Asylum Children

A company of children, mostly boys aged from seven to fifteen years, from the New York Juvenile Asylum, will arrive in Gilman, at the Redfield House, Wednesday, May 4th, at half past eleven o'clock a.m., and remain until evening. Homes are wanted for them with farmers where they will receive kind treatment and enjoy fair advantages. They may be taken on trail for several weeks, and afterwards, if all parties are suited, they will be indentured until of age. Persons desiring to take these children on trial are requested to meet them at the Redfield House Wednesday noon, May 4th. For further information inquire at your post office for a handbill giving full particulars. All expenses for transportation will be assumed by the Asylum, and the children will be placed on trail and indentured free of charge.
E Wright, Agent.

--Buckley Chronicle.  22 April 1898.

Beekman Cemetery

We recently visited the Beekman Cemetery near East Bend, Illinois.  The small cemetery is very secluded in the corn fields of Champaign County.  

I have seen many of the "tree stump" headstones, but this cemetery had a very unusual grouping of "tree stump" stones.  

I assume the parents are on the large stump and directly behind the large stone are several smaller stumps marking the graves of their children.  The most unusual of the site is that the entire block of graves are surrounded by very low stumps that probably at one time held a fencing of some type for the grave sites.  

A DEPLORABLE ACCIDENT

A most deplorable accident occurred here Saturday at about three o'clock, when Donald Smithhurst, a nephew of Mr. H. F. Veatch and Miss Stella Davis, met an untimely death by drowning in what is known as the "old tile pit."
During the intense heat of the afternoon Donald, who could not swim but had often been in the water before, went with several other boys for a plunge in the cool waters of the pit. Most of the older boys were not in the water, when the young man who had been sitting on a pole which floated in the water, in some unaccountable manner, lost his balance and fell off.
As no one of the boys was paying any especial attention to the other, his signals of distress were not noticed in time to render him any assistance, and it was at least thirty minutes before the body could be located and rescued.
Dr. DeFries had been hastily summoned and was later assisted by Drs. Rueck and Buckner who made every possible effort to restore life, but after an hour's work, the attempt had to be abandoned. The body was removed to the home of Mr. Al Smith, where he had been making his home for the summer, and the funeral services were held at the Methodist church Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock. Interment being made in the Thawville cemetery.

--Thawville Weekly Record.  3 August 1917.

SURVIVOR OF WRECK DIES AT IROQUOIS

Patrick Brady, Who Escaped Death in Famous Chatsworth Disaster

Watseka, Ill., Oct. 16. -- Patrick Brady, eccentric, and aged resident of Iroquois, died at his home Friday of old age. Mr. Brady was 97 years old and was one of the best known of the men of that locality. His burial took place Sunday at Gilman.  (I can't find his burial in my transcriptions of Gilman or Wenger Cemetery.  Maybe he was Catholic.)
Mr. Brady was one of the few survivors of the Chatsworth disaster, in which three hundred lives were lost when a bridge burned, causing a passenger train to be wrecked. "Pat," as he was familiarly known, narrowly escaped death, and received a fractured skull. His escape from death was due to the fact that he had just left the smoker when the accident occurred. Every person in the smoker was killed. Brady, not being addicted to tobacco, had gone outside to the platform and was sitting on the step when the crash came. He was pinned between the roof and the platform and received many bruises besides the fractured skull.

--The Loda Times.  20 October 1916.

A Rest for the Weary.

A New Cemetery on College Hill--

A Beautiful Site and Pleasant Surroundings.

The other day we seized an opportunity to visit the new cemetery now being laid out on College Hill. For the benefit of our readers not already posted, we will state that the grounds are located on the southern slope of College Hill, being the place formerly owned by Mrs. S. Hornbeck, the entire site including 22 acres. To our taste, the location is a handsome one, and in time can be made to rival in beauty any other cemetery in the State. A fine view is to be had from the grounds to the south and the west.

Entering the gate from the north, we passed through a short lane, and from the presence of white stakes all around us, soon became aware that we were in the place being prepared for a city of the dead, where, weary with the toils and strifes of life, the tired body shall find a resting place indeed; where, weary and heartsore, our weak forms may at last find sweet repose, and where we may lay the bodies of our friends who shall be summoned to the "Sweet By and By." We noticed that a fine drive was being smoothed off, which is intended to run in a circle around the entire grounds, with smaller walks and drives leading to every section. A fine orchard covers the western portion of the grounds, which the association intend to preserve until necessity compels them to remove it.

This new location was much needed, as the old one was barely accessible during the wet season, and was never too dry, and our Cemetery Association deserve great praise for their efforts in securing the new location. Among the many advantages of the new one over the old, is the fact that there is a good road leading to it, and the grounds are always dry. We understand that a sale of lots will take place soon, and of course our citizens will not fail to take hold of the matter.

--Ford County Blade.  1876.

Moving

The Ernest Wilcox house in undergoing several movements. It not only moved across the field but it is moving up in the air. Mr. Wilcox is raising it a story and putting a basement under it as well.. We do not know what condition the house is in since it was moved. Say say the movers were hard on the plaster, but Mr. Culver says it isn't so; he helped move it.

--Thawville Weekly Record.  14 November 1913.

Queen visits our Township

Roberts have no claim to aristocrisy. (sic) We never expected to entertain nobility. But last Saturday our township received nobility quite unexpected.
Queen Marie of Romania, traveling in her special train, was billed to pass through Roberts which she did on schedule time but the unexpected happened when the train was stopped at Beset, three mile northeast of Roberts, and members of the party got off the train and a number of photos were taken. Our reception committee taken unawares, was a little late in greeting the queen, but as they never shirk a duty, their greetings followed.

--Roberts Herald.  18 November 1926