George F. Heinz was born on 15 June 1862 in Kickapoo, Peoria
County, Illinois. He was the son of Andrew W. Heinz and Christina (Reed) Heinz.
He grew up in the Kickapoo community, where the Heinz and Reed families were
among the early settlers of the region.
In 1880, George was living in Kickapoo, unmarried, and listed as a son in the
household. He married Mary A. Heinz Becker in 1887 in Peoria County, Illinois.
Together they made their home in Kickapoo, where they raised their family and
remained active in the local farming community.
George experienced the loss of both parents during his adult life. His mother,
Christina, died on 11 June 1902 in Kickapoo, and his father, Andrew,
died on 22 May 1907 in Kickapoo Township. By 1920, George was recorded as the
head of household in Kickapoo, living with his wife Mary.
Mary died on 16 February 1938 in Kickapoo. George died the following
year on 31 January 1939 at the age of 76 in Kickapoo, Peoria County, Illinois. They are buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Kickapoo.
The 47-acre site on Route 150 that now serves as the Pringle Robotics
headquarters carries a deep agricultural legacy, having once been the farm of
George F. Heinz. As mentioned above, a descendant of German pioneers who
settled in Kickapoo Township in the mid-1800s, George F. Heinz managed the land
for decades, raising his family there alongside his wife, Mary Ann Becker.
Today, the property represents a unique bridge between Peoria’s history and its
future; while the fields once yielded traditional crops under the Heinz
family's care, they now house a high-tech "robotics hub" where
autonomous machines are assembled and tested, often within sight of the
original farm structures.
Also (as per Haven on The Farm) the property associated with the Heinz family
was first settled in 1838 by Samuel Dimon, one of the earliest settlers in the
area and the teacher at the first schoolhouse, which stood on the property.
After Dimon's death in 1880, the land passed through several owners before
being purchased by George F. Heinz in 1898. Over the years, the property was
divided and sold to various families, including the Cunningham, White, Dempsey,
Folkers, Danehy, Nelson, Schielein, and Weary families.
The Schielein family moved to White Acres Farm in 1954 and created many
memories of farm life with horses, ponies, cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens.
The original 1838 house was demolished in 1970 and replaced with a two-story
pink brick southern colonial home.
In November 2021, part of the property was purchased by Ashley Wurzer, whose
vision for Haven on the Farm was inspired by her own rural upbringing and
desire to share the peace of small-town living.
Sources and More:
Haven On The Farm
https://ejheinz.center/g1/p14.htm#i343
https://ejheinz.center/ti/George-F-Heinz-0300-0225.jpg
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment