First Years in America
5
Family lore says that Julius worked on the Illinois Central Railroad laying track. In the 1850’s, the Illinois Central Railway was being built from Chicago to the Gulf Coast.
Letter By Norma
At the time Norma was apparently following the error in the baptism record of Julius’s first child Maria. As has been previously noted, the record has that the maiden name of Barbara was Schuetz. The crossed out
Illinois Central Railroad
“In 1850 U.S. President Millard Fillmore signed a land grant for the construction of the railroad, making the Illinois Central the first land-grant railroad in the United States.
“The Illinois Central was chartered by the Illinois General Assembly on February 10, 1851. Senator Stephen Douglas and later President Abraham Lincoln were both Illinois Central men who lobbied for it. Douglas owned land near the terminal in Chicago. Lincoln was a lawyer for the railroad. Upon its completion in 1856 the IC was the longest railroad in the world. Its main line went from Cairo, Illinois, at the southern tip of the state, to Galena, in the northwest corner. A branch line went from Centralia, (named for the railroad) to the rapidly growing city of Chicago.” (Downloaded from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Central_Railroad)
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See Illinois Central Railroad Historical Society
http://www.icrrhistorical.org/