Amos Stukely Arnold
Amos S. Arnold left his home in Morrisonville, a small town near Plattsburg, New York in 1866. Traveling through the Lakes by boat with cart and horse aboard, he landed in Chicago at Michigan Avenue and started driving southwest. Having heard about the Sibley Estate and their huge corncribs, he wanted to see for himself the good farm land. He worked for over a year with a threshing gang while looking the country over. The next year he bought 160 acres of land (in Section 9 Lyman Township)
I have no record of this purchase. This is the land that was given to Seward Arnold after his Mother and Father's death. According to the 1990 Plat Map of Ford County, Lyman Township this 160 acres is now owned by Kendrick Farms Inc. % Michael Kendrick. This acreage is located past Floyd Otto's home and is where we turned west to go past Lester and Ida Weber's home to cross the bridge to get to our home. Doug Stam's family resided there when we were young. I think this may have been where Amos and Lora lived. More research needed here. Maybe check some Kendrick family history or more info on Seward Arnold. for $12 an acre. The following year
(1867) his wife, Lora Ann Johnson Arnold, and three oldest children
Harriet or "Hattie" b. 1860, Johnson b. 1862, and Flora or "Elma" b. 1864. came to this sparsely settled land in primitive condition. They had left a pleasant home in the East to bear all the hardships and privations of frontier life. Roberts was not yet laid out. Mr. Arnold, one of the extensive landowners of the community, bore his part in the upbuilding of the country. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold had seven children: Harriet, Johnson, Elma, Mary, Seba, Silas, and Seward who all walked two and a quarter miles to Smith Grade School
where was Smith Grade School? north of Roberts "for their good health."
1. Harriet married Eli McNeil, a farmer of Ford County. they had four children: Pearl, Lora, Ellen, and Robert. "Bob" married Geraldine Cutler and lives in Paxton
I think I read somewhere they lived on High Street in Paxton They have two children, Susan and Margaret.
Where are these women? What are their married names. He was Ford County Superintendent of Highways for many years.
2. Johnson married Rebecca Swigg. The had seven children: Clyde, Roger, Michael, David, Henry, Ernest, and Samantha. (see Johnson Arnold family history).
3. Elma
Flora Elma married Carvasso (Doc) cook. They farmed south of Roberts all their lives. The had four children: Ellis, LoVina, Orie, and Elizabeth. Ellis married Leone Houk and farmed on his father's farm. Their children are Delford (deceased), Elma (Sister), Mildred, and Howard (deceased). Delford's daughter, Ardelle
Amos Arnold, Flora Elma Arnold Cook, Ellis Cook, Delford Cook, Ardelle Cook Thompson, Roger Thompson Delford's daughter, Ardelle, married William Thompson. They have three children: Kay, Roger, and Lynn Thompson who all live in Roberts. Mildred Cook married Erwin Kottke (deceased). They had two children, Donna and Neal. Donna married Merril Adams. They have one son, Joseph, and farm near Roberts.
Amos, Flora Elma Arnold Cook, Ellis Cook, Mildred Cook Kottke, Donna Kottke Adams, Joe Adams. Am I counting these wrong and we are 5th generation, but Joe Adams and the Thompsons are 6th generation? Howard Cook married Lois Kumler.
Lois Cook was my fourth grade teacher in 1964. He worked as a cashier in the Roberts State Bank, operated the Roberts Grain Company with John Minch, and then later farmed his father's land. Lois taught in Ford County Schools for twenty-seven years. They have two children, John of Fairbury and Gail Lamb of Bloomington and three grandsons, Ross, Michael, and Austin.
4. Mary married Irwin Bunker. Alice, Lulu, and Jim were her only children that lived to maturity. None lived in Ford County.
I believe she was married three time. Finding Bunker, Tarvin, and Dickey.
5. After grade school, Seba studied dress making in Gibson City. She married Frank Linn of Yorkville who came to Roberts as a pharmacist in the Rhinehart Drugstore (see history of Roberts Drugstore). There were three children; Arnold John (Jack) who married Florella Zahn (deceased) had one child, Donna, and lives in Wilmette, Marguerite (see history of M.I. (Ted) Kendrick and Marguerite Ann Linn Kendrick), and Seba Frances. After grade and high school in Roberts, Frances attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and then worked as a missionary in South America for almost forty years. She retired to Roberts before her mother's death in 1977 at 105.
6. Silas (Sidey)
Sidey is new. Ask Mom. died at the age of twenty-one in a tragic accident involving horses and a wagon.
7. Seward married Cora Yackee and had one child, Louise (see history of Seward Arnold).
Ernest Arnold Centennial Farm
I am including this entry from the same book here as it has details of the farm.
Present owner Ernest Arnold was born May 27, 1899, one of eight children of Johnson D. and Beckie (Swig) Arnold. On Sept. 11, 1929 he married Mildred D. Robbins (1905-1978) daughter of Halsey and Stella (Day) Robbins of the Thawville area. Two children were born to them. Frances K. Stephens (1930) who lives in Normal, IL and is a legal secretary to attorneys, Carlon and Johnson, in Normal. She has eight children: Richard, Karen, Katheryn, John, Robert, and Julie of the Bloomington-Normal area, David who is serving in the Navy on the aircraft carrier Enterprise and Patricia Scheuer of Kankakee, IL. Frances has seven grandchildren. Their son, Glen D. was born in 1933 and married June Runyon of Chatsworth on May 29, 1953. They have four children: Janice who is married to Terry Dowell, lives in Gilman and has one son, Kaleb; Mitchell of Roberts is married to Connie Kinkade and has two daughters, Mandy and Stacey: Jacqueline is married to Mark Allen and lives on a farm near Thawville and Lisa who is married to Lindsay Fancher and they live in Gilman.
In 1984 the farm was given recognition as a certified centennial farm and Ernie was presented with a plaque and certificate on his 85th birthday. Ernie now resides at the Gibson City Hospital Annex.
The first 80 acres were purchased by his grandfather, Amos Arnold in 1871 form the Illinois Central Railroad Co. and the second purchase of 160 acres was made in 1881 from John Taylor.
We have a copy of the warranty deed from Nathan Case to John Taylor for this section of land, section 7. I will scan into this page for you all to look at. Although I currently have read nothing referring to these two gentlemen, Case and Taylor, early Roberts history does state that a large group of men from Connecticut first inhabited the area near Roberts. And Nathan Case appears to be from the same county in Connecticut as some other early settlers to the Roberts area. Section 7 is where we lived. So this was the last purchase of land and this was where our home stood. This is why I doubt that Amos lived in the same home we live in. Amos had an earlier purchase in approximately 1867 that went to Seward Arnold. Read further . . . Amos married Lora Johnson July 23, 1857 in Schuyler Falls, N.Y. and moved to Lyman Township in 1867. They had seven children, one of whom is still living. Seward, their last child, celebrated his 103rd birthday May 17, 1984. He also resides at the Annex in Gibson City.
Johnson D. Arnold (1862-1938) was born in Schuyler Falls, the second child and first born son of Amos and Lora. He married Beckie Swig (1869-1938) April 6, 1886. Her parents, Carl and Ernstine Swig, were both born near Piro in North Germany as was Beckie. Johnson and his wife set up housekeeping in a small home on the land given to them by Amos and Lora. This home was later moved to the present site where the home still stands with additions made through the years. They also built a small home on the North East corner of the North 80 for Beckie's parents to live out their lives.
This does not state that Lora and Amos lived in this location. But does back up the cob house being at the end of the lane as a home for Carl and Tina Swigg. Possibly though the other lane, not the main lane as I have envisioned all these years. As the north 40 is north of the farmhouse on the other side of the north bridge. I doubt Amos and Lora lived on our property. Will do more research with Seba and Seward's family histories.
Johnson and Beckie had eight children: Amos born Jan. 11, 1887 only lived six months, he died July 17, 1887; Clyde (1888-1918) died at age 21 in an explosion and fire, Mike (1890-1973), David (1892-1978), Roger (1895-1973). Henry born 1897, Ernest born 1899 and Samantha in 1901 are the three surviving children.
Ernie took over the farm operation in 1938 when his father died and lived there until 1955. He and Mildred bought a home in Roberts and his son Glen moved his family to the farm. They lived there until 1963 then they also bought a home in Roberts. Glen is Lyman Township Road Commissioner and June is clerk at the Roberts Post Office. Glen continues to farm the Arnold land with the help of his son, Mitch, who is the fifth generation to do so. The home stands empty now and many of the original buildings are gone. The garden is still in use and a small orchard, of fruit and nut trees, was planted to replace the original one that had been removed as the trees died off.
We are very proud to be farming land that has been in the family over 100 years and hope to be able to continue the tradition for many years to come.
Since writing the family history 2 of the members have died; Ernie on Oct. 31, 1984 and Seward on Nov 3, 1984. Submitted by June Arnold
-- The History of Ford County, Illinois. Marilyn Ames, 1984
I need to fix this mla reference.
