Jesse W. Fell was a Bloomington, IL businessman and landowner. He is also known for founding of Illinois State University as well as many communities throughout Central Illinois. His family was very socially active in the Bloomington area. His daughter Fannie Fell set up the Fell Estates Trust that would benefit the descendants of Jesse Fell.
This collection contains legal documents pertaining to the Fell Estates Trust, including real estate documents pertaining to holdings in Normal, Illinois and LaPorte County, Indiana. There is also significant documentation regarding Block 12, First edition to Normal that would eventually be sold to be used for veterans following WWII. The collection contains 3 scrapbooks consisting of newspaper articles from many different sources pertaining to the Fell Family as well as current events of the area and the country from 1874 to 1892. The large brown scrapbook also contains a section dedicated to published poetry of the era. Also contained are memorabilia belonging to Fannie Fell and a copy of a letter to Jesse Fell from Abraham Lincoln.