William C., Margaret, & Mary Hallock, Orphan Train Riders

William C. Hallock wrote to the asylum in 1895 when he was 35 years old. He was still living on the property of his old guardian with his guardian's widow as well as his own wife and little son. He owned all the stock of the farm and was farming the property in Congerville, Woodford County. He was very proud of his accomplishments and his standing in Woodford County. He was sent to Illinois in 1866 at age 6 and lived with Josiah and Maria Moon, a farming family in Montgomery Township. He was born in Connecticut and appeared in the 1860 census in Killingly, Connecticut with his parents Moses and Edith Hallock and four sisters. Moses Hallock was a printer born either in Malta or Ireland per the census. Edith Cox Hallock was born either in Ohio or Ireland per varying reports. A family genealogy written in 1928 gives more information about the family.

In 1865 all the children of Moses and Edith Hallock were living not with their parents, but with an elderly couple of the name of Hallock in Massachusetts, possibly the grandparents of these children. It was one year after this that William C. Hallock was sent to Illinois via the orphan train.

There is also evidence that his sister Mary was also sent to Illinois. In 1897 Mary Hallock, the daughter of Moses and Edith Hallock, was married to Joseph L. Raines in Champaign, Illinois. The relationship is confirmed by the parentage of Mary in the marriage license. Mary and Joseph had a farm near Mahomet, Illinois and had one son: Jay. I would note that Mary Raines did not die in 1908 as suggested by the family genealogy -- She died April 11, 1911 of tuberculosis. Joseph Raines remarried and moved with three boys to Lansing, Michigan. He acquired those two additional boys after the death of his sister-in-law, Margaret Hallock.

Margaret Hallock (Maggie), the twin sister of Mary Hallock, was living in Bloomington, IL and working as a servant in the home of Edward Roe at the age of 13 in 1870. As seen in the family history, she married Jonas Lawrence of Downs (in 1876). He had come to McLean county in 1840 and had worked with Abram Brokaw as a blacksmith. Margaret died Aug 5, 1901 of tuberculosis, as her sister would ten years later. Jonas died in January of 1904 of typhoid. In February 1904 the four minor children named Lawrence were distributed among family members, two of them to their aunt, Minnie Raines, one to an uncle in Colorado and the fourth to Thomas Frawley. Those children were Jonas and Elbert, who appeared in the 1910 census with Joseph and Mary/Minnie Raines. They were the sons of Jonas (1838 - 1904) and Margaret Hallock (1857 - 1901) Lawrence of Downs, Illinois. In total, Margaret and Jonas had six children: Ray, Edith, Fay, Janie/Jean, Jonas and Elbert. Their oldest son, Ray, married Florence Dickinson in Piatt County, lived in Champaign and DeWitt, where he worked as a train conductor. Ray had a son and a daughter, Robert and Zella. Edith Lawrence married Omer Crowley and lived in Vermilion and Champaign after her marriage. She never had children.

What is truly ironic and shameful is that Moses Hallock, a printer born in Malta, appeared in the census in Chicago, Illinois in 1870, sans wife or children and lived there until his death as described in the family genealogy in 1878. The family history gives a false impression that Moses Hallock actually took responsibility for his children and that they came to Illinois through his efforts. Why Moses did not stay in New England where he might have had an opportunity to take on the responsibility of raising his children again is not known. As a printer he had far more opportunities of employment than did the average immigrant.

Sarah may have been sent West, but no trace of her could be found. Alice died of tuberculosis in Massachusetts in 1874. It is documented that all five of Moses Hallock's children were given into the care of the New York Juvenile Asylum.

William Hallock did have a son, but tragically his son Bertie died in 1825 of pneumonia without marrying or having children. Although the Hallock children had been separated at a young age and lived in different counties in Illinois, the two sisters, at least, had maintained contact and after the death of Margaret, the care of her children was shared by Mary Hallock Raines. William died in 1947 and was buried in Kansas, Woodford County, Illinois.