Eleanor Campbell took pride in the fact that she was married only once and that she had broken the pattern of her mother, who married twice, and her paternal grandmother, who had married three times. Eleanor was particularly close to her paternal grandmother, Mary STRONG, and Mary's third & final husband. Eleanor was born at the start of the Great Depression and her parents divorced a year or two after the birth of Eleanor's youngest brother, Charles. The divorce left the baby boy to be raised by his mother, while custody of Eleanor was given to her father and he had her live with his mother in the nearby town of Rock Falls, Illinois
Eleanor enjoyed living with her grandmother and grandfather. They were older and attentive and lived in a big old 8 room former boarding house owned by her grandfather. She adored and mimicked her grandfather, which sometimes prompted her grandmother to remark that she "followed him around like a puppy dog". Her grandfather was not a blood relative, but he was the third & final husband of her father's mother, and he had two grown daughters of his own from a previous marriage. So eleanor's mother, father, grandmother, and her beloved grandfather had all been divorced once or twice. Eleanor managed to break that pattern.
Eleanor was also exposed to the court system as a minor. Eleanor was raised by her "granny" and "grandpa" in Rock Falls, IL, from about the age of 3. Her mother was raising her baby boy, William, in the small town of Dixon, IL, about 10 miles east and upstream on the Rock River. When Eleanor's mother, Mildred, remarried following her divorce to Eleanor's father, Mildred petitioned the court to grant custody of Eleanor to Mildred. Both her mother and her "granny" were telling her to go in and tell the judge that she wanted to live with her mother. Eleanor refused and defied them both. Eleanor talked about how she tried to run up the courthouse stairways and would have to get past her mother on one side and her grandmother on the other. She chose to try and get past her grandmother, but the old woman was quick. But when Eleanor was taken into the courtroom, she exercised her right to choose and told the court that she wanted to continue living with her grandmother.
To the casual observer that didn't know Eleanor, this probably seems like a rash and immature decision. However, it made perfect sense to Eleanor and she explained it many times to her friends and those that listened, even as an adult, and up to her final years. Eleanor never regretted having made the choice and the court honored her wishes with a positive outcome for Eleanor. Eleanor had her neighbor & school friends in Rock Falls, and yet she could also visit her mother, brother, and her mother's current husband (Les Wickey), on the weekends. Eleanor wound up having close friends in both Rock Falls (where she went to High School), as well in Dixon, where her brother went to High School. Eleanor was raised by a doting grandmother and grandfather who remained married until "Sam" died around 1946 when Eleanor was about 16 years old. Granny and Eleanor continued to live in the big old former boarding house in Rock Falls that "granny" inherited from her third husband, Sam Lowry. Eleanor had many rooms to play in and enjoyed the company of her friends and neighbors that she had known since she was a toddler. And as a bonus, she could visit her younger brother, Bill, by riding her bike, taking the bus, or later driving a car over to Dixon to hang out with her brother, mother, and Bill's step-father, Les Wickey.
Eleanor also recounted how the Great Depression and even World War II barely affected her childhood. Sam Lowry had owned several city lots for his boarding house and chicken raising business on the south side of Rock Falls. Sam worked for a local manufacturing company sometimes, but his home was paid for and he was older and if he ran short of money, he would sell off a building lot from his property. Eleanor loved to recall the fruit & nut trees that grew in their yard. Sam Lowry liked to raise chickens and specialized in one particular breed.
Newspaper articles recount the "Most Unusual Fire" in Rock Falls History. Apparently it occurred when grandpa Sam was still married to his first wife, Jenny (?), and their two daughters were still young. Sam had a barn full of hay with a chicken brooder on the end of the barn. It was cold and there were something like 300 baby chicks that needed to be kept warm. The family had retired for the evening, but the mother got up to fetch water and happened to notice that the brooder had caught fire and was poised to set the barn ablaze!
Eleanor enjoyed living with her grandmother and grandfather. They were older and attentive and lived in a big old 8 room former boarding house owned by her grandfather. She adored and mimicked her grandfather, which sometimes prompted her grandmother to remark that she "followed him around like a puppy dog". Her grandfather was not a blood relative, but he was the third & final husband of her father's mother, and he had two grown daughters of his own from a previous marriage. So eleanor's mother, father, grandmother, and her beloved grandfather had all been divorced once or twice. Eleanor managed to break that pattern.
Eleanor was also exposed to the court system as a minor. Eleanor was raised by her "granny" and "grandpa" in Rock Falls, IL, from about the age of 3. Her mother was raising her baby boy, William, in the small town of Dixon, IL, about 10 miles east and upstream on the Rock River. When Eleanor's mother, Mildred, remarried following her divorce to Eleanor's father, Mildred petitioned the court to grant custody of Eleanor to Mildred. Both her mother and her "granny" were telling her to go in and tell the judge that she wanted to live with her mother. Eleanor refused and defied them both. Eleanor talked about how she tried to run up the courthouse stairways and would have to get past her mother on one side and her grandmother on the other. She chose to try and get past her grandmother, but the old woman was quick. But when Eleanor was taken into the courtroom, she exercised her right to choose and told the court that she wanted to continue living with her grandmother.
To the casual observer that didn't know Eleanor, this probably seems like a rash and immature decision. However, it made perfect sense to Eleanor and she explained it many times to her friends and those that listened, even as an adult, and up to her final years. Eleanor never regretted having made the choice and the court honored her wishes with a positive outcome for Eleanor. Eleanor had her neighbor & school friends in Rock Falls, and yet she could also visit her mother, brother, and her mother's current husband (Les Wickey), on the weekends. Eleanor wound up having close friends in both Rock Falls (where she went to High School), as well in Dixon, where her brother went to High School. Eleanor was raised by a doting grandmother and grandfather who remained married until "Sam" died around 1946 when Eleanor was about 16 years old. Granny and Eleanor continued to live in the big old former boarding house in Rock Falls that "granny" inherited from her third husband, Sam Lowry. Eleanor had many rooms to play in and enjoyed the company of her friends and neighbors that she had known since she was a toddler. And as a bonus, she could visit her younger brother, Bill, by riding her bike, taking the bus, or later driving a car over to Dixon to hang out with her brother, mother, and Bill's step-father, Les Wickey.
Eleanor also recounted how the Great Depression and even World War II barely affected her childhood. Sam Lowry had owned several city lots for his boarding house and chicken raising business on the south side of Rock Falls. Sam worked for a local manufacturing company sometimes, but his home was paid for and he was older and if he ran short of money, he would sell off a building lot from his property. Eleanor loved to recall the fruit & nut trees that grew in their yard. Sam Lowry liked to raise chickens and specialized in one particular breed.
Newspaper articles recount the "Most Unusual Fire" in Rock Falls History. Apparently it occurred when grandpa Sam was still married to his first wife, Jenny (?), and their two daughters were still young. Sam had a barn full of hay with a chicken brooder on the end of the barn. It was cold and there were something like 300 baby chicks that needed to be kept warm. The family had retired for the evening, but the mother got up to fetch water and happened to notice that the brooder had caught fire and was poised to set the barn ablaze!
Eleanor Campbell took pride in the fact that she was married only once and that she had broken the pattern of her mother, who married twice, and her paternal grandmother, who had married three times. Eleanor was particularly close to her paternal grandmother, Mary STRONG, and Mary's third & final husband. Eleanor was born at the start of the Great Depression and her parents divorced a year or two after the birth of Eleanor's youngest brother, Charles. The divorce left the baby boy to be raised by his mother, while custody of Eleanor was given to her father and he had her live with his mother in the nearby town of Rock Falls, Illinois
Eleanor enjoyed living with her grandmother and grandfather. They were older and attentive and lived in a big old 8 room former boarding house owned by her grandfather. She adored and mimicked her grandfather, which sometimes prompted her grandmother to remark that she "followed him around like a puppy dog". Her grandfather was not a blood relative, but he was the third & final husband of her father's mother, and he had two grown daughters of his own from a previous marriage. So eleanor's mother, father, grandmother, and her beloved grandfather had all been divorced once or twice. Eleanor managed to break that pattern.
Eleanor was also exposed to the court system as a minor. Eleanor was raised by her "granny" and "grandpa" in Rock Falls, IL, from about the age of 3. Her mother was raising her baby boy, William, in the small town of Dixon, IL, about 10 miles east and upstream on the Rock River. When Eleanor's mother, Mildred, remarried following her divorce to Eleanor's father, Mildred petitioned the court to grant custody of Eleanor to Mildred. Both her mother and her "granny" were telling her to go in and tell the judge that she wanted to live with her mother. Eleanor refused and defied them both. Eleanor talked about how she tried to run up the courthouse stairways and would have to get past her mother on one side and her grandmother on the other. She chose to try and get past her grandmother, but the old woman was quick. But when Eleanor was taken into the courtroom, she exercised her right to choose and told the court that she wanted to continue living with her grandmother.
To the casual observer that didn't know Eleanor, this probably seems like a rash and immature decision. However, it made perfect sense to Eleanor and she explained it many times to her friends and those that listened, even as an adult, and up to her final years. Eleanor never regretted having made the choice and the court honored her wishes with a positive outcome for Eleanor. Eleanor had her neighbor & school friends in Rock Falls, and yet she could also visit her mother, brother, and her mother's current husband (Les Wickey), on the weekends. Eleanor wound up having close friends in both Rock Falls (where she went to High School), as well in Dixon, where her brother went to High School. Eleanor was raised by a doting grandmother and grandfather who remained married until "Sam" died around 1946 when Eleanor was about 16 years old. Granny and Eleanor continued to live in the big old former boarding house in Rock Falls that "granny" inherited from her third husband, Sam Lowry. Eleanor had many rooms to play in and enjoyed the company of her friends and neighbors that she had known since she was a toddler. And as a bonus, she could visit her younger brother, Bill, by riding her bike, taking the bus, or later driving a car over to Dixon to hang out with her brother, mother, and Bill's step-father, Les Wickey.
Eleanor also recounted how the Great Depression and even World War II barely affected her childhood. Sam Lowry had owned several city lots for his boarding house and chicken raising business on the south side of Rock Falls. Sam worked for a local manufacturing company sometimes, but his home was paid for and he was older and if he ran short of money, he would sell off a building lot from his property. Eleanor loved to recall the fruit & nut trees that grew in their yard. Sam Lowry liked to raise chickens and specialized in one particular breed.
Newspaper articles recount the "Most Unusual Fire" in Rock Falls History. Apparently it occurred when grandpa Sam was still married to his first wife, Jenny (?), and their two daughters were still young. Sam had a barn full of hay with a chicken brooder on the end of the barn. It was cold and there were something like 300 baby chicks that needed to be kept warm. The family had retired for the evening, but the mother got up to fetch water and happened to notice that the brooder had caught fire and was poised to set the barn ablaze!
Eleanor enjoyed living with her grandmother and grandfather. They were older and attentive and lived in a big old 8 room former boarding house owned by her grandfather. She adored and mimicked her grandfather, which sometimes prompted her grandmother to remark that she "followed him around like a puppy dog". Her grandfather was not a blood relative, but he was the third & final husband of her father's mother, and he had two grown daughters of his own from a previous marriage. So eleanor's mother, father, grandmother, and her beloved grandfather had all been divorced once or twice. Eleanor managed to break that pattern.
Eleanor was also exposed to the court system as a minor. Eleanor was raised by her "granny" and "grandpa" in Rock Falls, IL, from about the age of 3. Her mother was raising her baby boy, William, in the small town of Dixon, IL, about 10 miles east and upstream on the Rock River. When Eleanor's mother, Mildred, remarried following her divorce to Eleanor's father, Mildred petitioned the court to grant custody of Eleanor to Mildred. Both her mother and her "granny" were telling her to go in and tell the judge that she wanted to live with her mother. Eleanor refused and defied them both. Eleanor talked about how she tried to run up the courthouse stairways and would have to get past her mother on one side and her grandmother on the other. She chose to try and get past her grandmother, but the old woman was quick. But when Eleanor was taken into the courtroom, she exercised her right to choose and told the court that she wanted to continue living with her grandmother.
To the casual observer that didn't know Eleanor, this probably seems like a rash and immature decision. However, it made perfect sense to Eleanor and she explained it many times to her friends and those that listened, even as an adult, and up to her final years. Eleanor never regretted having made the choice and the court honored her wishes with a positive outcome for Eleanor. Eleanor had her neighbor & school friends in Rock Falls, and yet she could also visit her mother, brother, and her mother's current husband (Les Wickey), on the weekends. Eleanor wound up having close friends in both Rock Falls (where she went to High School), as well in Dixon, where her brother went to High School. Eleanor was raised by a doting grandmother and grandfather who remained married until "Sam" died around 1946 when Eleanor was about 16 years old. Granny and Eleanor continued to live in the big old former boarding house in Rock Falls that "granny" inherited from her third husband, Sam Lowry. Eleanor had many rooms to play in and enjoyed the company of her friends and neighbors that she had known since she was a toddler. And as a bonus, she could visit her younger brother, Bill, by riding her bike, taking the bus, or later driving a car over to Dixon to hang out with her brother, mother, and Bill's step-father, Les Wickey.
Eleanor also recounted how the Great Depression and even World War II barely affected her childhood. Sam Lowry had owned several city lots for his boarding house and chicken raising business on the south side of Rock Falls. Sam worked for a local manufacturing company sometimes, but his home was paid for and he was older and if he ran short of money, he would sell off a building lot from his property. Eleanor loved to recall the fruit & nut trees that grew in their yard. Sam Lowry liked to raise chickens and specialized in one particular breed.
Newspaper articles recount the "Most Unusual Fire" in Rock Falls History. Apparently it occurred when grandpa Sam was still married to his first wife, Jenny (?), and their two daughters were still young. Sam had a barn full of hay with a chicken brooder on the end of the barn. It was cold and there were something like 300 baby chicks that needed to be kept warm. The family had retired for the evening, but the mother got up to fetch water and happened to notice that the brooder had caught fire and was poised to set the barn ablaze!
Inscription
CAMPBELL
Gravesite Details
Distinctive U-shaped marker wtih the CAMPBELL name on it a is directly east of the small parking area. Additional engraving will be accomplished pending the closing of her estate.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
