133 results

This is an interview of Mason Crow of Towanda, Illinois. Mason tells of how he came to move to Towanda in the late 1940s, the home he built, his impressions of the town at that time, and how it has ch…

A Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph newspaper obituary reported the September 12, 2000 death of Estella Larkin, who was born December 8, 1907 in Towanda, a daughter of James and Katherine Kelly Grimes…

Newspaper article dated April 14, 1964, from the Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph is about Towanda resident, Frank Snodgrass who turned 97 in 1964. His biography also includes his hobbies and some of…

Photograph is of Frank & Pauline Fiebig Kraft's wedding on March 13, 1859. Frank and Pauline immigrated from Germany. Frank farmed in Towanda Township for a number of years before buying his first 80…

This wedding photograph of Harry and Vesta Jones was taken January 25, 1905.

This letter was written January 20, 1862 by James H. Peterson to his father, Elisha A. Peterson, Towanda resident. The letter was written in Camp Jefferson during the Civil War.

A Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph newspaper obituary reported the March 3, 1984 death of Claude Quinn, who was born March 21, 1905, at Barnes, the son of James and Sara Larkin Quinn. He and his seven…

A Bloomington, Illinois, Pantagraph newspaper photograph and caption on August 25, 1941 feature Towanda boy Bill Moore, age 14 doing his chores of milking 23 cows every night and morning. He used mech…

This written history of the Merna Tap in Merna, Illinois, written by Robert Kelley, details the various owners of the tap from 1900 through 2005. The Merna Tap started out as a grocery store, owned by…

This letter was written December 27, 1861 by Civil War soldier James H. Peterson, to his father, Elisha A. Peterson, Towanda resident. The letter was written from Camp Kennell in Jeffersonville, India…

This is the written history of the Abraham Jones family, which in 1856 was one of the first families to settle in the Towanda area. The history covers from Abraham's birth in 1791 to a listing of his…

For the McLean County (Illinois) Sesquicentennial celebration year, Alice Temple recounted in this written history the first Towanda 4th of July Flea Market that was held in 1969 during Towanda's 13th…

This is an interview with Eleanor 'Jean' (Kerber) Miller, long time Towanda resident, that covers her childhood years on the farm; her marriage on May 15, 1948 to Albert Miller who had served in the m…

An 1840 military rank roll lists the members of the Springfield, Ohio Light Infantry Company. Elisha A. Peterson, Towanda resident, is among the company men.

Photograph taken in 1890 is of John and Teresa Sutter and their 10 children: Front row L to R: Philip Sutter, Lucy Sutter Kraft, John Sutter, Teresa Granacher Sutter, George Sutter. Back row L to R: L…

This is an interview with Ray Temple, who was born in 1918 in Tampico, Illinois. He describes meeting Alice Sutter, a Towanda native, while they were freshmen at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomi…

This is an interview with Vivian (Brigham) Kraft of rural Towanda. Vivian tells of moving to Towanda after her marriage to Charles (Chuck) B. Kraft in 1944. She describes rationing during World War II…

A Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph newspaper obituary reported the December 1, 1937 death of Mary L. Henderson, who was born March 31, 1869, daughter of Jerry and Elizabeth Blair. Her first husband wa…

This is the written history of Michael Kinsella, born in 1867 in Merna, Illinois, and his wife Margaret Larkin, born in 1868 near Merna, who were married in St. Patrick Church Merna, Illinois in 1897…

Biography written by Mary Etta 'Lillian' Peterson Michael, of the 1896-1907 Towanda Depot's operator and telegrapher, Posy Sands. Lillian remembered that Posy enjoyed his life's work and was enthusias…