Tag Archives: family tree research
Richard Stanley
The Stanley family traveled from New York to PA, SC, NC and finally to Illinois. John and Elizabeth purchased land at Ogles Station in the west end of Belleville. By 1824, Brother Stanley was hosting Methodist church sessions, and Stanley women had married into the Ogle and Phillips pioneer families. Richard Stanley served in the Civil War, learned the nailing trade and returned to Ogle Station to open a nail mill. As many farmers did, he mined coal for fuel. [...]
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Reverend Thomas Harrison
In 1803, Reverend Thomas Harrison, grandfather of Theopolis, arrived in Illinois, and unknown wilderness. Ten years later he built a cotton gin, the beginning of a very successful milling business. Harrison, who migrated from N. Carolina, was of Scot-Irish descent. He had 10 children. By 1831 the Harrisons built the first steam operated mill in the state. The mill, at the west end of Main Street on Richland Creek, burned down and was rebuilt. By 1844, Harrison Mills reported annual [...]
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Ferdinand Braun
Ferdinand Braun, a malster from Germany, owned coal mine lands, a dairy and a brickyard on the north side of Belleville where his father, Lorenzo, and George Bressler built a distillery in about 1840. In 1863, Ferdinand was the sole owner. By 1874, his interests turned to transportation, and he incorporated the Belleville City Railway Company. Belleville is credited with the first electric rail line in the State of Illinois. Braun and his wife, Wilhelmina, returned to Germany in 1891 [...]
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Simion Bunn
Simion Bunn, a foundryman from Pennsylvania, was a bricklayer in his youth. He became a furnace builder for Belleville Steel Co. which operated two mills in the city — Valley Mill and West Mill. In 1871 Bunn patented a Puddling Furnace and in 1886 a “double-decker” Nail Plate Furnace. His sons followed him in the stove and foundry industries of Belleville. Simion enjoyed and worked at a long career. At the age of 65 he was still installing furnaces. In [...]
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National Archive Records Preserved
Have you ever wondered how archives and records are preserved? The brand new St. Louis office of the National Personnel Records Center describes how they prepare, repair, restore and preserve the national archives that we all love to view and obtain information from as we trace our family tree. Share and Enjoy Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Google Buzz StumbleUpon Add to favorites Email RSS
