Notes from the White County Historical Society

By Charlene Shields

Notes from the White County Historical Society as they appear in "The Carmi Times."

Copyright ©2002 by "The Carmi Times" Permission to reprint granted to Cindy Birk Conley and the ILGenWeb by Tammy Knox, editor, "The Carmi Times."


More history of old Emma

(This is the third installment of a history of Emma Township written by
Mrs. Helen Arnold in the 1950s.)

Mr. and Mrs. Brumblay were the parents of one son, Walter W., born in
1870. This same year Mr. Brumblay built a home for his family. All
material was hauled by wagon from Mt. Vernon, Ind., fording the river
just south of the railroad bridge.

Their son, Walter, married Clara M. Cortner, daughter of Peter and Mary
J. Cortner, residents of Carmi. Walter and Clara had two daughters and
lived in this same house. Today this house is the home of his
granddaughter, Sallie Helen Arnold.

Mrs. Brumblay was called "Aunt Sallie" by everyone who knew her. She was
a devoted member of the Christian Church in Carmi, and there was nothing
she wouldn't do for her friends and neighbors. She died in 1901, and her
husband, John (or "Uncle John," as he was familiarly known), passed
away in 1916. Their son, Walter, passed away in 1946, and his wife,
Clara, in 1947. All are buried in Marshall's Cemetery. The ground for
this cemetery was donated by John Marshall and Maxfield Huston. Each
family reserved a lot on the tract of ground he had donated for members
of his family to be buried.

There were other early villages located in Emma Township besides the
two already mentioned.

At the first settlement of southern Illinois, Concord was the garden
spot of Egypt. It was laid out in 1869 by Hail Storms, county surveyor.
The village had existed long before the survey. The Slocumbs settled
here as early as 1815, and a thriving village existed at that time. The
name Concord was selected by Charles Slocumb because it had a peaceful
or religious significance. It is still an existing village. The post
office at this place is Emma.

In 1844, Elm Grove first appeared as a place of business. William
Garrison erected a store house under an elm tree that stood by the
roadside, and for which the place was named. From 1861-1865 this place
was the center of a large territory.

(To be continued)
........

The Genealogy Library is closed until Feb. 5.
........

Address letters to Genealogy, White County Historical Society, PO Box
121, Carmi, IL 62821.



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