Frisbys have long history locally

Bill and Cathryn Frisby (photo via Dale Maley submission).

Bill Frisby (1920-2009) was well-known in the Fairbury area. He farmed north of Fairbury and worked as a postal clerk for 21 years at the Fairbury Post Office.

Bill's wife, Cathryn Frisby, was a long-time schoolteacher in the Fairbury area.

The story of the Frisby family in Illinois began with the birth of James E. Frisby in Tennessee in 1817. James E. Frisby and his sister moved from Tennessee to Fulton County, Illinois, which is just west of Peoria.

In 1841, James E. Frisby married Mary Elizabeth Christman (1821-1880) in Peoria. James was 24 and Mary was 20 when they married. They had three sons and four daughters. Their children were William, George W., Frank, Rachael, James, Laura, and Dorothy. One of their seven children, William David Frisby, was born in Farmington in Peoria County in 1842.

In 1847, James and Mary Frisby moved from Fulton County to Peoria. Their son, William D. Frisby, was five years old when they moved. He studied at a commercial school in Peoria and helped his father on their farm.

Fairbury was founded in 1857 when the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad laid its tracks from Peoria to Indiana. Twenty years later, in 1877, James Frisby bought 171 acres of land in Indian Grove Township and moved to that location.

Mary Frisby, wife of James E. Frisby, died on their farm in 1880 at the age of 59. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery. Three years later, in 1883, William D. Frisby married Lydia Cottingham. She was born in Peoria. William was 40 and Lydia was 27 when they married. After they married, William rented a farm in Avoca Township, north of Fairbury. William and Lydia Frisby had four children. Their children included Frank, Emma Jane, George, and Harry. Their daughter, Emma Jane, underwent musical training and then taught instrumental music.

William D. Frisby farmed and was a very active horse breeder. William bred the Draft, Clyde, and Norman horse breeds. According to Livingston County Fair Association records, William D. Frisby won more premiums on these grades of horses than any other breeder in Livingston County.

James Frisby sold his farm to Mr. Odell in 1897 and then retired to Fairbury. He died one year later and was buried at Graceland Cemetery. James Frisby was one of the most well-known farmers in Peoria County. In Fairbury, he served 16 years as a Constable and several terms as the School Director.

One of William and Lydia Frisby's children was Frank Frisby. He was born in Fairbury in 1884. In 1916, Frank Frisby married Iva Elizabeth Pool in Peoria. Iva was the daughter of George A. Pool (1850-1923) and Elizabeth C. Ziller (1857-1934) of Weston. Frank was 31, and Iva was 32 when they married. Frank and Iva set up housekeeping on the Jake Ulfers farm north of Fairbury. They had one child, George William "Bill" Frisby, born in 1920.

In 1917, William D. Frisby died in Fairbury at the age of 74. He was buried at Graceland Cemetery. His widow, Lydia Frisby, continued to run the farm with the help of her sons, Harry and George Frisby.

In August of 1926, Lydia Frisby was a 71-year-old widow, and her son Harry Frisby was 35. At 11 AM on August 23, 1926, Harry began to feed the mules on their farm. His mother, Lydia, told Harry that she would put the cow in the barn with its calf, which was born the night before. Harry suggested that she wait and let him put the cow in the barn. Mrs. Frisby said she knew this cow, having worked around it before, and she could do it.

Harry heard his mother crying for help inside the barn a few minutes later. When Harry got in the barn, he found the cow had knocked over his mother in a stall. Harry tried to remove the cow from the stall, but the cow knocked him through a glass window in the barn and also broke his leg. With his broken leg, Harry finally got the cow out of the stall and called the neighbors for help. Mrs. Jacob Ulfers and Mrs. Dan Kelso came to the farm and carried the injured Mrs. Frisby into the house. She died about 45 minutes later, and it was found that the cow had crushed the left side of her chest. Lydia Frisby, wife of William D. Frisby, died at the age of 71 and was buried with her husband at Graceland Cemetery.

George William "Bill" Frisby graduated with the class of 1937 at Fairbury Township High School. Bill then worked as a bookkeeper for an Allis-Chalmers dealer. World War II started when the Empire of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

In 1942, George William "Bill" Frisby enlisted in the Reserve Corps Signal Training program. He served in the European theater and received many medals. He was discharged from Camp Grant in Rockford on December 13, 1945. Bill was a Technician Third Grade when he was released from the military.

Frank Frisby died in 1947 at the age of 63. Dan Kelso, E. J. Zeh, Jake Ulfers, Elmer Wink, Newton Simmons, and Darwin Freed were the pallbearers for his funeral. In charge of the flowers were Mrs. John Goold, Mrs. Willard Mack, Mrs. John Mehrkens, Jr., Mrs. Eldon Askew, Mrs. William Freed,            Miss  Cathryn Wink, and Mrs. Cloyd Wilson, Jr.

One year after the death of Frank Frisby, Bill Frisby married Cathryn Wink in 1948. Cathryn was the daughter of Christian "Bud" Wink (1892-1982) and Florence L. Shepherd (1892-1989). Bill was 28 and Cathryn was 26  when they married. Bill and Cathryn had three children.

Cathryn helped her husband farm and taught school for many years at Fairbury. In addition to farming, Bill did other jobs in the Fairbury area. He worked as a shop foreman for Ziegenhorn's John Deere dealership, sold Pioneer seed corn, and was a postal clerk for 21 years at the Fairbury Post Office. Bill was very active in the Fairbury community. Bill served as a township trustee, served on the school board, and served on the Fairbury Fair board.

In 1951, Iva Frisby, Frank Frisby's wife, died at the age of 67. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery. In 2009, Bill Frisby died at the age of 89. He was buried at the Avoca Township Cemetery. Cathryn Frisby, Bill Frisby's wife, passed away in December 2023 at the age of 102.

The Frisby family arrived in the Fairbury area in 1877, just twenty years after the town was founded in 1857. The family included farmers, horse breeders, teachers, and a World War II veteran. The Frisby family has played an essential role in Fairbury history.

Dale Maley's local history feature is sponsored each week by Dr. Charlene Aaron