FYI for those in my family, This is regarding William Joseph Newlun b1856, father of William Henry Newlun. Interesting Thingsng. Ill try and find out where is homestead was. William Joseph Newlun was a very wealthy farmer at Boyliss, Illinois. At on time he owned three very profitable farms. . He owed a local grocery store $1600.00. He had to forfit one of his farms to pay the debt. On the farm abstract the old homestead was deeded from William Joseph Newlun to the Coal Grocery Company at Pittsfield, Illinois... It is believed his children broke him. Every Winter several of them would move their families in with him, because they had no place to work or live. He lost his farm trying to feel them.. The house on the homestead sat atop a large cliff. It was 40 feet straight down and Fishhook Creek was at the bottom. The house was rather small for such a large family. They cooked and ate in the basement and lived and slept on the two top floors. Sometimes six to a bed.. There was also an orchard, barn, hen house, corn crib and windmill for water on the farm.. William Joseph always slept with an axe under his bed. They believed the place to be haunted. Something or someone would throw rocks and logs on their front porch at night and into the chicken and ducks. Noone was ever seen.. One night a ghost sat down on a stump in the front yard, another came and sat down. William chased them down the road with his axe... When Thomas Ervin was a child he grabbed a coon by the tail and would not let go. The coon drug him down the 40 foot cliff. He said he wanted it for a pet and wasnt smart enough to let go.. Ruth Ellen died in 1922. After she passed away Viola, her husband, Harold Ewing and son Richard moved in with William, and Thomas moved to Peoria, IL to live with his sister Molly.. William died in 1928. It is believed he died at the home of his son Alvin near Delevan, IL. When he passed Viola received all of the household items. He had alrady lost the farm. The funeral expenses were divided between the children.. After Violas death Thomas received his fathers mantle clock. Upon Thomas death his son Frances received Williams clock. Frances passed it to his son John who recently gave it to my mother (Ruth Ellen Newlun)..
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:03:31 +0000
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