The Canterbury and Long Point Carltons Genealogy

click here to jump to the index

CHAPTER 11

EDWARD (IV) CARLTON (THE IMMIGRANT)

AND DIADAMA HALLAM

1828 - 1913

Edward the Immigrant and Diadama Hallam Carlton

Edward circa 1880 (about age 52), Diadama circa 1855-65 (about age 20-30)

Edward's signature from his will of 1899

The fourth Edward of the Long Point Carlton line was born on April 29, 1828 and was baptised on September 14, 1828 at Waldershare. His father, Edward (III), died early in 1841, leaving the family extremely poor. His mother went to live with his brother William in Nonington and Edward was no doubt encouraged to find his own way in the world. His brother Benjamin was probably living in Bureau County, Illinois (although he may have arrived in Long Point by that time). Benjamin had emigrated in 1835 with Joseph, and he probably wrote to offer a solution by encouraging Edward and Frederick to emigrate.

Ken Wilson speculates that Benjamin may have observed that immigrants who brought rocking chairs had an easier voyage in that ships of that time were not fitted for passengers and the twin evils of deck and bulkhead passage left much to be desired. A rocking chair could be stowed in a position to offer a reserved seat/bunk, out of the way of the crew, and a relatively comfortable accommodation for a 14 year old boy. We believe Edward brought the heavy arm rocking chair that his father probably made in the 1830s from England with him for this reason [see the sections on his father, Edward Carlton (III)(the Carpenter), and his grandson's family, Dennis and Mary Carlton, for more information]. The rocker was certainly brought from England and most likely on the immigration passage of Edward.

Edward came to the United States in 1841 (when he was 14 years old) with his brother Frederick, his new sister-in-law (Frederick's wife) Sarah, and Sarah's brother, James Winser. They may have first gone to LaSalle county, but they arrived in Long Point Township in 1842.

Edward may have attended school when he was in England and he may have continued his education in an informal manner after he arrived in Long Point. There was an informal school taught in a log cabin in Section 4 by Jane Devine as early as 1843 and after 1850 the people of the township erected a building for school and church purposes near Absalom Hallam's farm. Edward would have been 15, and probably had other duties on one of the farms, when the Section 4 school opened. However the fact that his future wife, Diadama, was Absalom Hallam's daughter may have resulted in his attendance at this school on occasion.

At this time John Tyler was President of the United States and Abraham Lincoln had become a promising young politician from Springfield. Illinois was quickly building a number of railroads with the main Rock Island line from Chicago to St. Louis going through the region, thus making the big city markets available for local farmers. In 1844 settlers near the Mormon city of Nauvoo, to the west on the Mississippi River, murdered the Smiths and Brigham Young began to organize the Mormon trek westward to Kansas and Utah. The same year James K. Polk was elected President. The Mexican War occurred during 1846-1848 and in 1848, Millard Fillmore took office. The vast majority of the settlers in the Long Point area arrived between 1849 and 1856. Many people stayed only a year or two as numerous gold strikes in California and Colorado and the homesteading acts for Kansas and Nebraska drew many of the early pioneers westward again. However many more people stayed than left and eastern Illinois went from a desolate grass prairie in the 1840s to well settled farmland by the 1850s. Throughout this period whale and lard oil lamps were used in place of candles. By the early 1850s the beginning of the modern inventions began to be seen as the telegraph reached Illinois.

Because he was so young when he came to the U.S., it seems that Edward worked for his brothers, Benjamin and Frederick, until he was old enough to own land on his own. This is substantiated by the fact that on January 24, 1849 Frederick purchased land (Lot #1, probably of Section 16, in Long Point Township) from Lorenzo D. Pratt for $25.00. Three months later, on March 30th, (a month before his 21st birthday) Edward bought this lot from Frederick and Sarah for $40.00. See the section on Edward's brother, Benjamin Carlton, for details on various aspects of farming during this period.

Edward married Diadama Hallam April 17, 1851 when he was 23 and she was 16. Diadama was born March 15, 1835 in Sabina, Ohio. She came to Long Point with her father in 1850. Although we have numerous photographs of Diadama, there is only a single known photograph of Edward (of which the only two copies were owned by Robert Dennis Carlton of Austin, Texas in 1985, one of which was given to Rick Carlton). Lillian Prunuske recalls that Edward was a small man who was always very charming and who carried himself very erect at all times. This account, given in 1985, is the only recorded recollection of Edward. Diadama came from a large family. Refer to the section THE HALLAMS for complete information on this branch of the family. Lillian Prunuske recalls that Diadama always seemed dour and stern. She especially remembers that Diadama often wore long gloves with the fingers cut out and she would unsnap the fingers and roll the gloves up on her forearms. Edward and Diadama bought about 20 acres of land in Section 16 (probably adjacent to the land they already owned) on September 1, 1852 from John Zeigler for $60.00.

In 1852 Franklin Pierce became President and in 1856 James Buchanan was elected. The issue of slavery, which was hotly contested during this era, was of little concern to the Carltons of Livingston County. By 1857 LaSalle had become the junction of the Rock Island and Illinois Central Railroads, as well as the southern terminus of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, thus making it easier and cheaper to market Livingston County farm products. During this period one of the largest of the Illinois livestock kings, Michael Sullivant, owned over 80,000 acres, much of it in southern Livingston County, and William Scully, a land baron, had purchased thousands of Livingston County acres. This land was leased to new immigrants for fattening cattle for market (or was tenant farmed in Scully's case) and was the forerunner of the huge western ranches of the 1880s. This is probably when Edward began raising cattle as well as crops. In 1858 the Lincoln-Douglas debates took place across Illinois and then in 1860 Lincoln was elected President and the breakup of the Union began.

On April 12, 1861 the Civil War began with the bombardment of Ft. Sumter. Edward did not serve in the war, but remained on his farm. With the beginning of the war, farm prices dropped quickly as goods not shipped to the south began to accumulate. The Illinois Central Railroad helped by accepting corn at Chicago prices minus transportation so that farmers could meet their mortgages. Within months prices were rising higher than ever as the northern war economy took over.

In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected and the war ended at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Five days later, on April 14, Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theater in Washington and Andrew Johnson became the new President. The same year saw the opening of the Chicago Stockyards. During this time there was much cheating of the farmers, especially by the Chicago grain elevators, which had a reputation for cheating on weights, paying for lower quality of grain than that delivered, and charging exorbitant storage and handling rates. In 1868 General Ulysses S. Grant was elected president and in 1869 the transcontinental railroad opened. About this time kerosene lamps came on the market as a result of the Civil War petroleum industry. In 1871 the Great Chicago Fire leveled most of that city and in 1872 the village of Long Point was founded when the Chicago, Pekin, and Southwestern Railroad established a station there on the Streator to Pekin line. The same year saw the re-election of President Grant. In 1874 Glidden began the production of his new invention, barbed wire, in De Kalb, 100 miles to the north. From 1873 through 1878, during the railroading boom crash, the country suffered a severe depression with farm prices extremely low while railroad rates remained high.

The land that was to become Edward and Diadama's Carlton Farm (the southwest quarter of Section 35 in Long Point Township, consisting of 160 acres) first came into the Carlton family when it was purchased by Edward from the heirs of John S. Dunlap (executor Mathew B. Boyd) on March 13, 1875 for $4,800.00. This land had been bought from the government in 1855 by John Pifer, who sold it to John Dunlap the same year. So, 20 years after it's original sale, this land came into the Carlton family. On June 19, 1878, only 3 years later, Edward was released from the mortgage. Edward and Diadama first lived in a small rough house (built by Dunlap) consisting of 2 or 3 rooms. This house was located across the main driveway from the big house that exists on the farm today. The current house on this farm was built by Edward, probably about 1875 but before 1880.

Diadama probably used to make the English style Carlton steam pudding for Edward that was later made by Jennie and Daisy (see the section on Daisy for the recipe). Because the recipe has been handed down specifying the use of whole wheat Graham flour (which is for bread making) we surmise that Edward and Diadama probably had made it that way before they could obtain (or afford) white flour. Lillian Filbey Prunuske has the large serving dish pictured here that was Diadama's during this period. See the section THE FILBEYS, FENTONS AND PRUNUSKES for a description.

In 1876 the most contested of all elections occurred on the eve of the American centennial and Rutherford B. Hayes became president. This was the year that Alexander Graham Bell was recognized for his new invention, the telephone. By 1878 Edward has tenanted part of his land to his son, David Henry, who had married in January of 1875. For the next 20 years they would farm side by side, with the two families probably living across from one another in the two houses on the Carlton farm. Throughout this time from 1860 to 1890 Illinois was the largest corn and wheat producer in the nation.

On May 19, 1900, after 51 years of successful framing, Edward, at the age of 79, and Diadama retired to a two story house at 616 E. Main St. (Buck's 2nd edition, Block 2, Lot 4) in Pontiac. Edward remained in good health his entire life and was out walking and meeting friends the day before he died. On January 23, 1908 he did not feel well in the morning and ate very little breakfast. That evening he drank a little water, but could not keep it down. As Diadama was helping him he suddenly threw himself back in his chair and seemed to stiffen. Diadama ran to the neighbors but Edward was dead when they returned. The cause of death was determined to be a stroke of apoplexy occurring at 5:45 PM. The Pontiac Daily Leader ran his obituary at the top of the front page the next day. At the time of his death the Carlton farm had appreciated in value from the $4,800.00 Edward and Diadama paid for it in 1875 to $20,000.00. The land was all under cultivation and the farm included two houses and three barns. Edward's will granted everything to Diadama.

We believe a rift occurred with their son Benjamin although the exact nature remains unknown. When Edward died in 1908 Diadama reported in her final recapitulation of the will that:

Diadama wrote Benjamin out of her will in 1913 and instead had his third of the estate (their Pontiac house) liquidated and paid in cash ($2,000.00) to her grandson jesse. The house at 616 E. Madison in Pontiac was sold for $2,400.00 at auction.

Diadama was described by her banker (in 1913) as "A very bright old lady . . . always very smart and very bright." Diadama died at her home on Madison Street on September 8, 1913 at the age of 78. She had been ill for some time. She was buried next to Edward in the Long Point Cemetery. The front page of the Pontiac Daily Leader for September 9, 1913 carried the notice of her death. She was described as a pioneer of Livingston County and a long time member of the Christian Church. Diadama's will gave the north half of the Carlton farm to David Henry and the south half to Absalom. Edward and Diadama share a large monument with Absalom and his wife Katherine just east of the main gate to the Long Point Cemetery. It is suspected that Frank and Dennis Carlton, the sons of Absalom, had the monument erected.

Edward and Diadama had three sons (he was the only one of the four immigrant Carltons to carry the name on in the new world) thus establishing the Long Point branch of the family: