Miller James Brown (ca. 1802-1867) is said to to have built the first saw-mill in Astoria, Fulton County, Illinois. The History of Fulton County details that “The first saw and grist-mill was built by James Brown. Mr. Brown and others ran it for about twelve years, when it fell into the hands of H. L.Continue reading “James Brown | 🪚 Woodworking”
Category Archives: Work and Labor
Devine Anderson | Sawmill
Devine Anderson is recorded in the History of McDonough County, Illinois on page 818 as having built a saw mill with J. O. C. Wilson on section 14 of Chalmers Township in 1840. The mill is marked on the 1871 Atlas of McDonough County. The excerpt shows sections 10, 11, 14, and 15 of ChalmersContinue reading “Devine Anderson | Sawmill”
John Barkuloo | of the Narrows
1n 1799, John Barkuloo married Catherine Lott in Jamaica, Long Island and the newspaper reported that they were both of the Narrows. In 1800, John “Barkulow” is listed in the census for New Utrecht, Kings County, New York with a household of four members: The Narrows The Narrows is a strait of water between StatenContinue reading “John Barkuloo | of the Narrows”
Levi Garrison | Whiskey Rebellion
Levi Garrison moved from Cumberland County, New Jersey, to Wheatfield Township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the 1780s. Westmoreland County was in Western Pennsylvania, on the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains. In the early decades of the nation, the county borders changed as newer counties were created when the populations grew. In the 1790s,Continue reading “Levi Garrison | Whiskey Rebellion”
George L. Crookham | Abolitionist
George Lennox Crookham moved to the Ohio frontier in 1799 where he settled and worked the salt works. He was a self-educated man who “used to read and study by the light of the furnace at night” by the salt boiler. (Jackson Standard, 14 Jul 1855, p 2 | newspapers.com) “Jack Oak College” Burned InContinue reading “George L. Crookham | Abolitionist”
Irene Vanslyke | Joplin Junior College
Irene Vanslyke (1920-2012) attended Joplin Junior College from 1938-1940 and earned an Associate’s Degree in Education. The college was a Junior college which was started the year before I went. The first year classes were held in the HS building but the year I started they had bought an old school building which they usedContinue reading “Irene Vanslyke | Joplin Junior College”
Thomas Relf | Great Plains Roamer, pt 1
Thomas Relf (1857-1940) was born in Indiana and lived in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska prior to 1900. Norton County, Kansas | 1879 In 1876, he married Sarah C Peniston in Madison County, Indiana. Shortly after their marriage, they migrated to Norton County in northwestern Kansas. It is the fourth county from the border with Colorado,Continue reading “Thomas Relf | Great Plains Roamer, pt 1”
George Akin Vanslyke | Farmer
George Akin Vanslyke (1887-1967) was a farmer in Newton County, Missouri. He owned 80 acres of land near Indian Creek in Benton Township. Granby RR was our mailing address but the farm was 15 miles or so from Granby and only five plus to Stella where my family traded and where we went to churchContinue reading “George Akin Vanslyke | Farmer”
Arthur Rexford
Baptism Commanding the cliffs at the mouth of the river Dart, sits a squat Norman church with a square tower, overlooking the waters. Due to its position, watching the ships in the English Channel, the church had been fortified into the Dartmouth Castle, watching the ships from France during the Hundred Years’ War and theContinue reading “Arthur Rexford”
Samuel Norton | Death on the Prairie
In 1820, Samuel Norton moved his family from Vermont to Crawford County, Illinois. In 1821, he died, leaving his wife and children behind on the prairie. In 1820, Samuel Norton used credit to purchase the eighty acres of land about 5 miles of Lawrenceville, in the Allison Township. His son, Samuel Harris Norton, was issuedContinue reading “Samuel Norton | Death on the Prairie”
Finding the Yellow Bricks 