Madeline Rozanne Belsly

Madeline married Harold Addison Jacobs [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Harold Addison Jacobs, Jr.
2. Bronlynne Anne Jacobs
3. Mark Randall Jacobs
4. Marla Kristine Jacobs
5. James Tanquary Jacobs
6. Kerstin Lynne Jacobs

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Managed the family implement and hardware store, built bowling alley and locker plant in Lacon, IL. Also was successful investor in stocks and bonds.

Mark married Edith Augusta Reibschlager on 8 Nov 1923 in Peoria, Peoria Co., IL. Edith (daughter of August Reibschlager and Caroline Aicher) was born on 1 Jun 1893 in Washburn, Woodford Co., IL; died on 18 Mar 1969 in Peoria, Peoria Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer and businessman
• Residence: 1905, Lacon, Woodford Co., IL

Notes:

“In 1888 remarried Alma Ross. They lived on a farm he inherited from his grandfather. It was located midway between Lacon and Washburn on bottomland called Crow Creek. It is likely the same farm his parents lived on when they were first married. Alma died in 1895. Jennie Chambers became his second wife. John at one time owned six hundred ten acres of land. Besides farming, he also worked with a local telephone exchange which had forty phones on its line. As farmers wanted phones, John would extend a line to them and provide them with service when needed. In 1905 John moved his family to Lacon where he bought an implement and hardware store. He and his family ran the business until 1919 when his son Mark took over and the family returned to farming in the same area they had left. John and Alma had three sons. Roscoe farmed land his parents owned near Arthur, North Dakota and later farmed near Moorhead, Minnesota. Bruce lived to age ten. Mark ran the implement and hardware store and later built a bowling alley and locker plant in Lacon. He was a very successful investor in stocks and bonds. John’s marriage to Jennie produced two sons and two daughters. Freda and her husband Louis Klein operated a grocery store in Henry. Cleat (Dud) worked for many years at the Caterpillar Company in Peoria. Her husband Cecil Hunt worked at the Belsly Hardware in Lacon where they live. Area (Bill) has retired from farming. He lives in rural Washburn and is still a township supervisor. His love of hunting and knowledge of animals and birds make him one of the foremost authorities of wildlife in that part of Illinois. Uncle Bill and Aunt Alma have helped immeasurably gathering information for this booklet. Lorin was a trainman for the Santa Fe Railroad. He was also a businessman, city councilman and mayor of Lacon for eleven years. Under his leadership street lights and a sewer system were installed and paving, zoning and a marina were completed.”

John married Alma Esther Ross on 17 Feb 1888 in Joliet, Will Co., IL. Alma was born on 21 May 1860 in Livingston Co., IL; died on 6 Oct 1895 in Washburn, Woodford Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

August + Caroline Aicher. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Religion: East Washington Mennonite Church
• Residence: Marshall Co., IL
• PURC: 1860, Deer Creek, Washington Twp., Tazewell Co., IL

Notes:

Christian Belsly, as described by grandson Louis Phillips (in an unpublished ms. later included in John Robert Belsly’s “The Descendants of Joseph “Red Joe” Belsly”)

When I saw “I Remember Mama” some years ago I thought of our Chris. It seemed to me his philosophy of life should be put in print to be remembered over the years. Chris was my grandfather, my mother’s father. That does not lend anything to his stature but it may perhaps explain some of the peculiar things that I do once in a while.

Chris’ father “red Joe” lived to see his section of the country well settled and wealthy and he did much to bring about the change. He came here poor but at the time of his death was one of the wealthiest farmers in the country. This of course was all during the early life of Christ but it had much to do to make its mark upon his life. He soon began to realize that from the possessions his father had he wouldn’t have to work and at the early age of eighteen he decided that a life of leisure was what he should have. “Red Joe’ would have Chris get up every morning and run down to the barn and pump water for the livestock “Red Joe” thought it would make Chris healthy and hardy but it only served to make him rebellious against family discipline and to develop his theory of independence.

Early in his married life Chris trained Mary as few wives were trained. His clothes were always laid out on the bed ready for Chris to put on. If he wanted something at the table he didn’t ask for it. He simply held his knife straight up and Mary would know what he wanted and see that it was started on the way to him. There was no idle chatter at the table when Chris was there but when he was finished with his meals he got up and went into the bedroom—or hammock in the summertime—for a nap. Then the children would cut loose as all children will. Mary and all the children loved Chris but he ruled with an iron hand.

Chris had long anticipated the time when he would have the control and income from his father’s land and it was indeed a blow to his pride to find when “Red Joe’s” will was read that to a large degree he had been bypassed and most of the land was willed to the children of Chris. Of course as all the children were minors Chris was the man who handled the finances. Since he was justified in taking considerable of the income for the care and maintenance of the children, his income was no small item for those days.

Deer Creek, which was Chris’ home town, was quite a baseball town. They had a local team which would play neighboring teams and would take on traveling teams. When this happened they would usually bolster the team with some extra good players from other towns and would often bring out special ones from Peoria if they thought the competition warranted it. The management of the Deer Creek team lined up a game with the Kansas City Gems which was an organization made up of Negro players. For this game the local management secured the talent of some exceptional players and though they didn’t expect to win they didn’t think they would be beaten too badly. The Negro boys were players who were capable of defeating almost any team that most towns would put on the field. Chris, true sportsman that he was, made a trip over to Danvers where the team was playing the day before their game at Deer Creek, saw the manager, and for forty dollars had the assurance that the Gems would lose the game. Then he hurried back to Deer Creek and had no trouble in placing two hundred dollars at even money that Deer Creek would win. That looked fine for Chris except that the Gems won. Since the manager left town before the game was over Chris never did find out how that came about, but it was rumored that another true sportsman had given the manager fifty dollars to win.

Chris would always have the best groomed and well trained horse in the community. Before driving into the business part of town he would pull over to the side of the road and whistle a little tweet, tweet, tweet and sit there until the horse went to the powder room in typical horse manner. The boys in the family had good spirited horses but they wouldn’t be trained like Chris’ horse, much to his chagrin. His work horses were always strong and good pullers and many a time Chris would bet a little on the loads they could pull.

For many years Chris was a member of the school board which ran the rural schools. He was interested because he usually had several children in school. Chris’ children were perhaps a little better students than many who attended the rural schools and were entitled to good grades. However, the fact that Chris was on the school board often brought the complaint from envious neighbors that the good grades were given the Belsly youngsters for that reason. Most of the children received some additional education at Eureka College which was close to the family homestead. The fact that they got along well with their work there would lead one to believe their good grades were justified.

Chris had one story that he told to the school children every time he had a chance. The story was that when he and his father were driving to Chicago one early spring when the roads were pretty well broken up they came to this sign: TAKE CARE OF THE RUT YOU CHOOSE—YOU WILL BE IN IT FOR THE NEXT FIFTY MILES. He would refer to that and then say, “Would that we could say to every young man and every young woman, Take care of the path you choose—you will be in it for the next fifty years. Choose a path of vision and courage with a goal you have to reach for and your life will be a pleasant and profitable adventure.”

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Christian was raised by his step-mother, Barbara Engel, and is said to have been a very spoiled person. He never learned how to handle finances, and as a result his father, Joseph, left his estate to Christian’s children.

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“In 1860 Christian purchased land near Deer Creek, IL, where he and his wife lived and raised their family. They attended the early East Washington Mennonite Church. They had nine children...When the first son (second grandchild) was born, Grandpa Red Joe drove from his homestead in north Worth Township to see his first grandson. The parents had already chosen a name for the boy, but Grandpa Red Joe said his name is Joseph, so that is what he was named. It was that first grandson who later inherited the Red Joe homestead. When he married Ida Foster they moved to that homestead where they raised their family. From him, the homestead went to his son Maurice and today (1983) Maurice’s son, Clifford owns it.”

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“The story of Christian Belsly (1835-1915), the only son of 'Red Joe', illustrates the circular nature of some of the family relationships. 'Red Joe' distrusted his son Christian's easy nature. Relatives considered the only child to be spoiled.

Christian found a prospective wife during a visit to his uncle Peter Schrock at Lemon Township, Butler County. She lived in the next house on Salzman Road. The ceremony was conducted by minister Nicholas Augspurger at Trenton in Butler County Nov. 18, 1856.

'Red Joe' showed his displeasure with his son by declining to present the groom with the customary gift of acreage from the family farm. Christian was forced to make his own living. He and his new wife first lived at Spring Bay, and in 1860 he purchased land in Deer Creek and started his own farm. When Christian's first son was born the following year, 'Red Joe' insisted that his grandson be named Joseph. Christian consented.

When 'Red Joe' died on Christmas Eve 1872, his nine-page will divided his sizable fortune into 33 units that took six years to disperse through the probate process. He chose to leave his widow $2,000 but only 80 of his 2,000 acres. Son Christian, who expected a life of leisure, was left only 120 acres and a payment of $150 a year for 20 years. The family farm on Lourdes Road passed more or less intact to the namesake grandchild.

In the end, Christian and his wife ran a prosperous farm and raised nine children. He served as a school director and commissioner of highways in Deer Creek. He and his wife are buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery at Deer Creek.

“The wife that son Christian Belsley found in Butler County was his second cousin Mary Schertz, who was born in Butler County in 1837. She was the oldest of three daughters of John Schertz and Catherine Engel, who lived on Salzman Road in Lemon Township. 22 John Schertz was the business partner of John Stecker/Staker, and his daughters were trained in business and accounting. No doubt Mary Engel made an appropriate partner for the errant son of 'Red Joe' Belsley.”

Birth:
Verna Belsley says 1836 in a letter to H. H. Schrock in 1961. Robert Belsley’s book gives the date as 31 Jul 1835.

Residence:
Lived there two years following his marriage

PURC:
Lived on the land and raised nine children

Buried:
Mt. Zion Cemetery

Christian married Mary Magdalene Schertz on 28 Oct 1856 in Trenton, Butler Co., OH. Mary (daughter of John Schertz and Catherine Engel) was born on 3 Mar 1837 in Lemon Twp., Butler Co., OH; died on 28 Nov 1911 in Deer Creek, Washington Twp., Tazewell Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

“Mary was a slightly built lady. She was loved and respected in the community. She and Christian celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on October 28, 1906. She passed away in 1911 and it is remembered her funeral was a very large one. The following is a quote from her obituary: ‘In recognition of a quiet, unassuming Christian life, the following simple verse will apply most appropriately—Her hands were filled with deeds of charity, the Golden Keys that open the palace of Eternity.’”

Mary was trained in business and accounting by her father, so was able to help her husband manage his finances--something he had been unable to do for himself.

Notes:

Married:
Witnesses: John Schweitzer, Annie Schrack; Joseph Lehman, Annie Moseman
Married by Rev. N. Augspurger. (Noah?)