept. 24, 1918, to Dec. 24, 1918, and in Co. K., Training Battalion Machine Gun Training Center, Camp Hancock, Ga., from Dec. 24, 1918, till Feb. 4, 1919. Noel E. Craig Noel E. Craig enlisted March 18, 1918, in the Aviation Section, U. S. A. He was first stationed at Waco, Texas. He was sent from Waco to Camp Greene, N. C, thence to Washington, D. C. At the time the Armistice was declared he was training at a U. S. A. School of Military Aeronautics at Ithaca, N. Y. He was mustered out at Ithaca Nov. 25, 1918. WETHERSFIKL.D SKETCHES 113 Ernest G. Dustin Ernest G. Dustin entered the army June 26, 1918, in the Depot Brigade 19. He was in Camp Grant, 111., lor eight months, a part of which time he was in the hospital. He was transferred from the Depot Brigade and made sergeant in 416th Labor Battalion of Co. C. He was discharged Feb. 26, 1919. Elwyn F. Radford Elwyn F . Radford enlisted Sept. 5, 1918, into Co. K., to replace the 28th Division. He was in Camp Grant, 111., about three weeks, then was sent to Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. Camp Hancock was a "tent" camp, there being no barracks. It was one of the largest of its kind in the United States. Just before the 28th Division went overseas there were 95,000 men in this camp. The rifle range was at Camp Johnston, six miles from Camp Han- cock. Mr. Radford remained at Camp Hancock for six months. While at this camp he was regimental mess sergeant. He was discharged March 10, 1919. Raymond M. Coleman Raymond M. Coleman enlisted May 18, 1918, and was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, 30 miles north of Chicago. He belonged to Land Force, First Class— U. S. N. R. F. During his stay there were from 30,000 to 50,000 men stationed at the Great Lakes Station. The boys were well fed and cared for except for a few months when recruits were arriving in large numbers. He was discharged Jan. 27, 1919. Bernard L. Felt Bernard L. Felt enlisted May 28, 1918 as electrician. He was at New- port News, R. I., about two and one-half months, then was sent to Provi- dence, R. I. While at Providence he was sent to Philadelphia to study oil burning, after which he went on coast duty on the U. S. S. Yarnell. The U. S. S. Yarnell was an oil burning destroyer. Mr. Felt was on patrol duty along the Atlantic Coast on this destroyer for three months. The Yarnell patrolled the coast for one hundred and sixty miles. He was discharged Dec. 18, 1918. Mr. Felt gives an ordinary day's work for a seaman who was in the first watch on the Yarnell as follows: The first watch consisted of from six to eight men. They rose at 5 A. M., breakfasted at 5:30, and relieved the fourth watch at 6 o'clock. His duty while on watch was to look at the gauges, sound the oil tank and see that the bilge pumps were in working order, and to tend to the oil burners. All the oil burners had to be cleaned once during each four-hour watch. A watch lasted four hours. Firing an oil burner was hot work. A bath was taken on leaving the watch, after which several hours were' spent in sleep. Dinner was served at noon. From the end of the watch at 10 A. M. till he went on watch at 10 P. M., there was nothing to do except stand by for emergencies or practice work. The practice work consisted in fire drills, leaving the ship, in firing at targets and in making smoke screens. Leo Ray Anscomb Leo Ray Anscomb volunteered at Rock Island, 111., Dec. 13, 1917. He was stationed at Rock Island for three months, then was sent to Camp Jack- 114 AVKTHKRSFIELP SKETCHES son, Columbia, S. C, where he remained for two months. From Camp Jack- son he was moved to Camp Hancock near Augusta, Ga., where he remained three months. He was next sent to Camp Mills, Long Island, N. Y. Here, with the 61st Coast Artillery, on the 26th day of August, 1918, he started for France. He remained at Brest a few days, then was sent to a town named Limoges in South Central France. Here his company received their artillery and other equipment. He was in training at Limoges when the war ended. He sailed from Marseilles, France, Feb. 10, 1919, crossed the Atlantic by way of Gibraltar and landed at New York City on March 2, 1919. From New York he went to Camp Grant, 111., where he was discharged March 25, 1919. Ray S. Partridge Ray S. Partridge enlisted Dec. 15, 1917. He was stationed first at Wash- ington, D. C, then at Rock Island, 111. At Rock Island he was corporal in the Quartermaster Corps. He was discharged June 11, 1919. Lest We Forget Beneath the sod and the dew, Lie these soldier boys of ours, Above them sing the birds, Above them bloom the flowers. The shriek and the roar of battle, No longer is heard in the land, But neither can we recall, The warmth of a vanished hand. They gave their lives, their all, To free a nation, a world, From the curse of war and of passion, Wherever a flag is unfurled. As long as the rocks shall stand, And as long as rivers shall flow, We of the living must never forget, The debt to them that we owe. So, lest we forget in the future, And war stalks forth o'er the main, Let us resolve in our strength, That they sacrificed never in vain. Let our hate for war and for strife, Strengthen throughout the years, As the soil o'er our sacred does, Bedecked by our flowers and tears. Carroll H. Radford b. July 26, 1896 He enlisted at Great Lakes Training Camp, May 31, 1918. He left the Great Lakes July 25, 1918, for Philadelphia, Pa., where he remained one week. On August 5, he left Philadelphia for Halifax, Nova Scotia. He sailed WKTHERSFIKLO SKETCHES 115 from Sidney, Cape Breton Island, on August 10, 1918, and landed at Glas- gow, Scotland, August 27. Out at sea his ship was met by a convoy of thirty-eight vessels. Off the Irish coast one of the convoy ships was torpedoed and 11 men were lost. From Glasgow the journey was made to Southampton, England, by rail. From Southampton he was sent to Eastleigh, England. While sta- tioned at Eastleigh he contracted lobar pneumonia and died Oct. 10, 1918. He is buried in the Wethersfield cemetery. George S. Bean George S. Bean enlisted July 18, 1918 in the Great Lakes Naval Aviation Corps. He was released from duty Jan. 8, 1919. Fred L. Wells Fred L. Wells enlisted Dec. 14, 1917, in the Aviation Corps. On the way to Jefferson Barracks, Mo., he spent a night at Davenport, la. He was at Jefferson Barracks six weeks. This was in the early days of our entering the war and there was room at the Barracks for only about 5,000 men. On the day he arrived at Jefferson Barracks, besides the 5,000 troops already there, 10,000 more came, and on the next day 15,000 more. The men were given a blanket apiece and parceled out all over St. Louis, some in the armory, some in the Y. M. C. A. buildings and some in the basements of the hotels. From Jefferson Barracks he was sent to Camp Custer at Battle Creek, Mich. Here he spent eight weeks. The snow drifted five feet deep in places and the soldiers were set to making roads through the drifts. From Camp Custer he was sent to Ft. Worth, Texas. On the morning that he left Camp Custer the thermometer stood at 22 degrees below zero. When he reached Ft. Worth, where the temperature was 60 degrees above zero, the change from living in steam heated barracks to open tents was so great that he nearly froze. At Ft. Worth Mr. Wells was sergeant in charge of the blacksmith shop and of the acetylene welding. At the close of the war he was sent to Camp Grant, 111., where he was discharged April 2, 1919. Ruth M. (Johnstone) Hawver b. Aug. 2, 1891 Milmine, 111. Ruth M. Johnstone became a U. S. Army Student Nurse in the Medical Dept., Sept. 23, 1918. She was stationed at the following places: U. S. Army Base Hospital, Camp Beauregard, La., Oct. 11, 1918, till Dec. 18, 1918; U. S. Army Base Hospital, Camp Wadsworth, S. C, Dec. 20, 1918, till March 12, 1919; U. S. Army General Hospital No. 42, March 12. 1919, till April 2, 1919, at Spartanburg, S. C; U. S. A. General Hospital No. 28 at Fort Sheridan, 111., April 2, 1919, till Oct. 31, 1919; Chicago, lying in hospital, Chi- cago, 111., Oct. 31, 1919, till Feb, 28, 1920; Children's Memorial Hospital, Chi- cago, 111., Feb. 28, 1920, till May 15, 1920; U. S. A. General Hospital No. 28, Fort Sheridan, 111., May 15, 1920, till Oct. 14, 1920. Discharged Oct. 14, 1920 Walter L. Early b. Feb. 18, 1893 Boatswain's Mate on Arizona U.S.S. Arizona, care P. M., San Francisco, Ca.l Walter L. Early applied for enlistment in the U. S. Navy at Davenport, la., and was sworn into service July 24, 1912. While stationed at the Great 116 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Lakes Naval Station he came near losing his life when a launch containing himself and twenty-four others was capsized during a squall off Lake Bluff east of the Naval station. Thirteen of the twenty-five men in the launch were drowned. In November, 1912, he was transferred to the Maine, then acting as a receiving ship at League Island Navy Yards at Philadelphia, Pa. On Dec. 23, 1912, he was again transferred to the U. S. S. Minnesota. On Jan. 2, 1913, the Atlantic fleet to which the Minnesota belonged left Hampton Roads, Va., for Guantanamo, Cuba. Later the Minnesota went to Colon, Panama. The great breakwater that now protects the anchorage at Colon had not then been built. The heavy ground swell from the Caribbean Sea made a rough anchorage. The great concrete piers and warehouses later con- structed by the U. S. government as a part of the canal system had not then been erected. Mr. Early made a trip across the Isthmus on the Panama railroad whose rails were laid for a part of the way on what is now the floor of Gatun Lake. The great locks at Padro Miguel Miraflores and Gatun were being constructed and Culebra Cut was a mass of railroad tracks, rock trains and steam shovels. While on a cruise to Colon in 1914 Mr. Early's ship ran into a terrible storm off Yucatan. The head seas were so strong that the ship shuddered and staggered from the pounding she was receiving. The seas piled up against the forward bulkhead so high that the water entered the dynamo ventilator fifteen feet above deck and flooded the dynamo room. On April 22, 1914, during the Mexican trouble, the Minnesota was at Vera Cruz. The Minnesota went inside the breakwater and took over the prisoners from San Juan DeUlua. The authorities of the city had fled and ihe prisoners were nearly starved. They had been in underground dungeons so long that their eyes had to be bandaged before they could be brought to the light. Mr. Early's ship was at Vera Cruz again in August, 1914, anchored out- side the breakwater. Anchored inside were the German cruiser, Bremen; the French cruiser, Conde, and the Suffolk, an English cruiser. Just at dusk the wireless brought to Vera Cruz the news of the outbreak of the World War. The Bremen followed by the Conde and Suffolk under forced draft, the black smoke rolling from their funnels and the orange colored flames showing above their tops raced to sea, making a picture never to be for- gotten. Mr. Early was stationed upon the U. S. S. Michigan at Hampton Roads, Va., when, in January, 1916, the last of the German raiders limped in after dodging three English cruisers that were lying off the Virginia Capes. This raider and her crew were interned during the war. Late in 1916 the U. S. S. Arizona, upon which Mr. Early was now sta- tioned, began to train crews for the five inch guns that were being placed on merchant vessels. The Arizona continued at this work during the war. The ship was ordered across in 1918 and was at Portland, England, when the war ended. The Arizona was with the fleet which escorted the George Washington, President Wilson's ship, into the port of France. In January, 1919, the Arizona started on a forty-six thousand mile cruise. The vessel first went around Cuba, visited some of the British possessions in the West Indies and Panama. The next part of the cruise was to Brest, France. While here the Arizona received sealed orders to be opened twenty- four hours at sea. These orders landed the ship at Smyrna, Turkey. The Arizona was at this place when the first Greek expedition arrived. The first battle to be fought here was plainly visible from the decks of the Arizona. In a month the Arizona was ordered to Constantinople, being the first WETHERSFIEI.P SKETCHES 117 American battleship to pass through the Dardanelles. From Constantinople the Arizona went back to Smyrna, thence to Gibraltar and then to New York. In January, 1921, Mr. Early passed through the Panama Canal, thence southward to Peru. On this trip, for the first time, he crossed the line (the equator) and was introduced into the Ancient and Honorable Order of "Shell Backs" becoming a full-fledged deep water sailor. Lawrence W. Lyons b. August 9, 1896 Private, 130th Co., 161st Depot Brigade Died Oct. 19, 1918, at Camp Grant, of influenza pneumonia. William Kersten b. Oct. 15, 1895 Kewanee, 111. William Kersten entered Co. F., 311th Ammunition Train, 86th Black- hawk Div., June 26, 1918. He left Camp Mills, N. J., on Sept. 24, 1918, on H. M. S. Rhesus and landed at Liverpool, Eng., Oct. 11, 1918. While near the English coast the fleet encountered a severe storm in which two vessels were lost. He was stationed about thirty miles from Bordeaux when the war ended. He embarked for home at Bordeaux Jan. 19, 1919, on the German ship, Duchess, renamed U. S. S. Zeelandia. He landed at Newport News, Va., Jan. 29, 1919. His discharge took place at Camp Grant Feb. 9, 1919. Edward O. Krumnow b. Nov. 20, 1893 Leather Cutter Kewanee, 111. Edward O. Krumnow entered the World War April 28, 1918, and was stationed at Camp Dodge, la., as a member of Co. I., 349th Inf., till May 18. He was transferred to Headquarters Co., Engineers, at Camp Travis, Texas, and again transferred to Co. C, Engineers. On June 5, 1918, his division was ordered to entrain for overseas duty with the A. E. F. He left New York June 13, going to Halifax, then on board a convoy of eleven ships. He reached Liverpool, England, in fifteen days. He took a train to Southampton, thence across the channel to France, arriving July 1, 1918. He was in camp at Recy till Aug. 21, when his company moved into the battle area. He was at St. Mihiel from Sept. 12 till Sept. 29 ; on the Meuse- Argonne from Oct. 8 till Nov. 11, and in the Army of Occupation from Nov. 22 till June 7, 1919. His trip into Germany took twenty-eight days, Leiser was made head- quarters. He left this place on June 7 and arrived at St. Nazairre June 15. On June 26 he was in New York City. In a few days he was sent to Camp Grant where he was discharged June 30, 1919. John W. Perkins b. Nov. 29, 1895 Operator on Car Kewanee, 111. John W. Perkins entered the World War on April 29, 1918, as a member of Co. C, 358th Inf. of the 9th Div. He landed at Liverpool July 2, 1918, then crossed the channel to LaHarve, France. On Sept. 11, 1918, he was sent to the front line trenches and was wounded by a piece of shrapnel in the St. Mihiel drive on Sept. 12. On Sept. 16 his company was carried to the Meuse-Argonne sector where they were under fire from Oct. 19 to Nov. 11, 1918. On Nov. 10th his company went over the top, crossed the Meuse river and sent a patrol into the town of Beygon, but failed to find a single German. 118 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES He was in the Army of Occupation stationed at Palm, Germany. His return to the United States was made on the U. S. S. Mongolian landing at Boston. From Boston he went to Camp Grant, where he was discharged June 14, 1919. Faras H. Nahra Machine Operator b. July 25, 1894 245 W. Division St., Kewanee, 111. He enlisted July 22, 1917, in Co. K., but w«as transferred to Battery E., 123d Heavy Artillery. From Springfield, 111., he was sent to Camp Houston, Texas, where he remained till May 14, 1918. On that day he started for Camp Merritt, N. J., and on May 26, he sailed on board the Scotian for Liverpool, England. He was sent from Liverpool to Wimbledon, near Winchester, on the southern coast of England. He crossed from Southampton to LaHarve, France, in the ship, Viper. For three days and two nights they traveled by train across France to the Swiss Alps, where he was billeted till sent to the front. He was sent to the Toul sector, reaching it on Aug. 23, 1918, where his division backed up the 90th Division. On the morning of Sept. 11, the heavy artillery fire drove the enemy back and gave the infantry a chance to ad- vance. By the 14th the enemy was beyond the reach of artillery fire. The heavy artillery was then sent to the sector north of Verdun. On the 26th of August a heavy fire was kept up on the enemy for nine hours. When Mr. Nahra's battery went into action on the Toul sector it had one hundred and seventy-five horses. At the close of the Argonne action the number had been reduced to seventy-five. There were so few horses left that the heavy artillery waited for tractors to haul it against the retreating enemy. The horses that remained were turned over to the 124th Light Ar- tillery. When the Armistice was signed Mr. Nahra went with the Army of Occupation into Luxemburg. He was here till April 29, 1919. He came home on the U. S. S. America. He was discharged from Camp Grant Oct. 11, 1919. On Guard Duty WETHERSFIKLD SKETCHES 119 Harry Bloom Harry Bloom, b. Jan. 6, 1893. He entered the war July 10, 1918, as a member of Company D., 112th Infantry. He was discharged May 15, 1919. He is a farm hand, Kewanee, 111. Arthur A. Lindstrom Arthur A. Lindstrom, b. July 9, 1886. He entered the war June 26, 1918. He was stationed at Camp Grant, being a member of 19th Co., 161st Depot Brigade. He was discharged Dec. 11, 1918. He is a farmer, Kewanee, 111. Orain O. Chamberlain Orain O. Chamberlain, b. Aug. 8, 1888, farmer, No. 2, Kewanee, III. He entered the war at Vinton, la., July 22, 1918. He was first a member of Cas. Co. 55, stationed at Camp Pike, Ark. On Aug. 28, 1918, he embarked with Co. A. ,330th Inf., landing at St. Nazairre, France. He saw active service for six months. He sailed for home on the U. S. S. Frederick, land- ing at Hoboken, N. J., Jan. 30, 1919. He was discharged at Camp Dodge, la., Feb. 10, 1919. Sylvester L. Baker Sylvester L. Baker, b. Aug. 24, 1893. Supt. of Service and Man. of Valet Dept. for Webster Hall Hotel. 4857 St. Antoine St., Detroit, Mich. He entered Special Detached Service, Stevedore Training Reg., Nov. 10, 1917, from which he was honorably discharged May 28, 1918. He again en- tered the war Aug. 5, 1918. This time entering Special Detached Unassigned Pioneer Inf., 1st and 4th Army Corps. He was wounded in the Argonne offensive Oct. 29, 1918. He received honors Dec. 21, 1918, while in Convalescence Camp No. 5, at Nantes, France. He was discharged the second time April 28, 1919. Herbert C. Kellogg Herbert C. Kellogg, b. June 23, 1888. Refrigerating Engineer. 17586 Holmer Ave., Detroit, Mich. He entered the war in April, 1918. He was instructor in the G-as Engine School for a month at Gettysburg, Pa. In October, 1918, he sailed on the U.S.S. Saxon for England, thence to the American Tank Center and Training Grounds at Bourg, France. He returned by way of Southern France and the Mediterranean to New York. He was discharged in May, 1919. John H. Franklin John H. Franklin, b. Aug. 19, 1886. Farm laborer, Conway, la. At the time Mr. Franklin entered the war he was employed on the Craig farm. He entered the war Aug. 5, 1918, belong to Co. D., 803rd Pioneer Inf. He was in the skirmishes of the Meuse-Argonne offensive Oct. 22 to Nov. 11, 1918. After Nov. 11, till discharged he was on police duty guarding am- munition yards, etc. He was discharged at Camp Grant July 25, 1919. John H. Fraser John H. Fraser, b. May, 15, 1891, Structural Iron Worker, 321 Payson St., Kewanee, 111. He entered the war Feb. 15, 1918. He was discharged Jan. 14, 1919. Mr. Fraser was first stationed at Great Lakes Training camp, then was sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yards. On June 15, 1918, he sailed from New 120 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES York on the George Washington, landing at St. Nazairre, France, on June 28, 1918. Mr. Fraser enlisted as a sailor, but was transferred into the marines on reaching France. He says the big guns were assembled at St. Nazairre. On Sept. 1 he went to the front at Verdun and was there till shortly before the 11th of November. He was at Villa De Shaumont when firing ceased. Mr. Fraser served with the heavy artillery. He says the big guns were all landed at St. Nazairre then moved to a base station at Somme Dieu be- fore taking them to the front. He describes a Big Bertha as follows: Gun car complete 250 tons Gun barrel 60 ft. Recoil 42 inches Warren E. Green Warren E. Green, b. Oct. 28, 1894. Farmer, Galva, 111. He entered the World War July 10, 1918. Before being sent to France he was stationed at Camp Grant, 111., Camp Robison, Sparta, Wis., and at Camp Mills, N. Y. He was discharged Jan. 18, 1919. A. E. F., 333rd H. F. A. William H. Evans William H. Evans, b. Nov. 11, 1896. Machine Operator, Kewanee, 111. He enlisted Aug. 15, 1918. He was stationed for eight weeks at Chicago Uni- versity, taking a machinist's course. He was then sent to Camp Hancock, Ga. He belonged to Co. 10, 1st Group, M. T. D., M. G. T. C. He was dis- charged Jan. 15, 1919. Carl F. Kersten Carl F. Kersten, b. Oct. 9, 1889. He entered the army Sept. 17, 1917. He was stationed at Fort Dodge, la., for six weeks, then was sent to Camp Logan, Houston, Tex. He was in 2nd Co., M. P. of the 33rd Div. He was stationed at Camp Logan till January, 1919. Clyde E. Rorah b. March 28, 1895 Boiler Maker E. Mill St., Kewanee, 111. Clyde E. Rorah entered the World War May 28, 1918. He was stationed at Atlanta, Ga., before going overseas. On July 6, 1918, he sailed for Liver- pool. From Southampton, England, he crossed the English Channel to Cherbourg, France, then to LeMans. His division, the 131st Inf., was at the front on Sept. 12, 1918. The battle line here was in the shape of a curve with the French at one end, the English at the other, and the Americans in between. It took two days ^*-,'i*;* '• IS In Camp W K T H K K S F 1 K L. 1> S K K T C H K S 123 Arnold B. Winquist Arnold B. Winquist, b. July 30, 1895. 2857 S. Harcourt Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. He entered the war in 1917 and was stationed at Waco, Texas. He was discharged in the spring of 1919. H. W. McGinnis A. E. F., Bat. E., 123rd H. F. A. Cullen Hunt Cullen Hunt, b. Aug. 2, 1895. A. E. F., F. A. S. Det. Pantagraph Office, Bloomington, 111. Clayton F. Bowen Clayton F. Bowen, b. Oct. 9, 1891. Jeweler. 213 South Chestnut Street, Kewanee, 111. He entered Co. B., 343rd M. G. N. Bat., 90th Div., on April 29, 1918. He arrived at Liverpool June 23, 1918. He served on the St. Mihiel sector from Aug. 24 till Oct. 10, 1912, then was sent to the Meuse-Argonne sector. Here on Nov. 1, 1918, he was gassed and sent to the hospital. He came home on the Von Steuben. Discharged April 13, 1919. Matthew T. Meaney Matthew T. Meaney, b. Oct. 18, 1895. In the Galvanizing Dept. at Wal. 1002 E. 9th St., Kewanee. He entered the navy Dec. 11, 1913. Discharged Dec. 17, 1917, after four years' service. During service he was respectively, apprentice seaman, ordi- nary seaman, third class and second class fireman. He served on the U. S. S. Washington and the U. S. S. Des Moines. While in service Mr. Meaney visited many places of interest, among which were the ruins of Pompeii on the side of Mt. Vesuvius, Italy, and the Catacombs on the outskirts of Alexandria, Egypt. He joined the 64th Reg., Bat. E., C. A. C, April 2, 1918. He sailed for LaHarve, France, on the "Kyber," serving as fireman. He was stationed at Montmorillon in the province of Bienne when the war ceased. He was dis- charged March 29, 1919. He re-enlisted in the navy May 5, 1920, serving as first class fireman till May 4, 1922, when he was discharged. William P. Sandford William P. Sanford, b. Oct. 27, 1896. Instructor in public speaking, Ohio State University. 151 Crestview Rd., Columbus, O. William P. Sanford entered the World War June 20, 1917, being a mem- ber of the Ordnance Dept. While at the training school at Rock Island Arsenal he was promoted to sergeant Sept. 15, 1917. He was sent to Ord. Depot No. 13, Camp Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. While here he was promoted to Ord. Sgt. On Jan. 1, 1918, he was sent to the Officer's Training School, Camp Meade, Md. On March 1, 1918, he was commissioned 2nd Lt. and assigned to the Aerial Armament Div. of Air Service. He was next sent for training to Machine Gun School at Springfield, Mass., Armory, and on April 15, 1918, he was sent to Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, O., for additional training. Mr. Sanford was sent overseas June 27, 1918, and was assigned to duty as armament officer with the Air Service. He served during the St. Mihiel drive and first part of Meuse-Argonne offensive with the 12th Aero Squad. 124 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES In the middle of October he was assigned to the 100th Day Bombing Squad, which was preparing for drive with the Second Army on Metz. He was with this squadron when the war ceased. After the Armistice he was assigned to 258th Aero Squad, which went into Germany with the Army of Occupation, being stationed at Weissen- thurm, opposite Nieuwied, below Coblenz. On June 1, 1919, he was relieved from this post, and for six weeks directed the salvage of German machine guns at Ordnance headquarters at Mehun-sur-Yevre. He was discharged Aug. 14, 1919. Mr. Sanford has official credit for participation in St. Mihiel and Ar- gonne offensives and for service in defensive sector. He had two leaves of absence while overseas. On one of these he visited Nice and Monte Carlo, on the other he made a rapid trip through England, Scotland and Ireland. James H. Hand James H. Hand, b. Nov. 25, 1891. Laborer in Core Room at Wal. 119 Edward St., Kewanee. He entered Co. L., 130th Inf., A. E. F., Sept. 18, 1917. He was discharged May 31, 1919. He was on the Somme offensive from July 20, till Aug. 20, 1918; Meuse Argonne offensive from Sept. 26, till Nov. 11, 1918; and in the Army of Occupation from Dec. 12, 1918, till April 1, 1919. In the following paragraphs Mr. Hand describes how the American outposts went through "No Man's Land" into the German lines at night to capture the enemy's pickets. A squad consisted of from eight to twelve men, each armed with a Colt "45," two shrapnel hand grenades, two liquid fire grenades and gen- erally two smoke or gas grenades. One of the squad carried a pair of long handled wire cutters. The wire would be cut and the squad would crawl through into "No Man's" Land. Silently the men would advance, keeping hidden as much as possible. When a rocket was thrown up by the Germans every man of the squad would hug the ground as closely as possible. The German pickets were often careless and sometimes the Americans found them asleep. Approaching a picket he would be hailed by the words "Hold up your hands." Up would go his hands. One American would keep him covered with a revolver and a companion would search him for weapons. When prisoners were taken back into the American lines, officers would question them about the German's plans, then they would be sent back to prison camps. Claire J. Robb Claire J. Robb, b. Jan. 13, 1892. Dist. Sales Man. of Campbell Sales Co. 35-85th Ave., W. Duluth, Minn. He entered the war May 28, 1918, be- longing to the Med. Det. Prov. Conv. Bat. He was trained at Camp Gordon, Ga. While in France he was stationed at LeMans. He was discharged June 29, 1919. Mr. Robb says of France as he saw it: "The people seem to be living in the stone age as far as advanced civilization is concerned. They wear wooden shoes and the plainest of clothing. They cook over open grates and live under very unsanitary conditions, often the cow, horse and chickens living in the room the peasants use as a sleeping room. The people seem to have no desire to learn English but are keen to have the Americans learn French. Women work in the fields and tend stock in much the same way men do in this country. From what I could learn this was not due to war times but was the natural pre-war life. The country is beautiful, lots of woodland, a slightly rolling surface, good roads in peace times and many small streams of water. The buildings WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 125 are mostly of concrete and stone and are much alike in architecture. There is little modern plumbing. In the city of LeMans, which during the war had a population of about 300,000 French people, there were but eight build- ings with modern plumbing." Avery M. Whitwell Avery M. Whitwell, b. April 13, 1892. Volunteered May 9, 1918. Tank Corps. Saw service in France. Clement J. Hagerty Clement J. Hagerty, b. Nov. 19, 1898. He entered the war in Septem- ber, 1917, and was discharged in July, 1919. 89th Aero Squadron. No. 4, Kewanee, 111. Leo D. Moore Leo D. Moore, b. March 11, 1894. He entered the war June 10, 1918. He was stationed at Bremerton, Wash., as a ship carpenter during the war. He was discharged early in 1919. Home address: 303 Whitney Avenue, Kewanee, 111. Lee Binge Lee Binge, b. Aug. 1886. Farmer. 224 Payson St., Kewanee, 111. He entered the 7th Co., 161st Depot Brig., July 10, 1918. Discharged Dec. 7, 1918. Chow Call Eldon H. Seifert Eldon H. Seifert, b. Sept. 8, 1893. In general work at Bennison Bros. He entered the war Sept. 5, 1918, and was discharged Jan. 2, 1919. Address 124 Poplar Street, Kewanee, 111. Mr. Seifert was stationed at Camp Forest during the war. Leslie H. Cronau Prior to the World War Leslie H. Cronau was employed by the U. S. government as a truck driver (civilian employee) along the border and went 126 WETHKRSFIELD SKETCHES into Mexico with Pershing's Expedition, returning in December, 1916. He was in Moline, 111., inspecting trucks for foreign service, built by the Velie Co., when the war was declared. He applied for enlistment April 6, 1917, the day that the U. S. declared war. He was duly enlisted April 24, 1917, and assigned to 3rd Aero Squad., at Kelly Field, Tex. In June, 1917, he was sent to Wilbur Wright Field at Dayton, O., being transferred to the 20th Aero Squad., in which he finished training. At Wilbur Wright Field he was assigned to the Instructor's Division and was sent to numerous training camps for short periods, instructing other cadents. His organization later became Squad I. He was discharged Feb. 10, 1919, owing to injuries received in service. William R. Pulliam William R. Pulliam, b. Feb. 2, 1901. Farmer at Zearaldstown, Tenn. He enlisted May 31, 1918, in Co. 27, C. A. C. He was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., till discharged. Walter T. Dougherty Walter T. Dougherty, b. July 7, 1897. Painter. Kingsport, Tenn. He enlisted June 2, 1918, in Bat. D., 38th Div. of Artillery. He was stationed successively at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., Fts. Totten and Hamilton, N. Y., and Camps Eustis and Stuart, Va. Discharged Dec. 24, 1918. Laurence C. Cady Laurence C. Cady, b. June 24, 1895. Draftsman at Wal. 242 Tenney St., Kewanee, 111. He entered the war April 17, 1917. Before going to Camp Merritt, N. J., he was stationed at Camp Reig, E. St. Louis, and at Camp Logan in Texas. He left Camp Merritt May 27, 1918, on H. M. S. Scotian and reached Liverpool June 8, 1918. He crossed from Southampton to LaHarve. He was stationed for some time at Camp du Valduhon, then was sent to the St. Mihiel sector where he was in the offensive of Sept. 11, 1918. After two days Bat. E., 123rd Heavy Art., to which he belonged, was sent to the Meuse Argonne sector. He was here till Oct. 11, 1918. He was stationed at Doulain Court when the Armistice was declared. On Dec. 26, 1918, having been transferred to Hdqr. Sec, he went into Luxemburg and was stationed at Prettingen. He sailed for home from Brest, France, and was discharged at Camp Grant June 8, 1919. C. L. Dexter C. L. Dexter, b. Feb. 29. 1892. Feed Merchant, 429 Prospect Terrace, Freeport, 111. He enlisted Nov. 26, 1916, and answered the president's call March 25, 1917. He served overseas in Bat. E., 123rd Reg., Field Art., 58th Brig., 33rd Div., as first lieutenant. Mr. Dexter was stationed at Camp Lowden, Springfield, 111., from April 1, 1917, till July 4, 1917. Later he was stationed at Canute Aviation Field, Rantoul, 111., and at Camp Houston, Tex. He was with the A. E. F. in France from June, 1918 till May, 1919, taking part in the St. Mihiel offensive Sept. 12, 1918, and in the Argonne offensive Sept. 26, 1918. Mr. Dexter was first lieutenant of Bat. E. of the 123rd Field Art. Each battery was equipped with 155 m.m. (6 in.) Schneider Howitzers. Each first WKTHKRSPmLO SKETCHES 127 lieutenant was specially trained for the responsibility of all guns, gun crews, ammunition, prompt tiring, etc., within his respective battery. After the Armistice was declared Mr. Dexter was with the Army of Occupation in Germany from December, 1918, till May 1919. He was dis- charged June 7, 1919. Alonzo E. Miller Alonzo E. Miller, b. May 29, 18S7. He enlisted in U. S. Navy July 28, 1905. He was in Australia when the World War broke out. He returned to the U. S. and re-enlisted in the navy. A. E. F., U. S. N. (13 yrs.) Work- ing for the Standard Oil Co. 26 Broadway, New York City. Elsworth O. Miller Elsworth O. Miller, b. April 28, 1895. He volunteered May 15, 1917. He was first stationed at Springfield, 111., then at Camp Logan, Houston, Tex. 108th French Mortar Bat., 58th Brig. 2117 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. Roy Gabriel Roy Gabriel, b. Feb. 5, 1888. Purchasing Agent for Boss Man. Co. 122 East Church St., Kewanee, 111. Entered service April 10, 1918, being sta- tioned for two months at Bradley Polytechnic Institute, Peoria, 111. He was stationed in the Artillery Maintenance Dept., and was stationed at Mehun- sur-yevre, France, for twelve months during the war. He was discharged at Camp Grant, July 24, 1919. Harold M. Lay Harold M. Lay, b. Jan. 11, 1897. Salesman for Boss Man. Co. He en- listed July 1, 1917, in S. S. U. 539, and sailed from New York Aug. 6, 1917. He was at Champagne Sector from October, 1917 till May, 1918; at Saumur Artillery School May, 1918 till September, 1918, and on the Moselle Sector till June, 1919. He was discharged July 18, 1919. Elmer E. Anderson Elmer E. Anderson, b. Jan. 10, 1895. Farmer, No. 3, Galva, 111. He entered the war Dec. 15, 1917. Det. 303 till Jan. 14, 1918; Prov. Co. No. 8 Jan. 14, 1917 till Jan. 31, 1918; 2 M. C. Det., Jan. 31, to Jan. 24, 1919, when he was discharged. He was stationed respectively at East St. Louis, 111.; Washington, D. C, and at Langley Field, Va. Ralph G. Kennish Ralph G. Kennish, b. Dec. 19, 1890. Clerk at Walworth, Kewanee, 111. He entered the World War June 25, 1918, most of the time belonging to Co. B., 56th Infantry, 7th Division. He left Camp Grant in August, 1918, and sailed on the Minnekahda to Liverpool. Going to Southampton he crossed the English Channel to LaHarve. He was stationed west of Metz during most of his term of service. He was discharged June 9, 1919. Edward E. Robb Edward E. Robb, b. Nov. 6, 1888. Robb's Bootery. 625 Roose- velt Ave., Kewanee, 111. He entered the war Sept, 9, 1918. After six weeks in Limited Service at Camp Grant he was transferred to Cambridge, 111., to help take care of registration blanks and other duties pertaining to the same. He was discharged at Camp Grant Feb. 29, 1919. 128 WETHERSFIBLD SKETCHES The World War The World War began on Aug. 1, 1914, by Germany's declaration of war against Russia. The United States declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917. The Armistice, which ended the World War, went into effect at noon on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year, one thousand nine hundred and eighteen. CONCLUSION In concluding these sketches I would have my readers remember the part that this nation, through its soldiers and sailors, has taken in bringing about universal freedom to mankind. When Divine Providence planted a few small colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America, she scattered in the hearts of these colonists the seeds of the plant, liberty, which, when full grown, was to strike a death blow to tyranny and oppression. The first great blow for liberty was struck at Lexington, April 19, 1775, and the keynote of that blow for liberty was embodied in the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. It took the Civil War with its four years of bloodshed to free a nation. That war and that greatest exponent of human freedom, Abraham Lincoln, dedicated this country to liberty and focused the eyes of the world upon this, the greatest liberty-loving nation in the world. In 1898 the United States took up the cause of the enslaved Cubans. She sacrificed the lives of her citizens and spent the wealth of the nation that Cuba might become the home of a free and happy people. In 1914 when that greatest of all tyrants against human liberty the German Kaiser, was about to rivet his manacles upon the Eastern con- tinent, the despairing eyes of the nations of Europe turned to the United States. And with nothing to gain but all to lose this nation, bred in liberty, threw off the bonds of conservatism which had kept her heretofore from meddling in Old World affairs and again poured out her blood and treasures without stint to make that liberty for which her flag is the symbol, world-wide and universal. Hazelton Page's Ox Team, in the 40's AVETHERSFIKLD SKETCHES 129 INDEX Autumn 3 A Faded Rose 28 Annexation 44 Academy, The Old 49 Alumni, The 73 Anderson, Vernon J 122 Anderson, Elmer E 127 Allen, Fenton C 97 Anthony, Charles J 99 Anscomb, Leo Ray ..113 Building, First School 48 Buyers of Stock 31 Brewery, The 41 Barber Shop ..... 45 Bob White 7 Blue-eyed Mary 8 Boyhood Memories 65 Bell, Old School 70 Bluebird and Robin 75 Bull Fight, The 102 Baker, Sylvester L : 119 Bean, George S ..... 115 Berg, Armand L 108 Bergquist, Raymond L 104 Bergquist, Agne L 103 Bergquist, Roy L 104 Bloom, Harry 119 Binge, Leo 125 Brose, Charles F 109 Blair, Ralph P 104 Bowen, Clayton F 123 Civic League 38 Colony Lands In 1848 18 Circle, Wethersfield 24 Church, Saxon Baptist 24 Church, Saxon, M. E 28 Church, Wethersfield Baptist 25 Church, Wethersfield M. E 25 Church, Wethersfield Congregational 25 Cemetery, Wethersfield 27 Cemetery, Saxon 28 Cemetery, Catholic 28 Course of Study : 52 Class of 1907 73 Class of 1908 75 Class of 1909 76 Class of 1910 79 Class of 1911 80 Class of 1912 80 Class of 1913 82 Class of 1914 82 Class of 1915 83 Class of 1916 83 Class of 1917 84 130 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Class of 1918 84 Class of 1919 85 Class of 1920 85 Class of 1921 86 Class of 1922 86 Class of 1923 87 Class of 1924 88 Class of 1925 88 Senior Class 89 Class Prophecy 77 Call to Duty, A 90 Cronau, Leslie H 125 Coleman, Raymond M 113 Cady, Laurence C 126 Craig, Noel E 112 Craig, Ross W 99 Craig, Glen C 94 Chamberlain, Orain O 119 Conclusion 128 Ditching and Draining 32 Dexter, C. L 126 Dougherty, Walter T 126 Dustin, Ernest G 113 Early Marketing 30 Experiment Station 42 Early Reaping and Harvesting 34 Early, Walter L 115 Evans, William H 120 Fences 29 Forests 5 Formation of High School 58 Foreword ... 46 Field Day 60 Fraser, John H 119 Franklin, John H 119 Felt, Bernard L 113 Fulper, Dean C 105 Felton, George W 100 Ford, George 91 Fuller, William G 107 Game 6 Green, Warren E 120 Gymnasium 60 Gabriel, Roy 127 German, Harold W ... 101 Gleich, Herman A 100 Husking Corn 34 Husker, The 34 Harvesting In 1925 35 Huffman Motor Co 45 High School Pin, Our 79 History of the Class (1912) 81 Hunt, Cullen 123 Hendricks, Hayden H 98 Hoffman, John Brewster ,. 100 Hagerty, Clement J 125 WETHERSFIELP SKETCHES 131 Hand, James H 124 Indians 9 Insect Pests 42 Insurance, Farmer's Mutual 40 Incidents of the School Year 74 Johnson, Arthur E - 110 Johnstone, George R .». 121 Johnstone, Ruth M 115 Kulgren, Arnold 90 Kersten, William , 117 Kersten, Carl F 120 Kromnow, Edward 117 Kellogg, Herbert C ... 119 Kennish, Ralph G 127 Kulgren, Carl F 112 Light and Gas 43 Literary Societies 71 Libraries 72 Lindstrom, Arthur A 119 Lay, Harold M 127 Lyons, Lawrence W 117 Lempke, Edward W 110 Logsdon, Orville 122 Miller, Ellsworth O 127 Miller, Alonzo E 127 Moore, Leo D 125 McGinnis, H. W 123 Meaney, Matthew T 123 Lest We Forget 114 Minerals 6 Marriage, The First 38 Manual Training 72 Murder 41 Mail 42 Memories 61 Nahra, Faras H 118 Nicholson, Joseph Ill Oath of Office 41 Orchard, The 8 Old Settlers' Reunion 39 Origin and Early History 11 Our Pioneer Grandmothers 20 Position 2 Playground Apparatus 55 Pavement 43 Planting Corn 33 Prairies, The 20 Prairie Fires 20 Pioneer, The 23 Pupil, The 47 Plow, The Old 32 Pulliam, William R 126 Partridge, Ray S 114 Pierce, Dewey H ... 10S Peterson, Alva C 107 Perkins, John W 117 132 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Railroads 31 Restaurant, Blue Goose 45 Restaurant, Wethersfield 45 Ring Around the Rosy 56 Roads, State Hard 43 Robb, Claire J 124 Robb, Edward E *. 127 Radford, Carroll H 114 Radford, Elwyn F 113 Rosenow, Ernest F. F 104 Robson, Charles S 91 Roper, William S 103 Roper, Frank E 103 Rorah, Clyde E 120 Size 5 Soil, The 5 Songster, The 3 Spring 2 Summer 2 Survey, Original 13 Streets In the Village 13 Sickness 31 Street Cars ... 43 Sidewalks 43 Store, On Lot 64 44 Store, On Lot 65 45 Some Days 46 School, Saxon 61 School, Dana 63 School, Good 63 School, Craig 64 School, The 47 School, South Brick 48 School, North Brick 1 57 School, Township High 59 School, The First J 47 School, On the Public Square 57 School, Old Spelling 60 School, Indian Creek 65 School, Armstrong 67 School, Whiting 68 School, Sadler 69 School, Garden 71 School, Night 71 School Section 71 Superintendent 59, 72 School Song 74 Soldiers and Sailors, Our — . 90 Sanford, William P .... 123 Sanford, W. E 90 Stinson, Cecil G 106 Schmidt, Laverne C 107 Seifert, Eldon H 125 Threshing 37 Thresher Today 37 Taylor & Co., A. C 44 AV ETH K LISFIELD SKETCH K& 133 Teacher, The 47 Turner, Robert M Ill Wethersfield 1,40 Winter 4 When the Village Was Young 21 Wages 30 Wiley's Shop 41 Winter Elves, The 3 Wild Flowers 7 Wethersfield School Grounds 55 Wells, Fred L 115 Winquist, Arnold B 123 Whitwell, Avery M 125 World War 128 ILLUSTRATIONS Arrowheads .... , 9 Academy, The Old 49 At Play 56 Auction Bill (1848) 18 Circular (1837) 15 Cabin, The Little 23 Cabin, Kilvington 12 Church, Congregational 26 Chow Call 125 Dinner Hour, The 56 Flower Beds 89 Flag 90 Fence, Zigzag 29 Graduates, The First 73 Hurd, Mr .and Mrs 38 Husking Corn 34 Harvesting (1925) ....„ 36 In the Shade of the Poplars 57 In School 47 In Camp 122 Inspection 101 Map of Colony Lands (1848) 19 Map of School Districts 68 On Guard Duty 118 Ox Team, Hazelton Page's 128 Plow, The Old 32 Parsonage, Congregational 26 President Grant 112 School, The Blish 58 School, The Sadler 70 School, The Whiting ~ 69 School, The Armstrong 67 School, Indian Creek 66 School, The Craig 64 School, The Good 63 School, The Saxon 62 School, The First 45 School, South Brick 48 School, Township High 59 134 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES Summer 2 Tavern, The First 10 Taylor and Co., A. C 44 Wethersfield Trees „ 5 Wethersfield Kite 60 WETHERSFIELD SKETCHES 135 ^ WETHERSFIELD SKKTr!TTre«