From the Fulton Journal
January 1/31/08
One paragraph from the obituary on Stephen Considine:
“The Considine family is among the oldest of the old residents of Fulton. The stone cottage on the river bank is one of the first dwellings built here and is over sixty years old, and is often pointed out as of historical interest.”
The Considine family also owned a stone quarry on 4th Street and the assumption is made that the stone on their house came from their quarry. The stone was used to build two Catholic churches in Lyons, Iowa, and is part of the old Presbyterian Church in Fulton.
Researching the Considine cottage on the river led to phone calls to Mary Catherine Considine Sanderson and some cemetery tromping, but details of the lives of John and Hannah Considine were slim. John had died in 1899 and we have no Fulton Journals on microfilm for that time period. Now I’ve found Hannah’s obituary in the March 17, 1916 Fulton Journal.
Death of Aged Resident
Mrs. Hannah Considine, for Nearly
Sixty Years a Resident of Fulton,
Is dead.
“Mrs. John Considine died at her home in this city Thursday afternoon, March 16, after a lingering illness. Mrs. Considine had been an invalid eight years and was confined to her bed the past two years, during which time she was carefully cared for by her daughters and other members of her family, who mourn the loss of a kind and loving mother who was devoted to her home and family.
Hannah Flanigan was born in County Clare, Ireland in 1835 and came to America with her parents when about eight years of age settling in /Ellicettville, N.Y., where she was united in marriage to John Considine in 1851. The young couple came west a few years later, settling in Fulton, where they made their home and raised their family and were classed among the early residents of this city.
Mr. Considine died in Fulton in 1899. To this union were born ten children, who all lived to maturity but five of whom have now passed to their home beyond. The children are R.P. Considine of this city; William J. who died in 1900; J.J. who died in 1893; Frank M. of Clinton, Iowa; Mary, who married James Martin and died in Chicago in 1893; Edward H., who died in 1901; Daniel of Savanna, Dennis of this city; Julia, who married Edward Lee and resides in Fulton; S.A. who died in 1908 and Margaret, who has been a faithful daughter to her mother at home during her long illness.
Requiem high mass will be held to the Catholic church in this city Monday morning followed by the funeral services conducted by Rev. J.J. Clancy with burial in the Catholic cemetery.
A large number of relatives and friends from away are expected to be here to attend the funeral and the pall-bearers will be selected from her grandsons.”
The first census done for Fulton was in 1860 and listed are John Considine, 28, born in Ireland, Hannah Considine, 25, born in Ireland, and children Pat 7, Wm. J. 5, and John 3, all born in Canada and Michael F. 9 months born in Illinois. That would put the Considines in Fulton sometime after John’s birth in 1857 and before Michael’s birth in 1859. Now how do we come up with a date for the Considine cottage that still sits on the river bank in Fulton? Did they build it or move into it? If only we could ask.
I wrote recently about Hannah Considine and speculated about her family’s arrival date in Fulton. Also, the 1860 census listed their oldest child as “Pat” and I had a difficult time locating him later. The 1880 census listed the following Considines: John, 60, Hannah, 44, Patrick 27, Frank 20, Mary 18, Edward 16, Daniel,13, Dennis 11, Julia 10, Augustus, 6, Margaret, 4 and John 6 months. The Pat problem has been solved with a new lead, a book listing death dates, causes of death, places of birth of the deceased and places of birth of the parents of the deceased. The oldest Considine child, “Pat” was Robert Patrick and his obituary says the family came to Fulton in 1857. His mother is listed as “Hanna Flannigan.” The undertaker was Doran.
Fulton Journal: February 23, 1934:
LAST RITES HELD FOR DAN CONSIDINE
Funeral services for the late Dan Considine were held Thursday morning in Savanna, with burial in Riverside cemetery in Prophetstown, Ill.
Daniel Considine was born in Fulton, Ill., August 3, 1867, the son of John and Hanna Flannigan Considine. His death occurred Tuesday morning at 1:15 o’clock after an illness of several weeks duration. He had one foot amputated recently and his death was attributed to gangrene.
He spent his early life in Fulton, but before going to Savanna to reside, he made his home in Prophetstown for several years. He lived in Savanna for nearly thirty years.
He is survived by his wife, Myrtle Clifton Considine, two sisters, Miss Margaret Considine of Chicago, and Mrs. Julia Lee of Fulton, and several nieces and nephews. The following brothers and sister preceded him in death: Robert; William, John, Frank, Edward, Dennis, Gustav, and Mrs. Mary Martin.
Fulton Journal: April 17, 1936
MRS. JULIA LEE IS PNEUMONIA VICTIM
The many friends of Mrs. Julia Lee, were grieved to learn of her death, which occurred Wednesday morning at 6:20 o’clock in her home on North Fourth street. She had been ill about three weeks suffering from pneumonia and complications. Her condition had been critical, but she seemed to rally and her sons who had been called here because of her condition, returned to their homes a week ago.
Funeral services will be held in the Immaculate Conception church at 9:30 o’clock Saturday morning, the Rev. J. Egan singing the Mass. The remains are reposing in the home of her sister-in-law-, Mrs. Kate Considine, until the funeral hour.
Julia Considine was born June 22, 1870 in Fulton, in the stone house on North Fourth street which has been the Considine homestead for many years. It was there that she passed away.
She attended the Fulton schools and in 1889 was graduated from the Fulton high school. She was a member of the Altar and Rosary society of the Immaculate Conception church.
On May 28, 1891, she was married to E.J. Lee, the ceremony taking place in this city. To this union five children were born, all of whom survive. They are Mrs. Gardner Lawrence (Hannah) of Ustick, John of Pittsburgh, Pa., the twins Ed and Will, of Hollywood, and Joe, also of Hollywood. Others who mourn her death are her husband of Perth, Ontario, Canada, one sister, Miss Margaret Considine of Chicago, who has been with her sister during her last illness, and six grandchildren, Hannah, Bill, Jack, and Dick Lawrence of Ustick, Jack Lee and Patricia Lee of Hollywood, Calif.
Mrs. Lee was one of eleven children, all of whom, with the exception of Miss Margaret Considine, have preceded her in death.
Fulton Journal: January 22, 1922.
Death of Pioneer Citizen
Robert P. Considine, Old Resident of Fulton, Died Sunday Morning.
“Robert Patrick Considine, who for over sixty-five years had been a respected and continuous resident of Fulton, died unexpectedly Sunday morning, January 22, after several days’ illness of pneumonia at his home on Fourth street.
Mr. Considine was born in New London, Canada, August 20, 1852, and was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Considine, who with their children located in Fulton in 1857. Prior to the dismantling of the Culbertson, Smith & Co.’s saw mill in the north part of the town, he was employed by that company. When the mill ceased to operate he found employment with Gardner, Bachelder & Welles Lumber company’s mill in Lyons and became head sawyer. He remained until the company ceased to operate the mill, about twenty years ago. Mr. Considine then secured employment with the Clinton Lock company, and later was promoted to superintendent and remained with the company until the time of his death.
About forty-five years ago he was married to Miss Mary Maher, who died a year later. Mr. Considine’s second marriage was to Miss Catherine Cleary.
For a period of fifty years he worked in Lyons and during that time, when the Mississippi river was navigable, crossed the river twice each working day, rowing a skiff. Without exaggeration, it can be said that Mr. Considine made more trips in a skiff across the Mississippi river between Fulton and Lyons than any other man in Fulton, Lyons or Clinton.
When less than eighteen years old he became a charter member of the Roman Catholic Temperance and Benevolent society , which was organized in Fulton August 14, 1870, and remained a member until it dissolved twenty years later. During all these years Mr. Considine remained true to his pledge of total abstinence. He was a man of exemplary habits, true to his friends at all times and proved to be a worthy and reliable citizen holding the respect and esteem of all who knew him.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, Robert P., Jr. and William J: one daughter, Margaret F., wife of Archie D. Cowan: three brothers, Frank of Clinton, Daniel of Savanna and Dennis of Fulton, and two sisters, Mrs. Julia Lee and Miss Margaret Considine of Chicago.
The funeral will be held Wednesday morning at ten o’clock with a requiem high mass conducted by Rev. J.J. Clancy with burial in the Catholic cemetery.”
Fulton Journal: Sept. 5, 1941
ESTEEMED RESIDENT PASSES SUDDENLY
Mrs. Katherine Considine, age eighty-three years, passed away suddenly at her home on North Fourth street at 4:15 o’clock on Monday afternoon. She had been in failing health for several years, but her death at this time was unexpected and came as a shock to her family. A heart attack about three o’clock the same afternoon was the cause of her death an hour later. Throughout her illness she was cared for by her daughter, Mrs. A.D. Cowan.
Funeral services were held at nine o’clock Thursday morning in Immaculate Conception church, with the Rev. J.T. Egan singing the requiem high mass. Many relatives and friends attended the last rites to pay their last respects to one whom they held in high esteem.
Pallbearers were Walter Field, Gardner Lawrence, James Jones, and Frank Daley of Fulton, Edward Dolan of Albany, and Daniel Martin of Chicago.
Interment was in Calvary Hill cemetery in the family lot.
OBITUARY
Katherine Cleary was born in Sterling, Ill., July 17, 1858, the daughter of John and Bridget Fahey Cleary. On December 27, 1892, she was married to Robert P. Considine of this city, the ceremony taking place in Clinton, Ia. They immediately located in Fulton and this city has been the family home ever since.
To this union four children were born, Mary, who died in infancy; Margaret, now the wife of A.D. Cowan; Robert P. Considine and William C. Considine, all of Fulton.
Others who survive are four grandchildren, Patricia, Robert, Mary Katherine, and William C. Considine, Jr., and two sisters, Miss Mary Cleary of Clinton, Ia., and Mrs. Margaret Irwin of Milwaukee, Wis.
Mr. Considine passed away in January, 1921, and she was also preceded in death by her parents, five sisters and one brother.
Mrs. Considine was a devout member of the Immaculate Conception church, attending the services as long as her health permitted. She lived her life in keeping with the teachings of her church and lived an exemplary life. She had many friends for, to know her was to love her, and she will be truly missed. Her children and grandchildren were devoted to her and while they know she had been spared to them much longer than the allotted three score and ten years, it does not assuage their grief.
“Life’s work well done,
Earth’s course well run,
Heaven’s crown well won,
Now comes rest.”
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Early History of Fulton Schools
Fulton Journal, November 28, 1905:
From the time John Baker settled in Fulton in 1836, little effort was made to secure educational advantages until 1840, when James McCoy, then a young lawyer, who located here a year previous, opened a select school. From that time until 1847 independent schools were taught at different intervals.
In 1847, School District No. 1, now 111, was organized and through the efforts of James McCoy the first school house was built. The building was a one story structure, about thirty feet square and located on Base street, the present site of the city hall. When completed, it was considered the finest school house in Whiteside county. When the Galena and Chicago Union railroad, now the Northwestern, was built into Fulton in 1855, the population increased and the stone building was no longer adequate to accommodate the large enrollment of pupils. Finally on April 27, 1857, the school board voted to sell the old school building and to purchase the site where the high school building (Park school) now stands. A special election was held July 11, 1857, when it was voted to bond the district for not less than $8,000 to build a new school house. Forty-two votes were cast, and only one was against the project.
The bids awarded were A Fellows & Company for painting, $130; H. Fuller, carpenter work, $3, 240; William Price, masonry, $4,850. The total cost of building when completed was $14,643.45. The present high school building was not completed until the spring of 1858. The first superintendent was G.G. Alvord, who taught from 1857 to 1858, a term of six months at a salary of $350 for the term.
The superintendents who have served to the present time are: G.G. Alvord, S.M. Dickey, W.E. Bradley, Mrs. M.T. Scott, Ivan T. Ruth, George G. Manning, J. Thorp, J.R. Parker, George C. Loomis, R.V. DeGroff, J.E. Bittinger, A. Ebersole, W.A. Pratt, M.A. Kline, J.D. Rishell, and Lewis Eigel is the present superintendent.
From the time John Baker settled in Fulton in 1836, little effort was made to secure educational advantages until 1840, when James McCoy, then a young lawyer, who located here a year previous, opened a select school. From that time until 1847 independent schools were taught at different intervals.
In 1847, School District No. 1, now 111, was organized and through the efforts of James McCoy the first school house was built. The building was a one story structure, about thirty feet square and located on Base street, the present site of the city hall. When completed, it was considered the finest school house in Whiteside county. When the Galena and Chicago Union railroad, now the Northwestern, was built into Fulton in 1855, the population increased and the stone building was no longer adequate to accommodate the large enrollment of pupils. Finally on April 27, 1857, the school board voted to sell the old school building and to purchase the site where the high school building (Park school) now stands. A special election was held July 11, 1857, when it was voted to bond the district for not less than $8,000 to build a new school house. Forty-two votes were cast, and only one was against the project.
The bids awarded were A Fellows & Company for painting, $130; H. Fuller, carpenter work, $3, 240; William Price, masonry, $4,850. The total cost of building when completed was $14,643.45. The present high school building was not completed until the spring of 1858. The first superintendent was G.G. Alvord, who taught from 1857 to 1858, a term of six months at a salary of $350 for the term.
The superintendents who have served to the present time are: G.G. Alvord, S.M. Dickey, W.E. Bradley, Mrs. M.T. Scott, Ivan T. Ruth, George G. Manning, J. Thorp, J.R. Parker, George C. Loomis, R.V. DeGroff, J.E. Bittinger, A. Ebersole, W.A. Pratt, M.A. Kline, J.D. Rishell, and Lewis Eigel is the present superintendent.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Fulton's Black History: Mitchell Family
Fulton’s Black History: Mitchell Family
The 1860 census is one of the first records we have of the people living in Fulton, their ages, occupations, and offspring.
That first census lists Harvey Mitchell, age 28, born in Indiana, a barber and a mulatto. His wife, Beljamey was 27, born in Virginia and a mulatto. Twenty years later, the 1880 census lists Harvey Mitchell, 48, his wife, Jane, 46, and six children: Henriett, 18, Robert, 16, Jessie, 15, Nellie, 9, Harvey, 4, and Albert 2. All of the children were born in Illinois.
Fulton Journal March 22, 1910:
Mrs. Harvey Mitchell is Dead
Aged Colored Woman, Over Fifty Years a Resident of Fulton, Died Friday Evening
Mrs. Jane Strather Mitchell, who had been a resident of Fulton for over fifty years, died Friday evening, March 18, at her home in the north part of town, death having resulted from stomach troubles coupled with the infirmities of age.
Mrs. Mitchell was born in Kentucky, August, 1833, where she was bound in servitude until she was twenty-one years old. When she completed her term in servitude she left her southern home and came to Clinton, Iowa, where soon afterwards she was married to Harvey Mitchell. Since their marriage, they have made their home in Fulton.
Those who survive her are her aged husband, two daughters, Mrs. Tena Young of Fayette, Iowa; and Mrs. Nettie Epps of Los Angeles, California, and three sons, Jesse of Fulton, Harvey of Sioux Falls, S.Dak., and Albert of Peoria, all of whom were present at the funeral with the exception of Mrs. Epps.
The funeral services were held at the house Monday afternoon at two o’clock, conducted by Rev. Taylor of the African Methodist church, Clinton, with interment in the Fulton cemetery.
Fulton Journal: January 19, 1915
Death of Jesse M. Mitchell
Well-Known Fulton Barber Died Saturday Evening in Clinton
Jesse M. Mitchell, a life-long resident of Fulton, died Saturday, January 16, at the home of his wife’s parents in Clinton. He had been in failing health for several months, death resulting from Bright’s disease. About ten weeks ago, on the advice of his physician, he went to Agatha hospital in Clinton for treatment. He remained there about five weeks and then was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Henderson. The treatment did not benefit him, and after leaving the hospital he failed rapidly until the end.
Mr. Mitchell was born in Fulton about fifty years ago. Early in life he learned the barber’s trade with his father, Harvey Mitchell, one of the oldest residents of the city. When, several years ago, his father retired, Jesse purchased the shop and had since conducted it.
He leaves his wife, four sons, his aged father and two brothers.
The funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon at two o’clock with services conducted by Rev. Slater of the A.M.E. church, Clinton, and the burial will be in the Springdale cemetery.
Fulton Journal: September 6, 1918:
Harvey Mitchell, for over sixty years a continuous resident of Fulton and who since the death of his wife a few years ago had been living with his daughter in the north part of town, Wednesday left for Chicago to make his future home with his son, Harvey, Jr. For over fifty years Mr. Mitchell conducted a barber shop in this city. Of the names of the men that appeared in the city directory for Fulton for the years 1857 and 1858, Mr. Mitchell is the last survivor to move away.
Fulton Journal: July 8, 1924
Death of Former Fulton Resident
Harvey Mitchell, a former Fulton resident, passed away in Chicago Friday, July 4, at the age of one hundred one years, five months and six days. Mr. Mitchell is well known in this city, having conducted a barber shop in the building now occupied by J.C. Ernest, for many years. Mr. Mitchell came to Fulton in 1855. He is survived by several sons and daughters. The body was brought to Fulton Monday morning and burial was made in the Fulton cemetery beside his wife and several children. His sons, Harvey, Jr. of Sioux Falls, S. Dakota, and Albert, of Chicago accompanied the body of their father to Fulton.
The 1860 census is one of the first records we have of the people living in Fulton, their ages, occupations, and offspring.
That first census lists Harvey Mitchell, age 28, born in Indiana, a barber and a mulatto. His wife, Beljamey was 27, born in Virginia and a mulatto. Twenty years later, the 1880 census lists Harvey Mitchell, 48, his wife, Jane, 46, and six children: Henriett, 18, Robert, 16, Jessie, 15, Nellie, 9, Harvey, 4, and Albert 2. All of the children were born in Illinois.
Fulton Journal March 22, 1910:
Mrs. Harvey Mitchell is Dead
Aged Colored Woman, Over Fifty Years a Resident of Fulton, Died Friday Evening
Mrs. Jane Strather Mitchell, who had been a resident of Fulton for over fifty years, died Friday evening, March 18, at her home in the north part of town, death having resulted from stomach troubles coupled with the infirmities of age.
Mrs. Mitchell was born in Kentucky, August, 1833, where she was bound in servitude until she was twenty-one years old. When she completed her term in servitude she left her southern home and came to Clinton, Iowa, where soon afterwards she was married to Harvey Mitchell. Since their marriage, they have made their home in Fulton.
Those who survive her are her aged husband, two daughters, Mrs. Tena Young of Fayette, Iowa; and Mrs. Nettie Epps of Los Angeles, California, and three sons, Jesse of Fulton, Harvey of Sioux Falls, S.Dak., and Albert of Peoria, all of whom were present at the funeral with the exception of Mrs. Epps.
The funeral services were held at the house Monday afternoon at two o’clock, conducted by Rev. Taylor of the African Methodist church, Clinton, with interment in the Fulton cemetery.
Fulton Journal: January 19, 1915
Death of Jesse M. Mitchell
Well-Known Fulton Barber Died Saturday Evening in Clinton
Jesse M. Mitchell, a life-long resident of Fulton, died Saturday, January 16, at the home of his wife’s parents in Clinton. He had been in failing health for several months, death resulting from Bright’s disease. About ten weeks ago, on the advice of his physician, he went to Agatha hospital in Clinton for treatment. He remained there about five weeks and then was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Henderson. The treatment did not benefit him, and after leaving the hospital he failed rapidly until the end.
Mr. Mitchell was born in Fulton about fifty years ago. Early in life he learned the barber’s trade with his father, Harvey Mitchell, one of the oldest residents of the city. When, several years ago, his father retired, Jesse purchased the shop and had since conducted it.
He leaves his wife, four sons, his aged father and two brothers.
The funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon at two o’clock with services conducted by Rev. Slater of the A.M.E. church, Clinton, and the burial will be in the Springdale cemetery.
Fulton Journal: September 6, 1918:
Harvey Mitchell, for over sixty years a continuous resident of Fulton and who since the death of his wife a few years ago had been living with his daughter in the north part of town, Wednesday left for Chicago to make his future home with his son, Harvey, Jr. For over fifty years Mr. Mitchell conducted a barber shop in this city. Of the names of the men that appeared in the city directory for Fulton for the years 1857 and 1858, Mr. Mitchell is the last survivor to move away.
Fulton Journal: July 8, 1924
Death of Former Fulton Resident
Harvey Mitchell, a former Fulton resident, passed away in Chicago Friday, July 4, at the age of one hundred one years, five months and six days. Mr. Mitchell is well known in this city, having conducted a barber shop in the building now occupied by J.C. Ernest, for many years. Mr. Mitchell came to Fulton in 1855. He is survived by several sons and daughters. The body was brought to Fulton Monday morning and burial was made in the Fulton cemetery beside his wife and several children. His sons, Harvey, Jr. of Sioux Falls, S. Dakota, and Albert, of Chicago accompanied the body of their father to Fulton.
Underground Railroad
Fulton Journal, Friday, May 25, 1917
Under Ground Railroad
Famous Method of Assisting Slaves to Canada Through This Section.
Hazelhurst, Ill., May 18, 1917
J.M. Eaton, Fulton, Ill.:
Dear Sir and Friend:--Your letter gave me much pleasure. We are not writing concerning a generation of our race that have passed away who were in any way superior to the average men and women that are now living. We can not tell whether we are making progress toward a higher moral and mental plane only by comparison with past conditions.
”The thoughts we are thinking our fathers did think;
From the stream we are drinking our fathers did drink;
We view the same scenes and see the same sun;
We run the same race that our fathers did run.”
You request me to state something concerning the Under Ground railroad, its plan of operation, etc.
Some twenty-five years ago I wrote for the Mt. Carroll Democrat a statement of the manner in which the abolitionists aided fugitive slaves to escape to Canada. I may have forgotten some names of agents, but the method of running the road is as fresh in memory as though it was but yesterday. Yesterday the news reached me from Iowa that one of the conductors on the Fulton and Byron section of the road, or, rather, from Eagle Point to Byron had passed over the “silent river.” His name was Frank G. Yeoman. This leaves but Charles B. Noble of Polo and myself that are living who dared to violate the fugitive slave law (as far as I know) in this part of Illinois.
The U.G.R.R. had no organization and was not bound together by oaths, bonds or written agreements. It kept no records other than what could be stored away in memory. No court could convict a “nigger’ thief of being associated with others in running slaves to Canada. And there were no fixed stations or even fixed routes of travel, and no general manager or treasurer, no time-table or compensation to conductors.
But you will understand its workings better if I describe my personal knowledge of scenes and events. Some of the parties named will be known to you, I think.
In 1855-6 I lived in Fulton, Ill. I arrived from England in 1849, and the first lessons in life in a free land were learned from “black abolitionists” and from Harriet Beecher Stowe. In Fulton I lived in the family of Frank Dodge, the village blacksmith, and worked for one season for Todd & Dement in their sawmill at the mouth of the cattail creck. The description of the escape of Eliza and George from Kentucky, the aid rendered them by the Friends (Quakers), who passed them along from place to place, always toward Canada, was fresh in my mind, and I was ready for business in that time if a chance offered. It came when I least expected it.
Frank was big-hearted, had been a hard drinker, was an ardent follower of John B. Gough, the great English temperance advocate. In later years and when he learned that the fugitive slave law forbade his giving aid or comfort to a slave fleeing from his master he became a radical abolitionist.
It was not uncommon to see notices posted up offering fifty or a hundred dollar reward for the arrest of run-away slaves. Deck-hands would escape on dark nights from steamboats, and many of the boats were owned by men who owned many of the boats’ crews.
My First Work on the Under Ground Railroad
It was dark, when Frank came into the house, and threatened rain. “Hank,” said he, “You know where Mr. Fairchild lives south of town?” “Yes.” “Well, I want you to make yourself useful. Go down to the river west of Fairchild’s house. There in the tall weeds and willows you will find two slave boys. Whistle softly and they will know you are a friend. They were brought over from the Iowa side this evening. Take them along the river bank to the willows where our fishing boat is tied in the creek above the old dam.
“Old ‘Pinkeye” Wright is watching for them, so you must work sly or you may get Franklin Pierce and his pack of two-legged blood hounds after you.
“Cross the creek and guide the slaves to the ‘Bluff road,’ and stay with them until a team and wagon comes along and picks up the black boys, then come home and tie the boat where you found it.”
“Pinkeye” Wright kept a tavern and was surrounded by a gang of patrons who were watching to catch fugitives. Mrs. Dodge put some bread and butter in a package for the slaves and all things worked o.k.
It was about midnight when the wagon arrived and nearly morning when the writer got to bed.
Why go to all that work to aid the “niggers”? will be asked
Whenever notices of runaway “niggers...
(Here four paragraphs of the Journal are missing.)
Sol Shaver was a counterpart of our John Brown, both in looks and acts. He was rash and we feared trouble, but the fortune favored us and the line through Whiteside, Carroll and Ogle counties was never broken by United States officials.
The writer took two of General Harneys slaves from Eagle Point to Byron when there was a $2,000 reward offered for them and men from Dixon, Oregon, Polo and Elkhorn Grove were watching every avenue they knew of, but followed the wrong clew.
Sol Shaver kept a free negro that he brought from Delhi, N.Y., and he borrowed another free negro that lived with Samuel Waterbury near Polo. In a double-seated carriage he placed the two “darkies” and after dusk he drove like Jehu through Old Town, stopping in Oregon a few minutes so that the loungers at the Schryver House could see them, then on the run toward the east. Couriers on horseback scattered the news that “Uncle Sol” had the “niggers” with him. It was a cheap lot of hounds that overtook “Uncle Sol.” In the meantime the black boys were goin east from Byron under the care of Jared Sanford.
It would take much time and space to record the many numerous events in Under Ground railroad work.”
Mr. Shaver carried a flag in his whip pocket at public gatherings. It was composed entirely of white stars on a blue field.
“Hey! old man.” The crowd would yell, “where are the stripes?”
“You idiotic ass,” Uncle Sol would reply, “the stripes are on the slave’s back.”
We call up in memory many of those grand old pioneers who settled upon the prairies when there was not a fence or furrow in sight. They gazed upon old Elkhorn Grove when it stood in all its native glory.—just as it had come from the hand of God. I recall to mind those pioneer men and women who braved public opinion by denouncing laws that held any portion of the human race in bondage.
It is a source of joy to me to know that I have lived to see the Stars and Stripes float over a free people. No longer are the children of a deceased planter, ranging in color from black to white and from mulatto to octoroon, sold on the auction block regardless of the tears of the slave mothers.
We, you and I, are nearing the sunset shore and soon others will fill our places, and we hope that our race will grow wiser and better by avoiding the errors we have made. I shall be eighty years old July 9. I am suffering nearly all the time from the wound in my right thigh caused by a musket ball November 3, 1863.
I hope to live to see the day when monarchial government is wiped from the earth. In the meantime:
I long to hold communion with all that is divine.
To feel there is a union ‘twixt Nature’s heart and mine,
To profit by affliction, reap truths from fields of fiction,
Grow wiser from conviction and fulfill each grand design.
Write when you feel like it. Yours very truly.
HENRY ELSEY
Under Ground Railroad
Famous Method of Assisting Slaves to Canada Through This Section.
Hazelhurst, Ill., May 18, 1917
J.M. Eaton, Fulton, Ill.:
Dear Sir and Friend:--Your letter gave me much pleasure. We are not writing concerning a generation of our race that have passed away who were in any way superior to the average men and women that are now living. We can not tell whether we are making progress toward a higher moral and mental plane only by comparison with past conditions.
”The thoughts we are thinking our fathers did think;
From the stream we are drinking our fathers did drink;
We view the same scenes and see the same sun;
We run the same race that our fathers did run.”
You request me to state something concerning the Under Ground railroad, its plan of operation, etc.
Some twenty-five years ago I wrote for the Mt. Carroll Democrat a statement of the manner in which the abolitionists aided fugitive slaves to escape to Canada. I may have forgotten some names of agents, but the method of running the road is as fresh in memory as though it was but yesterday. Yesterday the news reached me from Iowa that one of the conductors on the Fulton and Byron section of the road, or, rather, from Eagle Point to Byron had passed over the “silent river.” His name was Frank G. Yeoman. This leaves but Charles B. Noble of Polo and myself that are living who dared to violate the fugitive slave law (as far as I know) in this part of Illinois.
The U.G.R.R. had no organization and was not bound together by oaths, bonds or written agreements. It kept no records other than what could be stored away in memory. No court could convict a “nigger’ thief of being associated with others in running slaves to Canada. And there were no fixed stations or even fixed routes of travel, and no general manager or treasurer, no time-table or compensation to conductors.
But you will understand its workings better if I describe my personal knowledge of scenes and events. Some of the parties named will be known to you, I think.
In 1855-6 I lived in Fulton, Ill. I arrived from England in 1849, and the first lessons in life in a free land were learned from “black abolitionists” and from Harriet Beecher Stowe. In Fulton I lived in the family of Frank Dodge, the village blacksmith, and worked for one season for Todd & Dement in their sawmill at the mouth of the cattail creck. The description of the escape of Eliza and George from Kentucky, the aid rendered them by the Friends (Quakers), who passed them along from place to place, always toward Canada, was fresh in my mind, and I was ready for business in that time if a chance offered. It came when I least expected it.
Frank was big-hearted, had been a hard drinker, was an ardent follower of John B. Gough, the great English temperance advocate. In later years and when he learned that the fugitive slave law forbade his giving aid or comfort to a slave fleeing from his master he became a radical abolitionist.
It was not uncommon to see notices posted up offering fifty or a hundred dollar reward for the arrest of run-away slaves. Deck-hands would escape on dark nights from steamboats, and many of the boats were owned by men who owned many of the boats’ crews.
My First Work on the Under Ground Railroad
It was dark, when Frank came into the house, and threatened rain. “Hank,” said he, “You know where Mr. Fairchild lives south of town?” “Yes.” “Well, I want you to make yourself useful. Go down to the river west of Fairchild’s house. There in the tall weeds and willows you will find two slave boys. Whistle softly and they will know you are a friend. They were brought over from the Iowa side this evening. Take them along the river bank to the willows where our fishing boat is tied in the creek above the old dam.
“Old ‘Pinkeye” Wright is watching for them, so you must work sly or you may get Franklin Pierce and his pack of two-legged blood hounds after you.
“Cross the creek and guide the slaves to the ‘Bluff road,’ and stay with them until a team and wagon comes along and picks up the black boys, then come home and tie the boat where you found it.”
“Pinkeye” Wright kept a tavern and was surrounded by a gang of patrons who were watching to catch fugitives. Mrs. Dodge put some bread and butter in a package for the slaves and all things worked o.k.
It was about midnight when the wagon arrived and nearly morning when the writer got to bed.
Why go to all that work to aid the “niggers”? will be asked
Whenever notices of runaway “niggers...
(Here four paragraphs of the Journal are missing.)
Sol Shaver was a counterpart of our John Brown, both in looks and acts. He was rash and we feared trouble, but the fortune favored us and the line through Whiteside, Carroll and Ogle counties was never broken by United States officials.
The writer took two of General Harneys slaves from Eagle Point to Byron when there was a $2,000 reward offered for them and men from Dixon, Oregon, Polo and Elkhorn Grove were watching every avenue they knew of, but followed the wrong clew.
Sol Shaver kept a free negro that he brought from Delhi, N.Y., and he borrowed another free negro that lived with Samuel Waterbury near Polo. In a double-seated carriage he placed the two “darkies” and after dusk he drove like Jehu through Old Town, stopping in Oregon a few minutes so that the loungers at the Schryver House could see them, then on the run toward the east. Couriers on horseback scattered the news that “Uncle Sol” had the “niggers” with him. It was a cheap lot of hounds that overtook “Uncle Sol.” In the meantime the black boys were goin east from Byron under the care of Jared Sanford.
It would take much time and space to record the many numerous events in Under Ground railroad work.”
Mr. Shaver carried a flag in his whip pocket at public gatherings. It was composed entirely of white stars on a blue field.
“Hey! old man.” The crowd would yell, “where are the stripes?”
“You idiotic ass,” Uncle Sol would reply, “the stripes are on the slave’s back.”
We call up in memory many of those grand old pioneers who settled upon the prairies when there was not a fence or furrow in sight. They gazed upon old Elkhorn Grove when it stood in all its native glory.—just as it had come from the hand of God. I recall to mind those pioneer men and women who braved public opinion by denouncing laws that held any portion of the human race in bondage.
It is a source of joy to me to know that I have lived to see the Stars and Stripes float over a free people. No longer are the children of a deceased planter, ranging in color from black to white and from mulatto to octoroon, sold on the auction block regardless of the tears of the slave mothers.
We, you and I, are nearing the sunset shore and soon others will fill our places, and we hope that our race will grow wiser and better by avoiding the errors we have made. I shall be eighty years old July 9. I am suffering nearly all the time from the wound in my right thigh caused by a musket ball November 3, 1863.
I hope to live to see the day when monarchial government is wiped from the earth. In the meantime:
I long to hold communion with all that is divine.
To feel there is a union ‘twixt Nature’s heart and mine,
To profit by affliction, reap truths from fields of fiction,
Grow wiser from conviction and fulfill each grand design.
Write when you feel like it. Yours very truly.
HENRY ELSEY
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Some of Fulton's Irish Roots
Irish Roots
The Fulton Journals of 1905 record the Irish birthplaces of three interesting Fultonians. The obituaries of these people with Irish roots shed light on the personalities that made up this small town.
Michael Hargan: “Michael Hargan, who had been a resident of this county for forty-one years, died at his home in Fulton, Sunday evening, February 5, 1905, aged eighty years, two months and twenty-four days. The deceased was born in Killarney, county Kerry, Ireland, November 11, 1824. There he grew to manhood and February 10, 1859, was married to Miss Mary Curren. They resided in their native country until 1864, when they came to the United States and located in Fulton. Three weeks ago Mr. Hargan sustained a stroke of paralysis and owing to his advanced age he gradually grew weaker until the end came. All of his children were with him when he breathed his last. Mr. Hargan was a man of many excellent traits of character. He was devoted to his home and family.”
Margaret M’Gowan: Mrs. Margaret Riordon McGowan was born in the county Mayo, Ireland, December 25, 1823, and when eighteen years of age came to this country. In 1851 she was married to James McGowan at Saukville, Wis. Three years after their marriage they located in Albany and have been residents of this county the greater part of the time since. She is survived by five sons, Daniel, James, John, Thomas and Patrick and one daughter, Mrs. Nellie Crawford. The deceased is also survived by twenty-one grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Services were a high mass at the Catholic church with interment in the Catholic cemetery north of town.
Rosa McAvoy McMahon: Mrs. McMahon passed away February 20, 1905, aged 76 years and 18 days. The cause of her death was pleuro-pneumonia from which she had suffered for the past two weeks. She had been born in Belfast, county Monahan, Ireland, February 2, 1829. When but 14 years of age she came with her parents to Prince Edward’s Island, where in 1851 she was married to Francis McMahon. After their marriage they remained in Prince Edward’s until 1869 when they came west and located in Fulton, where Mr. McMahon died April 12, 1894. She is survived by daughters, Ellen, Anna, Kate, and Irena, and three sons, C.C., Francis and John.
Commonalities: The three were born in the 1820’s in Ireland. They all died in February 1905 in Fulton and are buried in Fulton’s Catholic Cemetery. They were Roman Catholic with several descendants.
The Fulton Journals of 1905 record the Irish birthplaces of three interesting Fultonians. The obituaries of these people with Irish roots shed light on the personalities that made up this small town.
Michael Hargan: “Michael Hargan, who had been a resident of this county for forty-one years, died at his home in Fulton, Sunday evening, February 5, 1905, aged eighty years, two months and twenty-four days. The deceased was born in Killarney, county Kerry, Ireland, November 11, 1824. There he grew to manhood and February 10, 1859, was married to Miss Mary Curren. They resided in their native country until 1864, when they came to the United States and located in Fulton. Three weeks ago Mr. Hargan sustained a stroke of paralysis and owing to his advanced age he gradually grew weaker until the end came. All of his children were with him when he breathed his last. Mr. Hargan was a man of many excellent traits of character. He was devoted to his home and family.”
Margaret M’Gowan: Mrs. Margaret Riordon McGowan was born in the county Mayo, Ireland, December 25, 1823, and when eighteen years of age came to this country. In 1851 she was married to James McGowan at Saukville, Wis. Three years after their marriage they located in Albany and have been residents of this county the greater part of the time since. She is survived by five sons, Daniel, James, John, Thomas and Patrick and one daughter, Mrs. Nellie Crawford. The deceased is also survived by twenty-one grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Services were a high mass at the Catholic church with interment in the Catholic cemetery north of town.
Rosa McAvoy McMahon: Mrs. McMahon passed away February 20, 1905, aged 76 years and 18 days. The cause of her death was pleuro-pneumonia from which she had suffered for the past two weeks. She had been born in Belfast, county Monahan, Ireland, February 2, 1829. When but 14 years of age she came with her parents to Prince Edward’s Island, where in 1851 she was married to Francis McMahon. After their marriage they remained in Prince Edward’s until 1869 when they came west and located in Fulton, where Mr. McMahon died April 12, 1894. She is survived by daughters, Ellen, Anna, Kate, and Irena, and three sons, C.C., Francis and John.
Commonalities: The three were born in the 1820’s in Ireland. They all died in February 1905 in Fulton and are buried in Fulton’s Catholic Cemetery. They were Roman Catholic with several descendants.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Concealment shoes at Fay home
2006
Subject: Concealment Shoes
A major house remodeling has been taking place in Fulton, Illinois, in the 500 block of 15th Avenue. Interesting items have been found in the ceiling and walls including concealment shoes, stockings, letters, and more. Evan Davis of Fulton identified the four black shoes as “concealment shoes” and GOOGLE illuminated the find.
The house dates prior to 1855 when it was owned by Dr. Daniel Reed. He and his wife Cinda were major landowners in Fulton’s early history. They sold the house to Bradstreet Robinson in 1855. Robinson sold it to J.M. Fay. The Fay family owned it until 1939 when Frank Boonstra bought it.
Four single shoes were placed in the ceiling, probably during an early remodeling project rather than at the original construction time. Two shoes belonged to children and two to adult females. No buttons or ties remain. The practice of concealing shoes in a building is an old Western European tradition. The rite is thought to come from the prehistoric custom of killing a person and putting the body in the foundation of a building to make sure it holds together. Concealment shoes became a substitute for bodies.
Why shoes? Shoes take on the shape of the wearer’s foot, so it has been thought that the owner’s spirit remained in the shoe. June Swann, former curator of the Boot and Shoe Collection in England, writes, “It is the only garment we wear that retains the shape, the personality, the essence of the wearer. The shoes have been used as a talisman to ward off evil spirits. People put them in houses to prevent evil spirits from entering.”
Subject: Concealment Shoes
A major house remodeling has been taking place in Fulton, Illinois, in the 500 block of 15th Avenue. Interesting items have been found in the ceiling and walls including concealment shoes, stockings, letters, and more. Evan Davis of Fulton identified the four black shoes as “concealment shoes” and GOOGLE illuminated the find.
The house dates prior to 1855 when it was owned by Dr. Daniel Reed. He and his wife Cinda were major landowners in Fulton’s early history. They sold the house to Bradstreet Robinson in 1855. Robinson sold it to J.M. Fay. The Fay family owned it until 1939 when Frank Boonstra bought it.
Four single shoes were placed in the ceiling, probably during an early remodeling project rather than at the original construction time. Two shoes belonged to children and two to adult females. No buttons or ties remain. The practice of concealing shoes in a building is an old Western European tradition. The rite is thought to come from the prehistoric custom of killing a person and putting the body in the foundation of a building to make sure it holds together. Concealment shoes became a substitute for bodies.
Why shoes? Shoes take on the shape of the wearer’s foot, so it has been thought that the owner’s spirit remained in the shoe. June Swann, former curator of the Boot and Shoe Collection in England, writes, “It is the only garment we wear that retains the shape, the personality, the essence of the wearer. The shoes have been used as a talisman to ward off evil spirits. People put them in houses to prevent evil spirits from entering.”
Abeltje Nauta Kolk Akker
ABBIE
In the town of Hornhuizen, the municipality of Kloosterburen on December 2, 1832, at 1 a.m. a daughter was born to Jakob Pieters Nauwta, age 27 and Margarita (Grietje) Tjaarts Bottema. Her name was Abelje. Her parents were dayworkers.
In the town of Hornhuizen, the municipality of Kloosterburen on December 2, 1832, at 1 a.m. a daughter was born to Jakob Pieters Nauwta, age 27 and Margarita (Grietje) Tjaarts Bottema. Her name was Abelje. Her parents were dayworkers.
Abbie had two sisters. Remke “Annie” was born on April 6, 1837, in the Netherlands. She immigrated in 1864 and in 1865 married Peter Van Dyke(died 1906) who had been born in the Netherlands in 1828. Annie died in 1916 and is buried in the Fulton cemetery. The other sister, Jantje Jakobs (Jennie), was born Nov. 13, 1844. She married Dennis Feldt (Tonnis Veld) January 14, 1865, and is buried in the Fulton cemetery.
Abbie had a brother, George, born December 1, 1839, in the Netherlands. He moved to the US when he was 16 years old and was a captain of sailing vessels and steamboats on the Great Lakes. His obituary in 1923 said he had four brothers and one sister.
Abbie left the Netherlands in 1856 at the age of 24. She was identified as a servant girl. There are no other Nautas listed as traveling in that year. Who were the traveling companions for this single woman?
Abbie settled first in LaFayette, Indiana, and she was married there on July 8, 1857, at the age of 25 to John Kolk. Her name on the license is spelled Abetze Nota.
The minister officiating was Fredrick Koening, a Lutheran Minister. Abbie’s obituary says that she was married to Jacob Kolk who died in 1861 in Chicago. The first census done for Fulton was in June of 1860 and on that are listed:
John Kolk, age 40, daylaborer
Awell age 28
Margaret 9 months, born in Illinois
Child # 2: The obituary for John Kolk, son of Abbie and John, said that he was born November 22, 1860 in Fulton.
We think we know the following about Abbie’s first husband, John Kolk. Jan Jochums was born on December 5, 1817, to Jan Jochums Kolk, age 34, and Anje Berends. He had a brother born on September 25, 1822, Jacob Colk, who was born to Jan Jochums Colk, age 39 and Anje Berends. These births took place in Usquert, Groningen. They had two sisters, Jantje and Grietje. Jantje was born January 17, 1812, who married Harm Gerrits Heethuis in 1836. Grietje Colk was born February 14, 1821 and she married Lubbert Klaassens Werk in 1840.
Jantje 1812
Jan 1817
Grietje 1821
Jacob 1822
The last two dates cannot be correct because there is less than 9 months between the two births.
John Kolk’s immigration is thought to have occurred on April 30, 1852, when he and his brother traveled on the Victoria from Rotterdam to New York.
Husband # 1, John Kolk died in 1861 in Chicago. Rumors: He was found floating in the Chicago River. He was very good looking. He was a heavy drinker.
At age 30, Abbie was a widow, living in Chicago, with a one year old son and pregnant. Abbie gave birth to a second son, George Kolk, in Chicago on June 22, 1862. She was 30 years old. There is no record of Margaret, so the assumption is that she died.
In 1863, Abbie married John Akker (age 28) in Chicago. John Akker was born in Den Andel, Groningen on November 20, 1835. They moved to Fulton and lived their lives there. Children born to them were Ellen (Alice) in 1864, Margaret in 1866, Kate in 1868, Josie in 1871, and Seba J. in 1873. Abbie was 41 when Seba was born. John Akker died October 31,1892, at the age of 57.
In 1898, Abbie bought thirteen acres of timber in the northeast part of Fulton for $1400. “ December 6, 1898, George DeBey sold his residence in Fulton to Mrs. John Akker . The consideration was $2,000 cash.”
A directory of Fulton inhabitants in 1905 lists Abbie Akker living on Genesee and Bluff Streets. Also living at the same address were George Kolk (born in Chicago in 1862) and Alice Kolk (nee Boot).
On Saturday morning, Christmas Day 1915 at the age of 83, Abbie died in her home (Genesee and Bluff or 417 15th Avenue). Abbie was at the Christmas dinner table sitting next to 13 year old granddaughter, Sylvia, when she collapsed and died.
Living in that home in Fulton have been five generations of Kolks:
Abbie
George
Harry
Bob
Kevin, Dan, Mike
Fulton Journal: December 11, 1914: Joseph Nauta of Holland, Mich. who represents a large Chicago publishing house was in Fulton a couple of days this week and visited at the homes of his cousins George and John Kolk.
Fulton Journal: December 11, 1914: Mrs. Abeltje Akker, who makes her home with George Kolk, was eighty-two years old last Sunday, and she is in good health and fairly active. Mrs. Akker is one of the oldest residents of our city, having located here over fifty-five years ago. A nice family dinner was given in honor of her birthday.
Fulton Journal: September 14, 1915: Mrs. A. Akker, an old and respected resident of Fulton, is confined to her home by a serious illness.
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