USA > Illinois > Champaign County > Gifford > The Centennial book, Gifford, Illinois : 1875-1975 > Part 3
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JOSEPH H. WELLES
Mr. Welles, one of fourteen children, was born in Connecticut on October 19, 1818, the son of Joseph and Lucy Welles. His father was a cousin of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy under Presi- dent Lincoln. The family moved to Ohio in 1835 and there the young Mr. Welles married Sarah A. Jones in 1848. Mr. Welles and his wife came to Compromise Township in 1865 and settled on the family homestead southeast of Gifford-320 acres on Section 7, "not a foot of which had been broken."
Nine children were born to this marriage, several of whom were related to the history of Gifford in one way or another. One daughter, May, was the wife of Charles W. Ellis who founded the lumber yard in Gifford. Two of the daughters, Maria and Lidie, were in turn the wives of Joseph W. McHenry, who was a furniture dealer and under- taker in Gifford. A son, Thomas B., remained on the family farm and his family of six children in- cluded four teachers who were long active in the Gifford-Penfield vicinity, Ralph, Marion, Louise and Margaret (Hamilton). Another son, Maxwell, died in his twenties leaving three daughters. Another daugh- ter, Katie, now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Joseph H. Willes
CHARLES H. WILLARD
Mr. Willard was born in Mississippi in 1820. He was left an orphan and was "apprenticed" to a man in Arkansas who "treated him like a slave" so he ran away. For fifteen years he was employed on river boats plying the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. He went up to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at a time when there were only Indian tents on the site of the present city.
Orphaned, mistreated, and without a day's schooling, Mr. Willard fought his way to notable success. He was married in 1850 to Miss Malinda Smith while in Indiana and shortly thereafter made the trip to Illinois by ox cart. He had achieved con- siderable success and had increased his holdings to 360 acres before he bought a tract which included parts of the present village of Gifford. He platted and added a three block subdivision to the town the next year after Mr. Gifford laid out the original portion, and soon built a grain elevator at a cost of $10,000.
Mr. Willard was married twice and raised two families, the first including six children and the second one eight, so there are many descendants. He also owned 600 acres of land in Lawrence Coun- ty, Illinois.
A "HAS BEEN"
When I was young and my slippers were red, I could kick my feet clear over my head; Then I grew older and my slippers were blue But still I could dance the whole night through.
Now I am old and my slippers are black. I walk to the corner and puff my way back. The reason I know that my youth has been spent- My "get up and go" has "got up and went"!
But I really don't mind when I think with a grin Of all the good places my "get up" has been. Since 1 have retired from life's competition I find every day an exact repitition-
I get up each morning and dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the "obits." If my name is missing I know I'm not dead, So I eat a big breakfast and go back to bed.
-Author and Source Unknown
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Growth Of Gifford
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So far as its land area is concerned, Gifford grew somewhat like your Grandmother's patchwork quilt. Benjamin Gifford and Harvey Bullock put down the first square. Then other men and women "sewed on" a patch from time to time to make up our present day map-or quilt.
The original portion platted by Mr. Gifford included only the area from the present Post Office corner (South Street) to Alberta Carley's corner (North Street) in its North/South dimension. It included a full tier of lots on the west side of West
Street and extended a full block beyond Park Ave- nue to a street called (you guessed it!) East Street. But East Street was never opened or used until very recently when Mr. and Mrs. George Buenting devel- oped a short section of it in their subdivision. The plat for the original town of Gifford is dated Novem- ber 12, 1875, but the very next year Mr. Gifford scissored off the south end of it and replaced it with a different pattern. The new pattern eliminated the west end of South Street and the east end of Summitt Street, among other changes.
Original Town of Gifford
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ORIGINAL TOWN OF GIFFORD - November 12, 1875
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In 1876, also, Mr. C. H. Willard stitched on his patch-the two blocks directly south of the present Post Office corner and one block directly south of the railroad and east of Park Avenue. In 1883, three men named Sawdey, West and Olds sewed their patch onto our quilt-New Street and the 1/8th mile lying west of it, extending from Summitt Street to North Street. In 1885 someone knitted together the strangest patch of all, so strange that I'm not sure if it amounts to an addition to our town or not. They had surveyed, platted and record- ed a map of the ground between Church Street and South Road extending a quarter mile east of Main Street. But it was not divided into lots and streets. It was simply divided into small fields and areas, varying from one half to twelve and a half acres.
We must have hit a slump then, for no more patches were added to the quilt until 1901 when W. H. Allison laid out a tier of eight lots between West and Main Streets and four lots west of West Street-all north of North Street-and appliqued them into our quilt. In the same month, April, "at the request of E. N. Carley the Assessor" another patch was platted and sewed on. It included the land between Main and Park Streets lying north of North Street to include Lloyd Filkin's present home, along with four lots just north of North Street on the east side of Park Avenue. Later in the same year "E. N. Carley the Assessor" also platted and attached to the town all those lots on the west side of Main Street from the Post Office corner south to include the present school and school yard.
In 1908 Mr. C. E. Crane re-drew the map in his area and added to the town a series of 7 lots directly south of the present Lutheran Church parking area. Then we really hit a slump and nothing was added on for 47 years. . . .
In 1955, Anna and Minnie Franzen had three lots added to the town along the east side of Park Avenue, just south of Florida Avenue. In 1959 Anna Franzen returned to the scene through her
lawyer and sewed on seven lots lying north and east of Florida Avenue which is shown on the plat as Franzen Court.
It was in 1956 that Hollie G. Wise hired a sur- veyor and platted the 11 lots along the west side of West Street, from Route 136 southward. That por- tion of West Street had been used by the public for years but had never been released from private own- ership. For that reason Mr. Wise's plat included the street which he then dedicated to public use. The cluster of houses lying south of Summitt Street and east of New Street are on lots platted and added to the village by Orville Leischner in 1959. Most of the houses on the west side of New Street to the south of Summitt are on lots stitched onto our "quilt" by Mr. Leischner in 1962.
Werner and Marie Roessler added nine lots near the corner of Main Street and South Road in 1961, four of them along the west side of Main Street and five of them along the north side of South Road. Still another 20 lots and a new street (Eilers Drive) were basted onto our quilt block by John and Bertha Eilers in 1962.
In 1967 the Rademacher Brothers knitted to- gether three lots and added them to the town on the east side of Park Avenue, just south of the first Franzen addition. In 1970 Mr. and Mrs. George Buenting opened a short extension of the never developed East Avenue and laid out five lots along the two sides of it. They have drawings made for four more lots running eastward from that.
If you have followed this development with any interest, you may have noted that some areas have not been mentioned. The row of houses lying south of the school house on the west side of Main Street would be one notable example. There is no record of their having been added to the town by any particular action. The houses were built there, and they seemed to lie inside any reasonable cor- porate limit when the town was incorporated, so they were included.
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Editor's Note:
The study of these documents brings up a lot of funny little things. Sometimes the measurements don't add up, as in the description of the Willard Subdivision which reads in part, "Beginning at- corner, then East 920 feet, then South 380 feet, then West 480 feet, then South 380 feet, then West 520 feet, then North to place of beginning -. " But he has come 1000 feet west and he went only 920 feet east. How can he then go "North to place of beginning"?
Another gem worth studying-especially for you women-is the Notary Public's statement on
the description of the Original Town of Gifford. It reads in part, ". .. appeared before me Benj and Etta Gifford and Harvey and Margaret Bullock .. . the said Etta Gifford and Margaret Bullock having been by me examined separate and out of the hear- ing of their husbands and the contents and meaning of this said instrument having been fully explained to them and they also being by me fully informed of their rights . . . acknowledged that they had freely and voluntarily executed the same ... with- out compulsion of their said husbands ." As it says in a current series of cigarette ads, "You've come a long way, baby."
"NEWS" FROM OUR GIFFORD CORRESPONDENT
+ Uvah and Bill Kelso were Ludlow callers last Thursday.
# Jake Johnson has purchased a new Ford runabout.
+ Grandma Heffington from Rantoul spent Thursday with her son Clyde Heffington.
t Miss Ruby and Anna Hylbert entertained a number of young people at a watch party Sunday evening.
# Bill Jeakins left Tuesday for Montana.
# Roy Siddens and Bud Alcorn were Potomac callers Sunday.
# Everette Siddens and Hollie Wise were Rantoul callers Saturday evening.
+ "His Honor, the Mayor" will be presented by eight High School students at the Opera House, May 18th.
+ Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hoch ate New Years dinner with Dr. and Mrs. Axtell.
t Misses Louise and Irene Condit spent New Years Day with J. S. Barnes and family.
+ Frank and Fay Wooldridge attended the Orpheum at Champaign Wednesday night.
+ Mrs. Sarah Hodam has purchased the residence of Frank Miller at Rantoul.
+ "Rantoul Press" Jan. 5, 1917
+
"Rantoul Press" Feb. 21, 1917
+ "Rantoul Press" May 10, 1917
ALE
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I Thomas B. Kyle Surveyor in and for the Bounty of champaign do hereby certify that I surveyed, the above Plat of ground situated in the Sr of the AD4 of Search One, and in the south East ty of the nord, Ext Sectioncts two in 2"1-10} (particularly described as follows vig. Beginning two feet forth of a stone which is planted at the SH. corner of the f.H./4 of Section do One in Township to 21 dorth of the base line in Range to 10 East of the 3- 9. Ho and running thence West 660 feet thence forth 1320 feet thenes Gast 160 feet thence South 1920 feet Rence West 1000 feet to the place of Beginning Containing 512/100 acres ÷d it into Lok Struts and Alleya suitable for a down on City So is known by the name of Gifford the Streets are all 80 feet in width the alleys which sam East and west are 20 feet wide and those running north and South are 10 feet. The size of the Rote are marked in figures indicating feet. There are 16 Blocks in turnber the Lots of which are numbered consecutively accompanying the foregoing plat is a Diagram of the Havanah Puntoul and Eastern Ruit Road showing the manner in which it cute nto lots and reduces them . The quantity of ground occupied by said RR with the right of way is 100 feet wide 50 feet from the center of the track on each side. Given under my hand this 11th day of November A D. 1875. Thomas B. style les sur. Cham badla.
Wow all den by these presente that we Benjamin O Gifford of Etta & Gaffordin Ahurry & Builest and Margaret N Bullock his wife of the bounty of thempaign in the State of Illinois, do hereby covery and release the Streets and alleys in the above phat of ground described in the foregoing Surveyors certificate to the public use former. our hands and sels this 12 th buy of chovember in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred Seventy Beuf Etta
ilford Gifford Harry & Bullock Aburgeret de. Bullock
Kate of Illinois Brampaign County On this 1 st bay of December of 21895 personally appears birfor me Benj. J. Gifford VEtta L. Gifford Harry & Bullock and margaret m. Bullock his wife personally know to me is the same personwho sprouted instrument appeared before me this day and weknowledged that they had signed sealed and delivered instrument as their force and voluntary ack for the users and purposes included. and the itta 9. Gifford wife Benj & Gifford margaret ' Bullock wife of the wall Hervey & Bullock having been by me examined separaten out of the hearing of their saint husbands sad the contents and meaning of the said instrument having fully explained to them and they also being by me fully informal of their rights under the Homestead this State acknowledged that they had freely and voluntarily executed the same and relinquished their the lands embraced in said streets and alleye and also all their rights and advantages under and by The Homestead laws of this State, without compulsion of their said husbands and that they do not wish the same. ch - 1
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GIFFORD AS A CORPORATE VILLAGE
For nearly 80 years Gifford was, politically, just a portion of Compromise Township, but in 1954 all the legal steps were taken to incorporate. Klaus Saathoff was the first "Mayor" and John Harper, Henry Kopman, Loren Walston, Harry Hoch, Lorain (Pete) Armstrong and William R. Johnson made up the first Village Board of Trustees. Mildred Roseman was the Clerk and Hollie G. Wise was the treasurer. Wesley Alcorn was named as the first Village Marshal in 1956.
Substantial progress has been made by the Village since its incorporation. It has been com- mented that "twenty-one years ago the Village of Gifford didn't own so much as a pencil. Now it has an excellent Water System, a modest municipal building, a maintenance and machine shed, a patrol car, and a truck and tractor for use in street main- tenance and water department business." The Water System draws from two wells and all essential equipment is in duplicate in order to provide con- tinuing service in case of equipment failure. It also has an emergency generator to carry the water sys- tem in case of power failure and an alarm system to warn of trouble before we run out of water.
The water system and the municipal building were completed in 1961, the maintenance shed in 1972. The Village has had engineering studies made, has submitted applications for the construction of a sewage system, and has this year purchased land south of town for a sewage treatment plant.
Since the original set of village officials, the following persons have served: "Mayors"-Carlton Meyers, Paul Schenck, Roy S. Barnes, Harry Spear and Loren Walston. "Clerks"-William R. Johnson, Freda Behr, James Martin and Jack Bouse. "Trea- surers"-Theodore Siddens and Maynard Duitsman. "Village Marshals"-Werner Roessler, Henry Peters, and Joe Curtis.
GFFORD
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THE GIFFORD MUNICIPAL BUILDING - 1975
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Churches
Gifford has had four denominational groups in the past, with two of them still active in God's work. Scratch that line, and start over. Considering that "God moves in many mysterious ways," and without stretching the truth too far, one could say that the Baptist and Christian Churches are still active in Gifford along with the Methodist and Lutheran congregations. How so? Well, the Young Ladies' Organization of the Baptist Church was formed in 1914. It later came to be known as the World Wide Guild and is still active in our com- munity even though its parent congregation has been out of business for 47 years. .
And the old Christian Church? It has a tenuous thread connecting it to the beautiful and inspiring chapel at the Country Health Nursing Care Center. Two of the members of the old Christian Church were Emma Steward (long time teacher in Gifford) and her sister Sarah. When the Christian Church closed, the "Steward girls" transferred their mem- berships to, and when they died, left their estate to the present day Bethany Park Christian Church. Sev- eral years after the death of both of the Steward sisters, the Bethany Park Church was moved to offer the Nursing Care Center $10,000 with only one string attached, namely that a chapel be pre- pared in memory of Emma and Sarah Steward. It was done, and there you have the connection-the continuing function of the old Christian Church in our community.
With that for introduction, the stories of our churches follow as presented by representatives of the congregations themselves. They are presented in the order of their founding dates: Methodist-1866; Baptist-1868; St. Paul's Lutheran-1892.
GIFFORD METHODIST CHURCH
A country school house near Gifford was the site of the first Methodist "Church." It was a 24' by 36' wooden structure, with a foundation of large stones. (It was built by Denton and Craig of Cham- paign, Illinois, at a cost of $987.46 and completed in August, 1866.) During the week it served as a school house and on the Sabbath was used for Sunday School and Church.
In 1869, the Gifford Methodist and Baptist Churches held a union Sunday School and had preaching on alternate Sundays. (Each congregation had its own minister.) Prior to this time, early Methodist ministers, who resided somewhere in "The Flats" preached in private homes whenever opportunity permitted.
The two congregations continued to worship at the school until Gifford sprang into being, and a Methodist Church was built in Gifford in 1876. Both congregations moved into the new church where they continued to hold union Sunday School and had preaching, alternating Methodist and Bap- tist ministers. Rev. W. J. Tull was the first Metho- dist minister and Rev. Lewis McCreary was the first Baptist minister in the new church. These arrange- ments continued pleasantly until the Baptist people built their own church in 1888.
On March 11, 1880, property, formerly owned by the Willard Estate, was deeded to the Village of Gifford, in trust that "said premises shall be used, kept, maintained and disposed of as a place of divine worship for the use of the ministry and membership of the Methodist Episcopal Church. . . "
Several years later this church building was sold to the Gifford Opera House Corporation for
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the sum of $700, said building to be used for wor- ship services until the new church was completed. In 1905 a new church was erected on the same plot of ground.
In July 1906, the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society was organized.
A
THE NEW METHODIST CHURCH-1905-at the cor- ner of Willard and Park Streets where the Martin Os- born's now live. The original Methodist church on this same site was moved downtown to become at first the Opera House and most recently the Longbranch.
CHAMPAIGN DISTRICT
IĐoman's Foreign Missionary Society,
Methodist Episcopal Church.
FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING,
Rantoul, October 21-22, 1897.
CONVENTION PROGRAM - WFMS, Oct. 1897
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M.E. SUNDAY SCHOOL CAFFORD ILL MAN, BV
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In 1926, the churchi and parsonage were des- troyed by fire on a Sunday morning. Many church records and deeds were destroyed at this time, and compilation of a complete history of the church is impossible.
The Baptists invited the Methodist congrega- tion to worship with them until plans could be made for rebuilding the Methodist Church. In 1926, Reverend Leonard R. Sutton was sent to us, and for six years he served as pastor of the united congre- gations. In 1928, the Baptist Church building (the present site) was purchased by the Methodist Epis- copal congregation for $3,250.
From the year 1932 until 1935, Rev. A. H. Dagley served as minister and during this time re- modeling was done in the parsonage.
The Woman's Society of Christian Service was organized in 1940. The name was changed to United Methodist Women in 1973.
In September of 1940 (under the ministry of Rev. A. A. Heinlein) a Resolution was passed that the name of the church be changed from Methodist Episcopal Church to Gifford Methodist Church.
Mrs. William A. (Hattie Morse) Wooldridge was church organist for many years, and was succeeded by her daughter, Mrs. Gertrude Barnes, who has been the church organist for more than 50 years. The present Baldwin Orgasonic electric organ was purchased in 1954.
In 1959, Rev. Ture Dahlqvist of Bandhagen, Sweden, (while attending Garrett Institute) accept- ed the charge as minister of the Gifford Church. In April of 1960, Reverend and Mrs. Dahlqvist enter- tained the Bishop of Stockholm, Rev. Odd Hagen, while he was in the United States attending the World Conference of Churches in Denver, Colorado.
Written by Ruth Ann (Barnes) Zook from information com- piled by Mrs. Roy Barnes and Mrs. Ira Lewis several years ago and from other sources.
Roster of Ministers of the Gifford Methodist Church
Rev. W. J. Tull 1877
Rev. C. S. McCullom 1925
Rev. Isaac Groves
1878
Rev. Homer Massey
1926 served less than one year
Rev. Roger L. Schoate 1880
Rev. Benjamin Bartholow 1882
Rev. L. R. Sutton 1926-1931
Rev. A. H. Dagley
1932-1935
Rev. H. A. Mckinney
1883
Rev. W. Thornton 1936-1937
Rev. Alex M. Campbell
1884
Rev. H. G. Nylen
1937-1938
Rev. C. M. Crays
1885
Rev. A. A. Heinlein 1938-1941
Rev. F. C. Reed
1887
Rev. Omer Creech
1941-1943
Rev. Phillip Shaffer
1888
Rev. Max Sykes
1944-1946, March
Rev. T. M. Middleton
1891
Supply pastors served several months until Rev. Hamilton came.
Rev. S. H. Huber
1895.
Rev. Wm. A. Groshans
1949-1953
Rev. W. A. Boyd
1898
Rev. Hubert P. Lytle
1953-1956
Rev. T. S. Mitchell
1900
Rev. Raymond Laury
1956-1957
Rev. S. M. VanCleve
1902
Rev. Charles Gibson
1957-1959
Rev. J. B. Martin
1905
Rev. Ture Dahlquist Oct. 1959-May 1960
Rev. F. L. Cook 1908
Rev. Prentice Douglas
1960-1961
Rev. H. F. Powell
1911
Rev. Oscar T. Jones
1961-1964
Rev. H. L. Thrall
1913-1915
Rev. David Graham
1964-1967
Rev. E. J. Williams
1915
Rev. James Elder 1967-1969
Rev. Ira Haverfield
1917
Rev. Robert Hackl 1969-1971
Rev. S. C. Pierce
1919-1922
Rev. Michael Eischen
1971-1972
Rev. Laken Spears
1922-1923
Rev. Dennis Paulson
1972-1973
Rev. W. 11. Downing
1924-1925
Rev. Danny Cox
1973-
Rev. E. M. Jeffers
1892
Rev. D. Wiley
1894
Rev. Ed Hamilton 1946-1949
Rev. W. H. Schwartz 1883
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2 selections. Mrs Strive read the scriptures lesson and Mrs. aixtell & Mrs. Hennessey led in frayers. Minutes of the previous meeting read and approved. Reading by Mrc. Wooldridge, Mrs Gigler, Mra Turner & Mrs. axtell. Mrs. Hylbert a Mission". worker in China gave a very interesting talk. mystery Box questions were answered by both sides. Mrs. Heard name was given in av. a new member for our societyand a new subscriber for
January 3. . 4 14 . The first meeting of the W. J. M. S. since september an account of the dreadful efindensie of Influenza that would the and
The H. J. M.S. maet with Mrs Edinburg, nes. 26th. with a number of the husbands present meeting ofeened with a selectiond on the victorala. Nest led by nors Pierce
CERPTS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE WOMEN'S FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY of the METHODIST CHURCH August 30, 1918; January 3, 1919; December 26, 1919
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BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY
The Mt. Zion Church was organized on January 1, 1868, and was composed of six Baptist Church members living in this area. On August 21, 1868, they were admitted into the Baptist Bloomfield (Conference) with Elder C. Garrison, Brothers James B. Cambers, J. M. Morse and John Lester as dele- gates. Services were held at 3 p.m. on every 4th Saturday of the month in the "Lester School House." Due to the very severe Illinois winters, there were no services during the winter months.
On September 26, 1868, Brothers Morse and Cambers were appointed to pick a minister. Rev. (Elder) John Nicholson of Big Rock, Illinois, moved to the vicinity and preached every other Sunday for $200 per year. They continued to meet in the school house for approximately 10 years.
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