A LOAMI REMINISCENCE Contributed by Bill Hall, with many surnames of Loami
Township listed.
Population of the
township, including Loami village - 1,095; population of the village - 481
LOAMI - This
township lies in the southwestern part of the county, in the second tier of townships from the south. It was
organized in 1861 and comprises part of government township 14 north and part of range 7 west. Its present
boundaries are: New Berlin on the north, Chatham on the east, Talkington on the south and Maxwell on the
west. The township is watered by Lick creek and its branches, along which some timber is f ound. The first
settlers in this part of the county were Henry Brown and his stepson, William Huffmaster. They arrived in
1819 and built a cabin on the north side of Lick creek. In 1821 came Paul and William Colburn, and about the
same time Willis Coley and others. The village of Loami is an old-settied place and was laid out and platted
in 1854. It is on the line of what is now called the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis railway.
A Loami, Illinois Reminiscence
Introduction Bill Hall
These four pieces are the writings of Lucy Miller Dodd, whose wit and wisdom are evident as you read them. They are mostly useful as a reminder of life in the middle and late 19th century in southwestern Sangamon County. But there is good genealogical information here, too, showing the coming-together of many families from Virginia/West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and other states to settle along the south fork of Lick Creek in Loami and Talkington Townships. Lucy was a farm wife and accomplished researcher who lived from 1875 to 1956. I met her only once when I was 8 years old; and regret I didn’t spend more time at her knee. My g-g-grandfather, Thompson Hall, was a brother to Lucy’s mother, Sarah Hall Miller. I have transcribed below her stories of these early settlers, who farmed this little corner of the world.The Hall Family History
-This is the story of Henry and Sarah Harper Hall’s descendants.
The family moved from Virginia to Indiana in 1816 and to Loami Twp. in October, 1828 and settled near the South Fork branch of Lick Creek, in what is now Section 26 (W2SW) of Loami Township.
The Dodd Family HistoryThe Jones Family Saga
- Benjamin George Whitefield Jones, born in 1823,
moved to
Missouri in 1849 with his family and married Ketouri Cossey in 1851. This is the
story of their many moves between Illinois and Missouri during the Civil War.
The Churces of Loami Township This is a history of the Methodist churches in Loami Township, including a "review" of many of the ministers who served from 1881 to 1954.