| 
               
                | 
 Mrs. Dora Estell (maiden name Derrickson) 
                    and Mr. William Estell. Mr. Estell was a janitor at the Mattoon 
                    Public Library. |   
                | 
 Harold Gray of Mattoon, IL. |   
                | 
 Emelda Elaine Estell at her 1992 Tulane University 
                    Law School graduation. Daughter of Mr. Harry E. Estell and 
                    a graduate of EIU. |   
                | 
 Left to right, Murriel, Henry Clamase, Ralph 
                    Smith Sr., and Joe Hopgood Sr. in their service uniforms. |   
                | 
 Dr. Carlotta Freeman (Daughter of Dr. Thomas 
                    & Clarice Freeman) |     
                | 
 Claire Derrickson and Elza Derrickson, both 
                    of Mattoon, Illinois, c. 1980. |      |   Much of the information recorded here has been 
              pieced together from scattered fragments. For the most part, the 
              African American population in Coles County has remained very small 
              in relation to their white counterparts. African American population 
              in the county has been between 0.3% in 1840 and 2.3% in 2000 (See 
              Table 1 below).   
              
                | Table 1 |  
                | Census of Coles County, 
                  1840 - 2000* |  
                | 
                     
                      | Census Year | County Population | Black Population | % Blacks |  |  
                | 
                     
                      | 1840 | 9,616 | 33 | 0.3 |   
                      | 1850 | 9,335 | 36 | 0.4 |   
                      | 1860 | 14,203 | 29 | 0.2 |   
                      | 1870 | 25,235 | 220 | 0.9 |   
                      | 1880 | 27,042 | 276 | 1.0 |   
                      | 1890 | 30,093 | 284 | 0.9 |   
                      | 1900 | 34,146 | 299 | 0.9 |   
                      | 1910 | 34,517 | 201 | 0.6 |   
                      | 1920 | 35,108 | 213 | 0.6 |   
                      | 1930 | 37,315 | 179 | 0.5 |   
                      | 1940 | 38,470 | 170 | 0.4 |   
                      | 1950 | 40,328 | 176 | 0.4 |   
                      | 1960 | 42,860 | 203 | 0.5 |   
                      | 1970 | 47,815 | 303 | 0.6 |   
                      | 1980 | 52,260 | 883** | 1.7 |   
                      | 1990 | 51,649 | 925 | 1.8 |   
                      | 2000 | 53,196 | 1,215 | 2.3 |  |   
                | 
                    Source: Foster and Eckert, "Up From 
                      the Grave..," p.24.*1840 from Sixth Census of the United 
                      States, 18401850 - 1870 from Ninth Census of the United 
                      States, 1870.1880 from Tenth Census of the United States, 
                      1880.1890 from Compendium of the Eleventh Census, 
                      1890.1900 - 1990 from <http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt>2000 from the twenty-second census of 
                      the United States, 2000.**This marked increase (beginning in 1980) 
                      reflects the efforts of a regional, public university to 
                      recruit minority students which the Census enumerates as 
                      part of the county's population.  
                    
                   |      |