Month: December 2021

Don’t Believe Everything You Read in the Journal

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man reading newspaper

From Dayton1
     December 28, 1893

            We do not take the Ottawa Journal, but a friend seeing an account of our Christmas entertainment and knowing it to be untrue, sent us the paper, and, being an eye witness, we will take the trouble to give a true account, as there is great injustice done in naming those that were no more to blame than other boys that began the disturbance by throwing paper wads at Shauner, who was under the influence of liquor but probably would have made no disturbance, as he was sitting quietly, instead of calling names, as the Journal says. The whole commotion lasted but a few minutes and, aside from a rush to rid the house before there was danger of anything insulting or disgraceful, the exercises were not delayed at all and nothing further was heard in the house.

We were very sorry to have had anything unpleasant occur, but as every one leaving and the entertainment broken up is a falsehood, fabricated by some malicious person or want of a sensational article for a paper like the Journal.

Our school is taught by W. S. Moore, principal, and Miss Carrie Barnes, assistant, with an attendance of over eighty.

Our principal was called home today to attend the funeral of a cousin in Troy Grove.

Mr. B. Green is getting ready for spring work by putting in a new Brewer tile machine which will increase his capacity for manufacturing one half.

Mr. Hoxie, from Nebraska, carried off one of our young ladies, Miss Nora Breese, on Xmas day. She will be missed by all and all wish them happiness.

No sickness in our town.

OCCASIONAL

  1. The Free Trader, December 30, 1893, p. 4, col. 5

Christmas Programs in Dayton – 1931 and 1955

Candace W 1 Comment
School Christmas program

I have no pictures of the 1931 celebration described below, but here is a picture from the 1955 school pageant. It, too, was held in the Dayton clubhouse.

Program Given at Community Party at Dayton1

Decorated Christmas trees and red and green streamers formed an attractive setting in the Dayton Community hall, Saturday evening for the annual Christmas party sponsored by the Dayton Woman’s club.

One hundred and seventy-five guests were served cafeteria style at the community supper at 7:30 o’clock.

An interesting program of vocal, piano and dance numbers was presented by a group from the vicinity of Dayton. The program consisted of the following numbers: piano solo, Dorothy Mitchell; song, Mrs. T. J. Cruise, Miss Anna Cruise and Will Breese; solo, Will Breese; duet, Mrs. T. J. Cruise and Miss Cruise; reading, Zelda Garrow; solo, Billy Gardner; solo dance, Dorothy Mitchell; acrobatic dance, Della Tohella; Christmas song, Mrs. Benson Chamberlin; cornet solo, Walter Anderson; solo, Alden Garrow; solo, Earl Gardner; solo, Nicholas Parr.

An orchestra furnished tunes for old time and modern dances at the conclusion of the program.

The committee in charge was comprised of Mrs. Arthur Retz, Mrs. Thomas Waldron, Mrs. Alvin Hepner and Miss Emma Fraine.

  1. Ottawa Republican-Rimes, December 28, 1931

News From February 1888

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sleigh

THE COUNTY
Dayton Dottings

Dayton, Ill., Feb. 7 – Another fine snow storm has commenced this morning which will make the sleighing still better. It has been excellent this winter, and during the past few weeks the weather has been warm enough to make sleighing thoroughly enjoyable. We have a very fine drive from here to Ottawa on the feeder, and as the ice is about 18 inches thick it is perfectly safe. The young people have been improving the times with sleighing parties in the surrounding neighborhood. They had a very enjoyable party a week or two ago at the large and commodious residence of Lew Robinson, Esq., in Rutland township, and last week they were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Williams, of Ottawa.

A. W. Ladd is operator now for the “Q.”

The paper mill expects to get started this week or next. The state’s men have been busy during the past two weeks stopping a leak in the bank near the flume.

The tile works are having a good many tile hauled out of their yard this winter, and their stock is beginning to get low. They are getting ready to do a good business the coming season.

Recent letters from Dayton boys in Kansas say that they are having warm weather at Kinsley, and at Fort Scott the frost is out and farmers are getting ready for spring work. Kansas winters, it seems, are quite severe, but not so long as those of Illinois.

We recently learned of the good fortune of Mr. Woolsey, formerly an old resident of the northwest portion of our township, but making his home during the past four years near San Diego, Cal. He bought about 20 acres of land at $70 per acre, and commenced putting it in fruit trees. Within a short time he got discouraged and wrote to his friend, Irenus Brower, Esq., (everybody knows that whole souled man) offering to sell out to him for cost. Mr. Brower let the opportunity pass by, and now he is ready to kick himself all over the county, for Mr. Woolsey was offered $1,000 per acre for that identical land this winter.

The roller mill is doing a booming business this winter grinding for farmers. They ground over two thousand bushels of custom work last month.

Geo. M. Dunavan, Esq., and family, old residents of this township, are now living near Wellington, Kas. His sons are scattered. Ed. is at home, Frank is in the Indian Territory, Charlie is in Central City, Col., and Silas is in South America. Belle and Cora are at home. We hope they will get together some time and revisit their old friends and acquaintances in Dayton.

Mrs. M. D. Skinner and Miss Della, and Mr. Chas. Snydam, of north of Somonauk, were visiting at Mr. Chas. Green’s last week.

Mrs. Stowell, of Bloomington, is visiting her sister, Mrs. John F. Wright.

Mrs. and Miss Davis, of Maine, mother and sister of Ira W. Davis, Esq., are keeping house for him since the death of his wife.

Mrs. Jennie Martell, of Chicago, is visiting her parents and friends in Dayton. We understand her and her husband will soon make their future home in Saratoga, N. Y.

Mr. J. A. Dunavan, of Rutland township, will hold a public sale on Thursday of this week, and about March 1st he and his family will remove to Colorado, near Sterling, where they will make their future home.

Our schools are prospering under the instruction of Mr. A. E. Butters and Miss Etta M. Barnes.

Occasional1

  1. The (Ottawa, IL) Free Trader, February 11, 1888, p. 2, col. 4

The Last Will and Testament of Mary Daniels

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In the name of God, Amen,
I Mary Daniels of Rutland in the County of La Salle & State of Illinois, being of sound mind & mindful of my mortality, do, on this nineteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & fifty three, hereby make & declare this my last will & testament in manner & form, to wit:

First –
It is my desire that my funeral expenses & just debts, be fully paid.

Second –
After the payment of such funeral expenses & debts, I give & devise & bequeath unto my son, Aaron Daniels, all the live stock, horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, &c, by me now owned, & also, all the household furniture & other articles of personal property not herein disposed of or enumerated in this will to have and to hold, by him, the said Aaron Daniels, his heirs & assigns forever, —, I also give & bequeath to the said Aaron Daniels his heirs & assigns, all money or monies now in my possession, or now due & owing to me, by any & all persons, And also, all my share in the crops now growed, or such as shall hereafter grow, upon the land, now occupied by me, the said Mary Daniels.

Third –
I give & bequeath to my nephew Elmer E. Daniels, all the packing casks & barrels by me now owned. Als, one bedstead. & also bed & beding necessarily belonging therto & als one Clock.

Fourth –
I give & bequeath to my daughter Juda Stadden, one comforter, two table cloths, & one sheet.

Fifth –
I give & bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Kleiber, one comforter, two table cloths, & one sheet.

And, lastly,
I hereby constitute & appoint Aaron Daniels Executor of this my last will & testament, & hereby declaring, ratifying & confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament.

In witness whereof I the said Mary Daniels have hereunto set my hand & seal, the day & year first above mentioned.

Signed, sealed, published, & declared by the said Mary Daniels, as for her last will & testament, in presence of us, who in her presence, & in the presence of each other & at her request, have subscribed our names, thereto.

Washington Bushnell
E. S. Hallowell

Last will and testament image by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free

An Unexplained Explosion

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SHACK NEAR DAYTON IS DESTROYED
Charge of Dynamite Resulted in Injury to Two

Two men were injured, and the lives of two others endangered when the three room shack of William Hibbard located along the banks of the old feeder and just outside of Dayton, was dynamited by an unknown assailant early Tuesday morning. The injured, William Hibbard and Albert Charlery are now confined to the Hibbard home and are being attended by an Ottawa physician. Neither of the other two men, Frank Davis and Arthur Gosney, were badly injured and they did not need medical attention.

The matter has not been reported to the authorities, but it was learned that Hibbard and his three friends who are employed at the James Funk coal beds near Dayton had entered the house, a little three room shack, located on the trestle road from Dayton and the north bank of the feeder late in the evening. According to their own story, it is said they became engaged in a card game and did not hear or see anyone about the place.

Shortly after midnight there came a deafening crash that could be heard for some distance from the house. Every one of the quartet was knocked from his chair and onto the floor, Hibbard being rendered unconscious while his three companions were dazed.

So great was the force of the explosion that every bit of glass in the house was shattered. The stove was blown clear across the room, pictures were knocked from the wall and all of the furniture damaged as well as the exterior of the house.

The alleged charge of dynamite from all appearances was dropped along the side of the house where Albert Charlery was sitting. When the explosion came he was hurled clear across the room.

While the explosion occurred between midnight Sunday and 1 o’clock Monday authorities have not received any notification of the mysterious occurrence. Residents of Dayton are unable to throw any light on the affair and all they can tell is of the mute evidence of the happenings of the night and the roar of the explosion.

The Hibbard shack was built by Hibbard after his other house had been destroyed by fire and was used as a kind of hang-out by men working in the coal beds and clay pits near Dayton. Why anyone would attempt to blow up the house and murder or injure the occupants is a question that the residents of Dayton are asking one another.

from the Streator Times, 22 November 1923

[It’s frustrating that there is never a follow-up to stories like these. Who blew up William Hibbard’s shack? and why?]