The building was one of the early mansions in Canton. It was built in 1857 by Judge William Kellogg, who was a famous personality during the Civil War years. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln and compaigned for him during the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. It has been reported that Lincoln stayed in this house on the night of August 17, 1858, following a speech in front of the courthouse in Lewistown, where Judge Kellogg also made a speech following Lincoln's address and invited him to stay in his newly built home before continuing to Peoria the following day.

In 1864 the home was purchased by William Parlin and his wife, Caroline Orendorff Parlin, who was the founder of the agricultural implement factory known as the P&O Company, later known as the International Harvester Company.

In 1927 the home was bought from the Parlin Estate by John L. Murphy, from whom the name Murphy Memorial Home originated.

In 1946 the funeral home was purchased by Ralph J. Sedgwick. His son, Richard Sedgwick, joined the business in 1972. Richards son, Ralph P. Sedgwick, joined the family business in 1994 and is currently the owner. The business is now known as Murphy-Sedgwick Memorial Home.

Although the home has been remodeled several times, the original identity of the house has been preserved. Features such as the walnut staircase, high ceilings and bay windows date back to the elegance of yester years.

J.C. Cowser began serving the Farmington community on December 11, 1912. Thomas Herschel Anderson began his apprenticeship under Cowser in 1918 and went on to purchase the undertaking business from Cowser on April 1, 1936.

The Frank Vandersloot home at 341 East Fort Street in Farminton was purchased by James Anderson in 1936 and became the Anderson Funeral Home. The home's original beauty is reflected in features such as the woodwork, leaded glass windows, and ornate staircase. A large chapel was added to the house in 1959-60.

It was on April 16, 1936, that Thomas Herschel Anderson conducted his first burial. Mary E. Hurt had died in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Farmington. The first funeral service held at the funeral Home was for Edward Davis, aged 77, who died on December 17, 1936. He was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery on Decmber 19, 1936.

It was in April of 1939 that the first Wilbert Vault was used.

Thomas Herschel noted in his records the songs chosen for each funeral service. The most requested songs were "In the Garden," "Sweet Bye and Bye," "Beautiful Isle," "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me," and "The Old Rugged Cross."

Mr. Anderson and his son, T. H. (Tom) Anderson, Jr., operated the business until 1962 when the senior partner retired. Tom continued to operate the funeral home until 1978 when Howard and Kay Johnson purchased Anderson's. The Johnson's son, Kevin, joined the business in 1982. Since 1982, The Johnson Family sold the business to Ralph P. Sedgwick in April 14 of 1997. Kevin Johnson remains living and managing the family funeral Home.

The business is known now as Anderson-Sedgwick Funeral Home.

In 1928, Frank and Tom Endsley started the South Side Funeral Home at 1417 S. Stanley Street in Peoria. Four years later, the funeral home became known as the Frank M. Endsley Funeral Home. In 1944, Frank Endsley purchased the mansion at 1125 High Street in Peoria, but the new facility could not be opened until 1947 thanks to a shortage of materials during World War II. In 1950, Dale B. Endsley joined the firm after graduating with honors from the Cincinnati School of Mortuary. In 1971, the firm purchased ground in Bartonville with the goal of adding another chapel to better serve Bartonville. This became Endsley and Son Funeral Home.

David and Susan Diggle purchased Endsley and Son Funeral Home from Dale Endsley in 1991. When the Diggles purchased the business from Mr. Endsley, they purchased none of the properties. Dale sold the original at 1417 S. Stanley to another funeral home and sold the mansion on the hill to be converted into a bed and breakfast. Endsley Funeral Home continued to operate in Bartonville.

In 2001, the Diggle’s purchased the site at 1107 W. Garfield Ave. from the Hodge family, who had built the facility in 1989 as a doctor’s office for several physicians affiliated with OSF St. Francis Medical Center. After the lease with OSF St. Francis expired, the Hodges put the building up for sale. The Diggle’s bought the property in 2000 and our newly re-modeled facility was opened on April 1, 2001.

Today, Endsley –Sedgwick Funeral Home has modern amenities that our families find quite comforting. Our chapel has comfortable seating for up to 200 people for a funeral or a cremation ceremony and can accommodate any size service. Byerly Sound of Peoria installed a theater-sound system and we added a coffee lounge for the convenience and privacy of the families we serve. Our chapel shares parking with the adjacent businesses and we have parking for more than 175 cars. We can also conduct a visitation at your church’s fellowship hall and have services at the church of your faith.

Ralph P. Sedgwick purchased the Endsley Funeral Home on July 13, 2010. Mr. Sedgwick is also owner and operator of Murphy-Sedgwick Memorial Home in Canton and the Anderson-Sedgwick Funeral Home in Farmington. Our employees and their history is under staff on our website.