Category Archives: Ethnic groups

Mack, Frank and Mary “Polly” Shelby

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

Mack and Frank Shelby, ages 27 and 29, respectively, bought a lot at the southwest corner of Third and Washington streets in 1826, according to the Early African American Population of Springfield Illinois by Richard E. Hart (2008). Mack was … Continue reading →

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Temple B’rith Sholom

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Temple B’rith Sholom, Springfield’s Reform synagogue, began with 19 members in 1858. Originally called the Springfield Jewish Congregation, the group first met in a third-floor room at 216 S. Sixth St. It later moved to Hart’s Hall at 221 S. … Continue reading →

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Temple Israel

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Temple Israel, 1140 W. Governor St., traces its history to Eastern European Jewish immigrants’ arrival in Springfield in the 1880s. They established an Orthodox synagogue, B’Nai Abraham, at  Seventh and Mason streets. The temple’s longtime rabbi, Rabbi Barry Marks, wrote … Continue reading →

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Mariah Vance

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Mariah Vance (1819-1904) is believed to have been a maid and housekeeper for Mary and Abraham Lincoln in Springfield from 1850 to 1860. She also was the alleged source of an inside look at the Lincoln family, published in 1995 as Lincoln’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Lincoln, Abraham | 3 Comments

William Walling’s article on the Springfield Race Riot

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Journalist and socialist William English Walling and his wife, Anna Strunsky,  rushed to Springfield as soon as they heard of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot. “We at once discovered, to our amazement, that Springfield had no shame,” Walling wrote in … Continue reading →

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Springfield Survey, 1914

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey of 1914 was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions, and it’s still well-known in the fields of sociology and social work. But, partly because it was so ambitious, nothing similar was ever attempted … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Children, Education, Law enforcement, Local government, Medicine, Parks, Photos and photosets, Public health, Resources, Schools and school districts, Social services, Springfield, Springfield Survey | Tagged | 4 Comments

World War I Homecoming Celebration

Posted on October 3, 2013 by editor

Sangamon County honored its veterans of World War I with a daylong Homecoming Celebration on June 24, 1919. The event began with a parade that started in downtown Springfield and ended at Washington Park. The memorial service there was described … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Celebrations | Tagged | 2 Comments

Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Posted on October 3, 2013 by editor

Founded in 1838 as the Colored Baptist Church, Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1601 E. Laurel St., is the third oldest black church in Illinois. “It was a sad period in history for the African American population,” Zion Missionary’s website says … Continue reading →

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Portuguese immigrants

Posted on April 14, 2013 by editor

Note: This entry has been updated and expanded. Religious differences on the  island of Madeira were the unlikely backdrop for an equally unlikely influx of immigrants — people of Portuguese descent — to Sangamon County in 1850. Members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Early residents, Portuguese, Prominent figures | Tagged | 53 Comments

Jameson Jenkins

Posted on April 13, 2013 by editor

(Alternative spellings: Jamieson Jenkins, Jimison Jarkins) Jameson Jenkins (1810?-1873) was an African American drayman – a carter or teamster – in Springfield from the late 1840s through the 1860s. He was a neighbor of the Lincoln family and was active … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents, Ethnic groups, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , , | 5 Comments