The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic: Oct. 20, 1921
1896 GRAPHIC: Mrs. M.A. Nevius was cleverly surprised at her home on her 71st birthday. Virgil Harter, son of Dr. and Mrs. I.F. Harter, had a narrow escape from death on Oct. 23rd while out on a hunting trip. In attempting to slip his gun under the seat of the buggy in which he was driving, the piece discharged and the load of shot plowed through the fleshy part of his right arm just above the elbow. Government surveyors has begun work on a proposed levy between Oquawka and Dallas City, which it was expected would greatly enhance the value of the bottom lands through which it passed. George Roberts traded his Stronghurst property for a 320 acre farm in Daviess County, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Baker were considerably bruised up in a runaway as they were starting to drive to Burlington with a horse and buggy belonging to Charles Adrances. Advertisers in this issue: E. G. Chapman, Geo. J. Morgan, W. A. Baldwin and Felix Shain, grocerymen; I.N. Jones, dry goods, boots and shoes; Jos. Atwater, glass and queensware (a type of light white earthenware with a brilliant glaze developed from creamware by Josiah Wedgwood and named in honour of his patroness, Queen Charlotte-Collins English Dictionary Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003) and fall and winter clothing; Walter Simonson, meats; L.M. Loomis, lumber.
HARD ROAD FOR COUNTY: The early building of the state bond issue paved road on route No.(3 or 8 number unclear) through Henderson County seems new to be assured. Contracts for the grading on sections 5A, 6A and 7A, which make up the route from a point in Warren County about 5 ½ miles east of Biggsville to a point in Gladstone Township near the Crystal Lake Club house, have been let as has also the contract for the big bridge which is to span Henderson Creek in the bottom on the south side of the village of Biggsville. The total mileage included in the three sections of the route is 16.96. The firm of McAndrew and Hannah of Keokuk, Ia. was awarded the contract for the grading on section 5A (the eastern section) on their bid of $20,533.33 ($244,141.30 today s value). The contracts for section 6A(the middle section) being $39,625.22 ($471.143.87) and 7A (the west section) being $35,637.41
($423,728.80), both went to the firm of Lamoreaux Bros. of Omaha, Nebr. The contract for building the big bridge on the new piece of road south of Biggsville went to J. R. Stephens Co. of Kirkwood, Ill. on their bid of $24, 248.68 ($288,316.80). . .
The proposed paved road will extend in a straight line from east to west through the center of Biggsville Township on highways already established with the exception of about a half mile on the south edge of Biggsville, which will be a new road. The route follows the Biggsville-Gladstone road for a distance of a mile and a half west from the east line of Gladstone Township to the point where this road turns to the north, just west of the Weir fruit farm. From this point a new highway will be opened up leading in a southwesterly direction until it strikes the Burlington road about 2 miles east of Crystal Lake, which road will be followed to the end of section No. 7A near the lake.
From the figures given it will be seen that the total cost of grading the 16.96 miles and the building of the Biggsville bridge will be $120,044.64 ($1,427,330.70) and to this will of course have to be added the cost of paving, the contracts for which have not been let as yet.
RACES TO DEATH: Mabel Cline, aged fifteen, was instantly killed and her sister Mary, aged nine, was fatally injured in an auto wreck which occurred last Sunday morning on a country road southeast of Sciota, Ill. Another sister Margaret, aged seven, was thrown clear of the wreckage and escaped with only slight injuries. The three girls were on their way home from Sunday school in a Dodge car and the accident was the result of racing with a Ford car driven by Donald Gills. Mabel Cline, the driver of the Dodge car, apparently lost control of the machine and it plunged into a bank by the roadside, turning a complete somersault.
OBITUARY***JESSIE IRENE GIBB*** Jessie Irene Gibb departed this life at the Burlington Hospital at 4 p.m. Oct. 13, 1921, aged 28 years, 9 months and 24 days after a brief illness following a surgical operation.
Irene was born one-half mile north of Media, Ill., Dec. 19, 1892, the fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Gibb. All of her life was spent in the Media vicinity. In early life she united with the U. P. Church of Media. She was a devoted daughter and loving sister and though her life was short, it was sweet, she was always ready with a pleasant smile for everyone; her thoughts were always for others.
She is survived by her father and mother and four sisters and five brothers, Mary, Hugh and Robert at home; Will of Roseville, Ill.; Mrs. Frank Bowen of Stronghurst; Mrs. Chas. Rankin and Charley Gibb of Raritan Mrs. Fred Palmer and Fred Gibb of Media. One sister, Hannah, preceded her in death.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Asa Suydam, formerly of Raritan neighborhood who has numerous friends in the vicinity, is a patient at the Monmouth Hospital. The beautiful new home of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Lynch north of Raritan is now said to be completed and is being furnished for occupancy. L. R. Duncan and Charles Fort were representatives of the local I.O.O.F. lodge at the Grand Lodge meeting in Chicago; George Brokaw represented the Raritan Lodge. The attendance at the sale of pure bred Poland China swine held by Earl Brokaw was not very large, but the prices realized were quite satisfactory in view of the present financial conditions. The 16 head sold brought an average of $29. 66 ($352.66). (Farm prices were depressed after World War I.) Mrs. Claire White, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Marshall and family, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. A. Marshall and family, Mr. and Mrs. Colyer, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reynolds, Mrs. Hettie McLain, Mrs. C. M. Bell and son Paul, and Mr. A. D. Armstrong, all of this village, attended the community John B. Crose, the 70 year old resident of Bald Bluff Township who was found guilty of burglary and larceny in the chicken stealing case was sentenced to a penitentiary term of from one to twenty years by Judge Graham of Oquawka. A representative of the Heister Marble Co. of Bushnell was here placing inscriptions on the Doak, Bainter, Marshall and Voorhees crypts in Hope Abbey mausoleum. Adna Atkins, road commissioner for Raritan Township is said to be in a serious condition from cancer at the home of his son James in Galesburg. He recently took radium treatment at the Mayo Bros. Hospital at Rochester, Minn. but received little benefit therefrom.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The C.B. &Q Railroad is evidently taking no chances on getting tied up by a coal shortage this winter. A Galesburg paper says that the road has a pile of coal in its yards at that point which would be equal to a pile ten miles long, twenty-two feet wide and ten feet high. The Willing Workers of the U.P. Church will hold their next regular tea in the basement on Oct. 28th with Mrs. G. Q. Fort, Mrs. C. R. A. Marshall, Mrs. A. H. Kershaw, Mrs. G. W. Worley, Miss Lura Speck, Mrs. Anna Dickerson and Mrs. C. M. Bell serving. All ladies of the community are invited. Will Ogden and wife arrive home from their auto trip to Cass County, Minn. They say that a storm was raging in Northern Minnesota on Oct. 10th, the day they started home. Will says that the accommodations provided for auto tourists by many of the towns there and Iowa add considerably to the comfort and convenience of that method of travel. (Evidently, the tourist industry was off to a good start.) The candy pull at the Christian Church Friday evening proved to be a jolly affair and was instrumental in adding a nice sum to the Sunday School treasury of the church. Having disposed of the greater part of their personal property and rented their dwelling here to other parties, Elnora Maxey and her sister Garnet left for Berwyn, Ill. where they have both secured employment in private families.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: A. L. Beall was recently appointed a member of the executive board of the State Teachers’ Association. Mrs. Grace Kimble was home and spent Sunday with her folks before returning to the Beulah Corzatt home near Raritan where she has been nursing. Mrs. Kyle suddenly took ill with acute appendicitis and Mr. C. R. Pendarvis, Miss Culbertson and Rev. Kyle took her to the Monmouth Hospital. The Community Club met with Mrs. Henry White and during the business meeting the club voted to start a branch library getting their books from Springfield. Mr. C. R. Pendarvis returned home from Rochester, Minn. and reports Mrs. Pendarvis recovering nicely from the operation that she recently underwent there. John Lawyer was in Stronghurst having some dental work done. Mr. and Mrs. Artie Long and children moved to Swan Creek where he has purchased a garage.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: N. J. Cartwright, an employee at the Monmouth Stone Works, was very seriously hurt by an engine blowing up. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Whitecar’s baby has the diphtheria and the place is quarantined. This is the only case in town and the child is not old enough to go to school. One day recently Walter Baker was badly injured when he fell from a load of corn and one wheel of the wagon ran over his abdomen. Geo. Christy is building a new house on the property on Main Street which he bought last spring and will run an up-to-date restaurant. The children of Geo. F. Galbraith have diphtheria at the home; they have a nurse to care for them and the place is quarantined. Clark Alvine and family moved to Burlington where he has employment. Mrs. Sarah Furnald went to spend the winter in the Quincy Soldiers’ home. Mrs. Ed Gray came from Sandwich, Ill. to visit her mother and attend her sister’s Fern Cunningham’s wedding. Mrs. Cloyd Brainard fell from the oat bin and had the misfortune to break her ribs. Clarence Graham fell out of the swing at the school house and broke his wrist. The M.E. people have bought the lots of J. L. Ellison near the house and will build a $3,000 strictly modern parsonage on the site.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Mrs. Judd Huff returned home from the Burlington Hospital. Graham Stewart was taken there to be treated for a lame limb. Wm. Mendenhall of Richland, Ia. and Herbert Mendenhall who is teaching at Donnelson, Iowa were visitors at the Presbyterian manse with their daughter and sister, Mrs. Baker. Rev. R. H. McHenry, who has been quite ill at the home of his son, Albert, is reported in a serious condition; the children have been called. Misses Edith Lorimier spent the latter part of the week with her sisters, Lucile and Jean, who are attending Monmouth College.
Mr. and Mrs. Sloan moved their household goods into the home he recently bought of Zion Hill. Jim Kilgore had the bad luck when unloading a load of corn; he had put the end gate down and it stuck and when he stepped on it, it threw him in such a way to break the collar bone.
Relatives, friends and neighbors numbering 200 gathered at the home of Uncle J. W. McClinton to celebrate his 87th birthday and greet Judge J.G. McClinton of Seattle, Wash., Alexander C. Spence of Memphis, Tenn. and Mrs. Bell of Tarkio, Mo. sister and cousins of Mr. McClinton. His was the first time they have all seen each other and all are over 75 years of age. At noon the children from Coloma School came and sang a song of greeting after which Rev. Sailor of Gladstone appeared dressed as Father Time and sang a hymn. A bountiful dinner was served including a dessert of brick ice cream and cake.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: On the Sabbath Rev. M.L. O’Hara, the new district superintendent, occupied the pulpit. Wednesday evening in the Olena church parlors a reception was held for Rev. D. K. Sailor and family. Mrs. Frank Hicks’ condition remains the same. Clas Carlson has been treating his barn and other out buildings to a coat of paint.
Hog cholera has struck this neighborhood and farmers are either selling or having their swine vaccinated. Clifford Pendry and family moved into the village occupying rooms in the Rickels property. Lowell Booten and family have moved to Burlington.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: A young daughter, Doris Jean, was welcomed into the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Lant. Mrs. Oscar White accompanied her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lyman of Burlington on a visit to Mexico, Mo.
Miss Anna Watson has been a recent guest of many families in this neighborhood of which she is always welcome. Lee Davis has been working for the E.G.Lewis Seed Co. of Media and hopes to finish his job so he can accept another position that is waiting for him. In the Carman neighborhood the farmers have a car of potatoes on the track. Willis Dowell and crew are loading baled straw.