Lake County, Illinois - Land owned by:
John and sons William D. and Benjamin F. PORTEOUS

These are the three townships in Lake County, Illinois where my Porteous and Vamplew families bought land. (1) is Fremont, (2) is Avon, (3) is Libertyville. Fremont is the main Township settled.

Great grandfather John PORTEOUS and family emigrated to Lake County on the advice of his wife's uncle John Rouse who had settled in Libertyville Township as early as 1850. He had purchased land as early as 1843. Libertyville Township (3) disects Rockefeller (now Mundelein). The purple dots closest together point out approx. location of WD Porteous and John Rouse properties. The purple dot closest to the "60" is approximately where the Midlothian house was located.

Great grandparents John and Mary Ann were the first to emigrate in the PORTAS/PORTUS family that I know of. John's father William Dennis and mother Elizabeth along with his sister and nephew emigrated to USA in 1875, settling in Kansas around 1878. Mary Ann's brothers Henry, James, and John Rouse VAMPLEW would eventually follow.

John and Mary Ann rented a house on
Maple Ave. in Rockefeller (now Mundelein), Fremont Twsp, Lake County, Illinois (1)... they would stay in that house (yellow house image) until their home was ready on Midlothian Rd., west of Diamond Lake. The house and barn on Maple Ave. are still there. I think uncle John Rouse was responsible for the occupation of this house for John and family. I know he was for Mary Ann's brother, Henry Vamplew when he and his family needed a place to live.

There was about 40 acres purchased on what is now Midlothian Rd. just west of Diamond Lake. Still in Fremont Township, the property would evenually be split between John and his son Benjamin Franklin, shown on the 1915 plot map.

The homestead house isn't there any longer. Aunt Mildred and Frank built a house on that property in the 1950s. When Mildred died, the land was sold. The satellite picture shows what is left of that property. The house was on the north side of the property. I drew a blue frame around what I judge could have been the full 40 acres.

The green patch of field is Quig's orchard which has just recently been sold for development. I suspect Ben sold off his 20 acres to Quig years ago. Ben built a house next door to my grandparents/his brother William D. on 14 Maple Ave. across from the yellow house! I was always told that my grandfather help build the house next door.

There is development all around the property and as of Nov. 2005, a senior citizen home is planned to be built on the property. I took the opportunity to go by the property and took pictures.


Copyright 2005 Karen Porteous Glass. All rights reserved. Contact

Satellite pictures are screen shots from Google Maps.


Yellow outline on the 1915 plot map of Lake County shows where John and Benjamin owned 20 acres each on Midlothian Rd. John owned half on east. See the satellite image below. You can almost see the division. (The full map is hanging on the wall in the Genealogy Room at the Fremont Library, Mundelein.)


Homestead property on Midlothian Rd., near Diamond Lake.

Property where John and Mary Ann's homestead was. There is nothing left on the property. All was demolished in preperation for a senior citizens home. All I found was some dumping by locals who have no sense of value.

John and Mary Ann's homestead.
Here is the back side of the house on Midlothian Rd. I now must search for the front side of the house. Mary Ann and John are pictured here. Circa 1880?

(Image contributed by Evalyn Mikes.)


"B" My car is parked in the driveway which would have been next to my grandparent's home at 14 Maple Ave. When I lived there the address was 126 W. Maple Ave. A few of the maple trees planted by my grandfather Will are still there.


The red lines border each piece of property near the corners of Maple Ave. (Rt. 176) and Lake St. (Rt. 45)

"A" is approximate area of the John and Matilda Rouse' second home and farm. The red dot below the "A" is approx. location of their "Big House."


Lincoln School in 2005 and in 1897. In the 2005 image, the bellfry has been taken down and the windows have been replaced. The 1897 image shows the bell fry. I think the original structure had four rooms.

Several additions including a gymnasium were added in the years that followed. I was in the last 8th grade class - graduating spring 1959. Living next door, I couldn't play hookey if I wanted to. In the early 1970s there was remodelling done and one of the workers found my father's name and a date inside a wall. I think my grandfather or Vamplew uncles may have had a hand in building the school.

I don't think the building is being used as a school anymore.

Rouse home on Lake St., Rockefeller (now Mundelein), Illinois

The top two images below are of the first house owned by John and Matilda. The original house had been damaged by fire and has since been rebuilt to what it is today. The color image is how house looks now, is a two flat and has been somewhat remodeled but basically the same.

The black and whitel images are of the second house owned by John and Matilda. John's "Big House" as he called it. According to the Rouse Family History ...In the early 1880s Matilda received an inheritance... soon after receiving the money, John purchased the property north of the original farm. The land boundaries were west of Lake Street, north from Division to Park, and 150 feet west of Prairie Street. The house had 15 rooms with 10 ft ceilings. It had the first bath tub in the area. The tub was made of wood and lined with copper, but had no running water. Water was heated on the stove and carried to the tub then poured into a cistern holding tank that supplied the tub.

(The bottom left image is from the 75th Anniversary Book for Mundelein. The color image was taken by me. Other images contributed by Sanley Rouse.)


"B" WD. Porteous home on Maple Ave. The orchard is in bloom; chickens run free in the yard; Aunt Violet pictured in foreground. This picture was taken about 1910. The Lincoln school and bell tower is seen on the left.

Hidden in amongst some overgrown bushes is the remains of Aunt Mildred's rock garden. Most of these rocks came from the foundation of the old house below.

Property on Maple Ave., Rockefeller (now Mundelein), Illinois


This is the backside view of the house I grew up in... (center) the two-story white house on Maple Ave looking south with the barn in the back and a shed next to it. You can clearly see Lincoln School next to family house on the west. Across the street is the little yellow house pine trees in front. My grandparents, William D. and Carrie I. Porteous, moved in as newly weds in 1896. This picture was taken around 1900 – Uncle Ben's house isn't there on the east side.


"C" Benjamin F. Porteous home next to my family home on Maple Ave. Ben is John and Mary Ann's youngest son.


"D" The house where John and Mary Ann Porteous rented until their house on Midlotian Rd. was built and ready. Mary Ann's brother Henry Vamplew family would live here after the Porteous family moved.

"E" Georgiana [Porteous] Small home on Morris Ave. near Maple Ave. Georgiana is John and Mary Ann's oldest surviving daughter. She married Clement Small.