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July 27, 2022

Dear Village Resident,


The Village of Spring Grove and our Public Works department takes incredible pride in keeping our parks beautiful and adding amenities we think our residents would enjoy. Unfortunately, vandalism in our parks is becoming more frequent and we need your help, the Village spends thousands of dollars per year in vandalism repairs that we could spend improving our parks!  

If you see damage actively being done in one of our parks, please call the Spring Grove Police Department at 815-338-2145. If you see damage, please report it to the Village Hall at 815-675-2121.

Please help us keep our parks beautiful!

Natures Feed Ice Cream Social


This Saturday, July 30th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Natures Feed, located at 2440 Westward Drive, will host their annual Ice Cream Social with ice cream for dogs and humans, pet adoption, and pet nail clipping! Dog ice cream is provided by The Bear and The Rat and donations benefit the animal shelters on site.

McHenry Road Closure Notice

Route 120 will be closed in both directions between Crystal Lake Road and Borden Street from Monday August 1st at 9:00 a.m. through Saturday, August 13th at 5:00 p.m. for Railroad Crossing replacement. Alternate travel routes will be necessary if you need to ravel into or through McHenry. View the press release here.

golf

Spring Grove Ladies Golf Day


The 46th Annual Spring Grove Ladies Golf Day is Thursday, August 11 at Nippersink Golf Course N1055 Tombeau Rd, Genoa City, WI. $70.00 per golfer, check in is 10:00 a.m. Click here for the flyer to sign up.

Photo of the Week

Rainbow over Spring Grove! Photo taken by Dave Rudkin. If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it here.

Now Hiring - Public Works


Our Public Works Department has full-time and seasonal maintenance positions available. View more information here.

Overnight Parking Ordinance


Just a friendly reminder, Village Ordinance 13/2-1307 prohibits parking on the street between 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Signs have been posted throughout the village to remind residents and visitors of the ordinance. This ordinance covers all public village roadways. 

The police department may give temporary permission to park overnight on the street due to visitors, driveway repair, etc. Please note that the vehicle must otherwise be legally parked (not in violation of fire lanes, fire hydrants, post snowfall restrictions, etc.) 

Prevent Property Fraud


According to the FBI, Property and Mortgage Fraud is the fastest growing white-collar crime.  It can be as simple as someone recording a fraudulent document in the County Land Records office, making it look as though they now own your home or property.  To address these concerns, your Land Records office has teamed up to create a notification service that will help you combat the effects of Land fraud and other similar fraudulent activities.  Sign up today!

Spring Grove Men's Golf Outing


The 69th Annual Spring Grove Men's Golf Outing is Thursday, August 18th at Nippersink Golf Course N1055 Tombeau Rd, Genoa City, WI. $70.00 per golfer, $85.00 per golfer with dinner.  Check in is 9:00 a.m. Click here for the flyer to sign up.

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Division on Addictions


Division on Addictions is an organization that helps vulnerable residents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol locate proper treatment options.  If you need help or know someone who does, please visit their website for treatment options.

Blast from the Past - Wray Sisters - Marion, Nellie & Emma

Nellie Wray Goodrich's headstone

Inez Goodrich's fallen headstone

Emma Wray Goodrich

The Goodrich sisters' homes were by each other in the 1880 Danville, IL Census

Base of Marion's headstone

As we learned previously, Richard and Jane Archdale Wray, who settled on English Prairie, had six children: Edith, the firstborn, who was the subject of last week’s story, and siblings Marion Mary, Helen “Nellie”, Emma Matilda, an infant boy who died, and Archdale. Here we cover the lives of three sisters: Marion, Nellie & Emma. Hold on tight or take notes…it can get confusing!

 

Marion Mary was the second child born in 1852. Like the rest of her family, she was involved in the county fair and was Superintendent of the “Domestic Manufacture and Fancy Work” section when she was highly commended in 1870 for her work organizing a massive display of rag rugs, quilts, embroidery, hair work, bead work and much, much more. She married Willis GOODRICH, a railroad engineer, on October 26, 1878, in Danville, Illinois. She died young at age 37, leaving Willis to raise their three daughters: Henrietta, Alice and Ethel. Marion was buried in the Wray family cemetery but only the base of her headstone remains with GOODRICH carved on it.

 

Helen “Nellie” was born in 1854. On Christmas Eve 1878, two months after Marion’s wedding, she married John C. GOODRICH, brother to Willis Goodrich, and he was also a railroad engineer. The sisters lived by each other in Danville (along with their sister Edith Robinson who was also married to a railroad engineer). All three sisters were pregnant in 1879. Nellie’s daughter, Inez, was born just two months after Marion’s daughter, Henrietta. And Edith’s son, Harry, was born three months later in March 1880.

 

But dark clouds were gathering over this domestic bliss, for on Friday, April 23, 1880, Nellie died of “consumption” [TB] at the age of 24. Nellie had been a public-school teacher in Richmond and was very popular, loved by all who knew her. The Wray family had the heartfelt sympathy of the whole community. Nellie’s body was brought back on the Saturday evening train and the funeral services, largely attended, were held at the family home the next day. She was buried in the family cemetery. Her mother-in-law moved in with her husband to help with little Inez. Inez also died young at age 17 and was buried next to her mother.


Emma Matilda was born in 1856. As a young woman, she loved to draw and paint and exhibited her work at the county fair. She married John Edward GOODRICH at age 38. (John was 39 and this was his second marriage.) But this Goodrich was from Missouri doesn’t appear to be related to the other Goodrich brothers…and he was a farmer. They moved to Iowa where their first son, Richard Wray, (named after his grandpa who died two years earlier), was born in 1893. Their second son, Zebulon Edward was born three years later. In 1906 the family lived in the Town of Yorkton in Saskatchewan, Canada. Son Zebulon fought in WWI, died in 1969, and is buried in Ontario, Canada. No record of where Emma & John are buried can be found.


Next week, we’ll learn about the sisters’ brother, Archdale, and a mystery man named William Wray.


Story by Laura Frumet

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