Lyman King (born abt. 1783 in MASS. or CT) came to Crystal Lake, Algonquin Township, McHenry County with his 2nd wife, Phoebe (WILLIAMS) (born Aug.8, 1792 in N.Y.) approximately 1836 or so.  They migrated with other family members as well as their cousins= the Beardsleys and Lanpheres.  They first show up here in the 1840 census of McHenry County.  They had a large family with many children, none of them born in Illinois, and on arriving, Lyman and Phoebe stayed and built their home in Crystal Lake and lived there for many years.  Some of their children were married, and the others grew up in Crystal Lake, and some left the family and migrated to other parts of the U.S.A.- namely: Chicago, Illinois; Geneseo, Illinois; Woodstock, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan; Gonzales, Texas; Racine, Wisconsin, Ukiah, California and Brownsville, Oregon.
Lyman was a farmer and business type man.  Upon arriving, he helped to build the first “school house.” He worked with others in deciding that a schoolhouse should be built and together with them, they “sharpened their axes and went to the woods to cut logs and soon had them on the spot located for a building.  It was on the corner, the west side, where the road turned to go to Nunda (Buehler’s Corner).”
     Lyman purchased several “city blocks” and proceeded to build a Hotel.  It was called the KING Hotel.  In was located on a two block one-way street situated in the oldest section of Crystal Lake.  It linked Virginia Street with Lake Avenue running past McCormick Park and St. Thomas Catholic Church and School. They named the street coming to the hotel, “KING STREET,” and it was on the original plat as being two blocks long, but now is only one block.  The KING HOTEL was very large and had walnut beams and plastered walls inside.  It was called the “Grandfather of all Hotels” and the most elegant building in the vicinity.  It was built of logs probably in 1837 or 1838 on Virginia Street, which was the old Indian trail between Fort Dearborn (Chicago) and Wisconsin and along which the new village was platted.  The KING Hotel was a favored stopover of stagecoaches and for traders.  Horse teams were changed, mail dropped off and picked up, and travelers walked around and refreshed themselves until the driver blew the whistle announcing to all within earshot that it was time to head onward.  Throughout the years it changed hands several times and on November 13, 1904 was destroyed by fire.  It was never rebuilt.
     Lyman’s family was very active in the community.  In 1842 they started holding elections in Lyman KING'S home.  In 1842 and 1843, he and his sons collected taxes in Algonquin Township.  On May 24, 1840 Lyman and Phoebe were the first people to be “received by letter” into the Baptist Church.  December 26, 1840 was the day for the first baptism in their Church; Fidelia (their daughter) being the candidate.  Shortly after Lyman’s “Hotel” was built, he started holding Church services there.
     Lyman had quite a large estate built up when he died January 22, 1851 in Crystal Lake, McHenry County.  Phoebe died October 23, 1863 in Walworth County, Wisconsin where she was living with her youngest daughter, and her body was brought down to be buried in the KING family plot in the Lake Avenue Cemetery, Crystal Lake.  They had a family of 9 children plus one dying in infancy and one dying as a child (those two are buried in Alexander Township, Genesee County, N.Y.)
Contributed by Deana Campbell
 

McBroom Family

William McBroom b. 1814 in County Antrim Ireland married Maria Miller b. 1815 in Ireland. After landing in New York they lived there for a time. In New York they had 6 children.  With thier children, (John, Margaret, Thomas, Mary, William Jr. and Ephraim) migrated to Woodstock, Ill Where William and Maria died.  William died in 1885 and Maria in 1888.  They are buried at Oakland Cemetary, Woodstock. Info on 3 of the children:

Ephraim McBroom b. in 1856  New York state,son of William and Mary lived in Woodstock for a time.  He married Alison Mclean.  Daughter of long time residents John and Alison (Binnie) Mclean of Kane County.  Ephraim and Alison were married on Sept. 9, 1882 in Woodstock.  They with most of the younger children (family of 11) moved to Renville County in Minnesota, Leaving thier home in Illinois to buy land and start a creamery in Minnesota where they lived out the rest of their lives.

John McBroom b. 2/2/1840 in St. Lawrence County New York State married Mary Petrie b. 4/26/1842.  They moved to McHenry County and raised 4 children. Ethel, John Everett, Frank Leslie and Edith (who died in infancy).  Both John and Mary are buried at Oakland Cemetary in McHenry County.

Johann and Susanna Nempsgern (Nimsgern)
contributed by Sandie Schwarz

Johann and Susanna Nimsgern along with their five children, Maria, Anna, Peter, John, and Susanna, immigrated from the Port of Nantes, France on   15 March 1852 and arrived at New York 15 April 1852. This information was found on Johann's Declaration of Intent on file at the McHenry County Courthouse. The name of the ship they sailed on is still unknown. They settled in McHenry Township, McHenry County, IL., Township 45, Section 2, Range 8. The exact location of their land is shown on the 1862 Plat Map, family name  appears as "John Nimskin". Land deeds are on file at the McHenry County Courthouse. Information shown in Family Group Record is from St John's Church Records,Federal Census's, Vital Records, Primary Records, and Obituaries. Johann and Susanna were my 3x gr grandparents, their son John was my 2x gr grandfather. I will be contributing seperate Family Group Records for each of Johann and Susanna's children.
 
FAMILY GROUP RECORD

Johann Nimsgern(Nempsgern)
Son of/Unknown
Born abt.1780/France/Town Unknown
Died 1 Oct 1861-age 81 years-St John's Church Records/McHenry Township, McHenry Co,IL
Buried/*St John The Baptist Catholic Cemetery/Johnsburg,McHenry Co,IL
Married/In France-Date Unknown/ To:Susanna (Surname Unknown)Daughter of/Unknown Born abt.1805(age shown on 1860 census as 55 years/France/Town Unknown *Died aft 1 April 1884/McHenry Township,IL
Buried(?)/ *Deaths not recorded at St John's from May 1884 to Feb 1909

Children of Johann and Susanna:

1 Maria Anna
Born 20 Jan 1831/France
Married Nicolas Hay 4 May 1853/ St John The Baptist Catholic Church/Johnsburg, IL
Died 15 April 1909/Spring Grove, McHenry Co, IL
Buried/St John The Baptist Catholic Cemetery/ Johnsburg,IL

2 Anna Maria
Born abt. 1840/France
Married Michael Hoffman 1 Feb 1858/ St John the Baptist Catholic Church/Johnsburg, IL
Died aft Nov 21 1910/exact date still unknown/Cook County, IL

3 Peter
Born abt. 1841/France
Married/Unknown
Died/Unknown/Last record found to date was his name on a Civil War Census in McHenry Township,taken in1863, age 21.

4 John
Born 28 Aug 1844/France
Married Gertrude Jung (Young) 4 May 1871/St John The Baptist Catholic Church/Johnsburg,IL
Died 21 Nov 1910/Michael Reese Hospital/Chicago,Cook Co,IL
Buried/St Peter's Catholic Cemetery/Spring Grove, IL

5 Susanna
Born abt 1848/France
Married Nicolaus P Schaefer 4 Feb 1869/St John The Baptist Catholic Church/Johnsburg, IL
Died 1 Apr 1884/McHenry Township, IL
Buried/St John The Baptist Catholic Cemetery/Johnsburg,IL

*Church Fire in Feb 1900,destroyed grave markers of early settlers so the location of Susanna's gravesite as well as other family members who died before 1900, unfortunatly is unknown.It is said that when the new church was built,some of the early gravesites were covered over by the new structure, and gravesites may be beneath the present church.