1955 - This is Knox County - Illinois Ancestors

STORY OF KNOX OOUOTYAbout equally productive as an agricultural and industrialarea, Knox County, located in the vast, corngrowingregion of west central Illinois, is unique for theniimerous literary, inventive, educational, religious andcultural leaders who were widely influential in its pasthistory and who contributed, in varying degrees, to theenrichment of American life.If Knox County produced Carl Sandburg, now acclaimed asa great American author and poet, it also nurtured theFerrises, one of whom invented the Ferris Wheel and einotherof whom created that popular American edible, popcorn. Ifthe county provided a setting for the work of the ReverendGeorge W. Gale, pioneer Midwest religious leader and founderof both Galesburg city and Knox College, it also servedas a proving ground for the steel, sel f- scouring plow inventedby one of its early settlers, Harvey H. May.About the time that the first railroad came to Galesburgand thus opened the way for the later constructionthere of the great Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroadshops, there existed in that same city two pioneer collegeswhich were outstanding seats of learning at that period. One