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From:
Subject: Re: [ILROOTS] town location
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 18:55:35 EDT


This is from Rootsweb. The town has a long history of name changes.

German Valley Remembers, 1848-1998
published by the History Committee on the
occasion of the 150th year celebration

I have Lin Strong's copy on loan. Several of us had attended
the festival and set up a genealogical session in the Silver
Creek Reform Church. We helped people with their questions.
It's hard to believe that it was held over five years ago!

It appears the earliest names for the village were initially Wieman
and then Baalton. These names were the owners of the property
that the village and later the railroad used. Here are some dates:

Wieman - 17 Apr 1884. In honor of the storekeeper and
postmaster and to establish a name for the young village
This name was not universally accepted by the settlers

Baalton - 18 Mar 1886. The area north of the railroad was
platted and named Baalton after Nanke Baal.

German Valley - 16 May 1887. There was a town named
Bolton on the railroad that was creating some confusion.

German Valley was officially incorporated as a town in 1907.

Meeken - 19 Mar 1919. The events of World War I led some
people to express their loyalty to the United States

German Valley - 19 Apr 1922. I guess the loyalty mission
was accomplished and sanity returned to the area.

Some confusion exists about when postal service was provided to
German Valley (or Wiemen or Baalton). In the early days, mail
had to be picked up in the village of Ridott, north of German Valley.
I do not know when a post office was established in German Valley.

I have not been able to determine the first name of the Wiemann
fellow. The problem is that all of Wiemann settlers identified
themselves as farmers, not as storekeeper or postmaster.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions,

Robert


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