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

Born into poverty and unable to read or write, James Vance (1835-1909) nevertheless built a fortune through tireless energy and thrift, with his obituary estimating his wealth at nearly half a million dollars. He began with a small farm and steadily added to it until his holdings became immense. He continued working the land until only a few years before his death, by which time he was known as the “land king of Allison.” He married Minera Gowin in 1864, and both of their ch

In rural America between about 1870 and 1900, dentists often served communities in a practical and irregular way rather than functioning like the modern family dentist. Regularly scheduled preventive visits were not generally considered necessary by many families; people usually sought dental care when pain, infection, broken teeth, or the need for an extraction made treatment unavoidable. Because small towns and farming communities could not always provide enough steady pati

August 29, 1890 The good people of our neighboring village of Pinkstaff, four miles north, retired to sleep on the last Sunday evening as usual, not dreaming that they would be called out that night to fight fire, but such was the case. It had a good start however, and every store but one had burned to the ground. The following are the names of the business people with their losses: · S.I. Carlyle, postmaster, also carried a stock of notions, books, wallpaper and dru

Daniel Swinehart Jr. was born in Ohio in 1827 and later made his home in Lawrenceville, Illinois. By 1878, he was advertising in the local paper as a veterinary surgeon—an occupation that would have carried real value in a rural community where horses, cattle, hogs, and other livestock were essential to transportation, farm labor, food, and family income. In the late nineteenth century, a “veterinary surgeon” in the countryside was often called when an animal’s illness or inj

Allen Charles Gosnell was born in 1822 in Ohio. Three of his daughters married Ruddy brothers in Vincennes. When the 1870 census was taken Allen was a shoemaker in Lawrenceville, Lawrence County Illinois. In the 1878 Rural Republican, A C Gosnell advertised that he was a shoe and boot maker and repaired harness. In the late nineteenth century, a boot and shoemaker held a practical and highly visible place in a small town. Before ready-made shoes were widely available to ever