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A: Not too much no. I never heard them discuss that too much. Q: Would that have been about your great-grandfather then that . . . A: Great-grandfather is the one that originally lol.ai.ed here starting a trading post, Q: Where did he come from? A: He came from Germany, Q: Directly to Illinois? A: Yes. Q: Did anyone ever say anything about why he came to this part of the United States? A: Never did hear anyone mention it. $: What was his name? A: Conrad Q: And he settled here in the Brussels area then. A: Yes. Q: And set up a trading post here? A: A trading post here yes. Q: Was that here at this . , A: Right in this same spot . . . Q: . . . present location? A: . . . yes. Q: So the Wittmonds have been in Calhoun County then here in the Brussels area far some 153 years you say. A: Something on that, yes. Q: I don't suppose you knew your great-grandfather. A: No I can't recall. I seen some pictures of him and heard stories about him but I can't reall really ever seeing him. Q: How about your grandfather, his son? A: That would be his - that's m y dad you mean? Q: Oh I see, your father. A: Yes. Q: So this was your grandfather that came? Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
A: Yes. Q: Okay. And then your father. A Yes. Q: And that was Charles H. A: Yes. Q: Had your grandfather died then before you were born or do you remember him at all? A: No he was still around when I was small. I think I rememhr hearing my mother speak frequently of him. But I just can't recall vividly much abut him or so. Q: What kind of person was your father? A: Oh he was a kind of a meek sort of a fellow. He was too honest for his own good far one thing. Q: Oh. (chuckles) A: TOO god hearted. Always in business all of his life, And I think they probably had money years and years ago. And every time somebody got married, why, they would sharecrop in here. And he, being in business, would have to finance them for their groceries and living expenses from crop to crop. And people in those days was really honest. Everybody paid. But then in later years it seemed like they had a lot of adverses and he was caught in a credit squeeze. And every time a child was born he used to stand [when it would] be christened, and be godfather. And seemed in a local community like this, he was called upon to perform a lot of those feata. Q: Ye. And was he still managing the trading post here then at that time? A: He took it over from his father. Q: J see, What kind of trading post was it? What kind of activities? A: They used to buy furs and hogs - guess it was wild hogs - and they would store it in a building here during the winter months when [they'd] salt it down and then they'd transport it into St, his by sleds. Q: How did they get across the river in those days? A: Oh they had an old raft. In winter months, why, they drove acrosq see. Q: Oh, on ice? A: They didn't have the river traffic then to break up the ice. So the river got froze over and stayed froze over from, probably from first of December until first of March. Now with the boats constantly traveling the river, why, they just break it up. You can't cross it anymore like you did years ago. Q: Was the hotel started . . . A: Not at that time no. Later years, why, when my father took over, then he started a hotel. And he added some rooms to the building for people who would come up. Later on the boats started, steam bats started to ply the rivers. And these traveling salesmen, or Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
Page 1: University of Illinois at Springfie
Page 5 and 6: CARL WIITMOND ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REP
Page 7 and 8: orrrniilnity in central Illinois. A
Page 9: Carl Wittmond SESSION I, TAPE 1, SI
Page 13 and 14: County that had a spur on this side
Page 15 and 16: A: It's peculiar how you always rem
Page 17 and 18: Q: I see. (chuckles) A: Out of the
Page 19 and 20: A: . . . and he took care of you. A
Page 21 and 22: A: Oh yes. You'd have a showboat he
Page 23 and 24: A: Yes it really happened. This thi
Page 25 and 26: my motber had to scrape around here
Page 27 and 28: that's how narrow people are you kn
Page 29 and 30: you know. It wasn't too prosperous.
Page 31 and 32: A: Well, I guess it was. I guess 1
Page 33 and 34: to stay all night to go to a show a
Page 35 and 36: A: I guess that just becamea a knac
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Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Sp
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Q. (chuckles) We11 this kind of gav
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Q: You sa) you were going to school
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A: Sunir. yes, oh yes. I've got sev
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Q: LVell hou did he po about gettin
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A: Oh yes sure, they used to dl, a
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ha\.? to come hc,ll:r to t'3t or so
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Anii the Eagles anif the Elks, I ha
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half of the peul,lr never elen knrw
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A: Well, in the first place, they'd
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Monday morning from Brussels. And m
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an argunirnt Iatrr UII a1111 the12
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Q: I I a n e llad you known Paul Po
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.4: Yes, somehody got hurt and Q: .
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him. Down there - see. Blackie uras
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Nuniber two, the secretary of state
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kind of a mystery place anyway, no
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anything you'd want if you'd want i
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Q: Kind of cleaned it up then. A: B
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Q: Yes that \+-as later A: I can't
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A: Probably was I think, yes. I did
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Maybe a lot of them was in. Like Bi
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other people would go see until the
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- "Oh." he said, "he makes eighty f
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.A: Oh, in his ofice, many a time.
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district. Powell said, "YIIu'~ h~tt
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.A: Oh atlout - yes, hr shall have
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thrsrr. ant1 Iru) them. And I don't
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;mil the key Dcrnocrats. the) xverc
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you ran't beat." I said, "Some day
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:I: Yes I ren~ernher that. :I: I pr
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.A: Yes. they was \.otiny and vice
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Q: What was your position on that?
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Q Did she usually do it at your des
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a lot of the cunstituents don't un~
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A: Yes I remember him Q: \Ye11 let'
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11: 011 I never did get excited ove
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'1: Oh 1 probahl) thought there wer
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to hlock it if he wanted to. So man
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it would he alright or whatever the
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Q: Yes. A somrthing. fle might have
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Q: Well let's see, he lived in Edwa
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Q: Oh, I see. A: Ht. thought that 1
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in the Granite City area - he was t
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:I: Oh yes, oh yes Q: What other ro
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So I put the bill in anyway to get
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A: . . . get credit for it, see, if
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A: I ctin't rrcall anymore \\.hat i
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A: hutuhahn, over in . . . Q: Germa
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Q: Well. Do you recall any particul
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I'd voted for the bill. That would
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Q: Let's see, the Zion [Illinois Be
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:\: Ile nrust not have run ;my more
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A: Wide open sparrs, that's right.
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Q: I'd like to ask first today abwt
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.A: Yes 1 can rt,call something of
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Q: Oh. He wanted the department you
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kno~r-. (;- I could have got on but
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who knrn. sonrething ahuut agrirult
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.A: \Vr ~ntrrtainzd several - one t
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town. And a lot of people was compl
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:I: Oh, n-c went a few other places
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.A: Not at that timc but they promo
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some of then1 - hut their unions ar
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sonielhing happened. I think I had
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Index .Ahl.nhani Lincoln Hl~tcal. 1
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Hinan, Martin, 79 IIitler, Adolph,
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