Month: May 2020

A Father’s Consent

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Dunavan, G - Green, K - marriage consent

Dayton Ill June 14th 1837
J. Cloud Esqr
            Sir I have given my Consent For you to Lisen [license] George M. Dunavan & my Daughter Katharine to be joind in motrimony
John Green

Since Katharine Green was only 15 when she married George Dunavan, her father sent this note of consent to Joseph Cloud, county clerk. The following day Katharine and George were married.

Dunavan, G - Green, K - marriage certificate

State of Illinois
La Salle County
This may certify that the rites of matrimony were this day solemnized between Geo. M. Dunavan and Katharine Green, both of said county, by me the Subscriber, One of the acting Justices of the Peace in and for the county aforesaid.
Witness my hand & Seal this 15th day of June A D 1837.
Geo W Howe, JP

WOOL! WOOL!

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ad for Dayton Woolen mill

This ad for the Dayton Woolen Factory appeared in the Ottawa Free Trader on April 26, 1844. Jesse and David Green, the proprietors, advertised for people to bring their wool to be processed.

Customers could trade their wool on the spot for finished product, thereby not having to make a second trip to pick up their cloth when finished, or they could have their wool worked on shares, where the merchant took a share of the wool as his charge for making the cloth.

The customer also had a larger choice when choosing the finished material. He could also choose to only have the wool carded and/or spun, so that it could be spun or woven at home.

For cloth woven at home, it could be finished at the factory. Fulling (the scouring and thickening of the cloth), shrink-proofing, dyeing, and pressing — all would be done in a workman-like manner.

A Spring Day in 1881

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house under construction

Rural Happenings

Dayton, April 21. – Good bye, old snow, good bye. Fox river has been and is at present on the “boom.” It commenced rising last Saturday and was so high by Monday morning the mills were unable to run on account of the back water. They are still unable to run. Sunday afternoon the water was up to the top of the old pier and towards evening it was carried off.

Martin Wilkie is putting an addition to his dwelling house on Canal street, at present occupied by Geo. W. Green. Mr. Wilkie is one of our most enterprising citizens and is assisting materially in improving the town.

H. B. Williams has the foundations commenced for two new tenant houses. He received three car loads of lumber from Chicago this week for his tenant houses. Mr. W. is another of our best citizens and a believer in progression.

Miss Sadie Holton, of Braidwood, Ill., is visiting at Geo W. Green’s.

Mr. John Channel and family, of St. Louis, are visiting at Geo. W. Makinson’s. John was formerly one of the boys of Dayton and it seems like old times to have him with us again.

Jackson Channel, of Marseilles, who had his arm badly injured at that place a few weeks ago, made Dayton a short visit last Wednesday.

H. B. George, Esq., of Leland, gave Dayton a short call one day this week.

The Literary Society and Musical Union have adjourned until next fall.

The Musical Union are preparing an interesting drama entitled, “The Lost Children,” which will be given at the school house Saturday evening, April 30. Admission 10 cts. This drama is full of interest and excitement and the minstrel scene is quite funny. The play opens with a fine prelude followed by an interesting chorus. Then the plot of the play commences. A small company of soldiers have been well drilled by Capt. Howard and will form a scene with their military maneuvres, army songs, &c. A band of minstrels is also introduced in the play with their instruments, darky songs, jokes and scenes, the whole forming a pleasant evening’s entertainment. You should not miss hearing it; besides this is the closing entertainment for the season of the Musical Union, and it should be well attended.

The tile factory are about ready to commence operations for the summer. They will have tile for sale again in a few weeks.

OCCASIONAL1

  1. The Ottawa Free Trader, April 23, 1881, p. 10, col. 1

100 Years Ago Today

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Grade-School-Graduate

ANNOUNCE DATES FOR GRADUATIONS OF COUNTRY SCHOOLS
Rural Schools of the Entire County are to Unite for Exercises
Each Grade to be Represented in Programs

Dates for holding graduation exercises thruout the county has been set by County Superintendent of Schools W. R. Foster. It has been arranged this year to have several of the schools unite in holding their commencements. Each grade of each school is to furnish at least one number for the programs which will precede the presentation of diplomas.

Arrangements have also been made for charging 15 cents admission for the exercises this year instead of the ten cent charge of previous years. Five cents of this money will be turned into a fund to purchase stereographs for the rooms and the remaining ten cent fee for a book fund.

The complete list of dates for the holding of exercises and the committee of teachers in charge of each community unit follow:
. . .
Dayton, June 10. – Jennie Fraine, Margaret Durkee, Bessie Eaton1

Final exams for the seventh and eighth grades of the rural schools were held on May 7th and 8th. About 800 students participated. The first commencement was held at Harding on May 18th, and graduation exercises were held almost  every night until June 15th, including those in Dayton on June 10.

  1. The Ottawa Free Trader, May 6, 1920, p. 4, cols 2-3