Mission accomplished: Illinois road trip

May 31, 2024

This week, I took a road trip to Illinois with a few goals in mind:

Research Green River Ordnance Plant materials at Founders Memorial Library at Northern Illinois University
Visit Greenfield Cemetery in LaMoille
Visit Elm Lawn Cemetery in Princeton
Speak at the Tampico Area Historical Society
Visit Prophetstown Historical Society

I hit the road on Memorial Day, driving nearly nine hours from Nashville, Tennessee to DeKalb, Illinois. After checking into the hotel and finding some dinner nearby, I melted into the bed for some much-needed rest. The next morning, I headed to the first stop of my journey, Founders Memorial Library at Northern Illinois University.

Green River Ordnance Plant materials at Founders Memorial Library at Northern Illinois University

Two of my ancestors (Dessie Mott and Wilma Simkins) worked at the Green River Ordnance Plant in Dixon, Illinois. In my search for materials related to the plant, the Illinois State Archives suggested the collections at NIU. In preparation for my visit, I scheduled a research appointment with the NIU Regional History Center and University Archives. I provided the names of the collections, so they were able to pull the materials ahead of time and have them ready for me.

When I arrived at Founders Memorial Library, I parked in the visitor lot and took the elevator to the fourth floor, where the Rare Books Reading Room is located. I was greeted by a staff member, who pulled the cart of materials to a table for me to review. It included a folder of copies of the Green River News and two boxes of miscellaneous documents.

Green River News was a newspaper published by and for employees of the Green River Ordnance Plant in Dixon, Illinois during World War II. Since my relatives worked at the plant, I hoped to find articles or photos of them in the paper. Unfortunately, I didn’t find them.

The two boxes of Green River Ordnance Plant records contained the plant’s administrative office documents, plant and employee photographs, government documents, brochures, and sample grounds passes. I browsed both boxes, but the only item relevant to my research was a program for the Army-Navy Production Award Presentation Ceremonies, held July 10, 1944. Dessie Mott received the “E” Award during this event. I submitted a free digitization request through the library to have them scan the document and email it to me, which they did the same day.

Although I didn’t find any materials featuring my ancestors, I feel confident that I’ve now exhausted all possible resources related to the Green River Ordnance Plant. The NIU library was the one stone unturned from my research log, so I have a sense of closure for that research goal.

Greenfield Cemetery in LaMoille

After finishing at NIU, I hopped in the car and headed to my next destination. LaMoille is located about an hour southwest of NIU. Although I have visited LaMoille several times over the past few years, I never made a stop at the Greenfield Cemetery. I didn’t realize I had a connection to it until recently. In a previous post, I shared how I identified the Greenfield Cemetery in a photograph of my ancestor Dessie Mott sitting on a cannon. My goal was to see the cannon in person and try to figure out why the photo was taken. After a few minutes of wandering through the cemetery, I got chill bumps when I spotted the cannon. Not much had changed since the photo was taken nearly a century ago. A flag pole was installed next to it and the base was weathered, but the scene was nearly identical.

There was another photo taken at that cemetery, likely on the same day, with Giff Mott and young Wilma Dulaney posing in front of a monument. It turns out, that monument was just a few steps away from the canon.

I began to look at the headstones surrounding the two landmarks to see if anything stood out as a possible reason for their visit when the photos were taken. About 10 feet away from the cannon were the graves of the Stock family… Giff Mott’s relatives. Giff’s mother, Mary Stock, was buried there with her husband Fred Stock and son Ray Stock.

Elm Lawn Cemetery in Princeton

My road trip continued to Princeton, a short 20 minute drive from LaMoille. I wasn’t looking for anything new at Elm Lawn Cemetery during this trip, but I always make a point to stop by whenever I’m in the area. It’s the final resting place for both Dessie Mott and Wilma Simkins.

I sat with them and reflected on my journey of discovering their stories. Even though I never met Dessie, kneeling by her headstone brought a flood of emotions and a deep sense of connection. After decades of not knowing what happened to her, it gives me peace to know that I can visit her in this way.

Tampico Area Historical Society

After paying my respects to Dessie and Wilma, I drove 30 miles northwest to Tampico, where I was invited to give a presentation about how their historical society helped me solve a 100-year-old family mystery.

I had the pleasure of speaking to a full house at the Tampico Area Historical Society about how I discovered Dessie and Wilma’s life in Tampico. I enjoyed dinner at The Break Room across the street from the museum before my presentation and even spotted a rainbow!

Thank you to everyone who came out! I enjoyed chatting with you afterward and hope to see you again soon.

Prophetstown Historical Society

A last-minute addition to my itinerary was a visit to the Prophetstown Historical Society the next morning before I made the drive back to Nashville. I met up with Jeff Dever, who gave me a tour of their museum. I sat down with Jeff to share the names and dates of the people who may have had a connection to Prophetstown, so he could pass them along to others in the community who may have helpful information for me. And wouldn’t you know… when I mentioned the Mott surname, he shared that he knew Sadie Mott… who was Dessie’s sister-in-law! Sadie was married to Herbert Mott, brother of Dessie’s husband Giff Mott. The benefits of researching in a small town!