August Emmanuel Block was born March 5, 1837, In Province, Posen, Germany. His mother died when he was about 2 years of age. In May of 1855, at the age of 18 years he left Germany from Hamburg for America. The voyage on the sailing vessel lasted 7 weeks. He came by way of the St. Lawrence River, stopping at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he for the first time saw American Indians. Thence on to Detroit, MI from which he came west and crossed Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then on to Whitewater, Wisconsin. Here he worked on a farm for a while. He had relatives in Wisconsin by the name of Block. In the winter of 1855-1856 he came to Champaign, Illinois, and that winter worked on the Illinois Central Railroad south from Champaign, III, This was a severely cold winter with much snow. In 1857, his father, William Block, and the other members of his family came to America and settled south of Sidney, Illinois. On March 7, 1858, he was married to Charlotta Dorothea Klinger who had come over from Province Posen, Germany in 1857. In those early days ox teams were practically the only means of transportation, so the young couple walked from Sidney to Champaign where they were married by an English minister and August's half brother, Fred Block and wife Cristina, who lived in Champaign were witnesses. In their early married life they lived near Sidney, III., and later at Oconee, III., where he again worked on the Illinois Central Railroad. They returned to Sidney early in 1860 and located on a farm of 40 acres in Section 33, town 18, Range 10, which he had purchased from his father. Here they built their first home. Crude as it was, yet it answered the purpose for a time. Later he purchased 40 acres in the northwest corner of the same section, one-half mile west of the original forty. And still later he and his half-brother, John F. Block, purchased in partnership 40 acres across the road from his home. This acreage was in Section 28, on the north side of the road. This land was afterward divided and he received the East 20 acres. By the time of his death, through thrift and industry he had acquired quite a sizeable acreage of land. During the intervening years, he and his wife, being industrious, farmed both their own and rented land. And as their original buildings weren't sufficient for their increased requirements, a new and larger barn was built in 1874 - and a new, larger, and more comfortable house in 1876. This home, located 3 miles south of Sidney, III., was bounded on the west and south by a beautiful orchard, making this a beautiful and desirable home. All of their children were born here except the first two. August E. Block was one of the founders of the neighborhood church (St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church). Now this same church is known as The United Church of Christ. August E. Block was one of the trustees for a number of years. In the year 1884 he and his wife donated an acre of land to the church and the present church building was built the same year. It is locally known as the Block Church. In March, 1897, August and Charlotta Block retired from farming after selling their farming equipment in a private sale. They moved to Sidney into a home they had previously purchased and continued to live there for some time. Charlotta passed away in Sidney on April 19, 1913. August passed away June 3, 1919, at the home of his daughter Martha Block Hartzig -- three miles from his farm home. (Taken from notes written by Ella Malinda (nee Block) Erb in 1962.)