History: Greenridge - 1 Jan 1998 - Macoupin County Illinois
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives ©1997 Carolynn Jones Bettis


Greenridge Macoupin Co IL History (1894-1926)

Contributed by Carolynn Jones Bettis

Greenridge was located north of Nilwood about two miles on Route 4. According to the 
book Illinois Place Names, Greenridge Post Office was established 24 Aug 1896 and 
disbanded 23 Jun 1898. It was reestablished 4 Mar 1899 and disbanded 31 Jan 1919. The 
book says "now Green Ridge."

Unless you know where Greenridge was located, you could not find it today. The community 
was built at the turn of the century and was gone by the 1920's. A bustling little community 
with the green houses built by a mining company, Greenridge was located between Nilwood 
and Girard on Route #4. The community was mostly located on the west side of Route #4 
and the mine was located on the east side "apiece" from Route #4.


Copy of a letter that Cecil Rutherford, Girard High School teacher and owner of land 
formerly called Greenridge, wrote to Sam Molen on June 13, 1941, when Sam asked him for 
info on Greenridge.

"Your letter received and hasten to answer same as best I can - and with happy remembrance 
of "School Days".

Just across the road from the farm I own, the first house was staked off at 9 o'clock, October 
22, 1894, just one hour before the first accident at the mine, death of Rollin McGhee, who 
fell into the pit while hoisting coal. The village of 65 houses was built and all painted green as 
was a very large store and the place was named "Green Ridge". About 325 people, miners 
and their families, "lived, loved and died" for a period of about thirty years. And, many 
properous people yet remember it aas the place of their birth.

Because of financial difficulties, consolidation and capitalistic manipulations, the mine with 
such a rich vein of coal, was closed in 1923. The last pay was said to be over $20,000 for 
labor.

There were many and varied events to happen here, pleasant and otherwise scattered along 
and thru to its short history from love storeis to two first degree murders. The ax story is 
true except the wife killed her stepson to spite the husband an father. 

When I bought all the land which composed Green Ridge, there were 49 hourses remaining, 
many having been destroyed by fire, etc. There were several families remaining, but one by 
one they vacated, the houses were salvaged and the "tall corn grows and whispers the Indian 
Legend or sings with Whittier The Corn Song in mindfull of an eventful past.

Green Ridge has contributed its coal to furnaces of the past and is now helping to furnish 
food and meat to the nations' food problem.

Post office, store, schools all have vanished and memory only remains, as the story of its past 
is told over and over by those who return to take fond view at the site of their early 
remembrances.

As a young beginning teacher, I labored here with 65 to 70 pupils of various nationalities and 
languages, also teaching a night school for the men so they could advance in their work and 
am rewarded by living to see several very successful citizens who attended school at Green 
Ridge when I taught those few years here. 

The mine tipple and all burned in August, 1930, and the hole was filled up the summer of 
1942. A new hard road is to be built thru Green Ridge this summer.

Hope this fills the bill.

Yours as ever, C.E. Rutherford"

Written permission to copy letter given by:
Sam Molen, 11 Aug 1997
Robert H Rutherford, 17 Aug 1997 (son of Cecil Rutherford)

Cecil was born in 1877 and died in 1958. His son became a medical doctor and his daughter 
a history teacher. They both are in their 80's and still living. 

The murders referenced were:

A Mrs. Harmon who lived east of the C & A RR, killed her stepson, who was in his 20's, 
while the husband was at work in the mine. She buried the body underneath the floor boards 
of the porch sprinkling it with lime. Worried of the impending odor, so buried it in the coal 
shed and ordered delivery of coal despite warm weather. Worried again of the odor, and dug 
the body up again and wrapped in in a blanket containing bricks and dropped it in a well east 
of their residence in the briars and bushes. Two berry pickers, one a Joe Wallis, smelled a 
horrible odor and followed it to the well, where the body had surfaced. Berry Funeral Home 
of Girard stated it was one of the worst situations they ever had to handle. She was arrested 
and jailed, but soon discovered she was pregnant, and in the 1920's, they would incarcerate a 
pregnant lady, so she was released and they later moved from the area. When we held the 
1985 Reunion, Mrs. Harmon was still living and in her 90's. The gossip was that the stepson 
was molesting her and that's the reason she killed him, but Mr. Rutherford's letter indicates it 
was to spite her husband.

The other murder was a Lewis Klun was shot allegedly by his wife as he was a heavy drinker 
and abused her and their many children. Some say one of the older children actually did the 
shooting in an attempt to stop the father from physically abusing the mother.

Greenridge Residents

contributed by Carolynn Jones Bettis

The following is a list of individuals who at one time resided in the now extinct village of
Greenridge:

Ader, Allen, Arelio, Armstrong,

Barberi, Bardulis, Bartosik, Beam, Beck, Biancho, Blachut, Bohannon, Bono, Brado,
Brock, Brown, Bruno, Bunsy, Bunk, Burton, Butler,

Cain, Case, Cargnino, Castagano, Cervi, Chentofolsky, Chere, Cheers, Clark, Clarkson,
Clevenger, Close, Coginsky, Collins, Conlee, Coolens, Cornwell, Corwin, Crowder,

Davidson, Davis, Dee, Dennis, DeVoric, Dickout, Dickson, Drake,

Eades, Elliott, Elsperman, Evans,

Fenogletto, Ferguson, Fifer,

Gasko, Garcher, Gerham, Girardo, Giriskis, Grableck, Graham, Griffiths, Goodman,
Gooseman,

Haider, Hall, Harmon, Harrison, Hatch, Hogan, Hudson, Hughes, Hunter,

Jacobs, Jakubauskas, Jajanc, Jerdan, Jiacoma, Jones, Jynello,

Katzmarc, Kinski, Klmasy, Klun, Kokos, Kochis, Kolar, Kolschinsky, Kucak, Kussack,

Lachney, Larcher, Leroy, Light, Lisko, Little, Loider,

Martin, McBride, McChere, McClure, McCrea, McGerk, McGinnis, McGist, McGrain,
McLean, Machelli, Martin, Miller, Mike, Missourek, Mitchell, Morgan,

Nance, Nassels, Mewman, Niesen, Novak,

O'Neil,

Pajanc, Pauls, Patran, Payne, Parnell, Punnell, Perona, Pinkham, Pinkus, Piper, Potler,
Powers, Prescott,

Randolph, Rebecauskas, Rebekowski, Recetelli, Rena, Renelds, Rose, Rosenbush,
Royal, Rutherford, Rychel,

Samrok, Scremen, Senalik, Shall, Shaw, Shoemaker, Shores, Skager, Skaisgir, Skibenski, 
Skinner, Skolski, Smith, Southerland, Sponsky, Strank, Straus, Stuver, Sumski,

Terosky, Thomas, Thorton, Tiona, Trainer, Trionis, Tucker,

Udder,

Vaughn, Vernetti,

Wallis, Whalen, White, Whitehead, Whitis, Williams,

Yachtis, Yasko, Yem, Yowell,

Zafs, Zazanc, Zions.

These were obtained from Rental, School & Church records, plus oral info provided by
former residents still residing in Macoupin County.

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Carolynn Jones Bettis