Piatt, Illinois

Catholic minister in Bement. He visited the town occasionally until 1866, when the present church building, costing about $2,100, was erected. About this time Rev. P. Toiler was stationed in Champaign county, and Bement came under his charge. He came to the town once a month until a- church was built at Ivesdale, when the resident minister of that place took charge of this station. The church at Ivesdale was organized in 1865, as a mission of Champaign, by -Rev. P. Toner. Rev. P. Burmingham then became the resident priest in 1868. The Rev. Burmingham died, and about seven years ago the Rev. Tho. Shanley, the present priest, succeeded him. Rev. Shanley is reported as being a finely-educated man and a gentleman in every respect. His congregations, both at Ivesdale and Bement, have all confidence in him. The membership at Ivesdale includes over one thousand persons. A number of these people reside in Piatt county and are good workers and earnest citizens. The original church at Ivesdale was built about

Passage source: History of Piatt County; Together with a Brief History of Illinois from the Discovery of the Upper Mississippi to the Present Time, published 1883.

The Bement Masonic Association was chartered under the laws of the State of Illinois, October 4, 1875, "for the purpose of purchasing a site and erecting thereon a building for masonic purposes for the promotion of universal benevolence and charity." The first directors were Joseph Bodman, W. M. Camp, C. F. Tenney, S. A. Lodge, J. O. Sparks and Robert Fisher. They organized by electing Joseph Bodman president ; F. E. Bryant, treasurer, and C. F. Tenney, secretary. The directors issued and sold stock, and with the proceeds purchased a lot on the southeast corner of Bodman and Piatt streets and erected thereon a two-story brick building with basement. The corner-stone was laid by the grand lodge, A. F. and A. M., with the usual formalities, on May 25, 1876. The hall was dedicated to Masonry by the same body in the autumn following. The present board of directors are J. O. Sparks, Horace Haldennan, Robert Fisher, D. D. Kimmel, W. M. Camp and C. F. Tenney. The present officers of the board are D. D. Kimmel, president ; F. E. Bryant, treasurer, and C. F. Tenney, secretary.

Passage source: History of Piatt County; Together with a Brief History of Illinois from the Discovery of the Upper Mississippi to the Present Time, published 1883.

Bement Lodge, No. 365, A. F. and A. M., received its charter October 1, 1861. The charter members were F. E. Bryant, H. A. Bodman, Charles Fisher, Jr., A. G. Gregory, G. M. Gregory, J. W. C. Gray, John A. Helman, T. T. Pettit, W. L. Kyder, J. O. Sparks, William Stilwell, E. B. Sprague, J. M. Taylor and Aaron Yost. The first officers were F. E. Bryant, worshipful master ; J. O. Sparks, senior warden ; William Stilwell, junior warden ; T. T. Pettit, treasurer ; E. B. Sprague, secretary ; J. A. Helman, senior deacon ; C. Fisher, Jr., junior deacon ; Aaron Yost, tyler. The present officers are W. M. Vance, worshipful master ; G. A. Stadler, senior warden ; V. S. Ruby, junior warden ; W. M. Camp, treasurer ; Thomas Lamb, Jr., secretary; Charles McGaffey, senior deacon; John C. Klapp, junior deacon ; J. F. Knapp, senior steward ; William Parker, junior steward ; T. T. Pettit, tyler. Present membership, sixty-four.

Passage source: History of Piatt County; Together with a Brief History of Illinois from the Discovery of the Upper Mississippi to the Present Time, published 1883.

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 Bement Township - it names this place 3 more 3 times.