294 – Waldo 1870s

Mark Jarvis

Val and Lena Maninger were settled in. They owned a boot and shoe business in Gridley. They had a growing family.

Gridley, Illinois – c 1890

A farm

In 1871, Val and Lena bought a farm in Waldo Township in Livingston County, just north of the hamlet of Meadows. It’s about 4 miles east of Gridley.

They bought the land from John Oyer, a friend and relative by marriage, paying $4,200 for 120 acres of land and a house.

Deed – Valentine Maninger from John and Anna Oyer – 120 acres in Waldo Township – 1871
Maninger farm – SE14 Sec 36 Twp 27N Range 3E – 120 acres – 1871

More kids

Census – Val and Lena Maninger and family – 1870

In 1870, there were three children in the household:

  • Sam Neuhauser b. 1861 age 8
  • John Maninger b. 1867 age 3
  • Frank Maninger b. 1869 age 1

Gus and Emma Maninger

August “Gus” Maninger was born February 26, 1872. Two years later, on March 10, 1874, daughter Emma Maninger was born.

Burglars

The Maninger family moved from Gridley to their farm north of Meadows. Since they moved, no one was in the shoe shop building after business hours.

On the night of July 27, 1874, burglars entered the store and stole some boots. The spree continued at some nearby residences.

School

Schools were important to early settlers. As townships were settled, attempts were made to provide schools as soon as possible.

David Sharp reported on schools in Waldo Township in 1860. The report stated that there was one school in Waldo Township, but reports the building of a new school house at an expense of $676.72.

The next Winter, two schools were opened; and in 1863-4, two others were added. This number was increased from time to time, until the present number, nine, the usual number kept in any township, was reached.

History of Livingston County Illinois 1878
School locations in a “standard” township

The “standard” rectangular township consists of 36 sections, or square miles. The standard township boundary is six miles on each side. The usual number of rural schools in a township is 9, allowing a school at the intersection of four sections. In this arrangement, rural students would have a school within about one mile from home.

There was a school at the southwest corner of Section 25, so the school was about one and a half miles from the Maninger farm.

Maninger farm and nearby school

In the 1880 census, John, Frank, August, and Emma are listed as having attended school within the last year. All grades were in the same room.

Census excerpt – some Maninger children attended school

Note that John Maninger is listed in the census as “Works on farm.” The school year was shorter than today, and there were planned times off for farm duties.

More kids

By 1875, there were five children in the household:

  • Sam Neuhauser b. 1861 age 14
  • John Maninger b. 1867 age 8
  • Frank Maninger b. 1869 age 6
  • Gus Maninger b. 1872 age 3
  • Emma Maninger b. 1874 age 1

Joe and Will Maninger

Joseph Maninger was born July 6, 1876. William Lee Maninger was born on August 10, 1879. They were probably both born on the farm in Waldo Township, Livingston County.

Fire

The fire was discovered between one and two a.m. on Friday morning. It started (or was started) in C.H. Neuhauser’s wagon shop. The fire burned out of control and spread to adjacent buildings along Third Street, Gridley’s main street.

The Pantagraph – Saturday, October 20, 1877

No building was spared. Val Maninger’s boot and shoe shop burned to the ground. Val managed to save some of his inventory, though it was damaged. He had no insurance.

Another loss

Just three weeks after the devastating fire in Gridley, Samuel Neuhauser died.

Sam died on November 8, 1877, at age 16. We don’t have a death record or a cause of death. He’s buried in the Gridley Cemetery.

Grieving and Healing

The Pantagraph – Wednesday, December 19, 1877

The last months of 1877 were difficult. The fire was an uninsured loss, certainly financially devastating. But the loss of life overshadowed the loss of property.

I’m sure Val and Lena found solace and comfort in their church community.

By December, Lena found she was pregnant, and Val vowed to rebuild the shoe shop better than before.

End of the decade

The decade of the 1870s was eventful for the Maningers, even successful. They had a business. They had a farm. They had six living children. They were devout members of a religious community.

Val Maninger had rebuilt the boot and shoe shop, and business was good.

The Pantagraph – Friday, January 16, 1880

1880

In the 1880 census, the Maningers are enumerated on their farm in Waldo Township, Livingston County. Val is age 45, Lena is 39. John is age 12 and works on the farm. Frank, age 10, goes to school. The other children are Gus, 8, Emma, 6, Joe, 4, and Bill, 1.

Jacob Smith, 21, is living with the Maningers, listed as a servant. I suspect he’s a relative of Lena, perhaps a nephew that’s just immigrated from Switzerland.

Census – Val and Lena Maninger – Livingston County, Illinois – 1880

Living on the farm next to the Maningers is the family of Lena’s brother Peter Smith. Peter died in 1875, so his wife Barbara is head of household. Barbara’s maiden name is Neuhauser. She’s Peter Neuhauser’s sister.

John and Fannie Neuhauser and their two children are living in Barbara Smith’s household. John Neuhauser is Barbara’s younger brother.

Smooth sailing?

The Maningers were living the American immigrants’ dream. A farm and a business and a community and a church and a large family. Why would they want to change anything?

Yet, there is change in the wind. Kansas fever is infectious.

Timeline

Sources:

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