DANIEL CULVER FAMILY

Daniel Culver was born on January 1, 1783, in Connecticut and married Betsey Lyman (1780-1854) November 27, 1804. They had five children; Alva (1801-1887), Almyra (1809-1812), Anna (1812-1826), Serena (1818-1900), and twins Adaline (1825-1834) and Emaline (1825-1894).

It is not known when the family moved to Montperier, Vermont, but in 1834 they moved west in a covered wagon to Plainfield, Illinois where Daniel died on August 13, 1834. Their son Serena Culver married Polly Miller ( 6/16/1826-9/14/1904) on October 30, 1842, and their first child, Emaline, was born (1843-1894). Five more children followed; Harvey (1846-1904), Lucy (1850), Erwin (1852), and Frank (1858-1917), and Carrie (1863). The family farms were west of Route 30 on 135th Street, also known as Plicher Road, 160 acres on the north side where Walkers Grove School is, and 80 acres just west of there, now Walkers Grove Subdivision.

Frank Culver married Mary Alice Sillar (11/14/1867-4/15/1916) on 3/11/1917 and farmed the home place where their children were born; Robert (Irene Savio, Ralph N. Frances Pilcher), Nellie (Lester Carter), William (Rose Schilling), Arthur (Erma Rhodes), Jay (Lois Chaplin), Annie and Bessie.
When Frank died his sons Ralph, William and Jay worked on the farm until the 160 acres were sold. Then Jay (3/10/1898- 3/8/1972) farmed the 80 acres and married Lois Chaplin ( 10/11/1904- 2/6/ 1987) on 3/10/1927. The following year, 1928, they moved to the 80acre Birkett farm on 119th Street, just east of 248th Avenue on the north side of the road. Their two children, James (1/10/31) and Mary Ann (12/29/33) were born in the same house their mother was born in on the Chaplin farm on Route 30. Mary Ann is married to Wilbert Mather and they farm on Weber Road in Lockport, Illinois. 

James Culver attended the Spalding School which was on 119th Street about a quarter mile east of Route 59 where the Wheatland Plowing Match Association owns a lot where two monuments stand on the same property where the first Plowing Match was held in 1876. He graduated in 1949 from Plainfield High School with a class of 28.

James is farming the family farm on 119th Street, which has always been farmed with horses. He is still farming with his Belgian draft horses; 18 year old gelding King, mares 15 year old Connie, 7 year old Joyce, and 1 year old gelding Jerry and 5 year old Ginger with her stud colt Tom, born this last May. He works the horses planting corn and beans, sows oats, cultivates the fields, mows and rakes hay, pulls hay with a hay fork and hauls manure. Last year he started to harness Jerry tied next to his mother to get him used to the noise when James works with the horses.

James has the unique distinction of being the last person to haul grain to the old Normantown Elevator with horses. He won the sulky plow division at the old Wheatland Plowing Match four years in a row; in 1963 on the Anthony Tyner farm, in 1964 on the Tower farm and in 1965 and 1966 on the Lou Tower farm.
Every year he cuts corn with a corn binder with horses on his farm which is used for special events at the Danada Farm in Wheaton. He also does the same for a fellow with a roadside stand.

At the Wheatland Plowing Match Association 17th annual Pig Roast on August 1, 1998, on the Paul and Aggie Miller Farm at 127th Steet and Van Dyke Road, it is a possibility that James will give a plowing demonstration with his horses.


11/01

 
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