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977.3555 P716s
Some Interesting Menard County Homes . by Matilda Johnson Plews. (1967
ILLINOIS MULUIInt SURVEY.
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977.3555 P716s
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SOME
INTERESTING
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MENARD COUNTY
HOMES
MATILDA JOHNSON/PLEWS
HVISIRIS HISTORICAL SURVEY
Dr. & Mrs. Lynn S. Miller Old Salem Chautauqua Rural Route 3 Petersburg, Illinois 62675
SOME INTERESTING MENARD COUNTY HOMES
by
Matilda Johnson Plews
Petersburg, Illinois First Printing - 1967 Second Printing - 1974
Printed by The Petersburg Observer Co.
Foreword
M y greatest joy in the preparation of this booklet has been time which I have spent listening to the gracious and kind people who were able to give me facts regarding many of the old homes and their occupants. In many instances my information has been wholly dependent upon the memory of some of these residents.
One discovers while driving through the county, all sorts of delightful old houses. I only wish that it had been possible for me to do research of them all.
One regrets the passing of many landmarks of the county. Fearful lest most contacts with the past would be impossible in a very few years, I under- took the task of gathering all of the information possible for this booklet. The labor involved in compiling it has not been without its compensations, the re- search having been both interesting and enjoyable.
I am indebted to the excellent memory of my good friend, the late J. Colby Beekman, for much of the information regarding many of the old homes.
I am also grateful to Barry Kiel, a student at McCormick Seminary in Chi- cago, who sketched the pictures on the front cover.
I wish to express warm and heartfelt thanks to the many kind people, whose responses to requests for information were prompt and gracious.
This booklet is dedicated to my sister Ruth, my severest critic, since only through her insistence and encouragement, did it become a reality.
Matilda Johnson Plews Petersburg, Illinois
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Some Interesting Menard County Homes
Antle House
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Aylesworth House (Lucille and Vida Primm)
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John Bennett House (William Menichetti)
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Dr. Richard Bennett (Richard Melton)
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Bishop House (Mrs. Walter Watkins)
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Bonnett Inn (Conrad Gebhards)
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Branson House (Jefferson Lewis)
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Clark House (Kermit Grosboll)
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Jonathan Colby House (Paul McCubbin)
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Conant House (Paul Cherry)
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Conover House (Loren Grider)
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Davidson House (Mrs. Harold Smoot)
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George Davidson House (B. E. Willis)
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Dowell House (Mrs. Martha Hopwood)
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Edmunds Springs Bath House (Mrs. Ernest Fillbright)
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Dr. Elliott House (Mrs. D. B. Finney)
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Estep House (Arthur Reiser)
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Diedrich Fisher House (Dr. Alvin E. Davis) 38
David Frackelton House (Millard F. Bingham III)
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Robert Frackelton House (Fred Krueger)
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Gault House (Milo F. Vogt)
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Godbey House (Edward Simmering)
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Mentor Graham House (Leopold Eberhard) 48
Scott Greene House (Kenneth Morris) 50
Hamilton House (Dr. Robert Schafer) 52
Judge Harrison Rooming House
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Samuel Hill House (Charles White)
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IM Historia.
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Horner House (Dr. Charles Horner) 58
Malkom Hubly House (John Hubly) 60
William John House (Mrs. Glenna Brass) 62
C. B. Laning House (Mrs. Walter Sewell)
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Edward Laning House (H. P. Satorius)
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Edward Laning House (Ross A. Nance) 68
John H. Marbold House (Carl Miller)
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Home of Edgar Lee Masters 72
McNeely Home (Mrs. T. V. Plews) 74
Montgomery House (Loren Anderson)
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Martin Neff (Alfred LaBarre) 78
Pillsbury House (Bert Kramer) 80
Purkapile House (James S. Miles) 82
Wm. C. Smoot House (Arthur Johnston) . 84
Spears House (John Walker Estate)
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John Haley Spears House (Carl Kirby)
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Major B. F. Stephenson Home (Mrs. John Rigdon)
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Stith Home (James Hawks)
. 92
Talbot House (Mrs. Otto Treseler) 94
Tice House (Ira Theobald) . 96
Walter Turner Home (William Wertheim) 98
Samuel Watkins Home (Mrs. Elias Watkins)
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Isaac White Home (Arthur Finney) . 102
William White Home (Eugene Watkins) 104
Wernsing Home (Carl Miller) 106
Dr. Whitley Home (Savina and Eda Menichetti)
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Willson Home (Gerald Basso)
. 110
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Antle House
D r. Francis P. Antle, who had the honor of being elected in 1882 as the first mayor of Petersburg, was the builder of this large square brick house which is located at the corner of Antle Street and 7th Street in Petersburg. This house had nine large rooms with large halls running the length of the house upstairs and downstairs. The original portico was removed and a modern porch was built in later years on the front of this house.
Dr. Antle was the son of Michael and Mary Ann Buchanan Antle and was born near Jacksonville, Illinois in 1824 on his father's farm. His mother was a cousin of President James Buchanan, the Buchanan family coming originally from Scotland, arriving in America in 1630.
Dr. Antle taught school for four years, and at the age of 24 years, began the study of medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. He later established a drug store at Williamsville in Sangamon county where he also engaged in the practice of medicine. He later returned to Cincinnati for additional courses and lectures, after which he came to Petersburg to practice medicine.
Dr. Antle was married in 1858 to Miss Dorcas Ann Mosteller of Rock Creek. They were the parents of four children, Iona, who married Charles C. Frackelton, Thomas Powell Antle who married Anna M. Smoot, who was the daughter of William Smoot, Hattie and Ella who died in childhood of diphtheria. Dr. Francis P. Antle had only one grandchild, William Smoot Antle, who was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Powell Antle.
Dr. and Mrs. Francis P. Antle united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which at that time had no church home, holding their Sunday School, prayer meetings and preaching services in the court house. Mrs. Antle was determined that the congregation have a church home, and worked tirelessly with the congregation until the church (now the Baptist Church) was built. Much credit was given to her that the venture was successful. Mrs. Antle also allow- ed members of the newly organized Episcopal Church Sunday School class which was organized in 1867, to use her home as a meeting place. The present Episcopal Church was built in 1873 on land donated by Mrs. Thomas L. Harris.
Dr. Antle died in 1890 and Mrs. Antle in 1895.
At one time this house was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Collier. Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Shipley and family moved in from their farm north of Peters- burg and lived here for a time. The house was later sold to Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Willis, parents of B. E. Willis.
When the Willis family moved to Missouri, the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Jiskra, who lived there until their deaths, which occurred two days apart.
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Aylesworth House
0 ne of the landmarks of Athens is this attractive eight-room house, lo- cated on West Jackson street. Sturdily built of brick, the interior walls are 13 inches thick. Ezra Aylesworth and his wife Melinda bought the land where this house stands and started its construction in 1860. Shortly after its completion, Mr. Aylesworth died, leaving the house to his wife. Mrs. Ayles- worth died soon thereafter, and the house was willed to their son, Barton Aylesworth, a minor.
In 1874 the thirteen-room house was purchased by Alexander Hale. Alex_ ander Hale at one time owned and operated a saw mill, which was located where the Athens Methodist Church parsonage now stands. At that time Mr. Hale owned hundreds of acres of timber land. Mr. Hale was also in the milling busi_ ness. In 1856 Alexander Hale and John Overstreet built a brick steam grist mill at a cost of $11,000 and began operating the mill in 1857.
Alexander Hale married Elvira Lemmon. They were the parents of twelve children: Edmund, Matthew, Daniel, Nyra Luna (Mrs. George Boyd), Anna Mae (Mrs. Charles Evans), Cynthia (Mrs. John Culver), Lela (Mrs. Colonel Holli_ day), Lola (Mrs. Theo. Kucher), Susan (Mrs. George Hunt), Elizabeth, Mar- garet (Mrs. Chas. Pierce), and Alexander who died in childhood.
In 1920, the house became the property of their daughter, Lola Hale Kucher, who moved back to Athens following the death of her husband, and re- modeled the old home. The five room frame structure to the west was removed, and additional changes were made in the interior.
Two of Alexander and Elvira Hale's grandchildren are now living in Ath- ens: Julian Hale Boyd and Mrs. GeorgeStreckfuss. J. Hale Boyd is the son of Nyra Luna Hale and M. George Boyd. His wife is the former Hathaway Ben- nett. Mrs. Elizabeth Streckfuss is the daughter of Cynthia Hale and John Culver.
In 1937, Mrs. Kucher returned to her former home in Peoria, selling the home to Mr. and Mrs. James B. Primm. Mrs. Primm was the former Mar- garet England. The Primms had three daughters, Lucille, Vida and Eugenia, who married Henry Miller. Today the house is owned and occupied by Misses Lucille and Vida Primm.
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Photo of House when occupied by Hale Family
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John Bennett House
O verlooking the city of Petersburg from its wide lawn, and shaded by large trees, stands the house which was built by John Bennett, one of the leading citizens of the community. This beautiful old home with its Vic- torian porch on the east, has been changed very little throughout the years. This house has a very fine walnut spool staircase, two glass enclosed porches and eight large rooms. While this house was under construction, Lincoln is said to have made a speech here, using a part of the foundation as a platform.
John Bennett was the eldest son of Richard E. and Ann Carter Bennett. He was born in 1805 in Halifax county, Virginia. His boyhood was spent in Vir- ginia and as he grew older he clerked in his father's store. After his father's death he continued to run the business until 1835 when he removed to Rochester in Sangamon county. Here he stayed for oneyear when he removed to Peters- burg where he purchased a drygoods establishment from John Taylor. This store, the first store established in Petersburg, was opened in 1833 by John Taylor. John Bennett also built the Menard House, which stood on the east side of the square where the R.E.A. building now stands, which he ran for several years, and after selling the Menard House he returned to the merchandising business. He continued in this business until 1858 when he retired, his son Thomas Bennett, taking over the business.
John Bennett was a brother of Dr. Richard Bennett and William Bennett.
John Bennett served one term in the State Legislature in 1840-1841, hav- ing been elected to that place as an Old Line Whig. He had the honor of being the first Representative to the General Assembly from the new county of Me- nard. He assisted in the organization of Clinton Lodge No. 19 A.F. & A.M. at Petersburg in 1842. He served as Worshipful Master for 15 years. Clinton Lodge was named in honor of Gov. DeWitt Clinton of New York. He was also District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Mr. Bennett was one of the original directors of the Tonica & Petersburg Railroad (now G. M. & O.).
John Bennett was married to Miss Mary Amistead Boyd, daughter of Alex- ander and Matilda Boyd. They werethe parents of ten children: John, Thomas, Harry, Anna E., Mary M., and five children who died in childhood. Mr. Ben- nett's first wife died in 1849, and in 1850 he was married to Miss Mary Cabanis, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Z. P. Cabanis. Dr. and Mrs. Cabanis are buried in the old City Cemetery in the southeast corner of Petersburg.
The house was occupied for a time by Mr. and Mrs. T. W, McNeely while their home on the south hill was being built. It was also occupied for a time by Capt. and Mrs. W. H. Weaver and family.
For many years the home was owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Whipp and family: Ellis (married Jessie Weaver), Leslie (married Myrtle Blane), Ora (Edwin Waterbury), Nell (Paul Watson) and Virgil (Allie Mc_ Michael). Following the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Whipp, their son Virgil and wife and two daughters Virginia and Dorothy occupied the home.
Today the home is owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. William Meni_ chetti.
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313 North 9th Street, Petersburg
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Dr. Richard Bennett Home
D r. Richard Everard Bennett was born in Halifax, Virginia in 1807, and came to Illinois in 1835, settling at Rochester. In 1836 he came to New Salem and the latter part of 1836 moved to Petersburg with his family. Dr. Bennett had the distinction of being Petersburg's first resident physician.
This house was built by Dr. Bennett inthe 1840's. The original two-story brick structure had four large rooms, two rooms and a large hall downstairs, and two upstairs, with a winding walnut stairway. Each of the original rooms has a fireplace. Three rooms of frame construction were added later. The house faced the north as it does now, however the original house had no porch. Old pictures of the house show the old Bennett Inn which was owned by Dr. Bennett and stood just east of his house. The Inn faced east and was previously owned by Peter Lukins, for whom the city of Petersburg was named. This was the first inn ever kept in Petersburg. Its roof sheltered many men who after_ ward became famous: Lincoln, Douglas, McDougall, Hardin, Herndon, Fergu- son, Stuart, and other noted lawyers who stopped here when attending court.
Dr. Bennett was married to Miss Maria Carter, his first cousin, daughter of Alexander and Margaret Stevens Carter. They werethe parents of ten chil- dren: Margaret Ann, Richard, Margaret B. (married David Bell), Theodorick (married Martha Jane Jenkins), Virginia (married James H. Thornton), Robert, Walter, Susannah, David and James. Theodorick and Martha Bennett had four children: William, David, Bertha, and one child who died in infancy.
Dr. Bennett was married the second time Oct. 18, 1855 to Mrs. Margaret White Phillips. She was the daughter of Aaron White. She had two sons Aaron Francis and William Jefferson Phillips by her first marriage to William C. Phillips. Aaron Francis Phillips, called Frank, is the artist who painted sev- eral pictures of New Salem which now hang in the Ralph Newman Museum in Chicago. He also made many wood carvings, carving the much talked of pro- file of Lincoln on the sycamore tree at New Salem. He was married to Ella Burkholder.
Dr. and Margaret Bennett were theparents of eight children: Ellnora, who married Septimus Weatherby; Mary, who married J. R. Gurrad; John, who married Barbara Farber; Richard; Margaret, who married Will Rayburn; Charles, who traveled with Shipps Circus; Richard who died in infancy; Georg- ana, who married John B. Dennis. Mrs. Dennis is 93 years of age and the only living child of Dr. Bennett.
Following the second marriage of Dr. Bennett, the family moved to Sand- ridge, where Dr. Bennett died in 1875. Dr. Bennett is buried in the old City Cemetery in the southeast corner of Petersburg.
This house was occupied at onetime by the Riseman family, who operated a store on the north side of the square.
The house was later occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Hueffner, who moved here from Virginia, Ill. in 1901. Mr. Hueffner, a Civil War veteran, was born in Neine Kirchen Baden, Germany in 1844. He owned and operated the Eagle Roller Mills, where the well known "Snow Patent" flour was milled. The Hueffners were the parents of eight children: Elizabeth (Boyd), Arthur, Mrs. John Leigh, Rose (Andervont), Beulah (Smith) and three children who died in infancy.
Today the house is owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Melton and their daughter Ada Marie.
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106 E. Madison Street, Petersburg
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Bishop House
M ost happily for house and grounds, this house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Watkins in 1948, and was carefully restored. A downstairs bedroom and garage were added to the back of the house, in no way changing the lines of the house.
This beautiful red brick Georgian home was built between 1845 and 1849 by Robert Bishop, a soldier of the Mexican War. The Bishop family moved into this home after living in a log cabin which stood on the adjoining lot.
Robert Bishop was born in Portsmouth, England in 1815, and came to the United States with his parents when quite young. His father was the first to invent and put into use the cylinder for revolvers and guns, but died before they were put into general use. After spending some ten years of his early life as a whaler along the coast of Chile, Peru and Panama, he located in Peters- burg and became the proprietor of a gun shop which he operated on the south side of the square, where the Menard County Mutual Fire Insurance office is now located. The following two paragraphs, reprinted from the Petersburg Ob- server, describe the first Bishop gunshop.
"This frame building, timbers of oak, ceiling of sycamore and weather boarding of walnut, was occupiedby Abe Lincoln as a store at New Salem from 1832 to 1835. Here also he kept the post office of which he, himself, was the postmaster. In this building he studied law and mastered the intricacies of surveying without a teacher."
"About 1836 this building was bought by Robert Bishop for a gunshop and moved to this city. Mr. Lincoln assisted inthe removal. Sometime later when Mr. Bishop built the brick building now occupied by his son, L. W. Bishop, on the south side of the square, the old Lincoln building was pushed to the rear."
Here the building remained until April 1906 when it was taken down and hauled to the Bishop residence. High winds finally carried off the roof, so that its demolition became necessary.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bishop were the parents of one daughter, Olive B., who married Fred Wilkinson, and two sons, Jay C. Bishop and Louis Bishop. Jay married Miss Mary Momeyer and they were the parents of one son, Rob- ert Bishop. Louis Bishop was never married. He was associated with his father in business.
This house remained inthe Bishop family until it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Watkins. The Watkins were the parents of one son, Juhl Watkins.
The staircase is of walnut, and gracing the original old walnut fireplace are two oil lamps which were originally used in a chandelier when the house was built. The interior, like the exterior, is sturdy, simple, and in excellent taste.
Standing to the west of this house is a magnificent old evergreen, which is said to have been planted when the house was built.
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217 W. Sheridan, Petersburg
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Bonnett Inn
6 his old Inn, built in 1842, is all that remains of a settlement called Rob- inson's Mills (now known as Bobtown). This is where the stage coach stopped in days gone by.
The following excellent article describing Robinson's Mills was prepared for the writer by William Eugene Boeker of Oakford:
In 1826, Abraham Mounts built a water and horse mill on Clary's Creek below the confluence of Little Creek and Clary's Creek. He was one of the earl- iest settlers of this community.
During the year 1829, James Watkins settled in this area and bought the mill from Mounts, who moved to Crane Creek district and established another mill.
In 1836, A. Lincoln as deputy surveyor of Sangamon county, especially the northwest section, established a road beginning at a point near Watkins Mill, heading east by northeast through the later town of Oakford, (founded in 1872) to the town of Huron, which Lincoln had just surveyed this same year. The road crossed the Sangamon at Miller's Ferry (at Huron) and headed north- east toward Pekin.
In 1836 or 37 Ebenezer Robinson, another miller, bought the 40 acres (that the Watkins Mill was located on) from Watkins, rebuilt the mill, added a saw mill also and from that time on the community was known as Robinson's Mills. He built a double log cabin and in 1842 or 43 began the construction of the brick structure. This mill was located on the road leading from New Salem, northwest to Little Grove Creek and followed its course nearly all the way to the mill, passing the "Pecan Chapel" one mile north and headed north to the Sangamon where the Purdy McGinnis Ferry was located and from there toward Bath and Havana.
It is known that a store, mill, saloon, blacksmith, Inn and several other occupations were established here and became known as Robinson's Mills, Ill- inois when the post office was established there.
Robinson became a very important man of the area. In the year 1846 he was elected to the State Legislature from Menard county for one term. Some time between this time and 1870, he left Robinson's Mills and living with his daughter, Mrs. Eliley Burton of Lincoln, Ill., died February 22, 1871.
When Robinson left Robinson's Mills, John Bonnett became owner of the land of Robinson's Mills. He had been living here since 1842, having helped build the brick inn. His grandson, George Bonnett, tells that the family story handed down is that during Lincoln's politicing, he stopped several times over night at Robinson's Mills, where he met many old friends. John Bonnett was a blacksmith, coffin maker and farmer by trade. This trade was handed down through the family. When the Bonnetts came to Robinson's Mills the building was being built, the bricks being molded northwest of the house.
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Bobtown Road, Oakford
After the Civil War, several residents lived in the village. In 1866 Dr. J. D. Whitley was practicing medicine here as well as postmaster until the year 1872 when he moved to Oakford and later on to Petersburg.
As soon as lots were put up for sale in Oakford, everyone left Robinson's Mills. Calvin Atterberry, the merchant, moved his stock of goods to Oakford, the saloon keeper moved, as well as Dr. Whitley. It was a matter of months that all that was left at Robinson's Mills was the old brick inn, the owner, John Bonnett, the postmaster and blacksmith by trade. Infact it disintegrated sim- ilar to New Salem, when Petersburg became the county seat.
The farm remained in the Bonnett family for years. Today it is owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Gebhards.
Ebenezer Robinson's daughter Caroline was first marriedto a Mr. Buck- ley. Her second marriage was to J. C. McDole. She was the grandmother of Mrs. Norma Bonties of Petersburg.
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Branson House
N athaniel W. Branson, builder of this house, was a native of Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was born in 1837. His father, William Branson, was born in North Carolina and his mother, June Cooledge Branson was a native of Kentucky. They lived in Jacksonville where William Branson, a furni- ture dealer, was at one time mayor.
N. W. Branson graduated in 1857 from Illinois College where he studied law and was admitted to the bar three years later. He came to Petersburg where he met and married Miss Frances Regnier, daughter of Dr. Francis and Ann Goldsmith Regnier. Dr. and Mrs. Regnier were former residents of New Salem and upon moving to Petersburg, lived in the house which stood north of the Library. This red brick house, built by Dr. Regnier's brother, was used for many years as the city hall.
Mr. Branson was twice elected a member of the State Legislature and in 1876 was a delegate to the National Convention in Cincinnati which nominated Hayes and Wheeler for the presidency.
This large white frame house stands at the top of what is known as "Brahm's Hill", and is located where once stood the home of Dr. and Mrs. John Allen who moved to Petersburg from New Salem. A two-storied square pillared porch extends to the roof line. Behind the imposing facade lie an equally imposing series of rooms. This house boasts eight marble fireplaces, four downstairs and four in upstairs bedrooms.
Mr. and Mrs. Branson were the parents of six children, four dying in childhood, Edward R. Branson and Miss Ella Branson, who married Dr. W. M. Craig.
Following the death of Mr. Branson, the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. George Warnsing of Greenview. They were the parents of two daughters, Laura Marie and Hermine.
The house is now owned and occupied by the Warnsings' granddaughter and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Lewis and their three sons, Warnsing, Peter and Clark.
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Clark House
7 hree miles north and west of Petersburg stands a stately old eleven room house, built of brick which was burned near the house. Built by a man named Clark, it was occupied by this family for a few years until the family moved to California.
South of this house on what was then the George Hudspeth farm, lived James McGrady Rutledge and his wife. When this house was sold by the Clark family it was purchased by the Rutledges' who moved into this home.
James McGrady Rutledge was the son of William and Susannah Cameron Rutledge, and was a descendant of Edward Rutledge who signed the Declaration of Independence. He was born in Henderson county, Kentucky in 1814 and at the age of twelve years he moved with his parents to the Concord community, then a wild Indian country. At that time prairie grass was so high, natives found it hard to see their cows whenthey stood close by. All wheat was hauled to Beardsferry (Beardstown) 40 miles away. The old Indian Shick Shack lived in this part of the country and was friendly with the early settlers. He lived with his children. Two of his children, Joe and Antewine, were playmates of James McGrady Rutledge. His wife who had died, was buried on the banks of the Sangamon River. Shick Shack died during the winter of the big snow, 1830- 31. After his death the remainder of the tribe moved north to join the Black Hawk tribe.
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