This is Grundy County" Manuscript

1968. This is Grundy County" Manuscript, circa 1968

File comprising typed and handwritten manuscripts, notes and research material
Very Good condition overall, with a bit of light toning, creasing and edge wear.

On offer here, the original manuscript for a history of Grundy County, Illinois, "This is Grundy County" by Helen Ullrich. The book was published in 1968. It is unclear whether the manuscript is complete; there are about 23 pages of handwritten manuscript, plus a few typed sections. Ullrich's handwriting is clear, and the manuscript shows her many notes and additions. It covers the region's history, topography and agriculture, and includes poetic language about her chosen subject: "Through Grundy flows the 'Illinois' / And, like God's Valley of the Nile / Grundy is an Eden Garden / On this County, God did smile."

Grundy County was established in February, 1841. It was well known for its coal mines and attracted miners from Pennsylvania and other regions to work its deposits. The 1883 Diamond Mine Disaster occurred in Grundy County. It is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area.

Other contents in the collection include about 12 photostats of other Grundy County histories, annotated by the author, loose notes and a small notebook, as well as clippings from publications. She pinned one of these to a page of notes discussing "one important and far-reaching part of the Ordinance of 1787...prohibiting slavery in the Northwest Territory." There is also a seven pp. typescript packet describing why one should relocate to Morris, Illinois, the seat of Grundy County.

Helen Stine Ullrich (1900-1994) also wrote "Growing Up in the Midwest: Eighty Years of Love, Life and Laughter Along the 'Illinois'" (1984). The published "Grundy County" is somewhat scarce, with OCLC showing 36 holdings, and we've seen a few in the trade. We could not locate any holdings of Ullrich's drafts or archival material.