Many years ago, Fairbury had a Wells Fargo office on Locust Street.
A married couple often ran the Wells Fargo office for a few years. A few years ago, Ron Schlipf, a Fairbury resident, discovered a very interesting photo of the married couple that ran the Fairbury Wells Fargo office in 1914. This story traces this couple's fascinating life story before and after they ran the Wells Fargo office in Fairbury.
Marie Hankins was born north of Chatsworth on a farm on March 3, 1866. She was the daughter of Henry Hankins and Anna Franzen. Marie moved to Fairbury to live with her uncle's family when she was a young girl. Her uncle was Frank Franzen. Marie attended the Fairbury schools.
Marie married Fred Wright in 1891. He operated a billiard parlor in Fairbury. Fred and Marie Wright had two children: Daughter Avis E. Wright, born in 1893, and son James Fred Wright, born in 1903. Both children attended Fairbury schools. Avis had a pleasant and happy disposition and developed a large group of friends in Fairbury. Her brother James became a lawyer and worked in Chicago.
Herbert Eugene Woillard was born in Fairfield, Kentucky, in 1889. He was the son of Joseph P. and Lilly Woillard. Joseph Woillard emigrated from Belgium to Kentucky. H. E. Woillard came to Fairbury and was the Wells Fargo express agent.
Avis Wright met the new Wells Fargo express agent in Fairbury. In January 1913, at the age of 23, Herbert Woillard married Avis E. Wright. She was 19 years of age when she got married.
Herbert and Avis started their married life living in Fairbury. Avis helped him run the Fairbury Wells-Fargo office, which was located on Locust Street between Second and Third Streets, on the south side of Locust Street. Herbert joined the volunteer fire department. He was an excellent marksman and attended a shooting competition with Fairbury friends. Herbert and a group of men went to Chicago for the 1915 automobile race, and they worked at the track directing spectators around the track.
In 1915, H. E. Woillard resigned from his position as a Wells Fargo express agent in Fairbury. Herbert took a new job with the Hudson Automobile Company in St. Louis. Around this time, after just three years of marriage, Herbert and Avis divorced. They had no children. Avis moved to Chicago, where her brother James was a lawyer.
In early 1919, Avis came down from Chicago to Fairbury to visit her ailing father. A month after her visit, her father, Fred Wright, died at the age of 54. Mr. Wright was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Fairbury.
By 1920, Herbert Woillard married Edna Miller. Herbert and Edna moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Herbert and Edna never had any children. Mr. Woillard lived to be 91 years of age and died in Texas.
In 1921, Avis came down from Chicago and visited her mother in Fairbury. Mrs. Wright also traveled from Fairbury to visit her daughter Avis and her son James. Eventually, Mrs. Wright moved from Fairbury to Chicago, where her son, James Wright, was a lawyer.
In 1925, Avis married Joseph Harry Knee in Oregon. When they married, Avis was 32 years old, and Joseph was age 37. They eventually moved to the San Francisco area. After ten years of marriage, Mr. Knee died at the age of 47. Avis and Joseph had no children. Avis continued to live in the San Francisco area until she passed away in 1944.
Avis was just 50 years old when she died in San Francisco. The funeral home that handled her funeral noted the cause of death was "toxic degeneration of the liver." She was buried beside her second husband, Joseph Knee, in San Francisco. Because Avis grew up in Fairbury, the Blade newspaper published her obituary.
In 1913, Herbert Woillard and Avis Wright got married and had a bright future as Wells Fargo express agents in Fairbury. Herbert was a very active member of the Fairbury community during the three years he worked for Wells Fargo. He was a member of the Fairbury Volunteer Fire Department. It is interesting to see the many twists and turns that life took for Herbert and Avis after they divorced and both left Fairbury.
(Dale Maley's weekly history article on Fairbury News is sponsored by Dr. Charlene Aaron)
