I was in Lawrenceville this summer when the Historical Society had their Oil Boom in Lawrence County display. It was quite a nice display and I found it very interesting. I wonder if any reseachers had family members living and working around the oil fields with stories to tell?
What I found fascinating about the oil boom time period was how much it changed the people in the area, more people came in, of course, their quality of life was much improved, and the oil fields dominated everything. Of course when they closed down, it also affected everyone and everything.
And when I refer to quality of life, I guess I meant the lives of the workers families, as I doubt the men working in the oil fields had a really great time. I was struck by some photos of groups of school children that I saw, before oil they were rather ragged and shoeless etc. - after the oil boom they were better dressed and looked much more robust and well fed.
There was a lot of m en employed from 1905 until the 1960's in the Lawrence couny oil fields. There are still several working in the oil industry in the county but nothing like there was
My grandfather O.N. Mayfield HIs name is Otha Nimrod Mayfield worked as a driller in the oil fields supported his wife Haley Blanche and their three children plus a neice and a couple of nephews
The 1913 book "Bulletin 22 - The Oil Fields of Crawford and Lawrence Counties" by Raymond S. Blatchley, published by the State of Illinois State Geological Survey is a book that has been scanned by Google and is available online as the first hit at http://books.google.com/books?id=CBoQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=oil+fields+of+Crawford+Lawrence+Counties One can read or download the book and even print out excerpts. The Lawrence County oilfields are now in their 101st year, with the first well having been completed on the Cap Lewis farm north of Bridgeport in May 1906. The Blatchley book contains a good history of the early Lawrence County oilfield development and has several good pictures of early oilfield equipment. Never before in the nation's history had a major oilfield been developed as quickly and as efficiently as was the Bridgeport field.
I too would like the history of oil wells. My grandfather, James Garfield Stroup, was what people called a wildcat oil well driller. His family moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois, married my grandmother, Jessye Inez Perkins, who was from Sumner. My dad said they never spent 2 Christmas's in the same house. They moved all over Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Canada. At one time before he married he was in Burma and after he married (before their first child was born) they moved to Trinidad. So, maybe I might find some info about Grandpa Stroup. He died when my dad was only 12 years old.
Being from Lawrenceville , and being a senior citizen, I can remember going there as a child every summer to visit family members that there were lots of houses and one church that had pumping oil wells in the yards. When I was there last, three years ago, there was only one active one left. I do not know the history of the wells but I am certain you can find out at the courthouse or library. My entire family worked for the old Indian refinery (later Texaco) and my mother's first husband was one of the men killed in the fire at the refinery in 1928. I still have some family members there and would be happy to see if they know anything of the history of the wells if you would like.
Barbara and Joyce, The relative in my tree who died there was Lewis Hensley, he married Anna Heath. Would you by any chance know the family? Lois Heath
It was August 2, 1928. There were 43 men killed. There is a memorial to them with all the names in the Lawrenceville Cemetery. I believe I sent a picture of this memorial to the Lawrence County site some time ago and it is posted among the photos.
The Malosh family moved to Lawrence Co. in 1915-1917. They were oil field workers following oil strikes from Lima, Ohio, to Wells Co. Indiana and then to Lawrenceville. They were pumpers operating "powers" on the Grey and Gould Leases South of Bridgeport near the Zion Church. Later some worked for the Indian Oil Refinery and then for Witco. My father Chester Pope was working at the Indian Refinery in 1928 when the "big fire" broke out. He said "when I ripped off a man's burning shirt his hide came off with it".
My great grandfather, Charles Jasper (Emma Wineman)Weger, struck it rich in the oil boom. He was the owner of the Parker Pool in Crawford County. At least two of his children, Zada Charlene Weger (Royal) Lindsey and my grandfather Cecil Glenn (Della Wagoner)Weger lived in Lawrence County.
My great grandmother's brother, Parker Wineman was a wildcat driller.
My Wagoner family came to Illinois from Ohio for work in the oil fields as well.
On my maternal side, great grandfather Earl Jacob Yoho moved from Ohio to Birds and worked for Tidewater, as did my grandfather Ray Porter Yoho. Ray Yoho worked in the oil industry continually after his discharge from the military in WWII. He first worked for Tidewater, then Getty Oil, then Texaco.
My grandfather, C Davis worked at the refinery. He had 8 children whom all are still living, as is his wife. Much of the family still resides in Lawrenceville.