Island Grove, Illinois

A post office was established at the lower end of the grove, two and a half miles east of the present village, in 1828, and Henry Ellis was ap- pointed postmaster, and discharged the duties of the office. The office was continued at this point until the village was laid out, under the name of Island Grove post office. When it was changed to the village, its name was changed to Berlin. Mr. Ellis was succeeded by William Underwood. Since his term the following named have held the office: S. Wood, H. M. Havenon, S. Wood (second time), A. Yates, O. H. Rush, R. Ballay, G. W. Havenon, T. Kerlin, T. Pollock^ P. Price, James Ward, W. Whelehand, Scott Price, and W. B. Price; the last named being the present postmaster.

Passage source: History of Sangamon County, Illinois; Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships ... Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. History of Illinois, published 1881.

Jacob Ade, farmer, Berlin, Island Grove township, was born in Kingdom of Werttenberg, Germany, on the 31st day of December, 1817. He came to the United States in 1853, coming by steam, being seventeen days on the water; landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he remained four weeks, then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked on a farm, and through the winter he worked at his trade as baker, remaining there one and one-half years. From there he came to Island Grove township, where he worked on a farm by the month for three years, then bought property in town and started a bakery, which he followed up to 1864, when he embarked in the grocery business, which he followed up to 1870, when he purchased a farm of fifty-six acres, ?11 of which is under a high state of cultivation, and valued at !j!65 per acre. Mr. Ade married Elizabeth Scholl, in Island Grove, December, 1857, born also in Germany. They had three children, two are living, viz: Frederick, who is in partnership with his father in a store of groceries and general merchandise at Berlin; they carry a stock of $2,000, and Charles, who resides on the farm with his father. Jacob Ade and wife are both members of the German Lutheran Church at Berlin. In politics, he is a Republican.

Passage source: History of Sangamon County, Illinois; Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships ... Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. History of Illinois, published 1881.

William J. Douglass, farmer and stock raiser, post office, Berlin, was born in Island Grove township, on the 12th day of March, 1841; son of Milton and Sarah A. Casselberry. His father emigrated to Sangamon county in the fall of 1833, coming through with an ox team. Previous to his coming to the county, he had worked on a farm for $8 per month, on the place where Mr. Douglass now lives; afterwards purchased the same place, came poor, and by good management has accumulated a fine property of five hundred and twenty acres of land. Mr. Douglass was married three times; by his first wife there was four children, three of whom lived to be adults, Mary, William J. andjChristiana. Mrs. D. died about 1843; for his second wife, he married Louisa M. Underwood, by which there was one child, who died in infancy. She died, and he afterwards married Miss Francis M. Rude, by whom he had seven children, five of whom are living, Sarah A., Caroline, Margaret, Ellen, and Stephen A. In politics, is a Democrat, and a member of the M. E. Church, and one of the original membei's of Simms Chapel. He came in limited circumstances, in company with two others, and the amount of their ca^^h was twentyfive cents, all told. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm; in 1865, he married Miss Adeline Rawlings, of Ohio; she was born in Lawrence county, Illinois, January 3, 1841. The fruits of this marriage were eight children, seven of whom are living, viz: William H., Milton, Fannie M., George, Eddie, and Harvey, and a babe.

Passage source: History of Sangamon County, Illinois; Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships ... Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. History of Illinois, published 1881.

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 New Berlin Township - it names this place 14 more 14 times.