HR0420 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0420 LRB095 12143 KXB 36219 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the residents of Newman as they celebrate the sesquicentennial of their community; and

WHEREAS, Eli Thomas, Isaac Howard, Elijah Gaston, and Joseph Skinner were the first to purchase land in Section 31, Township 16 North, Range 14 West from the United States government, said section then lying in Coles County and destined to become part of Newman; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois and Indiana Central Railway Company was founded on December 31, 1852 with the intent of running a line from Indianapolis to Springfield; it was completed in 1873; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Skinner sold 120 acres to the Illinois and Indiana Central Railway on November 10, 1853 and Isaac Howard sold 240 acres from the center of section 31 to Benjamin Franklin Newman, minister and commissioner of the Illinois Central Land Company, on November 23, 1857; Mr. Newman had the town bearing his name surveyed and platted on November 26, 1857 by Thomas Lytle; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Newman sold the town land to the Central Illinois Land Company, led by John Mathers of Jacksonville for further development on October 2, 1858; the company controlled the sale of town lots until 1864, when it turned all unsold property over to Mr. Mathers; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of Newman and other parts of the northern section of Coles County desired a seat of government closer to their homes and wanted independence from Coles County, so they separated and formed Douglas County in 1859, named after Stephen A. Douglas, senator and future presidential candidate from Illinois; the town was incorporated as a village on May 17, 1876; and as a city on Feb, 20. 1895; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the residents of Newman as they celebrate their sesquicentennial and offer them our best as they continue to grow as a community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the people of Newman as a symbol of our respect.