Kaneville Township
Avon - Rees
Lone Grove, Underwood & Troxel
Kane County, Illinois
This page is available for adoption. Would you be willing to send more information?
Map (Kane County Forest Preserve Link)
Residents of the area had ask the township be named "Royalton". But "Long John" WENTWORTH, an Illinois Congressman in 1848, named it, Kaneville, realizing another community of Royalton already existed. Kaneville was named to honor Elias Kent Kane for whom the County of Kane is named.
Kaneville and the surrounding area was primarily prairie land when the early settlers arrived. Settlers preferred lands with forest as they were accustomed to in the eastern states. It took some time for them to realize the value of the rich prairie soil.
1835
JOE ISBELL and his brother, JAMES ISBELL were the first settlers in the area. Joe built the first cabin in the area of Lone Grove in the fall of 1835. He returned to Ohio and died there in the spring of 1837. James relocated from Sugar Grove to Joe's Long Grove claim.
1835-1836
AMOS MINER and arrived from Wayne County, NY. He was too poor to own a team of horses and had to hire others to plow his fields. He paid those who plowed by splitting rails. In order to buy a cow he worked for other settlers. His daughter, MARY MINER, was the first child born in the township (November 27, 1837). She later married ROBERT ALEXANDER of Campton Township.
LEVI LEACH came from Wayne County, NY with Amos Miner.
1837
ALFRED CHURCHILL arrived from Vermont. He later became County Superintendent of Schools and held both township and county offices. In 1857 he moved to Rockford but later returned to Kaneville where he died in 1868.
1838
INMANNS family arrived from New York.
DAVID WENTWORTH arrived from New Hampshire and settled on land later owned by SILAS HAYES.
McNAIR family arrived
JAMES ISBELL married SARAH MOORE on February 24, 1838.
J. BUNKER arrived. He built the first frame house in the township. By 1845 he was elected as the first Justice of the Peace. He passed on in 1862 and his property was later owned by Mr. HOYT.
1839
Miss FAYETTA R. CHURCHILL taught the first school room. It was located in her father's house. She later married DAVID HANCHETT who had arrived in 1847.
1845
The FIRST POST OFFICE. ALFRED CHURCHILL housed the first post office, called AVON, in his home. Mail arrived weekly. Prior to this letters were delivered to Blackberry - and before that the settlers had to go some 25 miles to Naperville to pick up mail.
1843
WILLIAM WILSON purchased a claim.
1845
Rev. THOMAS RAVLIN, paid $3. an acre for land later used to lay out the village of Kaneville.
H.S. GARDNER opened the first blacksmith shop.
1847
JAMES LEWIS of Suffield, Conn arrived and purchased a farm.
1852
WILLIAM HALL built a house and opened it as the first hotel.
GOODWIN built the first store, but later sold to HATHORN.
1855
Baptist church built
Methodist Episcopal Church group came from Blackberry to Kaneville and built a church.
1857
Old school house was torn down and a new one built. N.F. NICHOLS was the first principal and later became an Aurora attorney.
1861
Village of Kaneville laid out and platted by THADDEUS HOYT
1869
B. & A. CARY built a hotel.
1874
FRANK SPERRY opened a business.
1875
Methodist Episcopal Church built a new church.
1888
Township had 8 frame school houses.
Extracted from History of Kane County by Joslyn & Joslyn 1908
Kames, Donald - motorcycle safety - Elburn Herald
Schneider, John & Lena - Elburn Herald article
Yarnal, Edward - Elburn Herald article
Yarnal, Alice (Wohrer) - Teacher, Author, Insurance, Rock collector, Historian & more - Elburn Herald article
Places
Benton House - 1844 residence - Elburn Herald article
Obits
Kenneth DAVIS - Elburn Herald
Evelyn (Steinbeck) JOHNSON - preservationist - Elburn Herald
Clare LAKIN - Elburn Herald
Eliphalet S. MORRON - a letter, 2 pp., from Kaneville, IL, to Chauncey Pomeroy, Sr. (1801-1861), dated 11 March 1861, in which Morron writes of his fear that there might be foul play during President-elect Lincoln�s inauguration and discusses the problems of the grain farmer in Illinois - Civil War Manuscripts Project of the Connecticut Historical Society
George NEEDHAM - Elburn Herald
Clara Leona Willis - Elburn Herald
Schools
History of District 302 & One Room Schools - Kaneville - Elburn Herald
Museums & Historical Societies
Kaneville Historical Society Museum
Kaneville Historical Society
Publications
150 Years of Kaneville History by Alice Yarnal
Resources - Kane County & It's Communities
Historical & Genealogical Societies
Magazines & Misc. (Genetic Diseases, Other Resources & Anything Else)
Copyright � 2000 Send Mail
Last Updated 5 Mar 2000 [email protected]