Age: 77 years, 9 months, 12 days
ARTHUR GRAHAM
DOB: September 20, 1913
Beecher, Will County, IL, USA
DOD: July 2, 1991
Oak Forest, Cook County, IL, USA
Son of William S. and Ida (Leising) Graham
Brother to: Ruth E. (William C. Konow), Chester L., Lloyd E. (Gladys A. Erdman), William H. (Arlene Hopkins) and Martin Graham
Husband of Charlene Marilyn Saller, married November, 1945.
Father to: Susan Kay (Ronald L. Clausing), Charles Arthur (Susan G. unknown), Nancy (Jack Fenske) Graham.
November 22, 1945 “POPULAR COUPLE WED IN CHICAGO”
November 17, 1945
Miss Charlene Saller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Saller, and Mr. Arthur Graham, son of W.S. Graham, were united in marriage, Saturday afternoon, in a ceremony performed by Dr. Williamson, former pastor at Chicago Heights and of the Beecher Community Church, at the residence of the pastor in Chicago.
The bride was attired in gray with black accessories and carried a bouquet of mums and pom poms. The couple were attended by Miss Shirley Cooper, roommate of the bride, and Mr. Richard Hiatt.
Mr. Graham operates the Graham Service Station on the Dixie Highway, and his bride, a former student at the U. of Illinois, is at present employed in Chicago.
January 9, 1947 “ARTHUR GRAHAM APPOINTED TO TOWN COLLECTOR POST”
The Town Board met, Monday morning, and appointed Arthur Graham to fill the unexpired term of Mrs. Gertrude (Hack) Haltenhoff as Town Collector.
Graham will serve until the election in 1949. Actually he will make the collections, if the books are available for the next three years.
Mrs. Haltenhoff resigned when she moved to Chicago, last summer.
August 26, 1948 “GRAHAM PREPARING SERIES OF HISTORICAL ARTICLES”
Village Trustee Graham, since the discovery of the historic marker, site of the old Hubbard Trail, now known as the Dixie Highway, has in process of preparation an article or perhaps a series of articles touching on this historic trail. This will also include the trail known as the Ox Trail, which was in use long before the survey was run for the present Dixie Highway and which passed through approximately 20 rods west of the present highway. This, on the north side of the village, would be between the residences of Dr. H.H. Hiatt and Wm. Wiggenhauser. It crossed Indiana Street at a point where the present Catalpa Street is located. The trail wound its way through the prairie to Vincennes, Ind.
This article or series will appear in the Herald as soon as sufficient data has been collected. Anyone having any information on this old Hubbard Trail is kindly requested to get in touch with Mr. Graham. He will be glad to receive it and use it if possible.
Graham is also contemplating another project, the complete history of Beecher, which would be a valuable work, and would probably be coveted by many local citizens.
Editor’s note: no historical articles written by Arthur have been found to date
Editor’s note: 1965 Art worked hard for the improvement of the Beecher Community. He donated his personal labor to help install the two tennis courts in 1965 and offered the use of his private family in-ground swimming pool to give the Beecher community’s children swimming lessons. The swimming lessons were taught by his two daughters, Nancy and Sue, along with Yvonne Squire.
AUTHUR GRAHAM
Funeral services were held Saturday at Hack Chapel for Arthur Graham who died July 2, 1991, at Oak Forest Hospital in Oak Forest. The Rev. Kenneth Lueke officiated at the service. Entombment was at Beecher Mausoleum.
Arthur Graham was born Sept. 20, 1913, in Beecher. His parents were Ida (nee Leising) and William Graham. He was the owner operator of Graham Trucking for many years and served as trustee on the village board 20 years.
He is survived by one daughter, Susan Clausing, and one son Charles Graham, both of Beecher, eight grandchildren, and one brother, William Graham of Beecher.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Charlene; daughter, Nancy; three brothers and one sister.
Arthur’s family members also resting in the mausoleum are:
Wife: Charlene (Saller) Graham
Daughter: Nancy (Graham) Fenske
Father & Mother-in-law: Herbert C. Saller & Dorothy (Bahlman) Saller
Wife’s Grandparents: Charles H. Bahlman & Sophia M. (Schweer) Bahlman
Wife’s Great Uncle & Aunt: Henry F. Bahlman & Emma (Wehmhoefer) Bahlman
Wife’s Great Uncle & Aunt: John H. Bahlman & Anna L. (Wehrmann) Bahlman
Wife’s Great Aunt: Lena C. Bahlman
Wife’s Great Uncle: William F. Bahlman
Wife’s cousins 1x removed: Lillian (Bahlman) Wegert & Henry H. Wegert
Wife’s cousins 1x removed: Lora (Bahlman) Hinze & Arthur A. Hinze
Wife’s cousins 1x removed” Marguerite (Toleson) Bahlman & Henry W. Bahlman DDS
Wife’s cousin 1x removed: Carolyn M. Bahlman
Wife’s cousin 1x removed: Donald W. Bahlman
Wife’s cousins 1x removed: Ferne (Bahlman) Hildeman & William R. Hildeman
Other more distant family include: Batterman, Bergmeier, Beseke, Bielfeldt, Bohl, Cloidt, Dunlap, Engleking, Fick, Freerking, Frobose, Guritz, Hack, Hager, Haltenhof , Heine, Heldt, Hoffman, Hoppensteadt, Horn, Hunte, Kaczynski, Kappe, Kilborn, Kirchhoff, Klocksieben, Koch, Langreder, Leder, Maass, Matthias, Mc Carty, Meyer, Monk, Ohlendorf, Pansa, Peters, Pralle, Riley, Ristenpart, Rohe, Rust, Selk, Struve, Thielman, Vagt, Von Engeln, Wehmhoefer, Wiechen, Wilkening,
WILLIAM R. HILDEMAN
Husband of Ferne (Bahlman) Hildeman,
A World War II veteran, William R. Hildeman of Scottsdale, Arizona, died Sunday at St. James Hospital Medical Center.
Graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign. A member of THETA XI Fraternity.
Arthur Hack and Ethel Wehmhoefer were married Jan. 1, 1920 at St. Luke’s parsonage, Rev. G. Horst officiating. Mr. and Mrs. George Heiden were sponsors. Following the wedding the couple boarded a train for Chicago.
esteemed young people and their many friends wish them the best there is in their wedded life.
Arthur Hack has been named chairman of the local Community Chest drive. This effort to collect contributions for charitable organizations is an annual affair on a nation-wide basis. It provides a single unified opportunity for each individual to contribute to charity and provides a unified effort on the part of organizations which benefit from the collections.
The annual meeting of St. Luke’s Evangelical and Reformed Church was held Sunday after noon in the church parlors with the vice president Alfred Haseman presiding as chairman. Minutes of the previous meetings were read by Secretary Arthur Hack and the treasurer’s report was read by Howard Paul.
Family members and fiends of the community were saddened by the passing of Arthur Brands, last Wednesday afternoon, at the home of his sister, here in Beecher, and Arthur Hack, who died early last Thursday morning at Hazelcrest Hospital where he had been confined since returning from a Florida visit. Both Mr. Brands and Mr. Hack had been ill for some time.
Arthur Johann Heinrich Hack, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hack, was born June 8, 1896. He was baptized on August 23, 1896 by the Rev. Gustav Koch. He was confirmed in the Christian faith in St. Luke’s Church on April 9, 1911 by the Rev. Roth. His confirmation verse was Proverbs 23:26: “My son, give Me Thine Heart, and Let Thine Eyes Observe My Ways.”
Born January 17, 1897, in Carbon Cliff, Illinois, Mr. Gerhardt had been a resident of Beecher for 20 years and was superintendent of Beecher Schools for 16 years. From 1951-1954, he taught social science and acted as guidance director for the schools.
Announces That Schools Will Open Here On The Day After Labor Day
Since we are becoming road or highway conscious in Illinois, as well as education conscious, I want to comment on the excellent condition of the highways all over Wisconsin. There has been extensive improvements over a year ago, and the detours all over concrete or black top only indicate the fact that Wisconsin is doing a lot of road work. Even her off-roads are far better that our trunk lines. How can a poor state, relatively speaking, like Wisconsin be so progressive as far as all its highways, county as well as state, are concerned, and the richest state, with due apologies to California, be so hesitant to improving its highways much less building new ones? Perhaps we should not even mention our county roads at all. A year ago, in driving 600 miles of Wisconsin’s main highways and county roads, the writer hit only a few miles of bad roads, and it was awful. However, it was a stretch of highway passing a federal explosive storage area and the Federal Government had control of the upkeep of that strip of road.
Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. today for Paul Gerhardt, 57 an instructor and guidance director for Beecher Schools, who died Sunday morning at his home on Prairie Avenue in Beecher after a long illness.
secretary of Beecher Lodge 1087; president of the Beecher Community church board; a bible class instructor; a member of the Royal Neighbors of America; a member of Kappa Delta Phi and Phi Delta Kappa; and a member of the National Education Association and Illinois Education Association. He was a graduate of Augustana College and had received a master’s degree from the University of Illinois.
Two of Beecher’s young men have become full-fledged doctors, having received their “sheepskins” from the Bennett Medical College at Chicago at their graduation on last Monday. Ed. Hack, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hack, and Henry H. Wegert, brother of R.H. Wegert, our tonsorial artist, were the two who were honored. Both young men are well and favorably known, and their many friends will join us in wishing them success in their chosen professional vocation.
Dr. Edmund C. Hack, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hack of Beecher, was married, Wednesday afternoon, at 3:30 o’clock, to Miss Margaret Schwarz, at 2335 California Avenue, Chicago, Rev. Krohn, a Lutheran pastor, officiating.
Dr. Edmund C. Hack, 66, of 7147 Olcott Avenue, Hammond, Ind. died suddenly early Saturday morning, at St. Margaret’s Hospital there. Although ailing for some time with a heart condition, news of his death came as a shock to relatives and his many friends in this community.
About forty relatives and friends witnessed a very pretty home wedding, Saturday afternoon, at the residence of Mr. C.J. Hack, 1132 Emerald Ave, Chicago Heights, when at 5 o’clock, his daughter, Miss Rose, was united in holy wedlock with Asa Dunlap, Rev. H. Parkinson of the St. Ambrose Episcopal Church officiating.
1930 Census shows Asa J. as a veteran of WW1 , Branch of Service unconfirmed, but believed to be the Army 
Asa J. Dunlap, 60, of 18307 Oakwoods Avenue, Lansing, former Chicago Heights resident and theatre manager, died yesterday morning at St. Margaret’s Hospital, Hammond.
Asa Dunlap, 60 of 18307 Oakwood Ave., Lansing, died yesterday in St. Margaret hospital.
Meeting was called to order by Pres. Batterman.
One of the most outstanding citizens of this community peacefully passed into the great beyond, when Dr. Michael R. Miley closed his eyes in death, Sunday morning, at about 8 o’clock, at his home here. Due to advanced age, the doctor had been in failing health for some time, and for about a week before his death, he was unable to take nourishment. The end was imminent when he took to his bed, last Wednesday, and calmly awaited the final summons. He attained the age of 80 years, 2 months and one day. His sorrowing wife and daughters, Misses Alice and Olive were at the bedside. Another daughter, Bernice, (Mrs. A. Anderson), of Idaho was unable to attend the funeral. She visited her father during a recent illness, however, when she submitted to a blood transfusion in order to prolong his life.
and was united in marriage with Miss Emily Manz, a native of Wisconsin, October 14, 1899. This union was blessed with the three daughters, already mentioned, and a set of twins; Mary and Milton C, who died in infancy.
Many other improvements including the installation of a lighting system were introduced, and he advocated water works and sewer systems. Although he declined re-election at that time he served another term as head of the Board in later years and always maintained an active interest and persistent desire for a better Beecher. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years up to the time of his death.
The departed, Charles Beseke, was born April 15, 1870, one mile southwest of Beecher. On June 6, 1870, he was baptized in the name of the Triune God by Rev. Gotlieb Reinecke and thus received into the family of the children of God. Following a period of instruction in the great fundamentals of the Christian religion, he was confirmed by the Rev. G. Koch, March 31, 1895.
Eight more Washington Township boys have been called to the colors and went over to Joliet, yesterday, to make up a unit of 518 Will County men from class one, which will join Uncle Sam’s great army in the fight for a worldwide democracy. They are: Albert Hartman, Wm. Matthias, George Ostermeyer, Elmer Tatge, Albert Guritz, Louis Beseke, William Riechers and Louis Matthias.
Albert L. Hunte, oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hunte of this village, and Miss Vera Matthias, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Matthias of Chicago, were quietly married at 4 o’clock, Saturday afternoon, Oct. 2, at the parsonage of the Salem Evangelical Church, 6820 Emerald Avenue, Chicago, the Rev. Jos. A George officiating. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Bornhoeft, brother-in-law and sister of the bride, were the witnesses.
The deceased, Albert L Hunte, was born on a farm near Beecher, September 18, 1888. A few weeks later he was baptized in St. John’s Church by Rev. G Koch. Growing up in a fine Christian home, the training he thus received helped to prepare him for thorough religious instruction which culminated in his confirmation by the Rev. D Bierbaum, April 5, 1903. Following his graduation from the Beecher grammar school he continued his education at the university of Valparaiso, Indiana. Having learned carpentry under his father he, after the latter’s retirement from active work, became a contractor in his chosen work, erecting with his men many buildings in and around this locality. Not only did he become well known in this way, but also well liked by all who came in contact with him.
Those who deeply mourn his sudden death are his wife; mother, Mrs. Henry Hunte; his brothers, Carl and Herman; his parents-in-law; two sisters-in-law; one brother-in-law; and a large host of other relatives and friends.
Although not mentioned in Albert’s obituary, the symbol on his headstone indicates he was a member of the fraternal organization of Freemasons.