"Coles County, originally a part of Crawford County, but organized in
1831, and named in honor of Gov. Edward Coles - lies central to the eastern portion of the State, and embraces
520 square miles, with a population (in 1900) of 34,146. The Kaskaskia River (sometimes called the Okaw) runs through
the northwestern part of the county, but the principal stream is the Embarras (Embraw). The chief resource of the
people is agriculture, although the county lies within the limits of the Illinois coal belt. To the north and west
are prairies, while timber abounds in the southeast. The largest crop is of corn, although wheat, dairy products,
potatoes, hay, tobacco, sorghum, wool, etc., are also important products. Broom-corn is extensively cultivated.
Manufacturing is carried on to a fair extent, the output embracing sawed lumber, carriages and wagons, agricultural
implements, tobacco and snuff, boots and shoes, etc. Charleston, the county-seat, is centrally located, and has
a number of handsome public buildings, private residences and business blocks. It was laid out in 1831, and incorporated
in 1865; in 1900, its population was 5,488. Mattoon is a railroad center, situated some 130 miles east of St. Louis.
It has a population of 9,622, and is an important shipping point for grain and live-stock. Other principal towns
are Ashmore, Oakland and Lerna."
Charleston, the county-seat of Coles County, an incorporated city and a railway
junction, 46 miles west of Terre Haute, Ind. It lies in the center of a farming region, yet has several factories,
including woolen and flouring mills, broom, plow and carriage factories, a foundry and a canning factory. Three
newspapers are published here, issuing daily editions. Population (1890), 4,135. (1900) 5,488. The Eastern State
Normal School was located here in 1895.
Mattoon, an important city in Coles County, 172 miles west of south from Chicago and 56
miles west of Terre Haute, Ind.; a point of junction for three lines of railway, and an important shipping point
for corn and broom corn, which are both extensively grown in the surrounding region. It has several banks, foundries,
machine shops, brick and tile-works, flour-mills, grain-elevators, with two daily and four weekly newspapers; also
has good graded schools and a high school. The repair shops of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis
Railroad are located here. Population (1890), 6833; (1900), 9622
Transcription of the "History
of Coles County"
©Transcribed by Kim Torp and Judy Anderson
1905 Version
Our Index to the text portion
(current through Chapter 7, excluding the Early Settlers lists which are listed
separately)
Surnames A-H
& Surnames I-Z
CHAPTER 1 - PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS
CHAPTER 2 - IN TRANSITION
CHAPTER 3 - EARLY SETTLEMENTS
(Contains the complete lists of early settlers of Coles Co. which are not included in the index above)
CHAPTER 4 - THE COUNTY IN DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 5 - MATERIAL PROGRESS
CHAPTER 6 - IMPORTANT EVENTS
CHAPTER 7 - POLITICAL AND STATISTICAL
CHAPTER 8 - TOWNSHIP HISTORY
[in progress] 
CHAPTER 9 - BIOGRAPHICAL [in
progress]
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main index page for Coles County