Cecinit@aol.com writes: > On the 1880 US Fed. Census, Champaign Co IL, Philo TWP, > > 198 205 Martin Joseph B W[")]M 32 ( ) () 1 () Minister x VA ( ) ( ) > Does anyone know who these folks are? What kind of minister > is Joseph B Martin, what is his history &c? Thanks, ==mwh I guess I can partially answer my own query. Look at this web site: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilchampa/churches/alice.html It's a reprint of a 1928 newspaper article on the history of the Alice chapel (on its demolition?), a local Methodist church. My interest in it should become clearer from this little extract: "Alice Chapel was built about 1882 or 1883 as well as I can remember. It was named for Mrs. Alice Babb Helm and I often wondered why. The Chapel was built on a hill directly across from Lynn Grove cemetery.... "The acre of ground on which it stood was a part of the land owned by Isaac Cole.... It was built by subscriptions and was on the Philo circuit of the Methodist Episcopal church, so our regular ministers were always the Philo resident pastor. "As I remember Rev. J. B. Martin was our first minister and later followed ...." Ok, it's clear from this that Joseph B Martin was a Methodist Episcopal minister and probably the Philo resident pastor. I have already found reference in Mrs Lund's postings of 1880's newspaper extracts to the subscription, and Rev Martin's participation in it, and also found references to him myself in the Champaign County Gazette for 1881, eg, "Rev J B Martin will begin a protracted meeting at Morris chapel to-night" (from Champaign Co Gazette, p4 c5, under "Crittenden Chronicles"). I'm very interested in any history or records pertaining to this church. The Helm family probably belonged to this Methodist church (I have another hint about this from a Quaker source). I know part of the background story about Alice Babb Helm and can answer Mrs. William Hanson's question from 1928 in part. Alice Babb & George Helm were married in 1880, and in the 1880 census I cited, they are living with George's father James Madison Helm in Philo Village, next to Rev Martin as mentioned. In Feb 1881 Alice Babb Helm died either in childbirth or shortly thereafter, having given birth to twins Mary & Mabel Helm. In February & March of 1881 TWO long obits appear for Alice in the Champaign Co Gazette, one from business associates of George Helm's, & one from her own family (in contrast, James M Helm, who died a few weeks later, didn't receive any). I haven't yet found mention of the subscription for the chapel but I believe it started in 1882. Sometime after this, perhaps in 1883, George Helm has legal and financial problems, and an ugly-sounding custody dispute seems to take place with members of the Babb family, either Alice's uncle or siblings seem to be involved. I don't know how or whether this gets resolved, but it appears the twin girls remained with the Babb family while George Helm married a Sidney resident, Jessie Black, sometime in the 1880's. I haven't found this marriage in Champaign Co so it probably took place elsewhere. There also is a second family. I don't fully know what happened -- George is my uncle, not my ancestor, & I haven't yet found any of his descendents, but I am pretty sure that some exist from both families. Also, I haven't found anyone who is researching this branch of the Babb family. However the details are slowly emerging as different newspapers are examined and court records found. But anyone who has anything to contribute, please let me know.

Interesting. I have a Babb in my line too. :-) .. Pj ----- Original Message ----- From: <Cecinit@aol.com> To: <ILCHAMPA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 1:03 PM Subject: Re: [ILCHAMPA-L] Joseph B Martin 1880 > Cecinit@aol.com writes: > > On the 1880 US Fed. Census, Champaign Co IL, Philo TWP, > > > > 198 205 Martin Joseph B W[")]M 32 ( ) () 1 () Minister x VA ( ) ( ) > > > Does anyone know who these folks are? What kind of minister > > is Joseph B Martin, what is his history &c? Thanks, ==mwh > > I guess I can partially answer my own query. Look at this web site: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilchampa/churches/alice.html > It's a reprint of a 1928 newspaper article on the history of the Alice chapel > (on its demolition?), a local Methodist church. > > My interest in it should become clearer from this little extract: > > "Alice Chapel was built about 1882 or 1883 as well as I can remember. It was > named > for Mrs. Alice Babb Helm and I often wondered why. The Chapel was built on a > hill > directly across from Lynn Grove cemetery.... > > "The acre of ground on which it stood was a part of the land owned by Isaac > Cole.... > It was built by subscriptions and was on the Philo circuit of the Methodist > Episcopal > church, so our regular ministers were always the Philo resident pastor. > > "As I remember Rev. J. B. Martin was our first minister and later followed > ...." > > Ok, it's clear from this that Joseph B Martin was a Methodist Episcopal > minister > and probably the Philo resident pastor. I have already found reference in Mrs > Lund's postings of 1880's newspaper extracts to the subscription, and Rev > Martin's > participation in it, and also found references to him myself in the Champaign > County Gazette for 1881, eg, "Rev J B Martin will begin a protracted > meeting at Morris chapel to-night" (from Champaign Co Gazette, p4 c5, > under "Crittenden Chronicles"). > > I'm very interested in any history or records pertaining to this church. > The Helm > family probably belonged to this Methodist church (I have another hint about > this > from a Quaker source). > > I know part of the background story about Alice Babb Helm > and can answer Mrs. William Hanson's question from 1928 in part. > Alice Babb & George Helm were married in 1880, and in the 1880 census > I cited, they are living with George's father James Madison Helm in Philo > Village, > next to Rev Martin as mentioned. In Feb 1881 Alice Babb Helm died either in > childbirth or shortly thereafter, having given birth to twins Mary & Mabel > Helm. > In February & March of 1881 TWO long obits appear for Alice in the Champaign > Co Gazette, one from business associates of George Helm's, & one from her own > family (in contrast, James M Helm, who died a few weeks later, didn't receive > any). I haven't yet found mention of the subscription for the chapel but I > believe > it started in 1882. Sometime after this, perhaps in 1883, George Helm has > legal and financial problems, and an ugly-sounding custody dispute seems > to take place with members of the Babb family, either Alice's uncle or > siblings > seem to be involved. I don't know how or whether this gets resolved, but > it appears the twin girls remained with the Babb family while George Helm > married a Sidney resident, Jessie Black, sometime in the 1880's. I haven't > found this marriage in Champaign Co so it probably took place elsewhere. > There also is a second family. > > I don't fully know what happened -- George is my uncle, not my ancestor, > & I haven't yet found any of his descendents, but I am pretty sure that some > exist > from both families. Also, I haven't found anyone who is researching this > branch > of the Babb family. However the details are slowly emerging as different > newspapers are examined and court records found. But anyone who has > anything to contribute, please let me know. > > > >