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St Charles & St Charles Township
St. Charles, Illinois History, Genealogy & Today
St. Charles Township
St. Charles
"Pride of the Fox"
once known as
Charlestown, Illinois
Wayne - Silver Glen P.O. - Fayville
The Fox is the symbol of St.
Charles, you can see that on the official City of St. Charles site.
This represents what a scene at Baker Hotel may
have looked like shortly after it opened, and it's charm is something
you can enjoy today. This beautiful historic hotel is on the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Postcard
Images of St Charles through the years. (Digital Past)
Illinois Digital Archives -
Search
MAPS
St. Charles Township Map (Kane
County Forest Preserve Link)
St. Charles
township and the village of St. Charles were, in the early days, the
most important part of the county, and for years St.Charles was the
center of general activities of the northern part of the district.
There were predictions it would surpass Chicago.
Indian Trails
In an early day this township was the seat of
many Indian settlements and the trails of the redmen were numerous.
One of the most noted was known as "Waubonsie's Trail", which
followed the river on the west bank and took in all the prominent
springs in that vicinity. As late as 1845 this trail was plainly
visible across the land afterward owned by C.D. WING, J.D. BROWN and
C.H. HAINES. Another trail led west from Chicago to Rock River
across Fox River near where the St. Charles dam (of 1908) and followed
the ravine west and over the prairie. The third came from the
northeast and a fourth diverged from the Chicago trail near Wayne
Station and crossed the river a the bend now known as Five Islands,
about a half mile below the Illinois Central railroad bridge.
Historical Time Line
1833
1834
-
First Settlers - William FRANKLIN and family arrived in March.
-
Dean and Read FERSON arrived from Windsor
County, Vermont
-
Mr. CRANDALL claimed part of the land on
which the City of St. Charles now stands and built a log house in the
spring of 1834. This claim, together with about 40 acres in the
Little Woods, he sold to James HERRINGTON, of Geneva.
-
Melvin MARSH settled on what became the FOLEY
Farm. He sold out to Martin SWITZER, who came from Canada in 1838.
-
Ira and George MINARD came from Windham
County, Vermont. In the fall Ira MINARD built a log house on the
farm afterward owned by John H. FERSON.
-
Albert HOWARD and Rice FAY took up a claim.
See Fayville on Community
Link page.
-
Friend MARK of New York arrived in the summer
and settled on land later owned by Mr. KIMBLE.
-
John KITTRIDGE of Manchester, New Hampshire
arrived that summer also.
-
Walter WILSON, William ARNOLD and Alexander
LAUGHLIN came about the same time.
-
In the fall a considerable number of settlers
arrived from New Brunswick, among them Mrs. Moses YOUNG, Stephen YOUNG,
Joel YOUNG, D.C. YOUNG, Jerusha YOUNG, who later became Mrs. J.T.
WHEELER, Samuel YOUNG, Robert MOODY and J.T. WHEELER.
-
Timothy Adams WHEELER of Cavendish, Vermont
arrived that fall but returned to Vermont because of an injury.
He returned to St. Charles and later died.
1835
-
First Marriage - James T. WHEELER & Jerusha YOUNG January 15th.
-
First Blacksmith - Daniel Marvin - making spinning wheels and farm rakes.
-
Amos R. WHEELER, brother of Timothy Wheeler
arrived.
-
Calvin WARD and family arrived from
Massachusetts
-
Gideon YOUNG arrived
-
Solomon DUNHAM and his son-in-law, Mark W.
FLETCHER arrived. The claim of Solomon Dunham expanded into the
Dunham stock farm near Wayne which comprises over 1200 acres.
-
Joseph PEMBERTON and Nathan PERRY arrived.
-
First Death - Miss Alzira GARTON died in the fall and was buried at
Brown Grove.
-
Charles B. GRAY and Thomas STEWART arrived.
-
First School - Opened in a log house in the fall and was initially taught
by Prudence WARD. Later Mrs. Dean FERSON took over.
-
1836
-
Archibald MOODY settled
-
First Saw Mill
-
Dean FERSON and Prudence WARD married at
Charlestown, as it was then known, Sept. 14th.
1837
-
Congregational Church was organized with Rev.
N.C. CLARK (formerly of Naperville) as pastor, by residents wanting a
permanent clergyman. Services were held in private homes,
including that of Robert and Elizabeth MOODY on Indiana Street, and in
the school houses during the next several years.
-
Locke's Wool-Carding and cloth dressing Mill
established
-
First Post Office - Horace BANCROFT was the first post master and Calvin WARD
Mail Carrier.
1841
-
First Newspaper in
the County - The St. Charles Patriot was published by JOHN THOMAS.
1849
Links to Area Resources
and Other Information
Advertising of Old
Ads at St.CharlesHistory.Org
Invalid Link - This WAS a great site with vintage advertizing from St
Charles - please let me know if you find where it moved.
Architecture
Jucket House, 110 Third St., St. Charles, Kane County,
IL.
Lewis, Dr. Jas. K., House, 19 S. Fifth St., St.
Charles, Kane County, IL.
Municipal Building
Arcada
Theater Munhall Elementary School Teacher: Sharon
Reed
Biographies
- Information
Reflections of St Charles - Index
Celebrating
History 1990 - Index
St.
Charles History Archives - Biographies Great resource - but
unfortunately it seems to have disappeared. At one time it was on
the School District 303 at what is now St Charles East High School,
later it was on the St Charles Heritage - Museum site. I believe
it was originally transcribed by High School students (before the North
High School was built). Portraits of some residents were also on
line. If you find it, let me know.
Colonel
Edward Baker, St. Charles benefactor. (under construction)
William
Bennett
Norris Family Records -
Regional History Center Archives at Northern IL Univ.
Dellora Angell Norris, St.
Charles benefactor
Robert E. Roland, Ph.D
Human Radiation Studies.
J. McWilliams Stone - Operadio (DuKane)
Sam Sublet - Illinois Youth Center
Trude, William
Brian Wilson - Beach Boys
Wolcott - War of 1812 -
"In the same unit was surgeon's mate Walter Wolcott, whose elder
brother Roger was one of the many Connecticut natives who had settled
in Canada after the Revolution; he commanded a company of Canadian
militia during the war and many years later moved to St. Charles in
Illinois, where he died in 1863 at the age of 90.
The
Biography Center
Churches
St Patrick's Roman Catholic
Church - website
St Patrick's Roman
Catholic Church - history
St. Patrick's Church - St. Charles - Historical Information
St. Charles Episcopal Church
Company Histories
Operadio (DuKane)
Colonial Ice Cream
The Colonial chain began nearly 100 years ago
when 12-year-old orphan, Sam Anderson, of St. Charles bought a milk
route. He expanded that into a dairy and ice cream plant with a fleet
of delivery trucks, then added retail stores. What was then the
Anderson Ice Cream Co. ratcheted down to doing only wholesale milk and
ice cream making from the 1940s until 1958, when it began opening
Colonial restaurants. The first was what is now Colonial Ice Cream and
Juice Cafe on Third Street in downtown St. Charles. The ice cream
manufacturing facility was then located behind the retail store.
I remember many a tour through the plant as a school child - AND
- FREE ICE CREAM in a "Sundae Cup" with a wooden spoon. My
grandparents lived not far from there and would often walk along
old Route 31 (22), which as since been closed and rerouted, on our way
to buy a pint of vanilla ice cream.
Moline Malleable Iron Works - Photo of Many Employees 1930s (under
construction)
Other Histories
Tau Kappa Epsilon at Hotel Baker 1935
History Links
St Charles Heritage Center -
Museum
St Charles Heritage
Center - History
St Charles
Heritage Center - Photos
St.
Charles History (link to St. Charles History Centre)
St. Charles
History Archives - District 303 & Illinois State Library
Native
American History (link to St. Charles History Centre)
St Charles
Community - History
Historic Places
St
Charles & Local Historic Buildings
Photos
Portraits from St.CharlesHistory.Org - (Well, this has
moved and is missing too - it was a great resources.)
St. Charles
Views
Moline Malleable Iron Works - employees 1930s
Belgian Town Buzz Saw
Points
of Interest
Newspapers
The following are available at the St. Charles
Public Library
-
St. Charles Patriot Feb 5, 1842 and April
30, 1842
-
St. Charles Leader April 7, 1877
-
St. Charles Weekly Argus May 21, 1857
-
Kane County Democrat from the 1850s
-
St. Charles Review May 18, 1878-January 10, 1880
-
Valley Chronicle June 3, 1881-December 31,
1897
-
The St. Charles Chronicle film is from June 8,
1900-March 2, 1990 and
continues with the name changed to Kane County
Chronicle on March 7,
1990 to the present.
Remember
When?
This is the place for you to share your memories of
"Old" St.Charles.
Send
Mail
Questions &
Answers
Resources - Kane County &
St. Charles
Resources & Links - St. Charles
Historic Preservation Commission of St. Charles -
Kim Malay at 630-377-4443
St.
Charles Public Library - Link
St.
Charles Chamber of Commerce
St. Charles
Cooperative Home Page - Link
City of St.
Charles - Link
1833-1870
Early Settlement of St. Charles
1870-1920:
A Growing Community
<>
St. Charles Profile, Legends - Link>
St. Charles Boys Home (Illinois Youth Center - St.Charles)
History - Link
Illinois
Youth Center at Valley View - Link
Current Data - Link
Belgium Genealogy Links
St. Charles was settled by many Belgian families. The area
were Dean Ferson lived at 12th Street & Dean became known as
"Belgian Town" sometime after his death in 1892, as so many Belgiam
immigrants settled in that area near Moline Malleable.
Later the area that includes the 100 block of South 12th and 13th
Streets was populated by many families of Belgian descent.
Belgium
Rootsweb
Genealogy in Belgium
Belgium
Immigration
Rural
Belgium 1800s
Belgium GenConnect
Belgium
History
Flanders
& Belgium Area Ancient History
Belgian Laces - e-mail: bbrindle@netusa1.net
The Belgian Researchers
495 East 5th Street
Peru IN 46970
Maps
Many
Belgian Infor Links
Infobel
(Telephone Listings)
Name
Frequency in Area
Groot Begijnhof Leuven
KSZ-BCSS
Belgian Privacy
Commission
Belgium
Map 1850 (very large file 600 kb)
Belgian Surname
Map
Belgian
Surnames
Virtual
Tour of Antwerp
Belgian Newspaper Links
Belgian newspapers (in Dutch)
http://www.digikids.be/nl/media/kranten/europa/k-belg.htm
Newspaper
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/janssen_BE/genealogy/BEL-archives/arch_spe.html
AMSAB:
http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/kadoc/kdcremv.htm
http://www.trotskyism.org/research/amsa.htm
ANTWERP section of AMSAB:
http://kapa.kolgen.be/archief/ar_0001.htm
Other:
http://www.iisg.nl/~ialhi/iconf.html
Danish
Law &
Order
Richard's
Riot - Story of grave robbing and a
medical school.
Schools
Wredling Jr. High (today/new)
Lincoln Elementery School
Mount Saint Mary's (under construction - no info yet)
Pioneer Sholes School
(historic)
St. Dominic's
College (now Arthur Anderson Training Center)
St. Patrick's
Catholic Elementary School (holds class reunions)
St.Charles Junior High (Haines Jr. High) Graduation Class 1936 - student list
Home
Pages
My Belgian Family
van de WOESTIJNE [Anglicized to
Vanderstyne]& Related Families Genealogy
Many items are under
construction.
You're getting
old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that
you once got
from a roller coaster.
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Friday, 07-Sep-2018 23:10:31 MDT
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