I am attempting to make a record of our ancestors so far as I am able to acquire reliable information concerning the various families, included in both paternal and maternal lines.

I have no information concerning the paternal side of the family more remote than the birth of my Grandfather Blake.

On the maternal side some incidents regarding my great-grandmother will be recorded.

Only a brief outline of the lives of the early members can be given. As we get to the present generations we hope to give a detailed account of each member, that if preserved for future generations may be of real interest in many ways.

Starting with our Grandfather Amos H. Blake we will do the best we can with the data at hand.

The original draft of this write-up was made in pencil, as of the date on the other side [above], now nearly eight years ago. I am attempting to copy it now, in ink and there will be some events recorded that were not available at that time. Any apparent discrepancies may be adjusted by taking into account the lapse of the eight years just past.

Born July 3rd, 1793 at Worcester, Mass., I have heard it said he was a descendant of the early settlers of the Massachusetts Colony, but have no definite facts bearing on the subject.

He later migrated to New York State and on November 2, 1820 was united in marriage to Mary Monroe at Schuyler, Herkimer Co. Mary Monroe was born at Albany, New York, on June 15, 1800.

They continued to live in and about Herkimer County for a number of years. At one time lived at or near Utica, and also not far from Rochester, N.Y.

Think they always lived on a farm for I have heard Grandmother tell about making cheese and performing various other duties connected with farm life.

My Father told of hauling cord wood to Rochester so they must have lived within driving distance with horses as that was many years before trucks and automobiles were thought of.

Their family consisted of 4 girls and 2 boys of which my father was the oldest boy but not the oldest of the family.

So far as we can trace at the present time Amos H. Blake (I presume the H. is for Horace*) has a sister Hannah who lived near Boston. No record of her married name or family. A brother Jason known as Uncle Jason. No information concerning him or family. There were two cousins of my father, George and Weatly Blake who lived in Cattarangas County in the south west part of New York State.

In the year 1864 Amos H. Blake and wife left their New York home and came out to Ill. to spend their remaining days with their sons and daughters who were all in Ill. at that time.

The son William, my father, met them at Tiskilwa, the nearest railroad at that time, and brought them to his home in a lumber wagon. The establishment of that home will be disclosed later in this narrative. There were no bridges in those days and the roads were pretty soft -- particularly so in places.

I remember hearing my father tell about asking his dad, a day or two after he got here, how he liked Ill. and he replied that it looked like good land but it could never be valuable because they had no roads. A few months after going to town one day, he said, "William, if I had not come here till now I would think you had the best roads on earth." What would he say of the roads now?

Lydia H. Blake. See attached sheet.
Mary E. Blake. Second daughter. Attached sheet
Louise Blake. Third daughter. Came to Ill. as a young woman and married Saramus (Pete) Shaw of Peoria County and lived most of their lives at Champaign, Ill. He was a carpenter by trade.
William Blake - the 1st son. Details later.
Betsy Ann Blake, the 4th daughter. See attached sheet.
Horace T. Blake was the youngest son and child. He came to Ill. with his father and lived mostly in Peoria Co. where he worked for Henry Shaw, brother of Saramus Shaw. He died there April 18, 1877. He is buried in the Bradford Cemetery on the William Blake family lot with his parents and brother.

[Ed. Note: The photocopy of the notebook pages from which this narrative was transcribed had no attachments.

Louise Blake Shaw and husband lived for many years in Champaign, Ill. They both died there but I don't have the dates of their deaths. They had a family of 4 girls and 2 boys. One daughter Mary is still living there now, Jan. 1947. She is 87 yrs. old, never married.

Flo Shaw never married. She was killed in 1916 in an auto-train collision. Sam Shaw left a family of several girls still living in Champaign, Ill. I never met but one, Margery. Nettie Shaw McCullough had a family of 1 girl and 5 boys. They are scattered pretty much over the West. Lizzie Shaw married young; had 1 daughter. She died when her daughter was a small child.

The principal subject of our sketch was born Dec. 6, 1828, in Herkimer County, New York. He migrated to Illinois in the fall of 1852 when he was 24 years old. He made the trip by coming from Rochester across Lake Erie by passenger boat to Detroit, Mich., there by train to Chicago and down the Illinois River by boat to Peoria, then went out to what was called Orange Prairie, near Alta and Mt. Hawley, Peoria Co.

He first stayed with a family named Huggins, who were former neighbors in New Y. See bookmark enclosed.

He soon began work on the farm of Henry Shaw who lived near Alta. (Not related to our Shaw family in any way.)

He stayed in the vicinity for 6 years most of the time at Shaw's. He told of working at Mount Hawley which was a stopping place for travelers and teamsters to and from Peoria. He worked with a threshing machine crew each season extending till winter came on as grain was stacked and machines were not plenty.

After two years in Ill., he returned to York State to visit his parents, sisters and brother. On his return his sister Louise accompaned him back to Ill. She lived at the Shaw home and vicinity and later married a brother of Henry Shaw.

He never made another visit to York State.

In the fall of 1856, he came up into Stark County and purchased the south half of the southeast quarter of Section 25, Osceola Township one and 1/2 miles south east of Bradford as it now stands.

At that time it was raw prairie land without a stick of fencing or building on it. He paid five dollars per acre for that eighty a.

A neighbor on the north half of same quarter was a Mr. Newkirk, wife and son Garrett C.

On the east just across the line in Bureau Co., Milo Township lived David L. Sterling, wife, daughter Jane Ann, two sons, Charles and Thaddeus. Charley was a soldier in the Civil War and died in service. The Sterlings came from Connecticut, "The Nutmeg State." The father had made two trips to California during the Gold Rush in the early fifties, once by way of Cape Horn and once by wagon train across the plains. He secured several hundred dollars in gold so came to Ill. and an 80 acre farm.

Just south of the Sterling 80 lived Allen Spellman and family who came from Ohio by covered wagon and likewise bought an 80 acre farm. He had a large family one of the daughters of which afterward became the wife of William Blake. O f that, more to follow.

During the two years following the purchase of his land he hired the prairie sod broken by an outfit using 4 yoke of oxen. I have forgotten the name of the owner. He found time to fence it with posts and rails, boarding at that time with the aforementioned Newkirk family. He rented the newly broken prairie land to someone the next year, partly for cash and part grain rent and so having enough grain for feed and seed and also having built a small home he moved onto the place in the spring of 1858. Driving from Peoria Co. with a team of 3 yr. old grey mares with a wagon and what implements and household effects he had accumulated there.

I distinctively remember "Old Jinny," one of the abovementioned team who lived to be 30 years old and was one of the first horses I ever drove. He raised most of his horse stock from this team of mares while in their prime.

He lived on his new farm and for two years kept "Bachelor's Hall." During that time a young man from Indiana, Bob Martin by name, lived with him most of the time.

When the war between the states broke out, Bob Martin enlisted and went away to war. Later he was wounded and returned to his Indiana home, where William Blake went to see him. His wounds proved fatal and he died soon after. William loved him like a brother.

In the later years of the war when the draft was put into effect William Blake's name was in the draft, but he was not called. Several of his neighbors were taken, among them was M. Bevier who lived in the same section just south of town, and who had a family of small children as William did at that time.

To go back a few years: On January 15th, 1860, William Blake married Matilda Spellman, daughter of the above mentioned Allen Spellman. The narrative must necessarily include both of them from now on.

The History of the Spellman Family with be taken up later if possible.

William Blake and Matilda Spellman were married by Esquire Whitten who lived and died on a farm 3 1/2 miles S.W. of Bradford. Today the farm is owned by others and all the buildings have been removed.

They commenced housekeeping on the newly made farm where during the next 20 years many improvements were made and their family of eight children were born.

Their first child, a son, was William Henry Blake, born April 6th, 1861.
Their first daughter Mary Eunice Black was born May 27th, 1863.
Followed by Ida Jane, born June 17th, 1865.
Julia Anna born March 28th, 1868.
Grant Allen Blake born June 14th, 1870. His birth occurred on his mother's 30th birthday.
Amos Russell Blake born Oct. 23rd, 1872.
Fred Walter Blake born Dec. 25th, 1875.
Matilda Blake born Dec. 30th, 1877.

Beginning with their marriage this couple laid the foundation for a real farm home.

The land was new and productive and crops were easily grown. Buildings and fences were improved and increased with the passing of years. In the early sixties an increase of acreage was made by the purchase of 20 acres on the west end of the north half of the S.E. Quarter of Sec. 25 at a price of $20.00 per acre.

A few years later, I think in 1868, the remainder of said 80 acres was purchased on which the Newkirk house and improvements were located.

If my memory serves me right, the price was $60.00 per acre -- a high price for land at that time. Incidentally a considerable part of the money to pay for that land was borrowed from Aunt Jane Phenix as she was called, a daughter of Uncle Billy Moore a very early settler of the Spoon River and Coopers Defeat neighborhoods. The loan was made at 10% annual interest for five years. Was renewed several times at a lower rate and was finally liquidated during the 1880s...a few years after the wife and mother had passed away.

In the early seventies it became a necessity that the family have larger and better housing. Consequently in 1874 the old house was completely remodeled, a large "ell" added on the south side and a small room on the north side, new interior, porches added and many other improvements.

In November of that year occurred the 54th wedding anniversary of his father and mother, A.H. and Mary Blake, who had come to Ill. in 1864 and were living in the house on the north 80 purchased from Mr. Newkirk previously.

It was determined to hold the anniversary party in William's new house as it was just completed. Most of the relatives and many friends gathered for the event and a real house warming as well as a party for the aged parents was held on the 4th day of the month, 1864.

In the spring of 1875 it was decided that a new barn was needed to take the place of the old pole and straw stable that had been in use for many years. A barn 34" x 42" was decided on and the erection got under way.

An incident occurred at the raising of the frame of that structure that came very near being tragedy indeed. The main frame was up and the superstructure was being put in place. Some of the workmen had been using a broadaxe and laid it flat on the top of a wide beam for the time being.

A couple of young fellows who had no business up there attempted to walk the beam and knocked the axe off; father was standing directly under, talking to some of the men when the axe struck him a glancing blow on top of the head cutting a large gash and bleeding profusely but without serious consequences, but it was a narrow escape. Had the blade come straight down it would have fallen him like the blow from an Indian's tomahawk or worse.

It would have been a very serious tragedy for the wife and six children all under the age 14 yrs.

But the barn was finished without further mishap and I remember when the horses were transferred from the old stable to the new barn. It had been a rainy day and the old stable was pretty wet -- and soft -- and the new barn had dry wooden floors which clattered loudly under the horses' hoofs as they were led into their new stalls. There was room for 6 horses in that part and room for 4 more and 4 cows in the adjoining shed part. I was 5 yrs. old that summer. It was quite a novelty for horses too after having stood on dirt floors all their lives.

There were bins for grain on the other side of the floor that had big doors to open when the hay was brought in to fill the mow above.

The first death in the family occurred that summer. Grandfather (A.H. Blake) was sick while the barn was being built and it was a very busy season for William, as his father had always called him. Grandfather passed away August 17th, 1875, aged 82 years, 1 mo. and 17 days. He was the first occupant of the family burial lot in the Bradford Cemetery. Grandmother Blake went to live with her daughter Lydia Hull for the time being. More of that later.

The next sorrow to fall on the family was the death of the 4th son of William and Matilda Blake, Freddie Walter, on Oct. 23, 1879. Not quite 4 yrs. old he was a bright, beautiful child and was deeply mourned by all the family and very much so by his mother for out of her family of eight the passing of this one was grevious sorrow to her.

The climaxing sorrow was when two years later on Sept. 14, 1881, the wife and mother was taken by death after several weeks of serious illness. After a funeral service at the home she was laid to rest -- in the family lot -- while the husband and seven heartbroken children looked on. The oldest girl Mary was 18 and the youngest not yet 4. Sister Mary became the housekeeper and mother to the younger brood.

Sister Mary had take a large part of the family duties ever since she was old enough to care for the younger children in spite of which she attended the Milo District School and one year at Bradford. With the passing of our mother she assumed full responsibility of the family and no father ever had a more faithful or efficient daughter. With the exception of the youngest girl who was called Dot at the time, having been given her mother's name of Matilda some years after, the younger children continued their school attendance at the same district school.

The oldest boy Will was grown and able to take his place in the regular farm operations, usually assisted by a hired man as father did very little field work after that time. He planted the corn and drove the reaper mostly until I was old enough to take his place in 1886.

Eugene Foster came there to work in 1880 and excepting the year 1881 when he worked for Josiah Deyo on his big farm 1 miles south of our place, he continued to work there for several years, most of the time.

Brother Will went to work for Isaac Sturm N.W. of Bradford in the spring of 1884 when I was old enough to follow a team in the fields. Things moved along for several years rather uneventfully. The girls were grown and had their share of company, except Dot was still in the early grades of school.

In the early spring of 1886, Bro. Will went to Western Kansas to take up land for homestead. He went to Cimarron, Ks., and located north of there in what became Garfield County with land office at Garden City.

Eugene Foster and Jim and John Dayo went to Bird City, Cheyenne Co. in the extreme N.W. corner of Kansas the same spring.

The farm work was taken up by myself, with father in charge, and assisted by Will Seely whose mother and sisters lived in town.

He stayed during the planting season and near the end of corn plowing when he wanted to quit and go west with a half brother, so Bro. Amos took his place and his first lessons in plowing corn. He and I took care of the work on the farm after that. Amos was 14 yrs. old in October that year.

On Christmas night 1886 Sister Ida was married to John L. Sadler of Neponset community. The wedding occurred at home with the relatives of both families in attendance.

Two weeks after on Jan. 6, 1887, Sister Julia was married to Charles E. Hammond, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. T. Hammond of Milo, afterwards of Bradford for a number of years.

The relatives of both parties were present at the wedding which took place at home as the previous one and both ceremonies were performed by Rev. Perkins of the Bradford Methodist Church.

The two married girls went to homes provided by their husbands and Sister Mary continued her care of the house and family now considerally reduced in numbers.

Eugene Foster had taken a pre-emptive claim in Kansas and after a 6 mos. stay there he purchased his land and returned to Ill. the fall of 1886. He worked at the carpenter trade with his Uncle Ira Hayden most of the time that summer of 1887 and on Oct. 19th he and Sister were married at the Methodist Parsonage by the Rev. Perkins. Mary continued to care for the home and Gene worked at the carpenter trade.

In January of 1888 Father went out to Scandia, Kansas to visit the Moore family who were cousins of my mother; they were Anna, Marie and Tom Moore. On Jan. 25th he married Anna Moore and they returned to the old home. Mary continued the care of the work until the following fall when she and Gene moved into Bradford, and for a time lived in the house on 1st Street now occupied by Ed McMahan across from the Parochial School.

A change of housekeepers followed and Eliza Cascade was installed to take charge and she continued so for nearly two years. From time to time in the next few years several girls served as housekeeper under the direction of Anna Moore Blake. Among them were Helen Blaisdell and Maggie Pyell were there several years each.

More and more of the farm responsibility rested on Amos and I as Father desired to shift the remaining burdens from his shoulders.

In the spring of 1893 we took charge of things on a share basis, and continued that arrangement for a number of years, paying cash for our board which doubled the amount paid the girl at that time.

In 1886 we began farming the Spellman 80 acres, Father having rented it of Grandmother after the death of Grandfather. That with the home place of 160 acres gave us plenty to do usually but in 1894 we rented 75 a. of the Deyo place and had a very large corn crop that year. The new corn crib on the home place was built that fall and filled with 4000 bus. of corn from the Deyo place.

Amos, Will Foster, Will Coleman and Sam Haskins husked and cribbed most that crop. I worked with Gene Foster building the crib till most of the husking was done. In 1895 we broke 50 acres of sod in the home place to the north 80 also 20 acres on the Spellman place and had another large crop of corn.

On the 26th of April 1896, I accidentally severed two fingers at the first joint on my right hard in a corn cutting machine. The next few years were busy ones and a great deal of work was accomplished.

On March 8, 1899 occurred the marriage of Grant A. Blake and Helen P. Shaw, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. G.G. Shaw at their home in Bradford.

They began their married life in the Smith house directly across the road from the home place and designated earlier in this narrative as the D.L. Sterling home, which in the meantime had changed hands and had several different owners.

On January 1st, 1901, Amos R. Blake took Josephine Shaw as his helpmeet. She was also a daughter of the Dr. Shaw's and sister of Helen. They made the home with Father Blake and Anna, as she was known to all the family. A few weeks before Mati had married Will Foster so all the children were gone. This arrangement continued until the fall of 1901 when Father and Anna moved to Bradford into a house on Silver Street purchased from the late J.L. Huffman. Grant and Helen moved into the home place and Amos and Joey took the Smith house for the winter.

Father's health was very poor and during the winter he declined quite rapidly and after being confined to his bed for a few days he passed away on April 26th, 1902.

The funeral was at the Methodist Church and burial was in the family lot beside his wife Matilda, where all those who had gone before were resting, his wife and one son, his parents, his only brother and one sister Mary E. Hull. Others have been laid there since his burial.

After father's death Anna continued to live at the Silver Street home for a year or more, and then became ill and so moved to the Eliza Cascade Ryder residence where she could have the required care.

After a few months her sister Marie came on and decided to take her to live with herself and Bro. Tom Moore at Eldorado Springs, Mo. She continued to live there until her death in March 1910. She was buried there.

She had received the rest of the Silver Street residence and one half of the rent on the farm so she was well taken care of financially, and by her bro. and sister physically.

[As the author notes, this document was handwritten in ink. This transcription was made from a copy of the original pages, which were ruled and punched for a 5" x 7" looseleaf notebook. Although reference is made to attachments, none accompanied the copies. Grant Blake had also written a common heading for each page of the document; which have been excluded here as extraneous. Because of the holes in the notebook paper, the intended formatting of the original is uncertain, and has been transcribed to be logical. The last page ends in mid-page without a clear indication that Grant had concluded his writing; but no other document indicates otherwise.]

[*Grant "presumes" the middle initial of Amos H. Blake is Horace. Other family records indicate it was Holbrook; the surname of his mother, Lydia Holbrook.]

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