Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society

The Green Valley Sesquicentennial Book Committee has begun collecting information for a new book celebrating the One Hundred and Fifty Year Anniversary of Green Valley including bothnMalone and Sand Prairie Townships. A rich history of settlement, farming, and family history comes from these two townships.

The plan is to bring forward history from the 125th Celebration Book of Green Valley to the present 150th Celebration. The 125th Celebration was very thorough and detailed and covered a lot of the history of the community. [There's still a few of the 125th Celebration Book available!]

The 150th year book will include the Green Valley Sesquicentennial Celebration of August 2022 so it will not be published until after August 2022.  There will be additional topics that haven’t been shared before as well as updating of information in the former Green Valley histories. The Committee is asking for current and former Green Valley citizens to submit articles that “Enhance the History of Green Valley Through Your Family Story”.

Also, a history of the street names and older homes in the original city is planned.  The Committee is asking for any information people have on these two topics.  If you know the history of ownership of your home, the committee would like you to share any information on original owners as well as any additions and changes to the home.

Elder and former residents of Green Valley are being interviewed.  So far, a centenarian as well as a number of 80+ and 90+ year-olds are contributing their memories and information about growing up in the Green Valley area.

Information and documents are being gathered about the long history of the Grain Elevators and Railroad on the east side of Green Valley.  The first Barker Grain was built around 1896 by James Robert Barker who was one of the last survivors of the Civil War in Illinois.  At the time of his death in 1940, he lived on the corner of Main and Barker Streets.  He is buried across the northwest border of Malone Township in Langston Cemetery in Mason County.

The Orphan Train will be a new topic in the book.  The Orphan Train was formed to move orphaned children from the New York area west to other locations as adoptees, farm labor, or indentured servants.  Illinois was one of the prime destinations of the Orphan Train.  

Cyrus Chase, postmaster of Belfami (northwest corner of Malone Township) was one of the “conductors” of aiding children to Illinois.  Mr. Chase was found in 1856 records of the New York Asylum who was sending the children west.

The 1860 census shows five extra children living in the Chase home. This story will be further detailed in the book.  Anyone who has information about “conductors” or children that came to this area on the Orphan train are asked to submit information to the book committee.

If you have additional contributions or questions, the Sesquicentennial Book Committee of Green Valley may be contacted at sesquicentennial150gv@gmail.com