Farmer and long-time resident of New Berlin, Illinois. Thon recorded of deaths of local and public figures and significant local and national events that occurred between 1823 and 1945 in one line, handwritten entries. Entries include name, date and cause of death, location and age of the deceased. Dates of national significance include the death of presidents, the end of Prohibition, and the outbreak of war in Europe. Local incidents such as the Springfield race riot of 1908, severe weather, and the opening of businesses are recorded. Also included are records of the Thon family, and diagrams of the Wild Wood and Reynolds Coal Companies mines near New Berlin.