The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1917
Stronghurst Graphic, Oct.25, 1917:
***OBITUARY***MRS. NATHANIEL BRUEN: Mrs. Nathaniel Bruen died at her home at Forest Park Farm southwest of Stronghurst Oct.22 at 72 years of age. She was ill but a short time and the tidings of her deaths came as a shock to her many friends, especially those in
Stronghurst who had seen her only a few days before. The cause of her death was obstruction of the bowels.
Mrs. Bruen was the eldest daughter of John S. and Lucretia (Crownover) Peasley,pioneer settlers of this county. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Burlington, Ia. which city Mr. Bruen and family have made their home for many years although spending a large portion of
their time at the Forest Park farm. Mrs. Bruen is survived by her husband, two daughters, Miss Lucretia Bruen at home and Mrs. Josiah Bartlett of Roland Park, Md.; two brothers, C.E.Peasley of this vicinity and Frank Peasley of LaHarpe. Funeral services will be conducted at the home of C.E.Peasley near Decorra with interment in Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington.
1892 GRAPHIC: Twenty four young ladies from Kirkwood gave an entertainment called "The Milkmaids Convention" at the opera house. A republican marching club was organized with A.H.Silsbee as captain and Hent Pollock and Geo.J.Morgan as lieutenants. A democratic marching club was also organized with Matt McKinley as captain and C.P.Davidson as first lieutenant; it is about 100 strong. (Marching clubs were drill teams organized to show support for political candidates and performed at local parades or national holidays.) The township Sabbath School convention was held here. Theodore Squires of Stronghurst and Miss Lucy Phillips of Blandinsville were married at the T.B.Duncan home.
SOLDIER BOY'S LETTER: This letter is dated at Camp Mills, Hempstead, L.I. from Corporal Joe Baxter: "They sure are drilling us some here. I weighed 156 lbs. when I came here from Des Moines and only 140 lbs. now. This training sure takes the meat off of you. I think it would be a good place for Tom Morgan; I'll bet he wouldn't be so fat after 3 or 4 months. I suppose you know the size of this division, 32,000 men, and if I do say it us riding in their cars and feed us on the best with nothing to pay.
There is very little drinking in camp and no soldier in uniform can get a drink of liquor: much better for everyone. I don't fool with it myself as I am too busy trying to keep up my end of this soldier game. The girls here will not have anything to do with you unless you want to get married; so I am out of that. When I get back to Illinois I may consider this and buy my furniture of Hunter and Regan. Give my best regards to everyone and watch the papers about the "Rainbow Division." I hope the next letter I write will be from the trenches "somewhere in France." (Mr. Baxter was one of the first casualties from the Stronghurst area.)
OQUAWKA OCCURRENCES: Mr. and Mrs. Norman Pence are the proud parents of a 7 lbs. Boy. Mr. and Mrs. Budd Ditto and daughter, Cecil motored to Keithsburg in their new car and spent the day with the Charles Ditto family. Roy Smith of Fort Dodge
came home for a five day furlough; he looks fine and says he is enjoying life.
ROBBERY UPTOWN: Oquawka was in a great state of excitement Sabbath morning when three of the merchants went down to open their stores and found that they had been broken into. John Haffner's grocery, W.P.Morey's grocery, and Frank Johnson's restaurant had been robbed. About four dollars was taken from Haffner's and the cash register was badly damaged and thrown into he street. A half box of cigars and between 12 and 14 boxes of shells were taken from Morey's store. A ten dollar gold piece was taken from off a punch board in Johnson's restaurant. The doors had been pried open with an iron bar. The victims telephoned to Monmouth for the blood hounds and they traced the thieves to the river where footprints were found. Sheriff Knox, Mr. Yates with the dogs and Tom Putney went up river in a motorboat and then came back and went down as some hunters had seen a boat pass early Sabbath morning with three people in it. It is hoped that the thieves are caught and punished for their bold act.
LOMAX LINGERINGS: Henry Daugherty had the misfortune to saw his left hand at the handle factory and amputation of the two fore fingers and thumb with the heavy part of the hand was necessary.
Post master W.Q.Crane attended a meeting at the Burlington post office for the local men. Lowell West has removed to Canton, Mo., where he has employment. James Freeland passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Albert Holtz, Sunday evening, after several years suffering of Bright's disease. Funeral services were held at the Christian Church with interment at Freeland yard. LaVerne Emerson, who was released from the army, has resumed his studies at the medical college in Chicago.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: ***OBITUARY***Mr. William Carmichael died Sunday of pneumonia with the funeral held at the home and the remains laid to rest in South Henderson Cemetery. He was born in 1848 and has lived most of his life around here. He leaves a wife and three daughters, Mrs. Vinie Freed, Mrs. Lillie Benson of Kewanee, Ill. And Miss Bessie at home. A number of grand children and one sister, Mrs. Charles Colyer of Stronghurst also mourn his departure.
Mr. Arthur Gray bought the Hiram Tweed land that joins him on the south for the consideration of $10,000 in cash. Mr. G.Jacob went to Vicksburg to attend the reunion for the veterans of the blue and the grey. Mr. Arthur Jacob came home from Camp Dodge at Des Moines where he had been visiting his brother Frank and the other soldier boys from here.
LOCAL AND AREA HAPPENINGS: Mr. and Mrs. Elbridge Fort are the happy parents of a fine young son born Oct.20th. Miss Carrie Moore, a nurse from Monmouth, is here at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C.M.Bell taking care of their son Paul and Mrs. Hettie McLain who are ill.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Staley are receiving congratulations over the arrival of a fine baby girl at their home which they have named Marie Agnes. Mr. W.Golliher, a representative of the Burlington Creamery Co., has rented the building now occupied by W.E.Hurd as a shop and residence and will engage in buying cream and other farm produce.The coal situation here is growing more desperate every day.
Many bins are empty, the weather is growing more severe and there has been no coal to be obtained of our local dealers for the past week and nothing but vague promises are held out for the future. W.F.Allison has been spending the past season in Butler Co., Mo. Where he has extensive farming interests; he is preparing to close out his farming interests here.
L.McWorter and son of Aledo sold their entire herd of 51 pure bred Aberdeen Angus cattle to Hamilton Bros. of Good Hope, Ill. For $12,500. William Mustain, a farmer living near Blandinsville, was found lying unconscious in the road north of Colchester. He had been taking a load of hogs to market and the team he was driving ran away throwing him out on his head. He was taken to the Macomb hospital where it is thought he will recover. The Blandinsville Elevator Co. has been organized with 125 stockholders and $16,600 paid into the treasury. The following have been elected directors: L. A .Null, J. E. Sticle, Abe Cox, Joseph Grate and Eben N. Irish.
Charles Rhodes, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.F.Rhodes of Gladstone and Miss Ruth Boyer of Biggsville were united in marriage at the Biggsville Presbyterian parsonage. The laboring class at Fort Madison including the employees of the Santa Fe R.R. are threatening to discontinue financial transactions with the three banks of the city unless they establish more suitable banking hours.
Many merchants and business men of the city are backing the laboring thirty thousand dollars on the trees. C.W.Huston was acquitted in circuit court at Carthage of the charge of obtaining the signature of Joe Brand of LaHarpe to a note for $2550 by extortion.
MEDIA RECORD (as found in the Stronghurst Graphic, Oct.25, 1917): Students of the Academy will give a masquerade party; a small fee will be charged to pay expenses. Mr. David Alderton spent the weekend with his parents at Canton, Mo. Mr. F.W. Symonds, a representative of the Western Electric Co. was in town on business. T.D.Steffey and workmen are working on the E.G.Lewis Seed Co. Building. Several from town attended the dance in Smithshire. Several of the boys in town have hired out to the farmers around the area to shuck corn at 7 and 8 cents per bushel. The Women's Community Club will hold its regular meeting at the Academy. Election of officers for the next six months in on the agenda.
Mr. Homer Woods purchased a new Ford car and Mr. Page Randall south of town is the proud possessor of a new Ford touring car. Someone stole a tire off of Miss Fern Hechels car one night recently. The car was standing in the shed at home. The first snow of the season was Mondayafternoon. Miss Helen Barry is attending school in Rock Island. S.E. Pendarvis of the Dutch Row neighborhood attended a meeting of the Raritan Bank stockholders. It is reported that wedding bells are ringing north of town.
(Of course, everyone in 1917 knew who were the parties involved.) A car load of coal came in late Monday night and in about two hours and a half, the car was empty and then several that were waiting for coal had to go home without any. (War caused shortages.) Mr. and Mrs. David Gibb and family south of town attended the revival meetings in Biggsville last Sunday evening.