HR0420 LRB095 12143 KXB 36219 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the residents of
4 Newman as they celebrate the sesquicentennial of their
5 community; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Eli Thomas, Isaac Howard, Elijah Gaston, and
7 Joseph Skinner were the first to purchase land in Section 31,
8 Township 16 North, Range 14 West from the United States
9 government, said section then lying in Coles County and
10 destined to become part of Newman; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Illinois and Indiana Central Railway Company
12 was founded on December 31, 1852 with the intent of running a
13 line from Indianapolis to Springfield; it was completed in
14 1873; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Joseph Skinner sold 120 acres to the Illinois and
16 Indiana Central Railway on November 10, 1853 and Isaac Howard
17 sold 240 acres from the center of section 31 to Benjamin
18 Franklin Newman, minister and commissioner of the Illinois
19 Central Land Company, on November 23, 1857; Mr. Newman had the
20 town bearing his name surveyed and platted on November 26, 1857
21 by Thomas Lytle; and
 

 

 

HR0420 - 2 - LRB095 12143 KXB 36219 r

1     WHEREAS, Mr. Newman sold the town land to the Central
2 Illinois Land Company, led by John Mathers of Jacksonville for
3 further development on October 2, 1858; the company controlled
4 the sale of town lots until 1864, when it turned all unsold
5 property over to Mr. Mathers; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The citizens of Newman and other parts of the
7 northern section of Coles County desired a seat of government
8 closer to their homes and wanted independence from Coles
9 County, so they separated and formed Douglas County in 1859,
10 named after Stephen A. Douglas, senator and future presidential
11 candidate from Illinois; the town was incorporated as a village
12 on May 17, 1876; and as a city on Feb, 20. 1895; therefore, be
13 it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
16 congratulate the residents of Newman as they celebrate their
17 sesquicentennial and offer them our best as they continue to
18 grow as a community; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 presented to the people of Newman as a symbol of our respect.