Editing Gilman, Illinois (section)

===Founding of Gilman===

Gilman was laid out in the fall of 1857 on land belonging to E.D. Hundley, Judge John Chamberlain (24 October 1803 – 16 December 1866), and three [[Methodist]] ministers: Walter C. Palmer, Joseph Hartwell, and John Dempster. Hundley, who was from [[Virginia]], left Illinois for the [[Confederate States of America|South]] at the outbreak of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The three ministers, who had been given their land by Mr. Cassady of [[Danville, Illinois|Danville]], played no further role in the development of the town.

Judge Chamberlain was the man most responsible for the early growth of Gilman.<ref name="Beckwith 1880, p. 232">Beckwith 1880, p. 232.</ref> He was born in [[Charlestown, New Hampshire]], the son of a lawyer. Chamberlain had served in the [[New York Legislature]] and had moved to Iroquois County in 1853. He was elected judge, was active in county politics, and lived in [[Watseka, Illinois]].<ref>Beckwith 1880, p. 114.</ref> Chamberlain took as a partner Joseph Thomas ( ? -1858) from nearby [[Onarga, Illinois|Onarga]].

The town of Gilman was founded at the point where the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad would soon cross the [[Illinois Central Railroad]]. The Peoria and Oquawka became the [[Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway]]. In return for establishing a station at Gilman, [[Octave Chanute]], the chief engineer of the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad, asked for and was given one half of all the lots in the original town of Gilman. This was standard practice for the railroad and was done at [[El Paso, Illinois|El Paso]], [[Fairbury, Illinois|Fairbury]] and probably other new towns established along the route of the railroad. Town founders were aware that the lots were not personally for Chanute, but for the railroad company;<ref>Technically Cruger, Secor and Company gave a trust deed to Chanute who sold the property to A. J. Cropsey, who then sold it back to Chanute.</ref> Today Chanute is best known for his publications on aviation and for his assistance to the [[Wright brothers]]. Chanute was involved in the foundation of many towns along the railroad, usually in association with local individuals. Railroad companies in Illinois were forbidden to found towns themselves.<ref name="Beckwith 1880, p. 232"/>

Iroquois Democrats had wanted to name the town "Douglas", after the [[Stephen Douglas|Illinois senator]],<ref>Beckwith 1880, p. 245.</ref> but Cruger Secor and Company had been given the right to name the town and they decided to honor Samuel Gilman, a director of that company.<ref>{{cite book
  |title=Place Names of Illinois
  |publisher=University of Illinois Press
  |location=Urbana
  |year=2009
  |first=Edward
  |last=Callary
  |isbn=978-0-252-03356-8
  |page=136
}}</ref>