Month: April 2019

Dayton School Reunion – 1937

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Dayton School Has Reunion at Community House

Graduates of the Dayton school from towns and cities in various parts of Illinois gathered Saturday night in the Dayton Community House for a reunion, planned by the Dayton School Alumni association.

There was a banquet and dancing. Mrs. George Pool, who later was elected president of the association, presided as toastmistress.

Mrs. Fred Sapp of Ottawa told of the coronation in England, which she viewed.

Miss Fraine

Emma Fraine

Short talks were given by Ralph Green, who offered a toast to members of the 1937 graduating class of the school; Miss Blanche Reynolds and Miss Emma Fraine. Miss Maud Green told of the history of the Dayton school and how it was established over 100 years ago.

Maud Green

Miss Beulah Canfield, who arranged this year’s reunion, presided at a business session at which Mr. Pool was elected president; Rush Green, vice president; Miss Loretta Gleason, secretary and Herbert Mac Grogan, treasurer. Retiring officers are Miss Canfield, president; Ralph Green, vice president; Miss Helen Hallowell, secretary and Herbert Mac Grogan, treasurer. A social time and dancing followed.

Ralph Green

Ralph Green

Blush pink and gold were used in the appointments of the banquet. There were yellow tapers and pink peonies and roses in crystal services on the tables. At the place of each guest were miniature girl graduates in pink and tiny tulip nut cups.

The basement of the house, where there was dancing, was decorated with honeysuckle.

Miss Canfield was in general change of the reunion. Mrs. Gilbert Masters and Miss Hallowell arranged the program and Miss Jennie Fraine had charge of the table decorations.1

  1. Ottawa Daily Republican-Times, June 14, 1937, p6

Married Amid Flowers

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bride-and-groom

From the Ottawa Republican-Times, August 19, 1897, p3

MARRIED AMID FLOWERS

A Wedding in Dayton With Many From Ottawa Present

            The handsome residence of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Barnes, just across the line into Dayton township, was brilliantly illuminated and beautifully decorated Wednesday eve’g, the event being the marriage ceremony of Miss Carrie L. Barnes and Winfield S. Green, receiving clerk at the Illinois state penitentiary at Joliet. The large parlor, in which the ceremony took place, was decorated with smilax, ferns and sweet peas and carnations, and was crowded with the guests who were present to witness the ceremony. It was performed at 8:30, Rev. T. C. Matlack, of Joliet, chaplain of the penitentiary, officiating at the event. The groom was supported by S. M. Ahern, of Joliet, as best man, and the bridesmaids were Misses Kittie Shaver, Etta Barnes, Maud Pickens and Emma Barnes, with little Lucille Ribbs as flower girl. The bridal couple entered to the music of Mendelssohn’s wedding march, rendered by Miss Addie Warner, and during the ceremony Thomas’ mandolin orchestra rendered a very pretty wedding serenade.

After the ceremony and congratulations the guests were seated at a wedding dinner, which was one of the finest ever served in this vicinity, and afterwards dancing was the order until time for Mr. and Mrs. Green to take the train for their wedding tour, and the entire party went to the train with them, loading them down with rice and best wishes.

The bride’s costume was ivory satin, brocaded, and diamond ornaments. She carried bridal roses. The bridesmaid, Miss Kittie Shaver, wore white silk organdies over blue silk, and the other maids were all attired in white silk and carried pink and La France roses.

The presents were numerous and very beautiful. The Joliet associates of the groom sent down a very handsome one, and the others were all in keeping with it.

Those present were:

Messrs. and Mesdames John Channel, M. Masters, Breese, Dayton; Frank Lansing, Wedron: V. Canfield, Dayton; Dr. and Mrs. Lovejoy, Marseilles; C. G. Werner, Ella Sage, C. J. Metzger and Merrifield, Ottawa; John Bogert, Dayton, and W. Van Etten, Batavia.

Misses Addie Werner, Breese, Grace and Barbara Green, Myrtle, Sadie and Hattie Olmstead, Nettie Furr, Lena Bruner, Florence Pickens, Jennie and Lizzie Bogert, Fannie Bryan, Mary Ward, Della Masters and Nora Barnes.

Mesdames Laura Parr, M. E. Furr, Wm. Ribbs, John Barnes, A. Ladd, O. W. Trumbo, E. Rose, and Pitts, of Marseilles.

Messrs. Basil, Fred, W. R., Lyle, Joseph and Ralph Green, Ed McCleary, Rob Rhoades, Gus Kneusel, Louis Oleson, C. A. Dawell, H. G. Warner, James Green and Ed Rose, of Ottawa, and Captains W. A. Luke and L. P. Hall, Lieut. S. M. Ahern and W. L. Phillips, G. A. Miller and T. F. O’Malley, of Joliet.

Jacoba Verloo Baker

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Zeeland,_Oosterland

Jacoba Verloo was born July 7, 1829 in Oosterland, Zeeland, Netherlands, the daughter of Cornelis Verloo and Pieternella de Vos. At the age of 22 she married Jan Bakker on October 10, 1851 in Oosterland. He was the son of Roeland Bakker and Janna van Sluijs. They had one known child, Roeland Jan Bakker, born December 30, 1851 in Oosterland, who died February 1, 1862 in Ouwerkerk, Zeeland.

Jan and Jacoba emigrated to the United States sometime after their son’s death and ended up in Dayton by 1870. In 1880 they were living next door to Lena Bogerd, another emigrant from Zeeland. They had anglicized their names to John and Jacoba Baker. John was a farmer, though it does not appear that he ever owned any land.

John died August 2, 1887 and was buried in the Dayton Cemetery.  Jacoba apparently moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where in December of 1888 she made a will, leaving everything to Jennie Lewis, described as her adopted daughter. She is listed in the Grand Rapids city directory in 1889 as living with Miss Jennie Baker. Jacoba came back to Ottawa, where she purchased the house at  537 E. Joliet St. in March of 1890. The Ottawa city directory lists Jacoba Baker and Jennie Baker as residing at 537 Joliet street. Jacoba died May 12, 1893 and is buried next to her husband in Dayton. Jennie Lewis filed for probate of Jacoba’s will in June 1893 and inherited the Joliet street house, which she rented to John Smith. No Jennie Baker or Jennie Lewis appears in the Ottawa city directories after that.

Are Jennie Lewis and Jennie Baker the same person? It would appear so, but further research is needed to identify Jennie Lewis of Grand Rapids.

100 Gather for Annual Picnic at Dayton School – 1944

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the picnic table

Another school picnic – around 1950

100 Gather for Annual Picnic at Dayton School

One hundred attended the annual picnic of the Dayton school yesterday at the school grounds.

Dinner at noon was followed by races and other sports. Later ice cream and cake were served.

Winners in races were Carl Schmidt, preschool age; Shirley Patterson, 1st grade; Sylvia Ralrick, second grade; Rosemary Patterson, third; Bobbie Buckley, fourth; Ardelle Taylor, fifth and sixth; Elaine Thomas, seventh; Edward Patterson, eighth; Teddy Mathews, high school; Mrs. Homer Matthews and Mrs. Naomi Trent, married women’s.

Mr. and Mrs. Tony Summons, Mrs. Morris Ponton, Mrs. Mayme Ryan and Miss Elizabeth Ryan of Chicago, and Mrs. Fred Ritzius of Ottawa were out of town guests.1

  1. The [Ottawa, IL] Republican-Times, May 29, 1944, p. 8, col. 6