Although the heading on this postcard says "Humboldt Court," it is erroneously labeled. This is in fact a view of Hurlburt Court looking east from Milwaukee Avenue. To further confuse the identity of this street name, Hurlburt evolved from the surname Hurlbutt, a prominent Lake County family. The Reverend Samuel Hurlbutt was the first Methodist preacher to settle in Lake County, making his home in the Diamond Lake area with his wife Diantha. An article in The Industrial News from August 14, 1909 stated, "Rev. Samuel Hurlbut [sic], a Methodist, was the first in the field, while Indians still were in the country. He preached the Gospel under the trees, on the banks of the Desplaines, in the wilderness, in 1837." Samuel's son Henry was born in 1836. Henry S. Hurlbutt was a well-known resident of Libertyville who lived on South Milwaukee Avenue in his later years. He owned considerable property in Libertyville and in other parts of the county. A life-long resident of Lake County, Henry earlier resided in Waukegan where he was a partner of M.S. Kucker in a general store business on Genesse Street. For many years Henry's wife Caroline, who also had an interest in the retail business, ran a millinery shop on the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Church Street. Hurlburt Court was named in Henry's honor; it is unclear exactly when (but perhaps not why) the name evolved to a different spelling. As early as 1907 a Libertyville map lists the street name as Hurlburt Court. Henry died at the age of 88 on February 15, 1921. His obituary and cemetery records give his name as Hurlbutt. Caroline died in November of 1936 and her obituary gives her surname as Hurlburt. However, Caroline is buried in Ivanhoe Cemetery next to Henry and her tombstone matches his with the original spelling of Hurlbutt in the family plot.
Libertyville History
