Brief Canton History
Canton is the largest town in Fulton County, Illinois which isn't saying
much since the population is probably around 40,000 and the town itself
is like 15,000 so we make up just about the whole county itself. The county
itself came to be in 1818 and for some time covered a section of the state.
Lewistown was the first town coming about 1820 somewhere around there.
Canton came to be like five years later in 1825 founded by an Isaac Swan, a
very distant cousin on our Suydam side ( my Dad's mother's side). Let's see
if I remember how we tied in My great great great Grandfather Peter H.
Suydam's brother was Joseph Suydam whoses daughter Jane married an
Aaron Addis whoses sister Elizabeth Addis married the town founder Isaac
Swan. I think I got that right. I got the names right that's a fact. Haha. This
information kind of surprised me when I found out then I seen someone elses
history on Addis at Parlin Library that researched it somehow connecting to
Eleanor Roosevelt and Aaron Burr through Stephens. I can't remember I
need to go back sometime and see if that's still there. That was around 2000
when i read that. The Suydam's and Addis clans seem easier to trace than the
May family outside of the state and country.
Anyhow Canton township was first settled in 1822 by a Captain David Barnes,
Charles and Theodore Sergeant and a William Blanchard all whome were War
of 1812 veterans. Isaac Swan came to Illinois in 1818 the year the State became an
official state and Fulton County came to be. He laid out Canton in 1825. He came
to this area with a brother -N-law Nathan Jones. In 1828 Swan married Elizabeth
Addis so he might have been married before her but the first wife died but i'm
not sure. Swan and his infant son both died in a Tornado in 1835. His widow
would later marry a man whose's wife also died during that storm. I think the
name was George Gould. Canton would have other tornadoes one major one
in 1975 and a close call yet destruction from winds in 1990. Mother Nature loves
us.
In 1852 the Parlin and Orendorff Company was established as a foundry that
made plows and such. It later became the International Harvester which closed
down about 1982 and the buildings burned thanks to an arsonist in August 1997.
Canton had two railroads actually three if you consider the brief Interurban that
ran here from Farmington to Lewistown even having a spur to Fairview. The
TP&W & CB&Q played their bits in this towns history with freight and passenger
service. The last passenger train was in 1961 on the CB&Q line. The depot remains
as does the depot for former TP&W now KJRY owns. Coal mines were also a major
player in the local economy from well over 100 years in various locations not just
Canton but the County itself. There was also a Cigar manufacturing facility here
at one point and an Overall factory. It is also said Abraham Lincoln stayed here
with some friends. He gave a speech in nearby Lewistown in 1858. There are some
very old buildings, houses and Orendorff Mansion here and we are featured on the
Spoon River Drive every two weekends of October.
I visited Greenwood Cemetery today looking for Isaac Swan's grave but evidently
forgot where it was since it's been fifteen years. I thought it was in this section but
oh well I'll have to ask someone at the office next time I see someone. I did take a few
pictures of the old Cemetery section and one lady I seen died and buried there in 1841.
I know there are older graves there but alot are difficult to read.
The 1841 stone:
The Older part of the cemetery probably original part of Cemetery from it's
beginning: Alot of stones may be buried and alot broken.
My relatives here ( some i have alot more...no May's here Suydam's mainly):
Peter H. Suydam ( died 1893, spouse of Mary Jane Dehart, Civil War Vet)
(Great Great great Grandfather).
Letha Suydam ( daughter of John, died when part of Opera House fell on her at a
4th of July celebration in 1901. She was like eight).
The next Cemetery is east of Canton called Orendorff not far from the Railroad
tracks to the power plant and Route 9. Addis family including the Suydam who
married into them is buried here plus an old grave that might be from 1819 or that
was when the person was born. It's hard to read.
Addis:
There are more buried there but here is the cemetery itself:
The possible 1819 grave it looked like a death year but it's so old and hard to make
out could be year of birth so who knows: I could be blind too so....
Last but not least stopped at the location of Simmons Mine on the North east
section of Canton off Cypress and 4th. It ran from about 1908 til 1926 and may
have been served by the CB&Q railroad as the line ran next to it and looked like
a spur at one time on an old map. Someone was killed there in 1916 which is sad
yet a interesting fact. More info is on a blog I wrote about a while back. I'll link
it.
https://cantontornado36.blogspot.com/2017/04/simmons-coal-mine-north-of-canton.html?spref=fb
The CB&Q R-O-W next to the former mine shaft: Tracks removed 2017.
much since the population is probably around 40,000 and the town itself
is like 15,000 so we make up just about the whole county itself. The county
itself came to be in 1818 and for some time covered a section of the state.
Lewistown was the first town coming about 1820 somewhere around there.
Canton came to be like five years later in 1825 founded by an Isaac Swan, a
very distant cousin on our Suydam side ( my Dad's mother's side). Let's see
if I remember how we tied in My great great great Grandfather Peter H.
Suydam's brother was Joseph Suydam whoses daughter Jane married an
Aaron Addis whoses sister Elizabeth Addis married the town founder Isaac
Swan. I think I got that right. I got the names right that's a fact. Haha. This
information kind of surprised me when I found out then I seen someone elses
history on Addis at Parlin Library that researched it somehow connecting to
Eleanor Roosevelt and Aaron Burr through Stephens. I can't remember I
need to go back sometime and see if that's still there. That was around 2000
when i read that. The Suydam's and Addis clans seem easier to trace than the
May family outside of the state and country.
Anyhow Canton township was first settled in 1822 by a Captain David Barnes,
Charles and Theodore Sergeant and a William Blanchard all whome were War
of 1812 veterans. Isaac Swan came to Illinois in 1818 the year the State became an
official state and Fulton County came to be. He laid out Canton in 1825. He came
to this area with a brother -N-law Nathan Jones. In 1828 Swan married Elizabeth
Addis so he might have been married before her but the first wife died but i'm
not sure. Swan and his infant son both died in a Tornado in 1835. His widow
would later marry a man whose's wife also died during that storm. I think the
name was George Gould. Canton would have other tornadoes one major one
in 1975 and a close call yet destruction from winds in 1990. Mother Nature loves
us.
In 1852 the Parlin and Orendorff Company was established as a foundry that
made plows and such. It later became the International Harvester which closed
down about 1982 and the buildings burned thanks to an arsonist in August 1997.
Canton had two railroads actually three if you consider the brief Interurban that
ran here from Farmington to Lewistown even having a spur to Fairview. The
TP&W & CB&Q played their bits in this towns history with freight and passenger
service. The last passenger train was in 1961 on the CB&Q line. The depot remains
as does the depot for former TP&W now KJRY owns. Coal mines were also a major
player in the local economy from well over 100 years in various locations not just
Canton but the County itself. There was also a Cigar manufacturing facility here
at one point and an Overall factory. It is also said Abraham Lincoln stayed here
with some friends. He gave a speech in nearby Lewistown in 1858. There are some
very old buildings, houses and Orendorff Mansion here and we are featured on the
Spoon River Drive every two weekends of October.
I visited Greenwood Cemetery today looking for Isaac Swan's grave but evidently
forgot where it was since it's been fifteen years. I thought it was in this section but
oh well I'll have to ask someone at the office next time I see someone. I did take a few
pictures of the old Cemetery section and one lady I seen died and buried there in 1841.
I know there are older graves there but alot are difficult to read.
The 1841 stone:
beginning: Alot of stones may be buried and alot broken.
My relatives here ( some i have alot more...no May's here Suydam's mainly):
Peter H. Suydam ( died 1893, spouse of Mary Jane Dehart, Civil War Vet)
(Great Great great Grandfather).
John Suydam ( son of Peter H Suydam next to daughter Letha, died 1908)
4th of July celebration in 1901. She was like eight).
The next Cemetery is east of Canton called Orendorff not far from the Railroad
tracks to the power plant and Route 9. Addis family including the Suydam who
married into them is buried here plus an old grave that might be from 1819 or that
was when the person was born. It's hard to read.
Addis:
The possible 1819 grave it looked like a death year but it's so old and hard to make
out could be year of birth so who knows: I could be blind too so....
Last but not least stopped at the location of Simmons Mine on the North east
section of Canton off Cypress and 4th. It ran from about 1908 til 1926 and may
have been served by the CB&Q railroad as the line ran next to it and looked like
a spur at one time on an old map. Someone was killed there in 1916 which is sad
yet a interesting fact. More info is on a blog I wrote about a while back. I'll link
it.
https://cantontornado36.blogspot.com/2017/04/simmons-coal-mine-north-of-canton.html?spref=fb
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