Henry County IL Archives History - Books .....Atkinson 1877
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 2, 2008, 10:03 pm

Book Title: History Of Henry County, The

ATKINSON.

    Situated on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, thirty miles east
of Rock Island, is a thriving grain and stock shipping town. It was laid out in
1858 by Charles Atkinson, one of the early settlers in the Rock River valley.
Mr. Atkinson now resides at Moline, in Rock Island County.

    Atkinson contains an excellent graded school, three churches, viz.:
Congregational, Methodist and Catholic; two grain elevators, and a third in
process of erection; one drug store, two dry goods stores, two groceries, one
hardware, stove and tinware establishment, one agricultural implement warehouse,
three blacksmith and two wagon and carriage shops.

    The principal firms are as follows: Nowers Bros., dry goods, groceries and
lumber; Edwin Everett, dry goods, drugs and groceries; John Stealey, hardware,
stoves, etc.; D. O. Hunter, groceries; A. Bowhise, groceries; John H. Dear,
grain dealer; Lawbaugh & Cameron, grain and lumber; Wells Ferrin, grain dealer.

INCORPORATION.

    At a meeting of the legal voters held in the public school house, January
12, 1867, it was voted that the village of Atkinson be incorporated. Nineteen
votes were cast-eleven for, and eight against incorporation. John Ashley, Jr.,
was chosen President of the meeting, and Luke Wells, Clerk.

    The election for village officers was held at Nowers Bros.' Hall, January
19, 1867, and resulted in the choice of the following Board of Directors: Levi
W. Carter, John Ashley, Jr., George R. Babbitt, John M. Brown, Thomas Nowers, Sen.

    At a meeting of the Board held on the 19th of February, 1867, Thomas Nowers,
Sen., was chosen President; John Ashley, Jr., Clerk and Treasurer; and William
H. Evans, Corporation Constable. March 2, 1867, the Board defined the limits of
the village to be one mile square.

    Trustees for 1877. - John H. Dean, President; Thomas Nowers, Clerk and
Treasurer; John W. Smith, Robert W. Milar, John James.

    School Directors. - John Welch, E. Lawbaugh, D. O. Hunter.

CHURCHES.

    Congregational Church. This church was organized in 1864. The same year the
house of worship was erected at a cost of $2,700. The parsonage was built in
1868, and cost about $1,100. The members number about sixty. Pastor, Rev. John
A. Griffin.

    Methodist Episcopal Church. The first Methodist preaching in this place was
by Father White, who resided near Kewanee. He came here and preached in the
school-house as early as 1857. The first class was organized by Rev. D. M. Hill,
who was followed by Rev. O. W. Pollard. Rev. Mr. Knowlton succeeded the last
mentioned. Then came the following, in the order named: Rev. Mr. Sheldon, Rev.
G. M. Morey, Rev. Ralph Kinney, Rev. G. C. Woodruff, Rev. A. C. Frick, Rev. M.
D. Heckard, Rev. William Odell, Rev. J. J. Fleharty, Rev. M. A. Head, Rev. C. W.
Swartz, Rev. G. C.Woodruff, Rev. A. Keller, and the present pastor, Rev. J. W.
Otterman.

    The church was built at a cost of $3,500, and dedicated June 22, 1868.

    Roman Catholic Church. Organized in 1871, in which year the church was
built, costing $1,200. The present pastor was settled over the church in 1875.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

THE HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY, ILLINOIS, ITS TAX-PAYERS AND VOTERS;
CONTAINING, ALSO, A BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY; A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE STATE;
MAP OF THE COUNTY: A BUSINESS DIRECTORY: AN ABSTRACT OF EVERY-DAY LAWS; WAR
RECORD OF HENRY COUNTY; OFFICERS OF SOCIETIES, LODGES, ETC., ETC.

CHICAGO: H. F. KETT. & CO., 15 LAKESIDE BUILDING.

1877.


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