Oakland Illinois Genealogy

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