Coles County IL Archives History - Books .....Old Settlers' Association 1879
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com June 28, 2007, 8:16 pm

Book Title: History Of Coles County

OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

   In 1878, the idea was conceived of forming an association of the old settlers
of Coles County still surviving, for the purpose of keeping up the old
associations of the pioneer days, and preserving the reminiscences of the
wilderness, in which they long ago planted their homes. With this object in
view, a meeting assembled in the city of Charleston, on the 19th of October
last, and was called to order by Hon. O. B. Ficklin. Col. A. P. Dunbar was
chosen Chairman of the meeting, and Capt. W. E. Adams was appointed Secretary.
Col. Dunbar briefly stated the object of the meeting to be "the renewal of old
acquaintances, and giving brief sketches of the early history and settlement of
Coles County, and the organization of a society to be known as the Coles County
Old Settlers' Society." I. J. Montfort, Isaac N. Craig and Thomas G. Chambers
were appointed a committee to report a plan for the organization of such a
society. The following is their report: "This association shall be known as the
Coles County Old Settlers' Society. The object of this Society shall be to keep
in lively remembrance the hardships and privations incident to the early
settlers of new countries, and especially of this county, and thereby promote
the same economy among the rising generation as was practiced by them. The
officers shall be a President, and a Vice President for each township, a
Secretary and five Directors. The duties of the officers provided for as above
shall be the same as performed by such officers in all deliberative bodies and
societies. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to call annual
meetings of this society on the last Thursday in August of each year, and make
necessary arrangements for such meetings. The officers shall hold their
positions for one year." A committee, consisting of O. B. Ficklin, Richard
Stoddert and Dr. S. Van Meter, was appointed, to define what an old settler is,
and who shall be members of this society. Following is their definition:
"Whosoever shall have lived in the State of Illinois thirty years is considered
an old settler by this association, and shall be eligible to become a member of
this Society." At this meeting, Thomas G. Chambers was chosen President of the
association for the ensuing year, and W. E. Adams, Secretary. The following
gentlemen were chosen Vice Presidents: Albert Compton, Charleston; Thomas E.
Woods, Mattoon; Adam W. Hart, Paradise; J. K. Ellis, Okaw; James Shoemaker,
Humbolt; James McCrory, La Fayette; I. J. Montfort, Pleasant Grove; Ely R.
Adams, Hutton; Peter K. Honn, Ashmore; J. J. Pemberton, Oakland; Yancey E.
Winkler, Morgan; and Isaac Perisho, Hickory. J. W. Frazier, Abram Highland, Dr.
S. Van Meter, Col. A. P. Dunbar and George Birch were chosen Executive Committee.

   The Charleston Plaindealer closes its account of the proceedings of this
meeting of the old settlers as follows: "Brief speeches were made by Col. J. J.
Adams,* who has lived in the county for forty-eight years, and has heard the
scream of the panther and the war-whoop of the Indian, and by Isaac Perisho, who
had been a resident of Illinois since 1825; and by William Rigsby, who had seen
the Court House built and sowed the blue-grass seed in the Court House yard; and
by Uncle John Bates, who came here in 1824, and has seen the wilderness blossom
as the rose; and by Dr. Van Meter, who has been in the country for fifty years,
and carried his corn to mill on his back and hired the miller to take his oxen
and grind his grist for him; and by Aunt Polly Kellogg, who came here in 1824,
saw the first mill built, and heard the first sermon preached, and attended the
first funeral in the county. Job W. Brown, P. K. Honn, George Birch, Y. E.
Winkler, Jeptha Parker, Michael Hall, Isaac Craig, and many other old settlers
were in attendance. The Vice Presidents are requested to enroll all old.
settlers in their respective townships. The last Thursday in August, 1879, was
fixed as the time for the next annual meeting." We would add that it is the
intention to keep up the meetings, and to maintain the association permanently.

   *A soldier of the Mexican war, and recently deceased.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

THE HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY. ILLINOIS,

CONTAINING

A History of the County—its Cities, Towns, &c; a Directory of its Tax-Payers;
Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map
of Coles County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest,
Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c, &c.

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO:
WM. LE BARON, JR., & CO., 186 DEARBORN STREET.
1879.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/coles/history/1879/historyo/oldsettl105gms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/

File size: 5.3 Kb