Lester Goff and his wife, Sophronia, are shown with the ice truck that Goff used for his career hauling ice around Lawrence County in the early 1900’s. Prior to taking the route as ice man, Goff hauled materials to construct the Lawrenceville Texaco Refinery. Goff owned a team of horses that was used to pull the ice wagon, but in later years, he obtained the truck. His work hours spanned from 6 a.m. to midnight on most days. The route extended west of Chauncey, south to Lu

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

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

Fatal Intoxication Two local St. Francisville residents were informed early on the morning of April 3, 1908, that a man’s body had been found lying on the ground 75-80 yards north of the Big Four Depot. Harve Pierson was notified about 5:30 a.m. Alan Potts was notified about 6:00 a.m. Alan left his job as a night operator to go assist with the body. Another man, Frank Sheridan, testified at the coroner’s inquest that he saw a number of people walking towards the depot and fol

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

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