My grandfather, George Edward Surtees, and his wife, Priscilla L. Old Surtees, came to America from England in 1852, settled in Brooklyn, NY, and came to Gardner in Grundy County in 1858, where they set up a saddlery business. George enlisted in Company "E" 88th Illinois Volunteers (Infantry), known as the Board of Trade Regiment August 2, 1862. I have no idea why George enlisted in the 88th when there apparently a volunteer company from Gardner. A higher enlistment bonus perhaps? I have forwarded excerpts from his letters to the Illinois Civil War Page where they are now posted. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/scrapbk/scrapbk.htm He mentions comrades named HOGBIN, ANDREWS, CROOKS, HARDY and a Mr. Crooks. Some or all of these may also have been from Gardner. George died February 20, 1864, of wounds received in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. George's widow continued to live in Gardner for some time and moved to a farm between Gardner and Kankakee in 1876. She married a tailor named Prince in 1865, but they lived together only a short time. She married Orville Shaw in 1867 and he was later crushed to death in a mine cave-in. She moved to Kansas in 1880 and never again married. I am interested in knowing if there are extant records in Grundy County of divorces, which might shed light on how her marriage to Mr. Prince was terminated, if indeed it was. Also of interest to me would be any records, which would show the death and place of burial of Orville Shaw. THOMAS JACOB BROWN