William Minor Jr

Interview Date: 11 March 2022

Bill Minor was born in 1941 to William D and Lillian (Fristoe) Minor Sr. He grew up in Brimfield, Illinois during the 1940s and 1950s. He attended Brimfield Grade and High Schools. In 1962 he married, Jana Miars. They lived and raised their family of four children in Brimfield. Bill’s dad, Bill Sr was a businessman in town and owned and operated Brimfield Motor Company. He sold Case Tractors, Dodge vehicles and Parker wagons during the 1940s until his retirement in 1973. Bill Jr worked in his father’s business from high school until his father’s retirement. He went on to work for Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, IL and Waste Management Corp., Oak Brook, IL. Bill Jr. talks about growing up in Brimfield and life around town and his father’s business.

Introduction 
01:33 Origin Story – Birth and Parents 
03:58 Cady’s Grocery Store 
10:36 School Days 
18:08 Old Settlers 
22:12 Dungan Auto Sales 
35:07: World War II – Draft and Service 
44:18 Brimfield Motor Company 
55:53 Brimfield Volunteer Fire Department

William “Bill” Minor, Sr 
Lillian (Fristoe) Minor 
Cady’s Grocery Store 
Kaiser-Frazer cars 
Lucky’s Grill 
Exchange State Bank 
Hal Cady 
Brimfield Grade School 
Brimfield High School 
Dean Johnson 
Old Settlers 
John Dungan 
Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth automobiles 
Brimfield Public Library 
John R Minor, rural mail carrier 
Robert “Bob” Minor 
World War II 
Great Lakes Naval Base, Chicago, Illinois 
Navy Seabees 
Camp Parks, Shoemaker, Callifornia 
Galesburg, Illinois 
Case Tractors, Dodge trucks and Parker wagons 
Howard Towne 
Claude Merrill 
Jack Emery 
International Farm Equipment building 
Allis-Chalmers 
Firestone 
Bowman home 
Brimfield Tavern 
Fire phone 
Robert and Peggy (Johnson) Powers 
Brimfield Jail 

Interviewed by : Diane Minor

Interview Format : Zoom Video Interview with Slideshow Presentation

Total Time : 1:05:54

The interview is archived at the Brimfield Public Library District in Brimfield, Illinois.

The Brimfield Oral History Project is a long-term effort to record the stories of Brimfield’s past in the voices of those who remember and make these original sources available for generations to come. This collaboration is a partnership between the Brimfield Public Library District, the Brimfield Historical Society, and the Peoria County Genealogical Society.

Readers of interview transcripts, if available, should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word and that the interviewer, interviewee, and editors sought to preserve the interview as recorded. Brimfield Public Library District and project volunteers are not responsible for the factual accuracy of this interview, nor for the opinions expressed within.

© Brimfield Public Library District 2023

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