The Zimmerman family lived in Harvel, Montgomery County, Illinois. It consisted of William J. and Mary Post Zimmerman and their 10 children J. Franklin, Arthur W., William K., Walter H., Ella M. Chase, Minnie Patterson, Mary McCarty, Anna Bunning, Frances Bunning, Ida W. McMechen (also known as Ida W. Lowe from a previous marriage), and Bertha Jeisy. William J. and Mary Zimmerman spent most of their life in Illinois as farmers. Their son J. Franklin, or Frank, went to Blackburn College and later went to the Klondike to seek his fortune in mining. His sisters, Ella M. Chase, Minnie Patterson, and Mary McCarty, followed him there, each getting married and settling in the area.
From the description of Zimmerman family papers, 1886-1933 (bulk 1900-1928). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122369289
