It Takes a Family to Raise a Village

The Historical Preservation Commission has received word that the pastor at Faith Assembly Church, on the corner of Main and Webster in Montgomery, will donate a cache of historical documents found in the church. 

These documents are from the time when the Montgomery Methodist Church occupied the building, and will add further insights into Montgomery’s history. The village has two volunteer archivists who are eagerly awaiting these papers and will be sharing their findings with us once they are sorted.

The history of the building dates back to the 1880s. Prior to building the church, circuit riders led the first worship meetings at the Montgomery Schoolhouse (a building located behind Jim Yard’s house on South River Street). A committee was formed to consider building a church in Montgomery, to be affiliated with the Wesley Methodist (then called the Galena Street Church) in Aurora.

The committee consisted of Rev. N. M. Stokes, Jeremiah Keck, Leander Keck, and Rufus Gray. The Kecks, having come here from the Mohawk Valley in New York in 1840, were most influential in the formation of the new church.

Jacob Keck and his wife, Nancy Cook Keck, were the parents of seven daughters and three sons. They brought all of them, including grandchildren and in-laws with them; 40 people in all. The seven husbands were John Staley, Hiram Bouder, James Stansel, John Fikes, George Fikes, Orville Van Fleet, and James Young. The sons were Jacob, Jr. Adam and John. 

They settled on heavily-timbered land where Boulder Hill is today. The family farm was located west of the Fox River along Blackberry Creek. Keck Cemetery was begun on Route 30 when Jacob Keck Jr. died a year after their arrival. Land for a school was also donated next to the cemetery.

It appears that the family had abundant financial resources to accomplish so much in such a short time, but even more than financial resources, they possessed a spirit of adventure, determination, and a strong faith in God. These qualities enabled them to prosper and leave a lasting mark on the community.

The Montgomery Methodist Church was one beneficiary of their leadership. Their names are prominent on the early church boards, as well as their many descendants. Leander Keck drove the team that broke the ground for the building, while Jim Yard held the plow. J. N. Staley and Adam Keck donated two rose windows. 

In 1901 the fourth annual reunion of the Keck family was held at Riverview Park in Montgomery. About 150 relatives attended. Rev. Adam Keck gave the welcome address. The officers for the coming year were elected and they included descendents W. E. Carpenter, Alonzo Stansel, O. L. Young, E. B. Wilsey and Minnie Wilsey. 

Included amongst the many surnames of people participating in the program were:  Keck, Peters, Cooney, Stansel, Vaughn, Holcomb, Aucutt, Remmers, and Young.  The oldest participant was Aaron Caselman and the youngest was Bertha VanSickle.

The descendants of these families have made many important contributions to the community as well as to the greater world outside. The early citizens of Montgomery had a great deal of respect for these founding families. Anyone who lived in Montgomery, whether members of the Methodist Church or not, was aware of the basic goodness of the families from the church who reached out to the greater community. 

Two outstanding women who dedicated their lives to the church and community earned the utmost admiration and respect. They were the Sampson sisters, Alice and Lorraine. 

Besides playing the organ, the sisters provided flowers for the altar, and laundered and pressed the altar cloths. They served on every church committee and chaperoned the youth group’s parties and outings.  One popular outing that was open to all young people in the community was a trip to the Plainfield roller-skating rink. 

Lorraine gave piano lessons to countless Montgomery children. The unlucky ones, who did not have a piano at home to practice on, were given cardboard keyboards. (I doubt if that seriously inspired anyone to learn to play the piano.) But the most important element in the lessons was probably the kindness and caring that went into the effort.

One secret to understanding early Montgomery lies in the family clusters that came together. Many were from Montgomery County in New York. They worked together with other families; their sons and daughters fell in love, married and created new families. 

A careful study of the names at the Keck family reunion tells the story. These were solid families and they shared common values. As the circle grew to include new people, the solid core has always been there to stabilize the community. It’s important to remember the past as we look ahead to the future.