McHenry County IL Archives History .....Dunham Township History - 1877 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 20, 2008, 7:21 pm

DUNHAM, TOWNSHIP 45, RANGE 5.

   The first settlers in this township were J. N. Jerome and O. C. Diggins, who
came in 1836. In 1837, Messrs. A. Joslyn, R. Latham, Joseph Diggins, Robert
Walton, S. J. Dunham and Joseph and Thomas Metcalf.

   In 1840, a log school house was built by School District No. 1, on Section 1,
and a school immediately opened.

   The first and only church in the township was erected at what is known as
County Line, by the Methodists; and the first preacher was Rev. P. M. Huffman,
who still lives near the church. The building cost about $2,000.

   Dunham contains no store, mill, blacksmith shop or post office, but in an
early day, Cyrus Allen had a plow factory in the southeast part of the town,
when manufacturers' agents were not so plenty as now; but he ceased the
manufacture some years ago, and nothing of the kind is now carried on, except by
J. A. Wood, who makes, upon his own farm, a washing machine of his own patent.
His factory is about two miles south of Chemung.

   There are about two miles of railroad in the township, the Chicago &
Northwestern crossing the northeast, and the Rockford & Kenosha the northwest
corner, each at about the same angle.

   Rush Creek, a branch of the Kishwaukee, crosses the township from north-east
to southwest, passing out on Section 34, and the Piskasaw crosses the northwest
corner in about the same general direction, so it is well watered.

   In 1874, a cheese factory was built on Section 35, in School District No. 3,
and is still in operation. Latham Corners once had a store, but its existence
was a brief one; and at this time, Dunham has no public place of any kind,
elections being held in school houses, for want of a better place.

   This township is better adapted to stock than grain; many sheep being kept,
the owners of which have lost more by the ravages of dogs than any other
township in the county.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF THE TAX-PAYERS AND VOTERS
OF
McHENRY COUNTY;

CONTAINING ALSO

A Map of the County; a Condensed History of the State of Illinois; an Historical
Sketch of the County, its Towns and Villages; an Abstract of Every-day Laws of
the State; a Business Directory; Officers of Societies, Lodges and Public
Officers; a Department of General Information for Farmers, Dairymen, Etc., Etc.

CHICAGO: C. WALKER & CO.
1877.


Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by
C. WALKER & CO.,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

CULVER, PAGE, HOYNE & CO.,
PRINTERS, CHICAGO.


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