The following is a letter that I have and I will post more about this family later. The conditions of having a good well here made all the difference on the early settlers on if they stayed in the area or moved on for what they thought were better conditions in the west. Many early settlers in Oakland moved on to Kansas and beyond.

Front: Postmarked:
William J Florer Oakland- Sept 16, Ill
Danville Paid 3
Vermillion Co,
Illinois

Letter Body:
Cape Greasy Illinois
September 13, 1859
William J Florer,
Dear son,
We are all still well
we received you 2 letters of Aug 30 &
Sept 3 contents noticed. Herberts family are
all about. the youngest have had the
aque. Thomas West’s family are all well
except Albert, he has chills, the health of
the country improving, last knight & knight
before we had the finest rains fell since
the drouth commenced last June it
was much kneeded. the whole conutry was
dried up & much timber diing.
When at Newport tried to rent a house
could not find one empty fit to live in
found Nixon, Culbertsons, McAlister,
Henderson, Nichols & Malone & lowry
willing to sell provided the got good prices,
& keep possession until next Spring &
Culbertsone one year, except Malone
if he got $1250..down for one lot
& his house would give immediate
possession , Nichols asked $400. but don’t like the
location at all Nixon asked $1000. McAlister
$450, Henderson $350 Culbertson $1500 for
his 2 lots & 4 pasture lots. Sale $650 for his
the 2 latter. I considered reasonable Lowry
was sick, I did not larn his price Sale was
gone to Ohio I left word with Bell, on Sale
return try to rent of him & if he could not
rent see if he would sell & give immediate
possession & write, I got no answer
Ure & me talked on the subject of a partnership
he seemed somewhat disposed to do so---
but nothing difinet was entered into he seemed
to be inclined to put it off a year or two---
coming to no definate arrangement I con=
=clude to return home with my plank &
wait the Issue I have all halled but one
load from Zevers concluded if go or stay I
would on & collect My lumber for
building I am now ready to haul logs to
Pinhook to make my scantling if I
stayed would raise & enclose my house
this fall & finish next Spring & Summer
if I moved would sell my lumber
but I see on my return wells gone dry &
water generly dried up, go stay rent or sell
water must be had, went to Charleston got
me a 2 inch auger with a 20 foot shank
& big rope came back found damp in
well no one would go down went to my
stock well found it dry dug 12 feet deeper
then board 14 feet struck water at 35 which
biled up & gave us about 3 feet water
& good this relieved us much tho we then got
a little cooler I worked the damp out of
my deep well which was dug 43 feet &
Bored 6. We put the auger in & Bored 6
feet deeper down went the auger & up came
was sand & gravel it throwed up gravel as
large as a Partridge Egg to the top of the water
after it was 3 feet deep Nace caught a panful
rolling on the surface it throwed up sand &
gravel about 3 feet deep & water on the top
of that 9 feet & still slowly raising
so that a 30 foot rope reaches the water &
you Might say the water from the Bottom
of the auger hole is 24 feet deep the whole
well is now 58 feet deep the water is slightly
white sulpher but does not make it in the least
disagreeable to the taste it is so cold that it makes
the teeth & eyes ake to drink a glassfull
it adds to the value of my place in the
estimation of every body that has been to see, it
$500, I am now preparing to haul saw logs
& as soon as Taylor & Lippincott gets
ready to help which will be in a
week or 10 days we are going to dig them a
well they promise to donate a week each
then I hire them for the Balance---
you may be sure after getting such a fine chance
of water it cheers us up I have not seen
M. nor been to Pinhook since you left
but think going To day if it don’t rain too
much--- I expect to see M. & will soon
write you again I would have written sooner
but had nothing of Interest to write
I suppose you heard of friend Lowry’s loss by
fire & also of his death
in your next letter state if you know when
the next session of school begins at Crawfords=
=ville, the price of tuition per session & the price
of Board & washing per week, some times I
think of sending Shep to Paris seminary this
winter what do you think the latter plan
I think would not tell Culbertson positively
as yet I would go into business & leave him
Yours truly,
AB Florer

Sunday Drive

Every Sunday afternoon- as long as I have something to post- we'll just take an old Sunday Drive to another community close to home.

This week we are going to visit Casey past.

Notice the differences in the 2 Jasper Street postcards.

Some of our pioneer families either came up through Casey to Oakland or left Oakland and went to Casey.

Oakland High School class of 1941- found this on ebay this winter- just left click on the picture below to enlarge it.

Independence- Oakland, Illinois 1829-1910


1829- 1st settler Samuel Clayborn Ashmore arrives.
27 May 1830- Isaac May is the first to file a land title in the township.
Later in 1830- Samuel Hodge and father-in-law, Samuel Ashmore, file their
land titles.

1830- John L Berry arrives from Kentucky
Alexander Laughlin arrives from Virginia
Asa Redden arrives from Kentucky
James Redden arrives from Kentucky
Eli Sargent arrives from Ohio

1831- Hezekiah J Ashmore arrives from Tennessee
Eli Morrison arrives from Virginia
Whitfield W Morrison arrives from Virginia
Stanton Pemberton arrives from Virginia

1832- WL Ashmore arrives from Kentucky
Leonard Bell arrives from Kentucky
Thomas Blair arrives from Ohio
Daniel Campbell arrives from Ohio
William Curtis arrives from Ohio
Jerry Hunter arrives from Ohio
John King arrives from Virginia
Moses Luce arrives from Ohio
Daniel McCord arrives from Tennessee
Newton McCord arrives from Tennessee
Thomas McCord arrives from Tennessee


1833- Oakland Post Office is located in a grove of trees east of town.
Jackson Chaney arrives from Kentucky
John Daugherty arrives from Kentucky
Hiram Donica arrives from Kentucky
Enoch Sears arrives from Ohio
James Smith arrives from Kentucky

1834- David McCord enters the land where Oakland was built-
1st home is a 14x16 log cabin built near Dr. Ruthrford’s home.
(Dr. Rutherford later bought the property and sold the cabin off of it for $5.00. The cabin was moved and used as a stable.

Gideon M Ashmore founds the town of Independence.

Gideon M Ashmore- (son of Samuel)
owned the land and original plot and named the village
“Independence”- others nicknamed it “Pinhook”

“Springfield Trace”- which was later called the Springfield Road,
ran down Main Street through the village-
Dr. Rutherford’s house was on “Old Trace”

Frank Lucas arrives from Kentucky
William Mundell arrives from Kentucky
David Winkler arrives from Ohio

9 Feb 1835- The Oakland Post Office is moved from east of town and by
“special act of legislation”- “The village of Independence” was officially
changed to Oakland.


12 May 1835- Reuben Canterbury (the assistant to the county surveyor,
Thomas Sconce) surveyed and drafted the plat of Oakland.

13 May 1835- Canterbury filed the papers with the justice of the peace,
naming it “Indepedence”

June 1835- Original town and north addition platted-
This consisted of:
1)-a small lock- up in the center of the public square for persons
involved in brawls at the local salloons.
2)- JO Black’s drug store
3)- Oakland House and the Union Hotel
The Oakland House was at East Main & Oak Street-
(cost was $2.00 a day in 1877)
4)- a lumberyard on the east side of town owned by the Green Bros.,
Zelora and Joseph. The later sold out to Stanton C Pemberton.

Lord Ellison Archer arrives from Vermont
Solomon Boyors arrives from Ohio
Burson arrives from Ohio
Andrew Hite arrives from Ohio
1836- Thomas Affleck arrives from Scotland
Dr Sterling Combs arrives- Oakland’s 1st dentist
Leonard Bell- bought 1 section of land in Coles Co and 1 section in
Edgar Co, Il- dated 28 May 1836

1837- 1st Store- owned by McClelland
2nd Store- owned by Trembly
both were short term and closed
1st Doctor arrives- Dr. Montague
Peter Gobert arrives from France
Martin Zimmerman arrives from Virginia

1838- 2nd Doctor arrives- Dr William Patton
Daniel E Powers arrives from Ohio

1840- Stores closed- McClelland & Trembly
3rd Doctor arrives- Dr Hiram Rutherford from Pennsylvania-
Oakland’s first Medical collage graduate

1840-1844- Oakland went without any kind of store for four long years.
Early residences had to travel to Charleston or Paris for supplies.
At the time, corn was ten cents a bushel and four year old steers were
going for ten dollars a head.

1844- Robert Mosely began stocking goods in his store, and the long commutes
for supplies was eased.
He was later followed in business by John Mills and RF Hackett.

1847- “Mosely & Pamberton”- Robert Mosely takes on JJ Pemberton as a
business partner.

1854- Steam Mill built by Clement & Clark

1855- Grist Mill- built by Charles Clemet & RB Clarke-
The machinery was purchased from Cininnati, Ohio and moved here.
After 20 years, it was still in use and was owned by S Zarley.

“Mosely & Pemberton” sells store to LS Cash & SM Cash

1872- Large grain elevator built by Frank R & Thomas Coffin of Mass.
1st Railroad built – Terre Haute & Peoria- ran east and west,
Paris- Decatur

1873- Elevator Fire! Coffin brothers are charged and a sensational trial begins.

6 Oct 1874- “Oakland Bank” is chartered ($53,000)

13 May 1875- “The Oakland Herald” begins- newspaper

4 May 1877- “The Oakland Herald” is under new management-

1877- “The Oakland Ledger” begins weekly newspaper

Tile factory burns and is never rebuilt

1880-1881- 2nd Railroad- Toledo, St Louis & Western RR-
ran north and south

1885- about that time a creamery was begun but was soon disbanded.

10 May 1887- “The Oakland Building & Loan Association” is chartered.

1892- Elevator is built by Paddock, Hodge, & Co, Toledo, Ohio

6 Oct 1894- “Oakland Bank” rechartered-
John Rutherford, President

!894- “Old Settlers Meetings” begin-
1st year of a 5 year run
Organized by JE Tibbs

1896- “The Oakland Ledger” becomes “The Daily Ledger”
“Mutual Improvement Club” formed
Ladies only- to study Shakespeare

“The Oakland Electric Plant” is built by James C Taber

1897- “The Oakland Telephone Plant”- begins-
WS Ashmore, OK Burton, FP Moffett

1899- “Business Men’s Association” begins

1900- “The Citizen’s Bank” opens

More items found at the Rutherford house- 1st is a paper doll or dressing doll box top.

GAR- Program from 1929
Ad for McConkey's store-and a First National Bank receipt

These images were found in the Rutherford house and are from Newman. 3 of Hiram's sons moved to Newman and made it their home.

The Rutherfords were a musical family and it is thought that some of them were in this band.

This is the Newman newspaper office-

Raising a barn-

“Long Bullets” (N. & Q. ii.) was a past-time amusement fifty years ago. My father had three or four balls weighing from a pound and a half to two and a half ( cast for artillery purposes). My brother was fond of athletic amusements, and exceeded all others I have ever seen throw them. H.R.


“Jumping The Bullies” was another old-time sport, which expired about fifty years ago. It was often practiced at “singing school.” Sides being chosen, four or five stood up against the wall in a leaning posture, one behind the other. The game was for the other side, of an equal number, to jump up on the shoulders, and the last man jumping had to clap his hands three times together. Quite a difficult feat, by the way. H.R.

Egle’s Notes and Queries, First and Second Series, Volume I, Page 25



These are two articles that Hiram Rutherford wrote for the newspaper back home in Harrisburg, PA. He wrote many articles here for the Oakland and Charleston newspapers, and most know about those, but he also wrote for Dr. Egle's paper as well, and these notes and queries were later published by Egle.

Just added a new feature- for those who do not want to post a comment- you can quickly click on the reactions below each blog. It will count it without you doing anything else as soon as you leave the blog. Thanks for checking in.

These are of Pierson Bros lumber- early 1900's

I would like to thank everyone for their positive feedback on the blog. I have so much more to post and anyone wanting to share info or pictures is welcome to do so.
Also- some of Oakland's family trees are at City Hall- just ask Grace to point them out. They are in a desk drawer in the corner. There is a table there to sit down and spread out to look things up and Grace will make copies for you. (There may be a small charge to cover the ink)
I have a notice that the blogs will be down at 4pm today- don't know how long it will last.
They have scheduled maintenence for this afternoon.
Keep sending the link to people who are out of town or may not know about it. Thanks again!

Someone sent me an email- in the 1900 census 2 ladies were listed as telephone girls:

Ina Newman- age 17- living with parents John W and Jennie (Campbell) Newman

Josephine Benoit- age 21- living with parents Joseph M and Mary A Benoit

This could be our ladies in the postcard- the time frame is right.

The first three post cards could have come from Oakland- there is nothing written on them.
The last one is an Oakland, Illinois postcard- does anyone know where it would have been?

Here is a group of mourning cards from the Rutherford's collection that were not family. Left click on the image to enlarge so you can read it.
The amount of black used on the card dictates the expense of having it printed- more black ink= more money.
The wealthier families were all black.
The are a few more of these that will be posted later- I am trying to do a variety of items to keep you interested.

Just a few more paper documents from the Landmarks archival project I did a couple years ago.

All of these items can be seen at the Rutherford house- Originals are archived but photo copies are available for viewing- contact any Landmarks member for more information.

Just click on any photo and it will bring it up in another window larger than what is displayed.
You can also right click and save to your computer.

The top photo is of the Oakland basketball team and the second is unknown.
You can either post comments or contact my email in my profile.

This is a real photo post card of the Oakland football team- unknown year

Can anyone identify the players and the coaches?

This is a real photo post card of Oakland telephone operators. Would like to know who they were and what building was used.

The Oakland Telephone Plant was owned by WS Ashmore, OK Burton, and FP Moffet- 1897
By the early 1900's they had almost 400 phones in their system.

James Zimmerman

This cabinet photo has been identified as:
James Zimmerman- son of Martin Zimmerman and Sarah Greaver
Born- between 6-8 Dec 1827 @ Augusta Co, VA
Died- 15 Feb 1900 @ Ashmore, Coles Co, IL
Married- 12 Jan 1854
Mary Ann Evangeline McDavitt

They were the parents of :
William Riley Zimmerman
1st Married- Rosa Barber
2nd Married- Olive Eliga Pepper

They were the grandparents of:
Glenn Zimmerman
1st Married- Ann Rutherford
2nd Married- Elizabeth Rutherford

James Zimmerman was a farmer and stockman.

These are all misc documents that belonged to the Rutherford family that are not family related. There are many of these also and I will post some from time to time.

Oakland Horse and Colt Show:

This is of the early horse and colt shows they used to have on the square in Oakland at the turn of the century.

Oakland Houses

I bought these real photo post cards on ebay this winter and they are of Oakland homes from the ealry 1900's. Do you know where they are? 3 I know- but not the other 2. I will post the answers in a week or two.

Here are a few more unknown photos from the Rutherford albums.