Editor’s Note: At 19, William Parish, Sr. travelled from Naples, New York by way of the “Strap Railroad,” the Erie Canal, a lake steamer to Chicago and overland. When he arrived in Momence, Illinois 18 days later in 1842, he found Momence had one log house, no stores and Chicago as its nearest trading point. The Momence Progress-Reporter Newspaper celebrated the 150th Anniversary of its 1834 founding with a series of articles, including this one dealing with the Parishes, one of the earliest families to settle in Momence. Located only an hour’s drive and 50 miles south of Chicago, the family organized the Parish Bank in Momence and over the generations they lived and prospered there, in Texas and the Chicago area.

1984-03-15 Parish Family Featured in 150th Anniversary of Momence, Illinois Founding (Sesquicenntinial News, Momence, Illinois Progress Reporter)