Help needed---search for old family friends within an hour or less drive of Peoria... (Macomb: loft, house)

[xrhonda91]

Hello,
Been trying to find some old family friends from 40 years ago
who had a Heating ( and plumbing ? ) business in an old, early fifties,
Sinclair or Texaco gas station ( round sign had been painted over white )
building next door to their home in a rural area somewhere within
an hours drive of Peoria. Unfortunately I have forgotten their name
and nearby town as I was a kid when we had a family picnic there
in June of 1969... I remember much more detail I'll gladly share
if someone might be able to help... Been working on this for around
six years on & off with no success... I live in Indianapolis, IN area,
so research is not easy... Most of the small town libraries don't have
old phone directories and the old atlas-plat books don't give business
names. Will greatly appreciate any help offered. Thanks much. John

[linicx]

I can think of at least 7 counties within an nour of Peoria. Each has 30 townships or more and most townships had one large village or town that had a gas station. McLean County is less than an hour away. It is the largest county in the srate.

With no names, no towns and no hints, it is an almost impossible task. I do not know what oil company bought out Sinclair or Texaco.

I suggest you call the Peoria Public Libaray on Monroe or Madison in downtown Peoria.

© 2008 Chevron Products Company, San Ramon, CA. All rights reserved. CHEVRON, the Chevron Hallmark, TEXACO, the Star T logo and TECHRON are registered trademarks of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC. Chevron Products: Contact Us

sinclair oil - Google Search

[xrhonda91]

Thanks much for reply Linicx. Through the years I've acquired atlas-plat
books for the surrounding counties and have spent many hours at the
main Peoria and other libraries who did have old telephone books from that time period. I still have some family in the area though most have passed away... My hope is that I'll find someone who either lived in that area, passed by the location, or had gas station / heating & plumbing connections who might remember the place by description... The old
gas station building was a white block, flat-roofed, two-pump outfit
which sat sideways on its lot ( front of building with doors faced left
toward owner's house ). Their house was a one-story ranch style with
a two-car detached garage behind. They started heating business in
the 1960's and from equipment I remember may have specialized in
hot-water heating. To the right of the building was a lot which looked
as though an old house once stood by arrangement of trees. Behind
this lot was a short section of farm fence and a small pasture area.
Just on other side of fence were 5 or 6 early fifties junk cars parked
neatly side-by-side... The gas pumps were gone, but the crumbling
concrete island remained between side of building and road. As I
mentioned before, the round sign on its post had been painted over
white. There was a ditch, creek, or railroad running at an angle behind
the property---unfortunately couldn't tell which because of heavy brush
growth. I've also tried terraserver to examine aerial views of the area,
but since images were from late 90's couldn't rely on them due to
development and strip-mining through the years... Also contacted
gas companies---either no response or no records from early fifties...
BTW-my great-uncle, Frank Seffer, was a contractor in Peoria years ago
and my grandparent's good friend, Ed Warner, had a plumbing business and
also was a friend of people I'm seeking... They're both gone...
Realize this is a proverbial needle-in-haystack ordeal... Thanks again.

[rose125]

it's a long shot- but you might try google maps. They have some street views of many of the rural towns (situated on main roads) around the area.

[linicx]

If I understood you correctly, you have family that still live in that area, then surely someone knows the name of the county? Have you looked at railroads - or even abandoned railroad tracks.
How did trains move in and out of Peoria?

Do you rememer anything in the area that was unusual. For instance strip mines, regional food, local events, school house, specific church. Do you remember anything this family talked about. Did thay play a specific card game with friends?

All newspapers have a morgue. The Canton library has a lot of Fulton county newspspers on fiche. Can you remenber the first names or the year the people died? How about unusal natural events? Did anyone ever talk about military experience?

How old were the people 40 years ago? Have you talked to collectors to verify it was indeed a Texaco or Sinclair sign that was round? Where did you live in relation to this town? Have you ever looked at Peoria County maps? It should show every creek, railroad and populated area in the couty. It will take some time as the county is over 600 sq miles and there are a lot of small pockets of population like Norwood and Trivoli. Speaking of, how large was the town where the friends lived?

Do you have siblings who remember this family? The state may or may not have a record of every gas pump that was rmoved. I don't know if the enviromental agency existed then. The electric company would have a record of when the electricity was turned off to the pumps.

Surveyers have a copy of county maps too. Sometimes you can even find old maps and inforamtion at the title company. There is one in every county seat. An hour from Peoria in any direction should be these counties: Marshall, Stark, Woodford, Tazewell, Mason, Knox and possibly Logan. I'm sure I've mssed at least one county. .

[xrhonda91]

Thanks Rose125---have used Google maps, but much has changed over the years.
And thanks again to Linicx. Family that knew them are all gone. Have a '54 Illinois map copy with railroads highlighted, but can't find any routes that coincide with memories... No strip mines in immediate area, also no towns close enough to see...
Remember people well, but not even first names. Very clear memory of picnic, but
little of what was talked about. Pretty sure it was the saturday before Father's day
1969. Yes, certain it was Texaco or Sinclair---both used that style of building in early '50's. Very unusual, though, was orientation of building with the "front" facing
left towards their home and the 2-pump island between "side" of building and road. Even though rural, seemed like home and business were on similar sized lots... My parents are both from Canton, these were friends of my grandparents and since
Grandma was raised in Canton area, she was very familiar with Fulton county including the gravel roads---where we went she wasn't familiar with and other
friends told her a shorter route to go home which involved leaving the opposite
direction. I lived in Indiana and only saw family there several times a year.
These people would probably be in 90's if alive and their son would be in 60's.
I have tried the EPA and state of Illinois, but was told no records that far back.
I do have atlas-plat books and maps from the time period for Peoria and surrounding
counties, but just can't pinpoint area. My memory didn't "turn on" until Grandma
asked me to start looking for sign to turn---one of those wood-strips they used
years ago ( and don't remember what was on it, either... ). Also, looked
right at the glass door of business at name & decals, but just can't remember
the words... Thanks for the surveyor idea---that is about the only stone I haven't
unturned... Just need to keep searching for old phone books of the areas involved---have eliminated pockets of territory by town libraries that did have them... Thanks
very much again---always welcome any ideas. And the John Drury aerial histories
of Illinois from the 50's are great, even though they didn't take pics of all rural
properties... John

[linicx]

Please describe the wood strips that were road signs. Fulton County has 24 townships that are 6 miles square. Is it possible you visited those friends in Fulton County?

I have two families that have lived in Fulton county since 1850. Their kids and grand kids were born in and they died in Fulton County. Family and close friends didn't live very far apart. When their kids 'moved' it wasn't far; it was to a nearby township. The kids who lived in Canton then -rarely moved from Fulton County to big city Peoria. The girls married a neighbor boy and stayed home. Girls didn't usually move until they much older and there was a compelling eason.. My gggrandfathers had 30 chidren between them. Three of the grandchildren moved out of county and out of the state. They were 40 when they moved. Great Aunt Rilla returned a widow and lived with her girl and died in Peoria in the 1970s.

When you are a kid in a car in Illinois counties all you see is cows and corn. It is boring and every mile seem like ten. I'd venture to say grandma's friends didn't live as far away as you might perceive. When you visited 4-5 times a year, did you stay with grandma or were you in a motel? I if you stayed with grandma, where did she live?

[rose125]

Another thought, if you are local and looking to get information you might try checking out the archives at Western Illinois University in Macomb- I think that where your looking is more than likely within the region they get. They're usually really helpful- they might have something you can use to look up the people.

[xrhonda91]

Hello again Rose125 & Linicx,
The sign was a home-made? horizontal strip of wood attached to a fence post or
phone pole which I believe told road to turn on for the old gas station turned heating
business... Pretty certain that we weren't in Fulton Co. since Grandma picked me
up at my other Grandparent's place at 10:30 in morning for picnic which, when shortly
after we arrived, we ate... My Grandma lived in and was native to Canton and was
very familiar with Fulton Co.---she had to get directions to these people's place...
We were close families and always stayed with Grandparents---sometimes a housefull
of relatives, good food & good times... If Grandma were alive, she'd probably know
some of your people. Her last living sibling, a sister, is now 91 and still lives with her
husband on a farm north of Middle Grove---those are the family I now visit. Married
72 years... I've never been bored with the country as my best memories were there---when driving over for visit, try to take as many county roads as possible to see the
farms, even though it adds quite a bit of time to trip... The mutual friends that were
also at picnic ( and now deceased ) were also like family and I clearly remember Ed
giving me my first tractor ride, playing in the loft in the barn, mushrooming, and many
cookouts and hog-roasts, at the man-made lake on his farm---strip mine took the farm years ago ( south of Elmwood )... Another couple that were there had a
car dealership in Eureka and a couple years ago they were still living, but when I talked to them, neither had good memories of that far back... Have talked to many
people in heating & plumbing from Peoria and other areas, and have found a few
scattered around who had Sinclair or Texaco years ago, but they only accounted
for a fraction of the area I'm searching... I've actually driven many of the roads
that seemed familiar in the area, also... I still appreciate your ideas and taking time
to share. BTW---These people were more Ed & Loretta's friends, he also had a
plumbing business in Peoria as well as the farm and knew a lot of people all around
Peoria---they often had get-togethers as groups. Thanks again... John

[linicx]

John, I am confused. Grandma from Canton picked you up at your other grandparents house, Who didn't know how to get to the reunion?

Where did the grandparents live?

Do you remember anything about the drive to the reunion?

What ws the last name of both sets of grandparents?

Who are Ed and Loretta? ..