Category Archives: Family life

Boyhood during the Deep Snow

Posted on November 16, 2020 by editor

Zimri Enos was nine years old when the Deep Snow hit Sangamon County on Dec. 30, 1830. Snowstorms continued almost constantly for eight weeks. At its height, average snow depth was four to five feet, and the snow was accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Disasters, Early residents, Family life, Histories, Prominent figures, Social life, Uncategorized, Weather | 2 Comments

Pioneer women’s memories

Posted on July 28, 2019 by editor

For the 1879 meeting of the Old Settlers of Sangamon County, president Roland Diller read letters he had solicited from some of the county’s pioneer women. They were reprinted in the History of Sangamon  County, Illinois, published in 1881 by … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Children, Early residents, Family life, Women | 2 Comments

Family life at the Sangamon County Poor Farm

Posted on April 9, 2018 by editor

My grandparents on my mother’s side, Charles and Amy Reed, were superintendent and matron of the Sangamon County Poor Farm from 1915 to 1927. They had eight children, and my mother was the youngest. They moved into the poor farm … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family life, Sangamon County | 4 Comments

Mother’s Day begins, 1910

Posted on May 5, 2017 by editor

A proclamation by Gov. Charles Deneen in 1910 made Illinois one of the first eight states to officially designate the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. The idea had been first promoted by a Philadelphia woman, Anna Jarvis, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Family life, Women | Leave a comment

Wedding customs before the Civil War

Posted on July 28, 2014 by editor

Pre-Civil War weddings in Sangamon County had their peculiarities, often including macaroon pyramids and very early starting times, as Caroline Owsley Brown remembered in 1914. Here are Brown’s descriptions of some of those weddings. Barret/Johnson Miss Eliza Barret’s wedding at … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Early residents, Family life, Histories, Prominent figures, Women | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A blended immigrant family: Treinis/Nevada/Zakar

Posted on July 25, 2014 by editor

From Sandy’s Blog, News and Profiles, a section of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois: Lithuanian coal-mining families in Springfield at the turn of the 20th Century had many hardships — and virtues — in common. Hard work, faith and determination were … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Communities, Ethnic groups, Family life, Lithuanians | 8 Comments