Unproven information (i.e. family rumors and legends) will also be noted in the hopes that others can provide documentation to prove or disprove those stories.
Cover photo from "Journey of Hope" by Patricia and Kerby Miller
STATE CENSUSES
IL - 1810 thru 1865
MO - 1840,1844,1852,1856,1860,1864,1876,1880
OH - none
TN -1891, plus special census in Memphis during civil war
FEDERAL CENSUS
1880 (col 17) and 1890 (col 23) censuses asked about deafness
1890 mostly destroyed in fire
SOUNDEX
O’Connell O254
Connell C540
WILL COUNTY RECORDS BEGIN
Birth 1877
Marriage 1836
Death 1877
Census 1840
Land 1835
Probate 1837
ELLIS ISLAND
started Jan 1, 1892
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From misc sources but mainly from Hon George H Woodruff (not the banker), 1st County Recorder, also ran a drug store from 1842- 1846, “to the West Siders at his store in the old National”
wrote book called “Fifteen Years Ago, or the Patriotism of Will County") also something called “Forty Years Ago”(?)
1838 with posse at Irish Canal riot
1880 helped form, then was President (1880-1887) of the Will Co Pioneer Assn for pioneers pre-1870
1812 canal suggested during war
1812-1815 Indian skirmishes
1816 land along river “obtained from indians”
1817 steamboat on Mississippi
1818 IL becomes state
1821 $10,000 funded by US Congress for survey of canal
1825 canal incorporatead for construction by private contractors then repealed so work should be done by State
1826 US Congress donated land to State (300,000 acres)
1829 IL created Canal Board to sell the lands then stopped
winter 1830-1831 severe winter
1830-1832 first settlers in Joliet area?
1830 Black Hawk war
1832 Massacre in Ottawa
1834 new Board authorized Governor to sell bonds backed by land
1834 “city was born”
1835 IL backs the bonds. Land sales also
1835 Indians on Des Plaines & Kankakee rivers
~1836 first stone buildings
1836 Will Co formed, First 4th of July celebration
1836 I&M Canal started (at Bridgeport?) at junction with S Branch of Chicago River. Land speculation in area
built road from Chicago to Lockport (Archer’s Rd) for construction
1837 city incorporated & taxed to build bridges (bridges washed away?)
July 4, 1838 Irish Canal riot near Romeoville (1st of “more Irish wars”)
1838 first brewery
~1838 city dissolved incorporation
1839 first newspaper Juliet Courier (became Signal) city pop ~1500, Chicago ~4000. “Lower basin was being excavated” of the canal
1842-1845 work stopped on canal
1845 name changed to Joliet
1845-1855 wool factory near river owned by next Govenor
pre-1846 stages ran from Ottawa through Joliet to Chicago
1846 Governor proclamation against the Mormons in Nauvoo
wolf hunt in Joliet(?) (not sure if this is a joke)
1847 True Democrat paper (became the Republican)
Spring 1848 I&M (tow) canal opened, 6 ft deep
1848 to 1852 passenger boats to Chicago (or Bridgeport?) took 12 hours
Jan 1849 big flood on Kankakee / Wilmington
1849-1851 gold fever
1849 legislature approved plankroads
Dec 1851-1858 plankroads to Plainfield, south of city, near Lockport
1852 first railroad (Chicago & Rock Island RR, RIRR) Joliet to Chicago & city re-incorporated
1854 RR completed to Mississippi River, could take steamboat to St. Paul MN
1854 RIRR train accident near Rock Run
Jan 25,1855 big snowstorm, train stuck near Dwight for 6 days
1854-1857 also railroads through Wilmington, Joliet, Lockport then Chicago
1855 Joliet & Northern Indiana RR built, “the cut-off”, then bought by Michigan Central, important for grain and pork and “Eastern markets"
late 1857-1867 Collins St prison being built (prisoners started in 1858) convicts could be “rented” for work, 1400 convicts
1861 start of civil war (see civil war timeline below the Joliet history timeline)
July 31 1864 lightning strikes church, congregation shocked, stampede results in 5 killed, 20 injured
Aug 9 1865 "wall of upper basin gave way" Joliet flooded after heavy rains "from Scott St to eastern bluff”, railroads damaged, bridges washed away, farms and lumber yards destroyed
1866 peak year for number of boats on canal
1867 another flood washed away railroad bridge toward Morris
1867 I&M canal complete to LaSalle (Chicago to LaSalle 96 miles, 6 ft deep)
1870s? first “iron making facility”, Joliet Works, used to make railroad rails
1870 canal deepened to remove more sewage from Chicago
1871 canal turned over to state
“deep cut” completed to Chicago River
1871 canal shifted from mule power to steamboats
Aug 16,1873 another train accident near Sag bridge (past Lemont?) hit coal train head on 17 died, 40 more injured?
1873 canal = sewer
1874 -1880s barbed wire produced in Joliet (Hiram Scutt built mansion on Broadway of brick also John Lambert)
~1880 Bessemer converters added to iron works to produce steel
1882 Hennepin canal completed 7 ft deep from Hennepin (west of Utica) to Rock Island on Mississippi
1882 peak year for tonnage on I&M canal
1883 poor farm bought in Troy
1887? Chicago branch of IL Central RR, US Congress donated land to State for funding
yr? street car service by Chicago & Joliet Electic Railway
1892 started larger canal parallel to I&M 8 mi from Chicago Rvr to Summit, used Eastern Europeans and blacks from South
Jan 1900 CSSC (large canal) section completed 40 miles linking south branch of Chicago Rvr to Des Plaines at Lockport
~1900 Joliet Works becomes part of US Steel, has 2000 employees and more furnaces added
~1900 started electric RR between Joliet & Chicago
~1900 horse shoes made in Joliet (300 workers at Phoenix Co)
~1900-1920 companies trying to build cars in Joliet, most failed
EJ&E (33 mi long) is freight "beltline” around Chicago, poor passenger service
Jun 4, 1902 flood
1903-1907 CSSC extended to Joliet & supplants the I&M for shipping to Joliet, but I&M used west of Joliet
Oct 21, 1904 Joliet, Plainfield & Aurora RR (electric) started passenger car service
1907 Ten more miles of street car tracks to be added plus Ruby Str & McDonough bridges by the RR company
1907 Powerhouse completed at Lockport Dam
WWI - peak production of steel
1917-1922 cars built in Joliet, also Checker Cabs for 2 years
1922-1931 Chicago builds sewage treatment plants
1930s Joliet Works (steel) was dismanted
1933 completion of deep waterway and I&M closed
1998 Joliet Works site is now a Historic Site run by Forest Preserve
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE
April 1861 news of war arrives, IL appropriated for 10 regiments, Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers
May 22 Lincoln calls for 42,000 more volunteers
May 1861 2 companies, B & F, from Joliet (24 officers & 314 men ) became part of the 20th Infantry Regiment (1000 men from 8 counties, Lt Col Erwin 2nd in command) training at Camp Goodell (old fairgrounds on East Side)
June 20 march to war
Winter 1861-1862 battle at Fort Donaldson (Erwin killed)
Spring 1862 Shiloh battle
Summer 1862 Lincoln calls for 300,000 more volunteers
12 more companies from Joliet formed
100th Reg formed of Joliet & Will Co men lead by one-armed Col Bartleson
Sept 2 1862, 100th Reg (1000 men) left for war
late summer 1863 Chickamauga battle, 100th Reg
May 30, 1864 Battle of Atlanta 100th Reg
June 23 1864 Battle of Kennesaw Mtn?
1865 war ends
Spring 1865 Lee surrenders
April 15 Lincoln assasinated
of approx 5000 Joliet & Will Co soldiers, ~500 died, 28 in Andersonville
Excellent!
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