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."

(This is the final installment of a "History of Emma Township," which
was written by Sallie Helen Arnold and presented to the White County
Historical Society in November 1957).

In the year 1865, Mr. Huston's daughter, Mrs. Israel Turner and baby
daughter came from Rising Sun, Ind. to visit her parents. The baby had
not been given a name. Since the boat trip was so pleasant, the mother
decided to name her daughter Minnie Cela, which was the name of the
boat.

These boats were called packet ships. This family later moved to Emma
Township, and then to Carmi, where this baby grew up, married and will
be remembered as the late Mrs. Eugene Parvin.

My grandmother, Mrs. John Brumblay, made numerous trips to Memphis,
Tenn., by this mode of travel, to visit her sister, Suzanne, who was
the wife of Gen. Milton Williamson.

The first train to run from St. Louis to Evansville was taken through
the township in 1871 and made a scheduled stop at Wabash Station.
A short distance from the banks of the river south of Rising Sun is
located one of the first cemeteries in the county. The date when this
cemetery was first used is unknown. The earliest date known was marked
on a plain sandstone slab, on which was engraved the dates 1732-1817.

Another one of these early stones bore the name Robert Boss, born in
Northwick, England, departed this life Feb. 8, 1820. On the top of this
stone was a square and compass. It is said that some of these people may
have died while enroute to the salt mines near Equality, Ill. At one
time there were 40 or 50 graves here. Some of these stones were sold to
museums, but most of them were broken up and used as anchors by
fishermen.

There are many Indian mounds within a mile of the river. These mounds
contained many valuable relics and skeletons.

Mr. W.M. Locke, a resident of Wabash Station, was one of the first men
to dig in these mounds, and he had the largest and most interesting
collection of Indian antiquities in the county.

About two miles southwest of Rising Sun was the location of Clear Lake,
which was one of the best fishing spots in the county. In the early
days, hundreds went every year to hunt and fish. In recent years this
lake was drained.

There was also much wild game here. Wild hogs and turkeys were plentiful
at one time and were a wonderful source of food for the early settlers.

This information was obtained from the History of White County,
published in 1883, and also from old family records kept by Maxfield
Huston and his daughter, Sallie Brumblay.
........

The Genealogy Library is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
........

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

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The Coordinator for the White County, Illinois ILGenWeb page is Cindy Birk Conley

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