Newspaper Clippings for
February, 1940
from the pages of the Waukegan Daily Sun February 1940
MILLBURN GIRL WRITES LETTER FROM VIRGINIA
Mrs. Elisabeth S. Young,
Now Nearing 80,
Tells About Old Days in Waukegan and Scotch Settlement.
It was on Dec. 7 last that a story about Mrs. A. Clark of
Wadsworth appeared in the News-Sun. Mrs. Clark, who came to
Millburn from Scotland when she was 13, is 80 now, and she drives
her own car from her home in Wadsworth to Waukegan on a shopping
tour or almost anywhere she wants to go.
Elisabeth Sutherland Young of 3605 Llewellyn ave., Norfolk, Va.,
read the story. The other day, she wrote a letter about it.
She confides that by May 26, she'll be 80 herself, but what with
rheumatism, she has had to "slow down," so she doesn't drive her
car. However, she has two sisters, Mrs. Bell McGregor Winter of
Fullerton, Calif., and Mrs. G. B. Dawson of Morris, Ill.
All Millburn Girls
They're both more than 75 years old, and Mrs. Winter "drives her
car all over California" and Mrs. Dawson "works in the store and
runs the business since her husband died one year ago." Mrs.
Young, Mrs. Winter and Mrs. Dawson are all "Millburn girls" and
from Scotland.
Mrs. Young writes: "Now if these Scotch people don't have
wonderful vitality around Millburn and Wadsworth, I don't know
where else you can find strong people."
Mrs. Young's letter is filled with county history. She recalls
that it was "in 1871 we landed in Waukegan from Scotland." The
only business block here then was the stretch from Washington to
Madison st. She goes on "I can't forget that (block of business).
While we sat in the old depot waiting for George Jamieson and my
father to come and take us to Millburn, my mother found a store
which sold cheese and crackers. We were about starved."
Built Church
Mrs. Young sets down "That was one Scotch settlement. All of the
Jamiesons at Millburn were cousins of my father.
"In that year (1871) they organized and built the Millburn church
and Sunday school . . I can never forget the choir. I remember P.
P. Bless coming from Chicago to spend a week helping them on the
new gospel hymns. Everybody went to church. Lumber wagons (drew
up) loaded full of parents and children (and) all stayed to Sunday
school."
Mrs. Young thinks that automobiles, airplanes and the general
tempo of modern life have interfered, unfortunately, with church
going.
The Lake county of her girlhood was, she thought, the most
beautiful spot on earth. "Along the rail fences grew the
fragrant wild roses. Orchards of apple and cherry trees blosomed
each spring. Robins came early to build their nests. Summer
spread out cheer; everything was growing.
"Now here is what I miss in Lake county-the beautiful trees, the
wood groves on all of the farms. Going out Grand ave. 70 years
ago, the road all the way to Green Bay road was lined with trees.
In fact, all the roads everywhere were bordered by trees. The
trees have been cut down. No more trees have been planted to
replace them." Mrs. Young thinks if she lived here, she'd try to
organize a plant-a-tree club because "when you are dead, people
are going to be living after you. You will be remembered for what
civic interest you left."
She says that in the Virginia valley here she lives, apple blossom
time in April means visits from folks all around.
But beautiful as the blossoms are, they are no more beautiful,
Mrs. Young says, than the blossoms here in Lake county half
century ago.
Mrs. Young concludes that, at 80, she can't drive a car, but she
still has a wonderful memory; can write articles for newspapers
and sends an article to prove it, and can vote Republican, which,
she hopes, a good many people will do in the coming campaign.
