The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.


The 1920 Graphic

Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1920

Stronghurst Graphic, July 1, 1920 

FAMILY REUNION: About sixty members of the Brown and Brent families held a reunion and basket dinner in the timber near the big railroad bridge east of Media.  The original members of the two families mentioned came to Ellison neighborhood from Virginia, the Browns in 1837 and the Brents a few years later.  By inter-marriage the destinies and fortunes of the two families have become rather closely interwoven and their descendants living in the Smithshire neighborhood and adjacent there to now are numbered by the hundreds.

Of the earlier stock there still remains William, George and Albert Brown, all of whom live within a few miles of the site of the original home of the family.  Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Wilson and son Eugene of this place were amongst those enjoying the occasion-Ê Mrs. Wilson, being the daughter of Wm. Brown.

BIG WOODMAN CLASS ADOPTED: Stronghurst Camp No. 1189 M.W. of A. received a big boost in membership when a class of 27 candidates was initiated into the mysteries of the order at the local meeting hall.  About 100 Woodmen from the home and neighboring camps witnessed the ceremony of adoption carried out by local camp officers and forester team under the direction of the state deputy McMillen of Monmouth.  Following the adoption, refreshments of sandwiches, iced tea and ice cream were served. 

There are still a number of candidates whose applications for membership in the order have been favorably passed upon and will be adopted in the future.  The Stronghurst Camp now has a membership of over 225 and is one of the largest camps in this section of the state.

FASHION NOTES: Fashions of 1830 are liked and some of the new models have tight fitting bodices cut right off the shoulders.  Pannier draperies are still the right thing and one sees them in taffetas, in tulle, in satin and in lace.  The long waistline is surely growing in favor and many of the new day dresses show semi-fitting bodices which terminate just above the hip, the shirt being mounted onto the bodice, more often than not in hip plaits, for in serge, the many makes of jersey and similar fabrics plaits are used rather than draperies.

Another salient feature of fashion is the use of leather of every kind, but chiefly of patent leather on dresses.  One charming model of fine serge had a 9-inch deep band of patent leather cut out in squares, the top edge being on a level with the line of the hip bone. 

Each square of serge which showed through the cut-out leather was worked with a star in deep coffee colored silk This model was straight and loose fitting and held in round the waist by a patent leather belt. (So went the latest in fashion news for 1920.  In today's electronic era it is hard to realize that great grandma had to read the weekly paper to learn what was being sold in New York.)

PLYMOUTH BANKER DROWNS: Carl Carlin, cashier of the State Bank of Plymouth, Ill., and prominent in public affairs of that city, was drowned in Crawford Creek near Plymouth.  Mr. Carlin was a member of a picnic party and while wading in the creek, stepped into a deep hole and disappeared.  His brother Fred, who was near him, came near drowning, but was saved by grasping a pole thrust to him by a member of the party on the bank.  The deceased banker was 28 years old. 

1895 GRAPHIC: The Stronghurst city hall was being equipped with a belfry for a new fire bell.  Ole Olson was found guilty of the murder of Swan Swanson at Galesburg and was sentenced to 10 years at the penitentiary.  In going through the effects of Jacob Young, an old bachelor who died at his home in Raritan, $4,400 in cash was found in an old trunk in the house.  The store of J. T. Cox at Raritan was burglarized and the safe blown open; a watch and $75 were stolen.  The last Stronghurst school bond was paid off and all indebtedness against the district liquidated.  Architect J. C. Sunderland of Burlington had been employed to furnish plans for the new building of the State Bank of Henderson County.

***OBITUARY*** ROBERT KYLE: Robert Bruce Kyle, son of Rev. and Mrs. R.J. Kyle of Media died at the Monmouth Hospital Tuesday evening following an illness of several months.  The deceased was born in Wheatland, Ill. Nov. 4, 1901, where his father was pastor of the Second U.P. Church for a period of 11 years.  The family moved to Monmouth three years ago and last fall Rev. Kyle accepted a call to the pastorate of the Media U. P. Church.  The family moved to Media about six weeks ago.

Robert was a junior at the Monmouth High School and a young man of fine character.  Short funeral services were held for him at the White undertaking parlors in Monmouth following which the remains were taken to Cedarville, Ohio for interment. 

LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The Dallas City Brick and Tile Co. has been reorganized and will start work at once.  Mrs. Douglas Prescott entertained a number of little friends of her son, Jack at her home in honor of his 2nd birthday.  Mr. and Mrs. G.C. Deitrick and Dr. C.L. Shain and wife of Dallas City were guests at supper at the home of Dr. and Mrs. John Highfield.  Phil Chant is nursing a broken arm, the injury being sustained when he was precipitated from the top of a cherry tree to the ground by the breaking of a limb while he was picking cherries at his home. 

P. W. Wallin and Lawrence Duncan went to Chicago and returned driving a new Essex and Hudson touring cars for the Sutliff & Wallin garage.  The work of distributing the poles to carry the wires with which the Western Illinois Utilities Co. will furnish current from Keokuk to the big stone quarry and crushing plant at Gladstone has been under way this past week; The line will run from Stronghurst to Gladstone.

The mid-summer festival held at the Chas. O'Gren home under the auspices of the Stronghurst Lutheran congregation was a very pleasant social gathering and well attended.  The spacious lawn of the O'Gren home was well provided with seats and tables and strawberries, ice cream and cake and coffee served by the ladies; the affair was a financial success.

Mrs. C.E. Lukens has been numbered with the sick.  Mrs. Merle Johnson and Donald of Kansas City were visitors at the Slater and Ivins homes. Rev. V. A. Crumbaker and family attended an open air meeting held by the Lutheran congregation of Burlington Sunday afternoon.  Miss Mildred Voris, a pupil of Center School, southwest of Raritan has been awarded the Lindsley scholarship for Raritan Township.  The "Musical Palmers" company appeared at the Lyric Theatre last weekend to large audiences.  Beginning with the first Sabbath in July and continuing until September, the churches of the village will unite in weekly Sabbath evening meetings.  The next service will be held in the U.P. Church and the address will be given by Rev. Crumbaker of the M. E. Church.  Maurice Keane, who is an employee of the Monarch Refrigerator Co. of Chicago, is visiting relatives.  The Misses Myrtle and Alma Gustafson and Prof. Chris Apt of Terre haute Township are enrolled as students at the Macomb summer normal.  Miss Susie Simonson of Ellison Township, Warren County, who has taught the Belmont School for two years, is a student at the Bloomington summer normal. 

Miss Lucile Maxey is at the Ellsworth Wetterling home and Miss Garnet Maxey at the Carl Jacobson home is helping these families through the busy season for farmers.  The glorious Fourth will be celebrated in Roseville on July 5th with a program of events appropriate to the occasion including an address by ex-lieutenant governor, Hon. Barrett O'Harra.  Mrs. Sara Alpaugh of Raritan, who has been almost helpless for several months, has regained her strength as to be able to walk and ride about once more. 

John Wilson, who has been a resident of Oklahoma for a number of years and who recently disposed of his property at Norman, is visiting his brother L. A. Wilson.  Nat Bruen and daughter Lucretia, who have made their home in Burlington for sometime, have become permanent residents of Stronghurst moving into the property in the east part of town recently purchased of A. S. McElhinney.  J. H. Tracy and wife, who have spent several months in Tulare, California, arrived home at Decorra. 

John says that they would have preferred staying in California a while longer, but the prospect of a tie-up of the western railroads by a strike caused them to come home.  Mrs. Ruby Crenshaw Bell of Seattle, Wash. is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crenshaw.  88.93 acres of pasture situated one mile east of Media was sold at public auction by Cols. MceElhinney and Gray for $6,700 to Mr. C.R. Pendarvis of Media.  Dennis Simonson of Halstead, Kans. and Wilbur Simonson of Quincy, Ill. have been visiting their father, S. V. A. Simonson.  The C.J. Johnson and W. F. Johnson families with their guests, Mr. Otto Peterson and Mrs. Gussie Anderson and son of Minden, Nebr. enjoyed a picnic at Crapo Park Archer Wells, a former teacher in the Stronghurst school, is taking a course at the Bradley Polytechnic Institute at Peoria; his family is spending the summer at the Joseph Churchill home at Smithshire. The Raritan Reformed church has invited Rev. Henry VanDyke of Chicago to preach for a year at a salary of $1,500.  The offer has been accepted and the minister and his bride will go to Raritan at once.  Carthage, Ill. received the deliver of the Quincy Whig-Heralds last Sunday by airplane. 

One of the staff editors was a passenger on the airplane and personally attended to the delivery of the sack containing the newspapers by dropping them in the street.  Mr. and Mrs. Sam Leinbach entertained the following relatives at a family reunion: the J. Z. Leinbach family of Smithshire; Ed Leinbach of Plymouth; Rae Norstrom family of Rushville; Percee Veech, Joe Huff and Guy Leinbach families of Stronghurst.  Fred Cooksey, a former Stronghurst boy and now a resident of LaHarpe, Kansas, passed through the village stopping for a few hours at the Wm. Wright home.  Mr. Cooksey was enroute from Detroit, Mich. to LaHarpe, Kans. with a party of men who were driving a consignment of Dodge cars through to there.

OLENA OBSERVATIONS: The ice cream social held at the church was well attended and a neat sum was realized for the Sunday School and running the church.  Mrs. Charles White fell and broke her arm.  Dr. Emerson was called and gave her surgical treatment but thought best to take her to Burlington and have the x-ray.  She is home with her daughter, Mrs. Chas. Lyons.  Leslie Lyons is quite poorly and is feared that he may have to be operated on for appendicitis.  Miss Audra Marsden is getting along nicely in the Burlington Hospital after an operation for appendicitis.  Mrs. Lyman Ross entertained relatives complimentary to her husband's birthday.  Covers were laid for twelve and a very enjoyable day reported.  Elbridge Fort is suffering from a carbuncle on one of his arms.  Frank Deitrick was unfortunate to get his car pretty badly wrecked Sabbath evening by hitting a culvert in such a manner to topple the machine over, breaking the top, the windshield and so forth; no one was hurt.  Frank will quit farm work and find employment in Burlington.  Messers Peterson and Hicks are stirring up the roads trying to keep them in good traveling condition.  Telephone poles are being hauled and distributed at various places for the new electric line that will pass through the village in the near future.  Mrs. Laura Lant joined her husband in Oquawka where they went "house hunting" with only fairly favorable results.  A Mrs. Kelly has moved into Olena occupying a house owned by Mrs. George Deitrick.  Mr. and Mrs. Doak of Stronghurst, Mr. Wm. Ross and son Lyman and Mr. and Mrs. William Stewart and son Lee of the drainage district were getting cherries in the neighborhood.  Mrs. Ernest Rodman and two daughters, Grace and Thelma, started for Nunda, South Dakota to spend several weeks with her son Max.