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1915 – 100 YEARS AGO
One peddler’s license will do for one man and no more. Three vendors here last evening who were selling apples on South Seventh Street in DeKalb learned that when two of them were arrested for peddling without a license. The third had a soldiers’ permit which entitles him to peddle according to law without any license.
A bill to pension the widows and orphans of soldiers and sailors of the Spanish-American war, was introduced in the present session of congress. Under the provision of this bill, the widow of any soldier or sailor who served during the Spanish-American war, Philippine Insurrection or the Boxer uprising in China is to be pensioned at $12.00 per month and $2.00 per month for every child under 16 years of age.
The J. B. Rosette farm sale occurs Thursday of this week at the H. H. Bullis farm, near Elva. The sale begins at ten o’clock. 15 head of horses, 3 cows, one bull, 60 Poland China Hogs, 150 chickens, and a lot of farm machinery are included in the sale list. H. E. White will cry the sale.
The weather conditions of this morning were very hard on the railroads and most of the trains from the west on the Northwestern were somewhat late and were losing time right along. The express business all along the line is very heavy at this time of the year and at every station it takes considerable time to get the stuff loaded onto the cars and this added to the slippery rails and dense fogs gives the railroad men their troubles.
Another business change is reported to have taken place on Lincoln Highway in DeKalb within the last day or so. Ed Sarbaugh has sold out his interests in the Ashelford and Sarbaugh meat market to John Roberts, to take effect at once. The new proprietor is a nephew of Humphrey Roberts of Waterman, a former DeKalb business man and has made his home here three years.
The work of distributing the 350 turkeys which Jacob Haish gives to his employees and tenants for Christmas dinner was begun this afternoon. The birds are fine ones and the well-known man is making many people happy by his gift.
1940 – 75 YEARS AGO
The new Milwaukee line streamliner trains through Kingston are giving the residents of that community something to look at in the nature of speed. It is learned that the stretch between Pingree Grove and Kingston is the fastest on the Milwaukee line.
Fire thought to have been started by a defective electrical contact in one of the machines, destroyed the contents of Vi’s Beauty Nook, in the Beckler estate building in Sycamore’s business district.
Christmas reigned supreme in Sycamore on December 25 – even in the county jail where one would commonly believe that the dull, dark walls would reflect little of the holiday spirit so manifest in the rest of the city. But the 10 prisoners of the DeKalb County Jail suffered neither the melancholy attendant with the spending of Christmas away from home of the pangs of hunger, for they all are lighting up their pipes, cigars or cigarettes today, satisfied that Sycamore’s county jail must be the best in the country from more than one viewpoint.
Cecil B. DeMille, Master Producer-Director, has assembled the greatest cast of stars ever to appear in any of his productions for his new picture for Paramount. “North West Mounted Police,” which will have its first local showing New Year’s Eve at midnight at the New State Theater with Gary Cooper and Madeline Carroll in the top starring roles.
1965 – 50 YEARS AGO
The building which for 43 years served this community as St. Mary’s Hospital is now known as the McAuley Residence Hall for Young Women. Since September it has housed 53 Northern Illinois University coeds, including freshmen, sophomores, junior, seniors, and even graduate students of many nationalities, races, and creeds.
U. S. and South Vietnamese military leaders, ignoring any mention of the Communist proposal for a 12-hour Christmas truce, announced today allied guns would be silent for a 30-hour yuletide period.
Plans for a 50 percent increase in the production capacity at Barber-Greene’s DeKalb plant were announced today. Included in the plans are a 50,000 square foot addition to the present facility, in the form of a complete new bay to be added on the north side of the building.
The DeKalb area today was still digging out from under the season’s first heavy snowfall which swept through northern Illinois Christmas Eve accompanied by howling winds.
The architect’s view of the new Grace Lutheran Church being constructed at 1121 South First Street indicated the beautiful appearance of the structure when completed. There will be two main entrances to the foyer, one toward First Street, and the other from the parking lot south of the church.
1990 – 25 YEARS AGO
The issuance of U. S. Postal Service Christmas stamps is fast becoming a holiday tradition just like Christmas trees and cards, and a former Sandwich resident has captured this tradition in a book. Stamp collector and publisher Dale Moore, who own Piped Piper International, Little Rock, Ark., has told the story of the Christmas stamps in a book called “Bit of History from Christmas.”
Employees of the Citizen’s First national Bank in Genoa have decided to sacrifice a little this year and switch the focus of gift-giving from themselves to others. Instead of holding an annual grab-bag and gift exchange among themselves, they’ve redirected the cash usually spent on such activities to the purchase of food for donation to the Genoa Food Pantry.
To beat the lack of heat, some dairy farmers are using cow brassieres and hair dryers to keep their animals from udderly freezing. Some farmers use nylon mesh udder supports on animals that calved recently and have udders swollen with milk. Others use hair dryers and towels to keep moisture off the animals.
Val Peroni of Sycamore likes to “do windows” and mirrors, paint them, that is. About 10 years ago she painted a holiday scene on the window of her father’s store (Courtney’s in DeKalb) as a favor, and since then the project has blossomed into a part-time business for the young mother of two.
Two county officials received Christmas gifts from the General Assembly. After four years of waiting, DeKalb County Treasurer Charlotte Sundly is finally getting a state stipend. Meanwhile, County Sheriff Roger Scott will also receive a state supplement for having a jail.
– Compiled by the Joiner History Room, DeKalb County Archives.