USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Union County > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
Each year, overseers of the poor were appointed. It was not until 1876 after the old poor law was revised that definite rules regulating procedures to be followed by the overseers were set up by the County Board of Commissioners. After 1870 and until 1913 outdoor relief including medical care, clothing, food, nursing and burial expenses, indoor relief or county farm care, and institution care provided by the state were the methods used to provide for the poor in the county.
One overseer's annual report, typical of other such reports during the one hundred years preceding 1930, records 24 cases re- ceiving assistance. One to seven orders were given in each case, the orders averaging three dollars each, varying in amount from one to nine dollars. No record was kept as to how many members there were in each family receiving help.
THE COUNTY FARM
In 1869, three men were appointed to select a suitable site for a "county poor house." A two hundred acre tract of land about the central part of the county was selected 80 acres of which was
-107-
sold before 1900 and 80 acres remained in use as the "county farm" until 1939 when the farm was discontinued by the county and the land sold.
Before this "county poor farm" was established, poor per- sons had been "bid off" as mentioned before and later, groups of them had been "bid off" to one person for care. The county farm cared for the group of needy persons who had heretofore been "bid off" to one person and individual cases were still cared for in their homes or on their farms with special permission of the super- intendent of the poor farm.
At first the agent in charge of the county farm paid rent of three hundred dollars per year for the use of the farm and was given a per capita payment for each person sent to him for care and later the agent, or superintendent, was paid a salary and the pro- ceeds derived from the farm products were used by the county: for. maintenance of the farm and care of the inmates. Additional grants: were made by the County Board when necessary.
A system of record keeping for the farm was established and the book originally used for this purpose is still available. Parts of it have been destroyed and the accuracy of what remains depend- ed upon the ability of the superintendent to make accurate entries. A few of the superintendents could not write well enough to keep a record. After the name of each person in the record, space was provided for the age, sex, color, occupation, civil condition, birth- place, parentage, residence, health habits, date of admission, prop- erty, authority for admission, supposed cause of pauperism and date of discharge.
It was interesting to note that between 1875 and 1900 sev. eral names of county officials appeared on the record as having entered for short periods of time and under the heading "health habits" were written such notations as "chills and fever," "sore throat," epilepsy," etc. This indicates that the county farm was: used as an infirmary or hospital as well as a place for paupers to live.
From 1875 to 1930 there was an average of approximately twenty inmates on the county farm. Usually about one hundred people were admitted annually. Each quarterly report showed from one to five deaths as the reasons for dicharge of the case. A few illegitimate child births were cared for during this period. One quarterly report showed that eleven inmates under ten years of age, three between ten and twenty, eighteen between twenty and thirty and fifteen over thirty were admitted.
The annual expense for maintenance of the "county farm" and care of the poor persons there was $2,000 in 1900, $1,400 in 1910, $3,700 in 1920, $1,250 in 1925, and $1,100 in 1930.
The County Farm was disbanded and sold in 1939 because the per capita cost of caring for the few inmates there was so much higher than the average cost of relief cases in the county.
-108-
MEDICAL CARE FOR POOR
Before 1874 many items recorded in the County Record showed that medical care was given to the poor by many doctors who were paid for the individual cases they attended. In 1874 this procedure was changed by order of the County Board. Bids were taken for the care of the poor and the lowest bidder became the "county doctor." Some years the physician was paid on a per call basis and some years the agreement for payment was made on an annual wage basis. Many items recorded since 1874 showed that physicians other than the "county doctor" were paid for their ser- vices in caring for the poor persons. In addition to the care of the sick the "county doctor" was directed by the County Board to recommend to the agent in charge of the county farm, the discharge of all persons sheltered there whom he deemed physically able to support themselves.
It is difficult to make any estimate of the amount of per capita relief which was given in individual cases because grocery orders were recorded according to the total amount owed to a par- ticular grocer for "furnishing paupers" and clothing orders were recorded in the same manner. Itemized statements of doctors were paid .. It would also be difficult to estimate how many cases were given assistance, however, using the overseer's report quoted above as typical of the amount per order given and using the figure $3000 as the amount of outdoor relief given in 1930, a fair estimate may be that there were between six hundred fifty and seven hundred people receiving aid during the year 1930. Again as- suming that the number of case may be computed on this basis, the number of cases cared for in 1920 was double the number cared for in 1930.
All relief with the exception of aid to mothers and relief for the blind was administered by the County Board or their ap- pointed agents or overseers in accordance with the law passed in 1874 known as "An Act to revise the law in relation to paupers, approved March 23, 1874."
AID TO THE BLIND
In 1903 the state of Illinois passed a law providing relief or pensions to all blind persons in the state. These pensions were to be paid by the counties. The law provided that all persons over 18 years of age declared to be blind should receive a benefit of $250 per year payable quarterly upon warrants properly drawn upon the treasurer of the county where such blind person resides. Those eligible for the benefits of this law are blind persons who are not charges of institutions, or who do not have an income of more than $250 per year, who have resided in the state for ten consecutive. years and in the county for three years immediately preceeding the. date of applying for the benefit.
The blind person may make application in the office of the county clerk who will send him to the medical examiner appointed by the County Board. The medical officer will send his report to.
-109-
the County Board who then allow the benefit or reject the applica- tion as the case may be.
This act was amended in 1935 to allow a pension of $365 per year and to allow the blind person and spouse to have an income of $1000 per year or less. If the applicant has more than a $1000 income he is not eligible for the benefit.
In spite of the fact that relief to the blind was allowed in Illinois as early as 1903, there was none allowed in Union County until after July 1, 1915.
In 1915, six persons applied for pensions and six were allow- ed pensions. In 1916, 30 applied and 25 were pensioned; in 1917, six applied and four were pensioned; in 1918, eight applied and seven were pensioned; in 1919, four applied and one was pensioned; in 1920, four applied and three were pensioned; in 1921, three ap- plied and three were pensioned, in 1922 three applied and three were pensioned; in 1923, six applied and five were pensioned; in 1924, six applied and three were pensioned; in 1925, three applied and two were pensioned; in 1926, eight applied and five were pen- sioned; in 1927, nine applied and five were pensioned; in 1928, 12 applied and eight were pensioned; in 1929, 11 applied and three were pensioned; in 1930, 14 applied and seven were pensioned; in 1931, 25 applied and 14 were pensioned; in 1932, no applications were taken; 15 applied between the years 1933 and 1937, and of these, four were allowed in 1936, 10 in 1937 and one in 1938; in 1939, 21 applications were made and 21 pensions allowed.
From the year 1933 to 1937 the medical examiner interpreted the law to mean only totally blind people were eligible for a pen- sion and since then the law has been interpreted that those indus- frially blind, that are not able to work on account of sight defects were eligible for a pension.
Of these applicants 8 men were between the ages of 21 and 30; 22 were between 30 and 40; 15 between 40 and 50; 35 between 50 and 60; 39 between 60 and 70; 39 between 70 and 80; 22 be- tween 80 and 90 and seven of unkown ages. 82 of these applicants were over 65 years of age.
AID TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
An act to provide for the partial support of mothers and for the probationary visitation, care and supervision of the family for whose benefit support was provided was passed by the state legislature June 30, 1930 and in force July 1, 1913. In September, 1913 the first "mother's pension" was allowed in Union County.
The law provides that "a woman whose husband is dead and who was a resident of the state at the time of his death, or whose husband has become permanently incapacitated for work by reason of physical or mental infirmity and became so incapacitated while a resident of the state, or whose husband being the father of her child or children under sixteen years of age has abandoned her and said child or children and neglects or refuses to maintain or provide for them, and who has fled from this state or secrets himself so that he cannot be apprehended and prosecuted for wife and child aban-
-110-
donment, may file application for relief under this act. The mother must have resided in the county for three years before the applica- tion is made.
The probation officer is then to make an investigation into the needs of the mother and recommend to the County Judge that the pension be granted or refused. Then the Judge in a court hear- ing renders his decision concerning the granting of the pension.
This county have given amounts ranging from two to three dollars per child and at the present time gives three dollars per child. In many instances the mother is permitted to work away from her home in order to help provide for her family. Orders are called for monthly by the mothers. In 1938, sixty-six mothers were receiving aid under this act including one hundred twenty children.
In larger counties this act is administered in a much different manner. Larger amounts are allowed to the mother according to her need and few mothers with children under 14 are permitted to work away from home. In most cases in those counties the allowance is adequate for the needs of the family. In Union County, several cases have been given relief by the County Relief Agency because the aid to mothers was inadequate to meet their needs.
The history of public assistance in Union County up to 1939- may best be summarized by the following figures:
1868 For Care of paupers $ 934.14
1869 Care of paupers
1,654.96
1871 Care of paupers
1,414.67
1881 For care of paupers
1,346.61
For paupers in state institutions
138.25
$ 1,484.86
1882
For care of paupers
1,604.92
For paupers in state institutions
219.71
1,824.63
1883 For care of paupers
1,525.22
For paupers in institutions
149.16
1,674.38
1884 For care of paupers
2,968.73
For paupers in institutions
330.42
3,299.15
1886
For care of paupers
1,500.00
For paupers in institutions
600.00
2,100.00
1890 For care of paupers
1,500.00
For paupers in institutions
600.00
2,100.00
1900
For paupers outside county farm
300.00
For poor farm and expenses
2,000.00
For paupers in institutions
300.00
2,000.00
1910
For paupers in institutions
1,650.00
For paupers at county farm
550.00
For paupers outside county farm
1,375.00
For expense of county farm
450.00
4,425.00
1920
For paupers in institutions
500.00
For paupers at county farm
1,800.00
For maintaining county farm
700.00
For paupers outside county farm
6,000.00
9,050.00
-- 111-
400.00
Salary of Supt. of county farm
1922 For paupers at institutions
500.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For maintaining county farm
1,000.00
For paupers outside county farm
5,000.00
M. D.'s fees for insane inquisitions
100.00
For relief of blind
4,950.00
13,050.00
1924
For paupers in institutions
500.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For maintaining county farm
750.00
For paupers outside county farm
5,000.00
M. D. fees for insane inquisitions
150.00
For relief of blind
8,000.00
For physicians examining blind
25.00
For mother's pension fund
1,500.00
1926
For paupers in institutions
500.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For paupers outside county farm
5,000.00
For maintaining county farm
750.00
M. D. fees for insane inquisitions
150.00
For relief of blind
8,000.00
M. D. fees for examining blind
25.00
14,925.00
1928
For county farm salaries
600.00
For paupers in institutions
700.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For maintaining county farm
3,000.00
M. D. fees for insane inquisitions
150.00
For relief of blind
9,000.00
For mother's pension fund
3,500.00
17,950.00
1930
For paupers in institutions
600.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For maintaining county farm
600.00
For paupers outside county farm
3,000.00
M. D. fees for insane inquisitions
200.00
For relief of blind
7,500.00
M. D. fees for examining blind
50.00
For mother's pension fund
2,000.00
14,450.00
1932
For paupers in institutions
600.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For maintaining county farm
1,000.00
For paupers outside county farm
3,000.00
For relief of blind
18,000.00
M. D. fees for examining blind
50.00
For paupers in institutions
200.00
For paupers at county farm
500.00
For paupers outside county farm
4,500.00
For relief of blind
18,200.00
M. D. fees for examining blind
50.00
For mother's pension fund
5,000.00
27,050.00
1936
600.00 For salary of supt. of county farm For care of paupers outside co. farm 6,500.00
-112-
16,425.00
23,150.00
1934
For maintenance of county farm 1,200.00
M. D. fees for insane inquisitions
200.00
For relief of blind 13,500.00
For expense of old age security board
200.00
For mother's pension
4,000.00
State and Federal funds for relief
151,794.52
Work projects 31,626.96
209,621.38
1938
For care of poor and indigent persons 30,000.00
For maintenance of county farm 1,000.00
For relief of blind 15,000.00
State and Federal relief funds 70,386.37
Old age assistance 118,084.00
W. P. A. labor (adm. excluded) 420,000.00
*629,470.37
* This total does not include farm relief given by the U. S. De- partment of Agriculture.
-113-
CHAPTER XXXII PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AFTER 1930'
In 1930 only $14,450 was spent in Union County for public assistance and of this amount $7500 was for blind pensions and $2000 for mother's pensions. There were five methods then used for caring for the poor: care at the county farm, outdoor relief administered by the county commissioners through overseers of the poor in each precinct, relief for the blind, aid to mothers and care in a state institution.
The population of Union County had increased from 18,100 persons in 1880 to 20,249 in 1920 and decreased to 19,883 in 1930. The total cost of relief had increased from $1484.16 in 1880 to $9,000 in 1920 and to $14,450 in 1930. The increase which took place between 1920 and 1930 was due to the increase in the num- ber of blind pensions allowed. The increase from 1.880 to 1920 was either because there was more assistance needed or more needs were cared for.
A County Commissioner who was in office in 1930 gave the following information. "We always helped our paupers who came to us for help. Most of the able bodied people could support themselves. A few had to have an order or two during the winter. We always helped the old, the sick, the children and widows. The average order was two dollars per week for a family because most of them were able to get what they needed from friends or the farmers they worked for. These grocery orders were issued for staple foods only. The poor did not fool us any because we knew all of them. Clothing and books were provided for poor children in school and medical care for the sick. Very little assistance was given through the summer months because it was not needed. We thought we met the needs adequately and there did not seem to be any complaint about the assistance given."
The school teachers played an important role in the care of the poor at that time. They reported children who needed clothing and books and often food.
Aside from the above types of assistance given by public agencies in 1930, there was a private agency known as the Associat- ed Charities which gave a small amount of assistance. The secretary of this organization, Mr. Thomas Rixleben of Jonesboro, gives the following account of it. "The Associated Charities was organized in 1910 by three churches in Jonesboro, Illinois, the Baptist, Meth- odist and Lutheran churches. A Thanksgiving service was held in each church in rotation. A voluntary offering was taken amounting to about twenty dollars per year which was given to the Associated Charities. The merchants of the town added about thirty dollars to the collection and all the citizens who wished donated used clothing and shoes which were given to the poor. The needs of the poor were few because neigbors and relatives contributed to those in need without being asked to do so."
At this time it was customary for farmers and landlords who
-114-
had tenants on their farms to supply this tenant with a house, a piz or two, the use of a cow and all the fresh vegetables and fruit he wished to can. If sickness or any circumstance occurred which caused the tenants to need more money than their usual thirty dol- lars a month salary, the landlord either provided medical care or "stood behind" the credit of the person in need. In the summer, the poor who did not live on farms were usually told through their grocers or friends that certain farmers would allow them to pick the fruit and vegetables too ripe to be shipped to market yet in ex- cellent condition for canning or eating. It was only unusually lazy people who did not avail themselves of these opportunities, and these people were so criticized by their neighbors that many people ac- cepted the gifts to avoid having a reputation of being lazy. Thrifty housewives usually saw that their poor neighbors, relatives and 'friends had enough cans for their fruit and vegetables and enough second hand clothes to be presentable.
These opinions of the people in charge of giving aid to the poor in 1930 have been quoted in full in order to show that drastic contrast that has taken place during the last ten years when our public assitance has increased from $14,450 in 1930 to $629,470.37 in 1938 in spite of the fact that a large factory employing 500 people was opened up during that period. This $629,470.37 does not include large amounts of money that have been loaned to the farm- ers and home-builders, it represents only the amount of money that was give outright to the people of the county who said they were unable to earn a livelihood for themselves and would have to be supported by the government.
One drastic change that has taken place since 1930 is the fact that the citizens who do not need help have taken the attitude that the government should help the poor and the individual citizen need no longer give the attention he formerly gave to his tenant, his neighbor or his poor relative. A second drastic change that has take place is that the poor person no longer feels that he is being helped but demands support as a civil right. Most recipients of W. P. A. jobs do not consider this a form of relief and demand that their political friends use their influence to obtain this type of job for them.
There is not room here to enumerate instances where citizens who consider themselves honorable have abused the privilege of be- ing aided by the government by demanding help when they might be able to devise ways to help themselves. This is not true alone of Union Coupnty but of most of the counties in the whole United States. Since the appropriation for this assistance comes from the federal and state governments mainly, all needs are estimated at a maximum rather than minimum extent so that by the time all esti- mates are totalled it makes a tremendous amount of money neces- sary to meet the estimated needs and after the money is appro- priated it seems that few places make an effort to use as small an amount of money as possible and let the surplus revert to the treasury of the county, state or federal government. When one
-115-
stops to consider that Union County has only 4500 taxpayers and over $600,000 was given away in the county and also considers that this is happening all over the country, then one realizes that better programs for administering public assistance must be used in the future.
THE ILLINOIS EMERGENCY RELIEF COMMISSIONS ADMINISTRATION IN UNION COUNTY
By the end of 1933, representatives of the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission, which had been appointed by the governor to help with the growing relief problem in the state, had made con- tacts with the chairman of the county board of commissioners, Mr. Clem C. Baggott, and appointments were made of an Emergency Re- lief Committee for Union County. Mr. R. Wilkins, Alto Pass; Mr. Ed Karraker, Jonesboro; Mr. Claude Rich, Cobden; Dr. C. R. Walser, Anna; Harvey Hinkle, Dongola, and Ed Hargrave, Anna, were ap- pointed to serve with Mr. Clem Baggott as chairman. Later Mr. Baggott and Dr. Walser resigned and the final committee which served was made up of Ed. L. Karraker, Jonesboro; T. P. Sifford, Anna; R. S. Dillow, Dongola; Claude W. Rich, Cobden; Dan R. Davie, Ware; Ed S. Hargrave, Anna, and Roy Wilkins, Alto Pass.
Since there had been no unusual requests for aid in the county at the time, the chairman of the committee and the county clerk sent letters to the principals of city schools and to teachers of country schools asking for a list of names of needy persons in the school districts. From these lists the first allocations of money was computed. Later as the availability of money became publicized requests became numerous.
In February, 1934 the representatives of the I. E. R. C. told the local members that in order to continue to receive money in Union County an administrator of certain qualifications should be appointed. Since the board knew of no one in the county who could meet the requirements set up by the I. E. R. C. they accepted the suggestion of the commission and appointed Mrs. Bertha Mont- gomery who describes herself as the "bitter pill the committee had to swallow in order to obtain funds from the commission."
Under Mrs. Montgomery's supervision the office was organized which at one time employed 32 workers to investigate cases and otherwise administer relief in Union County. Requests for relief increased and eventually this office was taking care of most of the mother's aid cases and blind pension cases. Work relief in the county was first organized in this office which was later to be taken over by the Civil Works Administration of the federal government and later by the Works Program Administration.
In 1935 the legislature took the power of administration of relief away from the I. E. R. C. because there had been too much friction between the administrators and many of the county boards. This was due mainly to the scarcity of available administrators who had the requisite training and background and those who had to be used were learning their jobs themselves instead of being able
-116-
to teach the boards and their employees what needed to be done.
As a result of this act the relief was turned back to the county board and the I. E. R. C. acted only as a certification agent to approve of the applicants for the Works Progress Administra- tion, the Public Works Administration, the Rural Resettlement Ad- ministration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Youth Administration and other related services. The I. E. R. C. also provides the funds for the counties to distribute and since 1938 has had the power to supervise the administration of these funds. A third duty the I. E. R. C. retains is the distribution of surplus foods in the counties. Surplus foods are supposed to be foods and pro- ducts bought in areas where there is a surplus supply and distributed by the government, thus keeping the surplus off the market.
All but one of the members of the local I. E. R. C. committee expressed themselves as believing they should have used their own ideas of limiting the amount of money spent in Union County rather than listening to the representatives of the commission who con- tinually pointed out that this county might as well get all the money they could since the other counties were doing the same thing.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.