Area's worst drowning incident

One of the most shocking accidents in Fairbury history occurred in 1948 when three young BesGrove children drowned in Indian Creek just southwest of Fairbury.

The BesGrove family's story began with James Brownsey BesGrove's birth in 1846 in Somersetshire, England. His parents were Charles BesGrove (1814-1862) and Eliza Brownsey (1815-1898). The James and Eliza BesGrove family had seven children.

In 1862, Charles BesGrove died in England at the age of 48, and his wife Eliza became a widow at the age of 47. She was left to care for three minor children between the ages of ten and sixteen. James B. BesGrove, who was 16 when his father died, decided to emigrate to America. His voyage from England to New York City took five weeks and three days on a sailing vessel.

As soon as James B. BesGrove arrived in New York, he traveled to Albany, New York, and he was penniless. Somehow, he communicated with his brother Henry, who had emigrated to America already. Henry instructed James B. BesGrove to come to McLean County, Illinois, and live with him. James worked on farms in McLean County as a hired hand for three years. James was paid $200 per year and grossed $600 from his three years of work. This gross amount would equal about $18,600 in today's dollars.

James B. BesGrove saved his money, and in 1865, he bought 80 acres of farmland in Belle Prairie Township south of Fairbury in Section One. James lived frugally and was able to buy another 80 acres. Several of James B. BesGrove's siblings emigrated from England to Howard County, Missouri.

In 1872, James B. BesGrove married Miss Elizabeth "Fanny" Masters. She had also been born in Somersetshire, England. When both of her parents died in England, she emigrated to America. Her parents were William T. Masters (1810-1862) and Fanny White (1810-1871). James was 26, and Fanny was 21 when they married. They had 11 children, with one child dying in infancy.

James B. BesGrove died in 1907 at the age of 60, and his wife, Fanny BesGrove, died in 1936 at 85. They were both buried at Graceland Cemetery in Fairbury.

One of the 11 children of James and Fanny BesGrove was Roy Early BesGrove (1891-1984). Roy married Eva L. Hornbeck (1890-1967) in 1913. He was 22, and she was 23. They had no children.

1924 Roy E. BesGrove married Mabel Esther Brown (1895-1986). He was 33, and she was 28. He farmed in the Fairbury area. Roy and Mabel BesGrove had one child, Carroll BesGrove (1929-2017). In 1953, Carroll BesGrove married Mary Lou Logan from Decatur. He was 24, and she was 22. They had three children. He farmed in the Fairbury area. Carroll BesGrove died in 2017 at the age of 88.

Mary Lou BesGrove received her bachelor of arts degree in music from Milliken University in Decatur. She taught music in public schools for over 30 years, 27 of which were in the Fairbury-Cropsey school district. She died in 2020 at the age of 88.

Another of the 11 children of James and Fanny BesGrove was Herbert J. BesGrove (1875-1946). In 1901, he married Elizabeth Jane Stuckey (1873-1960). He was 25, and she was 27. They had one child, Clarence E. BesGrove (1901-1958).

In 1932, Clarence E. BesGrove married Mary Linenweber in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He was 30, and she was 28. They had three girls and one boy. The Clarence and Mary BesGrove family moved around, living in Wisconsin, Strawn, and Chenoa.

In early May 1948, Clarence BesGrove took a job as a hired hand for Eli Meiss south of Fairbury. The BesGrove family moved from Chenoa to a house on South Clay Street. Three of the four BesGrove children twice went swimming in Indian Creek just south of their home, in the shallow part of the creek.

At one time, there was a slaughterhouse on Indian Creek just south of Clay Street. Near the slaughterhouse, there was a "hole" in the creek, where the water was five to six feet deep.

On Thursday, June 3, 1948, at 3 PM, three BesGrove children asked their mother for permission to swim in Indian Creek. These three children included June Beth BesGrove, age 14, Sylvia Marie BesGrove, age 13, and Frank Edgar BesGrove, age 10. Mrs. BesGrove permitted them to swim as long as they stayed in the shallow water and came home for supper. Six-year-old Annie Jane BesGrove stayed home with her mother.

At 6:30 PM, when the children had not come home for supper, Mr. and Mrs. BesGrove went to the creek and found all three children had drowned and were floating in the creek. They summoned help, but the children had been dead too long to revive them.

A coroner's inquest was held regarding the three drownings. Sergeant Virgil Munz of the Illinois State Police testified the "hole" in Indian Creek where the children drowned was between five and six feet deep. The water was only about three feet deep, where the children had previously swam two times. The drownings were ruled to be accidental.

A triple funeral was held at the Cook Funeral Home in Fairbury. This funeral home was small and across the street south from the current Duffy-Pils Memorial Home. Three identical caskets were used for the funeral. The three sets of pallbearers were second cousins of the deceased children and were from Chatsworth, Wing, and Fairbury. They were Roscoe Runyon, Keith Coleman, James Coleman, Arland Kuntz, Bob Kuntz, Edmond Coleman, Clarence Pearson, Elmer Runyon, James Brown, Ivan Brown, Carroll BesGrove, and Carl Rapp.

Clarence BesGrove, father of the three deceased children, died in 1958 at the age of 56. After Clarence BesGrove died, his widow married Clarence Leland Neal in 1959. Mr. Neal died in 1965. Mrs. Clarence BesGrove passed away in 1972 at the age of 67. Clarence and Mary BesGrove were buried in Graceland Cemetery near the triple stone for their three children who drowned.

Annie Jane BesGrove, the only remaining child of Clarence and Mary BesGrove, married Clarence F. Blue in Odell in 1966. Clarence and Annie Blue had one child. Annie Blue died in 1991 in Kankakee at the age of 48.

The Fairbury area experienced many drownings before the first swimming pool was built in 1958. After the swimming pool was built, there was a dramatic reduction in drownings. The drowning deaths of the three young BesGrove children in 1948 were one of the worst tragedies in Fairbury history.

(Dale Maley's local history column is sponsored each week by Dr. Charlene Aaron & Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury)