Post by bluejay201 on Apr 1, 2010 3:24:09 GMT -6
Was looking up information about school teachers and thought that this was interesting.
Joanie
...from History of La Salle County, Illinois -- 1886
City of Streator, volume 1, page 595
William Martin Bronson, deceased, was a pioneer of La Salle County. He was born in Connecticut in 1814 and in 1835 came to this county and began teaching school which he followed for several years. He then settled on a farm which is now part of Streator. He could adapt himself to almost any kind of mechanical work, and in connection with farming he worked at the carpenter's trade, building for himself several tenement houses. April 8, 1841, he was married to Eliza Fulwiler, of Ottawa. Of the seven children born to them four are living--William, grocer and real-estate owner, of Streator; George, a physician; Frank, engineer in a coal shaft, and Ida, dressmaker. Henry died in 1859 aged nearly two years; Mary died in June, 1877, aged twenty-three years and Day died in August, 1869, aged seventeen months. Mr. Bronson died Dec. 21, 1883. His widow still survives him.
...from Streator Daily Free Press
Saturday Evening, December 22, 1883
DEATH'S CALL.
W. M. Bronson, Sr.
An old and highly respected citizen of Streator, died at his home in the north part of town last evening about 10 o'clock, aged about 70 years. He has been sick all fall though not dangerously so at any time and it was thought he was failing more from old age than from disease. About a week ago Dr. Smith was called and found him suffering from Bright's disease, but he seemed much better and more cheerful. He was around the house yesterday and seemed no worse until between eight and nine when he began to show evidences of wandering mind. The doctor was telephoned for and came as soon as possible but found him dying. He died as if he were sinking to sleep. The funeral will be held Tuesday, and the remains will probably be taken to Naramore's cemetery for burial.
Mr. Bronson was born in Connecticut and came to Illinois in 1840 and preempted the land which has been his home since. In order to hold his claim he build a rail pen near where his house now is, covered it with prairie grass and lived in it until he could make other improvements. When the land office was opened at Dixon he went there to make his payment and get his patent for the land and slept out at night on his way. Mr. Bronson has been a good citizen and a good neighbor and many will drop a tear over his grave. He has had eight children of whom four are still living to comfort their aged mother.
...from Streator Daily Free Press
Tuesday, December 25, 1883
The funeral of the late Wm. Bronson has been postponed until tomorrow at 12 o'clock pending the arrival of a brother from Kansas.
...from Streator newspaper?
December 27, 1924
My father (William Martin Bronson) came from Connecticut in 1835. In those days Streator was known as "Hardscrabble". Father taught school for a while and with the money he brought with him and what he saved from teaching school in 1842, he went to Decatur, Ill., that being the nearest land office, and paid one dollar and a quarter for 120 acres of land that is now what is called Bronson's and Dinsmore's addition to Streator. Father did not build a house or a home for some time. His first home was a dug out on the side of a hill on the north end of of a lot known as 508 E. Bronson St. He hauled the rocks for this dug out from the Vermillion river with an ox team. My father helped to build some of the fist log houses in this part of the county. There are some here now that will remember the log house that stood where the large Plumb brick building stands on East Broadway. This log house my father helped Jack Fulwiler build in the early 50's.
...from Notes of Irene Elleanor Bronson Peters:
"Later in his life, William Martin Bronson sold the coal rights under his land and he was a rich man with so much money that it went to his head and in plain words he went a little crazy. He buried money, hid it and was close on to being a miser. I have heard my Dad say many times that lots of time he and his brothers found cans of money, which William Martin had buried and the boys took the money to their mother, Grandmother Eliza Bronson. Before the "Old Homestead" was sold to a stranger, my Dad Frank Lynn Bronson and my cousin George Bronson searched the house for hidden money, especially the rocks that made up the foundation for the house. They could not find any money, but to this day it is known that there is money hidden in that house somewhere.
Joanie
...from History of La Salle County, Illinois -- 1886
City of Streator, volume 1, page 595
William Martin Bronson, deceased, was a pioneer of La Salle County. He was born in Connecticut in 1814 and in 1835 came to this county and began teaching school which he followed for several years. He then settled on a farm which is now part of Streator. He could adapt himself to almost any kind of mechanical work, and in connection with farming he worked at the carpenter's trade, building for himself several tenement houses. April 8, 1841, he was married to Eliza Fulwiler, of Ottawa. Of the seven children born to them four are living--William, grocer and real-estate owner, of Streator; George, a physician; Frank, engineer in a coal shaft, and Ida, dressmaker. Henry died in 1859 aged nearly two years; Mary died in June, 1877, aged twenty-three years and Day died in August, 1869, aged seventeen months. Mr. Bronson died Dec. 21, 1883. His widow still survives him.
...from Streator Daily Free Press
Saturday Evening, December 22, 1883
DEATH'S CALL.
W. M. Bronson, Sr.
An old and highly respected citizen of Streator, died at his home in the north part of town last evening about 10 o'clock, aged about 70 years. He has been sick all fall though not dangerously so at any time and it was thought he was failing more from old age than from disease. About a week ago Dr. Smith was called and found him suffering from Bright's disease, but he seemed much better and more cheerful. He was around the house yesterday and seemed no worse until between eight and nine when he began to show evidences of wandering mind. The doctor was telephoned for and came as soon as possible but found him dying. He died as if he were sinking to sleep. The funeral will be held Tuesday, and the remains will probably be taken to Naramore's cemetery for burial.
Mr. Bronson was born in Connecticut and came to Illinois in 1840 and preempted the land which has been his home since. In order to hold his claim he build a rail pen near where his house now is, covered it with prairie grass and lived in it until he could make other improvements. When the land office was opened at Dixon he went there to make his payment and get his patent for the land and slept out at night on his way. Mr. Bronson has been a good citizen and a good neighbor and many will drop a tear over his grave. He has had eight children of whom four are still living to comfort their aged mother.
...from Streator Daily Free Press
Tuesday, December 25, 1883
The funeral of the late Wm. Bronson has been postponed until tomorrow at 12 o'clock pending the arrival of a brother from Kansas.
...from Streator newspaper?
December 27, 1924
My father (William Martin Bronson) came from Connecticut in 1835. In those days Streator was known as "Hardscrabble". Father taught school for a while and with the money he brought with him and what he saved from teaching school in 1842, he went to Decatur, Ill., that being the nearest land office, and paid one dollar and a quarter for 120 acres of land that is now what is called Bronson's and Dinsmore's addition to Streator. Father did not build a house or a home for some time. His first home was a dug out on the side of a hill on the north end of of a lot known as 508 E. Bronson St. He hauled the rocks for this dug out from the Vermillion river with an ox team. My father helped to build some of the fist log houses in this part of the county. There are some here now that will remember the log house that stood where the large Plumb brick building stands on East Broadway. This log house my father helped Jack Fulwiler build in the early 50's.
...from Notes of Irene Elleanor Bronson Peters:
"Later in his life, William Martin Bronson sold the coal rights under his land and he was a rich man with so much money that it went to his head and in plain words he went a little crazy. He buried money, hid it and was close on to being a miser. I have heard my Dad say many times that lots of time he and his brothers found cans of money, which William Martin had buried and the boys took the money to their mother, Grandmother Eliza Bronson. Before the "Old Homestead" was sold to a stranger, my Dad Frank Lynn Bronson and my cousin George Bronson searched the house for hidden money, especially the rocks that made up the foundation for the house. They could not find any money, but to this day it is known that there is money hidden in that house somewhere.
