Vanderhoof Family Papers (Campton Township, Kane County), 1853-1962 | Northern Illinois University

Collection Overview

Title: Vanderhoof Family Papers (Campton Township, Kane County), 1853-1962

ID: RHC/RC/228

Extent: 7.75 Linear Feet

Arrangement: The papers are divided into four series: Diaries and Correspondence, School Papers, Farm and Business Records, and Photographs. The correspondence is arranged by the recipient of the letter and the envelopes are filed after the letter. The photographs contained in series four are arranged alphabetically by families.

Date Acquired: 06/20/1997

Subjects: Campton Township (Kane County), Diaries-- 1870-1909, Diaries-- 1910-1960, Diaries-- 1961-1990, Farm life, Northern Illinois University, Rural women, Vanderhoof Family

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Vanderhoof Family papers document the activities of several generations of the Vanderhoof Family from Campton Township, Kane County, Illinois. The papers are divided into four series: Diaries and Correspondence, School Papers, Farm and Business Records, and Photographs. The first series includes diaries written by Aurelia Hawley (1898), Robert Alexander (1902), Frank Vanderhoof (1872-1904), and Kate Vanderhoof (1899-1962). Diaries for Kate Vanderhoof are complete from 1899 to 1955 with Franks diaries scattered. Researchers should note that the 1905 diary of Kate Vanderhoof includes entries by Frank Vanderhoof from January 16-February 2. The diaries and correspondence include information on the family, weather events, day-to-day activities on the farm and in the household, and the families' dealings with national events such as the Great Depression, World War I and World War II. The correspondence is arranged by the recipient of the letter and the envelopes are filed after the letter. Also included in this series are assorted greeting cards and invitations, programs, membership certificates, newspaper articles, and an autograph book belonging to Kate Hawley.

Series two, School Papers, include Margaret Christiansen’s papers while attending Northern Illinois State Teachers College (NISTC), papers from Dorothy Bartelt and George Vanderhoof, and a drawing by Grace Vanderhoof done while attending NISTC. The series also contains general information on NISTC, Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, University of Illinois, and James Shields School in Chicago, Illinois.

Farm and Business records encompass the third series. These records include bills, receipts, income tax returns, bank statements, chattel mortgages, and account books for the Vanderhoof family farm and the Little House Tea Restaurant. Also included in this series are family and farm records for Art Ahrens, the J.W. Bartelt family, and Gust and John Swanson. General farm information such as agricultural pamphlets and Prairie Farmer/WLS Family Album also are included in this series.

The photographs contained in series four are arranged alphabetically by families. Unfortunately there are a large number of unidentified individual and group shots.

Collection Historical Note

The Vanderhoof Family lived in Campton Township, Kane County, Illinois. According to the 1870 Federal Census the family consisted of the 37-year-old mother Esther from New York. She is listed as keeping house for her five children. The children were Phylance born in Michigan and 16 years old, Frank also born in Michigan and 14 years old, and Harlen Levi, Abbie Anna, and Wirt all born in Illinois and 12, 9, and 3 respectively. Also listed as farmers in the household are Terry and Charles Terry. The 1880 census has the family listed with Esther as a widower, Frank as a farmer, Abbie Anna teaching school with Charles and Harlen Levi missing. According to Frank Vanderhoof’s diary Harlen Levi died on September 8, 1876.

Research shows that Phylansie Vanderhoof married Benjamin Lake on October 25, 1883 in Kane County and Abbie Vanderhoof married Thomas B. Stewart on May 8, 1884 in Cook County. Frank Vanderhoof married Katie A. Hawley in Lamont, Iowa on January 3, 1895. The 1900 census lists Frank as the head of household and a farmer with a birth date of January 1856 (January 6, 1856), Katie A. as wife born December 1865 (December 9, 1865), George L. as son born November 1895 (November 20, 1895) and Grace A. as daughter born November 1897 (November 27, 1897). Also listed were Charles and Justan H. Terry as uncles, one Swedish servant and three Swedish farm laborers. Frank, Kate, George, Grace and Charles Terry are all listed in the 1910 census along with three Swedish farm laborers and two private family servants.

According to the diaries in the collection Frank Vanderhoof died on November 20, 1925 and George took over as head of household. Grace married Howard Langrill on January 28, 1927, and had two children, a son on November 18, 1927 named Robert and a daughter on June 12, 1929 named Catherine Louise. George married Emma on May 14, 1927 but she moved off the farm on February 15, 1928 and filed for divorce on February 21, 1930. The couple had one daughter named Lois May born on October 10, 1928. George married Margaret Bartelt on March 29, 1934. Margaret was a teacher that lived part time in Chicago teaching school and part time on the family farm. Grace and Howard move to the Iowa family farm but return to Illinois when the family is forced to sell the property in April 1934 because they cannot afford to keep it. In 1938 they move to California. This research is by no means complete but gives the researcher some general information about the Vanderhoof family.

Subject/Index Terms

Campton Township (Kane County)
Diaries-- 1870-1909
Diaries-- 1910-1960
Diaries-- 1961-1990
Farm life
Northern Illinois University
Rural women
Vanderhoof Family

Administrative Information

Repository: Northern Illinois University

Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Use Restrictions: Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Acquisition Source: Jeri Skelton

Acquisition Method: Jeri Skelton of St. Charles, Illinois donated the Vanderhoof Family Papers to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on June 20, 1997.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series I.: Diaries and Correspondence],
[Series II.: School Papers],
[Series III.: Farm and Business Records],
[Series IV.: Photographs],
[All]

Series I.: Diaries and Correspondence

Box 1

Folder 1: Diaries: Aurelia Hawley (1), 1898
Folder 2: Diaries: Robert Alexander (1), 1902
Folder 3-9: Diaries: Frank Vanderhoof (14), 1872-1878, 1880, 1882-1883, 1885-1888

Box 2

Folder 1-5: Diaries: Frank Vanderhoof (10), 1889-1893, 1897-1901, 1904
Folder 6-9: Diaries: Kate Vanderhoof (8), 1899-1906

Box 3

Folder 1-6: Diaries: Kate Vanderhoof (12), 1907-1918

Box 4

Folder 1-7: Diaries: Kate Vanderhoof (14), 1919-1932

Box 5

Folder 1-6: Diaries: Kate Vanderhoof (12), 1933-1944

Box 6

Folder 1-5: Diaries: Kate Vanderhoof (15), 1945-1955, 1962

Box 7

Folder 1: Correspondence: Mrs. Aurelia Hawley, 1875
Folder 2: Correspondence: Charles C. Hawley, 1896, 1936
Folder 3: Correspondence: George C. Hawley, 1853-1905
Folder 4: Correspondence: Mrs. George C. Hawley, 1863-1906
Folder 5: Correspondence: Esther Vanderhoof, 1862-1887
Folder 6: Correspondence: Miss Fannie Vanderhoof, circa 1870s
Folder 7-9: Correspondence: Frank Vanderhoof, 1876-1924, no date
Folder 10: Correspondence: Mrs. Frank (Kate) Vanderhoof, 1896-1918

Box 8

Folder 1: Correspondence: Mrs. Frank (Kate) Vanderhoof, 1919-1956
Folder 2: Correspondence: George L. Vanderhoof, 1905, circa 1917, 1921, no date
Folder 3: Correspondence: L. Vanderhoof, April 8, 1870
Folder 4: Correspondence: Miscellaneous Unidentified, 1865-1929
Folder 5-6: Cards and Invitations: Birthday Cards (54), 1945-1960, no date
Folder 7: Cards and Invitations: Christmas Cards (23), 1925, no date
Folder 8: Cards and Invitations: Anniversary Cards (5); Graduation Announcements (6); Graduation Name Cards (2); Marriage Announcements (10); Reunion Invitation (1), 1905, 1907, 1912; 1897-1942, 1946; no date; 1884-1935; 1891
Folder 9: Cards and Invitations: Valentine Cards (2); Mother's Day Cards (3); Sympathy Cards (6); Shower Cards (2); Birth Announcement (1); Thank You Cards (3); Gift Card (1); Best Wishes (1); Bazaar Card, no date, no date, 1921-1940, no date, 1927, 1948, 1949, no date, no date, 1
Folder 10: Cards and Invitations: Flower Cards from Frank Vanderhoof Funeral (24), November 1925
Folder 11: Cards and Invitations: Advertisement Cards (5); Vote Cards (1); Student Reward Cards (2); Dance Cards and Invitations (4); Orchestra Ticket (1); Race Ticket (1); Freshman Ticket (1), no date; no date; no date; 1883; 1881; 1911
Folder 12: Autograph Book, Kate Hawley, 1878-1892
Folder 13: Club Memberships, 1910-1929
Folder 14: Newspaper Articles/Obituaries, 1943, 1954, no date
Folder 15: Programs, 1891-1924

Series II.: School Papers

Box 9

Folder 1-5: School Papers and Lesson Plans, Margaret Christiansen, 1924-1925, no date
Folder 6: School Papers, Dorothy Bartelt, 1919, no date
Folder 7: School Papers, George Vanderhoof, no date
Folder 8: School Drawing, Grace Vanderhoof (Christmas present to George Vanderhoof), 1914

Box 10

Folder 1: Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, 1888-1889; 1895-1896
Folder 2: Northern Illinois State Teachers College, DeKalb, Illinois, 1921-1925
Folder 3: The Shield Reporter, Chicago, Illinois, February 1928
Folder 4: University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, 1913

Series III.: Farm and Business Records

Box 10

Folder 5: Chattel Mortgages, 1856, 1946-1950
Folder 6: Property Tax Receipts, 1880, 1899, 1908
Folder 7: Bills and Receipts, Frank Vanderhoof, 1875-1924
Folder 8: Bills, 1946

Box 11

Folder 1-8: Bills, Receipts, Income Tax Returns, George and Margaret Vanderhoof, 1939-1951
Folder 9: Bills, Receipts, and Income Tax Returns, Little House Tea Restaurant/George and Margaret Vanderhoof, 1958

Box 12

Folder 1-6: Bills, Receipts, and Income Tax Returns, Little House Tea Restaurant/George and Margaret Vanderhoof, 1959-1961
Folder 7-9: Farm Accounting Records, Vanderhoof Farm, 1900-1948

Box 13

Folder 1: Bills, Art Ahrens, 1920, no date
Folder 2: Legal Documents, Bills, Receipts, J.W. Bartelt, 1912-1957
Folder 3: Chattel Mortgage and Receipts, Gust and John Swanson, 1901-1904
Folder 4: Agricultural Pamphlets, 1884, no date
Folder 5: Map of Kane County, Illinois, no date
Folder 6-7: Prairie Farmer/WLS Family Album, 1937-1957
Folder 8: Standby, 1949

Series IV.: Photographs

Box 13

Folder 9: Bartelt Family (2), 1927, no date
Folder 10: Carlson Family (2), circa 1897-1899, no date
Folder 11: Cowles Family (3), no date
Folder 12: Diamond Family (6), no date
Folder 13: Eberhart Family (4), 1883, no date
Folder 14: Elliott Family (3), no date
Folder 15: Floyd Family (2), April 1958
Folder 16: Ada Goss and Home, 1935, no date
Folder 17: Hawley Family (30), 1886-1897, no date
Folder 18: Kenyon Family (5), no date
Folder 19: McGlashen Family (2), 1883, no date
Folder 20: Reid, Ada (2), 1891, no date

Box 14

Folder 1: Stewart Family (2), 1907, no date
Folder 2: Stump Family (2), no date
Folder 3: Individuals: Elvera Anderson; Dan & Leslie (?) Millen; Carl W. Nelson; May Peterson; Grant & Rachel Phelps; Libbie Rosenkrane; Hiram Sowle; D.W. Stevens; Annie Stonholm; The Waylands (10), 1929, no date, no date, 1902, no date, no date, no date, July 1938, 1896, n
Folder 4-5: Group Shots, Identified (43), 1913-1960, no date
Folder 6: Scenic Views, Unidentified (24), no date
Folder 7-8: Portraits, Children, Unidentified (23), 1896, 1940, no date
Folder 9-11: Portraits, Men, Unidentified (49), 1918, 1936, no date
Folder 12: Portraits, Women, Unidentified (54), 1916, 1937, 1957, no date
Folder 13-15: Group Shots, Unidentified (132,1), 1937-1959, no date
Folder 16: Negatives, Unidentified (10), no date

Box 15

Folder 1: Hawley Family (7), 1932, no date
Folder 2: Vanderhoof Family (9), no date
Folder 3: Individuals: Axel Oslund; L.L. Alexander? Ancutt, Joe and Bessie Bagg; John and Jewel Brown; Carty Family.; Mildred Hawkins; Thure Johnson; Minnie Love, 1904, no date, no date, 1919, no date, no date, no date, 1907
Folder 4: Scenic Views: Vanderhoof House; Cyclone Destruction in Elgin; G.R. Johnson Company, Elburn; Diamond Home, Morgan Park; M.E. Church, Mother's Funeral, Lamont, Iowa (Aurelia Hawley), Apartment Building by Schrader [Bellevue Building built by C.C. Hawley], Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Spring 1896; March 28, 1920; no date; February 24, 1906
Folder 5: Portraits, Women, Unidentified (7), 1909, no date
Folder 6: Scenic View, Unidentified House (1), no date
Folder 7: Certificate of Award, School District Number 97, Kane County, Margaret Bartelt, January 1907
Folder 8: Old Bachelor Poster, sent to Frank Vanderhoof, 1885
Item 1: Glasses in cases, 2 pair

Browse by Series:

[Series I.: Diaries and Correspondence],
[Series II.: School Papers],
[Series III.: Farm and Business Records],
[Series IV.: Photographs],
[All]