Born in Alsace, France, in 1814, Charles Guthneck came to America with a French colony in 1837 and settled near Vincennes. He became a skilled stone-and-brick contractor, building numerous bridges for the Baltimore & Ohio and Southwestern railroads. After marrying Annie McManus in Lawrence County on December 9, 1840, Charles settled there with his family before moving to Jasper County, where he built the Newton jail. Of Charles and Annie’s eight children, five reached adulth

John McCausland was born in 1794 in Ireland. He and his wife Catherine moved from Ohio with their eight children to Lawrence County and purchased land from the US Government for $1.25 an acre in what would become Christy Twp. As a farmer John had to file an agricultural report. He stated that 50 acres was improved and 51 acres was in its natural state. The cash value of his farm was $400. The value of his farming implements was $80. The family-owned 5 horses, 4 mules, 3 milk

Jacob May was a merchant in the newly formed village of Sumner, Lawrence County, Illinois, from 1853 to 1857. His surviving account book, published by the Richland County Genealogical and Historical Society in 1991, offers a revealing glimpse of everyday life in a mid-nineteenth-century rural community. A general store then served as grocer, clothier, hardware supplier, credit desk, and informal gathering place—all before anyone thought to call it “one-stop shopping.” On Octo

On November 8, 1870, 63-year-old farmer Richard Swinson of Petty Township, Lawrence County, Illinois, sat down to settle his affairs by writing his Last Will and Testament—and apparently to assign rooms with the precision of a hotel clerk. After his debts and funeral expenses, his wife Annie received use of the southwest room in the family home, whatever furniture she needed, enough income for her comfort, and a decent burial. The children’s shares had more range. Elizabeth J

Monday we wrote about this boy's father. Here is the son's story. From a Lawrence County hotel to the Union military wire, John C. Watts built a remarkable life around nerve, railroads, and the sound of dots and dashes. Born near Chauncey, Illinois, on February 16, 1847, John Culbertson Watts grew up in a world newly connected by rail and wire. In 1860, his father kept a hotel in Christy Township where two telegraph operators boarded. Family historians recalled that young Jo

In the spring of 1864, Union prisoners at Camp Ford in Texas watched an unlikely farm take shape beyond the stockade. Twenty men leaned into a plow while an older, gray-haired captain directed the work. The ten-acre patch of corn and beans was his answer to hunger—and only one chapter in the remarkable life of Captain John Wesley Watts. Born September 1, 1820, in Scott County, Indiana, Watts came with his family to a farm near Chauncey in Lawrence County, Illinois. After his

James S Pritchett,Esq From a childhood in early Lawrence County, Illinois, to a courtroom reputation that crossed county and state lines, Pritchett’s life offers a vivid glimpse into the people who shaped the region’s history. In the early history of Lawrence County, Illinois, some names surface again and again—not only in public records, but in courtrooms, newspapers, and civic life. One of those names is James S. Pritchett, a man whose story began in Indiana but soon becam

On July 10, 1849, seven families left Germany and crossed the Atlantic and arrived in New Orleans. The families were Holtze, Brausa, Boden, Barnkamp, Geisler, Storkman, and Guynot. The original name of Holtze was changed to Holze upon arrival in New Orleans and shortly after, Americanized to Holsen. They traveled up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Evansville, Indiana then traveled on to Lawrence County, Illinois. This seemed to be their “Promised Land.” They settled prese

Today we can go into any supermarket and buy produce shipped there from around the world. This was considered progress for the last 75 years, but because of the energy needed to do this and because of the loss of valuable nutrients, there is a movement now to buy locally. The practice of buying locally began when Lawrence County merchants first opened their doors. (Of course retail prices are a bit higher now...) The Rural Republican advertised butter sold for 15 cents a poun

Hugh K Lanterman was born in 1832. He married Lavina Wirth in 1867. The Rural Republican often mentioned Hugh as operating the Centennial Hotel in Bridgeport and that “his wife served the best food the market had available”. They failed to mention that African American Posey Belle was the cook. Researchers know this because the 1880 Bridgeport Illinois Census listed Hugh 48, as the Postmaster and his wife Lavina as a “Land lady”. Two women were included in their household, o