Jersey County Historical Society

08/06/2026

As I was wandering the grounds of Fort Laramie, WY, last week, former Jerseyville resident Patrick Lynch came to mind. He re-enlisted in the Army in 1864, following 4 years of service during the Civil War, and was stationed at Fort Laramie as a member of the U.S. Calvary.

In addition to housing roughly 400 troops, the fort was a stopping point on the Oregon and California Trails, as well as the Pony Express.

In an effort to offer protection those traveling west and to Whites who had settled in the area, the Fort Laramie Treaty was signed in 1868, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation. It included much of the western half of present South Dakota, including the Black Hills.

The treaty was short lived. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874, prospectors flooded the area. By 1876, hostilities between the Sioux and their allies and the U.S. government had reached a boiling point.

And so it was one early summer day in 1876 that Patrick Lynch and 4 soldiers were ordered to hunt fresh meat for the garrison. The group overtook a small herd of buffalo about 10 miles from the fort and shot one. As they were skinning the buffalo, an Indian war party bore down on them.

With no cover nearby, the soldiers had no choice but to shoot their horses for cover.

After several hours of fighting, the situation was dire. One soldier had been killed and 3 wounding. Only Lynch was uninjured.

With his group in serious trouble, Lynch was contemplating shooting himself to avoid being taken prisoner when he spotted a group of men riding hard in their direction. A group of cowboys had heard the gunfire and came to investigate.

After his career in the US Calvary, Lynch settled in Jerseyville. He passed away in 1934 at age 92 and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.

03/06/2026

Today, my hubby and visited the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, MO.

I’ve wanted to visit the museum ever since learning that former Jersey County resident William Houston Fulkerson was a Pony Express rider.

Fulkerson was a fascinating man. Born in Tennessee into a long line of military men, Fulkerson received an appointment to West Point. His math instructor was Robert E. Lee.

Fulkerson left West Point after 2 years of study to join the military. After helping squelch the Mormon Rebellion in Utah, he drove a 6-mule team between St. Joe and San Francisco for the freighting company Russell, Majors, and Waddell. When the trio founded the Pony Express, Fulkerson became a rider.

The Pony Express operated for just 18 months. Its oldest rider was is his 40s, the youngest was 11. Fulkerson was 25 or 26.

The journey was all about speed, so weight – the weight of the mail, the horse, and the rider – was critical. That's why all riders had to weigh less than 125 pounds.

It took 75 horses to make the trip from St. Joe to San Francisco. Each rider rode 75-100 miles, stopping at a station every 10-12 miles to switch horses. Every third station was a house station, where the riders were switched and slept when they weren’t riding.

The museum was fabulous and very kid-friendly and included info on immigrants traveling west, as well as the Pony Express.

29/05/2026

We are so sorry to learn of the passing of Professor John Williams. John was warm, funny, intelligent, and passionate about Jersey County history. He will be missed.

Celebrate the life of John Williams and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences.

28/05/2026

We want to thank Cindy Marr Elliott for donating WWII items that belonged to former Jerseyville resident Donald E. Davenport.

Donald was the son of Otto and Verna (Eastham) Davenport. Otto was born in Greene County, Verna near Fidelity. The couple lived in Greene County for years before moving to Jerseyville after Otto took a job with Jerseyville Ice and Fuel Co. Otto leased and ran the business as Jerseyville Ice Company from January 1953 until September 1957. They lived at 708 Pleasant St. for more than 40 years and had 7 children: Mary Helen, who married Edwin McHenry; John; Wilbur; Donald; and Jane, who married Leland Ufer. Two children, Thelma Fay and Forrest, died young.

All 3 Davenport brothers served in WWII. John served in the Coast Artillery Forces. Wilbur, who served in the US Army Air Force, was an engineer on a B-24 bomber. Donald also served in the USAAF as a member of the ground crews who supported bombers.

After the war, Donald opened Doodles barber shop on South Washington Street. He later married and moved to Jacksonville.

The donated collection includes family photos, newspaper clippings, and military records; Donald’s dog tags, his Crew 33306 badge, a pair of Air Force collar discs, and Air Force winged red star sweetheart pin; VFW garrison cap life membership cap; and an American Legion garrison cap and uniform tie.

We plan to display this wonderful collection to the military room in our museum.

22/05/2026

32 Jersey County servicemen lost their lives during WWI. 22 died of disease (15 of the Spanish flu), and 10 were killed in action or were mortally wounded.

Jersey County's 1st casualty of WWI, 24-year-old Marion Lynn of Otterville, died of disease on Oct. 28, 1917, at Camp Grant in Rockford, IL. He was the son of Francis Marion and Rebecca (Dare) Lynn.

18-year-old Marcus Wood, the son of George and Sarah (Van Pelt) Wood, was the county's youngest casualty. He died of appendicitis on Oct. 8, 1918 . Thankfully, his 3 older brothers (Glenn, Scott, and Max), who served in France, survived the war.

Jacob Frank Dunsing was the county's oldest casualty. The 32-year-old son of Henry and Amanda (Green) Dunsing was killed in France on Oct 4, 1918.

All 10 Jersey County men who were killed or mortally wounded lost their lives due to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Fred Worthey was killed the first day of battle, Sept. 26, 1918. His cousin Harold was fatally wounded the same day and died 5 days later. The Jerseyville American Legion post is named for them.

Oct. 4 was the deadliest day of action for Jersey County. 3 men – Jacob Dunsing, Charles Kruse and John Oscar - were killed.

Walter Jokers of East Newbern, son of Jacob and Martha (Baker) Jokers, was killed Nov. 5, just 6 days before the Armistice was sign.
And James Coleman of Fidelity, son of William and Kate Coleman of Fidelity, died Nov. 22 from wounds suffered during the fighting.

6 of the men killed during the offensive are buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France: James Coleman, Charles Kruse, Matthew Coleman, Jacob Dunsing, Lester Cory, and Walter Jokers.

3 sets of Jersey County cousins were casualties of WWI:
Cousins, Fred and Harold Worthey, James and Matt Coleman, and Carl and Ralph Giers. Ralph contracted the Spanish flu and died at Camp Custer, MI, after returning home to Jerseyville to attend the funeral of Carl who died of the flu at Camp Funston, KS.

20/05/2026

Some members of the JCHS Class of 1976. Please help me out with names. They are not identified.

I believe their tassels were red, white and blue in honor of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Highlights of 1976 included: The Eagles released their Greatest Hits album. Rocky dominated the box office. Family Feud debuted on TV. 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci made history at the Olympics by scoring a perfect 10 on the uneven bars. Apple Computer Company and Microsoft were founded. The Concorde made its first commercial flight. Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the Presidential Election.

20/05/2026

20/05/2026

If you see anyone selling Historical Society T-shirts on any of our posts, it's a scam. I just deleted about 20 of them but more may pop up.

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19/05/2026

The Jersey County Historical Society is fortunate to have more than 40 wedding dresses in our collection.

The oldest, pictured here, was worn by Caroline Simmons when she married David Trotter in 1868.

The ensemble includes a burnt orange matching bodice, skirt, and hat; the gloves she wore on her wedding day; and a blue fan her father, Samuel, gave her as a wedding present.

Samuel played a key role in the naming of Fidelity in eastern Jersey County. He and a group of men from Tennessee visited Jersey County in 1829 to look over land. Shortly before the group was to return home, one of the men’s horses came up lame.

Samuel offered the man his horse, even though it meant he would have to stay in Illinois for the winter.

The man declared it a “true act of Fidelity,” and thus the area was named Fidelity.

For years, people around the world sent wedding invitations to the Fidelity post office to be hand-stamped.

18/05/2026

This display in our museum focuses on early Jersey County, including the history of its towns and villages. It includes lots of old memorabilia ... postcards, flyers, photos, buttons, etc. It also includes pages from a book from 1865 that lists the 12 routes used by members of the Jersey County Farmer's Union Horse Thief Detecting Society.