WWI - United War Work Drive - McLean County Illinois Genealogy & History

Visit the
National Genealogy Trails
Site

Visit the
Illinois Genealogy Trails
Site

WWI
United War Work Drive
McLean County, Illinois
(Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier)

The last great drive in which McLean County people took part in the war, aside from the fifth liberty loan, was what was called the United War Work, it being a joint fund raised for seven different humanitarian projects connected with the war.
The organizations participating in this fund were the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., the Knights of Columbus and the National Catholic War Council, the Jewish Welfare Board, The American Library Association, and the Salvation Army.
The quota first assigned to McLean county for this united fund was $111,000, but the drive came to pass just as the war ended, and it was seen that additional funds would be needed for the demobilization period, hence the county's quota was raised to $167,000. The drive began on Monday, November 11, 1918, the very day when the armistice was signed. It lasted a week, and resulted in the county more than reaching its quota.
H. O. Stone was general chairman of the drive, with a thorough organization in every precinct and township. The school children were organized all over the county into Victory Boys and Victory Girls clubs, and they took an important part in the campaign.
The result was a subscription of $168,652, or over $1,600 above the super-total of the quota.
The results by townships were as follows:
Dry Grove, $1,642;
Bloomington township, $2,047;
Dale, $2,726;
Anchor, $2,308;
Allin, $4,214;
Arrowsmith, $2,163;
Bellflower, $3,152;
city of Bloomington $61,400;
Blue Mound, $3,383;
Cropsey, $1,793;
Chenoa, $5,455;
Cheney's Grove, $4,356;
Danvers, $4,677;
Dawson, $2,476; Downs, $2,137;
Empire, $7,380;
Funk's Grove, $3,276;
Gridley $5,462;
Hudson, $1,269;
Lawndale, $1,863;
Lexington, $5,698;
Martin, $4,151;
Money Creek, $2,431;
Mt. Hope, $5,565;
Normal, $11,423;
Old Town, $1,091;
Randolph, $5,129;
Towanda, $3,784;
West, $2,349;
White Oak, $1,662;
Yates, $2,184.
The township of Empire did the remarkable feat of raising their entire quota of $7,370 in a single day, the first day of the campaign.
[McLean County, Illinois, in the World War, 1917-1918; by Edward E. Pierson & Jacob Louis Hasbrouck c 1921]

HOME