Ashmore, Illinois

H. J. Ashmore and James D. Austin, and for the former of whom it was named. The entire villao;e stands on the oriorinal Austin farm ; Ashmore had bought out some of the Austin heirs, and hence owned a part of the land when the village was laid out. The first store was opened by John Hogue, on the laying out of the place. McAllister k Ashmore, who had a store on the road, half a mile southwest of the town " before it was," moved their store to the new village, and became the second house of the kind in Ashmore. Van Dyke & Hogue put up the first dwelling in the little village. The first blacksmith-shop was kept by William English. The Waters boys started a wagon-shop about the same time. The first mill in the village was built by J. A. Brown in 1856, and was burned some three or four years afterward. A brother of Brown's was the first railroad agent at Ashmore. The present mill was built by Clement k Fish, about 1866. It stands near the railroad track, just east of the station, is a frame building, with two runs of buhrs and does a good business. It is owned at present by Chris Miller, an efiicient man, who thoroughly understands the milling business. The first tavern was kept by H. J, Ashmore, is still standing and kept at present by A. B. McDavid. The village boasts of another hotel, the Franklin House, kept by John Franklin. The first post office was established on the laying out of the village, with Thomas O'Brien as Postmaster. Elias Monroe represents Uncle Sam in the post office department here at present. The first schoolhouse was built in 1857-58, and was a kind of partnership aiFair with the religious people. It was finally purchased for school purposes, and so used until the building of the present edifice. Washington Boyer and Charles P. Scott were the first teachers in the village, but which one has the honor of teaching the first school cannot be ascertained. Prof B. H. Chase is Principal of the school at present, and Miss Roma Carter, assistant teacher. The present fine brick schoolhouse was built in 1871, is two-stories high and cost about §3,000.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

The village of Ashmore boasts of three very stylish church edifices, viz., Methodist Episcopal, Cumberland Presbyterian and Old-School Presbyterian. The first religious society organized in the village, or now located in the village, was the Methodist. It was originally organized in the neighborhood in 1831, by Rev. Joseph Henry, a local preacher, with the following members : Dr. West and wife, C. Sousely and wife, Joseph Mclntire and wife, Robert Modrell and wife, J. H. Modrell and wife, Matthew McLain and wife, James Hubanks and wife, William Austin. Sr., and his daughters, Frances and Mahala, Samuel P. Burr, George Modrell, Margery Modrell, Sarah Hubanks, Ruth Clark, Jennie Clark and Elizabeth Clark, and perhaps some others. The name of the first preacher, or circuit-rider, was Rev. Mr. Rhimon. The first church was built in 1869, in the village, and cost about $2,500. About 1838, in conjunction with the Presbyterians, they built a log church some two miles west of the village, Avhich they used for a number of years. This log church, schoolhouses and settlers' cabins were their places of worship, until the building of their church in Ashmore, and the organization has been kept up ever since first established in 1831. The present membership is thirty-five, and J. A. Burke, Pastor. The first Sabbath school was organized in 1831, by Methodists and Presbyterians, William Austin and James Hite, Superintendents, and has been run as a union school ever since, until last summer, when the Methodists organized a separate school. It numbers about eighty or ninety scholars, with L. C. Fell, Superintendent.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

S. J. Bovell was called to the charge as stated supply, and has without any interruption continued to hold this relation up to the present time. Since its organization, 160 persons have been received into membership, about 60 now constituting the membership, the depletion being caused by death and removals. Only three of the original members are nojv living, viz., A. J. L. Brooks, James Moffett and Letitia Hogue. I. S. Wright, I. M. Moffett, T. J. Bull and A. J. L. Brooks are the Ruling Elders. The first church-building was located two miles west of the village of Ashmore, near the former residence of James Galbraith, and was a log structure, and built in connection with the Methodists. In 1867, a neat and commodious church-building was erected in the village, at a cost of $3,300, but the organization still retained the name of Hebron, and was known as Hebron Church, under the care of Mattoon Presbytery. The church was dedicated on the 20th of October, 1867. The history of the Sabbath school is similar to that of the Methodist Church above given, and was a union school with that church until the past summer, when the school was divided.

Passage source: The History of Coles County, Illinois ... Map of Coles County; History of Illinois ... History of Northwest ... Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c, published 1879.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Ashmore Township - it names this place 7 more 7 times.