The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
***OBITUARY***W. A. SPEARS: William Alexander Spears died at eight o’clock Tuesday evening, Nov. 17th of heart disease at the family home four and a half miles northeast of Stronghurst.
He was the eighth child in a family of ten children born to Alexander and Mary McElroy Spears at the present farm home in Media Township on July 22, 1855. He was educated in the public schools and at a Commercial College in Burlington, Iowa. He united in marriage to Miss Mary H. Marshall on March 11, 1880. He is survived by his wife, three daughters-Misses Jean E. and Lois H. Spears at home and Mrs. John D. Butler of Stronghurst; two sons, W. A. Spear, Jr. at home and John Marshall Spears of Monmouth; two grandchildren, Frank S. and Jessie Elizabeth Butler. There also survive three sisters-Miss Clara Spears of Kirkwood and Mrs. H.O. Whiteman and Mrs. L. T. Pogue of Burlington, Iowa.
Mr. Spears was a member of the Biggsville United Presbyterian congregation and was also affiliated with the Masonic order. Funeral services wee held at the Media United Church with interment in the Walnut Grove Cemetery.
METHODISTS SERVICES: The special services held at the Methodist Church known as “Win my Chum” week are proving very inspiring and there has been splendid attendance so far. Rev. Myers preached last Sunday evening to a large audience of the several churches in town. Rev. C. A. Sullivan of Dallas City delivered an enthusiastic message on Monday evening and on Tuesday night Rev. Roy Fetherstone of Monmouth gave a quiet and gripping sermon. Wednesday evening the Rev. A. B.Caldwell, pastor of First Church in Fort Madison furnished the address. At 5:45 of that evening, a pot luck supper for the young people was enjoyed in the church basement. Rev. Caldwell spoke of the work of the Epworth League Institute. He is an expert in such work. His sermon was scholarly, thoughtful and spiritually appealing. Rev. W. H. Craine of Monmouth will preach Thursday evening and Rev. R. A.Gordon of Peoria will make the address on Friday night. The last meetings will be held Sunday evening when the pastor will preach on the subject, “Following Christ.”
D.A.R. MEETS: The regular meeting of the Daniel McMillan Chapter of the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution0 was held at the home of Mrs. W. J. McElhinney with Mrs. J.C.Brook giving a program on the History of Henderson County. (To join this group, one must be asked and prove they have a relative who fought in the American Revolution. At the turn of the century and at this time period this was a prestige group or at least they thought they were.) At the business meeting Mrs. H. M. Allison was received as a new member, she having transferred her membership from the Mildred Warner Washington Chapter of Monmouth, Ill. The local chapter is offering a five-dollar gold piece to the winner of first place in their county essay contest. The subject is “Historic Events in my County. This contest is open to ever student in 8-12 grades. At the close of the meeting Mrs. W. J. McElhinney, Mrs. C. R. A.Marshall and Mrs. Guy E. Sanderson served dainty refreshments followed by a social hour.
THREE KILLED IN FORT MADISON: Bernard Hilman, aged 50, Miss Rose Kunebel, aged 18 and Edna Kunebel, aged 20 were killed at the C.B. & Q. crossing near Fort Madison last Saturday evening when the auto in which they were riding was struck by a passenger train. Miss Bertha Kunebel, the twin sister of Rose and the only member of the party who escaped death, is in a Fort Madison hospital with a chance of recovery. A blinding storm is said to have obscured the view of the driver. Bernard Hellman,(last name spelled two ways), as they approached the crossing and the train bore down upon them before they had any warning.
THANKSGIVING DINNER: The ladies of the Stronghurst Women’s Community Club will serve dinner at the club rooms on Thursday, Nov. 26th at 12 o’clock. The ladies extend an invitation to all to come and enjoy this feast.
VOICE OF STRONGHURST HIGH SCHOOL: An Open House is being planned for the public schools of Stronghurst on Dec. 23rd. This is to be a day when the patron of the schools will be especially invited to visit their schools and see the pupils’ and teachers’ work. The Mid-West Lyceum Bureau are filling their contract to put on their entertainments here for the high school and are doing it at a loss. The high school received 20% of the money taken in for the course (Lyceums were a way to being culture to small town America). The first program was given by members of “The Kentucky Jubilee Quartette.” The school orchestra gave a concert for the school at a special assembly.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Miss Charlotte Holstein is being employed at present as nurse for Mrs. Wm. Worthington of the south country who is in quite feeble health. A letter from Robert Adair from Hyannis, Nebraska reports fine weather there after several weeks of storm and cold. Ralph Buhl and Del Ham, two Dallas City fishermen, are reported to have caught about 6,000 lbs. of fish in a single week, most of it being catfish. Their returns from the catch were over $700 ($11,151 in today’s values). Mrs. Elizabeth Montgomery, said to be the oldest female resident of Henderson County and who has lived in the same house in Oquawka for 74 years, celebrated her 90th birthday at her home where more than 80 of her neighbors and friends calling on her and leaving tokens of remembrances.
With more favorable weather for corn shucking, reports of fine yields and big shucking records are beginning to drift in to the Graphic office. Hugo Johnson reports that Emil Robertson, who is working for him recently shocked 211 bushels and 60 lbs. in exactly 10 hours. Mr. Frank Hamel will be in Stronghurst next week tuning pianos (remember this was a luxury item). Mrs. Carl Lindgren underwent a tonsil operation at the Burlington Hospital. Miss Hattie Taylor, who is presently with the F. Allen Anneger family, is reported to be quite ill. Mrs. Ruby Butler has moved from the Keener residence to the late Hattie Smith’s in the east part of town. John O. Parrish, prominent and well-known resident of Ellison Township in Warren County, died at his home near Smithshire Wednesday morning from a heart attack.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: A telephone message received brings the sad new that Mr. Wm. Spears of the Media neighborhood, who had been seriously ill for several weeks had suffered a relapse and there was no hope of his recover. His daughter, Miss Jean, who is the efficient teacher of the Olena School has a Miss Peterson substituting for her so that she might be at her father bedside. Miss Peterson being housed at the Lyman Ross Home. (It was the responsibility of rural school directors to find housing for the teacher either in their homes or perhaps, the home of a student.) Mrs. John McKeown, Sr. of near Stronghurst is in a very bad condition from hardening of the arteries, having but little use of her lower limbs. Mr. and Mrs. Likely, living north of Olena, received the sad news that her father had passed away quite suddenly following a stroke of paralysis; they left immediately for the Swearinger home. Inez, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Burrell, who with her mother has been spending, some time in Burlington, was taken suddenly ill and taken to the St. Francis Hospital where was thought she suffered from appendicitis. At last reports, she was much improved and had been taken home but would probably have to undergo an operation at a later date. (You just didn’t want to have a stomach ache back in this time period or you might yourself on an operating table.)
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Gittings are rejoicing over the birth of a young daughter. The young Miss will answer to the name of Mabel Jane, complimentary to her two grandmothers. Mrs. Gittings is being cared for at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Dowell, west of Olena. Mr. H. O. White was so unfortunate to lose a milk cow quite recently. Farmers are busy between showers trying to garner their corn crop. The yield is reported fairly good in this neighborhood. Mr. Moon of Walnut Grove was so very unfortunate as to have a finger on his left hand amputated by machinery.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Dr. McGranahan and Dr. Cotton with the colored quartette from Knoxville College, Knoxville, Tenn. held the close attention of a good-sized audience for an hour and a half on Friday afternoon at the United Presbyterian Church. The quartette sang a group of spiritual songs very beautifully, their voices blending in perfect harmony. Dr. McGranahan and Dr. Cotton both told of the work of the Freedmen in the South, of the work already done and the great need still existing.
The post office was moved from the Dixon building across the street. This room is much more commodious and will enable the office force to serve the public in a better advantage in every way. A grocery store has been opened in the Staley building by Harry Rankin of Monmouth. The Happy Home Club met on Wednesday afternoon with Mrs. Calvert Bigger. Mrs. Willis Gilmore and Mrs. James Whiteman were called to Griswold, Iowa by the serious illness of their sister, Mrs. Alice Kilgore. The Fathers and Sons banquet was attended by about 80-90 and was a great success. The tables were attractive with chrysanthemum decorations and an interesting program was given. Lloyd Whiteman spoke for the sons and C. E. Lant for the fathers. Dr. T.H. McMichael gave an enjoyed talk on “Playing the Game.” The Women’s Missionary Society of the South Henderson Society of the South Henderson church held its regular afternoon meeting with Mrs. John Foster. There was a good attendance and plans for the Thanksgiving service were made. The ladies packed and sent a large quantity of clothing to a mission school at Greenville, Tenn. D. W. Lee is installing a moving picture machine and Biggsville will again have a movie house. Mrs. Vern Blust has been quite ill with tonsilitis.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: Next Sunday in place of the service a Harvest Home will be held. The United choir has prepared a cantata, “The Harvest is Ripe,” and will give it at this time. Mrs. Elizabeth Rankin left for Oreville, Ohio to visit her daughter, Gladys. George Wax has been doing considerable carpenter work on his house, making many modern improvements on the inside as well as adding an enclosed back porch. The work on Wever Lake is about completed and in a few days the water will be turned in. The men’s Bible class have decided to take a day in the near future to clean up and put in a driveway. These two lakes are quite a spectacle supplied by a nature spring and is piped into the other lake. The place will be ideal in the winter for putting up ice and skating and in the summer for swimming and fishing. In spite of stormy weather, the picture show, “Abraham Lincoln,” was exceptionally well attended. The new machine proved to be a success and the pictures showed very clear and plain on the fine screen that had been purchased. An educational picture giving scenes from here to California were screened on Tuesday evening especially for the benefit of the school children. The feature for this Saturday night will be Milton Sills in “The Knockout.”
LOMAX LINGERINGS: Geo. Reams and wife have moved for the Starkey property to the Lee Porter property vacated by Emil Logan and wife who moved to a farm south of town. John Eckhardt and family who have been living on the C.B.Vaughn farm for the past year moved to town. “Valley Farm,” a home talent play of Terre Haute church was given at the Opera House Saturday evening.