SHELBYVILLE, IL. —
Ninety acres of Shelby County farmland has been passed from great grandfather through the generations to great grandson.
Isaac Helton received land northeast of Middlesworth along 1375N in Shelbyville Township from the State of Illinois during the mid-1800s. On that land he built his home and raised his family.
The land was passed to his son Henry who in turn passed it to his daughter Ida and her husband Chester Stewardson. Ida passed the land down to their only son, Raymond .
Raymond, 91, and his wife Iola currently live in Shelbyville, but Raymond grew up on the homestead, helping to farm the land until he went into the service during World War II.
Raymond admits he doesn’t know much about either his grandfather or his great grandfather. Isaac lived from 1820 to 1902. Henry lived from 1852 to 1914.
“Grandpa had a big family. He gave so much of the land to each child,” Raymond said. “I have 90 acres of it.”
Raymond described his grandfather as a “horse” – he could do anything.
“He’d work out in the cornfields and had to do it all by hand and farmed by horse,” Raymond said. “I never drove a horse; I drove tractors.”
The land saw crops of corn, soybeans, and wheat. It continues to be farmed today.
Isaac built the home in which his family was raised in 1853. The home eventually had electricity provided by REA, but never had running water.
“I remember my grandparents (Clarence and Ida) and the old farmhouse,” said Raymond’s daughter Wilma Boys. “The farm was someplace where we went to play. I remember the big front porch, the carpet on the stairs, the two bedrooms upstairs, and the cellar where the canning and potatoes were stored.”
“When I was younger, my older brothers and I rode out bikes from Dugout, which is now Lake Shelbyville, to the farm,” Wilma said.
Raymond admitted he also used to ride his bike from Shelbyville to the farm.
Today the footprint of the home, which was torn down in the mid-1970s, remains next to the farmland.
Raymond’s grandfather set aside part of the land as the family cemetery. Helton Cemetery holds the remains of Isaac and Henry Helton as well as other family members. Ida and her husband Chester Stewardson are buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Raymond plans for the land to continue in the family - passing it on to his children and grandchildren.
Special Sections
Related Photos
-
Raymond Stewardson proudly stands with the Centennial Farm sign at the Helton farm. With him are his wife Iola, grandson David Boys, and daughter Wilma Boys.
-
Clarence and Ida Helton Stewardson pose at the Helton family homestead northeast of Middlesworth.
-
The land for Helton Cemetery was set aside by Henry Helton. The cemetery was part of the Helton farmland.
Helton/Stewardson Farm Sees 100 Years
- Special Sections
-
-
Hemer-Hunter Farm Sees 126 Years
In 1846 a German couple, George and Barbara Hemer, and their six children immigrated to the United States and settled in Vellonia, Indiana. In 1885 their son George and his wife Catherine moved to the northernmost part of Shelby County to begin a new life.
-
German Immigrant Finds Fertile Shelby Land
In the mid-1800s Winand Schmitz migrated from Germany to Wisconsin. Eventually he took a train south and ended up in the southwestern corner of Shelby County.
-
Foltz Farm Sees 4th Generation
The great grandson of a Rural Township landowner holds the deed to Centennial farmland.
-
Donnel Farm Sees 6th Generation, New Forms of Agribusiness
The sixth generation of a prominent Westervelt family is now living in the home built by their great-great-great grandfather.
-
Shelby Woman Inherits Sesquicentennial Farm
In 1840 a young man traveled from Ohio to Illinois where he staked out three tracts of land totaling 360 acres in Shelby County from the government.
-
Harley Farms Receives Centennial Honors as Gift
A wife wanted to give her husband a special Christmas gift. So after a bit of research, she was able to present him with the Illinois Department of Agriculture Centennial Farm honors.
-
Helton/Stewardson Farm Sees 100 Years
Ninety acres of Shelby County farmland has been passed from great grandfather through the generations to great grandson.
-
Barrett/Bowman/Johnson Farm Sees 6 Generations
A Civil War veteran inherited a parcel of Shelby County land from his wife’s father and kept it in the family name through four more generations.
-
Gallagher/Elbert Land Newest Centennial Farm Claim
Shelbyville resident Julie Elbert has recently been honored with a second centennial farm in her name.
-
Baby's First Christmas 2010
Click here to download our special Baby's First Christmas section.
- More Special Sections Headlines
-
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
