Henry Boston, a well-known resident of this city, and who died last week, Thursday, was born February 18th, 1829 at Zaatzke, near Wittstock, Germany. Here he received his common school education and took the required preparatory course in religious educations for confirmation, which followed at the age of fourteen years, according to the rites of the German Evangelical Church of Germany.

Being 25 years old he left his native country and immigrated to this country in 1854 where he landed in New Orleans. Shortly after his arrival he was married to Miss Elizabeth Knack, who died his faithful wife about seven years ago. From New Orleans they moved to Galveston, Texas, where Mr. Boston found employment on a steamer. From here they changed their place of residence to Bloomington, Ill., where they lived for ten years.

After the elapse of this time they went on a farm near Bloomington having accumulated sufficient means. Mr. Boston purchased a farm five miles southeast of Minonk where he lived until he retired and moved to this city (Minonk) about thirteen years ago where he lived with his daughter, Lena, until his death which occurred last Thursday, August 19th at 6:15 p.m.

Mr. Boston had always enjoyed excellent health until about two years ago when he received severe injuries from a fall from which he did not fully recover and which indirectly caused his sickness prior to his death.

Mr. Boston reached an age of 80 years, 6 months and 1 day and leaves eleven children viz: Anna, Ida, Louis, Otto, Amelia, Lizzie, John, Fredrick, Edward, Henry and Lena.

Funeral services were held last Sunday beginning at the house at 1:30 and at St. Paul's Church at 2 o'clock. Rev. Theo. Kettelhut, pastor of St. Paul's German Evangelical congregation, of which the deceased had been an active member, conducted the services in German and English. Besides the many relatives, a large number of friends and former acquaintances attended the services. Interment was made at Minonk Cemetery. Pall bearers - John Wilhelms, C. Schlosser, Jacob Gerdes, G. Fischman, John Vissering, and Gus May.

Source: Minonk News; Minonk, Illinois, Thursday, August 26, 1909; Obtained at "The Fort" in Lexington, IL
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Born near Wittstock, Germany (Suggested: Zaatzke, Landkreis Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Brandenburg, Germany)
One Ancestry Family Tree lists his parents (Accuracy not guaranteed) as:
Father: Herman Henry Boston (1857–1942)
Mother: Caroline W Lena Niehaus (1863–1942)
Married Elizabeth Knack in 1855 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Father of: Anna, Ida, Louis, Otto, Amelia, Bertha, John, Frederick, Edward, Henry and Lena
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Zaatzke is 6 km NE of Heiligengrabe, 6 km NW of Wittstock/Dosse and 40 km NW of Neuruppin. Nearby villages are Wernikow Ausbau (N), Wernikow and Neu Biesen (NE), Biesen (E), Glienicke (SE), Liebenthal (S), Maulbeerwalde (SW), Könkendorf (W) and Blesendorf, Ganzow and Volkwig (NW). Zaatzke includes the municipality of Glienicke and the residential area of Volkwig.
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Henry was among the first of the early settlers of Minonk. Farmers sought good farmland, but some passed Illinois prairie thinking that if the land couldn't grow trees, it could not be good soil. This was some of the richest farmland in the world due to glacier activity and preservation by deep roots of 8 feet high prairie grass. Land was cheap and plentiful. With railroad in the area, marketing crops was relatively easy.

Many Germans in the area came from the Ost Friesland area of Germany in the extreme northwest corner of Germany bordering Holland. That area is flat farmland similar to the Minonk area. Immigrants would follow each other into the new world seeking areas similar to their homeland.

Many people contributed to the growth and development of Minonk. It became prosperous because of business leaders and many people such as coal miners who labored long hard hours to make Minonk into an industrious community. Minonk's character was shaped by people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds that set it apart from other small communities.

Those who live in town can only wonder what it was like to attend country schools with only one room and one teacher for eight grades. Students usually walked to school, took their lunches, listened to other classes recite, tried to warm in the winter and used outhouses. Minonk Township had seven country schools. One was near the Boston home, and the children would have attended there.

Source: https://www.minonktalk.com
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1870 United States Federal Census
Birth Year: abt 1828 in Prussia
Home in 1870: Minonk, Woodford, Illinois
Household Members:
Henry Boston 42 and Elizabeth Boston 36
* Anna 14, not listed for some reason
Ida Boston 12
Louis Boston 11
Otto Boston 9
Amelia 7
Berthe 5
John Boston 3
Frederich Boston 1
Baby Boston 2/12 [Edward]

Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 about Henry Boston
Location: Minonk, Woodford, Illinois, USA
Enumeration Date: 11 Jun 1870
Schedule Type: Agriculture
OS Page: 5; Line Number: 36

1880 United States Federal Census
Birth Year: abt 1829 in Brandenburg
Home in 1880: Minonk, Woodford, Illinois
Father's Birthplace: Brandenburg; Mother's Birthplace: Brandenburg
Household Members:
Henry Boston 51 (farmer) and Elizabeth Boston 45 (housekeeping)
Anna Boston 24 (works at home)
Ida Boston 22 (works at home)
Lewis Boston 21 (farmer)
Otto Boston 19 (farmer)
Mealy Boston 17 (works at home)
Rebecka Boston 15 (works at home)
John Boston 13 (at home)
Fredrick Boston 12
Edward Boston 10
Henry Boston 5
Lena Boston 1

1900 United States Federal Census
Birth Date: Feb 1830 in Germany
Home in 1900: 1 Locust St.; Minonk, Woodford, Illinois
Immigration Year: 1870; Years in US: 30; Naturalized ??? - Should be 1854
Marriage Year: 1855; Years Married: 45
Can Read and Write: Yes; Can Speak English: Yes
House Owned or Rented: Owned; Mortgage Free
Household Members:
Henry Bosten 70 (farmer) and Elizabeth Bosten 65
Henry Bosten 23
Lena Bosten 21
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Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999 (No date, so I don't know if this is him.)
Name: Henry Boston
Probate Place: Sangamon, Illinois, USA ???
Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA
Item Description: Probate Records, Book 8-9 1892-1895; Book 10, 1895-1899

COURT HOUSE NEWS (Probate Court)
Estate Henry Boston: John Boston, admr; inventory approved.
Woodford County Journal (Eureka, Illinois); 30 Sep 1909, Thu. Page 1
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United States of America, Southern District of Illinois
Be it Remembered, That on the 21st day of October A. D. 1856, before the Clerk of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Illinois, personally appeared Henry Boston who on Oath did declare that it was bona fide his intention to renounce all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State and Sovereignty whatever, and more particularly such allegiance and fidelity as he may is anywise owe the Queen of Great Britain either as a citizen or a subject, and to become a Citizen of the United States, and to locate himself for the present, in the County of Sangamon and State of Illinois, whereof he is now an inhabitant, that he does not now enjoy or possess, nor is he in anywise entitled to any order of distinction or title of mobility, by virtue of the laws, customs or regulations of the said Queen of Great Britain or any other country; and that he is sincerely attached to the principles contained in the Constitution of the United States, and well-disposed to the good order, well-being and happiness of the same; and desires that this his declaration may be accepted, filed and recorded, preparatory to his intended application to be admitted as a naturalized citizen of the United States, in conformity with the several acts of Congress heretofore passed on that subject.