Father Harrison: Snapshots of Brimfield and Its People

Interview Date: Recordings made from 1935 and 1950

Father Thomas Harrison was the priest at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Brimfield, Illinois from 1931–1968. He had a movie camera and filmed events and people around town in addition to church activities. The recordings seem to start around 1935 and go through 1950. The original movies had no sound; only moving pictures. The individual reels of film were put together, likely by Willard Hasselbacher, and a group of local people met to include a narration with identification of events, places, and people. The finished video was put on a CD for distribution to local people.

There are many service men and women from World War II who were filmed in their uniforms and with their families. A few of them died in service to their country. This is possibly one of the last glimpses of them that exist.

Below is a time stamp for this two-hour film. The newly added audio is not of high quality so there are certainly names that are inaudible and not included below. There are likely spelling issues with names and places. When searching for names, places, and dates use spelling variations if needed. The quality of the images is also poor and in some cases is too dark to identify the location, time period, or people.

Time Stamp for major topics

00:00 Introduction

Willard Hasselbacher, Jean Marie Davis, Mary Kathryn (Maher) Sloan, Jack Sloan, Sharon (Sloan) Rozene, Jack Rozene, Rita (Cahill) Reinhart, Wilson Reinhart.

7:04 – 9:20 Story with Jean Marie Davis and Jack Welch

9:34 – 10:18 Willard Hasselbacher and Jack Welch

10:20 – 13:09 1935 – Sledding Out in Finnigan’s Hill [likely today’s Jubilee-Princeville Road]

13:11 – 17:53 More Sledding (Maybe Bradley Park in Peoria, Illinois)

17:55 – 22:42 Brimfield Centennial 1936

18:16 “Mrs. Miller”

18:24 “Gladys Harms”

18:26 “[?] Cady”

18:27 “Roberta Bowman”

18:28 “Janet Tully”

18:30 Lunch Stand

18:45 “Carrie Coon”

18:55 – 19:12 Carnival rides [Were these the Pembrel rides??]

19:13 – 19:18 House behind rides [Was this the Johnson house?]

19:15 – 19:37 Spectators

19:38 – 19:45 Band

19:46 – 19:47 Spectators

19:48 – 19:49 Old Grade School

19:50 – 19:59 Baseball Game

20:00 – 20:06 Carnival rides

20:10 – 20:12 Old House now gone – “Hindel place” [spelling??]

20:13 – 20:23 Baseball Game

20:24 – 20:30 Unknown speaker

20:31 – 20:40 Dean Johnson;

20:41 – 20:52 Frank Clark in the back;

20:53 – 21:03 Three unidentified men

21:05 – 21:20 More baseball game

21:23 – 21:33 People watching baseball game

21:35 – 21:47 More baseball game

21:48 – 21:57 People watching baseball game

21:58 – 22:10 Musicians from band

22:11 – 22:42 Fireworks

22:43 – 23:54 Parade in Front of Community Building [corner of Galena Avenue and Clay Street

23:53 – 23:54 Dean Johnson

23:55 – 24:36 Flowers and trees

24:37 – 25:19 Lions Club Certificate

Names on Certificate – John H Dungan, Max M Hayes, Rev Thomas Harrison, Dean H Johnson, Floyd E King, B. B. Kor[????]y[??], Robert Miars, [?] McCoy, David [?] todd, Kenneth G Wat[????], J. C. [Welch?] M.D., William F Woodrow, J. [?] Zern, [2 unreadable names), Earl [unreadable last name], John R. Powers, Roy B. Roberts [Doctor], David [?] Tod[d], Kenneth G W[????], J. [?.] [unknown last name], William F [unknown last name]

Names read by narrator not shown on certificate – Frank Clark, M.R. Clark

25:20 – 26:28 Lions Club members in attendance

Doc Welch, Leo McKown, M.R. Clark, Joe McCoy (Parkside Café), John Dungan, Max Hayes, Father Harrison [holding certificate]

26:29 – 27:17 Train and weed cutting

27:18 – 30:31 Brimfield Fire Department demo at Community Building

Glen Shane, [?] Cambell (fire chief), Bill Harding, George Sollenberger, Andy Cecil, “Scout”, Glen Shane, Clint Kern

30:32 – 31:20 Processional [likely in front of Catholic Church]

Coach [?], Leland Pacey, Dean Johnson, M. R. Clark, Frank Clark, Jack Sloan (alter boy), Earl Lottman (alter boy); Legion members – Elwood [?], Mitch Pacey, Donald Best, Bill Harding (Mayor), Dora Maher, Frances Carroll

31:23 – 33:24 Servicemen

Levar Day [serviceman carrying flag], Joe Carroll, Bud McDonough, Willard “Woody” Blundy, Levar Day, Walter Mulvaney, Paul Mulvaney, Margaret Reinhart, Andy Flynn, Eugene “Lefty” Coyle

33:25 – 34:23 Wedding

Bertha Marks

34:24 – 35:55 Servicemen

Keith Savage, Rudolph Arnold, Irene Bowman, Bernard Cluskey, Donald Cluskey, Jackson Reed (Ruth Reed’s brother), Jim Reed, Sarah Reed, Ralph Brazer[?]

35:56 – 36:00 High School

Marrietta Edwards, Teresa Ann Day, Mildred McDonough, Ruth Ann Maher

36:01 – 36:38 Old Catholic Church

Eddie Meegan

36:40 – 36:56 Downtown Brimfield (Dungan Auto in background, old post office)

Stu Cady, Mr. Niekirk,

36:57 – 37:30 Old Catholic Church and Parsonage

Rod Cahill, Robert “Bob” Best (husband of Mary (Miars) Best).

37:31 – 37:37 Sunset

37:37 – 38:43 Servicemen

Joe, Ri[????] and his father; Godfrey Luthy and his dog; Orville Hasselbacher; Keith Arnold

38:44 – 39:10 Friends of Father Harrison in front of church

Vern Arbor

39:11 – 40:00 Arbor Johnson and Roslyn Rohman – Wedding at Catholic Church

Roberta Bowman and her father, Hugh Bowman, Margaret Bowman, Mrs. Bowman; Bride and Groom – Arbor Johnson and Roslyn Rohman; Frank Clark, Dean and Florence Johnson, Mr and Mrs Joe Raddleback

40:01 – 40:20 Harold Sollenberger (in front of McKown restaurant in downtown Brimfield)

40:30 – 40:34 [?] Rogers

40:38 – 41:10 Dr Zern and his son and wife

41:12 – 41:28 Cooney Klein and Cooney Klein (father and son)

41:29 – 42:25 War Bonds Sales Drive – downtown Brimfield, north side of Knoxville; Mildren Pacey, Frank Slayton, Lute McKown

42:26 – 42:43 John LaFollette

42:44 – 43:00 Curtis Reents (younger brother of Alice Reents)

43:01 – 43:20 John, Florence and Donald Cluskey (by Catholic Church)

43:22 – 43:45 Dick Savage by Union Church (brother of Keith Savage), Rudolph Savage

43:47 – 43:52 George Edwards (killed on D-Day)

43:53 – 44:25 Legion Men with Flags –

Velde Johnson, Mayor Harding, Woody Fusner, Reed Blundy

44:27 – 44:49 3 Boys Drinking Root Beer – Jack Welch

44:40 – 45:00 Horse and carriage

45:01 – 45:36 Servicemen, Harold Fusner and family

45:37 – 47:12 Servicemen –

Clark Edwards, John Babcock and his father; Woods, Walter McCoy; Harv Coon;

47:13 – 48:53 Father Ferrell; Thomas Day, Teresa Day, Bill Day, Irene and Clinton Day; Walter Maher, Evelyn Maher, Mrs. Welch

48:54 – 50:20 Clarence Luthy, Erlene (Reinhart) Luthy, Don Sollenberger, Joe Blundy, Berniece (Bragg) and Joe Blundy

50:21 – 52:22 Hack Weber and family; Clare Arnold; Harold Cecil; Bob Harding and his wife; Johnny Blundy; Jimmy Farrell; Ruth Carson

52:23 – 53:20 John O’Toole, Flossie (Gilles) O’Toole and kids; Edmund Pete Lottman; Charles Carson and family

53:21 – 54:24 Chuck Wyman, Dewitt Wykoff, Margery Weber; Wilson Reinhart, Rita (Cahill) Reinhart and Tom Reinhart; Jack Welch;

54:25 – 56:24 Jerry Heinz, Dorothy (Rench) Heinz and daughters; Pete Talmadge (son of Julia and Grover Talmadge); Max Hayes and Virginia (Clark) Hayes; Rolland Cattan

56:25 – 58:01 Ruddy Arnold and Jack Davis; Donald Cluskey and Red Schmitt (Kickapoo); Wedding (likely in Peoria); rainbow

58:02 – 59:06 Unknown serviceman; Mrs. Welch, Pete Talmadge, Kathryn (mother) [believe her name was Julia and the sister was Kathryn]; Rudolph Tucker, Unknown Tucker

59:07 – 1:00:35 Union Church

Carlton Hargreaves, Fred Luthy; J. P. Murphy

1:00:35 – 1:01:22 Downtown Brimfield – unnamed people

Rudolph Tucker

1:01:23 – 1:02:08 Godfrey Luthy home on the “blacktop” south of Brimfield

1:01:09 – 1:02:26 Catholic Church with photo of flag raising at Iwo Jima –

1:02:27 – 1:03:37 Servicemen – Gene “Lefty” Coyle?; Ivan Nordwall; Jackson Reed and Shorty German

1:03:38 – 1:04:47 Betty Carson, Betty Donaldson, Gerald Cluskey, Rod Cahill, Doctor and Mrs. Welch; Dale Clark and unknown Geitner

1:04:48 – 1:05:09 Demonstration of clothes for cold weather military service

1:05:10 – 1:06:04 Don Maher; Floyd Frank and his mother holding photo of Stuart Frank who died in service

1:06:05 – 1:06:51 Unknown servicemen

1:06:52 – 1:08:15 Ray Gene Gilling[?] (POW); Dale Catton; Bill Archibald

1:08:16 – 1:09:50 WW II VE Day Parade in Downtown Brimfield; Ralph Carson

1:09:51 – 1:11:09 Family in front of Catholic Church; Archie Edwards; Carl Heinz (Kickapoo); Mrs. Cady and David Cady; Gerald Shane

1:11:10 – 1:12:38 Unknown couple, Earl Goudy; Wedding of Gerald Cluskey and Shirley Shaw, John Cluskey, Margaret Ann (Maher) Hasselbacher, Arlene Shaw

1:12:39 – 1:14:45 Clinton Kern, Barbara Johnson, Bernard German, Della Robbia statue in yard of Catholic Church rectory; Carl, Willard and Edwin Hasselbacher in front of bank.

1:14:46 – 1:15:32 Catholic Church processional, Godfrey Luthy

1:15:33 – 1:16:14 Unknown soldier; Wedding of Bernard Cluskey and Kathryn Talmadge, Virginia Hill, John Cluskey

1:16:15 – 1:17:37 Bob Reinhart (brother of Wilson Reinhart); Bob Cady, David Cady, Fred Johnson; Mary Jane Welch; Donald Cecil and wife Izzy[?]

1:17:38 – 1:19:26 Bob Knight; Friends of Father Harrison; Phillip Dell[?]; Kenny Miars [“Pete”], Johnny Baysinger, John Francis Kingdon, Everett Hasselbacher; Bob [?]

1:19:27 – 1:20:27 Bud Kingdon, Gus Rei[???]sus and family; three men unknown

1:20:28 – 1:21:16 Wedding of Barbara June Riggs and Rory Niehouse

1:21:17 – 1:21:33 Winter scenes

1:21:23 – 1:22:31 Donald Best, Mrs. Welch, Lube Clark (grandfather of Willard Clark); Mrs. Johnson; Mr Clinch[?]

1:22:32 – 1:23:48 Winter scenes

1:23:49 – 1:24:11 Yard scene

1:24:12 – 1:25:28 Williamsfield Catholic Church and people; Tom Flynn

1:25:29 – 1:26:03 Donald Best and his son, Dick Reinhart

1:26:04 – 1:26:58 Catholic Church processional [maybe First Communion) – Unknown Day, Ramona (McDonough) Heinz, Joan Lottman, Phyllis Porter

1:26:59 – 1:28:35 Acrobats and Juggling – Fred Tulley, Henry Tulley

1:28:36 – 1:30:16 Charlie Carson, Jane Pacey, banana day at Carson’s Market[?]; Ethel Memler [sister of Henrietta]; Red White [1:30:12; he’s in the middle of 3 men]; Chalmer Catton

1:30:17 – 1:32:28 Weddings – McCoy (bride); Bob Reinhart, Charlie Reinhart, Bob Wyman, Ralph Carson, [?] Reinhart; Herman and Ramona (McDonough) Heinz

1:32:29 – 1:33:57 First Communion class; Wedding – Donald Bridson and Bertha Reinhart

1:33:58 – 1:34:48 David and Dorothy (Fusner) Hasselbacher; Wedding

1:34:49 – 1:35:40 Catholic Church rectory and side yard;

1:35:41 – 1:37:26 First Communion class – Female Cox, Tom Miller; May Crowning

1:37:27 – 1:40:23 Catholic Church – Roland Lottman, Jack Welch, Rod Cahill, Gerald Cluskey; Father Harrison with boys and then as adults

1:40:24 – 1:41:51 Religious statues in garden; Windmills

1:41:52 – 1:44:05 First Communion classes – Jack Sloan, [?] Fusner, [?] Ibeck, Willodean Rinehart, Tommy Maher, [?] Lotman, Audrey Heinz, Helen McDonough, Dale Maher

1:44:06 – 1:46:34 To dark to identify people; Earl Lottman, Nellie Carroll, Sara Maher’s mother; Irene Bowman, Bernard German, Leo Shelkopf, Fred Carroll, Tom Maher, Frank Flynn, Bernadette Flynn, Jackson Reed

1:46:35 – 1:48:51 Cleaning of ground where the Cilco Plant was in 1980s – Frank Appleby, Albert Megan, Joe Carroll, Grandpa Sloan, Andy Sloan

1:48:52 – 1:50:00 Wedding – Minnie Coon and Jack Stear; Harvey Coon,

1:50:01 – 1:51:41 Merry Christmas; Inside of St Joseph’s Church with Christmas decorations

1:51:42 – 1:53:02 First Communion – Fred Carroll, Bob Cluskey, Girl O’Toole, Linda Bridson, Boy Porter, Boy Heinz, Boy Shelkopf, Boy Cahill, Fred Cluskey, Terry McCoy, Boy Carroll

1:53:03 – 1:54:11 First Communion – Shelkopf, McIntire, Gerald Carroll, Jean Maher, Fred Carroll Jr, Wilbur Cluskey

1:54:12 – 1:54:53 Wedding

1:54:54 – 1:55:41 First Communion – possibly in Williamsfield; Bernadette Flynn, Berniece Flynn, maybe Tom Flynn’s stepdaughters, Andy Flynn,

1:55:42 – 1:58:39 First Communion, New Catholic Church in Brimfield [ca. 1950], Tom Flynn, Dr Brawney’s children, Edith Megan, Father Harrison, Mary (Miars) Rammien, Mary Morrisey, Irene (Stenger) Carroll, Fabian Cahill, Pete Cahill, Tom Flynn

1:58:40 – 1:59:58 Inside of new/current Catholic Church [ca. 1950] with Christmas decorations

1:59:59 – 2:00:02 Children dancing

Topics Covered/Key Words

Interviewed by:

Interview Format: mp4 Video Recording from Original Film

Total Time : 2:00:02

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.

This interview and accompanying documents may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Brimfield Public Library District. However, the Fair Use criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials may not be deposited in other repositories or used for resale or commercial purposes without authorization from the Brimfield Public Library District Director.